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So remember how I said I might be interviewing a Louisville player to get some thoughts on the team this year? No? That's certainly understandable, given that I haven't posted anything on here in about 2 months, so in the interest of keeping my blog alive, I'm getting back in the game. Now I'm making good on the promise. Through a mutual friend, I got in touch with sophomore guard Kyle Kuric. Kuric, a native of Evansville, Indiana, is a solid role player on this year's edition of the Cards. In 25 games this season, he averages 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in just under 13 minutes of action, and he was nice enough to take the time to answer some questions for me and our loyal readers as his team fights for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
(Editor's note: These questions were sent about a month ago, hence some of the questions that don't match up with what's happening today.)
Q: Your recruiting decision came down to the wire back in 2008. In the end, what made you decide to play for Coach Pitino at Louisville?
A: It came down to Coach Pitino. He's a hall of fame coach, coaching at a high-major program and it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.
Q: Last year, you guys finished 16-2 in the Big East, winning the regular season and tournament titles. Looking back, how impressive was that feat? Did the loss to Michigan State spoil the year for you, or do you still have fond memories of last season?
A:Last year's Big East titles were great accomplishments. Almost every game was against a Top 25 opponent, many of them being in the Top 10. Although the Michigan State loss ended our season earlier than we all wanted it to, it was still a great year. Winning the Big East
regular season title, Big East tournament, regular season number 1 ranking, and the number 1 overall seed for the NCAA tournament was a great year.
Q: North Carolina fell out of the polls this week for the first time since January of 2006. How tough is it to lose the kind of talent and leadership that they did, the kind you lost with Terrence Williams, Earl Clark, and Andre McGee?
A:It's tough to come back the next year with losing that kind of talent. Many guys are stepping up into roles that they aren't used to, getting more playing time and becoming more of an impact player for their team. Another thing that is lost is the leadership that they brought. That needs to be replaced and it's a hard thing to do.
Q: What’s the biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s?
A:The experience and vocal leadership are two big things that are different. Having guys step up and play big minutes for the first time. And we have leadership but it's not as vocal as it was last
year. T-Will was a naturally vocal person and other people fed off him.
Q: From watching the team all through last year, it looked like T-Will and McGee were the heart and soul of the team. Who fills that role this year?
A:I'm not sure if one or two people can fill their roles this year. Instead it'll be more of a team effort. The more we play together the better we will play.
Q: What does the locker room normally sound like? Are you guys a goofy bunch or more businesslike?
A:It will usually depend on the day. Some days quiet, other days it is loud. But overall I'd say we are goofy but when it comes down to business we handle ourselves appropriately.
Q: You’ve seen your playing time shoot up dramatically this year, and you were in the game in the final minutes against Pitt. How gratifying is it to know that Coach P has that kind of trust in you, especially in a hostile environment?
A laying time is sometimes hard to interpret with coach but you just have to be ready at any time and always stay focused. It is gratifying to play in those situations and good to remember that through rough times.
Q: Most games, you get between 12 and 20 minutes, but sometimes Mike Marra gets the bulk of the court time. What determines who gets more playing time in a given game?
A: It could be many things: maybe one of us practiced better that week, or coach will expect the other team will do something and play which one will fit better against the other team.
Q: You are, for my money, the best pure rebounder on the team, especially on the offensive glass, despite being only 6’4”. Have you always had that nose for the ball, or is it something you’ve worked hard on at Louisville?
A:I've always been a good rebounder but it has gotten a lot better since I've been at Louisville. I am good at predicting where the ball might come off and get in that general spot.
Q: Is there anyone you’ve tried to model your game after? What will be your main focus as far as improving your game goes for the rest of the season?
A:There isn't really one person that I've modeled my game after. I try and look at different players and study what their strengths are and why. My main focus is just staying confident. Confidence is key to shooting, defense, dribbling, etc.
Q: Most of the talking heads thought the Big East would be down this year, but Pittsburgh is in the top 20 despite being picked to finish 9th in the conference, Syracuse and Villanova both have only 1 loss all year, Seton Hall just beat Pitt last week, and UConn took down Texas without Jim Calhoun. Fran Fraschilla has said that in the Big East, it’s all about getting on a 1 game winning streak and going from there. Is that the case? What’s the toughest part about playing in the conference?
A:The toughest part about this conference is the competition and competitiveness. There's no easy game. Anyone can get beat by anyone on any given night. We just played Depaul and they are alot better than their record shows, so every night we have to go out and compete hard
to win.
Q: Who is the best player you’ve guarded/played against at Louisville?
A: I've played against a lot of great players so far, there's Thabeet, Harangody, Dyson, Johnson, and I have to put Twill on the list. All of those guys, except for may be 1, are or will be in the NBA.
Q: As a Notre Dame student, I have to ask: What do you think of Luke Harangody?
A:He's a very deceptive player. You look at him and you don't think basketball player or athletic. But the truth is if you don't prepare for him he can put up 40 on you.
Q: For the past few years, Pitino’s teams have been the best on the road in the Big East and great at closing out games. This year’s team has let a couple games slip away, againstVillanova and Pitt. What is it going to take to be able to close out games against some of the top teams in the country?
A:The main thing is to stay focused and finish games. It's easy to not be focused and let a game get away but good teams stay focused and win games they are supposed to win and also some games that they aren't supposed to win.
Q: Free throw shooting has been a bit of a weak spot for the last few years. Does the team spend a lot of time on them, or is it more of a mental thing?
A: In my opinion it's a combination of both. May be one influences the other. We shoot free throws everyday after practice and even more on game days. My thinking is the more you work on them the more confidence you have which is the mental aspect of them.
Q: Jerry Smith has never shot below 46% in his career, and in each of the last 3 years, he has shot better from 3 point range than he is shooting from the field this year (38%). How much is his slump bothering him? The last couple games, he seems to have really tried to help the team in other ways, and I see him getting the bench fired up all the time. Is that more of a focal point for him as he tries to regain his touch?
A: Although he has been in a shooting slump, for him, he is doing many other things to help the team out. It's not all about scoring. Getting a stop on defense is just as, if not more, important than scoring. He gets a lot of deflections, drives the lane to set up other people for shots, and when he's not in the game he's on the bench getting everyone fire up.
Q: Pitino teams are famous for slow starts and great finishes. Do you see this team making a run the rest of the conference season? What will it take to do that?
A: Like you said his teams are known for that, and I think we are capable of making a good run to finish out the conference season. It will take a lot to do that. It will take focus, hard work, and a drive to win. Coach prepare us well for the other team and we just need to go out and execute the game plan.
Q: How much has the addition of Ralph Willard to the coaching staff helped the team this season?
A: He has influenced the team a great deal since his arrival. His approach is different than coach's and it helps us out sometimes if things are explained a different way. He is a great coach and I'm glad he's here.
Q: Sunday against Cincinnati, we saw Terrence Jennings and Samardo Samuels play together for extended stretches, something I’ve been hoping to see a lot of this season. How dangerous can this team be when they are playing well together, and how does it change the way
opponents have to prepare for you guys?
A:TJ and Mardo playing together is another combination that makes it hard for other teams to prepare for. Truthfully, we have several lineups with different strengths and we are deep. On any night, we can put in three or four lineups that cause match up problems for many teams.
Q: No matter how this season plays out, clearly there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming years. How have you seen this year’s freshman grow as the year has progressed? How excited are you for the next couple recruiting classes, one of which (2011) already includes 2 members of the ESPN Super 60, to come to the Ville?
A:Coach always brings in great players so we can be successful. I know we have a lot of talent coming in and I look forward to playing with those guys but truthfully my focus is this year and now.
Q: How excited are you to play in the new arena next year?
A: I'm really excited to play in the new arena. It's going to be an amazing place to play. I will have had 2 years in Freedom Hall and will have 2 years in the new stadium. Best of both worlds.
Q: How hard is it to balance the demands of being a major conference college basketball player with your academics? (Congrats on being named to the AD’s Honor Roll, by the way)
A: It's really challenging to excel in both athletics ad acedemics. But I've learned to manage my time and how to get things done that I need to get done. For example, this year on flights instead of sleeping I would take homework with my and do it on the plane or I do it while we are stuck with curfew at the hotel.
Being that it's New Year's Eve, I don't have as much time as I normally do to go into a lot of detail on tomorrow's games. As nice as my analysis looks on paper, I'm off to my usual 50% success rate so far in the bowls. I gotta give myself a little credit though; picking Air Force over Houston was not a very popular pick, but as we speak the Falcons lead the Cougars 47-20, have racked up almost 400 yards on the ground, and have picked off Case Keenum 5 times, more than half of the interceptions he threw all season. I'll give a short preview of tomorrow's games, but trust me, the analysis is there, I just don't have time to type it all up.
Outback Bowl: Northwestern vs. Auburn
-Pat Fitzgerald is a great coach, and Northwestern comes in on a hot streak, having defeated Iowa and Wisconsin in their season-ending 3 game winning streak. Auburn is a solid, battle-tested team who should be more than prepared for this one. I'm a sucker for the SEC, and as much as I respect the progress the Wildcats have made this season, I like the hard-nosed Tigers to come out on top in a close one.
Gator Bowl: West Virginia vs. Florida State
-More than a few famous Florida State alumni will be on hand to witness Bobby Bowden's final game as a head coach. Did you know that Florida State finished in the top 5 in the AP poll every year from 1987-2000? Unbelievable. As a Notre Dame fan, I'd be satisfied with 2 years in the rankings at this point. As much as I'd like to see Bobby go out with a W, I think WVU is a little too talented for the Seminoles. who have struggled ever since QB Christian Ponder got injured. WVU behind the running of Noel Devine here.
Capital One Bowl: Penn State vs. LSU
-I'm one of those people who thinks PSU is vastly overrated. While I don't think LSU is a great team by any stretch, I think Penn State is regarded far more highly than they should be. With my track record, they'll probably stomp all over LSU tomorrow, but my head tells me the SEC is far better than the Big Ten, and it shows tomorrow. LSU shuts down Clark and Penn State.
Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oregon
-Another overrated Big Ten team in a bowl game they have no business being in. I've never been a big OSU fan, and it's getting old to see them go to BCS games and get hammered every year. Oregon can be inconsistent at times, but if they play their best game there's no way the Buckeyes can keep up, especially with Pryor nursing that injured PCL he's had all season apparently. Ducks quack their way to a W in Pasadena.
Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Cincinnati
-I didn't think the Bearcats had a chance in this one even with Brian Kelly, and now that he's off to lovely South Bend for the foreseeable future, I don't see them keeping up with the Gators, who will have Urban Meyer at the helm for the game. Florida is too fast and too athletic, and their defense will give Tony Pike all kinds of problems. Gators by 2 touchdowns, although I always look forward to seeing electrifying receiver Mardy Gilyard take the field for Cincinnati.
More to come tomorrow, but for now, happy new year's!
Independence Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Georgia (Monday, December 28, 2009)
-The Independence Bowl pits two major conference teams with major defensive issues against one another. While Texas A&M gave up almost 600 yards in a loss to Texas and over 60 points to Kansas State and Oklahoma, Georgia’s woes on the defensive side of the football led to the firings of 3 assistant coaches. The Aggies are one of college football’s most enigmatic teams, getting embarrassed by Oklahoma one week and turning right around to challenge Texas the next. Georgia, meanwhile, was inconsistent offensively and flat out underwhelming defensively. They come into Shreveport with a bit of momentum, though, having defeated in-state rival and Orange Bowl representative Georgia Tech in their final game of the season, racking up over 300 yards on the ground in the process. This game should feature an abundance of fireworks, as Texas A&M’s 5th ranked offense is offset by their 109th ranked defense. Georgia will look to senior quarterback Joe Cox to finish out his lone year as a starter on a high note. He, in turn, will look to Washaun Ealey and Caleb King to recreate some of their 9.2 yards per carry magic from the last game. Sophomore wideout A.J. Green racked up 751 yards and 6 touchdowns this season despite missing the last two games of the Bulldogs’ 2009 campaign. Georgia’s defense will face a difficult test in Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who racked up 36 touchdowns this year while being picked off just 6 times. If you saw him play against Texas, you know what this kid can do. Texas A&M has no trouble scoring points, and if they can figure out a way to force a few turnovers, they could have a big day against the Dogs. However, Georgia is undoubtedly more battle-tested and looks to be on the upswing. Ealey should find it easier to run when a thuggish linebacker isn’t trying to poke his eyes out, and the 1-2 punch that he creates with King will be difficult to contain. I like Georgia to come out on top in a close, high-scoring affair.
Eaglebank Bowl: UCLA vs. Temple (see earlier post)
-For those of you who don’t want to look at the previous post, I like UCLA in this one. If you want to know why, by all means check out that previous post.
Champs Sports Bowl: Miami vs. Wisconsin (Tuesday, December 29)
-Capital One Bowl Week continues in Orlando with the Champs Sports Bowl. Miami comes in looking for their first 10-win season since 2003 and first bowl victory since 2006. They will be tested by the power running game of the Wisconsin Badgers, winners of four of their last five regular season games, during which they put up 39 points per game. Led by Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in running back John Clay, the Badgers will look to control the line of scrimmage behind a bruising rushing attack, while the more pass-heavy Hurricanes rely on star quarterback Jacory Harris to spread the ball to a stable of fast, versatile receivers. Miami can run the ball a little bit, too, featuring a pair of backs who rushed for more than 580 yards during the season in Graig Cooper and Damien Berry, who led the Canes with 8 touchdowns. Wisconsin fans might remember being embarrassed by an ACC squad in this same game last year, as Florida State dismantled the Badgers 42-13. Call it a stereotype, but time and time again Big Ten teams prove incapable of handling the speed and quickness of ACC teams. This is truly a battle of contrasting styles; Miami will look to spread the ball through the air and use their speed to get to the outside, while Wisconsin will try to run between the tackles and get John Clay going. Miami has showed significant improvement in each of Randy Shannon’s 3 seasons at the helm, and I fully expect to see them in the top 10 come next season. I have always liked Wisconsin, but I just don’t see them being able to contain the speed of the Canes, who have so many athletes on both sides of the ball. Will I be surprised if Wisconsin pulls out a win? No. They need a strong performance from junior quarterback Scott Tolzien, who thre just 2 picks over his last 5 games. I like the U to run past Wisconsin in the land of Disney.
Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. Nebraska (Wednesday, December 30)
-Arizona and Nebraska come in to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego nursing broken hearts and shattered dreams. Each was mere seconds away from clinching berths in BCS bowls, only to end up here after some late-game heroics from their opponents. The Huskers were literally 1 second away from a spot in a BCS bowl when Hunter Lawrence booted a 46 yard field goal through the uprights to send Texas to the national title game, while Arizona found themselves ahead of Oregon by a TD with just over a minute to play in their penultimate game of the season, eventually falling 44-41 in 2 overtimes to send the Wildcats tumbling down the Pac-10 standings. Nebraska features the nation’s most dominant player in Ndamukong Suh, who leads a strong defensive unit into San Diego. Arizona’s O-Line will be faced with the unique challenge of keeping Suh out of the backfield and giving Nick Foles time to find his receivers. The Wildcats have a solid defense of their own, coming in 21st in total defense, and their offensive line allowed the 10th fewest sacks in the nation this season. Nebraska’s offense is anemic at best, and this should be a defensive struggle from start to finish. Arizona has a solid offense, averaging over 400 yards a contest, but the Huskers can stifle even the most electric of attacks. Suh is simply incomparable, and no player can impacta game the way that he does on defense. However, you have to score a few points to win, and Nebraska will struggle mightily to do so. Turnovers will play a key role in this game, as field position may prove to be the most powerful indicator of offensive success for both teams. Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee was inconsistent all season, while Foles developed into a solid first-year starter for Mike Stoops’ squad. Arizona has a few more weapons and will make a few more plays downfield. I like the Cats to win a close one, somewhere in the vicinity of 17-13. Enjoy watching Suh, whose name means “house of spears,” in his final college game, as he is sure to be a top pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
Humanitarian Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Idaho (Wednesday, December 30)
-I picked this game earlier, but for a quick recap, I like Bowling Green in a shootout behind one of the nation’s top receivers in Freddie Barnes.
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee (Thursday, December 31)
-Beamer Ball takes its show on the road to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to take on Lane Kiffin’s Tennessee Volunteers. The Hokies are appearing in their 17th straight bowl game, and rookie running back Ryan Williams looks to prove the 3rd time is the charm in Atlanta this season-Va. Tech lost to Alabama ad Georgia Tech in the city earlier in the year. Williams had 9 games of 100 or more yards this season and finished with 1,538. Tennessee struggled against the run for most of the season and will be faced with a stiff test, but the Vols feature a standout back of their own in Montario Hardesty. The Vols, winners of 4 of their last 5, seem to be hitting their stride at the right time, while Virginia Tech has been a model of consistency over the past decade. The Hokies gave up just 189 total points this season, and first-year starter Tyrod Taylor established himself as a solid pocket passer over the course of the year. I like Virginia Tech to force turnovers and ride their punishing defense to a victory here. Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton should struggle against a stout Hokie secondary in his final college start.
Sun Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Stanford (Thursday, December 31)
-Oklahoma’s 7th-ranked rushing defense will be charged with the difficult task of containing Heisman runner up Toby Gerhart in the Brut Sun Bowl. Gerhart with 1,736 yards and 26 touchdowns this season and finished a mere 28 points behind Alabam’s Mark Ingram in this year’s Heisman voting. Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh makes his first trip against Bob Stoops, who has a national championship ring on his fingers but has lost 5 of his past 6 bowl games. After losing last year’s Heisman winner Sam Bradford early in the year, freshman quarterback Landry Jones became an efficient pocket presence for Stoops’ Sooners, who I think will prove to be too athletic for the Cardinal’s porous defense to handle. Stanford features an excellent rookie signal-caller of their own in Andrew Luck, who threw just 4 picks to 13 touchdowns in his first year as a starter. He is questionable for this game, and if he isn’t able to go Stanford’s hopes for a victory likely take a seat on the pine with him. Gerhart will have to take the team on his back, as he has all season, but without Luck in the backfield, the Sooners will stuff the box and bring all kinds of pressure on his replacement. Chris Brown and Demarco Murray will pound through the Cardinal defense, and standout wide receiver Ryan Broyles will love the wide open spaces he should enjoy against Stanford’s porous pass defense. Oklahoma here.
Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Air Force (Thursday, December 31)
-This year’s Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth is a rematch of the same game from last season, won by Houston, 34-28. It is also a battle of the nation’s best passing attack and it’s best passing defense. Houston quarterback Case Keenum averaged over 450 yards per game this season, while the Falcon secondary surrendered just 149 yards per contest through the air. Keenum’s Cougars lead the nation in total offense at 581 yards a game, and three of his receivers had no less than 7 touchdowns on the season. Air Force is the polar opposite of Houston, and bring the nation’s 4th-ranked rushing attack against a Houston defense that ranked just 112th against the run. Jared Tew and Asher Clark each rumbled for over 700 yards this season and should have big days against a porous Cougar rush defense. Conventional wisdom says Houston should win, but I have a hunch that Air Force will use their versatile ground game to keep Keenum off the field and slow him down just enough to pull out a victory.
Texas Bowl: Missouri vs. Navy (Thursday, December 31)
-Standout wide receiver Danario Alexander leads Missouri’s 13th-ranked passing attack into Houston to face Navy. Alexander, who led the nation in receiving yards per game in his senior season, finished with 1,644 yards on the year. The Midshipmen come in looking for their first 10-win season since 2004, and feature the nation’s 3rd ranked rushing attack. Navy is a fun team to watch, and although they rarely throw, quarterback Ricky Dobbs has the arm to find open receivers downfield. He threw for 900 yards and rushed for over 1,000 and 24 touchdowns, setting the NCAA record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season. Navy presents a unique threat to any defense, but I think the size advantage the Tigers will enjoy ob both sides of the ball should prove enough for them to pull out a victory here. Navy’s secondary will be exposed, and they may be forced to throw more than they would like as Missouri stuffs the box with 8 men. The Tigers will look to limit Navy’s first-down yardage and force them into 3rd and long situations, while Navy will try to use misdirection and the wide array of triple option sets at their disposal to keep Missouri on their heels and guessing. I like Missouri in a close one here.
Ok, so I'm off to a blazing 1-1 start after Saturday's games. Rutgers took care of business against Central Florida, and I have to give myself a big ol' pat on the back for plugging Mohamed Sanu. The versatile receiver, who came into spring practice as a safety, had a monster day, rushing for 2 TDs and catching another. I did get the Fresno State-Wyoming game wrong, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find many people who didn't. Wyoming has clearly found something in freshman qb Austyn Carta-Samuels, who showed uncanny poise under pressure late in the game. Congratulations to coach Dave Christensen, who really turned the program around in his first year. Instead of picking the games based on their level of interest to me, I'm going to go through the rest of them chronologically, so you can see my picks in order.
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas: BYU vs. Oregon State (Tuesday, December 22
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It's that time of year again: that time when college football teams from around the country travel to far away lands to represent an unpopular, untouchable bowl system in games put on by increasingly obscure sponsors. Aside from being a staunch opponent of the BCS, I love bowl season. It's always chock full of upsets, gives small-market and mid-major teams chances to validate their progress, and provides a pretty good indicator of conference strength. While it's admittedly frustrating to hear the annual and often justified complaints of undefeated teams from non-BCS conferences, bowl season remains a popular, and profitable, slate of post-season games. In this series of posts I will attempt the impossible and go where few have dared to go in predicting every game of bowl season. Since page space and my patience are limited, I'll just give a quick primer on each game, from least to most interesting. The first few may be painful, but much like looking through a photo album of Tiger Woods' mistresses, if you can get through those you might just find it worthwhile
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After a lengthy finals-induced absence, I'm finally back. It's been 9 days since my last post, and my blog stats have dropped farther than the 2009 edition of UCLA basketball. This time I'm taking a step back from my normal predictions and analysis and taking a look at a recent study by two college professors with some interesting findings. The study can be found here: Really Long Link
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While browsing ESPN.com today, I came across a story with the headline: "Artest: I drank booze at halftime of games." I checked it out, and found that it came from a recent interview with the Sporting News in which Ron Artest admitted to drinking Hennessy at halftime of NBA games while with the Chicago Bulls from 1999-2002. My initial reaction was shock; the fact that a professional athlete could play games drunk, or at least tipsy (who knows how much he drank), and still perform at a relatively high level (he averaged over 13 points a game during this time, his first three years in the league) was quite foreign to me. But then I thought about it a bit, and realized that nobody should be surprised by this. If you are, you haven't been playing any attention to Ron-Ron's career. His rap-sheet is a unique and colorful collection of wild and outspoken acts of rage and eccentricity. To call him unpredictable would be like a Kentucky fan saying they don't really care for Rick Pitino: it just doesn't cover it. During his rookie season, he applied for a job at Circuit City to get an employee discount. He once asked Rick Carlisle for a month off so he could rejuvenate himself after his grueling foray into rap, citing fatigue from promoting the group Allure on his production label. While with the Pacers, he attended practice in a bath robe. He has been suspended too many times to count, including for destroying a t.v. camera at Madison Sqaure Garden. And who could forget Artestgate, his 2004 brawl during a game against the Pistons (see above
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Since the inception of the event in 1999, the ACC has maintained a perfect 10-0 record in this early inter-conference series. In the last few years the challenge has given the ACC the opportunity to flex its muscles against frequently overmatched Big 10 opponents. The ACC has a 62-35 advantage overall in the series, including a 40-8 mark at home. Duke is also a perfect 10-0 in the event, while Michigan State is the only Big 10 team to post a winning record at 5-4. This year's edition offers-in my mind at least-the best chance the Big Ten has had in recent memory to take the challenge. Let's take a look at the games:
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Each Saturday I'll preview a six-pack of college football and college basketball action. Here goes the picks for this week:
1. Florida State at Florida: I can remember a time where the Noles' were the perennial favorite in this rivalry and the most dominant, fast, and feared team in the nation. Oh, how times have changed. The Gators go for an undefeated regular season in the Swamp as Tim Tebow makes his final regular season start in a brilliant career in Gainesville. With Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder out for the season, I don't see Bobby Bowden's squad making a lot of noise in this game, although if the Iron Bowl was any indication, these types of fierce in-state rivalries are never as cut-and-dried as they appear
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Early season tourneys provide a litmus test for the rest of the year, giving viewers a solid selection of nonconference matchups to pick apart and analyze. In my view, they hold far more importance for teams from non-Big Six conferences, offering them an opportunity to make a statement to the selection committee that their conference schedules lack. I also think that college basketball in recent years has been fraught with parity, and early season rankings rarely reflect any lasting stability. In my mind, tournaments like the 76 Classic, Old Spice Classic, and Maui invitational allow mid-major teams and teams from major conferences not expected to contend in conference play a chance to take advantage of ranked teams who are still working out their kinks and adapting newcomers to their style of play at a time when they may be most vulnerable. Many of the matchups at stake in these tournaments hold more excitement at this stage of the season, as the inevitable "Well, if they played now..." end of the season comments are still weeks and months away. It's crucial for teams like Creighton, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Texas A&M, and others who fit the unhyped role to have a good showing against teams that they might not have a chance of besting at the end of the year.
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