Welcome to the latest edition of Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis, where we talk about college basketball all around the country.
It’s been a light week, but there is still plenty to talk about both on and off the court. In fact, there was some news off the court that came in right as it was time to do the podcast.
We start by talking about a legendary coach picking up his 800th career win a long way from the shadow that Division I casts. Rollie Massimino, though, won a lot of games in Division I, and as noted in the podcast, he is still a beloved figure at Villanova, where he led the Wildcats on the first magical ride to a national championship back in 1985. He isn’t slowing down and still enjoys coaching, and he’s winning games all the while.
We next talk about Madison Square Garden as a big home for college basketball, including a doubleheader earlier this week, the Under Armour Reunion. There, Boston College got a win they desperately needed, knocking off Auburn on a tip-in just before the buzzer. The Eagles have had some growing pains this season, but having a close one go their way might be just the help they need to really turn the corner.
After that, Villanova comes back into the discussion as they look like the best team right now. Josh Hart is having a tremendous senior season, and the Wildcat seniors will finish their careers never losing a Big 5 game. As good as the Wildcats are, they are not a dominant team, and in fact, there isn’t a dominant team in college basketball, but there are a lot of very good teams that can make a run later this season.
In off-court news, Sean Woods resigned on Thursday from his position as head coach at Morehead State. Woods had a nice playing career at Kentucky and hit a big shot of his own in the legendary regional final against Duke in 1992 that Christian Laettner won at the buzzer. He has had some success as a coach, but this came after the latest of several incidents of physical contact with players, and you have to wonder if a promising coaching career is being thrown away. Also, Princeton’s Ivy League hopes took a big hit with two season-ending injuries just days apart.
Finally, we look ahead to the weekend, when the slate picks up again. There are a couple of doubleheaders on tap to lead the way, as well as an old Big East rivalry being renewed.
All of that and more is discussed on the podcast that you can listen to below.
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