Category: College Basketball

I can see the headlines already:  “March Madness Ratings Hit 10 Year Low,”  “Dick Vitale Falls Asleep During Sweet 16 Broadcast,” “JJ Redick Vows to Shoot From Halfcourt Only.”

Last March saw the clash of two titanic teams in the championship game.  The Illinois juggernaut against the star studded Chapel Hill globetrotters.  It was the dream matchup that fans hoped for all season, praying the teams made it to the big game.  Fans got their wish and the game did not disappoint.  

For obvious reasons, this year’s recent Illinois-Carolina game was slightly less electrifying.  As fans look at the desolate college landscape, many are asking themselves, What is there to hope for this year?

The University of Washington Men’s basketball team has started its season in an impressive fashion. With the losses of Nate Robinson (New York Knicks), Tre Simmons, and Will Conroy many believed this team would not return to the Sweet 16 or even March Madness for that matter. But with early season victories, and great play from freshmen: Jon Brockman, Justin Dentmon, and Artem Wallace, the nay-sayers have finally given the UW team credit. The Husky team is ranked 13th in the nation after last night’s impressive victory over the 6th ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs. With the win the Huskies improved to 7-0. While most would suspect Senior, Brandon Roy, to be the leading scorer for the Huskies it was a full team effort that stopped Adam Morrison and the rest of the Bulldogs in the second half. I can bore you with all the stats, but the hustle that this Husky team has shown in its first seven games is what has me in awe.

While we are all marveling in the great starts of Florida and Colorado State and Indiana State, one unbeaten has been forgotten.

True, this team hasn’t beaten anyone. No seriously, they haven’t beaten anyone. They haven’t even beaten a Nicholls State or an Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. And true, it won’t beat anyone until at least January 11, if it ever does beat anyone. But for the beleaguered Baylor men’s basketball program, it can at least brag about one thing: its undefeated mark.

The Duke Blue Devils were college basketball’s concensus number one overall team in the preseason, and at the looks of things this ranking is not changing anytime soon. When a University has a reputation that Duke has and a coach as respected as Coach Krzyzewski recruits usually find you. This years Duke recruiting class was one of a kind.

It wasn’t too long ago the Syracuse Orange (formally known as the Orangemen) were Champions of College Basketball. Led by a squad that included stars such as Carmelo Anthony (now of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets), fan-favorite Gerry McNamara, Craig Forth, and the flashy dunks of Hakim Warrick, the Orange always seemed to be in the middle of the National Championship mix. Since then, players such as Anthony have gone pro and others have graduated, leaving only a few players left from that 2003 National Championship team. Although some highly recruited freshmen have been brought in the past few years by head coach Jim Boeheim (currently enduring his 30th season as head coach) these young “stars” have yet to step up as did ‘Melo and G-Mac in their respective freshman years. The team as a whole has suffered thus far.

by Trevor Freeman

Ahhhhh…..it is finally creeping closer.  Midnight Madness.  Rivalry Week.  March.  That’s right…..college basketball season is right around the corner.  From Sporting News to Blue Ribbon, college hoops previews are beginning to flood the coffee tables of houses across a nation.  The terms “Sleeper” and “Diaper Dandy” have begun to invade the everyday vocabulary as hope always springs eternal at the start of each campaign.  This year is particularly big for me as the boys from Fordham University have a legitimate shot at the postseason for the first time in years.

By Trevor Freeman

I think it was Bobby Knight that once remarked 20,000 people don’t pay to watch somebody doing chemistry experiments.

I am speechless.

Despite an article in the Washington Times; despite a forceful editorial in the local newspaper; despite outrage among numerous different bloggers; despite the news being mentioned in almost every newspaper across the country; despite a Tony Kornheiser quip on PTI; despite the fact that this guy lied to the Waco police during a murder investigation to cover his own ass; despite saying to the faces of the parents of a student who had just been shot that their son was a drug dealer; despite cheating the system by illegally paying the tuition of two players via scholarships above the limit of 13; despite the NCAA giving basically a ten-year ban on the hiring of this man, the Dakota Wizards, a CBA power than has won four titles in the last half-dozen years, has hired Dave Bliss as their new head basketball coach.

There is a human sixth sense, but it has absolutely nothing to with seeing dead people. Problem is we can’t comprehend its depth or implication. At the American University, the sixth sense is teaming enough for the astute to heed notice.

Dave Bliss should have been shot.

As it happened, Patrick Dennehy got shot by Carlton Dotson and died. All that happened to Bliss was that he lost his job and the NCAA has basically barred him from coaching for the next ten years.