The Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No. 2

While ruminating on the relative hotness of Carrie Underwood compared to Danielle Peck, I’ve been perusing the college hoops schedules as they are put forth for public consumption. Here are half a dozen things that have caught my eye.

1. Davidson vs. Goliaths. Bob McKillop is one of the hidden gems in college coaching. He has kept his team in the upper echelon of the Southern Conference consistently. Now, he is trying to take them big time. Stephen Curry & Co. will play UCLA, North Carolina, Duke, and NC State. A win in any of those games will put Davidson on the same path Winthrop followed to the second round of the NCAA tourney last year.

2. Dream A Little Dream. The Jimmy V Classic will be tough for Bob Huggins to watch. With Kansas State and Southern Cal both on the bill, Huggs will have a chance to ponder what might have been. OJ Mayo, Bill Walker, and Michael Beasley all in the same building was always the plan, Bob just hoped they’d all be wearing his team’s uniform.

3. Walking In Memphis. If you like high octane nonconference matchups, the Bluff City is the place to be this winter. Gonzaga, Georgetown, Arizona, and Tennessee will all make the trip to Beale Street this year.

4. On Broadway. Speaking of Coach Cal’s crew, the Tigers will become intimately familiar with the World’s Most Famous Arena. Memphis will appear in both the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and the aforementioned Jimmy V. Classic at Madison Square Garden. That rounds out a nonconference slate that will more than adequately prepare the Tigers for March, regardless of the quality of C-USA.

5. To Sir, With No Love Lost. For raw drama, it will be hard to beat Cincinnati’s trip to West Virginia. Not only will Bob Huggins get a crack at the school that unceremoniously forced him out, he’ll be facing his former protege, Mick Cronin. The two haven’t exactly been chummy since Cronin bolted on Huggins to take a similar position with then C-USA rival Louisville. The tension in Morgantown will be of nuclear proportions.

6. Family Tradition. Temple stayed inside the Philadelphia basketball family to tap Fran Dunphy as John Chaney’s successor. Coach Dunphy has kept another tradition alive, brutal nonconference schedules. The Owls have Tennessee, Duke, Florida, a Big 5 tilt with Villanova, and an appearance in a well stocked tourney in Puerto Rico on the agenda.

From sunny South Florida, this is you humble hoops correspondent signing off til next week.