Roundball Chatter
Each week I'll talk about the sport I love, college basketball:
•I love the fact that college basketball has added many quality early-season tournaments. They cut down on cupcake city match-ups. I look at what happened at the Old Spice Classic, the CBE Classic, the 76 Classic, the NIT Preseason Tip-Off and the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer event & wow. Look at Gonzaga-Tennessee, Tennessee-Georgetown, Kansas-Syracuse, Florida-Syracuse, Baylor-Wake Forest, Oklahoma-Purdue, Duke-Michigan. These games will help teams get better because coaches will learn the strengths and weaknesses of players through good competition.
•Next year, there will be strong fields in preseason tournaments. The Old Spice Classic in Orlando will include Baylor, Xavier, Michigan, Alabama and Marquette. Next year's 76 Classic field has a great group of coaches, including Ben Howland (UCLA), Bob Huggins (West Virginia), Tubby Smith (Minnesota). Also in the field are Clemson and Texas A&M. The CBE field in 2009 features Pittsburgh, Texas, Iowa and West Virginia.
•It is never easy to play in a hostile environment, but Duke did a great job at Purdue on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils used a stifling defense and built a quick 7-0 lead. Mike Krzyzewski's team took the Boilermakers out of their comfort zone in the first half and easily got to the winner's circle at a tough place to play, Mackey Arena. Purdue had lost just two games there in the prior two years (to Wofford and Ohio State).
•You don't see too many true low-post big guys these days in college basketball. I was really impressed with Kansas sophomore Cole Aldrich's moves. He has truly improved from last season. I feel that when it is all said and done, the young Jayhawks will be an NCAA tournament team again. Aldrich and Sherron Collins are the veteran leaders and the key reasons why Kansas will get back to the big dance.
•Michigan State suffered a setback when center Goran Suton was scheduled to have arthroscopic knee surgery. He was sidelined for all three games of the Old Spice Classic, and he sat out for Wednesday night's game against North Carolina. It is a tough loss for Tom Izzo as Suton was a presence inside who provided rebounding ability and tenacity.
•I am tired of the possession arrow. Too many times teams making great defensive plays are penalized. It is time for the rule to be changed for good. Let the officials toss up the ball instead of punishing a team that makes a defensive stop.
•In the Big Ten, keep an eye on Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Badgers. With Marcus Landry and Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin has a dynamite duo. The Badgers did lose to Connecticut down at the Paradise Jam, but my friends, a lot of teams will lose to the Huskies this season.
•Clemson coach Oliver Purnell has to be thrilled with his team's quick start. The Tigers are now 8-0 following a good win at Illinois in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Trevor Booker has been the team's leading scorer averaging over 14 ppg. Outside shooter Terrence Oglesby has been a factor as well. Remember, this squad lost the likes of Cliff Hammonds and James Mays from last season's team.
•Bradley suffered a blow when sophomore center Will Egloff, who recently moved into the starting lineup, suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee. Having played in five of Bradley's first six games, Egolf is eligible to receive a medical redshirt and retain three full years of eligibility. It is a setback for coach Jim Les' Braves.
