The Week at a Glance
Posted: Thursday March 04, 1999 09:40 AM
The Games to Watch | The Story Lines
The Bandwagon | The Avery Watch
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The Glance projects
the 34 NCAA
at-large bids*
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ACC |
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Maryland |
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North Carolina |
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Wake Forest |
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Atlantic 10 |
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Temple |
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Xavier |
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Big East |
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Miami |
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Rutgers |
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St. John's |
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Syracuse |
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Villanova |
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Big Ten |
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Indiana |
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Iowa |
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Minnesota |
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Ohio State |
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Purdue |
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Wisconsin |
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Big 12 |
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Kansas |
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Oklahoma |
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Texas |
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C-USA |
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DePaul |
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Louisville |
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UNC Charlotte |
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MAC |
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Miami (Ohio) |
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Mo. Valley |
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Evansville |
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Pac-10 |
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Arizona |
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UCLA |
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Washington |
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SEC |
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Arkansas |
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Florida |
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Kentucky |
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Tennessee |
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WAC |
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New Mexico |
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TCU |
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Tulsa |
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*Thirty automatic bids are given out to conference-tournament champions
(except the Pac-10 and Ivy Leagues, which award the bid to the regular-season
champ), leaving 34 "at-large" invitations available.
For the sake of
argument, we've assigned automatic bids from the power conferences to: Duke,
George Washington, Connecticut, Michigan State, Missouri, Cincinnati, Stanford,
Auburn, Creighton, Kent and Utah.
If these teams don't win their
league's tournament, they will earn an at-large bid -- probably in place of a
team on the list above, provided that team takes the conference's automatic
invitation.
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Dissent
So Dan, you want to put Rutgers, TCU and DePaul in the tournament. Why? Just to watch them get blown away in the first round?
For my final three picks, I'll take Oklahoma State, UAB and Mississippi. UAB will most assuredly beat up on an overrated DePaul squad in the Conference USA Tournament, proving it deserves the fourth bid out of that conference.
And you can throw Rutgers and TCU out the window. In their place, I'll put Mississippi, which has played well in the rough and tumble Southeastern Conference this year. The last deserving team is Oklahoma State, which has won three of its last four games, including on the road at Nebraska and at home against Missouri.
Do you the reader agree with my changes? Or maybe you think both Dan and I are crazy. Give us Your Take on which teams should be going to the Big Dance.
--Jonathan Ganz, CNN/SI
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By Dan Shanoff, CNN/SI
Be sure to catch "The Day at a Glance" throughout the NCAA Tournament,
beginning Monday, March
8.
End-of-the-year Awards
Before all eyes shift to March Madness, let's take a moment to reflect on the
season:
Players of the
Year
The Duke starting five: William Avery, Shane Battier, Elton Brand, Chris
Carrawell, Trajan Langdon
It's a cop-out, but no team has been so dominant -- so precise and
methodical in going for the kill -- since the UNLV teams ushered in the decade.
These stats don't lie: 93.2 ppg, tops in the nation; 25.4 ppg scoring margin,
also best in the country. The roles are well-defined: Avery the lightning-quick
point guard; Battier the defensive stopper; Brand the interior force; Carrawell
the glue that holds them together; Langdon the savvy marksman -- and
frighteningly, the group's only senior. An unprecedented 16-0 ACC season was
impressive and a secure No. 1 ranking is a pat on the back; this team rides into
college hoops immortality if -- and only if -- it ends March with the national
championship.
All-America
Team
Elton Brand, C,
Duke
17.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 61.3%
FG
Evan Eschmeyer, C,
Northwestern
19.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 58.6%
FG
Andre Miller, G,
Utah
16.0 ppg, 5.8
apg
Chris Porter, F,
Auburn
16.5 ppg, 8.8
rpg
Jason Terry, G,
Arizona
22.2 ppg, 5.6
apg
Power Conference Most Valuable
Players
ACC: Steve Francis, G, Maryland
16.6 ppg (8th in ACC), 4.7 apg (7), 2.7 spg
(1)
The most electrifying player in the
country.
Atlantic 10: Shawnta Rogers, G, G. Washington
20.1 ppg (1), 6.9 apg (1), 3.2 spg
(1)
What Rogers lacks in his size (5'4"), he delivers in
ability.
Big East: Jamel Thomas, F,
Providence
22.1 ppg (1), 7.4 rpg
(7)
Did it all for Friars, despite constant
double-teams.
Big Ten: Scoonie Penn, G, Ohio
State
17.2 ppg (5), 4.1 apg (4), 2.1 spg
(3)
The difference between OSU's 8-22 season a year ago and 22-7 this year?
Penn.
Big 12: Albert White, F,
Missouri
16.4 ppg (5), 8.3 rpg
(3)
Led surprising Tigers with enthusiasm on the boards and deft passing
touch.
C-USA: Quentin Richardson, G,
DePaul
19.2 ppg (1), 11.0 rpg
(1)
For a guard to average 11 rebounds is
incredible.
Pac-10: Jason Terry, G,
Arizona
22.2 ppg (1), 5.6 apg (1), 2.6 spg
(1)
Gave the Wildcats leadership and scoring
punch.
SEC: Chris Porter, F,
Auburn
16.5 ppg (5), 8.8 rpg (4), 2.1 spg
(3)
Auburn's revival can be directly linked to Porter, a former juco
star.
WAC: Andre Miller, G,
Utah
16.0 ppg (12), 5.8 apg (4), 2.6 spg
(1)
Miller looks more dominant than he was a year ago in the NCAAs.
Scary.
Freshman of the
Year
Quentin Richardson, G,
DePaul
"Q" led his conference (C-USA) in scoring and rebounding, plus revived the school's basketball program. Not bad for one year.
All-Freshman
Team
Erick Barkley, G, St. John's; Mike Miller, F, Florida; Troy Murphy, F, Notre
Dame; Richardson; B.B. Waldon, F, South
Florida
Coach of the
Year
Jim O'Brien, Ohio
State
After an 8-22 campaign in his first season in Columbus, O'Brien -- joined by
transfer Scoonie Penn, who followed his coach from Boston College -- led the
Buckeyes to a 12-4 second-place finish in the Big Ten, with a 22-7 record
overall and a Top 10
ranking.
Worth mentioning: Cliff Ellis, Auburn; Leonard Hamilton, Miami; Mike
Jarvis, St. John's; Lute Olsen, Arizona; Tom Penders, G.
Washington
Storyline of the
Year
"Get the point." Across the country, point guards dominated the
game more thoroughly than they ever have. Check the power conference players of
the year above: Francis, Miller, Penn, Rogers, Terry. That list didn't do
justice to the trend -- kudos should also be extended to Duke's William Avery,
St. John's Erick Barkley, Wisconsin's Ty Calderwood, Michigan State's Mateen
Cleaves, UNC's Ed Cota, UCLA's Baron Davis, UConn's Khalid El-Amin, Maryland's
Steve Francis and Stanford's Arthur Lee, with more we're surely
overlooking.
| Conference Tournaments to Watch |
Big
Ten
Why you should care: Michigan State the favorite, eyeing NCAA No. 1 seed.
Don't look past Ohio State; PG Scoonie Penn is a former Big East tournament
MVP.
Players to Watch: Michigan State PG Mateen Cleaves, Purdue SG Jaraan
Cornell, Northwestern C Evan Eschmeyer, Wisconsin SG Sean Mason, Ohio State PG
Scoonie Penn, Indiana SF Luke
Recker
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Big
12
Why you should care: Up for grabs. Bubble teams Kansas State, Nebraska,
Oklahoma State are fighting for NCAA
bids.
Players to Watch: Texas SF Kris Clack, Oklahoma State PG Doug Gottlieb,
Oklahoma PF Ryan Humphrey, Kansas PG Ryan Robertson, Missouri SF Albert
White
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WAC
Why you should care: No. 1-seeded Utah is the hottest team in the country
west of Durham, N.C. New Mexico is ripe to be upset, Fresno State is actually
playing with passion and Tulsa is a good choice to meet the Utes in the WAC
finals.
Players to Watch: Fresno State PG Chris Herren, Utah PG Andre Miller,
Tulsa PF Michael Ruffin, New Mexico C Kenny
Thomas
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| The Story Lines |
As the Bubble Turns:
The ACC will end up with three invites, barring a
miracle league-tournament run by Wake Forest or N.C. State
. Do the Deacs believe? ... Villanova is in, though don't expect a deep run ... Catch the
Minnesota-Purdue split last week? Both teams are in, and the Big Ten gets
its seven bids ... Bookmark this: Only one of the three Big 12 teams on the
Bubble (see above) will earn a bid; one of the other two will get to the NIT
finals. The Glance likes Oklahoma State as the former and Nebraska
as the latter ... In a late-season turn of events, suddenly hot Cal is
looking at a bid, while slumping Washington is headed down the road to
NIT-ville.
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The Race for No. 1 Seedings:
Here are the presumptive choices --
Duke in the South, Michigan State in the Midwest, UConn in
the East and Auburn shipped out West. But if the Spartans, the Huskies or
the Tigers falter in their respective conference tournaments, a few other teams
could earn a No. 1 -- Stanford (the Pac-10 champ), Maryland (the
Terps must beat Duke for the ACC tourney title), Utah (if the Utes streak
to the WAC title) or Cincinnati (with a dominant run through the C-USA
tourney).
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Lobo Low-blow?
Don't let New Mexico 's gaudy 21-7 record fool you;
it's built upon a foundation of creampuffs and cupcakes that would give even
Homer Simpson a stomachache. The Lobos are worth watching on Selection Sunday
because with an RPI rating of 89 -- the team might be shouting "D'oh!"
after a Big Dance snub. News flash: Nonconference scheduling
counts.
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| The Bandwagon |
| Utah |  | Scorching Utes deserve No. 1
seed.
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| Miami | | Favorite for Big East tourney
title?
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| William Avery | | Mea culpa. (See
below.)
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| Kentucky |  | Where have you gone, Jeff
Sheppard?
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| The William Avery Watch |
Todd Warshaw/Allsport |
All season long, the Glance has been tracking the progress of Duke sophomore point guard William Avery, the player we felt would have the most impact on the Blue Devils' success. There's no argument with Duke's 29-1 record, and Avery -- showing maturity he lacked last season -- has been superb individually, averaging more than 14 ppg, hitting almost 50 percent of his shots and dishing 5.5 assists per game.
It's a good start.
The NCAA Tournament is another level of pressure. If Avery maintains his poise and uncanny knack for making the big shot, the Tournament will be his personal playground. If he decides to abandon his role for one of designated shooter, only bad things can happen for him and the team. We'll be watching him carefully, but to this point, Avery has been nothing short of brilliant. |
Stats:
 Last game: Feb. 27 at North
Carolina
Assists: 4 (Season: 166, 5.5
apg)
Turnovers: 4 (Season:
82)
FGs Made-Attempted: 9-15 (Season: 152-309,
49.2%)
Result: Duke wins, 81-61 (Season record:
29-1)
This Week: ACC Tournament (March 4: vs. Virginia, March 6:
Semifinals, March 7:
Finals)
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Be sure to catch "The Day at a Glance" throughout the NCAA Tournament,
beginning Monday, March
8.
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