The Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No. 20

Road Trap ‘07-’08 hits an NBAesque portion of its schedule this weekend. Memphis/Philadelphia/New Orleans in a six day period. Thus, the Christmas holiday is the calm before the travel storm. At this time of year, we love feel good stories. “It’s A Wonderful Life.” “Miracle On 34th Street.” “Bad Santa.” These uplifting stories renew our faith in humanity. Thus, in the spirit of the season, here are 6 teams whose stories should warm the hearts of hoop fans.

1. Houston, 10-1. It’s been almost 25 years since the Drexler/Olajuwon/Young Cougars played arguably the most entertaining game in Final Four history against Louisville in the national semifinals. Finally, after years of wallowing in mediocrity or worse, Tom Penders has the Cougars headed in a positive direction. The demolition of Kentucky, in front of a raucous crowd at Hofheinz Pavillion, was a nice introduction to the national audience for Dion Dowell, Rob McIver, et al.

2. Minnesota, 8-1. Tubby Smith was never appreciated as he should have been by Kentucky fandom. You can guarantee the folks in Minneapolis will give him all the adulation he deserves. The Gophers haven’t exactly beaten any top notch foes, but simply beating the Colorado States of the world indicates the improvement this squad has made.

3. New Orleans, 10-2. Joe Pasternack’s first half season in the Big Easy has been an unqualified success. The Privateers own a road win at NC State and have positioned themselves as contenders to South Alabama and Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt. Not bad for a program whose last head coach left town to be an assistant at Marquette.

4. Ole Miss, 11-0. We should have all known better. The vast majority of the basketball watching world expected the Rebels to take a step back after losing their backcourt to graduation. Silly us. Andy Kennedy has his team playing at a level equal to, or better than, last season’s SEC West champions. The January 9th game against Tennessee is one for hoops fans to circle on their calender.

5. Sam Houston State, 10-0. I talked to Coach Bob Marlin a couple of weeks ago. One of the topics we discussed is the difficulty the Bearkats have scheduling any quality opponents to come to Huntsville. There’s a reason for that. SHSU has won their last 43 at home, including wins over Texas Tech and Fresno State this season. Add those wins to a road victory over St. Louis and you have a nice postseason resume in the making. Beating Bob Knight and Rick Majerus in the same season is a nice feat for a Southland Conference team.

6. St. Mary’s, 10-1. The WCC isn’t just Gonzaga anymore. Randy Bennett has long been one of the best unknown coaches in America and Patrick Mills has had a bigger immediate impact than any Aussie import since Paul Hogan or Men At Work. The Gaels’ game next weekend at Texas will be an interesting litmus test for the Rainbow Classic champions.

Until next week, happy holidays and stay classy, Volnation.