Published: December 19, 2008
Cleveland State’s stunning upset of Syracuse. The Vikings reminded true college hoops fans why they wait breathlessly for March Madness to begin, with a stunning victory at Syracuse. In spite of a black cloud surrounding Jim Boeheim and Syracuse, due to a player allegedly slugging a student (see Depressing), The Orangemen were cruising along at 9-0 and were ranked 11th by the AP. Then Cleveland State showed up at the Carrier Dome from the lowly Horizon League, sporting a rather pedestrian 6-4 record.
Forty spine-tingling minutes later, Vikings guard Cedric Jackson launched in a 60-footer that narrowly beat the final horn, sending Boeheim and the Cuse to a crushing defeat in front of throngs of stupefied fans. Gary Waters’ Vikings were completely outmanned and in hostile territory, but it didn’t stop a very hungry group of young players from near-flawless execution throughout the game. Not only was it nice to see one of the “big boys” lose, it was great seeing a good guy like Waters get a win that Cleveland fans will remember for a long time.
North Carolina. It might seem obvious, but the Tar Heels have to be mentioned, if for no other reason than they appear to be as invincible as any team has been in decades. Carolina absolutely demolished a very solid Michigan State team by 35 and has yet to be challenged, with or without player-of-the-year candidate Tyler Hansbrough. This team has four potential first-round NBA picks and can beat you in every way. If UNC loses in March, it will be one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history.
Davidson guard Stephen Curry. College basketball fans were introduced to “Machine Gun” Dell Curry’s son in last year’s NCAA Tournament, when Stephen Curry almost single-handedly willed Davidson into the Elite Eight. Like his father, Curry reminds people of a gunslinger from an old John Wayne movie, as he launches 3-pointers faster than even the quickest Wayne character could draw his six-shooter. The younger Curry already has three 40-plus point games and is averaging 31 points, 7 assists and 3 steals per game for his 8-1 Wildcats. All Curry needs is a cool nickname like his father, and he’ll be the complete package.
The Citadel. Another rarely-reported-on team, The Citadel put on a marvelous shooting display against Michigan State, burying 10 3-pointers in a recent loss. The 5-4 Bulldogs may not make post-season play in March, but they’ll certainly hurt someone else’s chances of a tourney invite, if they continue this kind of marksmanship.
Mike Davis and UAB. To Coach Mike Davis, his 2002 National Championship appearance as Indiana’s head coach must seem like a lifetime ago. Just six seasons later, Davis’s UAB squad is as thin as a runway model, after the departure of two scholarship players and two others becoming ineligible. The Blazers were already using only 11 scholarships this year. This latest exodus includes Armon Bassett, who inexplicably left the team after joining UAB from IU. Terrence Roderick also decided to quit, leaving Davis with only six scholarship players. After a modicum of success replacing legendary Bob Knight at IU, Davis’s career has certainly gone south – and not just to Alabama. One must wonder if Davis will survive the season at UAB.
WCC schedule. Most fans east of Nevada never consider the WCC, until March. This year, the conference finally has two very good teams, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. Astute college basketball fans are eagerly awaiting the meeting of the Zags and the Gaels. Really? Yes, really. This has the makings of a wonderful matchup, but the teams don’t meet until January 29th. Their second game is just two weeks later. Very strange scheduling out west.
Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos
