Perfection

I figured I’d put my predictions into writing so at the end of the season I can look back and see how wrong I was.

A look at the potential undefeated teams for the 2010 college football season…

#1 Alabama 4-0 (1-0)
The Tide is without a doubt the number one team in the country. They blew out #22 Penn State at home, and pulled out a victory at #15 Arkansas (in my opinion the toughest game on their schedule). They have two of the nation’s best running backs, an experienced, proven winner at quarterback, and dominating line play. The concerns about their young secondary are warranted (surrendered 357 passing yards in their win at Arkansas), but the Tide overcame those deficiencies to defeat Ryan Mallett and will not face another passing attack like that for the rest of the regular season.

Bama has four currently ranked teams remaining on their schedule: #7 Florida, @#20 South Carolina, @#12 LSU, and the season finale against #10 Auburn.

-Florida - John Brantley is not going to beat Alabama through the air, and Jeff Demps (while fast) will not be able to singlehandedly put points on the board for Florida. Alabama would win this game on the road, but it’s at home, meaning it could get ugly for Brantley and the Gators.

-@USC – South Carolina has looked impressive so far, but their flaws were exposed against Auburn. The Cocks were unable to run the ball, and even more helpless against the run in their heartbreaking loss to Auburn. The freshman phenom, Marcus Lattimore, was unable to find any success against Auburn’s stout run defense, and I’m expecting similar results for Lattimore against the Tide. On the other side of the ball, the Cocks D could not stop the Auburn running attack of Cameron Newton and Michael Dyer. Carolina was helpless against the Tigers’ QB read option, and the Tigers racked up 334 yards on the ground. Alabama can utilize a similar type of offense with Ingram and Richardson working out of the Wildcat, which could create huge problems for the Carolina defense. However, QB Stephen Garcia may be able to keep the Cocks in this game. He has completed 69% of his passes this year, and was very impressive in the loss at Auburn. He has a stud receiving target in Alshon Jeffery, and the two of them should be able to pick apart the Alabama secondary. This is a home game for the Cocks, but Alabama will control the clock for at least 35 minutes, and come home with a W.

-@LSU – The Tigers have a joke for an offense, and will never compete for an SEC Title with Les Miles as their coach. Jordan Jefferson completes only 54% of his passes, and leads the 115th ranked passing offense in FBS. If LSU has to rely on running the football to beat the Tide (which it will have to do), then they will not come close to winning this game. The Tide rolls big.

-Auburn – Cameron Newton will not be able to run wild on Bama’s D. He will have to throw the ball as part of a more balanced offense in order to pull off the upset. I have not been that impressed with Cam Newton as a passer so far, and I do not see this upset happening. With that being said, Alabama will have trouble running the ball as well, but
McElroy will get Bama the win in a low scoring game.

The Tide will finish the regular season undefeated, and will face South Carolina in the Conference Championship Game. Alabama will win again, and play in the National Championship.


#2 Ohio State 4-0 (0-0)
I don’t know if you can put Ohio State in the same elite category as Alabama, but they are close. In their only test of the season so far, Ohio State defeated #12 Miami 36-24. Miami did not have trouble moving the ball against the Buckeyes, but they did have trouble maintaining possession. The Canes turned the ball over 4 times in a game that would have had a much closer/different result had they taken better care of the ball. Miami is a good team, but the Buckeyes proved they are a great one. Terrelle Pryor is one of the nation’s best quarterbacks, and the Buckeyes again have one of the top defenses. However, the Buckeyes still have a very tough road ahead of them, and finishing the season undefeated won’t be easy.

The Buckeyes also have four currently ranked teams remaining on their schedule: @#11 Wisconsin, #22 Penn State, @#17 Iowa, and the season finale against #19 Michigan.

-@Wisconsin – John Clay is a man, but he struggled against Ohio State last year. Scott Tolzien is a good quarterback, but I don’t think that he can carry a team that relies so heavily on the run.

-Penn State – The Lions aren’t going anywhere with a true freshman starting at QB, and this team won’t even be ranked at the end of the season. Robert Bolden struggled at Alabama, and he will struggle in the Shoe. Ohio State wins big.

-@Iowa – If Ohio State is going to lose this year, this is the game (Iowa lost in OT at the Shoe last year in a game that Stanzi missed due to injury). The Hawkeyes are a balanced football team, and Kinnick Stadium is a tough place to play. This will be a tight game, but Stanzi will outplay Pryor for the win.

-Michigan – Denard Robinson is one of the most exciting playmakers to watch in football, but I’m not sold on him as a quarterback yet. Michigan is currently sitting at 4-0, but its wins over Notre Dame and UConn look less and less impressive as the Irish and Huskies keep losing. The fact of the matter is, Jim Tressel owns the Wolverines, and the Buckeyes aren’t going to lose at home with a National Championship on the line.

Ohio State is a very good team this year, but a much more competitive Big 10 keeps them from a perfect season. Their loss at Iowa severely dampens their National Championship hopes, as Iowa can afford to lose a Big 10 game and still win the Conference Championship. Unfortunately for Iowa, a huge loss at Arizona keeps them out of the National Championship picture.

#4 Oregon 4-0 (1-0)
The Ducks and their prolific offense are off to a hot start, but the questions are there about their defense. Their defensive statistics are padded by shutout wins over New Mexico and Portland State, but as their most recent win at Arizona State showed us, they are vulnerable. The Ducks gave up 597 yards to the Sun Devils, but took advantage of 7 ASU turnovers en route to a 42-31 road victory. Oregon still has their toughest road ahead of them, and it does not bode well for a perfect season.

The Ducks have three currently ranked teams left on their schedule: #9 Stanford, @#18 USC, and #14 Arizona.

-Stanford – The Cardinal are a physical team, and pose an interesting matchup with the flair of the Ducks. Andrew Luck is establishing himself as the Pac-10’s elite quarterback (goodbye Jake Locker), and his o-line has done a terrific job of protecting him thus far (1 sack through 4 games). Stanford’s defense is really good, and I see them limiting the Oregon ground game. Oregon won’t reach 30 points and Stanford pulls off the upset.

-@USC – USC is not back. Yes, they put up 50 on Washington State, but Wazzou is one of the worst teams in the country. They lit up Hawaii for 49 points, but gave up 36. And they only beat an awful Minnesota team by a margin of 32-21. Oh yea, and Lane Kiffin is not a good coach.

-Arizona – The Wildcats’ claim to fame is knocking off Iowa in a game where they scored on offense, defense, and special teams. The Cats followed up that performance by racking up 10 points in a 10-9 win over Cal. That offense has to be better if they want to hang with the Ducks. It will be, but it won’t be enough.

#9 Stanford 4-0 (1-0)
If you’re keeping track, Stanford will be 5-0 (2-0) heading into their home match-up with USC. Again, if you’re keeping track, I don’t think USC is a very good team. This leaves #14 Arizona as the only currently ranked team remaining on the Cardinal’s schedule. Stanford gets them at home, and I like the Cardinal pulling it out. Will the Cardinal lose to a middle of the pack Pac-10 team and lose all hope of a perfect season? Probably not. Will the Cardinal finish the season undefeated? You heard it here first.

#6 Nebraska 4-0 (0-0)
The Huskers have a great defense, a fast quarterback, a great running game, and a very favorable schedule. The Blackshirts dismantled Washington in the “Jake Locker should have left early for the pros game”, and are seeking their place in the Big 12 Championship game. If only Taylor Martinez could pass the ball. #21 Texas is the only currently ranked team on the entire Nebraska schedule, and the Nebraska defense should have a field day against struggling youngster Garrett Gilbert. The Big 12 North continues to be a joke so expect to see Nebraska in the Conference Championship Game. Just don’t expect Nebraska to be undefeated when they get there. Taylor Martinez will not enjoy his trip to Kyle Field, and the Aggies will upset the Huskers behind a strong run defense and the arm and legs of Jerrod Johnson.

#8 Oklahoma 4-0 (0-0)
Landry Jones is performing admirably in place of Sam Bradford, but the Sooners’ defense is leaving something to be desired. Oklahoma has struggled in games against Utah State, Air Force, and Cincinnati. Texas, @Texas A&M, and @Oklahoma State are three very loseable games. Expect the Sooners to lose at least one of these.

#3 Boise State 3-0 (0-0)
They’re undefeated now, and they’ll be undefeated at the end of the season. Just don’t expect to see them in the National Championship. Their win over Virginia Tech is pretty meaningless at this point, and Oregon State has done nothing to merit themselves as a quality opponent (only beating Louisville 35-28?). They play at #25 Nevada in the season’s second to last game, and they’ll win that game too. But does beating Nevada count as a quality win? Nope. I think Boise State is a great team, but if Stanford and Alabama both finish undefeated, there’s no way I’m putting the Broncos over either of them.

#13 Utah 4-0 (2-0)
Utah’s defensive line was absolutely dominant in their win over Pitt, and held Dion Lewis to only 75 yards on 25 carries. The Utes’s two remaining tests are at home against #5 TCU and at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is still irrelevant, and I like Utah upsetting TCU. The combination of a strong run defense plus a great home crowd carries Utah to an undefeated season.

#23 NC State 4-0 (1-0)
They won’t have an undefeated season or be in the National Championship talks. But I figured I’d give a shout out to the only undefeated team left in the lowly ACC. Russell Wilson is doing work, and is legitimizing himself as the ACC's POY. They will challenge Clemson for the Atlantic Division Title, but that game is at Clemson so probably not. Enjoy the limelight while it lasts.


In case you lost count, I have Alabama, Stanford, Boise State, and Utah finishing the season undefeated, with Alabama beating Stanford in the National Championship game. The non automatic qualifiers make another great case for both the National Championship and a playoff. They will never have the one without the other.

My Top 25 College Football Teams For The Week of September 28

1. Alabama (4-0)
They have a stout defense. They have a powerful running attack led by Mark Ingram. They have beaten quality teams like Virginia Tech and SEC rival Arkansas. And their new quarterback Greg McElroy has been fantastic; completing 67.7 percent of his passes for seven touchdowns and only one interception.

2. Florida (4-0)
I do not think that Florida is the #1 team, nor do I think that Tim Tebow is the second-coming of Christ. Their performance against Tennessee was very disappointing, and I do not feel that their offense is good enough to put them atop the polls. That being said, they are still really good.

3. Texas (4-0)
The Longhorns struggled a little bit against Texas Tech, but still managed to pull out a ten point victory. They have a high-scoring offense led by quarterback Colt McCoy, who completes 71 percent of his passes. Texas also has the fastest white boy in football in Jordan Shipley.

4. USC (3-1)
Every year the Trojans lose to a really bad team, and everyone sits around wondering how legitimate USC really is for the next couple of weeks. But come January, USC will still have one loss and will be playing in a BCS Bowl Game. Give them a break. They lost to Washington without starting quarterback Matt Barkley, and beat a very good Ohio State team in The Shoe.

5. LSU (4-0)
Their defense was iffy in tough road wins over Washington and Mississippi State, but LSU is still sitting at 4-0. Their goal line stand against Mississippi State was awesome, but we will find out how good LSU really is in the next two weeks. They must travel to Georgia this weekend, and then return home for a showdown with the Gators on October 10.

6. Boise State. (4-0)
The Broncos’ season opening win over Oregon is looking better and better now that the Ducks have finally won a few games. Their offense is explosive, and the hardest part of their schedule is behind them. Another BCS Bowl Game for the Broncos is a very real possibility.

7. Oklahoma (2-1)
They lost to BYU…without Sam Bradford. Some people will try to tell you that Oklahoma was going to lose that game with or without Sam Bradford. Don’t listen to them. Oklahoma was winning 10-7 when Bradford left the game at halftime. Bradford had completed ten of his 14 passing attempts for 94 yards and one touchdown before he was injured. If Bradford had been able to finish the game, Oklahoma would have easily won. But he couldn’t. Oklahoma lost. The Sooners are still legit.

8. Ohio St. (3-1)
They had some trouble with Navy in the season opener, and lost a heartbreaker to USC the following week. But the Buckeyes have responded with two straight shutouts, and are in position to make another run at the Big 10 Title.

9. Virginia Tech (3-1)
The score didn’t show it, but the Hokies were absolutely dominated by a very good Alabama team in the season opener. Nevertheless, the Hokie defense has carried this team to a 3-1 record. If Virginia Tech had anything resembling an offense, they would be a National Championship caliber team. But they don’t. So Virginia Tech will have to settle for another mediocre conference championship.

10. TCU (3-0)
An impressive resume that includes a win against the highly regarded Virginia Cavaliers has launched the Horned Frogs into the top ten. But really, TCU is good. Defensive end Jerry Hughes is a boss, and he anchors a solid defense. Winning in Death Valley was impressive, but the Frogs will also have to win at BYU if they hope to earn a BCS bid.

11. Cincinnati (4-0)
Quarterback Tony Pike has been phenomenal for the Bearcats. He has already thrown for 1,223 yards and 11 touchdowns. Cincinnati has won at Oregon State and knocked off Fresno State at home. The Bearcats are in the Big East, which means that they shouldn’t have too much trouble from here on out.

12. Iowa (4-0)
Is Iowa really good, or was Penn State just incredibly overrated? A little bit of both.

13. Oregon (3-1)
After a frustrating loss to Boise State (didn’t it just make you want to punch Byron Hout right in the face?), the Ducks have rolled off big wins over Purdue, Utah, and California. Their offense is back on track, and the Ducks are very much in contention for a Pac-10 Championship.

14. Miami (2-1)
The Hurricanes ran into the perfect storm at Lane Stadium. The rain. The turnovers. The blocked punt. It was ugly. But Miami is still a very dangerous team with a complete offense. Let’s wait until after the Oklahoma game this weekend to make a decision on whether Da U is back or not.

15. Georgia (3-1)
The Dawgs have rebounded from a season opening loss at Oklahoma State with impressive wins over South Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona State.

16. Nebraska (3-1)
The Huskers are one play away from being undefeated. Let’s be honest with ourselves, they should have beaten Virginia Tech. Nebraska has blown out the rest of its out of conference opponents and is my pick to win the Big 12 North.

17. Houston (3-0)
A win at Oklahoma State and a narrow home win over Texas Tech has everybody talking about the Cougars as the next BCS Bowl Buster. They have the offense to win games, but they don’t have the defense to earn a better spot in the top 25. I don’t see Houston going undefeated. They will slip up against Mississippi State or Southern Mississippi. Who rushes the field after beating an unranked team anyway?

18. Oklahoma State (3-1)
Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant lead the Cowboys’ prolific offense. They’re a good team. Plus, their coach is a man! But they’re still no Texas or Oklahoma.

19. BYU (3-1)
Five turnovers can really damper your BCS hopes.

20. South Carolina (3-1)
So what if Ole Miss was just a tad overrated. The Cocks’ defense gave Jevan Snead a night to forget. South Carolina has a defense worthy of the SEC, but they are still a long way away from competing for an SEC Title.

21. California (3-1)
Jahvid Best is fast. But he sure struggled against the Ducks. He can’t disappear in big games if California wants to make some noise in the Pac-10 this year.

22. Mississippi (2-1)
Jevan Snead for Heisman? Good thing Spurrier changed his vote.

23. Auburn (4-0)
Their undefeated start has been aided by the comforts of home. But wins over Mississippi State and West Virginia aren’t anything to complain about.

24. Georgia Tech (3-1)
Sometimes the triple option works (317 rushing yards against UNC). Sometimes the triple option doesn’t work (95 rushing yards against Miami). The Jackets are too one dimensional to be a dominant team.

25. Kansas(4-0)
Southern Mississippi put up a fight, but the Jayhawks remain undefeated. Don’t worry, they’ll get some tallies in the loss column in the coming weeks.

Virginia vs. Southern Mississippi: Cavaliers Collapse in Second Half

Jameel Sewell played a nearly flawless first half for the Virginia Cavaliers. Aided by a revamped offense that featured more rushing attempts by the running backs, throwing the ball, and even the quarterback lined up directly behind the center, Sewell was able to lead Virginia to a 27-10 halftime lead.

The first touchdown for the Cavaliers was a masterpiece. Early in the first quarter, Virginia began its second drive on its own 12 yard line. After runs by Dominique Wallace and Rashawn Jackson, Virginia was faced with a third and four. Jared Green, who had all but disappeared from the Virginia playbook, came up big for the Cavaliers as he picked up the first down on a short out route. Jackson charged ahead for a nine yard run on the next play, and it appeared that the Virginia game plan was to run the football right at the Eagles’ front seven. So on second and one, the Eagles bit on a perfectly executed play action. Sewell faked the handoff to Wallace, and then threw a 69 yard bomb to true freshman receiver Tim Smith in stride for the touchdown.

Virginia had finally learned how to run an offense, and it was a beautiful sight.

Two Southern Mississippi fumbles deep in its own territory led to two Virginia field goals, and the Cavaliers stretched the lead to 13-0.

The Eagles would respond early in the second quarter, as they efficiently moved the ball down the field on a 14 play, 85 yard touchdown drive that resulted in a six yard touchdown run from running back Damion Fletcher. Southern Mississippi converted two big third and longs on this drive, and frequently picked on Virginia defensive back Devin Wallace, who was playing for the injured Chris Cook.

Sewell responded with a touchdown drive of his own that was capped with a 29 yard touchdown pass to receiver Kris Burd on a post route. This drive succeeded because the Cavaliers passed the ball on third and short. In previous games, we would have most likely seen a quarterback run to the left (or right if Brandon and Groh really wanted to mix things up), or a running back draw. But Sewell found Jared Green to convert a third and two, and later connected with tight end Joe Torchia for a 15 yard pass on third and four.

Sewell’s lone blemish in the first half came on a throw to Tim Smith on a slant route. The throw hit Smith in the hands, and in a failing effort to corral the ball, Smith popped the ball up into the air. Linebacker Martez Smith came up with the interception for the Eagles on the Virginia nine yard line. The Virginia defense limited the Eagles to a field goal, and the Cavaliers found themselves in control with a 20-10 advantage and 4:33 remaining in the first half.

Virginia ended the first half with a 15 play, 77 yard touchdown drive to give the Cavaliers a 17 point cushion heading into the locker room. The touchdown drive was assisted by two huge Southern Mississippi penalties:

-On third and seven, Sewell’s pass to Torchia fell incomplete. But Virginia was bailed out on a questionable defensive pass interference call, and the Cavaliers were given a first down on their own 45 yard line.

-Later in the drive, Virginia attempted the ever popular quarterback run on third down, but Sewell was tackled short of the first down. The Cavaliers were forced to settle for a 40 yard field goal, but Robert Randolph’s kick fell short of the crossbar. However, Randolph timed it just right, and fell down right after defensive back Michael McGee laid out to block the kick. McGee was flagged for running into the kicker, and Virginia was awarded yet another gift first down. Sewell, and the rest of the Virginia offense, was able to capitalize off of these mistakes as Sewell would eventually run for a four yard touchdown.

Sewell had arguably played the best 30 minutes of football of his collegiate career in the first half. He completed 15 of 22 attempts for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Combine that with 41 rushing yards and one touchdown on nine carries, and you are looking at some solid numbers.

But it was not just the stats that were impressive for Sewell. Sewell looked confident. He stood strong in the pocket and accurately delivered the ball to his receivers. He effectively led the offense down the field on three touchdown scoring drives of 76 yards or more. But that was the first half.

Southern Mississippi would fumble the ball on the opening kickoff of the second half, but this time Virginia would not capitalize off of it. Instead, Jamie Collins scooped the ball up for the Eagles and continued the return all the way to the Virginia 32 yard line.

The Eagles almost wasted their excellent field position, as the Virginia defense held strong for three plays. But Austin Davis converted the fourth and one on a quarterback sneak to move the chains. The Eagles, behind the running of Damion Fletcher, moved the ball down to the two yard line where they were faced with a third and one. The Eagles ran a bootleg, and Austin Davis connected with his wide open tight end in the back of the end zone for six.

Virginia would immediately respond with another long touchdown drive. Javaris Brown came up huge on this drive, as he had catches of 25 and 27 yards, the latter of which brought the ball down to the Southern Mississippi one yard line. Sewell ran the ball in for his second rushing touchdown of the day, and Virginia extended the lead back to 17 with 7:19 to play in the third quarter.

And then the Cavaliers collapsed.

Freddie Parham returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the end zone, and just like that, Virginia’s lead was down to 34-24.

The Virginia offense returned to its old ways of being completely ineffective. Sewell lacked the pocket presence that he showed in the first half. He was quick to roll out of the pocket, and failed to find the open receivers. The play-calling became more conservative, as Groh attempted to hold onto the lead, rather than try to extend it. The quarterback option read became predictable, and the Virginia rushing attack came to a halt.

While the Virginia running game was completely unproductive in the second half, the Southern Mississippi running backs were having a field day. The Eagles ran for 157 yards against a pathetic Virginia defense in the second half, including a 57 yard touchdown run by Tory Harrison to put the Eagles up 37-34 with 8:01 left in the game (This touchdown run coincidentally happened at about the same time as Tyrod Taylor’s 80 yard completion to Danny Coale. Needless to say, those 30 seconds were painful and laced with profanity.)

Just over four minutes remained in the game, and Virginia had the ball on its own four yard line. This was where Sewell would get to show everyone why he was named the starting quarterback. Because he knew how to win games. He did it in 2007, and he would do it again against Southern Mississippi.

Sewell immediately gave the ‘Hoos some breathing room as he ran the ball on first down out to the 20 yard line. Two plays later, the Cavaliers were looking at a third and eight. Sewell threw the ball to Kris Burd, who hauled in a monster 14 yard catch for the first down.

But then Sewell fumbled the ball on first down, and only managed to recover it after losing four yards. The Eagles blitzed on second down, and Sewell’s pass to running back Mikell Simpson fell incomplete. On third and 14, Sewell unloaded a deep ball to Kris Burd. The throw was terrible, but Southern Mississippi found itself victim of another defensive pass interference penalty. The penalty advanced the ball to Virginia’s 47 yard line, and there was still hope for that elusive first win.

After an incompletion on first down, Sewell found Jared Green for a first down at the Southern Mississippi 41 yard line. But on second and ten, Sewell was sacked for a ten yard loss. After two more incompletions, the game was over. Southern Mississippi took over on downs, and ran the clock out.

Virginia had blown two different 17 point leads and lost its third straight game. Sewell played admirably in the first half, but couldn’t lead his team on that game winning drive that we grew accustomed to seeing in 2007. And Groh, well, he tried. He made some necessary changes on offense, but like we have seen time after time in his tenure, got outcoached in the second half.

Game Ball goes to Kris Burd. He struggled against TCU last week, but was an absolute boss in the defeat at Southern Mississippi. Burd finished with six catches for 79 yards, and caught his first collegiate touchdown pass. He hauled in everything thrown his way, and came up huge for Virginia on many plays.

College Football: September 19

Virginia travels to Southern Mississippi for their first road game of the season. The Hoos are 15.5 point underdogs...don't expect them to cover the spread. Unless of course they scratch the "spread offense" and start actually attacking the defense. But let's be realistic, that probably won't happen.
If Virginia plays anybody but Jameel Sewell at quarterback, then maybe the Hoos have a chance to keep this one close. But Groh stated that he did not even consider using another quarterback against TCU. Isn't it great that our coach has so much confidence in our struggling quarterback?
Jared Green is not listed on the depth chart for Saturday's game, which brings up the question: Where has Green been all season for Virginia? Coming into the 2009 season, Green was expected to be Virginia's top receiver. Against William and Mary, Green caught three balls for 28 yards. Green followed up that performance by not even playing against TCU. I don't know what's going on with Green, but I guess there's no real reason for concern because Virginia doesn't throw the ball too often anyway.

Nebraska travels to Lane Stadium on Saturday to face the always overhyped Hokies. Tech ran all over Marshall last week, but don't expect the same against a much tougher Nebraska defense. Until Tyrod Taylor shows me that he can pass the ball, I will not buy into any of the Hokie hype.

The reality is, Miami is going to win the ACC by a landslide. The 'Canes have a complete offense led by QB Jacory Harris. Harris has been fantastic for the 'Canes in their first two games, and expect that to continue for Miami all the way to the ACC Championship. Miami manhandled Georgia Tech last night to prove that they are back. Miami shut down Tech's triple option offense, and prevented the Jackets from reaching 100 yards on the ground.
What does this mean for Virginia Tech? It means that Tyrod has one week to learn how to pass the ball, or the 'Canes are going to win big at Lane on September 26.

Tennessee travels to Florida this weekend. This game is highly anticipated only because Lane Kiffin has been nothing but a douchebag since accepting the head coaching job at Tennessee. The Gators will win real big.

Articles

http://bleacherreport.com/users/110638-aaron-mullins

Surely you jest.

Georgetown lost to St. Johns 64-59.
You were my sleeper pick Georgetown. But your tournament play was just as disappointing as the rest of your season.
FAIL.

On another note, ACC Player of the Year Ty Lawson is questionable for the ACC tourney with a swollen big toe. His condition has serious implications for the Tar Heels in the ACC tourney, but they are looking towards a bigger goal. The Heels need to make sure Lawson is 100% ready to go for the NCAA Tournament (or at least Percy Harvin 90%). If that means that they don't win the ACC tourney, so be it. The committee will understand if the Heels don't win their tourney without Lawson, and will still most likely award UNC with a 1 seed. Freshman Larry Drew II will most likely start in Lawson's place. Drew II is averaging 1.5 pts and 2 assists in 9.7 minutes of play. Senior Bobby Frasor will also see increased minutes in the event of Lawson's absence. Frasor is averaging 2.6 pts and 1.5 assists in 15.9 minutes. The two will have big shoes to fill as Lawson averages 15.9 pts and 6.5 assists while leading one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The ACC tourney starts Thursday at noon, but the Heels have a bye and won't play till Friday against the winner of the VT/Miami game.

Lawson's injury is straight up huge, not only for the Heels, but for the winner of the VT/Miami game. VT and Miami are both very much on the bubble. Miami is 18-11(7-9) while VT is 17-13 (7-9). If the winner of this game then goes on to defeat the Heels, then this winner would have a very legitimate shot at making the NCAA Tournament. Currently, Tech and Miami are hoping and praying that Lawson rides the pine in Atlanta.

Finally, a big congratulations for my man Sylven Landesberg as he took home sole possession of the ACC's Rookie of the Year Award. Sylven received 55 of the 76 votes for the award, while Wake's Al-Farouq Aminu received 20 votes. There was some speculation that the 2 would share the award, but Sylven deservedly gets the award outright. Sylven averaged 16.8 points per game despite being the focus of opposing defenses. He almost always had to create his own shot as the Hoos struggled with their point guard play all year. Well done Sylven!

Conference Tourney Time

The Big East

The Big East Tourney kicked off today at Madison Square Garden. Cincinnati started things off by completing their late season collapse and losing to DePaul 67-57. Let's not forget that DePaul was 0-16 in regular season conference play. The Bearcats had a very good shot at making the NCAA tournament but ultimately lost 6 of their final 7 games. Some of these games were seen as easy wins for Cincy. Instead, they defied the odds and lost at South Florida and at home to Seton Hall. Tragic.

DePaul now advances to face a Providence team that has everything to play for. Providence is the face of NCAA tournament bubble teams. They are 18-12 (10-8) and 6-6 in their last 12 games. The Friars knocked off #1 Pitt during that stretch and also defeated Syracuse. But Providence does have scars on their resume. They lost to Northeastern and Baylor during out of conference play, and have recently been blown out by the likes of UConn, WVU, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Nova (all NCAA tournament caliber teams). So what does Providence have to do to make the field of 65? For starters, they absolutely must beat DePaul (preferably by a large margin). Winning this game will advance them to a quarterfinal match-up with #1 seed Louisville. If the Friars pray (yes, that is supposed to be PRAY) hard enough and beat the Cardinals, then everyone from Joe Lunardi to Digger Phelps will agree that they deserve a spot in the dance. However, I feel that as long as they play Louisville close, they will receive serious consideration from the committee and get one of the last bids. But if they lose by more than 10 in an uninspired effort, look for them in the NIT.

Look for the Hoyas to make some noise in the Big East Tournament. They face a very beatable St. Johns team in the first round, and will most likely advance to play against a struggling Marquette team. Marquette has lost 4 straight since losing Dominic James for the season. Those 4 games were against UConn, Louisville, Pitt, and 'Cuse, but the Golden Eagles have been a completely different team without James. Marquette has made a Duke-like 24-79 three point attempts during their final 3 games, a lowly 30%. Yes, they still have Jerel McNeal, who has been on a roll all season (20.1 ppg), but I don't see the Eagles winning a game in either the Big East or NCAA tournament. Back to the Hoyas. Assuming they win these 2 games, the Hoyas would then face Nova in the quarterfinals. In their only meeting of the season, Georgetown won at Nova by a final count of 56-54. Scottie Reynolds did have a terrible shooting night and only finished with 12 points for the Cats, but the fact of the matter is, Georgetown won at Nova. Look for the Hoyas to make it to the semi-finals against Louisville, but fall just 2 games shy of earning the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

So who wins the Big East Tournament? This is a tough one because the Big East boasts 3 of the best teams in the country with Louisville, Pitt, and UConn. I anticipate Louisville beating Georgetown to advance to the finals against the winner of the Pitt vs. UConn semi-final. Pitt will defeat UConn for the 3rd time this year and then knock off Louisville for the crown. Pitt won't stop there, because they're going to win the whole thing. That's right. You heard it here first. The Pitt Panthers are going to win the NCAA Tournament. Sam Young, Levance Fields, DeJuan Blair, they are unstoppable. Pitt is awesome, as is this time of year.

Go watch some hoops.