College Basketball: 8 New Year's Resolutions for 2011
The college basketball season is just getting started, and while fans have already been treated to some fantastic finishes, impressive debuts and a couple of surprises, there's always room for improvement.
In addition to all of the incredible play we've seen thus far, the college basketball landscape has also experienced its share of controversy, which has no doubt overshadowed the on-court heroics we all love.
Whether it's been coaches who have found themselves in hot water, student-athletes who haven't made the best decisions or teams that haven't lived up to expectations, there are plenty of college basketball New Year's resolutions that would make 2011 an even more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
Since January 1st is just around the corner, and it's the time of year where people make promises to better themselves as the calendar rolls over, why not make a few for college basketball as well?
Whether you're the type of person who swears by New Year's resolutions or you think they're useless, it's hard to deny that college basketball would be much better off if these New Year's resolutions were observed.
Let's take a look at a few resolutions that college basketball should make for the rest of this season that will no doubt have fans on the edge of their seats and ready for another incredible month of March.
Resolution: Big Name Coaches Staying out of Trouble
1 of 8
From the more recent news of Bruce Pearl and Tom Izzo's recruiting violations to the Nate Miles disaster in Connecticut and Rick Pitino's embarrassing and ill-advised restaurant escapades, it's been a tough year for big name college basketball head coaches.
These violations and lapses in judgement have become even more damaging to college basketball because in today's world of one-and-done superstars, the most recognizable people from most major programs are no longer the players but the head coaches themselves.
So when Pearl sits out the first eight games of SEC play, or when Izzo was suddenly hit with a one-game suspension just last week, it's incredibly damaging to the credibility of some of the biggest programs in college hoops, as well as some of the game's most recognizable figures.
Not to say that these coaches don't deserve to be punished for violating the rules (and some might have gotten off a little easy depending on what your point of view is), but it would sure make life a lot easier on everyone if the men who were supposed to be setting a good example for their 18- to 22-year-old players would keep themselves out of trouble and do things the right way in 2011.
At the end of the day, I think all college basketball fans would rather debate whether a coach should have fouled when he's up by three with time winding down than debate whether or not that coach knew he was breaking an NCAA rule when he took a kid out to dinner.
Hopefully we'll be talking about the former in 2011.
Resolution: Televise More Missouri Games
2 of 8
If you haven't been able to catch a Missouri Tigers game yet in 2010, you're really missing out.
Not only do they feature one of the most talented rosters in the nation, which is stacked with a seemingly endless number of athletic scorers, but the team also plays one of the most exciting brands of basketball in the country.
Under the guidance of head coach Mike Anderson, the Tigers have instituted one of the highest-scoring, uptempo game plans in all of college basketball, and while their opponents are trying to catch their breath, Missouri is pushing the ball for another easy basket.
The newest team to feature the fastest 40 minutes in basketball is currently fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 85.9 points per contest, and has already played in a few roller-coaster games.
For proof of how exciting this team is, you could look back to their double-overtime thriller against Georgetown or their three-point overtime win against Vanderbilt, both of which were outstanding games.
But the Tigers' most recent nail-biter that had everyone buzzing was their win over Illinois in which they scored eight points in a nine-second span with under a minute to play, which broke open what was an extremely close game the entire way.
For those who complain that there's not enough scoring in college basketball, I present to you the Missouri Tigers, who are one of the most entertaining teams to watch this season and who should be featured on more television sets across America.
Resolution: Struggling Big Name Programs to Start Living Up to Their Potential
3 of 8
Everyone loves a good Cinderella story, but Cinderella generally doesn't make her appearance until March, and last I checked that's still over two months away.
In the meantime, we're left with a bunch of underachieving big name programs who were supposed to be fixtures in the Top 25 or even the Top 10 that haven't lived up to their potential.
Teams like Michigan State, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Gonzaga and Tennessee have all struggled at times in the early going and left many fans who were hoping to see some of these powerhouse programs at the top of their game wanting more.
Regardless of how you feel about these particular schools, it's hard to argue against the fact that college basketball is better when some of its biggest programs, coaches and players are playing up to their potential, and that hasn't necessarily been the case thus far.
When everything is said and done, it's good for college basketball when games like North Carolina vs. Duke or Michigan State vs. Ohio State aren't blowouts.
All the big name programs who came into the 2010 season with high expectations should resolve to work out the kinks and start playing their best basketball. It would make things a lot more interesting.
.png?w=256 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
Resolution: Someone in the ACC to Step Up and Challenge Duke
4 of 8
The ACC has traditionally been one of the most competitive conferences in the nation and has routinely featured a few teams that are capable of making deep tournament runs.
But through the first few months of the season, it's become pretty clear that Duke stands alone as the class of the ACC and might not face too much adversity during conference play.
In fact, after watching Duke roll through its tough early season schedule against teams like Michigan State, Kansas State, Butler and Marquette, there's even been talk that the Blue Devils might run the table and go undefeated during ACC play.
While Duke's got a great team once again this season, conference play (especially in a conference like the ACC) is all about the rivalries and the tough, hard-fought battles that take place on any given night.
I'm neither a Duke fan nor a Duke hater, but it would make the college basketball season more entertaining if a few of these ACC teams would rise to the occasion when they play Duke and give the defending champs a run for their money.
North Carolina, Maryland, Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech all possess enough talent to challenge Duke, and a New Year's resolution from these teams to prevent one of the major conferences in college basketball from turning into a one-man show during conference play would be a great way to kick off 2011.
Resolution: No More Ugly Off-Court Incidents Involving Players
5 of 8
With the poor choices some coaches have been making recently, is it any wonder that the players themselves haven't been making the smartest decisions either?
The most recent headlines have come from the now infamous fight between Mississippi State's Renardo Sidney and Elgin Bailey, who were caught on camera duking it out in the stands during the Diamond Head Classic this past Thursday.
But lost in the midst of that shocking video and the subsequent suspensions for Sidney and Bailey is the fact that Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly were also suspended from the 17th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats for receiving impermissible benefits related to the purchase of clothing at a department store.
Without Pullen or Kelly, Kansas State went on to lose to UNLV in its next game, and Frank Martin almost filled Manhattan ERs with any journalist who asked about the incident.
When you consider that come January 1st we will be just a year removed from the major scandal that saw four Tennessee basketball players arrested on misdemeanor gun and drug charges and eventually led to the dismissal of Tyler Smith from the program, there have definitely been a few instances where off-court indiscretions have overshadowed on-court performance.
Which is never a situation any fan wants to see.
There's no doubt that temptation and trouble follow many of these high-profile student-athletes around wherever they go, and while 95 percent of them keep their noses clean, we're generally left talking about the five percent who make a mistake.
So here's to these 18- to 22-year-olds making better decisions in the year 2011 and spending more time working on their game and less time apologizing for their actions.
Resolution: For the NCAA to Give Its Final Ruling on Enes Kanter
6 of 8
We've all heard myths about the 6'11" Turkish import who was going to take college basketball by storm for John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats.
Unfortunately for anyone who wanted to get a look at a guy who's been tabbed as a potential top five pick in the upcoming NBA draft, Kanter was ruled ineligible by the NCAA due to the fact that he received money while he was playing for a Turkish team.
Kentucky fans and everyone involved with their basketball program were heartbroken by the news that one of the most heralded incoming freshmen in the nation wouldn't get to suit up and play even a minute of basketball this season.
While it seemed like a shot in the dark, Kentucky appealed the NCAA's ruling over a month ago, but there's been no resolution to the matter as of yet. No one seems to know what's taking so long, and word came out recently that a decision on Kanter's appeal wouldn't be made until after the new year.
There's been talk that Kentucky's strongest case in their appeal is the fact that Cam Newton was ruled eligible to play for Auburn in a somewhat similar situation, and this may be what's holding up a final decision from the powers that be.
I'm sure when looking over a case as complicated as this there are many time-consuming factors that need to be considered, but the NCAA has had plenty of time to look over all the facts and should make a final decision already so we can get on with the season with or without Kanter.
Resolution: No More Cupcake Out of Conference Games
7 of 8
This is one New Year's resolution that we all know college basketball will definitely be making in the coming days.
It's always nice for most teams to have a few games at the start of the season where they can work on a some new sets and give the freshmen a chance to get their feet wet, but it's really not very enjoyable to watch Ohio State pound Tennessee-Martin by 60 points.
Of course, a few early season out of conference games can feature some of the most intriguing matchups of the season, but for every Duke vs. Michigan State game there seem to be five Duke vs. Colgate blowouts.
Thankfully, conference play has either started or is just around the corner, and we will finally get to see what an undefeated team like Cincinnati is made of when it enters the gauntlet that is Big East play.
There's nothing wrong with scheduling a few cupcakes to start off the season, but it's time for conference play to begin and usher in all of the old rivalries that have made college basketball one of the most exciting sports around.
Resolution: Taking Notice of Some of the Lesser Talked About Teams
8 of 8
We all know that teams like Duke and Ohio State are potential threats for an NCAA title, and both teams have been dominating the headlines thus far, but we shouldn't forget about some of the other teams that are off to great starts.
There's going to be plenty of time to talk about all of the powerhouse programs down the road, so we might as well give some love to teams like San Diego State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Northwestern, UCF, Cleveland State, Saint Mary's and other under-the-radar teams who have impressed us early on.
It's easy to focus on the most well known teams and leave out the rest because of the way the media covers college basketball, but in doing so you can skip over some of the more enjoyable and intriguing stories that have taken place thus far.
If we learned anything from Butler's miracle run in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, it's that teams outside of the top 10 from lesser known conferences can have a very big impact during March Madness.
Not to say that any of the teams mentioned above are going to make a run through the tournament this season, but it's important to keep in mind that the world of college basketball doesn't start and end with the teams at the top.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
