Depaul, 0 for 18 in the Big East, did just that not too long ago.

They won.

Let me spell it out:

D-E-P-A-U-L. W-O-N. A. G-A-M-E.

They beat Cincinnati by 10 in the first game of the slugfest that is the Big East Tournament.

What, only 4 more wins to go before the Blue Demons go dancing!

Post from: EveryJoe

You know it is March when…

That’s all it took for Duke to make everyone realize that the number one ranking in the country is useless.

It was all James Johnson needed to make Connecticut the new number one team in the nation.

His layup with 0.8 seconds left in the game gave last week’s number one team and current No. 6 Wake Forest a 70-68 win last night in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Being ranked number one these days may be just as bad as being put on the cover of Sports Illustrated or the Madden football video game.

Now that the Duke has surrendered the top ranking, it’s your turn UConn. North Carolina couldn’t hold on to it, neither could Pittsburgh, Wake Forest or Duke. Let’s see what you can do.

You pounded DePaul last night 71-49 and you play Providence this weekend. But don’t get too happy. Duke did the same thing to Maryland last weekend and you see where that got them.

Post from: EveryJoe

Does Anyone Want to be Number One?

When: Today– San Diego St. vs. St. Marys at 1.30… then UCLA vs. Depaul at 4.00

Established in 1994, the Wooden Classic is an annual tribute to the legendary former coach and the excellence he personifies.

John Wooden’s many accomplishments: From woodenclassic.com

Born:
Oct. 14, 1910 in Martinsville, IN

Home:
Encino, CA

Family:
Wife Nell (passed away 1985), son James, daughter Nancy, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren.

Education:
Purdue Univ., English, 1932

Player Highlights:
Led Martinsville High School to 1927 Indiana State title… Won All-State honors in basketball for three years (1926-28)… Lettered in basketball and baseball as a freshman at Purdue, then earned All-America honors as a point guard from 1930-32… Led Purdue to the National Collegiate Basketball Championship and was named College Basketball Player of the Year in 1932.

Coaching Highlights:
Finished 11-year prep coaching career with a record of 218 wins and 42 losses… Coached Indiana State to a 47-14 record in two years while also serving as the school’s athletic director… Led UCLA to an unprecedented 10 NCAA Basketball Championships in 12 years, including seven in-a-row… Owns the NCAA’s all-time consecutive win streak record of 88 straight games, compiled over four seasons from 1970-74… Is the only coach to compile four undefeated seasons of 30-0… Led UCLA to 16 conference championships… Finished 27-year UCLA coaching career with a 620-147 record.

Patriot:
Served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

San Diego St. (7-2) vs. St. Marys (6-1)

This year will mark the second appearance in the Wooden Classic for both Saint Mary’s and San Diego State. Last year Saint Mary’s defeated San Diego State 69-64, in a thrilling finish that featured a series of remarkable plays in the final minutes by both teams.

After a third straight appearance in the postseason and its third 20-win season in as many years, San Diego State heads into the 2008-09 campaign with all five starters and its top seven scorers returning. Finishing last year with a record of 20-13, Head Coach Steve Fisher and the Aztecs have won at least 20 games in three consecutive seasons for the first time in their Division I history and for the first time since 1939-41. This year, SDSU will look to run its streak to four with all-conference performers Lorrenzo Wade (1st team), Ryan Amoroso (3rd team) and Billy White (3rd team, freshman of the year) manning the frontline.

West Coast Conference Co-Coach of the Year, Randy Bennett, will attempt to lead the Gaels to their first back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Saint Mary’s will be led on the court by sophomore guard Patrick Mills.

UCLA (5-2) vs. Depaul (4-3)

The appearance will mark the 12th overall and sixth in a row for UCLA. Their record now stands at 8-3 in the Wooden Classic, with their last win coming in 2007 when they defeated Davidson 75-63.

Depaul making its first Wooden Classic appearance, welcomes back five letter winners and two redshirts from last season including four of the top seven scorers and its top two rebounders. The Blue Demons are led on the court by sophomore Mac Kashwal who is the team’s top scorer and rebounder. Dar Tucker is coming off a solid freshman campaign as well. He was a member of the Big East Conference All-Rookie team and was named to the national All-Freshman team by The Sporting News.

Post from: EveryJoe

15th Annual Wooden Classic