College Hoops Cram Session

Stanford lost to Gonzaga in double overtime, 90-86. Of course, that loss just shows how much depth there is in the Pac 10. Oh wait, that doesn't work this time, does it? I was just so used to spouting the company line that I forgot to check if there was any truth to the matter.

All the mid-level Pac-10 teams would like to kindly request that coaches and writers no longer vote them into the top 25, because anytime they do, a loss is sure to follow. USC crept into the top 25 and was beaten by Stanford. Washington State's first week in the rankings was followed by a loss to Oregon. Now Stanford has this Gonzaga defeat on their record. It looks like Washington was the smart school- getting bumped out of the rankings early, so they wouldn't have to worry about any losses in the stretch run. Very shrewd, Mr. Romar.

Indiana beat Wisconsin 71-66, and Indiana students were so excited about the victory that they stormed the court. C'mon now Hoosiers fans, let's get some perspective. I know Wisconsin was ranked #2 in the country at the moment, but these are still just the Badgers. Which school has five banners hanging from their arena? Who was just in the championship game in 2002? If you want to be a national powerhouse again, act like one. I'll bet if Duke beats North Carolina next week, you won't see them storming the court.

Oh who am I kidding? Duke's going to get killed by UNC. This isn't a slight against Duke, who has surprised me with their record thus far, but the Tar Heels are peaking and looking rather unstoppable. As good as Wisconsin, UCLA, Kansas, and Ohio State are right now, a Florida-UNC matchup has a "game for the ages" potential. Of course, since it's the final that everyone is expecting and hoping for, it's never actually going to come to fruition.

Despite a slow start, Florida displayed their explosiveness Wednesday night in a 74-64 victory over Vanderbilt. It's been tough for me to watch Florida play this year. Not because watching them play reminds me of the beating they gave UCLA, but because my hairline has been running about a year or so behind Billy Donovan; and I'm getting really depressed by what 2008 holds for me. Donovan's team definitely has the best starting five in the country, but they did show a few weaknesses. They don't have much depth this year, so if they ever were to get into foul trouble it could hurt them. Also, Vanderbilt showed that you can successfully attack their press with crisp passing and get easy baskets. Donovan actually called off the press for most of the second half. (Wait, you mean a coach is allowed to adjust his defensive strategy in the middle of the game? Ok, I guess I'm still a little bitter over last year's championship game.)

As an aside, Tom Hammond was announcing the Vanderbilt-Florida game. I had no idea he announced basketball. I thought he was just called in for events where horses were involved- like the Kentucky Derby, or any Notre Dame game with Laura Quinn in the stands.

Finally, as a college basketball fan, I would just like to thank David Stern for allowing us to borrow Kevin Durant and Greg Oden for a year.