The Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No. 25

The Trap rolls into Philadelphia this weekend for a 4 game in 3 day college hoops extravaganza. Ahead of my trip to the City Of Brotherly Love, here are six topics of interest.

1. Lon Kruger. I had the opportunity to speak with the respected UNLV mentor last week, before their huge road win at San Diego State. He is pleased with his team’s progress, especially their defensive play. Coach Kruger told me he expects the Mountain West race to play out according to the current standings and that he would anticipate the league receiving 2 or 3 NCAA bids. I’ll have the full interview up soon.
2. Jim Calhoun. Regular readers of this space are well aware that the UCONN Icon and I aren’t on each other’s Christmas card list. However, I must give credit where it is due. Calhoun’s swift disciplinary action against Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins seems to have unified his team. The Huskies have significantly bolstered their NCAA resume with back to back wins over Indiana and Louisville.
3. Huggins v. UC, Round I. Tomorrow night in Morgantown, we will see the first installment of what promises to become one of the most heated rivalries in the Big East. Mick Cronin takes his rapidly improving Bearcats to face his former employer/UC icon Bob Huggins. In the preseason, John Calipari theorized that the day of this game should be a national college basketball holiday, so everyone could watch. It promises to be greaqt theater.
4. 1 and 2. John Calipari won’t however get to view the WVU-UC battle. He’ll be busy with what appears to be one of his top ranked Tigers’ toughest remaining regular season tests, at Houston. The Kansas juggernaut rolls into Manhattan to face the Michael Beasley Experience. The Jayhawks last lost a road game to the Wildcats roughly about the time Rutherford B. Hayes was in the White House. It will be intriguing to see if both powerhouses survive their road tests.
5. SEC Showdown. Saturday afternoon in Starkville will bring together the two team that appear, at this point, to be the class of the league. Tennessee has maintained residence in the neighborhood of the Top 10 all season, while Rick Stansbury’s Bulldogs have overcome a sluggish nonconference performance to reach the top of the West. Jamont Gordon and Tyler Smith on the floor at the same time will bring a tear to Buzz Peterson’s eye as he washes Michael Jordan’s car.
6. Rebel Resiliency. Andy Kennedy’s young troops have hit their first patch of adversity, losing 3 of 5 to start conference play. Vanderbilt and South Carolina visit the Tad Pad this week. Ole Miss needs to protect its homecourt to avoid a full fledged slide.

Until I check in from Philadelphia, stay classy, Volnation.