This is my absolute favorite time of the year. Some people like the way the leaves change in the fall. Some people like the way the flowers bloom in the spring. And some people like the end of the college basketball regular season, the start of conference tournaments and Selection Sunday. It’s an incredible time to be a college basketball fan. Here’s a few questions on my mind as we head into the greatest month of the year.
Will Northwestern Have The Highest SAT Scores in the NCAA Tourney?
Everyone is talking about Northwestern and how they upset Purdue (Maryland did too) and Indiana and are now a lock for the tournament. But I wonder about their collective SAT scores. For years, Northwestern couldn’t compete in the Big 10 because they had higher academic standards than most schools. Did that change or is this fine young group of men good at both basketball and learnin’? I know we’re moving away from the importance of test scores as a society but I’d like to know the average SAT score of this team, and every team, so I can better gauge their ‘high basketball IQ’s. Maybe I’ll start a new version of Kenpom that focuses on each teams GPA, SAT, ACT, GMAT and other scores. This could be just the edge most gamblers need to get ahead.
Is St. Mary’s Really the 8th best Team In The Country?
Kenpom says they are. I went to see em in person last week in Portland and they don’t look like the 8th best team in the nation. Their freshman phenom, Aiden Mahaney, is solid albeit unspectacular. No doubt he has a great feel for the game but when he goes up against talented, tougher guards from the Big 12, Big 10 or any other conference, is he going to be able to do much? Also, he wears his socks awfully high but he’s not from the Maryland area. Can anyone wear their socks high now? I thought that was exclusively an East Coast thing. Additionally, their big men are perfunctory, the automotive equivalent of driving a Prius for 12 years (woo-hoo!) but not really enjoying the experience. I guess they’re well coached, cuz everyone says they’re well coached, so that helps. I think as soon as they come up against a tougher, more talented team in the tourney, they’ll be headed home.
Did Purdue Peak Too Soon?
It’s so heard if you’re a team, or a person, that peaks too soon. I think I peaked too soon. In grammar school, I was really good. No Jewish kids could stop me. But after that, it was much harder to be good. And then you spend the rest of your life masturbating and thinking about how good you were in 8th grade. That feels like where Purdue is headed unless they blow out Ohio State and sweep their remaining four games. If they lose one or two of them, Fletcher Loyer may end up having basketball’s film equivalent career of Brandan Frasier.
Can That Tall White Guy From Creighton Lead Them Anywhere?
You know how sometimes you compare yourself to other people and wonder if you’d be happier if you were that person? Like I’ve asked myself on more than a few occasions this year if I’d be happier if I was Ryan Kalkbrenner. He’s 7’1 which seems awesome except after he’s done playing in Crimea it may not be so great to be that awkward every day for the rest of your life. And would Ryan Kalkbrenner be any happier being a 5’11 ex Div III pt guard with chronic back pain? I guess we’ll never know the answer which is what makes life so interesting.
Can San Diego State Win A Conference Without A Single Player Who Can Shoot?
Teams that struggle to score always amaze me because if you walk into any LA Fitness there’s always a guy there in a headband and raggedy shorts who can shoot the lights out. How can you be a major college team and not have one guy on the roster who can knock down an open shot? The other night, San Diego State beat Fresno State 45 to 43. Both teams shot 30% from the field and Fresno State went 2/25 from three. How is that even possible? And yes, I had the over.
Can Miami Go Anywhere Ranked 120th in Defensive Efficiency?
I love this Miami team. They’ve got no height, no great athletes but some of the best chemistry in the world. I also know that no team not in the top 30 of Ken Pom’s defensive ratings has ever won it all. Except this year?
More thoughts next week…
