Coaching Changes

There’s a New Sheriff in Town

by Jim Woods

So you thought you had gotten rid of me. I think the editor of Hoopville thought I was gone. In fact this article is so far overdue I think he was thinking of firing me. And he should have. You probably didn’t notice, but I have not submitted an article in months. I would hope you didn’t notice, since that would mean you have less of a life than me if you were anxiously anticipating the next Jim Woods hoopville.com article. But I’m back now and you got another whole season’s worth of opinions, ramblings, analysis, bad predictions, unfunny jokes, and boring stories. I’ll be coming at you a lot more frequently once the season really kicks off, including some random postings on the new hoopville.com writer’s blog. I think a blog is like ramblings about nothing posted by losers like me on the internet when we have nobody else to talk to. But I’m not really sure, and since I talk to myself quite a bit, I think this blog thing is right up my alley. So with all that being said, this season first article will look at the coaching changes that took place this past spring, summer and even fall. I’ll break it down in capsule format for your viewing pleasure and to make my writing even easier. You see I spent this past weekend at “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”, better known as the University of Florida versus University of Georgia football game. So any way to make it easier to write when I have 14 hours of sleep, plus 50 beers and 65,000 images of southern coeds in my head I am going to take advantage of.

Air Force
Old Coach: Joe Scott
New Coach: Chris Mooney

Analysis: The former Princeton player Mooney gets the opportunity at his first D1 head coaching gig after spending the past four years as an assistant to Scott at the Academy. It only took one day for Air Force to make the decision to turn the program over to the 31-year-old Mooney, so obviously the decision makers at the school are extremely confident in Chris’ abilities. He is a product of the “Princeton” system that the Falcons employ, so the continuity of teaching the complicated system remains intact. The current players in the program also have a strong level of comfort with Mooney and really backed him for the job. Like any young coach, especially one who is a mere 31, it will be interesting to see how the player’s react to somebody going from being looked at as somewhat of a liaison between themselves and the head coach to being the decision maker.

Akron
Old Coach: Dan Hipsher
New Coach: Keith Dambrot

Analysis: Let’s not kid each other here, no recruit that Dambrot signs at Akron will be as important as the eight grader he once convinced to attend St. Vincent-St. Mary by the name of Lebron James. Dambrot parlayed the success he had coaching James and two current Zips Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis into an assistant coaching position at his alma mater, where he once starred for the baseball team. Dambrot has been with the Zips’ program for three seasons as an assistant and was asked to step up to the position of head coach after Dan Hipsher was fired at the conclusion of last season. Dambrot does have previous head coaching experience on the collegiate level at Tiffin College, where he compiled a six-year record of 108-70. This success and his familiarity with Ohio, specifically the local Akron scene, was integral to him getting the job. Very rarely do you see an assistant of a head coach who gets fired (excuse me “reassigned within the university”) get elevated to the head coaching position. This will be an interesting one to keep an eye on.

Auburn
Old Coach: Cliff Ellis
New Coach: Jeff Lebo

Analysis: The former Tar Heel great Lebo was tabbed to succeed Ellis, who was fired in March due to NCAA investigation regarding recruiting violations in the Tiger program. Lebo can be best described as a winner both as a player and a coach. In the eighteen years he has been involved with Division 1 basketball, Lebo has been a part of nine conference championships. As a head coach he has compiled a 115-63 overall record, which includes a 68-27 conference record. Now Lebo moves from Tennessee Tech and Tennessee Chattanooga to a program where he is going to have even better facilities and budgets to work with. I think this has the potential to be a very nice matchup between school and coach, and Lebo will help Auburn achieve a high level of success.

Tennessee Chattanoga
Old Coach: Jeff Lebo
New Coach: John Shulman

Analysis: After Lebo left to take the Auburn job, the interim label was placed on Shulman. Shortly thereafter, after a national search for a new coach, the administration realized that they had the best choice right there on campus. Very few people know the Southern Conference as well as Shulman, who has spent eleven years in the league as an assistant, including the past six with Lebo as his mentor.

Dartmouth
Old Coach: Dave Faucher
New Coach: Terry Dunn

Analysis: After Dave Faucher resigned from Dartmouth after thirteen seasons it seemed like it was going to take the Big Green thirteen years to name a replacement. Popes and Supreme Court Justices don’t have to go through as much to get a job and wait as long as Terry Dunn. Dunn, the brother of former Penn State head coach Jerry, comes to Hanover after spending eight seasons as an assistant at the University of Colorado. Dunn will quickly learn that Dartmouth is not the easiest place to win and is taking over as big of a challenge as there is in Division 1 basketball.

Eastern Washington
Old Coach: Ray Giacoletti
New Coach: Mike Burns

Analysis: Few could blame Giacoletti for leaving Eastern Washington to head to Utah. And it came as little surprise to those in the Pacific Northwest when Burns was tapped as his replacement. Burns spent the previous season as an assistant to Dick Bennett at Washington State, but prior to that was a Giacoletti assistant at EWU from 2000-2003. Burns is extremely well connected in that region and is very familiar with the players in his new program. It should be a relatively smooth transition for the Eagles.

Florida International
Old Coach: Donnie Marsh
New Coach: Sergio Rouco

Analysis: Marsh was relieved of his duties following his fourth season at the helm of the Golden Panthers. Rouco, who was a Marsh assistant from 2000-2003 and spent the previous year at UTEP, returns to his hometown of Miami to try and revive the struggling program. Rouco is known for his recruiting, especially internationally in South America and Puerto Rico, where he has pro coaching experience. This is another interesting case where the assistant of the fired coach is hired to replace him, making this is one to keep an eye on.

Georgetown
Old Coach: Craig Esherick
New Coach: John Thompson III

Analysis: Esherick was relieved of his duties by the university following a 13-15 season which was the Hoyas worst in 31 years. I guess it never hurts to have the name John Thompson III when you go to interview to become the next Georgetown head coach, but Thompson is more than just his father’s son. He was very successful at Princeton and I think he will be a great fit at Georgetown. He will relish the role of restoring the program to the glory it once had under his father.

Houston
Old Coach: Ray McCallum
New Coach: Tom Penders

Analysis: “Turnaround Tom” returns to the state of Texas to try and match the success he had as the coach of the University of Texas. The program has fallen under hard times, and McCallum could never do anything to reverse the negative tide. He was fired at the conclusion of the season. Penders will bring his up-tempo pace and fun style of play to a city that is just loaded with players. He must convince them to stay at home and restore the glory of the Guy Lewis era.

James Madison
Old Coach: Sherman Dillard
New Coach: Dean Keener

Analysis: Talk about striking while the iron is hot. Keener, though well respected amongst his peers, was not talked about like other high-major assistants as being a guy who was “hot” and only a matter of time before he landed a head coaching job. But then Georgia Tech put together an amazing Final Four run and Keener parlayed that into landing the Dukes job. Keener did spend one year as a Dillard assistant in 1999-2000 when Dillard had his best record of 20-9. After that, though, the program slowly slipped and Dillard was fired after the conclusion of this season.

Louisiana-Lafayette
Old Coach: Jessie Evans/Glenn Cyprien
New Coach: Robert Lee

Analysis: After Evans departed the Cajuns to take over the San Francisco program, ULL tabbed the Oklahoma State assistant Cyprien to replace him. However in July the school found a resume discrepancy, a la George O’Leary, and turned to eight-year Cajun assistant Lee to guide the program. Lee is obviously familiar with the players and the system and I wouldn’t expect him to alter much from the style of play that Evans employed. It was successful then and ULL hopes to continue the winning ways.

LaSalle
Old Coach: Billy Hahn
New Coach: Dr. John Giannini

Analysis: Off-court issues, including players being charged with rape, brought about a quick end to the Billy Hahn era at LaSalle. Gianinni returns to the region where he had his greatest success as the head coach of Division 3 Rowan University in South Jersey where he brought home a national championship. Dr. John also was able to win at Maine, which is no easy task. At Maine, he relied heavily on transfers from “higher” programs, so it will be interesting to see how successfully he recruits the Philly-area high schools. I have been on the opposite sideline from this guy and he can really coach so I expect him to be successful if he can land the right kids.

Loyola-Maryland
Old Coach: Scott Hicks
New Coach: Jimmy Patsos

Analysis: Hicks was fired after a season that saw his ballclub only win one game and threaten the NCAA record for consecutive losses. Needless to say, Patsos faces a major rebuilding project. Unlike I mentioned with Dean Keener, Patsos has been one of those “hot” guys the past few seasons and now makes the moves out from under the wing of Gary Williams at Maryland. Don’t look for overnight success, but do not be surprised if the Greyhounds are a player in the MAAC in 3-4 years.

Loyola-Chicago
Old Coach: Larry Farmer
New Coach: Jim Whitesell

Analysis: After spending the past twelve seasons at nearby Lewis College, Whitesell was asked to replace Farmer, who was fired after six seasons. Whitesell will try to emulate the success of Bruce Pearl (UW-Milwaukee) and Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan) who had prior success moving from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (D2) to Division 1. Known as a great teacher, Whitesell finished with a career record of 214-126 at Lewis. He will try and restore this once proud Chicago city program.

Maine
Old Coach: Dr. John Giannini
New Coach: Ted Woodward

Analysis: Another assistant coach who moves one seat up the bench to replace his boss, who we mentioned above took the LaSalle job. A very quiet and unassuming guy, Ted will try and maintain a level of success that isn’t easy at Maine. Under the Doctor, Maine won 20 games in two different seasons, the only times in school history that has been done. Woodward has plenty of experience as an assistant, as he has been at the Division 1 level for eighteen years, the last eight at Maine.

Marist
Old Coach: Dave Magarity
New Coach: Matt Brady

Analysis: Another assistant coach who parlayed his teams success into his first head coaching job, Brady comes to Marist from St. Joe’s. Brady will replace Magarity, who stepped down after eighteen seasons as the head coach of the Red Foxes. Brady is known as a great shooting teacher and was given a great deal of the credit for the development of Hawk guards and 2004 NBA First Round picks Delonte West and Jameer Nelson. It was thought by many that the Red Foxes would look to a coach with greater New York City “ties”, but the administration and current players were very impressed by Brady.

Maryland-Baltimore County
Old Coach: Tom Sullivan
New Coach: Randy Monroe

Analysis: There are not too many nicer guys that I met in my workings with basketball than Randy Monroe. I was very excited that this longtime assistant got the opportunity to replace Sullivan, who resigned after a turbulent end to this past season. Monroe has spent the past ten seasons as a UMBC assistant and is ready for the challenge. He will need to upgrade the talent in the program to compete at the top of the America East Conference, and anybody who knows Randy knows he will work extremely hard to get that done.

Maryland-Eastern Shore
Old Coach: Thomas Trotter
New Coach: Lawrence Lessett Jr.

Analysis: I’d be lying if I said I knew a lot about either of these guys, but I can research and make some analysis just as well as the next guy. This program has not had a winning season in over a decade and Trotter was relieved after the conclusion of the season. Lessett was hired and he will only have 5 returning players to work with. Some may say “oh that’s not good”, but I say that’s great. Why would you want to inherit the bad players that got the last guy fired? Lessett is definitely well-traveled, having most recently worked for Magic Johnson International Basketball.

Miami
Old Coach: Perry Clark
New Coach: Frank Haith

Analysis: The Hurricanes move into the ACC under direction of first-year head coach Frank Haith, who comes to Miami from Texas where he was an assistant under Rick Barnes. He will try to breathe life back into the program after two consecutive losing seasons, which led to the firing of Perry Clark. Haith is known as a relentless recruiter, but has no previous head coaching experience. He has worked for a great X’s and O’s guy in Rick Barnes, so I expect Haith to be prepared. It will not happen overnight in the ACC, though.

Montana
Old Coach: Pat Kennedy
New Coach: Larry Krystkowiak

Analysis: Kennedy was a strange fit for Big Sky country from the beginning and as soon as an opportunity presented itself back east at Towson, he jumped at it. That opens the door for former Grizzly great Krystkowiak to take over. The former NBA player is a legend in that region and he commands a lot of respect from current players and potential recruits. A very good hire for Montana.

Navy
Old Coach: Don Devoe
New Coach: Billy Lange

Analysis: Very few hires made me as happy this summer as Navy giving Billy a chance. When I was in college and first working the summer camp circuit Lange was one of the first guys I met when he was his dad’s assistant at Bishop Eustace High School in New Jersey. He is just the kind of energetic guy who can win at a service academy, which Devoe had some success doing before he retired after twelve years. Lange comes to the Academy from Villanova where he served as the Director of Basketball Operations, but prior to that he was the head coach at Merchant Marine Academy and was successful. That service academy background was what got Lange in the door to take over the Midshipmen program.

Nevada
Old Coach: Trent Johnson
New Coach: Mark Fox

Analysis: When Mike Montgomery shocked the college hoops world and took the Golden State Warriors’ job, it opened the door for Johnson to move his career onto Palo Alto. In his place, Mark Fox will take control of the Wolf Pack program after spending the past four years as Johnson’s associate head coach. Fox inherits one of the West Coast’s up-and-coming mid-major programs. Last season, the Pack made a run to the Sweet Sixteen, and Fox will be wise to build around sophomore center Nick Fazekas.

Nicholls State
Old Coach: Ricky Blanton
New Coach: J.P. Piper

Analysis: Very rarely do you have a late October coaching change, but at
Nicholls State that is the case. On October 18th Ricky Blanton resigned for
personal reasons. Since it was after practice started already the logical
move was to replace him with top assistant J.P. Piper which is exactly what
the Colonels did. Over the past few years Nicholls has been one of the
poorest Division 1 programs, so Piper has his hands full. He has been at
the school for two years, and prior to that was a succesful high school
coach for eight seasons. It will be interesting to see if this is just a
one year stay or if Piper can parlay this opportunity into a longer term
contract.

Ohio State
Old Coach: Jim O’Brien
New Coach: Thad Matta

Analysis: One of the surprise openings of the Spring took place here in Columbus. After allegations of recruiting improprieties arose, O’Brien was fired by the university on June 8th. Matta moves within the state from Xavier, where he had great success with the Musketeer program, winning 78 games in three seasons. Matta has the reputation as being one of the top young coaches in the game, and he will have to be to get Ohio State in the upper half of the Big Ten this year. It will be interesting to see what kind of penalties get handed down to the Buckeyes as a result of this NCAA investigation. Matta will also be forced to deal with that as he moves forward.

Princeton
Old Coach: John Thompson III
New Coach: Joe Scott

Analysis: Princeton did not go outside of the Pete Carril “family” to find its replacement for Thompson who left for the Georgetown post. Scott, a 1987 graduate of Princeton and former Tiger player and assistant, was the first person the Tigers targeted and they quickly got their man. Scott will keep the system in place that has been the backbone of Princeton’s success for decades. This hire surprised nobody and nobody will be surprised when the Tigers remain at the top of the Ivy League.

San Francisco
Old Coach: Phil Matthews
New Coach: Jessie Evans

Analysis: Jessie Evans returns to the West Coast from Louisiana-Lafayette, where he took the Ragin’ Cajuns to three straight postseason appearances, to replace Matthews, who was let go after nine years at the helm of San Francisco. After flirting with bringing in longtime Purdue head coach Gene Keady, the Dons settled on the former Lute Olsen assistant Evans to restore the USF program to past glory. Evans has the reputation of being a great recruiter, and he proved in his years in Lafayette that he can also coach that talent. San Francisco got themselves a fine coach to lead their program.

Southern Illinois
Old Coach: Matt Painter
New Coach: Chris Lowery

Analysis: After Gene Keady turned down the San Francisco job, he decided that this would be his final season at Purdue. In order to ease the transition to a new coach and to eliminate a drawn out search that could confuse potential recruits, Matt Painter left SIU to join Keady’s staff for one year and will be promoted to the head coaching position at Purdue the following year. As a result, the Salukis found themselves needing a head coach and they didn’t have to look any further than former SIU star player and assistant coach Chris Lowery. Though Lowery spent last year with Bruce Weber at Illinois, he is a true Saluki. Lowery played on four postseason teams at the school and assisted on two others. Known as a great recruiter in the midwest, Lowery becomes the fifth-youngest Division 1 head coach at the ripe age of 31. Expect the Southern Illinois program to not skip a beat under Lowery.

SMU
Old Coach: Mike Dement
New Coach: Jimmy Tubbs

Analysis: Jimmy Tubbs returns back to SMU where he spent twelve seasons as an assistant under John Shumate and Mike Dement, who was fired at the conclusion of last season. SMU has fallen on hard times lately and Tubbs, who spent the previous two seasons on Kelvin Sampson’s staff at Oklahoma, will be expected to guide the Mustangs back to respectability. Tubbs did a great job as a recruiter at Oklahoma, and he will need to upgrade the talent quite a bit at SMU to get them back on the winning track.

Southern Miss
Old Coach: James Green
New Coach: Larry Eustachy

Analysis: Very few can forget how Larry Eustachy left the college game after a successful run at Iowa State. Eustachy was let go for off-court issues, which included being photographed at a college party in Missouri after a loss to the Tigers. Well, Eustachy has been given a second chance in his coaching life as he replaces James Green who was forced to resign just prior to the end of this past season. Eustachy will be thankful for this second chance and I can imagine he is going to throw himself into this job relentlessly. He will have to, as the Golden Eagles have a big rebuilding job on their hands. This is a hire that will pay off more in three seasons than it will in this first year.

St. John’s
Old Coach: Mike Jarvis
New Coach: Norm Roberts

Analysis: Perhaps no program needed a change of coaches more than St. John’s. Jarvis never enamored himself to Johnnie fans or the New York media, and after an off the court scandal involving players and a stripper on a road trip, the St. John’s administration made the move to fire Jarvis. Kevin Clark was the interim coach for the remainder of the season, but he was not retained for the position. Plenty of names were bandied about for this job, but after much speculation and interviews, St. John’s settled on the Queens native, Norm Roberts. Roberts spent the previous season at Kansas and had also worked under Bill Self at Tulsa and Illinois, but his roots are true New York City. Roberts played and coached in the New York City catholic league at Archbishop Molloy HS, and will rely heavily on those ties to keep New York kids at home. You have a plethora of people to appease in this job and how Roberts manages all New York factions of basketball is only half the battle. He then has to get on the floor and teach and coach his team. Roberts will be up for the challenge and has coached under a very good x-and-o guy in Bill Self.

Stanford
Old Coach: Mike Montgomery
New Coach: Trent Johnson

Analysis: As I mentioned above, Montgomery shocked the college basketball world when he took the Golden State Warriors’ job and left the college game. It didn’t take the Cardinal long, however, to settle on Johnson as a replacement. Johnson was a Montgomery assistant for three seasons prior to his move to take over at Nevada. His success at Nevada, including last season’s Sweet Sixteen run, made him a natural fit to take over in Palo Alto. He inherits a good team, but will need to recruit great student athletes like Montgomery did to stay at the top of the Pac 10.

Texas A&M
Old Coach: Melvin Watkins
New Coach: Billy Gillispie

Analysis: Gillispie became a hot coach last spring when he took UTEP from six wins to a 24 win season and NCAA Tournament bid. Turnaround like that get you jobs up the coaching ladder. He will face a major challenge in rebuilding the struggling Aggie program, which never could get it going under Melvin Watkins. Watkins was let go following the season and has resurfaced as an assistant at Missouri. Gillispie is a young and energetic go-getter who can also coach. Gillispie, like Norm Roberts, comes off the Bill Self coaching tree. He was an assistant on Elite Eight teams at Tulsa and Illinois. He is a winner and that winning attitude is exactly what Texas A&M needs.

Texas-Pan American
Old Coach: Bob Hoffman
New Coach: Robert Davenport

Analysis: Davenport gets his first Division 1 head coaching opportunity after Hoffman left to take over the position vacated when Jimmy Tubbs left the University of Oklahoma. Davenport has spent the previous five seasons as Hoffman’s assistant at UTPA. While an assistant, Davenport played a large part in the rebirth of Pan American basketball. The program has won more games in the past five seasons than in any other five year period in the school’s history. These factors made the Davenport hire an easy decision.

Towson
Old Coach: Michael Hunt
New Coach: Pat Kennedy

Analysis: Hunt could never quite get it going at Towson and was let go after this past season, opening the door for Pat Kennedy’s return to the East Coast. Kennedy spent the previous two seasons at Montana, but is no stranger to the East where he once coached successfully at Florida State and Iona. Throw in his time at DePaul and you have somebody who is as connected nationally as anybody in the game. Kennedy brings some name recognition to a program that is in need of recognition. Don’t be surprised if Towson becomes a player in the CAA in the next three years.

Utah
Old Coach: Rick Majerus
New Coach: Ray Giacoletti

Analysis: Very few coaches were as associated with the college game as the likable Majerus, but health issues forced him to leave the program early last season. After deciding not to retain interim head coach Kerry Rupp, the Utes turned their attention to Giacoletti, who had a great run at Eastern Washington. It will not be easy to replace somebody as popular as Majerus, but Giacoletti is an extremely capable coach. His first big move was to convince Andrew Bogut to remain at Utah, and he was able to do that. Let’s see if that can be the first of many successes for Giacoletti.

UNLV
Old Coach: Charlie Spoonhour
New Coach: Lon Kruger

Analysis: After Spoonhour resigned in the middle of last season, UNLV looked nationally to try and restore the program back to the success they have enjoyed in the past. They needed to look no further than Kruger, who had great success at both Florida and Illinois as a college head caoch and then struggled in the NBA with the Hawks. But then again, who wouldn’t struggle with the Hawks! Kruger has proved he can win wherever he has been on the college level and I expect him to do the same in Vegas, where they are craving a winner again.

UTEP
Old Coach: Billy Gillispie
New Coach: Doc Sadler

Analysis: When your program goes from six wins to 24 you can expect to lose your head coach, and that is exactly what happened to UTEP. You also should keep the same people, players and staff as intact as possible and hire from within. That is exactly what UTEP did when they promoted Doc Sadler to head coach. Sadler is no stranger to the head coaching position as he was a successful top man at JuCo power Arkansas-Fort Smith. Sadler inherits quite a bit of talent and will be expected to take this team back to the field of 65. I see no reason he can’t handle this pressure.

Xavier
Old Coach: Thad Matta
New Coach: Sean Miller

Analysis: Nobody could blame Thad Matta for leaving to go to Ohio State, and nobody could blame Xavier for turning to Sean Miller to replace him. The former Pitt point guard great has been considered for years to be one of the top young assistants in the game during his time at NC State and Xavier. Well-liked and the son of a legendary high school coach, Miller is a natural fit to take over the Xavier program. Fans will see Xavier teams year in and year out at the top of the Atlantic Ten under the guidance of Miller.

Big East Recap

Big East Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

by Jim Woods

This past season in America’s deepest conference was great one. Beyond just Connecticut capturing their 2nd National Championship in 5 years, this season was filled with great individual performances, surprise teams, great coaching jobs, and breakout stars. At a time when many wanted to talk solely about the future of the league, the play on the court spoke for itself, and many even took the time to focus solely on the play.

Connecticut obviously took home the National Championship and captured the Big East Tourney title, but they did not dominate conference play the entire year without any challengers. In fact, the Huskies were the second best team in the conference during the regular season behind Pittsburgh. The Panthers didn’t skip a beat this season under the direction of first time Head Coach Jamie Dixon. Dixon guided the Panthers to a 13-3 conference mark which put them a game ahead of the Huskies. Providence may have been the surprise team of the league and put up an impressive 11-5 conference mark. Friar Junior forward Ryan Gomes became a household name and carried that team at times. Syracuse’s Hakim Warrick answered the question of who would step up in Carmelo Anthony’s absence and helped lead the Orange to 11 conference wins and 23 overall. They made a return trip to the Sweet Sixteen where they seem to always end up. Boston College was expected to be down this past season after the graduation of 2,000 point scorer Troy Bell and the sudden departure of Ryan Sidney. However, Craig Smith developed quickly into one of the conference’s top players and Uka Agbai’s experience was invaluable. The Eagles took eventual NCAA runner-up Georgia Teach to the final possession in a heartbreaking second round NCAA defeat. Seton Hall rounded out the NCAA participants from the league. Andre Barrett had an outstanding senior season and led the Pirates back to the NCAA’s where they had a very nice first round win over Arizona.

Just because a team wasn’t in the above group, it doesn’t mean they were a pushover. On any given night teams at the bottom of the league were upsetting or putting a scare into the “elite” teams. Nobody wanted to face a pesky Rutgers team, especially on their home floor. The Scarlet Knights ended up going on a great postseason run of their own reaching the NIT Final. Notre Dame was hurt by an injury to interior force Torin Francis, but they still got hot down the stretch and made a late push to get an NCAA bid. Virginia Tech was led all year by do-everything forward Bryant Matthews and put up their league season high of 7 wins and 15 overall. Villanova saw the emergence of their talented sophomore class and made run to the conference tourney semis. West Virginia adapted to John Beilein’s system and when they were making three point shots were a tough team to handle. Miami, Georgetown, and St. John’s had down years, but you can expect these programs to rise again next year under the direction of new head coaches.

Overall it was your typical wild year in the Big East where every night you had to bring your “A-game” to the court. The cream eventually rose to the top, but it was never an easy night for them. The league will only continue to get better when the expansion takes effect following this season, but for now, its still the best in my book.

Conference Tournament

The 25th Annual Big East Tournament was once again one of the most exciting events of the college basketball year. Though on paper there weren’t many surprise victories, some performances were noteworthy and exciting. Virginia Tech won their first ever conference tournament game over Rutgers in opening round play. This three-point game was a preview of how the first day’s play would go as two other games (Villanova over Seton Hall and Notre Dame over West Virginia) were decided by one point each. Top seeds Pitt and UConn both rolled to wins in their first game, but Boston College and Villanova carried momentum from the first day to upset Syracuse and Providence respectively who had the opening round bye. This set up two good Friday night semifinal games. The first was a nip and tuck affair between Pitt and BC. This seesaw battle went to the final possessions before the Panthers moved on to the Final with a 9 point win. The nightcap saw Villanova look very fatigues and struggle to stay in the game with Uconn. Despite getting beat by seventeen, this game was great building point for a young Nova team. The Final was once again a Pitt/Uconn battle and this time the Huskies came out on top riding a superb performance by Junior guard Ben Gordon who seemed to make every key shot down the stretch.

The tournament was obviously a great preview of what was to come for the Huskies. They parlayed their performance into a #2 seed in the Big Dance and waltzed all they way to a title. After watching them play in New York there was never a doubt that they were capable of doing this. Other impressive performances during the conference tournament were put in by Villanova and Boston College who not many picked for the semifinals before the season started. Ben Gordon was a “no-brainer” as the tournament MVP, and Carl Krauser and Chris Taft of Pitt came home to their hometown of New York City and put on great performances of their own.

Post Season Teams

Connecticut: As most of the country remembers Jim Calhoun’s Huskies breezed through a weak West Regional and looked great in the Championship game against Georgia Tech. The game most fans will remember for a long time was the “instant classic” semifinal matchup with Duke. The Huskies staged a remarkable rally down the stretch to pull out a thrilling 79-78 win. The Championship game was never really in doubt as Connecticut rolled to a 82-73 win. Junior Emeka Okafor completed his college career by taking home the Final Four Most Outstanding Player Award.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers struggled in their opening round win over UCF, but then played a great game to beat Wisconsin in the much debated “having to play Wisconsin in Milwaukee” game. The Panthers season would end though in the Sweet Sixteen with a loss to eventual Final Four participant Oklahoma State.

Providence: After losing in the first round of the conference tourney many thought the Friars would be rested and ready for an NCAA run. That was not the case as Providence was knocked out in the NCAA First Round as well by a pesky Pacific team.

Syracuse: The Orange bounced back from a poor performance in the Big East Tourney to make it back to the Sweet Sixteen. They rode the incredible hot shooting of Gerry McNamara to a first-round win over BYU and then held on for a hard fought win over Maryland in the battle of the last two National Champions. The season would come to an end in the Sweet Sixteen with a loss to Alabama.

Boston College: The Eagles entered the NCAA’s as a six seed and defeated Utah in the first round. Their second round game against Georgia Tech was a great battle and despite the poorest performance they had gotten the whole year from star Craig Smith the Eagles were still in a position in the final minute to win the game. However, Tech made big plays and pulled out a three point win.

Seton Hall: The Pirates were thought by many to be the underdog in their opening NCAA game against traditional power Arizona. Early on it looked like they forecasters were right. But eventually the Hall tuned it on and their inspired play carried them to a second round matchup with Duke. The Blue Devils were too deep for the Pirates to handle, but all in all it was great for Seton Hall to get that first win.

NIT Teams

Notre Dame: The Irish continued to build upon their strong play down the stretch of the regular season to make it to the NIT quarterfinals where they were defeated by Oregon. Along the way they knocked off state rival Purdue and Conference USA’s ST. Louis.

Rutgers: Perhaps no team other than Connecticut did more to energize its fans during the postseason than Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights turned up their performance in the NIT and rode the advantage of playing on their home floor to win their first three NIT games. Two of those wins were over conference rivals Wet Virginia and Villanova. In the semis at the Garden, Rutgers knocked off Iowa State setting the stage for a title game with Michigan. Rutgers just couldn’t find their touch from long range and the double (NIT & NCAA) championship for the league was not to be. But a great performance for this young team to build on.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers went on the road to win a very tough game over Kent State in the NIT opener. They then knocked off Rhode Island to set the stage for that matchup mentioned above against Rutgers. The Mountaineers obviously feel to their conference foe.

Villanova: Probably no Big East team gre more in March than the Wildcats. This young group turned it on during the conference tourney and never let up. They knocked of Drexel and Virginia before also falling to Rutgers. This will be a team to keep an eye on during this upcoming year and see how they use this valuable experience.

Some Interesting Statistics:

• Connecticut’s championship was the league’s fifth in 25 years. They have also lost 5 times in the title game (though Villanova/Georgetown in 1985 involved two teams).

• The league was 12-5 in the NCAA Tourney and 20-7 (.741) overall in postseason play. This was the best mark of any conference.

• Over the last two seasons, the Big East is 24-8 (.750) in NCAA games and 46-17 (.730) overall in postseason contests. This of course includes two National Championships (Syracuse and Connecticut)

Awards Time

These are the Hoopville Awards and not the media picks.

Most Valuable Player:

Ryan Gomes, Providence

No one player did more his team in the regular season. Take him off the Friars and they are no better than a 6 win conference team.

Best Defensive Players:

Post – Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
Guard/Wing – Julius Page, Pittsburgh

Coach of the Year:

Al Skinner – Boston College

I always give this award to the guy who did the most with the least. I would love to give it to Jamie Dixon but he had so much talent. After Troy Bell graduated and took 2,000 points with him and Ryan Sidney suddenly quit, the Eagles looked like a second tier team. Al only did his best job yet at BC and took this team to 24 wins. Nobody saw that coming.

Rookie of the Year:

Chris Taft, Pittsburgh

During the final month of the season Taft turned into an animal and was absolutely relentless on the glass. I expect him to have a monster season next year.

All Conference Team
Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
Ben Gordon, Connecticut
Andre Barrett, Seton Hall
Ryan Gomes, Providence
Craig Smith, Boston College

Team by Team Breakdown

Pittsburgh Panthers (31-5, 13-3)

Team MVP: Carl Krauser (15.4ppg, 4.5apg)

Top Scorer: Krauser (15.4ppg)
Top Rebounder: Chirs Taft (7.2rpg)
Top Assists: Krauser (4.5apg)

Starters Leaving: Jaron Brown and Julius Page (both graduate)

Starters Returning: Carl Krauser, Chris Taft, Chevon Troutman

Connecticut Huskies ( 33-6, 12-4)

Team MVP: Emeka Okafor (17.6ppg, 11.5rpg)

Top Scorer: Ben Gordon (18.5ppg)
Top Rebounder: Okafor (11.5rpg)
Top Assists: Taliek Brown (6.5apg)

Starters Leaving: Brown (Graduation), Okafor (NBA), Gordon (NBA)

Starters Returning: Rashard Anderson, Josh Boone

Providence Friars ( 20-9, 11-5)

Team MVP: Ryan Gomes (18.9ppg, 9.4rpg)

Top Scorer: Gomes (18.9ppg)
Top Rebounder: Gomes (9.4rpg)
Top Assists: Donnie McGrath (3.4apg)

Starters Leaving: Marcus Douthit and Sheiku Kabba (both graduate)

Starters Returning: Gomes, McGrath, Rob Sanders

Syracuse Orangemen ( 23-8, 11-5)

Team MVP: Hakim Warrick (19.8ppg, 8.6rpg)

Top Scorer: Warrick (19.8ppg)
Top Rebounder: Warrick (8.6rpg)
Top Assists: Billy Edelin (5.2apg)

Starters Leaving: None

Starters Returning: Gerry McNamra, Warrick, Edelin (provided he is eligible), Josh Pace, and Craig Forth

Note: The Orangemen have changed their nickname to “Orange” for the 2004-05 season.

Boston College Eagles ( 24-10, 10-6)

Team MVP: Craig Smith (16.9ppg, 8.3rpg)

Top Scorer: Smith (16.9ppg)
Top Rebounder: Smith (8.3rpg)
Top Assists: Louis Hinnant (3.3apg)

Starters Leaving: Uka Agbai (graduation)

Starters Returning: Smith, Hinnant, Jared Dudley, Sean Marshall

Seton Hall Pirates (21-10, 10-6)

Team MVP: Andre Barrett (17.3ppg, 5.9apg)

Top Scorer: Barrett (17.3ppg)
Top Rebounder: Kelly Whitney (6.9rpg)
Top Assists: Barrett (5.9apg)

Starters Leaving: Barrett, Marcus Toney-El (both graduate)

Starters Returning: Whitney, John Allen, Andre Sweet

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-13, 9-7)

Team MVP: Chris Thomas (19.7ppg, 4.7apg)

Top Scorer: Thomas (19.7ppg)
Top Rebounder: Torin Francis (8.8rpg)
Top Assists: Thomas (4.7apg)

Starters Leaving: Torrian Jones (graduation)

Starters Returning: Thomas, Francis, Chris Quinn, Jordan Cornette

Virginia Tech Hokies (15-14, 7-9)

Team MVP: Bryant Matthews (22.1ppg, 8.9rpg)

Top Scorer: Matthews (22.1ppg)
Top Rebounder: Matthews (8.9rpg)
Top Assists: Jamon Gordon(4.5apg)

Starters Leaving: Matthews (graduation)

Starters Returning: Gordon, Zabian Dowdell, Coleman Collins, Phillip McCandies

Note: Moving to ACC for 2004-05 season

Rutgers Scarlet Knights ( 20-13, 7-9)

Team MVP: Herve Lamizana (13.4ppg, 7.6rpg)

Top Scorer: Ricky Shields (15.5ppg)
Top Rebounder: Lamizana (7.6rpg)
Top Assists: Marquis Webb (2.9apg)

Starters Leaving: Lamizana, Sean Axani (both graduate)

Starters Returning: Webb, Shields, Quincy Douby

West Virginia Mountaineers (17-14, 7-9)

Team MVP: D’or Fischer (10.8ppg, 6.2rpg)

Top Scorer: Fischer(10.8ppg)
Top Rebounder: Fischer (6.2rpg)
Top Assists: Johannes Herber (3.3apg)

Starters Leaving: None

Starters Returning: Fischer, Herber, Kevin Pittsnogle, Tyrone Sally, J. Durriseau-Collins

Villanova Wildcats (18-17, 6-10)

Team MVP: Allen Ray (17.3ppg, 3.9rpg)

Top Scorer: Ray (17.3ppg)
Top Rebounder: Jason Fraser/Curtis Sumpter (7.1rpg)
Top Assists: Mike Nardi (3.7apg)

Starters Leaving: None

Starters Returning: Ray, Fraser, Sumpter, Nardi, Randy Foye

Georgetown Hoyas (13-15, 4-12)

Team MVP: Brandon Bowman (15.9ppg, 8.1rpg)

Top Scorer: Gerald Riley (17.0ppg)
Top Rebounder: Bowman (8.1rpg)
Top Assists: Ashanti Cook (3.8apg)

Starters Leaving: Riley, Courtland Freeman (both graduate)

Starters Returning: Bowman, Cook, Darrel Owens

New Coach: John Thompson III

Miami Hurricanes (14-16, 4-12)

Team MVP: Darius Rice (16.9ppg, 6.4rpg)

Top Scorer: Rice (16.9ppg)
Top Rebounder: Rice (6.4rpg)
Top Assists: Armando Surratt (4.1apg)

Starters Leaving: Rice, Rodrigue Dhajue (both graduate)

Starters Returning: Surratt, Robert Hite, Guilermo Diaz

New Coach: Frank Haith

Note: Moving to ACC for 2004-05 season

St. John’s RedStorm (6-21, 1-15)

Team MVP: Daryll Hill (14.8ppg, 3.7apg)

Top Scorer: Hill (14.8ppg)
Top Rebounder: Kyle Cuffe (7.2rpg)
Top Assists: Hill (3.7apg)

Starters Leaving: Cuffe, Elijah Ingram/Grady Reynolds/Abe Keita (Dismissed)

Starters Returning: Hill

New Coach: Norm Roberts

PHX First Round Preview

First Round Preview – Phoenix Region

by Jim Woods

No. 5 Syracuse vs. No. 12 BYU

The returning National Champs get to start their journey towards a repeat title performance in the city Carmelo Anthony now calls home. Last year was truly special for the Orange, but this year the road appears to be a lot tougher. It starts Thursday in Denver when they face BYU. The Cougars comes out of the Mountain West Conference on a nice run. They have won 9 of their last 10 games, with the only loss being to Utah in the conference tournament semifinals. Earlier this season the Cougars had their most impressive win when they knocked off Oklahoma State. Syracuse played very well down the stretch of the Big East regular season (wins over Pitt and Connecticut) but then did not look impressive in a quarterfinal loss in the tournament to Boston College.

Syracuse is very much a two-dimensional team offensively. Gerry McNamara (16.2 ppg) and Hakim Warrick (19.6 ppg) are clearly the two best players for the Orangemen. Syracuse has not been able to find a third player to really step up since Billy Edelin left the team midseason. If either of the top two has an off game or gets in foul trouble, the Orange can struggle to find points. BYU is led by star center Rafael Araujo (18.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg) who is among the 30 finalists for the Wooden Award. Araujo is a tough match-up for anybody, and Syracuse will look to collapse their patented 2-3 zone around the big Brazilian. Normally, I would say the zone will really limit the Cougars interior play, but I just watch the Orangemen lose to BC because Craig Smith dominated in the paint. BYU is capable of knocking in three-point shots (forward Luiz Lemes shoots 41% behind the arc) and will not hesitate to take a few early to stretch the defense and open up gaps to enter the ball to Araujo.

What Will Work for Syracuse: The Orangemen need to establish a third scorer early in this game. It doesn’t matter if it is Demetris Nichols, Josh Pace, or Louis McCroskey, but they have to find somebody to take the pressure of the big two. McNamara must have a good game shooting the ball from long range, so Syracuse needs to run some offense to get him free looks.

What Will Work BYU: Get the ball inside to Araujo. He is the horse who they have ridden this far, and they can’t stop now. Interior passing and movement in their zone offense will be the key for the Cougars. Warrick is the Orange’s leading scorer, but the focus defensively for BYU must be McNamara. He needs to be pressured for 40 minutes in the thin mountain air to wear down his legs.

Prediction: I don’t like ‘Cuse having to travel to Denver to take on a team from another mountain state. Playing at the altitude in Denver won’t nearly effect BYU they way it will effect the Orangemen. Syracuse is caught in a catch-22. To get easy shots for some of their complimentary players they can get out and push the ball. But pushing the ball in this spot will cause fatigue. Syracuse also is a very poor free throw shooting team (63.6%). If you exclude McNamara, that number drops to 57.9%. I don’t like that number in a close game. The interior of Syracuse’s zone was exposed in the Big East tournament, and Araujo is as good of a big man as there is in the country. He will be a load to handle inside. Craig Forth and Jeremy McNeil must have big games defensively for Syracuse. I don’t see either of them stepping up. I love the experience of McNamara and Warrick, but if either of them does not play well Syracuse is not a dominant team. Every year a twelve knocks off a five and I like that here. BYU wins a thriller 69-67.

I got two words for you: Gerry McNamara! He is the only reason why the Orangemen have lived to see another day in this dance. He single-handedly kept Syracuse in the game in the first half scoring 28 points before the break. And he needed to, because he got no help from his mates. Hakim Warrick picked up his third foul with 7:01 remaining in the first half so it was even more imperative that McNamara carry the load. BYU was playing some great offense of their own throughout the half and their long range shooting, led by Mike Hall and Luis Lemez, forced the Orangemen out of their 2-3 zone. These outside marksmen drew the defensive attention away from star big man Rafael Araujo. At the half the score was knotted at 42, and the Cuse knew they had dodged a major bullet.

McNamara was once again on a roll in the second half, but this time he had some more help from Warrick. Warrick scored nine straight Syracuse points midway though the half to give the Orange a seemingly comfortable 69-60 lead. But the Cougars would not go away. Seniors Mark Bigelow and Araujo did not want this to be their final game. They finally grabbed a one-point lead 73-72 with 3:22 remaining. A Warrick layup and (what else) a McNamara three (his ninth of the contest) pushed the Orange lead back to four. A Bigelow layup got the margin back to two and after an offensive foul on Syracuse’s Demtris Nichols, the Cougars had their chance to tie at the foul line. Jake Shoff missed the front end of the one-and-one, but BYU grabbed the offensive rebound. Bigelow and Araujo each missed shots and Syracuse had the ball back with 1:12 remaining. The Cougars got the defensive stop they needed, but Bigelow could not knock down a go-ahead three from the top of the key. Syracuse then clinched the game at the foul line.

We said in the preview that to stop Syracuse you have to guard two guys, McNamara and Warrick. Well, BYU couldn’t do that and they go home. Syracuse can not rely on another 43 point effort Saturday, or else they may find themselves heading home.

Big East Conference Finals Recap
		Recap by Jim Woods No. 2 Connecticut 61 vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh 58 Can you say ESPN Instant Classic? That is the best way I can describe last night’s dramatic Big East Final between Connecticut and Pittsburgh. It started with the emotional return of Huskie Emeka Okafor and did not let down once the game began. The outcome was truly in doubt to the final horn went off. Connecticut jumped out to an early 13-2 lead, seemingly inspired by the return of Okafor. Pitt, being a team of seasoned veterans, did not wilt and quickly got right back into the game. In fact, the Panthers responded with a 12-0 run of their own to take a 14-13 lead at the 10:17 mark. Pitt would continue to put the clamps on the Huskies defensively while getting out in transition a bit themselves to take control of the game. Carl Krauser was putting on a show for the Panthers at the point, and it looked like early in the second half Pitt was going to grab the title and a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. But as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.” Connecticut is too good and too talented to go away in this situation. After Pitt reserve Antonio Graves canned a three-point shot with 8:25 to give the Panthers an 11-point lead, the Huskies made their surge. Yesterday I wrote that Julius Page would do a good job defensively on Ben Gordon, and for 32 minutes he did just that. But at the eight-minute mark, Gordon came alive. Over the next eight minutes he put on a performance that will be remembered for the next 25 years of Big East Tournament play. Gordon scored 11 of his 23 points during this span including the game-winning jumper with :39 seconds remaining on a beautiful pull-up jumper. Pitt had two chances to win the game in their ensuing possession, but both Krauser and Mark McCarroll missed potential winning shots. Who else but Gordon rebounded the McCarroll miss and knocked down two free throws to stretch the margin to three. Pitt had one more chance, but a length of the court pass to Julius Page for a final shot rimmed out. However, Page was inside the three-point line so the shot would only have cut the lead to one. Both teams proved this week that they will be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament and both are good enough to play into April in San Antonio. This was a great Big East Tournament for all involved and I think all six teams (Pitt, Connecticut, Boston College, Syracuse, Seton Hall and Providence) that will be in the “Big Dance” will show very well over the next few weeks. I know I can’t wait to watch it all!

Big East Quarterfinals Recap

Big East Conference Quarterfinals Recap
		Recap by Jim Woods Things heated up on the second day of action with a typical Pitt performance to start things off. The second game of the day featuring Boston College and Syracuse was one of the stranger games you will see, but certainly had plenty of excitement. The night session was once again very competitive with games going right to the final minutes. Villanova has decided to play Cinderella in New York and the Connecticut Huskies proved why you can never have too many good players. No. 8 Virginia Tech 61 vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh 74 This game went pretty much according to the script that we thought. Pitt never quite dominated the game, but always seemed to be in control. Virginia Tech leading scorer Bryant Matthews bounced back from a poor offensive performance on Wednesday against Rutgers to show why he was the league’s leading scorer. Unfortunately foul trouble plagued him throughout the contest, and he fouled out with 7:14 remaining in the game. The Hokies could have used him down the stretch as they still were in the contest up until the final minute. They could not get the big basket when they needed it though, and could not get the Panther lead below six in the final three minutes. Jaron Brown did a bit of everything for the Panthers as he scored 20 points and added 6 assists. He is a guy who does not get a lot of notoriety, but is just a true warrior and winner. Virginia Tech deserves a lot of credit for their one and only tournament appearance as they played very well in both contests. No. 5 Boston College 57 vs. No. 4 Syracuse 54 As I mentioned above, this game was perhaps one of the stranger games I have witnessed in a long time. Before the game and in my preview yesterday, I mentioned that somebody, specifically Sean Marshall, needed to step up and knock down some three point shots to stretch the Syracuse 2-3 zone. I spoke with BC assistant Pat Duquette before the game and he felt that Marshall or somebody else needed to make a few perimeter jumpers to open things up for Craig Smith on the baseline. So what happened? The Eagles shot 0-9 from three-point range and did not make a field goal outside of twelve feet for the entire game. But most importantly, they won the game. How did they do it? They crashed the offensive glass and really passed the ball well on the interior. In the second half they put the clamps on Syracuse defensively and held them to 22 points in the second stanza. Hakim Warrick got off to a great start, but really struggled in the second half. Good play out of Gerry McNamara carried the Orange towards the finish, but they did not have enough weapons. The front line of the Eagles came up huge as Jared Dudley (8 offensive rebounds), Craig Smith and Uka Agbai combined for 48 of the Eagles 57 points. Syracuse had chance to tie as McNamara, while being hounded by almost the whole BC team, missed a running three point shot as time expired. BC now moves on to try and knock off the top seeded Pitt Panthers. No. 7 Notre Dame 58 vs. No. 2 Connecticut 66 Connecticut proved last night why you stockpile high school All-Americans and figure out a way to keep them happy later. Without star Emeka Okafor they were able to dip into their stable of talent just watch Charlie Villanueva go out and put up Okafor-like numbers with 16 points 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. His parnter in crime on the front line was Josh Boone who chipped in his 16 rebounds to the cause. Despite these great performances, the true star for the Huskies was guard Ben Gordon who stepped up his scoring with 29 points, including the “dagger” three-point jumper with :48 seconds remaining to give Connecticut an insurmountable eight point lead. As the saying goes, you can live and die with the three-point shot, and last night Notre Dame died with it. The Irish were 7-29 behind the arch and seemed at times to just settle for a forced three when they could have worked for an easier shot. Chris Thomas led the way with 19 points, but his 1-10 from downtown really crippled their chance for an upset. The happiest people outside of Huskie fans had to be those from Seton Hall. A win by the Irish might have vaulted them over the Pirates and into the “Big Dance.” I think the NIT is in the Notre Dame future. No. 3 Providence 66 vs. No. 11 Villanova 69 Sometimes it is nice to pick the right upset, and I just had a feeling yesterday about the Wildcats. This team has too much talent to be the 11th seed in any conference tournament. This game was tight throughout and Providence grabbed a four-point lead with 3:54 to play. Villanova responded with an 11-0 run to make the score 65-58 and the Friars did not have enough time to make up the deficit. The Wildcats once again got solid play out Allen Ray and Randy Foye who each chipped in 15 points, but last night was a chance for Jason Fraser to shine. Fraser’s 17 points gave the ‘Cats a much needed inside threat. He also was able to remain out of foul trouble and play 35 minutes. Hopefully he can bounce back and be able to give Nova another effort like that in the semis. Providence was paced by guard Sheiku Kabba’s 24 points, but All-American forward Ryan Gomes was limited by some foul trouble and only scored 9 points. Providence must recover and bounce back to get ready for their NCAA Tournament run.

Big East Semifinals Preview

Big East Conference Semifinals Preview
		Preview by Jim Woods No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 5 Boston College This contest is a rematch of the 2001 Championship game where the Eagles took home the title. The only Eagle who remains from that group is Uka Agbai and his leadership has been a big reason for BC’s late season surge. I am assuming that his responsibility tonight will be to match-up with Big East Freshman of the Year Chris Taft. Taft is a future star who can score, rebound and pass. Agbai will rely on his strength and smarts to gain his advantage. Pitt’s perimeter defense is suffocating and all year teams have had trouble getting into their offense. Boston College likes to run a tight _flex_ offense from 18 feet in, so watch to see if the BC offense is getting pushed out behind the arch. If it is, the Panthers have gained a major advantage. How this game is officiated will be huge. A closely called game away from the ball favors the Eagles. Another factor will be fatigue. This is BC’s third game in three days, but they faced back to back zone teams that played at a slow p What to Look For: • Boston College to play some zone. Despite not running much the first two games, the three games back to back can have an effect on the legs. Also, the Panthers are not a consistent team from behind the three-point line. • Who will win the battle of the bench. The Panthers only had 4 points from a non-starter against Virginia Tech. BC has gotten good play out of Stevie Hailey and Jermaine Watson in the opening rounds. Expect Watson to be on the floor during crunch time. Prediction: This will be a physical battle in which points will be at a premium. Pittsburgh has the advantage in the backcourt and that is why I like the Panthers to prevail 60-57. No. 2 Connecticut vs. No. 11 Villanova Villanova has certainly risen to the occasion this week and become the story of the tournament. Randy Foye and Allen Ray give the Wildcats a good one-two scoring punch on the perimeter, and Jason Fraser showed last night why he was one of the most sought after recruits in the country two years ago. Connecticut packs plenty of offensive punch themselves, led by guard Ben Gordon. Gordon will shoulder a great deal of the load if Emeka Okafor is once again in street clothes. Charlie Villanueva and Josh Boone clean up Gordon’s misses and look to get out and finish in transition. Expect the Huskies to really turn up the pressure defensively on the young Wildcat backcourt. Jay Wright will not let his team fall guilty to the “happy to be here” mentality. The ‘Cats are thinking win two more and get an automatic bid. Its long shot, but stranger things have happened. What to Watch For: • Somebody has to help Ben Gordon shoulder the perimeter scoring load. Either Rashard Anderson and Denham Brown needs to step up their level of play a bit. Gordon played 39 minutes last night and took 24 shots. He needs some help, especially if the Huskies want to have anything left if they get to Saturday. • How will Mike Nardi play for the Wildcats? Nardi faces an older more experienced guard in Taliek Brown. Browns physical strength and on the ball defense can disrupt a team_s offensive flow. Nardi needs to go right at him and try to be the aggressor. If he gets pushed out away from the basket, the Wildcat scorers will be receiving the ball out of their scoring range. Prediction: Villanova has had a nice run, but tonight the party will come to an end. They will not back down to the Huskies and it will be close, but the Huskies depth of talent will win out. Connecticut 82-77.

Big East Semifinals Recap

Big East Conference Semifinals Recap
		Recap by Jim Woods No. 1 Pittsburgh 62 vs. No. 5 Boston College 53 Pittsburgh once again proved why they were the league’s best team in the regular season, by playing their suffocating defense and getting great point guard play out of Carl Krauser. The Panthers trailed BC by four at the half, but quickly fought back to grab an early second half lead. BC would not go away, as star forward Craig Smith continued to his outstanding tournament play dominating the paint. The problem was he had no help on the perimeter. Just like Thursday against Syracuse, the Eagles could not knock down a perimeter shot. Jermaine Watson finally made the Eagles’ first three-point shot in two games with 3:21 remaining to cut the Panther lead to 50-48. However, the Panthers answered with a Chevy Troutman offensive rebound and put back basket to push the lead back to four. The ensuing two possessions were the most critical of the game. Smith made a great power move to the baseline and appeared to draw contact as he missed a layup. There was no whistle on the play, and now the Eagles needed a stop on the defensive end. BC plays excellent defense for the entire possession until Stevie Hailey gets whistled for a very questionable foul as Krauser attempted a three-point shot with :50 seconds remaining. Krauser knocked down all three free throws to push the lead to seven and that was the ball game. We previewed yesterday that Pitt’s guard play would be the difference and we did not lie to you. The Pitt starting backcourt outscored BC 21-4. BC needs to find a perimeter shooter as they move on to the next tournament, and Pitt needs to just stick to the same formula that has now led them to four straight Big East title games. No. 2 Connecticut 84 vs. No. 11 Villanova 67 Two words are enough to sum up this contest: Ben Gordon. The Huskie junior guard was sensational once again last night dropping in 29 points, but more importantly he did so in the first half on a variety of contested shots that broke the Wildcats’ backs and never gave them the feeling they had a chance to win. Connecticut dominated this game from about the fourteen-minute mark of the first half and never looked back. Villanova could not get into an offensive rhythm, and could only get scoring out of Jason Fraser and Curtis Sumpter in the first half. You thought the Huskies could be vulnerable when Charlie Villanueva pulled up lame on a bad ankle, but his teammates just stpped up their performance. Point guard Taliek Brown contributed 11 points and 10 assits and played a nearly flawless floor game. He is the ultimate team player and a true leader of the Huskies. Villanova got better play out Randy Foye in the second half as he finished with 20 points, however on this night Connecticut would not be denied. They were just too good at all positions and now move on face Pitt for the third consecutive Big East Final.

Big East Finals Preview

Big East Conference Finals Preview
		Preview by Jim Woods After ten intense hard fought games over the last three days, it all comes down according to plan to the number one and number two seeds meeting for the conference championship. Pittsburgh meets Connecticut for the third consecutive year in the Big East Final. Pittsburgh is the current title-holder, after taking the 2003 crown from the Huskies who bettered them in 2002. It has become a great Big East rivalry and tonight is the rubber match. Let’s look at how this one matches up. No.1 Pittsburgh vs. No.2 Connecticut Pittsburgh is not going to go away from its formula of slowing the tempo, playing aggressive half court man-to-man defense and rebounding the basketball. They rely on their physical strength to take the other team out of what they are trying to do. It will be such a sharp contrast in styles, as the Huskies will want to get out and run and use their quickness and athleticism. Connecticut also plays tremendous half court defense, but they use their team quickness to beat you to the spot rather than muscle you for position. If they get beat on the perimeter they have Josh Boone in the back of the defense to block and later shots around the rim. Charlie Villanueva’s health is an issue tonight. Without him, the Huskies would be down to seven healthy scholarship players. Neither team relies heavily on their bench, so fresh legs will be important. The match-up of Taliek Brown and Carl Krauser at the point guard will be a treat as these two New York City guards go head to head. I can’t wait for this battle to get underway tonight. What to Look For: • Which teams gets a great performance out of a bench player. I like Connecticut’s Denham Brown to step up tonight and give the Huskies some scoring help. • Julius Page is one of the league’s top wing defenders and he has to prove it tonight on Ben Gordon. His long arms will be a factor because he can play a bit further off Gordon and still get in his vision on a jump shot. • The “battle of the rookies” between Boone and Chris Taft. This is a look at the future of interior play in this league. Prediction: I keep watching Pitt and saying they can’t possibly be as good as they are. Yet they win all of their games. It will not be different tonight. Page does a good job on Gordon and the Huskies injury woes catch up to them. The score stay under 70 and the Panthers win 66-63.

Big East First Round Preview

Big East Conference First Round Preview
		Preview by Jim Woods Starting Wednesday, all eyes in the Northeast will be on Madison Square Garden for the Silver Anniversary of the Big East Tournament. Over the past 25 years there are some memories and names you can never forget. Great finishes, superb individual performances and upsets are just some of the many things you can expect to see. This year’s version is as wide open as I can remember. Though Pittsburgh won the regular season title, by no means will the Panthers coast through the weekend. Connecticut is always tough with their horde of fans invading the Garden and generally annoying every other fan in attendance when they begin to talk about their women’s team while the other games are going on. Syracuse has been coming on strong, Ryan Gomes can carry Providence, Boston College will try to win with youth and Seton Hall will ride Andre Barrett as far as he can take them. And these are by no means the only six that can win. These six may already have “locked” up an NCAA tourney berth, but don’t tell the rest of the teams they can’t crash the “Big Dance.” I’ll be here all week to provide insight, analysis and predictions on my favorite conference tournament. No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 Rutgers Led by the Big East’s top scorer Bryant Matthews (22.9ppg), the Hokies enter New York on their first-ever Big East three game win streak. Seth Greenberg is arguably the Coach of the Year in the conference and he will have his ball club well prepared for the Scarlet Knights. Tech recently knocked off Rutgers 71-70 to exact some revenge for RU’s 33-point win in February. Herve Lamizana is the key for the Scarlet Knights. This multi-talented forward has the capabilities of taking over a game, but has to remain focused for 40 minutes. Rutgers freshman guards Marquis Webb and Quincy Douby will be in the spotlight in their first tournament game. Douby’s long range marksmanship can turn a game around in a hurry. The close to home factor and support of a pro-Rutgers crowd will weigh heavily in the Scarlet Knights’ favor. Prediction: Virginia Tech’s free throw woes (last in conference at .597) will hurt them in a close game. I like Rutgers 69-66. No. 5 Boston College vs. No. 12 Georgetown This game features two teams heading in opposite directions. The Eagles have lost only once since February 1st and the Hoyas have won only once since that same date. Georgetown has lost their past eight games and are reeling as they head to New York. Boston College would like to put together a nice run and improve their NCAA Tournament seed. First Team All Big East performer Craig Smith gives the Eagles a legitimate go to scorer and forward Uka Agbai has been through many conference wars and already has one tournament championship ring. Brandon Bowman leads the Hoyas in rebounding (8.0rpg) and is second in scoring (16.0ppg). The Hoyas will try to grind this game out and keep it in the high 50′s to have a chance to win. Prediction: Coach Skinner will not let the Eagles overlook the Hoyas. Not enough scoring options will be the undoing for Georgetown. BC rolls 72-58. No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 West Virginia This game features two teams that were considered on the bubble in mid-February, but their bubbles have appeared to burst. Both teams will need to win the tournament to get into the “Big Dance.” Notre Dame’s backcourt of Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn is capable of keeping them in any game against any opponent. West Virginia counters with a balanced lineup in which no player averages more than eleven points per game. West Virginia’s biggest team weakness this season has been rebounding, however, without Torin Francis, the Irish are themselves a weak rebounding team. Defending the perimeter will be the key for the Mountaineers. They cannot allow Quinn and Thomas any free looks. Prediction: The Irish will want to get out and push the ball up the floor, while West Virginia will want to play possession by possession basketball. The key is going to be who defends the three-point line better. Both teams struggled in this area all season. In the end guard play will elevate the Irish 70-63. No. 6 Seton Hall vs. No. 11 Villanova I really believe this game will be the first day’s most entertaining contest. This game is like a New York/New Jersey AAU reunion. This is the Panthers, Playaz, Ravens, Roadrunners and all the rest of our favorite summer teams on display. I wouldn’t expect any of the kids on either team to be intimidated by the stage they are playing on. Nine of the ten starters in this game played their high school or AAU basketball within twenty miles of MSG. All of these kids know each other’s games inside out and you can throw the personnel scouting reports in the trash. Seton Hall is headed for the NCAA’s, and Villanova would like to have a nice run to build upon next season with this young team. Andre Barrett has been superb all season for the Pirates and would like to lead his team to a title in his final chance. If Villanova can neutralize Barrett and make somebody else have to handle the ball they can spring the upset. I would attack the Pirate point guard and try to get him in some foul trouble. Donald Copeland is still a question mark at the backup position. Prediction: These teams are very close statistically in all the major categories. Villanova has struggled in close games, including a two-point loss at Seton Hall earlier this season. I can see no reason why this game does not go right down to the last possession and I think the Pirates’ experience will be the difference. Seton Hall 80 Villanova 78.

Big East First Round Recap

Big East Conference First Round Recap
		Recap by Jim Woods The first day of play at the 25th Anniversary Big East Tournament would not have won artistic points from the judges, but it certainly had its share of excitement. The outcome of every game was in doubt coming out of the last media timeout. The evening was capped by a battle between Villanova and Seton Hall that brought the remaining late night fans in the Garden to their feet for a thrilling ending. Let’s recap. No. 8 Virginia Tech 61 vs. No. 9 Rutgers 58 Despite a flurry of Virginia Tech steals and Knight’s turnovers in the first half, Rutgers somehow managed to take a 35-27 halftime lead in the contest. Hokie leading scorer Bryant Matthews was a virtual non-factor on the offensive end, but his mates began to heat up in the second half and Tech turned the heat up defensively and took off on a 16-3 run. Tech maintained that lead for most of the second half, and then Rutgers freshman Marquis Webb knocked down consecutive three pointers to cut the Hokie lead to 3. Webb did not play like a freshman in his first Big East Tourney appearance. His leadership and toughness kept the Scarlet Knights in the game. Herve Lamizana, arguably the Knights most talented player, showed up in his “Enigma” mode and that spelt doom for Rutgers. Rutgers had a chance to tie this game on the final possession with a Calvin Wooten three-point attempt, but he came up with an airball from the corner. Coleman Collins led a balanced Hokie attack with 12 points. Webb finished the game with 19. No. 5 Boston College 68 vs. No. 12 Georgetown 57 In a game that nearly put MSG to sleep and sent many fans sprinting to the exits, Boston College managed to survive a pesky Georgetown team that would not go away. The Hoyas packed in a 2-3 zone to try and limit the inside play of Craig Smith and Uka Agbai. The Hoyas played very well on the defensive end of the floor, however they could never develop any consistency on the offensive end. Every time they made a small run to get back into the game including cutting the lead to 4 at the 5:59 mark of the second half, they would go a couple of possessions without a basket. The Eagles also grew more comfortable against the Hoya zone as the game progressed and began to find cutters for easy baskets. Freshman guard Stevie Hailey did an excellent job of penetrating into the gaps of the Hoya zone and distributing the ball to open men on the blocks. Jermaine Watson ended all Hoya hopes by knocking down 10-12 free throws in the games final minutes. Smith finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Eagles. Ashanti Cook led the Hoyas with 13. No. 7 Notre Dame 65 vs. No. 10 West Virginia 64 This contest began a bit slowly for both teams as they struggled to find their range from the field. West Virginia played the majority of the game in an extended 1-3-1 zone which seemed to give the Irish some problems early. However, the Mountaineers could not capitalize on their offensive end. After ten minutes of play the teams had only combined for twenty points and the Irish led 12-8. The last ten minutes of the half belonged to the Irish as they built an 11-point halftime lead. A quick second half start by the WVU allowed them to cut the lead to 5, yet they could not sustain their run. The Irish countered with an 11-0 run to push the lead up to 16 and the Mountaineers appeared to be in trouble. West Virginia refused to go away and began to get the ball to forward Kevin Pittsnogle who responded with eight quick points to get his team back in the game. Trailing by six 3:29 remaining, Patrick Beilein nailed back to back three pointers, including one from at least 27 feet which sent the crowd into a frenzy. Joe Herber followed these shots with a layup to finally give the Mountaineers the lead. After trading two foul shots by the Irish’s Chris Quinn and a layup by WVU’s Tyrone Sally, the stage was set for Irish freshman Colin Falls who does what does best and knocked down the game winning three from the corner. WVU had one more chance for the win, but Joe Herber’s three-point attempt fell short as time expired. Herber led WVU with 17, while Chris Thomas paced the Irish with 19. No. 6 Seton Hall vs. No. 11 Villanova After the conclusion of the previous game, you did not think the nightcap could live up. It certainly did, and then some. What this game lacked in offensive beauty it made up for in passion and intensity. Both teams went after each other in a game that looked more like a late 1980′s Big East game. In another game where points were at a premium early, Nova guard Allen Ray paced the Wildcat attack with 15 first half points. Seton Hall star guard Andre Barrett countered with 13 points of his own, yet Nova held a 34-32 advantage at half time. A quick run by Villanova to start the half pushed the lead to 8 at 40-32 with 18:40 remaining. That is as large as the lead would be the rest of the game as both teams battled back and forth trading pushes and shoves, turnovers, and baskets. At 5:33, the Pirates finally regained the lead 52-51 on two Kelly Whitney free throws. After trading a few more baskets over the next three minutes, Andre Sweet gave the Hall a 60-59 lead with 2:16 left. Villanova could not convert offensively for the next two possessions, but they were able to get stops on the defensive end. The Wildcats were forced to foul Pirate senior Marcus Toney-El with :16 seconds remaining as he had an open layup to the basket off a Wildcat turnover. Toney-El missed both free throws including a second shot airball. After a Nova timeout, Randy Foye decided he would have his Big East Tournament moment to remember. Foye drove off the left wing and put in a tough jumper in the lane with 3.9 seconds remaining. Seton Hall quickly inbounded to Barrett who was only able to get off a thirty footer on the run which grazed the rim, and sent Villanova on to the next round. Seton Hall will once again have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday.

Big East Quarterfinals Preview

Big East Conference Quarterfinals Preview
		Preview by Jim Woods No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh Virginia Tech comes in fresh off of their first-ever Big East Tournament win and looks to pull the shocker against the top seeded Panthers. This game could potentially draw the smallest crowd ever to MSG for a tournament game, however, those in attendance will get to see two teams that really look to guard the opponent hard on the perimeter. Rutgers had all kinds of problems with the Hokies hawking on-ball defense, and everybody knows how the Panthers take you out of everything you try to do offensively. Va Tech needs to get leading scorer Bryant Matthews going today. He has to be more a of force and a factor for the Hokies to have any chance at the upset. Today is the start of the Panthers drive to a fourth straight tournament title game, and I don’t see today being the day they get derailed. Prediction: Virginia Tech can play loose with nothing to lose and this will keep them in the game early. Pitt just has too much experience to overlook this one. Pitt pulls away in the last seven minutes and wins 63-51. No. 5 Boston College vs. No. 4 Syracuse Probably the worst thing for Syracuse yesterday was Georgetown playing 40 minutes of 2-3 zone against the Eagles. It was a two hour zone offense practice for BC, which is exactly what they needed for today. Sean Marshall is going to be key for the Eagles. His shooting needs to be on to stretch the Orange zone and open up more room for Craig Smith to operate on the baseline. Syracuse must get good games out of their inside outside combination of Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara. If either gets in any kind of foul trouble, the Orange could be in danger. Both teams are already locks for NCAA bids, but both can help their seeding with a win. Prediction: Warrick and McNamara are so experienced and very talented. BC will not back down or be intimidated by the returning National Champions. This will be a final possession game and Syracuse pulls out a squeaker 71-70. No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Connecticut The obvious storyline to this game is the health of Huskie star Emeka Okafor. If he plays and is capable, the Irish face a major obstacle. Even if he sits this out, the Huskies are still deeper than the Irish, but ND can get more inside baskets which they will need. Chris Quinn and Chris Thomas are capable of carrying the Irish with a hot shooting night from the perimeter, but you can be assured Coach Calhoun will have the Huskies extended out defensively to not give those two any open looks. The Thomas/Ben Gordon matchup is going to be a highlight of the day, and Thomas has the length and quickness defensively to cause Gordon problems. However, when it is all said and done, Connecticut just has too many weapons. Prediciton: Connecticut with or without Okafor wins 81-73. No. 3 Providence vs. No. 11 Villanova Villanova will try to carry forth the energy that they had last night in upsetting Seton Hall to tonight’s contest. This game is going to be another hard fought battle between two teams with similar personnel. Villanova needs better play out of point guard Mike Nardi tonight to keep playing on Friday. I assume Curtis Sumpter will have the task of guarding Ryan Gomes, so look for the Friar All-American to try and get Sumpter on the block. Villanova looked to get Jason Frasier more touches inside in the second half of last night’s game, and I’ll be interested to see if they continue that trend. An inside threat for the Wildcats would really open things up for their three-guard attack on the perimeter. Providence needs to shake off some sluggish play down the stretch of the regular season and realize their “real” season begins tonight. Prediction: Every tournament needs a Cinderella, and this Wildcat team is talented enough to play that role. Villanova moves on 64-60.

My Field of 65

My Field of 65

by Jim Woods

Here are the final picks.

Strictly Automatic

America East, Atlantic Sun (Central Florida), Big Sky, Big South (Liberty), Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy (Princeton), MAAC, Mid-Continent, MEAC, NEC, Ohio Valley (Murray St.), Patriot, Southern Conference (ETSU), Southland, SWAC, Sun Belt, WCC, MAC.

Issues

Out of these above conferences you have the potential for upsets and a second team to go. This applies to the WCC and Big West. Gonzaga (WCC) and Utah State (Big West) are going to get in regardless of winning their league tournament. For the purposes of this article I am assuming these two schools will garner the conference’s automatic bid. Last week I said Southern Illinois would be in this situation and they did get beat in the conference tourney so the Missouri Valley becomes a multiple bid league.

That accounts for 20 Automatic Bids

Here is what remains. Each of the below conferences I believe will get multiple teams into the tournament. Again, for the purposes of this article, one of the teams listed I am assuming to win the conference tournament and the automatic bid.

Atlantic Ten: St. Joe’s, Dayton.

ACC: Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Maryland

Big 12: Oklahoma St., Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, Missouri

Big East: Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Providence, Syracuse, Boston College, Seton Hall

Big Ten: Michigan St., Illinois, Wisconsin

Conference USA: Memphis, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Louisville, DePaul, UAB

Mountain West: Air Force, Utah, BYU

Pac 10: Stanford, Arizona, Washington

Southeastern Conference: Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Florida, Alabama, LSU

WAC: UTEP, Nevada

Missouri Valley Conference: Tourney Winner, Southern Illinois

Thoughts, Changes and Analysis

I already know that my inclusion of Missouri in this week’s field is probably my most questionable. They are going to beat Texas A&M in their first round Big 12 game to get to sixteen wins. If they can win one more game in that tournament to get to seventeen, with their RPI of 36, they will get in. They have to root so hard for Gonzaga and Utah State to win their respective conferences. If those two are to fall, Missouri and South Carolina could be the first two out. South Carolina better win an SEC game to feel safe heading into Sunday. Other teams that could sneak in with good conference tourneys are Colorado and Oklahoma. These teams are so similar it is tough to pick between. Right now I feel like both are out. Richmond is this week’s highest rated team not to dance. They just did not play well enough in a mediocre Atlantic Ten. A run to the A-10 Final by Richmond or Xavier could change things. An early conference tourney loss by any of UTEP, Nevada, Utah, and Air Force could change which side of the bubble they fall on. None of them should feel very secure right now.

More Notes from “The Sideline”

• Did anybody else think the one of the best parts of the Jim Harrick Jr. Final Exam was the final question about the best assistant coach in the country? I don’t mean the actual question, but the fact that he spelt Steve Wojciechowski correct and Ron Jirsa (incorrectly spelled Jursa) wrong when Jirsa was previously the Head Coach at Georgia!

• The only New Yorkers who will rejoice over the potential Vin Baker signing are the bartenders.

• I went to the RAC yesterday to see Rutgers host Seton Hall. A great college atmosphere to see first hand, and the game was excellent. That rivalry is on the verge of being something really great as both teams are well coached and will continues to recruit the fertile ground of the New York metropolitan area.

• Stony Brook knocking off Boston University was probably the most shocking upset of the first weekend of Championship Week. BU was the host school and favorite to take the America East crown. Vermont will now host Maine this Saturday and the big question is whether Vermont star Taylor Coppenrath will come back from a broken wrist to play.

• Everybody seems to think Jeff Jones will be the next head coach at SMU, and do not be surprised to see Maryland assistant Jimmy Patsos take Jones’ place at American.

• Northwestern assistant coach Paul Lee would be a perfect candidate to take over the reins at Dartmouth. Lee was a player and longtime assistant at Columbia, and has spent time under former Princeton head coach Bill Carmody at Northwestern. Lee would bring national and international recruiting ties to Hanover, as he has played a primary role in the turnaround of the Northwestern program.

• I promised my friend Murph that I would get him in a column because he hasn’t been in one yet and he is feeling left out. So far all he has given me though is Quin Snyder looks like the Patrick Bateman character in “American Psycho.”

• The Florida Gators have taken on a new slogan and have even been wearing tee shirts for warm-ups with the slogan printed on it. It reads, “We All We Got.” This slogan tells me two things: 1) The Gators are focused, together and ready for a tournament run, and 2) Jim Harrick Jr. has resurfaced as an English Professor in Gainesville.

Enjoy the rest of your Championship Week.

Life on the Bubble

Life on the Bubble

by Jim Woods

Most fans of college basketball, like myself, consider March to be the best time of the year. How can you not? Conference tournaments are getting under way and other leagues are winding down the regular season. ESPN likes to refer to this time as Championship Week. ESPN also likes to name other weeks throughout the season to try and draw in viewers. You’ll see them go overboard about once a month with Rivalry Week and Showdown Week. I have a couple of other ideas for them. What about Zero Graduation Rate Week, Violation Week or Renegade Week? (Oh wait, they have that. Its called the Conference USA tournament). Over the course of the next two weeks you will hear the terms bubble, bracketology, pod and at-large berth somewhere in excess of 10,000 times. Every time you hear bubble I want you to think about the pressure that is on the teams that sit firmly on that bubble.

Teams that are considered to be on the bubble at this time of the year are going through a variety of emotions. The first feeling is certainly one of excitement. Obviously every program in the “major” conferences would like to be sitting pretty with 22 wins right now, and knowing their name is popping up on the screen Selection Sunday. But the reality is very few teams are NCAA Tournament “locks” right now, and every coach would rather be on the bubble then out of the picture. You have achieved a certain level of success to this point, but now there is also the pressure to close the deal and get into the dance.

At Georgia, the Bulldogs were not considered by many “experts” to be a team to contend for an NCAA bid this winter. But they have surprised many and now sit firmly on the tournament bubble at 14-11 with remaining games against Florida and Vanderbilt. You would think that talk of the bubble would be rampant in the Georgia locker room and offices this week. How mistaken you would be. “We never discuss the issue of the bubble”, says Georgia Assistant Coach Bert Tucker. “We don’t want to begin to worry about situations that are beyond our control. All you can do is put your full focus on your next opponent and take things on a game-by-game basis.”

Many of you are spending time devouring RPI reports and mock brackets, and we assume the people involved must be doing the same thing. You forget that the coaches still have to put all of their time, energy and effort into preparing the next game plan. Nothing will take you off the bubble quicker than losing your last two games. The team’s job is to present their best “body of work” to the committee to decide. All they can do is play the games.

The position of being in a power conference on the bubble can be even less stressful than being the favorite in a conference where only the tournament champ is getting a bid. The Georgia staff has been in that position before during their time at Western Kentucky. Tucker explained, “We don’t feel the pressure in this situation like we did at Western Kentucky. There we felt like our entire season and chances for a bid came down to one weekend in March. Here we feel like if we take care of our business we will get in.”

Programs such as Manhattan, Boston University, Kent State and others are in that situation right now. They can use the “let’s take the committee out of the picture” motivation with their team. It is a reality that their sensational regular season could result in an NIT bid if they do not win their conference tournament. But again, each of these teams can only control their performance on the court and must focus their attention on the next opponent. They need to leave the wonder and “what if” to their fans and get their teams ready to play. Each of these programs and coaches deal with this situation every year. It is the reality of the mid-major and something they can not afford to worry about this week.

So while we are all discussing who should be in and who should be out, let’s not forget the people involved and what they are going through. Some will be euphoric on March 14th and others distraught, but each will have been on an emotional roller coaster. Good luck to the fans whose teams are in the tournament mix and enjoy the ride through March.

My Field of 65

A lot has changed since last week so let’s jump right into it.

Strictly Automatic

America East
Atlantic Sun
Big Sky
Big South
Big West
Colonial
Horizon
Ivy
Metro Atlantic
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Missouri Valley
MEAC
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Patriot
Southern Conference
Southland
SWAC
Sun Belt
West Coast

Issues

Out of these above conferences you have the potential for upsets and a second team to go. This applies to the WCC and MVC. Gonzaga (WCC) and Southern Illinois (MVC) are going to get in regardless of winning their league tournament. For the purposes of this article I am assuming these two schools will garner the conference’s automatic bid. Last week I said Western Michigan would get in regardless, but then they went out and lost to Toledo and I think this will put them on the wrong side of the bubble.

That accounts for 21 Automatic Bids

Here is what remains. Each of the below conferences I believe will get multiple teams into the tournament. Again, for the purposes of this article, one of the teams listed I am assuming to win the conference tournament and the automatic bid.

Atlantic Ten: St. Joe’s and Dayton.

ACC: Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State

Big 12: Oklahoma St., Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado

Big East: Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Providence, Syracuse, Boston College, Seton Hall

Big Ten: Michigan St., Illinois, Wisconsin

Conference USA: Memphis, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Louisville, DePaul, UAB

Mountain West: Air Force, Utah, BYU

Pac 10: Stanford, Arizona

Southeastern Conference: Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Florida, Alabama, LSU

WAC: UTEP, Nevada

Thoughts, Changes and Analysis

Purdue comes out of this week’s field and gets replaced by UTEP and Nevada. (The reason two teams replace one is that I have elevated the WAC from being a one bid conference. So I am assuming that one will win the conference tourney and the other will be the at-large selection). Despite their win in the Great Alaska Shootout, I just don’t think Purdue with an RPI of 93 is going to get in. A win by UTEP at Boise State this weekend will give them eleven wins in their last twelve games. Their RPI will be lower then teams such as Rutgers and Richmond, but they will qualify ahead of the seventh best team in the Big East and the fourth best record in the Atlantic Ten because of their strong record in the WAC. Nevada also falls into the same boat. They could still really use a sweep of Hawaii and San Jose State this weekend (both at home) and a win in their first round WAC game to solidify their situation, but I feel good about their chances. Georgia still needs to win one of their remaining regular season games (Florida and Vanderbilt) to strengthen their case, and get themselves in. They are fighting with LSU and Alabama right now. I believe two of the three will get in, but they won’t take all three and therefore eight from the SEC. Alabama’s win at Mississippi State in the last ten days and their strength of schedule rating pushes them to the lead of this group.

More Notes from “The Sideline”

• I am still extremely sore today after taking the court Monday night for open gym. I played with some college aged kids who wore headbands. I can’t stand that, and as my cousin TJ always says, “Guys with headbands never pass.” He was 100% on the money with that rule. Keep that in mind the next time you are choosing up sides for lunch-time basketball.

• Did I read correctly today that pending Department of Defense approval, Michigan State, North Carolina, Air Force and Navy will participate in a doubleheader to take place next season on an aircraft carrier? It sounds like a great patriotic idea, but this can’t possibly work can it? Navy scored 43 points and shot 28% from the field last weekend against Army. THAT GAME WAS INSIDE!!! They may not get to double figures in an outdoor game. Anybody that has every played in a park knows an outside shot is wind aided. Now take the gust off the water on an aircraft carrier. Now I know it will be anchored, but still. I can’t wait to see this.

• Anybody who watched the Virginia game last night against Wake Forest hopefully is now aware of why I think fouling when you are up by three points is a bad idea (see my article on “Crunch Time”). Leading by three with 5.9 seconds remaining, Virginia chose to foul Wake with 2.9 seconds left preventing Wake’s opportunity to get off a three-point attempt. Former Cleveland Cav Brad Daugherty (I can’t refer to him as ESPN announcer) was in favor of fouling in the situation and even went as far as to say after the foul, “Warm up the bus. It’s all over now. There is no way Virginia can lose!” Chris Paul makes the first foul shot and misses the second intentionally. Virginia grabs the rebound and travels. So now there is an under out of bounds for Wake with just under two seconds on the clock. Never once do the announcers mention that now Virginia can lose on a three. Luckily for the Cavs Jamal Levy missed a short jumper that would have sent the game into OT, and UVA hangs on.

• Not to be outdone by his ESPN colleague Daugherty, Len Elmore stated during the St. Joe’s telecast last night that one of the Hawks weaknesses is playing against a zone defense. This is the same team that knocked in, oh let me think, TWENTY THREE POINTERS AGAINST TEMPLE! C’mon now do your research.

• Very quietly Northwestern has put together an excellent season in the Big Ten. Heading into their final two regular season games (Iowa and Michigan both at home), the Wildcats are 7-7 in Big Ten play. If they sweep these two games, Northwestern will finish above .500 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1968. Very quietly things have started to turn around in Evanston. Next year could be an even better season, as transfers Michael Thompson (Duke) and Tim Doyle (St. John’s) will make an immediate impact.

• Oklahoma center Jabarhi Brown was charged with possession of marijuana today and police found a gun in his apartment. After the Baylor situation, I am hoping that Brown is given more than just a slap on the wrist by his coach.

• The issue of steroids in baseball is one I just can’t get myself all excited about. I know that if Giambi goes deep against Pedro in April I am going to be as fired up as I was before Balco was part of my vocabulary. I want to see Bonds hit one 600 feet. And then 10 years from now when they are on “Real Sports” crying about the heart disease and their incredibly shrinking testicles, I hope they remember how arrogant they are being right now.

Managing March

Managing March

by Jim Woods

If you are still logging onto Hoopville to check out my columns, obviously you fall into one of these categories: 1) Parent, 2) Close Friend, 3) Wife or 4) Die Hard Basketball Fan. So to you all I say thank you. For the past two weeks you have had to endure my opinions and views on basketball ethics and what is good and bad about the game. Now it is time to get back to the ins and outs and the X’s and O’s of college basketball, and more specifically coaching. Let’s look this week at what teams and coaches are doing to prepare themselves for the final stretch run.

Every coach and program has their own philosophy regarding practice. Many people may not realize that every Division I program is limited to only twenty hours a week where they can engage in team activities, and are required to take one full day off every week. This includes practice, games, strength and conditioning sessions, film work, and even situations where your whole team went to an event to perform community service (presentation to middle school kids). Games automatically count for three-hour blocks, therefore you need to accurately manage the rest of your time. Now I’m sure many of you are probably saying, “Teams must break this all the time and get away with this.” Yeah, you’re right if you have a lax compliance director. But most people in that compliance position are a cross between Elliot Spitzer and Eliot Ness. So good luck if you go over twenty hours.

In February, this time limit does not become much of an issue. You are managing fatigue and injuries, and have really begun to cut back on your time on the court. Many programs will add an extra film session or knock a half-hour off the normal length of their practice. Some will maybe just lift, shoot and watch film of their next opponent the day after a game. Another issue that has to be factored into this, is how long do you think your team is going to be playing into the postseason. I was intrigued the other day listening to Phil Martelli talk about managing his team during this time of the year. In a nutshell, he spoke about cutting back on hard practice time more than ever before because he has to get his team ready to play into late March. In the past, St. Joe’s realistically never expected their season to extend this long.

There are other ways to cut back within practice. By this point in the season you have to expect your players to understand your system and know how to run plays inside and out. If they don’t, you probably can go all out every day for two and a half-hours and not worry about it because you are not playing beyond your conference tournament. You may just cut back on how long you spend on certain segments during practice and not play as much five-on-five live action. One area that I feel you want to spend a lot of time on is “end of game” and special situations. Get your team ready for any scenario they may face down the line. Mini-games (2 minutes with a tie score, etc) are a great way to get in scrimmage work and teach decision-making processes. Games in March traditionally come right down to the final buzzer so you need to be prepared to execute.

One critical aspect to all of this is having a good feel for the personality of your team and staying consistent. I am of the belief that if you are not a big “film team”, do not start showing them a lot of film in February because maybe you think it is the right thing to do and rests their legs. Some players are just not disciplined enough to sit in a dark room and study themselves or an opponent. You may better off walking through a lot of an opponent’s tendencies on the court. Do not go from two days a week to four days a week with your strength and conditioning. The last thing you want to do is tweak your players’ routines too much.

Finally, as much as people think that this factor is never considered, you have to really stay on top of your team’s academic situation during this time. You are going to travel and miss large chunks of class time over the course of these next few weeks so you want to keep everybody on the proper track. The worst thing to have happen is a player to be ineligible for the first semester next season because they got behind on their studies during March Madness. Contrary to popular opinion, most players and coaches really do care about academic performance.

My Field of Sixty Five

If Jacquese on the Real World can declare that he has a degree in “Bootyology” than I can’t help but bestow upon myself a degree in “Bracketology.” If ESPN wants to sue me for using their term for tournament prognostication, go ahead! I couldn’t come up with anything better and it was the best way to get my man Ja into this column. I am grouping all of the one-bid conferences together because I will not even begin to take a stab at what will happen in those crazy tourneys. Here is my projected field of 65.

Strictly Automatic

America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy MAAC, Mid-Continent, MEAC, NEC, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern Conference, Southland, SWAC, Sun Belt, WCC, MAC, Missouri Valley, and the WAC.

Issues

Out of these above conferences you have the potential for upsets and a second team to go. This applies to the WCC, MVC, and MAC. Gonzaga (WCC), Southern Illinois (MVC) and Western Michigan (MAC) are going to get in regardless of winning their league tournament. For the purposes of this article I am assuming these three schools will garner the conference’s automatic bid.

That accounts for 22 Automatic Bids

Here is what remains. Each of the below conferences I believe will get multiple teams into the tournament. Again, for the purposes of this article, one of the teams listed I am assuming to win the conference tournament and the automatic bid.

Atlantic Ten: St. Joe’s and Dayton.

ACC: Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State

Big 12: Oklahoma St., Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado

Big East: Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Providence, Syracuse, Boston College, Seton Hall

Big Ten: Michigan St., Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue

Conference USA: Memphis, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Louisville, DePaul, UAB

Mountain West: Air Force, Utah, BYU

Pac 10: Stanford, Arizona

Southeastern Conference: Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Florida, Alabama, Georgia

*** Before many of you flip out and say all I care about are the power conferences, remember some of these teams will come out if the favorite gets knocked off in the MAC, WCC, or MVC or another school not listed above wins one of these nine multiple bid leagues. I will also be updating this again next week and a lot can change based on the next seven days.

If you don’t see your team and want to make your case, let me know. I’ll certainly listen.

Notes from “The Sideline”

• Don’t accuse this guy of East Coast bias in the media and say I don’t write anything about schools west of the Mississippi. I’m starting with a Big Sky note this week. While picking my field of 65 I noticed a statistical anomaly (I think that’s the right word) in the Big Sky. As of today (Feb. 26), Eastern Washington leads the league at 11-2. The next six teams are all 6-7 and the final team is 5-8. Maybe I’m the only one who finds six teams in the last week of the season having the exact same conference record interesting, but it is my job to report these things to you. And I took home a “D” in my sophomore year Stats course in college so don’t ask me to figure out the chances of this, but any FGA’s (Future Geeks of America) can clue me in.

• The Hunterdon County Correctional Facility prisoner league draft is being pushed back until May 15th to allow Jayson Williams to be selected. Bam-Bam from cell-block three drew the lucky ping pong ball last week to earn the number one pick. The only question left to decide is length of contract.

• I mentioned last week that Myles Brand spoke on ESPN radio about the NCAA not being a business. Then this morning I heard it made public on the same radio show that he earns a salary of over $700,000 a year. I don’t mind him making any amount of money, in fact all the power to him, but just don’t be so hypocritical to say it is not a business. Get off your high horse for five minutes and tell everybody the truth. That’s enough I promised no rant.

• Florida State has not won a game away from home since December 30th. Remember this if 1) they do not get in the tournament, or 2) when you are picking their first round game.

• Unless they win their next three games, Rutgers will potentially have the highest RPI of any team that does not make the NCAA tourney. If they do win three or even four in a row, look out, the Big East could get seven teams in.

• Did anybody else wonder last week how Lawrence Frank managed to keep a thirteen game win streak going and still star in Fox’s “Littlest Groom” reality show? The more appropriate question is did anybody else watch “Littlest Groom?” I was not surprised that he picked the other little person, but his view at eye level while parting with Zoe was tough to say no to.

• I know it is a special rivalry in football and one of the greatest games to view each year, and I am 100% American and support my military, but I have to draw the line at tuning into the Army/Navy clash this Saturday on CBS. Who draws the short straw in the broadcaster pool? This could be potentially the worst nationally televised match-up in college basketball history. A 4-22 Navy team against an Army team that has combined for 73 points in their last two games. The over/under on this game could be below 100 and I would consider the under.

• Amy Woods’ look-a-like of the week: St. John’s Head Coach Kevin Clark and Jay-Z.

• Congratulations to my cousin Allison Cosgrove on scoring her 1,000 point this past week at Ridgewood (NJ) High School. That’s officially 600 more than her brother and I combined for in our careers.

Second Guessers

In response to suggestions for college football trip next fall:

Ryan G., from New York writes, “I have been known to be biased, but there is one game played in central Ohio in late November of even years that I think all sports fans should attend (voted on ESPN as “the best rivalry in all of sports”). So many positives about this game (both on and off the field), I
don’t even know where to start. But, there are two negatives: 1) the co-eds you are asking about, while many good looking ones, typically have 7 layers of clothing on during The Game in late November and 2) I am a very bad host (except for the obvious like places to stay, etc.). There are way too many distractions to keep track of a bunch of east coast basketball fans.

I considered doing a Jayson Blair and fabricating some reader feedback, but I can’t do that. That’s the only suggestion I received this week, but I need more than that from you people out there. If I suck at writing just tell me and I’ll stop. If you like me, then talk to me, argue with me, make suggestions, tell me stories ask questions.

See you next week.

State of the Game Address

The State of the Game Address

by Jim Woods

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and thank you for taking the time to listen to the First Annual State of the Game Address. March is quickly approaching, and there is no better time to look at where we are and where we are going as a basketball nation. We are a mere three weeks away from Championship Week and its coinciding feelings of euphoria and despair. What side of the emotional line you find yourself on depends on whom you root for. I, myself, root for the good of the game. You, and the NABC, might even refer to me as a “Guardian of the Game.” In that spirit, I feel it is my job to bring to you the good and the bad in basketball. This is from the heart, and this is for all of us.

We have come a long way in the past twelve months. Let’s not forget that last season’s final weeks were marred by stories of welding certificates and academic fraud. Talk was about what was going on off the court and we forgot about how special March should be. Isn’t it nice that the A-10 conversation this February centers on a team of destiny and its All-American point guard? Talk of JVK has been replaced by conversations about MVP. Tony Cole is a name of the past and Dennis Felton is the name of the future in Athens, and possibly the SEC. Two wins over Kentucky and one over in-state rival Georgia Tech have the folks in Georgia thinking Big Dance this week. Sure, all is not perfect off the court. The St. John’s fiasco has given one of the sport’s storied programs a black eye. This wound will go away with time and maybe next year you can be Georgia, St. Bonaventure or Iowa State and bounce back from adversity to get your fans excited again.

There are so many things right about this sport, and yet there are many things that can be fixed. This is my vision about where we are headed and what needs to be done.

I want teams in the power conferences to upgrade their non-conference schedules. Coaches, do not be afraid! Challenge your teams to play the best. You will be rewarded in the end. Administrators, give up a couple of home dates against the lower-level opponent and encourage your coaches to step up the caliber of schedule. Do not fire them if they win seventeen against great competition rather than twenty against the cupcakes. And you NCAA and Conference Commissioners, limit your schools to $200,000 in “guarantee” money they can give out to opponents. That is plenty to buy some wins.

Division I coaches being allowed to recruit at Fall and Spring AAU events is not an issue that needs to be legislated. Let coaches evaluate players in any venue during those times, and stop limiting them to only seeing a recruit at his high school or a state certified event. Too many under-recruited high school players are missing out on scholarship opportunities, and “low major” programs’ budgets are being drained from all the travel.

A limit of thirteen scholarships is the only criterion that should need to be followed. Please get rid of the awful five-and-eight rule.

I want fans to accept the fact that money dictates everything in college basketball, and do not be upset when schools jump from conference to conference. Am I upset my alma mater Boston College left the Big East that I grew up with? Hell yeah, but they did what they felt was best for their athletic program financially. And remember your school would have done the same thing if they could have.

I want college presidents to back up their statements about cleaning up the landscape of college basketball. If you want to make it all about educating young athletes and ethics then you need to penalize programs for chronic academic failures and NCAA violations. But everybody knows that CBS will not give the NCAA billions of dollars for television rights to watch mediocre teams with perfect graduation rates. So if you have no intention of giving up the money, stop boring all of us with ethics conventions and proposed legislation that makes it look like you care. Stop criticizing programs, universities, coaches and players when nobody is greedier than the presidents are.

If it is all about education, stop firing coaches who graduate all of their players and run clean programs. Oh, but I forgot, those coaches aren’t bringing in tournament money to support the non-revenue sports. I just want the truth! It is about winning games. You do not have to sugarcoat it at press conferences and in newspapers.

I want coaches to stop rooting for other guys to get fired so that they can move up the ladder.

I want to see ESPN do a reality show about the lobby of the headquarters hotel at the Final Four.

I want to hear more stories about players who graduate on time and perform community service (not mandated by a conviction), and less stories about the kid who goes pro early and does not make it. I have absolutely no problem with anybody who leaves school early to go pursue a professional career. Just if they fail, do not expect me to feel sorry for them. If you have never heard Vermont senior Matt Sheftic’s story, do a “google” search on his name and find out about him. He is what college basketball is all about.

I want parents to stop sending CD-ROM highlight films of their kids set to music to college coaches. If you know how to do that, your kid can’t play! Trust me on that one. I also do not need you to send a detailed journal of your Johnny’s career from the time he was a freshman. If your kid is good, somebody will find him.

I think all parents and high school kids should go to a Division II and Division III game in their area and realize that Division I is not the only level of good basketball. And most should realize that is the level their son should be playing at.

Will people please stop with the list of the top 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in the nation? An over inflated opinion of their own abilities is the last thing these kids need. And let’s not even begin to talk about their parents.

I want the Bracket Buster event to just be eight games. I don’t want to hear thirteen MAC schools and eight Horizon schools are included. Ohio University and Cleveland State are not even busting the Women’s NIT bracket.

We are all fans of the greatest game in sports. Every October we all have the belief that this can be the year that our team goes on that dream run and can be Cinderella for a night. That hope is what makes it special. Despite the negative press about violations and early NBA defections, there is still a magic that brings us to the television to watch Big Monday and Selection Sunday. I can’t wait for March. I know you can’t wait either. Let’s take that time to celebrate all that is good in the game and the players and coaches who make it special.

Thank you and good night.

More Notes from “The Sideline”

• Sorry I have not given you a column in about ten days. I was in the hospital because I drove my car into a tree Wednesday morning when I heard NCAA prez Myles Brand on ESPN radio say, “The purpose of college athletics is to educate the student athlete.” This is coming from the head of the organization that would have intercollegiate Jai Alai and Horse Racing if they thought they could get a TV contract.

• Obviously the Wake Forest staff reads my column and does a good job of studying film. They took the defensive game plan from UNC to stop Duke’s JJ Reddick (complete denial) and took him totally out of the second half of their win Wednesday night. Reddick was in foul trouble during the first half but could never get on track in the second stanza because he didn’t have any good looks.

• Took in the Boston College/Seton Hall game live on Monday night. Both of these teams are NCAA tournament good. Accuse me of bias and say what you want, but it is a fact. Craig Smith is one of the most underrated players in the country and can carry a team through a rough game.

• Building on that last point, the Big East can get six teams in the tournament. Six teams are ranked in the latest RPI Top 30 (dated February 15) and seven are in the Top 40. By comparison Dick Vitale’s vaunted ACC (which I also believe is the best conference) has five and six in those respective categories. And remember, these Big East numbers do not include Notre Dame who is currently 60, but should move up Sunday when the ratings come out again. I am not a huge fan of computers and polls, but the committee uses these things as a guide so that is what I use as a guide to figure out who should be in.

• Faces in the Crowd: Mike Jarvis II taking in the action at the BC/Seton Hall game the other night. Die-hard St. John’s fans will be glad to see the “Deuce” does know his way around the Metropolitan area.

• Congrats to Larry Frank on his great start as Nets coach. I know I was a non-believer but he certainly has me believing now. This leads me to the following story. I’m eating lunch the other day at “The Italian Connection” in Dumont, NJ (official lunchtime sponsor of this column) and I overhear the following conversation between two guys:

Patron #1: “Hey Joe. Have you seen any of these Net games lately with the new coach?”
Joe: “Who the little guy? I have only caught some of them. They are playing great.”
Patron #1: “The little guy used to be my paper boy. I remember him.”
Me: (laughing very hard)
Patron #1: “What are you laughing at? Everybody used to be a paperboy!”

“Second Guessers”: The Readers Get Their Chance

Pat L., of Pearl River, NY writes: “Jim-your articles are good. Very funny, but I cannot believe your left the chick fi-A sandwich off your top 5 list.” Pat, you got me. A glaring omission on my part, and one that I am, quite frankly, embarrassed about. I grew up on that sandwich. This is the equivalent of Tark not being on the Hall of Fame Ballot and Dick Vitale is.

Steve V., of Summit, NJ chimes in on a variety of topics. In regards to the Jones brothers: “Both James and Joe might be stand up guys, but their teams suck (13-24 combined)… I have nothing else to say about this game.” About the situation at St. John’s, “No offense, but I would be much more proud of a team with a bunch of criminals that went 16-0 than a bunch of choir boys who just got waxed by 28 points.” Steve pretty much sums up the feeling of many fans and the reality coaches face. “Just win baby” or you get fired.

After calling attention to the topic of association with gamblers, TJ C., of White Plains, NY refers to me as “The Douglas Fanueil of online gambling.” I had a pretty good laugh at that one.

Along the same lines Matt O., of New York, NY adds, “All it took Jimmy to flip on his friends was a promise from Mahopac PD to let him out of a parking ticket.”

This Weeks Feedback Question

Every fall, a few friends and I attend a college football game. We like to go somewhere where it is truly a great college football environment. Big time game, great tailgate, fun college town to go out in, good talent for my single friends to evaluate (and I’m not referring to the game), etc. Just give us a Super Eight and a couple of 30 packs of Busch cans and we can be happy. I am asking readers for suggestions as to a game and a town that we should not miss.

Where do we absolutely need to be next fall? Please back up your suggestion with details, places to go, and game tickets and a tailgate are always appreciated.

Disaster at St. John’s

Something Happened at St. John’s…

by Jim Woods

A disaster happened at St. John’s last week. I’m sure most of you have followed the story, therefore I will only provide the basic details to refresh your memories. They suffered an embarrassing loss at Pittsburgh Wednesday night. The loss paled in comparison to what went on after the game. Players decided to violate a curfew and unwind after the loss at Club Erotica. From there, three of the players decided that bringing a woman back to their hotel for some group sex was a good idea. Then when the players would not fulfill their financial end of the sex agreement, the woman filed a false claim of rape. One of the players had recorded the conversation so the players were not charged with the crime, but the damage was more than done. One player, Grady Reynolds, was immediately expelled from school. The two other players who participated in the menage-a-quad (?), Elijah Ingram and Abe Keita, face expulsion early this week. Three additional players violated curfew and are suspended from the team indefinitely.

So what happened? What went wrong? Who is to blame? Listen to talk radio or read the New York papers like I do and you will hear all sorts of answers. Of course the “kill the coach” mindset that permeates society within the New York metropolitan area (i.e. Jim Fassel, Byron Scott, Don Cheney) wants to blame former coach Mike Jarvis and interim coach Kevin Clark. Jarvis deserves some of the blame, no doubt about it. He was responsible for bringing these kids to St. John’s. He gave Grady Reynolds a second chance after an incident on campus last year with a female student. So if you want to blame Jarvis go ahead and throw some his way. Should Kevin Clark be the fall guy? According to him and St. John’s administration, the proper procedures for away games were followed. He had a midnight curfew for his team. The time frame that I am aware of regarding this incident has the events taking place between the hours of 2:30am and 4:00am. Plenty of time for the players to sneak out after the curfew. Were Clark and his assistants supposed to stay up all night? Maybe catch some shut-eye in a folding chair in the hallway? I’ve been in that spot before. You check the rooms at midnight and if the players are there you get into bed and try to catch some sleep before an early flight home. Are coaches now expected not to sleep and be on night patrol? Now if I am told that there was no checking of the rooms or the coaches decided that after the guys were in bed they would go out themselves, then I would have a problem with their actions. I have yet to hear that was the case.

I heard some more good stuff on the radio. One host said something to the effect of “couldn’t the coaches here the orgy that was in session on their floor.” I don’t know about any of you, but Jenna Jameson, Ron Jeremy, and Peter North could be shooting a porno scene in the room next to me at the Crowne Plaza, and I’m sleeping through it if I’m already in bed. I sleep through fire alarms, which I know isn’t a good thing. Then here was another good one from Michael Kay on 1050AM in New York: “Why do they have to fly to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, play Wednesday and fly home Thursday morning?” Hello, Michael, its St. John’s. They have antiquated facilities on campus. Do you think they are spending the money on a charter flight? Nearly every school in the country is in the same boat when it comes to travel. Some have charters to get them back right after the game, but it is not the norm. You can’t fly day of the game (risk of delay, fatigue) so you leave the day before. You can’t fly home after because it is too late to get a flight. The travel procedures are certainly not to blame because everybody handles this relatively the same.

Let’s get right to it then. Some young men made an absolutely horrible error in judgement. It’s that simple. What they did is absolutely 100% wrong and they deserve whatever punishment they get, be it university or legal. I don’t care about coaches who, God forbid, got some sleep and did not hear the exodus from the hotel floor or the subsequent orgy. I don’t want to hear about mishandled travel plans or procedures. The majority of the blame goes right to the culprits. That is how the St. John’s administration wants to handle this, and I can’t say I disagree with them. They are not firing their second coach of the season, and they should not. Unfortunately (and I referred to this in last weeks column), when you coach you are putting your future and the well being of your family in the hands of college-aged kids. Kids who still make stupid decisions. These stupid decisions have brought one of college basketball’s most storied programs to rock bottom.

But then another thing happened at St. John’s this weekend. The talk moved from lap dances to layups. They played another game, and I watched every second of it. What I saw was something I truly enjoyed, and many proud St. John’s fans and supporters will not soon forget.

The remaining eight players (including four walk-ons) and three coaches took the floor to take on Boston College. These eight knew they were up against a wall and came out with everything they had. These are eight that showed by not breaking curfews and going to strip clubs that they have pride in the St. John’s jersey. They were not going to let down the 7,453 who came to basketball Mecca to watch a game go home disappointed. Kyle Cuffe, Daryll “Showtime” Hill and other regular contributor Andre Stanley played with a passion that has not been seen around St. John’s basketball all year. And then there were the dreamers. Curtis Johnson, a 7-3 Jarvis project that that looks like it will be finished around the same time as Boston’s “Big Dig,” gave everything his body could until he fouled out. Senior walk-on Phil Missere found himself in the position of starting for the Red Storm, a starting position his cousin Robert Werdann once had. The difference being Werdann as not cut from his upstate New York high school team as a junior. All Missere did was hit an eighteen-footer from the corner the first time he shot the ball. Other walk-ons Nygel Roach, Joe McDonald and Devin Mayo were all over the court making the most of their opportunity.

The Red Storm hung tough for about twenty-five minutes. Missere outplayed BC star Craig Smith during that time. “Showtime” was pushing the ball and Stanley rebounded like a big man. The wheels eventually started to come off as fatigue set in, but the effort never died. There was a passion in the Red Storm’s play that was untapped all year. Let’s not forget that with the “big-time” scholarship players, who thought Club Erotica was a good spot for a post game meal, the Johnnies were already 0-8 in the Big East. The cameras showed fans in the stands holding up the 80′s “We Are St. John’s” placards. These people who were ridiculed and razzed by friends all week at work because their school was a laughingstock, could now get out of their seats and cheer. Joe McDonald knocked down a deep three-pointer and the crowd responded as if it was Chris Mullin off a feed from Mike Moses. Johnson and Missere fouled out late and received standing ovations. Do you think Missere ever dreamed he would get thirteen and five against Boston College in the Garden and walk off the floor to a standing ovation?

Finally, Mayo knocked down on a three on the buzzer to end it all at 89-61. Once again the crowd rose as one and applauded their team’s effort. It wasn’t about winning and losing to those fans yesterday. It was about recognizing players who make the right decision. They take pride in their school and lay it out on the line. Is the program still in shambles? Of course it is. But don’t penalize the eight players who will wear that uniform proudly the rest of the year. They have a heart and determination to make you proud. Kevin Clark’s coaching career may have taken a major hit last week, but you can never take yesterday’s effort from him. Because another thing I noticed happened yesterday at St. John’s, Kevin Clark smiled.

Other Notes from “The Sideline”

• I had to laugh last week before the court’s ruling last week in regards to Maurice Clarett. Prior to winning his case the NCAA was looking into Clarett’s eligibility because of a friendship with somebody who has “ties to gambling”. Can we be a little more specific, please? My buddies Ryan and Kevin have betonsports.com accounts. Is that a tie to gambling? Am I no longer allowed to coach at an NCAA institution because of my friendship with them?

• Not to make light of the situation at St. John’s but I tend to believe the 38 year-old woman who had sex with the players when she told the press she was not a prostitute. I have no dealings in that situation, but I would think on the first day of Hooker 101 class you are taught to take the money up front, then perform your trick.

• Much has been written and publicized about the match-up this past Friday night between Yale and Columbia, as brothers James (Yale) and Joe (Columbia) coached against one another. I don’t have anything to add to this story, other than both are truly first-class individuals with outstanding futures. A “sideline salute” to both of you.

• The Levitra/Viagra/Cialis Just How Long Can They Keep It Up Award: Stanford and St. Joe’s. Both teams continue to take care of their business and have yet to lose. St. Joe’s beat up on LaSalle as they look ahead to Dayton on Wednesday. The Cardinal got the miracle shot they needed to beat Arizona on Saturday. They are starting to look like a team of destiny, but beware of the rivalry game at Cal this weekend.

• I had a funny feeling watching Duke and Carolina the other night that I might be watching a Final Four team. And it’s not the one you think. Remember that in March when it is time to make picks.

• Something coaches that face Duke the rest of the year are going to take from that film is how UNC guarded JJ Reddick. The Heels did an outstanding job in the second half of maintaining their discipline defensively and not helping off Reddick on any type of dribble penetration. His defender was only responsible for him and had no help side or double team responsibilities. Jackie Manual and Melvin Scott deserve credit for their defensive performance, and Reddick deserves credit for continuing to work and coming up with a huge driving basket in overtime.

• A bigger disappointment: Missouri’s season or last week’s Real World episode? I’ll take the Real World even though Quin’s crew has been an enigma. How can you follow up a classic episode containing two arrests with such a dud? All I did was watch Frankie and Robyn cry for a half-hour. Hardly any shots of Cameran, no bar scenes with surfer girls in trucker caps, and is the hot tub broken at this house? C’mon now. I want to see improvement this week.

Coaching Lifestyle

The Life of a College Basketball Coach

by Jim Woods

Garden State Parkway: Montvale, NJ Travel Plaza: Burger King, Nathan’s, Dunkin’ Donuts.

Route 91 Exit 21: Middletown, CT: The first Wendy’s you can stop at if you travel the Merritt Parkway to Route 91 to get to Hartford from New York.

Massachusetts Turnpike: Charlton Travel Plaza: McDonald’s, Ben and Jerry’s, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels.

The above list is not an overeater’s dream drive to New England, but rather it is information that nearly every college basketball coach from New York to Maine knows. I’d be willing to bet that 75% percent of coaches in the region have eaten multiple meals at any of those places. That is just a small sample of the fast food/highway/exit list I could recite to you off the top of my head. Don’t you think for a second I needed to use “Google” to get those places. Any of my friends could tell you that these are things that I just know. That list epitomizes the life of a college basketball coach.

In the past few weeks, stories about coaches and their health have dominated the headlines. Just last week stories about the health Rick Majerus and Rick Pitino dominated the college hoops’ headlines. Their cases are well publicized, but they are not alone. There are many guys out there who are headed down the same path if they are not careful. It is not the healthiest lifestyle in the world, but does it have to be this way? The nature of the business right now makes it very difficult to lead a normal life. Every coach needs to watch their health closely, but many times they feel there is too much other stuff that needs to be worried about in their programs to pay attention to it. Let’s examine some of the reasons why coaching is not the healthiest of professions.

Travel

Coaching is a job where you are always on the “go.” Recruiting, games, speaking engagements, meetings, and fund-raisers are just some of the reasons why you are always on the move. These are all things you obviously need to do to run a successful program. It is not out of the ordinary for a coach to be at practice in the early afternoon Monday, drive two hours to watch a recruit, drive home that night, fly out the next morning to see another recruit, fly from there to meet the team in the city where they are playing a road game on Wednesday and then fly back with the team first thing Thursday morning. Or worse, you can take the bus back five hours after the game Wednesday night if you are not coaching at a “high-major.” This is the reality of being an assistant coach. At the same time the head coach may be doing more local recruiting where he is in driving distance of campus because he can not be away from the team. So when you are thinking about all the “glory” that goes along with being a coach, think about that schedule. Is that something you want to do? A little bit easier if you are single, but now have a wife and children and think of the stress that puts on both you and them while you are away. That certainly is not healthy in a whole other way. The travel can easily wear you down and cause a great deal of fatigue. I remember a Big East assistant told me one time that he had to look at the paper at the door of his hotel room because he had no idea what city he was in when he woke up. When it gets to that point you know you are in trouble.

Pressure

Coaching, especially at the Division I level, is a win or else profession. That is the reality of your job. The livelihood of your family is based on the decisions of seventeen year olds to come to your school, and once they decide to come, how are they going to perform as eighteen to twenty one year olds. Sure, every coach thinks they are going to win and they can control the outcomes, but as good as you may be at your job each game has a winner and a loser. Losses are going to add up. You don’t win all the time and you never can be sure that you have won enough. You have a guaranteed contract, but what does that mean? You never know if you are winning enough for the higher ups that call the shots at the university. I bet Larry Hunter thought he was doing a good job at Ohio University when went 19-11 in 2000-2001 and was 204-148 in his twelve year tenure at the school. He had graduated 85% of his players. It wasn’t good enough for his administration and he was fired at the end of that 19-win season. When guys with records like that are getting let go, every coach has to be on their toes. As a result, guys put a great deal of pressure on themselves and their staff to perform and get positive results. Pressure isn’t always a bad thing, and many thrive on it, but after awhile it can wear anybody down.

As an assistant you also feel a great deal of pressure. It is a pressure of a different kind. You are working not only to satisfy a boss, but also try and work your way up the ladder. I often thought the pressure of satisfying the boss was as great as the winning and losing games. You feel such a strong sense of loyalty to this one person because they have given you the chance you have always wanted. The last thing you want to do is let them down and in turn hurt them. When you are an assistant your life is often times dictated by your boss, maybe more so than in any other profession. My boss now in the business world has expectations of me when I am at the office during my assigned hours from Monday through Friday. As a coach I was on call 365 days a year. I could not plan a weekend with my girlfriend (now wife) without first making sure I wasn’t being sent to Kentucky to watch some recruit play. I never knew if we made dinner reservations for eight on a Friday night if I would have to cancel because he decides to call a meeting. I was lucky to work for somebody who was very easy to communicate with and was understanding. I know for a fact though that some guys are not that lucky. I’ve heard too many horror stories.

This intense pressure for all coaches will wear you down. You’ll lose a lot of nights of sleep after you lose a game or a recruit. Sometimes you may lose your appetite, though I for one could never attest to that. Again, these pressures effect your family and they have to live it in a whole other way. It is detrimental to many a relationship. Obviously, none of this is perfect for your health.

Why Do It and How to Deal With It

I hope I haven’t scared people away from ever wanting to coach. Why do these guys do it? It is simply a love for the game and a desire to teach the game to others. There is a passion and energy that is associated with coaching college kids that you don’t get in many other jobs. For all of the negative factors I have listed above, there are still so many positives. There is no feeling like going into a high school kid’s living room and convincing them to come to your school. Especially if they are from a tough background and you have given somebody the chance to be the first person from their family to go to college. Cutting down that net after winning a tournament title is exhilarating. Despite what the Microsoft Office commercials are showing now, corporate people do not cut down the projection screen in the boardroom when they close a big deal. The job can also be financially beneficial beyond your wildest dreams. Every two weeks you collect a nice paycheck and say to yourself, “I get this money to coach basketball.” In the right situation with the right boss (AD or Head Coach), it can be a very fun job. I had no problem with my school or boss, but my decision to stop coaching was strictly a lifestyle one. I felt that I wanted to be able to do more things and enjoy more of a quiet life with family and friends. That outweighed the joy I got from coaching. As the saying goes, “different strokes for different folks.”

Can you stay healthy and do this job? Absolutely. Guys find different ways to stay loose and relaxed. Many play golf, others read, some work out and still play ball. All of those things are necessary to stay healthy. You obviously need to take care of yourself physically and watch what you eat. Everybody should be doing that, but coaches even more so. Because of that stress, pressure and travel you need to stay in good shape to handle it all. I wasn’t very disciplined in that area, as those that have worked with me can attest to. You really have to try and watch the eating habits but I could not. That fast food diet I mentioned at the beginning was quick and easy and in a life where there is little time for anything, those meals come in handy. I had one too many breakfast of Pepsi and Yodels to write about. My boss at UNH thought a healthy meal was Chex Mix and a Strawberry Coolada from Dunkin Donuts. But he offset that with two workouts a day, seven days a week.

People are going to get sick in any profession. At the age most head coaches are at, it is not a surprise that some get sick and have to take time off. I don’t think coaches getting sick should alarm us, but we need to be concerned. I hope guys are taking care of themselves and will see that there is more to life then winning and losing games. Take time to enjoy their families, and take the time to care for themselves.

Notes from “The Sideline”

• I am on Bobby Knight’s side in this latest incident. I myself have wanted to berate somebody on line at the salad bar when they take too many croutons and bacon bits. I didn’t know where a salad bar was when I coached, but I do now.

• The NBA obviously does not care about the negative publicity associated with the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Co-captains for one of the teams in the NBA All Star Celebrity Game will be none other than P Diddy (excuse me, Sean Combs) and Paris Hilton. I heard Paris has a sweet up and under move, but has trouble defending the interior. Okay, that’s enough of that.

• As predicted in this column, Loyola (MD) avoided setting the record for consecutive losses by knocking of Marist last week. Congratulations to Scott Hicks and his ball club.

• Everybody needs to get off John Fox’s back about going for the two-point conversion at 21-16. All year he relied on his defense and kicking to win games. He obviously was confident his defense would hold the Pats to 21 and he would only need a field goal. In big games you play to your strengths and you play aggressive. Now everybody should be on the kicker’s back for booting the ball out of bounds, but he is getting let off easy.

• Michigan State assistant coach Doug Wojik looks to be the logical choice to replace retiring head coach Don DeVoe of Navy. Wojik is a graduate of the school and has a great deal of Division I coaching experience.

• St. Joe’s survived two tests against Temple and Villanova, and now appears to have a strong chance to run the table the rest of the regular season. The toughest remaining game is next week against Dayton at home. If they shoot the ball the way they have been they can compete with anybody. If not, the lack of front court depth for the Hawks could be a factor.

• A tough loss for Florida last night at home against Kentucky, as the Gators let a late lead slip away. Despite slipping a bit in the polls, I still think they will be a team that can go on a nice run in March.

• My midseason awards are as follows:

     Coach of the Year: Mike Montgomery, Stanford
     Runners Up: Rick Stansbury, Mississippi State and Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh

     Player of the Year: Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's
     Runner Up:  Emeka Okafor, Uconn

• In the spirit of this article on health here are the top five fast food orders: 1) Wendy’s #6 Value Meal, Biggie-sized with a Frosty; 2) A “Big Montana” at Arby’s; 3) A “Double-Double” at In and Out Burger (a treat for any East Coast coach that recruits on the West Coast. Makes the drives between gyms at the Vegas Big Time Tourney bearable; 4) A $1 Double Cheeseburger at McDonald’s; 5) A six pack of powdered donuts at any convenience store in the United States.

Scheduling Conflicts

Scheduling Conflicts

by Jim Woods

Over the next two months, almost all of the talk surrounding college basketball is going to shift towards the NCAA Tournament. A great deal of this talk will be about “Who’s In”, “Who’s Out”, and “How did they earn a bid”. We all have already read columns and heard rumblings about teams who have played “soft” schedules and those that stepped up during the non-conference portion of their schedule and really challenged their teams. How this all plays out in terms of tournament selection and performance remains to be seen, but the conversation of scheduling certainly sparks plenty of debate. Undoubtedly a school will be left out of the dance because of their schedule and the debate will rage on until that team gets knocked out of the first or second round of the NIT which always happens. (Note to gamblers, and I am not one. Always bet against the first round NIT team that everybody thinks should have been in the tourney. So do their players and they come out uninspired). Let’s examine some of the issues surrounding scheduling and see if we can come up with a solution to some of the problems.

Schools in “major” conferences face more of a dilemma in terms of scheduling then those schools at the “lower” level. Past history has dictated that winning twenty games in a conference such as the Big East or Big Ten is an automatic for getting into the tournament. Therefore teams were loading up on “guarantee” games against lesser opponents to build up their record. The term “guarantee” has dual meaning. The larger school guarantees the smaller school a sum of money to play the game, and usually the larger school gets a guaranteed win. However, the selection committee is becoming more and more aware of this and is looking to see teams get out and play more difficult games. Well, here’s the problem with that. You have an athletic department that has a 17,000 seat arena they need to fill for a certain amount of dates and a certain amount of home games the fans want on the season ticket package to charge the prices they need to. You are not going to be able to play all of your games against other marquee teams at home. Therefore you are losing those precious and financially valuable home games. Your administrators need to understand this, and good luck telling them that you are playing four less home games next year. I’m sure many of you are not surprised that once again money plays a huge factor in another area of college sports.

So now you have possibly annoyed your athletic department and have gone out and scheduled marquee games against other comparable schools and you have sacrificed those precious revenue driven home dates. Let’s say you lose a couple of those games and now the record does not look so impressive anymore. What happens next? Of course, that same athletic department fires you because you not only did not win enough games, and you also did not bring in as much revenue. This is a “catch-22″ for the basketball staff. You have a selection committee telling you to play more competitive games and many times an athletic department that wants home games and wins. Now if you go on the road and win those games, you come out looking like a genius to the both parties.

As you can now see, playing in exempt events such as the Maui Classic and the Great Alaska Shootout are huge. If you can get competitive games against other “name” teams on neutral courts, and it doesn’t count against your limit on the number of games you can play you are in great shape. The selection committee understands that you are going to play “guarantee” games and they have no power to stop them. Without the revenue that the smaller schools make from those matchups, many a non-revenue sport would go without uniforms and a travel budget. Many “low major” schools need to bring in sometimes up to $150,000 in revenue from these games. These schools would be in big trouble if the “high majors” stopped scheduling them.

What is the middle ground that keeps all parties happy? I am suggested that there is cap on the amount of money that schools can give out in guarantees. No school is allowed to give out more than $200,000 in guarantee money. I can tell you that the going rate in the major conferences to bring in some teams is as much as $52,000 for a game. Yes, you read that correctly. I was just as shocked when it was offered to me as an assistant, and they were more shocked when I turned it down because we couldn’t play on that date! That $200k can be broken up any way you would like, but that should more than allow you to bring in your wins. Each conference would be responsible for auditing their programs. One side effect is that the “low majors” would be fighting to get on these teams’ schedules because like I said above they need that revenue. The positive result would be more home and home series’ between big programs and the selection committee would have better games to make judgements on when trying to decide who is in and who is out.

More Notes from “The Sideline”

• Emeka Okafor may be getting a great deal of the publicity and hype for National Player of the Year, but I’m not sure if he would win POY in his own conference right now. Ryan Gomes of Providence gets my vote right now for that one. And by the way, don’t ask Coach Calhoun why he didn’t recruit Ryan!

• As one Catamount falls, another rises. As Howard Dean continues his slide towards his political finish line, UVM star forward Taylor Coppenrath continues to impress. Coppenrath is currently averaging 23.7 points per game and has his team riding a nine-game win streak.

• I don’t know about anybody else, but this was a boring week of college basketball. I never thought I’d say that, but the season has been so good that this week didn’t bring much to the table. This may be why I struggles to write this article and I’m really trying hard to bring something to the table.

• Nobody can ever tell me that America isn’t the “Land of Opportunity.” Lawrence Frank and John Carroll are NBA head coaches? Repeat that sentence again. Yup, this is the state of the Eastern Conference.

• Every time I watch a Net game now I can’t help thinking of the 90′s movie “Rookie of the Year” where the little kid gets to pitch for the Chicago Cubs. “Coach of the Year” with Lawrence Frank would make a great sequel.

• St. Joe’s is a very good team, but not a Final Four team. I love the backcourt and I’ve been watching Delonte West since he starred for my good buddy Glenn Farello at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Maryland, but I still can’t vote them any higher than number six in my poll. Upcoming games against Philly rivals Temple and Villanova should be interesting.

• Best of luck and get well soon to Rick Majerus and Rick Pitino.

• If anybody is missing “Real World: San Diego” you have to get on board. When the third week already has two arrests and a “to be continues” episode you know you are in for something good.

• Indiana has very quietly risen to 5-1 in the Big Ten after looking miserable during the early season. Can the people please get off Mike Davis’ back? He goes to the Final Four two years ago and all of a sudden he can’t coach anymore because they get off to a shaky start.

• Bowie versus Trump in “The Apprentice” boardroom the other night was like a one seed against a sixteen. He had no chance. And speaking of that show, to tell you how to graduates of the same school can take different paths, Ereka was a fellow BC Class of 1998 graduate. She is on her way to taking over one of Trump’s company’s and I’m doing articles pro bono for Hoopville.com (and loving very minute of it!).

Crunch Time

Crunch Time: Breaking Down the Game’s Final Minutes

by Jim Woods

If you are sitting at your computer and you watched a game this past week go down to the last possession, raise your hand. Well, I hope you are not sitting by yourself at the computer with your hand raised, but if you are, you’re not alone. Just this past Saturday during my marathon watching of 24 college games in six hours (a column I began to write but it was way too long), I saw at least six games decided in the last four minutes. Being somebody who loves to watch the chess match between coaches, you cannot ask for better viewing. Each team has their own strategy for erasing a deficit, some work and some do not. And sometimes strategy goes out the window and a little luck does not hurt. I am going to break down some situations for you and give you an idea of some things you should look for the next time you watch a game go right down to the wire.

The Game Reset

By the time a game reaches the under four media timeout of the second half, you can usually recognize that it is going to come right down to the final few possessions. This media timeout is when I want to know how many timeouts each team has and what the team foul situation is. I think in this day and age of college basketball with the amount of freshman and sophomores playing critical minutes, it is extremely important to have some timeouts to use to coach your team possession by possession in the closing moments. How you manage your timeouts throughout the game is going to decide what you can use at the end. I watched a game this weekend where Fordham used their one allotted full timeout when they trailed 18-17 with 7:27 remaining in the first half. I question using your one full in that situation for two reasons: 1) you are in one point game and 2) the under eight media timeout still hasn’t happened. They scored coming out of the timeout to take the lead back (so the timeout was effective), but on the next possession a ball was deflected out of bounds and the full media timeout occurred at 7:02. I believe that one full timeout is so precious and you need to hold on to it. If you feel you need a timeout in the first half and that media timeout is coming on the next dead ball or within a minute, use one of your four 30 second timeouts.

I was amazed the other night watching Mississippi State play Kentucky when Dick Vitale began to go off on a tangent about a Bulldog player committing an obvious reach in foul when they had a lead with under 30 seconds remaining. What Mr. Vitale failed to realize until his partner pointed it out was that the Bulldogs still had a foul to give in that situation and it was actually a very smart play. I love that move. Your team has a lead or the game is tied and the shot clock is off, a great way to disrupt a set offense or a team holding for the final shot is to give a foul and make them inbound from the sideline. Especially if the opponent has no timeouts left. The inbounder doesn’t have the security of that timeout to bail him out as he tries to enter the ball. Extending the team foul situation from the final moments of the game, you can dictate your style of play defensively based on your fouls. I would be more aggressive in picking up full court and pressuring the dribbler in the last four minutes if I knew I had a couple of fouls to give.

To Three or Not To Three, That is the Question

Perhaps nothing else makes me more upset then when a team that is trailing in the final four minutes begins to launch reckless three point shots. I love the three point shot and it is a great weapon in the offensive game, but it is not the only way to comeback down the stretch. Too many players and teams rely to heavily on the shot once the game has reached the final two minutes and they trail by single digits. At this stage of the game, your mindset has to be “score quickly/high percentage shots.” A three point shot, contested or uncontested, is not as high a percentage as something going to the rim. In addition if you go inside or attack the rim on a drive, you increase the likelihood of drawing a foul and getting to the free throw line. The foul line is the best place to make up your deficit because no time is elapsing. The defense is also very cognizant of not wanting to commit a foul and often soften up on defense allowing easier drives to the rim.

Obviously there is a point where you have to begin to look for the three. How the other team shoots from the free throw line will often dictate when you should begin to rely on the three. The better they are on the line the earlier you may have to make up points quickly. I could go over numerous scenarios, but for the purposes of space let’s just look at the situation where a team is trailing by three points with the ball and there is one minute to twelve seconds remaining. During this time I think you absolutely have to still be looking to get to the basket and score easily and then set your defense to foul. (Having those precious timeouts saved up will allow you to better set your defense). Do not start launching the three point shot to look to tie. Many coaches refer to this as “extending the game.” Keep taking the easy basket going to the rim and fouling to put the other team on the line. The best scenario is you continue to make layups and they eventually miss a free throw. You then may tie the game without ever attempting a three point shot, or even winning it if you do knock in a three. I always like to see a team keep it a one possession game as long as possible. If you take a forced three point shot, miss, and they make a free throw you have two-possession game on your hands. From twelve to eight seconds I think you are looking for the best available shot. Inside of eight seconds you need to be looking for a three point shot for the tie.

Guarding the Lead

To protect a lead on offense in the closing minutes the foundation is quite simple. Protect the ball, take quality shots, and make free throws. I want to focus on a couple of scenarios defensively. One such scenario is when it is a one-possession game and the team trailing has to go the length of the court in a short amount of time. The defensive team cannot allow an easy path to the rim. Again you can’t be overly aggressive (unless you have team fouls to give) but you need to play some sort of three-quarter court pressure to slow down the dribbler. Another option is double teaming the primary ball handler and making a non-ball handler make decisions. Too often I watch teams have an unimpeded path to half court which allows them to conserve a great deal of time. This is also the reason why I do not like to see teams pull their two men off the free throw line when they are shooting free throws. I know the argument is, “what if you go over the back and foul, stop the clock, and give them an opportunity to score.” I agree with that, however, I want to have the opportunity to get an offensive rebound and I also want to again slow the other team off of a miss or make. You need to tell your players that on the release they should simply step backwards and only play for a long rebound. That is the only rebound you look to get. Other than that you are just there to slow down an outlet pass. Now if you are up by four points or more and less than five seconds then you pull the guys off the line and do not go near anybody.

Finally, the classic end of game defensive situation: up by three, less than ten seconds, do you foul? I am here to tell you no! I may be in a minority on this one, but here is why. I can remember as a young kid watching Tennessee play Kentucky and I can’t recall all the players involved but one team had a three-point lead in the closing seconds and chose to foul. The shooter stepped to line, made the first, missed the second, offensive rebound, basket, foul, and free throw is good. The team went from being up by three to losing by one. If you do not foul, the worse that can happen is overtime. I heard an analyst say the other night that fouling in that situation tells your team that you do not have the confidence in them to get a stop. I couldn’t agree more with his thinking. Play to win and have faith in your players.

Notes from “The Sideline”

• Yes, JJ Reddick can really shoot the ball. But do I have to hear so many times from Dickie V that he is the greatest shooter in college basketball since Chris Mullin? As of January 19th, he is not in the Top 30 in the NCAA Three Point Field Goal % category. I know that he is an outstanding free throw shooter as well, but let’s not get carried away yet. Remember, in Steve Alford’s only year with a three-point line he shot 53% and made seven in the NCAA title game.

• I think it is great that the Ohio Valley Conference match-up between Morehead State and Austin Peay was televised Saturday on ESPN2. I was quite surprised to see that. Magnus Magnusson must have blown out his rotator cuffs and they had to cancel World’s Strongest Man programming.

• If I’m a head coach, I’m hiring Howard Dean to give a pre-game speech.

• Call it the Syracuse Effect, but I have noticed more teams then ever before playing straight 2-3 zones. I counted at least seven teams I saw on TV Saturday playing zone for prolonged stretches.

• Congratulations to Billy Packer on setting a new second guessing record on Saturday’s call of Connecticut and UNC. Billy questioned Roy Williams’ small lineup eleven times in three minutes. Way to go Billy!

• A “Sideline Salute” to first year head coach Paul Biancardi for leading his Wright State Raiders to 6-1 record in the Horizon League. They currently are riding a five game win streak.

• I can’t believe people are knocking Pearl Washington making the Big East Silver Anniversary Team. Len Elmore suggested Allen Iverson in his place. No way! Iverson played two years with a minimal impact on the conference. The Pearl brought a level of excitement to every game at a time when the Big East was never more electric.

• The two best things coming out of South Carolina right now are Cameran from the “Real World” and South Carolina Gamecock basketball. Dave Odom’s club is off to quite possibly the most under-publicized 16-2 start in college hoop history.

• My Silver Anniversary Team (All Conferences): Tim Duncan, Danny Manning, Chris Mullin, Hersey Hawkins, Bobby Hurley.