College Basketball
College Basketball is just getting underway and with the early season tournaments coming to an end I felt obligated to give you my thoughts, and because predictions have become such a big deal these days I will list a few…
If there is one thing we can learn from college football it is that preseason polls are meaningless and should be avoided for at least the first few weeks of the season…this much is true for college basketball as well. Through only 7 games there are already 6 teams which appeared in the preseason polls that have been replaced. It just speaks to what I have been saying for so long, let them play…the best teams will rise to the top. Is there a better way of finding out who is better than having two teams play a basketball game? I can’t think of one.
And before I get into it and ramble without making any sense I want to be clear about this new rule…making everyone play 1 year of college ball. It is an awful idea and will destroy one of the best sports in the world. Not only will teams talent levels decrease, but dynasties and tradition go out the window, pride and passion will disappear, and the love which is so potent in March will fade. More importantly, coaching which is of unbelievable importance at the college level and is what makes these teams and players what they are becomes damn near obsolete. Think about it, take USC for example, OJ Mayo and Davon Jefferson are two HUGE impact freshmen that change the way USC will play. A large majority of the “plays” being run this year (especially in the clutch) will be for these two. Keyword…plays, because head coach Tim Floyd probably won’t be drawing up anything in the huddle you and I couldn’t come up with. It would probably sound something like this…”OJ you bring the ball up …you two go the corner, you two go to the other corner, OJ, work your magic!!” Great play coach! Just the kind of play which boasts, teamwork, cohesion and fundamentals. Thing is, because of this rule and players like OJ who know they are G_O_N_E as soon as the end of March roles around there is no way you can blame any coach for running a play like that for such a talented player. Problem with that is…you have no way to build a program, recruit properly and no chance to teach any of the other players how to play the game right…soon enough the college game will turn into the NBA game and that day will be a sad day.
Ignoring that paragraph, here are some brief observations through the first 7 games…
· Quick conference call…The Pac-10 and ACC should be getting most of the praise this year, with the Big Ten probably looking at the fewest bids out of the big time conferences.
· Look out for the team out of the Atlantic Sun in the tourney, they truly tested their players in the preseason playing teams like Kentucky and USC and WINNING…those experiences will bolster confidence and provide whichever team(s) gets in with the necessary components for a first round upset.
· North Carolina is NOT as good as advertised…some close games against some not very good teams leads me to believe they won’t be holding on to that #1 ranking very long.
· With the new rule in effect and lots of inexperienced freshman getting important minutes, don’t be surprised if some big time teams get knocked off by some upper-class packed teams because of errors at the end of the game.
· Don’t expect as much shuffling in the polls as we saw with college football, the top teams are pretty solid…although there could be a little shuffling among themselves.
Just some basic predictions…
3 Sleepers: Florida State (not the best decision makers, but some of the best talent in the country), Oregon (Tajuan Porter isn’t Aaron Brooks, but he won’t have to be), Clemson (Very deep and plays hard)
Sleeper from outside one of the big conferences: Butler (SENIORS, SENIORS, SENIORS)
Best Player: there are a lot of good ones but I will go with Chris Douglas-Roberts and upper classmen who fills the stat sheet and only takes excellent shots.
My Final Four: Memphis, Kansas, Marquette, and Butler
Champion: Memphis
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