1. Pittsburgh – The Panthers just keep on rolling. After a thorough dismantling of the Hoyas, they now assume the top spot in the TPFSports college basketball rankings. You just have to love the lunch-pale attitude of DaJuan Blair. In a huge game, with scouts on hand to watch Sam Young and Georgetown’s Greg Monroe, he has his best game of the year, to the tune of 20 and 17. Way to show up, Big Fella!!!!
2. Duke – Coach K has the boys playing pretty well, so far. After an adjustment period, Nolan Smith is now steady at the point guard position (how scary was that knee injury, Duke fans?) and Kyle Singler continues to play outstanding ball. But, the biggest surprise has been the play of former stiff, Brian Zoubek. Any contribution from him on the glass and in the paint is more than most folks would have expected.
3. North Carolina – Well….raise your hand if you saw that one coming. So is it a tragic flaw or just one of those games? At least the horsecrap about an undefeated season can be silenced now. Big….BIG…game against Wake Forest on Sunday. Do they bounce back?
4. Wake Forest – Who was on Wake first? Us…that’s who. Al-Farouq Aminu continues his stellar/steady play as a freshman. James Johnson is…well….James Johnson. Combine that with Jeff Teague and you will win a ton of three on three tournaments. Maybe even an NCAA tourney. Again, big game on Sunday. How the young’ns respond to the limelight will be of the utmost importance.
5 (Tie). Georgetown – We see you, JT3. Great win against the Huskies up in Connecticut…..not so great loss at Pitt. Balanced scoring is the team’s calling card and the inspired play of Greg Monroe has people talking lottery pick this summer. Another strong test at Notre Dame tonight. But this team is definitely for real.
5 (Tie) Connecticut - Some may say that this is too big of a drop for a team that lost to another top ten team. But it’s the way that they loss. And the way they’ve been playing for the last couple of weeks. After a superb start, Kemba Walker has hit the freshman wall and his minutes reflect it. Hasheem Thabeet was thoroughly outplayed by a freshman five inches shorter than him. And AJ Price isn’t quite AJ Price, yet. There’s still time to get it together. But something is not quite right.
7. Texas – The Horns bounced back from the heart-breaking (and bone-headed) loss to Michigan State with a very nice win on the road against Wisconsin. And although we still wish they were tougher on the interior, there’s no question about AJ Abrams and his career year. Just think what this team could do with a 6’9 meathead in the middle just for rebounding and defensive purposes. Arkansas, fresh off of their upset of Oklahoma, looms large tonight.
8. Oklahoma – Speaking of the Sooners….the knee jerk reaction is to think they’re nothing but hype. We know, we just erased that exact sentence. But upon further review, there is absolutely no need to be worried about the loss to Arkansas. Blake Griffin continues to play out of his mind, even if his points production has tailed off as of late. The biggest Christmas get under Coach Jeff Capel’s tree has to be the play of Willie Warren. It really looks like he’s finally figured this “college thing” out. If his confidence continues to grow, look for more games like the 31 points he hung on Rice and the 35 he gave Arkansas.
9. Syracuse – In the past, we would look at the Cuse’s tidy 14-1 record and think “I wonder if those were cream-filled or not.” Not this year. Sure there are the Canisius’, the Oakland’s and the…*ahem*….Cleveland States on the schedule. But Florida, Memphis and Kansas make this a very nutritious diet. We genuinely like Jimmy Boeheim, so it feels pretty good to see them DESERVE to be this high. However, the reinstatement of Eric Devendorf makes us scratch our collective heads.
10. Michigan State – If you thought that they were as bad as the 35 point drubbing they took at the hands of the Heels, then you don’t know much about basketball. Tom Izzo is one of the truly elite coaches, who never shy’s away from tough early season match-ups. As the front court rounds into shape (Goran Suton comes back from injury, Delvon Roe improves the strength of his surgically repaired knees), Kalin Lucas remains the ignition for this team. He completely dismantled any plan that Tubby Smith had for containing him. And in the process, lead his team to victory.
Knocking on the Door – Too many to list. Parity….or is that parody….is in full force in college basketball.
Line of the Week – 48 minutes, 41 pts, 14-24 FG, 6-10 3FG, 7-8 FT…..OFF THE BENCH!!! Those were the stats from Portland State junior reserve Dominic Waters. Looking at his game log, you can definitely see that he’s mercurial. On Sunday night, he was off the charts.
Player of the Year Watch – Its still Blake Griffin’s to lose. We really don’t think Stephon Curry is in the discussion anymore after sub-par shooting games and his team’s lack of success. Although a huge game on national TV against the Blue Devils next week could change all of that. Three horses are out front, right now….Griffin, James Hardin and Tyler Hansbrough.
Freshman of the Year Watch – Willie Warren, Oklahoma. After a slow, under-whelming beginning to his collegiate career, Warren has caught fire. Averaging over 19 ppg over his last seven games, Warren’s outside touch is the perfect compliment Griffin’s brute force inside.
What You Should Check For – Conference play has begun, and if you want to see good games, just tune into the Big East. Seemingly every game is a Top 25 match-up. Same goes with the Big 10, but we’re not sure if anyone really wants to see the slow, plodding pace. Make sure you’re in front of a TV on Sunday night to watch UNC vs Wake Forest, though. It will be epic.
