MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Indiana's administration is full of bumbling idiots.
That's what I learned the past 36 hours while watching them try to cover their steps (or was it missteps?) by feeding their preferred media outlet lies about when and how they opted to remove Kelvin Sampson as their basketball coach. They insisted they didn't decide Sampson's fate until Friday. That's not true. They insisted the players didn't threaten to quit when Sampson was removed. Also, not true.
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| A battle for state supremacy is on the line -- not to mention national bragging rights. (US Presswire) |
(Thank God!)
Sampson's tenure at IU is complete.
And so it's now time to move forward with the Friday (Night) Look Ahead.
Game worth flying to see in person: Lost in the controversy surrounding the Indiana program is that this is a great weekend of college basketball that'll obviously be highlighted by Saturday's showdown between No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Tennessee here at FedExForum. It's two rival programs with fan bases that do no like each other and coaches who like each other even less, and it's difficult to remember a more hyped regular-season game between non-league opponents ... but that might be because I have a terrible memory.
Game worth driving to see in person: It's a shame the Butler-Drake BracketBusters contest will be overshadowed by the Indiana circus locally and Tennessee-Memphis nationally. It's a great matchup featuring two programs worthy of the spotlight a rare national television audience can provide. But let's be honest. No. 8 vs. No. 16 doesn't quite compare to No. 1 vs. No. 2. So Butler-Drake will have to settle for the undercard, though if you're a true college basketball fan you owe it to yourself to tune in Saturday (tip-off is at 5 p.m. ET).
Game worth watching on TV: It was this exact same weekend last season when I was scheduled to attend Wisconsin at Ohio State but didn't because my flight was cancelled due to inclement weather. I hate inclement weather. It made me miss a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Why am I mentioning this now, you ask? Not sure. But I thought of it when I realized No. 11 Wisconsin is at Ohio State again this weekend (on Sunday, to be exact), and with any luck those tuning into CBS won't be forced to watch a repeat of the 49-48 game played last season because nobody should have to watch a group of grown men play a game in the 40s.
Some non-BCS love: There was a time, before the injuries started piling up, when it appeared Dayton would make the NCAA Tournament while possibly winning the Atlantic-10. Safe to say, those times have passed given how the Flyers have dropped seven of 10 and fallen to 11th in the league standings. Still, there's a chance at redemption considering Dayton is 33rd in the RPI. But a win against 10th-ranked Xavier on Sunday seems like a must. Without it, it's likely a brilliant 14-1 start will be wasted while the Flyers continue with the kind of collapse only last season's Clemson and Wichita State teams can truly appreciate.
An obvious prediction: Duke is on a two-game losing streak, which means it's the perfect time for St. John's to visit Cameron Indoor Stadium. Actually, any time is the perfect time for St. John's to visit Cameron Indoor Stadium, particularly when the Blue Devils are on a two-game losing streak in need of snapping. So expect Duke to snap this losing streak, and by as many points as they choose.
A crazy prediction (but it might happen anyway): It's another Friday Look Ahead, and you know what that means, right? It means it's time to make a "crazy" prediction that involves Georgetown losing! Two weeks ago, I had unranked Louisville over No. 6 Georgetown (and nailed it). Last week, I had unranked Syracuse over No. 8 Georgetown (and nailed it). And now I'm going with unranked Cincinnati over No. 12 Georgetown, only because I can't in good conscience pass on the opportunity to record what would be the equivalent of a turkey in bowling.
Player trying to keep rolling: Dwayne Anderson notched exactly zero double-digit scoring performances during Villanova's first 21 games, which was reasonable considering he averaged just 2.8 points per contest through his first two years of college. But lately Anderson has been a scoring machine, at least relatively speaking. He has hit double-figures in three of four games -- including a 17-point effort in Wednesday's 78-56 victory over West Virginia -- heading into Saturday's showdown with Connecticut.
