16 Dec 5 - Days Of Yore
Volume XXI, No. 5 - 16 Dec 5 - [] Top 25 Ballot
Days Of Yore
For the past two seasons, the (15-team) Mega-ACC has flexed its muscles in the NCAA tournament thanks to its top-heavy quality; but the dead weight at the bottom of the league has kept it from being rated the No.1 league overall as compared to the (10-team) BIG 12. While that continues to be the case this year as well, there are signs that its depth is improving. For the first time in 8 years, the ACC has beaten the (14-team) BIG 10 in their annual head-to-head CHALLENGE, 9-5. Better yet, the road-win breakthroughs didn't come from the marquee national contenders. Instead, it was middle-of-the-pack Virginia Tech (who rallied to edge Michigan, 73-@70) and Pittsburgh (who won at Maryland, 73-@59) who provided the winning margin.
In the marquee matchups, Indiana (which already owns a neutral-site overtime win over Kansas at the ARMED FORCES CLASSIC) jumped out on North Carolina by 17 points and held the Tar Heels at bay the rest of the way for a convincing @76-67 win. (No team has two wins as good as the Hoosiers.) Louisville's no-name lineup did just fine against Purdue, winning @71-64. Unheralded Virginia Tech rallied on the road to edge Michigan (73-@70). Wisconsin attacked Syracuse's zone expertly and rolled (@77-60 controlling the boards 40-25). Duke didn't look great, but held off still struggling Michigan State (@78-69). Notre Dame handled Iowa (@92-78 behind cBonzie Colson[24p17r]). Virginia (living off the hype of its ultra-blowouts of no-account teams) got all it could handle from its first quality opponent, but rallied to edge Ohio State (@63-61).
The MOUNTAIN WEST figured to rout the struggling MISSOURI VALLEY in their head-to-head CHALLENGE, but it didn't happen. Instead, the MVC can do no worse than tie with a 5-4 lead with one road game left to go. Wichita State (at Colorado State) and Nevada (at Bradley) both road-routed their opponents; Indiana State (at Utah State) and Fresno State (at Drake) swapped (squeak) road wins. Loyola(Illinois) (over disappointing San Diego State) and (disappointing) Illinois State (over New Mexico) traded decent home wins. (Look for host UNLV to even the score past Southern Illinois on Mon 19 Dec.)
It was a 1-1 split in the mini-CHALLENGE between the PAC-12 and WEST COAST at the HALL OF FAME-LOS ANGELES-B double-header as Gonzaga beat Arizona (69-62) in solid (if unspectacular) fashion while "host" USC beat BYU (@91-84 despite 29p9r from cEric Mika).
In other specialty events, Illinois routed VCU (64-46) while host Miami(Florida) thumped Wofford (@74-57) at the HALL OF FAME-MIAMI-C double-header. Kentucky went all the way to the BAHAMAS to rout Arizona State (115-69 on De'Aaron Fox' triple-double[14p10a11r]) at the BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS-A SHOWCASE.
Host California and Colorado State both went 3-0 in the BEARS CLASSIC 4-round robin to share the crown. Three teams went 2-1 (while only Colgate went 0-3) at the new HOLY CITY CLASSIC 3-round robin as both ASUN/South Carolina Upstate and BIGS/Campbell were Unwelcome tri-champs (along with host SOCON/The Citadel).
In annual grudges, Providence edged Rhode Island (@63-60) in their State Title showdown. Auburn edged state-rival host UAB (74-@70). Little Rock edged host Central Arkansas (89-@87) in the first of two home-and-home games. Belmont edged arch-/city-rival Lipscomb (@64-62) in the first leg of this year's BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD.
Elsewhere, young UCLA went into Rupp Arena and ran with the Wildcats to win a track meet (97-@92 as six players posted double-figures) -- it's the best individual win by any team so far this season. Baylor continued its impressive preseason by pulling away from Xavier to win @76-61. Virginia couldn't handle its second B-Major opponent of the week as West Virginia came to town and left with a 66-@57 road win. The head-to-head point guard matchup didn't really materialize, but Cincinnati did escape in overtime on the road at Iowa State (55-@54[OT] on Jacob Evans' game-winning free throws). Valparaiso's cAlec Peters might be putting his name in the hat for Player Of The Year as his 27p9r;10/10ft effort led the Crusaders to a @65-62 (home) win over Rhode Island.
Stanford couldn't handle a tough week, falling at home to St. Mary's (@51-66 as bCalvin Hermanson[25p5r] starred) and then getting routed on the road at Kansas (74-@89 despite 27p from Reid Travis). Texas-Arlington kept young Texas in the doldrums with a 72-@61 road win. The IVY standard-bearers continued to struggle as Princeton fell at VCU (70-@81) while Harvard tripped at home against George Washington.
{Grand Canyon}'s 5-11 gDeWayne Russell posted 42p in a losing effort against Louisville (@70-79).
You have to go back to the halcyon days of Bob Knight and John Wooden in the mid-1970s to find the last time Indiana and UCLA topped the national rankings together. Although neither current coach figures to be quite Hall of Fame calibre, both teams appear to be legitimate Final Four contenders for the long haul, to be sure.
- - - - - -
UCLA is too deep (and too big) to be challenged by visiting Michigan (Saturday). Villanova's backcourt toughness should be too much for Notre Dame to handle at the NEVER FORGET TRIBUTE (Saturday). Duke hopes to be closer to full strength when it meets tough Florida at JIMMY V (Tuesday). Butler's elite run will get a stiff challenge from tough Cincinnati (Saturday). St. Mary's' finesse game should overcome physical Texas-Arlington (Thursday). Wisconsin won't find it easy on the road at state-rival Marquette (Saturday). Kentucky's depth should be too much for visiting Valparaiso (Wednesday). Notre Dame looks to end Fort Wayne's Cinderella run (Tuesday).
Syracuse and Connecticut both hope to rekindle the glory (Monday) of The Greatest Game Ever Played (2009 BIG EAST quarterfinal -- six overtimes). Both host Michigan and visitor Texas need a bounce-back win (Tuesday). Seton Hall and Princeton could both go 2-0 (past California and host Hawaii) if form holds at the PEARL HARBOR INVITATIONAL (Tuesday-Wednesday).
Little Rock looks to sweep Central Arkansas (Saturday). Belmont will have a tough time sweeping Lipscomb on the road in the second leg of the BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD (Tuesday).
-- Ron
P.S. Don't forget: the deadline for this year's Pigskin Pool Party (Ron's free College Football Bowl Season Pool) is SATURDAY, 17-DECEMBER (12Net).
Top 25 - 16 Dec 5 - [] Column
Days Of Yore
For the past two seasons, the (15-team) Mega-ACC has flexed its muscles in the NCAA tournament thanks to its top-heavy quality; but the dead weight at the bottom of the league has kept it from being rated the No.1 league overall as compared to the (10-team) BIG 12. While that continues to be the case this year as well, there are signs that its depth is improving. For the first time in 8 years, the ACC has beaten the (14-team) BIG 10 in their annual head-to-head CHALLENGE, 9-5. Better yet, the road-win breakthroughs didn't come from the marquee national contenders. Instead, it was middle-of-the-pack Virginia Tech (who rallied to edge Michigan, 73-@70) and Pittsburgh (who won at Maryland, 73-@59) who provided the winning margin.
In the marquee matchups, Indiana (which already owns a neutral-site overtime win over Kansas at the ARMED FORCES CLASSIC) jumped out on North Carolina by 17 points and held the Tar Heels at bay the rest of the way for a convincing @76-67 win. (No team has two wins as good as the Hoosiers.) Louisville's no-name lineup did just fine against Purdue, winning @71-64. Unheralded Virginia Tech rallied on the road to edge Michigan (73-@70). Wisconsin attacked Syracuse's zone expertly and rolled (@77-60 controlling the boards 40-25). Duke didn't look great, but held off still struggling Michigan State (@78-69). Notre Dame handled Iowa (@92-78 behind cBonzie Colson[24p17r]). Virginia (living off the hype of its ultra-blowouts of no-account teams) got all it could handle from its first quality opponent, but rallied to edge Ohio State (@63-61).
The MOUNTAIN WEST figured to rout the struggling MISSOURI VALLEY in their head-to-head CHALLENGE, but it didn't happen. Instead, the MVC can do no worse than tie with a 5-4 lead with one road game left to go. Wichita State (at Colorado State) and Nevada (at Bradley) both road-routed their opponents; Indiana State (at Utah State) and Fresno State (at Drake) swapped (squeak) road wins. Loyola(Illinois) (over disappointing San Diego State) and (disappointing) Illinois State (over New Mexico) traded decent home wins. (Look for host UNLV to even the score past Southern Illinois on Mon 19 Dec.)
It was a 1-1 split in the mini-CHALLENGE between the PAC-12 and WEST COAST at the HALL OF FAME-LOS ANGELES-B double-header as Gonzaga beat Arizona (69-62) in solid (if unspectacular) fashion while "host" USC beat BYU (@91-84 despite 29p9r from cEric Mika).
In other specialty events, Illinois routed VCU (64-46) while host Miami(Florida) thumped Wofford (@74-57) at the HALL OF FAME-MIAMI-C double-header. Kentucky went all the way to the BAHAMAS to rout Arizona State (115-69 on De'Aaron Fox' triple-double[14p10a11r]) at the BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS-A SHOWCASE.
Host California and Colorado State both went 3-0 in the BEARS CLASSIC 4-round robin to share the crown. Three teams went 2-1 (while only Colgate went 0-3) at the new HOLY CITY CLASSIC 3-round robin as both ASUN/South Carolina Upstate and BIGS/Campbell were Unwelcome tri-champs (along with host SOCON/The Citadel).
In annual grudges, Providence edged Rhode Island (@63-60) in their State Title showdown. Auburn edged state-rival host UAB (74-@70). Little Rock edged host Central Arkansas (89-@87) in the first of two home-and-home games. Belmont edged arch-/city-rival Lipscomb (@64-62) in the first leg of this year's BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD.
Elsewhere, young UCLA went into Rupp Arena and ran with the Wildcats to win a track meet (97-@92 as six players posted double-figures) -- it's the best individual win by any team so far this season. Baylor continued its impressive preseason by pulling away from Xavier to win @76-61. Virginia couldn't handle its second B-Major opponent of the week as West Virginia came to town and left with a 66-@57 road win. The head-to-head point guard matchup didn't really materialize, but Cincinnati did escape in overtime on the road at Iowa State (55-@54[OT] on Jacob Evans' game-winning free throws). Valparaiso's cAlec Peters might be putting his name in the hat for Player Of The Year as his 27p9r;10/10ft effort led the Crusaders to a @65-62 (home) win over Rhode Island.
Stanford couldn't handle a tough week, falling at home to St. Mary's (@51-66 as bCalvin Hermanson[25p5r] starred) and then getting routed on the road at Kansas (74-@89 despite 27p from Reid Travis). Texas-Arlington kept young Texas in the doldrums with a 72-@61 road win. The IVY standard-bearers continued to struggle as Princeton fell at VCU (70-@81) while Harvard tripped at home against George Washington.
{Grand Canyon}'s 5-11 gDeWayne Russell posted 42p in a losing effort against Louisville (@70-79).
You have to go back to the halcyon days of Bob Knight and John Wooden in the mid-1970s to find the last time Indiana and UCLA topped the national rankings together. Although neither current coach figures to be quite Hall of Fame calibre, both teams appear to be legitimate Final Four contenders for the long haul, to be sure.
- - - - - -
UCLA is too deep (and too big) to be challenged by visiting Michigan (Saturday). Villanova's backcourt toughness should be too much for Notre Dame to handle at the NEVER FORGET TRIBUTE (Saturday). Duke hopes to be closer to full strength when it meets tough Florida at JIMMY V (Tuesday). Butler's elite run will get a stiff challenge from tough Cincinnati (Saturday). St. Mary's' finesse game should overcome physical Texas-Arlington (Thursday). Wisconsin won't find it easy on the road at state-rival Marquette (Saturday). Kentucky's depth should be too much for visiting Valparaiso (Wednesday). Notre Dame looks to end Fort Wayne's Cinderella run (Tuesday).
Syracuse and Connecticut both hope to rekindle the glory (Monday) of The Greatest Game Ever Played (2009 BIG EAST quarterfinal -- six overtimes). Both host Michigan and visitor Texas need a bounce-back win (Tuesday). Seton Hall and Princeton could both go 2-0 (past California and host Hawaii) if form holds at the PEARL HARBOR INVITATIONAL (Tuesday-Wednesday).
Little Rock looks to sweep Central Arkansas (Saturday). Belmont will have a tough time sweeping Lipscomb on the road in the second leg of the BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD (Tuesday).
-- Ron
P.S. Don't forget: the deadline for this year's Pigskin Pool Party (Ron's free College Football Bowl Season Pool) is SATURDAY, 17-DECEMBER (12Net).
- Key games this week:
- Monday:
- (new)TP/NEW YORK-DEC CLASSIC 1Off @ NewYorkNY/MSG/
-(@Syracuse-Connecticut),
(new)[C]BEARS CLASSIC RndRob4/4 on-campus
-(@EaShore-{CPenn}),
- Tuesday:
- @Villanova-@LaSalle(PhiladelphiaPA)(BIG5)(/PALESTRA/), @NotreDame-FtWayne(IN), @Michigan-Texas, @Harvard-Northeastern(BostonMA),
JIMMY V CLASSIC DblHdr @ NewYorkNY/MSG/
-(@Duke-Florida, Purdue-ArizonaSt),
BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD Home/Away2 on-campus
-(@Lipscomb-Belmont[NashvilleTN]),
- Tuesday-Wednesday:
- PEARL HARBOR INVITATIONAL RndRob2 @ PearlHarborHI/Hawaii/
-(SetonHall, Princeton, California, @Hawaii),
- Wednesday:
- @Gonzaga-Washington(WA), @WVirginia-WeCarolina(@CharlestonWV), Creighton-@Nebraska(NE), @Wisconsin-
IdahoSt, @Kentucky-Valparaiso(BG), @BYU-WeberSt(UT), @{GrandCanyon}-SanDiegoSt, @BostonCol-Harvard(BostonMA), @Maryland-Howard(MD/DC), @SMU-TCU(Dallas/FtWorthTX), @NewMexico-UTEP, @ArmyWP-AirForce(MIL), @FairleighDickinson-Iona, @Towson-LoyolaMD(BaltimoreMD), @SDakota-MontanaSt,
- Wednesday, Saturday:
- (new)HOLY CITY CLASSIC CoolDown1/1 on-campus
-(Wed: @TheCitadel-{ToccoaFalls};
Sat: @SCUpstate-{VirginiaWise}),
- Thursday:
- @StMarys-TXArlington, @MidTennessee-Vanderbilt(TN),
CY-HAWK SERIES 1Off on-campus
-(@Iowa-IowaSt[IA][BIG4]),
- Thursday-Thu 22 Dec:
- GOTHAM CLASSIC RndRob4 on-campus
-(Pacific, @Massachusetts, Rider,KennesawSt, NCA&T),
- Friday:
- Saturday:
- @UCLA-Michigan, @Gonzaga-
Akron, @Butler-Cincinnati, @Louisville-TexasSo, Wisconsin-@Marquette(WI), @Oklahoma-WichitaSt(@OklahomaCityOK), @Houston-RhodeIsland, @Texas-LongBeachSt, @KansasSt-WashingtonSt(@KansasCityMO), @NewMexicoSt-NewMexico(NM), @UTValley-UtahSt(UT), @GeoWashington-Howard(WashingtonDC), @LittleRock-CArkansas(AR), @Iona-OhioU,
(new)NEVER FORGET TRIBUTE CLASSIC DblHdr @ NewarkNJ
-(Villanova-NotreDame, Pittsburgh-PennSt[PA]),
LAS VEGAS-SHOWDOWN 1Off @ Las VegasNV/T-MOBILE/
-(Duke-@UNLV),
(new)HALL OF FAME-MIAMI-WINTER-E INVITATIONAL DblHdr @ MiamiFL
-(Georgetown-LaSalle, DePaul-Temple),
- Sunday:
- Florida-@FloridaSt(FL), @Drexel-StJosephs(PhiladelphiaPA),
BROOKLYN-WINTER FESTIVAL DblHdr @ BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/
-(@Kentucky-@Hofstra, @LongIsland-@StJohns[NewYorkNY]),
- - - - - - -
- Monday week:
- Monday week:
- (new)UA/NEW YORK-WINTER REUNION DblHdr @ NewYorkNY/MSG/
-(SCarolina-@SetonHall, Auburn-BostonCol).
Top 25 - 16 Dec 5 - [] Column
- Indiana (6-1) (:A.FORCES) (vACC)
- UCLA (9-0) [v3vWL/ANAHEIM]
- Gonzaga (8-0) [3:A/ORLANDO-B] (:PAC12)
- Baylor (8-0) [v3:ATLANTIS-B]
- Villanova (8-0) (@BIG10) [3:CHARLESTON{SC}]
- Kansas (7-1) (@@CHAMPS) [2v2vCBE]
- West Virginia (6-1)
- North Carolina (7-1) [v3:MAUI]
- South Carolina (8-0) [rr3v@BRKI-THANX-A]
- Duke (8-1) [2v2:HOF-A] (vBIG10)
- Butler (8-0) (vBIG10) [2v2:LVI-THANX]
- Creighton (8-0) (vBIG10) [3:PARADISE]
- Louisville (7-1) (vBIG10)
- St. Mary's (6-0) (vLV-WCC)
- Wisconsin (7-2) (vACC)
- Kentucky (7-1) (@@CHAMPS) [rr4vBLUEGRASS] (:ATLANTIS-A)
- Arizona (6-2) (:A.FORCES)
- Purdue (6-2) [2v2:CANCUN]
- Notre Dame (8-0) [2v2:LEGENDS] (vBIG10)
- Florida (7-1)
- Cincinnati (7-1)
- Virginia Tech (6-1) (@BIG10)
- Auburn (6-1)
- Virginia (7-1) [2v2:EMERALD]
- USC (8-0) (vWCC)
- Honorable Mention:
- Providence (6-2) (vRI), Valparaiso (6-1) [2v2:LV-MAIN],
Colorado State (5-2) .5[rr4@C/BEAR] (@CO),
South Carolina Upstate (4-5)/Campbell(3-4) .3[rr3@HOLY.CTY].
posted by Ron @ Tuesday, December 13, 2016
