Identity is what involves fans in sports, and this game showcased what is starting to hurt the NCAA tournament but also makes it great. With all the young coaches coming on, let’s hope a few of them stay at their schools and create icons for the future. Jamie Dixon at Pitt, Jay Wright at Villanova, Billy Donovan at Florida, etc… all have a chance to become the next Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith, Denny Crum, or Lute Olsen. These coaches that stayed with one school created an identity. You don’t like Lute Olsen? There’s a reason to root against Arizona. You hate Bobby Knight, it’s just as well, it was a reason to root against Indiana for 29 years.

2009 NCAA Men's Final Four

Instead, we have too many of these Rick Pitino-types. He should be an icon, but he’s been too many places. Roy Williams in North Carolina powder blue still seems like Superman wearing Batman’s clothes.

When you root for Michigan State you truly are rooting for the blue-collar elements of the state of Michigan. When you root for Roy Williams and North Carolina, you’re rooting for… cream-of-the-crop recruits from around the country and a coach that built his legend somewhere else and needed to come home after 15 seasons.

There just isn’t as much to root for, or against.

Sloppy play – CBS’s Clark Kellogg, broadcasting his first NCAA Championship game, kept calling on Michigan State’s need to “knock down some shots,” but didn’t they first just need to prove they could hold possession for more than 11 seconds?

This has been a recurring trend in recent years – lackadaisical play. It’s hard to picture a tournament game that occurred any time from the ‘80s through the mid-‘90s with teams playing like this. Would Villanova in ’85 ever have run down the floor and put up a three-pointer off just one pass? (Or, the equivalent, since there was no three-point shot yet). Perhaps, but it’s hard to imagine, so it would have been the rare exception. But it’s easy to picture current teams playing this way.

Hand it to him, again – How about Magic Johnson at halftime saying it straight out, “Michigan State has to get the ball inside… They gotta work inside out, instead of outside in.”

Where was Billy Packer? – He (was) unceremoniously retired last year after 34 NCAA Championship games, and isn’t it a strange choice to go with Clark Kellogg to replace him? He’s clearly not good enough. Also he lowers the class level of the event, closer to an ESPN-type feeling vs. the timeless aura of Packer and Jim Nantz. It’s another element of identity – the national championship game on CBS has a certain time-honored quality to it, but Kellog’s style cuts into that somewhat.

That was close – For anyone that’s been out of college for more than six or seven years, aren’t you glad? You didn’t have to participate in the jump-up-and-down trend of collegiate fans.

Minimal confidence from CBS – How about CBS’s weak belief in our interest in the game, with the extended Green Day montage for the opening? Why not tell us more about this particular game, this matchup? Hansbrough is a genuine story. He’s the rarity, a national player of the year that came back for his senior year to win it all. Show us some scenes from that embarrassment against Kansas in the Final Four last year – tell us what Hansbrough has said about this mission.

That’s a strong, identifiable and relatable human story, but instead we got some unnecessary Green Day promotion, both for the band and the network.

It has to be said – Has there been a more inappropriate final lap of a legendary actor’s career than Gene Hackman as the Lowe’s voiceover man? Say it isn’t so, Coach Norman Dale.

No, I’m not talking about the Los Angeles Lakers, who once again established themselves as the team to beat in the NBA (for the moment) with last night’s vanquishing of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Christmas day victory over the Boston Celtics.  I say for the moment since both big games so far were at Staples Center, and the Lake show still has to face off with both the Cavs and the Celts on their home courts.

I’m also not referring to the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons, the sole remaining undefeated team in men’s NCAA Division I basketball.  Playing in one of the two top conferences, the ACC, Wake still has a long road ahead of them before any such coronation.

So, who is this most dominating of teams? The 18-0 University of Connecticut women. Already firmly entrenched as the unanimous #1 in both polls and not likely to slip anytime soon, the Huskies completely annihilated #2-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill last night, 88-58. Last time I checked, weren’t #1-#2 match-ups supposed to be close?

This slaughter of UNC comes on the heels of a 107-53 dismantling of Syracuse on Saturday. The 13-5 Orange aren’t exactly some small school squad hoping to make a name for themselves by playing the big girls, they’re a Big East Conference rival.

And, if that’s not enough, Connecticut demolished third-ranked Oklahoma 106-78 back in November.

Seriously, is there any team that can stop the Huskies this season? Arch-rival (and last year’s champion) Tennessee is a mere 14-3, tenth-ranked in the AP Poll and fifteenth in the Coaches. If any team knows what it takes to beat UConn, it’s the Lady Vols, considering how many epic showdowns the two titans of women’s basketball have had (an astounding 13 national titles and 27 Final Fours between them). But even Tennessee appears to be completely outclassed by Connecticut this year.

Of course, anything can happen. Injuries can decimate any team (the Huskies did lose freshman guard Caroline Doty for the rest of the season–before the Carolina game). One bad night of foul trouble and poor shooting could cause anyone to stumble (due to two early fouls, Tina Charles did miss a huge chunk of Connecticut’s season opening 82-71 victory over Georgia Tech–at eleven points, UConn’s smallest margin of victory so far this year). For that matter, the Moodus rumbles could suddenly develop into a magnitude-10 earthquake, shaking the entire state and flattening Gampel Pavilion.

It might take just that to beat the Huskies.

Like their Big 12 brethren Oklahoma and Texas, Mike Leach and his Texas Tech squad ended the season with only a single loss. Unfortunately for the Red Raiders, that loss came at the hands of Oklahoma and it was not a close game. That loss gave Oklahoma control over the tie-breakers in the Big 12 standings. Despite a huge win against Texas, the Red Raiders were left as the odd-man out in the Big 12. Look for the Red Raiders to light it up against Ole Miss in what could be Mike Leach’s last game with the program.

One doesn’t need to subpoena any phone records to get the message about the job Houston Nutt’s done at Ole Miss this season. Their 8-4 record is a significant improvement from the last two seasons and the Rebels can count themselves among the few teams to have stifled Urban Meyer’s high-powered Gator offense this season.

Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, NC – December 27)
West Virginia Mountaineers (8-4) vs. UNC Tarheels (8-4)

The 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl will be a bittersweet event for fans of the WVU Mounaineers . Most notably, the Car Care Bowl will serve as the swan song for the Pat White era. In what was supposed to be a triumphant final season for the signal-caller, the team struggled with the loss of Steve Slaton to the NFL and growing pains from the installation of first-year Coach Bill Stewart’s new systems. Early season losses and the emergence of Cincinnati and Pittsburgh as dominant programs in the Big East sealed the Mountaineers’ fate. For a player that has become the face of the program and a source of tremendous pride, going out in a mid-tier bowl has to be a bit of a disappointment.

UNC also has to be looking at the Car Care Bowl as a let-down. Following a strong start, Butch Davis’ Tarheels suffered late-season losses to Maryland and rival NC State that dropped them from contention for the ACC Championship. UNC’s defense is a bit of a question mark. They’re giving up over 350 yards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the team is paced by All-ACC WR Hakeem Nicks who is the first UNC receiver to top 1000 yards in a season and who is already the school’s career-yardage leader as a junior.

If the teams may be looking upon the bowl games as consolation prizes, it shouldn’t affect ticket sales. UNC fans will surely turn up in droves given the close proximity of Charlotte to Chapel Hill. However, you can expect that the WVU faithful will continue to reinforce their reputation as a good road draw. Despite the fact that the Car Care Bowl takes place in UNC’s back yard, fans wishing to pay Pat White his due will turn the stands blue and gold. The atmosphere should be rollicking.

FedEx Orange Bowl (Miami, FL – January 1)
#21 Virginia Tech Hokies (9-4) vs. #12 Cincinnati Bearcats (11-2)

The 2008 installment of the Orange Bowl should serve as the coming out party for a Cincinnati Bearcats program poised to make the move from conference also-ran to BCS mainstay. Two-time Big East Coach of the Year Brian Kelly has put together a squad with enough talent to rival even the big-time BCS juggernauts. Draft experts are predicting that the Bearcats could send as many as five players into the NFL draft from the current squad. Clearly, finding skilled players to man Cincinnati’s explosive spread offense hasn’t been a problem. The team’s biggest problem has been keeping the players they have healthy. Injuries plagued the Bearcats’ signal callers all season long. QB Tony Pike has shown great mobility when healthy and should be a major factor in the game.

When the Virginia Tech Hokies left the Big East for the greener pastures of the ACC, no one could have predicted how beneficial that decision was going to turn out to be for the boys from Blacksburg. Virginia Tech quickly emerged as the dominant program in the conference and revenues for the football program have skyrocketed. Coach Frank Beamer has again assembled a Hokie squad that is stalwart on defense and dominant on special teams. The biggest question marks for Virginia Tech have been on the offensive side of the ball. Beamer was eventually forced to remove the red-shirt tag from QB Tyrod Taylor in order to bring him in to replace Sean Glennon who was the QB of note when the Hokies were upset by East Carolina to start the year.

The most intriguing matchups should occur between Cincinnati’s offense and Virginia Tech’s smothering defense. But keep your eye on the field during punts and kicks. Special teams are a strength for the Bearcats, and it should be fun to see how Cincinnati’s superb pair of kickers, Groza award nominee K Jake Rogers, and Ray Guy finalist P Kevin Huber deal with the most talented special teams unit they have yet seen. Look for the game to turn on a big special teams play.

BCS National Championship (Miami, FL – January 8)
#1 Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) vs. #2 Florida Gators (12-1)


With apologies to Texas fans, it looks as though the two best teams in the nation will face off in the BCS Championship Game. When the dust settled, it was the Sooners and the Gators who separated themselves from the pack by virtue of their explosive offenses.

There is the off-chance that Oklahoma will once-again forget that the bowl games do count. Hopefully, the Sooners learned their lesson last season when they were upset by an inspired WVU team in the Fiesta Bowl. If Bob Stoops doesn’t have his boys ready to play from the first whistle, you can bet Urban Meyer and the Gators will roll early.

While both teams suffered mid-season losses, the Sooners and the Gators both seem to be clicking right now. Each team will be coming into this game carrying a great deal of momentum in their favor. Florida’s tough win over Alabama in the SEC title game proved that they can take anyone’s best punch and stay on their feet. Despite a loss to fierce-rival Texas, the Sooners have bounced back to win the Big 12 on the back of Heisman-Trophy-winning-QB, Sam Bradford.

I think this game will be a shoot-out with the win going to the last team to have the ball.

NFL: Last week, I looked at the parity now existing in the National Football League.  Of course, as even as teams are, the playoffs will still only hold twelve teams.  The postseason picture grew a little clearer this past weekend.  In the AFC, one favorite coming into the season, the Chargers, dropped completely out of contention, another, the Patriots, slipped to a game out of a playoff spot, and a third, the Colts rose into one.  Denver showed a strong resurgence and Pittsburgh reiterated that they are the one team capable of challenging the Titans.  The NFC picture is as murky as ever, with eleven teams still in contention.  The Giants and Cardinals are pretty secure, but the South has replaced the East as the division to beat.

NCAA Football: The BCS is as big a mess as ever, with Oklahoma passing Texas for the second spot despite having lost to the Longhorns.  We could be looking at four undefeated teams going into bowl season, two of which will be playing in BCS bowls but not against each other (Alabama and Utah) and a third (Boise State) which is at least receiving consideration, although few expect a second non-”big six” conference team to win an at-large bid.  So much for every week being a playoff, as the BCS supporters posit as a rationale for their irrational system.

NHL: Looking back over the first few weeks of this site, I realized I have yet to post on hockey.  I don’t have a good reason why not–I enjoy the puck immensely.  A quarter season has passed already.  Last year’s Stanley Cup Finalists are both playing strong, although Detroit has been eclipsed by the absolutely stellar play of the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh overshadowed by the New York Rangers and by the Boston Bruins’ return to prominence.  This week features a major show down between the Rangers and Penguins. The Rangers are definitely a good team, but considering that New York has played two more games than anyone else in the league, three more than any other team in its own division, and four more than Pittsburgh, it’s time to see if they truly are that much better than the rest of the conference or if their high point total is an additional games played advantage.

NBA: Lakers. Celtics. ‘Nuff said (with an apologetic nod to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers). Finals rematch, anyone?

NCAA Basketball: So far, North Carolina has justified its unanimous pre-season #1 ranking, dominating even with National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough having played minimal minutes to date due to injury.  Meanwhile, the Big East set a record this week with eight teams being ranked in the AP Poll.  That’s half of the sixteen team league and just under a third of the ranked teams.  Wow.  

A most wonderful time of the year, indeed!

Big East Dominance

The ACC may hold the top spot in North Carolina, but the Big East owns the poll overall, with seven teams ranked.  That translates to better than one out of every four ranked teams coming just from that conference alone.  #2 Connecticut leads the pack, which also includes two other teams in the Top 5, #3 Louisville and #5 Pittsburgh.

Of course, what tends to happen when a league has numerous teams that good is that the beat up on each other when the season turns to conference play.  While such a situation doesn’t bode well for more than one, maybe two, squads staying at the top of the rankings, it still isn’t the instant championship death it would be in football.  The Big East should be well situated come March to send several teams deep into the tournament.

Coming in a distant second is the ACC, with four ranked teams.

Davidson Rewarded

Last year’s Cinderella of the tournament, Davidson, is back in the Top 25, starting the year at #20.  Davidson’s run was one of the most exciting in recent years.  They may not have made the Final Four like the George Mason Patriots did in 2006, but the difference between those two teams was quickly apparent.  The Patriots were a good team on a miraculous Cinderella run; the Wildcats, a great team fully capable of playing at such a high level day in, day out, for an entire season.  With George Mason, one constantly wondered when the run would end; with Davidson, one came truly to believe they could continue to win.

Mid-majors continue to make their mark each year, and Davidson last year was no fluke.  The preseason ranking is well-deserved.  Don’t be surprised if the Wildcats follow in Gonzaga’s footsteps as a perennial Top 25 team (the Zags start the season at #10).

Comparison to the USA Today Coaches Poll

The Top 25 teams are identical between the two polls, even if the specific rankings differ.  North Carolina is the unanimous #1 in both; #2 – 4 also stay the same.  Only five teams show significant (more than one or two spots) variance: Duke (#8 AP, #5 USA Today), USC (#18 AP, #21 USA Today), Wake Forest (#21 AP, #24 USA Today), Georgetown (#22 AP, #18 USA Today) and, the big mover, Wisconsin (#25 AP, #21 USA Today–at four spots, the Badgers have the largest variance of any school ranked).

Of course, the Tar Heels would never claim to be entertaining the concept of going undefeated.  Coach Roy Williams has stated, ““I have no dream of going undefeated. Not a blip. I could care less about it.”  He may very well be telling the truth.  But even if he isn’t thinking about the possibility, it’s hard to believe his team hasn’t considered it.  And even if his players are so well-coached that the idea has never occurred to them, the Tar Heels fans–and college basketball fans everywhere–have definitely conceived of it.

Can the Tar Heels do it?  They have the best player in the country in Tyler “Psycho T” Hansbrough (one the most intense player I’ve ever seen play the game) and all five starters returning from last year’s team.  But perfection?  The only major sport in which occurs with any frequency is college football, where the combination of a short season (in terms of number of games) and the discrepancy between the haves and have-nots makes it almost a necessity to win a national title.  Change one of those factors and perfection is a near impossibility; for example, the NFL season is only slightly longer than the college football season, but already the built-in parity of the pro-game leaves us with one perfect team (the ’72 Dolphins) and one regular-season perfect team (the ’07 Patriots).

Jumping back to college basketball, only nine teams in history have gone undefeated, the most recent being Indiana in 1975-1976.  And perfection in college basketball is infinitely more difficult than it is in football for a variety of reasons.  Firstly, the season is close to three times longer–that many more opportunities to lose.  Secondly, there are only five players on the floor at a time and a fraction of that of football on the entire squad.  This reduced number of players manifests itself two ways.  One, there are vastly more teams performing at the highest level of the game since there are simply more players to go around.  Two, one player being injured has a much greater effect than it does in a sport where more players are involved.  If the wrong player goes down at the wrong time, sayonara!  It should be noted that Hansbrough has spent the last two weeks away from practice with an injury that has also caused him to miss his first ever game as a Tar Heel.  Considering the cupcake opponents of early season non-conference play, not a big deal for North Carolina, but should the same happen later in the season, it could end both their perfect season and national title hopes in one fell swoop?

Finally, March Madness itself makes perfection a challenge.  The tournament structure means only one team a year could attain that lofty goal and, by its very nature, lends itself to the very upsets which have made the road to the Final Four such a huge success.

Personally, although the national championship is well within their grasp, I don’t think the Tar Heels will be able to pull off perfection.  One off day shooting, coupled with foul trouble, perhaps even a minor injury, and the pursuit would be all over.  Each year the challenge becomes more difficult than the last. Good luck trying.