More College Basketball News

College Basketball NewsFlash

By Adam Stanco

basketballwriter@cs.com

January 5th

College Basketball NewsFlash

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, CHN bringsyou the latest news and commentary from the world of college basketball.  Each NewsFlash will feature three important news stories, and sharp commentary on the relevancy of the story.  Check out old articles in the NewsFlash Archive.

Story: USC Wins the BCS National Championship

Southern Cal trampled Oklahoma 55-19 to win the Bowl Championship Series National Championship on Tuesday night. Two other college football teams, Auburn and Utah, also finished the season undefeated after winning their bowl games.

My Take: Why is a football story on the CHN Newsflash? Until my idea for a “Supermodel Slip-N-Slide” league ever comes to fruition, the bowl system’s flaws prove the NCAA Tournament is the best sporting event in the world. Since most college basketball teams have played approximately the same amount of games as college football teams do over the course of a season, we are able to generate a hypothetical NCAA Championship game right now:

# 1 Illinois (14-0) vs. # 2 Kansas (9-0)

Undefeated squads # 5-ranked Duke and #23 West Virginia (10-0) would be out, as would the one-loss teams, such as # 3 Wake Forest (12-1), # 4 UNC (12-1), # 6 Oklahoma State, # 7 Syracuse, # 8 Kentucky, and # 9 UConn. While there’s no doubt Illinois and Kansas would engage in a wonderful game, there are others who deserve a shot at a title… just what the NCAA Tournament provides.

Story: St. John’s Out of Big East Tournament

The Big East announced Monday it will not host a 12-team tournament, but rather an 11-team 2005 Big East Tournament. St. John’s did not request a waiver preventing league teams ineligible from postseason play to participate in the tournament. The school imposed sanctions on itself resulting from former student-athlete Abe Keita’s claim he was paid by the coaching staff.

My Take: St. John’s two-year suspension will affect recruiting more than any hope they had of winning a Big East tournament. Even though the team is 6-4 and coming off an 18-point victory over ACC power N.C. State, they are tied with Rutgers for the worst overall record in the Big East. The win over the Wolfpack, albeit impressive, only masks the lack of talent for a once proud club that has already lost to small conference foes St. Francis (NY), Niagra, Illinois State, and Hofstra.

Story: Bucknell Wins Miraculous Back-To-Back Games

Coming off a December 28^th victory over St. Joe’s, Bucknell shocked Pitt 69-66 at “The Zoo” in Pittsburgh. The Panther loss snapped their 49-game non-conference home winning streak.

My Take: Is it possible to win two once-in-lifetime games? The Bison did it in the span of five days. Bucknell defeating the Hawks in Philly seemed as improbable as finding out about Paris Hilton’s sex tape… but to find out they also won at Pitt just a few days later? A week ago I would have told you there was a better chance of Michael Moore and Jenna Bush starring in a sex tape. Together. (Actually, they should make a tape, both for the display of bipartisanship and for the great label their last names would make). St. Joe’s has been struggling recently and there are now multiple questions about Pitt, but Bucknell is beaming. Incredibly, they were 7-4 before the back-to-back wins over two teams who played in last year’s Sweet Sixteen.