Friday Look Ahead: High-level post play hazardous to health
Luke Harangody has pneumonia.
Tyler Hansbrough has a stress reaction.
And Blake Griffin is recovering from a pop to the privates.
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| B.J. Mullens will be on the court vs. Notre Dame, looking to show why he was so hyped. (Getty Images) |
Anyway, here's the Friday Look Ahead.
Game worth flying to see in person: There was a time when Saturday's Notre Dame-Ohio State game was to be anticipated because of the possible Harangody-B.J. Mullens showdown, but a couple of things happened along the way: One is that Harangody got pneumonia (he missed the Irish's past two games) and the other is that Mullens' college career got off to a rough start (he's only averaging 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game). Thus, the matchup of elite big men won't happen because Harangody isn't expected to play and Mullens doesn't seem elite. But this is still a contest between two teams ranked in the Top 25 (and one), and that alone makes it an interesting neutral-site game.
Game worth driving to see in person: Proof that nobody is above critique came this week when Bo Ryan -- in advance of Saturday's game against Marquette -- was questioned by the University of Wisconsin student newspaper, which wondered (in print) whether the Badgers coach is capable of taking Wisconsin to the so-called next level in an article under the headline "Time for Bo to take next step."
I guess seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances doesn't get you what it used to get you, not when you don't also make Final Fours, as the paper noted that Ryan had not. But the problem with discounting coaches who haven't made a Final Four is that not only do you end up discounting Ryan, but also guys like Mark Few, Jamie Dixon, Sean Miller, Jay Wright and John Beilein, and that just seems silly. But if Wisconsin ever grows tired of Ryan and all his Big Ten titles, there's an easy way to fix the problem. The school can just got out and hire itself a "Final Four" coach, because I'm sure it could lure Steve Fisher or Rick Majerus whenever it wants.
Game worth watching on TV: It's a shame that Miami guard Jack McClinton has developed into one of the ACC's best players, and yet he's probably best known nationally now as the guy who got caught -- as one e-mailer put it -- "keeping his pimp hand strong" in this week's loss to Ohio State. Case you missed it, McClinton took a swing at OSU's Anthony Crater and was ejected, which helped the Buckeyes erase a 14-point halftime deficit. But the good news for Miami is that McClinton will be available for Saturday's game at Kentucky, and with any luck he'll manage to play 32 minutes without slapping Jodie Meeks.
Some non-BCS love: What are Sidney Lowe's thoughts on Stephen Curry heading into Saturday's game with Davidson? "Scouting him is not real difficult because you know what he can do," said the North Carolina State coach. "The challenge is stopping him." Obviously, Lowe is unfamiliar with Jimmy Patsos' double-Curry-all-game-and-hold-him-scoreless-while-you-lose-by-30 strategy. But that's probably OK, because Lowe doesn't strike me as the type who is interested in voluntarily losing by 30 while he plays 3-on-4 against a Top 25 team.
An obvious prediction: Lowe will neither double Curry all game nor lose by 30. And Curry won't go scoreless.
A crazy prediction (but it might happen anyway): So far this season I've had two "crazy" predictions in these Friday Look Ahead columns, and they've both ended up being more stupid than crazy, not to mention totally wrong. Consequently, I have no confidence in my ability to shock the world, and I feel like this is a waste of space. But in the spirit of picking a ranked team to lose to an unranked team, I'll try Michigan over No. 4 Duke on Saturday at Crisler Arena and prepare to look just as dumb as I did two weeks ago when I tried Michigan over Duke and watched the Blue Devils cruise to a 71-56 victory.
Player trying to keep rolling: This freshman class has been ridiculed nationally, and it has been well-deserved. But it should be pointed out that Georgetown forward Greg Monroe is off to a fine start, averaging 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds (while shooting 66.7 percent from the field) through five games. And if those numbers don't jump off the page, consider that Roy Hibbert averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Hoyas last season, and that Jeff Green averaged 14.3 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Hoyas in the 2006-07 season, meaning Monroe has been comparable in Georgetown's system heading into Saturday's game against American.
Player trying to get rolling: There are lots of reasons for the early struggles of Michigan State -- injuries that have hobbled Goran Suton and Delvon Roe are just two of them -- but it doesn't help that Kalin Lucas isn't making shots. The sophomore guard is 5-of-22 from the field in MSU's past two games (an unimpressive win over Wichita State and blowout loss to North Carolina), and on the season he's shooting 15.4 percent from 3-point range. That's not good, and it needs to get better if the Spartans are to avoid a scare from Bradley on Sunday.
Three things you should know before you go
1. It was predicted by pretty much anybody with half a brain that Sherron Collins would produce more for Kansas this season, if only because it would be required. So it's worth mentioning that Collins' minutes (from 23.8 per game to 32.6 per game), points (from 9.3 per game to 17.9 per game) and assists (from 3.1 per game to 4.9 per game) are all up heading into Saturday's game with Jackson State.
2. The non-league schedule for Gonzaga is tough as always, but it seems the Bulldogs, by pure coincidence, are catching a lot of BCS-affiliated programs in down times. One win has come against a Big 12 program with a first-year coach (Oklahoma State) and another against an ACC program with a talent deficiency (Maryland). Now the Zags have a game on Saturday with a Big Ten program in a total rebuilding phase (Indiana), and next week it's a game against a Pac-10 program playing under an interim coach (Arizona). Add it up, and this schedule -- even with a tough matchup with Connecticut and rematch with Tennessee still to come -- seems likely to help Gonzaga earn a high seed in the NCAA tournament, which should aid the school in its quest to make its first Final Four.
3. I'm still not sure that Nebraska is for real, but the Huskers are 6-0 with wins over TCU, Saint Louis and Creighton. If they win at Arizona State on Sunday then it might be time to pay attention.
Final thought: I got an e-mail from a guy named Jeff who suggested Chris Wright is as valuable to Dayton as any player is to any team. At first, I shrugged it off, just figured it was another wild note from a fan. But then I looked at the bottom line and realized there's a case to be made. Consider that Wright appeared in just 15 games last season because of an ankle injury, and that Dayton was 13-2 with him and 10-9 without him. Fast forward to this season, and the Flyers are 7-0 with Wright in the lineup, which means they are 20-2 with Wright as opposed to 10-9 without him over the past two seasons.
Impressive, isn't it?
Truth be told, I'd still argue any list of "most valuable" players must start with Stephen Curry and Blake Griffin, but it's clear the presence of Wright has a huge effect on whether Dayton wins or loses. And if he leads the Flyers to a win at Akron on Saturday, perhaps the AP voters will finally take notice and push Brian Gregory's team into the Top 25, given how it should already be there anyway thanks to last weekend's double-digit win over Marquette.
