Monday Look Back: Bluegrass feelin' blue
Three things you should know before you go
1. Remember how I wrote Oregon should avoid scheduling road games against schools with Australian starters? I'd like to take that one step further with Oklahoma State, which needs to stop scheduling road games in general (against Australians, Americans, anybody, really). Pittsburgh handled OSU easily Saturday in an 85-68 blowout that doubled as the Cowboys' 14th consecutive road defeat. Sean Sutton's team hasn't won a true road contest since Feb. 4, 2006. The next opportunity to snap the streak comes Jan. 15 at Baylor.
2. Brook Lopez did not play Sunday in Stanford's 81-53 exhibition victory over College of Idaho, the result of his first-semester grades still not being posted. But on Monday, coach Trent Johnson told CBSSports.com that Lopez is academically eligible and will make his debut Wednesday against Santa Clara.
3. It was a bad weekend for teams that wear orange. Sure, Syracuse and Tennessee both won, but each lost a key component. First, UT's medical staff Friday benched Duke Crews because of a recently discovered heart condition. There's no timetable for a possible return. Then Syracuse's medical staff discovered that Eric Devendorf tore the ACL in his left knee during Saturday's game, meaning he'll soon join Andy Rautins in physical therapy to rehab a reconstructed knee. Like Rautins, Devendorf will miss the remainder of the season.
On tap: Monday, O.J. Mayo returns to the court for the first time in 13 days when Southern California welcomes Delaware State to the Galen Center. Tuesday, Paul Hewitt has an opportunity to turn his season around when Georgia Tech hosts Kansas. Wednesday, two solid non-BCS-affiliated programs meet when Bradley takes on Butler. Thursday, Duke visits its home away from home when the Blue Devils battle Pittsburgh at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Final thought: J.R. Inman prepared for the biggest game of his career at Rutgers by calling out North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough via the Newark Star-Ledger. As Joey Dorsey can attest, this wasn't wise because questioning an undeniable All-American is never a good way to spend a pregame interview.
But it sure makes for great copy!
"Honestly, I'm not a conceited dude, but I really don't think he can guard me," Inman told the newspaper. "He's really strong, and he's a really talented player, don't get it twisted. He's a threat to get a double-double every night. But from what I notice defensively, he really hasn't been challenged this year by a guy who has my ability and skills. Somebody his size with athleticism, reach and all that stuff, but who can also step out to 20 feet. That's pretty hard for anybody, even myself. If I had to guard myself, it would be pretty hard."
(Feel free to laugh hysterically for the next 10 seconds. Just continue reading when you finish.)
I can only assume Inman was talking about a version of himself different from the version that missed 11 of 14 shots in Sunday's 93-71 loss to North Carolina in which Hansbrough got 20 points and 11 rebounds, because that version of himself sure made Inman look silly. Consequently, the primary question here at CBS has shifted. We've gone from "Who shot J.R.?" to "Why is J.R. shooting his mouth off?" in a matter of 27 years. While the inquiry is just as baffling, it's doubtful 83 million people care enough to anxiously await a definitive answer this time around.
