It's an utterly predictable turn of events, just like when my alma mater's football program went south just about the time I moved close by and re-dedicated myself to going to games and supporting them. Now that Gheorghe: The Blog has aggressively posited itself as a champion of Colonial Athletic Association basketball, the CAA has, for the moment, ceased to be anything worth following.Here is the latest iteration of ESPN.com's "Mid-Major Top 10":
1. Xavier
2. Dayton
3. Butler
4. Saint Mary's
5. Rhode Island
6. BYU
7. Sam Houston State
8. Creighton
9. UNLV
10. Kent State
The absence of any CAA programs is eye-catching, especially when you consider what George Mason was doing over Thanksgiving. Eye-catching but not unwarranted.
Rob proclaimed last week that the CAA would only be getting one team into the NCAA tournament. (It's far too early for such a definitive statement, but that's what our little buddy does. Early and definitive. Much more preferable to after the fact and vague.) I, however, maintain that there's still plenty of time for the conference to re-establish itself as a mid-major power. Okay, maybe not "plenty" of time, but there's time.
That said, it has to start now if we're going to be acutely interested in the last few contests of early March and inexplicably hanging on Clark Kellogg's every word around Selec
tion Sunday. The next ten days or so feature a docket of regional match-ups between Colonial clubs and schools either above or below CAA level (Northeastern vs. BC; VCU vs. Longwood). The conference has fared decently thus far against programs of superior stature; its shortcomings, however, have been in the category of "bad losses." For every win over K-State, there have been two or three defeats to the likes of VMI, St. Francis, or Toledo. This week's going to feature many more games that the CAAers should win than should lose; how they squash these lesser squads will tell us whether the January 2 kick-off of full-on intra-conference play is just the commencement of an exhibition or really the making of a case for inclusion.Stay tuned.
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Now that there, for you frequent misusers of the term, is what we call "irony."
Louisville suspends Caracter indefinitely for violating team rules
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisville forward Derrick Caracter has been suspended from the Cardinals indefinitely for a curfew violation, coach Rick Pitino said Monday.
Caracter, who will move out of the dormitory where he lives with the rest of the basketball team, has had a series of run-ins with Pitino since the sophomore arrived last season. He was sent home to New Jersey briefly almost a year ago.
Pitino said he wasn't sure when Caracter would return, only that "it's going to be a while."
The team, not Pitino, decided on the suspension, the coach said.
Pitino wanted to suspend Caracter before last weekend's loss to Dayton, but gave in to players' requests to play him. Caracter is second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game, and averages 7.4 rebounds.
In order to play, Caracter signed a contract Saturday that included a curfew -- "the easiest thing on the contract," Pitino said.
Caracter broke curfew the same night.
"The sad thing about it all is he knows how much the team went to bat for him," Pitino said. "And he also knows how much he's needed, already being short-handed."
Louisville (5-2) has only seven scholarship players available for their next game Saturday against Purdue in Indianapolis.
Don't sleep on Davidson either...i know their record isn't impressive right now, but 3 losses were tight games to UNC, Duke and UCLA....Lil' Curry is legit.
Pats are favored by 24.5 over the Jets this week. Sounds a little low if you ask me.
And does that mean they will be 30 point favorites vs. the Dolphins next week?
I expect a certain Cubs fan to be ordering his jersey IMMEDIATELY:
CHICAGO -- Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and the Chicago Cubs reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday on a $48 million, four-year contract.
Totally unrelated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0KmjqabDUU
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