Oklahoma

Unless you've had absolutely no access to any form of media (TV, radio, internet, newspaper, etc.), you know that yesterday's installment of the BCS standings placed Oklahoma ahead of Texas. With those two being tied along with Texas Tech atop the Big 12 South with 7-1 records that was the determining factor in sending the Sooners to take on Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday. But wait: didn't Texas beat Oklahoma 45-35 back on Ocotber 11th? Yes they did, so when you take that into consideration you may wonder what's up with the BCS and the Big 12's tiebreaker system.

 

Blake Griffin

20 Random Rants, Thoughts, and Observations from the Week in College Basketball by CollegeHoops.net Editor Shawn Siegel:

1 - Jonny Flynn is even better than I ever gave him credit for. He's more than just a speed guy.. he's a money point guard.

2 - Syracuse needs to do some serious work on their ole 2-3 zone. The problem right now is simply personnel. They don't have enough length & height to really cause havoc with their traps.

3 - Damion James (Texas) is up there right now for the Least-Improved Player award.

Despite the lack of true opening day like many of the other major sports, college basketball did not enter without a bang this season. Most of the marquee teams and players were on center stage throughout the week, and ESPN's 24-hour marathon of college basketball really got people excited for the season - even though the real season began two weeks ago, on December 10 (Duke vs. Presbyterian? Houston vs. Georgia Southern? Really?).

Heading into this Saturday it seemed like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were well on their way to a seventh victory and a berth in either the Gator or Sun Bowl. All they had to do was beat Syracuse, playing for a recently dismissed head coach in Greg Robinson and dead last in the Big East. But while the Orange haven't played particularly well this season, you can't accuse this team of quitting. What ensued was one of the more stunning results of the day, with Syracuse stunning the Irish 24-23 on a late touchdown pass. Where do the Irish go from here?

 

Continuing this week's Coach Ranking series: The Big 12 

 

#1) Bill Self, Kansas

Well Billy and I are back with three more big games to preview on "Rivalry Week", and the three games in this piece all have conference title implications. One of those game will have a direct impact on the national title hunt, while another is a rivalry marked by its hatred spiced up by a possible BCS berth on the line. The third game features the nation's largest rivalry trophy that can be carried (the Fremont Cannon between UNLV and Nevada has them beat) along with the stakes of a Rose Bowl berth.

Clip of the Day

 

Thanks to the genius of YouTube, the world has access to thousands of great college basketball videos to keep us busy every second of every day.  We'll be featuring daily movies to whet your college basketball appetite. Even if you've seen them before, some clips are just too good not to watch again and again.

 

NORMAN, Okla. - Stephen Curry scored a career-high 44 points, but the No. 21 Davidson Wildcats fell 82-78 at No. 12 Oklahoma Tuesday night in the second round of the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off.

Curry was 12-of-29 from the field, 6-of-15 from 3-point range and 14-for-14 from the free-throw line. Andrew Lovedale added 10 points for the Wildcats (2-1).

Blake Griffin led the Sooners (3-0) with 25 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, while Willie Warren scored 20 points, and Taylor Griffin added 16.