November Madness?

By Sean Woolford

March is an exciting time for sports in America. The start of spring training for baseball. Playoff pushes for the NBA and NHL. Combines, pro days and free agency in the NFL. Oh, and who could forget March Madness? Pools, buzzer beaters and an eventual, clear-cut winner (step it up college football) highlight the month as one of the best of the sports’ year. Before we find the next Kansas Jayhawks for this season, teams must go through the preseason tournaments and non-conference schedule. So what do we know here in November?

Best Team:

I’m almost 100 percent sure that Kansas will not pull a Florida and repeat this year after losing more than 85 percent of its scoring and rebounding this past off-season. Raleigh-Durham seems to have the most talent in the country with the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils. North Carolina returns the most experienced talent with all five starters from a squad that went to the elite eight last year and maybe the best coach in America in Roy Williams. (Duke fans would argue that.) The Tar Heels are deserving of the preseason No. 1 ranking. Memphis lost three starters from last year’s team, but still has athletes who will win Conference USA and make it deep in the tourney. Its Achilles heel is still free throw shooting (ask Xavier) and could be huge down the stretch. Louisville and Connecticut are mixed with experienced talent with UCLA looking for its fourth-straight Final Four out west. North Carolina looks like the best of the bunch and the early favorite for the title.

Best Conference:

BIG EAST! The Big East is by far the deepest, most talented conference in America. This conference sent eight teams to the tourney (the most in America) last year and looks to send 10 this year. It has seven teams in the USA Today/ESPN Top-25 Poll and four in the top 10. The ACC is next with four teams in the Top-25 and with North Carolina and Duke at the top end, the conference can make an argument by season’s end, but for now, let’s give it up to the Big East.

Best Player:

Tyler Hansbrough is the returning National Player of the Year. Luke Harangody will put up big stats similar to last year. James Harden from Arizona State will probably be the first guard taken in next June’s draft but the best two players may have been on display last week in Norman, Okla. If you think last year’s performance in the tourney by Davidson’s Stephen Curry was a fluke, you are terribly mistaken. He is (and you can quote me on this) the best pure shooter and all-around player in the country. He may not grade out well for the NBA because he’s as skinny as a twig, but he can score from anywhere and will prove this year that he can play point guard at a very high level. His counterpart and my favorite Player of the Year is Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. Imagine Amare Stoudemire with the ball handling skills of a Scottie Pippen. That’s Blake Griffin. He’s averaging 20 points and 20 rebounds at this early stage of the season. While those stats will diminish slightly over the season, look out for him torching his Big 12 competition and being the overall No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.

Final Four Contenders:

Let’s get these out the way. North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Connecticut and Louisville are early favorites, and I would like to think two of the five will make it to Detroit. I am a fan of Pittsburgh, because Jamie Dixon’s club can play defense of rebounds. Gonzaga is a sleeper with the leadership of Jeremy Pargo and Josh Heytvelt. Don’t forget Oklahoma or Davidson, because all you need is one player to get hot with a good supporting class. (Carmelo Anthony proved that.) Both teams have that potential. My Final Four prediction consists of the Tar Heels, the Cardinals from Louisville, Pittsburgh and UCLA. (I hate this one.) UCLA will find a way to win out West whether it’s a one-seed or not. The Tar Heels will win the East while Louisville will win the South while Pittsburgh will make it out of the Midwest.

There is a lot of season left in college basketball and many things may occur between now and March. But if this part of the season doesn’t get you excited, then you’re not a real fan!