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A major-conference primer
Posted: Tuesday December 19, 2000 5:51 PM
Christmas wish lists, New Year's resolutions ... you won't find any such
yuletide bromides in this (cyber)space. For Hoopheads like us, every day between
Oct. 15 and April 2 is Christmas anyway. Besides, every scribe within a finger's
distance of a keyboard is going for the ol' holiday-themed piece this week, so
I'm going to cut against the grain and play it straight. Just call me
Scrooge.
It has been a slow week because of exams (for the players, not me), but college
hoops is about ready to gear up for conference play. Here's a quick rundown of
how I see the major races shaping
up:
ACC
Maryland and North Carolina were supposed to pose the biggest threat to Duke's
hegemony, but now it looks like the strongest assaults will come from Wake and
Virginia. And Florida State has been an embarrassment, with losses to Minnesota
and Furman. Not good with Billy Donovan working wonders down the
road.
Big
East
Best conference in the country for my money (if I had any). They have five teams
in the Top 25, and Villanova is knocking on the door. I know everyone's loving
the Hall right now, but this race is wide open. And I'm not sure Connecticut is
as good as a lot of people
think.
Big Ten
It'll be Illinois and Michigan State all season, but this league is not as deep
as it has been. Iowa is next in line, but Indiana and Ohio State are still not
ready for prime time. Northwestern has a lovely
campus.
Big 12
If Kansas is healthy, the Jayhawks are untouchable. Missouri is one of the most
entertaining teams anywhere. Look for Texas to improve dramatically after point
guard Darren Kelly comes back this month from academic
suspension.
Conference
USA
League is still looking for a breakthrough season. If not now, when? Cincy is
still the cream of the crop, but Charlotte is one of the real sleepers out
there. DePaul and South Florida have potential, but they still have a ways to
go.
Pac-10
Arizona needs to get its house in order, but I still wouldn't be surprised if
the Wildcats ran the table in the conference. Stanford is a nice team, but I
still don't think the Cardinal has the guards to carry them deep into the NCAAs.
And UCLA is UCLA: Feast one night, famine the next, win just enough to get into
the tourney and call it a
season.
SEC
The road to the title still goes through Gainesville (you and I both know
Tennessee isn't the fourth-best team in the country). 'Bama and Arkansas are the
most intriguing teams in the league, but don't go to sleep on Auburn and
Adam Harrington.
Around the rim
Tough blow for Michigan State, losing Marcus Taylor for 2-4
weeks with a broken finger. It's a nice luxury for Tom Izzo to be able
to bring along his freshmen at a leisurely pace, but if the Spartans are going
to defend their national championship they will need Taylor comfortable as the
fulltime starting point guard. Every game Taylor sits out is a missed
opportunity for him to get
better.
Watching Arizona struggle with integrating Loren Woods back
into the lineup, it strikes me that having such an imposing presence in the
middle is, to coin a phrase, a double-edged sword. It's a great advantage when
the player is mobile and effective, but if your big man isn't playing well he
gets in the way of the offensive flow. The same thing happens with Eric
Chenowith (Kansas), Sam Dalembert (Seton Hall), Brendan
Haywood (North Carolina) and others of that
ilk.
The buzz among NBA scouts is that last week's big showdown in St.
Louis between the nation's top high school centers, Eddy Curry of
Illinois and L.A.'s Tyson Chandler, turned out to be a dud. Curry, in
particular, was reportedly out of shape and noticeably uninspired. I'm sure both
will still be lottery picks if they enter the draft, but keep in mind that Curry
is academically qualified and has signed a letter of intent to play for DePaul.
So at least he has the option of going to college next
year.
Diehard hoopheads will recall that in my initial
installment of Hoop Thoughts, I listed Bill Bayno, Bruiser Flint
and Gary Williams as my coaches on the hot seat. Well, Bayno got
fired last week, Flint is on life support with his Minutemen at 2-7 and Williams
is one Juan Dixon missed three-pointer away from checking into
Bellevue. Just thought I'd remind
you.
Kentucky is back in the "others receiving votes" section
of the polls this week again, where it belongs. But anyone who watched the Cats
against Michigan State knows they're clearly one of the top 25 teams in the
country. UK always seems to get hammered by fans and the press early in the
season. Then the Cats pull themselves together and win their league or advance
further than expected in the NCAA
tournament.
Two freshmen you haven't seen but should: Charlotte's Rodney
White, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Gonzaga guard Blake Stepp. Remember
where you heard about
'em.
Hard to know what to make of Temple right now. The Owls have dropped
six straight, the longest losing streak in John Chaney's 19 years at
the school. But those losses have not exactly come against weaklings: Duke
(twice), at Miami of Ohio, at Villanova, at Penn State and home against
Wisconsin. The Owls also have been without Quincy Wadley since he
injured his shoulder in the first half against 'Nova. So there was some cause
for optimism ... until guard Ronald Blackshear announced he was
transferring. For a team already lacking depth, this is a devastating
blow.
Wisconsin looks like it's on auto pilot these days in the wake of
Dick Bennett's departure. Brad Soderberg is making a strong
case to be hired as Bennett's permanent
replacement.
Sports Illustrated staff writer Seth Davis covers college basketball for the
magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Hoop Thoughts will appear
each week throughout the college basketball season.
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