College Hoops Gazette

August 5, 2010

A Taste of the Bracketizers

Apologies to die-hard fans out there who spend 11 months a year slowly dying until March Madness rolls around to once again rejuvenate their spirits, but as we enter the dog days of August, Selection Sunday is still eons away at this point.  Fortunately for college basketball fans needing their bracket fix already, the early season appetizers have finally been served up for analysis.  Though the tournaments down actually begin play until the second week of November at the earliest, it’s never too soon to look ahead at the contenders and pretenders who might square off in the first few tournaments to open the schedule.

  • 2K Sports Classic (November 8 – 21st) New York – Though the full schedule of games spans several teams across various leagues, the semifinals for the 2K Classic are predetermined, with the winner of Pitt vs. Maryland squaring off against either Illinois or Texas.   Of the 4 major teams in this tourney, all should be competitive, with Maryland tiered slightly below the other 3 in the upcoming season.

July 16, 2010

Summer League Standouts

A mere four months after their “one shining moment” in March, collegiate superstars who dominated the NCAA Tournament once again find themselves at the bottom of the proverbial pecking order.  Most heralded draft picks and undrafted rookie free agents are getting their first taste of life in the NBA out in Las Vegas, where the NBA’s most prominent summer league will take place over the course of three weeks.  The early going has had mixed results for some of the biggest names in college basketball last year.  Here’s a look at some of the summer seasons fast learners.

  • Derrick Caracter – Perhaps more famous as a 6’8’’ 8th grader than his actual playing days at Louisville and Texas-El Paso, Caracter is quickly turning the underachiever tag he earned in college upside down.  Once an elite pro-prospect, the Lakers selected Caracter with the 58th pick in the second round, but so far this summer he has far surpassed that billing.  Averaging double-doubles over the course of his first three games, Caracter has consistently outhustled opponents of all sizes for rebounds and shown tenacity on both ends of the floor.
  • Jordan Crawford – The Hawks summer league team was expected to be paced by second year PG Jeff Teague, but the rookie out of Xavier has looked like its best player out of the gates.  There was no dispute as to whether Crawford could score, quickly showcasing his deep range and shooting ability, but Crawford’s court vision and quick hands have been an added bonus. All signs indicate the Hawks landed, at the bare minimum, a solid contributor and rotation player with the 27th pick. Read the rest of this entry »

Early Big 12 Preview

Traditional powerhouse Kansas losing significant pieces to the NBA Draft, which means there could easily be some shakeup atop the Big 12 standings.  With the nearing departures of arguably the Big 12’s two worst basketball programs in Colorado and Nebraska, the 10 team league should be a better basketball conference top to bottom going forward.  Here’s a look at home the top of the league should shape up in the last season of the Big 12 as we know it.

  1. Missouri – Already a tournament team last year, the Tigers are importing more than they lost in last year’s senior class.  While they will miss J.T. Tiller on defense and Zaire Taylor in the clutch, Mizzou’s backcourt is talent laden enough to make up the difference, with Marcus Denmon, Kim English, Michael Dixon already in the mix.  Incoming freshman Phil Pressey should make an immediate impact at the point, giving the Tigers the deepest guards in the league.  Freshman Tony Mitchell (assuming he qualifies) and juco transfer Ricardo Ratliffe will help shore up some scoring deficiencies on the frontline from last season, assuring a more complete Tiger attack.
  2. Texas – The Longhorns lost 2 first-rounders to the NBA draft, in the form of Avery Bradley and Damion James, but aim to quickly re-tool in their usual fashion.  Incoming freshmen Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson have the added benefit of playing together in prep school as they look to fill big holes for Texas this season.  With scoring slasher Jordan Hamilton already in tow, the Longhorns should have plenty of offensive fire power to compete. Read the rest of this entry »

Tournament Field Expanded to 68

While pundits calling for a college football playoff are still left unsatisfied, college basketball fans will enjoy a few more elimination games come tourney time next March.  The NCAA has decided to extend its March Madness tournament from 65 to 68 teams, marking the first expansion of the field since 2001, when the play-in game was added to take the total from 64 to 65.  The new format features three additional play-in games to be played in the week following Selection Sunday, determining what programs will at least survive to see the weekend.  Dubbed the “First Four” to play off of the well known “Final Four” moniker, the first 8 teams to play will consist of the lowest 4 at-large teams (teams that did not secure an automatic bid by winning their conference tournament) and the mid-major conference winners with the least impressive resumes.  The 4 at-large teams are expected to play each other for the right to advance as a 12 seed, with the automatic qualifiers continuing to battle it out for a 16 seed.  Once the initial four games are completed, tournament play will carry on as it has in years past, with rounds of 64, 32, 16, 8, 4 and 2. Read the rest of this entry »

Top 5 Recruiting Classes

Here’s a look at some programs that are sure to improve thanks to talent-laden freshman classes and top notch junior college transfers.

  1. Kentucky – Send a record 5 players out to the first round of the NBA Draft, get 5 top 40 high school seniors coming back.  So goes the talent flow for the Kentucky Wildcats.  Between PG Brandon Knight, SG Doron Lamb, SF Stacey Poole,  PF Terrence Jones and C Enes Kanter, the Wildcats could field an all-freshman starting squad that might actually have a shot at winning the SEC crown.  Look for heavy newcomer contribution out of these 5 (and transfer Eloy Vargas)  thanks to a greatly depleted Kentucky roster.
  2. Memphis – Though not quite 5 in the top 40 like Kentucky boasts, the Memphis Tigers did sign 5 of the top 100 recruits in the country.  While there’s no top-10 recruit in their incoming class, the Tigers offset this lack of star power with sheer solidity top to bottom.  SG Will Barton is the most highly regarded of all the prospects and will team with fellow 5-star freshman PG Joe Jackson to form a young and promising backcourt down in Memphis.
  3. North Carolina – Headlined by the #2 recruit in the nation, SF Harrison Barnes, the Tarheels bring in an expectedly accomplished class.  Barnes is joined by fellow top-10 frosh Reggie Bullock who should provide an outside presence.  Point guard Kendall Marshall and Alabama transfer Justin Knox could also make immediate impacts for UNC. Read the rest of this entry »

Wooden Legacy Continues

College basketball’s all time winningest coach, the late John Wooden, will have his namesake basketball doubleheader continue on for the foreseeable future, according to the Wooden family. The Wooden Classic has been in existence for the better part of two decades, dating back to 1994.  This year’s matchup, scheduled for December 18, will pit the coach’s old squad, the UCLA Bruins, against Brigham Young University, with St. Mary’s and Long Beach State squaring off in the second game. Son Jim Wooden and daughter Nancy Muehlhausen say they look forward to the event annually celebrating the life, achievement and memory of their father, and what a legacy it is to remember.

John Wooden passed away from natural causes on June 4, 2010, but not before 99 storied years of basketball, coaching and philanthropy.  Before entering the ranks of coaching’s all time elite (in any sport) Wooden held his own on the hard court.  A three time All-State selection in high school, Wooden led his team to the state finals for three consecutive years, taking home the state crown in 1927.  After graduation, he chose to take his talents from Martinsville, IN up to Lafayette, to play for “Piggy” Lambert at Purdue University.  He helped lead Purdue to the1932 National Championship, while becoming the first player ever to be named a three time consensus All-American.   Wooden played professionally in the National Basketball League (NBL) until WWII, when he joined the Navy to serve his country. Read the rest of this entry »