Amateur Hour

Driving back to Knoxville on Sunday evening, the feelings of routine and reality returned to me--yeah, sure, no more stuffing, cranberry sauce, or turkey (miss me with any sort of casserole, though); but more notably, no more insane tournament moments or daytime basketball until March. But while we mourn the passing of Feast Week, we must also rejoice in the quality basketball it provided us. (I believe Dr. Seuss once said "Don't smile because it's over, cry because it happened"...or something like that). Purdue and Virginia Tech kicked off the madness on Sunday with a back and forth championship game in the Charleston Classic. Then Maui provided us with a couple of thrillers--Xavier vs. Auburn in an ugly overtime game, Gonzaga shaking off a feisty Arizona squad, and then a day later, squaring off in a classic against Duke that evoked the "THIS FEELS LIKE A FINAL FOUR GAME" cliches . But with good reason though, as the game was just as bananas as advert...

We're almost two weeks into the college basketball season, so let's recap what we've learned thus far: Duke is good . Villanova is not . Roy Williams needs to start Nassir Little . And Indiana looks like the most glaring omission from my preseason Top 25 rankings.  As I wrote in my last post, postseason storylines fade so quickly due to all of the unknown factors surrounding top programs. Coaches are tinkering with lineups, freshmen are adjusting to the college pace, and  I REPEAT, VILLANOVA LOST TO FURMAN AT HOME. (no precedent for a reigning champ losing on their own court to a Southern Conference opponent. nope, not ever, don't know what would make you think otherwise ).  And the bedlam is only beginning. We are on the eve of what ESPN has dubbed "Feast Week." That is, the week of Thanksgiving where tournaments featuring matchups between top 25 teams occur. I'm here to provide a guide for which games to watch and to share insight on what dream ...

Part 1 can be found here. The Top Ten 10. Villanova - The defending champs make the top 10 due to one reason alone: Jay Wright. It’s crazy how in three seasons Wright has gone from “choker in March” to the second best coach in the game (to only the GOAT, Roy Williams). Forward Eric Paschall and guard Phil Booth have flashed as role players the last two years, but we will find out how far they can carry the team. I’m most intrigued to see if freshman point guard Jahvon Quinerly (29th ranked player in the class of 2018 according to 247sports) can run the offense as well as Jalen Brunson and Ryan Arcidiacono did over the last half decade. 9. Auburn - Jared Harper and Bryce Brown will once again form one of the most fun backcourt tandems to watch in the country. The main question surrounding the team is how front court players Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley will assimilate into the offense (both suspended in 2017-18). The floor spacing from their small ball line-up gave the offens...

Sometime in October, the switch flips from college hoops’ “Way Too Early” Top 25s to Preseason Top 25s—despite only a few things changing in the basketball world. There might be a transfer given eligibility here and an injury there, but that’s about it (and the NCAA ain’t doling out suspensions to the schools implicated in the FBI investigation any time soon, if ever). Truthfully, Preseason Top 25s and Way Too Early Top 25s both stem from blind speculation. The initial rankings may be obsolete in a month. One could compare preseason rankings to “empty calories"...but in my experience, consuming empty calories (i.e. ice cream, starches) has never not been enjoyable. So they’re more “fun calories,” if you ask me.   So let these rankings whet your appetite for the Champions Classic, Feast Week, Duke and Kentucky chemistry issues, and all of the college basketball goodness that will soon be on your table.   Notice: I won’t cover all teams in-depth, because that wo...