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 Thursday, February 17
Big games don't always have big upside
 
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

 NEW YORK -- Iowa seemed like the obvious choice to leave New York 0-2 this weekend. Steve Alford was putting in a half-court system in his first year as head coach of the Hawkeyes.

When Iowa drew defending national champ Connecticut in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, Alford was obviously concerned.

Jarron Collins
Jarron Collins will be back on the court after an ankle injury sidelined him late last season.
"We're a new program with a new style of play and playing this early probably doesn't help us," Alford said before the tournament began. "I would rather it be a different scenario."

He's probably not wishing that now after Iowa's 70-68 victory Thursday night over the preseason No. 1 Huskies.

This win should stay with Iowa the rest of the season. The first tournament usually has season-long ramifications.

Talk to Tennessee coach Jerry Green. A year ago, Tennessee played in the first game of the season in a one-day doubleheader in Albuquerque, N.M. The Volunteers, fresh off the preseason publicity of being a Top 10 team, had their inflated bubble burst when they lost 73-72 to what was supposed to be a rebuilding Arizona.

Suddenly, three weeks into practice, the Volunteers found out they weren't that good. Three games later, Tennessee lost at Miami (Ohio) and fell off the Top 10 radar at 2-2.

"We had most people back but we got all this publicity for not doing much," Green said. "We were picked in the Top 10 and didn't play up to it. We didn't handle those expectations well and that game (against Arizona) had a great deal to do with it."

While the Volunteers were humbled, Arizona was jacked up over its win. The Wildcats found out Michael Wright could rebound, Jason Terry could handle the heat after replacing Mike Bibby, A.J. Bramlett was tough enough to be the go-to post player and Richard Jefferson might be more of an offensive threat. The Wildcats ripped off seven more wins before losing at UCLA to open the Pac-10.

"Five of our top eight were freshmen and we didn't know where we were," said Arizona coach Lute Olson, who gets another early call with the Preseason NIT opener against Kansas State on Nov. 16. "That Tennessee game helped us confidence-wise so much. It propelled Michael Wright because he knew hecould play at this level."

DePaul discovered its freshman trio -- Quentin Richardson, Lance Williams and Bobby Simmons -- equaled their preseason billing. The Blue Demons lost at the buzzer 82-81 to New Mexico in the second game. DePaul didn't make the NCAA Tournament, but playing the Lobos that early didn't hurt.

"Our kids showed a tremendous amount of maturity for freshmen in that game," DePaul coach Pat Kennedy said. "That game pushed us along quicker."

New Mexico won a game that might have been the quality win it needed on its résumé to earn an at-large berth. But more importantly, the Lobos found out it wasn't going to be easy to win without Kenny Thomas, who sat out the first semester.

"We were down 15 and overcame playing without Kenny," former New Mexico coach and present Baylor coach Dave Bliss said. "Lamont Long proved he was a big-time player in that game."

In this tournament, Iowa simply needs to get Alford's system down. Junior Dean Oliver must go from being an up-tempo point guard to settling the team into a set offense and looking for the safe shot, not the first one.

Connecticut needs to see if freshman Doug Wrenn can replace Richard Hamilton's scoring, junior Albert Mouring can be a Ricky Moore-like defensive stopper and just how dominant can sophomore Ajou Deng be in the post.

Duke will get a much-needed glimpse at freshman Jason Williams at the point, classmate Carlos Boozer in the post (he's back after breaking his foot when he arrived on campus this fall) and the rest of the heralded class -- centers Nick Horvath and Casey Sanders and wing Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Stanford finally gets a chance to see the Collins twins (Jason and Jarron) play together after injuries kept them apart for all but eight games the past two years. Testing its point guards -- oft-injured Michael McDonald and freshman Julius Barnes -- against Duke's Williams, and seeing if freshman Casey Jacobsen can stroke the 3-pointer under pressure are even more important barometers.

"You know you can't possibly have your team ready by this time," Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "But this is a high-quality early-season game for us. It shouldn't define the season because there's a lot that can happen. But it did put a sense of urgency (in practice) as a result of playing this type of competition."

Hot on the heels of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic is the NABC Classic, played Friday and Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y. Friday's matchups are Wisconsin vs. Missouri and Syracuse vs. Princeton.

The only team ready for this tournament will be Syracuse. The Orangemen return nearly intact from last season and are secure at two key positions -- point guard Jason Hart and center Etan Thomas. Princeton's system is hard to manage this early, especially without ageless Tigers Brian Earl and Gabe Lewullis, who graduated last spring. Missouri coach Quin Snyder has to find out if he has an inside game to match an athletic, sharp-shooting perimeter (Keyon Dooling, Kareem Rush, Brian Grawer and Josh Kroenke). Wisconsin may be the least ready in trying to get new guards to run a disciplined offense.

Weekly chatter

  • Need a reason to know a program is on good footing? How about when it can redshirt a big-time freshman.

    Stanford shocked its colleagues at Cal and UCLA when it announced 6-8 Justin Davis will redshirt this season. Davis, who once committed to Cal and was wooed by the Bruins, plays the same spot as Mark Madsen. Stanford's thinking was he wouldn't get time behind the Mad Dog. But Davis could start at Cal, and a depleted Bruins squad could use him just as quickly. Davis has the physical game down, but his fundamentals need work and his offense can get better. The luxury of redshirting him is unheard of in this time of transfers and early-entry defections.

    Wisconsin's decision to redshirt 6-foot-6 shooting guard Julian Swartz was just as stunning. Swartz was the Badgers' top recruit last year after averaging 23.1 points at Waukesha (Wis.) South High. Swartz said he wanted the year to mature on the court. On the surface, the Badgers needed Swartz now with the loss of Ty Calderwood and Sean Mason. But Wisconsin's system isn't easy to learn overnight.

  • Utah not only lost an exhibition game Tuesday night, but will be without forward Hanno Möttölä for the Preseason NIT. Coach Rick Majerus told the Word that Möttölä tore a ligament in his knee and could be out indefinitely (the Utes open with Arkansas State on Nov. 16 and would play the Kentucky-Penn winner in the second round if they advance). To add to Majerus' misery, center Nate Althoff has been ailing. That means reserve Phil Cullen could start and returning missionary Mike Puzey may get unexpected minutes early in the season. Trent Whiting, who was supposed to compete at point guard, has been slowed by injuries too. The Utes will likely start swing guard Tony Harvey at the point, senior Jeremy Killion at the wing and bring sophomore (former Prop 48) Gary Colbert off the bench at point. Majerus said he's still leaning toward redshirting sharp-shooting frosh Nick Jacobson. He hasn't played in the exhibition games.

  • The sleeper recruit in the West may be 6-4 Arizona freshman Gilbert Arenas. He led the Wildcats in scoring in their last exhibition game and is close to knocking Ruben Douglas out of the starting lineup. Arenas is a versatile athlete who can score in bunches from all over the floor. He averaged 33.4 points a game at Grant High in North Hollywood, Calif.

    Arenas wasn't supposed to be this good so soon. If anyone were going to challenge Douglas, it was expected to be JC recruit Lamont Frazier. But he has been slowed by injuries and barely practiced the first two weeks. If Arenas can give Arizona pop on the wing and Jason Gardner be a steady presence atthe point, the Wildcats can challenge for the national title. They already have a mature Loren Woods in the post. Despite being in his first season eligible at Arizona, Woods was named a co-captain with longtime walk-on/student coach Josh Pastner.

    Arizona opens with Kansas State in the Preseason NIT on Nov. 16 and with a potential second-round matchup against Ohio State, which plays host to Notre Dame.

  • Keep your eyes on the box scores from the California All-Stars this week. Former Loyola Marymount and NBA forward Bo Kimble is making his last go in organized basketball. The California All-Stars don't have Loyola scheduled in an exhibition.

  • Larry Farmer saved himself from being Lavinized by the Harrick family when he hired Jim Harrick Jr. as an assistant at Loyola (Ill.). Harrick Sr. (now at Georgia) and Farmer had an agreement to hire Harrick Jr., but the process was hung up for a few weeks.

    Harrick Jr. has his own merits. He was an assistant at San Diego State and Valparaiso before joining his father at Rhode Island.

  • Fresno State's Courtney Alexander didn't play in the Bulldogs' first exhibition Tuesday night and won't Sunday night because of a stress fracture in his foot. His best-case scenario is to return for the Bulldogs' opener at Georgia State on Nov. 19. The problem with a stress fracture is it might reoccur throughout the season. Alexander's effectiveness may correlate to how much pain he can tolerate. In the interim, the Bulldogs are playing sophomore Travis Robinson and freshman Travis DeManby in Alexander's place.

  • Kansas' Luke Axtell sat out the first exhibition game because of his broken (non-shooting) hand. Axtell still hasn't gone full speed in practice. Senior Lester Earl, who may struggle all season with tendinitis in his knee, did play in the exhibition. The formerly explosive power forward played 17 minutes. Earl isn't expected to be a factor with Kansas' additions of Nick Collison and Andrew Gooden. If Earl can rebound and score on putbacks, he'll do more than expected.

  • UCLA had only six players to suit up for its exhibition game. Dan Gadzuric is sitting out with tendinitis in his knee. JaRon Rush hit his arm against the rim during the slam-dunk contest last week and is listed as day-to-day. Matt Barnes is ineligible this semester. Ray Young tore a ligament in his thumb and could require surgery. He could be out six to eight weeks. The only player available from the former No. 1 recruiting class was center Jerome Moiso.

    The six players available for the scrimmage against the Lithuanian team were: Moiso, Earl Watson, Jason Kapono, Billy Knight and walk-on Sean Farnham.

  • UCLA recruit Ominiyi Makun took a standardized test on Nov. 6 and will try to become eligible by mid-December. Fellow Nigerian Uche Okafor, who signed with Miami (Fla.), has to go through a similar process to get eligible.

    Meanwhile, Fresno State freshman Tito Maddox didn't take the test last Saturday. He was scheduled to but wasn't ready. Maddox practiced for two weeks during a window allowed by the NCAA. He dominated practice and would have an immediate impact. Instead, Maddox will likely sit out the season.

  • The NCAA finally showed a softer side in restoring the eligibility to Michigan State's Jason Richardson. The sensational freshman wing was ruled ineligible because of a clerical error from a ninth-grade class.

    But Big Brother must show the same compassion for the lesser-known players. Gonzaga is waiting for word on the status of freshman point guard Germayne Forbes. The London native took a social science class that is now in dispute. Instead of practicing, Forbes has spent the last few weeks alone in a side gym, banished from team participation. So, instead of a normal adjustment to college life, not only as a freshman but also as an exchange student, Forbes has been forced into solitary confinement.

    The archaic appeal process of a collection of NCAA professors gathering for a conference call or reviewing via fax every few weeks leaves students like Forbes depressed and anxious until their situation is resolved. A year ago, Fresno State freshman Andrea Bona went through a similar situation. He wasn't eligible until after the first semester while he waited for this group to convene. The NCAA constantly loses sight of the human side of these rulings -- the student-athlete who has to wait each day without hearing a response.

  • The strangest move of the week occurred in Dallas. Southern Methodist starting wing Chad Elsey quit the team, originally telling Dallas reporters he needed to get away from basketball. Within 24 hours, his family contacted Baylor. Elsey got his release and transferred to the Bears. He'll be eligible in December 2000. Elsey fits better in Dave Bliss' system. He's a wiry, good-shooting wing who will run halfcourt plays. SMU coach Mike Dement has gone more up-tempo. Frosh Quinton Ross would have pushed Elsey. So, too, would returning reserves Damon Hancock and Renaldo Bratton.

  • Cal's progress up front has been delayed. Mononucleosis struck freshman center Nick Vander Laan. He should be back by the opener next weekend against Texas Christian in Fairbanks, Alaska, at the Top of the World Classic. Vander Laan is the Bears' most skilled post player. In the interim, the Bears will lean on sophomores Solomon Hughes and Shahar Gordon, both of whom are shot-blocking and rebounding centers with limited scoring ability.

  • New Mexico State, North Texas and Middle Tennessee State had to save their football programs by joining the Sun Belt Conference for 2001. The Big West (to which New Mexico State and North Texas currently belong) isn't sponsoring football in 2001. Middle Tennessee State, which became I-A in football this season but participated as an independent, will fit in with the Sun Belt well when it moves up to I-A. Idaho had an offer, but the school hierarchy couldn't gather in time to make a quick decision. Without a league, the Vandals and the lone remaining Big West playing member, Utah State, are faced with a difficult decision. Neither can survive as a football independent, but no one else is clamoring for their full membership.

    Andy Katz's Weekly Word on college basketball appears every Thursday.

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