Feb. 5, 2008
FDT took a week off to enjoy everything about Tom Brady's ankle and marriage proposals in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, but now that the Pats are all sitting at home sulking we're gonna get right back to college basketball!
Team of the Week: Saint Joseph's Hawks
Four years removed from their undefeated run that earned them a No. 1 seed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, Phil Martelli's Hawks may have another shot at an at-large birth. While the pre-season quartet of Xavier, Dayton, Rhode Island, and UMass seem destined for postseason berths when conference play started, the league games have told a different story. The Hawks have only beaten one team of consequence (UMass, twice), but they're on a six-game winning streak that includes Big 5 wins over intra-city rivals Penn and Villanova. Whether their 22-point trouncing of previously ranked Villanova last night says more about the upstart Hawks than the reeling Wildcats remains to be seen, but if the season ended today you could be certain that St. Joe's would be in the tournament once again. Their next two games might give us a better indication of how they'll hold up in the long run, as they travel to Duquesne (13-7) on Wednesday before facing off against No. 14 Xavier in Cincinnati on Sunday. That game might be the best in the A-10 so far this season.
Dud of the Week: Missouri Tigers
Not so much for their performance, but five Tigers players were suspended for Wednesday's game against Nebraska for alcohol-related violations. Kudos to the program for their actions, but these players have let down a team that is very much on the bubble for the NCAA t ournament. They were able to recover for a key home win against Kansas State on Saturday, but fell again Monday at Kansas. It looks like the Tigers will be NIT-bound in 2008.
Player of the Week: Kevin Love, UCLA
Once again we feature a stud freshman, but watching that Arizona game on Saturday night I was amazed with Love's passing ability and all the intangibles he brings to the court while still putting up ridiculous numbers. Love has notched a double-double in each of his past six games and torch the Arizona schools this week to the tune of 46 points and 21 rebounds in two games.
First Down: Ten games I've got my eye on this week
-All rankings are ESPN/USA Today
1. No. 15 Drake (20-1, 11-0 MVC) @ Illinois State (16-6, 8-3), Tuesday
Can the Bulldogs possibly run the table in Missouri Valley play? They still have four road games remaining after this one, including a dandy at Butler in BracketBusters, but the Redbirds may present the biggest challenge as the only other potential tourney team in the Valley.
2. No. 11 Butler (19-2, 8-2 Horizon) @ Valparaiso (14-7, 5-4), 8 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN2
What a year the Crusaders are having in their first season in the Horizon League. Valpo is right in the thick of the conference race and could make a push for first with an upset of the 11th-ranked Bulldogs. A.J. Graves and Co. can't avoid these kinds of upsets if they want a top-4 seed in March, so look for Butler to take care of business.
3. No. 22 Florida (18-4, 5-2 SEC) @ No. 7 Tennessee (19-2, 6-1), 8 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN
A Vols victory here might all but secure the SEC East title for Bruce Pearl's squad unless Kentucky stays as hot as they are. Florida just got absolutely trounced at Arkansas, and Tennessee is no better a place to play for Billy Donovan's freshman-laden squad. Tennessee took out the Gators at home last year on their way to a No. 5 NCAA seed, and as the Vols are looking to reach even higher than that this year, look for them to be firing on all cylinders in this one.
4. No. 19 Connecticut (16-5, 6-3 Big East) @ Syracuse (16-7, 6-4), 6 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN
Who's the second-best team in the Big East? It'd be hard to argue against the Huskies, winners of five straight including three ranked opponents. UConn is quietly gunning for a top-4 seed, whereas the Orange are falling off the bubble and in desperate straights. Freshman dandy Donte Greene leads Syracuse with 18.3 points per game.
5. No. 12 Texas (17-4, 4-2 Big 12) @ Oklahoma (15-6, 3-3), 6 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN2
How bad did the Longhorns look at College Station last Wednesday? They notched a solid win against Baylor and have the Jayhawks coming to town for Big Monday next week. Will this matchup in Norman be a tune-up or a trap game for Rick Barnes' squad?
6. Charlotte (13-7, 4-2 A-10) @ Dayton (15-5, 3-4), Wednesday
Both teams desperately need this one, and the 49ers are quietly emerging as another sleeper candidate for an at-large bid in the A-10.
7. No .21 Notre Dame (16-4, 6-2 Big East) @ Seton Hall (15-7, 5-4)
The previously road-weary Irish throttled Villanova last weekend and suddenly seem like a lock for the NCAAs at this point. Seton Hall is vying for what could be an eighth Big East bid, and they need to knock off some quality teams in order to do it. Notre Dame would certainly qualify.
8. No. 2 Duke (19-1, 7-0 ACC) @ No. 3 North Carolina (21-1, 6-1), 8 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN
The return of Dick Vitale to ESPN! Well, that probably ranks as the 11th best subplot in this one. The most intriguing: the ongoing hostility between Tyler Hansbrough and Gerald Henderson stemming from last year's punch to the face. Psycho T will almost certainly bleed at some point in this one, hopefully from head-butting a teammate after dunking over Kyle Singler for the fifth time.
9. West Virginia (16-6, 5-4 Big East) @ No. 25 Pittsburgh (17-5, 5-4), 6 p.m. Thursday, ESPN
The Mountaineers did nice to rebound at Providence Saturday after getting trounced at Cincinnati. Pittsburgh is coming off a disappointing loss at UConn, so this rendition of the "Backyard Brawl" should be an absolute dogfight as both teams look to secure their NCAA status.
10. No. 4 UCLA (20-2, 8-1 Pac-10) @ No. 17 Washington State (17-4, 5-4), Thursday
Four weeks ago, Washington State was undefeated and in the running for a No. 1 seed. They lost to UCLA on Jan. 12 and haven't been the same since, dropping four of seven overall including a home sweep by Cal and Stanford. This weekend series against UCLA and USC will go a long way towards determining if the Cougars are capable of a March run.
Second Down: 10 best mid-majors
1. Memphis (21-0, 7-0 C-USA)
Last Week: 1
This Week: def. Houston, UTEP
2. Butler (19-2, 8-2 Horizon)
Last Week: 2
This Week: idle
3. Xavier (18-4, 6-1 A-10)
Last Week: 3
This Week: def. La Salle
4. Drake (20-1, 11-0 MVC)
Last Week: 5
This Week: def. Creighton, Indiana State
5. St. Mary's (19-3, 6-1 WCC)
Last Week: 4
This Week: lost to San Diego, def. Portland, Gonzaga
6. Gonzaga (17-6, 6-1 WCC)
Last Week: 6
This Week: def. Santa Clara, lost to St. Mary's
7. Davidson (15-6, 13-0 Southern)
Last Week: 7
This Week: def. Wofford, Chattanooga
8. Rhode Island (19-3, 5-2 A-10)
Last Week: 8
This Week: def. Richmond, Dayton
9. UNLV (17-4, 6-1 Mtn. West)
Last Week: 10
This Week: def. TCU, New Mexico
10. UNC-Asheville (18-4, 7-0 Big South)
Last Week: NR
This Week: def. Winthrop
Dropping from rankings: South Alabama (9)
Third Down: 10 worst major conference teams
1. Oregon State (6-15, 0-9 Pac-10)
Last Week: 1
This Week: lost to Oregon
2. Michigan (5-16, 1-8 Big Ten)
Last Week: 2
This Week: lost to Minnesota
3. Northwestern (7-12, 0-8 Big Ten)
Last Week: 3
This Week: def. Texas-Pan American, lost to Indiana
4. South Florida (10-12, 1-8 Big East)
Last Week: 6
This Week: lost to Marquette, St. John's
5. St. John's (8-12, 2-7 Big East)
Last Week: 4
This Week: lost to Georgetown, def. South Florida
6. LSU (8-13, 1-6 SEC)
Last Week: 5
This Week: def. Auburn, lost to Alabama
7. Colorado (9-12, 1-6 Big 12)
Last Week: 7
This Week: lost to Iowa State, Kansas
8. Illinois (10-13, 2-8 Big Ten)
Last Week: 8
This Week: lost to Michigan State, Purdue
9. Rutgers (10-13, 2-8 Big East)
Last Week: NR
This Week: lost to Seton Hall, Louisville
10. Oklahoma State (10-11, 1-6 Big 12)
Last Week: NR
This Week: lost to Texas Tech
Pillow fight of the week: St. John's @ Rutgers, Wednesday (ESPN360, in case you want to pay to watch this crapfest)
Fourth Down: The Bottom 10
Our weekly installment of the worst teams in college basketball. Does Oregon State make this list this week? Almost... In this issue, we'll poke fun at the nicknames of these unfortunate bunches...
10. Citadel Bulldogs (5-16, 0-12 Southern)
The record may not look Bottom 10 worthy, but rest assured that the basketball Bulldogs aren't putting up quite the fight as their militant peers at the Citadel. Four of their five victories have come against non-DI competition, so unfortunately these neutered pups slipped through FDT's grip last week. No such luck this time around.
9. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-17, 0-8 WAC)
The WACed out Bulldogs finally get in after a week on the waiting list, and they figure to be here for a long time. We should have lumped these Bullpups in with those from the Citadel, because even both teams combined couldn't put up much of a fight.
8. Alcorn State Braves (3-19, 2-7 SWAC)
The opposite of the Atlanta Braves dynasty of the last 15 years, as Alcorn State is guaranteed to be on this list year in and year out.
7. Rice Owls (3-17, 0-7 C-USA)
The owl is usually associated with academic greatness and wisdom. Unfortunately, the Owl players are exhausting all their greatness in the classroom and library.
6. Presbyterian Blue Hose (3-22 indep.)
Do the Blue Hose sound menacing to you? Didn't think so.
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
Completely decked out in an all-yellow suit, Bob Huggins led his NCAA-caliber squad to an astonishing 39 points in a home loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday. Thankfully, the mountain men got off the moonshine in time to take out Providence on Saturday and keep their integrity, and their tournament resume, intact.
4. NC Central Eagles (2-23 indep.)
Fly like an eagle... to the No. 4 spot on the Bottom 10. NC Central moves here from No. 2 after a surprising win at Coppin State.
3. Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks (2-21, 0-8 MEAC)
The only prey the Hawks could possibly catch this year would the aforementioned Eagles of Coppin State, but they blew that chance with last night's 59-54 loss. They get another chance on March 1 if their wings aren't completely clipped by then.
2. North Florida Ospreys (1-20, 0-9 Atlantic Sun)
Osprey: a daytime, fish-eating bird of prey measuring about 24 inches in length
And apparently, they don't come out at night when the basketball games are going on. The Osprey is also on the endangered species list, and I would say this program would be as well if they didn't join DI only last year.
1. NJIT Highlanders (0-24 indep.)
Was this team ever on the high land, as their name suggests? Fat chance. The de-feated run continues for the New Jersey-Techians.
Mercifully dropped: M-A-A-Craptastic (Canisius & St. Peter's, 8), Grambling State (7), Sacramento State (9)
Also on waiting list: Stony Brook (4-17), Long Beach State (4-16), Ball State (3-17), Jacksonville State (4-19), Oregon State (6-15)
