The Season That Was

This is the time of year when every diehard college basketball fan is suddenly saddened. He is forced to watch the NBA, which he considers second-rate basketball viewing. Every Saturday, he misses the sound of Dickie V and Digger arguing about whom will win on that particular day. I am one of those people. I thrive on the game of college basketball. It's a necessity in my life. I guess I'll have to pay attention to my Suns now, but I'd much rather watch Duke or Memphis play.

The purpose of this blog is to recap the memories of this season. It is also to list what I believe to be some of the best players and teams in the country. But, first, I'd like to say how enjoyable this season was. Great freshmen, a lot of elite teams, and a nice cinderfella run in March. The upsets weren't as plentiful as some would hope but it was still a good tournament.

This year was chalk full of games between closely matched teams. We had the pleasure of watching #2 Duke take down #3 North Carolina. We also saw one of the most hyped regular season games ever in #1 Memphis versus #2 Tennessee. Quite recently, we watched games such as #10-seeded Davidson lose a close one to eventual champion, Kansas. But what topped them all? The National Championship game in San Antonio. The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Memphis Tigers in a thrilling overtime event.

I am aware that many of you reading this blog also read my thirteen Game-Planning blogs I posted throughout the year. In those, I previewed 63 games. My record was 39-24 and went undefeated only one week. My bright spots had to have been picking Vanderbilt over Tennessee and Texas over the heavily-favored UCLA Bruins.

To start the lists, I will give you my Top Twenty Players from the 2007-08 college basketball season. Before you jump into that, however, check out a Bruce Pearl pregame speech...



20. Russell Westbrook, UCLA Soph. Guard. This breakout star has been possibly the biggest reason the Bruins had such a successful year. He was a stat stuffer who helped on both ends of the floor in any way he could. To not put him on this list would be wrong as he had as good a year as any of these guys save the top five or so.
Stats: 13 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl

19. A.J. Abrams, Texas Jr. Guard. He was the shooter that thrived off Augustin's penetration. Their weave offense was effective partly because of this guy and that is why he makes the list. He had two games with 30+ points and fourteen games in which he reached the 20-point mark.
Stats: 17 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 spg, 2 apg

18. Darrell Arthur, Kansas Soph. Forward. Last year, Arthur was playing behind a couple different big guys. This year, however, he has flourished into a top big man in the country. In the National Championship, he got Joey Dorsey in foul trouble and proceeded to dominate the game finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He would have been higher if he had stayed more consistent throughout the year.
Stats: 13 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg

17. Brook Lopez, Stanford Soph. Forward. The highlight of the season for Brook almost had to be the effort he put forth in the NCAA Tournament against Marquette. He put up 30 points, which included the game-winning shot. He is a very talented player but probably needs to average more rebounds per game with his kind of height. If he does, the Pac-10 better watch out.
Stats: 19 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 bpg, 79% FT%

16. Scottie Reynolds, Villanova Soph. Guard. The Virginia native was a huge factor for the Wildcats on both ends of the floor. He had eleven games with 20+ points and seven games with 3+ steals. Without him, I doubt they would have made it out of the first round of the tournament. He had a very solid game against Clemson with 21 points.
Stats: 16 ppg, 3 apg, 3 rpg, 2 spg

15. D.J. White, Indiana Sr. Forward. He was the force inside for the roller coaster ride that was the Indiana Hoosiers basketball season. White averaged a double-double per game and was possibly more valuable to the team than the fabulous freshman, Eric Gordon. The difference between the two was consistency in which the senior had the edge.
Stats: 17 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 bpg, 61% FG%

14. Ty Lawson, North Carolina Soph. Guard. The leader of one of the best fastbreaks in the nation and a key contributor to a team that made it to the Final Four before losing to the champion Jayhawks. In games that Lawson had at least five assists, the Tar Heels were undefeated. To leave him off this list would be an injustice. He deserves it and had a fantastic season. I can only hope he doesn't turn pro and stays a few more years.
Stats: 13 ppg, 5 apg, 3 rpg, 2 spg

13. Chris Lofton, Tennessee Sr. Guard. What started as a year full of Player of the Year consideration ended as a disappointment. Tennessee lost in the Sweet 16 and Lofton struggled during the beginning of the year. Nonetheless, he had a good finish to the year save the NCAA Tournament in which he averaged a paltry 10 points per game.
Stats: 16 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 38% 3p%

12. Mario Chalmers, Kansas Jr. Guard. The Final Four Most Outstanding Player comes in at #12 on my list. Some would disagree but I believe it's about right. I mean, he did have eight games in which he was held to single digits in scoring. In the tournament though, he really stepped up his game. Chalmers averaged 15 points, 3 steals, and 3 assists on the road to a National Championship.
Stats: 13 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg, 3 spg, 47% 3p%

11. Shan Foster, Vanderbilt Sr. Guard/Forward. Most guys who average 20 points in a tough conference will make this list. Foster was huge at times for the Commodores. He scored 20+ point in his last six regular season games including outbursts of 42 against Mississippi State and 32 against Tennessee, both tournament teams.
Stats: 20 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg, 47% 3p%

10. Darren Collison, UCLA Jr. Guard. After missing a couple games early in the year, he returned to lead the Bruins to a 29-4 record when he took the floor. His high point came when he hit the game-winning runner against Texas A&M in the tournament. He finished the game with 19 points. Also, Collison scored 20+ points on six occasions, all of which were victories.
Stats: 15 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg, 2 spg, 53% 3p%

9. Eric Gordon, Indiana Fr. Guard. He was probably one of the top five most prolific scorers in college basketball this past season but really looked like an inexperienced freshman at times and that is why he is relatively low at #9. When he was healthy, Gordon was held to single digits in scoring only once.
Stats: 21 ppg, 3 rpg, 83% FT%

8. Derrick Rose, Memphis Fr. Guard. This guy is one of the fastest and most exciting players to watch and I have had the pleasure of watching him throughout the season. His averages are extremely good for someone that young in basketball and showed poise at times during the NCAA Tournament. #8 is a good spot for him.
Stats: 15 ppg, 5 apg, 5 rpg, 47% FG%

7. Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis Jr. Guard. CDR was the best scorer to reach the Final Four, in my opinion. He averaged a remarkable 28 points per game in the tournament and really stepped it up when it counted. He even drew a couple box-and-ones against him which allowed his teammates to get open and score. Memphis better hope CDR stays for next season.
Stats: 18 ppg, 4 rpg, 41% 3p%, 54% FG%

6. Kevin Love, UCLA Fr. Center. Love has led the Bruins to the Final Four and has averaged a double-double along the way. Without him, I doubt UCLA makes it past the Sweet 16. Not only did he score and rebound, but he also drew double teams that opened it up for other players on his team.
Stats: 18 ppg, 11 rpg, 60% FG%, 35% 3p%

5. Luke Harangody, Notre Dame Soph. Forward. It's ironic that one of the best player in the country had his best game of the year in a losing effort. I am, of course, referring to when Gody had 40 points and 12 rebounds against Louisville. However, it should be noted that he scored in double figures every game except one this season.
Stats: 20 ppg, 11 rpg, 50% FG%

4. D.J. Augustin, Texas Soph. Guard. This player is the best point guard in college basketball. He is my choice for the Cousy Award and has reached 10 assists in a game four times this year. D.J. can also boast the fourteen times he has scored at least 20 points in a game this past season.
Stats: 19 ppg, 6 apg, 3 rpg, 38% 3p%

3. Stephen Curry, Davidson, Soph. Guard. The best scorer in the country comes in at #3. He has scored in double digits every single game and had a 7-game streak of 20+ points. Curry has also scored 35+ points in six games. His run in the NCAA Tournament was nothing short of spectacular and an argument could be made for him to appear higher on this list.
Stats: 26 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg, 44% 3p%

2. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina Jr. Forward. Possibly the hardest worker in the country is #2 because of how important he was to North Carolina's deep tournament run this season. He scored in double figures for points every single game he played in this season and grabbed 15+ rebounds in three games. In my opinion, Psycho T could have easily been number one on this list. It was almost a toss-up.
Stats: 23 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 spg, 81% FT%

1. Michael Beasley, Kansas State Fr. Forward. Believe it or not, this freshman's campaign was even more impressive than that of Kevin Durant last year. He scored in double digits every game except one in a loss to Xavier. Beasley even pulled down double digits in rebounding in all but four games. It's too bad he can't stay a couple more years on a college campus.
Stats: 26 ppg, 12 rpg, 2 bpg, 38% 3p%, 53% FG%



Now is the time for me to hand out the 2008 College Basketball Awards. Enjoy...

The Petey Sessoms Award: Every year, this award is presented to the relatively unknown player coming from a small conference that plays extremely well against the big schools in the NCAA Tournament. I would like to give credit to fellow FanNation member, Agganis Lives, for the idea of this award. So without any further delay, the award goes to Stephen Curry of Davidson. He averaged 32 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in his four tournament games. The runner-ups for this award were Tyrone Brazelton and Courtney Lee, both of Western Kentucky.

The Bob Cousy Award: This is an annual award given to the best college point guard in the country. My pick, which is the same as the Basketball Hall of Fame's pick, is D.J. Augustin of Texas. I ranked him as the fourth best player in college earlier in this blog. He averaged 19 points and 6 assists this season. The runner-ups for this award are UCLA's Darren Collison, North Carolina's Ty Lawson, Memphis's Derrick Rose, and Davidson's Jason Richards.

The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award: This particular award goes to the most dominant big man in college basketball each year. There was a lot of competition for it this year but it rightfully is awarded to Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina. He averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game this season and was never held to less than 12 points in a game. The runner-ups for this award were UCLA's Kevin Love, Notre Dame's Luke Harangody, and Indiana's D.J. White.

The Pistol Pete Award: Each year, I give this to the best scorer in college basketball. It does not necessarily go to the player with the best average though. The winner is Kansas State's Michael Beasley. He averaged 26 points per game and had thirteen games in which he scored 30 or more points. The runner-ups were Lester Hudson of UT-Martin and Stephen Curry of Davidson.

The Oscar Robertson Award: This final award goes to that player who led his team in every way possible: scoring, rebounding, passing, playing defense, etc. The winner of the Robertson Award goes to Memphis's Derrick Rose. He is the second freshman to receive an award (the other was Beasley). Rose gets this one due to his all-around good averages of 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. The runner-ups for this award were Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook of UCLA, Mario Chalmers of Kansas, and Scottie Reynolds of Villanova.



For the final part of this blog, I give to you the Top Ten Teams of the college basketball season...

10. Xavier (30-7)- The Musketeers are tenth in my rankings after falling to UCLA in the Elite Eight. They were led by Josh Duncan (12 pts, 5 reb) and Drew Lavender (11 pts, 5 ast). I doubt they will make it this far next season due to the losses of both Duncan and Lavender. Nonetheless, they had a very good run this year and had impressive wins over Indiana, Virginia, and Dayton (twice).

9. Wisconsin (31-5) - After claiming the Big Ten Championship, the Badgers proceeded to advance to the Sweet 16 before falling to Davidson. In my opinion, they had the best team in the conference and, despite not having the most talent, won games that got them such a successful season. They were led by Brian Butch (12 pts, 7 reb), Trevon Hughes (11 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), and Marcus Landry (11 pts, 6 reb).

8. Tennessee (31-5) - Most teams would look upon being the best team in their conference and making it to the Sweet 16 as an accomplishment. Sadly, for the Vols, this year was full of expectation and they failed to meet most of it. They were led by Chris Lofton (16 pts), Tyler Smith (14 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast), and Wayne Chism (10 pts, 6 reb).

7. Louisville (27-9) - The Cardinals, after a extremely slow start, finished the season strong and proved to be the team everyone had expected entering the year. They finished 12-3 after their sixth loss at UConn. Some of those twelve wins included Marquette, Georgetown, Pitt, Notre Dame, and Tennessee. They were led by a plethora of players including Padgett (11 pts, 5 reb), Clark (11 pts, 8 reb), Williams (11 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast), Smith (11 pts, 4 reb), and Caracter (8 pts, 5 reb).

6. Davidson (29-7) - The Wildcats had a very impressive season for one of the smallest schools in Division I. After getting ripped off and been given a 10 seed, they rallied behind sharpshooter, Stephen Curry (26 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), and senior leader, Jason Richards (13 pts, 8 ast, 3 reb), to advance all the way to the Elite Eight before falling at the hands of eventual champion, Kansas. They finished with a perfect conference record of 20-0.

5. Texas (31-7) - The Longhorns lost their conference championship and lost their regional final. However, their season was nothing short of remarkable for what was considered to be a down year following the loss of superstar Kevin Durant. They were a guard-heavy team led by D.J. Augustin (19 pts, 6 ast), A.J. Abrams (17 pts), and Damion James (13 pts, 10 reb).

4. North Carolina (36-3) - After clinching a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels proceeded to demolish their opponents until the Final Four was reached. They then were routed by the champion Jayhawks. They were led by Tyler Hansbrough (23 pts, 10 reb), Ty Lawson (13 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb), and Wayne Ellington (17 pts, 5 reb). North Carolina were the ACC Tournament Champions and the Charlotte Regional Champions.

3. UCLA (35-4) - Yes, I'll admit it. I picked this very team to win the NCAA Tournament. They had a good run, too, before falling short in the Final Four for the third straight year. Nonetheless, they were regional and conference champions and claimed a #1 seed in the tourney. They were led by Kevin Love (18 pts, 11 reb), Darren Collison (15 pts, 4 ast, 3 reb), Russell Westbrook (13 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), and Josh Shipp (12 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast).

2. Memphis (38-2) - The Tigers had the most wins for a college team in history yet they didn't quite get what they wanted as they lost to Kansas in the National Championship. The Achilles' heel of this team took 39 games before it caught up to them as they gave away the game on free throws. Memphis was led by Chris Douglas-Roberts (18 pts, 4 reb), Derrick Rose (15 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), and Joey Dorsey (7 pts, 10 reb).

1. Kansas (37-3) - National Champions. I'm pretty sure that sums up the entire season for these guys. Nothing is more gratifying than winning it all before leaving the school for either the NBA or the working world. They beat the best of the best in defeating two #1s in the tournament. They were led by Mario Chalmers (13 pts, 4 ast, 3 reb), Brandon Rush (13 pts, 5 reb), and Darrell Arthur (13 pts, 6 reb). Congratulations, Kansas.

Now, I could write a couple thousand words describing how fantastic March Madness was and recapping all the entertaining games and plays that occured. However, I think that one simple video from YouTube would bring it all together very nicely. Enjoy and have a great week!



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A Wild Tournament Weekend

For the first time in six years, three double-digit seeds have made the Sweet 16. 99% of all brackets are busted by now. In fact, of the 3.2 million people that submitted brackets on ESPN.com, a whole TWO of them have all sixteen teams correct for the third round of play. The past four days have been hectic so say the least, but isn't that why you love to watch?

Biggest Upset: It had to be #10 Davidson over #2 Georgetown. The undersized players from the small school in North Carolina took down one of the biggest teams the NCAA has ever featured. It truly was a David vs. Goliath upset. Stephen Curry was absolutely magnificent in the game as he dropped 25 of his 30 points in the second half, including his free throws to seal the victory for his team.

Best Game: Western Kentucky versus Drake was one of the most entertaining basketball games I have watched all season. It had everything you could ask for in a March Madness game: an overtime game that reached the 100s in scoring ending with a buzzer-beater that wins the game for the underdog. The shot was one hell of a shot (25-foot shot) but the pass to set it up was remarkable. The point guard for WKU set up his teammate with the game-winning shot beautifully.

Most Outstanding Player: Stephen Curry, no contest. He is averaging 35 points per game and 28 points IN THE SECOND HALF! He has truly stepped up big and his team is riding the nation's longest winning streak at 24 games. Curry hit big shot after big shot in both the Georgetown game and the Gonzaga game, and proved he could finish games as well. He hit 5 of his 6 free throws in the waning moments of the game against the Hoyas.

All-Tournament Team: Obviously, Curry (35 ppg, 4 ast, 4 stl) would be on there. Helping him out in the backcourt would be Scottie Reynolds of Villanova (23 ppg, 6 reb, 4 ast) and Alex Ruoff of West Virginia (19 ppg, 5 reb, 7-12 3pt). Down low would be Kansas State's Michael Beasley (23 pts, 12 reb, 15-17 FT) and North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (19 ppg, 8 reb, 2 stl).

Biggest Cinderfellas: Western Kentucky. I want everyone who had WKU in the Sweet 16 to raise their hand. I'm pretty sure not many people gave this team a chance. After taking down 5th-seeded Drake in the first round, they responded by knocking out San Diego. Personally, I had Drake in the Sweet 16. But my bracket is pretty screwed up.

Best Sweet 16 Upset Possibility: In my opinion, there are two, but the biggest would be of the two would be Davidson over Wisconsin. You can't deny how great Davidson has been playing as of late. The only problem is if Stephen Curry has a bad game, they have a very slim chance of winning the game. Another upset that could happen is West Virginia over Xavier.

#1 Seed's Easiest Road to Final Four: No question it is UCLA. They get 12th-seeded Western Kentucky in the Sweet 16 and face the winner of Xavier/WVU. Also worth mentioning is that all of these games will be played in Phoenix, where the Bruins could draw quite a few fans. Anything less than a trip to San Antonio will be a disappointment for this team.

#1 Seed's Hardest Road to the Final Four: North Carolina. Their bracket is the only one that has the first four seeds still playing. They face off against a tough Washington State team before getting the winner of Louisville/Tennessee. All I can say is good luck to the Tar Heels. Their only advantage? Not leaving the state of North Carolina.

Most Intriguing Sweet 16 Matchup: For me, there are two. The first would be Louisville/Tennessee. Both are playing fantastic ball right now and both have a good chance at getting to the Final Four. The winner of this game is my pick to upset UNC in the Elite 8. The other game I am referring to is Stanford/Texas. The Cardinals rely on their two big guys, Brook and Robin Lopez, while the Longhorns depend on their two guards, DJ Augustin and AJ Abrams. A contrast of styles is always interesting.

Pick To Cut Down the Nets: UCLA. This team just played a great game against Texas A&M and have the easiest road to San Antonio. They will gear up and most likely get the winner of Texas and Memphis from the Houston Regional. Darren Collison and Kevin Love are both playing great, and that is why they are both currently in my list of the top 15 players in the country. (That list will be published after the tournament.)

Okay, that is all. I hope you enjoy the rest of the tournament and, for the very few of you who still have a somewhat decent bracket, good luck to you. Have a nice week and I'm sure some will be enjoying their Spring Break. I, sadly, go back to school tomorrow.

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Poll Results- I asked which team will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. 83% of voters think it will be the Lakers, while 16% believe the Hornets will make it.

Game-Planning 12

College basketball has been interesting to say the least since my last Game-Planning blog was posted. Duke defeated a North Carolina team that was obviously hurting with the loss of Ty Lawson. Indiana edged out Illinois in double overtime. Louisville defeated highly-ranked Georgetown in a very entertaining matchup. More recently, Texas upset Kansas in a battle between two ranked teams.

I was sick on Tuesday; I'm sure I wasn't the only one either. That night was spent watching the games on ESPN. I had the pleasure of watching Purdue upset Michigan State. What surprised me most about this was the Boilermakers' stifling man-to-man defense they played. In fact, they held Drew Neitzel without a field goal until late in the second half. I then proceeded to watch Vanderbilt put a nice thumping on Kentucky. I was, to say the least, very impressed with A.J. Ogilvy not only on the offensive end but also with his defense on Patrick Patterson.

Also, I'd like to express my deep concern for North Carolina. They have had 57 turnovers in their last three games and only 47 assists. Quentin Thomas is obviously hurting the Tar Heels out there and Lawson must come back soon if UNC wants to win the ACC this season. They only beat Virginia by one point the other night and had another scary outing against Clemson on Sunday.


1st Quarter- #11 Texas at Baylor

In my opinion, this game could be the most exciting one all week. I'm almost beside myself as to which team I should choose as the winner. Obviously, the Longhorns are the favorite but any diehard college hoops fan will tell you that Baylor is definitely one of the best unranked teams in the nation this year. They are led by Curtis Jerrells (15 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast) and Kevin Rogers (12 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast) who are only two of the five Baylor players averaging at least eleven points per game. The Bears have posted nice wins over Winthrop, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M (in 5OT).

Texas is led by D.J. Augustin (19 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast), A.J. Abrams (18 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast), and Damion James (13 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast). Last time these two teams met, the Longhorns won 80-72 in Austin. In that meeting, Baylor shot a paltry 32% from deep while Texas was shooting 43% from that same distance. The Bears are a much better free throw shooting team and are one of the most well-conditioned teams in the nation though.

That is only part of the reason as to why I am picking Baylor to win. The other would be the fact that Augustin is in a shooting slump right now and appears to be trying to do too much as far as penetrating the lane goes. You can watch this game Saturday, February 16th at 6pm eastern time on ESPN. You should expect this game to be up and down the court with the final score at least making it to the 70s.


2nd Quarter- #10 Michigan State at #13 Indiana

I love two matchups in this game. Eric Gordon vs. Drew Neitzel and D.J. White vs. Raymar Morgan. Gordon (21 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) and White (18 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast) lead the 20-3 Hoosiers. Michigan State is led by Morgan (16 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast) and Neitzel (14 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast). The Spartans are coming off a loss to Purdue and should respond with an intensity that Indiana will have trouble matching.

This game could very well come down to the role players. The Spartans had to rely heavily on Kalin Lucas (10 pts, 4 ast) when things weren't going right in the first half against the Boilermakers. They will also have to depend heavily on the rebounding of Goran Suton (9 pts, 8 reb). Jordan Crawford (11 pts) and Armon Bassett (10 pts) will have to have decent games and Jamarcus Ellis's (8 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast) all-around game could be the difference-maker.

I seriously doubt that Indiana will wreak havoc on defense the way Purdue did. Michigan State will be able to get Neitzel open looks and the inside will open up for Morgan. The Spartans will win over Indiana. You can tune in to watch this game Saturday, February 16th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


The Halftime Show

Who is the best point guard in America? To me, this comes down to about six or seven players who have proved that they are the elite of point guards today in college. The first two that come to mind are D.J. Augustin (19 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) of Texas and Jamont Gordon (18 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) of Mississippi State. Next would be UNC's Ty Lawson (14 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast), Memphis's Derrick Rose (14 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), and UCLA's Darren Collison (14 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast). The last couple would have to be between Sean Singletary (19 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast), Tyrese Rice (20 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast), and Mike Green (15 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast).

For me to rank those point guards would be nearly impossible. However, I will tell you that, if not for the Iowa State game, Augustin would definitely be my choice. Lawson's injury surely hurts his chances as well. Sadly, not a one of these guys even compares to Gary Payton's last season at Oregon State in which he finished with averages of 26 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Here's a little chart for you that compares the top three:

D.J. Augustin -- 19.3 ppg - 5.8 apg - 2.7 TO/g - 1.3 spg - 43% FG - 43 3PM
Jamont Gordon -- 18.1 ppg - 4.7 apg - 3.7 TO/g - 1.1 spg - 45% FG - 43 3PM
Ty Lawson -- 13.6 ppg - 5.7 apg - 2.3 TO/g - 1.9 spg - 54% FG - 20 3PM

Gordon's high turnover rate and low (compared to the other two) assists average has me putting him at #3. Lawson's somewhat low points per game average and lack of perimeter shooting has me putting him at #2. Obviously, that leaves Augustin at #1 who, despite his recent shooting slump, is still the best point guard in the nation. He's a good shooter and, like other good shooters, he will get out of this slump eventually. My decision in putting him #1 was also helped by Texas's upsetting of Kansas on Monday night.


3rd Quarter- #6 UCLA at USC

Ahh yes, the crosstown rivalry. The University of Southern California versus the University of California-Los Angeles. This will be a matchup of two fabulous freshmen: Kevin Love of the Bruins and OJ Mayo of the Trojans. In my humble opinion, Love is twice the athlete and, more importantly, person than OJ is. UCLA is coming off a devastating loss to Washington and should come out with a high intensity level in this one. They are led by Love (18 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast) down low while Josh Shipp (14 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast), Darren Collison (14 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), and Russell Westbrook (12 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast) control the backcourt.

USC, on the other hand, is led by Mayo (20 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), Davon Jefferson (13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast), and Taj Gibson (10 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast). They, too, are coming off a loss to Washington State, in which they got their asses handed to them in losing by 24 points! In the first meeting between these teams, USC defeated UCLA 72-63. Davon Jefferson had an amazing game with 25 points and 9 rebounds. Kevin Love wasn't too shabby either with 18 points and 12 rebounds. What lost the game for the Bruins was simply poor shooting. They shot 33% from the field while USC was making 61% of their attempts.

I seriously doubt USC will ever be able to shoot near 60% against UCLA. Therefore, I am picking UCLA to win by about 8-12 points. I expect this game to be filled with tension and intensity. You can tune in to watch Sunday, February 17th at 10pm eastern time on FSN. The good news is (for all you East Coasters) you can stay up late and watch since there is no school on Monday for Presidents' Weekend.


4th Quarter- #19 Purdue at #13 Indiana

The Hoosiers are 1-2 against ranked teams this year. The lone team they beat, Southern Illinois, is no longer ranked. They have lost to Wisconsin twice when the Badgers were ranked 13th and 14th. My first prediction for the game is this: Eric Gordon will not score 15 points. That has only been done twice this season in games that Gordon has played more than twelve minutes. The Purdue defense will completely stifle Indiana, similar to what they did to Michigan State in that upset earlier this week.

Indiana is led by Gordon (21 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) and D.J. White (18 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast). They have four players averaging in double figures for points. The Boilermakers, however, are led by the two freshmen, Robbie Hummel (11 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast) and E'Twaun Moore (11 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast). Keaton Grant (11 pts) should also be a scoring threat for Purdue.

Purdue has only been involved in one conference game that reached the eighties in scoring this year. Don't expect for this one to be extremely high-scoring. In fact, in their three wins over ranked opponents they only average 64 points per game. Purdue's 10-game winning streak will remain alive as they will defeat Indiana. The game can be viewed Tuesday, February 19th at 7pm eastern time on ESPN.


The Postgame Video Vault






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Poll Result- 50% of the voters believe that Baylor is the best unranked team in the country while the other 50% think Louisville is the best. Do you agree?

Game-Planning 11: Early Edition

After a one-week hiatus, the Game-Planning blog is back. I decided to forego writing it due to being very busy this past week with school, and I also considered that not many people would care about much outside of the Super Bowl.

Now, I guess it depends on how you interpret matters such as this, but to me this would be an early edition of Game-Planning, right? Or are you considering this late from last week? Nonetheless, it's here and I have some great game to break down for you. But first, I would like to tell you have I have fared with my predictions so far this season. I will say that I'm pretty sure I did better than Dan's Ravens-Eagles SB prediction. Overall, I have posted a solid 33-16 record on my predictions. I have had a winning record in all but two weeks and have made beautiful upset calls such as Texas beating UCLA, Villanova over Pitt, and West Virginia over Marquette to name a few.

However, I have been wrong on more than a few occasions as well. Most notably, I was dead wrong in thinking Indiana would defeat UConn and I admit it was a terrible predictions. (There ya go, Tracy) I was also wrong in picking Clemson to upset my favorite team, Duke. This in no way means that I will stop being wrong though as that is what makes bloggers like myself so popular. Anyway, without any furthur adieu (that's how it's spelled; not ado, Nomarfan)...


1st Quarter- #2 Duke at #3 North Carolina

I thought I would start this edition of Game-Planning off with a bang heading down Tobacco Road to the greatest rivalry in all of college basketball. You have no right calling yourself a basketball fan unless you tune in to watch this game. In my opinion, Duke has no choice but to shut down Tyler Hansbrough or they lose this game. That is much easier said than done though as the Blue Devils have not featured a solid big man all year. Look for the Tar Heels to get Lance Thomas in foul trouble very early similar to what Maryland did.

Both of these teams love to get out and run so expect to see a score in the 80s by the end of this one. Duke is led by DeMarcus Nelson (15 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), Gerald Henderson (14 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), and Greg Paulus (10 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast). UNC, on the other hand, is led by Hansbrough (22 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast), Wayne Ellington (17 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), and Ty Lawson (14 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast).

The big matchup that I want to watch in this game is Paulus against Lawson. These two are both fantastic players coming off great games. Lawson had 16 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals the other night against Boston College. Paulus is averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in his last two games against NC State and Miami.

By 11:30 on Wednesday night we will know the winner of this game. I am picking the North Carolina Tar Heels. Duke's lack of a good interior presence will doom them in this one. Make sure you tune in on Wednesday, February 6th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


2nd Quarter- #11 Indiana at Illinois

You may be asking yourself what the big deal is with this game, right? Let me explain. Eric Gordon, the Hoosiers' star, committed to home-state Illinois before backing out and deciding to play for rival Indiana. Last time these teams met, the Hoosiers got the better of the Fighting Illini by four points at home. This time, however, they will be going on the road into Illinois where Gordon will most likely be verbally abused by the student body in Champaign.

Indiana is led by Gordon (21 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) and D.J. White (17 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast) who, as I mentioned before in my blogs, combine to form one of the better inside-outside tandems in the entire nation. Trying to stop them will be Illinois, who is led by Shaun Pruitt (13 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast), Trent Meacham (11 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast), and Brian Randle (10 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast).

The key to this game will be how Gordon responds to all the despise among the home crowd and whether the Illini will be able to keep White off the boards. All that pressure is tough for a freshman and Pruitt, with the help of his teammates, is more than capable of stopping White. I say Illinois takes the W in this one. Make sure you tune in to watch Thursday, February 7 at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


The Halftime Show

During this segment of The Halftime Show, I will be talking about the Final Four. As I see it now, Memphis, Kansas, North Carolina, and UCLA are all near the top of my list of the best teams in the nation this year. However, Texas, Duke, Tennessee, and Michigan State are not far behind. After that, you have the sleeper teams such as Texas A&M, Baylor, Kansas State, and Xavier that could always make a nice tournament run come March.

Anyway, my midseason Final Four choices are North Carolina, Memphis, Michigan State, and either Kansas State or Xavier. I'm not quite sure on the last pick. I'm thinking it will be one of those last four teams though. I like Xavier's chances just because they have a fantastic ball handler to rely on late in games in Drew Lavender. I also chose the Spartans because of the dynamic inside-outside duo they feature in Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan that many, many teams will have trouble matching up with. Tom Izzo definitely has the experience to know what he's doing.

Memphis and UNC were fairly easy picks. Both are having great seasons and have very good chances at #1 seeds, especially the Tigers. The other four teams rounding out the Elite Eight will be Duke, Texas, UCLA, and once again either Xavier or Kansas State. Nonetheless, we still have over a month of basketball to play before the regular season wraps up and the seedings for the tournaments are announced. Enjoy watching all the great basketball until then.


3rd Quarter- USC at #17 Washington State

Washington State, in my humble opinion, is one of the most overrated teams in college basketball. It was one of my easier predictions in calling their loss to UCLA earlier this year. They are led by Derrick Low (14 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast), Kyle Weaver (12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), and Aron Baynes (11 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast). The Cougars will be facing the Bruins yet again on Thursday and expect the same result.

USC, on the other hand, is led by freshman OJ Mayo (20 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), who I have already spent time writing about why I am not a fan, and Davon Jefferson (13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast). This is a team that lost their first game of the season to Mercer by FIFTEEN points! They have come a long way since then though with impressive wins over Southern Illinois, Oklahoma, and Washington and close losses to Kansas and Memphis by four.

The last time these two teams met Wazzou won by 15 points. In that game, the Trojans shot from the free throw line only four times compared to the Cougars' eighteen attempts. USC also had thirteen turnovers to WSU's 7. (If it matters, five of those thirteen were supplied by Mayo.) In conclusion, USC can win this game if they limit their turnovers and get to the line early and often.

Do I see that happening against a very disciplined team such as Wazzou? No. That's the exact reason as to why I'm picking Washington State in this one. Make sure you tune in Saturday, February 9th at 3:30pm eastern time on ABC.


4th Quarter- #6 Georgetown at Louisville

If you're a fan of my posts you'll now that I don't think the Hoyas are as great as everyone is chalking them up to be. Roy Hibbert is vastly overrated as he was shut down and held to only six rebounds against the undersized Memphis frontcourt not too long ago. They are led by Hibbert (13 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), DaJuan Summers (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), and Jessie Sapp (10 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast). They are currently 8-1 in Big East play.

Louisville is one of favorite teams to do very well in the Big East and NCAA tournaments. They are peaking at just the right time with back-to-back wins over Rutgers by 37 and Marquette by 14. The Cardinals are headed by many players as they have five players averaging at least ten points per game but none averaging more than thirteen. They have a balanced attack under Coach Rick Pitino who, like many of his past teams, loves to play with pressure defense on the opponent.

Honestly, I think G'Town will lose this one to the surging Cards of Louisville. The score in this game will probably get up in the 70s or 80s so it should be fun to watch. The game will be shown Saturday, February 9th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


Overtime- Clemson at #3 North Carolina

I focused much of the First Quarter segment on the Tar Heels so Overtime will be used to talk about Clemson and the last time these two teams met. The Tigers are led by K.C. Rivers (15 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), who is one of five players on Clemson's roster that averages 11 or more points per game. The other key player for them will be Trevor Booker. He, along with the rest of the frontcourt, will have the job of stopping arguably the best big man in the nation, Tyler Hansbrough.

The last time these teams played it was a hard fought battle in the Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson ended up losing by two but if not for a defensive lapse at the end, Wayne Ellington doesn't get such a good game-winning shot. Another reason the Tigers lost that game was their free throw shooting. I just read an article in my local paper this week about the poor free throw shooting going around nowadays. Where has it gone? Clemson shot 14-27 against UNC last time while the Heels were 24-30 that game.

I'm going with the upset in this one. After defeating Duke on Wednesday, North Carolina will let their guard down just long enough for Clemson to sneak in and take the victory in Chapel Hill. This game can be seen Sunday, February 10th at 6:30pm eastern time on FSN.


Double Overtime- #4 Kansas at #12 Texas

After predicting the Longhorns' upset of UCLA, I seriously considered making them my pick to win it all. Since then, however, it has been a roller coaster ride for Texas. They dropped two straight and three out of five games to Michigan State by six, Wisconsin by one, and Mizzou by thirteen. Texas then followed it up by winning their next three games before getting their asses handed to them by Texas A&M. I do believe they are on the up again, and their handling Baylor very nicely on the second of February proves it. (Baylor is my dark horse pick for the NCAA Tournament.) In that game, D.J. Augustin didn't play that well. I think that shows that this team relies on more than just their one playmaker.

Texas is led by Augustin (20 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) and A.J. Abrams (17 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast). They also receive much-needed contributions from Damion James (13 pts, 11 reb) and Connor Atchley (11 pts, 6 reb) down low. They will be going up against the 22-1 Kansas Jayhawks, who are spearheaded by Darrell Arthur (13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast), Brandon Rush (13 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Darnell Jackson (13 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast), and Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast).

Kansas has a very tough game against Baylor on Saturday before having to travel to Austin to play this game. I do not see the Jayhawks winning both games. That is why I'll be picking the Texas Longhorns to win this game. Kansas won't be able to shut down all of Texas's weapons and it will cost them. Make sure you tune in to watch Monday, February 11th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


The Postgame Video Vault






That's it for this week's Early Edition of Game-Planning. I will be back with more next week. Enjoy your day!

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Poll Result- Which team is currently the best in the NBA? 50% of voters thought it was the L.A. Lakers while 25% agreed on it being the Boston Celtics. The Suns and Hornets also drew 12% of the vote each.

Game-Planning 10

Many of you will be lying around this weekend with nothing to do. You'll be feeling sorry for yourself even though you have absolutely no control over what weekends will feature football. This weekend, sadly, does not. On the flip side, that gives you all the more reason to watch college basketball (or you could try some other ideas that Mac thought of). So here are the games that you should check out...


1st Quarter- Gonzaga at Memphis

Winner: Memphis

Why They'll Win: I'm predicting a Tiger win to keep the undefeated season alive. This is really their last tough game before the big showdown against the highly-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. Memphis is led by Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Rose (14 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast), and Joey Dorsey (7 pts, 10 reb). They are currently ranked #1 in both polls and they've only been in one game that they won by less than ten points. The Tigers are a scoring machine as they have scored at least 90 points on five occasions and average 81 points per game. They shoot 36% from deep and 47% from the field. Now, I've said it all year long and I'll say it again: free throw shooting will be the death of this team. They shoot a terrible 59% from the charity stripe. Concerning Gonzaga, they're led by Matt Bouldin (15 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), Josh Heytvelt (12 pts, 5 reb), and Jeremy Pargo (11 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast). The Bulldogs were ranked at the beginning of the season but have fallen out of the top 25 due to their four losses to Texas Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. They, too, average a good amount of points per game with an average of 76. I expect this game to be highly competitive and very high scoring.

When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at noon eastern time on ESPN.


2nd Quarter- Doubleheader

Game 1: UConn at Indiana

Winner: Indiana

Why They'll Win: The Hoosiers are ranked #7 and the Huskies are unranked, but don't think that means this game will be easy for Indiana. We've already seen UConn give Memphis, Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Marquette trouble. They even posted a nice victory over Cincinatti. They're led by Jeff Adrien (14 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast), A.J. Price (14 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast), and Hasheem Thabeet (11 pts, 8 reb). Indiana is led by the inside-outside tandem of D.J. White (17 pts, 10 reb) and Eric Gordon (22 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast) and will be the two that UConn needs to keep in check. If they dont, the Huskies have no shot at winning this one.

When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 1pm eastern time on CBS.

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Game 2: Washington at Arizona

Winner: Arizona

Why They'll Win: The 11-7 Huskies will travel to Arizona to face the 12-6 Wildcats in what should be a very good game. I'm picking Arizona for two reasons in this game and it doesn't have much to do with team talent because they're too close to choose. Washington is 1-2 on the road and Arizona is 7-2 at home. Therefore, my winner will be the team that plays well at home. Nonetheless, Washington's leader is Jon Brockman (19 pts, 12 reb), who I think is one of the more underrated big men in the nation this year. Arizona is led by a trio of players in Jerryd Bayless (19 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), Chase Budinger (17 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), and Jordan Hill (14 pts, 8 reb).

When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 3pm eastern time on FSN.


Halftime Thoughts-

CollegeHoops.Net's Hot Topic of the Week: Mississippi State's winning streak is what has everyone buzzing right now. I'll be honest and admit that I don't know a whole lot about this team; I did, however, decide to do some research. The Bulldogs are 4-0 in the SEC and have won all of their past eight games. Their best player is probably Jamont Gordon, who averages 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. Mississippi State is not a very good three-point shooting team though (33%) and are an even worse free throw shooting team (60%). I don't see this team getting all that far in March but this is definitely a team to watch.


3rd Quarter- Texas Tech at Texas

Winner: Texas

Why They'll Win: Quite frankly, the Longhorns aren't as good as I thought they were. Yes, D.J. Augustin (21 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) and A.J. Abrams (18 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast) are very, very talented in the backcourt, BUT Connor Atchley, their big guy, is somewhat reminiscent of Mehmet Okur in the way he prefers to stand out by the three-point line and shoot from there, which could be the main reason he only averages 6 rebounds per game. Nonetheless, Texas has won their last two games by two points each time over Oklahoma State and Colorado. They are a surprising 3-1 against ranked teams while the Red Raiders are 2-2 against those ranked in the top 25. Bobby Knight's team is led by Martin Zeno (17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), Alan Voskuil (13 pts, 4 reb), and John Roberson (12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast). The bad news about these three is that they are all guards. That is the reason Texas will win this game. The Longhorns don't really have a solid post presence but neither does Texas Tech.

When To Watch: Saturday, January 26th at 8pm eastern time on SNY.


4th Quarter- Duke at Maryland

Winner: Duke

Why They'll Win: I know my choice may seem like a homer pick but it really isn't. The last time I picked a team that gave UNC trouble to beat Duke I was wrong (see Duke-Clemson), and I've learned from my mistakes. The difficulty in picking this game is very great though. You don't know which Maryland team will come to play on any given day. Will it be the team that knocked off #1 North Carolina? Or will it be the team that lost to Virginia Commonwealth, Ohio, and American University? Thoughts aside, the Terrapins are led by Greivis Vasquez (17 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) and James Gist (15 pts, 8 reb). As for Duke, they will suffocate the Maryland guards on defense and they won't stop attacking when on offense. Look for the Blue Devils to get Gist in foul trouble very early on. This will negate any frontcourt advantage Maryland had coming into the game. Duke is led by DeMarcus Nelson (14 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), Kyle Singler (13 pts, 6 reb), and Gerald Henderson (13 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast). This should be one of the better games of the weekend.

When To Watch: Sunday, January 27th at 6:30pm eastern time on FSN.


Overtime- Villanova at Pitt

Winner: Villanova

Why They'll Win: I am not impressed by this Pitt team at all and apparently neither are other coaches. The Panthers are ranked 17th in the Coaches' Poll and have lost both Levance Fields and Mike Cook to injury. They are now led by freshman DeJuan Blair (12 pts, 9 reb) and Sam Young (19 pts, 7 reb). Due to the injuries I mentioned a sentence or two ago, Pitt is without a playmaker on offense. Ronald Ramon is the only other possible option for that position. If 'Nova actually won this game, it would be considered an upset according to the polls, but not an upset in my mind. Yes, they have three conference losses already, but they've posted nice wins over Pitt earlier in the year and Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. The Wildcats are led by the super sophomore, Scottie Reynolds (17 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast), and the junior, Dante Cunningham (11 pts, 7 reb). Those two form one of the better inside-outside tandems in the country along with Neitzel-Morgan of MSU and Gordon-White of Indiana.

When To Watch: Wednesday, January 30th at 7pm eastern time on ESPNU.


Double Overtime- Texas at Texas A&M

Winner: Texas A&M

Why They'll Win: I already explained the Longhorns earlier in this post so I'll spend most of this blog space writing about the Aggies of Texas A&M. Simply put, A&M will win if they get DeAndre Jordan the ball inside and Joseph Jones has a decent game because, as I mentioned before, Texas lacks a solid interior player. My main concern is that Turgeon's squad has lost each of their last three games to Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas Tech. My question is when will we see the A&M team that won 15 of their first 16 games of the season with wins over Ohio State and Washington? Finally, they are led by Josh Carter (14 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), Joseph Jones (11 pts, 5 reb), and DeAndre Jordan (10 pts, 7 reb).

When To Watch: Wednesday, January 30th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN2.


That would be the end of this week's edition of Game-Planning. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Here's a video to pass the time between now and the Gonzaga/Memphis game...


Have a good weekend, everyone!

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The Good & The Bad of The Top 8

So here I was at my computer. Sitting. I was trying so very hard to think a good blog idea that people will read. Then it hit me. Break down what's good and what's bad about the AP Top 8. However, some may have opened this thinking I was referring to college football. I am most certainly not. I'm talking basketball. You can leave this page. Now, for those of you who actually want to read this blog, continue on. But, first, here are the eight teams that will face my criticism.

1. North Carolina Tar Heels (14-0; 1,772 votes)
2. Memphis Tigers (12-0; 1,744 votes)
3. Kansas Jayhawks (13-0; 1,667 votes)
4. Washington State Cougars (12-0; 1,534 votes)
5. UCLA Bruins (13-1; 1,499 votes)
6. Michigan State Spartans (12-1; 1,419 votes)
7. Georgetown Hoyas (10-1; 1,324 votes)
8. Tennessee Volunteers (12-1; 1,259 votes)

I'll start with number eight and work my way down the list in descending order.

#8 Tennessee Volunteers
Key Players: Chris Lofton (15 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), J.P. Prince (14 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast), Tyler Smith (13 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast).
The Good: It's truly a collective effort with this group. They have six players averaging at least 8 points per game, and eight players are averaging at least 18 minutes of playing time. This all indicates that Bruce Pearl is getting his players to buy into the kind of system he wants them to play, which is to pressure the team on defense and run with the ball when they get it. After suffering a 19-point loss to #16 Texas, Tennessee has won seven straight games with wins over Xavier and Gonzaga. They have a couple tough tests coming up with Mississippi, Vanderbilt, and Ohio State.
The Bad: Chris Lofton is not playing the basketball he's capable of playing out on the court. His sophomore and junior seasons were successful when he averaged 17 and 21 points, respectively. However, there has been a significant drop-off and he's averaging only 15. He has had four games with ten or less points. He only had four all of last season, two of which came when he was injured. Next is the problem I have with their frontcourt. Their "big guy" down low is only 6'9", and he's only averaging five rebounds. Their next tallest guy is Tyler Smith who, at 6'7", is putting up decent numbers but still lacks the great rebounding total (his average is 6). That will kill them against a good rebounding team like Mississippi.
March Forecast: I see this team making a run to the Sweet 16, but not much farther than that. As I mentioned earlier, they just don't have a good interior player.

#7 Georgetown Hoyas
Key Players: DaJuan Summers (13 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), Roy Hibbert (12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), Jonathan Wallace (10 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast).
The Good: The Hoyas are 11-1 and look ready to run the table in the Big East, as long as Pitt stays out of their way. They are 7-0 at home this season and have very good depth with nine players averaging at least 18 minutes of play per game. Patrick Ewing Jr. has been playing pretty well as of late as well. In the big game with Memphis, he posted a nice stat line of 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. His problem? Shooting from the outside. Back to the team as a whole though, Georgetown has outscored their opponents by an average of 73-52 since the loss to Memphis.
The Bad: The have played a weak schedule so far with the exception of Memphis, whom they lost to. Roy Hibbert was downright terrible in that game as well with only 6 points, 6 rebounds, 0 free throws attempted, 3 turnovers, and 4 personal fouls. Of the top 8 teams, I think Georgetown is the second weakest behind Washington State. I watched the entire game against the Tigers, and NOT ONE player stepped up for them at the end. They don't have a go-to player, and, in my humble opinion, Roy Hibbert is overrated.
March Forecast: Not much more than a Sweet 16 for this team. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they got knocked off in one of the early rounds.

#6 Michigan State Spartans
Key Players: Raymar Morgan (18 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), Drew Neitzel (14 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast).
The Good: Raymar Morgan has emerged as a threat down low and has combined with Neitzel to form one of the better inside-outside combinations in the country. They've had a couple good wins as well, which include beating Texas, BYU, and NC State. They lost to highly-ranked UCLA by only five points. They have a very good chance at winnning the Big Ten with their biggest opponents being Indiana and Wisconsin. Goran Suton is doing a decent job for the Spartans on the boards, averaging 8 rebounds per game to go along with his 9 points.
The Bad: If Morgan or Neitzel has a rough game, then the team may be in serious trouble. Against Kevin Love and UCLA, Morgan went for only 10 points and 2 rebounds, well below his season averages. They lost that game. It's their major area of concern when they lean so heavily on two players like that.
March Forecast: This team is definitely capable of getting to the Elite 8, depending on the draw. They may even sneak into the Final Four. Now winning when they get that far? It most likely will not happen because teams with good big men will start to shut down Morgan.

#5 UCLA Bruins
Key Players: Kevin Love (17 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast), Josh Shipp (15 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), Russell Westbrook (12 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast).
The Good: What's not to "love"? (pun not intended) The Bruins have impressive wins over Michigan State, Stanford, Cal, Davidson, and Maryland, all of which may be dancing come March. They have a big game coming up against #4 Washington State. It will be a tough test and will prove how serious of contenders they are. More good news is that this team has recovered from most of the injuries they had earlier in the season. Darren Collison is back averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. UCLA has eight players averaging at least 18 minutes of PT, and five players are averaging double figures in points.
The Bad: This team falters once in awhile from behind the arc. Against Texas, the shot a whopping 29% from deep. The inexperienced Love also has trouble in big games, which is natural for freshmen like himself. He had only 11 points and 5 rebounds in the game. Another underclassman, Westbrook, had trouble scoring only 7 points and 2 rebounds. These young guys for UCLA have trouble when the games become more meaningful. I just hope for their sake they don't crumble at the end of the season when even more pressure is put on them.
March Forecast: This team is very skilled, and I'd say they are a Elite 8/Final Four team depending, of course, on who stays healthy and who responds well at the end of games.

#4 Washington State Cougars
Key Players: Derrick Low (13 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast), Kyle Weaver (12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), Aron Baynes (12 pts, 7 reb).
The Good: The Cougars have six players logging a lot of minutes for them right now (22+). All six are averaging at least 9 points per game. They are riding a 13-game winning streak (they're undefeated) and have posted wins over Washington and Gonzaga to name a few. The have two big games coming up against USC and UCLA. As a team, Washington State shoots 77% from the line, 34% from deep, and 50% from the field, all of which are decent numbers. They defeat their opponents by an average score of 69-50. The Cougars have held their opponents under 50 points seven times in thirteen games, which is a credit to their defense. They average 7 steals and 4 blocks per game.
The Bad: Their cupcake schedule will be the downfall of them. They've been playing teams like Boise State, Mississippi Valley State, Baylor, Portland State, Citadel, North Carolina A&T, etc. They could quite possibly lose four of their next five games and fall tremendously in the rankings. Washington State has one, maybe two, good teams they've played, and they've only won by an average of four points.
March Forecast: The Sweet 16 will be as far as this team will go. Struggling with teams like Air Force and Baylor, the Cougars can't compete with the powerhouses of tough conferences.

#3 Kansas Jayhawks
Key Players: Darrell Arthur (14 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast), Darnell Jackson (13 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast), Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast).
The Good: Kansas is 14-0 and have wins over Arizona, USC, Georgia Tech, and Boston College. They've won those games by an average of ten points. They also have depth. Eight Jayhawks average 17+ minutes of playing time. Kansas also averages 11 steals and 6 blocks per game. They shoot 39% from deep and 53% from the field. And, finally, they've scored 85 points or more in nine of their fourteen games. This team can put the ball in the basket better than a lot of teams that are ranked this high.
The Bad: Free throw shooting is crucial come tournament time. Kansas shoots just 64% from the charity stripe. Darrell Arthur averages a horrid 3.1 turnovers to every assist. Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun aren't much better. Back to the free throw concern though, their best player at shooting them is Brandon Rush...at 76%. They haven't one guy that they can depend on to sink free throws at the end of games. This problem will be the death of the team.
March Forecast: Elite 8 or a Final Four is where this team will probably be at the end of March. However, as I mentioned earlier, they won't make it to the National Title Game because of their free throw shooting.

#2 Memphis Tigers
Key Players: Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Derrick Rose (14 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), Joey Dorsey (8 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast).
The Good: This team may very well be the most talented team in the entire nation. They may also be the best team in the nation. The Tigers go about 9 or 10 deep, but they'd almost have to with the frenetic pace that they play at. It's hard enough for teams to keep up with them, let alone actually beating them at the end of the game when Memphis still has fresh legs coming in and the other team is tired. They shoot a lot of three-pointers and are decent at making them with 37% of them making it through the hoop. Memphis averages 9 steals and 7 blocks per game, which have only helped them to their fantastic 13-0 start. Of all the undefeated teams left, I think they have the best shot of anyone at going the distance undefeated. The Tigers have had impressive wins over Oklahoma (by 10), UConn (by 11), USC (by 4), Georgetown (by 14), and Arizona (by 13).
The Bad: Free throw shooting should be a major concern of John Calipari. His team shoots an absolutely abysmal 57% from the line. Their best is Doneal Mack with 75%. However, NOT ONE other person on the team shoots even 70%. The only other possible problem for Memphis is the incredibly weak conference schedule. They play in Conference-USA, which doesn't boast many top teams, yet they have managed nice wins over tough teams in their non-conference schedule.
March Forecast: The Final Four and beyond for Memphis. They are definitely one of the two best teams in the country. After watching the Clemson vs. North Carolina game recently, it's very possible to say they are the BEST team in the country.

#1 North Carolina Tar Heels
Key Players: Tyler Hansbrough (22 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast), Wayne Ellington (18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), Ty Lawson (13 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast).
The Good: If not for the loss of Bobby Frasor, I may be even more excited about the chances this team has at a national title. With the scare that was provided to UNC by Clemson recently, I think this makes the Tar Heels even more dangerous when March rolls around. They've proved that they can come through in the clutch. North Carolina basically has six players that receive most of the playing time and contribute most of the scoring. As a team, they shoot 38% from deep, 74% from the line, and 50% from the field. Danny Green and Wayne Ellington are the ones you need to watch out for when they spot up from deep during a game. North Carolina has beaten, most notably, Davidson, BYU, Ohio State, Valparaiso, and Clemson. However, none of those teams are currently ranked with the exception of Clemson.
The Bad: They've had a weak non-conference schedule as they have faced a total of ZERO ranked teams. They also are without the services of Bobby Frasor, as I mentioned earlier. If Lawson gets in foul trouble, they don't have a reliable backup point guard to go to. Those are my only two worries with this deep, well-coached, and experienced Tar Heel team.
March Forecast: Anything less than being at the Final Four will be a huge disappointment for this team. I don't see them falling out early in March either.

That's all I have to say in regards to the main premise of this blog. But I'm not done, and you should definitely not stop reading this blog. I will now talk about my overly premature Final Four picks. It's very early, but I'll go with North Carolina and Memphis as the sure ones. I'll put Kansas in their as well. For the fourth spot, I don't think it will be anyone else that was mentioned in this blog. It may be UCLA or Michigan State, but I'll go with the Texas Longhorns. D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams make this one of the tougher backcourts to defend in the country. For more on the very impressive Clemson/UNC game, click on this link. Have a good day!

Poll Result- 60% of voters thought that Pitt would make it as far as the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament this year while 20% thought they would lose in the 1st or 2nd round. Also worth mentioning is the 20% that thinks the Panthers are going to make it to the Final Four this season.

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Game-Planning 6: Christmas Edition

Are you ready? For the special occasion, I'll have 6 games that will be good for two weeks. It's going to be a great time to be a fan of basketball and these games are all must-see events.


1st Quarter- Georgetown at Memphis

Winner: Memphis

Why They'll Win: Can Memphis push the tempo? If they can, Georgetown is in trouble. Hibbert is the Hoyas' main man. Everything they do goes through him. But he is NOT very good at running the floor. Also, when he's in foul trouble, the entire team stalls. They practically seem helpless out on the floor. The attacking Tigers will force Hibbert into committing some cheap fouls out there. Georgetown has five players averaging 9+ points per game (the leader is Hibbert with 13), and the rebounding load is carried by both Roy Hibbert (7) and DaJuan Summers (6). Important to mention is the Hoyas' 52% free throw shooting. They don't have a guy making 75% of his free throws and Hibbert is only making 52% of his. My suggestion? Foul him when he has position. Now, for Memphis, all I can say is don't blink because you might miss something great. This team plays faster than any team I've seen before. They are led by junior Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast) and freshman Derrick Rose (16 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast). The Tigers' main rebounders are Robert Dozier (7 per game) and Joey Dorsey (9). Lastly, Memphis is a very deep team. They'd almost have to be with their style of play though. They have nine players averaging at least 10 minutes per game and six guys averaging at least 20 minutes per game.

When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd on ESPN at noon eastern time.


2nd Quarter- Tennessee at Xavier

Winner: Xavier

Why They'll Win: Chris Lofton is Tennessee's leading scorer. He was a preseason player of the year favorite. He's now shooting a paltry 35% from deep and 36% from everywhere else. That's what worries me about the Volunteers. Coming into the season, everyone knew Lofton was their key guy, yet he has struggled so far. He has scored 10 or less points three times this year and has only reached 20 points in a game twice. He's already averaging fewer minutes, points, assists, and steals this year. It hardly sounds like he should even be mentioned with the likes of Michael Beasley and D.J. Augustin. Tennessee is 10-1 and have struggled against teams like West Virginia, Chattanooga, and Western Kentucky. Xavier, however, has been surprising in a very good way this season. They've worked their way to 24th in the Coaches' Poll and are playing very well. The Musketeers are led by Drew Lavender (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast), C.J. Anderson (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), and Derrick Brown (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast). Of the six players averaging 20+ minutes per game, FIVE are upperclassmen.

When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd on ESPN at 2pm eastern time.


Halftime Thoughts-

Other games that you may want to watch this weekend that could be fairly good games will be Miami (Ohio) at Kansas (Saturday, 1:00 PM, ESPN FullCourt/Regional TV) and Florida at Ohio State (Saturday, 4:00 PM, CBS). You'll get to see a couple good freshmen play including OSU's big man, Kosta Koufos.

Rotoworld.com Hot Topic: Does Texas deserve to be the #1 team? My answer: no. Yes, they have defeated two Top 10 teams this season, but look at who's ahead of them in the polls. Can you justify putting them ahead of Kansas or Memphis or North Carolina? Definitely not. D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams are playing very well for the Longhorns, but they are lacking a solid post presence. I think you need a decent big man (a la Hansbrough) to be put number one and have the title of the best team in the entire nation.

The famous Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, recently spoke out about the game of basketball. He said the referees need to call traveling, carrying, and moving screens. He also spoke about his dislike of fancy dunks that are performed quite often anymore. Do I agree with this? It's hard to tell. Yes, calling the rules more closely would change the game, but what about all these players in the NBA like Allen Iverson who have made a living off carrying the ball to get by a defender for a layup. What happens to the Dunk Contest? All of this only hurts the money that the game of basketball is bringing in. Should it happen? Possibly. Will it happen? Heck no!


3rd Quarter- Texas at Michigan State

Winner: Texas

Why They'll Win: The Longhorns, as I mentioned before, are led by D.J. Augustin (20 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) and A.J. Abrams (19 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast). Their leading rebounder is Damion James with 10 rebounds per game. Also, you can't leave Connor Atchley alone behind the arc. He's shooting 63% from deep this season. Texas sits at 11-0 right now with impressive wins over Tennessee and UCLA. In those games, Augustin has really stepped up as the Horns' leader out on the court. He managed a game-winning assist to beat the Bruins. Can Drew Neitzel match up with Augustin? It'll be tough to do for the entire game considering that D.J. is averaging 36 minutes per game and Neitzel is only getting 29 minutes each game. Nevertheless, the Spartans have a very good chance at winning this one and it will most likely come down to the wire. They're led by Raymar Morgan (17 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), Neitzel (15 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast), and Goran Suton (9 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast). Michigan State is decent down low but if Neitzel is on Augustin then who picks up Abrams on the perimeter? Chris Allen?

When To Watch: Saturday, December 22nd at 6:30pm eastern time on ESPN2.


4th Quarter- Tennessee at Gonzaga

Winner: Gonzaga

Why They'll Win: Well, I've already talked about Tennessee, so I'll just start with Gonzaga and make this one pretty quick and to the point. The Bulldogs are led by Jeremy Pargo (13 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast), Matt Bouldin (13 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), and freshman Austin Daye (12 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast). Granted, they've had some tough losses to Texas Tech, highly-ranked Washington State, and, most recently, Oklahoma, but I think that gives them all the more reason to come out gunning for Tennessee. Gonzaga has not lost two games in a row all season. In the game immediately following a loss, they've outscored their opponents by a score of 167-123. This is their time.

When To Watch: Saturday, December 29th 4pm eastern time on ESPN2.


Overtime- Arizona at Memphis

Winner: Memphis

Why They'll Win: I talked quite a bit about Memphis in the 1st Quarter so I don't think there's anything else that's essential to know. But here is what you need to know about Arizona. They're led by two underclassmen, Jerryd Bayless (19 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast) and Chase Budinger (16 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), which gives me even more reasons to pick Memphis in this one. Their leading rebounder is a sophomore, Jordan Hill, and do you really expect him to dominate Joey Dorsey in the post? I sure as hell don't. Worthy of mention is their depth, however. They have eight solid guys that can play and contribute to the team's success.

When To Watch: Saturday, December 29th ESPN2 at 10pm eastern time.


2nd Overtime- Kansas State at Xavier

Winner: Kansas State

Why They'll Win: I guess we're getting some repeat teams here. I've talked earlier in this post about Xavier; therefore, I will fore go the breakdown of their team and head straight for Kansas State. My theory is this: Xavier will be feeling great about their big win over Tennessee. They'll come to play Kansas State and they'll fall apart in the early going. The Wildcats had some close games with Oregon and George Mason (both of which are quality teams). Their offense is based solely on Michael Beasley as he contributes 25 (and 14 reb) of the team's 78 points on average, which comes out to about 1/3 of his team's offensive production. But you can't just bypass the play of Bill Walker (13 pts, 7 reb), who is having quite the season as well.

When To Watch: Monday, December 31st at 7pm eastern time on ESPNU.


That concludes this edition of Game-Planning and I'll see you again in two weeks. Until then, you should keep up on college basketball at March Madness All Season.

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Poll Results- Will Kidd be traded? If so, where? 60% of voters thought he would be traded to a Western Conference team while 40% of voters thought he would be traded to an Eastern Conference team. Therefore, a whopping 0% of those who voted thought he would stay in New Jersey.

Game-Planning 3: Jimmy V Edition

Yes, over fourteen years ago the late Jimmy Valvano gave a speech for the ages. Everyday we should laugh, think, and cry. Those were the words he preached to us before his passing. So, without any further delay I would like to start this edition of Game-Planning.

1st Quarter- Duke at Davidson

Winner: Duke

Why They'll Win: Most of you are probably asking why I even chose this game. Well, I've got a couple reasons for you. One, this Davidson team is the team that gave North Carolina so much trouble earlier in the season. Two, Duke is on the verge of getting back to where they were two years ago. And, three, I honestly can't wait to see the backcourts go head-to-head. To me, Davidson, has the best mid-major backcourt in the entire country featuring Richards and Curry. Starting with the former, Richards is the senior point guard with the Wildcats and is currently averaging 11 points and 9 assists. The shooting guard, Stephen Curry, is averaging an astonishing 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists as a sophomore. These two are a great duo and one can only wonder how they will do against Duke's Paulus and Nelson. After reading that you most likely think that Davidson sounds as if they're the clear winner. Hardly. The frontcourt is where the Blue Devils will dominate. One of the most potent freshman in the nation, Kyle Singler (14 pts, 7 reb), fellow freshman Taylor King (11 pts, 51% from deep), and Lance Thomas (6 pts, 3 reb) are the leaders for them down low. Two of the three (King and Singler) can stretch the defense from three as well.

When To Watch: Saturday, December 1st at noon eastern time on ESPNU.


2nd Quarter- Gonzaga at Connecticut

Winner: Connecticut

Why They'll Win: UConn is back...enough to pull out a win over the Bulldogs. At 5-1, the Huskies are hardly the team of last year. They are led by A.J. Price (13 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb), Hasheem Thabeet (11 pts, 10 reb), and Jerome Dyson (14 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast). They have 6 players averaging at least 20 minutes a game and are poised to be back atop the Big East this year. Gonzaga is ranked 19th as I type this and are fresh off an overtime win over St. Joe's. Their backcourt is headed by Matt Bouldin (14 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast) and Jeremy Pargo (11 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb). Down low is the sensational freshman, Austin Daye, who's putting up 14 points and 5 rebounds per contest. The Bulldogs' only loss so far has come at the hands of Bob Knight and Texas Tech. However, their wins are unimpressive. Montana, Idaho, and UC Riverside started off their year. They have what you'd call a cupcake schedule to start the season.

When To Watch: Saturday, December 1st on ESPN at 3:30pm eastern time.


Halftime Thoughts-

Who would have thought BYU would have been in the game with North Carolina in Las Vegas last Saturday? Wait a second, who even thought they would make it past Louisville in the semifinals? I'm guessing not too many of you did. Well, I can guarantee you that they aren't any kind of one-hit wonders. The Cougars are here to stay...for the season, anyways. Currently, they are ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll. BYU is led by junior big man Trent Plaisted (19 pts, 9 reb), who some consider to be the Tyler Hansbrough of the West, and sophomore sharpshooter Jonathan Tavernari (17 pts, 6 reb). The latter made 6 threes against UNC, including 5 in the first half, to account for all of his points in the game. The former was even more magnificent in the game, scoring 24 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.

The burning question in Westwood right now is whether or not the Bruins will be able to recover from all these injuries they're suffering right now. Aboya, Roll, and, most significant, Collison are all recovering. The team's bright spot is obviously freshman Kevin Love, who's putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds (both team highs). Some would consider Collison's 14 points and 5 assists as a reason to answer yes to the question but you have to remember that it was against a less than formidable opponent in George Washington.

I will conclude the Halftime Thoughts by saying the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is a joke and it isn't very competitive. In nine consecutive years, the Atlantic Coast Conference has made buffoons out of their opposing conference and this year is no different. Quite Simply, the Big Ten can't match the talent of the ACC. College basketball should find another conference duel. Suggestions? I was thinking an ACC/Pac-10 one would be intriguing or even a ACC/Big East Challenge. Anything but what they have now.


3rd Quarter- Kansas at USC

Winner: Kansas

Why They'll Win: The Jayhawks are sitting pretty at number four in both polls with a 6-0 record. Sherron Collins (16 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb), Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb), and three other Kansas players are averaging double figures in points. Darrell Arthur leads the team in rebounding with 6 a game and Chalmers is their best threat from behind the arc (he's shooting 48% on 23 attempts). USC is led by their ballhog-at-times OJ Mayo. Yes, he's averaging 21 points and 5 rebounds yet only 3 assists to almost 5 turnovers. To top it all off, Mayo has shot 116 times this year. Next on the team would be Dwight Lewis with (get ready for it) 58 times! As a point guard, OJ's job is distributing the ball yet no one else is getting shots. That's ludicrous. I'm predicting that Kansas will win by 10-15 points.

When To Watch: Sunday, December 2nd at 2pm eastern time on FSN.


4th Quarter- Texas at UCLA

Winner: Texas

Why They'll Win: I'm calling the upset here. The Bruins (as I mentioned before) are hampered by injuries. The Longhorns, to the contrary, seemed to have forgotten all about Kevin Durant. A.J. Abrams has picked up the scoring load averaging 21 points and D.J. Augustin (18 pts, 7 ast) is looking as if he's a little Steve Nash clone out on the floor. Three other players are always scoring in double figures for Texas, a feat that would not be possible without the departure of a certain superstar. But enough with the allusions, let's move on to UCLA. Kevin Love is the main man for the Bruins this year. As I mentioned before, he's scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. Three other players (Shipp, Collison, Westbrook) are also averaging double figures in points. Mata-Real is helping out Love with the rebounding which is evident from his 7 rebounds per game average.

When To Watch: Sunday, December 2nd on FSN at 8pm eastern time.


Overtime- USC at Memphis

Winner: Memphis

Why They'll Win: I don't think this will be much of a game mainly because I don't think the Trojans have the talent or coaching to compete with Memphis. Calipari has his men running his system (Princeton on steroids) perfectly. Chris Douglas-Roberts is the scorer on the team averaging 22 points to go along with 6 boards. The fabulous freshman, Derrick Rose (17 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), is leading the break for the Tigers; Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier are shouldering the rebounding load averaging 9 and 8 rebounds, respectively. Of their six games, Memphis have only scored under 80 points once and have eclipsed the century mark twice.

When To Watch: Tuesday, December 4th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


Here's a video every single reader should watch. It's Jim Valvano's 1993 ESPY speech.


To donate money to the V Foundation, go to the website by clicking here. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

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Game-Planning 1: Weekend Kickoff Edition

This will be a weekly segment I will do and it will usually be posted Thursday night but I thought I would kick it off on a weekend where most people have nothing better to do other than read brand new blogs. Anyways, the idea of this will be for me to make 5 predictions for college basketball games in the upcoming week. (Note: For this festive occasion I will be doing SIX preseason tournaments instead of five individual games.) As time goes on I will develop a record and everyone will see how good--or bad--I am at picking winners. Enjoy...


1st Quarter- CBE Classic

Winner: UCLA
Runner-Up: Michigan State

Breakdown: #2 UCLA has everything clicking this year. They return four starters from last year in Collison, Shipp, Mbah a Moute, and Mata-Real. And, how could you forget, they have one of the best freshman in the country this year in Kevin Love. He averaged 34 points and 17 rebounds playing high school ball last year. I think the Bruins have a good mix of experience, talent, and great coaching. That being said, Michigan State is definitely no pushover. They return the second-best senior in the country (Drew Neitzel; behind Tennessee's Chris Lofton) and the other four starters from last season. The problem with them, however, is they don't have a ton of talent after Neitzel.

When To Watch: The championship will be November 20th. But first the Bruins must beat Maryland and the Spartans must beat Missouri.


2nd Quarter- Preseason NIT

Winner: Texas A&M
Runner-Up: Syracuse

Breakdown: I made two very difficult decisions. The one was picking the Orange over Ohio State and the other was picking the Aggies to upset Syracuse in front of, virtually, a home crowd. However, I really don't think Syracuse will be able to hold it together for two games in a row and will most likely let down their guard in the championship after a tough OSU game. A&M, losing senior leader Acie Law IV, has a new coach and a new star player. Josh Carter will have to become the go-to-guy for Turgeon's men this year. To help him out are two of last year's starters in Dominique Kirk and Joseph Jones. Syracuse is led by a stellar recruiting class this year but definitely don't have much experience. I doubt the freshman will be able to be the main production for a team in their first BIG game at Madison Square Garden (more will come, I'm sure).

When To Watch: The championship is November 23rd. Both teams need to advance past the semifinals which will be held this Wednesday, the 21st.


Halftime Thoughts-

I am NOT sold on OJ Mayo. Quite frankly, he's a ball hog and only thinks about himself out on the court. To top it off, he has off-the-court issues which have been nagging him since early high school. On the bright side, he had 32 points in his collegiate debut. Of course, he shot 12 for 27 from the field and committed 8 turnovers. Also, he dished out only 4 assists and seemed out of control most of the game.

Huge fan of Memphis frosh Derrick Rose right here. He's averaging 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 28 minutes a game. He hasn't shot more than 16 field goals compared to Mayo (see above). He'll have quite the challenge tonight against UConn though. It will be interesting to see how he fares.

Enough of the freshmen, I want to talk about the interesting North Carolina vs. Davidson game that was played two nights ago. UNC barely pulled one out in their 72-68 victory over an elite mid-major school (take note of the oxymoron). Interestingly enough, I wasn't as surprised with the Tar Heels' struggles as I was Davidson's success against the number one team in the country. Specifically, I was thoroughly impressed with their guards, Curry and Richards, who made names for themselves on national television. Curry was doing the scoring (24 pts) and Richards was getting his teammates easy buckets (8 ast).


3rd Quarter- Great Alaska Shootout

Winner: Michigan
Runner-Up: Gonzaga

Breakdown: This is going to be one hell of an upset. Gonzaga (#16) vs. Michigan is going to be a coaching battle. The best innovator in college basketball, John Beilein, will be taking on the best mid-major coach right now, Mark Few. Michigan has a new offense (5-Out) and are poised to disrupt at least a few top teams this year. Why not start now? Gonzaga is led by Jeremy Pargo who averaged 12 points and 5 assists last season while playing behind Derek Raivio. They also have Heytvelt, Bouldin, and Pendergraft that will definitely be playing roles on both ends of the floor. I'm still taking the underdog with a crazy-good coach when they're playing with nothing to lose.

When To Watch: November 24th is the championship date but the tournament has not yet started.


4th Quarter- Legends Classic

Winner: Tennessee
Runner-Up: Texas

Breakdown: Bruce Pearl's squad will live up to their lofty ranking in this one while taking down a talented, yet Kevin Durant-less, Texas team. The Volunteers are led by Chris Lofton (POY favorite) and are backed by returning starters in Ramar Smith, Jajuan Smith, and Wayne Chism. They have a very good transfer in Tyler Smith as well. The 'Horns can hardly contend with such a great group of players which is why I have them falling short. The interesting thing about them is that they return all their starters EXCEPT Durant. The big question mark on this team is whether or not they'll be able to make up for the scoring and rebounding that KD took with him to the pros. Their best bet is relying on sophomore D.J. Augustin who averaged 14 points last season.

When To Watch: The championship is November 24th and the semifinals are the night before.


Overtime- Maui Invitational

Winner: Duke
Runner-Up: Marquette

Breakdown: The fascinating thing about this preseason tournament is that every year they have amazing games yet lack a deep field of teams. This year the only top 25 teams are the ones I have matching up in the final game. Duke is led by their two upperclassmen, DeMarcus Nelson and Greg Paulus, and also receive much-needed contributions from Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler. Now, the Golden Eagles of Marquette are somewhat overrated in my opinion. They have a good group of guards but I wonder if their frontcourt will hurt them. Plus, they've had a complete joke of a schedule leading up to this. They've played IUPUI (which they only won by 8) and Utah Valley State. Who? Coach K will have his guys ready. End of story.

When To Watch: The championship game will be November 21st but you might want to check out the semifinal matchups as well (Nov. 20th). A couple years ago they featured Michigan State and Gonzaga which took three overtimes to decide a winner.


2nd Overtime- Las Vegas Invitational

Winner: North Carolina
Runner-Up: Louisville

Breakdown: Okay, so this tournament typically isn't very good but this year it features two GREAT teams. I honestly think that the Tar Heels will come back very strong after their letdown against Davidson. They are led by their three returning starters: Hansbrough, Ellington, and Lawson. Most likely all three will be first round draft picks when they decide to go. Louisville won't go down without a fight though. They are one of the deepest teams in all of college basketball this year and have a great coach to help them work together. Edgar Sosa seemingly wants some redemption from last March's heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Texas A&M.

When To Watch: November 24th is the championship day on the Strip and this game is a can't-miss event. I really don't see either of these teams losing in the semifinals either.


Poll Results- In a recent poll about who will have the best record in the Wester Conference, 80% of the voters chose the Phoenix Suns while the other 20% thought Dallas would have the best record for the second year in a row.


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