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Monday, December 23, 2024
Syracuse may be young, may have a paper-thin rotation and may have been coming into Monday night’s game at Louisville off consecutive unflattering losses to Georgia Tech and by 15 at home to Virginia, but one should know by now not to write off Jim Boeheim’s team just yet.
Of all the teams near the top of the rankings-scratch that, in the top 25 rankings at all-Cincinnati has been the mystery team of this season. And while the Bearcats will still be that for some time for many, they at least should have answered some questions Wednesday night.
Following up a Final Four is hard, but one program’s next act gets a big boost. Plus more good action in the competitive SEC, you can just about guarantee one result in the ACC, and a rare bad night for a young star who’s had many good ones.
Texas Tech and West Virginia have been arguably the two best defensive teams in the country this year, and they’ve done so in completely different ways, another supreme example of the variety of college basketball that helps make the sport so captivating. Ultimately, it was offense that decided their top-10 battle Saturday.
Can one player make this much difference? When it comes to Oklahoma, that answer seems increasingly more obvious by the minute, as Trae Young is the hottest player in the country.
In our latest podcast, we talk about a bizarre finish to an early-season tournament game, the Pac-12’s early struggles, Florida teams going in different directions and two northeast teams trending less relevant even as they excite fans at a famous arena.
The Pac-12 manages to get a much-needed quality win – barely. Plus a heavy-hitting night features the Jimmy V Classic, a coach returning to a former school, and a few surprises amidst the night full of good games.
Gonzaga is not going away quietly despite heavy personnel losses. Plus the Tar Heels have a little too much, a buzzer-beater ends a long home winning streak, and an ACC team’s depth takes a hit.
Frank Martin is a heck of an accomplished coach, as well as one of the true personalities in college basketball these days, and he’s deservingly recognized for both. He also is a coach who sees the big picture, far more than most like him, and for that many who enjoy this sport should be grateful.
If you only look at the preseason expectations of the ACC and the end results, then compare them, you miss the great journey that the conference provided in 2016-17.
