Big Blog Update
The blog is back after a weekend of turkey, conference attending, and football watching. First off, turkey with the fam was awesome. Secondly, I attended a Baha'i conference on Friday and Saturday and it was really good. I got home in time on Saturday night to watch the drama unfold between Florida and Kansas. And of course, no weekend is complete without the National Football League. Nevertheless, we're in college basketball season, so this post will be dedicated to that.
Same Face, New Role
The first is someone we've heard of. Injuries and mono have reduced Josh Heytvelt to a bit-part role in the Gonzaga fold. Following the exodus of Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista, the Bulldogs needed a player to step up alongside pint-sized point guard Derek Raivio. The 6'11" Heytvelt has raised his game, increasing his averages to 17.3 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game, from 3.4 and 2.0 last season, respectively. Additionally, Heytvelt, when healthy, can grind it out down low or nail a jumpshot from the high post.
Another Sweet 16 team stripped of the majority of its talent was West Virginia. Don't tell that to Joe Alexander who averaged less than two points per game last season in mop-up duty. The sophomore averages 11.2 ppg (2nd on the team) in only 23.3 minutes per game. Just as important, he plays at the top of John Beilein's famed 1-3-1. The long-armed sophomore opened up the game versus Montana with a steal in the passing lane and a flush en route to an easy victory for the Mountaineers. With that said, he is very coachable and has room for improvement.
Eating My Words
Last week, the homer in me came out to speak when Old Dominion of the CAA defeated Georgetown and the MVC had yet to earn a signature win. Two signature wins later for Missouri State (neutral floor) and Wichita State (at LSU) over Wisconsin and LSU, respectively, and I'm eating my words. Mind you, I'm not taking back what I said. The MVC gets too much hype. Just remember these two things.
First, Missouri State was a good team last season and they remain strong. Wisconsin's preseason ranking is high, in my opinion, and of course, I can say that because hindsight is 20/20. Last season, they were embarrassed in the NCAA Tournament. In this day of early exits to the professional ranks, decent teams from a major conferences who return five starters are automatically ranked in the Top 25. Time will only tell if Wisconsin is for real.
Second, I've seen Wichita State play in person and they excel against teams with poor guard play who cannot defend the perimeter. Last season, we saw in the national semifinals what good guard play does to the Tigers. For the Shockers, Ryan Martin has emerged into a P.J. Tucker clone, filling a major void in the blocks left by last year's leading scorer, Paul Miller.
Heavyweight Match in Vegas
Heavyweight title boxing matches take place in Las Vegas, not marquee basketball games. Don't tell that to Florida and Kansas, as Saturday night saw two of the preseason's top three face off on a neutral court to determine a few things. No, it did not determine who's better. But it did determine that should Kansas have a last shot to take or a guy to trust down the stretch, freshman phenom Darrell Arthur is not afraid. Arthur was the recipient of great low post feeds from Julian Wright down the stretch, scoring 19 points and gathering nine boards in only 16 minutes. As for Florida, they did not play well by their standards. This game also determined what the Gators already know -- they are lacking in depth and cannot win on talent alone. Expect Billy Donovan to experiment with his rotation in order to be prepared with the tussle with Ohio State on December 23 prior to the opening of the SEC regular season.
The blog is back after a weekend of turkey, conference attending, and football watching. First off, turkey with the fam was awesome. Secondly, I attended a Baha'i conference on Friday and Saturday and it was really good. I got home in time on Saturday night to watch the drama unfold between Florida and Kansas. And of course, no weekend is complete without the National Football League. Nevertheless, we're in college basketball season, so this post will be dedicated to that.
Same Face, New Role
The first is someone we've heard of. Injuries and mono have reduced Josh Heytvelt to a bit-part role in the Gonzaga fold. Following the exodus of Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista, the Bulldogs needed a player to step up alongside pint-sized point guard Derek Raivio. The 6'11" Heytvelt has raised his game, increasing his averages to 17.3 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game, from 3.4 and 2.0 last season, respectively. Additionally, Heytvelt, when healthy, can grind it out down low or nail a jumpshot from the high post.
Another Sweet 16 team stripped of the majority of its talent was West Virginia. Don't tell that to Joe Alexander who averaged less than two points per game last season in mop-up duty. The sophomore averages 11.2 ppg (2nd on the team) in only 23.3 minutes per game. Just as important, he plays at the top of John Beilein's famed 1-3-1. The long-armed sophomore opened up the game versus Montana with a steal in the passing lane and a flush en route to an easy victory for the Mountaineers. With that said, he is very coachable and has room for improvement.
Eating My Words
Last week, the homer in me came out to speak when Old Dominion of the CAA defeated Georgetown and the MVC had yet to earn a signature win. Two signature wins later for Missouri State (neutral floor) and Wichita State (at LSU) over Wisconsin and LSU, respectively, and I'm eating my words. Mind you, I'm not taking back what I said. The MVC gets too much hype. Just remember these two things.
First, Missouri State was a good team last season and they remain strong. Wisconsin's preseason ranking is high, in my opinion, and of course, I can say that because hindsight is 20/20. Last season, they were embarrassed in the NCAA Tournament. In this day of early exits to the professional ranks, decent teams from a major conferences who return five starters are automatically ranked in the Top 25. Time will only tell if Wisconsin is for real.
Second, I've seen Wichita State play in person and they excel against teams with poor guard play who cannot defend the perimeter. Last season, we saw in the national semifinals what good guard play does to the Tigers. For the Shockers, Ryan Martin has emerged into a P.J. Tucker clone, filling a major void in the blocks left by last year's leading scorer, Paul Miller.
Heavyweight Match in Vegas
Heavyweight title boxing matches take place in Las Vegas, not marquee basketball games. Don't tell that to Florida and Kansas, as Saturday night saw two of the preseason's top three face off on a neutral court to determine a few things. No, it did not determine who's better. But it did determine that should Kansas have a last shot to take or a guy to trust down the stretch, freshman phenom Darrell Arthur is not afraid. Arthur was the recipient of great low post feeds from Julian Wright down the stretch, scoring 19 points and gathering nine boards in only 16 minutes. As for Florida, they did not play well by their standards. This game also determined what the Gators already know -- they are lacking in depth and cannot win on talent alone. Expect Billy Donovan to experiment with his rotation in order to be prepared with the tussle with Ohio State on December 23 prior to the opening of the SEC regular season.
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1 comment:
Wichita State can eat my ass :-)
Aside from that highly educated statement, I will devote the rest of my posting to the memory of Sammy Hernandez, who is leaving Jorge Mason for some Florida school. Maybe he'll just fly back with the FIU team following their loss tonight to GMU.
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