WCC

You see it in the team's eyes. Full-court press in the first half?! Oh no. Big men can't hide from handling the ball because the offense will need every man available to move the ball up the court. This pressure style defense requires a high degree of stamina, discipline, and court sense. Plus, you need to be able to score as well. With the right personnel, it can bring your team to the top. In 1994, Nolan Richardson's '40 Minutes of Hell' brought him and the Arkansas Razorbacks a championship. This philosophy also appears to belong to a few coach's, notably in the present of Bruce Pearl, coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. But there is a coach in the WCC making 'waves' (pun intended) with his high pressure, up-tempo game as well: Vance Wahlberg, coach at Pepperdine.

The rumor circulating around the Gonzaga University campus is that not only will F Josh Heytvelt and G Theo Davis be suspended for the rest of the season but will lose all of their scholarship privileges as well. I really don't know how they build around Heytvelt next year after this episode and I doubt Coach Mark Few is going to reward Davis with their talented pool of guards unless he shows some real dedication in the offseason and during early season workouts next year.

Few teams across this country get to celebrate the NCAA Tournament each year. Some schools with legacy and name affiliation with basketball not only expect to get to the 'Big Dance' each year, but to compete for the championship. Other schools are happy just to be there and possibly get the big upset win that will be shown on all major networks for years to come. The San Francisco Bay area has not been a land of talent in recent years. Outside of the great run by the Stanford Cardinal in 2004, the Bay Area has been a land of famine for talented college hoops teams. Stanford has been lackluster and Cal has not been much more than a 'not getting in or getting in and going nowhere team'. Pacific was starting to get impressive but has struggled. San Jose State has not done anything in the WAC and the WCC trio of Santa Clara, St. Mary's, and USF have been doormats to the conference powerhouse, Gonzaga.