INDIANA'S COACHING CAROUSEL
Who would’ve thought two years ago that we would be doing this again? With Kelvin Sampson officially out at Indiana, there is an opening in Bloomington once again. This time around the list of potential candidates contains far more quality than the list in 2005 (Tom Crean, seriously?). Here are the candidates broken into groups based on my personal feelings.
The “I would be ecstatic with this hire” Category:
1) Anthony Grant, Virginia Commonwealth – The Shots approval rating: 5.0/5.0
Bio: Grant is just 41 years old and recruited all of the players on Florida’s back-to-back National Championship teams while spending ten years as an assistant to Billy Donovan. After landing his first head coaching gig with VCU in 2006, Grant has led the Rams to a 47-13 record including 28 wins in 33 CAA league games. He was considered one of the front-runners to replace Billy Donovan at Florida last year after Donovan briefly flirted with jumping to the NBA to take the job in Orlando. Oh yeah, and you might remember Grant’s Rams knocking off Duke in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.
Recruiting: As the lead recruiter for Florida, Grant landed talent from all over the country taking Joakim Noah from New York, Al Horford and Anthony Roberson from Michigan, Corey Brewer and Lee Humphrey from Tennessee, and Matt Walsh from Pennsylvania. In his first recruiting class at VCU, Grant landed six players, including three of the top twenty players from the talent-rich state of Florida. He beat out UMass, Rhode Island and Central Florida for PG Joey Rodriguez and out-dueled Virginia Tech, Georgia and Penn State for the services of SG Ed Nixon. Grant’s two-player 2008 class includes Terrance Saintil, a 6’7 three-star forward who also calls Florida home.
Why I’m optimistic: When leaving Florida to take the VCU job Grant said, “for me to leave, it has to be something special.” What is more special than five National Championships and a basketball tradition that is paralleled by only a handful of schools?
Why he won’t take the job: Grant has a strong recruiting foothold in Florida and is a southern guy. He has been long-rumored to be the replacement for John Brady at LSU, however that job carries about 1/5,000,000th the prestige of a job like Indiana. Also, how many lives does Leonard Hamilton have at Florida State? That would likely be a job that Grant would favor over the opening at IU.
Grant's Rams were an overtime away from a Sweet 16 appearance in 2007
2) Sean Miller, Xavier – The Shots approval rating: 4.8/5.0
Bio: Another spring chicken on this list, Miller is just 39 years old. He has rocketed up the coaching ranks after concluding a successful playing career at Pittsburgh in which he earned 2nd team All-Big East honors in 1992. Miller’s first job came under Herb Sendek at Miami (OH), and after a one year stop at Pitt (1995-96), he followed Sendek to NC State from 1996-2001. Miller was named associate head coach of Xavier under Thad Matta in 2001 and oversaw three-straight 26 win seasons, including a trip to the 2004 Elite 8. In his four seasons as head coach of the Musketeers, Miller is 87-36. Xavier is currently ranked 9th nationally and is 12-1 in Atlantic 10 play.
Recruiting: Miller consistently goes head-to-head with Cincinnati, Ohio State, Dayton and most of the Big Ten in recruiting battles and lands top talent. The gem of his 2007 class, SG Dante Jackson, chose the Musketeers over Notre Dame, Michigan, and Kansas State. His 2008 class is highlighted by 6’11 C Kenny Frease, a recruit rated in the top 50 nationally, who also had offers from Michigan State, Kentucky and Indiana. Miller may be one of the top 8-10 recruiters in the entire country right now.
Why I’m optimistic: Xavier is a very good basketball program but Cincinnati gets more television time than they do. They are also often overshadowed in the football-dominated state of Ohio. Miller has all kinds of Midwest ties and has great recruiting foundations throughout the Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania areas. He’s climbed his way up the coaching ladder this far and Indiana would put him a couple rungs closer to the top.
Why he won’t take the job: Unlike some of these other candidates, Miller doesn’t need to be the head coach at Indiana to attract top talent – he can already do that at Xavier. Plus, by taking the IU job, Miller would have to deal with the Indiana’s recruiting sanctions headache that will likely get worse after the NCAA hearing in June. Also, he signed a lucrative extension that runs all the way through the 2015-16 season. Xavier is a private school and refuses to list the financial terms of their coaches’ contracts. However, I can tell you that Xavier University raised President Michael J. Graham’s salary when they shelled out Miller’s deal, because no coach can be paid more than the President of the University.
3) Tony Bennett, Washington State – The Shots approval rating: 4.7/5.0
Bio: Another youngster that is short on years (38) but also short on collegiate head coaching experience (59 games). However, like Grant and Miller, Bennett has been wildly successful in his first tenure as a head coach. He tied a school record by leading Washington State to 26 wins and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1994. Because of those accomplishments, Bennett was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year and the Naismith National Coach of the Year, becoming only the second rookie head coach to achieve that honor.
Recruiting: Bennett spent 1999-2003 as an assistant at Wisconsin and helped lay the foundation of what is now one of the powerhouse programs in the Big Ten thanks to his recruiting prowess. He took a flier on the lightly-recruited Alando Tucker, handing him his only high Division-I offer. Tucker was the 2007 Big Ten Player of the Year and was a first team All-American in his senior season before being drafted into the NBA. Bennett also landed Brian Butch and Kammron Taylor in his final recruiting class with the Badgers. At Washington State, he is just starting to get the ball rolling and his 2008 class includes five three-star players.
Why I’m optimistic: He has a lot of IU and Big Ten ties. Bennett’s sister, Kathi, coached the Lady Hoosiers from 2000-2005, leading them to their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002. I mentioned the Wisconsin/Big Ten ties above. I also believe that the Sweet 16 is basically the ceiling for Washington State. The reality is that you just aren’t going to get National Championship-caliber prep talent to come out to Pullman, Washington. Wazzu remains the third-fiddle to U-Dub and Gonzaga in the state.
Why he won’t take the job: Rumor has it that Bennett was not appreciative of the way Indiana Athletic Director Rick Greenspan treated his sister Kathi when she was ousted from IU in 2005. Over the summer, he signed a three-year extension to his existing five-year deal which now runs through the 2013-2014 and pays him nearly $800,000 per season.
4) Scott Drew, Baylor – The Shots approval rating: 4.7/5.0
Bio: Baylor was in absolute shambles after the shocking scandal involving former head coach Dave Bliss and the murder and subsequent cover-up of former player Patrick Dennehy. The program was crippled by reduced scholarships and recruiting visits (which was just lifted in 2007) and will remain on probation through 2010 for numerous recruiting violations under Bliss. The 37-year old Drew won the regular season Mid-Continent Championship in his lone season as head coach of Valparaiso before going to Baylor. He won just 21 games in his first three seasons in Waco, including four in the conference-only season of 2005-06. However, the program made strides last season, posting a 15-16 record before breaking through in 2007-08. This year, Baylor is 18-9 and an even 6-6 in Big 12 play including wins over Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and Kansas State.
Recruiting: Despite being saddled by various recruiting sanctions, Drew has done an unbelievable job luring top talent to Baylor. His 2005 class included current leading scorer Curtis Jerrells as well as four-star PF Kevin Rogers (who chose the Bears over offers from North Carolina, Kansas, Texas and Arizona…WOW) and four-star PG Henry Dugat. All three 2006 signees were top 100 players (Penny Thiam, Josh Lomers, Tweety Carter). He also landed super freshman LaceDarius Dunn (13.1 ppg) and is still awaiting the arrival of Houston prep star Anthony Jones, who is ranked the 48th best player in the Class of 2008. This guy can flat-out recruit.
Why I’m optimistic: Drew has Indiana ties. He is a Butler grad and spent ten seasons under his father, Homer, as an assistant at Valparaiso. While Baylor’s turnaround this year is a nice story, they are still upstaged by their fine women’s basketball program. Baylor has to fight Texas and Texas A&M for exposure, yet even when Indiana sucks (see: 2003-2004), they always have been (and always will be) the top dog in this state.
Why he won’t take the job: There is some added pressure in returning to the state of Indiana where his father and brother are still coaching (Bryce is an assistant at Valpo). Drew has already overcome impossible odds to turn Baylor into a player in the Big 12, does he really want to start from scratch at IU?
Drew has overcome impossible odds at Baylor
5) Mark Few, Gonzaga – The Shots approval rating: 4.6/5.0
Bio: Few has the most experience out of all the realistic candidates for this job. He has a lifetime record of 229-58 and put the word “mid-major” in the college basketball lexicon after building Gonzaga into a team that annually finds itself in the Top 25. He is the seven-time WCC Coach of the Year and has led Gonzaga to eight NCAA tournament appearances, including three Sweet 16 appearances (2000, 2001, 2006).
Recruiting: Where to begin? Dan Dickau and Ronny Turiaf both went from Gonzaga to the NBA. Few also took a skinny, lightly-recruited Adam Morrison and turned him into an NBA Lottery pick. Now, Few doesn’t need to rely on diamonds in the rough as Gonzaga consistently competes with Pac-10 schools for top 100 talent. Sophomore Matt Bouldin was ranked the 4th overall player in the Class of 2006. The '07 Class, ranked 17th nationally, included five-star forward Austin Daye, SG Steven Gray, and 7-footer Robert Sacre, who were all hotly recruited by schools like UCLA and Stanford. Just for good measure, Few landed four-star PG Grant Gibbs out of Iowa, beating out Wisconsin in the process.
Why I’m optimistic: He was mildly interested in the Indiana job the first time around but I felt that IU wasn’t aggressive enough. If they were smart, they would’ve handed him a blank check and told him to write whatever he wanted in there to come to Bloomington. Let’s face it, Gonzaga has peaked. That team will never be a National Championship contender and will never get the respect they deserve by playing in the West Coast Conference. Unless Few is a Gonzaga-lifer, he has to strike while the iron is hot.
Why he won’t take the job: It is well known that Few’s dream job is Arizona, and the head coaching throne in Tucson may become vacant this summer. Regardless of what happens there, Few was born in Oregon and is a West Coast guy who is also family-first. A person of his demeanor probably wouldn’t enjoy the scrutiny and spotlight that comes with a high profile job like the one at Indiana.
The “I could go to sleep at night knowing that he was Indiana’s next head coach” category
6) Brad Brownell – The Shots approval rating: 4.4/5.0
Bio: Brownell is a lot like Miller in that he has rocketed up the coaching food chain but is just a couple years short of experience (39 years old). In five seasons as head coach of UNC-Wilmington and Wright State, Brownell has won three conference championships and gone to three NCAA Tournaments. He has posted a 126-57 career record in six seasons as a head coach, including a 20-7 mark this year.
Recruiting: It’s unfair to compare Brownell’s recruiting to those of other candidates on this list because it’s not easy to draw top talent to UNC-Wilmington (even though there are hot chicks and beaches everywhere) and Wright State. What I will say is that Brownell is very highly respected among the Indiana high school basketball coaching community and has done well attracting Indiana talent. Current leading scorer and Pendelton Heights product Vaughn Duggins was an Indiana All-Star in 2006, and three-star forward Kyle Pressley of Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne, was one of the gems of Brownell’s 2007 class.
Why I’m optimistic: Brownell has by far the most Indiana ties out of anyone on this list. He is an Evansville native who graduated from DePauw and spent time as an assistant at U of E and well as the University of Indianapolis. During his time with the Aces, Brownell served under Jim Crews who was hired by current Indiana AD Rick Greenspan to be the head coach at Army in 2002. With the Greyhounds, Brownell served under Royce Waltman who was a longtime assistant under Bobby Knight at IU. He was also an assistant on the UNC-Wilmington team that was defeated by Indiana in the 2nd round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament during the Hoosiers' miracle run to the NCAA Championship game.
Why he wouldn’t take the job: Trust me, he would take it. Unless the NCAA gives Indiana the “Death Penalty” (not going to happen) there is no viable reason as to why this wouldn’t be a dream scenario for Brownell.
Brownell has Indiana ties and his Wright State team has been a major thorn in Butler's side
7) Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois – The Shots approval rating 4.2/5.0
Bio: Has posted a record of 94-38 in four seasons as head coach of Southern Illinois, including a school record 29 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance last season. The 35-year old Lowery is the two-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year (2005, 2007), and received consideration for National Coach of the Year honors a season ago.
Recruiting: Since taking over for Matt Painter in 2004, Lowery has had success on the recruiting trail, especially in Indiana. He landed a pair of Indiana All-Stars in Muncie Central PF Jordan Armstrong and Pendelton Heights PF Nick Rogers (who left the program and is now enrolled at Anderson) in his 2005 class. Other Indiana kids on the Salukis’ roster include former Northwest standout Wesley Clemons and Kokomo freshman Brandon Wood. Lowery’s 2008 signing class could be the best in school history and includes four-star Missouri forward Anthony Booker, who is rated as the 29th best player nationally.
Why I’m optimistic: Southern Illinois is the ultimate stepping-stone job. Both Bruce Weber (Illinois) and Matt Painter (Purdue) turned their success with the Salukis into high-profile Big Ten jobs. Lowery is an Evansville native and played his high school ball at Harrison alongside Indiana’s (and the Big Ten's) all-time leading scorer Calbert Cheaney. As listed above, he is very familiar with some of the Indiana high school basketball programs.
Why he won’t take the job: Lowery played collegiately at Southern Illinois and is now the head coach of his alma mater. He just signed a seven-year contract extension last April which will pay him $750,000 a season – big bucks for a mid-major gig. Also, Lowery is very close with SIU Athletic Director Mario Moccia. It will be hard for IU to pry him away.
8) Keno Davis, Drake- The Shots approval rating: 4.0/5.0
Bio: Having to utter the words "Coach Davis" again may make some IU fans a bit queasy, but this soon to be 36-year old has had an oustanding debut season at Drake. Despite being picked in the preseason to finish 9th in the Missouri Valley Conference, Drake has taken command of that league and earned a top-15 ranking with a 24-3 record. The son of Dr. Tom Davis, Keno started as an assistant under his father at Iowa from 1991-95, then followed his pop to Drake in 2003 before taking over after his retirement last summer. Davis is likely one of the front-runners for National Coach of the Year honors.
Recruiting: Like Brownell, Davis is tough to evaluate because spending four years in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa isn’t exactly a selling point for prospective student-athletes. Davis has pulled kids out of the state of Michigan and from the Chicago-area, places where IU has historically had success plucking high school talent.
Why I’m optimistic: Getting offered the Indiana job would be quite the reward for such a short resume and an opportunity that Davis would likely not pass up. Also, Drake is in Iowa (which you probably didn’t know) and Iowa is in the Midwest (which you did know) so it wouldn’t be like he was moving to California.
Why he wouldn’t take the job: His father put the pieces of this Drake team together and his son could want to see it through. The Bulldogs will return eight seniors next season and leading scorer Josh Young (16.5 ppg) is just a sophomore. However, they will lose three of the top five scorers to graduation in Klayton Korver, Adam Emmenecker, and Leonard Houston.
The “Last resort” category
9) Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt – The Shots approval rating: 3.3/5.0
Some think this is a good fit as he and Rick Greenspan are very close - Greenspan hired Stallings for his first head coaching gig at Illinois State. But, Stallings is a Purdue grad and was an assistant under Gene Keady for six seasons in West Lafayette. I think he is a good coach and certainly qualified to take the IU job, but I have mixed feelings about a Purdue guy reviving the Hoosiers’ basketball program.
10) Randy Wittman, Minnesota Timberwolves – The Shots approval rating: 3.1/5.0
It’s hard to knock on an NBA head coach but for some reason, Wittman is extremely bland for my taste.
11) Dane Fife, IPFW – The Shots approval rating: 2.8/5.0
I think he is going to be a great head coach but this peach ain’t ripe yet. Call me in 2012 if IU’s next head coach goes the way of Davis and Sampson.
The “Yeah, and I’m going to knock-up Jessica Alba” Category (The Shots approval ratings unrealistic)
12) Bruce Pearl – Watching Tennessee reminds IU fans of what could’ve been had they dumped Mike Davis a year earlier.
13) Thad Matta – Have you seen his 2009 and 2010 recruiting classes? Leaving those behind would be like folding with an Ace-high straight-flush.
14) John Calipari – Those cupcakes in the weak Conference-USA are far too delicious for Cal to give up.
Pearl in IU Crimson? Not gonna happen!
The “Dear God, please no!” Category
15) Scott Skiles, unemployed – The Shots approval rating: 1.0/5.0
Skiles actually lives in Bloomington now, but Indiana needs to hire someone that is in it for the long haul. He would jump ship once the first NBA opportunity came calling.
16) Steve Alford, New Mexico – The Shots approval rating: 0.2/5.0
I said it in 2006 and I’ll say it again: hiring Alford would be an absolute disaster. A great guy and an IU legend, but he was a chronic underachiever at Iowa and is right where he belongs in New Mexico.
The “Welcome back, Kotter” Category
17) Bob Knight, “retired” – The Shots approval rating: 2.5/5.0
<excessive laughter>
18) Mike Davis, UAB – The Shots approval rating 0.3/5.0
Oddly enough, this also fits under the “Dear God, please no!” category.
The “I will literally soak my body in gasoline and light myself on fire if he is hired” Category
1,687) Isiah Thomas, New York Knicks – The Shots approval rating: -52.5/5.0
Isiah already ruined what used to be the Knicks, one of my favorite things in life. I would hate for him to ruin another.
If Isiah is hired then I am in major trouble...
SHOOTING THE REST OF THE SPORTS WORLD:
Swish: Kent State
Al Fisher scored 28 points as the Golden Flashes downed #23 St. Mary’s on their home floor 65-57 in last weekend’s Bracket Buster game. With the win, Kent State improved to 23-5 and also has wins over mid-major heavyweights Illinois State (20-8) and George Mason (19-9). Kent State has now won at least 20 games for ten straight years, dating back to the 1998-99 season. Included in that run is eight postseason berths, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament and one Elite 8 appearance in 2002. Kent State is not often discussed in the same category as the Gonzagas, Southern Illinois and Butlers of the world, but it’s about time they were.
Brick: Indiana’s handling of the Kelvin Sampson situation
Could IU have possibly botched their Friday press conference any worse? After announcing a week-long "investigation" on the 15h, Indiana officials schedule a press conference regarding the final decision on Kelvin Sampson for 2 PM last Friday afternoon. That press conference was delayed SEVEN hours as rumors swirled of AD Rick Greenspan sleeping in his office, player boycotts, and recruits itching to get out of their letters of intent. Kudos to Indiana for dumping Sampson, however next time you might want to make an official announcement before 9 PM, instead of angering throngs of impatient media types ready to bash your University.
Air Ball: ESPN’s list of the greatest college basketball players of All-Time
I knew this was coming…I just KNEW it. When ESPN announced they were going to make a list of the top 25 college basketball players of all time, a friend and I had a bet going that they would find a way to put Michael Jordan in the top ten. Well, MJ didn’t get into that category, but he did come in at #13 ahead of Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing and Ralph Sampson. Talk about revisionist history at its finest! Because Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history, he has become the most OVERRATED player in college basketball history. You’re telling me with a straight face that Jordan was a better collegiate player than Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing and Ralph Sampson? Yeah, right. Let’s look at the numbers and achievements:
Michael Jordan
Year MIN FG% FT% RPG APG TPG BPG SPG PPG
81-82 N Carolina 31.7 53.4 72.2 4.4 1.8 1.7 0.2 1.2 13.5
82-83 N Carolina 30.9 53.5 73.7 5.5 1.6 2.1 0.8 2.2 20.0
83-84 N Carolina 29.5 55.1 77.9 5.3 2.1 2.2 1.1 1.6 19.6
TOTALS 30.8 54.0 74.8 5.0 1.8 2.0 0.7 1.7 17.7
Honors: ACC Freshman of the Year (1982), ACC Player of the Year (1984), Naismith and Wooden Award Winner (1984), 3rd overall pick of the 1984 NBA Draft.
Patrick Ewing
Year MIN FG% FT% RPG APG TPG BPG SPG PPG
81-82 Georgetown 28.8 63.1 61.7 7.5 0.6 2.0 3.2 1.1 12.7
82-83 Georgetown 32.0 57.0 62.9 10.2 0.8 2.5 3.3 1.5 17.7
83-84 Georgetown 31.9 65.8 65.6 10.0 0.8 2.4 3.6 1.0 16.4
84-85 Georgetown 30.6 62.5 63.8 9.2 1.3 2.2 3.6 1.1 14.6
TOTALS 30.8 62.0 63.5 9.2 0.9 2.3 3.4 1.2 15.3
Honors: Big East Freshman of the Year (1982), NCAA Tournament MOP (1984), Naismith Award Winner (1985), First Team All-American (1983, 1984, 1985), Three-time NCAA All-Final Four Team (1982, 1984, 1985), Two-Time Big East Player of the Year (1984, 1985). Four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985). 1st overall pick of the 1985 NBA Draft.
Magic Johnson
Year G FG REB AST STL BLK PTS AVG.
77-78 Michigan St N/A N/A 7.9 7.4 N/A N/A N/A 17.0
78-79 Michigan St N/A N/A 7.3 8.4 N/A N/A N/A 17.1
TOTALS N/A 348-752 7.6 7.9 N/A N/A 1059 17.1
Honors: NCAA Tournament MOP (1979), First Team All-American (1978, 1979), Big Ten Freshman of the Year (1978), All-Big Ten (1978, 1979), Big Ten Player of the Year (1979), 1st overall pick of the 1979 NBA Draft.
Ralph Sampson
Year MIN FG% FT% RPG APG TPG BPG SPG PPG
79-80 Virginia 29.9 54.7 70.2 11.2 1.1 3.1 4.6 0.8 14.9
80-81 Virginia 32.0 55.7 63.1 11.5 1.5 2.7 3.1 0.8 17.7
81-82 Virginia 31.3 56.1 61.5 11.4 1.2 1.9 3.1 0.6 15.8
82-83 Virginia 30.2 60.4 60.0 11.7 1.0 2.6 3.1 0.6 19.1
TOTALS 30.8 56.8 65.7 11.4 1.2 2.6 3.5 0.7 16.9
Honors: Two-time Wooden Award Winner (1982, 1983), Three-time Naismith Award Winner (1981, 1982, 1983), Three-time ACC Player of the Year (1981, 1982, 1983), Three-time All-ACC First Team (1981, 1982, 1983), 1st overall pick of the 1983 NBA Draft.
To say that Jordan was a better collegiate player than Ralph Sampson, one of only two players to ever win the Naismith Award THREE times (Bill Walton), is completely and egregiously false. Jordan scored more points than all three of those players, but look at his other statistics: 5.0 rebounds per game, 1.8 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game - pretty one-dimensional if you ask me. Though he did win both the Wooden and Naismith awards in his final season at Carolina, Jordan’s overall trophy case is dwarfed by those of Magic, Ewing and especially Sampson. Saying Jordan is better is like saying Richard Hamilton (UConn) was a better collegiate player than Joe Smith (Maryland), or Vince Carter (North Carolina) was better than Glenn Robinson (Purdue). To translate it to football, It’s like saying that Tom Brady (Michigan) was a better collegiate player than Vinny Testaverde (Miami FL). Just because they were better pros, does NOT mean they were better collegiate players. If you went back to 1986 and polled 100 people about who was the better college basketball player: Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Ralph Sampson or Magic Johnson, each and every one of those 100 people would have MJ 4th on that list. Jordan was an outstanding college player but I don't think he should've cracked the Top 20. Once again, ESPN decides to re-write the history books.
Jordan in college wasn't as dominant as Sampson and Ewing were
The Shots Fantasy Update:
Fantasy NASCAR, 11th place out of 13 teams
It was another poor week for my Fantasy NASCAR team as I had both Casey Mears and Sam Hornish, Jr. in my starting lineup, and both crashed before the race was red-flagged on Sunday. I did salvage a possible disaster by getting top five finishes from Matt Kenseth (A Group) and Kyle Busch (B group) so that saved me from falling any further. 34 races and 8 months to go and I’m already hitting the panic button.
BostonCanSuckIt def. Isiah Groped Me 8-1
Every once in awhile, you catch the wrong team on the wrong week. That is exactly what happened to me last week. BostonCanSuckIt, who sits in 2nd to last palce and is 40 games under .500, had three of the top 20 fantasy players last week. Meanwhile, I'm getting sick of waiting on Caron Butler to return to Washington's lineup, as his abscene has been killing my team. What the hell is a hip flexor anyway? Suck it up and play. Anyways, this is a big week because I can make up ground on the 3rd place Carolina Coastals who my team has owned in two meetings this season (13-5).
The Shots What to Watch this week:
(an all college basketball edition of the WtW)
Tennessee at Vanderbilt, Tuesday
The Commodores are a different team at home and have had success against highly-ranked opponents at Memorial Gym in the past. Vandy has won six straight and 30 of their last 31 home games entering Tuesday’s tilt in Nashville. While the win at Memphis was extremely impressive, a win at Vandy would further Tennessee’s case as a Final Four lock in my bracket.
You could probably fit about 10,000 extra seats in the vast out-of-bounds areas at Vandy
Notre Dame at Louisville, Thursday
I can’t understand why but people are really sleeping on both the Irish and the Cardinals. Both of these teams are capable of making deep Tournament runs. Notre Dame has one of the best 1-2 punches in the country on offense with Kyle McAlarney (15.7 ppg) and Luke Harangody (20.2 ppg), while Louisville has won 9 of their last 10, a streak that includes wins over Marquette, Georgetown and at Pittsburgh. The Irish are even in the loss column with first place Georgetown and Louisville and a win here would virtually assure them of a 2nd place finish in the Big East (at DePaul, St. John's, at South Florida remiaining).
Indiana at Michigan State, Sunday
With Wisconsin’s win over Ohio State on Sunday, IU basically needs to win out to secure a share of the Big Ten regular season crown. Because the Badgers own the tiebraker over the Hoosiers thanks to a season-sweep, the best IU can hope for now is a #2 seed in the Big Ten Tourney. I know I’ve been hard on the Spartans for underachieving this year, but this team doesn’t often get beat at home, especially not by Indiana who has struggled mightily at the Breslin Center for over a decade.
The Shots YouTube Clips this week:
The real-life injuries are the best part. WNBA basketball – Feel the Excitement!
I usually get hurt on slip and slides. I can’t imagine what I would do to myself if I attempted this one.
The Shots Chick Pick this Week: Sarah Michelle Gellar
Between the writer’s strike and me not keeping up with pop culture, I’m running out of candidates. Submissions are welcome at derek@XL950.com.
