Midnight Madness was over a month ago. Bracketology has already begun. The preseason tournaments are in full swing. All of these things mean one thing: College basketball season is upon us. Now, a preview would be useless because Andy Katz and Jay Bilas have already written about five for each team. Instead, let's take a look at some of the more pressing questions of the current season.
Why are college athletes so stupid?
Even the most marginal college basketball players in a big time program get perks that most people only dream of. Besides the obvious social benefits, the academic advantages aren't bad either. For example, take a look at the following test administered by Jim Harrick Jr., former assistant coach of the Georgia Bulldogs in his course, "Coaching Principles and Strategies of Basketball."
A class of predominately Bulldog basketball players had to struggle through questions such as "How many halves are in a college basketball game?" But don't shed a tear for them just yet. At least Harrick had enough decency to make it multiple choice.
Yes, life isn't exactly hell for these athletes. And because of this you would assume that someone given this amazing opportunity would do everything in his or her power not to mess it up. So then why in the world did Marcus Williams and A. J. Price, two guards on the preseason No. 2 UConn Huskies, decide to sell stolen laptops? Do they think they are that far above the law? The most ridiculous part is not the fact that they tried to sell them, but that they tried to sell them on campus, to students.
Apparently they didn't take Jim Harrick's class on how to properly distribute stolen goods. Rule number one is maintaining some type of anonymity. It's bad enough that they tried to sell the computers in Connecticut, a state that worships its Huskies, but they tried to sell it to students who certainly knew them, and probably even attended a game or two.
Williams was not only the starting point guard on the team, but was also coming off a brilliant year that made him a possible draft pick. Now he has to sit out until December, which could seriously hinder his team and his own success.
Why should you care about any basketball team on the West Coast?
To be honest, you shouldn't at all. Well almost not at all. This may be the one time that the East Coast bias is almost completely true. With all due respect to Washington last year, the Pac-10 has been the weakest of the major conferences over the past few years.
The league's problem stems from a lack of intensity and physicality. Teams that labor through a season in the Big East or the ACC go through wars that make them - albeit clich?© "battle-tested" clubs.
The Pac-10 heavyweights have a weak division and don't even have a conference tournament. This doesn't present them with as many challenges over the season. But even beyond that, can you really blame them for being a little on the soft side? Would you be obsessing over basketball in a world where snow is a four-letter word and girls wear miniskirts year-round?
But there is one motivation to catch a game or two on FSN at 1:00 a.m. That reason comes in the form of a 6'8" junior, a moppy-headed beanpole that has been compared to a certain Boston "Legend" since high school.
Adam Morrison of the Gonzaga Bulldogs is one of the rare players that excels in the mid-range game and has the type of gritty mentality that made him an honorable mention All-American last year and Gonzaga's number one option during crunch time. The only knock on Morrison is his lack of athleticism, a knock that also was attributed to the Bird. Morrison's shot even mirrors that of the Celtics' great.
While the comparisons are obviously premature, Morrison has already had to tackle an obstacle Bird never faced: diabetes. It's an affliction he has had to deal with since childhood. That means on top of staying on top of opposing players' tendencies, hostile crowds, and offensive schemes, Morrison has to make sure his blood sugar level is stable.
That's why you might catch a glimpse of him taking down a candy bar or two during timeouts. I'm sure Snickers is counting down the days until he turns pro.
Will this be the year that we learn the real truth behind Dick Vitale's unabashed love for Duke?
There's got to be a reason that Vitale doesn't even attempt to hide his bias when covering Duke games. If you've ever heard him announce a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, you know what I'm talking about. About every 30 seconds Vitale has to throw in at least one of the following comments: a) Cameron is the best college basketball atmosphere in the country and Duke fans are just plain super-duper, b) J. J. Redick may be the best college basketball shooter of all time, and c) Mike Krzyzewski is possibly the greatest person/coach/philanthropist/ father-figure/ humanitarian/demi-god ever in the history of humanity. (Sorry, Jesus, but it ain't even close). As if I didn't have enough reasons to hate Duke already.
I first thought Vitale was so pro-Blue Devil because Special K would hook him up with a cocktail of speedballs and amphetamines before games. Then I thought maybe Vitale was looking for a way to relive his "glory days" on the Detroit bench and get back into coaching. But now I think it has to be deeper. I don't have any evidence, but I think this one could even make the bureaucrats in Trenton blush.
Who will be the Cinderella of this season?
I have no idea and neither do most of these so-called "experts." And that's what makes college basketball so special. There is no sport more exciting or more unpredictable. So bring out those sweatshirts and fight songs of your true college basketball team and start prepping for the madness because there are three things that are certain in this crazy life: death, taxes and upsets in March.
