Hey everybody, this is Rick checking in on what work-permitting will be a recurring dip into this season’s college basketball pool. I’m figuring that the blog entries will tell you the most about my allegiances and my opinions on hoops, but here are the broad strokes:
-I’m a Californian living in Charleston, SC, so we’re going to hit everything from Seattle to Miami with these entries
-I’m a UNC fan(as well as a lot of other teams, it’ll get extensive) engaged to a Duke fan, so needless to say you’re going to hear both sides there and everywhere else
-I think every game is important. I mean, they are, aren’t they? Every March these resumes get more critiqued - unless it says Kentucky on your jersey - so you have to look at them all. That’s why I’m so bummed about Cal getting rocked by Mizzou this afternoon(preference hint).
There isn’t a lot on the horizon this week in terms of exciting games. That said, I see a few match-ups in the middle of the week worth tracking, because a team here a) may play your team, b) might play a team that plays your team, or c) might play in a conference that could take an ncaa bid from your team. Or you might actually catch a great game. It’s all possible this time of year…..
Tuesday, Jimmy V classic in NYC:
Davidson vs West Virginia: I’m in the south, I live near the new College of Charleston arena, I’ve got to see Curry play live at least once in person to go with the many nights I’ll see him on espn/cbs/etc. West Virginia seems to be the same team with a few freshman(Devin Ebanks the most touted) filling the shoes of Joe Alexander. Neither team is really hurt by a loss here, but I want to see how Curry responds to the 1-3-1 defense the Mountaineers play.
Texas vs Villanova: is Villanova good? Better question: are they tough in the post? They’ve been very guard-oriented the past few years, but I keep seeing big numbers from Dante Cunningham in box scores, so it will be interesting to see how they run their offense against a veteran Texas team.
Wednesday:
San Diego State @ Arizona: Arizona loses Jerryd Bayless, they lose Brandon Jennings, then Lute leaves and they’re stuck with a nobody running the team. But I wrote them off too quickly before the season started. Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill are future NBA players, so raw talent is going to keep them in games against good teams. SDSU’s record says they’re good, but quality of opponent has been lacking. If Russ Pennel can figure out how to coach a team with less than 2 minutes left in a game, they could make noise in a weak pac-10.
Gonzaga @ Washington State: fast with firepower vs slow with precision. Everything points to the Zags, and I enjoy watching that offense. This team can go really far this year, and then it’s up to Mark Few to keep plugging away up there or take a boatload of cash from Arizona or maybe Oregon(which has got to be Arizona’s real worst nightmare right now).
Let’s call that a good first entry, see you next time…..
