There is so much to talk about, but this will just be a quick post for now.
The bowls are set. Ohio State and LSU will play for the national championship. With such a crazy season, there is a ton of controversy, yet at the same time it’s hard to say any team in particular got robbed. You could make a case for a lot of teams, just as you could make a case for OSU or LSU, had they been left out of the big game. Regardless of what you think, this matchup is definitely intriguing and could make for a great game.
I will have plenty more reflection and thoughts as we bridge the gap between now and when bowl season starts.
The exciting college basket season continues. ESPN named a ‘team of the week’ in their weekly column, and this week it was the Texas Longhorns. Andy Katz wrote this:
I was a believer when I saw Texas beat Tennessee in New Jersey on Nov. 25. Sunday, I wasn’t totally shocked that the Longhorns did it again by taking out UCLA, a team deemed more of a favorite for the Final Four than the Longhorns. Texas’ win at top-ranked UCLA on Sunday, coupled with the Longhorns’ win over Tennessee a week ago, may be the two best wins by any team so far. The Longhorns went on a 17-0 run over 8 minutes, 59 seconds against the Bruins. D.J. Augustin’s floating pass/shot that Damion James slammed home to win the game in the final seconds was yet another example how Texas is winning this season. Augustin gets into the lane when he wants and can make something happen. Now, just think about this: Texas looks like it has a better shot to get to the Final Four (in nearby San Antonio no less) than it did a season ago. I know, it’s a long, long season, but there’s no way you can’t say Texas doesn’t have the pieces — and now the proof — that it will be in the discussion all season long.
Andy and I are on the same page, as you can see by my comments on Texas earlier this week. Their upset of UCLA made me look smarter than I really am.
Some interesting thoughts posted by Jay Bilas for ESPN.com, on why this group of freshman (and the trend in general) is so talented and deep:
While everyone is giving reasons for the emergence of so many freshmen this season, there is one I have not yet heard that I think is worth considering. Clearly, this is a great freshman class with unusual depth of players who are ready to be stars. There are several reasons for this: (1) These kids play a lot of basketball all over the country and are more skilled and prepared than ever before; (2) the NBA age limit sends more stars to college that otherwise would have gone pro out of high school; and (3) these freshmen have less resistance from lottery-quality juniors and seniors, because those players are gone to the NBA already. Well, I think you can add another reason for the emergence of so many freshmen: These kids are not really kids in many cases. Because of prep schools and being held back in starting school, freshmen today are older now than ever. USC’s O.J. Mayo is 20 years old. The Trojans’ Davon Jefferson is 21 years old. Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless, Duke’s Kyle Singler, Gonzaga’s Austin Daye, Texas A&M’s DeAndre Jordan, Syracuse’s Donte Greene, Memphis’ Derrick Rose and UCLA’s Kevin Love are all 19 years old. Of the best, the only one who is still 18 years old is Kansas State’s Michael Beasley, which is scary because he looks and plays the oldest.
That’s it for the moment…
