Notes on the ESPN Shootaround of the Pac-10

As you probably are aware, the great basketball minds at ESPN have been covering the news from the major hoops conferences all summer. Well, they assembled some nice little conference previews that they debuted earlier this month. Here are some quick and easy “Cliff Notes” for the Pac-10 Shootaround. You ought to read the real version at ESPN’s archives, which was assembled by Joel Francisco, Doug Gottlieb and, of course, Andy Katz.

  • What’s Bruin in Westwood? - We’ve all gotten used to seeing the UCLA Bruins in the deep, deep rounds of the NCAA Tournament. But will they be back there this upcoming season, given the vast amount of students who have decided to go pro or who have naturally graduated? UCLA will rely on a lot of unfamiliar faces this season, but Ben Howland can recruit with the best of them, as we should all be well aware. ESPN seems to think the Bruins will still win, but their tourney seed might be lower than usual.
  • The Strength of the Conference Overall - The Pac-10 was largely overlooked last season. That’s not exactly a rebuff of the Pacific’s play, but other places, the Big East, ACC and Big Ten, were stacked last year? Will we talk about the Pac-10 in the same way this year? Frosh will have to make some significant impact on the conference if the Pac-10 is expected to become the top dog again.
  • California Dreamin’ - The Cal Bears look stacked and ready for a run at the conference title. Dough Gottleib has the Bears, complete with lots of veteran low-post defenders and streaky outside shooters, ranked as the No. 1 Pac-10 team this season.
  • Beaver Fever - The Oregon State Beavers are bursting through the dam! Well, Doug seems to think so. Oregon State, which has suffered long and hard, finally has some pieces in place and a set system to buy into. We’re all rooting for these under-beavs.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 25, 2009 - Post a comment

Notes on the ESPN Shootaround of the SEC

As you probably are aware, the great basketball minds at ESPN have been covering the news from the major hoops conferences all summer. Well, they assembled some nice little conference previews that they debuted earlier this month. Here are some quick and easy “Cliff Notes” for the SEC Shootaround. You ought to read the real version at ESPN’s archives, which was assembled by Fran Fraschilla, of course, Andy Katz.

  • It’s All About John Calipari - Like it or not, John Calipari was perhaps the most notable name in the offseason besides, perhaps, Rick Pitino. And the news wasn’t all that great. The good news? John Cal orchestrated one of the most ridiculous recruiting classes in the history of sports: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Darnell Dodson and Eric Bledsoe. Holy-feakin’-moley! Plus Kentucky has Patrick Patterson back to anchor the post and give the team some “veteran” leadership. The bad? Calipari’s Memphis squad did not, officially, get to the Final Four, nor win a then-NCAA record 38 games. Nobody–not this blogger, not nobody–wants to write the same thing about Kentucky this season. Keep it clean J-Cal, and we’ll all be happy.
  • Volunteers Not Needed, Actually - The Vols won’t need to recruit (or volunteer) many more players to keep their place at the top of the SEC East. Tennessee, a Tourney regular for the past million, billion years, will be there again, and in shining orange color, according to Frank Franshilla. The starters are back and Pearl just plain wins, baby.
  • What’s With Florida? - The Gators always seem to recruit well. Coach Billy Donovan makes sure the cupboard is stocked every year. This year is no different. But will it translate into wins? Will Florida’s highly-touted recruits make the difference that they used to?

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 24, 2009 - Post a comment

Notes on the ESPN Shootaround of the Mid Majors

As you probably are aware, the great basketball minds at ESPN have been covering the news from the major hoops conferences all summer. Well, they assembled some nice little conference previews that they debuted earlier this month. However, this one is about the teams from the Mid-Major conferences. Here are some quick and easy “Cliff Notes” for the Mid-Major Shootaround. You ought to read the real version at ESPN’s archives, which was assembled by Fran Fraschilla, of course, Andy Katz.

  • All the Usual Suspects - When you think Mid Major, what do you picture in your mind? Gonzaga? Memphis? Creighton? Butler? Dayton? Well, for the fans of consistency, you’ll all be glad to know that these teams are all slated to be A-Okay this upcoming season. The old guard of quality Mid-Major teams seems to have pulled it off again. We need a new distinction for teams from small conferences that make the Tournament every season. You can’t call them Mid-Majors anymore. Major-Majors? Pre-Tourney Majors? We’ll get back to you with the verdict.
  • Some Other Teams of Note - Besides the usual crowd of good mid major teams, the Best of the Rest also includes teams like Rice, Wichita State, Utah State, Charleston, Northern Iowa, North Texas and Charleston… plus everyone’s favorite underdog San Diego.
  • Mid Majors in the Grand Scheme of Things - Last season was one of the worst on record for underdog conferences. There was no hype and hardly any teams from the lower end of the economic spectrum made the Tourney. Will the trend continue? Let’s hope not!

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 23, 2009 - Post a comment

The ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia

Never count out the guys at ESPN when it comes to making lists. Never. ESPN has come up with the College Basketball Encyclopedia, which, as you might have guessed already, is just as excuse to come up with a bunch of lists of the best this and the greatest that. What you’ll be most interested in, no doubt, is the rankings of the best overall hoops programs of all time.

Who was No. 1, you might ask? We won’t spoil the surprise here. But you ought to really check out both the Andy Katz article about the Encyclopedia and the actual rankings, which can be found at the same page.

Obviously there are going to be a lot of upset fans when they learn that their team is not judged to be the best of all time. But fear not. The system it took to rank the teams is quite flawed, and you can come up with a million reasons for why your team ought to be number one. As ESPN has said so fittingly: Let the debate begin! 

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 22, 2009 - Post a comment

The Top Recruiting Programs in the Nation

It’s about recruiting these days. It has been for a long, long time. If you pick up the best hoops players before they enter the college game, you’re much more likely to make college basketball stars out of them. And thus, you’re much more likely to get further in the NCAA Tournament, and perhaps even more likely to win a national title. Sorry, Mid Majors. That’s just how it is.

That being said, the guys over at ESPN have come up with the best of the best in terms of landing talent. You won’t guess who is listed in the top ten. Well, you might. If you guessed North Carolina, Texas and Memphis, you guessed right.

You’ve got to check out the rest of the list, though. Some teams which you wouldn’t think are good recruiters actually are. Would you think that North Carolina State is in the top 15? Would you guess Baylor is in the top 25?

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 21, 2009 - Post a comment

Basketball at “Football Schools”

Right now is the heart of the football season. We realize that most sports fans in general are worried about their college football team’s upcoming game than their basketball team’s potential preseason ranking. But what about those schools for which basketball seems like a second thought? Obviously North Carolina fans are going to consider their school a basketball-first institution. But teams like Nebraska, Alabama, Notre Dame? These are the so-called “football schools.” Dana O’Neil of ESPN investigates. A nice little quote from the article from Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel:

“Sure we have to fight it because other schools use it against us. Certain programs send out negative mailouts or will just tell kid, ‘You don’t want to go there. That’s a football school.’ If we can get in front of them, get them on campus, we can show them that isn’t the case at all. But we have to fight it because it’s being said.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 18, 2009 - Post a comment

Twitter and Recruiting

As Kevin Armstrong of SportsIllustrated.com reports, Twitter is changing the recruiting landscape. Nowadays players are reporting their letters of intent announcements through their Twitter feeds. Coaches are talking about their contacts with top-tier recruits and bot inspiring their fans and fueling the flames for recruiting violations. Coaches have a gray area to exploit when it comes to “inappropriate contact” with recruits. It’s a big messy world out there on Twitter, and Kevin Armstrong has one unique story about how the social media device can change where college players decide to play.

Kyrie Irving, one of the top guard recruits in the nation, has been using Twitter throughout his process of making a school decision. It’s been a roller coaster ride. Check out the article for an idea bout how Twitter is both good and bad for college sports.

To get college basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 17, 2009 - Post a comment

Washington’s Guards Will Light up the Pac-10

Luke Winn has in inside interview with one of the most important players in the Pac-10, Washington guard Isaiah Thomas. Not only does this guard have a goon name for his position, he also has the help of one of the best sidekicks in the country, freshman Abdul Gaddy. The Huskies look like a conference title competitor this season. If you’re a fan of U-Dub, you ought to check out this article.

One thing that Luke asks Thomas about is his preference for other teammates, besides those on his team. Apparently Thomas would like to have some of the best front court players in the nation on his team, including Cole Aldridge and Luke Harangody. No surprise here. In fact, that sound like the lineup for the first team All-American class this upcoming season.

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 16, 2009 - Post a comment

Cal Lands Top Guard Recruit

The University of California Berkeley got another top-tier recruit recently. Apparently Gary Franklin, Jr., a 6-2 point guard from Santa Ana, has decided that he’d like to play for the Golden Bears next season. It’s a great choice, as the Golden Bears are rapidly rising in hype this season. They will top several experts’ picks to win the Pac-10, this year.

Franklin originally signed a letter of intent with Cal competitor USC. However, USC Coach Tim Floyd resigned in controversy earlier in the offseason, leaving the players whom he recruited free to leave if they’d like. Franklin wanted to stay on the west coast, so he decided on Cal. Good luck in the future, Gary!

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Permalink - Posted in General on September 15, 2009 - Post a comment

An Inside Look at the Naismith Watch List

Luke Winn at SportsIllustrated.com has a nice little article that runs through his selection process for the Naismith Award Watch List. As you probably are well aware, the Naismith Award is like the Heisman Award for basketball-it’s pretty much the MVP, the Player of the Year. So it’s a huge deal.

Anyways, every season the sports writers and various other basketball experts come up with a preseason list of players who are going to be “watched” for this distinction. It’s pretty subjective, and not at all error-proof. However, being on the list means that people know who you are and are ready for you to be good. It’s an honor. Check out the article to get a look behind the curtain.

To get college basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on September 14, 2009 - Post a comment


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