College Hoops

A buddy of mine called today and chastised us for not writing about college hoops. He's absolutely right--tis the season for college basketball. That point was driven home by two big upsets in as many days. A short while ago, #4 Villanova upended #1 UConn 69-64, demonstrating yet again what a minefield the Big East can be. Closer to home, Ohio State's Je'Kel Foster and Jamar Butler combined for 11 of 14 3-pointers yesterday to help lift the 17th ranked Buckeyes over #9 Illinois by a score of 69-53. Considering Greg Oden and the rest of the Thad Five don't show up until next season, the Buckeyes are pretty impressive.

Speaking of the Thad Five, has "next year" ever loomed so large to Ohio State hoops fans? Ohio State's epic recruiting class is headlined by seven foot All-World center Greg Oden. The class also includes Mike Conley, a teammate of Oden's at Indianapolis' Lawrence North High and one of the nation's top three point guards, and the two best shooting guards in Ohio, Villa Angela-St. Joseph's David Lighty and Dayton Dunbar's Daequan Cook. 6'9" power forward Othello Hunter rounds out a class that has been compared to Michigan's Fab Five of the early 1990s. In fact, with what Motta and Tressel are bringing to the table next season, it's entirely possible that Ohio State could be the preseason #1 in both football and basketball.

But getting back to this season, March Madness is rapidly approaching. In addition to rooting for the downfall of traditional powers like Duke and UConn, we can look forward to the possibility of some newcomers going deep into the tournament. Teams like Villanova, George Washington (Mrs. Rhino's beloved alma mater) and Tennessee have legitimate shots. I suppose it's even possible that before Ohio State gets its preseason #1 ranking in two sports, Texas could wind up with national championships in those same two sports. Meanwhile schools like Bucknell, the Patriot League giant-killer that cracked the top 25 this week despite not offering basketball scholarships, are lurking as possible Cinderellas.

Wow, it's enough to get your blood pressure up to dangerous levels, isn't it? Let's mellow out with some really dreadful poetry written by Duke's J.J. Redick. I'm sure seeing this kind of dreck from a Duke student makes the Chair of Duke's English Department long for a hunting invitation from Dick Cheney.