Roadie's Road Rants - A National View (Edition 10)
By: George Rodecker, CCT Columnist
How many teams are enough in post-season play? We'll look and comment. Undefeated Kentucky is the clear No. 1, but who's No. 2 this week? There's a mea culpa apology for my bad analysis of Bobby Gonzalez & Seton Hall, a peek under the radar at a transfer big man leading his conference in scoring, understanding just how important Evan Turner is to his Buckeyes, the debut of my 20th annual NBA Draft player rankings, the usual posting of next weeks top games and more. Okay, let's go.....
1st Half
I was given an idea for a rant from Peter Robert Casey, the young, energetic Twitter blogger http://twitter.com/peter_r_casey for St. John's Red Storm basketball. What's really neat about his blogging (besides the fact that it's terrific stuff) is that St. John's gave him a full media credential - something not ever done before anywhere in the country. That my friends is a trend-setting move.
His suggestion was to take a look at the post-season tourneys and the number of teams in them all. Should the NCAA expand their field?
Great point indeed. So...
The NCAA tourney: March Madness, a/k/a The Field of 64, no, make that 65. Already stuffed full of teams so lightly regarded that the bottom two get dumped into a play-in game. Do we need more teams? Another 16 or so? It would bring the tourney up to 81 teams. Factor in the 32 that play in the NIT, another 16 for collegeinsider.com's tourney and the Gazelle Group's College Basketball Invitational production with 16 more teams and you have upwards of 145 teams. That my friends sounds crazy. It suggests the use of words like: watered down.
The secondary tourneys do indeed serve a purpose. The March Madness manages fine at 65, and should not be touched. The extra tourneys, which allow an additional 64 teams in, a wonderful part of the landscape of college basketball.
But who do they hurt, really? If you're an 18-15 team with an 8-8 conference record, and you miss out on the NCAA's AND the NIT, why not play in a 3rd or 4th tourney? The networks may ignore these games, but the fans and students and alumni of those schools will not.
Some in the media stick their noses up in the air and rip the tourneys in print and on the air. Not to single out any one school, but since Peter Robert Casey brought the whole damn thing up; let's look at St, John's. They are 12-7 overall, but 2-5 (as of January 25, 2010) in the Big East. They have 11 games left. Say they go 4-7 (all are conf games), then 1-1 in the Big East Tourney. They finish up 17-15, 6-12 in the conference play. Norm Roberts is rebuilding the Storm and they are a developing squad. Wouldn't post season play benefit them for the future? Of course it would. And it would hurt no one. It would provide recruiting exposure, a sense that the team and the staff are on the right course, and fans get to see a little bit more of their favorite players.
I say - let ‘em play! Whatta you say?
Send us your thoughts here.
2nd Half
Most of us would concede that Kentucky is the top team in the nation. They're 19-0, the only undefeated team left. But who is really the second best team in the land? Not the 2nd highest ranked team in the country, but the second best squad - the one you expect to make it to the Final Four and onto the championship game. Is it Texas, Kansas, Villanova or perhaps Syracuse? Got another team in mind?
Let's debate it right here. I say Syracuse. They have the size, that damn zone defense and the backcourt play necessary to be there for the final game. Win it? I don't know, but get there? Yeah, I feel pretty confident. And how about the thought of John Calipari's dribble-drive offense trying to crack the Orange zone? Wow, bring it on!
What say you?
Send us your thoughts here.
Overtime
Sorry to see more health issues (especially new ones) plaguing Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, but if staying away for a bit helps him live longer then do it! George Blaney is already doing an admirable job at the helm capped off by this weekend's defeat of then No. 1 Texas. Let's hope and pray that Coach Calhoun gets healthier quickly and that the Huskies keep on winning.
Okay, time for me to slither up to the apology podium. I've been an ardent vocal critic of Seton Hall over recent years and this season I have taken offense to the soft pre-conference schedule that Bobby Gonzalez's Pirates played. Some of their early Big East defeats were (by me) attributable to soft pre-Big East play. But with wins this week over Louisville and Pitt, I have to eat crow and admit that I'm wrong and Gonzo is not only right, but doing one hell of a job in both recruiting and coaching. There is indeed a plan in place and it is a good plan. Wasn't too long ago that he was seemingly getting a "T" in near every SHU game while losing as much as he won, but with marriage and the birth of a child impacting his life, the energetic head man has mellowed into a top flight big time coach!
Double Overtime
Just how good is Ohio State's Evan Turner? Consider that the Buckeyes were 7-1 before his injury, 3-3 in his absence and 4-2 since his return. Turner had three triple-doubles in the eight games before his injury and three in the six since his return. Several NBA scouts told me they were interested to see how he'd play off the injury. The 6-7 junior could be the 2nd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft should he elect to opt in. He is obviously "over" the injury.
And speaking of the 2010 Draft, I've been handicapping/advising/consulting and working each of the past 20 years on just where college players should be drafted. Here's my list of this seasons Top 40 draftable players as of January 25, 2010.
|
Rank |
|
Player |
|
Position |
|
School |
|
Class |
|
Ht/Wt |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
John Wall |
|
PG |
|
Kentucky |
|
Freshman |
|
6-4 185 |
|
2 |
|
Evan Turner |
|
SG |
|
Ohio State |
|
Junior |
|
6-7 210 |
|
3 |
|
Greg Monroe |
|
C |
|
Georgetown |
|
Sophomore |
|
6-11 250 |
|
4 |
|
Wes Johnson |
|
SG |
|
Syracuse |
|
Junior |
|
6-7 195 |
|
5 |
|
Trevor Booker |
|
PF |
|
Clemson |
|
Senior |
|
6-8 240 |
|
6 |
|
Derrick Favors |
|
SF |
|
Georgia Tech |
|
Freshman |
|
6-9 215 |
|
7 |
|
Patrick Patterson |
|
PF |
|
Kentucky |
|
Junior |
|
6-9 235 |
|
8 |
|
DeMarcus Cousins |
|
PF |
|
Kentucky |
|
Freshman |
|
6-10 270 |
|
9 |
|
Jon Scheyer |
|
PG/SG |
|
Duke |
|
Senior |
|
6-5 185 |
|
10 |
|
Al-Farouq Aminu |
|
SF/PF |
|
Wake Forest |
|
Sophomore |
|
6-9 225 |
|
11 |
|
Luke Harangody |
|
SF/PF |
|
Notre Dame |
|
Senior |
|
6-8 250 |
|
12 |
|
Cole Aldrich |
|
C |
|
Kansas |
|
Junior |
|
6-11 245 |
|
13 |
|
Sylven Landesberg |
|
SG |
|
Virginia |
|
Sophomore |
|
6-6 210 |
|
14 |
|
Ed Davis |
|
SF/PF |
|
North Carolina |
|
Sophomore |
|
6-9 215 |
|
15 |
|
Solomon Alabi |
|
C |
|
Florida State |
|
Sophomore |
|
7-1 245 |
|
16 |
|
James Anderson |
|
SG |
|
Oklahoma State |
|
Junior |
|
6-6 205 |
|
17 |
|
Craig Brackins |
|
PF |
|
Iowa State |
|
Junior |
|
6-10 230 |
|
18 |
|
Greivis Vasquez |
|
PG |
|
Maryland |
|
Senior |
|
6-6 190 |
|
19 |
|
Xavier Henry |
|
SG |
|
Kansas |
|
Freshman |
|
6-6 210 |
|
20 |
|
Devin Ebanks |
|
SF |
|
West Virginia |
|
Sophomore |
|
6-9 205 |
|
21 |
|
Eric Bledsoe |
|
PG |
|
Kentucky |
|
Freshman |
|
6-1 190 |
|
22 |
|
Scottie Reynolds |
|
PG |
|
Villanova |
|
Senior |
|
6-2 195 |
|
23 |
|
Gani Lawal |
|
SF |
|
Georgia Tech |
|
Junior |
|
6-8 215 |
|
24 |
|
Raymar Morgan |
|
SF |
|
Michigan State |
|
Senior |
|
6-8 225 |
|
25 |
|
Artsiom Parakhouski |
|
C |
|
Radford |
|
Junior |
|
6-11 265 |
|
26 |
|
Da'Sean Butler |
|
SF |
|
West Virginia |
|
Senior |
|
6-7 225 |
|
27 |
|
Deon Thompson |
|
PF |
|
North Carolina |
|
Senior |
|
6-08 245 |
|
28 |
|
Robbie Hummel |
|
SF |
|
Purdue |
|
Junior |
|
6-8 210 |
|
29 |
|
Willie Warren |
|
SG |
|
Oklahoma |
|
Sophomore |
|
6-4 205 |
|
30 |
|
Arinze Onuaka |
|
PF |
|
Syracuse |
|
Senior |
|
6-9 275 |
|
31 |
|
Matt Howard |
|
SF |
|
Butler |
|
Junior |
|
6-7 225 |
|
32 |
|
Chris Wright |
|
SF/PF |
|
Dayton |
|
Junior |
|
6-8 225 |
|
33 |
|
Michael Washington |
|
PF |
|
Arkansas |
|
Senior |
|
6-9 240 |
|
34 |
|
Kyle Singler |
|
SF |
|
Duke |
|
Senior |
|
6-8 235 |
|
35 |
|
Damion James |
|
SF |
|
Texas |
|
Senior |
|
6-7 225 |
|
36 |
|
Jerome Jordan |
|
C |
|
Tulsa |
|
Senior |
|
7-0 240 |
|
37 |
|
Manny Harris |
|
PG/SG |
|
Michigan |
|
Junior |
|
6-5 185 |
|
38 |
|
Jarvis Varnado |
|
PF |
|
Mississippi State |
|
Senior |
|
6-9 220 |
|
39 |
|
Wayne Chism |
|
PF |
|
Tennessee |
|
Senior |
|
6-9 240 |
|
40 |
|
Stanley Robinson |
|
SF |
|
Connecticut |
|
Senior |
|
6-9 210 |
Corrections/Edits: Trevor Booker typographical error; changed from junior to senior.
We will talk more about this as the weeks move on - the upward and downward movement of players along with understanding what makes a player NBA good versus college good.
* * * *
Under the radar: Denzel Bowles 6-10, 255lbs. (Jr.) - James Madison
There he sits at 21.5 ppg and 9.3 boards. He is currently the leading scorer in the Colonial Athletic Conference and the number two rebounder. His play has been of particular importance to JMU as two starters are out for the season with injuries and the contributions of this Texas A&M transfer have been nearly season-saving regardless of the Dukes' 8-11 record as of January 25th. Bowles has had six double-doubles already since gaining his eligibility for the December 12 game against Eastern Michigan and plays over 33 minutes for JMU after averaging less than 4.5 minutes in 17 games over two seasons at A&M. His play on the offensive end is dramatic and he continues to make progress at the defensive end. Whether his skills convert into NBA capable is still to be determined, but right about now Matt Brady and his JMU Dukes must be feeling mighty happy with Bowles' contributions to date.
Looking ahead:
Kansas State visits the improving Baylor Bears in an otherwise light Tuesday night. Both teams can use this win to rebound from losses last week. The Big 12 is clearly Kansas and Texas at the uppermost tier of the conference, but tier two isn't a bad place.
Wednesday brings us Vanderbilt visiting a suddenly shaky Tennessee team, while Texas hosts Texas Tech, Florida State will test Duke, as BYU brings a 6-1 road record to New Mexico where the unfriendly host is a stellar 12-1 at home.
Thursday's games include Wisconsin visiting Purdue in a Big 10 war, while Seton Hall travels to test a resurgent South Florida program. Wake Forest heads to Atlanta and a battle with Georgia Tech to top off the night.
Friday night's games presents an opportunity to do some early Valentine's Day shopping so you can keep watching as much as you want to - February into March. Buy the biggest box of chocolates you can find and the swankiest shop you can afford. Worked for me with all of my wives!
Saturday's lineup is strong with Duke visiting the nation's capitol and a game with the Hoyas of Georgetown. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt travels to Kentucky, Baylor drops in on Texas, and Kansas heads to Kansas State in a game neither team can afford to drop.
Minnesota is off to Ohio State on Sunday, while the ACC presents the top matchups of the Sunday before the Super Bowl. The suddenly resurgent Virginia Cavaliers navigate their way to Chapel Hill and a game against the reeling North Carolina Tar Heels, while Maryland heads to South Carolina and a matchup with Clemson.
Monday (Big Monday to the folks at ESPN), offers up UConn in Louisville, Texas paying a call on Oklahoma State and little else.
Enough for now, more later, and as always.....
Enjoy the hoops!
