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Ramblings From A Cosby Watching/College Hoops/Pop Culture Fanatic
Bryan R. Adams got started in the music biz setting up interviews for the likes of De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, and Coolio. Slightly before that, I got coffee and bottled water for Queen Latifah and RuPaul.
Started FAB Communications in 1996 and began developing PR campaigns for fashion companies, theaters, filmmakers, grassroots organizations, dentists, restaurants, financial concerns, and musicians.
An avid networker who attends at least five events per month and belongs to three networking groups.
A dad and husband.
Gluten-free since 2005.
Since my first trip to Manley Field House in 1979, I've been hooked to Syracuse basketball ever since.
Why Did I Get Married, Too - The Trailer
Tyler Perry comes with the sequel to Why Did I Get Married?
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Syracuse Orange-Pittsburgh Panthers: Loss Keeps Jim Boeheim Baffled
Joe Murphy/Getty Images
First they weren't rated at all. Then they were underrated. They soon became top-five rated.
Are they suddenly overrated?
Syracuse University began its season with an unexpected 13-0 start—which included wins against against three ranked opponents—rising from the depths of unranked to holding the fifth spot in both major polls.
That will likely change come Monday when new polls come out, with the Orange expected to drop following their home loss to unranked Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon.
To the untrained eye, this was simply a bump in the road. A blip of the radar, if you will.
An otherwise unbeatable team slipped up and lost a game they were probably destined to lose at some point during conference play.
However, if you've been watching closely, this loss wasn't as surprising as it might have appeared.
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim told the media that he would wait until the start of conference play to really get a feel for how good his team was, and it didn't take long for the Orange to make a skeptic out of Boeheim.
Following a shaky road win earlier in the week against Seton Hall, the Orange looked lifeless and undetermined for much of the 40 minutes they played against Pitt.
Despite an early 20-10 lead, the Orange had trouble scoring all afternoon, while their patented zone defense, which had been all the rage for its improvement over last season's edition, was softer than the snow sitting atop the Carrier Dome.
The length of guards Andy Rautins and Brandon Triche was no match for the outside shooting of Pitt, who seemed to score at will in the second half.
Syracuse found themselves in foul trouble through much of the second half, as Wes Johnson played the final stretch of the game with four fouls, while forward Rick Jackson and center Arinze Onuaku both fouled out.
Triche struggled for the second consecutive game at the point, unable to find any offensive rhythm, while Rautins also lacked the sharp shooting prowess he seemed to possess before conference play began.
Johnson, the seemingly reliable do-it-all transfer, finished with a modest line of 19 points and six rebounds, stats which pale in comparison to the 20 and 19 he put up in Newark Tuesday night.
On one hand, this is only their first loss of the season, and it came at the hands of a team that may have some sort of psychological edge on the Orange.
Pitt has won the last four meetings between these teams in the Carrier Dome, while also winning the last seven regular season meetings overall.
On the other hand, you're talking about the fifth-ranked team in the country playing their first conference game at home against an unranked opponent.
Sure, the Big East is a very talented, deep conference, and Pitt is a well-coached, hard-nosed team. However, losing your home conference opener after winning the first 13 games of the season seems perplexing.
Turnovers were the major problem Tuesday night in their victory over Seton Hall (they had 20), while their overall effort seemed lacking on Saturday. The offense was flat, the defense was soft, and the the energy was inexplicably low.
The Orange will get a brief reprieve from conference play this upcoming Wednesday as Memphis visits the Carrier Dome looking to extract some revenge after suffering a loss last season at home to these Orange. The game will be the final non-conference game of the regular season for Syracuse.
It's far too soon to start calling this team overrated; however, the loss to Pitt featured Syracuse facing a double-digit deficit for much of the second half. This is noteworthy, as the Orange had defeated all but one of their opponents by double figures heading into the game against Pitt.
Overrated, underrated—these terms are sure to be thrown around by just about everybody in the media and amongst the fans looking to label the Syracuse team.
Everybody, that is, except their head coach.
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Syracuse Fan Says Thank You Pitt (And Really Means It)
| Coach Boeheim on the Orange lost to Pittsburgh, 82 - 72 |
Yep, the Cuse lost to Pitt again. According to the stats, we have lost 11 of the last 14 to them. Am I tired of losing to Pitt? You bet. But let's keep it in perspective. They are doing the things that are successful in beating the Orange. Kudos to them. It used to be the other way around. Syracuse dominated them until leading scorer Preston Shumpert's cornea got scratched near the end of the first half of the Big East Tournament quarterfinals in 2001. Cuse lost that game to them in OT, and Pitt began a string of Big East Tourney final appearances after that. Before that loss, Cuse beat Pitt in 16 of 19 games dating back to the 1990 season.
Watching today's game had me in agony...did I mention that I am tired of losing to Pitt? Sick and tired. But then I started to look at the big picture. I didn't want to blame the coaching staff or the refs. The way I saw it, if Cuse could have made some of those missed bunnies in the first half and beginning of second half, it's a different game. But you saw the look on the Orange's faces when they would miss a layup which then led to a 3 for Pitt. They didn't gut it out. They "woe is me'd" and lost intensity. Then they let the refs get in their heads. Playing like babies. But that was the kind of game Cuse needed this early in the Big East schedule. If the Orange are to do something really special this season, then they need to get tough. Pitt is a tough team, Big East foes have seen this throughout the Howland/Dixon era. Playing teams like this prepares you for the stretch run. No one talked about Pitt in the preseason. When they lost to Indiana, I left them for dead, but now they finally have all of their players on the court. And they came into the Dome and smacked Syracuse around. Exposing holes that North Carolina and Florida did not. Pitt should be thanked for that. I'd rather find out now in early January, instead of in March. In 2002-3 Championship season, Cuse and Carmelo came strolling into Pitt's Oakland Zoo riding an 11 game win streak. Right after thoroughly dominating a Missouri team. Didn't matter. Julius Page, Jaron Brown, and Brandin Knight smacked the Cuse dead in the mouth. That game showed the Orange what kind of toughness would be needed to compete in the conference. Same look in the players' eyes. Looking at the refs and looking at the rim after missed shots. But they learned from that. That year, Syracuse was 13-3 in the Big East, and couldn't beat Pitt on the road or UConn anywhere. And if you read the message boards after these three losses, you would have thought that the Orange were 3-13 and going nowhere fast. Did the fact we couldn't stay within 10 points of UConn that season bum me out more than winning the whole thing? Not in the least. Do you think Melo was thinking about how Jaron Brown thoroughly out-toughed him when they called his name for the MOP award that April in New Orleans? Sometimes a team has your number and thank G-d you only have to play them 1 or 2 times and not 31. So thank you Pitt for showing us that toughness, that moxie. The coaching staff took notes. Boeheim looked like he partly enjoyed it because he can use it for motivation (see LeMoyne). Face it, Cuse fans, there are no other teams in the nation that play as tough as Pitt. None. The ones that are close to them will all be in this conference getting the Cuse prepared for a deep tournament run. If Memphis thinks they can come into the Dome on Wedneday and do what Pitt did...they are mistaken. Only Pitt is that tough on a consistent basis. The refs only let Pitt do those things. I am not making any excuses, Pitt made shots and Cuse didn't. They out-toughed the Orange in their own building. But it is no secret in the league, that the refs give Pitt lots of leeway when it comes to over the back, grabbing arms, and bumping (and if you throw in today's game - traveling). Again, don't take that as me saying the refs won the game for Pitt...I don't believe that, even though I would like to. Since Pitt has gone on their dominating run against the Cuse, they have prepared them for any and all comers. Since 2001, the Cuse has won two Big East Tournament Championships and a National Championship. I'll take those over some January losses any day. I'll even bet many Pitt fans would rather have our postseason success since 2001, and that includes two NIT's and a first round loss to Vermont. (I'll be writing the same kind of post after Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson teach us the lesson of capitalizing on momentum)
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North Carolina Has the Most Christmas Wishes Among College Basketball Elite
Featured Columnist
Entering the holiday season, some teams are already playing like its March, others need some (or many) gifts from Santa in order to stand a chance when a single loss ends your season. Here's a rundown of what each team should be asking for this Christmas Season.
North Carolina should ask for:\u00a0 Defense, three-point shooting, and experience.
The Tar Heels are absurdly talented. Every player in Roy Williams' rotation could start on about 95 percent of the teams in the country. Williams has a problem though; collectively, those immensely talented players haven't figured out how to play solid team basketball on both ends of the floor.
UNC ranks just 52nd in the country in offensive efficiency and 64th in defensive (those numbers are entering the Texas game and should only get worse after the loss). Three-point shooting is non-existent in Carolina's offensive gameplan as just 22 percent of the team's field goal attempts are three-pointers and that ratio ranks 336th in the country.
It's not like UNC doesn't shoot the ball well; and including the UT game, the Tar Heels are connecting on 37.5 percent of their attempts from deep. Combine UNC's two-point dominated offense with a high percentage of turnovers and the Tar Heels' attack isn't that deadly.
The defense is just as problematic as North Carolina hasn't really been able to slow the top offenses its faced this season. Of the ranked teams UNC has played, only Kentucky produced less than a point than per possession against the Heels.
The problems culminated with Saturday's loss to Texas. 103 points allowed in 90 possessions (which is an absolute track meet--one of the fastest games that will be played by two teams not named VMI) is not something Roy Williams should be the least bit proud of.
The struggles can be traced to a lack of experience. So many games against so many good teams should help UNC in March, but overall most of the players on this team lack big game experience. Ed Davis, Marcus Ginyard, and Deon Thompson are the only ones that have played significant minutes in important games. That's only three players in Williams' 12 man rotation.
\u00a0
Kansas should ask for competition.
Seriously, everyone KU plays isn't living up to expectations this year. Memphis is decent, but that game looked like a classic in the making before John Calipari bailed for Kentucky. Michigan, UCLA, and California looked like tournament worthy teams in the preseason, now only the Golden Bears look like they have any shot of going dancing.
You can't fault KU for this awful schedule. Every one they scheduled turned out to be pretty terrible. They still have Temple and Tennessee coming up which could prove to be quality opponents.
\u00a0
Texas should ask for a deadly three-point shooter.
Avery Bradley is getting there, but for now, the Longhorns' only weakness is a consistent threat from long range. As a team, they are shooting just 33 percent from deep. Only 20 percent of UT's points come from three which could prove problematic if a team manages to keep the Longhorns off the glass or zones them.
\u00a0
Kentucky should ask for experience.
The Wildcats rank just 332nd in the nation in experience with an average of .96 years of experience per player on the court. The inexperience has shown with high turnovers and poor shot selection at times. Eventually, Kentucky will lose a game it shouldn't as the Wildcats keep sneaking out of games against lesser opponents with victories.
\u00a0
Syracuse should ask for good behavior and good health.
Syracuse doesn't have a strong track record getting through an entire season without suspending a player. Last year, Eric Devendorf got physical with a women on Halloween. The year before, Scoop Jardine's uncle stole a meal card and Jardine didn't stop him from using it.
The season before that Josh Wright decided to leave a team shorthanded by injury. 2006-2007 was a clean slate, but the previous two years Louis McCroskey and Billy Edlin gave Jim Boeheim headaches.
So if Jim Boeheim can get through the season without incident (Mookie Jones has tested him already) and with clean health among his players, the Orange will stay National Championship contenders.
\u00a0
Purdue should ask for a pure point guard.
Lewis Jackson still might lose the entire season to injury and if he does, Purdue will be in serious trouble in March. The Boilermakers have had little trouble scoring so far this season, but a good defensive team that they'll inevitably face in the NCAA Tournament will disrupt Purdue's offense.
If Jackson can't come back, freshman Kelsey Barlow will have to be a better point guard when he's on the floor. Chris Kramer and Keon Grant will also have to do a better job distributing as neither is a particularly good shooter or finisher.
\u00a0
West Virginia should ask for Devin Ebanks to figure out his \"issues\".
Ebanks has played four games this season and he hasn't exactly been good. Or even average. He's borderline mediocre at this point. His offensive rating is floating around the 90 point mark which is what you'd expect someone from a SWAC school to convert at.
Sophomore Kevin Jones has been a nice surprise, but he doesn't have All-American talent, Devin Ebanks does and he needs to play like it.
For more updates on college basketball,
North Carolina Has the Most Christmas Wishes Among College Basketball Elite
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Entering the holiday season, some teams are already playing like its March, others need some (or many) gifts from Santa in order to stand a chance when a single loss ends your season. Here's a rundown of what each team should be asking for this Christmas Season.
North Carolina should ask for: Defense, three-point shooting, and experience.
The Tar Heels are absurdly talented. Every player in Roy Williams' rotation could start on about 95 percent of the teams in the country. Williams has a problem though; collectively, those immensely talented players haven't figured out how to play solid team basketball on both ends of the floor.
UNC ranks just 52nd in the country in offensive efficiency and 64th in defensive (those numbers are entering the Texas game and should only get worse after the loss). Three-point shooting is non-existent in Carolina's offensive gameplan as just 22 percent of the team's field goal attempts are three-pointers and that ratio ranks 336th in the country.
It's not like UNC doesn't shoot the ball well; and including the UT game, the Tar Heels are connecting on 37.5 percent of their attempts from deep. Combine UNC's two-point dominated offense with a high percentage of turnovers and the Tar Heels' attack isn't that deadly.
The defense is just as problematic as North Carolina hasn't really been able to slow the top offenses its faced this season. Of the ranked teams UNC has played, only Kentucky produced less than a point than per possession against the Heels.
The problems culminated with Saturday's loss to Texas. 103 points allowed in 90 possessions (which is an absolute track meet--one of the fastest games that will be played by two teams not named VMI) is not something Roy Williams should be the least bit proud of.
The struggles can be traced to a lack of experience. So many games against so many good teams should help UNC in March, but overall most of the players on this team lack big game experience. Ed Davis, Marcus Ginyard, and Deon Thompson are the only ones that have played significant minutes in important games. That's only three players in Williams' 12 man rotation.
Kansas should ask for competition.
Seriously, everyone KU plays isn't living up to expectations this year. Memphis is decent, but that game looked like a classic in the making before John Calipari bailed for Kentucky. Michigan, UCLA, and California looked like tournament worthy teams in the preseason, now only the Golden Bears look like they have any shot of going dancing.
You can't fault KU for this awful schedule. Every one they scheduled turned out to be pretty terrible. They still have Temple and Tennessee coming up which could prove to be quality opponents.
Texas should ask for a deadly three-point shooter.
Avery Bradley is getting there, but for now, the Longhorns' only weakness is a consistent threat from long range. As a team, they are shooting just 33 percent from deep. Only 20 percent of UT's points come from three which could prove problematic if a team manages to keep the Longhorns off the glass or zones them.
Kentucky should ask for experience.
The Wildcats rank just 332nd in the nation in experience with an average of .96 years of experience per player on the court. The inexperience has shown with high turnovers and poor shot selection at times. Eventually, Kentucky will lose a game it shouldn't as the Wildcats keep sneaking out of games against lesser opponents with victories.
Syracuse should ask for good behavior and good health.
Syracuse doesn't have a strong track record getting through an entire season without suspending a player. Last year, Eric Devendorf got physical with a women on Halloween. The year before, Scoop Jardine's uncle stole a meal card and Jardine didn't stop him from using it.
The season before that Josh Wright decided to leave a team shorthanded by injury. 2006-2007 was a clean slate, but the previous two years Louis McCroskey and Billy Edlin gave Jim Boeheim headaches.
So if Jim Boeheim can get through the season without incident (Mookie Jones has tested him already) and with clean health among his players, the Orange will stay National Championship contenders.
Purdue should ask for a pure point guard.
Lewis Jackson still might lose the entire season to injury and if he does, Purdue will be in serious trouble in March. The Boilermakers have had little trouble scoring so far this season, but a good defensive team that they'll inevitably face in the NCAA Tournament will disrupt Purdue's offense.
If Jackson can't come back, freshman Kelsey Barlow will have to be a better point guard when he's on the floor. Chris Kramer and Keon Grant will also have to do a better job distributing as neither is a particularly good shooter or finisher.
West Virginia should ask for Devin Ebanks to figure out his "issues".
Ebanks has played four games this season and he hasn't exactly been good. Or even average. He's borderline mediocre at this point. His offensive rating is floating around the 90 point mark which is what you'd expect someone from a SWAC school to convert at.
Sophomore Kevin Jones has been a nice surprise, but he doesn't have All-American talent, Devin Ebanks does and he needs to play like it.
For more updates on college basketball, follow Jameson and the Bleacher Report College Basketball page on twitter.
More on the UNC Basketball »
- Roy Williams Too Smart To Act So Stupidly
- For "Rebuilding" Tar Heels, Future (and Present) Looks Bright
- Latest Kentucky-North Carolina Clash Proves Saga Should Continue
- Michigan State Again Feels Carolina Blue After Latest Loss to Tar Heels
- Is North Carolina's Ed Davis NBA Material?
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Top 15 Freshman Seasons
Featured Columnist
Top 15 Freshman Seasons
If you like what you read here, be sure to check out my blog "Ballin' is a Habit" (http://www.ballinisahabit.net) or follow me on twitter @ballinisahabit.
After watching John Wall on Wednesday night in the Garden, it's safe to say that John Wall is far and away the best freshman this season, if not the best player in the country.
But there have been some great freshmen over the years, so the next logical step is to ask who were the best freshmen of all time. Come April, where will Wall fit in this list?
Those who missed the cut: Shareef Abdur-Raheem, Johnny Dawkins, Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston, Larry Hughes, Bobby Hurley, Allen Iverson, Kevin Love, Stephon Marbury, Alonzo Mourning, Troy Murphy, Lamar Odom, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Washington, the Fab Five
15. Pervis Ellison, Louisville - 13.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg
Ellison is on this list not because of his overall performance as a freshman, but a result of his incredible NCAA Tournament.
He averaged 18 and 12 as the Cardinals beat LSU and Duke to win the 1986 title. He won the tournament MOP, and picked up the nickname "Never Nervous Pervis".
14. Shaquille O'Neal, LSU - 13.9 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 3.5 bpg
Shaq wasn't the force he would eventually turn into as a pro, but a large part of that was a result of sharing the court with Chris Jackson and Stanley Roberts.
While his footwork and skill level weren't there yet, his overpowering physical presence and athleticism were. He was the first freshman to ever post two triple-doubles.
13. Patrick Ewing, Georgetown - 12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.2 bpg
Ewing's numbers look paltry in comparison to the rest of the players on this list, but from the second he stepped onto the Hoya's campus, he was the centerpiece for John Thompson's aggressive defense.
Ewing would lead the Hoyas to the 1982 title game, becoming the standard with which all defensive centers are now compared.
12. Michael Beasley, Kansas State - 26.2 ppg, 12.4 rpg
All Michael Beasley did at Kansas State was produce. He led the nation with 28 double-doubles, three 40 points games, 13 30-10 games, and 22 20-10 games.
He set the Big XII single-game scoring record with 44 points in a loss to Baylor. His per-game averages of 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds are Big XII records. He helped K-State beat Kansas in Manhattan for the first time since 1983.
Overall, he set 30 K-State and 17 Big XII single-season and career records.
11. Mark Aguirre, DePaul - 24.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg
Aguirre was a prolific scorer in his college basketball career, leading the Blue Demons to an upset win against UCLA as DePaul reached the 1979 Final Four, where it would lose to Larry Bird's Indiana State team.
10. Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech - 20.6 ppg, 8.1 apg
Teaming with Dennis Scott and Brian Oliver to form "Lethal Weapon Three," Anderson was the spark plug for a Yellow Jacket team that made it to the Final Four.
One of a long line of NYC "point gods," Anderson hit one of the most controversial shots ever to force overtime in a Sweet 16 game against Michigan State.
9. Kevin Durant, Texas - 25.1 ppg, 11.4 rpg
Despite being built like a pipe cleaner, Kevin Durant dominated a physical Big XII conference to the tune of 28.9 ppg and 12.5 rpg in league play.
Twenty times, Durant eclipsed the 30-point mark as a freshman, and he was named national player of the year.
8. Tyler Hansbrough, UNC - 18.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg
Hansbrough kicked off one of the most debated careers in college hoops' history with an All-American season as a freshman in 2006.
He carried a Tar Heel team that was devastated by the loss of its stars—after the Heels' 2005 NCAA title—with a combination of skill and effort.
7. Bernard King, Tennessee - 26.4 ppg, 12.3 rpg
Teaming with TNT's own Ernie Grunfeld to form the "Ernie and Bernie Show", King dominated the SEC, winning the player of the year award as a freshman while being named an All-American.
6. Magic Johnson, Michigan State - 17.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 7.4 apg
Magic Johnson almost didn't go to Michigan State, opting for the Spartans over the Wolverines because Jud Heathcote would allow him to play the point.
Good decision by Heathcote, as Sparty won the Big Ten title and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament riding the 6'9" point guard.
5. Ralph Sampson, Virginia - 14.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 4.6 bpg
Sampson, despite not being named to either the first or second All-ACC team, was named first-team All-America, led the conference in rebounding and blocked shots, and led U.Va. to the 1980 NIT title.
At 7'4", Sampson was one of the most intimidating interior presences in college basketball history.
4. Wayman Tisdale, Oklahoma - 24.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.5 bpg
Tisdale was Blake Griffin before there was a Blake Griffin.
As a freshman, Tisdale was named Big Eight Conference player of the year and was named a first-team All-American, the first freshman to do so after they were allowed to play again (the '71-'72 season).
3. Fly Williams, Austin Peay - 29.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg
There have been few talents like Fly Williams, who twice scored 51 in a game as a freshman, in the history of college hoops. His 854 points as a freshman was a record, only topped by LSU's Chris Jackson, who had the benefit of a three-point line.
Williams was the biggest reason that Austin Peay reached its first ever NCAA Tournament in 1973.
2. Chris Jackson, LSU - 30.2 ppg, 4.1 apg
Hands down, Jackson—who changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf—was one of the best scorers college basketball has ever seen.
Lightening-quick, with a deadly cross-over, and range for days, Jackson would lead LSU to the NCAA Tournament while setting the record for points scored by a freshman—a record which still stands.
He was the first freshman named SEC Player of the Year.
1. Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse - 22.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg
This was, in reality, a pretty easy choice. Anthony was the centerpiece offensively for a Syracuse team that won the national title.
He was named second-team All-America, and first-team All-Big East, as well as being named the 2003 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
That's the end of this slideshow, here are a few more you might like...
What to watch for in SEC—Big East Invitational at MSG
When the spotlight of the college basketball world shines down on the court at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night, it will be highlighting four teams at very different levels in the young season...
Don't Give Up: The Five Most Inspirational Coaches in Sports History
Coaches can be either a positive to a team or a negative to a team but there are always those coaches that go above and beyond and inspire everyone around them and not just their players...
Which Big Ten Teams Will Likely Be Dancing in March?
The Big Ten finally took home bragging honors in winning the Big Ten/ACC challenge after falling short the past ten years. No wonder Magic is smiling...
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Where Are My Imeem Embeds?
Thanks MySpace, for coming in the middle of the night and buying Imeem and disappearing all of the audio that many of us embed on our blogs. We worked hard to make that happen and in one fell swoop...gone.But, not all is lost. Thank you for reminding me that I already set up a Soundcloud account in 2008. I hadn't used it in awhile, but now it will be put into full effect. And Reverbnation ain't bad either.
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ESPN has a monopoly on college hoops broadcasting, but is that a bad thing for the sport?
You may have missed it while celebrating your Thanksgiving, but Luke Winn wrote an excellent piece on the preseason tournaments and ESPN's influence on them.
Two rule changes - the NCAA doing away with the limitation of two multi-team events in four seasons and the decision to reduce the red tape involved with hosting a tournament - have had a huge effect on the structure of college hoops in November. Essentially, it allowed ESPN to operate their own tournaments instead of having to purchase the rights to televising events such as the Maui Invitational and the Great Alaska Shootout.
Why do you think tournaments like last weekend's 76 and Old Spice Classics had all 12 games televised on ESPN? And why do you think they were conveniently scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, leaving open the lucrative college football Saturday?
This obviously is a big blow to tournament organizers. It can't feel good when a massive corporation breaks into your industry, corners the market, and forces you out. And I doubt I'm the only one that would be upset if the Maui Invitational went the way of the Great Alaska Shootout.But at some point, you have to call a spade, a spade. As much as we would like to think that ESPN is in existence to provide us with endless coverage of our favorite teams, the fact of the matter is that ESPN is a business. And like any other business, ESPN's main goal is to make money. To make as much of it as possible. In thirty short years, they have gone from a little station started in Bristol, CT, to the World Wide Leader in Sports in large part because of aggressive maneuvering like this.
Like it or not, that's how ESPN does business.
But this isn't a business blog; we talk hoops here.
And from a hoops perspective, the addition of all these tournaments, and the exposure given them by ESPN, is a very good thing. Getting people excited about college basketball in November is not easy with the NFL and college football winding down and the NBA and hockey starting up.
These tournaments provide that excitement.
Think about the build up to the Duke-UConn game how excited the fans were to see it.
Think about how hard the kids from Gonzaga and Cincinnati were playing in the finals out in Maui.
Think about how special it was for the Portland basketball program to beat a blue blood and then knock off a ranked team on back-to-back nights on national television.
One of the biggest advantages is for the mid-major schools like a Creighton or a Siena. For major programs playing outside the BCS (the Gonzagas and Xaviers of the world), it is relatively easy to land tough non-conference competition. There is no shame in losing to a perennial top 25 power. But for the smaller mid-majors, the teams that turn into cinderellas when the calender strikes March, it is a different story. No power conference school wants to lose to a mediocre mid-major. You don't think Mississippi State's home loss to Rider is going to be talked about extensively if the Bulldogs end up on the bubble?
These tournaments allow the good small schools a chance to beef up their out-of-conference schedule, and if they win a few games, establish the groundwork for a possible at-large bid.
Hell, the biggest advocates should be the bracket buffs. For someone like me, born, raised, and still living on the east coast, it helps so much to see a school like Portland or Dayton or Arizona State, teams that are seldom on national television and never on locally, play a couple times.
None of that happens without these tournaments.
As far as I'm concerned, the only drawback from a basketball perspective is the crowds. Some of these tournaments looked like high school freshman games. The only people in the gym were the teams, the media, and family members. But remember, these games are played during Thanksgiving, and for the most part take place in exotic locales or tourist destinations. It isn't easy to draw the interest of Los Angelians, especially when teams like Clemson, Minnesota, or Texas A&M are playing.
And its Thanksgiving! Power conference teams that don't have to play road game aren't going to, which means the games we would end up with are low-majors traveling to play high-majors. With the students gone for the holiday, the only people that are going to see the games played are the local fans that are willing to put dinner on hold for a couple of hours.
Yes, it sucks what is happening to some of the traditionally great tournaments as a result of the new rules. Hopefully, ESPN isn't so greedy that they would be willing to put an end to a tradition as great as the Maui Invitational.
But if they are, that just means that events like the Puerto Rico Tip-Off are going to have to take their place.
In terms of what is best for the game, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
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