Ace Dad
11-06-2006, 12:04 AM
The Campaign (and the Campaigning) Starts Early
Sunday, November 5, 2006; E17
Let us begin the 2006-07 college basketball season by giving the schedule-makers a round of applause.
After all, they decided to start the new season on Tuesday -- Election Day. In this day and age, what could possibly be more apt?
After all, college basketball has become as much about politicking -- much of it negative campaigning, come to think of it -- as it is about playing. It isn't so much about the issue of winning and losing as convincing the NCAA tournament selection committee that a vote for certain teams and leagues on Selection Sunday is a vote for all that is right and good.
Heck, it wouldn't surprise too many people if sometime around mid-February, a TV ad popped up with menacing photos of Doug Elgin and Tom Yeager, the commissioners of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, respectively, with a voice-over that says something like: "Do you want to put your trust in these men? Do you want them sending multiple teams from their conferences to the NCAA basketball tournament? Do you want to continue to sanction their continued breaking of the RPI code? Stop the madness. Vote ACC on Selection Sunday."
The disclaimer, "This ad was sponsored by ACC Coaches Hoping to Keep Their Jobs," could be read by ACC Commissioner John Swofford, who, given the current condition of his league in basketball and football, might be a tad concerned about his job.
Okay, perhaps we exaggerate slightly. But the focus in recent years on who is in and who is out of the NCAA tournament has grown just about as out of control as the recent negative campaigning by Republicans and Democrats.
Last season, Maryland Coach Gary Williams did everything but challenge Elgin to a shootout at the RPI Corral, claiming Elgin and his league had somehow "cracked the RPI code," as if that were grounds for prosecution. On Selection Sunday, when Elgin's code crackers got as many bids (four) as the ACC, CBS's Billy Packer and Jim Nantz did everything but publicly order committee chairman Craig Littlepage to go to his room without any dinner.
Nantz went so far as to read from George Mason's schedule and ask Littlepage exactly what games on that schedule caused the committee to believe the Patriots merited a bid. Three weeks later, Nantz walked across a crowded restaurant in Indianapolis to apologize to Jim Larranaga and his team as they prepared to play in the Final Four.
The issue here is simple: The teams from the power leagues want to play their cupcakes and get credit for them, too. In today's college basketball world, that no longer works. Once, if you finished with a .500 conference record in any of the power leagues, you were going to get a bid. That's no longer the case, in part because expansion has made a .500 record less meaningful in most power conferences and in part because of the rise of the mid-majors.
Here's the bottom line for schools such as Maryland, Florida State, Indiana and others that have found themselves on the outside in recent years: If you're really good, you can play home games against St. Leo's from now until doomsday, because you're getting into the tournament regardless of your non-conference RPI. But if you're a team that might win 16 to 19 games, you better get out and play some legitimate competition. You should play some of the MVC teams or CAA teams you hold in such disdain. Maybe you should even play an occasional game away from home -- other than made-for-TV games such as the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Quit campaigning and try playing. It is the one proven method for electoral success.
Meantime, on the court, here are some key questions once the games actually begin:
Can Florida become the second team since John Wooden retired in 1975 to win back-to-back national titles?
Yes. The Gators have all their key players back, including Joakim Noah, who emerged as the best player in the country last March and then opted not to turn pro. Billy Donovan knows how to coach and it is worth remembering that Florida was no fluke winner last year. The only team that even gave the Gators a game was Georgetown in the round of 16.
If not Florida, then who?
Probably North Carolina, which has another monster freshman class to go with last year's monster freshman class and sneaky good senior Reyshawn Terry. (Expect Roy Williams to turn purple trying to explain why Terry is the most important player on the team every chance he gets.) Ohio State adds Greg Oden, a virtual lock to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in June, to a solid returning group. And then there are teams such as Arizona, Illinois and Syracuse -- perennial contenders that each brings back an experienced nucleus.
Has ACC basketball become ACC football?
Not quite. But beyond North Carolina, it is hard to find a team that jumps out as being anything more than the basketball equivalent of a Peach Bowl team this season. Duke, the league's perennial national contender, has no seniors and one junior returning and a point guard with a bad foot. It still has Mike Krzyzewski so you can't write the Blue Devils off. Maryland needs its three seniors to bring the consistency and leadership the team has lacked the last two seasons. Georgia Tech is talented but unproven. The three teams that have a chance to make a move are Virginia Tech, Virginia and Florida State, all of whom gained a good deal of experience while falling short of the NCAAs a year ago.
How good is Georgetown?
Potentially very good. John Thompson III has more than proven his ability to coach and Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert have another year of experience. The challenge will be playing as a target. Last year, the Hoyas were almost cuddly, sneaking up on people as the season wore on. They won't sneak up on anyone this year, and if they beat Duke in Durham on Dec. 2, they will be ranked in the top five even though the victory won't be nearly as impressive as it might appear.
What kind of season will George Mason have?
A very good one. The Patriots lost their senior core -- Lamar Butler, Tony Skinn and Jai Lewis -- but Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas both blossomed during March, there are experienced backups to step in and talented newcomers to come off the bench. Plus, Larranaga didn't become a good coach last year; he has been a good coach for a long time and will continue to be a good coach for a while to come. If you want to see the first cool moment of the season, be at Patriot Center on Nov. 18 when the Final Four banner is raised before the opener against Wichita State.
One other local team to keep an eye on: American. The Eagles have every starter and every key backup returning from a team that was probably playing better than anyone in the Patriot League other than Bucknell at the end of last season. Jeff Jones is another guy who can coach.
How many bids should the mid-majors get on Selection Sunday?
As many as possible. Would the tournament have been better off last year with George Mason or Florida State? The mid-majors deserve the votes of all those who believe in what is right and good -- for college basketball.
Sunday, November 5, 2006; E17
Let us begin the 2006-07 college basketball season by giving the schedule-makers a round of applause.
After all, they decided to start the new season on Tuesday -- Election Day. In this day and age, what could possibly be more apt?
After all, college basketball has become as much about politicking -- much of it negative campaigning, come to think of it -- as it is about playing. It isn't so much about the issue of winning and losing as convincing the NCAA tournament selection committee that a vote for certain teams and leagues on Selection Sunday is a vote for all that is right and good.
Heck, it wouldn't surprise too many people if sometime around mid-February, a TV ad popped up with menacing photos of Doug Elgin and Tom Yeager, the commissioners of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, respectively, with a voice-over that says something like: "Do you want to put your trust in these men? Do you want them sending multiple teams from their conferences to the NCAA basketball tournament? Do you want to continue to sanction their continued breaking of the RPI code? Stop the madness. Vote ACC on Selection Sunday."
The disclaimer, "This ad was sponsored by ACC Coaches Hoping to Keep Their Jobs," could be read by ACC Commissioner John Swofford, who, given the current condition of his league in basketball and football, might be a tad concerned about his job.
Okay, perhaps we exaggerate slightly. But the focus in recent years on who is in and who is out of the NCAA tournament has grown just about as out of control as the recent negative campaigning by Republicans and Democrats.
Last season, Maryland Coach Gary Williams did everything but challenge Elgin to a shootout at the RPI Corral, claiming Elgin and his league had somehow "cracked the RPI code," as if that were grounds for prosecution. On Selection Sunday, when Elgin's code crackers got as many bids (four) as the ACC, CBS's Billy Packer and Jim Nantz did everything but publicly order committee chairman Craig Littlepage to go to his room without any dinner.
Nantz went so far as to read from George Mason's schedule and ask Littlepage exactly what games on that schedule caused the committee to believe the Patriots merited a bid. Three weeks later, Nantz walked across a crowded restaurant in Indianapolis to apologize to Jim Larranaga and his team as they prepared to play in the Final Four.
The issue here is simple: The teams from the power leagues want to play their cupcakes and get credit for them, too. In today's college basketball world, that no longer works. Once, if you finished with a .500 conference record in any of the power leagues, you were going to get a bid. That's no longer the case, in part because expansion has made a .500 record less meaningful in most power conferences and in part because of the rise of the mid-majors.
Here's the bottom line for schools such as Maryland, Florida State, Indiana and others that have found themselves on the outside in recent years: If you're really good, you can play home games against St. Leo's from now until doomsday, because you're getting into the tournament regardless of your non-conference RPI. But if you're a team that might win 16 to 19 games, you better get out and play some legitimate competition. You should play some of the MVC teams or CAA teams you hold in such disdain. Maybe you should even play an occasional game away from home -- other than made-for-TV games such as the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Quit campaigning and try playing. It is the one proven method for electoral success.
Meantime, on the court, here are some key questions once the games actually begin:
Can Florida become the second team since John Wooden retired in 1975 to win back-to-back national titles?
Yes. The Gators have all their key players back, including Joakim Noah, who emerged as the best player in the country last March and then opted not to turn pro. Billy Donovan knows how to coach and it is worth remembering that Florida was no fluke winner last year. The only team that even gave the Gators a game was Georgetown in the round of 16.
If not Florida, then who?
Probably North Carolina, which has another monster freshman class to go with last year's monster freshman class and sneaky good senior Reyshawn Terry. (Expect Roy Williams to turn purple trying to explain why Terry is the most important player on the team every chance he gets.) Ohio State adds Greg Oden, a virtual lock to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in June, to a solid returning group. And then there are teams such as Arizona, Illinois and Syracuse -- perennial contenders that each brings back an experienced nucleus.
Has ACC basketball become ACC football?
Not quite. But beyond North Carolina, it is hard to find a team that jumps out as being anything more than the basketball equivalent of a Peach Bowl team this season. Duke, the league's perennial national contender, has no seniors and one junior returning and a point guard with a bad foot. It still has Mike Krzyzewski so you can't write the Blue Devils off. Maryland needs its three seniors to bring the consistency and leadership the team has lacked the last two seasons. Georgia Tech is talented but unproven. The three teams that have a chance to make a move are Virginia Tech, Virginia and Florida State, all of whom gained a good deal of experience while falling short of the NCAAs a year ago.
How good is Georgetown?
Potentially very good. John Thompson III has more than proven his ability to coach and Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert have another year of experience. The challenge will be playing as a target. Last year, the Hoyas were almost cuddly, sneaking up on people as the season wore on. They won't sneak up on anyone this year, and if they beat Duke in Durham on Dec. 2, they will be ranked in the top five even though the victory won't be nearly as impressive as it might appear.
What kind of season will George Mason have?
A very good one. The Patriots lost their senior core -- Lamar Butler, Tony Skinn and Jai Lewis -- but Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas both blossomed during March, there are experienced backups to step in and talented newcomers to come off the bench. Plus, Larranaga didn't become a good coach last year; he has been a good coach for a long time and will continue to be a good coach for a while to come. If you want to see the first cool moment of the season, be at Patriot Center on Nov. 18 when the Final Four banner is raised before the opener against Wichita State.
One other local team to keep an eye on: American. The Eagles have every starter and every key backup returning from a team that was probably playing better than anyone in the Patriot League other than Bucknell at the end of last season. Jeff Jones is another guy who can coach.
How many bids should the mid-majors get on Selection Sunday?
As many as possible. Would the tournament have been better off last year with George Mason or Florida State? The mid-majors deserve the votes of all those who believe in what is right and good -- for college basketball.