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Amaker, Seton Hall are riding high
Posted: Tuesday February 15, 2000 11:27 AM
By Albert Lin,
CNNSI.com
It wasn't supposed to happen for another year, but Tommy Amaker is working wonders at Seton Hall ahead of schedule. A program whose biggest success -- the 1989 title-game loss to Michigan in overtime -- has been viewed as a fluke finally has a future that looks exceedingly bright.
Last Monday, the Pirates became the first team to beat Syracuse this season. Two more wins during the week -- one narrowly in overtime over Rutgers -- propelled Seton Hall into the Top 25 for the first time in seven years.
The Pirates have just the right mix of youth and experience. Three seniors play regularly -- the backcourt of Shaheen Holloway and Rimas Kaukenas, and swingman Gary Saunders, who has been suspended the past two weeks -- but it is the play of the underclassmen that has the Big East buzzing. Sophomore wing guard Darius Lane is the team's leading scorer. Classmate Ty Shine provides a spark off the bench at the point. Up front, freshmen Samuel Dalembert and Greg Morton, and sophomore Charles Manga are big-time bangers.
Seton Hall's performance this season should leave no doubt about Amaker's coaching ability; he had already proven himself a top-notch recruiter. Even if the Hall falls tonight against defending national champion Connecticut, fans can remain optimistic because Amaker has corralled one of the nation's best recruiting classes for next season.
Soon enough, the Pirates should be a fixture in the Top 25. Then the school's biggest worry will be to keep Amaker from moving on to a more prominent program.
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| LaVell Blanchard, fr., F, Michigan |
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Who could've imagined the Wolverines' season falling apart like it has? Thank goodness for Ann Arbor native Blanchard, who has been an absolute rock for the university. A generously listed 6'7", Blanchard is this year's version of Quentin Richardson -- a positionless player who is a great rebounder despite his size. Blanchard can do it all -- score inside or out, put the ball on the floor, defend -- but perhaps his biggest strength is his character. He is an excellent student (has talked of becoming a pediatrician), addresses everyone with a "sir" or "ma'am" and is probably too unselfish on the court. As a result, he is the quietest 20-10 guy around, numbers you are not aware he has posted until you check the box score the next morning. Best of all, Blanchard is the kind of kid who is more likely to stay in school four years than he is to depart early for the pros.
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| HIGH FIVE Joel Przybilla: Minnesota sophomore has breakout game in win over Indiana, making 16 of 19 shots for 33 points, with 14 rebounds and three blocks. |
| HIGH FIVE Maryland: Let's call it a High Three -- ending all of Duke's winning streaks, behind a career-high 31 from Juan Dixon, was impressive enough that we can forgive the loss to Temple.
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| HIGH FIVE Rick Pitino: His travails in the NBA mean we could be seeing him back in the college game sooner than expected. |
| RIDING THE PINE Connecticut: The Huskies just seem to be completely devoid of on-court leadership, notwithstanding Khalid El-Amin's season. |
| RIDING THE PINE Michigan: As if things weren't bad enough, now come reports that Jamal Crawford has already decided to turn pro. This will be the last time we pick on the Wolverines, promise. |
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| Finishing strong |
| As we head into the last two weeks of the regular season, it's time for teams to get off the bubble and leave the NCAA Selection Committee no room to exclude them from the Big Dance. |
| Fall of the House of Dean |
| With North Carolina underachieving all season, the Glance now turns its eyes toward Kansas, the alma mater of UNC legend Dean Smith. The Jayhawks, coached by Smith disciple Roy Williams, could follow in North Carolina's Heelsteps by tumbling out of the Top 25 this week, with games against Iowa State and Oklahoma.
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| No more picks |
| After our pronouncement last week that the Final Four would come from the top six of the AP poll (Cincinnati, Stanford, Duke, Syracuse, Ohio State, Michigan State), team's 3-6 subsequently lost -- three of them at home, no less. So we've given up trying to foresee the future.
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| Ohio State at Michigan State, Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET |
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Two of the nation's best square off for the second time this season. In the first meeting, the Buckeyes handled the Spartans in surprisingly easy fashion. We still think MSU is the second-best team in the country, but we all know that means nothing.
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| Pennsylvania at Princeton, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. |
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The battle for the Ivy League's automatic bid takes center stage as these traditional powers square off. The winner grabs first place in the conference, with March 7's season finale still to come.
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| Temple at Dayton, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. |
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The Atlantic 10's best in each division duel in what will be a prelude to the Owls' visit to Cincinnati three days later. John Chaney always has among the most-prepared teams in the game, but we can't help think his players might be looking ahead to Sunday.
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| Temple at Cincinnati, Sunday, 1:30 p.m. |
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One of the most vexing defenses in college basketball against this season's dominant team. The Owls' starting five matches up well with the Bearcats', but we think Cincinnati is too deep and too athletic for Temple.
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In the tradition of last season's William Avery Watch, we return to
Tobacco Road to follow the trials and tribulations of another underachieving player whose improvement is crucial to his team's success.
This 7-footer grabbed one rebound in the final two games of last season (losses to Duke in the ACC Tournament and Weber State in the NCAA
Tournament), covering 57 minutes of playing time. |
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1999-00 stats: 13.6 pts., 7.0 rebs., 2.4 blks. in 28.6 minutes per game
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| Haywood turned in two of his strongest performances of the year as Carolina beat N.C. State and Wake Forest, combining for 39 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks, while making 18 of 22 shots from the field (helped by seven dunks against the Wolfpack). Is it a coincidence that his minutes also increased, to an average of 35.5 in the two wins? Should have another good week ahead, with only a game Sunday against Virginia.
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Come back every Monday afternoon for a new College Basketball Week at a Glance.
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