Our 2004-05 National Champion
by Matt Jones
Wow, what a week! As with many of you, I have been obsessively following sports for my entire life, and I do not think I can remember a week where the line between the top stories in the world of sports and the top stories in the world of life intersected more frequently. We began with the ridiculous controversy surrounding the Monday Night Football opening, which made America cringe at the thought of a woman’s back showing on television. Most agreed that there is no place for such disgusting displays, as it may take our collective minds away from the much more important impotence ads (I especially hate the one with the middle-aged woman telling me that for her guy Levitra “works fast”… I am not sure I could care about anything any less). In actuality the Monday Night Football fiasco was a win-win situation for all parties involved, as it allowed ABC to get huge promotion for its two most important current holdings (Monday Night Football and Desperate Housewives), re-affirmed Terrell Owens’ status as the most known person in the National Football League, gave Michael Powell a chance to grandstand about something other than Howard Stern and made Nicollette Sheridan relevant for the first time in recent memory. Congratulations to all!
However just when the trumped-up furor was dying down, an actual serious issue arose with the Ron Artest Gone Wild melee in Detroit. Besides providing entertaining television, this fracas allowed all of America’s hibernating “serious” sports journalists (stand up Frank Deford and Mitch Albom) to pontificate on the “degrading of sports culture”, the “thuggishness of the NBA”, and the “end of innocence” in American athletics. Reading these columns is always a highlight for me, because these individuals are blessed without the gene that allows people to have actual perspective on life’s events.
With a war in Iraq, genocide in the Sudan, death of Yasser Arafat and the filming of the Simple Life 3 all occurring, I think we in the sports media should not act as if the Pistons-Pacers brawl was life-altering. I will say, however, that one moment from the festivities provided me with an immense amount of entertainment. When Artest went into the stands, he (not surprisingly) attacked the wrong guy, leading to maybe the worst turn of events for a sports fan in the stands since Bartman got in the way of a Cubs’ World Series bid. As the realization hits the dorky young man that he is about to get hit with 230 pounds of raw muscle and craziness, he gets a look on his face that must be understood only be David Gest. That raw horror is now also the cover of Sports Illustrated and insures a life-time of harassment by his friends for the poor guy. Oh well, I guess he can wipe his tears with Ron Artest’s salary from next year which will be coming his way soon.
Somewhere amongst this mess of “serious” sports stories, hides the true most important moment of last week, mainly the beginning of college basketball season. In my last column, I mentioned that I would be previewing every team in the country prior to the season. Some (mainly everyone who knows me) suggested that I would never do that… and they were right. However, I will do a shorter version of the preview and give you, the readers, my pre-season Top 12. You may ask, why 12? The reason is simple. When a season begins, one can always list 12 teams and decide with some degree of certainty, that the national champion will come from that group. The only year that I have done this and been incorrect was with the Carmelo Anthony-led Syracuse team that made an amazing tournament run in 2002. However the exception proves the rule, and thus listing the top 12 is still productive.
In making this list, I made the decision not to put too much stock into some of the early season losses (UNC anyone?) because I was once a fan of a team that lost in November due to the domination of a guy named Darrin Morningstar (extra points if you email me and remember who he played for). Thus the rankings for these teams were not adversely affected, and we bring you this list from a clean slate.
(1) Kansas – I must admit that it is with great hesitation that I pick the Jayhawks as the number one team in America. There has likely been no team over the years that has cost me more public humiliation with its flame-outs and choke-jobs than Kansas, and for that reason I am still boycotting Lawrence (however I do love Manhattan, KS). Nevertheless, with Roy Williams no longer prominently involved, I am have the sneaking suspicion that this Bill Self team may be able to make it 1988 all over again. Wayne Simien is an absolute beast, and along with Chris Paul, is one of the two true can’t-miss players in college basketball this season. I have always been a big Aaron Miles guy and even though some would argue he has not lived up to his promise, he still remains the most consistent guard in the Big 12. The key for them will be making the young guys click. J.R. Giddens and Russell Robinson can be complimentary pieces to a championship puzzle, but they also could be chemistry-killers. If they can fit in without any turbulence, it will be Rock Chalk Jayhawk in St. Louis.
(2) Wake Forest – If you have not been able to tell from past columns (ok well, past column), I am a huge fan of this Wake Forest team. Whether it’s the amazing point guard skills of Chris Paul, the outside shooting of Justin Gray or the overall craziness of the Eric Williams family, there is something for everyone with this group. In addition, it is great to see Wake Forest, which has always been something of a red-headed stepchild of Tobacco Road basketball, to finally have a legitimate chance to be the best of the Big 4. This must be especially appealing to Deac fans because the other three are also among the top 20 teams in the country. This is a special year for ACC basketball, and no place will be more entertaining than Marlboro-Camel… I mean Winston-Salem.
(3) Oklahoma State – Is there any more unbelievable story in college basketball than the fact that one of the country’s best, most underrated coaches has both an NCAA probation and a consistent Mike Brady perm on his resume? Yes, ladies and gentleman I am talking about the crown prince of fun, Eddie Sutton. In the backwater of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Sutton has been quietly building a top 10 program nationally, all the while setting the table for his son Sean to one day take over and miserably fail. This team is especially intriguing as it features the son of John Lucas, who may be the only basketball playing son who has the potential to not only be better than his famous dad, but only half as crazy. This is a key year for this program in terms of determining whether it will be a consistent power or a “every 3 or 4 years” kind of team. I am betting on the former, especially if former UNC recruit/lawsuit waiting to happen JamesOn Curry can flourish.
(4) North Carolina – And then there are these guys. Can we as a nation just admit that absolutely no one has any idea what is going on in Chapel Hill? This team CLEARLY has the best talent in the nation, by far – Sean May, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Jawad Williams, Jackie Manual, Marvin Williams et.al. represent the best in college basketball by a relatively wide margin. Yet we have watched these guys consistently underachieve, and offer very few signs of life. Then came the offseason, when the Heels became the sexy national pick and all signs pointed to national success, especially with the good vibes coming out of the McCants/May/Felton trio during the summer. Next thing you know Rashad McCants is comparing Chapel Hill to “jail” (I don’t know what jail McCants thinks has ladies as fine as those on Franklin Street) and the season begins in chaos with a loss to Santa Clara (somewhere in heaven, my now deceased grandfather is “happy for those kids at Santa Claus.”) I have no idea what will happen this year, but as I stated in my last column, this is a crucial season for the program.
(5) Kentucky – There has not been this degree of anticipation for a new season in Lexington since Rick Pitino brought his band of NBA All-Stars to the court in 1995-1996. Tubby Smith has brought in a recruiting class that includes four blue-chippers and one transfer (Patrick Sparks) who very well may be the team’s leading scorer for much of the season. This is the most talent of the Tubby Smith era and leaves him with an interesting dilemma. He has proven he can take coachable guys with less talent to a high level, but can he do it with McDonald’s All-Americans with greater NBA dreams? Tubby has been burned by these types in the past (see Rashaad Carruth and Marvin Stone) but the thought here is that this group is different (Randolph Morris and Joe Crawford do not seem like the type to boycott shooting in protest of playing time). By the end of the year, this team will be scary good.
(6) Illinois – Now I have taken a great deal of heat from many Illini fans for my ridicule of Nick “the moustache” Smith, but you guys have to admit that he is ridiculous! I could talk about that moustache all day, but I do have to admit that there is more to the Fighting Illini than just facial hair. Most significantly there is the outstanding guard combo of Deron Williams and Dee Brown, a pairing that are seeking to compete with their more known brethren in Chapel Hill and Winston-Salem for best backcourt duo in the country. There are many (including me) that believe that the Big 10 is slowly becoming a disgrace and may soon relinquish its title as an elite national conference (I am not kidding). However this Illini team will do short-term wonders for the league as it is yet again, a Final 4 contender.
(7) Syracuse – I was never a big Syracuse guy until recently. I always thought that the Orangemen (I mean Orange) were simply a bunch of zone-playing, three-point shootin’, cold weather havin’, ugly dome playin’, patsy schedule makin’ bunch of Big East goobers (I use goober only in the technical sense of the word). But then I recently found out that Jim Boeheim’s wife (senior member of the “wife hotter than her husband foundation”) has parents that live in my hometown of Middlesboro, Kentucky. For that reason, they now are one of my favorites. This team will once again be led by Gerry McNamara, currently in his 8th year of college and on pace to enter the pantheon of annoying college basketball players (move over Brian Cardinal!). This team will once again play no one until their conference schedule (which with the exception of UConn and Pitt, will be weak) and then will either flameout in the tournament or make a Final 4 run. That is the Jim Boeheim way, and this season should be no different. And oh yeah, Hakim Warrick is real, real good.
(8) Duke – I always love when it becomes fashionable to say that one team is the “sleeper” of the season or that a particular team is “overrated” or “in decline”. It turns out never to be correct and the analysts are never taken to task for their continual inane predictions. The new “in thing” to say is that Duke will be down this year and that there is less talent that at any time PFBS (pre-fake back surgery). But you, alert reader, should not buy it. JJ Redick, Sean Dockery, Shavlik Randolph, Sheldon Williams and Daniel Ewing are as good as any starting lineup in the country, and do not let anyone tell you differently. They have very little depth, but then again Coach K never has a great deal of depth and thus relies very heavily on “heart” and “desire” and other annoying things. Expect another solid season in Durham and a strong tournament run.
(9) North Carolina State – This is the first outlier of my hot 16, but I am a true believer in this team, and no it is not because I happen to live in Raleigh (I was in DC last year and did not tell you to invest heavily in George Mason now did I?). Julius Hodge is the best player in the country that never gets the credit that he deserves. Here is a guy who while winning ACC player of the year last year, still is not known by most of the country and gets absolutely NO attention from our college basketball hype machine at ESPN. I mean if this guy suited up down the road for the Blue Devils, he would make Vitale scream at Battier-esque levels. But he plays for the Pack, and thus anonymity reigns. But watch this team during the season: they are loaded and with the addition of Georgetown transfer Tony Bethel, they have the potential to put up points in bunches. Herb Sendek has always been this close to having a national contender, and this is the year it happens. And yes, that means 4 of the top 9 teams in the country are located within 90 minutes of each other.
(10) Connecticut – As I stated in my seven keys to the season column of last week, watching UConn this season should be truly fascinating. As I see it, there are five traditional powers right now in college basketball – tier 1 schools that are good every year: Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, Kansas and UNC (the last two years notwithstanding). With rare exception you can count on these guys having super talent and contending nationally, no matter what the circumstances. They are the royals of college basketball. Right below this group is a set that contains such programs as Maryland, Syracuse, Michigan State and UConn. These Teams are good enough to win the national title but are just a notch below the top five, both in prestige and performance. I truly believe that UConn however is on the verge of making the leap. That was cemented by the national title last season, but also by the recent signings of prep phenoms Charlie Villanueva, Josh Boone and Rudy Gay. The elite programs get the best players, and the Huskies are now a national force on the recruiting trail. If this program can come off a national championship, lose two lottery picks and then come back and be a top 10 team, college basketball royalty should be forthcoming. This is the year they make the leap and it should be fun to watch.
(11) Georgia Tech – Now many will think that this seems a little low. I mean after all, this team made the championship game, gave UConn a run for their money and has virtually their entire team returning. They have talent coming from every direction in the form of B.J. Elder, Jarrett Jack and Ishmail Muhammad, and when clicking can create more highlight level plays than any team in the nation. In addition they have created the most famous goofy-looking long-haired redhead since CarrotTop in the form of Luke Schenscher. That should count for something. All true, however I still do not particularly like this team. First of all they are playing in the brutal ACC, which has 5 teams in my top 12 and could easily have had a 6th (Maryland). In addition, this team showed virtually nothing in the regular season last year that would lead one to label them a title contender. Yes they got hot in the tournament and produced a fine run; I just need to see more. I put them in my top 12 because I legitimately believe they can win the national title. However I also think they could be the kind of team that just squeaks into the Big Dance by a game or two. It could be that kind of season.
(12) Mississippi State – As those of you who followed my SEC columns last year know, I am a huge Lawrence Roberts fan. This young man (am I getting old or what, calling college guys “young men”?) will be an NBA powerhouse, and made the correct decision to return to Starkville (not the easiest decision) and forego riches to not only better his draft status, but to be part of the worst draft in NBA history (next season). His supporting cast is not as strong as in the past, but Winsome Frazier and Shane Power have the ability to hit big shots and provide some support for the big man. The SEC is down a bit this season, and thus the potential exists for the Bulldogs to produce another gaudy record like last season and get a high NCAA seed. If the tournament sees Roberts hitting jumpers, this team could be dangerous. And if not, well maybe I can have a cute Mississippi State cheerleader come up to me at the SEC tournament as she did last year and tell me “thanks for being so nice to our team.” This column can be tough sometimes.
So there you have it. The top 12 as I see it. Your national champion will most likely come from that group and if it doesn’t, I will give you your money back. Until next time…
