All across the country tonight basketball teams will partaking in their first official practices of the season. What used to be known as Midnight Madness has changed in recent years in order to have college students in bed earlier so they can do homework (please), but the tradition and excitement of the event is still the same for hoops fanatics everywhere. In honor of the official start of the season, I have compiled an ABC's of college basketball. Here's to the new season!
A is for...ACC. Many are questioning the depth of the conference this season, with North Carolina likely as the only sure thing. This is still going to be a dangerous conference with teams like NC State, Duke, and a slew of other talented programs that could make some noise on the national scene this year.
B is for...Billy Gillispie. Kentucky is absolutely in love with their new head coach, and when practice kicks off tonight at 7 in Wildcat country, the Gillispie era will begin with plenty of anticipation.
C is for...California hoops. UCLA and USC will clearly be making plenty of noise this season. With the addition of Kevin Love at center, the Bruins could very well be primed to make a third straight Final Four appearence and contend for a national title. The Trojans will have a slew of young talent as well, lead by heralded freshman O.J. Mayo.
D is for...DeAndre Jordan. The 7-footer will make an immediate impact at Texas A&M. Rated as the second best center in his class by Rivals, Jordan is a physical talent that gave the Aggies a real scare when he thought about withdrawing his commitment after coach Billy Gillispie left to take the Kentucky job.
E is for...Early season matchups. Here's a list of some of the top games before New Years: Georgetown vs. Memphis (Dec 22), Texas vs. Michigan St (Dec 22), Marquette vs. Wisconsin (Dec 8), North Carolina vs Ohio State (Nov 29), Arizona vs. Kansas (Nov 25), North Carolina St vs. Michigan St (Nov 28), Indiana vs. Southern Illinois (Dec 1)
F is for...Foul language. The NCAA has stated it will crack down on coaches swearing during games this season. Four letter words or stepping out onto the court during a game could earn coaches a quick technical foul.
G is for...George Mason. Only two years removed from their magical final four run, everyone is still asking, who will be the next Mason?
H is for...Harris, Eugene. The former Florida State player and long time assistant coach for various schools got his first head coaching job just a couple of weeks ago when he was selected for the recently opened Florida A&M job.
I is for...Iona. After a miserable 2-28 season last year, the Gaels will return a more experienced roster and healthy roster, one that hopes to improve upon one win in the MAAC from last season.
J is for...Jump for joy! College basketball is back!
K is for...Kosta Koufos. How will Greg Oden's heir apparent fair? The NBA's #1 draft pick has said that he is impressed by the freshman's game.
L is for...Ashton Lawrence. Who is this you might ask? A reserve junior forward for Coastal Carolina, and this is probably the only time you will ever hear his name.
M is for...Maryland. How will Gary Williams and the Terps do with a roster that has just three seniors and seven freshman? The youngsters will have to grow up real quick in a tough ACC.
Stay tuned for part two next week!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment