The pageantry of the non-conference schedule has come to an end and conference play is blooming like a brand new flower. And that small flower has already rocked the national scene.
In two parts, I will look at major college basketball and highlight all that is good and all that is bad. First to the teams which have been disappointing but with room to improve.
When looking at what has already taken place, everything must be taken with a "grain of salt." Strengths can only prove so much against lesser competition, but the weaknesses can show holes in a team previously thought to be solid.
Conference play is the great equalizer, everyone knows it. So UNC losing to Boston College should not be too surprising—I am most surprised it happened on UNC's home court. But what the "pre-conference season" does for fans is give us an idea of how well our favorite team matches up against cupcakes and the occasional meeting of powerhouses in the tournaments and challenges.
Or if you are Gonzaga, you stuff your non-conference schedule with tough games because there are only two teams that SHOULD give you problems in conference play. But they are having their own troubles, losing four out of their last five games.
And now, the most disappointing teams of the 2008-09 College basketball season thus far.
Louisville Cardinals
I really don't know what to say. No team has underperformed like the Louisville Cardinals. Was this season’s team and talent over-hyped? Or was David Padgett under-appreciated? The Cardinals are 9-3 and a 30-foot, last second shot to beat Kentucky away from 8-4.
Louisville has dominated in its nine wins, only Kentucky and Mississippi lost by less than ten. In the three games they lost however, the Cardinals shot 32 percent from the field and 28 percent from behind the arc. Nowhere near their 43 percent and 35 percent averages.
The Big East is tough and this team was expected to compete for the conference title. They still could, but not in the current form.
Solution: Steady point guard play. Maybe after his game-winning shot Sunday, Edgar Sosa has earned Rick Pitino's trust and can start dishing out assists. Two other players, both forwards, average more assists per game than Sosa; Terrance Williams with 4.7 and Earl Clark with three per game.
6 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete