People kept asking if I was going to the FIU-North Carolina opener.
I'd say no.
They'd ask why.
And that question was answered Monday night.
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| Evan Turner recorded just the second triple-double in Ohio State history on Monday. (AP) |
Here are three of those storylines:
Storyline No. 1: Is Evan Turner really this awesome?
Turner isn't a natural point guard, and I wasn't sure playing him there would be the best thing for Ohio State. But now I'm as sure as I could be after watching Turner finish with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in Monday's 100-60 season-opening victory over Alcorn State.
Yep, Turner got a triple-double.
It was just the second in school history.
And it would be easy to dismiss if not for the fact that Turner got 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in OSU's exhibition, meaning he's had back-to-back statistically incredible performances.
"That's an amazing stat line when you really look at it," Ohio State coach Thad Matta told reporters after Monday's triple-double. Added Turner: "I just try to do my job."
He'll be a serious Player of the Year candidate if he keeps doing it like that.
Turner takes the court again Thursday against James Madison.
Storyline No. 2: Does UNC have a point guard good enough to lead it to the Final Four?
It's obviously too early to answer that question, either way. But Monday offered a first glimpse of Larry Drew as the Tar Heels' starting point guard, and he was solid if not spectacular. The sophomore finished with seven points, six assists and two turnovers in 21 minutes. Ty Lawson, he is not. But Drew was solid, and solid might be good enough.
Meantime, Dexter Strickland, the other obvious candidate to play some point, had five turnovers in 11 minutes. Hopefully it was just first-game jitters. Or something. Because North Carolina needs Strickland to at least push Drew, and nothing that happened against Florida International indicated he's ready to push anybody ... except opposing players (Strickland also had four fouls).
Storyline No. 3: Will Renardo Sidney be cleared in time for Friday's opener?
"It is clear that the ultimate goal is to prolong this inquiry," Sidney's attorney, Don Jackson, texted me Friday after learning the NCAA is now requesting "records that identify the sources of each [bank] deposit, cellular phone records for every family member since Jan. 1, 2006, records to indicate where every payroll check was deposited, etc."
Translation: The NCAA isn't giving up or giving in.
The NCAA knows the Sidney family went from a modest home in Mississippi to living in California and paying between $4,000 and $5,000 a month in rent, and the NCAA is operating under the logical theory that such didn't happen legitimately. Can the NCAA prove a violation? Perhaps not. But it's clear something wild happened, and unless the Sidney family proves otherwise it seems the Mississippi State freshman might never be cleared, and it almost certainly won't happen in time for Friday's opener against Rider.
As Jackson suggested, there's no end in sight.
He's frustrated.
I get that.
But like I wrote months ago, the NCAA would lose all credibility if it cleared a high-profile guy from Mississippi who moved to Los Angeles and paid a rent that seems unaffordable without a compromised amateur status. That's why this is a huge case. And while it makes legal sense that Sidney should expect to be charged or cleared, this is not a court of law and the NCAA doesn't have the burden of proof. It can basically do whatever it wants, which is dangerous, I know. But in this case, I'm with the NCAA -- not because I wish ill on Mississippi State or Sidney, but because holding his family accountable could encourage the families of future prospects to be a little more careful about how they conduct themselves.
At the very least, it'll teach them to be more discreet with their rental properties.
Hey, we've got to start somewhere.
