Thursday's Dribbles

* Two days ago, I signed up for Basketball State. If you thought Ken Pomeroy’s site was a valuable resource, shell out the $22 per year and you will be impressed. There will be a learning curve for me in finding the meaning behind some of the more complex statistics.

* Speaking of being impressed, I love what B101 does. Their methodology, analysis, bracket projections and poll questions are top notch. If you want to know the best six games of the night, check out the six pack.

* On Monday night, Cleveland State won at Syracuse with a heave from beyond halfcourt. After the game, Clement (a ‘Cuse fan) asked how debilitating this loss was. I think it’s a bad loss, but it’s exactly that. One loss. I picked Cleveland State to win the Horizon League prior to the season, but they had no right defeating Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. If Syracuse comes out flatter than Diet Coke on Saturday night at Memphis, then the selection committee (whom I will capitalize later in the season) will see this as a negative trend heading into conference play. Add Devendorf’s impending suspension to the mix and Syracuse may fall to that 9th or 10th team in the Big East queue who may be frozen out.

* Gregg Doyel’s hate mail is the most hilarious read on the Internet. Hands down.

* I get irked when some fans are satisfied by the USA Today and AP polls. They only tell a part of the story and are skewed by preseason rankings. Here are some other rankings of relevance. Do not limit yourselves.

RPI
KenPom
Basketball State