Jack’s Blog

At the beginning of the past college basketball season, talking heads from all over the nation - including local guys with limited “listenership” in ultra small markets - were chanting the same message.  “Get a look at Duke’s freshman sensation, Austin Rivers, the nation’s top point guard, because he won’t be around the college scene after this year.”  They got it partially right.  Austin is no longer a Dookie.  Then again, some pundits claimed Rivers might not have been a point guard.

For example, on October 19, Matt Norlander from CBSSports.com wrote an article on the nation’s top PGs and listed Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor number one.  His opinion was echoed by many in the media world.  Then, the games were televised and UNC was on (and on and on ) and the nation was raving about the sure fire #1 point guard in the US, Kendall Marshall.

I remember hearing an announcer make the statement (was it because it was cute or did he actually mean it - it sounded like the latter), “No point guard is the nation is Craft-ier that Ohio State’s Aaron.”  On December 12, still another site, rivals.com, had Xavier’s Tu Holloway listed as the top PG in the country.  Throughout the season, other names would be thrown out when the discussion turned to college’s best floor generals, e.g. Shabazz Napier (”Kemba Walker stole the spotlight last year”), Marquis Teague (”sure, he plays with great players but someone’s got to run the show and distribute”), Scoop Jardine (”the real reason the ‘Cuse is having such a great year”), Matthew Dellavedova (”if he played for a bigger name school than St. Mary’s there would be no question as to which point guard would lead the list”).

In the heat of conference races, a television piece was done on Iona’s Scott Machado, calling him, you guessed it, “the best point guard in college basketball.”  It seemed like every week there was a new “king of points” crowned.

Finally, the NBA draft was held and, according to every knowledgeable basketball person I’ve ever heard - to a person - the two most important positions to have for a successful team are a big guy and a point guard.  So which of the previously mentioned PGs was drafted first?  None!  Instead, Damian Lillard of Weber State which only goes to show that NBA teams draft the same way NFL clubs do.  The pre-draft camp, the NBA’s version of the NFL combine (as well as personal visits to the team’s site), mean more than watching a guy during a season (or post-season).

Now, I realize a player can be the best collegiate point guard and still not get the love from NBA scouts for a myriad of reasons, but the way “the best” is reported by the media can only be compared to the number of junior high crushes that go on in the average first week of school.  Of course, nothing matters until they strap it on anyway.  The players, not the junior high kids.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - or the team that needs what you bring to the table.”

Portland State 77   #7Gonzaga 70  (Portland State?)

Butler 74   #14Xavier 65  (at Xavier!)

Michigan 81   #4Duke 73  (need we say more?!)

Whatever happened to a sure bet?  How are unranked teams, such as these, beating not only ranked, but cream of the crop clubs for the 2008-09 season?

First of all, it’s not against any kind of NCAA rules for these teams to win.  But for a possible explanation, let’s probe a little deeper - or earlier - as in one game earlier in the schedule.  Each one of these upsets happened in the game following a contest that was ballyhooed for its importance.  One at a time:

First, Portland State against Gonzaga.  The game was played at Portland State, unquestionably the biggest game on the Vikings’ schedule (and not nearly the biggest for the Zags).  However, what is of greater significance (and the basis for this blog) is the fact that it was the first game Gonzaga played directly following their prime time match up against #2UConn, a game that the #8 (at that time) Zags were in control of and, I’m certain, feel they could - and should - have won in regulation.

Secondly, the game preceding the Butler contest for the then #7Musketeers from Cincy was their battle with #6 Duke, a game in which the Muskies had high hopes, only to get throttled from beginning to end by the Blue Devils, in what had to be a major disappointment for several reasons.  Number one, they were behind 22-3 before they got their first basket.  Number two, Duke was up 31 at the half.  Number three, Xavier was undefeated (9-0) entering the game, giving some justification for a swagger, even if they were about to take on one of the most storied programs in college basketball.  Numbers one and two de-swaggered them in a hurry.

The third upset was Duke losing to Michigan in Ann Arbor, but whether it was the biggest game of the year for the Wolverines is highly debatable, what with Michigan State and the rest of the Big Ten coming in for visits later in the year.  The game before this one?  How about one of the most talked about up-and-comers in Purdue (although up-and-comer is relative since it’s not like Gene Keady didn’t achieve success during his long tenure in West Lafayette).  The two teams were billed as mirror images of each other - and the game was in Mackey Arena, as loud a venue (and this is from first hand experience of my 30 years spent in intercollegiate coaching), as each of the following: Rupp (Kentucky), the “Deaf Dome” (LSU), the Erwin Center (Texas), the Marriott Center (Utah), Williams Arena (Minnesota) and the McKale Center (Arizona).  (Note: MacArthur Court, Oregon’s home court, is in a category of its own).

Yet, Duke destroyed the Boilermakers by just absolutely “shutting off their water.”  It was a defensive clinic and the crowd was never able to become a factor.  The way Duke played that day, it would have taken an all-star team (or one dressed in sky blue, but isn’t that redundant) to keep up with Coach K’s guys.

After these games, especially a win like Duke experienced, it’s so difficult to immediately refocus (usually in just a matter of days) to reach the level necessary to maintain peak performance.  Everybody on campus and around town the players are running into are all talking about the game just played and how a ref’s call (Gonzaga vs. UConn) or “if we had played them on any other day” (Xavier vs. Duke) or, worse, if the team won (like Duke vs. Purdue), “man, you guys merked ‘em,” “you locked them up” and other compliments.  In no case, does anyone, other than the coaching staff, talk about getting ready for the next game.  The players are either beating themselves up (Gonzaga re: UConn), questioning themselves (Xavier vs. Duke) or celebrating (Duke vs. Purdue).

As legendary football coach and master psychologist, George Allen, always mentioned at clinics:

“The most difficult game to play is the one right after a big emotional game.” Â