Links roundups
Collection of news links for the day
Wednesday didn’t have any matchups featuring ranked teams, but something a little bit better: Several games had NCAA tournament implications.
Is there anything better this time of year?
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The setup: Connecticut’s ranked No. 1. The Huskies (21-1) just dismantled No. 5 Louisville on the road, prompting some to wonder if the merry-go-round atop the rankings is over. They’re balanced, experienced, efficient on offense and defense and figure to a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.
The question: If UConn is the nation’s best team, should its best player garner Player of the Year talk?
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No more distractions. The Super Bowl’s over. Spring training hasn’t started yet. It’s not a Winter Olympics year.
It’s time for college hoops.
For those who’ve been NFL-centric, it’s time to catch up. Here’s what you’ve missed.
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The Southeastern Conference is fed up with this basketball bashing. It’s time for some new blood!
Mark Gottfried and Alabama parted ways Monday. Georgia and Dennis Felton did the same Thursday (an SEC tourney title bought Felton an extra half-season). At this rate, Auburn’s Jeff Lebo may need to get his résumé ready.
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It’s almost like Coach K knew this was coming.
A couple of weeks ago, Duke’s coach was lamenting that his Blue Devils weren’t being feted by the local media for being the nation’s No. 2 team. They were 13-1, but behind Pitt. When Wake Forest upended UNC and Pitt lost, the Deacs went to the top spot.
And now? Duke is No. 1. For the 111th week in school history. Only UCLA has been atop the polls more often.
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Sophomores are stealing the show this season. Guys like Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, Arizona State’s James Harden, Pitt’s DeJuan Blair, Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson and Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn have all been among the nation’s top players. In fact, it’s a pretty nice starting five.
So why would the ACC be any different?
North Carolina’s loaded with upperclassmen, but the rest of conference is relying upon its sophomores to lead the way into March.
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Stephen Curry effectively started the Player of the Year debate Tuesday. Scoring 44 points against the No. 12 team will do that.
It’s an amazing thing, too. Oklahoma keyed on Curry from the start. It didn’t matter. The guy is just good.
Still, Davidson may need some marquee wins for him to snag the hardware.
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Losses in November aren’t the end of the world, no matter how dire the situation may seem after a fun opening weekend.
We saw as much last season when Kentucky lost to Gardner-Webb in its second game. The ‘Cats eventually recovered (though they were 6-7 at one point), made a run at the SEC East crown and once again made the NCAA tournament.
Wait, Kentucky lost again this year? Other Big Dance hopefuls Alabama, Washington and Providence did the same? And others like Wisconsin, Kansas and UNLV all struggled? Yeesh. Maybe it is time to panic – at least for a few teams.
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Ever wondered what percentage of college basketball teams run the Princeton offense? Or play zone defense? What about featuring international players? Or, if you’re a top recruit, who wears Nike?
Good news, because someone has answers.
The Hoops Ideology Report, a sampling of 301 of the 341 D-I schools, has 50 items relating to hoops. And it’s great stuff.
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Wednesday links, as the country makes the transition from one poll to another that really counted.
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