Pac-10

2008 CollegeHoops.net Program & Conference of the Year

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:18:53 -0700

After a lengthy run of individual awards, we finally reach CHN's program and conference awards. As always, CHN writers voted for the best of the best:

CollegeHoops.net Program of the Year: Drake

By now, Drake’s surprise success has been discussed many times over. The 28-5 record, the MVC Championship, the Top 25 Ranking. The unknown players like Adam Emmenecker turning in all-star seasons, and a first year coach earning National Coach of the Year plaudits. But every time you read about the success of Keno Davis’s squad, the more shocking it truly seems.

Here at CHN, we pride ourselves on our top quality season preview and preseason rankings. Yet when it came to Drake, like everyone else, we were completely wrong. 165^th place was our prediction.. and we were only about 140 places off. In fact, Drake was projected to be 85 places worse than the 2^nd lowest team (Western Kentucky) that ended up in our Final Top 40. For shocking CHN’s experts and college basketball nation, Drake is a worthy program of the year.

Runner Up: Texas

After losing NBA All-Rookie performer Kevin Durant to the Draft, many thought that the Longhorns would regress. But instead, Rick Barnes led Texas to a record 31 win season as well as their 3^rd Elite Eight trip of the last six years. Amazingly, not one major contributor from the co-Big 12 champion is a senior, and the program’s continued success seems like a lock.

CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major Program of the Year: Davidson

Davidson was arguably the national Program of the Year due to their amazing Elite Eight tournament run, but their success wasn’t nearly as surprising as Drake’s. After losing some close games to major Top 10 powers like UNC and UCLA, the Wildcats bounced back to utterly dominate the Southern Conference. They won all 20 league games, and swept the conference tournament with an average margin of victory of 26 points. Their overall 25-game winning streak was the best in the nation, and helped Coach Bob McKillop and star guard Stephen Curry amass some impressive hardware. More impressive than their 29-7 record or any individual’s numbers is the way they captivated the country by letting it all out during the NCAA Tournament.

Runner Up: South Alabama

The Jaguars had an impressive season this culminated in at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. This was the first time in 14 years that a Sun Belt team had received at-large consideration. Their 26-7 overall record included two wins over Sweet Sixteen team (and conference rival) Western Kentucky, as well as tournament squads Mississippi State and San Diego. Coach Ronnie Arrow won Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors, returning to a position he once held 13 years ago.

CollegeHoops.net Conference of the Year: Pac-10

Simply put, no league offered more exciting individual and team matchups than the Pac-10 on a weekly basis. With the exception of Oregon State, every team in the league was capable of beating every other team.. and this overall depth of talent lead to an amazing 9 postseason bids for the 10 team league.

At the team level, UCLA was the true class of the league leading the way with a 16-2 record. The Bruins were led by Kevin Love, just one of many potential NBA lottery picks scattered throughout league rosters. Brook Lopez, OJ Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Ryan Anderson and others lit up the scoreboards on a nightly basis.

Overall, the Pac-10 ended up 2^nd in RPI to the ACC, but the league members led the country with an amazing .798 out-of-conference winning %. This is even more impressive when you consider that as recently as 2004, the Pac-10 was 9^th in overall RPI. With big time coaches and big time programs, there’s no reason not to expect another great Pac-10 run next year.

Runner Up: Atlantic 10

This was somewhat of a renaissance season for the A10, as the league finished 7^th in overall RPI, easily its best season in a decade. Conference leader Xavier made an impressive run to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, and they were joined in the Big Dance by conference tournament winner Temple and St. Joseph’s. Even more impressively, the league had great depth as teams like Dayton, UMASS, and URI all made strong claims to Top 25 consideration at one point or another.

Check out all the: CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more

And Then There Were 16.. Weekend Review

Jason Brubaker — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:56:22 -0700

What a weekend in college basketball. A plethora of close games. A few Cinderellas trying on their dancing shoes. Buzzer-beaters. Fired-up coaches. Chest-thumping players. And at the end of it all, 48 teams have been sent packing, their championship hopes dashed. The final 16 teams includes two 12 seeds, as well as a 10 and 7 seed...who would've thought? Here's a look back at four days of Madness

- How in the world did every major school miss on Stephen Curry? The sharp-shooting Davidson sophomore averaged 35 points per game in leading the Wildcats to wins over Gonzaga and Georgetown on their way to the Sweet Sixteen. Lightly-recruited by bigger schools, Curry has proven time and time again he has no problem match-up up against elite players. He nailed 13 shots from beyond the arc in the first two rounds, using textbook form and a lightning-quick release. The Wildcats will again be giving up size when they face Wisconsin next round, but with Curry on the floor, you can't count them out.

- UCLA and Stanford occupied most of the spotlight in the Pac-10 this year, but don't forget about Washington State. The Cougars had as impressive of a weekend as anyone, pounding upstart Winthrop 71-40, and then shutting down Notre Dame in a 61-41 victory, holding them to an average of 27% shooting from the field. The Cougars calling card all season has been their defense, and they proved why, engulfing Big East POY Luke Harangody and holding him to just 10 points. Their defense will be tested in the next round however, by North Carolina, who has scored over 100 in each of their first two games.

- The RPI aside, most people would agree that the Pac-10 and Big East were the nation's toughest conferences this year, and the remaining teams are proof. Both conferences have three teams still standing, while the ACC and SEC each only have one. However, while the Pac-10 teams (UCLA, Stanford, Washington State) were somewhat expected, the three Big East might be a little surprising. No Georgetown, no Notre Dame and no Connecticut...replaced by West Virginia (5th in the conference) and Villanova (8th in the conference). Madness indeed.

- Out of the six mid-major at large teams, five lost in the first round, including ugly losses by Kent State and South Alabama. However, Xavier is still very much alive, having grinded out tough wins over a hot Georgia team and a scrappy Purdue squad. The Muskies have an incredibly balanced attack, and really get after teams defensively, denying passing lanes and just generally frustrating opponents. Diminutive point guard Drew Lavender, the heart and soul of the team, is a joy to watch as he speeds by defenders, while fellow seniors Stanley Burrell and Josh Duncan are as tough-minded as they come. Guards CJ Anderson and BJ Raymond are versatile players, while forward Derrick Brown has NBA-athleticism. If Jason Love continues to produce down low, Xavier should be able to knock off West Virginia in the next round, setting up a potentially interesting game with UCLA with a Final Four berth on the line.

- Duke haters can rejoice again after another tournament sees the Devils fail to make it past the first weekend. Last year, it was VCU shocking the Devils; this year West Virginia did the deed, exposing Duke's over-dependency on three-point shooting and lack of inside presence. Thought to be the weakest of the 2-seeds in the field, Duke did nothing to disprove that, barely escaping Belmont in the first round before bowing out to the Mountaineers. A severe lack of athleticism outside of Gerald Henderson once again doomed the Devils, who couldn't stay in front of anyone on defense. Another early exit next year, and the over-rated chants will be louder than ever.

- In other over-rated news, how does a team with Arizona's talent keep getting bounced early? The Wildcats boast two probably future lottery picks in Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger, along with future NBA player Jordan Hill, yet they won't see the second round of the tournament for the second straight year. It was a trying year to be sure, with the Lute Olson distractions and nagging injuries, but at some point, you'd like to see them start playing up to their potential.

- Indiana concluded their bizarre season by mailing in most of the game against Arkansas in bowing out in the first round. When Kelvin Sampson was replaced as head coach on Feb. 22 following an investigation into NCAA violations, the Hoosiers spiraled downwards, going 3-4 under interim coach Dan Dakich. Star freshman guard Eric Gordon struggled against Arkansas, going 3-15, and many of the Hoosiers appeared uninterested in playing defense. Indiana is too proud of a program to let this bog them down for too long, but there's no doubt this was not the same team that entered February at 17-3.

- Thanks for stopping by Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo. The two superstar freshmen, both likely headed to the NBA, saw their seasons over the weekend. Beasley showed why he's up for POY honors as he led the Wildcats to a first-round victory over USC and Mayo, totaling 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Wildcats then ran into an experienced Wisconsin team in the second round, bowing out despite another good effort from Beasley (23 and 13). But both kids should hold their heads high. They entered the season with enormous expectations and lived up to them, not an easy task for a young kid.

- It's hard to pin down the best game over the weekend, but there were a few that stood out. Western Kentucky and Drake put on a shoot-out for the ages in the first round, with WKU winning in OT on a Ty Rogers' 30-foot heave at the buzzer. Following that, San Diego stunned UConn, getting giant performances from Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare, plus a buzzer-beater of their own by De'Jon Jackson. UCLA needed late-game heroics from Darren Collison to hold off Texas A&M on Saturday, while Stanford got a baseline shot from Brook Lopez with one second left to knock off Marquette in overtime. Then, Tennessee needed late free throws to hold off a gritty Butler team in overtime on Sunday, while Memphis grinded out a three-point win over a tough Mississippi State squad. All in all, even though my brackets are destroyed (Siena anyone??), it was a great weekend for hoops.

- Similarly, it's hard to put out a list of the best individual performances of the weekend, since there was so many. But a few that simply can't be ignored: Davidson's Stephen Curry (40 pts vs. Gonzaga, 30 pts vs. Georgetown), Kentucky's Joe Crawford (35 pts vs. Marquette), Marquette's Jerel McNeal (30 pts vs. Stanford), West Virginia's Joe Mazzulla (13 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast off the bench vs. Duke), Arkansas' Sonny Weems (31 pts vs. Indiana), Miami's Jack McClinton (38 pts vs. St. Mary's), Stanford's Brook Lopez (30 pts vs. Marquette), WKU's Tyrone Brazelton (33 pts. vs. Drake), Xavier’s Drew Lavender (18 pts, 9 ast vs. Purdue), Duke's Gerald Henderson (21 pts, 7 reb, 5 stl vs. Belmont) and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (25 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast vs. Siena).

Let the Madness Begin: Some Love for the Committee & Other Thoughts

Jason Brubaker — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:18:46 -0700

Let the Madness begin! With the dance cards officially punched, the best three weeks in sports are set to begin. Among the participants:

- Georgia, who battled fatigue and tornados, not to mention four SEC opponents, to claim the Sec Tournament crown. The 17-16 Bulldogs completed their surprising run, which included two buzzer-beaters, by knocking off Arkansas on Sunday, in front of a small crowd on Georgia Tech’s campus. With fans, media and tournament officials all scrambling after the severe weather in Atlanta on Friday night, somehow the Bulldogs kept their poise and earned a date with Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tourney.

- USC and Kansas State, in a 6-11 match-up figures to be one of the better ones, as two young teams follow their freshman leaders. OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley both figure to be wearing NBA uniforms at this time next year, so advancing to the tournament gives college basketball fans at least one more weekend to enjoy these phenomenal talents.

- South Alabama, who earned at-large bid from the Sun Belt. The Jaguars, who own wins over Mississippi State and San Diego, and two over conference foe Western Kentucky, earned a 10 seed, marking the first time in 14 years the Sun Belt has sent two teams to the Dance.

- Arizona, who despite a mediocre 19-14 record, sneaks into the tourney as a 10 seed in the West. The Wildcats, who battle injuries to guard Nic Wise and Jerryd Bayless as well as the Lute Olson distraction all year, apparently did enough to sway the committee. With the team back at full strength, and with Olson set to return next year, the Wildcats have a great chance to pull off the upset against West Virginia in the first round.

- Hats off to the selection committee – easily one of the toughest jobs in sports. To anyone who thinks they could be a part of it, sit down and draw up your own brackets, complete with the 31 conference winners and 34 at-large teams. Keep in mind the travel conditions, conference affiliations, team schedules (possible rematches, etc) and injury situations. Also, be sure to at least glance at the RPI, the polls, conference standings, tie-breakers, non-conference schedule and injuries for each of the teams. Now, after you spend all that time, add in a surprise conference winner (i.e. Georgia) at the last moment. Finally, be prepared to be ripped and criticized by anyone and everyone with an opinion. Not quite so easy is it? This isn’t to say they don’t make mistakes, but all in all, they get it right more often than not.

- As a final note to all the coaches and fans pushing for an expanded tournament, such as 128 games…give me a break. If your team hasn’t done enough after 30-35 games to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’re among the best 34 teams in the country, they probably don’t deserve to be there. We can argue RPI and non-conference schedules all day long, but the bottom line is that teams have all season to prove themselves. Expanding the field to 128 would mean nearly every one of the 73 BCS-conference teams would make the tournament, as well as fifth and sixth-place teams in smaller leagues…providing for such ground-breaking first round match-ups as Oregon State-Duquesne. The bottom line is that each year, 4-6 teams will feel that they deserved a berth, and they may be right, But to advocate adding another 63 teams to accommodate these bubble teams is just plain ridiculous. The tournament as it is now places enough importance on the regular season to make it relevant, but also allows for enough leniency to mean a loss here or there won’t kill you. I’ll argue all day that the system works the way it is, and doesn’t need to change. Let the Madness begin!

Daily Poll: Will The Pac-10 Get Seven Bids?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 10:49:44 -0700

Poll: What Will be the Most Exciting BCS Conference Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:33:48 -0800

Daily Dribble: Friday Report Card

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:29:53 -0800

The Report Card

A - Oral Roberts

The Golden Eagles have been the best team in the Summit for a few years now, coming off back-to-back seasons in which they won 20 games and made the NCAA Tournament. But many assumed this good run had more to do with Caleb Green and Ken Tutt as opposed to a consistent base of great talent. But this year's team is showing that there was more to their success than those guys. Seniors like Shawn King, Adam Liberty, and Moses Ehambe, who were contributors last year are playing better than ever.. and have mixed well with newcomers Robert Jarvis and Marcus Lewis. At 13-0 in Summit league play and with a surprisingly good RPI of 46, it makes our 3rd place projection to start the season a bit suspect.

B - Pac-10

Even before the season, the Pac-10 was getting respect as one of the country's best (if not the best) leagues. So the fact that so many teams are getting NCAA Tournament kudos is no big surprise. The league can be looking at 7 bids considering that 7 of the 10 teams have an RPI of 60 or better. This is an amazing number considering that in 2006, the league had only 3 teams better than 57th in RPI, and only 4 teams in the top 85. With the exception of Oregon State, who simply provides two free W's to the rest of the league, every team is moving in a positive direction.

C - Wake Forest

Nice job by Coach Gaudio and the staff getting Wake to .500 in ACC play. With games against Duke, UNC, and Maryland coming up, their 5-5 record might become a distant memory. For today though, this is a nice accomplishment for a team that was considered to be just biding time until next year's monster recruiting class comes to town. Next year's starting lineup of lets say Smith, Teague, Aminu, Johnson and one of Woods/Walker at the five looks pretty solid.

D - UMASS

Huge loss by the Minutemen to Fordham last night. Coming in, they were in almost everyone's projected field of 65 despite a sub .500 A10 record. Sure, they were 4-5 in league play but 3 of the losses were on the road and the other two were home defeats to tournament teams Xavier and Saint Joseph's. The point being they had no bad losses. But a home loss to Fordham (158th in the RPI) could be a big blow to their tournament chances. No doubt they will fall out of most brackets when the analysts rework the field.. but all hope shouldn't be loss. They have a favorable schedule the rest of the way with games against most of the A10's lower tier teams.

F - Picking Big Ten Games

Just about every night for the Games of the Night series, I pick the results of three big games. For whatever reason, my picks have been a bit off this year compared to previous seasons.. and a big reason why is the Big Ten. When the Big Ten's big four get together (Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue & Wisconsin), I've been wrong just about every time. Indiana at Wisconsin.. wrong. Michigan State at Purdue.. wrong. The list could go on and on. One day I'll figure it out.

The Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

Previous Best / Worst

February 13th - Mike Green / Ed Donato

February 11th - Charron Fisher / Tim Morris

February 8th - Big West / Virginia

February 6th - Chris Lofton / Dick Vitale

February 5th - Bob Knight / Josh Heytvelt

February 4th - New York Giants / Washington State

February 1st - Nevada / Penn

January 31st - Kansas State / St. John's

January 29th - Winthrop / Dyson & Wiggins

January 28th - Rutgers / Doris Burke

January 25th - Ron Hunter / Princeton Offense

January 23rd - Kentucky / Archbishop Burke

January 22nd - DJ Augustin / Scott Sutton

January 21st - New York Giants / Marquette

January 20th - Maryland / ESPN.com editors

January 18th - Cleveland State / Marquette

January 17th - Drake / HP Laptops

January 14th - Roy Hibbert / Michigan State

January 10th - Tony Bennett / Saint Louis

January 9th - DJ White / CSTV

January 8th - Robert Morris / Schedule Makers

January 7th - Wayne Ellington / Illinois

January 6th - Herb Sendek / Kentucky

Left Coast Report: Year of the Fat Boy

Jacob White — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:57:14 -0800

The Chinese New Year, the year of the rat (perhaps a good omen for Coach K), is upon us. However, on the west coast it is the year of a plumper, more rotund, creature – the fat boy. Armed with his sweaty back, gut swinging low-post drop step and point-blank lay-ins, the fat boy is all the rage in the Pac-10 and WCC.

Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, Robert “Tractor” Traylor, and most recently Glen “Big Baby” Davis, college basketball has always loved its overweight stars. Yes, big guys are great for giving nicknames (always demonstrating the lameness of nicknaming a wing or guard), but a large part of the fascination with these glandular giants is tied to our ability to relate to them.

Like a fat kid looking at Levi’s in the husky section, the fat basketball player typically finds himself alone, contemplating his stature, as his teammates fast break down the court. To ignore the taunts of childhood and the ribbing of coaches and teammates, it takes a special type of athlete, with a special type of appetite, to be an overweight superstar.

America is full of fat people, but very few of them are able to compete as top tier athletes. It is in the familiar American stature of these players that fans more easily see themselves. While the lightening quick Derrick Rose may amaze us, we can’t relate to him. And while we have next to nothing in common with a 6’8” 300 pound giant, we are able to see humanity through his gut. Sitting on our couch, or squeezing into a seat at a game, we can look to the court and see a bit of ourselves out there competing.

In the WCC the two most dominate big men are “Big” John Bryant and Omar Samhan. Bryant looks like Thurman Murman in “Bad Santa” and Samhan not only looks like the jerk kid in “Mean Creek” but has the attitude to match. NBA scouts may gossip like teenage girls over the build, athleticism and length of big men like Josh Heytvelt and Diamon Simpson but college fans should cherish the four years they get to watch their obese brethren out-work, out-hustle, and out-produce these future NBA players.

At 6’10” and 305 pounds Bryant, a junior at Santa Clara, averages a double-double in league play. He leads the league in rebounds, field goal percentage, blocks and is second in points per game.

Meanwhile, Samhan, a sophomore at Saint Mary’s, is listed at 6’11” and 265 pounds and appears to wear about a C-cup. He averages almost 13 points and eight rebounds a game, while also providing attitude and swagger to a team attempting to trump Gonzaga as the top team in the WCC. Both Samhan and Bryant have lost weight this season. But like a fat kid at a public swimming pool, both still wear undershirts to hide their physique.

It is in their self-consciousness that I find myself relating to, feeling sorry for, and eventually rooting for these young men. Even as Samhan flipped off the crowd at Gonzaga last year, I found myself smiling. It was a victory for fat kids, for the American everyman. Samhan’s gesture was immature, crass, and bush-league, but I couldn’t blame him for it. I was jealous that my favorite team, the Zags, could not summon the same anger. But how could they? How could a group of well-recruited, chiseled athletes summon the aggression of a fat kid? They couldn’t.

In the Pac-10 Kevin Love, Aaron Baynes, and John Brockman, while less fat than their WCC counterparts, are nonetheless cut from a mold that makes them questionable at the next level. Baynes looks as if he appeared from Dwight Shrute’s beet farm; Brockman while not fat, is built more like a defensive lineman than a future NBA star; and Love may be a lottery pick, but his weight will likely be mentioned as often as his outlet passing ability come draft night.

Love and Brockman may be the two most valuable players in the Pac-10. Baynes, while much less productive than Love and Brockman, has nonetheless surprised many in the Pac-10 with his solid play for the Washington State Cougars. Baynes looks like the portly part of a comedic duo next to his awkwardly skinny four man, Robbie Cowgill.

The fat boy is not only thrashing its way through the West, crushing pretty skinny people like the monster in “Cloverfield,” but is emerging as a force in the NBA too. Glen “Big Baby” Davis slipped in the draft due to his weight “problem” but is quickly becoming a huge contributor for the first place Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, a bigger, older, fatter man has once again dominated headlines by being traded from the worst team in the East to the best team in the West. The sports world will be following Shaq as he attempts to silence his skinny loving critics one more time and win his fifth championship ring with a third team.

I implore college basketball fat boys to not succumb to the school yard taunts of fans, teammates, and coaches. Instead, feed your hungry guts, and continue to reign like well-fed kings over the west coast, swallowing up rebounds, taking high percentage shots, and strolling up the court as your teammates waste their energy on the fast break.

Pac-10: All-January

Jeff Fox — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:28:59 -0800

Without a doubt the hardest conference to determine its top monthly players is the Pac-10. This is especially true when it comes to the front court players, where such luminaries as Chase Budinger and Ryan Anderson didn’t make the cut. So after much deliberation, here is the All-January Pac-10 team.

Guard – Darren Collison – UCLA – JR
14.6ppg, 4.3apg, 1.9spg
Best game – Jan 26th – Oregon State – 33 points, three assists, three steals

Except for a hiccup versus cross-town rival USC, the Bruins cruised through January. Collison, UCLA’s junior floor leader, had a very solid month as well, averaging 16 points, five assists, two steals and only two turnovers a game.

Guard – James Harden – Arizona State – FR
18.7ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.8spg
Best game – Jan 26th – Washington State – 25 points, five rebounds, four rebounds, three steals

Now that the tough Pac-10 conference schedule is under way, the Sun Devils have come back down to earth. Freshman Harden, however, has not – he started the month off with four straight 20-plus point nights and ended up averaging 21 points and five boards for January.

Forward – Brook Lopez – Stanford – SO
18.1ppg, 7.9rpg, 2.1bpg
Best game – Jan 31st – Washington – 31 points, 13 boards, three assists, three blocks

With Brook Lopez eligible and dominating again, the Cardinals are giving UCLA a real run for the top spot in the Pac-10. Lopez appears to be in game shape again, averaging 19 points, nine boards and two blocks a game in January, his first full month of action this year.

Forward – Jon Brockman - Washington – JR
18.4ppg, 11.3rpg, 1.2apg
Best game – Jan 19th – Oregon State – 26 points, 14 boards, 2 assists

Jon Brockman should be a big fan of the Oregon State Beavers – not only did he have his best game of the month versus them, but their ineptitude is also keeping his Huskies from cellar-dwelling in the conference. The burly forward was his usual steady self in January, putting up 19 point and 13 rebounds a game.

Center – Kevin Love – UCLA – JR
17.7ppg, 11.1rpg, 1.8apg
Best game – Jan 12th – Washington State – 27 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two blocks

It was another typical month for Kevin Love – six double-doubles (including five in a row to end off the month) and averages of 19 points, 13 rebounds and two assists.

Next up – SEC

Pac-10: All-Opening Month

Jeff Fox — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 08:20:16 -0800

The Pac-10 is packed with talent. The players that had to be overlooked for this list would easily make it on one of the other BCS conferences’ top five. But, alas, there is only room for five, and once again the freshmen rule the day.

Guard – Jerryd Bayless – Arizona - FR

19.9ppg, 4.9apg, 3.7rpg

Best game – Nov 19^th – UMKC – 20 points, 9 assists, 9 boards

In the year of the frosh, Phoenix native Bayless has been overlooked. Not for much longer – he looks ready to push Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo for bragging rights as the Pac-10’s best rookie. The 26 and 6 he put up vs. Texas A&M last game shows that he’s just as good against the big fish as the small ones.

Guard – O. J. Mayo – USC - FR

20.4ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.8apg, 1.9spg

Best game – Nov 10^th – Mercer – 32 points, 7 boards, 4 assists

Not surprisingly, Mr. Mayo has been an impact player for the Trojans in the early going, stuffing stats into almost every category imaginable. Now if he could just get those turnovers to less than four a game.

Forward – Jon Brockman – Washington - JR

19.3ppg, 11.6rpg, 52.9% FG

Best game – Nov 14^th – Utah – 31 points, 18 boards

With Spencer Hawes in the NBA, this is Brockman’s show now. The Huskies will need plenty more of his elevated play if they plan on competing in the Pac-10 this season.

Forward – Marty Luenen – Oregon - SR

15.7ppg, 11.0rpg, 12/23 3pts

Best game – Nov 24^th – USF – 18 points, 10 boards, 4 assists

Luenen has really taken his game up another level for the deep Ducks. In addition to his four straight double-doubles, he is shooting a sizzling 52.2% from long-range.

Center – Kevin Love – UCLA - FR

17.3ppg, 9.9rpg, 2.4apg

Best game – Nov 9^th – Portland St – 22 points, 13 rebounds

When you add one of the countries top freshmen to an already stacked lineup you’ve got yourself a title contender. Love has been the Bruins top player in the early going, posting four double-doubles already and has UCLA primed for a visit to the Final Four for the third straight year.

Daily Dribble: BCS Power Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:06:36 -0800

Following last week's High-Major & Mid-Major rankings, here is the complete 73 team BCS Power Ranking. Obviously a lot of potential NCAA Tournament teams in here, perhaps everyone in the Top 50 has a chance. The SEC is off to a very odd start, no one playing Top 10 basketball, yet its worst teams seem substantially better than the worst of the other leagues.

1. UNC 8-0 (ACC)

2. Kansas 9-0 (Big 12)

3. Texas 9-0 (Big 12)

4. Duke 9-0 (ACC)

5. UCLA 8-1 (Pac-10)

6. Georgetown 7-0 (Big East)

7. Washington State 9-0 (Pac-10)

8. Michigan State 8-1 (Big Ten)

9. Indiana 8-1 (Big Ten)

10. Marquette 6-1 (Big East)

11. Texas A&M 8-1 (Big 12)

12. Tennessee 8-1 (SEC)

13. Oregon 7-1 (Pac-10)

14. Pittsburgh 9-0 (Big East)

15. Clemson 8-0 (ACC)

16. Villanova 7-1 (Big East)

17. Vanderbilt 9-0 (SEC)

18. Notre Dame 7-2 (Big East)

19. Virginia 7-2 (ACC)

20. Arizona 6-2 (Pac-10)

21. Arkansas 7-1 (SEC)

22. Louisville 5-2 (Big East)

23. Connecticut 6-2 (Big East)

24. USC 6-3 (Pac-10)

25. Stanford 8-1 (Pac-10)

26. Baylor 6-1 (Big 12)

27. Miami 8-0 (ACC)

28. Kansas State 6-3 (Big 12)

29. West Virginia 7-1 (Big East)

30. Syracuse 6-3 (Big East)

31. Wisconsin 6-2 (Big Ten)

32. California 6-1 (Pac-10)

33. Missouri 6-3 (Big 12)

34. Ohio State 4-3 (Big Ten)

35. Boston College 7-1 (ACC)

36. Illinois 5-3 (Big Ten)

37. Florida 9-1 (SEC)

38. Purdue 5-2 (Big Ten)

39. Mississippi 7-0 (SEC)

40. Florida State 9-2 (ACC)

41. Oklahoma State 5-3 (Big 12)

42. Providence 6-3 (Big East)

43. Oklahoma 7-3 (Big 12)

44. NC State 4-3 (ACC)

45. Kentucky 4-3 (SEC)

46. Texas Tech 6-3 (Big 12)

47. South Carolina 5-4 (SEC)

48. Maryland 6-4 (ACC)

49. Washington 4-4 (Pac-10)

50. Seton Hall 7-2 (Big East)

51. Nebraska 6-2 (Big 12)

52. Alabama 5-3 (SEC)

53. Mississippi State 5-3 (SEC)

54. Georgia Tech 4-4 (ACC)

55. Georgia 6-1 (SEC)

56. Minnesota 6-1 (Big Ten)

57. Virginia Tech 5-3 (ACC)

58. LSU 5-3 (SEC)

59. Penn State 4-4 (Big Ten)

60. Arizona State 6-2 (Pac-10)

61. Auburn 4-2 (SEC)

62. Colorado 5-4 (Big 12)

63. South Florida 7-3 (Big East)

64. Michigan 3-6 (Big Ten)

65. St. John's 4-1 (Big East)

66. Wake Forest 5-3 (ACC)

67. DePaul 2-3 (Big East)

68. Iowa 6-5 (Big Ten)

69. Rutgers 6-3 (Big East)

70. Iowa State 4-4 (Big 12)

71. Cincinnati 4-4 (Big East)

72. Oregon State 4-3 (Pac-10)

73. Northwestern 4-4 (Big Ten)