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College Basketball
Super Sixteen
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Losses by three teams ranked in last week's poll cost dearly, and there are three new additions to this week's Super Sixteen, one each from the ACC, Atlantic Ten, and CUSA....
[ Week of December 22 - 28 ] |
>SUPER SIXTEEN POWER RANKINGS
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Duke
8-1 |
Domination of Texas gives them the No. 1 spot for now. Can anybody remember a Duke team with this kind of smothering defense in the recent past? |
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Connecticut
8-1 |
Still a lot more cupcakes on the plate before we see UConn tested again. Can they stay focused? |
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Arizona
5-1 |
Help is coming in the form of 6-10 freshman Ivan Radenovic. Six man rotations might work for a while, but they eventually will catch up to you. |
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Wake Forest
7-0 |
Nothing better than getting a road win over a Top 5 team. The ACC is by far the best conference in America. |
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Kentucky
6-0 |
Demolished Indiana last week. Still waiting for someone to emerge as a scorer in the clutch for Kentucky. Without one, March will end early. |
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North Carolina
6-1 |
It’s simple, you lose at home, and you drop quite a bit. North Carolina will rebound though. The ACC race will be interesting. |
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St. Joseph's
8-0 |
Will St. Joe’s and Dayton both be undefeated when they play on February 11th? Probably not, but hey, we can wish if we want. |
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Georgia Tech
10-0 |
Tech fans, enjoy your next two games against Marist and VA Commonwealth, because the gauntlet is coming. |
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Stanford
7-0 |
Stanford is having an amazing season so far. Being this far down might not do the Cardinal justice, but who ahead of them doesn’t deserve their ranking? |
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Missouri
4-1 |
Wins will quiet all of the off court talks, but losses will only make it louder. |
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Oklahoma
8-0 |
Andrew Lavender has to feel pretty good having quarterbacked his team to an 8-0 start. A win at Connecticut on Jan. 11th will shoot this team right up the rankings. |
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Pittsburgh
10-0 |
You have to love the fact that college basketball presents so many huge match-ups throughout the season. January 19th at Connecticut could be one of those. |
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Louisville
5-1 |
Won’t be this high for long unless they can pull of an upset in Lexington. Will Rick Pitino have his troops ready? |
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Cincinnati
6-0 |
Undefeated and untested should surely garner you a spot in the Super 16, don’t you think? Cincinnati is quietly having a good season. |
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Dayton
9-0 |
How long will they last on this list? Maybe not more than a week. They travel to Cincy on Tuesday. |
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Florida State
10-0 |
It was either Florida State or South Carolina in the 16th spot. Who has the better resume? I’ll go with Florida State for now. |
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>KEY GAMES OF THE WEEK
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SUMMARY: Who would have thought we would be previewing this game just a few weeks into the young College Basketball season? Both teams are undefeated, but neither has played anybody until now.
The Flyers are lead by big 7-foot center Sean Finn, who is shooting a mind blowing 73% percent from the field, and has been helped by fellow seniors Keith Waleskowski (14.9 PPG/10.7 RPG) and Ramod Marshall (14.6 PPG).
Cincinnati has snuck under the radar this year, picking up praise only from Dick Vitale on the national level. Yes, they are ranked 16th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, but they have gotten it done quietly. The statistics show that the Bearcats have 10 players averaging over 14 MPG, but since this team hasn’t been tested, it’s hard to tell how deep they really are. Jason Maxiell leads the way, averaging 15.3 PPG and 9.2 RPG respectively. |
X-FACTOR: Athleticism: Can Dayton match-up with the more athletic Cincinnati team? Bob Huggins has been known for his athletic teams in the past, and this could possibly be his most athletic. Dayton has experience, but playing on the road will be tough. Dayton will have a tough time scoring in the 70’s, so it’s going to have to hope that Finn can be a defensive presence down low. |
PREDICTION: Cincinnati 70 – Dayton 62 |
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SUMMARY: Rick Pitino brings the Cardinals, winners of five straight, into Kentucky for the 2nd time since he’s taken over the head-coaching job. Pitino is looking for different results this time. Louisville is lead by 6-7 forward/guard Francisco Garcia (19.7 PPG) and 6-7 forward Luke Whitehead (14.8 PPG/9.7 RPG). Garcia has been dynamite as of late, scoring 22.5 PPG in his last 4 starts, including a 21-point performance against the then No. 1 ranked Florida Gators.
Kentucky (6-0) comes in with 5 players averaging in double figures, shooting an efficient 47.8% from the field. Gerald Fitch has carried the bulk of the offensive load, with 18 PPG game and a 41% three-point percentage. But, UK, has been getting it done mainly on the defensive side of the ball, giving up a meager 61 PPG. |
X-FACTOR: Turnovers: Both teams bring tremendous defensive pressure. Louisville has lacked consistency on the offensive end, and can’t afford any ill stretches at Kentucky. For Louisville to stay in this game, Garcia and co. will need to take care of the ball and take good shots. The more experienced Wildcat team should force enough turnovers to keep Louisville out of synch and keep the crowd into it. |
PREDICTION: Kentucky 85 – Louisville 74 |
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