Who woulda thunk it?
The Twists and Turns that make College Basketball better then Warm Apple Pie
“Hoosiers”
Lately, the actual team has as much intrigue and excitement as the 80’s flick. You remember, the farm town
basketball team bonded together under a beaten down coach to make a run for the state title blah, blah, blah…..
Well, the 2003 plot goes something like this…..
AJ Moye (A LittyHoops favorite) is splendid in his supporting role. |
After making a spectacular run to the finals before falling short, the Hoosiers lose their best player and going into the season many question the teams ability. But the Hoosiers conquer the tropical island of Maui
and then exert revenge by coming from behind to defeat the defending champions in overtime. The little redhead
(played by Tom Coverdale) and the hot-shot freshman (Bracey Wright) gain everyone’s attention. Next, are big battles against perennial
rivals Purdue with the angry, ugly coach (excellent proformance from Gene Keady). After narrowly escaping, they go to KKKentucky to face the
Wildcats. Time is winding down and the super FAHFAY Bracey takes the ball to the hoop and is fouled. But the ref’s don’t blow the whistle and Mike Davis (stunning in his portrayal of infamous Hoosier legend Bobby Knight) bugs out and gets a bunch of T’s, fines, suspensions
and headlines.
Well, don’t want to give away the ending so tune in (ABC, ESPN or Fox almost every Wed or Sat.) to see what happens next.
The FAHFAY’s (Fresh And Here For A Year)
Never before have so many Freshmen have such large impact in the program since the gang of 90210 rolled into West Beverly.
Across the country, Freshmen are being inserted into the starting lineup and soon take control of their team.
Up in Syracuse, many already consider Carmello Anthony the best talent in college basketball. Florida has a pair of
Freshman in Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson who are the top scoring leaders for an already stacked team. At Duke and Arizona, Freshman are running
rampant and often upstaging the so called All-Americans.
Down Tobacco road, the UNC trio of McCants, Felton and May have turned around one of the most storied programs in the game.
Dee Brown of Illinois, Ike Diogu at ASU, and Chris Bosh at Georgia Tech have already established themselves as the stars of their team.
So why the sudden domination by kids who can’t drink, and just learned how to drive?
Many believe that current top freshman come to college with more experience and better preparation. Summer camps,
AAU ball and high school tournaments have allowed college freshman to play organized ball against top competition before they ever have to cheat on their first blue book test.
Other experts argue that since the top players opt to make millions in the big leagues (instead of sleeping through psychology and lifting the sofa to find
loose change) upper classman aren’t as dominating as they were in the past. Anybody who can jump over the backboard might as well jump into the
draft. Therefore the most talented players are also the youngest. Seniors may be more experienced and better understand the coach’s
“system” but how is that going to help when an 18 year old kid ca dunk in your face whenever he wants?
A Revolving Door for #1
Let’s just pencil in Arizona at the top spot (especially after their win at Oregon) and see what happens in the tournament.
Nobody wants Alabama or Pittsburgh to be #1. Has anybody seen either of these teams play?
Alabama isn’t even one of the top teams in the SEC (they’re behind Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Miss St.). They won 27 games last year, but were blown out by Kent in the second round. Another early exit wouldn’t be surprising no matter how
many games the Crimson win this season.
Watching Pittsburgh play, who recently lost their chance at the top spot with a loss to Georgia, is like pulling teeth. The
Panthers are a well-coached, experienced, balanced team that plays well together. That doesn’t mean they are the best in all the land. Brandin Knight isn’t as good as his older brother, and the rest of the team consists of a Lithuanian,
a bunch of 6’4” combo guards who can’t shoot, and interchangeable big fat black men in the paint.
So now Duke holds the top spot. Has anybody checked Duke’s schedule. They have played every game in the state of
North Carolina, against the likes of Davidson, Fairfield, Army and Dayton. Their best wins are against Michigan and UCLA, arguably the two worst
teams in big time college basketball.
Hopefully Zona will run off a long string of victories so we won’t have to see dorks in the stands @Marquette, Mississippi State, or Notre Dame raising their
finger in the air screaming their face off because a bunch of fat journalists voted their lame school #1 because they are too lazy to actually fill out their ballots.
The Beasts in the Big East
Each year there is talk about how the Big East is having an off year and isn’t as good as previous seasons. Well
true, they aren’t as good as 1985 when they put 3 teams in the Final Four, but is anybody?
Year after the Year the Big East gets plenty of teams into the dance, and often fairs respectable. This year
though, nobody is dissing on the conference.
Ben Gordon and the undefeated Huskies lead a powerful Big East |
UCONN, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame have dropped only two games combined. Notre Dame is the surprise squad after
knocking off three straight top ten teams in Marquette, Maryland and Texas. UCONN may be looking the most impressive with the dynamic sophomore
combination of guard Ben Gordon and the emergence of center Emeka Okafor who leads the nation in rebounds and blocks.
Syracuse, Georgetown, Villanova, St. John’s, BC and Providence have all been impressive early or have the talent to make the tournament.
Although these teams will undoubtedly knock each other off, the Big East is in position to get 7 or 8 teams into the dance.
The conference also has some of the top (and most underrated) talent in the country. Chris Thomas of Notre Dame and Gordon are two of the top sophomore guards in the nation. Underrated guards Andre Barret (Seton Hall) and
Gary Buchanon of Nova are the heart and soul of their teams. Add to that the experienced seniors Troy Bell (BC) and the star and inspiration of LittyHOOPS Marcus Hatten and the Big East has as
formidable backcourt players as any conference.
The conference also has some of the most dominant true centers in the game in Okafor and Hoya pivot-men Mike Sweetney and Wesley Wilson.
Nova youngster Jason Fraser is also an emerging talent underneath the basket.
Look
for the teams in the Big East to battle and beat up on each other for the season. The conference tournament will be one of the most even and balanced
tournaments. Come Selection Sunday the rest of the nation better beware, because Big East teams will be lurking in almost every bracket.
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