"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative" ~ Oscar Wilde"I love trash...I love it because it's trash" ~ Oscar The Grouch
I'm taking a moment here for self evaluation. I'll fully admit that my writing has not been up to snuff and that I've been recycling bits from last year's blog. I'm not necessarily going to CHANGE anything, I just wanted to disclose this in the hope that this blog will be an enjoyable experience for everyone, and that I'll continue to improve all the time. Thank you kindly. Tidings be.
Only 3 weeks left until selection Sunday. We're dangerously close to the beginning of the conference tournaments so it's time for this blog to push things forward. To do this, I'm going to attempt something never done before in the history of writing: create fake, Oscar'esque categories through which I'll describe some component of college basketball that took place over the weekend. Brilliant!
Best upset of the weekend: Take your pick - North Carolina lost to Maryland in overtime, UCLA got bumped by Washington St. at home, Oklahoma got shocked by Texas after Blake Griffin took one in the head, Robert Morris embarrassingly got tripped up by Wagner, Jerry Lewis continues to defeat death, and I actually ended up at the 31st Street Pub for a rock show.
Best performance picking Bracket Busters games: Not me. I went a passable 8-5 with my picks. I'm still not sure what the purpose was with those picks, except that I enjoy making picks. When in doubt (not the movie), go with the Missouri Valley Conference, they went 7-3 in their non-conference games this weekend. Phil does not win this category either as he went 0-1 with his picks, brashly choosing a shaken Davidson team over Butler.
Best team from Iowa this weekend: The Iowa Hawkeyes...narrowly beating out the Drake Bulldogs to win this category. Jake Kelly set career highs with 23 points and 9 rebounds (while playing all 45 minutes) in Iowa's overtime victory over Michigan on Saturday.
Best team in the Patriot League: American University. In a Patriot League battle for the ages, American U. defeated Holy Cross 56-50 on Saturday. The Crusaders had an opportunity to move into a first place tie in the conference with the Eagles, but it was not meant to be. Although these two squads split the season series...American U. is safely in first place and Holy Cross looks good to be the number two seed for the upcoming conference tournament.
Best props given from the stage during a performance: Bob, to me. Much thanks to you Bob for pimping my blog during the show this weekend. I'm not sure how many rock and roll kids are into the college basketball, but I don't care, it's the thought and props that count. I am truly humbled, though not yet famous. You definitely got the Toby Ziegler in you.
Best player in a "supporting" role: I know the Tar Heels lost this weekend, but after watching a couple of their games recently, I'm thinking that Ty Lawson is the real star of that team. Tyler Hansbrough receives most of the press and a lot of the fanfare...but Ty Lawson seems to be the leader of that squad. He's the player I'd want with the ball in his hands down 2 with under a minute remaining. Lawson has more skills and is more versatile than any of his teammates. He shouldn't be overshadowed by Hansbrough anymore. Am I wrong?
Best team to be ranked #1 in the nation tomorrow: Pitt! I'm giddy.
Best teams not bothering to recruit defensive players: Duke and Notre Dame. Both teams scored over 100 points in their wins this weekend. That's great and sexy and what-not, but come next month, those teams are going to play tough games in the tournament (NCAA or NIT) where that kind of shit ain't gonna fly. Athletic and physical teams win in march. Teams made up of twigs that have a knack for hitting three pointers don't go very far.
Best tirade by a coach: Jim Calhoun. The University of Connecticut head coach decides who is stupid and discusses the economic implications of athletic organizations while making me really want iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. Enjoy!
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