Woohoo, I get to guest host the weekend recap. First off, Dwight Howard did this:
Both Duke and Maryland won, preventing them from incessant criticism for not only their play, but also their uniforms. The Terps knocked off Carolina in overtime, and the Heels had only 5 assists, their lowest total since... 40-12. A week after Duke fans were suicidal complaining about lack of athletic recruits and the inability to play against the top teams, they knock off Wake Forest and conveniently forget all those things they said. Coach K's hip was hurting, so the game didn't count.
Texas knocked off The Oklahoma Blake Griffins after Blake got a concussion from a stiff wind. Griffin will accept all of his Player of the Year awards in a bubble to ensure no recurrences.
People are getting in a tizzy over combine numbers, but just remember Anquan Boldin ran a 4.7 and then caught 100 balls his rookie year.
The Bobcats are done.
Davidson needs to win the Southern Conference tournament or risk being left out. 1 top 50 win does not equate to an at-large bid. Gregg Doyle disagrees, but this team lost 3 of it's top 4 scorers all of whom were seniors, and while Andrew Lovedale has filled in admirably, the team is not nearly as good as it was last year. I loved their run and hope they get in, but this isn't Cinderella 2, it's more like Teen Wolf Too.
Monday, February 23
Weekend Recap: Wacky Tomacco
Thursday, February 12
College Basketball Notebook: Time for a Stretch Run
With a little more than a month to Selection Sunday, the tournament picture is becoming much clearer and teams are either breaking through or getting exposed. After the break we examine Duke's washout against Carolina, UCONN's winning streak, teams that are starting to gear up as the season winds down, and teams that were getting lots of attention that are starting to falter a bit. Also, another look at VMI as they get more love from the national media.
Duke's collapse not on Coach K
After trailing early, Duke exploded for a 52-44 lead at halftime and it was done by driving the ball and playing an up-tempo counter to the Heels' hot shooting. As the second half began one had to wonder if Duke could keep up the pace while the conditions inside Cameron Indoor reached sauna-like levels. As the game wore on, it was the North Carolina players, particularly Hansbrough and Ty Lawson who stepped their game up and eventually overwhelmed an exhausted Blue Devil team 101-87.
Earlier this year Catfish pointed out that Coach K was doing a better job this year with distributing minutes to his starters and involving the bench more frequently to balance both stamina and scoring. All of the players were hot, the court was moist, and all the uniforms were soaked through. Carolina's trademark light blue looked about 4 shades darker by the end of the game and all the players looked like they had just run through the sprinklers. Yet, it was Duke who showed the affects in the game.
Breaking down the minutes, the teams were similar across the board. No player logged more than 34 minutes. Lawson, Ellington, and Henderson were the only players with 34 minutes played, Hansbrough, Scheyer, and Singler had 33. Both teams had 7 players with double-digit minutes in total. Minutes were not the factor here, it was conditioning. In my opinion this should go on the strength and conditioning coach for Duke. If conditions get like that in your home building, you should be the team taking advantage not the visitors. It reminds me of a D-II school here in Charlotte, Queens University. Their basketball gym is known as "The Oven", it is painted on the wall of the place, and it can get ridiculously hot in there. I went to basketball camp there one summer and played in a summer league so I can attest to how the conditions can get. Queens uses that to their advantage though over their incoming opponents. Cameron Indoor is not as famed for its heat as The Oven but Duke's players should be well-prepared for it and the fact that it led to their sloppy shot selection and deteriorating defensive effort is on them.
Connecticut stil rolling
UCONN does not have the offensive firepower that Carolina does, but their defense has increasingly gotten better this year as evidenced in their 63-49 victory over Syracuse last night. The Cuse had been averaging 80 points a game going into last night, but led by Hasheem Thabeet in the middle, the Orange only shot 31.7%. The Huskies still have two games against Pittsburgh and a trip to Marquette and of course the Big East Tournament, but they are on track for a 1 seed. This season they have only allowed 80 points or more 3 times and have held opponents under 50 4 times.
With Thabeet getting praise and press for his shot-blocking and shot-altering, I must admit there is a developing officiating discrepancy in his favor. Like Tyler Hansbrough of last year, the refs are now giving Hasheem a lot of latitude on borderline calls. Last night he finished with one foul, but probably committed 3 or 4. Earlier in the year I was blowing the whistle (see what I did there?) on Thabeet getting unfair treatment because he was so big, particularly in the game against Gonzaga, but now it seems to have swung the other way. People have so much respect for his shot-blocking ability which is impressive that he is not called for all those instances when there is contact. His ability to stay on the floor is a key for the Huskies in the tournament.
It appears to be another Selection Sunday anxiety for our friend the Concierge and the Orange this year. The good news for Syracuse is they have early wins this year over Florida and Kansas in Kansas City and a victory at Memphis. The bad news is that they have been awful lately and are in danger of finishing sub .500 in the conference. Facing their old rival Georgetown this Saturday is a cruicial game for them. After that only the games at St. John's and home against Rutgers should be sure victories. It may once again come down to how they play at MSG in the Big East tourney to determine whether they get in or not.
Teams on the rise: Mizzou and Dayton
There are some teams that are hitting their stride and could possibly be Sweet 16 contenders in the tournament. Two that stick out to me are Missouri and Dayton. Missouri was nuder the radar until their last second victory over Kansas on Monday night. Many people may not recognize the coach of Missouri, Mike Anderson, but he has taken teams to the tournament before. Anderson began as a Nolan Richardson assistant and was at Arkansas for 17 years. His first head coaching job was not with the Razorbacks with whom he toiled for so long and even won a national championship in 1994, but with UAB out of Conference USA. He led the Blazers to post-season births in all four seasons there and in 2004 he guided them to an upset of the number 1 overall seed Kentucky to advance to the Sweet 16. It has taken him a couple years to get the Tigers going, but now has them playing his kind of ball with his kind of players. Quinn Snyder seems like a distant memory at the moment in Mizzou.
I brought up Dayton on our podcast last week as a sleeper in the A-10 and they opened up some eyes last night as they took down Xavier 71-58. The Flyers dropped a bad one to Charlotte before this big win but still stand at 22-3 and have wins at Marquette and now against Xavier. They are not a team that will blow you away with the rest of their schedule, but they have been winning and could make some noise in the tournament. Xavier has dropped a couple of games lately, but do not discount the Musketeers just yet, people who did that last year saw them make a run to the Elite 8. (*sidenote: I had Xavier in my Final Four last year, gahhh what a call that would have been) 
Teams on the slide: Wake Forest and Marquette
I know I just praised Dayton for winning at Marquette and now I am going to criticize them but both the Eagles and Wake are locks as tourney teams. Marquette lost its hold on first place in the Big East and now faces some tough games to close out conference play. The first of their consecutive loses, a 57-56 loss at South Florida can be seen as simply a slip-up, but they followed that with a 102-84 pounding by a dangeours Villanova team. Marquette is not in any danger of completely losing control but they need to be playing good ball when the tourney starts. They still have Connecticut, at Louisville, at Pittsburgh, and Syracuse left on the schedule. Buzz Williams has to keep their heads up.
Wake Forest has slipped to 6th in the ACC after dropping a game to a bad NC State team 82-76. Since reaching number 1 in January, the Deacons have dropped 4 of 6 including a 27 point drubbing in Miami last week. They still have the accomplishment of beating both North Carolina and Duke and their resume is strong enough to get a decent seeding but they need to get the momentum that propelled them to their lofty status back. Florida State, at Duke and Clemson are the only games that should give them trouble left on the schedule. If they do not finish at least 9-7 in the ACC they could be looking at a 8 or 9 seed.
The VMI story does not get old
As a former coach in college athletics, I cannot tell you how much I admire VMI head coach Duggar Baucom. His story is so compelling and I hope VMI makes it into the tournament not just because of Baucom, but I want to see them use their up-tempo style of play against a tournament team. There was a great article in Sports Illustrated recently on the coach, the team, and the Holmes twins. A similar article from the NY Times can be seen here.
Sunday, February 8
Shackleford Files 008: The ASD gets Cranky
Up at long last, this episode has final thoughts on the Super Bowl, some stellar (and by stellar I mean dead wrong) predictions about two teams in the ACC, and Catfish already has buyer's remorse regarding one team he declared would get into the tournament. After spanning the nation for all things college basketball, we take a few minutes to look at Nadal/Federer and the biggest jackass since Jimmy Patsos. Recorded Tuesday so feel free to mock us for all that we've gotten wrong and praise us for what little we've gotten right in the comments.
Monday, January 19
Shackleford Files 006: A Thin Line Between Favre and Great
Recaps of the Conference Championship round games, a quick Super Bowl pick (we disagree), and Catfish is concerned about safety for players other than the snap-takers. We also take a look at the biggest day in college basketball during which Catfish offers love for not one but two Dookies and Cleet is concerned about safety for the Big East players. Julius Peppers wants to leave Carolina and we've got at least one person who's ready to help him pack. And as always our walk offs. Come for the sports, stay for the Marmaduke references. Drop us a line and let us know what you think. Download HERE.
Wednesday, December 17
College Basketball Notebook: Tough Games Early can be the Difference
The message has been sent by the selection committee and the schools have heard it. Schools from big conferences can no longer depend on their performance in-conference alone to get into the tournament or receive a favorable seed. After certain BCS conference teams have been left out of the big dance, this season has featured some tough early season match-ups between highly ranked opponents. Whether it is in a tournament, a highly contested match-up on a neutral court, or a visit to an opponent's tough home floor teams are loading up their pre-conference schedule with quality games so they their resume is undeniable come tourney time.
A View from the Top
According to Vegas, if you pay attention to that sort of thing, North Carolina is listed as a 36.4% chance to win it all. The only other team in double digits is UCONN at 11.1%. No matter what percentages you go by, Carolina is the clear-cut favorite to win the tournament. The closest any opponent has come to the Tar Heels was 15 and that was in their first game against Penn. UNC has passed the century mark 4 times and pretty much look unstoppable at 9-0. Although any team will put some soft opponents on their schedule to not completely batter themselves down before conference play and to give some of the schools from smaller conferences exposure in the "guarantee games", the Tarheels have faced quality competition. The problem for those teams and is that they have not given Carolina any competition. The Tarheels participated in the Maui Invitational where they beat Oregon by 29 and then thumped no. 12 Notre Dame 102-87 in the final. North Carolina also went to Ford Field to face Michigan State it what was supposed to be a showdown of two top ten teams, but it was not close with the Heels winning 98-63. It is not the hardest of schedules but UNC is pretty much a lock for a 1 seed in the region of their choice as long as they do not lose too many games but at this rate they may not lose at all.
The Orange Have Left New York
Perhaps the most telling example of the trend of schools seeking tougher schedules lies in the northeast. Since I can remember Syracuse was annually ridiculed for not leaving the confines of the Empire state throughout the entire pre-conference schedule. They would relie on their success in the Big East to justify their tournament invite, but after failing to reach the dance two years in a row even after respectable performances in-conference the Orange got proactive. They participated in the CBE Classic in Kansas City where they beat Florida who was ranked at the time and then defeated a then-ranked Kansas team. The win vaulted the Orange into the rankings. The Orange lost the other night on a ridiculous 60-foot shot to Cleveland State, but they must put that behind them as they travel to Memphis to take on the Tigers this Saturday. The Eric Devendorf situation is no help either but if the Orange come down to being a bubble team again this year, these pre-conference games outside the Carrier Dome and MSG will get them in.
Pearl is Volunteering
Bruce Pearl has done wonders for the Tennessee men's basketball program. The last two years he has brought the Vols to the Sweet 16 and they very well could make the trip there again. Pearl has shown he is not afraid of playing competition anywhere and anyplace. This includes games from tourney teams from smaller conferences that made a splash last year by playing at Siena and against Belmont. In a tournament in Orlando the Vols beat Georgetown and then fell to Gonzaga, two teams currently in the top 15. The other UT loss was at Temple last Saturday, certinaly not one of the nation's top teams but their name still carries weight and the fact that Tennessee went on the road helps as well. The Vols rebounded by beating no. 24 Marquette last night. With the January 24 meeting with Memphis thrown into the mix, there is no doubt the Vols will be respected for their schedule come March.
Some Good News in Michigan
Many think Michigan is on the right path, at least as far as basketball is concerned. One thing that is for sure is that John Beilein has some big quality wins on his schedule this year. Wins against UCLA and Duke are big boosts to the resume and one of their two losses has been at Maryland, not a highly ranked opponent but one from the ACC nonetheless. The Wolverines also visit UCONN on February 7th to increase they strength of schedule. If UM gets in the 17-20 win neighborhood, these games could get them into their first NCAA tourney in ten years.
Sooners Rising Up
Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel and the rest of Sooner nation were glad when Blake Griffin returned to school this year and he has come up big in their big non-conference games. Games against Davidson, UAB, USC, Purdue, and a fairly tough VCU team will assure the Sooners get a decent seed placement if they weather the Big XII.
Davidson Not Relaxing
One of the reasons that Davidson their exciting run to the Elite 8 last year was the fact that they played tough compeition early. Games against North Carolina, Duke and UCLA helped toughen the team mentally and helped secure a ten seed in the tournament. This year coach Bob McKillop has followed the same philosophy with games at Oklahoma, N.C. State, West Virgnia, at Purdue, and at Duke. The Wildats lone loss was at Oklahoma by 4 points. With Stephen Curry leading the way, Davidson should receive possibly a single digit seed in the tourney. The strong schedule only helps their cause.
X-Men Gaining Reputation
Xavier has made the NCAA tournament 7 of the last 8 years and in 2 of those years they reached the Elite 8. Coach Sean Miller has not only continued what Thad Motta started there, he has built on it. Xavier plays in an upper-middle A-10 so the Musketeers have taken it upon themselves to play some of the big conference teams early on. Missouri and Virginia Tech early may not seem big now, but by the end of the year thsoe could be quality wins. After dispatching their rival Cincinnati last Saturday, the X-men play Duke this Saturday and then follow it up with a game at always tough Butler on the 23rd. Xavier was one win away from the Final Four last year and I expect them to be another strong darkhorse for Detroit this year.
There are plenty more teams that have put the strong opponents on their schedule in the hopes that it might give them the edge in fighting for a tournament spot and when you look at the teams that may fall short, the tournament committee has repeatedly gone with who they played in the pre-conference and strength of schedule to tip the scales in one team's favor. Another result of this trend in college basketball is that we get great match-ups early in the season. This Saturday really exemplifies that, just take a look at the slate of game this weekend:
#2 UCONN @ #8 Gonzaga
#19 Michigan State @ #5 Texas
#6 Duke @ #7 Xavier
#11 Syracuse @ #23 Memphis
#22 Davidson @ #13 Purdue
Should be great to see how these teams match-up. It may be a long way from March, but teams' identities are formed along the journey of the season and in these type of games. Football is king this time of year, but that does not mean you cannot watch some great college basketball on the side. These games deserve recognition and if the fans are not all watching, the tournament committee at least should be.
