Saturday, December 23, 2006

NCAA Hoops Round Up

Dan Wentzel wants you to know that while Bobby Knight has his outbursts (you know the ones, where he emotionally/physically attacks his players), he's better than everyone else, because he has never once been caught cheating. Umm, Dan, do you really want us to come up with a list of successful coaches who haven't cheated, and who also have never thrown a chair into the middle of game, or suggested that rape victims should lie back and enjoy it? Coach K and Lute Olsen come to mind. I'm sure there are others, you savvy reporter, you! Did Coach Knight let you wear a glove when you handjobbed him so vigorously?

And just as an aside--the media seems to be making a big deal of this record Knight is about to break, but aren't there about a dozen coaches, who if they don't bolt to the NBA, will shatter this record, in a few years time? I think there are. Again, Coach K and Lute Olsen jump out, but man, there is just a shitload of good coaches who may or may not end up in the NBA (a place where Knight's abusive tactics would have never worked) who will break this record in short order.

Another article of note is Mike DeCourcey, who says that the Missouri Valley Conference is, for all intents and purposes, a Major Conference for Hoops. He's right.

On to the games!

Highest ranked team playing tonight was #2 North Carolina, facing once fearsome St. Louis (of course, that was back in the Larry Hughes days). North Carolina took care of bizness, winning 69-48. Let the unhinged praising of Tyler Hansborough continue, unabated!

the next highest ranked team was #8 Wichita State, which frankly, seems a bit high for them. I peg them at about #15, or so. They lost, in an upset to New Mexico, 71-68. It should be noted that the Shockers were without super cool guard P.J. Cousinard, who was out with flu. Cousinard's guts felt like they gone throught a Cuisinart. Yeah, that's a bad pun. What are you going to do about it?

Most of the other Top 25 teams rolled--#23 Syracuse (who I've ripped in these pages) beat up on Hofstra; #19 Marquette trashed by 20 the game Morgan State; #17 Washington Huskypupped Weber State; #16 Butler rolled Evansville; #13 Texas A&M Destroyed Auburn,.

The only other close game in the Top 25 was #25 Nevada barely escaping Akron 73-71. Nevada is still all about Nick Fazekas. Akron has two former high school teammates of LaBron James, and their names are just as cool--Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis, who combined for 34 points.

It should be noted as well: big game Saturday: Ohio State vs. last year's National Champs, Florida. Also worth noting, I think: #1 UCLA vs. a dangerous and underrated Michigan.

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