The biggest loser of the first game of the Big East Tournament (BET) was not Cincy. It was Providence. The Friars are a fringe bubble team. They need more than simply a deep run in the BET, they need quality wins to boost their computer numbers. Providence now gets DePaul and their 200+ RPI number tomorrow. Even if they win, they get little to show for it. On top of that, Providence swept Cincinnati. That Cincinnati loss to DePaul further drives down the value of those wins.
The only other winners are sportswriters who like DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright. Wainwright is popular because he's a good quote and media friendly. Now they can claim he is making progress and should get another year.
Georgetown has missed every opportunity in February to claim a spot on the NCAA Tournament bubble after falling apart in January. Naturally, after all hope had apparently been lost, they pull out a big road upset over Villanova.
Georgetown turned the ball over 25 times. They shot 17 fewer free throws than Villanova and were outrebounded. Yet the Hoyas came away with the win.
College basketball has gone past the halfway point of the conference season. Now every game takes on greater importance for the teams that are trying to make the NCAA Tournament. FanHouse will take a look at the teams that find somewhere between the NCAA or NIT.
Team: Georgetown Hoyas
Record: 14-12 (5-10 Big East) Good Wins: Maryland (neutral site), Memphis, Syracuse, at UConn
Bad Losses: At Seton Hall, Cinci, at Cinci Comments: The Hoyas climbed to eighth in the polls in early January. They had lost only once in the non-conference schedule. They opened Big East play by beating UConn in Hartford. At that point, the Hoyas were 12-1. The question was not if they were an NCAA team, but how silly the preseason prediction of Georgetown finishing 7th in the Big East. Talk about peaking too soon.
For the better part of three seasons, Notre Dame's ability to handle business at home was less a statistical trend and more a law of physics.
The Irish would rack up a score higher than a Saturday golfer at Augusta, mix in a pinch of defense and march on to the next game.
Expecting otherwise would be like biting into a popsicle only to scald your tongue. It simply didn't make sense. Forty-five times in a row it worked to perfection.
Georgetown freshman Greg Monroe couldn't have been more of a Duke guy if he'd been born with a birthmark shaped like the Blue Devil and given the middle name Krzyzewski.
He's pocket-protector smart, graduating with a 3.75 GPA from Louisiana's Helen Cox High School, so composed you could yell fire in a theater and he'd tell you to get of the way of the Paul Blart trailer, and grew up among that percentage of the population dwindling faster than an analog television set, those who like Duke basketball.
Heck, the guy probably helps old ladies to their seat during television breaks.
There was an article in Time Magazine about Georgetown last week that caught me off-guard called "Race and the Georgetown Offense." The premise apparently, was that the idea of bringing a Princeton style offense to the Big East and high level college basketball was doubted because of racial codes.
Thompson, more than anyone else, knows what drives the doubters: a hoops stereotype that says black guys play with their bodies and white guys with their brains. And even if the 2007 Hoyas fail to win the national title on April 2 in Atlanta, Thompson's team has done more to smash that perception than any other in recent memory. "If you think of the Princeton Offense, you wouldn't think a team of African-American guys can run it," notes Georgetown star Jeff Green, whose last-second bank shot against Vanderbilt in the regional semifinals kept the Hoyas on their magical run. Why? he asks himself, mocking the ignorance. "Because we're not 'disciplined' enough."
After all, the athletic (read: black) guys need to push the ball up the court and run one-on-one plays to showcase their skills. You can't hold them back by running that 1960s hayseed Princeton junk. Plus, only the smart, 1500-SAT (read: white) kids can learn those sets. The slower (read: very white) players need to milk the clock, move without the ball and throw those tricky backdoor passes to compete. So goes the code.
Uh, what? The accusation tossed out there is that the questions about running this style was because racial stereotypes dictated that the "black kids" wouldn't comprehend and wouldn't want to play this way. Seriously?
That's not ever been the "code" I got from it. The conventional wisdom against the Princeton style of offense succeeding at higher levels on a consistent basis was two-fold.
Welcome back. Ohio State leads 27-23 thanks to Mike Conley, Jr. shooting 5-6 with 11 points. He has penetrated almost at will against Georgetown. Jeff Green has been a non-factor as he just hasn't gotten the ball too often.
A cynic might think that CBS placed a very angry call to the NCAA about the refs in the first half. The conspiracy theory might have legs Oden and Hibbert really start to bang without calls in the second half. At least, that's what I'm hoping to see.
The halftime was uncomfortable with the Chevrolet Player and Coach of the Year Awards. Lesley Visser and some very disturbing hair was stuck in the awkward sponsor shill hostess duties.
Now, Ohio State is standing around and Georgetown is moving without the ball.
Georgetown takes the lead 34-33 at 15:56, but Hibbert just whistled for his third foul.
Hibbert out of the game, and now Oden gets to slam one home. It would be nice for more then two minute spells to see them go at each other a bit more.
Hibbert went right at Oden and drew the foul. Now 3 fouls for each. Guess the refs didn't get the memo. 42-38 Ohio State with 11:50 remaining.
Finally, it's game time. I don't know about the rest of you, but I nearly started my taxes today because I was so bored waiting for the games.
Just before player introductions, Sam Ryan said that Ohio State Football Coach Jim Tressel sent Thad Matta a text message of support. Just a hunch, but if Ohio State faces Florida on Monday, I don't think Matta will be taking any words of wisdom on playing the Gators.
Oden beats Hibbert for the tip, and then Hibbert fouls Oden 18 seconds into the game. Hibbert just fell two spots in the latest mock drafts.
Oden misses free throws, Hibbert gets a deep hook over Oden and then Oden called for an illegal screen at the other end. Hibbert moves back up one spot.
Oden called for a charge at 17:19. It was obvious of what would happen right away when he got the ball deep but the Georgetown player was standing and waiting.
So much for the Big Man Battle. At least in the first half. Early it's been some 3-point shooting.
Without a search, answer this pop quiz question. [Don't touch Google, cheater!]
Which of these Georgetown Hoyas went pro? A. Jerome Williams B. Brendan Gaughan C. Othella Harrington D. Allen Iverson
... (Jeopardy! music) ... Answer: A, B, C, and D
OK OK, so maybe it's a tad misleading. However, all four of these guys played for Georgetown men's basketball from 1994-1996, and yes, each of them ended up in the pros. Brendan Gaughan (who averaged 2.3pts/year and hit 1-7 field goals) just didn't quite have the jumper to make the NBA, so he perfected his right foot throttle connection. (That's good, he's got 8 wins in the truck series)
And this weekend, Gaughan has already admitted his heart will be in another place. The G-town grad will be competing in the NASCAR Craftman Truck Series (with Hoya decals on his Chevy) Saturday afternoon in Martinsville. But his mind will be in Atlanta where the Hoyas open up the Final Four against Ohio State. Gaughan even suggested a change in the racing schedule, tongue-in-cheek.
"I was at the East Regional championship game on Sunday. I got to watch them cut down the nets and cheer 'We Are... Georgetown' with the team. I'm really upset right now that I can't go to Atlanta for our first round Final Four game.
"We need to talk to Wayne Auton and Mike Helton and the powers that be at NASCAR and discuss the whole scheduling thing because I see a serious issue with scheduling conflicts."
Actually, Brendan, I'm up for that too. And why not have your old team put you back on the roster for your fourth year of eligibility?
It'd be nice to see him and his high-scoring potential in the starting lineup against UCLA in the national final. (Come on Bruins, save my bracket!)
I know it's cliche to say that a great individual matchup feels like a big-time heavyweight title fight, but it's true. If Oden vs. Hibbert was on pay-per-view, I'd buy it. "This big awesome guy is going to take on that big awesome guy? I need to see this. What? It's $49.95? Well, here's my wallet. I've still got to see this." Like fellow FanHouser Michael David Smith, I'm excited about it.
Or maybe it's more like the two biggest, baddest dudes in junior getting into a fight. You know them both well, you've seen them both destroy lesser opponents (hello, Joey Dorsey), and one guy said something about the other guy's mama, and now, they're going to rumble. You wouldn't hang around behind the dumpsters after school to see this?
There's just a certain element of anticipation in a great one-on-one battle that doesn't necessarily accompany games pitting a great team vs. a great team. Take Florida/UCLA, for example ... a great, great, matchup, and I love both teams. I love UCLA's defense, Ben Howland is arguably the best college basketball coach in the world right now, and who hasn't loved watching Florida's unbelievable cast of players these past two years? I'm psyched to see it.
But when it comes down to it, if I had to pick one game or the other ... I'm sorry, but I think it's got to be Oden vs. Hibbert. What happens in that game will not only effect the rest of the Final Four, but it could set the tone for battles in the NBA for years to come.
I've put this enthusiasm to use: See Hibbert vs. Oden: The Breakdown, Part I and Part II.
The biggest loser of the first game of the Big East Tournament (BET) was not Cincy. It was Providence. The Friars are a fringe bubble team. They need more than simply a deep run in the BET, they need quality wins to boost their computer numbers. Providence now gets DePaul and their 200+ RPI number tomorrow. Even if they win, they get little to show for it. On top of that, Providence swept Cincinnati. That Cincinnati loss to DePaul further drives down the value of those wins. 
Georgetown has missed every opportunity in February to claim a spot on the NCAA Tournament bubble after falling apart in January. Naturally, after all hope had 
College basketball has gone past the halfway point of the conference season. Now every game takes on greater importance for the teams that are trying to make the NCAA Tournament. FanHouse will take a look at the teams that find somewhere between the 
Georgetown freshman Greg Monroe couldn't have been more of a Duke guy if he'd been born with a birthmark shaped like the Blue Devil and given the middle name Krzyzewski.
There was an article in Time Magazine about Georgetown last week that caught me off-guard called "
Without a search, answer this pop quiz question. [Don't touch Google, cheater!]
I know it's cliche to say that a great individual matchup feels like a big-time heavyweight title fight, but it's true. If Oden vs. Hibbert was on pay-per-view, I'd buy it. "This big awesome guy is going to take on that big awesome guy? I need to see this. What? It's $49.95? Well, here's my wallet. I've still got to see this." 
