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WHoosiers?
Unless you’re from Indiana or a college basketball fanatic,
the Indiana Hoosiers might be little more than an inspirational college
basketball movie you watched on any particular Saturday or Sunday Afternoon. A
school filed beyond your usual March Madness pick repertoire of NCAA men’s
basketball schools… Kentucky, Kansas, Duke or any of the NBA-lite, media-frenzy
schools of the Big East. What’s been going on this year at Indiana could be
nothing short of the sort of basketball exorcism that occurred at Kentucky a
few years ago.
During the 1971 to 2000 Bobby Knight coaching era the
Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team appeared in 24 NCAA Tournaments, won 3
NCAA Championships, 11 Conference Championship titles, and in 1976, became the
last undefeated NCAA men’s basketball champion finishing with a perfect 32-0
record. This was a program that in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s had come as
closely synonymous with “winning” as Charlie Sheen, and as recent as even 10
years ago eyed a possible NCAA tournament title in 2002, has finished 11th,
9th and 11th respectively in the Big Ten Conference the
last three years. With the 2002 loss to
Maryland in the NCAA title game aside, Indiana has not seen a Sweet Sixteen
appearance since 1994. Indiana is indicating it wants that changed though in
2012.
Read More >>
Go Big or Go Home
Years of College basketball experience have taught Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson to respect the guards who are his teammates the way a quarterback values his offensive linemen, or a singer treasures that perfectly tuned accompanist. One cannot shine without the other.
“The ball has to go through them first,” Robinson says, “before it comes to me.”
Playing last season with College All-American center Jared Sullinger taught Ohio State’s shooting seniors how much easier their jobs could become with more room to operate. Jon Diebler and David Lighty saw their 3-point accuracy grow dramatically as defenders drifted inside, fretting about the damage Sullinger might inflict in the post.
“Honestly, Jon and Dave, they always said thank you,” Sullinger says. “What made us special — it really didn’t matter who shot the ball, who was the leading scorer. We wanted to succeed.”
It is easy to see how all of this works in harmony, how North Carolina big men Tyler Zeller and John Henson rely on Kendall Marshall the way Mick Jagger and Keith Richards rest on the foundation provided by bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts. So why do we hear every March that college basketball is all about guard play?
If ever there were a season in which that “March is for guards” theory should be discredited, it is this one. If a team must rely on superior guard play to win the 2012 NCAA championship, the title might be left vacant.
There is no more Kyrie Irving, Jimmer Fredette or Kemba Walker in Division I, and no reasonable facsimile. The teams that appear to be most powerful are built around big men.
College Basketball Top Programs
Kentucky, the only College team in last week’s top four not to lose over the weekend, is back on top of The Associated Press’ college basketball poll.
The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 1 for two weeks earlier this season, moved up one place Monday after receiving 61 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.
Missouri, which got two No. 1 votes, jumped from fifth to second, while Syracuse, which was in first place for the last six weeks, dropped to third after losing at Notre Dame, its first loss this season. The Orange were No. 1 on two ballots.
Ohio State and Kansas moved up two places to fourth and fifth and were followed by Baylor, which fell three places after losing two games last week, North Carolina, Duke, Georgetown and Michigan State. Duke dropped four places after losing to Florida State at home.
The top 25 College teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Jan. 22, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:
Full list
Record Pts Prv
1. Kentucky (61) 19-1 1,620 2
2. Missouri (2) 18-1 1,532 5
3. Syracuse (2) 20-1 1,506 1
4. Ohio St. 17-3 1,411 6
5. Kansas 16-3 1,383 7
6. Baylor 17-2 1,234 3
Lady Terrapins Basketball Impresses
Since Coach Brenda Frese took over the women’s Maryland basketball team, the Lady Terrapins have shown year after year that they are true contenders. They have had an impressive season thus far. They were ranked number five in the country and romped past UNC, another powerhouse.
Although Miami recently handed them their first loss, I’m still incredibly proud of the achievements of the Lady Terrapins. I’ll be attending one of their home games fairly soon. In order to show my support, my friends and I are going to show up wearing new Maryland NCAA basketball jerseys with our faces painted in Maryland colors.
Big Tests For Big-Name College Programs
What we’ll be watching while debating whether Syracuse, Baylor or Murray State – indeed, Murray State – will be the last unbeaten Division I College team:
Five can’t-miss contests
Baylor (15-0, 2-0 Big 12) at Kansas State (12-2, 1-1), Tuesday 8 p.m. Five of the last six ranked opponents to enter Bramlage column left the building worse for wear. It’s not easy to stand up to the Wildcats’ physicality with so many fans screaming in your ears. If you don’t, though, you lose.
Virginia (14-1, 1-0 ACC) at Duke (13-2, 1-0), Thursday 9 p.m. Although it won each time, UVa didn’t reach 60 points in any of its last three games. Duke’s defense lately has looked like the ideal cure for that.
Gonzaga (13-2, 3-0 WCC) at Saint Mary’s (14-2, 3-0), Thursday 11 p.m. The Zags are shooting for a 12th West Coast Conference regular-season title in a row. The only streaks in sports that aren’t overrated: consecutive championships.
UNLV (16-2) at San Diego State (13-2), Saturday 4 p.m. This will be the best college basketball game staged in San Diego on dry land this season.
Indiana (14-1, 2-1 Big Ten) at Ohio State (15-2, 3-1), Sunday 4:30 p.m. The Hoosiers could transform from charming comeback story to imposing national challengers in the space of about two hours.
— SI: Does Syracuse deserve to be No. 1?
Conference Rankings
Any journalist who’s been through the NCAA’s mock College tournament selection exercise knows conference affiliation is not a factor in the process. Conference association is, though.
In a sense, the company you keep defines you. If you’re in a top College league, you get top teams on your home court and in your conference tournament and thus a better chance to accumulate the quality wins that impress the selection committee. So conference strength does matter.
Plus, it’s a heck of a place to start an argument. So with most teams finished with non-league competition, here’s how we see all 32 Division I conferences stacking up:
1. Big Ten
NCAA title contender: Ohio State
Final Four contenders: Michigan State, Indiana
The Big Ten runs deeper with good teams than any other league, but, as was the case with the football postseason, many are not structured for March success.
2. Big 12
NCAA title contender: Baylor
Final Four contender: Missouri
It’s so tempting to put Kansas in the Final Four category, but the whole Tyshawn Taylor turnover fest makes that seem unlikely. The Big 12 should get bonus points in this ranking for its double round-robin league schedule. It didn’t, but it should.
There are a lot of stories. I remember a big game against Ohio State. We came out at halftime, and after the half had started and everyone thought he wasn’t going to be able to play, he limped out. The place just went gonzo. I’ve never heard it so loud in my life. The funny thing is we had just put Greg Kelser back in the game. Afterward, Kelser said, “I didn’t know they liked me so much.” It was kind of comical. That’s the influence Magic had on the crowd and the community.
Slideshow: Meet the starting five for the College Basketball All-125 team
He had a great basketball IQ. We’d run a play at the end of practice, with the opportunity to use it tomorrow. We’d run through it once, and he’d know what he was going to do, and what all the other players were going to do.
He had a knack for his teammates. He’d come down on the break. Jay Vincent would be open. He’d kind of hesitate a little bit and then wait for Greg Kelser and then give the ball to Kelser. He’d look back to Jay, “Hey, I saw, you, I thought the defense would collapse on you, I’ll get the ball to you next time.” Jay would say, “Hey, that’s fine.”
UW’s Nate Robinson not ready to give up NFL dream
Nate Robinson’s not ready to give up on starting an NFL career.
The Oklahoma City point guard, who played one College season as a defensive back with the Washington Huskies before turning his attention solely to basketball, reiterated his desire to play football during the NBA lockout in an interview with Hoopsworld.com
Nate Robinson (13) was a College defensive back at the University of Washington. (AP Photo)
“I mean, why not?” Robinson said. “It has always been one of my dreams to play in the NFL and right now, the opportunity is presenting itself so I think it’s pretty much a sign from God. I’m looking forward to trying out, having fun and showing the world that, as long as you put your mind to it, you can play any sport you want. Even if you’re a professional in one sport, you can play another one too.”
Though Robinson and Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll exchanged Twitter banter earlier this week on the subject, Robinson does not have a tryout set up with Seattle or any other team. That’s not deterring him, though.
“The Seahawks are my first choice, for sure,” Robinson said. “That’s one of my favorite teams because I’m from Seattle. The next would probably be the Raiders because my dad is from Oakland. I’d love to play for the Raiders too. Then, the Eagles would be my last one because they’re the team that gave my dad a chance back in the day when he played in the NFL.”
Robinson’s father, Jacque, was a running back at Washington and earned MVP honors in the 1982 Rose Bowl and 1985 Orange Bowl.
Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2011-08-06/nate-robinson-continues-to-chase-nfl-dream#ixzz1f35piAJX
Just Getting Started
What we learned from Day 2 at the 2011 College Maui Invitational:
No cause to be skeptical about Duke
Tennessee point guard Trae Golden needs to work on his shot selection. (AP Photo)
Since the start of the season, there has been plenty of analysis regarding what Duke doesn’t have, all of which neglects how unconventional the Blue Devils were when they won the NCAA championship two years ago. Duke played then with converted shooting guard Jon Scheyer at the point and occasionally relied on Nolan Smith for creative play. Duke plays now with converted shooting guard Seth Curry at the point and occasionally relies on Austin Rivers for creative play. Except Rivers is more purely talented than either Scheyer or Smith.
Duke then played then with defense-first bigs Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek. Duke now plays with defense-first bigs Marshall and Miles Plumlee. Except the Plumlees are more purely talented, and they have help from offensively gifted junior Ryan Kelly.
The No. 6 Blue Devils shot 11-of-21 on 3-pointers in their 82-75 victory Tuesday over No. 15 Michigan. Kelly, Curry, Rivers and Andre Dawkins all made multiple threes. The value of that shooting ability seems to be consistently underrated by people appraising Duke. That’s a power forward, point guard, shooting guard and small forward—they all can be on the floor at once.
This is not to say this Duke team is superior to the one that earned the championship two years ago. That team had extraordinary chemistry and exceptional leadership. For now, it is apparent this team has more weapons and, in Rivers, a player capable of the sort of magic Duke expected from Kyrie Irving last season. It’s a nice start.
Golden needs to get a grip
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