ForumsRoad Trap ‘09-’10 begins in the column’s spiritual homeland, Las Vegas, this weekend. Saturday’s slate has a number of top flight matchups. With the college football conference title games out of the way, it’s time for hoops to grab the spotlight until the bowls get started. Let’s get started.
1. Poison Ivy. Apparently, Cornell isn’t the only member of the Ancient Eight capable of giving the big boys a run for their money. Tommy Amaker’s Harvard squad has played UCONN to the wire and, for the second consecutive year, knocked off Boston College. Jeremy Lin gives the Crimson a versatile star who could certainly earn minutes for a BCS program. Amaker has gradually elevated the talent level during his 3 years in Cambridge. With a December 23rd trip to Georgetown, Harvard has the opportunity to make more nonconference noise. Their quest to unseat the Big Red in the Ivy will be one of the interesting under the radar stories of the conference portion of this regular season.
2. Palestra Pain. Alas, not all the news from the Ivy League is pleasant. Penn, one of the league’s traditional standard bearers in hoops, currently sits at 0-6. Glen Miller’s team has been crippled by injuries to half of their top eight performers. That said, being beaten by Navy and Albany is unacceptable at a program with such a proud tradition. Quaker fans and alums have been grumbling as the team struggled the last two seasons. Unlike their Ivy counterparts, the folks in Philadelphia aren’t particularly patient. If Miller’s team doesn’t turn things around when league play begins, the classy coach may be looking for new employment in ‘10-’11.
3. Feels Like The First Time. John Calipari has never led a team into Assembly Hall. His first trip to one of the game’s true cathedrals is filled with interesting storylines. Kentucky is attempting what to complete a week long sweep that would put ear to ear smiles on the Big Blue faithful. Defeating North Carolina, UCONN, and IU would be a good week’s work for the Wildcats. It would also allow Calipari to match Adolph Rupp’s 10-0 career start. The game will also mark the renewal of hostilities between Cal and Tom Crean. Their teams did battle in the previous incarnation of C-USA. Crean’s group has shown progress since a disasterous 0-3 trip to Puerto Rico, culminating in Tuesday’s win over Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden. Saturday afternoon will be a nice measuring stick of how far the Hoosiers have come.
4. Honeymoon In Vegas. Kansas State and UNLV meet Saturday afternoon in a matcup of two clubs off to promising starts. Frank Martin’s club has a single loss, in Puerto Rico to Ole Miss, and has wins over Dayton and Xavier on their resume. Lon Kruger’s Runnin’s Rebels are undefeated, with their signature win coming against Louisville. Their battle at the Orleans Arena gives each team the opportunity to add a notable scalp to their nonconference resume. The Wildcats would vault into the polls with a win, while a Reb triumph would move them closer to the Top 15. With wins likely to be tough to come by in the Big 12 and the Mountain West, the winner gets some Selection Sunday breathing room.
5. Turning Point. Saturday’s Ohio State-Butler game at Hinkle Fieldhouse is not coming together as either side had planned. The Buckeyes limp into Indianapolis minus do it all star Evan Turner, who suffered broken vertebrae in a fall last weekend. Thad Matta will need David Lighty and William Buford to expand their roles on offense to compensate for that serious loss. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, will be trying to shake off the effects of a slow start against a meatgrinder of an early season schedule. The winner will build some much needed confidence, while the loser will be left with numerous questions to answer before league play begins.
6. Pit Stop. One of college basketball’s best venues, the venerable Pit in Albuquerque, is undergoing a multimillion dollar facelift. However, that’s not the biggest story in town right now. Steve Alford has his Lobos off to a 9-0 start and looking every bit the part of a Mountain West title contender. Since his arrival from Iowa, Alford has meticulously built a versatile, tough roster short on flash but long on substance. The balanced Lobos figure to battle with BYU, UNLV, and San Diego State for MWC supremacy. The conference may actually be in a position to grab four NCAA bids and outshine their more heralded west coast rival, the PAC 10.
Until next week, stay classy, Volnation.
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