"Just Give Me the Ball"

Right after Obama won the White House, New Yorker political correspondent Ryan Lizza wrote a fascinating article about the historic 2008 presidential campaign. Among other things, he shared this little anecdote about Obama: 

Obama, who is not without an ego, regarded himself as just as gifted as his top strategists in the art and practice of politics. Patrick Gaspard, the campaign’s political director, said that when, in early 2007, he interviewed for a job with Obama and Plouffe, Obama said that he liked being surrounded by people who expressed strong opinions, but he also said, ‘I think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.’ After Obama’s first debate with McCain, on September 26th, Gaspard sent him an e-mail. ‘You are more clutch than Michael Jordan,” he wrote. Obama replied, ‘Just give me the ball.’

And he wasn't kidding. The man isn't one to shy away from a challenge. Take, for instance, this edited clip from a recent White House shoot around with the Lady Huskies, who went a remarkable 39-0 this season, capturing the program's sixth national championship this past March. To Obama, though, they were just another group of people he could trump--this time with his impressive jump shot.  

(Via Gawker)

A Catholic Lapse

There was a time, not too long ago, when Catholic colleges and universities dominated college basketball. However, as the Quad, the New York Times college sports blog, points out, Catholic basketball programs haven't found much success in recent tournaments. Since 1985, the year Villanova won it all, Seton Hall is the only Catholic school to play in a national championship game. That was in 1989, when I was 10, two years removed from my First Communion, and four years after Georgetown, St. John's and Villanova all reached the Final Four.

That was not considered especially noteworthy at the time, as Catholic colleges regularly made it to the season’s last weekend through the 1980s. Of the 40 teams in the Final Four that decade, seven were from Catholic colleges — Georgetown three times, St. John’s, Villanova, Providence and Seton Hall.

But in the 20 years since then, only three achieved the feat — Marquette in 2003, Georgetown in 2007 and now Villanova in 2009.

My faith calls for me to pull for Villanova, but my bracket demands Michigan State. Tom Izzo's father is Catholic: does that count?

When Pitt Really Lost

Don't get me wrong: Scottie Reynolds' runner was impressive, and one of the most exciting moments of this year's tournament. Still, you'd have to go back to just about three minutes to see when Pitt really lost the game. Up four, with just under three minutes to play, Pitt's Levance Fields passed the ball to teammate Jermaine Dixon to avoid Villanova's heavy--and, at this late point in the game, desperate--full-court press. Dixon then dribbled across the half-court line, into two 'Nova players, before inexplicably picking up his dribble. With nowhere to go, Dixon, of course, turned it over. As if this weren't bad enough, Dixon then compounded his mistake with a boneheaded foul against Dwayne Anderson, who easily converted the bucket and free throw to pull 'Nova within one point, changing the complexity of the game. Dixon's two poor decision's opened the door for 'Nova's charge and, more damningly, Reynolds' late-game heroics.  

Pre-and-Postseason Prescience

To say the least: 

Like Seth Davis, I'm really high on Michigan State. Under Tom Izzo, the Spartans are always a tough out, and sophomore Kalin Lucas is one of the quickest guards in the country off the dribble. Maybe even faster than Ty Lawson. Maybe. Look for the Spartans to challenge Purdue for the Big Ten Championship and, later, make it to at least the Elite Eight.

All that and more, here and here. 

Five Against One

On the eve of the NCAA regional semifinals, I thought I'd preview the upcoming games. Instead of breaking down in detail each team's strengths and weaknesses, however, I decided to write up some crib notes, offering only as many reasons to like a particular team as their opponent's respective seed allows. The No. 1 UConn Huskies, for instance, take on the fifth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers tomorrow night, so here are five reasons to go with the Huskies. The singular reason to like Purdue follows. 

1. A.J. Price: Price, who's scored at least 20 points in three straight games, makes the Huskies's offense go. Since taking over the offense last month, after junior Jerome Dyson blew out his knee, Price has averaged about six assists per game, including 10 dimes in the sextuplet-overtime classic against Syracuse in the Big East Tournament, while the Huskies, as a team, have put up roughly 81 points per game. In their first and second round games, the Huskies scored 103 and 92 points, respectively, winning both games by an average of 41 points.  
2. Hasheem Thabeet: The seven-footer averaged about 14 points and 11 rebounds a game this season, and his 146 total blocks this season were second only to Mississippi State's Jarvaris Varnado. Thabeet fills the lane, and can take over a game. 
3. UConn's Defense: The Huskies have the third most efficient defense in the country, according to Ken Pomeroy's impressive rating system. Through their first two games, UConn held Chattanooga and Texas A&M to 47 and 66 points, respectively. 
4. Jim Calhoun: Although he's had a rough couple of weeks-- his press conference tirade, his hospitalization and the recent allegations of recruiting violations-- Calhoun is still one of the best coaches in college basketball, leading the Huskies to the Sweet 16 for the 12th time since he arrived in Stoors. After he missed the team's first round game against Chattanooga, the Huskies, to a man, swore they'd run through walls for their coach. Don't think for a second that Calhoun won't make his players live up to their word.    
5. Stanley Robinson: Since scoring six points in a 70-60 loss to Pitt, Robinson, who's had a largely forgettable three years at UConn, has suddenly put up 28, 24 and 12 in his last three games. He seems to have figured something out, and is now a viable third option for the Huskies. If he can keep it up, UConn will be tough to beat. 

Meanwhile, the Boilermakers will have their work cut out for them. From where I sit, Purdue's only chance of winning hinges on the performance of one player: Robbie Hummel. Sure, 6-10 forward JuJuan Johnson will have to contain Hasheem Thabeet down low for Purdue to stay in the game; but Hummel, who shoots just shy of 40 percent from beyond the arc, will have to go off if the Boilermakers have any real chance of upsetting the heavily favored Huskies. Hummel, a 6-9 forward, can play in the post and on the perimeter, which should give Jeff Adrian and Stanley Robinson all kinds of problems when they try to guard Hummel. He'll need to take full advantage of these potential mismatches, and score at least 20 for the Boilermakers to advance. 

(Ed. Note: I rolled two previous posts into one.)

Pick Pitt at Your Peril

While North Carolina and UConn destroyed their first round opponents, Pitt is living up to its March reputation with an atrocious first half against 16-seed East Tennessee State. At the half, the Panthers are only up three, even with the Buccaneers shooting a woeful 24 percent from the field and seven percent from beyond the arc. Imagine if they were putting the ball in the bucket. Pitt would have already been blown out of the gym. Yes, it's still early, but this doesn't bode well for the Panthers's chances in the larger field of 64.

Byron Eaton Does What Eric Maynor Couldn't

Dear readers, the first great finish of the 2009 tournament. It's about time.



(Via, obviously, The Sporting Blog)

Chalk

Before yesterday afternoon, I swear to God, I had never heard the expression "chalk" to describe a popular or heavily favored pick. I trust I'm alone in my abject ignorance. As is usually the case, though, when I learn a new word or come across a wonderfully inventive turn of phrase, I end up hearing or reading it everywhere. I've heard either "chalk," "all chalk," or "go chalk" about 25 times this afternoon, and, since I like to think of myself as the inquisitive and handsome type, I started researching its etymology. If you'll forgive my doltishness for a moment, here's a pretty cool explanation of the origins of my new favorite word. I'll assume it's accurate because 1.) I found it on the Internet and 2.) it seems likely. 

When [...] odds changes had to be relayed to the public on a chalkboard, oftentimes the name of the favorite horse would be obscured by all the chalk dust created by the multiple erasures. Some bettors would approach the window near post time, and find themselves unable to read the favorite's name clearly, just referring to that horse as 'chalk.' It became an acceptable way to wager on the favorite, and thus was the genesis of a term we now use on a daily basis.

Obviously, I need to start hanging around the track more. Or maybe reread some old William Kennedy and Damon Runyon stories.  Anyway, aside from A&M's and Maryland's "upsets" over BYU and Cal, respectively, this afternoon's games pretty much went according to chalk. (Ed. Note: Well played, handsome). Memphis blew a few tires but lived to tell the tale-- provided, of course, people still listen to John Calipari when he isn't complaining about something.

I expect tonight's games to be a little less, well, chalk.  

Know Your Bracket Busters

Ben Woodside, a fifth-year senior for the North Dakota State Bison, averaged an impressive 22 points and six assists per game this season. He also shot an ungodly 42 percent from beyond the arc. This past weekend, he hit a 17-footer against Oakland in the Summit Conference tournament championship to put the Bison into the NCAA tournament for the first time, in the school's inaugural year in Division I competition. Woodside even had a walk-on role on this here blog earlier this year, after he dropped 60 points in a triple-OT loss to Stephen F. Austin.  

Woodside and his No. 14- seeded Bison take on the number three seed Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the Midwest region, in Minneapolis, Woodside's home state, and a manageable drive, I've been told, from the NDSU campus.

You've been warned.  

On a Limb

With the NCAA tournament bracket all set, I feel pretty bullish about which teams look like serious players and which ones look like they're in for an early exit. Although I have no idea, at least at this point, which team will eventually be crowned the national champ, I am fairly confident about which ones will make it to the Elite Eight.

With a nod to Grant Wahl, then, I've put together a list of 13 teams that I'm particularly excited about. I've based my list on two things: 1.) a team's defensive efficiency and 2.) my own rough analysis of a team's guard play, which, although far from objective or even reliable, is based primarily on a complicated algorithm of personal biases, uniform color and length, and an admittedly limited sample size of watched games. Scoff if you must, but this formula has won me some money in the past and, back in November, gave me the confidence to write this about Michigan State and Georgetown.

Like Seth Davis, I'm really high on Michigan State. Under Tom Izzo, the Spartans are always a tough out, and sophomore Kalin Lucas is one of the quickest guards in the country off the dribble. Maybe even faster than Ty Lawson. Maybe. Look for the Spartans to challenge Purdue for the Big Ten Championship and, later, make it to at least the Elite Eight.

I'd love to say the same for Georgetown, but I just don't see it happening. Coach John Thompson III lost Roy Hibbert to the NBA and Patrick Ewing, Jr. to, well, the ether, I guess. Even with three serviceable returning starters (DaJuan Summers, Jesse Sapp and Austin Freeman), I'm worried the Hoyas don't have the offensive weapons to put up much of a fight. Greg Monroe, sadly, is still a year away.

In that same post, I pointed to Louisville as a team that could challenge North Carolina for the title, and expressed doubts about UConn's and Duke's toughness, which still hold true. So there. I might not be Nate Silver, but I’m not Jim Cramer, either. My bona fides are, as they say, tight.

As SI's Luke Winn pointed out at the start of the year, only two Elite Eight teams in the past five years have ranked outside the top 50 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Based on this list, then, I picked out 13 teams that fulfill Winn's maxim and play to my individual biases and personal voodoo. 

I plan on writing up some more detailed scouting reports about each of these 13 teams throughout the rest of the week. Until then, here’s my list of 13 teams worth watching out for. Eight of them will make up the Elite Eight, and one will be your eventual national champion. There's my predictions, and here’s my list. Take them for what they’re worth.

1. Louisville
2. West Virginia
   
3. Michigan State
   
4. BYU
5. Missouri
6. Memphis
7. Pitt
   
8. VCU
9. Villanova
10. Texas
11. North Carolina
12. Arizona State
13. Oklahoma

If you'd like to offer your own list of 13, please send them my way. We can then pick apart one another's lists. After all, this is the most wonderful time of the year. It really should be spent talking copious amounts of shit with your nears and dears. 

Even the Losers

Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Michigan State and UCLA, four teams I like to go deep in the upcoming NCAA tournament, all lost in their respective conference tournaments. Is this a harbinger of things to come? I doubt it. Pitt has a history of playing well in Big East tournament only to miss out on all the March Madness fun, so maybe their early exit Thursday night actually bodes well for them this year.  UNC's loss to Florida State this afternoon shouldn't kill their chances at a No. 1 seed. MSU's dismantling, on the other hand,  should put to rest the Spartans's hopes of being a top seed. UCLA might also get knocked down a seed or two, but I'm still bullish about their chances to reach the Sweet 16. Maybe even the Elite Eight.

Right now, though, I'm sure these four teams are smarting over their early exits and hoping that they draw a favorable bracket. In recognition of this, here's a little song from Tom Petty to help them make through Sunday night, when the selection committee determines their respective fates. 

Line of the Night

28 points. 12 rebounds. 3 blocks. 1 steal. Tyler Hansbrough. 

Line of the Night

54 points. 8 rebounds. 4 assists. 1 steal. 1 turnover. Jodie Meeks. 

Line of the Night

34 points. 6 rebounds. 4 assists. 1 steal. Jeff Teague. 

Line of the Night

25 points. 8 assists. 5 rebounds. 1 steal. Tyrese Rice. 

Pick Pitt at Your Peril?

For years, I advised friends and colleagues to stay away from the University of Pittsburgh during the NCAA tournament. No matter how good they look during the regular season or in the Big East tournament, I told anyone who would listen,  the Panthers always fold against the larger field of 64. 

This afternoon's dismantling of Georgetown, however, might make me reevaluate my long-standing maxim. I know it's still early, but the No. 3 Panthers, led by sophomore DeJuan Blair, absolutely beat up the 11th ranked Hoyas, in D.C., where Georgetown previously defeated 29 straight opponents, including 15 against Big East rivals. The final score, 70-54, wasn't even that close. Pitt outrebounded G'Town 46 to 21 and outscored the Hoyas in the paint by 26 points. Total domination. Especially by Blair. 

Sports Illustrated scribe Nina Mandell sums up Pitt's--and Blair's-- big day nicely. 

After months of playing second-fiddle to Big East powers UConn and Louisville, the Panthers weren't ready to let the Hoyas become the new talk of the town after their surprising defeat of the Huskies on Monday. Instead, [DeJuan] Blair and his frontcourt partner and roommate Tyrell Biggs dominated the game inside, leaving the Hoyas struggling for any chance at the boards. The two combined for 34 points in the paint while Blair pulled down a Hoya-heartbreaking 18 boards.

With Louisville tripping over its own feet, and Connecticut still trying to find its way, the Big East, I think, is Pitt's to lose. Not only do they have an imposing front line of Blair, Biggs, and Sam Young but the Panthers, under the direction of senior point guard Levance Fields, don't turn the ball over and simply don't take bad shots. That's a winning formula for regular season and post-season play, even against a larger field, regardless of past prejudices. 

Fresh Meat

Sports Illustrated writer Kevin Armstrong takes a look at the best (so far) of this year’s NCAA basketball recruiting class. Per usual, Roy Williams is off to a good start. As is Jay Wright and Rick Barnes. I’ve come to expect such things from the likes of UNC, Villanova and Texas.

More surprising, though, is the early success of Indiana University's Tom Crean, who resurrected the Hoosiers' moribund program last April in the wake of the Kelvin Sampson debacle. Crean is off to a great start, landing six solid recruits, including Birmingham Shades Valley standout Christian Watford, according to Armstrong.

Here’s the SI scribe’s take:

The program's anchor is still securely lodged in the Midwest, but that didn't stop reconstructionist Tom Crean from reaching out to the south for Watford -- a 6-8, 215-pound swingman from Birmingham, Ala. A slasher with body control he should be Crean's cornerstone in trying times and play well off [fellow recruits Maurice] Creek and [Bawa] Muniru.

Good for Crean. He built a tremendous program at Marquette and, by all accounts, has an unrivaled eye for talent (See: Wade, Dwyane). This, in addition to a killer living room speech, should put Indiana back near the top of college basketball in no time.

Also of note, Memphis’ John Calipari landed Xavier Henry, the younger brother of C.J. Henry, who the Yankees drafted out of high school in 2005, before trading him a year later to the Phillies as part of the deal that brought Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle to the Bronx. Although Henry recently resigned with the Yankees after the Phillies released him, he’s currently riding Calipari’s bench in downtown Memphis. It remains to be seen whether C.J. plans on returning to the diamond any time soon, or if he'd rather stick around to play ball with his younger brother. Either way, the Tigers already look pretty stacked for next season.

Are You Sure We Can?

With President-elect Barack Obama’s security and economic teams securely in place, it’s worth checking in, as promised, on the progress of Obama’s brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, the head coach of the rebuilding Beavers of Oregon State, whose team lost their season opener to the lowly Howard Bison 47-45, on November 14.

To put it gently, the Robinson administration isn’t off to as fast—or as impressive—a start as Obama’s.

Following their opening night loss, the Beavers ran out of gas against Nevada and, after finally returning home, lost close games to Yale and Montana State by a combined four points. I'm sure that one-point loss to Yale really rankled Robinson, a graduate of Princeton, but his Bulldog-inspired agita was probably just a hiccup compared to his team's Thanksgiving Eve gag-fest against Montana State, which put the Beavers' current losing streak at an unsightly 25 straight going back to last season, before Robinson was hired to change the culture of the OSU basketball program. 

Still, Robinson and his team kept on keeping on, and finally won their first game of the season-- and first in about a year-- last night against Fresno State, a so-so squad from the Western America Conference, 62-54, behind senior guard Rickey Claitt's 14 points.  

Not exactly "Hill at Foggy Bottom," but, as even the president-elect would tell you, a win is a win is a win. 

The Beavers next take on the 4-1 Iowa State Cyclones, in Ames, on December 6.  

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Fresh off last night’s upset of Memphis in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship game, the Xavier Musketeers jumped to number 16 in the AP’s Top 25 Poll. Xavier, who last week was ranked at a surprisingly low number 29, joins fellow Jesuit Universities Gonzaga (no. 9), Marquette (no. 15) and Georgetown (no. 21) in this week’s Top 25.

For those scoring at home, that’s four Jesuit schools in the Top 25. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: The S.J.s can flat out play.