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email Ehud Knoll |
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Conference Wish List 2008
January 10, 2008
 In
college basketball, the New Year brings with it the
hope of improvement for bottom teams, the challenge of
staying on top for conference powers, and the fear of
bubble purgatory for everyone in between. What does
2008 have in store for the nation’s thirty-one D1
college basketball conferences?
Here is a wish list for the upcoming year:
America East: Continued basketball growth by
the Boston U. sophomore trio of Scott Brittain, Carlos
Strong, and Corey Lowe. More quality minutes from Nick
Vier to help offset the loss of Joe Trapani at
Vermont. The UMBC Retrievers to carry on raiding James
Madison for their top players. For Albany to hang on
to Will Brown a little while longer before the
inevitable move up the coaching ladder.
ACC: Worthy challengers to North Carolina,
which looks absolutely without peer right now. A
strong conference season by Clemson and FSU, so that
they might finally snag those elusive at-large bids. A
Georgia Tech recruiting strategy that focuses on 3-
and 4-year players (the Jackets have a total of 1 NCAA
tournament game and zero wins with Chris Bosh,
Thaddeus Young, and Javaris Crittenton). A speedy
return to the broadcast booth by Dick Vitale, lest the
nation forget all about Duke basketball.
Atlantic Sun: More Belmont/East Tennessee
State/Gardner-Webb wins over Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, and Cincinnati. Less losses by 50 to
Syracuse, by 41 to Xavier, and by 32 to Charlotte by
those very same teams. A Division One victory for
North Florida. The same roster of conference members
in five years. A seed better than 15 for the
conference tournament champ, if it owns one of the
aforementioned SEC wins.
Atlantic 10: Some decent seeds for the 3 or 4
teams the league is looking to send to the Big Dance
this year (4 teams would be great, but they should not
all be seeded 7-10). Continued success for Duquesne,
which suddenly looks like a rising power. A reversal
of fortunes for La Salle and Fordham, which thought
they were rising powers two years ago. Some publicity
for URI's Jimmy Baron and Will Daniels, one of the
nation’s top inside-outside combos.
CollegeInsider.com's own Matt Drake had a part
in mentoring Daniels. True story. Drake says his game
is smooth. A chance for the Musketeers to make amends
for their second round collapse against Ohio State
last season.
Big East: A clear cut top 8 and bottom 8, so
that nobody cries foul on Selection Sunday. A revival
at DePaul and St. John’s, which have now been eclipsed
by South Florida. No more injuries for the Orange –
for the sake of Jim Boeheim’s sanity. A break-through
win for the current group of UConn Huskies, who might
be better than their fans realize.
Big Sky: Continued strong play by Montana
State, quietly making a case as the best team in the
league. A clue at rival Montana, where a tremendously
talented roster is simply not jelling at all for coach
Wayne Tinkle. An NCAA Tournament win for Northern
Arizona. A return to 1950s quality basketball success
at Idaho State.
Big South: A nationally televised
bracket-buster game for UNC-Ashville, so that the
country can get a peek at Kenny George in action (and
because the surprising Bulldogs look like a solid
team). A proper send-off for star Big South seniors
Arizona Reid and Jack Leasure, who have been toiling
in Winthrop’s shadow their entire careers. Some
seed-love for Winthrop from the committee if the
Eagles once again go dancing in March – and a fair
shot at a seed higher than 16 if someone other than
the Eagles were to win the automatic bid.
Big 10: Less focus on the abysmal Big 10-ACC
challenge results. More focus on the fact that since
2000, the Big 10 is 5-8 versus the ACC in the NCAA
tournament, and 5-5 if you take away the 0-3 mark
against eventual champ North Carolina in 2005 (and
each league has sent 7 teams to the Final 4). A
scandal-free year for Kelvin Sampson at Indiana. Any
indication that Penn State made a wise decision when
it fired Jerry Dunn in 2003. A top 50 recruit from
Chicago to actually choose Illinois.
Big 12: A Final 4 run by Kansas, or Texas, or
Texas A&M… Preferably all three. A good Big 12 record
for Baylor, Kansas State, and Nebraska, who have all
positioned themselves for at least at-large
consideration. Continued improvement by the young Red
Raiders so that the Bob Knight era lasts awhile
longer. Dare we dream – another year for Kansas State
from Mike Beasley? About as likely as another date for
Roy from Pam Beesly…
Big West: For Pacific to make the NCAA
tournament, since that is the only program in the
conference capable of playing well in the first round
lately. A few more games against Montana for Cal State
Fullerton. For UCSB to not get too discouraged by the
games against North Carolina and Stanford (a combined
24-1 record)… And for recruits William and Chris Brew
to not change their minds about the Gauchos.
Colonial Athletic: A dominating conference
record for George Mason, since it is the only school
from the league that has a chance for even a sniff of
an at-large bid (losing at Georgia State? Not a good
start on that mission). Two or three NIT slots if the
league is relegated back to 1-bid status this March.
Continued conference-wide strong recruiting, so that
this season is just a hiccup on the road to sustained
national respect. And for UMBC to stop raiding JMU for
its top players…
Conference USA: Somebody - preferably Houston,
UTEP, or UAB - to beat Memphis and establish some
at-large credentials. If Houston can beat Arizona on
January 12th, all the better. For Southern Miss to
start winning some games against tougher competition.
For Ben Uzoh and Jerome Jordan to continue improving
at Tulsa. And for SMU to get something positive and
meaningful out of the Matt Doherty era.
Horizon League: For Butler to win the league,
but for Valpo to win the automatic bid, so that the
league gets two very solid teams in the Big Dance. For
Detroit to get back to the kind of basketball that
made it a mid-major power from 1998 to 2004. For UIC’s
young squad to keep improving, because next year might
be their turn to shine. For league watchers to forget
Valpo’s second half against North Carolina and focus
on how close the squad came to winning at Wisconsin.
Dare we dream? For Tony Bennett to come back home and
coach the Phoenix… About as likely as Billy Donovan
coming home to coach Providence…
Ivy League: Some great investment bank and
hedge fund job openings for the senior class, since
none of them will likely get paid to play basketball.
Enough conference tournament upsets to help the league
winner avoid the play-in game in March. An offense
that regularly cracks 70 points for Princeton. A
conference championship and automatic bid for Yale, as
reward for one of the nation’s most difficult
non-conference schedules.
Metro Atlantic: At least one NIT bid, no matter
what the conference regular season champ does in the
league tournament. A tournament bid for Siena or
Rider, the league’s most likely first round upset
candidates. A few more games in which wild gunslinger
Charron Fisher makes 50%, or even 40%, of his shots
(or learns to share better with Stanley Hodge).
Mid-American: A conference regular season champ
that takes care of business in the MAC tournament. A
win over a top 25 team from a major conference. Some
better programs in the Western division. A salute to
Miami coach Charlie Coles for doing more with less
seemingly every year. A moratorium on road games by
MAC teams against Kansas…
Mid-Eastern: A few more games at Hawaii for
league members, like Coppin State pulled off this
season. If you’re going to play almost exclusively on
the road all November and December, you might as well
have Hawaii on the schedule, right? A tournament berth
for either Hampton or Morgan State, so that the league
can have its best foot forward in its brief national
spotlight moment.
Missouri Valley: Some at-large consideration
for Drake if the Bulldogs keep up their fantastic
start (wins over Iowa, Iowa State, and Duquesne are
actually not bad). Some pride-swallowing if the
conference gets only one tournament bid in March –
this is hardly a banner year for the Valley. Some
props for UNI coach Ben Jacobson, who seems to really
get the whole “player development” aspect of coaching
(witness Adam Koch, Jordan Eglseder, Jared Josten).
Mountain West: Some separation in the stands
once the conference season starts, so that the league
can position itself as a 2-bid or 3-bid conference.
Right now nobody looks like a total dud, which is
great in theory, but in practice could cost the league
a second or third bid come March. Some great games
like New Mexico –UTEP this past week once VS starts
MWC broadcasts, so that viewers have a legitimate
reason to watch this league on TV.
Northeast: A tournament berth for Mount St.
Mary’s, which appears to be the class of the league
this season. Many happy memories from last season for
Tristan Blackwood, who led Central Connecticut to the
Big Dance last season, but now finds himself
surrounded by freshmen. If the league can’t handle the
Blue Devils this season, watch out, because this could
be a powerhouse again in the near future.
Ohio Valley: A tournament berth for Austin Peay,
which showed some spunk hanging with the likes of
Vanderbilt, Akron, and Valparaiso in the
non-conference slate. A few breaks in a close game for
Eastern Illinois, one of the nation’s most hard-luck
teams. The 1-11 Panthers have yet to defeat a Division
One opponent, but have lost games by 7, 6, 2, 3, 5,
and 4 points. An APB for Murray State, which was once
among the nation’s most feared mid majors…
PAC 10: Six conference members to emerge as
NCAA-worthy. With the nation’s bubble volume figuring
to be extra heavy this February, too much league
parity will cannibalize bids 5 and 6, not create bids
7 and 8. Also, as much as I hate to say this - it
would be great if UCLA takes hold of the league and
not Washington State. This would prevent the Cougars
from getting a top seed – but it would also ensure
they are not the first top seed ever to lose to a 16
seed (ask the guys at Portland State, Montana, or
Boise State if the Cougars might be vulnerable)…
Patriot League: An NIT bid for Holy Cross if
the Crusaders falter in the league tournament. A
chance for the seniors at Lafayette to go out with a
league title. A chance for a school not named Bucknell
or Holy Cross at beating Bucknell or Holy Cross in a
meaningful game. Barring all those, perhaps a chance
at love with Tila Tequila.
SEC: Another season with at least one team in
the Final Four. A year where all the league’s coaches
keep their jobs. Some SEC wins - or any wins - at
Kentucky. Some nice, relaxing wins for Vanderbilt,
which may be undefeated but seems to be in a
nail-biter at least once a week. No more off-the-court
issues at Georgia. A 5-mile security zone around
Marreese Speights at all times, to keep sneaky agents,
shady new-found relatives, and unseemly hangers-on
from whispering sweet nothings in the Gator big man’s
ear for at least one more season.
Southern: At-large consideration for Georgia
Southern, which has played the best basketball in the
league, and would have a better case had they beaten
either Rhode Island or Florida (both close road
losses). A kindler, gentler non-conference slate in
2008-09 for Davidson, which bit off more than it could
chew this time around. Continued improvement from the
junior class at Tennessee Chattanooga, which might
just swoop in and steal the league’s automatic bid
come March.
Southland: For this season to never end.
Seriously – don’t wake these guys up. Between Sam
Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, Texas-Arlington,
Central Arkansas, and SE Louisiana, the league is as
strong as it has been in years. And that is not even
including Nicholls State, which at 5-10 still managed
to throw a scare at the top ranked Tar Heels, and hand
New Orleans one of only 3 losses. Many happy memories
from last year for Chris Daniels, who also finds
himself surrounded by new faces at defending champ
Texas AM-CC this season. Dare we dream - an undefeated
run the rest of the way for Oklahoma, so that my
Stephen F. Austin at-large bid campaign gains some
momentum.
Southwestern Athletic: For Alabama State to
make some magic this season. The Hornets look like the
best team in the league, after hanging with Miami and
Tulane and nearly shocking Auburn. More importantly,
they have the Southwest’s answer to Kenny George, in
junior center Chief Kickingstallionsims. If ESPN was
run by P.T. Barnum, we would no doubt be treated to an
Alabama State – UNC Ashville game during
Bracketbusters this February. If Reece Davis, Bill
Simmons, or Howie Schwab reads this column – for the
sake of college basketball fans everywhere – pull some
strings and make this game happen!
Summit: Seeing the league’s tournament rep to
come out of the Oral Roberts, Oakland, and IUPUI trio.
Centenary fans living up to their school mascot (The
Gentlemen) next time Texas Tech shows up to play at
Bossier City (then again, there probably won’t be a
next time). Not losing Oral Roberts to a more highly
regarded league for another few years…
Sun Belt: For 2007 to be the start of something
special, with at least four programs looking very
strong and capable of at least a first round
tournament win, if not more. And for those four
programs (South Alabama, Western Kentucky, New
Orleans, and Arkansas-LR) to not immediately lose
their coaches in April. Seeing Freddy Asprilla make a
major impact at FIU next season, and Dago Pena do the
same at FAU. For Western Kentucky star Courtney Lee to
get some NBA love in next June’s draft.
West Coast Conference: At Saint Mary’s, for
games at McKeon Pavilion to continue being “One
Crowded Hour” (Augie March), for the squad’s attempt
to compile at-large credentials not to be “The Hard
Road” (Hilltop Hoods), and for the rest of the
conference to “Wish You Well” (Bernard Fanning). Also,
for the national media to bleed every last
journalistic drop out of the team’s Australian
connections (which I just proudly did). For Gonzaga to
rediscover the swagger the Bulldogs had before the
Texas Tech game. For a third team (Santa Clara? San
Diego?) to steal the automatic bid, so the league gets
three dancers this March.
Western Athletic: For Nevada and New Mexico
State to keep recruiting studs – and for those studs
to be immediately eligible to play. For Jaycee Carroll
to play in the NCAA tournament as a senior, then wow
‘em at the NBA draft camps. For JaVale McGee to spend
more time in the weight room, so that he can be a
player-of-the-year candidate next season. For Armon
Johnson to develop a three-point shot. For Bronco
football coach Chris Peterson to have a long talk with
basketball coach Greg Graham about the benefits of
staying at Boise State (yeah, the job offers are going
to line up after this season).
Ehud Knoll is a sfaff writer for collegeinsider.com.
EMAIL EHUD |
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