Roundball Chatter
Each week I'll talk about the sport I love, college basketball...
• Sitting courtside at the Duke-Wake Forest game, it was amazing to see the passion, emotion and intensity of the two teams going at it. That's why college basketball is all about the name on the front of the jersey. I loved the passion of the screamin' Deacon fans at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, and it all ended with a fantastic finish thanks to James Johnson's winning basket.
• Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler were terrific in the second half against Wake Forest, but for Duke to be a legitimate national championship contender, others have to step up. The Blue Devils have to be more consistent shooting the trifecta; Duke was four-for-22 from long distance against the Demon Deacons.
• If you want to talk about improvement in a short time, look at Oregon State. Craig Robinson, the brother-in-law of new President Barack Obama, has done an incredible job. The Beavers lost to Howard earlier this season. Now they have wins at California and Stanford. Oregon State did not win a Pac-10 game last season.
• Marquette coach Buzz Williams has done a remarkable job in his first season as the school's head coach. The Golden Eagles won their 10th game in a row Monday night, beating Notre Dame in South Bend. Marquette now sits at 18-2 and is clearly a top 10 team. You have to be impressed with a 7-0 mark in the rugged Big East, arguably the best conference in America. Yes this is a squad that has a terrific trio of backcourt stars in Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews and Dominic James. Give Williams some credit for keeping this team playing as a unit and winning big-time. The schedule will get tougher and the final five games are like murderer's row -- Georgetown, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
• Another coach named Williams has been in the news as well. There have been some negative things written about Maryland coach Gary Williams recently, with remarks from a Maryland associate athletic director. My friends, a coach of Williams' stature, a man who has won the national championship and led the Terps to another Final Four, deserves a break when he has a couple of down years. Williams is a winner who has done a super job over the years running the Terp program.
• Michigan beat UCLA and Duke this season, but now the Wolverines may be playing their way out of the big dance. Michigan's loss to Ohio State left John Beilein's team 1-4 in its last five outings, and 4-5 in the Big Ten. The Wolverines need to get on a roll to right the ship.
• It helps when you have a winning tradition. UCLA will honor three of John Wooden's national championship teams in upcoming weeks. His first two national title teams (1964, celebrating its 45th anniversary) and the 1965 club will be honored this weekend when the Bruins host Stanford. When UCLA hosts Oregon March 7, in the final home game of the season, the 1969 squad will be honored for its 40th anniversary.
• How about a salute to Northeastern coach Bill Coen. His squad is atop the Colonial Athletic Association at 9-1 following a big win at Virginia Commonwealth. His Huskies have gone 12-2 in their last 14 games. Coen was a long-time assistant under Al Skinner at Boston College. He appears to have taken advantage of this head coaching opportunity as Northeastern is a surprise story in the CAA.
• I was sorry to see Alabama coach Mark Gottfried announce his resignation. I wish him all the best in the future.
