All 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s are still breathing, though some easier than others. Gus Johnson is God, still. And Lazar Hayward is probably still sick from his booboo, his spectacle, his stumble.

Most Exciting Game
Slim pickings. Gonzaga v. Western Kentucky was dynamite though. Mendez-Valdez and Slaughter hit some tough shots but at the finish the defense was just scattered as all hell, allowing Demetri Goodson to essentially take a h-o-r-s-e shot for the win. Jeremy Pargo, the cat I thought was running the ball up the court there at the end, causing me to wrongly shout ‘freakin Pargo’, was feeling it …read more

Some of the Wooden Preseason Top 50 players had great games on Friday.
– Boston College guard Tyrese Rice scored 24 on 7-9 shooting (5-5 from downtown) in a 6 point win over UAB.
– Wake Forest super sophomore James Johnson scored 18 on 8-13 shooting in a victory against UTEP. Star guard from UTEP, Stefon Jackson, scored 31 and pulled down 9 boards in the loss.
– Tennessee forward Tyler Smith shot 50% from the field and 90% from the line en route to a 21 point effort in a win over Georgetown.
– Syracuse shifty sophomore guard Jonny Flynn scored …read more

Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List (Based on a preseason poll)
(Freshmen are not eligible for the preseason list)
My ingenious comments in italics.
A.J. Abrams, G, Sr., Texas- No more D.J
Wink Adams, G, Sr., UNLV- Anybody gonna cover Jo’Van?
DeJuan Blair, F, Soph., Pittsburgh- Skilled big
Jon Brockman, F, Sr., Washington- Rebounding machine
Derrick Brown, F, Jr., Xavier- Trenton Hassell 2.0
Chase Budinger, F, Jr., Arizona- Style over substance?
Nick Calathes, G/F. Soph., Florida- Multidimensional
Dionte Christmas, G, Sr., Temple- It won’t come early
Earl Clark, F, Jr., Louisville- Upside city
Sherron Collins, G, Jr., Kansas- Stocky playmaker
Darren Collison, Sr., UCLA- All around fundamental
Lee …read more

Despite the return of the big three for Pitt, serious questions of front court depth and back court competence still persist.
Not only did Mike Cook get a no go for another year of eligibility, but quality guards Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin graduated.
Everyone knows what to expect from tough minded Levance Fields, but what if Levance cannot shake the concerning foot injury suffered last year? Unheralded freshman Travon Woodall can’t be expected to help the team right the ship, maybe in a pinch, but it’s not likely because of the lack of experience and firepower at the …read more

(Channeling Brent Musburger)…
We are coming to you LIVE from Madison Square Garden as the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Duke Blue Devils get set for what should be a fantastic contest.
Today’s announcers are Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas. Rock solid announcing crew.
And here we go…

Duke comes out in a straight man to man. It will be interesting to see if the Duke frontcourt is athletic enough to keep up with the Panthers.
Both teams come out a little shaky – a couple of turnovers and offensive fouls early on.
Duke has now switched to a zone defense and forces a quick turnover. …read more

There are some fabulous match-ups on the college basketball schedule for this week. Here are some great games for your viewing pleasure…
Thursday December 20th – #7 Duke at #9 Pittsburgh. The young Dookies will face a huge test as they travel to Madison Square Garden to face the Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and the Panthers. Both teams have played pretty easy schedules up to this point, so this game will be a great gauge of just how good they really are.
Saturday December 22nd – #4 Georgetown at #2 Memphis. A fantastic top-5 battle will take place at the FedEx …read more