Get ready for Drexel!

Four starters returning from a 29-win team. They play smothering defense, hit the boards hard, and take good care of the ball. Bruiser Flint has it going at Drexel.

Just a little bit of blue?

Northwestern's futile attempt to finally make the NCAA tournament has been hindered largely by their lack of ability to rebound and play defense. Their offense is good, if somewhat one-dimensional. Their main problem is that they (maybe meaning Coach Carmody) just refuse to play blue-collar basketball. Their style of basketball absolutely matches their academic standard. However, they have several transfers coming in who may bring some grit with them. Plus, some of their recruits are reputed to be hard-nosed players. We'll see. Can this team bear to get their hands dirty?

OK Coach, you think you have problems!

Vanderbilt's leading returning scorer averaged 3.1 points/game last year.

Upgrading talent

Upgrading a team's talent is a painful cycle. You would like to treat well the kids that you recruit, but every year you hope you are recruiting players better than they are. So, the kids that have been there suddenly would find themselves with less playing time, and they aren't happy. The price of progress, I guess.

Fish back to Little Rock?

I wonder if Derrick Fisher will attend UALR games after he retires from the NBA.

Entertainment + education = corruption

The fallacy of big money college sports is the attachment of entertainment to education. That inevitably will lead to corruption of the process.

Front line

Will we have the best front line in the Sun Belt. Who knows. But I can tell you that if we are not in the very top tier, I will be considerably disappointed.

Time for excitement

A couple of weeks until the preseason magazines come out. It is time to get revved up about college basketball. Ought to be a very interesting season in Little Rock.

Young, but

If this group of young men show a good attitude, listen to their coaches, and work hard, there is no reason they can't be one of the best teams we have had, especially since most of the team will play together for four years.

NCAA moves

Anything the NCAA does to allow schools to pay more to athletes just makes that much more of a gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Taggart

Taggart Lockhart at a healthy 220 pounds, as hard as he plays, is going to be a handful in the SBC.

Down the stretch

We are within a month of the time when the preseason magazines come out, and that is about the time I start getting really fired up. Go Trojans!

Post man coaches

We need more college coaches who were post men, to help counter the tendency that is making the game overwhelmingly guard-oriented.

Broadnax

If you want a great coaching story, read up on Horace Broadnax at Savannah State. He took over in 2005 the year after they went 0-28. They won two games his first season. This past year they were 21-12 and went to the NIT as regular season champs of the MEAC. His budget is 1/26th of Duke's. They play tough half-court defense. He recruits the kids that are willing to work hard, even if they don't have the greatest talent. Just a great story.

Great to be a Trojan fan!

I have had a tremendous amount of enjoyment over the years following the Little Rock Trojans. We won't get the press that that other school gets, but our fans are loyal. Go Trojans!

Sleeze-ipari

I am not the only one who thinks it.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/19767908/critical-coaches-who-is-perceived-to-be-the-biggest-cheater-in-the-sport

Assistants

I really like the slate of assistant coaches we have now. Probably the best in my tenure as a fan. They seem to have all the bases covered in terms of what assistants ought to bring to the table for the team.

Youth

This really is going to be a young team. No scholarship seniors, and only one junior. Twelve underclassmen.

ESPN

How often do you see a 2-point shot on ESPN highlights that is not a dunk or a spectacular fast-break finish? Not very often. Just another reason for me not to like ESPN.

Can't subtract

Most basketball fans cannot subtract. They can add (see offense), but they don't even bother to subtract (notice defense).

SWAC problems

You can look at SWAC basketball and wonder what the problem is. Why are they so bad? You have to assume it is not overall athletic ability, because they probably get their share of those. However, if you look at the stats, it is clear. They do not have shooters, and they do not take care of the ball. Poor shooting percentages and lots of turnovers. The shooting might take work, but the turnovers is a fixable problem; the coaches just have to coach.