T3R WEEK 3

Sorry for the delay this week, I spent most of the week trying to track down a Nutcracker shirt from the white-out to give to Terrelle Pryor.

#1 TEXAS LONGHORNS (9-0, 5-0)
LAST WEEK: 35-3 win vs UCF
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Baylor
Texas can pretty much sleep walk their way to the national title game at this point. The remaining schedule consists of Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M. Those three teams are a combined 4-11 in conference play so far this year and they would have to lose 2 of those 3 to not make it to the BIG XII Title game. Then they will go up against one of the jokes from the Big XII South (maybe the worst division of any conference in the history of college football). So I’m saying it now, Texas has already stamped their ticket to Pasadena and will be playing for the national title.

#2 FLORIDA GATORS (9-0, 7-0)
LAST WEEK: 27-3 win vs Vanderbilt
NEXT GAME: Sat @ South Carolina
I am starting to wonder if Florida has just being toying with the college football world this season. Everyone doubted them and they started to lose points in the rankings and then they came out and smashed Georgia in a rivalry game. This week could be interesting though. If the offense really is struggling, SC is not the team you want to have to face. The Gamecocks have a very stingy defense and could be a tough road environment if it is close in the fourth quarter.

#3 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (9-0, 6-0)
LAST WEEK: 25-14 win vs #7 LSU
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Mississippi State
By beating LSU last week, Alabama has clinched a re-match with Florida (who also clinched last week) in the SEC Title game. Alabama should be able to stay unbeaten until that game with only contests against Mississippi State, Chattanooga and Auburn remaining on their regular season slate.

#4 CINCINNATI BEARCATS (9-0, 5-0)
LAST WEEK: 47-45 win vs UCONN
NEXT GAME: Fri vs WVU
The Bearcats survived a scare against a pesky UCONN team. Cincinnati now has two more conference games remaining against the other top teams in the Big East. If the Bearcats win Friday, it makes the Dec 5th match-up with Pitt the unofficial title game for the Big East conference, regardless how either teams fares in their games until then.

#5 TCU HORNED FROGS (9-0, 5-0)
LAST WEEK: 55-12 win @ San Diego State
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Utah
Ten weeks down and TCU is still undefeated! If you are a fan of the BCS-buster then you love this. If you are not, you should be pulling big-time for the Utes this week in Fort Worth. Utah is the only team remaining on TCU’s cake schedule that stands a chance at beating them and knocking them out of BCS consideration.

#6 GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (9-1, 6-1)
LAST WEEK: 30-27 OT win vs Wake Forest
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Duke
The Yellow Jackets escaped last week with a win against a poor Wake Forest team. GT needs to be on its game this week against a much-improved Duke team that is fighting to get bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. If Georgia Tech wins, they clinch the ACC Coastal division. A loss puts the ball in Miami’s court and the Yellow Jackets would have to hope for a Canes loss in the final weeks of the season.

#7 LSU TIGERS (7-2, 4-2)
LAST WEEK: 24-15 loss @ #3 Alabama
NEXT GAME: Sat vs La Tech
How does a team move up after losing? They play well. The LSU defense played well enough to win that game last week, and minus one terrible call and review by the SEC officiating, they could have won that game. LSU has lost twice this season. Once to Florida and once to Alabama, that is not too bad!

#8 PITT PANTHERS (8-1, 5-0)
LAST WEEK: win 37-10 vs Syracuse
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Notre Dame
Pitt has survived the easy part of their schedule and now has a tough 3-game stretch to close it out. The Pitt secondary should face a stern challenge against Jimmy Clausen and the Irish, but the next two games are what really matter as they push towards their first outright Big East title.

#9 OREGON DUCKS (7-2, 5-1)
LAST WEEK: 51-42 loss @ #16 Stanford
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Arizona State
How do you take the air out of a program after a huge win? Go out and lay an egg the next game out. The Ducks did that exact thing. After coming off arguably the biggest win in school history Oregon got down early and never recovered against Stanford.

#10 SOUTHERN CAL TROJANS (7-2, 4-2)
LAST WEEK: 14-9 win @ Arizona State
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Stanford
The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the college football world have to be the USC offense. They were held under 20 two games earlier this year, then ran 5 straight games scoring 27+, and in the past 2 weeks they have scored a total of three touchdowns.

#11 the OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY BUCKEYES (8-2, 5-1)
LAST WEEK: 24-7 win @ #18 Penn State
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Iowa
Well I was hoping for a 40 point win and a career day for Pryor last week, I guess I will settle for a 17-point win and seeing an empty Beaver Stadium as the time ticked off the clock in the 4th quarter. If last week was the Big Ten semi-final for the Buckeyes, that would make this week the Championship game. Looks like the Ohio State University will be going back to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1996.

#12 ARIZONA WILDCATS (6-2, 4-1)
LAST WEEK: 48-7 win vs Washington State
NEXT GAME: Sat @ California
Mike Stoops FINALLY has his team in place to reach expectations that were set when he took over in Tucson, but he still has a tough road ahead of him. The Wildcats still have this week vs Cal, then they host 1st place Oregon before going on the road to rival Arizona State and finishing at USC. Can it be done? Yes, but it certainly won’t be easy.

#13 BOISE STATE BRONCOS (9-0, 4-0)
LAST WEEK: 45-35 win @ La Tech
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Idaho
59-2 on the Smurf Turf this decade is all you need to know about this match-up. Idaho is not a bad team and if this were a road game for Boise State, it would pose a challenge, that being said the Broncos will roll to a very unimpressive 10-0.

#14 WISCONSIN BADGERS (7-2, 4-2)
LAST WEEK: 31-28 win @ Indiana
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Michigan
John Clay and his power running game for the Badgers versus a hit-or-miss Michigan team who has had trouble stopping anyone on the defensive side of the ball. Wisconsin has quietly played itself into a battle for 2nd place in the Big Ten.

#15 OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS (7-2, 4-1)
LAST WEEK: 34-8 win @ Iowa State
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Texas Tech
Oklahoma State has two bad losses, but I really do feel that they could play with anyone in the country outside of the top 3 teams. The loss to Houston is still a bad loss despite what the Cougars have done since. And the Texas game was a bad loss simply due to the margin of defeat, you can’t be ashamed losing to the Longhorns, it was just how it happened, at home none the less.

#16 STANFORD CARDINAL (6-3, 5-2)
LAST WEEK: 51-42 win vs #9 Oregon
NEXT GAME: Sat @ Southern Cal
The Trees had a big win last week on the road to get into the rankings this week, now they need to do it again on the road to stay in the rankings. If they do upset the Trojans, not only will they stay in the rankings but also they will vault right into the Pac-10 race for the Rose Bowl.

#17 MIAMI HURRICANES (7-2, 4-2)
LAST WEEK: 52-17 win vs Virginia
NEXT GAME: Sat @ North Carolina
The Canes are an OT loss against Clemson from being in first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC. They are not out of it however, with two games to play in conference and the head-to-head tiebreaker over 1st place GT, the Canes still have a lot to play for. This week won’t be easy though, they have never won in Chapel Hill.

#18 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (8-2, 4-2)
LAST WEEK: 24-7 loss vs #11 Ohio State
NEXT GAME: Sat vs Indiana
What happened to the home field advantage that Penn State used to have with 110K crazy loud fans? Last week was the second time they lost at Beaver Stadium this season, and most of the fans left before the game was even over. Indiana won’t be as easy as many Nits think this week. The Hoosiers have lost their last three games and are just 1-5 in conference but they just haven’t finished well. In those five conference losses, they have held leads late in the 4th quarter or lost by one possession in four of them.

#19 HOUSTON COUGARS (8-1, 4-1)
LAST WEEK: 46-45 win @ Tulsa
NEXT GAME: Sat @ UCF
Tulsa had a lot of hype coming into the season for their high-powered offense, but they haven’t really produced much. They were 4-5 coming into this game and got smacked by Oklahoma 45-0. This game should not have been close. The Cougars escaped thanks to a 51-yard FG by a freshman as time expired capping a 9-point rally in the final 21 seconds of play. You can’t struggle to win two straight weeks against bad competition and expect to climb in the rankings.

#20 CLEMSON TIGERS (6-3, 4-2)
LAST WEEK: 40-24 win vs Florida State
NEXT GAME: Sat @ NC State
Clemson started the season 2-3, including a terrible lost at Maryland, but since has won four straight and currently lead the ACC Atlantic division.

T3R College Hoops Style Week 8

These are the final regular season rankings that I wanted to get out before the major conferences started their tournaments. The Rant will have two more rankings this hoops season, one next week before the start of the NCAA Tournament and one following the conclusion of the tournament.

1. North Carolina Tarheels (27-3, 13-3)
59 votes (2 first place votes)
Last week: W vs #8 Duke 79-71
This week: ACC Tournament
Winning 13 of 14 in the second best conference in the country is not a bad way to finish out the season. Lawson’s toe injury will be interesting to watch, he makes this team click, if he cannot go neither will the Heels.

2. Pitt Panthers (28-3, 15-3)
58 votes (1 first place vote)
Last week: W vs #3 UCONN 70-60
This week: Big East Tournament
Two wins over UCONN is nice. It will be interesting to see how this team plays out the Big East Tournament. People always complain that they get worn down by playing in the rugged Big East and that is why they get knocked out early in the NCAA’s. WWJDD? What Would Jamie Dixon Do?

3. UCONN Huskies (27-3, 15-3)
53 votes
Last week: L @ #2 Pitt 70-60
This week: Big East Tournament
You wonder what this team would be like with Jerome Dyson. There may have been no stopping the Huskies.

4. Memphis Tigers (28-3, 16-0)
49 votes
Last week: W vs Tulane 74-47
This week: C-USA Tournament
I wish people would stop comparing this years team to last years Memphis team. Last year they have veterans that could step up and play and probably the best freshman in the country. This year they have the leftovers from that team that were not good enough to go pro and another freshman PG. Although Tyreke Evans is pretty fun to watch.

5. Louisville Cardinals (25-5, 16-2)
49 votes
Last week: W @ West Virginia 62-59
This week: Big East Tournament
16 wins in the best conference in basketball is really good. I wish they didn’t have those three terrible losses early on, it would be fun to see 3 Big East teams as 1-seeds, I think those loses will prevent it from happening though.

6. Oklahoma Sooners (27-4, 13-3)
44 votes
Last week: W vs Oklahoma State 82-78
This week: Big XII Tournament
I am sure that I am not the only one that thinks Austin Johnson looks a heck of a lot like Steve Urkel. Lose the headband, throw some glasses on him and pull up his shorts, he is a splitting image of the guy!

7. Michigan State Spartans (25-5, 15-3)
42 votes
Last week: W vs Purdue 62-51
This week: Big Ten Tournament
Double edged sword here, if the Spartans win out should they be rewarded for beating up on a weak Big 6 conference? If they lose, should they be punished for NOT beating up on a weaker Big 6 conference?

8. Duke Blue Devils (25-6, 11-5)
38 votes
Last week: L @ #1 UNC 79-71
This week: ACC Tournament
A lack of bench and scorers will kill this team in the tournament. Against UNC, with Singler and Henderson on the bench with 3 minutes to go, Jon Scheyer was the team’s only option on offense. He cannot create for himself, and they have no one else to control the ball to run him off screens.

9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (24-5, 11-5)
35 votes
Last week: W vs #16 Clemson 96-88
This week: ACC Tournament
Really? The ACC and the NCAA could not come up with a better game to close out the regular season then Wake v Clemson on a terrible FSN broadcast?

10. Villanova Wildcats (25-6, 13-5)
34 votes
Last week: W vs Providence 97-80
This week: Big East Tournament
Jay Wright, the Big East coach of the year, never looks rattled in any situation. He seems to ooze confidence and his team plays with that same confidence.

11. Kansas Jayhawks (25-6, 14-2)
32 votes
Last week: W vs Texas 83-73
This week: Big XII Tournament
Has any coach in America done a better job this season then Bill Self? This guy wins a national championship, loses 4 of 5 starters and by January is playing like this team could contend for the title.

12. Washington Huskies (24-7, 14-4)
25 votes
Last week: W vs Washington State 67-60
This week: PAC-10 Tournament
Isaiah Thomas (no not that one), Justin Dentmon and Jon Brockman are a tough threesome to match-up against. They could surprise some teams in the middle rounds of the tournament.

13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-5, 14-0)
22 votes
Last week: W vs Santa Clara 94-59, W vs St. Mary’s 83-58
This week: NO GAMES SCHEDULED
I would still love to see Patty Mills and St. Mary’s play this team at full strength. When they matched up in February, Mills and the Gaels were up big and Mills had 18 in the 1st half before he broke his hand and missed 6 weeks.

14. Missouri Tigers (25-6, 12-4)
18 votes
Last week: L @ Texas A&M 96-86
This week: Big XII Tournament
Can Mizzou beat anyone, and I do mean ANYONE after a big win? This team is the Virginia Tech of the Midwest. They are capable of beating any top level team one game and laying an egg against a glorified C-USA team the next game.

14. Syracuse Orange (23-8, 11-7)
18 votes
Last week: W @ Marquette 86-79
This week: Big East Tournament
I think this team could be a scary team that makes a run. They are playing good basketball right now, and when they get out against teams not as familiar with them, they will cause problems. This could be another Big East team capable of making the Elite 8 or maybe further.

16. Clemson Tigers (23-7, 9-7)
19 votes
Last week: L @ #9 Wake Forest 96-88
This week: ACC Tournament
What will Clemson have more of, non-conference loses or NCAA Tournament wins?

Others receiving votes:
Florida State 12, UCLA 10, Marquette 7, LSU 4, Butler 3, Xavier 2

Hoop Thoughts

Ranking Reaction and a Press Conference for the Ages

The new AP and Coaches Polls that were released earlier today and some of the things in them caught my attention:

*- Pitt is back at number one. This is great and I will never complain about that, but I agree with the Panthers that I would rather they hold that ranking April 7th than Feb 23rd.

*- Five, count them, FIVE Big East teams in the Top 10 in the AP rankings. No other conference has five teams ranked except the ACC (five in top 23). Please, no more debates on which conference is the best, the numbers speak for themselves.

*- Duke and UCLA are perfect examples of teams that get by on their name and not by what they do on the court. UCLA has lost 3 of 4 including a home game to Washington State (14-13, 6-9), yet still find themselves ranked and Duke has lost four of their past seven in conference play, but is still in the Top 10. How is this possible?

Finally, the question that people all over Pittsburgh are asking and I would hope al over the nation. How did anyone cast a 1st place vote for UCONN after losing at home to Pitt? It happened in both polls. The AP has 72 votes, 69 votes went to Pitt, 2 to Oklahoma and 1 to UCONN. The Coaches poll has 31 voters, 30 voted Pitt in the top spot and the remaining vote went to UCONN. I am going to try to break this down logically. UCONN and Pitt have identical records (UCONN has one more conference win). Pitt has lost twice this season, both in conference on the road, and both to teams ranked in the Top 10 (in the AP, Villanova is 12 in the Coaches). UCONN also has lost twice, both at home and one of those teams is now barely above .500 and hoping to get it’s way in to the NIT. Yeah voting UCONN #1 makes complete sense. Coaches polls are not released to the public but after doing some research I found that Matt Stout, the UCONN beat writer for the Norwich Bulletin has a vote for the AP. I am guessing he was the one that voted for the Huskies ahead of Pitt. I will keep the Rant Readers updated as I continue to follow up on that.

PRESS CONFERENCE HALL OF FAME NOMINATION
Is there anything as entertaining as a grumpy old man whom, just because they are so old and “experienced,” think they know everything and nothing anyone else says will change their mind, especially when these old men are standing at a podium with microphones everywhere. Press conference meltdowns and blowups happen all the time.

For whatever reason it seems like college basketball coaches do this more and better than anyone else. Here are some classic that you should remember. You had John Chaney threaten to kill John Calipari after a game in 1994. Jim Boeheim and his season prediction of having to play without Gerry McNamara. Of course, anytime we compile a list of great press conference moments with angry old men Bob Knight has to be included. Enter Jim Calhoun, UCONN basketball coach. He has had some great pressers in the past. I like the Ryan Gomes one particularly. This weekend he struck again, when asked about his salary and the state deficit. Take a look:


I absolutely loved this on so many levels. First of all, the fact that he knows where the guy is going and interrupts his question with the comment, “not a dime back.” Classic. Let me also say that I agree 100% with Calhoun on this. He brings in much more money for the state and university they he is getting back. He is worth every penny he makes. I also love his comment, about making more then the $1.6M the reporter said he makes. No matter how you feel about his team, Jim Calhoun is a great sound bite, always!