Well, it certainly has been a while. Due to a crazy month of school coupled with two vacations, my time to write was limited but have no fear as I am back in business.
There are about a million things I would like to discuss in the “Unrelated Chatter†section today, including the pending MLB deal with DirecTV which is going to leave me with no baseball package to watch the Mets at school this year, but I will get to that in the next issue. We are going straight “Related Chatter†today so let’s get started.
Related Chatter:
-Before we get to college hoops, let’s quickly discuss college football’s “National Signing Day†which took place on Wednesday, February 7th. Florida had the #1 ranked class a year ago and depending on how you look at it, they may have had the #1 class again. Most have given that #1 spot to USC and deservedly so. While the Florida class is absolutely loaded and has more overall talent than the USC class, USC’s class had a little more quality and a little less quantity.
-USC might already be in hot water with their recruiting class because the #1 overall prospect, RB Joe McKnight, spoke of a phone call with Reggie Bush before signing with USC. The phone call is against NCAA rules as former players are prohibited from calling potential recruits. McKnight has been deemed as the “next Reggie Bush†and while the punishment for such a violation should not be too major, it is the last thing USC and Reggie Bush need at this point as they are already in hot water regarding Bush taking extra benefits while at USC. More on both stories as it becomes available.
-While many argue that it was already the best conference in football, National Signing Day saw the rich get richer as the SEC had a remarkable 5 of the top 10 recruiting classes. According to ESPN.com’s ranking which had Florida slotted at #2; South Carolina came in at #4, Tennessee at #5, LSU at #6, and Auburn at #7.
-The three biggest surprises of the day were at South Carolina, Illinois and North Carolina. South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, Illinois’ Ron Zook and North Carolina’s Butch Davis may be in new surroundings but certainly showed their old mastery ways of recruiting. The Illinois class was so impressive (#12) that some have already begun to accuse Ron Zook of cheating. The accusations appear to be absurd as Zook has already proven to be a great recruiter while at the University of Florida. Zook recruited basically the entire team that won the national title this past season. The three programs certainly appear to be on the rise and teams in the SEC, Big Ten and ACC might be trying to catch-up with these programs over the next few years.
-Onto college hoops now as we are only a few weeks away from March Madness. I have always felt that January was the most important month of the season because it is when teams get into their conference schedule and we get to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Below I am going to list the “Contenders†and “Pretenders†from each power conference as well as the best from the mid-major ranks. The Contenders are teams who have a legit shot of making a deep run in March while the Pretenders are teams who may or may not make the tournament, but won’t do much if they do get there.
ACC
Contenders- North Carolina, Virginia, Virgina Tech
Pretenders- Boston College, Duke, Clemson, Florida State
Thoughts: Both Virginia and Virginia Tech are a lot closer to pretenders than contenders but with their recent play it is hard to dismiss them. The two Virginia schools are not quite Final Four material but they are two teams I would not want to see come March. Duke is a pretender because the truth is they are closer to the bubble right now than to the Final Four. No athleticism, no go-to guy and shaky guard play will certainly hurt them down the road as it has already started to.
Big 12
Contenders- Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas
Pretenders- Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech
Thoughts: Right now, Texas A&M might be the scariest match up in America. I am a sucker for great defense and no one is better than the Aggies. Kansas has a bit of uncertainty about them but with all of that talent it is hard to count them out. Texas is a lot closer to a pretender but with Kevin Durant in their corner, anything is possible. Oklahoma State is a team I really enjoy watching but they can’t seem to put together a good game away from home.
Big East
Contenders- Pittsburgh, Marquette, Georgetown
Pretenders- West Virginia, Providence, Louisville, Notre Dame
Thoughts: To say the Big East is suffering through a down year would be putting it lightly. Pittsburgh just keeps on winning but they have not done well against top teams. Marquette should be a very tough out come March but perhaps the most dangerous team is Georgetown. They have the size and athleticism to cause teams a lot of problems and are probably the most capable of reaching the Final Four out of all the Big East teams. Georgetown seems to be getting hot at just the right time.
Big Ten
Contenders- Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana
Pretenders- Illinois
Thoughts: The Big Ten is very top-heavy this year while the rest of conference wallows in mediocrity. Ohio State is loaded with talent but seems to lack that killer instinct that is needed come March. Wisconsin has the defense to make a run but their offense worries me a bit too much and I don’t like how they match up against other top teams. I was so unsure of where to put Indiana that I accidentally listed them as a contender and a pretender. Indiana is the type of team that one day looks like a Final Four team but the next looks like an NIT team.
Pac-10
Contenders- UCLA, USC, Washington State
Pretenders- Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, Washington
Thoughts: The Pac-10 is far and away the best basketball conference in America this year. UCLA should receive a top seed and is a favorite to reach the Final Four as of now. USC might be a year away but they are playing too well to dismiss them. Washington State is doing the unthinkable right now under first year coach Tony Bennett and is perfectly capable of reaching the Final Four. Arizona is a team to watch out for as they are loaded with talent but aren’t playing much offense or defense these days. Oregon might belong on the contender list but they just don’t “wow†me.
SEC
Contenders- Florida
Pretenders- Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi
Thoughts: Perhaps more surprising than how mediocre the SEC has been this year is how bad LSU has been as they don’t even make the cut as a pretender. Their lack of guard leadership has killed them. Florida is far and away the best team in the league as the other teams appear to be nothing more than Sweet 16 teams at best. Alabama has the most talent of all those teams but is far too inconsistent to take seriously right now.
The Best of the Rest
Contenders- Memphis, Butler, Nevada, Southern Illinois, Air Force, UNLV
Pretenders- Winthrop, Gonzaga, Virginia Commonwealth, Creighton, BYU, Appalachian State
Thoughts: While all of the teams listed are either locks or potential locks to make the tournament, the contenders do have a legit shot of making a deep run. Memphis is loaded with talent but their schedule leaves many wondering if they’ll be able to turn it on come March. Butler has already proven it can hang with the big boys but the two teams that scare me the most on that list are Nevada and Air Force. With the right type of draw on their side of the bracket, both could make a Final Four run and it would be a hell of a lot more legit than the George Mason run a year ago. Southern Illinois and UNLV are contenders for now but barely. While the Missouri Valley is getting a ton of publicity this year, I think the league has a bit too much parity to make a difference but if any team does, it will be Southern Illinois and their stifling defense.
Well that’s all for now. The month of February is shaping up to be a good one and March is right around the corner. Pitchers and Catchers even report in less than one week! Enjoy the weekend…
