Auburn eyeing No. 1 seed
Posted: Wednesday February 17, 1999 08:15 PM
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Is Auburn making a strong bid for an NCAA No. 1 seed or will tradition and
history once again leave its stamp on the selection
process?
-- Victor M. Rodriguez, Waterbury,
Conn.
If the Tournament were to be seeded today, I don't think there's any question
that Auburn would be a No. 1, especially considering the way Stanford and
Cincinnati have faltered the last couple of weeks. The only question is whether
the Tigers would be the top seed in the South or the West. It would obviously
make regional (not to mention financial) sense to put them in the South, but
that would mean shipping UConn out West, and I'm not sure that's fair, either.
I'm guessing if Auburn runs the table in the SEC, they'll be the top seed in the
South.
Where do you see the College of Charleston in the postseason? A possible
Sweet 16 team in the
NCAAs?
-- Robert Royall, Charleston,
S.C.
This could definitely be a Sweet 16 team, though of course it depends who the
Cougars are matched up against. They're not very big, so they'd be susceptible
to a team with a strong front line, but they're very experienced, balanced and
deep. John Kresse tells me he thinks this team is as good, if not better
than, the Anthony Johnson-Thaddeous Delaney team that beat Maryland and
almost beat eventual champ Arizona two years ago. Even if Charleston loses in
the Southern Conference tournament -- which is doubtful, considering its
superiority and the fact that the tournament is being held on its own home floor
-- I'm sure the Cougars will get an at-large
bid.
Who is the most overrated team at the moment: Kentucky or North
Carolina?!?
-- Joe Kaiser, Hometown
withheld
Well, I'm not sure if either one of these teams is overrated -- I guess it
depends on who's doing the rating -- but given the choice, I'd say Kentucky. The
fact that the Wildcats responded to losing at Florida by losing at Alabama --
Alabama! -- speaks a lot about this team. They're still loaded with talent
( Scott Padgett is the likely SEC player of the year), but they still
haven't solved their problems at shooting guard. It seems nobody outside of
Padgett can hit the three consistently, and when Heshimu Evans is off his
game, they are conspicuously devoid of a second scoring option. I still love the
way Wayne Turner runs the team, but he's a lot easier to stop without
Jeff Sheppard spotting up next to
him.
As for North Carolina, I think the Tar Heels are a sleeper team for the Final
Four. Why? Two words: Ed Cota . When you have a point guard who can
control a game as well as he does, you can beat any team you play. The Heels
also have trouble with outside shooting, though Ademola Okulaja is one of
the most underrated players in the country. They do, however, have a very
strong, athletic front line which can attack the glass and finish. I was at the
Duke-Carolina game in Cameron last month, and I really believe if Cota didn't
get hurt midway through the second half, the Tar Heels would have won that
game.
Being a Ute fan, I love Hanno Mottola. I was wondering whom you thought were
the best foreign college players in the nation and who does the best job of
recruiting foreign
players?
-- Dan Lau, Salt Lake City,
Utah
You've gotta love Mottola. I know Rick Majerus does. Having spent time in
Salt Lake City last week, where I saw the Utes blow out rival BYU, I can tell
you that Majerus has done as good a coaching job as anybody in the country.
Mottola is playing better defense this year and his game has gotten more
aggressive, though he still plays soft at times. Don't get me wrong, this is not
a great team by any stretch, but come tournament time no one will want to play
this team as long as that round, bald guy is stalking the
sidelines.
As for other foreign players to watch, there are now almost 300 of them in
Division I, so it's hard to pick out a few. Freshmen Jerome Moiso and
Dan Gadzuric at UCLA are certainly on a lot of NBA people's radar
screens, though both still have a lot to learn. Mamadou N'diaye anchors
the middle at Auburn with his shot-blocking presence. I would have mentioned
Obinna Ekezie at Maryland, but he's lost for the season with a torn
Achilles' tendon. Yegor Mescheriakov is a versatile wingman on a very
underrated George Washington team.
What do you think of Indiana this year? It seems that when Luke Recker and
A.J. Guyton both play well, the Hoosiers can pretty much play with anybody.
They have beaten Utah and played well against Kentucky, plus they are in the
very tough Big Ten. Considering the recent flops in the NCAAs, how do you think
IU stacks up this year and what do you think the Hoosiers' chances are in the
tournament?
-- Paul Chapman, Bloomington,
Ind.
Sorry, Paul, but I think we're looking at another one-and-done here. The
Hoosiers have never developed the inside presence they will need to knock off a
good team in the tournament, and they're too reliant on three-pointers from
A.J. Guyton and Luke Recker . The win over Utah happened way back
in November. I'd expect the Utes would beat them if they played today. Don't get
me wrong, all is not lost, and Guyton can light it up with the best of them. But
with no inside scoring to speak of, would you really expect this team to play
deep in the
tourney?
Last time I asked you all to send in some tournament sleepers. Brian Smith of
Woodbridge, Conn. , and Jim Johnson of Madison, Wis. , suggested St.
John's and Wisconsin , respectively. Good suggestions, but considering
they're both at the top of their leagues, I'd hardly consider them sleepers.
Frank Rizzo of Brooklyn, N.Y. (oh, like you're the only one who listens
to the Jerky Boys?) said Fresno State . Couldn't disagree more on that
one. It takes more than talent to play deep into the tourney, and these Dogs
don't bark. Ditto for Mike Marn in Grand Rapids, Mich. , and Brandon
Primack in New York City , who picked Northwestern and UCLA ,
respectively. Northwestern is too much of a one-man show, and if anything I
think UCLA is an ideal candidate for a first-round upset, which I know would
break Jim Harrick 's heart. Evan Economo of Chapel Hill, N.C. , said
Arizona, but they're too good to be considered a
sleeper.
This week's winner, then, is Daniel Kagan of San Rafael, Calif. , who says
we should all watch out for Washington . I think we who put Washington in
the top 10 in the preseason got a little ahead of ourselves. After all, the
Huskies came within a whisker of not even making it to the NCAA Tournament last
year. But after stumbling early, thanks largely to injuries to guard Donald
Watts , Washington has truly righted itself and is now on a roll. Watts and
backcourtmate Deon Luton are a bit streaky as shooters, but when they're hot,
they're really hot. Center Todd MacCulloch has proven himself to be every
bit the big stud he was predicted to be. And freshman Senque Carey has
been a bonus at the point guard spot, where newcomers typically have trouble
thriving. I'm not saying you should pencil in Washington to St. Petersburg, but
I won't be shocked if Daniel sends me an e-mail next month saying he won his
NCAA office
pool.
As all you SI subscribers can see this week, the cover-boy Duke Blue Devils are
without question the team to beat in this tournament. So this week's question
is, what team has the best chance at beating Duke, and why?
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