ForumsWith a trip to Philadelphia that will include a look at every team in the Big 5, plus a Saturday night stop in Newark for Pitt-Seton Hall, beginning tomorrow, the Trap comes to you a day early this week. Here are this weeks points to ponder:
1. Floridesperation. Can a team actually follow up back to back national titles with consecutive trips to the NIT? Florida is perilously close to finding out. With a paper thin resume, Billy Donovan’s squad would be wise to win out. Failing to protect the O Dome against Tennessee and/or Kentucky would put UF in the precarious position of needing a run in the SEC Tournament to feel comfortable on Selection Sunday.
2. It’s Money That Matters. Those who have perused this column since its inception know Jim Calhoun is not my favorite person. That said, the UCONN coach is deserving of a standing ovation from everyone in America who detests clueless “activists”. Calhoun’s handling of the mental midget who tried to draw the spurious connection between coaching salaries and university financial woes, I’m not going to mention the goofball’s name because I don’t want a Google search somehow connecting this site to that clown, was a study in how grandstanders should be handled. If pinheads want to come to a press conference and attempt to create chaos, they deserve to reap the whirlwind.
3. Hot and Cold. Tim Floyd certainly had a week straight out of a Katy Perry song. First, the Trojans barely hung on to beat Washington State and snap a three game losing streak. Saturday brought a loss to Washington, which did massive damage to SC’s NCAA hopes, and open dissention. Daniel Hackett was involved in separate incidents with his father, a member of the USC staff, and teammate Dwight Lewis after the final buzzer. Then, just when things appeared to be bottoming out, fantastic news from the recruiting trail arrived. Renardo Sidney cast his lot with Coach Floyd, giving the Hoopsters of Troy the potential to field the most dominant frontcourt in the West next season.
4. Ode To A Warrior. Gary Williams is many things, not all of them good. However, the one thing that cannot be denied is that he is as fierce a competitor as there is in college basketball. With the vultures circling his struggling Terrapins, his charges summoned some of the coach’s moxy and revived their season. Maryland may still miss the NCAA Torunament, but Saturday’s result should cause the villagers to put their pitchforks away for now. Williams pulled U of M out of the college basketball sewer. He deserves the opportunity to right the ship he built so well.
5. That Lean And Hungry Look. If you’re looking for a team that hasn’t gotten a huge amount of media attention, but could land in Detroit for the Final Four, check out Villanova. Jay Wright’s squad has the kind of backcourt that March runs have come to be built around. Dante Cunnigham’s emergence as an elite player has provided the Wildcats with a frontcourt option to compliment the guard produced firepower. Playing in the Big East will have prepared ‘Nova for most any tournament opponent. Don’t be surprised if the are in the Motor City when it matters.
6. Doings In The Desert. It appears Arizona AD Jim Livengood has decided that Jamie Dixon and Mark Few will be the first targets of his search to replace Lute Olson at the helm in Tucson. If, as expected, he is rebuffed by both, the smart money seems to be on Reggie Theus, late of the Sacramento Kings. While Theus certainly brings star power to the table, I have the nagging feeling that Arizona could do better. Mike Anderson could win national titles at ‘Zona. Just a thought.
Until next week, stay classy, Volnation.
