Was Oscar night as disjointedly amazing for you as it was for me? For some reason the Anne Hathaway/James Franco combo seemed better suited for hosting "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve"-- not that that isn't something to be aspired for. Once you got out of the way that Hathaway was trying too hard and Franco wasn't trying at all you were fed the usual fare-- as period pieces, daring performances and technological envelope pushing were rewarded. Meanwhile the beltway boasted fine performances... with some schools struggling on the big stage or minus key actors.
Shamrock Shake Update-- already on a Charlie Sheen like roll through the district and dominion with 6 Shammys consumed: 2 on 1800ish M Street, 1 at the Verizon Center and 3 on Rte 28 in Centreville, Virginia. Old Line State, be warned. Word is too that because of last year's bitter winter the Shamrock harvest was blessed with bonus minty goodness-- or they're simply using green dye #2138 instead of #2243.
Maryland (18-11, 7-7-- 7th in the ACC with a first round game against Virginia) never led in an 87-76 loss at #19 North Carolina. Allowing 19 offensive rebounds and being unable to contain the Tar Heel fast break doomed the Terps in Chapel Hill; but keep in mind that nobody in the ACC is playing as well as UNC is nowadays. The Terps have to win at Miami and at home against Virginia plus tally two ACC tounament victories (Terps are 3-6 in ACC's since winning the 2004 tourney as a #6 seed) to feel good about their NCAA prospects.
Best Animated Feature-- Okay, so Gary Williams is on his way to the Hall of Fame... and he's doing his usual fine job meshing massive inexperience with a subpar senior class (they can't all be Greivis, Eric and Landon-- I'd even settle for Dave Neal). But there is nobody more fun to watch on the sidelines on so many levels. There's involved coaching and committed coaching. In other words, coach-- you take our first award of the night.
Cruising the Commonwealth-- Bye-bye, bubble! Virginia Tech (19-8, 9-5-- #4 with a quarterfinal contest against the Clemson-Wake Forest winner) defeated #1 in the nation Duke, using a 15-4 run to take command in the second half. With winnable but challenging games against Boston College and Clemson on the slate, the Hokies are far from a lock for the final 68 but a signature win is like a red flag on the resume. Virginia (14-14, 5-9--#10 with a first round game against Maryland) essentially has a "9th place game" on tap with North Carolina State-- whoever wins gets the tiebreaker regardless of what happens this weekend.
Best Supporting Actor-- every so often you have a performer who outshines the rest of the cast on a consistent basis... for instance, Kevin Spacey dominates every frame of The Usual Suspects yet wound up in the Supporting Category (deserved win). Jeff Allen was supposed to help Malcolm Delaney guide the Hokies to greatness this winter... and he's been the team's best player since ACC play began. Just like Spacey carried Stephen Baldwin-- Allen's getting the Hokies past the bubble..."the strangest thing..."
Georgetown (21-8, 10-7--#6 in the Big East with a round of twelve game against Cincinnati) lost a heartbreaker on Senior Day to Syracuse 58-51... even minus heart and soul point guard Chris Wright the Hoyas were able to rally past the Orange 45-43 with 10 minutes remaining before hitting an offensive wall: 1-for-13 from the field with four turnovers. Was it as many fans may say an "asterisk" win? Only if you want to give back that win from 2007-08 when the Orange were without Devendorf and Rautins. More importantly-- the Hoyas face a Cincinnati squad that held them to 46 points this Saturday... and they have to face the Bearcats on the road.
Best Adapted Screenplay-- with Wright on the mend... the Georgetown team that dominated the middle stretch of Big East play will be massively modified. In a week when practice is usually fine-tuning, coach John Thompson III will be doing some serious revamping. How well the Hoyas handle plan B over the next few weeks will determine how deep they'll go at MSG and into March.
Alma Mater Update-- (24-6, 11-6-#5 with a round of twelve game against Seton Hall). A huge sigh of relief from suite 305 and my fellow SU peeps during that 15-6 finising run. Scoop Jardine remains a mysterious enigma wrapped in a riddle (although last week he was an enigmatic riddle wrapped in a mystery) taking the classic "NO--NO-YES!" shots... notching 17 points and 7 assists. I would like for SU for give Kris Joseph more touches in the post... for some reason the Orange's leading scorer has notched 3 single digit efforts in the last 5 games-- not an ideal trend. Now if the Orange can dispose of last-place DePaul Saturday and get help-- SU may get the famed "double-bye" at the Big East Tournament (one of the reasons I oppose future expansion is the potential creation of the "bye-bye-bye").
Costume Design-- to the Big East for dressing up the last four pigs in the cellar of the standings as "Big East Tournament Teams"-- Rutgers, Providence, South Florida and DePaul are a combined 11-53 (!) in league play... I want to see those four teams on a Tuesday? And if something strange happens in MSG (as it often does in March)-- do I want to see a 10-win South Florida team playing anytime, anywhere? They'll have 18 conference games to prove they're not in the bottom 25% of the league. That's more than enough for me.
George Mason (25-5, 16-2--#1 in the CAA with a quarterfinal clash against UNC-Wilmington- Georgia State winner) ended its regular season with an exclamation point. No top seed to play for... on the road (where GMU has had issues over the years)... and against a Panther team that showed it could beat VCU back when the Rams were playing good basketball in January. And the Patriots prevailed 65-58 with Cam Long leading the way with 19 points... GMU is ready for the NCAA's-- the question is how high will they be seeded? ESPN has the Patriots 7th... CBS has them 8th (although I think it's a typo because they have Old Dominion 7th).
Best Direction-- putting together a cast of varied actors is a challenge. Getting everybody to buy into an ensemble effort is a test of diplomacy. Knowing how to get the most out of every man in the production is incredible when it happens-- and frustrating when it doesn't. Jim Larranaga's ability to stir in the right ingredients at the right time during a 40-minute motion picture has been masterful this winter. Case in point-- freshman Vertrail Vaughns has come alive with four double digit scoring efforts over the last five games. Wasn't that the shirt Theo Huxtable wanted to buy on the Cosby Show?
George Washington (15-13, 8-6--#6 in the Atlantic Ten with a first round game against St. Louis) was 20 minutes away from ruining it's status as the mid-major thermometer... leading #24 Temple by three at intermission. Unfortuately, the Colonials collapsed at the Smith Center... shooting 6-for-33 in the second half en route to a 57-41 loss to the Owls. And the final week doesn't get that much easier for coach Karl Hobbs (18-10 Rhode Island followed by 19-10 Dayton).
Best Writing (Orignal Screenplay)-- I have a chance to read and follow a lot of college football and basketball in the Washington, D.C. region... and although I enjoy the Post and Examiner- I miss the Washington Times. The former "other sports section" had the better NCAA Tournament Preview (the Post gave you more but the Times was easier to digest the whole bracket)... and I always looked forward to what Maryland beat writer Patrick Stevens would dissect next. Thank goodness Patrick still writes about college athletics on "d1scourse.com"-- the 400-level course for those of my readers who want more than my HOOP 107.
Maryland Womens' Minute-- the Terps 78-69 victory at Boston College not only avenged their most lackluster shooting night of the winter (28-85FG, 12-27FT and 5-20 from three point range)...but also gave Coach Brenda Frese's team a 9-5 ACC mark and a first round bye in this week's tournament...the first round opponent the winner of Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech. And this came from a young team with no seniors many were saying was a year away.
Best Supporting Actress-- Alyssa Thomas is the likely freshman of the year... Lynetta Kizer is the most polished performer... and Kim Rodgers is the perfect infusion of points off the pine... but Anjale Barrett's steady hand at the point has been the glue that's kept this team winning while maturing-- even in the first semester when ten Terrapins averaged at least 17 minutes a game. Her numbers aren't Kristi Tolliveresque (just 6 points and 4 assists a game)... but Barrett's leadership on both ends of the floor allows for the rest of the team to just play.
American (21-8, 11-3--#2 in the Patriot League with a quarterfinal game against Colgate) wrapped up its regular season with a 95-92 overtime thriller at Lafayette... giving coach Jeff Jones enough ammunition for the next few Eagles practices. AU beat the Raiders by nine in both of their regular season matchups-- with Vlad Moldeveanu scoring 26 points on the road and Stephen Lumpkins netting 27 points at home.
Best Foreign Feature-- Okay... so this one was pretty easy. Not as easy as Gary Williams for Animated Feature, but close. Vlad Moldeveanu has averaged 19 points and 6 rebounds a game while shooting 36% from three point range. I often commend the complimentary play of Stephen Lumpkins (the anvil to Vlad's hammer) and Nick Hendra's clutch shooting and passing... but it all begins with the big man.
Howard (6-22, 4-11--#9 in the MEAC with a first round game against Delaware State) missed its final opportunity to take a true road game with a 73-63 loss at Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Bison turned the ball over 26 times and allowed a key 20-7 run in the second half where the Hawks took control. One bright spot in defeat: Anton Dickerson scored 25 points (including 5-of 8 from three point range)... the sophomore bouncing back from being held scoreless by Bethune-Cookman. Howard can still finish last in the league with a loss plus wins by UMES and South Carolina State... and the Bison have 20-8 Hampton remaining on their slate.
Best Makeup-- Coach Kevin Nickelberry had to rely on three sophomores during his first winter in the District. And although Mike Phillips, Dadrian Collins and Anton Dickerson have a lot more to learn-- the foundation for the future appears to be in place at Howard. Add to the mix Calvin Johnson -- who went out in November with a torn ACL-- and there's talented base to welcome coach Nickelberry's first full recruiting class. Although the Bison have had it rough recently, the right mix of players appear to be gelling at Burr Arena for a run next year.
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