Ed. Note: The conference call actually took place on Monday, but I had an ophthalmologist appointment and I’m pretty sure that they used just about the entire bottle of eye drops to dilate my eyes so I’m just starting to see straight again. The below entries are my some of the key points the coaches made, but are not direct quotes. If you want to listen to the coaches speak directly, click on the link next to their name.

Anthony Grant (Alabama) – Audio
- Defense: Last year their defense gave them a chance to be in every game that they played, but they had to have that solid defense because their offense was not always there.
- Returning players: Senario Hillman one of elite athletes in the SEC and can guard multiple positions. He will need to improve shot selection and decision-making, but is making strides. JaMychal Green adds size and strength to the frontcourt, which is as good as any team in the SEC. Should improve with an extra year of experience. Tony Mitchell had a very good freshman year and being named to SEC All-Freshman team was an accomplishment. Grant is looking for the players to make a jump between their first and second year in the Alabama program.

Tony Barbee (Auburn) – Audio / Key Quotes
- Lack of Experience: Starting over is exciting because you get to mold a new group of players. It will be hard to judge what he has until he sees the team together in the Fall.
- Plan: Focus on defense because they could be “offensively challenged” because they don’t know what they have outside of Frankie Sullivan. Given their lack of size on the inside they might have to focus on their offense around the 3-point line.

John Pelphrey (Arkansas) – Audio
- Frontcourt: They have Marshawn Powell on the inside, but will need to develop more on the inside to help support him.
- APR: We’re all working very hard. We want to see these young men improve in the classroom and on the court. He isn’t sure statistics over the short-term can adequately reflect the academic performance of a program, but is open to more long-term measures.
- Andre Clark: Aware of the transfer to TCU and does talk with players who have transferred if they contact him about an issue.

Billy Donovan (Florida) – Audio
- Backcourt: Didn’t know what to expect coming into last season having lost Nick Calathes. Irving Walker played his freshman year at 2 guard spot. Kenny Boynton came in with huge reputation out of high school, but you’re never sure with them making the jump. Limited depth in the backcourt meant those two played more minutes than they probably should have, which meant they couldn’t do some of the stuff they would have otherwise done such as press. Coming into this year with the experience should be helpful for those two coming into this season. Still some issues with depth in the backcourt this year although they are adding freshmen Scottie Wilbekin and Casey Prather to the backcourt.
- Alex Tyus: First UF player to put his name in the NBA Draft and return to UF. It was Alex’s decision. He worked out with a couple of NBA teams and listened to what NBA had to say about where he might go. No pressure from UF to come back. Donovan feels that process is only going to help the Gators going forward.
- Patric Young: Very physical and aggressive player, but needs some work on the inside. In the near term he will bring energy and a great rebounding presence to the Gators.

Mark Fox (Georgia) – Audio
- Marcus Thornton: Really big boost after picking him up following his release from his letter of intent from Clemson. Gives Georgia a lot of options because of his versatility.
- Trey Thompkins: Had discussion with family and got info from NBA. Felt it wasn’t appropriate. Only would be able to work out for 1 or 2 days due to final exams and the new NBA Draft withdrawal deadlines.
- Turnovers: Feels they will take better care of the ball and they should also be able to create more turnovers on the defensive end, which should create more easy baskets.

John Calipari (Kentucky) – Audio / Transcript (Part 1/Part 2)
- This past week he went to Haiti, where his “Hoops for Haiti” telethon helped raise $1.5M. Even though they money is helping there is still long way to go. Then there was the NBA Draft, which was also emotional, but from a different perspective. He enjoyed being with the 5 families of the 5 players and helping to create hope for them and their families. As for his much discussed quote, he is standing by it because he was not talking about the past, but talking about the future. He met with Chris Douglas-Roberts on the night before this press conference and he echoed the comments. The NBA Draft was a 2-hour infomercial, which will have effects for at least the next 5 years, and it will be the players who it was aimed at who will win Kentucky championships in the future.
- Future Draft Picks: He feels that Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins could be in that position next year. Josh Harrelson has improved a lot too and could be a major force next year, which fans were not able to see because he spent last year stuck behind two 1st round picks.
- Last season’s accomplishments: Even though they lost in the Elite 8 to West Virginia he was proud of the team’s accomplishments as only one Kentucky team won more games in a season (1948).
- Incoming freshman: Brandon  Knight will enter school with almost one year worth of academic credits. Doron Lamb and Stacey Poole will add depth to the guard position. Lamb can play the 1 or 2 spot and they might play a pair of point guards similar to what they did this year with John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. That’s one of the best things about dribble-drive: position doesn’t matter since all four perimeter players are the same.
- Frontcourt: They lost three frontcourt players and are bringing in a couple to replace them, but they will not be that deep. They will rely on Eloy Vargas and Enes Kanter to step up, but there might be times where the Wildcats play 4 guards and a single big man, which means they may press more. At this point it is just conjecture without having seen them play together.

Trent Johnson (LSU) – Audio / Key Quotes
- This year will be a completely different team as they are brininging in five freshman and a transfer. He doesn’t think moving from the West Coast (Stanford) to the East Coast was that big of an adjustment especially for recruiting.
- Bo Spencer: He’s in summer school and is not a member of the team at this moment, but Johnson did not elaborate on the possibility of him returning to the team.

Andy Kennedy (Mississippi) – Audio
- Nick Williams out of Indiana practiced with the team last year could make an immediate impact. He is a big wing player who brings a physical and mental toughness that will be welcome. He can play any of about three positions. He is most comfortable off the ball, but can score in a variety of ways.
- Dundrecous Nelson and Demarco Cox could also contribute as they are physical ready coming out of high school, but he will need to see if the rest of their game is ready for the transition.

Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State) – Audio
- Losing impact players like Jarvis Varnado and Barry Stewart will be difficult to overcome, but given time he thinks they can overcome it this season. Loss of Varnado hurts them defensively, but they were a good defensive team before he was there and they can still be one after he has left. He does not think they will shoot as many three-pointers this season. He thinks the inside game could become a bigger presence. There are a lot of personnel and injury questions for the team heading into the season.
- Phil Turner: He does not want to discuss it. He says both sides have made their statements and he will not talk about it any further.
- Dee Bost appealing to get his eligibility back: Stansbury has zero control over the situation. He says the reporter knows more about it than he does. He says this is a first time situation so they are all waiting to hear about Bost’s eligibility.
- Renardo Sidney: It will be relatively easy (compared to the prior two problems) integrating Sidney into the team after his nine game suspension.

Darrin Horn (South Carolina) – Audio
- Losing Devan Downey is difficult and it is not something you can do with one player and it is not something that they will try to do. Already dealt with loss of Dominique Archie will not be a big change because he only played 5 games last year so they had to deal with the transition last season. Ramon Galloway showed some flashes last season and they will need to develop that into more consistent output this season.
- Defense: Last year they abandonned what they wanted to do because of personnel issues.
- Freshman: He expects them to have an impact this year. He thinks that all of them can play right away.

Tony Jones (Tennessee) – Audio
- They never explained why he was talking instead of Bruce Pearl.
- Tobais Harris is McDonald’s All-American who is a solid kid, great student, and obviously a great player. Jones feel that he can do it all–shoot, make plays for others, and rebounds along with having a great basketball IQ.
- Florida and Kentucky will be the favorites, but hopefully at the end the Volunteeers will be right there.

Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt) – Audio
- Feels that he has some returning players who can alleviate the loss at point guard (Jermaine Beal) and in the post (A.J. Ogilvy). He thinks that Brad Tinsley is a very capable point guard who has played the 2 guard while he has been at Vanderbilt and Festus Ezeli can help on the inside.
- Jeffery Taylor: He would not be surprised if this was Taylor’s last season at Vanderbilt because of the interest from NBA scouts and he agrees with the praise from those scouts.
- Reseeding: The team enjoys being in “the toughest division in college basketball”.
- One-and-Done: Originally thoguht it was going to be a good thing, but he no longer feels that way. He says he wants a few modifications although he did not specify what those specifications were.

Happy Presidents’ Day, everyone.  Hope you’re getting to enjoy a nice extended weekend.

1. Is Savannah State’s Horace Broadnax the best coaching value in college basketball?  We’re still discussing its validity, but we certainly find interesting the analysis by Scott Britton and Darren Heitner at Sports Agent Blog regarding the achievements of the former Hoya as coach of SSU.  You have to admit — all things considered, $25,131 per win isn’t a bad deal, at all, especially when you go from 0-28 in the ’04-’05 season to 15-13 four years later, and your basketball budget is the next-to-lowest in D1.
2. There have been rumblings from Notre Dame all season, but Luke Harangody’s right knee bone bruise that he sustained  in a loss against Seton Hall on Thursday isn’t helping the causes of the Irish or Mike Brey.  ‘Gody is likely out for Wednesday’s game at Freedom Hall against a suddenly more intriguing Louisville squad fresh off their win at Syracuse.  That he was bench-ridden in South Bend on Sunday night evidently gave St. John’s some chutzpah, as the Johnnies went into the Joyce and stole their first conference road win of the season with a 69-68 victory.
3. John Calipari states, “There’s no such thing as a 50-50 ball with him.  He’s as valuable to our team right now as anyone.”  Is he talking about John Wall?  DeMarcus Cousins?  Patrick Patterson?  Nope.  Try DeAndre Liggins, the sophomore guard who didn’t play for the first nine games of the season as he spent time in Calipari’s doghouse, but now humbly realizes that floor burn scars on the knees from diving after loose balls + embracing defensive stopper role = increased minutes, and increased trust from his coach.
4. On Friday, the Western Athletic Conference reprimanded Idaho head coach Don Verlin after he criticized officials after a 67-66 loss to Nevada on Wednesday.  Verlin will be suspended for any further violations of this kind, according to conference brass.  After the loss last week, Verlin voiced his displeasure with the officiating, and also added that WAC zebras should realize that Idaho is “…a contender, not a doormat.”  We’ll have to check our rule book, Coach V, but we don’t recall anything about the rules changing based on where you are in the standings…
5. Ever think that Penn/Cornell would be right up there with Rutgers/Georgetown and Louisville/Syracuse in the Monday morning water-cooler discussion of big weekend upsets in college hoops?  Yeah, we didn’t either.  We’ve been digging all of the Ivy League love this season, and it’s not slowing down yet.  After the stunner on Friday, Cornell bounced back to hand Princeton their first conference loss of the year on Saturday, and in doing so regained the Ivy League lead.  They’re not a shoe-in for the Big Dance, though; the three teams atop the standings still have a round of games against each other, starting this Friday with a very important Cornell road trip to Harvard.

With college football crowning another faux-national champion Thursday night in Pasadena, the college sports scene can officially shift its axis to basketball. While a number of college basketball diehards such as yours truly were knee-deep in mid-major box scores and enthralling non-conference tournaments since the season tipped off in mid-November, it’s perfectly understandable for our college football-fan brethren out there to have been entranced in the gridiron scene during this time. For many folks out there, college basketball truly begins when a football champion is crowned and conference play heats up, when Rece and the gang show up on our TVs every Saturday morning at 11 AM and the bubble begins to take its early shape. For those people, you sure missed plenty of exciting hoops action. To get you caught up in what has gone down thus far on the hardwood, here’s a summary for your enjoyment, divvied up into the six major conferences and all the rest:

ACC

What we’ve learned: There was much back-and-forth debate entering this season whether Duke or North Carolina represented the class of this conference. After two solid months of play, it’s fairly evident Duke has separated themselves from their bitter rival as the class of the ACC. While the Tar Heels may top Duke skill-wise up front, Carolina simply does not boast the backcourt to even contend with the Dukies’ tandem of Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith. The primary knock on Duke heading into this season was point guard play with Elliot Williams transferring to Memphis. As a true sharp-shooting 2-guard who creates his shots coming off screens in Redick-like fashion, could Scheyer handle the responsibility of running the Duke offense? The answer has been resounding in the affirmative: 19.7 PPG, 46% FG, 92% FT, 43% 3pt and an otherworldly 4.8 A/TO ratio that currently leads the nation. Another key to Duke’s early season success has been Coach K’s willingness to adjust his defense to fit his roster. Rather than employing the normal Duke on-ball pressure attack, Krzyzewski is utilizing more of a sagging defense that plays into the frontcourt depth Duke enjoys with six players that receive time at 6’8 or taller.

Scheyer Has His Devils Looking Great This Season

What’s still to be determined: After Duke and Carolina (and let’s not go overboard following the Heels loss to Charleston, they’re still clearly the second best team in this conference), who will emerge as the third contender behind the top two dogs? An ever-shifting proposition, the current edge probably goes to Florida State despite their utter lack of point guard play. The Seminoles are one of the tallest teams in the nation and have a few capable long-range shooters that get open looks when defenses collapse on Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton. Plus, they’re off to a head start with a December win at ACC foe Georgia Tech. Plenty of folks think Clemson could be that team behind powerful big man Trevor Booker, but they lack a second scoring option and I can’t stop thinking back to their collapse at home to an inexperienced Illinois squad. It would be unwise to count out Gary Williams, and the jury’s still out on Virginia Tech and Miami due to their soft schedules, so I’ll give the current edge to Wake Forest as that third team. The road win at Gonzaga’s on-campus arena stands out, Ish Smith has turned into a fine point guard and Al-Farouq Aminu has as much pure talent as anyone in this conference.

NCAA Locks: Duke, North Carolina.

Likely bids: Clemson, Florida State, Wake Forest.

Bubble teams: Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami (FL), Virginia Tech.

Make other plans for March: Boston College, North Carolina State, Virginia.

Big East

What we’ve learned: The NCAA picture is shaping up quite similarly to last season when Louisville (regular season champion), Pittsburgh and Connecticut all received #1 seeds. There will be much back-and-forth debate about whether the top three teams this season — Syracuse, West Virginia and Villanova -- holds the edge in this conference, but does it really matter? Right now you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t think Kansas, Texas, Kentucky and Purdue are the likely #1 seeds (of course plenty could change, we have two months of games left), while those top contenders in the Big East are likely all on the second seed line. Even of greater importance though is the obvious revelation that Jamie Dixon can coach basketball. You wouldn’t be alone if you counted out Pittsburgh following a near-loss to Wofford, a 47-point output at home vs. New Hampshire and a second half butt-kicking at the hands of Indiana, but those losses came without their most athletic player, Gilbert Brown, and their best defender, Jermaine Dixon. Those two have returned to action with the most improved Big East player Ashton Gibbs (who recently broke the all-time Pitt record for consecutive free throws made) as a fearsome trio that has carried the Panthers to road wins over previously-undefeated Syracuse and fringe-top 25 Cincinnati. If Dixon is able to coax his Panthers into a NCAA Tournament team after losing such enormous production and leadership in Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields, there is little debate on his merits as National Coach of the Year.

An Early Candidate for National COY

What’s still to be determined: Anyone else not convinced Georgetown is a good team yet? They’ll make the NCAA Tournament, sure, but keep in mind this is the same roster that finished 16-15 last season and dropped their first-round NIT contest against Baylor. Their non-conference wins turned out to be less impressive than originally imagined with Butler and Washington both falling out of the polls and playing well under preseason expectations. They were also fortunate to play Temple in mid-November on their worst shooting night of the season, so their Saturday game with Connecticut will show us plenty. Also concerning me down the stretch is the Hoyas’ total lack of depth. In a game with any semblance of importance, John Thompson III won’t go any deeper than seven players and four of his starters — Chris Wright, Greg Monroe, Austin Freeman and Jason Clark -- all play over 33 MPG with the true grind of the Big East yet to get underway. With three of their last five contests against Syracuse and road trips to Louisville and West Virginia, I fear the Hoyas will wear down as a unit. I’m nowhere near ready to place them in the same class with the aforementioned top three teams and even Connecticut and Pittsburgh just yet. They have plenty to prove in my eyes.

NCAA Locks: Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia.

Likely bids: Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh.

Bubble teams: Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Seton Hall.

Make other plans for March: DePaul, Providence, Rutgers, South Florida, St. John’s.

Big 12

What we’ve learned: This is the best conference in the nation, hands down. There isn’t a single “easy” out as bottom-feeders Nebraska is at 12-3 and Colorado, who took Gonzaga down to the wire at Maui and feature a stud in Cory Higgins, could challenge even the three top-ten teams in their home gyms. Eight of the 12 teams (and I’m not even including pesky Iowa State) have a legitimate shot to make the Tournament. The Big 12 also boasts the top two teams in the land in Kansas and Texas, two teams on a collision course for February 8 in Austin and quite possibly early April in Indianapolis. Both the Longhorns and Jayhawks are top-three teams in defensive efficiency, are extremely deep and have the offensive weapons to score 90 points on any given night, evident by Kansas torching Temple’s stingy defense last Saturday in Philly. The Big 12 also features the biggest surprise team in America outside of Syracuse in Kansas State. Their backcourt of Jacob Pullen (20.1 PPG, 46% 3pt) and Denis Clemente (14.1 PPG, 2.8 A/T) ranks right up there with Villanova, Duke, Kansas and Ole Miss at the top of the charts. To go into Columbia and knock off the fast-paced Missouri Tigers on Saturday would show that the oft-doubted Frank Martin and his Wildcats have staying power.

All Eyes Are on Kansas vs. Texas on February 8

What’s still to be determined: After Kansas, Texas and Kansas State, teams #4-8 in this conference are fairly muddled with Baylor, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Texas Tech and Texas A&M all able to make arguments for being the top club of the bunch. Baylor may be the most purely athletic team of the pack with LaceDarius Dunn’s shooting ability, Ekpe Udoh as a force blocking shots and rebounding in the paint and one of the best passing point guards in the nation in Tweety Carter (6.6 APG). It would be quite surprising if Baylor made the field during a season with barely any expectations after folding last year as a highly ranked preseason team. If the Bears continue to show a marked improvement on the defensive end (60.8 points allowed per game), they could shock some folks. Oklahoma State is a bit of an enigma as well. There’s no better scorer in the Big 12 than James Anderson, but will Obi Muonelo and Keiton Page be able to take some of the scoring pressure away from Anderson on a consistent basis (I vote no). Missouri is extremely young and should continue to improve as Big 12 play progresses. With an electric homecourt atmosphere and a constant full-court press, Mike Anderson’s team can never be counted out. Defense is an issue for Texas Tech and the jury’s still out on whether A&M can rebound from the hideous Derrick Roland injury to pose a threat.

NCAA Locks: Kansas, Kansas State, Texas.

Likely bids: Texas A&M.

Bubble teams: Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech.

Make other plans for March: Colorado, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma.

Big 10

What we’ve learned: For the last few years, the Big 10 has been severely underrated. Fans and analysts fail to give this conference their due credit mainly because of the slower pace and defensive mindset. Entering 2009-10, due to a truckload of talented sophomores and juniors, the Big 10 was finally receiving the respect they deserved on a national platform. Unfortunately, the conference has grossly underachieved relative to the expectations that the Midwest would possess the best conference in the nation this season. The Big 10 ranks fifth in conference RPI headed into Saturday (although that does come with the second highest SOS of any conference) with teams like Michigan, Illinois and Ohio State (they have an excuse) disappointing in the early going. Michigan compiled a grand total of zero quality wins in November and December but could find themselves at 4-1 in the Big 10 with home wins over Northwestern and Indiana. Illinois is playing with two freshmen in their backcourt (and neither is a true point guard) while Demetri McCamey has not exploded into stardom like I expected. But with Evan Turner returning to Ohio State, overachieving teams like Northwestern and Wisconsin, and two of the top ten teams in the land in Purdue and Michigan State, the conference is still respectable as a whole.

Sick Talent + Magical Healing Abilities

What’s yet to be determined: I’m not sold on Purdue winning this conference. And that’s not necessarily a knock on how the Boilermakers have played — nobody defends with such ferocity and no single unit has as much experience on the floor together as Matt Painter’s club. I’ve watched Tom Izzo-coached Michigan State teams far too long improve and improve as the season wears on to label Purdue the Big 10 favorite just yet. With a focused Kalin Lucas running the point, swingman Chris Allen starting to find his stroke from three-point range and Raymar Morgan at 100 percent, the defending Big 10 champion Spartans are still the team to beat in the league. If you asked Matt Painter, I think he’d agree.

NCAA Locks: Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin.

Likely bids: Ohio State.

Bubble teams: Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern.

Make other plans for March: Indiana, Iowa, Penn State.

Pac-10

What we’ve learned: This conference is historically bad. Pretty much every single team has underachieved through the first two months of the season other than maybe Oregon and USC, and those two teams are a less-than-inspiring 20-9 combined. Just when it appeared the preseason favorites, Washington and California, would take off and separate themselves from the foul odor the rest of the pack releases, the Huskies were punched in the face by Oregon at home and California is stunned by a UCLA team that has already lost eight games. And when it appeared USC might surprise everyone and earn a bid on the back of transfers Mike Gerrity and Alex Stepheson, the O.J. Mayo-Tim Floyd fiasco prompted the AD to prevent his basketball team from participating in any postseason play as punishment. I still believe Washington and California will rise to the top, but the fact we’re even discussing an Oregon team that lost to Montana, Portland and Missouri by 37 as a contender for the conference crown just about sums it up.

What’s yet to be determined: I hate to continue to rag on the Pac-10, but it’s incredibly deserved in similar fashion to the harassment a pathetic SEC obtained last season. The question is: How many non-BCS conferences will receive more NCAA bids than the Pac-10? The Mountain West and Atlantic-10 are the prime candidates and currently rank higher in conference RPI than the Pac-10. The MWC could garner as many as four bids depending on how San Diego State performs in conference play while Temple, Rhode Island, Xavier, Dayton and Richmond all have legitimate shots out of the A-10 (I expect three in and another as one of the last teams out). If the Pac-10’s worst nightmare comes to fruition- Washington and California blow away the competition to the top of the standings leaving a cluster of 10-8 and 9-9 teams in the middle and the Pac-10 only receives two bids- they could be matched by the Missouri Valley (Northern Iowa and Wichita State?), WCC (Gonzaga and St. Mary’s?), Conference USA (four candidates) and even the Ivy League (Cornell and Harvard). Now that would be embarrassing.

NCAA Locks: None.

Likely bids: California, Washington.

Bubble teams: Arizona State, Oregon, Washington State.

Make other plans for March: Arizona, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC.

SEC

What we’ve learned: Nobody will challenge Kentucky for the SEC crown. With Tennessee dismissing Tyler Smith today, Mississippi simply lacking any type of post presence, Mississippi State still mired in inconsistency and Florida fading, the Wildcats are clearly the class of the SEC. This doesn’t mean Kentucky won’t slip up in conference play. As talented as their roster happens to be, four of their top five scorers are still freshmen or junior college transfers and any roster that young and inexperienced will discover some hardships on the road in any halfway decent conference. Still, there isn’t a more gifted player in the nation than John Wall. Kentucky might have the two strongest rebounders in the entire country with DeMarcus Cousins (#1 in college basketball in offensive rebounding percentage) and Patrick Patterson crashing the boards. The Wildcats are shooting 42% from three and can go a legitimate 10-deep if DeAndre Liggins ever finds his way off the pine. Again, expect some slip-ups for Kentucky in raucous atmospheres like Gainesville, Nashville or Starkville with a target on their backs about as enormous as John Wall’s potential, but no single team in the nation has the capacity to continue to improve as the season wears on as much as Kentucky.

These Guys Have More Upside Than Any Other Team

What’s yet to be determined: How will Tennessee respond to the New Year’s Day arrest that led to their leading scorer and playmaker Tyler Smith being booted from the team? It’s hard to describe just how devastating losing Smith is to Bruce Pearl’s squad. The 6’7 point-forward may have been struggling early developing a groove offensively, but with Bobby Maze unable to provide adequate point guard play, Smith often acted as the team’s crunch-time distributor and setup man. With backup point Melvin Goins’ status also in serious jeopardy, the Volunteer offense will live and die with the play of Maze. This team still has enough talent to make the NCAA Tournament even if Smith, Goins, Cameron Tatum and Brian Williams never step foot on the floor in orange ever again. Scotty Hopson is an emerging sophomore that will extend opposing defenses. Senior Wayne Chism is the team’s best rebounder and J.P. Prince is a slashing guard with scoring ability. Often times, a team can emerge from tough times like these stronger and hungrier to prove the doubters wrong.

NCAA Locks: Kentucky.

Likely bids: Mississippi, Tennessee.

Bubble teams: Florida, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt.

Make other plans for March: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina.

Non-BCS conferences

What we’ve learned: There’s more than enough quality basketball around the nation this season outside of the top six conferences. The Atlantic 10 is on their way to their most NCAA bids in a long while with Temple and Rhode Island surprising. The Mountain West is annually underappreciated and has three teams at the top that have the talent to make a run at the Sweet 16 in BYU, New Mexico and UNLV. The Missouri Valley was down slightly the last two years but Northern Iowa has emerged as the class of a strong league. And the usual suspects — Butler, Gonzaga, VCU, Memphis, Western Kentucky -- are formidable as always. It’s a shame these schools don’t receive the same national TV respect (i.e., contracts with ESPN and CBS rather than Versus and MTN).

What’s yet to be determined: How much respect will the committee give these teams in comparison to other BCS conference teams? The committee always touts that they judge each team on a case-by-case basis without factoring in how many teams receive bids from each individual conference. If so, we could see a record number of non-BCS schools littering our brackets come March, especially considering the plight of the Pac-10, disappointment of the Big-10 and question marks surrounding the SEC.

NCAA Locks: BYU, Gonzaga, New Mexico, Temple.

Likely bids: Butler, Dayton, Northern Iowa, UNLV, Xavier.

Bubble teams: Cornell, Memphis, Missouri State, Richmond, Rhode Island, San Diego State, St. Mary’s, UAB, UTEP, Wichita State, William & Mary.

Team: Kentucky Wildcats

Record: 19-12 (8-8)

Preseason Expectations: The Wildcats fell into the “others receiving votes” category in both the AP and the ESPN/USA Today polls. But in a year most people predicted the SEC to be weak, Kentucky was predicted to finish third in the SEC East by most publications, and were considered a good bet to be in the NCAA tournament come March. A distant glimmer from AD Mitch Barnhart saying the Wildcats would accept an NIT bid.

Best Wins: Kentucky won the Las Vegas Invitational at the end of November, and had to beat Kansas State (74-72) and West Virginia (54-43) to do so. But there most impressive win is obviously their 90-72 victory in Knoxville over Bruce Pearl and co. If you were hiding under a rock during that game, Jodie Meeks dropped 54 points on the Volunteers. They beat  Tennessee again in late February, 77-58.

Worst Losses: Allowing VMI to score triple digits in a 111-103 loss on in their opening game was not the start that Billy Gillispie was looking for. But their worst loss came just five days ago when they had a chance to strengthen their tournament resume and got beat by a scuffling, rudderless Georgia team at Rupp Arena.

Where it ended: Right after their second victory of Tennessee, it looked like Kentucky was in a great position to make it to the field of 65 as they sat 19-8 (8-4). But just four days later the ‘Cats got embarrassed on the road by South Carolina (77-59), which started the four game losing streak they are currently on which includes uninspired losses to LSU, Georgia, and Florida.  Now a deep SEC tournament run is the only thing that will save them.

What went wrong: It should be impossible to finish just 8-8 in the SEC with two players as good as Meeks and Patrick Patterson, but the Wildcats did a darn good job of it and their lack of a point guard is to blame. Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, and most recently, Michael Porter, have all tried their hand at the position with mixed results. In fact, no one on Kentucky averages more than 3.1 assists per game and only little used reserve Landon Slone carries an assist/turnover ratio better than 1.2/1. Sloppy play and rookie mistakes plagued the ‘Cats all season and have cost them down the stretch.

What’s next: A lot of analysts seem to think that if Kentucky fails to make it to the NCAA tournament, they could lose both Patterson and Meeks to the NBA which would be a crippling blow to Gillispie. Kentucky has four prospects signed for next year, including five-star center Daniel Orton, but no one outside of Lexington thinks that three-star GJ Vilarino will come in and save the team at the point position. Kentucky’s best hope is to put on the full-court press for uncommitted stud Eric Bledsoe and hope that Meeks and Patterson stay around another year.

—————————————————————————————————-

Team: Virginia Tech Hokies

Record: 17-13 (7-9)

Preseason Expectations: The Hokies were predicted to finish sixth in the ACC but received no love from the national polls and were left out of everyone’s top 25. But, they were a trendy sleeper pick at the beginning of the year if they could get improvements from sophomores Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen.

Best Wins: In the middle of January the Hokies traveled to play a streaking Wake Forest team that had just earned the No.1 ranking, and thoroughly outplayed the Demon Deacons, weathering a late rally to hold on for a 77-71 victory. Their only other victory of note came in late February when they beat Clemson 80-77 in Blacksburg and get Hokie fans talking about the tournament.

Worst Losses: For Seth Greenberg and his team, it really depends on how you define “worst”. This team wouldn’t even be on the bubble if it hadn’t been for some heart-palpitating, last second losses. The team lost to Xavier in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tipoff 63-62 on a 60-foot buzzer beat from Dante Jackson. Just 10 days later they got beat by Wisconsin 74-72 when Trevon Hughes hit an improbable runner in the lane with less than one second left. Then, at the end of January, they lost to BC by one point (67-66) on a Rakim Sanders put back with less than one second left as well. The team also had bad losses to Seton Hall, Georgia, and Virginia, but those three heartbreakers are what they will remember if they are playing in the NIT this year.

Where it ended: One might say in ended when Sanders hit that put back, because since then, the team is just 3-6, and although they have beaten Clemson and North Carolina State over that time, playing well down the stretch counts, and the Hokies have lost their last three games, albeit all to ranked teams. The Hokies don’t have the worst RPI (59), but they are the No. 8 seed in their conference tournament, and even if they do make it past Miami, that means a date with No. 1 seed North Carolina in Greensboro…Good Luck!

What went wrong: Virginia Tech is a very hard team to figure out. You could cite end of the game execution and focus as to where they went astray with those three back-breaking losses because if they didn’t lose those games, we would be talking about a 20-win team. But really they went wrong when their big three (Delaney, Allen and A.D. Vassallo) started disappearing in key games. For example, in losses to Wisconsin, Georgia, and Florida State, Allen had two, eight, and six points respectively. In losses to Xavier and Duke, Vassallo had four, and seven points respectively. And, in their past three losses, Delaney has shot a combined 10-40 from the field. If those players had stepped up in crucial moments, this season would have gone differently.

What’s next: Seth Greenberg must be getting frustrated. Every year, the Hokies are so close, and yet fail to come up big down the stretch. But, assuming that both Allen and Delaney will be back for their junior seasons, the Hokies are in good shape. They lose their leading scorer in Vassallo, but they only lose one other player, and Cheick Diakite is a non-factor. Greenberg has also been successful on the recruiting trail. He has signed a solid, well-balanced, five-man class that features all three-star players. With added depth, and continued improvement, the Hokies should be a tournament team in 2010.

John Stevens is a featured writer for Rush The Court.

Kentucky basketball fans are wondering if they might have built their new state-of-the-art basketball practice facility on a Native American burial ground.

As if the Wednesday night emasculation at South Carolina and yesterday’s home-court disappointment against LSU weren’t enough, two pieces of news are currently at the forefront of the collective mind of the Big Blue Nation, as Kentucky fans are known.  First, it looks like Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino has decided to take a giant crap on any good will he had left in the non-Louisville part of Kentucky by profiting off of one of the worst moments in Wildcat basketball history.  We’ll get to that in a moment.  Second, in addition to the growing possibility of watching this year’s NCAA tournament from their dorm rooms, this weekend the team and their supporters have had to deal with this now well-publicized incident in which sophomore forward A.J. Stewart, sick of watching from the pine as his team loses more games than they should, told everybody where they could go a few days ago and actually quit the Wildcat squad for about 24 hours after the aforementioned South Carolina loss.  He’s obviously been reinstated by his team, since he played in the home loss to LSU yesterday.

Reinstatement or not, Kentucky fans have to be wondering — what on EARTH have we done to deserve all of this?

“This” all started two years ago, specifically when Tubby Smith decided he’d had enough of (whether warranted or not) the second-guessing in Lexington and hit the road for Minnesota, which might have well been any place, as long as NCAA Tournament bids and occasional Sweet Sixteen appearances are acceptable goals there.  If you recall, it was at this time that the one coach in the country that just about every Kentucky supporter considered their Heir Apparent, Florida’s Billy Donovan, flirted very seriously with the Kentucky job before actually accepting the same position with the Orlando Magic…only to back out on THAT commitment 48 hours later to stay at Florida.  At that moment, Kentucky fans had to know — something was up.

Enter Billy Gillispie, not exactly the program’s first choice but a good selection for them since he had earned the reputation as the New Resurrector after his stints at UTEP and Texas A&M.  He made friends early by ensuring that the Tubby Smith-recruited Patrick Patterson would still attend UK, but then dropped games to the likes of Gardner-Webb and San Diego (both at home), causing much head-scratching.  Despite a tough season with injuries and personnel-juggling, Gillispie’s first UK team battled back, made the tournament (and it looked bleak for a while), and Gillispie won co-Coach of the Year honors in the SEC.  About twelve seconds after their first-round loss, Kentucky fans were looking forward to the next season, knowing it would be better once everyone was healthy and some new bad-ass recruits came into the fold.  The Billy Donovan snub was virtually forgotten.

One of those players returning to health in that off-season was versatile point guard Derrick Jasper.  Having gotten over all the physical and mental hurdles that come with microfracture surgery of the (left) knee, the 2008-09 edition of the Wildcats was his to lead.  Jasper was poised to be the floor general of one of the storied programs of college basketball.  It was to be “his” team.  But instead, in a move that nobody saw coming, after a mere two years of living in Lexington — citing “homesickness” — Jasper bailed on his chance to lead the program, choosing relative obscurity over an amazing opportunity.  He transferred to UNLV and left Kentucky high and dry with point guard problems that Gillispie hasn’t been able to solve with junior Michael Porter and freshman DeAndre Liggins.  How big was this loss?  Considering that the point guard handles the ball 60% of the time for any given team, is it a coincidence that Kentucky is 338th out of 341 Division I teams in turnovers per game?  Probably not.

Kentucky fans are left wondering what has happened to the culture in their program.  Their obvious Heir Apparent in Billy Donovan declined to return even though he had been groomed for the job since the Pitino years; with inexcusable losses to comparatively talent-bereft teams (and not too many surprising wins) Billy Gillispie is starting to look like a good example of the Peter Principle; some important players have jumped ship, seemingly preferring oblivion over recognition and opportunity, and others choose unproductive ways to protest lack of playing time; and despite having two lottery picks on the team and some hard-working young role players, the Wildcats find themselves sliding down the bubble’s surface this season and are giving the tournament selection committee every reason to leave them off the bracket two weeks from now with these stretch losses.  This is a program that didn’t exactly weep when Tubby Smith left town; I’m not even saying they’re wrong about that, since after Smith’s 1998 title run with the Wildcats, he never returned to the Final Four in his next nine seasons — would UNC, Kansas, Duke, or UCLA fans put up with such a streak these days? — but keep in mind that, for unknown reasons, Billy Gillispie hasn’t even signed his contract at UK even though he’s basically got two seasons under his belt, now.  Many folks in Lexington wonder if he should even bother, with UK’s performance this year, even if the team slips into the tournament somehow.  And to make matters worse, if Kentucky fans have to watch this tournament without their Wildcats for the first time in 17 years, this is the time of year that a certain shot by a certain former Duke player gets played over and over again…

Oh, but if only that were the end of it for the Big Blue Nation.

(h/t: kentuckysportsradio.com)

The photo you see above is from a commercial that the benevolent, hangover-curing people at Vitamin Water are shooting, to be broadcast during this year’s NCAA Tournament coverage.  In this commercial, Rick Pitino has to put up with Christian Laettner showing up at Pitino’s Louisville home repeatedly making “The Shot” in daily-life situations, tormenting Pitino.  I’ve yet to see it, but it’s supposed to be funny, though the prospect of having Christian Laettner randomly popping up around your house should fill you with a deep, dark, bone-marrow-curdling horror.  And to be honest, unless you’re a Kentucky fan, it probably will be funny.

But my Lord…could Rick Pitino disrespect Kentucky fans any more?

UK fans didn’t appreciate Pitino leaving in 1997 to take on (and utterly fail at) the job of rebuilding the Boston Celtics, and they DEFINITELY didn’t appreciate it when he returned to the Bluegrass to coach the Louisville Cardinals, considered at the time to be the biggest slap in the face that Pitino could award the Big Blue Nation.  But this…this is bordering on evil, even to impartial observers.

Pitino has always been a man who enjoys shock value and hyperbole, often in tandem.  I mean, there’s this whole white suit thing.  But think about it — if you once coached the Kentucky Wildcats and can even take credit for bringing that program back from the abyss, if you decide to become a college coach again, if you have any respect for and understanding of Kentucky basketball, what is the one job that you cannot take?  Maybe the Louisville position?  Pitino took it.  And if you’re going to make a funny commercial about a moment in UK hoops history, which moment can you absolutely not choose, especially since it happened on your watch?  Exactly.

Pitino’s response to any detractors in this affair will be to say something paternalistic to the effect of, “Kentucky fans are the greatest in the world, but it was 17 years ago, they need to move on, they can’t still be mad, they need to get a sense of humor, there’s a whole big world out there.”  Well, Sir — I have many friends who are Kentucky basketball fans.  Yes, they can be irrational, but so can anyone else who loves something so much (including vociferous fans of other programs), and so unconditionally.  Their passion and emotion for their team is beyond question, and almost beyond belief, because it’s part of the very fabric of the place, of the entire state.  They gave you their allegiance, but you used it, then cast it aside, then came back and spat on it.  If you ever learned one thing in your time in Lexington, you should know that to Kentucky fans — in terms not only of basketball, but in all of sport — there are no other worlds.

At this time, I feel the need to speak directly to Kentucky supporters:  I know he arrived at your darkest hour in 1989 and gave life to a flat-lined program to which last rites had been administered.  I know how he brought a type of basketball to the Bluegrass that people there hope will return every year.  I know how Pitino has publicly stated that it was a mistake to leave the Kentucky job for that chance with the Celtics in 1997.  But given everything he’s done since then (if I may paraphrase Brad Pitt from Fight Club), I think you have to consider the fact that Rick Pitino does not like you.  In fact, he probably hates you.  Why else would he treat you like this?  Taking the Louisville job was insult enough.  Now this.

I think the UK program can have the last laugh in this business, though.  I think it can make a move that has some shock value of its own.  Didn’t Kentucky hang a banner with Pitino’s name on it in the Rupp Arena rafters because of his achievements at UK?

I say go get it.

If a program can hang a banner to commemorate and honor someone’s actions as coach, it seems to me that they could take down the banner if they don’t like his actions toward the program after he leaves.  People will push you around only as long as you let them, and if the Kentucky basketball program wants to show that it means business about this, they can send that message by removing Pitino’s name from such heights.  The only way to show Pitino that you’ve had it with his insults is to hit him in the only place you can hurt him, in a place he cares about more than anything — his legacy.  And boy, you talk about heating up a rivalry.  If Kentucky pulled Pitino’s banner, the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry would suddenly make Duke-Carolina look like an episode of Mister Rogers.

Rick Pitino doesn’t need the money or face-time that teaming up with Christian Laettner for this TV commercial will get him.  He knows the anger it will create among the Big Blue Nation, a legion of fans he says he’s always cared about but obviously doesn’t.  So why do it?  Because he thinks it’s funny, or cute?  I can only predict what UK fans will think, but Pitino’s participation in this commercial shows me, at least, that he may have led the Kentucky program at one time, but he never really understood what it all meant.  For someone who claims to know basketball, he obviously never realized how much that program meant, and continues to mean, to Kentucky fans.  Pitino is a man who likes people to look at him and see someone who carries and conducts himself with a great deal of class.  To insult one of the leviathan programs in the history of our game in the ways that he has — a program that he once led — and to do it while actively working as a coach for another team…well, that shows me that in the aforementioned class department, he is completely lacking.

But, as noted above, this atrocity is the smallest problem that Kentucky basketball fans have to worry about these days.  Whether or not they’re in the dance this year, like the economy right now, Kentucky basketball needs one heck of a stimulus package to bring it back to prominence.  Because it’s Kentucky, it will probably happen at some point.  The question is — when will it happen, and what form will it take?

Ask any college basketball coach what a team needs to succeed in March and you’ll get a variety of answers — solid point guard play, a big inside threat, conditioning, luck, a guarantee that John Stevens will NOT bet on you – all popular answers.  A “go-to” guy is also a popular response, but I think history has shown that simply one standout player will not prove sufficient.  These days you have to have a balanced squad in addition to having at least two players you can call actual “go-to” guys.  A viable third option can have you breathing rarified air, indeed.  This season has proven incredibly interesting in that we have a lot of teams that are being seemingly led — whose very identities are made — by a couple of standout players.  In addition, if these teams that are led by Dynamic Duos see a helpful third option emerge — watch out.  There’s at least one of these teams in each of the major conferences, so let’s take a look at them.

 
ACC — Miami (FL)
 
True, the Hurricanes’ schedule is a little bland, but you can’t ignore a team with tough wins both at Kentucky and at Boston College.  Jack McClinton (16.9/2.8/3.1) and Dwayne Collins (12.1/7.8/1.3) have propelled this Miami team that has eleven guys who average at least 10 minutes a game which means that they have many options in terms of developing that third option.  Cyrus McGowan is an efficient player who provides 7.2/6.1 and he does it averaging 5 minutes less than the other significant scorers on that team, but the most likely candidate here to step up as the third option is James Dews, who averages 9.2/2.7 but upped his game in those big wins above against UK and BC by contributing 18 and 12, respectively.  You gotta give props to a guy who elevates himself in the big games.

 
Big 12 — Missouri
 
On their way to a 13-3 record so far, Missouri hasn’t exactly been sleeping on the job schedule-wise, tallying wins against USC and a surprising California side and losing a tough one to Xavier.  To that end, DeMarre Carroll (16.1/6.6) and Leo Lyons (14.6/6.2) have been a true Dynamic Duo for the Tigers because after that the production falls off to Matt Lawrence (9.6/2.3), especially in terms of rebounding (note: of course, Lyons needs to get this recent traffic thing sorted out).  Along with J.T. Tiller, Lawrence represents the most likely candidate to be the next option; Tiller averages the third most minutes on the team but Lawrence is actually more productive despite playing 4 fewer minutes per game.

Big East — Notre Dame
 
I know I don’t have to tell you about Luke Harangody; despite the special player he is I personally find more excitement watching Kyle McAlarney (16.6/2.6/3.4) because the man just has locker-room range.  Seriously, he’d shoot from his dorm room if they’d let him.  And even then you better get a guy on him.  ND might not seem like a Dynamic Duo-led team because they have two other starters — Tory Jackson and Ryan Ayers — averaging over 30 minutes a game (Jackson actually plays more than Harangody, by the numbers), but the offensive dropoff is certainly evident after McAlarney and the team is defined by those top two fellows.  Jackson is the obvious third option candidate, here; he puts together a good floor game on the whole (4.6 rpg/5.9 apg/1.5 spg).  It’s not like he doesn’t do enough, but if he became even more of a third scoring option to take even just a little of the heat off of the Harangody/McAlarney exacta, Notre Dame will become an even bigger Final Four threat come March.

 
Big Ten — Michigan State
 
People still seem to be defining the Fighting Izzos by that rectal-exam-with-an-audience that UNC gave them a while back.  This is a mistake.  Raymar Morgan (15.1/7.1) and Kalin Lucas (13.9/5.9 apg) have been the Dynamic Duo for Sparty so far, as everyone knows, but these guys have reeled off nine straight since getting tuned-up by the Tar Heels and they basically have their third option back, now, in the form of Goran Suton, already averaging 9.2/6.8 in only nine games back.  This will likely continue to rise.  It makes Michigan State a team you cannot ignore as we enter the second half of the season.  They’ve obviously put the North Carolina game behind them.  Everyone else should, too.
 
Pac-10 — Arizona State
 
We all know James Harden (23.1/5.8/4.7) and we’re getting to know Jeff Pendergraph (13.6/7.1).  After that, the offensive production and glasswork drops off a little to Richard Kuksiks (10.9/3.6), the apparent choice for presumed third option, here.  He’s up to playing even more minutes than Pendergraph on the average, and he’s shooting a pretty tasty 53% from 3-point range.  I am, however, going to anoint Derek Glasser as the best option for third-man-in; he’s only contributing 6.4 points (fifth on the team) but he’s a great distributor of the ball (5.3 apg, leads team), has shown a tendency to come up with a timely pilfer, and is darn reliable at the line (81.1%, second on team) — all important qualities during tournament time.  Even the slightest increase in his point production would make ASU even more dangerous than they already are.
 
SEC — Kentucky
 
The textbook Dynamic Duo team.  Probably not a better example in all of college basketball this season.  We’re not even going to talk about Jodie Meeks’ (24.2/3.4, 90.1% FT) legendary performance last night and Patrick Patterson (18.9/9.3) is creeping up every online NBA mock draft, a bittersweet fact for Wildcat fans.  After that, the offensive production falls all the way down to Perry Stevenson at 7.1ppg.  Heck, Patterson is actually third on the team in assists (2.6).  As far as possibilities for third-option status, with this team that’s a tough question.  They are absolutely loaded with pure, talented athletes, but UK followers have waited all year for a third player to assert himself.  Still hasn’t happened.  It has to for this team, because Meeks can’t score 54 every night and there will probably be more than one night where Meeks goes cold and Patterson is well-defended (or vice-versa).  My choice for third option for this team is DeAndre Liggins, the team’s assist leader at only 3.6 apg.  If he can cut down on freshman mistakes and provide even a small increase in his point production, Kentucky will be formidable — and that means this year, not next year.  Without a third option, Selection Sunday might get a little tense for this Kentucky team.

 
It will be especially interesting to see if Miami (FL), Missouri, and Kentucky eventually see a third player emerge for them, since they’re…well, it’s too early to use the “b-word,” but let’s just say they’re fighting for tournament entry right now.  Even if it isn’t the player I’ve predicted, if any of these squads see a third person elevate his game in hopes of providing more assistance to the Dynamic Duo already leading them, you best keep an eye out for them.  These teams are close to making the jump, even now.  Adding a good third option to their particular Dynamic Duo will improve them exponentially, and I wouldn’t want to see any of them in my sub-bracket.

10:26am — Drexel is the better team so far.  They’re outhustling Penn, who actually does look tired.  Drexel is up 8 with 12 minutes to go in the first half and this could get out of hand for the Quakers in short order if they don’t get their heads in it.

10:30am — Drexel extends…up ten at the under-8 timeout.

10:35am — Drexel is doing this with defense and hustle.  They’re winning every loose ball.  This is a Penn squad who only lost to UNC by 15, and they’re already down 14 to the Dragons and we’re coming up on the under-4 timeout.

10:41am — The first hyping of UNC-Kentucky.  I’m reminded of the time in 1995 when CBS was broadcasting an elite eight game involving those two teams (the one where Rasheed Wallace got choked — I don’t mean he CHOKED, I mean he GOT choked by Kentucky’s Andre Riddick during a scuffle early on) and Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery showed up in tuxedos, given the history of the two programs.  I think whoever’s calling tonight’s game should do the same, especially with the almost constant hype.

10:51am — Halftime…34-27, Drexel.  This could have been worse for Penn who are in full sleepwalking mode.  Drexel decided to chuck (and miss) some threes late in the half; they have the better athletes but a couple of ill-advised shots and a couple of hand-checking fouls let Penn back into this.  If Penn wakes up at halftime, things could get interesting.

Right now, I’m actually a little impressed with Drexel.  Bruiser Flint has got his team mentally ready, except for that hiccup at the end of the half, and I’m gonna repeat my props to the crowd.  Drexel doesn’t look like a team playing their first game of the season, they look like they’re on number five or six.

I’m not complaining (heh heh….) but I’m starting to realize that maybe grabbing a nap before starting this endeavor may have been a good call, instead of working a whole day.  Oh, I’m not goin’ anywhere…but the coffee machine is now operational.

11:16am — As the second half opens, through some high screens and by getting him the ball earlier, Penn has gotten their star Tyler Bernardini (the guy hung 25 against UNC a few days ago) more involved and looks like they’ve awakened just a little.  He hit a three (his second) and then made a nice dish to Brennan Votel in the paint which resulted in a score.  Bernardini just made a very sweet interior bounce pass to a cutting Kevin Egee for another basket…and now here’s Bernardini with an offensive rebound-tip in.  The lead is down to 4 (Drexel hit a three in between), 42-38.  Penn has to make sure Bernardini touches the ball as much as possible, it’s plain to see.  On the defensive side, they’re moving their feet more whereas in the first half they were merely reaching and poking for steals.  I expect Drexel will tighten up the D on Bernardini, but so far Kevin Egee has taken up the scoring slack with 15 for Penn.

11:35am — Both teams are in the double-bonus and there are ten minutes left.  Lots of reaching.  Drexel is showing a pattern of executing something perfectly on offense followed by a hand-check foul on defense.  This thing was tied moments ago, but Penn can’t capitalize on Drexel’s hand-checks.  Bernardini’s on the bench with three fouls and I can’t see them holding him out very long.  Drexel is asserting their quickness on offense and are now up 53-47.

11:40am — Bernardini checks in at the 8:59 mark, so we’ll see if things change for Penn, who have looked a little lost in the last few minutes.  Eggleston just hit a three for Penn.  Yep, Penn has an Egee and an Eggleston.

11:53am — Free throw percentages:  Penn 9/21 (42.9%), Drexel 13/24 (54.2%).  Not field goals…those are free throws.  It’s 62-57 Drexel with 3:07 left.  Bernardini hasn’t done much since re-entering but Votel and Egee have continued to play well to make up for it.  Drexel needs to make sure Tramayne Hawthorne handles the ball most of the way, if he can resist shooting the three (2/8 today, and totally unnecessary in this part of the game for Drexel).

12:01pm — We are HALFWAY THROUGH the 24 hours of hoops.  Like Vince Vaughn doing the gymnastics rings near the end of Old School….I am….STILL HOLDING!

12:04pm –The Drexel lead is 4 with 58.2 seconds, 64-60.  Drexel checked out of this game a little early, but neither team has been able to throw it in the ocean from anywhere on the court today (Penn 38.6% FG, Drexel 37.9% FG — and see FT percentages above).

12:09pm — Bernardini comes down for Penn, misses a 3 while trying to draw a foul (they’re not gonna call that), hustles to get his own board, then tries to get fouled again with a double-clutch layup attempt in the lane, but misses.  Commits a foul in frustration, his 5th.  Drexel could have put this game away by hitting the subsequent two FTs.  BRICKS by Evan Neisler who’s otherwise had a quietly solid game.  Kevin Egee comes down and dials in a three from the far corner and now it’s only a two point game (65-63) with 14.7 seconds.  Penn fouls Scott Rodgers who had hit 4/4 but ONLY GETS 1 of 2 here…

12:14pm — …and Penn’s Zack Rosen is FOULED while shooting a three by Tramayne Hawthorne!!!  Inexcusable.  Now, Rosen can tie the game with three FTs.

12:16pm — Holy crap.  Rosen only made one of his first two to cut it to 66-64, intentionally missed the third FT…Penn managed to get the rebound but Votel rushed and air-balled his attempt in the lane, and that’s how it ends.

As I said, Drexel was impressive early in this game but for almost the whole second half they played like, to employ a very old cliche, a team trying not to lose rather than a team trying to win.  Still, the Dragons start their season with a win and you have to relish every W in the erratic early-season games.  So get a shower and get to class, boys.  We’ll see you all in the gym at 6 for free throw practice.  Actually, I shouldn’t be too hard on these teams since it turned out to be another pretty exciting game.

I think it’s shower time here in the RTC Eastern Compound, as well.  This recliner is starting to reek.  Hello, Mr. Febreeze.  I’m gonna pat myself on the back a little since I’m only one coronary-artery-spasm-inducing energy drink and one coffee into this and no signs of fading yet.  I might be singing a different tune at 9pm by the time UNC-UK starts, but all systems are still nominal at this point.  RTMSF would be a shell of a man by now, if he had the stones to try this.  If he doesn’t get his 18 hours a day, he can get pretty crabby.

We’ll be back at 2pm ET for Liberty-UNC Asheville.

2:00pm — Back in the saddle for Liberty vs UNC-Asheville.  Nothing like a nice 38-minute shower to recharge the batteries.

Did anyone hear that unbelievable sound prevalent throughout the Iowa-Kansas women’s game?  I checked in on this thing from time to time, and every time I did, I noticed a bone marrow-rattling scree…a high-pitched, howler-monkey-esque wail that made me nostalgic over the time that I almost took my thumb off while slicing a bagel.  Turns out there was a huge throng of 3rd and 4th graders at the game (In-Service Day, I guess?  Early Thanksgiving break?) who actually produced this chilling sound every time the ball came to their end of the court.  EVERY TIME.  They were actually more consistent than any student section I’ve ever seen.  ESPN’s play-by-play announcer (Beth Mullins) had a great line:  “It sounds like a Jonas Brothers concert in here.”  I think all coaches should make their teams practice with that sound in the background, or at least practice free throws.  If you can shoot through that, you can shoot through anything.

UNC-Asheville has a 7-2 lead at the under-16 timeout in a game that has so far followed the trend of the other games in the last 14 hours — Y-ball.  ESPN’s color commentator for this one (Bob Wenzel) has bags under his eyes that he will have to pay extra for, if he’s flying today.  But he seems genuinely fired up for this, which is cool.

I miss Kenny George in the middle for UNC-Asheville.  What disturbs me is that he’s supposed to be out with a “foot injury,” but yet it’s bad enough to keep him from enrolling at school.  I hope everything’s all right with the guy, because that just seems strange.  Forget hoops.  He’s young and deserves as normal a life as he can have.

2:16pm — The announcers are actually talking about this very subject.  Maybe they’re reading the live blog, heh heh…

2:24pm — There is a sign in the student section that says, “WE MISS YOU KENNY.”  Strong work.  UNC-Asheville has jumped out to a 20-10 lead on a three by Jason Ridenhour and a pretty tasty two-hand slam in the open court by John Williams.  UNC-A has settled down and is moving the ball well on the perimeter against Liberty’s 1-3-1 zone.  You can tell UNC-A was ready for this.  They’re moving the ball until a seam opens and then the player with the ball will penetrate the zone, while the other guys are flashing into the open spots as the help defense rotates.  Perfect execution of an offense against the zone.

2:39pm — Sean Smith for UNC-A has decided to mark his territory in the corners by draining a couple of high-arcing threes.  Liberty has kept up, but UNC-A has found a rhythm.  Liberty welcomes the under-4 timeout.

2:50pm — Halftime. 49-30, UNC-Asheville.  They have shown better patience in shot selection and are shooting 50%, which is a rare thing in an early-season game.  Liberty has stayed content to pump threes and they sit at an overall 9/31 (29%) from the field.  There’s your difference.

3:10pm — The Sean-John show continues for UNC-A.  Sean Smith (a tall Swedish 3-point shooting kid at college in the American South…not a bad gig, eh?) hits his fifth 3-pointer and John Williams gets his third block followed by a nice pass underneath that results in two FTs.  Seems like a lot is being expected of Seth Curry right now, as if he’s able to channel his brother at will.

3:23pm — UNC-A has stayed disciplined and are taking good shots.  Liberty still hovering around 27% shooting, still chucking threes.  64-40, UNC-A.

3:31pm — J.P. Primm for UNC-Asheville has decided to make his presence known, as well, on 5 for 9 shooting and a perfect 6/6 from the line.  He’s also got 7 points and 7 boards, and this is all in his third collegiate game.  Pretty solid young player for the Bulldogs.

3:32pm — Since this one’s way out of hand, let me just tell you…I’m loving this.  I’ve been up for 33 hours, and I’m totally into this.  The early- and mid-afternoon games make it feel like the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and despite a few cups of coffee and a single energy drink, that provides its own adrenaline.  There are some fine players I would not have known about until much later in the year, if at all.  Now I’ll be watching them all year long.  And as I’ve mentioned…I love my job, but do you know what time I have to be up tomorrow?  Yeah, that’s right.  Monday.

What I’m worried about is that…well, when the crash comes…it will come with a vengeance.

3:53pm — It’s over.  84-56, Asheville.  They’ve got a painful schedule coming up (at UNC, at Tennessee, at Duke, at Ohio State) in the coming weeks, so if they have any Top-25 votes upcoming next week, they should enjoy them while they can.  But it will be interesting to see how that schedule prepares them for the Big South conference schedule, the Big South tournament, and possibly the NCAA.

4:13pm –Now, Baylor is one hell of an interesting story, as most of you know.  I won’t go through the whole thing since the way Scott Drew has rebuilt — well, CONJURED — this program back from some of the lowest depths ever achieved by a collegiate sports program is too positive of a story, but you recall the cast of characters — the strange sequence of events surrounding Patrick Dennehy’s report of feeling “scared” and then his disappearance, and subsequent death; the laundry list of Dave Bliss violations; the first-ever “half-season” they had to play in 2005-06 (non-conference games were prohibited), etc.  I mean, we’re not saying that these things are related, but at the same time that the coaches seemingly have NO CONTROL over their basketball program, we’ve got other things going on where…well, we’re not talking about text-messaging recruits or copying term papers, here.  We’re talking about one team member whacking another one Tommy-from-Goodfellas style and then hiding the body for a few weeks.  And where did Baylor find itself just a few years later?  Fourth 20-win season ever.  National ranking.  NCAA Tournament bid.  The guys who declined to take advantage of the full and immediate release from their scholarships — the guys who stayed — should be venerated on that campus as long as there’s a basketball program there.  But that’s enough about the past.

4:30pm — By the looks of it, Baylor’s future is pretty freakin’ bright, and they have come out and put the wood to Centenary with a 33-14 start.  “Quincy Acy” just SOUNDS like a guy with serious hops and make no mistake — kid’s a baller.  LaceDarius Dunn — do you want to play a guy with a kick-ass name like LaceDarius Dunn??!? – just hit a spinning fade-away jumper from about ten feet, VERY softly off glass, that actually got me off the recliner for a second.  Nasty.

4:48pm — It’s 39-18 and Henry Dugat just hit a ball-cradling air-hanging spinner off the glass.  Baylor is as athletic is Memphis — maybe LAST year’s Memphis.  This is just sick.

4:52pm — 42-20 Baylor at the half on a last-second three by LaceDarius (it’s fun to say AND type).  Curtis Jarrells has 9p 4a in only 19 minutes on 3/4 shooting (3/5 from the FT line).  Baylor is calm, cool, takes good shots and is creative on offense.  They’re holding Centenary to 7/24 shooting (29.2%) while shooting 16/26 (61.5%) themselves.  I’m aware that they’re playing…Centenary.  But Baylor is not a team you want to see in your sub-bracket in March.  Right now they look like they’re playing their tenth game of the year, not their second.

5:20pm — 58-31 Baylor with 14:30.  Baylor got cute for the first couple of minutes but have settled down now and extended the lead.  I can’t believe Centenary is playing their first FIFTEEN GAMES on the road.  But there is no nickname that compares in all of college basketall.  The Gentlemen.

5:28pm — Big two-hand jam by Quincy Acy after a steal by Dugat.  Baylor has four players in double-figures.  Get used to this, Big 12.  Oh, by the way, they’re also shooting 24/35 for 68.6% from the field.  64-33 Bears.

5:38pm — 71-38.  LaceDarius Dunn just — HAHHAHAHA — fouled out.  I’m betting he’ll be doing some defensive drills at tomorrow’s practice.  Baylor now with FIVE players in double-figures.  Curtis Jarrells has 20p 6a and ZERO turnovers.

5:46pm – Fatigue sets in.  I can’t deny it at this point.  I just went outside to get something out of the car and when I came back in, as I realized 20 minutes later, I left the back door wide open.  Sure, come on in, everyone.  Come on in and kill me.

5:50pm – Energy drink.

5:57pm — Energy drink.

5:59pm — It’s over.  90-55, Baylor.

6:01pm — Coffee.

6:07pm – Atrial fibrillation.

6:09pm – So now we jump into Richmond-Syracuse.  This is an early-season discipline test for Syracuse because Richmond is coached by Chris Mooney, who in turn played for Pete Carril at Princeton.  Richmond will attempt to lower the number of possessions – not to the degree of Carril’s old Tigers teams, but let’s just say they’re patient.  Syracuse doesn’t seem too disturbed, as it’s 19-14 early.

6:19pm — Just in case, I’m looking for the automatic defibrillator here at the RTC Eastern Compound.  Calls and texts with this question are going unanswered.  I’m starting to feel like Michael Clayton about the time his GPS goes out in his car.

6:25pm – Remember the scene in The Princess Bride where Andre the Giant tells Billy Crystal, “I’m on the brut squad,” and Crystal looks at him and replies, “You ARE THE BRUT SQUAD.”  That is Syracuse’s Arinze Onuaku.  A massive human.  He doesn’t play IN the lane.  HE IS the lane.  He’s also 4/4 with 8 points.  I think he could probably just tell the ball to go in the basket and it would.  Or else he’ll eat it.

6:31pm — Doris Burke is toeing the company line and, at the same time she is providing color commentary for this game, she is promoting the upcoming Kentucky-UNC game like mad.  She mentions that Kentucky’s lead in the all-time wins category has been dwindling, and implies that Kentucky could lose that lead “at some point.”  To which RTMSF and I say…yeah, like THIS year.  If you are a Kentucky fan you need to be worried about that THIS season.  UNC won 36 games last year.  They’re better this year.  If Kentucky is truly as down as some are speculating, 20 or 21 wins may be a best-case scenario.  The lead changing hands or at least being tied is a very real possibility this season.

6:42pm — Memories of 1991 are creeping back for Syracuse fans right now.  Richmond actually went over five minutes without scoring but find themselves leading by 7 with a minute left on 7/11 3-pt shooting.  Richmond is also winning the loose-ball battle and outhustling the Orangemen (which they always will be — don’t take me on on this right now…I’ve been up for over 36 hours) overall.

6:51pm — Halftime.  38-31 Spiders.  It’s not really that Syracuse is playing TERRIBLY (41.9% FG, 25% from 3-pt range), but that Richmond is playing with particular efficiency (50% FG, and 58% from 3-pt range, hello).

7:08pm — Eric Devendorf has decided to show up for the Cuse and now has 15p on 5/8 shooting.  He’s doing a lot of chirping at the Richmond players, but he hasn’t let up since opening his second-half account.  He’s made three 3′s and a deuce in less than two minutes, and Richmond has relinquished their halftime lead PLUS four points and we just barely got to the under-16 timeout.  44-40 Syracuse.

7:15pm — I just asked an Orthopedic Surgery friend about the term “stress reaction,” as it applies to Tyler Hansbrough’s leg.  The only reason I asked him is that we as hoops fans are led to believe that “Psycho T” is a tough guy of NHL proportions, but the more people I talk to, it seems like there is a growing contingent that thinks he’s one of those guys who’s good at making it look like he’s getting just totally mauled and dismembered when he takes normal contact or is battling for position in the paint.  My Ortho Surgeon friend says:  “As far as level of injury to bone, it goes 1) bony injury/contusion, 2) stress reaction, and 3) stress fracture, going from not-so-bad to worse/worst as we move along that continuum.   The category you fall into is a decision made primarily by the area’s appearance on an MRI.”  My friend, who went to Miami (FL), says that it isn’t a matter of “toughness” because stress reactions can be totally silent or they can hurt like hell, and adds, “As far as Tyler Hansbrough, whether it hurts, is just ‘bothersome’ or is totally silent, just ask yourself — in his situation…what would you do?”  Right now, I have no answer.  On one hand, I feel as awake as I’ve ever been, but yet I’m hallucinating small animals running across the floor.

7:35pm — The Spiders keep hanging around.  The 3s are not falling at ALL (0/7) for them this half, but still they’re only down 5 (63-58) with 6 to play.  Richmond is actually able to keep up by continuing to get the loose balls and even occasionally get inside and shoot the layup or 5-7 fot jumper.  Still…I’m starting to sense some panic in Richmond.

7:52pm — I’m ridiculously awake.  I may have to buy stock in the energy drink company.

Look at these lines for Syracuse:  Jonny Flynn = 23p on 7/14.  Eric Devendorf = 22p on 8/12.  Arinze Onuaku = 17p on 8/11.  And yet Richmond is within 4 with less than a minute, 71-67.

7:56pm — I’m ridiculously tired.

There it is.  THE WALL.

The energy drinks have worn off — QUICK.  It feels like a bear has wrapped itself around my neck and will not let go.  The bear doesn’t want to eat me.  He wants me to lay down and watch the TV for about 6 nanoseconds until I fall asleep.  I must run from him.  Syracuse held on 76-71, by the way.

At this moment, one of two things must happen.  I am not going to be deterred.  There’s no quitting now.  Either I am going to have to go out into the yard and sit in the cold to wake up, or there’s going to have to be an Erin Andrews sighting, or both.

As Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt’s character) said in Ocean’s 13, “I’ve looked at so many blueprints I can taste the ink through my fingertips.”  That’s how I feel about this computer keyboard.  As good as it is to see these guys on the hoops version of College GameDay, I need a short change of scenery.

Be back in a bit.

8:47pm — OK.  Here’s what we’ve done.  Lights on bright.  Doors open, and the heat is off.  It’s freezing in here.  I’ve been outside.  Volume ridiculously loud on the TVs.  Energy drink and coffee.  Erin Andrews sighting.  I’m convinced Erin is in love with me but just doesn’t know it yet — even though I’ve always been more of a Bonnie Bernstein guy.  That’s blasphemy around here, I know.

I feel great again.  The animals scurrying along the floor haven’t left, and it feels like there’s always someone watching over my shoulder even though I know that’s not true (then again, I DID leave that door open earlier…).  I’m not afraid of anything — except Bob Knight’s eyebrows, Tyler Zeller’s chips (ears), and Patrick Patterson’s afro.

Why do I feel great?  Because I made it to this game.  This is the big one.  No matter that Kentucky is down and that there’s no Hansbrough — it’s always special when these teams get together.  You can’t call yourself a college basketball fan if you can’t wake up for North Carolina versus Kentucky.  We’ve gone 21 hours now just to get here…and HERE WE ARE!

I thought the pre-game with the 5-man set was excellent.  Bob Knight is actually funny although I didn’t get the Yokohama Sea Lions thing, or whatever.  I’ll have to look that one up.  I especially liked the “On the Floor” segment, going player-to-player and giving facts and figures and how they fit into the matchup.

Personally, I don’t see how this can be close, even though UNC doesn’t have Hansbrough or Ginyard.  The only way it’s close is if Kentucky gets it to Patterson every time and he has a good game, Kentucky gets some semblance of reliable point guard play from Porter and DeAndre Liggins (a freshman), and Lawson and Ellington somehow aren’t mentally ready (not likely).

9:09pm — Ten seconds away from a TV timeout, Billy Gillispie has to use one to stop the bleeding.  Kentucky is content to shoot threes, which will get them nowhere.  Patterson is not posting strong down low — he is not battling down low like he did last year.  In addition to that, UNC is doing a great job of pressuring the Kentucky guards so that they can’t even start the offense.  Kentucky looks like they’ve barely practiced this year and haven’t watched a second of game film.  UNC looks like a focused team with a definite game plan.

9:17pm — Patterson with his first touch in the lane.  Dunk.  Everyone in the country is wondering why this isn’t happening more, since it is what “saved” Kentucky’s season last year.  Deon Thompson is already having a great game with 10p on 5/7.  UNC has taken 22 shots, and only 2 of them have been threes.  Both went down.  There’s no better demonstrator of shot-selection discipline than that.

9:29pm – A small comeback from Kentucky to “close” it to 14 at the under-8 timeout.  Patterson just picked up foul number 2, though.  31-17 with 6 left.

9:38pm — There isn’t much to say regarding the reasons for UNC’s superiority right now.  1) Carolina’s defense all over the floor is twice as intense as Kentucky’s, which leads to UK turnovers; 2) UNC has shooters, while Kentucky has trouble putting the ball in the hole even when they’re open; 3) Kentucky can’t get the ball to Patterson — but this is for two reasons, in my opinion.  As Vitale noted, UK can’t get the ball to that 45-degree angle part of the court where you can make the most efficient entry pass, AND, the fact is, Patterson isn’t battling hard for the ball.  Not like he did last year.  He has to make himself available, and EARLY in the UK offense — what there is of it.

9:50pm — This is interesting.  Giilispie honestly looks…flummoxed.  There is minimal instruction to his players when they come over to the bench.  A couple of times during timeouts, he has just looked at his team and laughed at them, as if out of frustration, saying nothing.  Except for some questionable shot selection near the end of the half, Roy Williams has to be totally pleased.  The defense from the beginning has been amazing by the Tarheels.

9:56pm — Halftime.  41-25 Heels.  It could have been much worse for Kentucky, something the GameDay crew has just echoed.  It’s amazing how little offensive movement Kentucky exhibits in that end of the court, a problem Kentucky fans often pointed out even when Tubby Smith was running things.  Carolina’s offense is dynamic and everyone’s moving all the time.

Now, this is based on NOTHING, just my own eyeballing.  But let me propose this, and if there’s anyone out there who has information about this, I’d love to hear from you.  I wonder if Patrick Patterson is at 100%.  There’s something about the way he’s carrying himself on the court and the reduction of his away-from-the-ball movement as compared to last year that makes me wonder if he’s really not totally recovered from his injury at the end of last year.  I’m not saying this to start rumors, but it’s something that crossed my energy-drink-addled and frozen mind as I watch this game.

10:18pm –The under-16.  UNC still up by 14.  I’m still impressed with UNC’s discipline in terms of shot selection; they’ve taken 50 shots and only 8 of them have been threes, four of which went down.  They only take good ones.  UNC has attempted 15 more shots than Kentucky, but Kentucky has ONLY TAKEN 11 shots.  A telling stat.

10:25pm — Deon Thompson with a very smooth turn around jumper.  NBA-worthy.  16p on 8/12.

10:31pm – jtemplon states:  “Patterson looks fine when he goes vertically, so I don’t know if it’s a physical problem…”

Seeing that last distant turnaround jumper, I agree.  But then he can’t get that dunk down cleanly?  Last year he would have destroyed the rim.  The games I saw him in last year, he just seemed more aggressive without the ball.  And I agree with your earlier comment about Curry.  Keep ‘em coming.

10:42pm — Patterson with a nice turnaround jumper, and he’s got 16p on 8/8.  That cuts it to 64-51 with 5:31.  Probably a good timeout by Gillispie here, because he knows it’s been at 14-18 for a while and to score out of this timeout would get Kentucky over a mental hurdle.  Strangely, UNC’s defense has not been as smothering this half, on the whole.

10:50pm — At the under-4, Tarheels by 17.  Jodie Meeks is having an odd game for Kentucky.  He’s got 19p, but it’s on shooting that breaks down as 3/9 from 3-pt range and 2/11 from two-point range.  He appears out of control on many of his drives to the basket and has hit the deck on numerous occasions while on his way to the hoop.

10:57pm – Deon Thompson fouls out with 18 and 8 on 9/15 shooting.  Great game.

11:02pm — Tyler Zeller falls awkwardly on his wrist after going to the hole hard.  Kentucky’s Ramon Harris challenged him going up and the crowd is booing Harris and asking for a flagrant foul…but I have to say, on the multiple replays it doesn’t look like Harris actually touched him up top or with the body.  The crowd sees the replay too, but is not convinced.  Hopefully no seriousness to the injury.

11:09pm — It’s a final, 77-58.  Carolina’s defense in the first half was unreal and exploited Kentucky’s lack of point guard experience.  UNC also showed fantastic discipline in terms of shot selection and offensive efficiency.  Kentucky looks like a team with no sense of itself, yet.  But I’ll speculate that as the season continues, as their players each learn their specific roles, Kentucky will be a different team in a couple of months.  If they don’t fall into those roles (like Liggins running the point, Meeks cutting down the 3-pt attempts, Patterson asking for the ball for an ENTIRE game, etc), Kentucky will not improve on last year’s showing.  This, to me, is the biggest difference between these two squads — UNC’s players know exactly what their roles are and know exactly where they should be and what they should be doing.  Kentucky, by comparison, looks like a grease fire.

So, overall…pretty much the game everyone expected.  On to the remainder of Davidson-Oklahoma.

11:24pm — We’re well into hour #24.  I’ve been up since 6am on Monday morning.  I just went to the gentlemen’s lounge here at the RTC Eastern Compound and I cannot feel the ground under my feet.

They just put up Blake Griffin’s line for this game.  24p 19r on 7/11 FG and 10/11 FT.  Good.  Lord.

Am I hallucinating that?  By the way, Stephen Curry’s got 37 but only 5 threes.  Not a great shooting night so far, c/w his usual self.  But who won’t take 37…now 39?

11:36pm — A stupidly long 3 by Will Archambault cuts it to 7.  77-70.  2:22 left.

11:40pm — Curry with a step-back jack from the corner with Blake Griffin in his mug.  Bang.  Griffin is dumbfounded.  So am I, because that was nasty.  I never saw the ball leave his hand.  79-76 with under a minute left.

11:45pm — A Cade Davis FT for Oklahoma makes it a 4-point lead with less than ten seconds.  That’s like Obama winning Ohio.  Ballgame.

82-78, Sooners.  But I promise you that I’ll be watching every Davidson game that I can find, this year.

OK……on to the last one, Arizona-UAB from the McKale center…

11:55pm — They just showed the Arizona Dance Team or Pom Squad or whatever you call them.  I now realize that I want to go back to college.

Seriously.  There was one particular blonde they showed for whom I would gladly move to Arizona, pay my own way at UA, and voluntarily double major in Organic Chemistry and Macroeconomics if I knew it would help me run into her.  Holy Lord.

It’s the Budinger vs Vaden show, so far, as you’d expect.  Budinger drained two threes and a deuce and is on a 40-pt pace.  18-16 UAB halfway through the first half.

11/19/08

12:00am — 24 HOURS COMPLETE.

12:05am — I’ve begun the process of re-heating the Compound.  My gums and throat are sore, but I’m still awake.  I think.

12:14am — The UAB Mike Davises are up by 6 at the under-4.  They’ve hit five threes but more importantly are 14/28 from the field overall.

12:22am — Terrence Roderick drills a three for UAB with 18 seconds left in the half to extend the lead to 10, 41-31.  Except for Budinger and Nic Wise, ‘Zona still looks shell-shocked about life in general.

Some thoughts on the last 24 hours.  Carolina is in mid-to-late-season form and that’s without two of their big guns.  If they define themselves by defense like they showed us in the first half against Kentucky tonight, it’s going to take a very good and patient ball-handling team just to stay competitive with them.  You better play some tight defense of your own against them because they do not take bad shots.  As far as Kentucky goes, they have talent at multiple positions and pretty fair role players, but there is a total vacuum at the most important position in the college game — point guard.  To me, Patrick Patterson doesn’t look like himself and it’s not just the hair.  Is their poor start a product of not executing Gillispie’s wishes, or Gillispie being unable to actually formulate a game plan?  He was hired at Kentucky as a specialist in recruiting and game preparation.  In Kentucky’s first two games, the Wildcats have not looked like they had any semblance of a game plan.  You have to wonder if that ultimate team-killer has somehow crept into the Kentucky camp — chemistry problems.

Baylor is not just a good story, that’s a good team.  Unbelievably athletic and very fun to watch.  Stephen Curry is just otherworldly.  There’s nothing more that can be said about him.  He’s not like us.  Oklahoma has a bounce in their step that we haven’t seen from them in some time, and Blake Griffin is a freakin’ beast.  What a great thing to have a matchup like that early in the season.  Patty Mills and St. Mary’s are a level below those squads but aren’t to be ignored if you happen to catch them in your bracket come March.  Memphis has some wrinkles to iron out but on pure talent alone they’re up there with the best in the nation.

12:49am — Back to the game…UAB had extended the lead a little but UA’s starting to mount a little bit of a comeback, as it’s 53-46 approaching the under-12.  Budinger has 19p on 6/12 and Vaden has 17 on 7/13.

1:14am – At the under-4 it’s 71-65.  I can’t get used to this.  Arizona is happy to be within 5-8 of UAB on Lute Olson court.  Seems strange.

1:27am — Budinger has pulled away a little in the battle of stars; he’s got 27 on 9/16, 4/8, and 4/4.  Vaden has 20 on 8/15, 4/9, and 0/0.  71-66 with 1:11 left.

1:32am — 71-68.  One possession game but UAB has the rock and UA has to foul.  UA had a three in the air to tie, but it didn’t go down and Budinger got tied up on the rebound…arrow to UAB.  UAB missed their FT, so now UA’s got it with a 3-point deficit and they’re going to the line…

1:35am — Unreal!!  UA hits one of two FTs, gets the offensive rebound and puts it in to tie…but then one of their players fouled a UAB player, thinking his team was still trailing!  I think it was Kyle Fogg, a freshman.  To his credit, both his coach and his teammates rallied to his side as he came to the bench, and I bet he feels like crawling UNDER the Lute Olson court right now.

1:39am — EVEN MORE UNREAL!  UA wasn’t hurt by the mistake, since UAB didn’t convert at the FT line.  Missed a shot with the score TIED at 71 still.  UAB grabbed the rebound and were about to hurl a full-court desparation shot when Jamelle Horne inexplicably FOULS Paul DeLaney 75 feet from the basket — INTENTIONALLY.  He hits one of two, UAB manages not to give the ball back to UA on the in-bounds after the intentional foul, and the game ends 72-71.  And this is how the ESPN hoops marathon comes to a close.

The time is 1:45am on 11/19/08.

I can’t believe it.  We did it.  I’ve got to tell you, as of right now my eyes are blurred and drooping, and I’m still hallucinating objects running along the floor.  My throat is sore.  My head is pounding, and more than a few of my muscles are aching.  I have to type most of these sentences 2-3 times and spell-check them closely so you’ll be able to understand what I’m writing.  A new cough has appeared.  I’ve watched 25 hours and 45 minutes of basketball, and I’ve been awake for 44 hours having, like an idiot, worked a full day before I started this.  Honestly, I’ve rarely felt worse.

And was it worth it?  There is no doubt about it.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat.  It’s college basketball.  In fact, what the hell….anyone feel like going out for a few toasts to celebrate our favorite game?!?

I’m just kidding.  Please call a doctor.

Just kidding again, of course.  Thanks for reading.  Thanks to RTMSF for letting me do this.

See you on the blog.

Kurt of SEC Hoops: The Good, The Bad, The Dirty is the RTC correspondent for the Southeastern Conference.

Predicted Order of Finish:

EAST

1. Tennessee (25-5, 13-3)
2. Florida (25-5, 12-4)
3. Kentucky (22-8, 11-5)
4. Vanderbilt (24-6, 9-7)
5. South Carolina (19-10, 8-8)
6. Georgia (15-13, 5-11)

WEST

1. Alabama (18-11, 8-8)
2. LSU (21-10, 8-8)
3. Mississippi State (21-10, 8-8)
4. Ole Miss (17-13, 7-9)
5. Arkansas (14-15, 5-11)
6. Auburn (14-17, 3-13)

What You Need to Know.  The name of the game for the SEC this year is youth. The Western Division in particular, as nearly every team loses some nucleus from squads that formed a comparatively weak conference half as it was. Tennessee once again looks to lead a strong Eastern Division despite the loss of All-American Chris Lofton. The nation will be looking towards this typically loaded conference with several questions heading into 2008-09. Can Florida’s sophomores have a breakout season similar to those of 2006-07? Can Kentucky put enough guards around all-SEC forward Patrick Patterson to compete for the East? And can the West avoid being stomped once again in head-to-head competitions with the East? My answers: yes, yes, and no.

Predicted Champion.   Tennessee (#2 seed NCAA). It’s pretty easy to brag on Bruce Pearl. He’s one of the nation’s premier coaches, owning a ridiculous 394-108 (.785) record as a head coach, standing third amongst current head coaches. Despite losing popular 2007-08 preseason pick for National Player of the Year Chris Lofton and do-everything guard/forward JuJuan Smith, the Vols will benefit from huge losses across the board for the SEC. All-American forward Tyler Smith (13.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg) returns to provide the squad with a heavy-duty anchor inside (although the 6’7, 215 lb. junior hits 37.8% from behind the arc), while talented center Wayne Chism will be mopping up inside defensively. Hopping aboard the orange train are a pair of insanely talented newcomers. Everything-All-American out of high school Scotty Hopson will be challenging for the starting spot at shooting guard while junior-college All-American Bobby Maze looks to start at point guard. All in all, the talent, experience, and coaching level is the highest in Knoxville, and that’s why the Vols are picked to win the SEC regular season for the second consecutive season.   Here’s some clips from the classic #1 v. #2 matchup Tennessee had with Memphis last season.

NCAA Teams.

• Florida (NCAA #3) – The Gators have once again put together a formula for a set of super sophomores. The league’s top freshman, as well as one of the conference’s best point guards in years, returns in Nick Calathes while a pair of star freshmen in Kenny Kadji and Eloy Vargas will attempt to fill the rather large shoes of NBA-bound Marreese Speights. Don’t be surprised if the Gators reclaim the SEC regular-season title for the third time in the past four years and show up knocking on the door of the NCAA’s Elite Eight.
• Kentucky (NCAA #6) – The Wildcats have a lot of outside shooting to replace, after losing over 33 points per game in Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley. SEC Co-Freshman of the Year Patrick Patterson returns and looks to touch the ball on nearly every possession, and incoming freshman DeAndre Liggins should serve as this year’s heavily-relied upon freshman for the Wildcats at the point guard spot. UK could challenge for the Eastern Division (and thus, the overall SEC crown) and sneak into the NCAA Sweet Sixteen if the pieces fall correctly.
• Vanderbilt (NCAA #9) – Replacing SEC Player of the Year Shan Foster won’t be easy for Kevin Stallings, but the Commodores have another potential POY candidate in A.J. Ogilvy to step into that leadership role. Ogilvy returns as the conference’s most efficient player and scorer, and Jermaine Beal will be the guy to pass inside to the talented post-man while remaining a scoring threat this season. Although the Commodores lose an immense talent in Foster, Ogilvy should be enough to push the squad into the first couple of rounds in the NCAA Tournament.
• LSU (NCAA #11) – The Tigers return nearly every major contributor from last year’s 13-18 squad except for star freshman Anthony Randolph and head coach John Brady, who was replaced during the offseason with accomplished former Stanford coach Trent Johnson. Johnson inherits possibly the league’s most talented overall player in senior Marcus Thornton, the league’s leading returning scorer, along with a chance to get LSU back to the NCAA Tournament (if just so) for the first time since 2006’s Final Four run.
• Mississippi State (NCAA #12) – The Bulldogs lose the most talented duo in the conference in multi-dimensional Jamont Gordon and dominating post-presence Charles Rhodes. In addition, State will need to find a replacement at shooting guard with sophomore Ben Hansbrough transferring to Notre Dame. The positive, however, is that MSU is loaded with talented and will anchor around National Defensive Player of the Year Jarvis Varnado, who led the nation in blocks per game and helped the team rank second nationally in field-goal percentage defense. Adding two big new pieces to the puzzle in freshmen Dee Bost and Romero Osby, the Bulldogs could win their share of the West for the third time in the past four season and make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the past eight seasons.

NIT Teams.

• Alabama (NIT) – I’ve predicted several SEC squads with similar in-conference records, and thus those with the weaker RPIs have been restricted to the NIT. Alabama is one of them. The Tide return former All-American Ronald Steele, but major questions still surround his ability to return to his former self after several complications with knee injuries. McDonald’s All-American freshman JaMychal Green will step into the spot of the league’s most dominant offensive post-man in departed Richard Hendrix. If Green can handle the post himself, or if little-known sophomore Justin Knox can step in to assist, the Tide could find themselves away from a top NIT seed and into the NCAAs.
• South Carolina (NIT) – New head coach David Horn from Western Kentucky infamy will step into a very favorable position at the helm of the Gamecocks. USC brings back more firepower, at least percentage-wise, than any other SEC team and could post the biggest turnaround season the league has seen in quite some time. Junior Devan Downey returns as one of the league’s top point guards and toughest men to keep out of the lane along with ranking as the SEC’s second-leading returning scorer. With almost every piece seeming to come into place for a special season for USC, keep your eyes pealed for a potential Gamecock bubble squad.

Others.

• Arkansas – Just as USC returns nearly everyone, Arkansas loses nearly everyone from a team that underachieved a season ago. Namely, the Razorbacks lose former SEC Freshman of the Year Patrick Beverly, who decided to try his luck overseas. Despite a solid recruiting class, this should be a rebuilding year for John Pelphrey.
• Auburn – The Tigers simply have had a bare cupboard in both talent and depth constantly under Jeff Lebo, and this year is little different. The return of Korvotney Barber should help matters some, assuming he stays healthy, but Auburn won’t improve to any real degree until Lebo is let go.
• Georgia – The Bulldogs under Dennis Felton have been comparable to Auburn under Lebo for quite some time, except that Felton recruits a bit better and has had some nominal success such as last year’s confusing SEC Tournament run. With mass suspensions and off-the-court issues, UGA should remain near or at the bottom of the conference this season – and Felton should receive his pink slip much like Lebo.
• Ole Miss – The Rebels lost a lot last season, but were still anchored inside by solid and experienced forwards, especially Dwayne Curtis.  With those losses, this team is almost entirely underclassmen and could sneak into the NIT if they catch some breaks.

RPI Boosters.

• Kentucky @ North Carolina (11.18.08) – If the Wildcats can pull a massive upset of the consensus #1 team in the nation in Chapel Hill, they will be well on their way to returning to national recognition.
• Tennessee vs. Marquette (12.16.08) – The Volunteers get little or no breaks throughout the non-conference schedule, and this SEC vs. Big East matchup will be for conference bragging rights.
• LSU @ Texas A&M (12.20.08) – If the Tigers want to prove they are rebounding, this will be one of few opportunities for them to so in the non-conference slate.
• South Carolina @ Baylor (01.02.08) – The Gamecocks’ schedule is ridiculously light, and their schedule will be inflated by this point in the season. This game is a must-win if USC wants to take the step up into the NCAAs.
• Tennessee @ Kansas (01.03.08) – Another heavyweight matchup for the Vols, who have a chance to take down a reigning national champ on their home court.
• Kentucky @ Louisville (01.04.08) – The Cats could seriously bolster their NCAA seed and chances to advance in the NCAAs by taking down Louisville on the road.
• Memphis @ Tennessee (01.24.08) – A quickly-heating rivalry as the amount of NBA potential on this floor could drown the common man.

Important Games.

• LSU @ Mississippi State (01.11.09) – If the Tigers want to break through the cap and take the West, a win in this early conference game would be a huge advantage.
• Kentucky @ Alabama (01.24.09) – The Tide must be able to win games at home against the top tier of the East if they have any serious hope of challenging for the overall SEC crown.
• Mississippi State @ Alabama (02.21.09) – If the Bulldogs take care of the Tide at home, they have a shot to make it six in a row over their rivals and take a major step towards another West title.
• Tennessee @ Florida (03.01.09) – The Gators must hold serve at home to compete in the East, while the Vols could wrap up the conference title with a win here.
• Kentucky @ Florida (03.07.09) – We know the Wildcats can win at home, but can they win in Gainesville? This one could be for the East.

Neat-O Stat.  The Southeastern Conference is one of the nation’s deepest and most competitive leagues. The SEC ranks second only behind the ACC in average conference RPI since 1999, and has put every single member into the NCAA tournament since 2002.

65 Team Era.  The SEC has had a tremendous amount of success in this era, going 178-117 (.603) which is good enough for third behind the ACC and Big East.  This includes thirteen F4s and five national titles.  What’s particularly impressive is that only four of those F4s and two titles belong to Kentucky, the traditional standard-bearer of this league, which shows that the rest of the conference has taken basketball to heart and stepped it up. 

Final Thoughts.  The SEC was a huge disappointment on the national scene a season ago. Without major flag-bearers such as Kentucky or Florida dominating, expectations fell on Tennessee to take their #2 seed to the Final Four. Instead, the Vols served as the only team from the conference to make the Sweet Sixteen before falling on their faces to Louisville.  While this year likely won’t be much of an improvement, consider it a gigantic top-to-bottom reloading of one of the nation’s premier men’s basketball conferences, with the league’s talent being tremendously youth-oriented.  Three SEC teams look to have serious aspirations for getting past the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and all are from the East: Tennessee, Florida, and Kentucky. If a Western Division team can step up and compete better than expected and at least two of these teams make the Sweet Sixteen this season, it should serve as a useful springboard to a very potent year for the SEC on the national scene in 2009-2010.