Yale is a surprising Ivy contender

Why is Jeff Van Gundy smiling? And what does it have to do with college basketball? Well, flash back to last Wednesday, when I was having lunch with Yale coach James Jones and his staff at the Yorkside pizza joint in New Haven. In strolls a beaming (!) Van Gundy -- a one-time Yalie, if you recall -- who couldn't say enough about the turnaround Jones has engineered at his old school.

"This is one of the hardest jobs in America, and he's 9-1 in the league!" marveled Van Gundy, who knows of hard coaching jobs. And even though the Elis went on to lose at Penn and Princeton last weekend (putting the kibosh on a longer story in Sports Illustrated; we got relegated to the Inside College Basketball column), Yale is still in position to be part of an unprecedented three-way playoff to determine the Ivy League's rep in the NCAA tournament.

For a school that hasn't won a conference title since 1962, that's saying something. All credit to third-year coach Jones, whose 17-9 team has crashed the party usually reserved for the Quakers and Tigers (the other two teams in the down-to-the-wire Ivy race). Yale doesn't have a single senior -- a half-dozen players have left the program since Jones took over -- but the guys who have remained clearly swallowed Jim Jones's Kool-Aid. The Bulldogs go 10 deep (Jones often subs five players at a time), play tough D and like to run. They're also not afraid of anyone; witness road wins this season against power-conference schools Penn State and Clemson.

The 38-year-old Jones, a former player at Albany and an assistant at Ohio, also has a delightful swagger that has ruffled some feathers in the tweedy Ivy League. At the press conference announcing his hiring three years ago, Jones proclaimed that Yale was going to kick Penn and Princeton's posteriors. When the Elis took over the Ivy lead earlier this month, he said, "It's good to be king."

"Nobody wants to hear that you're going to win," Jones told me. "My dad [ Herman ] is a presser in a dry cleaner. He's never missed a day of work, and he'll tell you how good he is. One of my idols growing up was Muhammad Ali. He told you he was going to kick your ass, and then he kicked your ass. If you don't believe in yourself, then what are you here for? Should I have said, 'Thank you for letting me become the new head coach at Yale, and we're going to have mediocre years and finish in third place'? Who the hell wants to do that? We came here to win a championship."

Did we say this was the Ivy League? Classic stuff. At practice last week, the 6-foot-1 Jones spent 10 minutes trying to perform a dunk in front of his team (an annual rite that takes place on his birthday, just to see if he can still do it). On his eighth try, Jones finally flushed one down, then ran around accepting high-fives from his chuckling players.

Best of luck to the upstart Yalies if they can force an Ivy playoff. They've already accomplished something by putting a smile on Van Gundy's mug.

Onward ...

If the season ended today, who would be your five All-Americans?
—Hani Sbitany, New York

There's a consensus around the nation on the first four:

Drew Gooden, Kansas. Not even the Big 12 preseason player of the year (that would be Kareem Rush ), but Gooden's game has jumped to a new level each year.

Jason Williams, Duke. Lived up to all the hype. Makes you feel good about college hoops.

Juan Dixon, Maryland. Now qualifies as one of the all-time Terps greats.

Steve Logan, Cincinnati. Has finally crossed the threshold into national-star territory. Where would the Bearcats be without him?

The fifth pick is dicier, and you couldn't go wrong with any of the following guys: Sam Clancy (USC), Dan Dickau (Gonzaga), Erwin Dudley (Alabama), Mike Dunleavy (Duke), Jason Gardner (Arizona), Kirk Hinrich (Kansas), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford), Luke Walton (Arizona) and David West (Xavier).

After much deliberation, I'll take Dickau -- by a hair over Clancy. First off, don't give me any stick about having four guards on my All-America team. I'm taking the top five players, regardless of position, and it's hardly surprising (given the guard-heavy style of today's college game) that it would turn out this way. What's more, Dickau is far and away the most dangerous 3-point shooter in the land. Consider: Not only is he third in the nation in 3s made per game (3.6), but he's also fifth in the country in 3-point accuracy rate (.477). Prolific, accurate and a winner, Dickau gets a spot at the heavy-hitters' table.

Which reminds me, the biggest response (by far) to my recent Sports Illustrated story on Dickau was about ... his fiancée. This drool-covered query pretty much summed things up:

Now that you've introduced us to the beauty that is Heather Nevenner, any chance we can see a feature story on her? Maybe next February in a certain special SI?
—Matt Edwards, Ledyard, Conn.

You guys are so pathetic. What do you think this is, Maxim? (Though we'll have to keep the happy couple in mind when it comes time to shoot the swimsuit issue's "athletes-and-their-significant-others" section next year.) And yet, since the On College-ist likes to keep his readers happy, I'll throw you a bone. Here's a link to Heather's page on the Blazers' Web site.

Are you ever going to take some credit for picking USC as your preseason choice to win the Pac-10? Even though the Cardinal were playing without Curtis Borchardt, the Trojans dismissed Stanford with ease in Palo Alto. I expect USC and Oregon to be treated to some high seeds come Selection Sunday.
—Eric Fitzgerald, Gambier, Ohio

You kidding me? Since when have I resisted the opportunity to crow about a sweet pick? The way I see it, though, USC and Arizona (not Oregon) are in the driver's seat to share the Pac-10 crown after this weekend since both are playing at home. USC should sweep Oregon State and Oregon (which is pretty ordinary outside Mac Court), while Arizona should take Stanford and Cal (though the hot Bears could make things interesting in Tucson). Where the Pac-10 teams will be seeded is another matter. Look for Arizona to get a high seed based on the Wildcats' psychotic schedule, and I expect USC will get a 2 or a 3 as well. That leaves Cal, Oregon and Stanford fighting for seeds in the 3-6 range.

How dangerous is the University of Pittsburgh?
—Chris Figole, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Got a chance to see the Pitt-Seton Hall game Tuesday night, and I like the Panthers' m.o. -- which isn't surprising, since I've been a Ben Howland fan since his Dan McClintock days at Northern Arizona. Brandin Knight is my choice as the Big East Player of the Year, and this is a solid defensive team that makes you pay for your mistakes. Toss in a near-automatic ticket to the Sweet 16 (the Panthers should play their first two rounds in Pittsburgh) and you have the ingredients for a serious tournament run.

Quick question, though: Seton Hall was up by three in the final seconds against Pitt, YET DIDN'T FOUL. Was anybody surprised when Pitt hit a 3 to tie (and ended up winning in OT)? I ask you, How many times have you seen this happen? By contrast, how many times have you seen a team foul -- and then have the trailing team make its first free throw, clang the second, get the rebound and tie the game? Never? My point exactly.

This year's Illinois team bears a striking resemblance to last year's Maryland club. Both produced half-hearted early-season play, a mid-season slump and a late-season surge. I've watched three recent Illini wins (Michigan State, Penn State, Seton Hall) and finally see the intensity from Frank Williams, Robert Archibald and Cory Bradford. They look like a different team. Like last year's Terps, could the Illini be this year's surprise team in the NCAAs? Could Bill Self have this bunch peaking at the right time?
—Mike McGough, Hagerstown, Md.

Solid comparison between Illinois and Maryland, Mike. I'm not completely sold on the Illini's turnaround yet -- Penn State and Seton Hall aren't exactly world beaters -- but I'm warming up to it. For all the shots Williams has taken this year (many of them undeserved), he has the capability of taking over the NCAA tournament. But if you're going to make the Maryland comparison, Illinois would have to get a Lonny Baxter -in-2001-type performance from either (Tiny) Archibald or Brian Cook. That's a big if in my mind, and I think it would have to come from Archibald, since Cook has never shown the consistency necessary. As for "peaking," I've never really bought that premise, but the facts are there: Self is a proven tournament coach. In sum: As bad as the Big Ten has been this season, don't count out Illinois.

After reading your piece about Gonzaga, I can't help but think the Zags are ripe for an upset in this year's NCAA tournament. When the office brackets start getting passed around here in a few weeks, I think my only decision will be whether I pick them to flame out in the first round or the second. Any thoughts?
—Allen Bond, Portland, Ore.

Yeah, Allen, here are my thoughts: What in my story gave you any cause to think Gonzaga is ripe for an upset? If any team in the country has given you reason to believe in its tournament track record, it would be the Zags. (Now that they're looking at a top-4 seed, there's even less reason to doubt their chances of reaching the second weekend for the fourth straight year.) I'm pretty mystified by a growing Gonzaga backlash, because there's nothing to dislike about how the team goes about its business. Upsets can always happen, but I just don't see the Zags being a part of one of them.

Et cetera