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With the annual festival of tryptophan on the horizon, college hoops starts to heat up. In the holiday spirit, here is a six pack of Trap Topics to consume with your cranberry sauce. Here…We…Go.
1. Get Well Wishes. Loyola Marymount coach and Trap favorite Bill Bayno has taken a medical leave of absence from his duties. The stresses of the job drove Pete Newell and Al McGuire out of the game at relatively young ages. Here’s hoping Coach Bayno has a quick and complete recovery that allows him to continue his rebuilding job in Los Angeles.
2. X Gonna Give It To Ya. Last year, Brandon Lavender turned down a “Mid-Major Player of the Week” award on the grounds that Xavier, like Memphis and Gonzaga, are top 25 programs. He was right. Last week’s win in Puerto Rico is further evidence that the Musketeers now have the ability to withstand multiple personnel losses and keep right on rolling. It’s a testament to Sean Miller that he has taken what Bob Staak, Pete Gillen, Skip Prosser, and Thad Matta built and made it even better.
3. UCONN-vincing. Most pundits have labeled Jim Calhoun’s squad as one one of the biggest threats to North Carolina’s coronation. The Huskies did nothing in the Virgin Islands to dispel that notion. Drubbings of Miami and Wisconsin indicate that this UCONN squad is not a slave to tempo. They appear as comfortable going up and down as they do grinding it out 47 feet at a time.
4. Catfight. One of the myriad of intriguing games this weekend is the clash between Kentucky and Kansas State. When I spoke with KSU Coach Frank Martin before the season, he thought the experience and confidence his returning players gained in going to the NCAA Tournament as the supporting cast to Michael Beasley and Bill Walker would pay dividends. The addition of Dennis Clemente has also been key to the Men From Manhattan getting out of the gate quick. It’ll be interesting to see how Kentucky reacts to their first game against a legitimate opponent since their 0-2 start.
5. Streetfight. Barring an upset in Wednesday’s semifinals, Madison Square Garden will play host to a brawl on Friday evening that will rival the epic HHH-Mick Foley No Holds Barred match for sheer brutality. Oklahoma hits people in the mouth and keeps coming. So does Purdue. The over/under on stitches in this one should be about 30.
6. Return Of The Mack, Cont. Mack McCarthy knows he is still in the buliding stage at East Carolina. However, when I interviewed him shortly before the season began, he was optimistic about the direction of his program and the improving talent level. The Pirates’ win over VCU indicates good times are coming to ECU sooner than later.
Until next week, stay classy, Volnation. Happy Thanksgiving.
