B.I.A.H Not Top Ten

Every week, a plethora of writers, publications, media outlets and bloggers issue their Top-25 rankings for the past seven days worth of action. A majority of the time, everybody has virtually same opinion of all the teams, save a few upsets here or there.

If you want to find this week's top-25 rankings, you've come to the wrong place.

Here you will find our rankings for the 10 worst team performances of the week. This list isn't just home to the winless mid-major bottom-feeders. No, here you will find the biggest underachievers, slumpers and teams in a funk. We'll provide detail on the worst weekly performers, and the teams that just plain suck. Now, there will be teams on this list that are better than teams not on this list. But come on people, we are trying to be creative, just work with us here.

After the jump, you will find our list of the ten most screwed-up teams in the country. It's going to get ugly.

1. Boston College (2-3)

The Eagles Are woefully bad. Sure they have nine freshman on the roster, and they didn't return any real production from last year's squad.. But their two wins have come against New Hampshire (by 3) and UC-Riverside (In overtime by 4). Their three losses have come to Holy Cross, UMass and Saint Louis, by a combine 69 points. Even the worst BCS-conference team should be able avoid getting smacked by Holy Cross by 22-points. According to KenPom, the Eagles are the worst BCS-conference team in the country. the Eagles look like a team that may not win a single ACC game this season. In fact, they look like a team that might lose to North Carolina by triple-digits.


2. UCLA (1-4)

Where, oh where to begin. Well, first, they have yet to log a win against a D-I opponent. They sport ugly, double-digit losses to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee. The team's best player, Reeves Nelson, was suspended for three days because of attitude problems. A day after his suspension was lifted, he missed the team flight to Hawaii. To follow this up, Ben Howland benched Nelson for just one half.

Then there is Josh Smith, the team's massive center. The 310lb-behemoth refuses to lose weight and work on his endurance, and has only logged 20+ minutes in two games. Plus the Bruins are the worst team in the country in defending the 3-pointer, with their opponents making 61% of their shots from behind the arc. If things weren't already bizarre-enough, Travis Wear injured his foot while on a snorkeling trip over the weekend. Yup, that's right, he injured his foot while snorkeling. This team is toast.


3. Utah (1-4)

I often struggle to understand why exactly the Pac-12 decided to bring in Utah. They stink at football and they are absolutely dreadful at basketball. The Utes have lost five straight since their first and only win of the season, against non-DI San Diego Christian who they only beat by 3-points. Sure, you could argue that all the teams they lost to (Boise State by 21, Montana State by 6, 28 to Harvard, UMass by 14, and UNC-Ashville by 22) are better than people expected. But still, all five of those losses came to mid and low major schools. This team probably won't win a single conference game, which says a lot since the Pac-12 is in such a state of disarray already.


4. Notre Dame (4-2)

Nobody expected Notre Dame to be great this season. Sure, Tim Abromaitis would be an All-Conference player, and they have some quality players, but nobody thought they would be world-beaters. But I don't think anybody thought they would go out and get run off the floor by Missouri. A loss to Missouri isn't bad, but a 29-point loss isn't exactly good either. Then they followed that up with a ugly four point loss to a not-so-good Georgia team.

But the biggest blow came during practice last week, when Abromaitis tore his ACL, and will miss the rest of the season. This team looks to be on it's last legs.


5. Cincinnati (3-2)

The Bearcats were predicted to be one of the best teams in the Big East. Their non-conference schedule is riddled with cupcakes and this was supposed to set them up to enter the Big East conference season with very few blemishes on their record. But that's before they lost in the upset of the year to Presbyterian, a school that has been in Divison-I for less than five years. The Bearcats blew a 21-point led en route to a humiliation loss to the Blue Hose. But then they followed that up with an overtime loss to Marshall, the only opponent that could have provided the program with a good non-conference win. (Ed. Note: Other than Xavier, obviously. Whoops.)


6. Hawaii (2-2)

Maybe this was my fault. I was pretty sure Hawaii had the talent, skill, and experience to become the best team in the WAC. But through the first four games, they have looked more like a middling mid-major than the conference powerhouse I expected them to be. Not many teams in the country allow their opponents to shoot more foul shots than the Warriors. Their opponents are currently shooting 79% against them. The 19-point loss to Gonzaga on a "neutral court" in Canada is one thing, but losing to Eastern Washington by 15 at home isn't.


7. South Carolina (2-4)

There is only one BCS-conference team with worse 3-point defense than South Carolina, and that team is ranked #2 on this very list. The bottom of the SEC is pretty bad, but I'm positive that LSU and Auburn are going to be better than the 'Cocks. How on earth Darrin Horne still has a job is beyond me, but he probably has to write quarterly checks to Devan Downey.

Two of SC's losses have been to Elon and Tennessee State. Woof. SC's wins have come against Mississippi Valley State and Western Carolina. Double-woof. The 'Cocks leading scorer averages just 11.8-ppg and is the only player on the team to average double-digits. Triple-woof.


8. Grambling State (0-5)

The SWAC is not a good place to be in mid-November and early-December. All ten teams are below .500 and Grambling State is yet to taste victory. Sure, the university is making money from these "guarantee games" but the Tigers have played at home just once, and they won't play another home game until 2012. The Tigers have lost all five games by a combined 178-points, or roughly 36-ppg. But on the plus side, they did lose three consecutive games by 30-points. That's pretty cool, right? But seriously, their leading scorer is averaging 7.8-ppg. That's brutal.


9. UAB (1-4)

The Blazers were picked to finish in the top half of the C-USA this season. But after five games, I see a team that looks like they won't win a single conference game. Sure, Cameron Moore
is averaging a double-double per contest, and Ovie Soko is just shy of averaging a double-double as well.

But, I mean, the Blazers are averaging just eight rebounds per game. Just eight. That's deplorable. Did it ever occur to Mike Davis that he might want to find a successor to all-conference point guard Aaron Johnson? Plus, the Blazers lost to UT-Martin, whose only win was against a non-DI school.


10. Towson (0-5)

The Tigers are losing by roughly 28-ppg. In fact, they've lost two games by exactly 46-points each. On top of that, the Tigers are averaging just seven assists a game. Only four players are averaging more than five points per game. Pat Skerry, the new Towson head coach has a lot of work ahead of him.







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Playing for a Utah state title? Yes, please!

College hoops in the state of Utah is currently in the midst of some drastic changes.

BYU not only loses the most popular Mormon this side of Joseph Smith, Jr, but the Cougars are leaving the Mountain West for the WCC. Utah's changing conferences as well, heading to the newly-named Pac-12. Utah State hasn't left the WAC quite yet, but Nevada, Fresno State, and Boise State all have. The only constant is Weber State, who is a favorite to win the Big Sky next season.

Basketball fans in Utah are rabid which is part of what makes the rivalries between the in-state programs so intense. But with the changes in conference affiliation, there is no guarantee that these rivalries last. Take Utah and Utah State, for example. A game that has been played every season since 1944-1945 and 223 times since 1908 won't take place in the upcoming year. With the Utes moving to the Pac-12 an adding a couple of conference games, there isn't room for the Aggies, who were scheduled to play host the game this season. Utah is also apparently worried about scheduling tough, non-conference road games playing in a stronger (Is the Pac-12 actually going to be stronger than last year's MWC?) league.

BYU and Utah saved some face. The two schools signed a four-year contract guaranteeing that they would play each other once each year in mid-December. But mid-December games -- when the students may or may not be on campus -- don't really hold the same kind of intensity as conference rivals battling in late February.

But according to the Deseret News, Utah AD Chris Hill has some interesting ideas about how to keep the rivalries afloat:

As such, he's floated an idea with Utah Jazz officials and BYU athletics director Tom Holmoe about bringing the Utes, Cougars, Aggies and Weber State together at EnergySolutions Arena to start each season in an effort to build some excitement and allow the teams to play each other. The Utes are contractually committed to playing at Weber State in 2011, but there is no agreement between the Wildcats and Utes beyond this year.

Umm, YES!

This would be AWESOME!

Play a two-day tournament. Make the tournament be for the "state title". Put something on the line. You don't think that would pique the interest of fans? Being able to have state-wide bragging rights for an entire season? I would certainly watch it, and I live on the other side of the country.

Colleges don't capitalize on regional rivalries like this enough anymore. Indiana is trying to do it, as Butler, Notre Dame, IU, and Purdue are playing in the Crossroads Classic. But that is simply a double-header. Its not a tournament. As everyone knows, tournaments are always more fun than regular games.

So take advantage of this, Utah!

You could build yourself a marquee event in December, something that you don't see often in college hoops.
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Utah receives an invite from the Pac-10

Its not a surprise in the least, but today we got word that Utah will, in fact, be the 12th team invited into the Pac-10 conference. The two schools are schedule to join the conference for the 2012 season, but many expect Utah and Colorado to push for inclusion beginning in 2011.

Now that that is over, the next logical question becomes how does the Pac-12 split up their conference? Well, we may have gotten that answer from the Denver Post this afternoon:

Playing in a south division instead of a north with the Bay Area, Oregon and Washington schools was a must for Colorado to accept an invitation. Its largest out-of-state alumni base is in southern California.

"That is a huge boost for us," [Colorado athletic director Mike] Bohn said. "The southern division for the University of Colorado provides many opportunities that are keys to reaching our alumni to our recruiting and to enhance media exposure that connects best to the Denver market."

So there you have it. The Pac-10/Pac-12 North is going to consist of Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, Stanford, and Cal. The Pac-10/Pac-12 South will be Colorado, Utah, USC, UCLA, Arizona, and Arizona State.

The only quirk left to figure out is the schedule. For basketball, the Pac-10 had arguably the most beautiful conference schedule. 10 teams each with a logical regional traveling partner. 18 conference games, with each team playing a double round robin. It just worked so perfectly.

With 12 teams in two divisions, the conference has two choices as far as I can tell. They can do what the SEC does, playing each team within their division in a home-and-home, while rotating between home and away for the interdivisional games.

But that is only 16 games. If they want to keep it at 18, then every three years, the league will rotate who makes an interdivisional home-and-home trip. This second method would actually work out better. When Pac-10 schools travel, they travel with partners. So, for example, the way it has worked is that on a Thursday, Oregon will play at Washington while Oregon State plays at Washington State. On Saturday, they switch, and Oregon heads to Washington State with Oregon State will play at Washington.

With the 16 game format, some teams would be forced to play nine road games while others got nine home games, unless the league did away with travel partners. In the 18 game format, that number could be balanced out. For example, the Arizona schools would play a home-and-home with the Washington schools, take a road trip to the Oregon school, and then play host to the Bay Area schools.

Anyway, worrying about all of that is a long way off. Conference play with Utah and Colorado included won't for at least another 18 months.

The important thing is that -- at least for the time being -- conference realignment seems to have finally come to a close ...

For now.
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Jim Boylen does not appreciate stupid questions

I don't know how college coaches do it.

After a game that they put, in the grand scheme of things, far too much effort into, they are asked to go speak to the media in a press conference before their sweat has even dried. Many times, the first look a coach is getting at a box score after a game comes at the press conference.

And these guys are expected to turn off their emotion and give clear, concise, and honest answers to a group of reporters.

As you can imagine, sometimes even the trained professionals can be bothered by it.

Today's example? No, not Jim Calhoun, Jim Boylen, the head coach of Utah.



I love that you can hear someone say in the background "show some class" to Boylen. His response should have been "show some talent." What kind of reaction did you think he was going to have? Essentially, the reporter asked "you guys got your asses handed to you by BYU. You know that one part of the second half where you were really, really getting your ass handed to you? How did that feel?"

Boylen answered "like shit."

Clear, concise, and honest, no?

Anyway, that reporter got a few zings in on Utah and Boylen in his column the next day. Too bad everyone watches youtube and no one reads the paper.

(h/t your friendly, neighborhood CHJ)
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Who is the Best in the West?

ED. NOTE: This column was written prior to the games on Thursday night. Specifically, before Washington-UCLA.

The best in the west. Usually, that distinction goes to the best team in the Pac-10.

It would make sense, right? It is the only one of the big six conferences with teams west of the Plains (and Colorado doesn't count until they actually matter).

But can you really claim that Washington, a team that is 10-3 in the Pac-10 and has a loss to Portland on their resume, is the best team in the west?

There are a number of ways to judge who the best team is - record, RPI, KenPom, rankings - so let's break it down and see if we can't come up with a "Best of the West". For this particular exercise, we are considering the Pac-10, WCC, MWC, and WAC as teams in the west.

- Best Record: Utah State (24-2, 12-1 WAC)

The Aggies have a gaudy record and a solid RPI (34), but for the most part it is against fluff (their SOS is 172). They have only played two games against teams ranked higher than 88th in the RPI (beating Utah and losing to BYU) and have a grand total of six games against the RPI top 100 (including BYU and Utah). In fact, of Utah State's 24 wins, 14 have come against teams ranked outside the RPI top 200. So while the Aggies have proven that they can hang with some of the best in Utah out west, I still have yet to see a reason why I should believe this is more than just the best mediocre team in the country. This is where I would say they have a chance to make a statement against a very good St. Mary's team on Saturday in Bracket Busters, but unless Patty Mills makes a miraculous recovery in the next 48 hours, a victory would just get chalked up as another mediocre win over a mediocre team.

- Best RPI: Utah (19-7, 10-2 MWC)

Yup, Utah has the best RPI of any team out west. They are sitting pretty at 11, while the next closest is Washington at 21. I guess they may deserve it. They are currently atop the Mountain West at 10-2 with a game and a half lead over BYU and SDSU. While you may be thinking to yourself "oh, its just the Mountain West", realize that the MWC might be better than the SEC this year. They have a very realistic chance to get five teams into the dance (there are nine total in the league). Utah? They do have a pretty nice team. Luke Nevill is a legit 7-footer with a legit game (17.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.7 bpg) who combines with Shaun Green to form a formidable front court. In the back court, they have a solid quartet of guards who can all shoot it (except for Carlon Brown - he just dunks). Utah does have a couple good wins - they beat Gonzaga and LSU (by 30) out of conference and SDSU and BYU in conference - but it is their losses that bug me. Not the one against Oklahoma. Not the loss against Cal, or Utah State, or UNLV either. Utah has, however, lost to Big Sky powerhouse Idaho State, who is all of 207th in the RPI. That isn't even their worst loss. The Utes worst loss doesn't get factored into the RPI. Why? Because Southwest Baptist doesn't play in D1. Can you really be considered "Best of the West" when you have lost to D2 team?

Luke Nevill is a large man.
(photo credit: AP/Kenny Crookston)

- Best KenPom Rating: UCLA (19-6, 8-4 Pac-10)

Don't know what the KenPom rating system is? Read this. Essentially, he does some crazy math with efficiency ratings to determine who you would expect to win on a given night. If you're ranked higher than a team you should beat them (did I get that right?). Regardless, he is good at what he does. His top four, in order, at the end of last season: Kansas, Memphis, UCLA, UNC (look familiar). So does that mean UCLA is the best team out west? Personally, I am not that high on UCLA this year. For starters, they are not as good defensively as they have been in the past. The biggest issue for me is the lack of a post presence. I've said this before, but as hard as Alfred Aboya works, it isn't going to make him any bigger. Their four? Nikola Dragovic, who spends most of his court time doing his best Jason Kapono impression. Well, I lied. That isn't my biggest issue with UCLA. My biggest issue is their utter lack of impressive wins. They are 0-3 against the RPI top 25 (losing to ASU twice and Washington once). They have just four top 50 wins - two against USC, one against Arizona before Arizona got good, and one against Cal when Jerome Randle was slowed by a hip injury. And losses to Texas and Michigan are looking much worse than they did originally.

- Best Ranking: Arizona State (20-5, 9-4 Pac-10)

In each of the three major polls (and yes I am including the BlogPoll as a major poll, and it may or may not be because I have a vote), ASU has the highest ranking. In the coaches poll, they are 11th and in the AP and BlogPoll, they are 14th (for some reason, the coaches have a much higher opinion of the Pac-10 than the AP does - ASU is 11th vs. 14th, UCLA is 15th vs. 20th, and Washington is 19th vs. 22nd). While I still have a bit of hesitation anointing the Sun Devils the best team in the west, one thing I am sure of is that James Harden is the best player in the west (Patty Mills would give him a run, if healthy). Harden is really the only offensive threat on a team with a legitimate shot at winning the Pac-10. That, however, is not a good thing because it make the Sun Devils so one dimensional. All you need to do is slow down Harden, and Arizona State is going to struggle (see USC, Jan. 15th). While that is much easier said than done (ask Oregon, Feb. 5th), having one lock-down perimeter defender could be enough to upset the Sun Devils. The good news for ASU? In their last three games (against Oregon State, UCLA, and USC), Harden has averaged just 12.3 ppg. Arizona State has won all three.

James Harden put 36 on Oregon earlier this year.
(photo credit: AP/Chris Pietsch)

- Best ... Other Team?: Gonzaga (19-5, 10-0 WCC)

The 'Zags looked destined to be a Final Four team after they ran through to Old Spice Classic, beating Oklahoma State and Tennessee. Then, they lost four of five, including a game to Portland at home. The 'Zags ended that skid with a convincing road win against Tennessee, their second win against the Vols on the season, which sparked a nine game winning streak, putting the 'Zags back on the map as a legitimate threat. That thought ended with an 18 point beatdown in Spokane at the hands of Memphis. So which team is the real Gonzaga? Who knows. They are one of the most talented teams in the country, there is no doubt about that. But I just am not convinced that they can play well together, especially with Jeremy Pargo at the point. Nothing against him as a player (he can flat out ball and is one of the most fun players in the country to watch), but he isn't the kind of point guard that this team needs.

- Who is missing?: Washington (19-6, 10-3 Pac-10)

Remember earlier, when I said this:

The best in the west. Usually, that distinction goes to the best team in the Pac-10. It would make sense, right? It is the only one of the big six conferences with teams west of the Plains (and Colorado doesn't count until they actually matter). But can you really claim that Washington, a team that is 10-3 in the Pac-10 and has a loss to Portland on their resume, is the best team in the west?

Jon Brockman patrols the paint for Washington.
(photo credit: Oregon Live)

Well, the answer is yes. Yes you can. Washington has already beaten UCLA and Arizona State this year. They are leading the Pac-10. But more importantly, they look like the best team. I really like the make-up of the Huskies roster. They have a dynamic scoring guard (Isaiah Thomas); a shooter/scorer on the perimeter (Justin Dentmon); a steady ball-control point guard (Venoy Overton); a bruiser in the paint (Jon Brockman); athletic wings (Justin Holiday, Quincy Pondexter); and a big, long, active center to play along side Brockman (Matthew Bryan-Amaning). The biggest worry I have is maturity and experience. This is a young team, and the veterans have not had much success in their careers. But Lorenzo Romar has. He reached two Sweet 16's ('05, '06) and won a Pac-10 tournament.

Maybe I am grasping at straws here. Maybe the rest of the west is just not that good this year. But here it is. My pick for "Best of the West". Continue reading...