Three-point play: February 23, 2010

 1.    UConn is the ACC and A-10’s worst enemy

It wasn’t long ago when Connecticut was in disarray. Head coach Jim Calhoun was in the middle of a medical leave of absence. The Huskies were 4-8 in the Big East and shared the unwelcome honor as struggling powerhouses with North Carolina.

Calhoun is back, and after beating seventh-ranked West Virginia Monday night, the Huskies (17-11, 7-8) are right back in the middle of the NCAA tournament picture. Their final three games are all winnable, and a 10-8 mark in the Big East should warrant an at-large bid.

Just as the horn was sounding on the Huskies’ upset of the Mountaineers, several teams on the bubble cringed. Teams like Clemson, Dayton, Florida State, Rhode Island, Charlotte and Saint Louis are all uncertain of their postseason fates at this juncture.

If the Huskies continue to surge, they will surely sneak up and grab an at-large bid from one of those middle-of-the-pack teams from the ACC or A-10.  You can bet every one of the aforementioned teams will be rooting hard against the Huskies from here on out.

 

2.    Ross Tudor is right – Duke is a master scheduler

I did a double take tonight when looking ahead to the week’s slate of games, and I saw Duke hosting Tulsa on Thursday night. Why on earth the Devils are hosting this game in late February is beyond me, but this much is not: Mike Krzyzewski is a damn good resume builder.

It wasn’t until my friend Ross brought this to my attention that I realized it to be true: Duke makes a living off scheduling teams with RPI rankings between 75-150 who are easily beatable, yet still boost their own RPI greatly.

Now, this strategy is only surefire when you have a perennial top-15 power like the Blue Devils, because if you are any worse, you could lose a game or two in that slate and have some ugly losses to your name.

Tulsa, for instance, is 19-8, 8-5 in Conference USA. Their RPI as of Monday night was 75. That’s perfect for Duke, which has not lost a home game all season and is in little danger of doing so in Thursday.

Some of the Blue Devils’ non-conference games include Charlotte, Arizona State, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Penn, Iowa State and Georgetown. In the two of those games that were on the road, Duke lost. The other ones were all Blue Devil victories.

There were no games against top 10 teams; no epic made-for-TV matchups to bring money to the school. By playing games that are all mostly winnable but still competitive is why Duke has one of the five strongest schedules in the country and has an outside shot at a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

 

3.    Evan Turner has my vote for player of the year

There is no player in the country doing so many different things at the level Evan Turner is this season. Despite missing six games due to a serious back injury, Turner has been unstoppable even after returning.

Here’s his stat line: 19.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, two steals and one block per game; dude is the LeBron James of college basketball. Since returning from injury, the Buckeyes are 10-2.

When the postseason rolls around, teams with standout veteran superstars always seem to do big things. How far did Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo make it in their only seasons in college? Exactly. Every championship team in the last five years has been led by a bona fide veteran star.

This doesn’t mean Ohio State is prime for a national championship run, but here’s betting Turner is a household name in a month or so.

 

Three-point play: February 7, 2010

Saturday was filled with statement games by some teams looking to earn respect on the national scene. It was a great day of basketball, and here are some thoughts for the day:

1. The loss to South Florida was a blessing in disguise for Georgetown

We all saw, or at least heard about, Georgetown’s thumping of Duke last Saturday in front of President Barack Obama. The 89-77 win against the Blue Devils was a statement win for both the Hoyas and for the Big East Conference.

Four days later, the lowly South Florida Bulls came into the nation’s capital and sent Georgetown a big fat wake-up call. By beating the Hoyas 72-64, it kept Georgetown’s egos in check, and sent the team a message that no opponent will lay down for them.

So all the Hoyas did was come out Saturday and embarrass the 2^nd-ranked Villanova Wildcats 103-90. Backcourt mates Austin Freeman and Jason Clark combined for 49 points in the win.

That makes it two Saturdays in a row where Georgetown has looked like a Final Four team. The upset loss on Wednesday night enabled John Thompson’s club to re-focus and understand just how big the target on their backs really is.

Look for the Hoyas to make the Big East a three-headed monster, including the Wildcats and Syracuse, down the stretch.

2. The Mountain West and the Atlantic 10 should get eight NCAA bids between them

Saturday was a banner day for the unknown teams in both the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West Conference. Dayton, UNLV and Richmond all hosted conference powers, and all three enjoyed convincing upset victories.

The Spiders (18-6, 7-2), who have already knocked off Mississippi State, Missouri and Florida this season, hosted No. 17 Temple and blew them away 71-54. Kevin Anderson, a junior guard from Duluth, Ga. is the engine for that team, averaging 18 points per game while only leaving the floor for three minutes per game.

Dayton took on Xavier as losers in three of its last five games. It was a virtual must-win game for the Flyers to keep their at-large hopes alive, and they destroyed the Musketeers 90-65, avenging a loss earlier in the season on the road. The Flyers need a strong finish down the stretch still; their only quality win out of conference was against Georgia Tech.

UNLV hosted 12^th ranked BYU and used a 56 point first half to cruise to victory. The Rebels (19-4, 7-2) are now in a three-way tie for first place in the Mountain West, and after a mid-season slump have rebounded to win seven of their last eight games.

3. Winning on the road is harder than getting Taylor Swift to sing well

In the AP Top 25 alone, seven underdogs won at home. The field of elite teams this year is diluted more than usual, and there are so many teams that could beat anyone.

The balanced standings in so many conferences will make for an interesting week of conference tournaments in early March. While so many of the highest ranked teams are dropping like flies when they hit the road, who knows what will happen when games move to neutral sites?

Fan bases for college basketball are as strong as ever, which makes for entertaining games. The emerging parity across the multiple-bid conferences are going to make this year’s conference tournaments some of the most intriguing ever. Enjoy the upsets while we can …only in college basketball…