Go Big Ten!

I hope the Big Ten does really well in the NCAA this year, just to tweak the noses of all those who don't like Big Ten style basketball.

Clock ticking for the Wildcats

With Northwestern's loss to Penn State, their slim chances for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament got even slimmer. They still might get one if they win out and go deep into the Big Ten tournament, but it would be iffy even then.

Pretty discouraging

Hard on Trojan fans right not. Not much to be excited about.

faithful fan base

I would not have thought it, but it appears that the Trojans have a fairly faithful fan base. With the season we are having, it is surprising how well our attendance has held up. Certainly not great, but far better than I would have thought.

death of a dream

Northwestern's loss at home to Big Ten bottom-feeder Penn State probably killed any chances they had at an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. They never have been to the Big Dance - the only BCS conference team that has to say that.

tough go

It has to be hard to keep a team's focus and morale up at this point in a bad season. I don't envy the coaches their task.

Shields

My official position on Shields is that I hope he makes it and continues as coach. He runs a clean program, and that is more important to me than winning, if forced to make a choice. I like his style of basketball, and I like his low-key personality. However, I don't think he has done a very good job of coaching this season, after doing an outstanding job the past two seasons. I don't worry much about it, because it is the AD's call, and it is hard for me to feel sorry for someone who is making as much money as Shields is.

stinko

When you lose to Monroe at home, you know you are pretty bad.

down

Well, he had hoped this rebuilding year would not be quite as far down as some of the past ones. Vain hope!

In the best of all worlds

I would have two players at each of the perimeter positions, spaced two years apart. The remaining seven players would be at the 4 and the 5, and ALL of them would be redshirted.

Ark State game

Can you beat it? How about that for a finish! El Fuerte comes through, and a legend is born. In a rough season, it really is nice to have a few moments like that.

Wedel - a transfer that worked

Remember Ryan Wedel at Arkansas State a couple of years ago? He ended up at Drake. He is their second leading scorer.

single digit scoring

Dartmouth is well on the way to not having a single player average double digits in scoring. Little Rock got some notice year before last for doing that. The difference is we won 20 games, and Dartmouth has won only four so far. I wonder how many times a team has won 20 games with no player averaging double figures?

unique name of the year

Yaw Gyawu.
Sophomore forward for Colgate.

Coastal Carolina - dark horse?

If you are looking for a dark horse for a post-season upset, keep an eye on Coastal Carolina. They are 19-4, and were 10-2 in non-conference. They shoot well, play really tough defense, take care of the ball, and have a plus-7 rebounding margin.

Fitting the schemes

A person may not be an expert at a particular discipline, but may be exceptionally at one facet of it. For example, a man may not be a great mechanic, but he may be a whiz at transmissions. Mid-level schools, who cannot get the great players, may develop a very good team by recruiting players who stay for four or five years and become expert at doing the things that are needed within a particular coach’s offensive and defensive schemes – expert role players, in other words. That is how smaller schools have to thrive. The problem is getting players that fit those schemes and getting them to buy into them – and getting them to stay four years.

undersized

As undersized as we are at all three of the front line positions, it is a wonder that we have done as well at rebounding as we have.

guards

I really do think that we have one of the better sets of offensive perimeter players in the league, and definitely will next season. Defensively - that is another matter.

glimmer of hope

We have won two of the last four. This team might possibly mange to keep the season from being an absolutely disaster by closing strong. They need that for next year. I still don't think this team is as bad as their record indicates, and they need a little something positive to head into the off-season. Here's hoping.