11 Jan3 - Postiviely Charged

Volume XV, No. 9 - 11 Jan 3 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Positively Charged

As it turns out, I've seen more live college hoops games out of town than in town. I've seen Georgia Tech play, but haven't caught my usual share of Georgia State and Kennesaw State games.
     Last month, I caught Baylor-Arizona State (@68-54) in Waco -- huge front line, bLaceDarius Dunn can shoot them into or out of a game, how quickly freshman cPerry Jones III asserts his stardom will determine whether they can break through to the Sweet 16 or beyond. This past week, I was able to see UNLV at home against Central Michigan (@73-47), and St. Mary's play a home-away-from-home game in Las Vegas against Mississippi State (@94-72). [They were getting used to Orleans Arena which will host this year's WCC tournament.] The Rebels had a bad day shooting from outside, but their defense is solid -- Sweet 16, but no further. The Gaels' strength is their backcourt -- slow, but good shooters and scorers; they'll give struggling Gonzaga a run inside the WCC, but a first-round splash would be an overachievement.

After a preseason of neutral-site matchups, it's on to the positively charged environments of conference play. Results that you might expect in November and December can be quite different in January and February. Pittsburgh handled Connecticut with relative easy in front of a home crowd, @78-63. Notre Dame let Georgetown shoot itself out of the game from deep in its surprising @69-55 win; but the Fighting Irish had just as much trouble on the road themselves, falling at Syracuse 58-@70. Minnesota lost two road games: 62-@71 at Michigan State, and 60-@68 at Wisconsin; but Wisconsin lost 61-@69 on the road at Illinois.
     You'd expect the home wins and road losses to all even out -- except that ractically no league plays a complete balanced schedule anymore, so you have to do a bit more reading of tea leaves in this era. Losing a single-digit decision on the road isn't a major cause for concern; but double-digit (15+)-point losses or losing at home is a real worry. (Only Pitt over UConn counts as decisive in that respect.) West Virginia lost at home to St. John's, @71-81, as well as on the road at Marquette, 74-@79. Arizona fell 75-@76 at 7-6 Oregon State (coached by the President's brother-in-law, Craig Robinson).

Some few rivalry games are still going on. Kentucky completed the sweep of its Bluegrass Quartet rivals with an impressive road blowout of Louisville, 78-@63. The youngsters (pBrandon Knight, gDoron Lamb and fTerrence Jones) as well as senior cJosh Harrellson are coming into their own nicely.

Villanova has already wrapped up this year's Big 5 title, completing the sweep of the other D-I Phildadelphia schools with a @78-74 win over Temple. They don't play the sixth [non-BIG 5] Philly school, Drexel, though (which is a pretty good squad this year, actually.)

College of Charleston was the latest team to post a not-so-shocking-anymore upset of Tennessee, winning 91-@78 in Knoxville; but their celebration didn't last as they fell to Morehead State next time out, 49-@69.

Colorado State was the best among three 2-1 teams in the HILLTOP CHALLENGE at San Francisco (USF, Hampton); it's the Rams' second tourney win after taking the CANCUN GOVERNOR'S CUP in December.
     Didn't see it coming, but Georgia State registered an Unwelcome Guest victory, taking the DP CLASSIC crown over host Chattanooga, 81-@76 in the final.

In some of the few remaining out-of-conference clashes, Connecticut travels to Texas on Saturday; unbeaten Cincinnati hosts arch-rival Xavier on Thursday in the latest edition of the CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT; and Memphis gets to pile on to careening Tennessee on Wednesday.
     In conference play, UNLV hosts BYU on Wednesday in the first of this season's MWC Wars. (San Diego State and New Mexico are also tourney-worth, and more). Cleveland State gets its chance to challenge Butler's supremacy in the Horizon League when the Vikings travel to Indianapolis on Friday. St. John's (Monday vs Georgetown, Saturday at Notre Dame), Notre Dame (Tuesday vs Connecticut, Saturday vs St. John's) and Georgetown (Monday at St. John's, Saturday vs West Virginia) get double-duty this week in the rough-and-tumble Big East.

-- Ron

[P.S. Couldn't be happier that it was Stanford who stopped UConn's (admittedly great) 90-game win streak.]

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Top 25 - 11 Jan 3 - [] Column

1. Duke (13-0)
2. Ohio State (13-0)
3. Pittsburgh (13-1)
4. Syracuse (15-0)
5. Kansas (13-0)
6. Kentucky (11-2)
7. Notre Dame (12-2)
8. Georgetown (12-2)
9. Connecticut (11-1)
10. Missouri (13-1)
11. Texas (11-2)
12. Louisville (11-2)
13. UNLV (12-2)
14. San Diego State (13-0)
15. Texas A&M (11-1)
16. Washington (10-3)
17. Villanova (12-1)
18. Purdue (13-1)
19. BYU (13-1)
20. Vanderbilt (11-2)
21. Central Florida (12-0)
22. Illinois (12-3)
23. Michigan State (8-4)
24. Wisconsin (9-3)
25. St. John's (9-3)

Honorable Mention:

Oregon State (7-6), Morehead State (9-6), Georgia State (6-5) [2@D.P.]