Will the Big East of 2008-09 Be the Best Ever?

The AP Poll has yet to arrive, but already we’re certain that it will have solid representation from the Big East. The Coaches Poll, released just the other day, has no fewer than seven Big East teams included in the Top 25, and nine mentioned if you include the “others receiving votes” category. Although preseason predictions can sometimes be way off, the change of the Big East being a bust is incredibly low. According to an article about the massive power aligned in the Big East, coach Rick Pitino of the Louisville Cardinals, a legitimate national title contender, said this:

“In my 33 years of coaching I can honestly say I think this will be the finest league in the history of college basketball in terms of its depth and in terms of the number of returning players. I’ve never seen a league with 11 teams that could be ranked in the top 30. I think any speaking of rankings in this conference can be thrown out the window. It will be very interesting to say the least.“

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 31, 2008 - Post a comment

Preseason Coaches’ Poll Is Out!

Hoops fans finally have a poll to debate. The preseason Division I Coaches’ Poll has just been released, and (surprise, surprise) North Carolina’s Tar Heels are at the top of the list. UNC received all 31 No. 1 votes, with no other team receiving a No. 1 vote. Connecticut and Louisville follow on the heels of the Heels at No. 2 and 3, respectively.

Overall there aren’t too many surprises, and there typically never are in these preseason polls. UCLA at No. 4 seems a bit odd to the Final Four Blog, considering that they were absolutely decimated by the NBA Draft, and will be nothing like last season’s Final Four team. The same can be said of Kansas, who appear on the list at No. 23.

The Big East was the most represented conference in the Poll, with a total of seven teams making the top 25, and another two in the “Others Receiving Votes” category. The Big East has tree teams ranked in the top ten, with Notre Dame coming in at No. 9. How will the AP Poll compare? Stay tuned to find out!

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 30, 2008 - Post a comment

Rumors Fly as Olsen Replacement Search Heats Up

If you check out the Truth and Rumors section of Sports Illustrated.com, one of the most compelling stories out there is the swirling rumors about the open coaching job at Arizona. As you are probably well aware by now, Lute Olsen, coach of the Wildcats for nearly three decades, has left his job just recently. The Wildcats are actively searching for the future coach of their prestigious program, but for now there’s interim coach Russ Pennell running the show.

When will the Wildcats hire? Will they get a new coach in there before the tip off of the year, or will they wait until after the season to try to get some coach whose contract has not yet expired? There are certainly some good head coaches out there in free agency, and even Bob Knight is without a job (although he’s probably not going to be a long term investment). The rumors should fly pretty fast and furious in the next couple of weeks, so we’ll keep you informed on all the gossip.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 29, 2008 - Post a comment

Top Pick in the Big Ten: Perdue

The Big Ten always comes with some excellent basketball teams, and this year should be no exception. However, while teams like Indiana, Michigan State and Michigan have been traditional basketball powerhouses, Perdue recently was voted to be the top team in the Big Ten in the coaches’ preseason poll. Perdue was followed by Michigan State and Wisconsin, all of which made the Tournament last year. Perdue returns all five of their starters from a team that won 25 games last year. Michigan State was an Elite Eight team last season, and Wisconsin won 30 games last year, in addition to making the Sweet Sixteen.

One of the most compelling story lines in the Big Ten is Indiana, a program that has gone a complete 180 in recent months. The Hoosiers are still reeling from the aftermath of Kelvin Sampson’s disastrous coaching stint. New sideline pacer Tom Crean has gutted out the rotten innards and is starting with almost a “Crean” slate, but the road to the top is going to be a tough one. The immediate future at Indiana might not be very promising, but if Crean gets a few years to work on bringing in talent (the legal way), an maybe if a fiery old coach named Bob Knight comes back as an assistant or special consultant, the Hoosiers could be the crown jewel of the Big Ten once again.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 28, 2008 - Post a comment

Tar Heels Top Choice in ACC

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced their preseason rankings, with the North Carolina Tar Heels taking the top spot in the poll. The ACC is one of the most distinguished and popular college basketball conferences in the nation, as they contain the Tobacco Road teams, North Carolina and Duke, as well as some of the other most successful teams in the nation. Their preseason rankings are determined by the coaches of the ACC men’s basketball teams, so the rankings are not without a heightened significance.

The selection of UNC as the top team was not surprising to anyone. The Tar Heels return their top six scorers from last year’s team, which went to the Final Four. They won the conference title two years in a row, contain the National Player of the Year, in Tyler Hansbrough, and they have one of the best freshmen classes in the country. Duke, Wake Forest and Miami also were ranked highly on the list. While the preseason picks are important as an indication of prospective strength, they don’t always hold true. Hey, that’s why we play these games, right?

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 27, 2008 - Post a comment

Lute Olsen Retires

As you’re probably aware already, Lute Olsen has retired from his head coaching job at Arizona. Olsen had been with the Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team for 24 seasons, although last year he left for a time to deal with some off-the-court issues of a personal nature. This time, Olsen’s retirement is for real.

There are all sorts of articles out there about how and why Lute Olsen retired. Could he have stepped down more gracefully? Who will be called up to replace him? How big are the shoes that the new coach will have to fill? A common trend right now is claiming that one could see this retirement coming. However, the Final Four blog is unimpressed with Andy Katz and Garry Parrish claiming to have seen this thing coming. Let’s look at the facts. First off he’s 74 years old, and while that might make him a viable candidate for the presidency, the day-to-day coaching grind is probably a little harder on the joints than being a senator. Second, it was very clear that he was having some troubles off the court. Third, he has a fantastic history with the team, he’s already achieved so much, and he probably wouldn’t add much to his history by staying on.

It’s a bit like “predicting” that 81-year-old Penn State football coach Joe Paterno will retire after this season if the Nittany Lions win the national title. How hard are these predictions?

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 24, 2008 - Post a comment

UNLV Makes FOX Sports’ Top 25

The UNLV Running Rebels have made the NCAA Tournament two years “running” under head coach Lon Kruger. They even made the Sweet Sixteen in 2007. This year, the Rebs have added some depth to their roster, in addition to returning some key components from last season. They look like the team to beat in the Mountain West, and have all the makings of an NCAA Tourney team with Sweet Sixteen potential. That’s why Jeff Goodman of FOX Sports gave the Running Rebels the No. 20 spot in his countdown of the Top 25 in the nation.

Specifically what makes the Rebels great? Both Joe Darger and Rene Rougeau are coming back from good seasons last year, but UNLV will also have 7 foot center Beas Hamga, who will clean up on the boards, play good interior defense and block shots. Height was one aspect of the team that was lacking last season, but this year, they’ll have just the solution. There’s a good class of freshmen and transfers in the group, too, highlighted by former Memphis guard Tre’Von Willis. Make sure you keep your eye on UNLV, especially around Tournament time.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 23, 2008 - Post a comment

Funny Midnight Madness Clips and Notre Dame Preview

Mad things happen at Midnight Madness. You can check out a collection of five YouTube.com clips assembled by Sports Illustrated to see what we mean. The videos seem to have a bias for both old, white coaches and Soulja Boy. There’s also a nice clip of a Syracuse player breaking a backboard in one of the Orange’s exhibition games. We’re not moving the intelligent conversation around much this morning, but at least these clips will help you get over the Wednesday hump.

As for some real college basketball talk, we have a nice article about the Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball team for you to read through. Luke Harangody, the Big East Player of the Year last season, will lead a high-powered Notre Dame team, and they look like they have Final Four written all over them. With Big Luke banging the boards down low and no fewer than four expert three point shooters around the perimeter, Notre Dame has a lot of potential the season. Keep your eye out for the Irish.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 22, 2008 - Post a comment

Gary Parrish’s Preseason All-Americans

I know what you’re thinking: “Two Gary Parrish blogs in a row? Are you kidding me?” Well, no we’re not kidding you. Gary has another article out that demands to be discussed. We think you might like this one a little better, too. Today Mr. Parrish has picked his preseason All-American team, which includes five of the most obvious players you could name right off the top of your head. His First Team All-American selections:

Guard: Darren Collison, UCLA
Guard: Stephen Curry, Davidson
Forward: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
Forward: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Forward: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

This list represents one of the safest, if not the most uncreative selection of five of the best college basketball players from last season. However, it’s fun to think about this team. In the NBA they would say it’s undersized, but in the NCAA, a team with five power forwards like this would be pretty unstoppable. Makes you long for the days when the US National Basketball Team was made up of college players.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 21, 2008 - Post a comment

Gary Parrish Count Down to Season Opener

Because NCAA basketball teams can now officially practice without fear of reprisal, the college basketball buzz has taken a shot of monster and vodka- everybody’s talking and making wild predictions about how the season will turn out. Well, Gary Parrish, one of the sports writers at CBSSports.com, has added his two cents with a countdown listing the top 24 things that he’d like to see this season. Some of the things he writes down make sense, so we’re going to give you a little sneak preview of a few of Gary’s best reasons to watch the season.

6. If the deeper 3-point line makes any real difference in how the game is played.

13. If Kansas can avoid a Florida-like drop, post-national title.

17. If any freshmen are as good as Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon were last season.

19. If Gonzaga can represent the West Coast Conference in the Final Four.

23. If UCLA can make a fourth consecutive Final Four.

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Permalink - Posted in General on October 20, 2008 - Post a comment


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