Who's ready for the Final Four? Despite the fact one's Alma Mater is picking up the Orange pieces of their hearts on a Salt Lake City floor, I'm rejuvenated and ready for the conclusion to the best three weeks of the year-- perhaps for the final time.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has gone on record saying tournament expansion is probable... and while I feel that 64 remains the perfect number- understand that there were those who went crazy when the field went from 32 to 40 to 48 to 64 within seven years. Part of what makes this move seem drastic is that it is... you are increasing the tournament field by 50%! Sticker shock scares away many a consumer-- and if the NCAA was smart at all (which they are not) they would incrementally get to 96 by 2020 in little fits and spurts.
I hope that if expansion is inevitable the NCAA doesn't go too far... meaning let's expand to 68 or 72 with the opening round game on the same site as the first/second round games. If that number still finds us wanting more teams in the field... bump it up to 80 in a few years. Rinse and repeat... but slow enough so that the 65 to 96 effect isn't felt as much.
Now to the games-- as four schools that possess a variety of stars, unsung heroes as well as cases for and against their chances for the one shining moment...:
Duke-- the Blue Devils had the easiest road of a #1 seed-- admit it, apologists!-- but coach K's kids made the plays when they had to. And the coach recruited the right mix of shooters and grunt men to make the roster chemistry work. Stars-- the power trio of John Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith combine for roughly two thirds of the Blue Devils scoring. Three options is like the Beatles having three songwriters... and leads to the depth that was Revolver. Unsung heroes-- because Brian Zoubek and the Plumlee pair give the Blue Devils a foundation in the pivot, everybody else is able to work towards their strengths. Case for the Blue Devils: this is what they do. The Blue Devils are in the business of hanging banners, even though this is just the second regional title in nine years. Coach K is the modern John Wooden-- better in my opinion because during the bulk of Wooden's run UCLA had a virtual bye into the Final Four because of strict regionalization and an uneven bracket... almost as uneven as the one that allowed Duke easy access to Indianapolis this year.
West Virginia-- the toughest team in the tourney plays bumper car basketball... and while coach Bob Huggins team won't win any horse contests, defense and rebounding has propelled the Mountaineers into the National Semifinals for the first time since Jerry West. Stars-- Da'Sean Butler was their life-line during the Big East Tournament and although he's shooting just 33 percent in the tournament, he's the man. Unsung hero-- Joe Mazzulla. It takes a big man to replace a truck... and after West Virginia's point guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant broke a bone in his foot, Mazzulla scored 17 points in his first start of the season. Case for the Mountaineers-- defense, rebounding and winning ugly. Two of the last three times Duke has advanced to the Final Four they've been beaten by a Big East team that thugged it up a bit (UConn in 1999 and 2004). Perhaps a national title is all Huggins needs to buy that suit.
Michigan State-- the Spartans are one of two #5 seeds in remaining in the field. How rare is success for a #5? No national titles in the 30+ years of seeding and a smattering of Final Fours. Start with the legendary 5-12 game where upsets have resided for years, followed by usually facing a #4 seed just a little more talented than you. If you get that far, a #1 seed that's had a week to prepare for you is in the way-- and if you pull the upset, there's the natural letdown in the regional finals. Face it, being a #5 is no picnic...and for further information realize the Spartans have won their four tournament games by a combined 13 points. Star-- Durrell Summers is averaging 20 points a game during the tournament, giving MSU star to hitch its wagon on just as Kalin Lucas got banged up. Unsung hero-- Korie Lucious on name value alone gets the nod, but the guard has filled in admirably for the injured Kalin Lucas...up to and including the gamewinning basket against Maryland. Case for the Spartans-- Tom Izzo gets his teams to overperform consistently every March. His run of 6 Final Fours in 12 years isn't the equal of Coach K's 7 of 9 from 1986-94, but Izzo's been able to bring a wide variety of teams built for tournament basketball this far consistently. And Indy's not too far from Lansing, right?
Butler-- okay, Gene Hackman fans... break out the we're winners speech, measure how high the rim is and run the picket fence. Are the Bulldogs a Cinderella team? There's more debate on that than if they can win twice less than ten miles from campus this weekend. They do come from a mid-major league, yet were ranked in the top twenty all season. Compare them not to George Mason, but the UNLV of the 80's (I think they were in the PCAA or WCC at the time-- weak sisters to the WAC). Star-- Gordon Heyward... wasn't that Venus Flytrap's real name?... the 6-9 swingman from Brownsburg, Indiana is a threat anywhere on the floor and has produced bigtime in March. How is he not going to IU? The Kelvin Sampson gift keeps giving. Unsung hero-- Ronald Nored is a more typical Bulldog-- 6 feet tall but with a ton of effort... rebounds very well for his height. Case for Butler-- Don't you just want Jim Nantz to do his "spontaneously planned final call" regarding a Bulldog win? The game is being played in Indianapolis, by the way.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Eight is enough for 24...
With no extended beltway schools in action (thank you Virginia Tech for playing honorably in the NIT), all of my college hoop focus turned towards my alma mater. Unfortunately the Sweet Sixteen left a sour taste-- and a 63-59 loss to Butler.
What happened? Eighteen turnovers. Butler gave SU fits offensively all evening-- and scored 23 points off Orange miscues. Syracuse outshot-- and outrebounded the Bulldogs while denying Butler effectively from three point range... but kept on making mistakes. There were those who claimed the officials were poor-- calling a game that went against the Orange's physical mindset and played towards Butler's style of basketball. Problem was, SU didn't play well enough to win. And although they came close (up 54-50 with the ball and 4 minutes left)... Butler just played better. Some times it just happens that way. March can be one mean mistress sometimes.
The loss ended what became one of the more pleasantly surprising seasons I've seen... one that I'll easily rank in the top four SUrprising seasons since I've started following the Orange. In no particular order--
1--1986-87... fresh off a second round NCAA loss in the Carrier Dome to David Robinson and Navy, the Orangemen lose superstar guard Pearl Washington to the NBA. Rebuilding year? Hardly. Sherman Douglas steps up, Derrick Coleman is as good as advertised, Rony Seikaly looks interested- and the senior tandem of Greg Monroe and Howard Triche provide leadership that guides a young nucleus to the national title game.
2--1991-92... burdened with NCAA investigations plus the departure of Billy Owens and Leron Ellis to the NBA, time to rebuild. I mean-- you're starting Mike Hopkins... not so fast sir--Lawrence Moten comes in and produces from day one-- Dave Johnson finally adjusts to his new name and number (the swingman wore #23 and was called David before switching to #4 and Dave)... and SU is hot early (18-3) before fading...but then bounces back to win the Big East Tournament.
3-- 1995-96... Lawrence Moten and Luke Jackson graduated... while Michael Lloyd was deemed ineligible. Could hometown hero Lazarus Sims run the point? All the way to the National title game.
4-- this winter... three early departures (Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris) would surely cripple what was a team that caught fire in the Big East Tournament. But the scrappy leftovers rallied together and the infusion of Wes Johnson to the lineup turned a pretender into a contender-- one that claimed a #1 ranking and won the Big East regular season title outright for the first time since 1991.
Does this lessen the sting of coming up two steps shy of a Final Four? I'll leave that up to my Orange brethren (and sistren). I just hope they recognize what an incredible ride this was.
Alma Mater Update-- despite the result, a great time had by all at the Sign of the Whale to wrap up our second season of basketball watching (as fate would have it I never witnessed an NCAA win at the Rhino Pumphouse in Georgetown--and I watched games there from 2005 to 2008). The MVP goes to my buddy's girlfriend Meredith who held a bowl of chicken wings for us to eat while standing up. No sauce spillage anywhere (although there was a piece of celery dropped). To further accentuate the fact that the season is over, the McDonald's on M Street stopped selling Shamrock Shakes. Minty goodness and title hopes hibernate again.
Commonwealth Common Sense-- Virginia Tech signed coach Seth Greenberg to an extension- the Baron of Blacksburg well deserving of his reward... as he's made the Hokies relevant in the ACC... a tough out instead of a league laughingstock. While Virginia is under its second rebuilding phase in the last decade-- the Hokies have a firm foundation that will result in NCAA trips in the future.
Clock winding down-- Fox has cancelled 24... although I think Jack Bauer went into Fox execs and told them under no uncertain terms he would not be back for another season. Eight seasons of shooting, shouting, ridiculous plot points and mountain lions...the show changed the landscape of TV in its own way. With eight seasons in the books, I guess we could play it out like an elite eight...:
Season #1 vs Season #8-- Mandy blows up a plane, Nina kills Teri and Palmer shuns Sherry against Freddie Prinze Jr? No contest. Season 1 advances.
Season #2 vs Season #7-- Jack's road to redemption begins by using a hacksaw... although last year was compelling (like the DC switch), CTU's dual doofus middle managers George Mason and Ryan Chappelle put this one over the top.
Season #3 vs Season #6-- clearly the two worst years get bracketed together. Kim's boyfriend has his arm chopped off while Jack's father kills his brother. Even with Ricky Schroeder and CTU 90210, the Bauer family foibles takes the cake.
Season #4 vs Season #5-- toughest matchup... one had the key quote "earlier today Jack and Audrey were planning their life together-- now he's killed her husband and probably will have to torture her brother", while the other has Jack telling some punk "the only reason you're still conscious is I don't feel like carrying you". Knock me out, Kiefer.
Semis-- #5 won an Emmy for the show and Kiefer... plus had him on a slow boat to China at the end. #1 set up everything... including bad life decisions by Kim (lets go to a furniture store at midnight!). #2 takes a hacksaw to #6 in the most unmerciful way.
Finals-- #2 wins over #5 in a close call; Jack literally died in this one and stuck his hand in a corpse to boot; plus Sarah Wynter as Kate Warner trumps Kim Raver as Audrey.
What happened? Eighteen turnovers. Butler gave SU fits offensively all evening-- and scored 23 points off Orange miscues. Syracuse outshot-- and outrebounded the Bulldogs while denying Butler effectively from three point range... but kept on making mistakes. There were those who claimed the officials were poor-- calling a game that went against the Orange's physical mindset and played towards Butler's style of basketball. Problem was, SU didn't play well enough to win. And although they came close (up 54-50 with the ball and 4 minutes left)... Butler just played better. Some times it just happens that way. March can be one mean mistress sometimes.
The loss ended what became one of the more pleasantly surprising seasons I've seen... one that I'll easily rank in the top four SUrprising seasons since I've started following the Orange. In no particular order--
1--1986-87... fresh off a second round NCAA loss in the Carrier Dome to David Robinson and Navy, the Orangemen lose superstar guard Pearl Washington to the NBA. Rebuilding year? Hardly. Sherman Douglas steps up, Derrick Coleman is as good as advertised, Rony Seikaly looks interested- and the senior tandem of Greg Monroe and Howard Triche provide leadership that guides a young nucleus to the national title game.
2--1991-92... burdened with NCAA investigations plus the departure of Billy Owens and Leron Ellis to the NBA, time to rebuild. I mean-- you're starting Mike Hopkins... not so fast sir--Lawrence Moten comes in and produces from day one-- Dave Johnson finally adjusts to his new name and number (the swingman wore #23 and was called David before switching to #4 and Dave)... and SU is hot early (18-3) before fading...but then bounces back to win the Big East Tournament.
3-- 1995-96... Lawrence Moten and Luke Jackson graduated... while Michael Lloyd was deemed ineligible. Could hometown hero Lazarus Sims run the point? All the way to the National title game.
4-- this winter... three early departures (Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris) would surely cripple what was a team that caught fire in the Big East Tournament. But the scrappy leftovers rallied together and the infusion of Wes Johnson to the lineup turned a pretender into a contender-- one that claimed a #1 ranking and won the Big East regular season title outright for the first time since 1991.
Does this lessen the sting of coming up two steps shy of a Final Four? I'll leave that up to my Orange brethren (and sistren). I just hope they recognize what an incredible ride this was.
Alma Mater Update-- despite the result, a great time had by all at the Sign of the Whale to wrap up our second season of basketball watching (as fate would have it I never witnessed an NCAA win at the Rhino Pumphouse in Georgetown--and I watched games there from 2005 to 2008). The MVP goes to my buddy's girlfriend Meredith who held a bowl of chicken wings for us to eat while standing up. No sauce spillage anywhere (although there was a piece of celery dropped). To further accentuate the fact that the season is over, the McDonald's on M Street stopped selling Shamrock Shakes. Minty goodness and title hopes hibernate again.
Commonwealth Common Sense-- Virginia Tech signed coach Seth Greenberg to an extension- the Baron of Blacksburg well deserving of his reward... as he's made the Hokies relevant in the ACC... a tough out instead of a league laughingstock. While Virginia is under its second rebuilding phase in the last decade-- the Hokies have a firm foundation that will result in NCAA trips in the future.
Clock winding down-- Fox has cancelled 24... although I think Jack Bauer went into Fox execs and told them under no uncertain terms he would not be back for another season. Eight seasons of shooting, shouting, ridiculous plot points and mountain lions...the show changed the landscape of TV in its own way. With eight seasons in the books, I guess we could play it out like an elite eight...:
Season #1 vs Season #8-- Mandy blows up a plane, Nina kills Teri and Palmer shuns Sherry against Freddie Prinze Jr? No contest. Season 1 advances.
Season #2 vs Season #7-- Jack's road to redemption begins by using a hacksaw... although last year was compelling (like the DC switch), CTU's dual doofus middle managers George Mason and Ryan Chappelle put this one over the top.
Season #3 vs Season #6-- clearly the two worst years get bracketed together. Kim's boyfriend has his arm chopped off while Jack's father kills his brother. Even with Ricky Schroeder and CTU 90210, the Bauer family foibles takes the cake.
Season #4 vs Season #5-- toughest matchup... one had the key quote "earlier today Jack and Audrey were planning their life together-- now he's killed her husband and probably will have to torture her brother", while the other has Jack telling some punk "the only reason you're still conscious is I don't feel like carrying you". Knock me out, Kiefer.
Semis-- #5 won an Emmy for the show and Kiefer... plus had him on a slow boat to China at the end. #1 set up everything... including bad life decisions by Kim (lets go to a furniture store at midnight!). #2 takes a hacksaw to #6 in the most unmerciful way.
Finals-- #2 wins over #5 in a close call; Jack literally died in this one and stuck his hand in a corpse to boot; plus Sarah Wynter as Kate Warner trumps Kim Raver as Audrey.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Beltway Basketball Bonanza... sweet and sour sixteen...
I've always been amazed at how quickly the world moves on in the NCAA Tournament. From Midnight Madness in October schools have been building towards these weeks in March. They've been living the dream and process while I've been watching, wondering, writing and talking about both. The Hoyas rebounding issues, the Terps RPI, George Mason's leading scorer and American's youth have all been as consuming for me as shaving and showering. Constant. Everyday. The same as yesterday but somehow a little different. But now it's all gone. Over. Wait 'til next year while the world moves on.
Georgetown wonders if sophomore Greg Monroe will return for his junior season; if he does it means everybody comes back--and although some say they're still a defensive dynamo (whither Noah Rivers?) away, one has to like the Hoyas chances as they move towards 2010-2011. While losing as a #3 seed is definitely disappointing, it's much better than bowing out in the first round of the NIT. John Thompson III is still developing as a coach in a big time conference... and he surely will take what he's learned into the offseason.
Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse disposed of Vermont and Gonzaga en route to its second straight sweet sixteen (Orange haven't lost a round of 32 game since 2001)... Wes Johnson poured in 31 points and 14 rebounds in perhaps his last Empire State appearance (NBA knocking since February). After disposing of Cinderella Hall of Famer Gonzaga in round two, the Orange face another recent fan favorite in Butler-- whose coach may or may not be the first coach in the Sweet Sixteen to actually be sixteen years old. Can SU do without center Arinze Onuako for a third straight game? And will I be able to secure a spot in the Sign of the Whale's gamewatching area known as "The McLovin Room"? Over/under on wing consumption is 17 1/2.
Maryland saw its season end in the wink of an eye when Korie Lucious drained a gamewinning three at the buzzer in the Terps 85-83 loss to Michigan State... but the fact that the Terps were even in this game was a testament to their tenacity. The Spartans outshot (55% from the field and 56% from 3-point range) while outrebounding the Terrapins 35-21. It will be tough to imagine the Terps minus four-year starter Greivis Vasquez as well as the other two seniors (Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne). Hayes and Vasquez have been fixtures of this program since day one of their careers-- and Milbourne has quietly done whatever was necessary to get playing time and contribute to this team.
Conference call-- The Big Ten boasts the most schools in the sweet sixteen with three... while the Big East has just two (and a 6-6 record after two rounds). While Georgetown's flameout caught most by surprise, the rest of the fallen could be seen in advance-- Villanova hadn't played well in over a month, Notre Dame had its best player on the mend, Pitt flamed out in the BET, Louisville was lucky to be in the field and Marquette's lucky to still be invited to league meetings at this point. And how about the ACC? Just one sweet sixteen school in Duke. If there's been one disturbing trend in the last five years (since expansion), it's been the streamlining of the league's caste system. Blue Devils & Tar Heels-- and then everyone else.
Commonwealth Commotion...Virginia Tech remains in the NIT with a Wednesday quarterfinal against Rhode Island-- while Virginia's leading scorer Sylvan Landesburg is declaring for the NBA Draft. Good luck, buddy.
Georgetown wonders if sophomore Greg Monroe will return for his junior season; if he does it means everybody comes back--and although some say they're still a defensive dynamo (whither Noah Rivers?) away, one has to like the Hoyas chances as they move towards 2010-2011. While losing as a #3 seed is definitely disappointing, it's much better than bowing out in the first round of the NIT. John Thompson III is still developing as a coach in a big time conference... and he surely will take what he's learned into the offseason.
Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse disposed of Vermont and Gonzaga en route to its second straight sweet sixteen (Orange haven't lost a round of 32 game since 2001)... Wes Johnson poured in 31 points and 14 rebounds in perhaps his last Empire State appearance (NBA knocking since February). After disposing of Cinderella Hall of Famer Gonzaga in round two, the Orange face another recent fan favorite in Butler-- whose coach may or may not be the first coach in the Sweet Sixteen to actually be sixteen years old. Can SU do without center Arinze Onuako for a third straight game? And will I be able to secure a spot in the Sign of the Whale's gamewatching area known as "The McLovin Room"? Over/under on wing consumption is 17 1/2.
Maryland saw its season end in the wink of an eye when Korie Lucious drained a gamewinning three at the buzzer in the Terps 85-83 loss to Michigan State... but the fact that the Terps were even in this game was a testament to their tenacity. The Spartans outshot (55% from the field and 56% from 3-point range) while outrebounding the Terrapins 35-21. It will be tough to imagine the Terps minus four-year starter Greivis Vasquez as well as the other two seniors (Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne). Hayes and Vasquez have been fixtures of this program since day one of their careers-- and Milbourne has quietly done whatever was necessary to get playing time and contribute to this team.
Conference call-- The Big Ten boasts the most schools in the sweet sixteen with three... while the Big East has just two (and a 6-6 record after two rounds). While Georgetown's flameout caught most by surprise, the rest of the fallen could be seen in advance-- Villanova hadn't played well in over a month, Notre Dame had its best player on the mend, Pitt flamed out in the BET, Louisville was lucky to be in the field and Marquette's lucky to still be invited to league meetings at this point. And how about the ACC? Just one sweet sixteen school in Duke. If there's been one disturbing trend in the last five years (since expansion), it's been the streamlining of the league's caste system. Blue Devils & Tar Heels-- and then everyone else.
Commonwealth Commotion...Virginia Tech remains in the NIT with a Wednesday quarterfinal against Rhode Island-- while Virginia's leading scorer Sylvan Landesburg is declaring for the NBA Draft. Good luck, buddy.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Big Least...
Whoa... March Madness began like a lion with 7 lower seeded teams winning... while starting and ending with overtime games and an underachieving conference. Which is why we love these two days more than any other on the sports calendar.
Georgetown lost to Ohio 97-83 in the day's biggest upset. The Bobcats shot 57% from the field and three point range... while turning the Hoyas over 19 times. My hoops expert White Shoes says the Hoyas lost the game by not driving and penetrating early and often in the first half--instead settling for jumpshots. While Georgetown could have played better, it wasn't as though the Bobcats were hitting uncontested threes-- OU outplayed them for 40 minutes. Take heart, Hoya fans...you have everybody coming back next year.
Big East blunders... it wasn't just the Hoyas loss that gave league backers queasy stomachs. Notre Dame (and Brenda Walsh date lookalike Luke Harangody) lost a heartbreaker to Old Dominion where the Irish scored 7 points in the final 7:48... while Marquette coughed up an 11 point second half lead to a Washington team that needed to win the Pac-Ten (worst big conference during the regular season) just to make the field. Can't we just kick Marquette and DePaul out of the league and be done with both schools? It would so help out with travel and when Notre Dame joins the Big Ten it'll make so much sense...then we'd only have to lose Seton Hall's phone number until they get the hint before the league gets back to a manageable dozen.
Network nitpick... CBS still sends us away from primary games to show dead spots of other contests... instead of running highlights during dead spots. I want to stay locked into Georgetown for the full forty minutes-- no cutaways! Even with a double digit deficit and under two minutes to play, a quick three or two can change things dramatically-and I was forced to watch the Hoya seconds tick off in the upper left hand corner of a TV screen. Almost makes ESPN's run for the Tournament rights bearable.
Maryland Moment-- Terps tangle with Houston... and the nation's leading scorer in Aubrey Coleman. While much of the focus will be on how they defend Coleman and how Greivis Vasquez responds to his worst outing in months (6-21 against Georgia Tech with 6 turnovers)...the supporting cast (Tertiary Terps) needs to respond with a big effort. This is where Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne shine as alternate options. This is where Jordan Williams introduces himself to the basketball world.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thoughts... what an underwhelming induction ceremony. Genesis minus Peter Gabriel? I know the band was better, if less hitmaking with you up front-- and I know In Your Eyes crushes Sussudio... but you should have stood with your former mates (and who would have thought less than a decade after being cut by the Redskins, Tony Banks would be a hall of famer). ABBA with only one A and one B? Seventies cheese only works when there's a full-fledged reunion, folks... let that be your Waterloo. The Hollies bereft of the actual members still with the band? Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott were playing a concert in London and didn't make the trip- gentlemen, how do you not take the day off and join Graham and Allen (plus the bassists whose names we can't recall). Clarke and Elliott were amusing bookends to a highly underrated band. Tony looked like he was 15 and Bobby was bald... a nice juxtaposition... and Clarke's jangling guitar plus Elliott's scattershot drumming gave the Hollies a sound apart from the rest of the second-tier British Invasion groups.
Georgetown lost to Ohio 97-83 in the day's biggest upset. The Bobcats shot 57% from the field and three point range... while turning the Hoyas over 19 times. My hoops expert White Shoes says the Hoyas lost the game by not driving and penetrating early and often in the first half--instead settling for jumpshots. While Georgetown could have played better, it wasn't as though the Bobcats were hitting uncontested threes-- OU outplayed them for 40 minutes. Take heart, Hoya fans...you have everybody coming back next year.
Big East blunders... it wasn't just the Hoyas loss that gave league backers queasy stomachs. Notre Dame (and Brenda Walsh date lookalike Luke Harangody) lost a heartbreaker to Old Dominion where the Irish scored 7 points in the final 7:48... while Marquette coughed up an 11 point second half lead to a Washington team that needed to win the Pac-Ten (worst big conference during the regular season) just to make the field. Can't we just kick Marquette and DePaul out of the league and be done with both schools? It would so help out with travel and when Notre Dame joins the Big Ten it'll make so much sense...then we'd only have to lose Seton Hall's phone number until they get the hint before the league gets back to a manageable dozen.
Network nitpick... CBS still sends us away from primary games to show dead spots of other contests... instead of running highlights during dead spots. I want to stay locked into Georgetown for the full forty minutes-- no cutaways! Even with a double digit deficit and under two minutes to play, a quick three or two can change things dramatically-and I was forced to watch the Hoya seconds tick off in the upper left hand corner of a TV screen. Almost makes ESPN's run for the Tournament rights bearable.
Maryland Moment-- Terps tangle with Houston... and the nation's leading scorer in Aubrey Coleman. While much of the focus will be on how they defend Coleman and how Greivis Vasquez responds to his worst outing in months (6-21 against Georgia Tech with 6 turnovers)...the supporting cast (Tertiary Terps) needs to respond with a big effort. This is where Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne shine as alternate options. This is where Jordan Williams introduces himself to the basketball world.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thoughts... what an underwhelming induction ceremony. Genesis minus Peter Gabriel? I know the band was better, if less hitmaking with you up front-- and I know In Your Eyes crushes Sussudio... but you should have stood with your former mates (and who would have thought less than a decade after being cut by the Redskins, Tony Banks would be a hall of famer). ABBA with only one A and one B? Seventies cheese only works when there's a full-fledged reunion, folks... let that be your Waterloo. The Hollies bereft of the actual members still with the band? Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott were playing a concert in London and didn't make the trip- gentlemen, how do you not take the day off and join Graham and Allen (plus the bassists whose names we can't recall). Clarke and Elliott were amusing bookends to a highly underrated band. Tony looked like he was 15 and Bobby was bald... a nice juxtaposition... and Clarke's jangling guitar plus Elliott's scattershot drumming gave the Hollies a sound apart from the rest of the second-tier British Invasion groups.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Bold, Fold and Gold--- Bracket Edition...
I've gone on record saying March is my favorite month... and this is the best week of March. We go from Sunday morning and all of the bubbles and seeding possibilities to Sunday night's announcement... followed by a scramble and then four days of non-stop hoopage. Forty eight games will be played over approximately 100 hours... and what a magnificent journey.
Time now for the Bold (who will outperform their seed and shock the world), Fold (who will underperform and burn a multitude of brackets with them) and Gold (who's Indianapolis-bound).
East--
Bold-- Wisconsin has quietly carved out a top 20 ranking completely under the radar while Big Ten bullies Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue grabbed the headlines. Still, the Badgers boast three guards who can do damage and Bo Ryan's ballclub might just be the team that can close the deal against always living dangerously Kentucky.
Fold-- West Virginia played very well down the stretch and won a thrilling Big East Tournament; but they can't shoot at all... coach Bob Huggins' teams notoriously underperform in the big dance... and how many times can a squad court disaster while remaining unscathed?
Gold-- Kentucky gives me little to like. The arrogance of old hoops money (all those National Titles, Ashley Judd) plus new hoops money (John Calipari, Ashley Judd) makes one yearn for Duke--almost. Still, they've got the most talent and a guard in John Wall who can take the team on his back and turn the bracket on its head. I hope they lose to Wisconsin, but think they'll head to Indy.
South--
Bold-- Notre Dame is hitting it's stride at the right time- and has been in the tournament mindset for a while having played its way off the bubble. Besides, they boast Luke Harangody, a well-documented doppleganger for the guy who took Brenda Walsh to her senior prom. I believe the character Tony Miller went on to play football for Iowa-- which is where Cindy Mancini's boyfriend Bobby (Can't Buy Me Love) went...
Fold-- Villanova slumped down the stretch (4-6), has little size (Antonio Pena?!?)... and has to pay for stealing a final four spot last March from conference rival Pitt. Payback may come in the form of a Richmond team with size to spare.
Gold-- Duke seems destined for a return to the Final Four; the bracket is set up for the Blue Devils as they've drawn the opening round winner plus a four seed in a Robbie Hummel-less Purdue.
Midwest--
Bold-- Georgia Tech has talent, that is no debate. But getting the Yellowjacket talent pointed in the same direction has been a challenge... they've got just the team that can stay 40 minutes with a more talented Georgetown team.
Fold-- Tennessee when playing well has looked very good (wins over #1's Kansas and Kentucky during the regular season), but when the Volunteers haven't played well things have gotten ugly (74-45 loss in the SEC SF). They meet giant-killer San Diego State in the first round.
Gold-- Ohio State should have gotten the fourth number one seed--behind the nation's best player (Andre Turner) the Buckeyes should gather momentum in nearby Milwaukee over the first weekend. Can they contend with Kansas? O-H-I-O.
West--
Bold-- BYU is led by Jimmer Fredette... who on name value alone should be able to shoot the Cougars into the second weekend.
Fold-- Syracuse enters the tournament having dropped two straight. The Orange also will likely be minus center Arinze Onuaku for the first weekend against 2005 nemesis Vermont and potentially a very dangerous Florida State.
Gold-- Pitt has been an NCAA bridesmaid for the better part of the last decade... falling a few steps shy of the Final Four with stronger teams. This year's guard-heavy bunch takes Jermaine Dixon's lead...Pitt is it.
Time now for the Bold (who will outperform their seed and shock the world), Fold (who will underperform and burn a multitude of brackets with them) and Gold (who's Indianapolis-bound).
East--
Bold-- Wisconsin has quietly carved out a top 20 ranking completely under the radar while Big Ten bullies Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue grabbed the headlines. Still, the Badgers boast three guards who can do damage and Bo Ryan's ballclub might just be the team that can close the deal against always living dangerously Kentucky.
Fold-- West Virginia played very well down the stretch and won a thrilling Big East Tournament; but they can't shoot at all... coach Bob Huggins' teams notoriously underperform in the big dance... and how many times can a squad court disaster while remaining unscathed?
Gold-- Kentucky gives me little to like. The arrogance of old hoops money (all those National Titles, Ashley Judd) plus new hoops money (John Calipari, Ashley Judd) makes one yearn for Duke--almost. Still, they've got the most talent and a guard in John Wall who can take the team on his back and turn the bracket on its head. I hope they lose to Wisconsin, but think they'll head to Indy.
South--
Bold-- Notre Dame is hitting it's stride at the right time- and has been in the tournament mindset for a while having played its way off the bubble. Besides, they boast Luke Harangody, a well-documented doppleganger for the guy who took Brenda Walsh to her senior prom. I believe the character Tony Miller went on to play football for Iowa-- which is where Cindy Mancini's boyfriend Bobby (Can't Buy Me Love) went...
Fold-- Villanova slumped down the stretch (4-6), has little size (Antonio Pena?!?)... and has to pay for stealing a final four spot last March from conference rival Pitt. Payback may come in the form of a Richmond team with size to spare.
Gold-- Duke seems destined for a return to the Final Four; the bracket is set up for the Blue Devils as they've drawn the opening round winner plus a four seed in a Robbie Hummel-less Purdue.
Midwest--
Bold-- Georgia Tech has talent, that is no debate. But getting the Yellowjacket talent pointed in the same direction has been a challenge... they've got just the team that can stay 40 minutes with a more talented Georgetown team.
Fold-- Tennessee when playing well has looked very good (wins over #1's Kansas and Kentucky during the regular season), but when the Volunteers haven't played well things have gotten ugly (74-45 loss in the SEC SF). They meet giant-killer San Diego State in the first round.
Gold-- Ohio State should have gotten the fourth number one seed--behind the nation's best player (Andre Turner) the Buckeyes should gather momentum in nearby Milwaukee over the first weekend. Can they contend with Kansas? O-H-I-O.
West--
Bold-- BYU is led by Jimmer Fredette... who on name value alone should be able to shoot the Cougars into the second weekend.
Fold-- Syracuse enters the tournament having dropped two straight. The Orange also will likely be minus center Arinze Onuaku for the first weekend against 2005 nemesis Vermont and potentially a very dangerous Florida State.
Gold-- Pitt has been an NCAA bridesmaid for the better part of the last decade... falling a few steps shy of the Final Four with stronger teams. This year's guard-heavy bunch takes Jermaine Dixon's lead...Pitt is it.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Break out the Brackets!
Selection Sunday is always followed by Manic Monday-- meaning teams, broadcasters and reporters are preparing to scramble around the nations to nine sites where games will be played starting Tuesday (I know, I don't like the Opening Round any more than you-- more on my compromise later). Fans scramble in their own manner by trying to coordinate off-days, frequent flyer miles and bracket sheets. As my staff is focusing on my regional BOLD, FOLD and GOLD picks... a few thoughts...
Georgetown gets a #3 seed in the Midwest bracket and heads to Providence for a first round game with Ohio. The Bobcats (21-14) won four straight games in the MAC tournament as that league's #9 team. Armond Bassett scored more than 25 points in each of Ohio's MAC tourney victories; the Indiana transfer's legit. If the Hoyas win they face the winner of Tennessee-San Diego State...with the bullies in their bracket being overall #1 Kansas and Big Ten champ Ohio State.
Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse gets the #1 seed in the West... rated fourth out of the #1's... and meets 2005 nemesis Vermont in the first round. When the Orange lost to the Catamounts in the first round that year you could have heard a pin drop at the alumni gamewatching location; followed by a moment of silence and cellphones turning on for everyone to commiserate with their old roommates. Even in a really crappy moment college hoops is kind of cool.
Maryland is also in the Midwest Bracket... but the Terps have a far different journey to St. Louis for the regional--instead their road goes through Spokane, Washington. Just like the Hoyas, Maryland meets a team that needed a four game tournament run to make the field-- Houston (with Betty White lookalike Tom Penders coaching). The Cougars are led by the nation's top scorer in guard Aubrey Coleman (25.6 ppg) and will be far from a pushover... Penders has led double-digit seeds into the sweet sixteen before (Rhode Island-1988 and Texas-1990 to name a pair). New Mexico St/Michigan St await the winner with top seed Kansas looming.
Planting seeds...and giving the Devils more than they're due. Let's just say Dukes #1 seed (ahead of Syracuse) and draw in the South (play-in winner, Cal/Lville, one-armed Purdue) will do little to quiet Blue Devil Haters. I thought the committee could have named Ohio State or West Virginia as the fourth #1 instead of Duke; although last year I thought the Blue Devils deserved a #1 instead of Connecticut.
Hokies hosed? Hardly. When Virginia Tech missed the field despite a 10-6 ACC mark, many cried foul that they were left out. I thought the Hokies merited consideration instead of Wake Forest... just like Mississippi State deserved a spot instead of Florida. The mantra this year though has been the bad non-conference slate for the Hokies (#339 of 347 schools)... and it never went away in a year when the strength of the ACC wasn't there to lift all of the conference boats.
Give the Opening Round a Square Deal-- so much for Arkansas-Pine Bluff celebrating their first ever trip to the tournament or Winthrop basking in another bid... those two teams tangle Tuesday night in the opening round (don't call me play-in) game. In Dayton. Dayton? Could you have a more non-destination destination? Especially from a small town campus not within driving distance... which most of the schools that have played in the opening round game have been. And then the winner gets to pick up stakes and move to Jacksonville? My solution: have the play-in game at the same site where the winner will be playing on Friday. This will cut down on travel... and let the participating schools feel like they're actually, well, participating in the tournament.
Georgetown gets a #3 seed in the Midwest bracket and heads to Providence for a first round game with Ohio. The Bobcats (21-14) won four straight games in the MAC tournament as that league's #9 team. Armond Bassett scored more than 25 points in each of Ohio's MAC tourney victories; the Indiana transfer's legit. If the Hoyas win they face the winner of Tennessee-San Diego State...with the bullies in their bracket being overall #1 Kansas and Big Ten champ Ohio State.
Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse gets the #1 seed in the West... rated fourth out of the #1's... and meets 2005 nemesis Vermont in the first round. When the Orange lost to the Catamounts in the first round that year you could have heard a pin drop at the alumni gamewatching location; followed by a moment of silence and cellphones turning on for everyone to commiserate with their old roommates. Even in a really crappy moment college hoops is kind of cool.
Maryland is also in the Midwest Bracket... but the Terps have a far different journey to St. Louis for the regional--instead their road goes through Spokane, Washington. Just like the Hoyas, Maryland meets a team that needed a four game tournament run to make the field-- Houston (with Betty White lookalike Tom Penders coaching). The Cougars are led by the nation's top scorer in guard Aubrey Coleman (25.6 ppg) and will be far from a pushover... Penders has led double-digit seeds into the sweet sixteen before (Rhode Island-1988 and Texas-1990 to name a pair). New Mexico St/Michigan St await the winner with top seed Kansas looming.
Planting seeds...and giving the Devils more than they're due. Let's just say Dukes #1 seed (ahead of Syracuse) and draw in the South (play-in winner, Cal/Lville, one-armed Purdue) will do little to quiet Blue Devil Haters. I thought the committee could have named Ohio State or West Virginia as the fourth #1 instead of Duke; although last year I thought the Blue Devils deserved a #1 instead of Connecticut.
Hokies hosed? Hardly. When Virginia Tech missed the field despite a 10-6 ACC mark, many cried foul that they were left out. I thought the Hokies merited consideration instead of Wake Forest... just like Mississippi State deserved a spot instead of Florida. The mantra this year though has been the bad non-conference slate for the Hokies (#339 of 347 schools)... and it never went away in a year when the strength of the ACC wasn't there to lift all of the conference boats.
Give the Opening Round a Square Deal-- so much for Arkansas-Pine Bluff celebrating their first ever trip to the tournament or Winthrop basking in another bid... those two teams tangle Tuesday night in the opening round (don't call me play-in) game. In Dayton. Dayton? Could you have a more non-destination destination? Especially from a small town campus not within driving distance... which most of the schools that have played in the opening round game have been. And then the winner gets to pick up stakes and move to Jacksonville? My solution: have the play-in game at the same site where the winner will be playing on Friday. This will cut down on travel... and let the participating schools feel like they're actually, well, participating in the tournament.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Bubble, Bubble, whose bid is in trouble?
Forget the Big Dance-- I'm all dialed into the swarm before the storm. Even with 2010's lack of compelling cases in the at-large field... the now-they're in, now they're not feel to this weekend had a certain charm. Playing back-to-back-to-back (and sometimes back-to-back-to-back-to-back) days will do that. More than a few shocks and surprises marked championship week from the elites (more on the ACC quagmire later) to the mid-majors (9th seed Ohio in the MAC?) to the one-bid leagues (Sam Houston over Stephen Austin in the Southland-- no truth to the rumor Jim Bowie and Davey Crockett rounded out the semifinals)... what a spicy appetizer before my favorite three-course sports meal.
Shammy Shake Update-- lets just say the green dye fueled minty goodness was imbibed early and often this season... although yesterday the McD's in NE DC near NY/FLA Ave's had run out of the "magic formula"-- hopefully this won't be a trend; and if it is hopefully it won't be used as an allegory to how area teams fared in the tournament.
Georgetown avenged regular season defeats to South Florida, Syracuse and Marquette en route to a Big East Championship appearance--and fell two points shy of a seventh tournament title. Credit improved rebounding (-3 against SF, +2 against SU and +22 against MU) and unconcious shooting (52% and 41% of 3's in first three games) to the Hoyas run... with a short bench and 120 minutes on the odometer, their legs just ran out on them against a very good defensive team in West Virginia (25% shooting from 3pt land and getting outrebounded by 17). Say what you will about the Hoyas not putting a player on the inbounds (thanks, Jay Bilas)- the Mountaineers had more in reserve... and more reserves. How much of a bounce will coach John Thompson III's team get? Pre-BET they were a #5 or a #6 seed...now ESPN & CBS's experts have the Hoyas as a #2 (I'm thinking a 3 in the East).
Alma Mater Update-- Orange Crushed! So much for my gold pick... one always has a nervous feeling-- and sometimes it's overreaction, sometimes it's legitimate. The Hoyas played SU tough during both regular season games and outscored them 32-15 over the final ten minutes of the game in DC... so the loss wasn't a surprise. They should get a #1 seed and will probably begin the tournament in Buffalo (the East Regional is in the Carrier Dome, so this means they would be bracketed in the South, Midwest or West) on Friday. Can they get their mojo back after back to back losses for the first time all season and will they be sharp after just two games in 17 days? Is this a replay of 2000, when the Orange advanced to the Sweet 16 after losing to the Hoyas in the quarterfinals? Or is this a replay of 1991, when after losing to Villanova as the BET #1 they played Richmond...
Maryland saw its ACC Tournament stay end abruptly with a 69-64 loss to 7th seed Georgia Tech--a reversal of last year when the Terrapins earned their tourney ticket as a 7 seed by upsetting #2 Wake Forest. Conference Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez had as bad a game as he'd had since January 31st's loss at Clemson (6-21 FG and 2-11 from 3-pt range with 6 TO's). Still, a pesky defense that caused 25 turnovers gave the College Park faithful hope into the final minute of play. Many were talking a #3 seed if the Terps triumphed in Greensboro... now ESPN/CBS has Gary Williams' team a #5 (sounds fair).
Commonwealth Conniption--- Virginia Tech was in, right? A quarterfinal loss to last place Miami put the Hokies in a 50-hour long bubble (more agonizing than the 70's John Travolta TV movie)... while 10 ACC wins is usually good enough to punch a tourney ticket-- the late-season sagging of Wake Forest and Florida State plus complete collapse gives double digits a little less luster-and a non-league strength of schedule that ranks in the 300's is the zit that can't escape the eye of the committee.
Big East Recap-- more than a few of my friends and fellow alumni made the journey to MSG and were rewarded with a Tuesday tickets they couldn't get time off work for, Wednesday seats they didn't want, a Thursday afternoon exit followed by two days of rain and Arinze Onuaku watching. In the middle there was what my ACC friends refer to as "bumper car basketball". Again, scoring in the 50's should be like getting 400's on your SAT's. Notre Dame made good on my bold pick and early stole the tournament-- Luke Harangody wrapped up his BET career like the guy who took Brenda Walsh to the prom... with a strong early showing against Providence (the very special steroid episode), a statement game against Pitt (although a Dylan-less Brenda had no date, it took onions! for Tony to ask... I believe at the Peach Pit) followed by a shutout in the semis against West Virginia (seriously, he thought he could get a room?). Instead, the week belonged to fellow next-generation member West Virginia-- who may not be able to shoot at all... but can rebound and play tight defense like the best Huggins teams. Da'Sean Butler took a page from the Gerry Macnamara story and turned MSG on its ear... and his teammates weren't that bad either. The Mountaineers are more deserving of a #1 seed than Georgetown is of a #2...if that makes sense (and often in March things don't).
ACC Thoughts-- imagine hell if you are a Tar Heels fan... it's not just a 16-16 mark with a first round exit in the conference tournament you've dominated since Frank McGuire strode the sidelines when the league was founded. It was having to watch top seed Duke stroll through a final four that featured nobody else with a winning conference record, #7 Georgia Tech, #11 North Carolina State and #12 Miami rounding out the drab four (these teams went a combined 16-32 in the league during the regular season) And the Blue Devils still came close to stumbling during its two day coronation--winning both by a combined seven points! Congratulations to the program from Durham that has turned what was originally the Wolfpack's to win (NC State won 5 of 13 tourneys hosted in Raleigh from 1954 to 66) and then became Dean's deal (UNC took 9 of 16 from 1967 through 82) into the Blue Devil Invitational-- with nine tournament titles in twelve seasons. Last year I thought Coach K's team deserved a #1 seed and they were made a #2... this year I think they're a #2 (behind Ohio State or West Virginia) but they'll probably get a #1.
Shammy Shake Update-- lets just say the green dye fueled minty goodness was imbibed early and often this season... although yesterday the McD's in NE DC near NY/FLA Ave's had run out of the "magic formula"-- hopefully this won't be a trend; and if it is hopefully it won't be used as an allegory to how area teams fared in the tournament.
Georgetown avenged regular season defeats to South Florida, Syracuse and Marquette en route to a Big East Championship appearance--and fell two points shy of a seventh tournament title. Credit improved rebounding (-3 against SF, +2 against SU and +22 against MU) and unconcious shooting (52% and 41% of 3's in first three games) to the Hoyas run... with a short bench and 120 minutes on the odometer, their legs just ran out on them against a very good defensive team in West Virginia (25% shooting from 3pt land and getting outrebounded by 17). Say what you will about the Hoyas not putting a player on the inbounds (thanks, Jay Bilas)- the Mountaineers had more in reserve... and more reserves. How much of a bounce will coach John Thompson III's team get? Pre-BET they were a #5 or a #6 seed...now ESPN & CBS's experts have the Hoyas as a #2 (I'm thinking a 3 in the East).
Alma Mater Update-- Orange Crushed! So much for my gold pick... one always has a nervous feeling-- and sometimes it's overreaction, sometimes it's legitimate. The Hoyas played SU tough during both regular season games and outscored them 32-15 over the final ten minutes of the game in DC... so the loss wasn't a surprise. They should get a #1 seed and will probably begin the tournament in Buffalo (the East Regional is in the Carrier Dome, so this means they would be bracketed in the South, Midwest or West) on Friday. Can they get their mojo back after back to back losses for the first time all season and will they be sharp after just two games in 17 days? Is this a replay of 2000, when the Orange advanced to the Sweet 16 after losing to the Hoyas in the quarterfinals? Or is this a replay of 1991, when after losing to Villanova as the BET #1 they played Richmond...
Maryland saw its ACC Tournament stay end abruptly with a 69-64 loss to 7th seed Georgia Tech--a reversal of last year when the Terrapins earned their tourney ticket as a 7 seed by upsetting #2 Wake Forest. Conference Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez had as bad a game as he'd had since January 31st's loss at Clemson (6-21 FG and 2-11 from 3-pt range with 6 TO's). Still, a pesky defense that caused 25 turnovers gave the College Park faithful hope into the final minute of play. Many were talking a #3 seed if the Terps triumphed in Greensboro... now ESPN/CBS has Gary Williams' team a #5 (sounds fair).
Commonwealth Conniption--- Virginia Tech was in, right? A quarterfinal loss to last place Miami put the Hokies in a 50-hour long bubble (more agonizing than the 70's John Travolta TV movie)... while 10 ACC wins is usually good enough to punch a tourney ticket-- the late-season sagging of Wake Forest and Florida State plus complete collapse gives double digits a little less luster-and a non-league strength of schedule that ranks in the 300's is the zit that can't escape the eye of the committee.
Big East Recap-- more than a few of my friends and fellow alumni made the journey to MSG and were rewarded with a Tuesday tickets they couldn't get time off work for, Wednesday seats they didn't want, a Thursday afternoon exit followed by two days of rain and Arinze Onuaku watching. In the middle there was what my ACC friends refer to as "bumper car basketball". Again, scoring in the 50's should be like getting 400's on your SAT's. Notre Dame made good on my bold pick and early stole the tournament-- Luke Harangody wrapped up his BET career like the guy who took Brenda Walsh to the prom... with a strong early showing against Providence (the very special steroid episode), a statement game against Pitt (although a Dylan-less Brenda had no date, it took onions! for Tony to ask... I believe at the Peach Pit) followed by a shutout in the semis against West Virginia (seriously, he thought he could get a room?). Instead, the week belonged to fellow next-generation member West Virginia-- who may not be able to shoot at all... but can rebound and play tight defense like the best Huggins teams. Da'Sean Butler took a page from the Gerry Macnamara story and turned MSG on its ear... and his teammates weren't that bad either. The Mountaineers are more deserving of a #1 seed than Georgetown is of a #2...if that makes sense (and often in March things don't).
ACC Thoughts-- imagine hell if you are a Tar Heels fan... it's not just a 16-16 mark with a first round exit in the conference tournament you've dominated since Frank McGuire strode the sidelines when the league was founded. It was having to watch top seed Duke stroll through a final four that featured nobody else with a winning conference record, #7 Georgia Tech, #11 North Carolina State and #12 Miami rounding out the drab four (these teams went a combined 16-32 in the league during the regular season) And the Blue Devils still came close to stumbling during its two day coronation--winning both by a combined seven points! Congratulations to the program from Durham that has turned what was originally the Wolfpack's to win (NC State won 5 of 13 tourneys hosted in Raleigh from 1954 to 66) and then became Dean's deal (UNC took 9 of 16 from 1967 through 82) into the Blue Devil Invitational-- with nine tournament titles in twelve seasons. Last year I thought Coach K's team deserved a #1 seed and they were made a #2... this year I think they're a #2 (behind Ohio State or West Virginia) but they'll probably get a #1.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Fold, Gold and Bold-- ACC style...
Yes, the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament remains the Cadillac of league playoffs-- although even the ACC is a little watered down...I know you are excited about BC-Virginia, right?
Alma Mater Aside--- Top seed Syracuse faces #8 Georgetown in the quarterfinals (at high noon... Gary Cooper had a sick jumpshot btw)... and I'm nervous for several reasons. 1-- SU didn't dominate either game (allowing the Hoyas to score the first 14 points at the Carrier Dome while almost blowing a 23 point second half lead in DC)... they've lost quarterfinal games with numbing regularity (Georgetown 2000 rings a bell) as a top seed (have I mentioned 1991? The loss to Richmond was preceded by a BET upset to #8 Villanova).
ACC Bold-- not much is expected of Clemson... the only original member yet to win the tournament... and with good reason- the Tigers have traditionally underperformed. This year though, they face a bad NC State team in the first round, followed by a Florida State squad that went 2-5 against the top half of the conference. The Tigers made the finals two years ago... can they go back?
Tournament aside-- I'm against expansion of the tournament field... and one unfortunate byproduct will be dumbing down of schedules... not to be SU-centric-- but with a 96 team field Syracuse might not leave the state of New York for a non-conference game forever...
ACC Fold-- I've heard ad nauseum this winter about how great Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are... how much talent each team has... and how each squad is much better than their record suggests. That's all fine, but when you get to March you have to bring it... and I think the Demon Deacons (Miami has overperformed its seed in the ACC's since joining the league) and Yellowjackets (North Carolina has a little pride left, right?) are ripe to fall.
Retirement thought-- Nomar Garciaparra signed a one-day contract with Boston and then retired. Thank goodness, because otherwise I would have never remembered he even played for the Red Sox. Does this mean Nomar forfeits the money he collected from the Cubs, Dodgers and A's? Nomar, you scoring a 24 hour contract so you could retire a Sox is embarrassing. Will I years from now ink a one-shift deal with WGIR AM-610? No. Do you know why, Mr. Garciaparra? Because it's ridiculous. Please give fans the credit to recall you as one of the greatest at Fenway--we're smart enough to know of your impact even if you don't retire as a Red Sox.
PS-- it's unconfirmed, but Bernie Carbo, Marty Barrett and Mo Vaughn could be desiring 1-hour Red Sox contracts...and Graham Nash could get a one-day deal with the Hollies.
ACC Gold-- Maryland is the hot team with the league's best player... but this tournament has always been dominated by the Carolina Four... and although NC State is in hibernation and Wake Forest is too up and down and North Carolina is just bad, Duke remains Duke. No major conference team has owned its tournament since 1999 since the Blue Devils... and unfortunately for the Coach K haters, Sunday will be another coronation.
Alma Mater Aside--- Top seed Syracuse faces #8 Georgetown in the quarterfinals (at high noon... Gary Cooper had a sick jumpshot btw)... and I'm nervous for several reasons. 1-- SU didn't dominate either game (allowing the Hoyas to score the first 14 points at the Carrier Dome while almost blowing a 23 point second half lead in DC)... they've lost quarterfinal games with numbing regularity (Georgetown 2000 rings a bell) as a top seed (have I mentioned 1991? The loss to Richmond was preceded by a BET upset to #8 Villanova).
ACC Bold-- not much is expected of Clemson... the only original member yet to win the tournament... and with good reason- the Tigers have traditionally underperformed. This year though, they face a bad NC State team in the first round, followed by a Florida State squad that went 2-5 against the top half of the conference. The Tigers made the finals two years ago... can they go back?
Tournament aside-- I'm against expansion of the tournament field... and one unfortunate byproduct will be dumbing down of schedules... not to be SU-centric-- but with a 96 team field Syracuse might not leave the state of New York for a non-conference game forever...
ACC Fold-- I've heard ad nauseum this winter about how great Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are... how much talent each team has... and how each squad is much better than their record suggests. That's all fine, but when you get to March you have to bring it... and I think the Demon Deacons (Miami has overperformed its seed in the ACC's since joining the league) and Yellowjackets (North Carolina has a little pride left, right?) are ripe to fall.
Retirement thought-- Nomar Garciaparra signed a one-day contract with Boston and then retired. Thank goodness, because otherwise I would have never remembered he even played for the Red Sox. Does this mean Nomar forfeits the money he collected from the Cubs, Dodgers and A's? Nomar, you scoring a 24 hour contract so you could retire a Sox is embarrassing. Will I years from now ink a one-shift deal with WGIR AM-610? No. Do you know why, Mr. Garciaparra? Because it's ridiculous. Please give fans the credit to recall you as one of the greatest at Fenway--we're smart enough to know of your impact even if you don't retire as a Red Sox.
PS-- it's unconfirmed, but Bernie Carbo, Marty Barrett and Mo Vaughn could be desiring 1-hour Red Sox contracts...and Graham Nash could get a one-day deal with the Hollies.
ACC Gold-- Maryland is the hot team with the league's best player... but this tournament has always been dominated by the Carolina Four... and although NC State is in hibernation and Wake Forest is too up and down and North Carolina is just bad, Duke remains Duke. No major conference team has owned its tournament since 1999 since the Blue Devils... and unfortunately for the Coach K haters, Sunday will be another coronation.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Bold, Fold and Gold Big East style...
Time for tournament projections and predictions... as the Big East Tournament from what I understand has been underway since Mid-February and has double-byes for the top four seeds. Thus, if you are a ticket-holder you could see 11 games involving bottom-feeders before your team actually takes the court. I dream of a world where there are only 12 teams in the Big East Tournament...although I also dream of a world where there only 12 Big East teams (goodbye Notre Dame, Marquette, DePaul and Seton Hall) and a world where George Lazenby made more than one Bond film.
Bold Pick-- #7 Notre Dame draws Seton Hall/Providence in the first round... with #2 Pitt waiting in the quarterfinals. The Fighting Irish head to MSG having won four straight... with last year's conference player of the year Luke Harangody on the shelf for all but eleven minutes. It's been well documented the last few years on this site that Harangody resembles the guy who took Brenda Walsh to her senior prom...and I'm milking Michael Cudlitz for all he's worth (Tony Miller's portrayer now stars on Southland).
Fold Pick-- #4 Villanova has lost 4 of 6... and owns just one victory over a top-half conference team since the end of January (West Virginia/Feb 8). The Wildcats play Marquette/Cincinnati in the quarterfinals- and while they won all three games against the Golden Bearcats and Eagles, those three wins came by a combined eight points. A lot will hinge on forward Antonio Pena-- the 6-8 junior posted just a pair of double-digit rebounding efforts in league play... and he's their presence inside. BET in the MSG is all about bumper-car basketball, and Nova's time will be short.
Gold Pick-- #1 Syracuse began the season in rebuilding mode-- losing Paul Harris, Johnny Flynn and Eric Devendorf to the pros. Orange fans were hoping for a 10-8 season with another bubblicious February that resulted in an at-large berth. Thank you, Wes Johnson for letting us dream of the possibilities of a #1 ranking. Thank you, Andy Rautins for helping SU to its first regular season outright title since 1991. Thank you, Jim Boeheim for an incredible coaching job that isn't over yet. Last year SU won the headlines and hearts for 3 nights before falling in the finals-- this year they may be short on thrills and chills... but there won't be any spills. (then again, they lost as a #1 seed in '91...)
Bold Pick-- #7 Notre Dame draws Seton Hall/Providence in the first round... with #2 Pitt waiting in the quarterfinals. The Fighting Irish head to MSG having won four straight... with last year's conference player of the year Luke Harangody on the shelf for all but eleven minutes. It's been well documented the last few years on this site that Harangody resembles the guy who took Brenda Walsh to her senior prom...and I'm milking Michael Cudlitz for all he's worth (Tony Miller's portrayer now stars on Southland).
Fold Pick-- #4 Villanova has lost 4 of 6... and owns just one victory over a top-half conference team since the end of January (West Virginia/Feb 8). The Wildcats play Marquette/Cincinnati in the quarterfinals- and while they won all three games against the Golden Bearcats and Eagles, those three wins came by a combined eight points. A lot will hinge on forward Antonio Pena-- the 6-8 junior posted just a pair of double-digit rebounding efforts in league play... and he's their presence inside. BET in the MSG is all about bumper-car basketball, and Nova's time will be short.
Gold Pick-- #1 Syracuse began the season in rebuilding mode-- losing Paul Harris, Johnny Flynn and Eric Devendorf to the pros. Orange fans were hoping for a 10-8 season with another bubblicious February that resulted in an at-large berth. Thank you, Wes Johnson for letting us dream of the possibilities of a #1 ranking. Thank you, Andy Rautins for helping SU to its first regular season outright title since 1991. Thank you, Jim Boeheim for an incredible coaching job that isn't over yet. Last year SU won the headlines and hearts for 3 nights before falling in the finals-- this year they may be short on thrills and chills... but there won't be any spills. (then again, they lost as a #1 seed in '91...)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Beltway Baskeball Bonanza-- 86 the 96 idea...
Bubble talk has turned this week into an upside-down inflatable water raft... as teams leapfrog into the field with quality wins while others fall out with bad losses. The cut line (ESPN Joe Lunardi's celebrated last four in/first four out) changes hourly. Hopes and dreams are realized for some; while others are stuck with an NIT (or whatever the third-tier tournaments call themselves) bid.
This drama may change somewhat next year if the NCAA expands its tournament field to 96... now many of my media brethren have spoken against this bloating of what is near-perfection (ahem, the play-in/opening round game). I don't like expansion for several reasons.
First, it will take necessary dramatic tension out of the regular season-- remove the must-win feel and you've got exhibitions. Adding games will also turn what was a taut three week rollercoaster ride into a four week "isn't this thing done yet" journey. Quality of play will drop--which teams pad the bracket of 96? Not necessarily 20-win mid-majors-- we're talking 18-12 Miami (4-12 in the ACC) or 16-14 Alabama... get ready for more chaff and less wheat. Lastly, does anyone want to fill out a 96-team tournament bracket? What about those who fill out multiple sheets-- does this mean they can only belong in 2/3 of the pools?
Georgetown wrapped up its regular season with a 74-47 thumping of Cincinnati (the Bearcats bubble breaking bigtime)... turning a three point halftime lead into a legalized mugging. Major props to Austin Freeman-- scoring 24 points less than a week after being diagnosed with diabetes. Does this mean the Hoyas are primed for the postseason? They've overperformerd when underestimated (2006 & 07) in the past. BET seed--#8 vs South Florida/DePaul in the second round. Two mysteries--for whatever reason the Hoyas have always had matchup problems with the Bulls... and for whatever reason DePaul is still in the league.
Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse lost its #1 ranking after falling at Louisville in the Cardinals final game at Freedom Hall. Still, a great time was had by all at Sign of the Whale (which will be remodeling and renaming itself "the Whale" after extensive market research) where my friend Batch reminded me why I fear this current SU team...there's no alpha dog, nobody who when the Orange are down 5 with 3 minutes left says "boys, hop on my back-- I'll get us there" ala Gerry MacNamara or Johnny Flynn. This team's strength-- lack of obscene egos-- may be what it lackingly needs this March.
Maryland is not in the market for an Alpha Dog... in fact Greivis Vasquez has enough canine capacity for the entire kennel! The Terps earned a share of the ACC regular season championship with a 74-68 win at Virginia... no small feat when you realize the Terps hadn't won in Charlottesville since 2006, they were fighting the emotional letdown of the Duke win, and UVa is having one of those seasons where they collapse yet somehow steal a game on the back end of the schedule. Player of the Year Moment: Say what you will about Jon Scheyer-- but Greivis is the best player in the league, has put up more impressive numbers and is more valuable to his team than anyone else. Case closed (although I know our friends in Greensboro may lose a ballot box off one of the trucks). ACC seed--#2 vs Georgia Tech/North Carolina...while the Tar Heels are in the middle of a nightmare winter, lets remember-- they are defending national champions. Three important pieces of advice my mother gave me: 1-Don't drink milk out of the carton...2-just because your date has a cross tattooed on her back doesn't mean she goes to church... and 3-never underestimate a basketball blueblood (she also said defense doesn't end until you get the rebound, but I digress).
Commonwealth Credibility and Collapse-- Virginia Tech solidified its at-large status with an 88-82 win over Georgia Tech; even with conference expansion and an unbalanced schedule, I can't imagine the NCAA ignoring a 10-6 ACC record. The Hokies 4th seed means they won't get an opening round victory to add to their RPI, but a quarterfinal matchup with Wake Forest (a team capable of beating and losing to anybody in the league) or Miami-- Hurricanes have upset from the 12th seed before. Virginia wrapped up an 0-8 back end to the ACC season with the loss to Maryland; a bigger loss was that of leading scorer Sylvan Landesburg to academics. The 9th seeded Cavaliers clash with Boston College for the right to play Duke in the quarterfinals.
George Washington closed its regular season with a 70-57 loss to #20 Temple... despite the loss a 16-13 overall record represents a season in the right direction. A-10 Seed-- #10 vs Dayton in the first round. GW lost their lone regular season matchup January 20th (66-51), but the Flyers are perhaps the coldest team in the league with 5 losses in 7 games. Winner plays Xavier-- (7-0 in that span).
Howard after a 1-9 finish to the regular season plays a team it swept-- North Carolina A&T. If the 8th seeded Bison dispose of the Aggies, they get top seed Morgan State in the quarterfinals. Unbeaten in the MEAC Morgan State.
Postseason postscripts:
George Mason lost 75-60 to Virginia Commonwealth in the CAA Quarterfinals... leading scorer Cam Long made 2 of 12 shots as the 17-14 Patriots finished with 7 losses in 9 games.
American watched its season end in the Patriot League Semifinals...losing to Lehigh 79-57. The Mountain Hawks hit 8 of 13 three pointers and began the game with an 11-0 run.
This drama may change somewhat next year if the NCAA expands its tournament field to 96... now many of my media brethren have spoken against this bloating of what is near-perfection (ahem, the play-in/opening round game). I don't like expansion for several reasons.
First, it will take necessary dramatic tension out of the regular season-- remove the must-win feel and you've got exhibitions. Adding games will also turn what was a taut three week rollercoaster ride into a four week "isn't this thing done yet" journey. Quality of play will drop--which teams pad the bracket of 96? Not necessarily 20-win mid-majors-- we're talking 18-12 Miami (4-12 in the ACC) or 16-14 Alabama... get ready for more chaff and less wheat. Lastly, does anyone want to fill out a 96-team tournament bracket? What about those who fill out multiple sheets-- does this mean they can only belong in 2/3 of the pools?
Georgetown wrapped up its regular season with a 74-47 thumping of Cincinnati (the Bearcats bubble breaking bigtime)... turning a three point halftime lead into a legalized mugging. Major props to Austin Freeman-- scoring 24 points less than a week after being diagnosed with diabetes. Does this mean the Hoyas are primed for the postseason? They've overperformerd when underestimated (2006 & 07) in the past. BET seed--#8 vs South Florida/DePaul in the second round. Two mysteries--for whatever reason the Hoyas have always had matchup problems with the Bulls... and for whatever reason DePaul is still in the league.
Alma Mater Update-- Syracuse lost its #1 ranking after falling at Louisville in the Cardinals final game at Freedom Hall. Still, a great time was had by all at Sign of the Whale (which will be remodeling and renaming itself "the Whale" after extensive market research) where my friend Batch reminded me why I fear this current SU team...there's no alpha dog, nobody who when the Orange are down 5 with 3 minutes left says "boys, hop on my back-- I'll get us there" ala Gerry MacNamara or Johnny Flynn. This team's strength-- lack of obscene egos-- may be what it lackingly needs this March.
Maryland is not in the market for an Alpha Dog... in fact Greivis Vasquez has enough canine capacity for the entire kennel! The Terps earned a share of the ACC regular season championship with a 74-68 win at Virginia... no small feat when you realize the Terps hadn't won in Charlottesville since 2006, they were fighting the emotional letdown of the Duke win, and UVa is having one of those seasons where they collapse yet somehow steal a game on the back end of the schedule. Player of the Year Moment: Say what you will about Jon Scheyer-- but Greivis is the best player in the league, has put up more impressive numbers and is more valuable to his team than anyone else. Case closed (although I know our friends in Greensboro may lose a ballot box off one of the trucks). ACC seed--#2 vs Georgia Tech/North Carolina...while the Tar Heels are in the middle of a nightmare winter, lets remember-- they are defending national champions. Three important pieces of advice my mother gave me: 1-Don't drink milk out of the carton...2-just because your date has a cross tattooed on her back doesn't mean she goes to church... and 3-never underestimate a basketball blueblood (she also said defense doesn't end until you get the rebound, but I digress).
Commonwealth Credibility and Collapse-- Virginia Tech solidified its at-large status with an 88-82 win over Georgia Tech; even with conference expansion and an unbalanced schedule, I can't imagine the NCAA ignoring a 10-6 ACC record. The Hokies 4th seed means they won't get an opening round victory to add to their RPI, but a quarterfinal matchup with Wake Forest (a team capable of beating and losing to anybody in the league) or Miami-- Hurricanes have upset from the 12th seed before. Virginia wrapped up an 0-8 back end to the ACC season with the loss to Maryland; a bigger loss was that of leading scorer Sylvan Landesburg to academics. The 9th seeded Cavaliers clash with Boston College for the right to play Duke in the quarterfinals.
George Washington closed its regular season with a 70-57 loss to #20 Temple... despite the loss a 16-13 overall record represents a season in the right direction. A-10 Seed-- #10 vs Dayton in the first round. GW lost their lone regular season matchup January 20th (66-51), but the Flyers are perhaps the coldest team in the league with 5 losses in 7 games. Winner plays Xavier-- (7-0 in that span).
Howard after a 1-9 finish to the regular season plays a team it swept-- North Carolina A&T. If the 8th seeded Bison dispose of the Aggies, they get top seed Morgan State in the quarterfinals. Unbeaten in the MEAC Morgan State.
Postseason postscripts:
George Mason lost 75-60 to Virginia Commonwealth in the CAA Quarterfinals... leading scorer Cam Long made 2 of 12 shots as the 17-14 Patriots finished with 7 losses in 9 games.
American watched its season end in the Patriot League Semifinals...losing to Lehigh 79-57. The Mountain Hawks hit 8 of 13 three pointers and began the game with an 11-0 run.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- thrills, chills and spills...
How can you not live for this month? Girl Scout Cookies and Shamrock Shakes aside, college hoops provides more than enough emotion for a contact high to last through Labor Day...
Georgetown learned leading scorer Austin Freeman has diabetes... the Bonanza's thoughts are with the junior guard and his family-- hoping he'll be able to if not return to his previous level of play at least be able to live successfully with the disease. The Hoyas conclude their regular season against Cincinnati-a team squarely on the bubble-and pulling out a victory would end a late season slide. BET Seed--#8 with a quarterfinal game against the winner of #9 South Florida-#16 DePaul.
Alma Mater Update--still the #1...Syracuse celebrated senior night with an 85-66 win over St. John's... and now has to go to Louisville to wrap up the regular season as the Cardinals close historic Freedom Hall (the venue not only housed Denny Crum's great teams of the 70's and 80's but also hosted Final Fours regularly in the 50's and 60's)... I'll once again make my way to the DC gamewatching venue for an afternoon of wings and hoops.
Maryland tied for the ACC lead with a thrilling 79-72 victory over Duke... is there any doubt that Greivis Vasquez is the conference player of the year? The senior took over the final minutes against the Blue Devils-- and is averaging 25 points a game during hte Terps' six game winning streak. ACC Seed--#2 with a quarterfinal game against the #7 Georgia Tech-#10 North Carolina winner.
Nice way for the Terps to close conference play-- facing traditional rival Virginia. Why doesn't the Big East do that? I grew up on Syracuse-Georgetown wrapping up the regular season... and one reason North Carolina-Duke has replaced Orange-Hoyas in the conversation of best rivalry. SU-Louisville and Gtown-Cincinnati? Not the same buzz. Simply put, SU should play Gtown on the final day of the season... and although my dream of shaving four schools to make the league a workable dozen will never happen, this one can and should happen.
American avoided a second-half slide against Navy in the Patriot League Quarterfinals... nipping the Midshipmen 62-60. Defense and rebounding was the difference--AU held Navy to 37% shooting while winning the battle of the boards 41-28. Why was the score so close? The Eagles shot 5 of 15 from the line over the last three minutes of regulation. Next--at top seed Lehigh Sunday.
Lehigh's one of the many schools to change its nickname in the last decade or so...what's this deal with the Mountain Hawks? I miss the Engineers-- one thing I've always enjoyed about college athletics is the unusual nicknames... from the Kansas Jayhawks to the Southern New Hampshire Penmen... and Lehigh had one of the cooler monikers. Now they sound like just another school. At least the Patriot League doesn't have another Mountain Hawk: the SEC is a dual offender with the Auburn/LSU Tigers and Georgia/Mississippi State Bulldogs. Seriously, can't we call nicknames like shotgun?
Women's window-- Maryland beat North Carolina in the first round of the ACC Tournament 83-77 before losing a heartbreaker to top seeded Duke, 66-64. The Terps dropped all three games to the Blue Devils by a combined 15 points... and had opportunities to win each of those tilts. Now at 19-12 they wait for a week and a half squarely on the NCAA bubble.
Georgetown learned leading scorer Austin Freeman has diabetes... the Bonanza's thoughts are with the junior guard and his family-- hoping he'll be able to if not return to his previous level of play at least be able to live successfully with the disease. The Hoyas conclude their regular season against Cincinnati-a team squarely on the bubble-and pulling out a victory would end a late season slide. BET Seed--#8 with a quarterfinal game against the winner of #9 South Florida-#16 DePaul.
Alma Mater Update--still the #1...Syracuse celebrated senior night with an 85-66 win over St. John's... and now has to go to Louisville to wrap up the regular season as the Cardinals close historic Freedom Hall (the venue not only housed Denny Crum's great teams of the 70's and 80's but also hosted Final Fours regularly in the 50's and 60's)... I'll once again make my way to the DC gamewatching venue for an afternoon of wings and hoops.
Maryland tied for the ACC lead with a thrilling 79-72 victory over Duke... is there any doubt that Greivis Vasquez is the conference player of the year? The senior took over the final minutes against the Blue Devils-- and is averaging 25 points a game during hte Terps' six game winning streak. ACC Seed--#2 with a quarterfinal game against the #7 Georgia Tech-#10 North Carolina winner.
Nice way for the Terps to close conference play-- facing traditional rival Virginia. Why doesn't the Big East do that? I grew up on Syracuse-Georgetown wrapping up the regular season... and one reason North Carolina-Duke has replaced Orange-Hoyas in the conversation of best rivalry. SU-Louisville and Gtown-Cincinnati? Not the same buzz. Simply put, SU should play Gtown on the final day of the season... and although my dream of shaving four schools to make the league a workable dozen will never happen, this one can and should happen.
American avoided a second-half slide against Navy in the Patriot League Quarterfinals... nipping the Midshipmen 62-60. Defense and rebounding was the difference--AU held Navy to 37% shooting while winning the battle of the boards 41-28. Why was the score so close? The Eagles shot 5 of 15 from the line over the last three minutes of regulation. Next--at top seed Lehigh Sunday.
Lehigh's one of the many schools to change its nickname in the last decade or so...what's this deal with the Mountain Hawks? I miss the Engineers-- one thing I've always enjoyed about college athletics is the unusual nicknames... from the Kansas Jayhawks to the Southern New Hampshire Penmen... and Lehigh had one of the cooler monikers. Now they sound like just another school. At least the Patriot League doesn't have another Mountain Hawk: the SEC is a dual offender with the Auburn/LSU Tigers and Georgia/Mississippi State Bulldogs. Seriously, can't we call nicknames like shotgun?
Women's window-- Maryland beat North Carolina in the first round of the ACC Tournament 83-77 before losing a heartbreaker to top seeded Duke, 66-64. The Terps dropped all three games to the Blue Devils by a combined 15 points... and had opportunities to win each of those tilts. Now at 19-12 they wait for a week and a half squarely on the NCAA bubble.
George Washington lost to St. Josephs 80-71 on Senior Night at the Smith Center-- allowing the Hawks 64% shooting in the first half... GW concludes the regular season at #20 Temple. A-10 Seed--#10 against #7 Dayton in the first round.
Howard concluded its regular season with a 90-42 loss to Hampton; the Bison shot 31 percent from the field and 17 percent from three-point range. Next-- North Carolina A&T in the MEAC first round.
George Mason's waiting is over-- the Patriots play Virginia Commonweath in the CAA Quarterfinals. GMU won the regular season meeting 82-77 in overtime... the 1-2 punch of Cam Long outside (19 points) and Mike Morrison inside (18 points and 10 rebounds) guiding the Patriots past the Rams despite 25 points for Joey Rodriguez.
Redskins Rehash-- a great one is gone...
Talk about a new era in Ashburn. The winter that ushered in the arrival of GM Bruce Allen (first true executive with teeth since Marty Schottenheimer) and coach Mike Shanahan will also witness the departure of one of the pillars of the last decade-- as tackle Chris Samuels retires. The spinal condition that ended his 2009 season in Carolina means #60's days in the league are complete.
The six-time pro-bowler was clearly one of the best players of the post-modern Redskins era (since 1993)... and he definitely paid off better than the other first rounder that year (Levar Arrington)... but Samuels' success may have hurt the team in the long run. Because Samuels was able to contribute so early in his career, and because he and Jon Jansen (1999 draftee) became phenomenal bookends... the front office may have been given a false sense of security regarding the offensive line-- and did little to add to it during the decade. Instead of plugging in seasoned understudies, the Skins the last few years have had to scrape for open auditions whenever an injury occurred.
Here's to a great Redskins career. Here's also to the team drafting some high quality offensive linemen this April.
The six-time pro-bowler was clearly one of the best players of the post-modern Redskins era (since 1993)... and he definitely paid off better than the other first rounder that year (Levar Arrington)... but Samuels' success may have hurt the team in the long run. Because Samuels was able to contribute so early in his career, and because he and Jon Jansen (1999 draftee) became phenomenal bookends... the front office may have been given a false sense of security regarding the offensive line-- and did little to add to it during the decade. Instead of plugging in seasoned understudies, the Skins the last few years have had to scrape for open auditions whenever an injury occurred.
Here's to a great Redskins career. Here's also to the team drafting some high quality offensive linemen this April.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- Marching on...
February Fever is in our rear-view mirrors... meaning three things: it's Shamrock Shake time (at participating locations)... Girl Scout Cookies are out (Tagalongs and Samoas my achilles heels)... and college hoops wraps up its regular season. I liken the conference tournament to a sorbet-- cleansing the regular season palate before the NCAA Tournament feast.
Georgetown's losses to Notre Dame (78-64) and West Virginia (81-68) over a three day span have the team on the wrong end of a stomach virus-- junior guard Austin Freeman missed the game in Morgantown and was limited to 23 minutes against the Fighting Irish. A team that has issues rebounding winds up living and dying with its shooting. When that team's leading scorer and perimeter threat is unable to keep even toast down, it's more than a stomach that has issues. BET Seed--#7 with a second round date against the winner of #10 Cincinnati (Bearcats part of a four team conglomerate that includes Connecticut, South Florida and Seton Hall) and #15 Providence.
Alma Mater update-- can you say #1? The Orange's surgical dismemberment of #7 Villanova (95-77) in front of 34-thousand plus reminded me of the previous Orangemen era of excellence (1985-91) when SU either won the Big East regular season title or reached the Big East Tournament Finals. Big game on tap Saturday with the Orange visiting Louisville in Freedom Hall's final regular season game-- let's hope coach Boeheim will have reason to but won't get on the microphone to announce "Freedom Hall is now officially closed".
Maryland is so hot right now even a water main break couldn't dowse the Terrapins... a 104-100 double overtime win at Virginia Tech solidifies their at-large standing-- and puts them within shouting distance of conference leader Duke (the battle for the ACC lead takes place Wednesday in College Park). Greivis Vasquez is my ACC Player of the Year-- does anyone do as much for and is as important to his team? Take away Scheyer or Singler, and Duke is still near the top of the league. Take away Vasquez-- this is NC State. ACC Seed-- #2 and playing the winner of #7 Georgia Tech-#10 North Carolina in the quarterfinals.
Commonwealth Commotion-- Virginia Tech has dropped three straight... and despite 21 wins has the albatross of a non-conference schedule in the 300's... they must beat NC State and Georgia Tech to bolster a bubble-icious case. Virginia? I think everyone would have been pleased with 5 ACC wins... the surprise was they all came in the first half of the conference season.
George Mason wrapped up its regular season with a 50-48 loss to Northeastern-- the Huskies making a pair of free throws with half a second on the clock. The fourth place Patriots play the winner of #5 Virginia Commonwealth and #12 Delaware in the quarterfinals. Case for a tournament title: GMU has owned the league tournament recently-- having advanced to
the tournament finals three straight seasons... turning Richmond into a Patriot Center South. Case against: leading scorer Cam Long lost his shot on Groundhog Day, hitting just 25% from the field since January... a stretch where GMU's gone 2-6.
Women's window-- thanks to all at Terrapin Sports Marketing for another successful broadcast season of Maryland womens hoops... unfortunately the Terps find themselves on the NCAA bubble after wrapping up the regular season with three straight losses. At 18-11 Maryland needs an ACC quarterfinal win over North Carolina to harbor any hope of making the field of 64. Around the beltway: Georgetown (25-5) is a likely #3 or #4 seed, epending on how they fare in the Big East Tournament... George Washington (6-21) owns the #11 seed in the Atlantic Ten Tournament--anytime your seed is higher than the number in a league's title--there shouldn't be a reason for optimism... George Mason (10-18) resides in the CAA cellar and is at least a year away... American (20-8) tied for the Patriot League title and needs a tourney title to punch its ticket. Howard (15-12) is currently holding down the #4 spot in the MEAC.
George Washington clinched a berth in the Atlantic Ten Tournament with a 75-70 victory over Charlotte-- the key for the Colonials was holding 49ers guard Derrio Green to 3 of 13 shooting. A-10 Seed--#9 with a first round game against Duquesne. Next up-- a Philly two-step with 11th place St. Josephs and league leading Temple to wrap up the regular season.
American meets Navy Wednesday in the Patriot League Quarterfinals. While the Eagles swept the Midshipmen in the regular season, the second game took a double overtime effort in Annapolis. Thankfully for coach Jeff Jones' team-- this one's at Bender Arena where AU is 5-2 against Patriot League opposition this winter. Case for a third straight trip to the NCAA's: the hammer & anvil combination of Vlad Moldoveanu and Stephen Lumpkins provides a 1-2 punch that can take off in a tournament setting... Case against: AU lost both games to Lehigh (the likely semifinal opponent) by double digits-- the Mountain Hawks are just too goo.
Howard has one more regular season game before the MEAC Tournament-- a rare Thursday game with Hampton. A win would place the Bison in the 7-10 game as they won the earlier matchup between the two schools. MEAC Seed--#9 vs North Carolina A&T.
Georgetown's losses to Notre Dame (78-64) and West Virginia (81-68) over a three day span have the team on the wrong end of a stomach virus-- junior guard Austin Freeman missed the game in Morgantown and was limited to 23 minutes against the Fighting Irish. A team that has issues rebounding winds up living and dying with its shooting. When that team's leading scorer and perimeter threat is unable to keep even toast down, it's more than a stomach that has issues. BET Seed--#7 with a second round date against the winner of #10 Cincinnati (Bearcats part of a four team conglomerate that includes Connecticut, South Florida and Seton Hall) and #15 Providence.
Alma Mater update-- can you say #1? The Orange's surgical dismemberment of #7 Villanova (95-77) in front of 34-thousand plus reminded me of the previous Orangemen era of excellence (1985-91) when SU either won the Big East regular season title or reached the Big East Tournament Finals. Big game on tap Saturday with the Orange visiting Louisville in Freedom Hall's final regular season game-- let's hope coach Boeheim will have reason to but won't get on the microphone to announce "Freedom Hall is now officially closed".
Maryland is so hot right now even a water main break couldn't dowse the Terrapins... a 104-100 double overtime win at Virginia Tech solidifies their at-large standing-- and puts them within shouting distance of conference leader Duke (the battle for the ACC lead takes place Wednesday in College Park). Greivis Vasquez is my ACC Player of the Year-- does anyone do as much for and is as important to his team? Take away Scheyer or Singler, and Duke is still near the top of the league. Take away Vasquez-- this is NC State. ACC Seed-- #2 and playing the winner of #7 Georgia Tech-#10 North Carolina in the quarterfinals.
Commonwealth Commotion-- Virginia Tech has dropped three straight... and despite 21 wins has the albatross of a non-conference schedule in the 300's... they must beat NC State and Georgia Tech to bolster a bubble-icious case. Virginia? I think everyone would have been pleased with 5 ACC wins... the surprise was they all came in the first half of the conference season.
George Mason wrapped up its regular season with a 50-48 loss to Northeastern-- the Huskies making a pair of free throws with half a second on the clock. The fourth place Patriots play the winner of #5 Virginia Commonwealth and #12 Delaware in the quarterfinals. Case for a tournament title: GMU has owned the league tournament recently-- having advanced to
the tournament finals three straight seasons... turning Richmond into a Patriot Center South. Case against: leading scorer Cam Long lost his shot on Groundhog Day, hitting just 25% from the field since January... a stretch where GMU's gone 2-6.
Women's window-- thanks to all at Terrapin Sports Marketing for another successful broadcast season of Maryland womens hoops... unfortunately the Terps find themselves on the NCAA bubble after wrapping up the regular season with three straight losses. At 18-11 Maryland needs an ACC quarterfinal win over North Carolina to harbor any hope of making the field of 64. Around the beltway: Georgetown (25-5) is a likely #3 or #4 seed, epending on how they fare in the Big East Tournament... George Washington (6-21) owns the #11 seed in the Atlantic Ten Tournament--anytime your seed is higher than the number in a league's title--there shouldn't be a reason for optimism... George Mason (10-18) resides in the CAA cellar and is at least a year away... American (20-8) tied for the Patriot League title and needs a tourney title to punch its ticket. Howard (15-12) is currently holding down the #4 spot in the MEAC.
George Washington clinched a berth in the Atlantic Ten Tournament with a 75-70 victory over Charlotte-- the key for the Colonials was holding 49ers guard Derrio Green to 3 of 13 shooting. A-10 Seed--#9 with a first round game against Duquesne. Next up-- a Philly two-step with 11th place St. Josephs and league leading Temple to wrap up the regular season.
American meets Navy Wednesday in the Patriot League Quarterfinals. While the Eagles swept the Midshipmen in the regular season, the second game took a double overtime effort in Annapolis. Thankfully for coach Jeff Jones' team-- this one's at Bender Arena where AU is 5-2 against Patriot League opposition this winter. Case for a third straight trip to the NCAA's: the hammer & anvil combination of Vlad Moldoveanu and Stephen Lumpkins provides a 1-2 punch that can take off in a tournament setting... Case against: AU lost both games to Lehigh (the likely semifinal opponent) by double digits-- the Mountain Hawks are just too goo.
Howard has one more regular season game before the MEAC Tournament-- a rare Thursday game with Hampton. A win would place the Bison in the 7-10 game as they won the earlier matchup between the two schools. MEAC Seed--#9 vs North Carolina A&T.
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