What's Hot?
1. Memphis- What is there not to be hot about here? They just keep on not losing and they finally get some real meat as they host the Game of the Year on Saturday night against #2 Tennessee in a rare 1 v. 2 showdown. I heard Peyton Manning's gonna be there so it's gotta be big!
2. Matt Painter- This guy is mentioned anytime COY discussion comes up. After some terrible losses earlier in the season, Painter led his Boiler Crew to the top of the Big Ten standings (see what's not). Yeah, they lost to Indiana, but they swept Wisconsin who swept Indiana. Bottom line, Painter made his boys the real deal.
3. Mid-major Teams- There be plenty of teams who reside in non-BCS conferences who are playing like they want to be heard. Memphis is one of them, of course. Others include Butler, Drake, Xavier, St. Mary's, and BYU and plenty of colleges with unknown names. Plenty of potential George Masons in this bunch.
4. Big East- Yeah, it's always hot, but now the conference is up for grabs by just about anybody. 4 teams tied in the loss column means the remainder of the season will be some good TV.
What's Not?
1. Big Ten- It was under enough beef before the bottom of the conference started beating the halfway decent ones. It's got Wisconsin, Purdue, and Indiana. The rest is jokers. Michigan State needs a GOOD Big Ten win before I give them a chance. Just a messy conference.
2. Big Ten Network- Wasn't the Big Ten bad enough? No, they just happen to have a network that only a lucky few get. They do draw some good matchups and it is becoming more available but, ESPN Plus could have done the same if it were still here, and at least then everybody in the involved markets would get to see. Plus, it's like BTN hired a billion Bryant Gumbels and well, umm, uhhh that won't sell a network in this era.
3. Duke? Did he go there? Ya, I did. Dropping 2 straight to SO-SO teams is no sign of hottness. They got 4 tune up games before the Big One vs. the Tar Heels. If they drop any in this four game stretch then it's just bad. It's Duke Hater Paradise at the current moment though.
4. Possession Arrow- I know it's old news but I can't stand that stupid thing. I mean just tip the ball, this is an athletic competition. If you want the ball jump up and get it, don't just hope that dumb arrow is pointing at you. Heck, even a Rock-Paper-Scissors game is more acceptable than the possession arrow.
Honorable Mention for Kelvin Sampson. I didn't include him on my list because he most likely will have no connections with College Bball by time peopl read this blog entry. PEACE
