So Technically Speaking, Harvard Would Beat UNC Now, Right?

So explain how this works to me. Boston College goes into Chapel Hill for their ACC opener and thoroughly outplays North Carolina, the #1 team in the country that was supposed to go undefeated, en route to an upset that vaults them from unranked to #17 in the land.

Three days later, BC takes the court at home against Harvard, a school from the Ivy League ... and loses? Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second. BC lost to Harvard? After beating UNC? Damnn...

You know how people always talk about how one win can turn around a struggling program? Just that little bit of the national media's spotlight that comes with a big time upset can get recruits to take notice of your school and say "if I go here, then I will be on ESPN and Sportscenter".

Well, I hate to be the one to say this, but BC right now? They are a struggling program. And UNC? That was their win.

BC was really good in the early 2000's, when they had the Troy Bell's and the Craig Smith's, even the Jared Dudley's. So while they have struggled in recent years, there is still some name recognition when you hear Boston College.

Now pretend you are a recruit, and a good one at that. You know that BC was good when you were, like, 11. But recently they haven't been. You also know that their coach is a good coach and you could see yourself playing for him. Then you see BC beat North Carolina. That gets you thinking - maybe this team is back on their way up to prominence? They have a good core group of guys coming back next year that I would fit in well with. And they are losing Tyrese Rice, which means that I will have the opportunity to shoot and score a lot more (everyone wants their point). Maybe if I go there, I'll be one of the guys that will always be remembered with the resurgence of the BC program.

Sounds pretty enticing right?

Now imagine that you have almost made up your mind to go to school there, but then you hear that they lost to Harvard. An Ivy League school. At home. The game after UNC. Now you start thinking maybe this is really just a terrible program that happened to play great on the same night UNC played terribly. Losing to Ivies isn't going to get you interviewed on First Take.

A little less appealing, no?

The bottom line is that this loss to Harvard is, all-in-all, not that big of a deal for this year. One loss isn't going to make or break whether or not you reach the NCAA tournament, no matter how bad the loss is. It could mean that they lose a tie-breaker with another bubble team, but if BC is really worth their salt, they will get enough wins during ACC play that it shouldn't effect them.

The long term damage could be a little worse. Let's say that BC makes the tournament, but loses as a 12 seed in the first round (not exactly a banner year for an ACC program). Now let's say that the loss to Harvard sticks in the mind of some recruits, scaring off a couple of them, meaning BC doesn't land the guy you had planned on using to replace Rice's production.

Without Rice or the recruit to replace him, BC struggles mightily next year, making it even tougher for Al Skinner to recruit. Two or three years like this and BOOM, Skinner gets Jagodzinski'd.

Doomsday scenario? Yes.

Has something like this happened before? Absolutely. Continue reading...

College Basketball Week in Review: You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea

What We Learned This Week: College hoops is a fickle beast. Just when you think you are starting to get a handle on how the season is shaping up, there ends up being a week like this one. You'll see what I'm talking about...

-What We Thought: UNC had a legitimate shot at going through the season undefeated.
-What Happened This Week: The Heels lost at home to BC, the team picked 11th out of 12 in the ACC.

-What We Thought: UConn was a national title contender.
-What Happened This Week: The Huskies got smoked by Georgetown at home.

-What We Thought: After beating UConn, Georgetown was a favorite to win the Big East.
-What Happened This Week: The Hoyas got smoked by Pitt at home.

-What We Thought: The Big East was not only the deepest conference, but the toughest conference at the top.
-What Happened This Week: (ED. Note: This was written before the polls were released) Going by who lost and who won, the ACC may end up with three of the top four teams.

-What We Thought: The Big XII was much better than the SEC this year.
-What Happened This Week: Arkansas whooped up on Oklahoma in Fayetteville while South Carolina beat Baylor on the road.

-What We Thought: Illinois State was undefeated, but their fluffer-nutter soft schedule would catch up to them in MVC play.
-What Happened This Week: The Redbirds started out 3-0 in the league, including blowouts of Evansville and Creighton.

-What We Thought: You can't upset a ranked team without your best player in uniform.
-What Happened This Week: St. John's beat Notre Dame without Anthony Mason Jr. and UNLV beat Louisville without Wink Adams.

-What We Thought: USC and Arizona were good; Stanford and Oregon State weren't.
-What Happened This Week: Oregon State beat USC after being down 15 in the second half, and Stanford beat Arizona by 18.

GAME OF THE WEEK:
Florida 68, NC State 66
The Wolfpack were up double digits in the first half as Sidney Lowe's team was able to control the pace of the game. But in the second half, the Gators amped up their pressure, trapping NC State's guards all over the court. Florida eventually closed the gap in the second half as Nick Calathes took the game over. He scored 24 points in the second half as no one on NC State could find a way to slow him down, either on the break (where he was sensational) or in the half court.

With four minutes to go in the game, Florida finally took the lead 59-58 as Nick Calathes knocked down a three. The two teams traded baskets for the next few possessions before Dan Werner found Calathes on a back door cut, which Calathes finished with a nifty reverse lay-up, giving Florida a 65-64 lead with just under a minute left. At the other end, Brandon Costner (who finished with 24 points) had his shot blocked by Alex Tyus, but it was called a goal tend, putting NC State back up. On the next possession, Billy Donavon isolated Calathes up top, and Calathes showed off some of his handle as he faked a stepback jumper, crossed over from left to right, and hit a mid-range jumper to give Florida the lead with 11 seconds left. NC State would eventually turn the ball over, giving the Gators the win.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Tyrese Rice, Boston College
Rice was fantastic in a 2-0 week for BC, which included an upset of North Carolina. He had 25 points on 7-13 shooting, 8 assists, and 5 boards in the victory over UNC, which came four days after he went for 18 points, 7 boards, 8 assists, and 3 steals against Sacred Heart. Rice is having his best season as a collegian, although he isn't necessarily putting up his best numbers. His scoring this year is down from 21.0 ppg to 16.7 ppg, but everything else has improved. He is averaging 6.4 apg while cutting down his turnovers. He is shooting as well as he has in his career. But most importantly, this BC team is better than it has been in recent years. Don't look now, but the Eagles are now 13-2 with wins over UNC, Providence, UAB, and St. John's.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:
Cal Bears
The Bears thrust themselves into the conversation in the Pac 10 by sweeping the Arizona schools at home this weekend. Patrick Christopher had 23 points to lead the Bears in the win over Arizona on Friday night, and he had 20 against Arizona State on Sunday. Jerome Randle posted career highs of 26 points and 10 assists in the win against ASU. Cal was 11-2 coming into Pac-10 play, and they had a couple solid wins on their resume (@ Utah, @ UNLV). The reason this team is going to be dangerous is because of how well they shoot the ball. Randle shoots it at 56%, Christopher just a shade under 40%, and Theo Robertson is knocking them down at an astounding 62% clip. this team also moves the ball very well and attacks gaps, which means they are likely to get a lot of good looks. If Jordan Wilkes, a seven-footer, can develop into a rebounder, defender, and an option when someone penetrates, this Cal team could make a run at the Pac 10 crown.

MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
1/5 - Georgetown @ Notre Dame: Get used to seeing a lot of Big East games listed here from this point forward.

1/6 - UConn @ West Virginia: Stanley Robinson and Devin Ebanks combine for about 15 feet of wingspan.

1/6 - Ohio State @ Michigan State: OSU could really use a confidence booster after struggling against Iowa and losing to Minnesota.

1/6 - Illinois State @ Bradley: 1st place in the Valley is on the line.

1/7 - Gonzaga @ Tennessee: This match-up has really lost some of its luster with how these two teams are playing.

1/7 - Davidson @ Duke: Steph Curry in Cameron Indoor?

1/10 - Louisville @ Villanova: Both teams really need a signature win on their resume.

1/10 - Kansas @ Michigan State: It will be tough for the Kansas freshman to match the Spartan's toughness.

1/10 - West Virginia @ Marquette: What did I say about a lot of Big East games?

1/11 - North Carolina @ Wake Forest: Explain to me how this game isn't on national television? I'm guessing that means we will barely see any coverage of it on ESPN, right? Continue reading...