14 Nov17 - Father Cardinal

Volume XIX, No. 2 - 14 Nov17 - [] Top 25 Ballot

Father Cardinal

There was only one true quality matchup the first weekend of the season: the Father-Son coaching clash of Louisville(Rick Pitino Sr.) and Minnesota(Richard Pitino Jr.) in the ARMED FORCES CLASSIC at Coast Guard Air Station BORINQUEN in Aguadilla, PUERTO RICO. fMontrezl Harrell delivered this year's first star turn with 30p7r, adding some outside jumpers to his physical play in the post as the Cardinals handled the Golden Gophers, 81-68.

    
Harvard got more than it could handle its city-rivalry matchup with Holy Cross, falling 57-58 as part of the COACHES VS CANCER [BOSTON] CLASSIC triple-header at the Garden. Worse than that, Memphis found a way to drop a home exhibition game, @70-74(OT) to {Christian Brothers} -- Yikes.

    
Iowa State's fGeorges Niang posted 30p9r5a in a @93-82 win over Oakland (despite 25p8r6a from fCorey Petros) in a WarmUp game in the CBE HALL OF FAME CLASSIC. (None of this year's crop of SuperFrosh had a monster debut in his first collegiate game.)

    
Boise State was an Unwelcome Guest champ of the LION CLASSIC, winning 77-@69 over host Loyola Marymount in the final. Meanwhile, host Army made the ALL-MILITARY CLASSIC a home showcase with a @92-86 final win over VMI.

Michigan State appears to be the Poor Relation at this year's CHAMPIONS CLASSIC double-header in Indianapolis -- the Spartans didn't add any can't-miss newcomers to a roster that lost three starters from last year's Elite 8/tourney champs; Kentucky is so loaded (7-0 cKarl-Anthony Towns et al.) that coach John Calipari has started the season using a platoon system (a "Blue Team" starting five swapped out entirely for a "White Team" second five); both Duke (7-0 cJahlil Okafor) and Kansas (6-8 fCliff Alexander) need their newcomers to lead the way immediately.

    
The BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS features five ranked teams (Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, UCLA) in its 8-team field; not far behind are DIAMOND HEAD (Wichita State, Colorado, Nebraska, plus George Washington) and MAUI (Arizona, BYU, plus San Diego State, Kansas State). Elsewhere, its only the expected finals that offer much high-profile matchups: COACHES VS CANCER (Duke-Stanford), 2KS (Texas-Syracuse), NIT SEASON TIP-OFF (Gonzaga-Minnesota), LEGENDS (Villanova-VCU semifinal), LAS VEGAS[THANKSGIVING] (Memphis-Illinois).

Here's a comprehensive list:

• ARMED FORCES CLASSIC 1Off Nov14 @ Aguadilla PR /CGAS BORINQUEN/: (Louisville-Minnesota)
  
• VETERANS' DAY CLASSIC DblHdr Nov14 @ Annapolis MD: (VCU-Tennessee, Michigan State-@Navy)
  
• CONNECTICUT SIX CLASSIC TrplHdr Nov14 @ Hamden CT: (Yale-@Quinnipiac, Fairfield-Central Connecticut State, Hartford-Sacred Heart)
  
• ALL-MILITARY CLASSIC Semis Nov14-15 @ West Point NY: (Air Force, @Army, The Citadel, VMI)
  
• LION CLASSIC Semis Nov14-15 @ Los Angeles CA: (UG:Boise State, @Loyola Marymount, @San Diego, SE Missoui State)
  
• RAINBOW CLASSIC RndRob(3) Nov14-17 @ Honolulu HI: (@Hawaii, Cal State-Bakersfield, High Point, Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
  
• (new)EAGLE CLASSIC RndRob(4) Nov14-23 on-campus: (@Eastern Michigan, Youngstown State, UNC-Greensboro, Longwood)
  
• (new)LAS VEGAS-MAIN EVENT 2x4; Semis Nov24,25 @ Las Vegas NV /MGM/: (Tulsa-Auburn, Oklahoma State-Oregon State)
  
• (new)CAWOOD LEDFORD CLASSIC RndRob(4) Nov14-28 on-campus: (@Kentucky)
  
• GS-A SHOWCASE RndRob(4) Nov14-28 on-campus: (@Louisville)
  
• HOOSIERS SHOWCASE RndRob(4) Nov14-28 on-campus: (SMU, @Indiana)
  
• CVC-BOSTON CLASSIC TrplHdr Nov16 @ Boston MA /GARDEN/: (@Harvard-@Holy Cross, @Boston College-@Massachusetts, @Northeastern-@Boston University)
  
• CHAMPIONS CLASSIC DblHdr Nov18 @ Indianapolis IN: (@Kentucky-@Kansas, @Duke-@Michigan State)
  
• 2KS CLASSIC 2x4; Semis Nov20-21 @ Fargo ND;New York NY /MSG/: (Texas-Iowa, @Syracuse-California; Hampton)
  
• PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF Qtrs Nov20-23 @ San Juan PR: (Connecticut-College of Charleston, Dayton-Texas A&M, West Virginia-George Mason, Boston College, New Mexico)
  
• CHARLESTON CLASSIC Qtrs Nov20-23 @ Charleston SC: (Penn State, USC, @South Carolina, Miami[Florida])
  
• CVC CLASSIC 3x4; Cons RndRob(3) @ Ruston LA;Bridgeport CT; Semis Nov21-22 @ Brooklyn NY /BARCLAYS/: (Duke-Temple, Stanford-UNLV; @Louisiana Tech, American; South Dakota, Sam Houston State, @Fairfield)
  
• (new)MEN VS BREAST CANCER CLASSIC RndRob(3) Nov21-23 @ Kent OH: (Southern Illinois, Yale, @Kent State, Illinois-Chicago)
  
• PARADISE JAM Qtrs Nov21-24 @ St. Thomas VI: (LSU, Clemson, Seton Hall-Nevada)
  
• HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF 2x4; Semis Nov22-23 @ Uncasville CT /MOHEGAN/: (Florida State-Providence, Notre Dame-Massachusetts; Northeastern)
  
• (new)BUCKEYE CLASSIC RndRob(4) Nov22-Dec6 on-campus (@Ohio State)
  
• MARV HARSHMAN CLASSIC DblHdr Nov23 @ Seattle WA: (@Washington-Pacific, @Seattle-Montana)
  
• CBE CLASSIC 3x4; Cons RndRob(3) @ Rochester MI;West Long Branch NJ; Semis Nov24-25 @ Kansas City MO: (Iowa State-Alabama, Maryland-Arizona State; @Oakland, Georgia State; Towson, @Monmouth)
  
• LEGENDS CLASSIC 2x4; Semis Nov24-25 @ Toledo OH;Brooklyn NY /BARCLAYS/: (Villanova-VCU, Michigan-Oregon; @Toledo)
  
• MAUI INVITATIONAL Qtrs Nov24-26 @ Lahaina HI: (Arizona-Missouri, BYU-San Diego State, Kansas State-Purdue, Pittsburgh-@{Chaminade})
  
• GULF COAST SHOWCASE Qtrs Nov24-26 @ Estero FL: (East Carolina-Green Bay, San Francisco, Fresno State-Evansville, @Florida Gulf Coast)
  
• CANCUN CHALLENGE 2x4; Semis Nov25-26 @ Cancun MEXICO: (Northwestern-Miami[Ohio], Virginia Tech-Northern Iowa)
  
• BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS Qtrs Nov26-28 @ Paradise Island BAHAMAS: (Wisconsin-UAB, North Carolina-Butler, Florida-Georgetown, Oklahoma-UCLA)
  
• NIT SEASON TIP-OFF 2x4; Semis Nov 26-28 @ New York NY /MSG/: (Gonzaga-Georgia, Minnesota-@St. John's)
  
• GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT Qtrs Nov26-29 @ Anchorage AK: (Washington State, Colorado State-Missouri State, Pacific)
  
• UTE INVITATIONAL RndRob(3) Nov26-29 @ Salt Lake City UT: (@Utah-Alabama State, North Dakota-TX Pan American)
  
• LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITATIONAL 2x4; Semis Nov27-28 @ Las Vegas NV /ORLEANS/: (Memphis-Baylor, Illinois-Indiana State)
  
• ORLANDO CLASSIC Qtrs Nov27-30 @ Orlando FL: (Kansas-Rhode Island, Michigan State-Rider, Tennessee-Santa Clara, Georgia Tech-Marquette)
  
• WOODEN LEGACY[ANAHEIM] Qtrs Nov27-30 @ Fullerton CA;Anaheim CA: (Washington-@San Jose State, Xavier-@San Diego, Princeton-UTEP, Western Michigan-@Long Beach State)
  
• BROOKLYN-THANKSGIVING CLASSIC 2x4; Semis Nov28-29 @ Jersey City NJ;Brooklyn NY /BARCLAYS/: (Virginia-La Salle, Rutgers-Vanderbilt; St. Francis[New York])
  
• (new)EMERALD COAST CLASSIC 2x4; Semis Nov28-29 @ Niceville FL: (Cincinnati-Middle Tennessee, Mississippi-Creighton; Northern Arizona)
  
• (new)CHALLENGE IN MUSIC CITY RndRob(3) Nov28-30 @ Nashville TN: (Drake, Portland, Valparaiso, Murray State)
  
• BIG 10/ACC CHALLENGE Dec1-3 on-campus: (@Wisconsin-Duke, @Maryland-Virginia, @North Carolina-Iowa, @Louisville-Ohio State, @Florida State-Nebraska, @Wake Forest-Minnesota, @Miami[Florida]-Illinois, @Michigan-Syracuse, @Purdue-N.C. State, @Indiana-Pittsburgh, @Notre Dame-Michigan State, @Clemson-Rutgers, @Penn State-Virginia Tech, @Northwestern-Georgia Tech) [ / Boston College does not play.]
  
• BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE Dec3-6 on-campus: (@Kentucky-Texas, @Kansas-Florida, @Iowa State-Arkansas, @Oklahoma-Missouri, @Tennessee-Kansas State, @West Virginia-LSU, @South Carolina-Oklahoma State, @Mississippi-TCU, @Vanderbilt-Baylor, @Texas Tech-Auburn) [ / Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, Texas A&M do not play.]
  
• GARDEN STATE CLASSIC 1Off Dec6 @ Newark NJ: (@Rutgers-@Seton Hall[NJ])
  
• BB&T CLASSIC DblHdr Dec7 @ Washington DC: (@George Washington-Charlotte, @Georgetown-@Towson[DC/MD])
  
• BIG APPLE CLASSIC {DblHdr} Dec 7 @ Brooklyn NY /BARCLAYS/: (Howard-N.C. Central, {Virginia State-Virginia Union})
  
• JIMMY V CLASSIC DblHdr Dec9 @ New York NY /MSG/: (Louisville-Indiana[BG], Villanova-Illinois)
  
• GOTHAM CLASSIC RndRob(4) Dec13-27 on-campus, @ New York NY /MSG/: (Richmond, Pepperdine)
  
• NEW YORK-HOLIDAY FESTIVAL DblHdr Dec14 @ New York NY: (@Manhattan-Rutgers, @St. John's-@Fordham[NewYork,NY])
  
• CABLE CAR CLASSIC RndRob(2) Dec17-23 @ Santa Clara CA: (@Santa Clara, Northeastern, Cal Poly-SLO)
  
• NJ-DEC/CQAP CLASSIC 1Off Dec18 @ East Rutherford NJ: (@Duke-Connecticut)
  
• GF/WV CLASSIC RndRob(3) Dec18-20 @ Logan UT: (@Utah State-SD State, Cal State-Bakersfield-Idaho State)
  
• ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC 1Off Dec20 @ Sunrise FL: (@Florida-Wake Forest, @Florida State-@South Florida[FL])
  
• BIG FOUR CLASSIC DblHdr Dec20 @ Drake: (@Iowa State-@Northern Iowa[IA BIG 4], @Drake-@Iowa State[IA BIG 4])
  
• LAS VEGAS-SHOWCASE DblHdr Dec20 @ Las Vegas NV /MGM/: (West Virginia-N.C. State, Richmond-Papperdine)
  
• CROSSROADS CLASSIC DblHdr Dec20 @ Indianapolis IN: (@Purdue-@Notre Dame[IN], @Indiana-@Purdue[IN])
  
• LAS VEGAS-HOLIDAY CLASSIC Semis Dec21-22 @ Las Vegas NV /S POINT/: (Bradley-UC_Irvine, Green Bay-Arkansas_Little Rock)
  
• DON HASKINS/SUN BOWL Semis Dec21-22 @ El Paso TX: (@UTEP-Alcorn State, Kent State-ND State)
  
• BROOKLYN-HOLIDAY INVITATIONAL DblHdr Dec22 @ Brooklyn NY /BARCLAYS/: (Providence-Miami[Florida], @Fordham-@Manhattan[NewYork,NY])
  
• LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC 2x4; Semis Dec22-23 @ Las Vegas NV /ORLEANS/: (Texas Tech-Loyola[Illinois], Houston-Boise State)
  
• DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC Qtrs Dec22-25 @ Honolulu HI: (Wichita State-Loyola Marymount, Colorado-DePaul, Nebraska-@Hawaii, George Washington-Ohio University)
  
• (new)NYC-CHRISTMAS/I INVITATIONAL 1Off Dec27 @ New York NY /MSG/: (Indiana-Georgetown)
  
• BROOKLYN-WINTER FESTIVAL TrplHdr Dec28 @ Brooklyn NY /BARCLAYS/: (@St. John's-Tulane, Loyola[Maryland]-Fairfield, @Hofstra-@Long Island[NewYork,NY])
  

ESPN's COLLEGE HOOPS TIP-OFF MARATHON begins MONDAY OVERNIGHT (7PM Monday, actually) and runs ALL-DAY TUESDAY featuring Kentucky, Wichita State, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Gonzaga, Colorado, Ohio State, VCU plus San Diego State, Utah, SMU, Memphis). Enjoy.

-- Ron

Key games this week:

Monday:

@Florida-MiamiFL(FL), @Gonzaga-SMU, @Colorado-Auburn, @Drexel-StJosephs(PhiladelphiaPA), @StMarys-NewMexicoSt, @MorganSt-Towson(BaltimoreMD),

BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD - I

-(@Lipscomb-Belmont[NashvilleTN]),

RAINBOW CLASSIC RndRob3/3 @ HonoluluHI/Hawaii/

-(@Hawaii-HighPt, CalStBakersfield-ARPineBluff),

Monday-Tuesday:

(TIP-OFF MARATHON)

• Monday
  
• (7Pet): @ {wKentucky} v {wBaylor}
  
• (7Pet): @ Florida v Miami-FL (FL)
  
• (9Pet): @ {wStanford} v {wConnecticut}
  
• (11Pet): @ Gonzaga v SMU
  
• (11Pet): @ Oregon v Detroit (LEGENDS CLASSIC)
  
• Tuesday
  
• (1Aet): @ Colorado v Auburn
  
• (3Aet): @ St Mary's v New Mexico St
  
• (5Aet): @ Hawaii v High Pt (RAINBOW CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI /Hawaii/)
  
• (7Aet): @ Wofford v Iona
  
• (9Aet): @ Stephen F Austin v No Iowa
  
• (11Aet): @ Massachusetts v Manhattan
  
• (12Net): @ Baylor v S Carolina
  
• (2Pet): Wichita St v Memphis (??? @ Sioux Falls, SD /PENTAGON/)
  
• (4Pet): @ San Diego St v Utah
  
• (6Pet): @ VCU v Toledo (LEGENDS CLASSIC)
  
• (7Pet): @Duke v @Michigan St (CHAMPIONS CLASSIC @ Indianapolis, IN)
  
• (7.30Pet): @ Ohio St v Marquette
  
• (9Pet): @Kentucky v @Kansas (CHAMPIONS CLASSIC @ Indianapolis, IN)
  
• (9.30Pet): @ LSU v Texas Tech
  

Monday-Saturday:

2KS CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ FargoND/NDState/; 3rd/Semis @ NewYorkNY/MSG/

-(A: Texas, Iowa, @NDState, KennesawSt;

   B: @Syracuse, California, Hampton, AlcornSt),

Monday-Sunday:

CVC CLASSIC 3x4 WarmUp2 on-campus; Cons 2nd/RndRob3 @ RustonLA/LouisianaTech/, BridgeportCT/Fairfield/; 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

-(Semis: Duke-Temple, Stanford-UNLV;

   ConsA: @LouisianaTech, American, MoreheadSt, Presbyterian;

   ConsB: SDakota, SamHoustonSt, @Fairfield, Wofford),

Monday-Tuesday week:

LEGENDS CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ ToledoOH/Toledo/, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

-(Semis: Villanova-VCU, Michigan-Oregon;

   Cons Semis: @Toledo-Bucknell, Detroit-MDEaShore),

Monday-Wednesday week:

MAUI INVITATIONAL 8Bracket WarmUp1 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ LittleRockAR/ARLittleRock/; 2nd/Qtrs @ LahainaHI/{Chaminade}/

-(Arizona-Missouri, KansasSt-Purdue, BYU-SanDiegoSt, Pittsburgh-@{Chaminade}),

(new)LAS VEGAS-MAIN EVENT 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; 3rd/Semis @ LasVegasNV/MGM/

-(A: Tulsa, Auburn, Milwaukee;

   B: OklahomaSt, OregonSt, OralRoberts, Louisiana),

HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ UncasvilleCT/MOHEGAN/

-(A: FloridaSt, Providence, Navy, Northeastern;

   B: NotreDame, Massachusetts, Manhattan, SUNYB),

Monday-Friday week:

(new)CAWOOD LEDFORD CLASSIC RndRob4 on-campus

-(@Kentucky, Buffalo, TXArlington, {GrandCanyon}, MontanaSt),

GS-A SHOWCASE RndRob4 on-campus

-(@Louisville, Marshall, ClevelandSt, JacksonvilleSt, SavannahSt),

CBE CLASSIC 3x4 WarmUp2 on-campus; Cons 2nd/RndRob3 @ RochesterMI/Oakland/, WestLongBranchNJ/Monmouth/; 3rd/Semis @ KansasCityMO

-(Semis: IowaSt-Alabama, Maryland-ArizonaSt;

   ConsA: @Oakland, WeCarolina, GeorgiaSt, ChicagoSt;

   ConsB: Towson, @Monmouth, BethuneCookman, CConnecticutSt),

HOOSIERS SHOWCASE RndRob4 on-campus

-(SMU, @Indiana, Lamar, EaWashington, TexasSo),

Monday-Saturday week:

NIT SEASON TIP-OFF 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ NewYorkNY/MSG/

-(Semis: Gonzaga-Georgia, Minnesota-@StJohns;

   Cons: StJosephs, WeKentucky, @StonyBrook, @LongIsland, {FranklinPierce}, {StThomasAquinas}),

Tuesday:

@OhioSt-Marquette, @SanDiegoSt-Utah, @SCarolina-Baylor, @LSU-TexasTech, @Massachusetts-Manhattan, @StephenFAustin-NoIowa, @Wofford-Iona,

CHAMPIONS CLASSIC DblHdr @ IndianapolisIN

-(@Kentucky-@Kansas, @Duke-@MichiganSt),

??? 1Off @ SiouxFallsSD /PENTAGON/

-(WichitaSt-Memphis),

Tuesday-Sunday week:

WOODEN LEGACY/ANAHEIM CLASSIC 8Bracket WarmUp1 on-campus; 2nd/Qtrs @ FullertonCA/CalStFullerton/,AnaheimCA

-(Washington-@SanJoseSt, WeMichigan-@LongBeachSt, Xavier-@SanDiego, Princeton-UTEP).

Wednesday:

@Wisconsin-GreenBay(WI), @Arizona-UCIrvine, @LoyolaMD-MDBaltimoreCo(BaltimoreMD),

Wednesday-Sunday week:

CANCUN CHALLENGE 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ Cancun MEXICO

-(A: Northwestern, MiamiOH, Elon, MorganSt;

   B: VirginiaTech, NoIowa, NFlorida, Liberty),

Thursday:

@Vanderbilt-Lipscomb(NashvilleTN),

Thursday-Sunday:

PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF Qtrs @ San Juan PR

-(Connecticut-ColofCharleston, Dayton-TexasA&M, WVirginia-GeoMason, BostonCol-NewMexico),

CHARLESTON CLASSIC Qtrs @ Charleston SC

-(PennSt-Charlotte, @SCarolina-Cornell, USC-Akron, MiamiFL-Drexel),

Thursday-Saturday week:

(new)EMERALD COAST CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ NicevilleFL

-(A: Cincinnati, MidTennessee, EaIllinois, NCCentral;
   B: Mississippi, Creighton, NoArizona, Southern),

Friday:

@Virginia-GeoWashington(VA/DC), @Washington-@Seattle(SeattleWA),

Friday-Monday week:

PARADISE JAM Qtrs @ St.ThomasUSVI

-(LSU-OldDominion, IllinoisSt-WeberSt, Clemson-GardnerWebb, SetonHall-Nevada),

Friday-Tue 2 Dec:

LAS VEGAS-THANKSGIVING INVITAITONAL 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/

-(A: Memphis, Baylor, StephenFAustin, PrairieViewA&M;

   B: Illinois, IndianaSt, Brown, AustinPeay),

Friday-Sunday:

(new)MABC CLASSIC RndRob3 @ KentOH

-(SoIllinois, Yale, @KentSt, ILChicago),

(new)EAGLE CLASSIC RndRob3 @ YpsilntiMI

-(@EaMichigan, YoungstownSt, UNCGreensboro, Longwood),

Friday-Saturday week:

BROOKLYN-THANKSGIVING CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ JerseyCityNJ/StPeters/, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

-(Semis: Virginia-LaSalle, Rutgers-Vanderbilt;

   Cons Semis: @StPeters-TennesseeSt, NorfolkSt-StFrancisNY),

Saturday:

@SoUtah-UTValley(UT),

Saturday-Saturday week:

(new)BUCKEYE CLASSIC RndRob4 on-campus

-(@OhioSt, Colgate, JamesMadison, SacredHeart, Campbell),

Sunday:

MARV HARSHMAN CLASSIC DblHdr @ SeattleWA

-(@Washington-Pacific, @Seattle-Montana),

- - - - - -

Monday week:

BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD - II

-(@Belmont-Lipscomb[NashvilleTN]),

Monday week-Wednesday week:

GULF CAST SHOWCASE Qtrs @ EsteroFL

-(ECarolina-GreenBay, FresnoSt-Evansville, SanFrancisco-Hawaii, Marist-@FLGulfCoast),

Monday week-Sunday week:

ORLANDO CLASSIC WarmUp1 on-campus; Qtrs @ OrlandoFL

-(Kansas-Rhode Island, Tennessee-SantaClara, MichiganSt-Rider, GeorgiaTech-Marquette).

---

Top 25 - 14 Nov17 - [] Column

1. Kentucky (1-0)
   
2. Wisconsin (1-0)
   
3. Wichita State (1-0)
   
4. Arizona (2-0)
   
5. Virginia (2-0)
   
6. North Carolina (2-0)
   
7. Texas (2-0)
   
8. Louisville (1-0) (ARMED)
   
9. Duke (2-0)
   
10. Florida (1-0)
    
11. Iowa State (1-0)
    
12. Kansas (1-0)
    
13. Gonzaga (1-0)
    
14. Villanova (1-0)
    
15. Oklahoma (1-0)
    
16. Colorado (1-0)
    
17. Nebraska
    
18. Connecticut (1-0)
    
19. Ohio State
    
20. UCLA (2-0)
    
21. Minnesota (0-1)
    
22. VCU (1-0)
    
23. George Washington (2-0)
    
24. Louisiana Tech (1-0)
    
25. BYU (1-0)
    

Honorable Mention:

Holy Cross (1-0) (CVC-BOSTON), {Christian Brothers}.

14 Nov10 - Top 25 (PRESEASON)

Oops! -- Ron

Top 25 - 14 Nov10: PRESEASON - [] Column

Lville's jump from the AMER marks the official bookend of the Great Conference Migration culminating in the completion of the now Mega-ACC (complete with 4 Hall of Fame/National Champ coaches at once).

    
Reloaded UK and veteran Wisc look to finish the jobs they left short from last year's Final Four runs; WichSt and AZ aren't too far short of what they were last year, either. Gonz figures to lead the MMs (but 'Nova [falling BIG E] and Harv [rising IVY] may fit the category by season's end). GBay, GaSt, NMSt, Murray/CIT, Siena/CBI and even LaTech are most likely to be 1BC breakthroughs.

    
Both the BIG 12 and PAC-12 look to be stronger top-to-bottom than the diluted BIG 10 and the top-heavy ACC.

   
Disgraced coaches Sampson(Houston) and Pearl(Auburn) are back.

   
Wisconsin's xFrank Kaminsky comes out of the gate as lead contender for Player Of The Year. Texas' cMyles Turner looks to have the easiest transition among the SuperFrosh.

1. Kentucky
   
2. Wisconsin
   
3. Wichita State
   
4. Arizona
   
5. Virginia
   
6. North Carolina
   
7. Texas
   
8. Florida
   
9. Louisville
   
10. Iowa State
    
11. Duke
    
12. Kansas
    
13. Gonzaga
    
14. Villanova
    
15. Harvard
    
16. Minnesota
    
17. Oklahoma
    
18. Colorado
    
19. Nebraska
    
20. Louisiana Tech
    
21. Connecticut
    
22. Ohio State
    
23. UCLA
    
24. Memphis
    
25. BYU
    

Worth keeping an eye on:

Dayton, George Washington, Georgia State, Green Bay, Illinois, Kansas State, Murray State, New Mexico State, San Diego State, Siena, SMU, Stanford, Toledo, Utah.

14 Nov10 - Mega-Morphosis (PRESEASON)

Volume XIX, No. 1 - 14 Nov10: PRESEASON - [] Top 25 Ballot

Mega-Morphosis

Hey, all. I most likely won't be able to keep the HLS website up to date in a timely fashion during the month of November, (but I'll do my best). Things hould be back to normal in December, though. (The Pigskin Pool should be unaffected.) Bear with me in the meantime. -- Ron

---

Last year, Kentucky's overstuffed roster of SuperFrosh started the season proclaiming its intention to post an undefeated 40-0 season. Reality set in, however, as it turned out to be harder than the young Wildcats realized to turn a group individual talents into a championship team as they watched a veteran Florida squad go undefeated in SEC conference play (TiTo) instead. Moreover, it was a Mid-Major, um, make that 1BC/Anti-Spoiler team, Wichita State, which actually did post an undefeated season, entering the NCAA tournament without a loss. It wound up being the UK All-Stars who finally ended the WheatShockers' perfect run in one of the all-time great games in NCAA tournament history. The Wildcats went on to join their conferencemate Gators in the Final Four along with a Wisconsin team whose offensive prowess matched its perennially stingy defense.

    
Individually, Creighton's xDoug McDermott was the Consensus Player Of The Year, capping a 3000-point career with his team's third-straight 32-Splash finish in the NCAAs; but it was The Salutatorian, Connecticut's bShabazz Napier, who nearly single-handedly won many a big game for the Huskies during the regular season, that ended up leading UConn to its (and his) second national championship in four years.

The advent of the new College Football Playoff system (culminating in a Committee-picked Final Four playing for the National Championship) marks the official end
of the previous Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system. In basketball, Louisville's move from the one-year-old AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE to the ATLANTIC COAST counts as the final postscript to the end of the multi-year Great Conference Migration; it also completes the formation of the Mega-ACC. While the depth of quality teams isn't there immediately for it to challenge the Mega-BIG EAST at its height (11 NCAA bids and 7 32-Splash teams in 2011), it is the first conference that can boast of having 4 programs headed by Hall of Fame coaches (Duke/Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina/Roy Williams, Louisville/Rick Pitino and Syracuse/Jim Boeheim), each with at least one National Championship under his belt, including the two winningest coaches of all-time (Krzyzewski and Boeheim). All except for the SU Orange have serious designs on this year's national title; Virginia has a TiTo champ squad fully capable of repeating while the veteran UL Cardinals are looking to go TiTo themselves in their third conference in three years (after being BIG EAST '13 tri-champs and AMERICAN '14 co-champs).

    
Losing Lville has downgraded the AMERICAN, but it's the addition of Maryland(ACC) and Rutgers(AMERICAN) that has diluted the BIG 10. For overall depth of quality teams, both the BIG 12 and PACIFIC-12 look to be headed for power-packed seasons both inside and outside of conference play. (In particular, retooling Kansas figures to be pushed hard by Texas' returning five in pursuit to add to its streak of TEN-STRAIGHT TITLES in the BIG 12.

With three starters back from last year's National Runner-Up (and yet another injection of can't-miss freshmen), it's actually this year's Kentucky team that has a more legitimate shot at attaining The U-Word. Veteran Wisconsin (led by Player Of The Year candidate xFrank Kaminsky) is the only other team from last year's Final Four that can pick up right where it left off in April. Wichita State still has three (backcourt) starters from last year's perfectionists; Arizona may have enough incoming talent to compensate for its losses without missing a beat; Texas has everybody back plus its own SuperFrosh; elsewhere, the likes of North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Ohio State and UCLA are expecting incoming players to be the headliners of what they hope will be elite seasons.

    
Gonzaga has made itself the standard for Mid-Major excellence ... at least in the regular season where the Bulldogs have now won THIRTEEN OF THE LAST FOURTEEN TITLES (including 10 TiTo crowns); but in the postseason, it's a different story -- the 'Zags have now posted five-straight 32-Splash finishes (including in 2013, when they were a No.1 seed) and just two Sweet 16 finishes in the past thirteen years (after debuting on the national scene with three-straight Sweet 16's, beginning with an Elite 8 introduction). Meanwhile, first Butler (with two-straight National Runner-Up finishes in 2010-11) and now Wichita State (with a Final Four finish in 2013 and a perfect regular season in 2014) have both shone brighter (if more briefly) than GU in the NCAA tourney. Gonz and WichSt both figure to be major powers this season; Harvard seems a lock add its streak of FOUR-STRAIGHT TITLES in the IVY league (unless a strong returning five at Yale can make enough noise in the preseason or else Crash the Party with the regular season title and turn the IVIES into a two-bid league). Now that "Elvis has left the building" at Creighton, the mini-BIG EAST may well drop from Mid-Major down to just a 1BC/Anti-Spoiler league if no one besides Villanova emerges as an NCAA-worthy squad.

    
For Splashworthy 1BCs, look no further than veteran Green Bay(gKeifer Sykes)/HORIZON, retooling Georgia State(tR.J. Hunter and pRyan Harrow)/SUN BELT, New Mexico State(gDaniel Mullings)/WAC, veteran CIT champ Murray State(cJarvis Williams)/OHIO VALLEY and CBI champ Siena/MAAC's returning five. (Conference USA has pared down slighty from last year's 16-team monstrosity, but unless Louisiana Tech or maybe UTEP can do something special, it figures to be irrelevant once again.)

    
Some key conference membership changes have created power vacuums in leagues without their traditional flagship programs. Davidson doesn't appear to be ready to contend in the ATLANTIC 10 right away; but can newcomer Mercer take over in the Southern Conference in the Wildcats' place? And does Florida Gulf Coast now have free reign to dominate the ATLANTIC SUN with its nemesis Bears no longer around?

Former disgraced coaches Kelvin Sampson(Houston) and Bruce Pearl(Auburn) have returned from banishment Veteran coach Mike Montgomery retired at California, replaced by Cuonzo Martin (who left Tennessee). Danny Manning(Wake Forest) left Tulsa, replaced by Frank Haith (who left Missouri); Buzz Williams left Marquette (and the BIG EAST) for Virginia Tech (and the ACC), replaced by (former Duke star) Steve Wojciechowski. Other notables who are out: Steve Donahue(Boston College), Mike Jarvis(Florida Atlantic), Stan Heath(South Florida), Craig Robinson(Oregon State); notables who are in: Ernie Kent(Washington State) and (former Kentucky star) Scott Padgett(Samford).

The inside-outside capability that Wisconsin cFrank Kaminsky displayed on the way to the Badgers' Final Four finish makes him the preseason favorite for Player Of The Year; Iowa State's fGeorges Niang has great versatility as well; Louisville's fMontrezl Harrell is an unstoppable brute force in the paint; BYU's gTyler Haws shoots and scores with abandon; North Carolina's pMarcus Paige should have scorers to pass to this season.

    
Among the SuperFrosh, Texas' 6-11 cMyles Turner (who joins an intact starting five) joins the best veteran cast; Arizona's 6-6 tStanley Johnson should flourish joining a solid nucleus; 6-10 cKarl-Anthony Towns' talent will be needed right away at Kentucky as will both 6-8 fCliff Alexander's and 6-6 fKelly Oubre's at Kansas along with both 6-7 tJustin Jackson and 6-5 tTheo Pinson at North Carolina; 6-10 cJahlil Okafor must be Duke's centerpiece from the start as must 6-8 fKevon Looney at UCLA and 6-5 tD'Angelo Russell at Ohio State.

It's Rick Pitino (Sr.) vs Richard Pitino (Jr.) on the sidelines at the ARMED FORCES CLASSIC (Saturday) when Louisville meets Minnesota on the Coast Guard Air Ship BORINQUEN in Aguadilla, PUERTO RICO.

    
(Don't forget ESPN's 24-hour(+) TIP-OFF MARATHON at the beginning of next week: Monday overnight/all-day Tuesday, concluding with the latest installment of the CHAMPIONS CLASSIC double-header series featuring Kentucky-Kansas, Duke-Michigan State.)

This year, we're on the road to INDIANAPOLIS!!!

-- Ron

Key games this week:

Friday:

@WichitaSt-NewMexicoSt, @Harvard-{MIT}(BostonMA), @UtahSt-WeberSt(UT),

(7P):@GeorgiaTech-Georgia(GA),

ARMED FORCES CLASSIC 1Off @ AguadillaPR/CGAS BORINQUEN/

-(Louisville-Minnesota),

VETERAN'S DAY CLASSIC DblHdr @ AnnapolisMD/Navy/

-(VCU-Tennessee, @Navy-MichiganSt),

CONNECTICUT SIX CLASSIC TrplHdr @ HamdenCT/Quinnipiac/

-(@Quinnipiac-@Yale[CT][CT6], @Fairfield-@CConnecticutSt[CT][CT6], @Hartford-@SacredHeart[CT][CT6]),

ELGIN BAYLOR CLASSIC-(@Seattle-TexasSt),

Friday-Saturday:

LION CLASSIC Semis @ LosAngelesCA/LoyolaMarymount/

-(BoiseSt-@SanDiego, @LoyolaMarymount-SEMissouriSt),

ALL-MILITARY CLASSIC Semis @ WestPointNY/Army/

-(@Army-AirForce[MIL], VMI-TheCitadel[MIL]),

Friday-Saturday, Monday week:

RAINBOW CLASSIC RndRob3 @ HonoluluHI/Hawaii/

-(@Hawaii, CalStBakersfield, HighPt, ARPineBluff),

Friday-Saturday week:

2KS CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ FargoND/NDState/; 3rd/Semis @ NewYorkNY/MSG/

-(A: Texas, Iowa, @NDState, KennesawSt;

   B: @Syracuse, California, Hampton, AlcornSt,

Friday-Sunday week:

CVC CLASSIC 3x4 WarmUp2 on-campus; Cons 2nd/RndRob3 @ RustonLA/LouisianaTech/, BridgeportCT/Fairfield/; 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

-(Semis: Duke-Temple, Stanford-UNLV;

   ConsA: @LouisianaTech, American, MoreheadSt, Presbyterian;

   ConsB: SDakota, SamHoustonSt, @Fairfield, Wofford),

Friday-Wed 26 Nov:

MAUI INVITATIONAL 8Bracket WarmUp1 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ LittleRockAR/ARLittleRock/; 2nd/Qtrs @ LahainaHI/{Chaminade}/

-(Arizona-Missouri, KansasSt-Purdue, BYU-SanDiegoSt, Pittsburgh-@{Chaminade}),

(new)LAS VEGAS-MAIN EVENT 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; 3rd/Semis @ LasVegasNV/MGM/

-(A: Tulsa, Auburn, Milwaukee;

   B: OklahomaSt, OregonSt, OralRoberts, Louisiana),

HALL OF FAME TIP-OFF 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ UncasvilleCT/MOHEGAN/

-(A: FloridaSt, Providence, Navy, Northeastern;

   B: NotreDame, Massachusetts, Manhattan, SUNYB),

Friday-Fri 28 Nov:

(new)CAWOOD LEDFORD CLASSIC RndRob4 on-campus

-(@Kentucky, Buffalo, TXArlington, {GrandCanyon}, MontanaSt),

GS-A SHOWCASE RndRob4 on-campus

-(@Louisville, Marshall, ClevelandSt, JacksonvilleSt, SavannahSt),

CBE CLASSIC 3x4 WarmUp2 on-campus; Cons 2nd/RndRob3 @ RochesterMI/Oakland/, WestLongBranchNJ/Monmouth/; 3rd/Semis @ KansasCityMO

-(Semis: IowaSt-Alabama, Maryland-ArizonaSt;

   ConsA: @Oakland, WeCarolina, GeorgiaSt, ChicagoSt;

   ConsB: Towson, @Monmouth, BethuneCookman, CConnecticutSt),

HOOSIERS SHOWCASE RndRob4 on-campus

-(SMU, @Indiana, Lamar, EaWashington, TexasSo),

Saturday:

MAYOR'S CUP 1Off @ TulsaOK

-(@OralRoberts-Tulsa[TulsaOK]),

Sunday:

@Arkansas-AlabamaSt,

CVC-BOSTON CLASSIC TrplHdr @ BostonMA/GARDEN/

-(@Harvard-@HolyCross[MA], @BostonCol-@Massachusetts[MA], @Northeastern-@BostonU[BostonMA]),

Sunday, Wed-Fri 26-28 Nov:

BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS 8Bracket WarmUp1 on-campus; 2nd/Qtrs @ ParadiseIslandBAHAMAS

-(Wisconsin-UAB, Florida-Georgetown, NCarolina-Butler, Oklahoma-UCLA),

Sunday-Sat 29 Nov:

BROOKLYN-THANKSGIVING CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ JerseyCityNJ/StPeters/, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

-(Semis: Virginia-LaSalle, Rutgers-Vanderbilt;

   Cons Semis: @StPeters-TennesseeSt, NorfolkSt-StFrancisNY),

- - - - - -

Monday week:

@Florida-MiamiFL(FL), @Gonzaga-SMU, @Colorado-Auburn, @Drexel-StJosephs[PhiladelphiaPA], @StMarys-NewMexicoSt, @MorganSt-Towson[BaltimoreMD]),

BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD - I-(@Lipscomb-Belmont[NashvilleTN]),

Monday-Tuesday week:

(TIP-OFF MARATHON)

• Monday
  
• (7Pet): @ {wKentucky} v {wBaylor}
  
• (7Pet): @ Florida v Miami-FL (FL)
  
• (9Pet): @ {wStanford} v {wConnecticut}
  
• (11Pet): @ Gonzaga v SMU
  
• (11Pet): @ Oregon v Detroit (LEGENDS CLASSIC)
  
• Tuesday
  
• (1Aet): @ Colorado v Auburn
  
• (3Aet): @ St Mary's v New Mexico St
  
• (5Aet): @ Hawaii v High Pt (RAINBOW CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI /Hawaii/)
  
• (7Aet): @ Wofford v Iona
  
• (9Aet): @ Stephen F Austin v No Iowa
  
• (11Aet): @ Massachusetts v Manhattan
  
• (12Net): @ Baylor v S Carolina
  
• (2Pet): Wichita St v Memphis (??? @ Sioux Falls, SD /PENTAGON/)
  
• (4Pet): @ San Diego St v Utah
  
• (6Pet): @ VCU v Toledo (LEGENDS CLASSIC)
  
• (7Pet): @Duke v @Michigan St (CHAMPIONS CLASSIC @ Indianapolis, IN)
  
• (7.30Pet): @ Ohio St v Marquette
  
• (9Pet): @Kentucky v @Kansas (CHAMPIONS CLASSIC @ Indianapolis, IN)
  
• (9.30Pet): @ LSU v Texas Tech
  

Monday week-Tue 25 Nov:

LEGENDS CLASSIC 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Cons 3rd/Semis @ ToledoOH/Toledo/, 3rd/Semis @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/

-(Semis: Villanova-VCU, Michigan-Oregon;

   Cons Semis: @Toledo-Bucknell, Detroit-MDEaShore),

Monday week-Sat 29 Nov:

NIT SEASON TIP-OFF 2x4 RndRob2 on-campus; Semis @ NewYorkNY/MSG/

-(Semis: Gonzaga-Georgia, Minnesota-@StJohns;

   Cons: StJosephs, WeKentucky, @StonyBrook, @LongIsland, {FranklinPierce}, {StThomasAquinas}),

Tuesday week:

@OhioSt-Marquette, @SanDiegoSt-Utah, @SCarolina-Baylor, @LSU-TexasTech, @GeorgiaTech-AlabamaA&M, @Georgetown-TexasA&MCC, @Massachusetts-Manhattan, @StephenFAustin-NoIowa, @Wofford-Iona,

CHAMPIONS CLASSIC DblHdr @ IndianapolisIN

-(@Kentucky-@Kansas, @Duke-@MichiganSt),

??? 1Off @ SiouxFallsSD/PENTAGON/

-(WichitaSt-Memphis),

Tuesday week-Sun 30 Nov:

WOODEN LEGACY/ANAHEIM CLASSIC 8Bracket WarmUp1 on-campus; 2nd/Qtrs @ FullertonCA/CalStFullerton/,AnaheimCA

-(Washington-@SanJoseSt, WeMichigan-@LongBeachSt, Xavier-@SanDiego,
Princeton-UTEP).