Pictures Say 1,000 Words

Don’t fret, I won’t make this column anywhere near 1,000 words (is that good or bad?).

Instead, I’m going to SHOW you a pick-six of important questions targeting key teams and conferences down the stretch of this college basketball season.

You ready? Either way, let’s roll!

Is Texas better off without Kevin Durant this season?
Credit: CNNSI.com

Pro: Texas isn’t simply waiting to see if Durant can carry them to another victory, especially when tourney-time arrives.

Con: With Duran’t shot-making ability from every spot on the court, Texas might’ve been anchoring for a top-seed with D.J. Augustin’s ascension to top-PG status and the consistent contributions of A.J. Abrams (17 ppg) and Damion James (13 and 11).

Will Indiana survive the firing of their head-coach come tournament time?
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Pro: Controlling their own Big 10 destiny, the Hoosiers have only one ranked opponent (Mich. St.) on their schedule.

Con: Loaded with Final Four-talent (Gordon and White especially), Indiana isn’t savvy enough – then again, who is – to survive losing their head coach two weeks before their postseason life begins.

Is there enough room in America’s hearts to accept another WCC-darling?
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Pro: At 23-3, it’s hard to deny the talent the Gaels have alongside the much more well-known Zags.

Con: Even if Gonzaga is swept by St. Mary’s (they already have 1 W), it’ll take a lot more than a WCC title (regular and/or post-season) for another non-major West Coast team to surface on the radar of America’s viewing pulse.

Can Louisville rejuvenate the spark led by last year’s post-season darling Edgar Sosa?
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Pro: You take the good with the bad. Turnovers and inconsistent shooting aside, the Cardinal only need a spark here or there from their potential high-impact scorer.

Con: Appearing in only 10 games with less than 20 minutes per, more often than not Sosa is shooting well under 40% from the field.

Will the CAA’s best be able to use Bracketbuster weekend to propel the conference into potential multiple bids?
Credit: Post-Gazette.com & MSNBC.com

Pro: Bradley’s win over Drake only helps VCU (who won @Bradley earlier this season) and George Mason’s profiles. Mason and VCU might need a repeat performance of last year’s exciting CAA Title game for both to be considered for at-large status.

Con: The conference has seen down years from Drexel, ODU, and late-fades from Delaware, James Madison, and William & Mary. Not to mention, VCU is terrible on ESPN2 the last two seasons.

Gutted in recent years from conference-jumpers, is the A-10 ready to return to March Madness-relevance?
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Pro: A top 10 team, name brands (Temple & UMASS), and up-and-coming squads (Rhode Island & St. Joseph’s) bring promise and potential to a potentially wild conference tournament.

Con: Outside of top-10 Xavier, nobody else has broken away in-conference (St. Joe’s stands at 7-4) despite several solid out-of-conference marks.

Any questions of your own you want answered???
LET ME KNOW!

Until next time...