Tuesday, February 26, 2008
As days go, Saturday wasn’t a great one for Kansas basketball. The Jayhawks slogged through a foul-filled disaster of a loss at Oklahoma State with the deaths of family members of two players tugging at their focus.
The defeat pulled Kansas and its fans one rung down on the Big 12 Conference standings ladder and a step behind Texas in the race for the conference title. Throw in two potentially tough road games at Iowa State and Texas A&M, and for Kansas diehards the rest of the season could be as unpleasant as a trip to the dentist.
breakbox
1 Day until conference tournaments begin with the Big South, Horizon and Ohio Valley
4 Days until Kansas vs. Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse
19 Days until Selection Sunday
23 Days until the NCAA tournament begins
41 Days until the National Championship
Don’t be too quick to fret: Even if the Jayhawks don’t draw a No. 1 seed come tourney time, there’s plenty to smile about across college basketball.
Around the nation, there are under-the-radar teams building their résumés and prepping for NCAA tournament runs. Oral Roberts University, at 15-1 in the Summit League, is a team Kansas might not want to face in late March. Does the name Marchello Vealy ring a bell? Drake captured the Missouri Valley Conference regular season crown on the small shoulders of point guard Adam Emmenecker, a former walk-on.
Out on the left coast, Saint Mary’s has usurped the title of the West’s best mid-major from Gonzaga. On the other side of the country, North Carolina A&T’s basketball team isn’t very good, but the atmosphere inside the Corbett Sports Center is great—it’s known as “the Crunkest Gym in America” for a reason. Visit YouTube to find out why.
There’s no better place to find charismatic players, coaches and analysts than college basketball. ESPN’s sometimes grating and always over-the-top announcer Dick Vitale is back from throat surgery, and the world is better off with him sitting courtside. Admit it, you missed the guy.
It’s hard not to love Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl. He’s at the helm of the top team in the nation, unafraid to shout, frequently flails about with rabid enthusiasm during games, has appeared shirtless and painted in public, and looks his best when he’s sweating through an orange suit. Pearl is truly all that is man.
How about that Michael Beasley guy? The Kansas State forward isn’t held in the highest regard among Kansas fans, and he didn’t quite live up to his guarantee of a 50-point showing last week at Nebraska, but he is downright special. In less than a week, Allen Fieldhouse will play host to Beasley, Bill Walker and their motley crew of offensively-challenged teammates. Don’t miss this one because Beasley is better than Kevin Durant.
Need another reason to look forward to Saturday? ESPN is bringing its traveling circus, College GameDay, to Lawrence. Wake up from your Saturday-morning stupor early enough and you can head over to Allen Fieldhouse to hoist hilarious signs behind analysts Rece Davis, Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis. Also, Erin Andrews usually works as the courtside reporter for ESPN’s game of the week. That seems like ample reason to get to bed early on Friday.
Looking past February’s finish should make any college basketball fan giddy, if not euphoric. Conference tournaments are on the horizon: the Big East and its oodles of teams at Madison Square Garden, the Missouri Valley under the arch in Saint Louis, and the Big 12 squarely in Kansas’ backyard, Kansas City.
Next, it’s on to Selection Sunday (the best day on the sports calendar) and true March Madness. This year, the tournament gets off to its start during spring break, meaning students won’t even have to skip class to take in the opening round action.
Even if Kansas finishes its season on a sour note, even if Oral Roberts becomes this year’s Bradley or Bucknell, cherish college basketball. Rejoice for the absence of steroid scandals and the lack of bowl-season silliness. Strap yourself in and prepare to savor the next month — it’s guaranteed to fly by all too fast.
— Edited by Katherine Loeck
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