College basketball is like an over-flowing stew. There is so much goodness in there and so many different flavors to pick out and individually enjoy but to really reach its potential, it must be stirred and allowed to simmer. In the end, the warm aromas draw you in, the steam in your face, the first sip a bit too hot to bear but you go back for more and more until you are shoveling full spoons in your mouth not even caring whether the next bite contains a carrot, a slice of beef, or a combo of everything in between.
I guess its safe to say the ingredients have been laid out and the construction of this years stew is well under way. There were 17 early season tournaments that are all complete as of last night which means we have gotten a very nice sneak peak into who is for real and who is not. We have the ACC/Big Ten challenge and Hardwood Classic to look forward to and then it is on to conference play.
It really is a great thing that the college landscape is opening up like this. For example, the 76 Classic this past week in Anaheim gave national exposure to mid majors Butler, Portland, and Long Beach State. Butler now sees what it will take to really make it to the next level and the country knows what the WCC has known all along. These are great things for basketball.
Also we get to see top schools from different conferences face off such as the Florida upset over Michigan State contest in the semis of the Legends Classic, Purdue stealing one against Tennessee at the buzzer in the Paradise Jam (played in the Virgin Islands... how cool is that?), and Duke knocking off UConn in the Garden to win the Preseason NIT.
Historically, the Preseason NIT was a one-stop shop for big name schools. You could turn on ESPN and see the big names and get your first sip of the stew... it was your basic meat and potatoes. Then the early season field expanded with options like the Coaches vs. Cancer, Maui Invitational, and Great Alaska shoot out. Now, the talent is spread through over a dozen tournaments which means we may not see all of the big schools clash but we will get a full deep inhale of the entire D1 landscape.
This is great for the game because schools can use they tournaments as recruiting chips. For example, wouldn't it work in Purdue's favor to show a recruit pictures from their championship visit to the Virgin Islands or Calipari reminding incoming recruits that Kentucky gets to play in and win tournaments in Cancun? Like all things modern, college basketball is evolving into an accessible, digestible, and fully mobile entity.
So what do we know so far?
There is some clear disparity in the Big 6 conferences (Big East, ACC, Pac 10, SEC, Big 10, Big 12)
The Big 12 looks to be the strongest conference at the top after Texas A&M pulled off big wins against Clemson and Minnesota, both ranked in the top 25. Kansas and Texas are in the Top 3 (1 and 3, respectively). Oklahoma sniffed the top 25 for a week but after dropping 3 straight to mid-majors, they will be far from the Top 25. They just lack the depth right now to really compete with top tier competitions. Still, with Willie Warren rounding into All-American form, this team is far from dead.
Look for Mizzou to climb back along with Oklahoma State to be on the bubble.
The Big East, again, remains the deepest conference. With West Virginia looking to be a legitimate top 5 team and Villanova gunning opponents down with regularity, they look to have the top tier teams to be legitimately considered the best basketball conference for a second year now.
Here is how I see it for WVU- De'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks are the best 1-2 forward combo in the country. Throw in veteran guard play and a proven coach, and you have a very dangerous team. The depth, shooting ability and defensive style that stretches opponents thin will certainly favor this team into March . I am penciling them into the Final Four now. You heard it hear first.
1. Big East- Two legit final four contenders, two semi-legit contenders and a slew of solid rosters will keep the Big East active and enjoyable. Please, please, please, take the time to watch Lazar Hayward at Marquette. He is a senior and the link to last year's 'what if' squad.
2. Big 12- This is a very close second. Oklahoma's stumble to three straight mid-majors hurts the conference and the bottom of the conference leaves a little to be desired.
3. ACC- Duke, UNC are top 12 and Georgia Tech is young, strong and scary. Clemson will go as far Booker can lead them and VaTech, FSU, Maryland and Wake all have legitimate tournament hopes.
4. This is where the drop off begins. The first 3 are clearly the best in the nation. SEC and the Big 10 are also clearly better than the Pac 10 right now. I give SEC a slight nod to the Big 10 for these reasons:
- The top team in the Big 10 is Michigan State and they got beat head-to-head by the second best team in the SEC, Florida
- Michigan is ranked in the top 25 but they got upset by Alabama over the weekend
- The SEC only has one legitimate cupcake right now (Arkansas who are giving up 83+ ppg) while the Big 10 has Indiana, Iowa, and Penn State who have all yet to prove anything.
Bottom line: the SEC was greatly improved before Calipari came to town the the big names at Tennessee decided to stay in school. Those two factors have really strengthened the conference. Still, I say by mid February, the Big Ten will have left the SEC in its dust. Why?
5. Big Ten- Michigan State is probably the toughest out in the country. Give them a few more weeks to get their big men into a true rotation and watch out. This team will be in the Final Four. The depth the conference goes a lot deeper than recent years past with Purdue putting outs its best squad in over a decade and Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota all looking top 25-worthy. When its all said and done, Indiana will be hitting their stride and Wisconsin will be right there.
6. Pac 10- Ok, lets microcosm the Pac 10's problems into UCLA.
Here is UCLA's week to forget:
- Crushed by 27 by WCC's Portland. Ok, this shouldn't happen to the West Coast powerhouse and it wasn't even as close as the score makes it sound.
- Last second loss to Butler. This Butler team was humbled this week losing to Minnesota and Clemson and needing last second heroics to squeak past UCLA and yet I digress...
- Eleven point beat down by Long Beach State
So UCLA is 2-4 with their only wins coming against Cal State Bakersfield and Pepperdine. Wow, thats not a good sign, especially when you consider Kansas and Mississippi State are on the horizon. Translation: they haven't won the games they should have won and now need to win the games they are supposed to lose.
The Pac 10 is 37-19 in this early season which is only a shade better than the WCC's record which is making the ridiculous "Best Conference on the West Coast" debate somewhat intriguing.
To put 37-19 into perspective, the other power conferences look like this:
ACC- 60-10
BIG EAST- 76-12
BIG 12- 60-12
SEC- 50-19
BIG 10- 34-19 (but they are playing a tougher brand of ball in the early season).
The Washington's (Washington and Wash State) and Arizona State are the best the Pac 10 has to offer right now. AZ State crushed LSU and lost their one true test against Duke but they look to be tourney bound. Washington is undefeated but barely stole a win from Montana and Washington State has played no one of consequence. Its gonna be a long season in the Pac 10.
It is still too early to tell for sure who is for real in the Mid Majors but it looks like Butler, Gonzaga, Portland and UNLV are for real and VCU, Dayton, Missouri State, and BYU all in the mix.
Memphis gets it own line: After taking Kansas to the max, they have taken out a stick and beaten on Central Arkansas and Tennessee Tech, hardly something to mention so I don't know where Memphis fits right now. They only have two real tests before the new year @UMass and home against Tennessee. Then we get to see 'em at Syracuse and the rest of the season is pedestrian. So... don't be surprised if they are 28-3 heading into the Conf USA Tourney and get a 2 seed in the Big Dance. I still won't be too impressed.
Mid Major talent: Watch Paul George (Fresno State) and Larry Sanders (VCU) play. Both will be wearing NBA jerseys next year.
Ahh yes, the stew is simmering. Breath in deeply and enjoy whatever comes next.
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