Heavyweight Week - Top Ten Matchups Highlight College Basketball

If last week was "Feast Week," according to ESPN's marketing department, because of the great games/lineup in the Maui Invitational (along with that whole Thanksgiving holiday thing), then Daily Onions is dubbing this week "Heavyweight Week." Think about it, the only suitable follow up to a week of feasting, is a week of being a heavyweight.

Actually, "Heavyweight Week" references the all the Top 10 match ups that we have this week. Last night's hyped up game (no, not Syracuse vs. Eastern Michigan), featured #2 Ohio State vs. #4 Duke. Not sure we can even say Duke was there though. After dropping behind the Buckeyes 11-0 to start the game, the Blue Devils were able to get back into the game to make it close halfway through the first half. From that point on, it was ALL (and I mean all) Ohio State. A few thoughts from the game:

-Austin Rivers crossover.....oh my. Quickest since.....Iverson? D. Rose? Man, that thing is impressive. He's got a decent jumper too. With that said, let's remember, Rivers has only played 7 college basketball games. Still lots to be learned.

Aaron Craft arguably the best PG in the country (Pic: US Presswire/SI.com)

-Sullinger, Buford, Craft and.....Deshaun Thomas (who?): We all knew Ohio State would depend on their big three of Sullinger, Buford and Craft. We rode the Buckeyes hard last year, and then Sullinger and mostly Buford pulled the disappearing act in their Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky.  These two (Sullinger 21, Buford 17) along with Craft (17 and 8 assists) were on top of their games on Tuesday night, and it was a bit of a coming out party for sophomore Deshaun Thomas. Check out the 6-7 swingman's line: 8-12 from the field, 2-4 from 3, 18 points and 5 rebounds. Thomas now averaging 12 points a game on the season. He'll be key for the Buckeyes, who try to replace the scoring of David Lighty and  Jon Diebler.

-I think I heard Dick Vitale cheating on Duke a bit, as he praised Sullinger and Buford throughout the night.

-LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were in attendance for the big game as well. LeBron was comfortable being there, since there isn't a 4th quarter in college basketball games (heyoooooo).

-One more thought on Duke: They are really going to miss Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. Rivers is the only player on that team can create his own shot, and he isn't really a distributor yet. Curry is deadly from outside, but Ryan Kelly, the Plumlees, etc shouldn't really scare people.

With last night's game being a bit of a dud. We'll hope the rest of the marquee match ups live up to the hype.

Tonight: #9 Wisconsin vs. #5 UNC - The Tar Heels were anointed the head and shoulders favorite coming into this season, but have been knocked off their pedestal after a loss to UNLV in Vegas over the weekend. Harrison Barnes has a slightly injured ankle coming into tonight's game. UNC's Kendall Marshall is one of the best PG's in the country (from a getting teammates involved standpoint), but is a liability on defense. It will be interesting to see if he can match up with Wisconsin's preseason All-American Jordan Taylor. Daily Onions is a fan of freshman P.J. Hairston (McDonald's All-American last year), who leads the team in 3-point percentage and can get to the rim as well. We also like what we saw from junior guard Dexter Strickland against UNLV. Look for him to be a spark for the Heels tonight.

Friday: #4 Syracuse vs. #10 Florida - By far the toughest test for the Orange thus far this season. They needed to comeback wins in NYC last week to beat Virginia Tech and Stanford. Besides those games, they've handled the likes of Colgate, Eastern Michigan, Albany, Manhattan, etc. Will be interesting to see what Jim Boeheim does with Rakeem Christmas, Michael Carter Williams, and even James Sutherland. In tight games w/ Tech and Stanford, Boeheim tightened his rotation (as we've seen over the years) to 7 guys (Joseph, Scoop, Waiters, Triche, Fair, Fab, and Keita). Florida, whose only defeat this year was a seven point loss at Ohio State (ask Duke if its tough to play there). Last year, many people thought the Gators were a year away from being a contender. Well, now we're here. Keep your eye on freshman Bradley Beal, who hit 5 three pointers last time out. Throw in Kenny Boynton in the backcourt, the Gators will be ready to chomp (too easy) on the 'Cuse 2-3 zone.

UK's Davis (Kentucky.com)

Saturday: #5 UNC vs. #1 Kentucky - UNC took a little air out of this matchup after losing to UNLV. A loss tonight to Wisconsin would raise even more questions about Roy Williams' squad. Kentucky once again is stacked with freshman. Their starting five, which includes three freshmen, all average in double figures. Anthony Davis, from Chicago, might be the number 1 pick in the NBA Draft next year. Sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb (leading the team in scoring this year) add some experience for the Cats this season, who have already beaten Kansas by ten two weeks ago. Before they get UNC, Kentucky hosts St. John's on Thursday.

Daily Onions picks for Heavyweight Week: UNC over Wisconsin, Cuse over Florida and Kentucky over UNC.

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No Money, No Problem

If you've been a loyal reader over the past 11 and a half months, you'll know a few things about Daily Onions: We bleed Syracuse Orange, we love college basketball and we've become enamored with the Butler basketball program, more specifically their coach Brad Stevens (still waiting for my chance to do a flying chest bump with him). Did this affection start when the Dawgs ruined Syracuse's National Championship hopes in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 in 2010? Maybe, but let's not talk about the game anymore.

Stevens and Butler have their eyes set on a 3rd straight Final Four appearance

Last night on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, they profiled Stevens and his accomplishments over the past 4 seasons at Butler. Everyone knows about the back to back National Championship game appearances. But what you might not realize, is that in his first four seasons as a head coach, Stevens has the most wins in NCAA history during that time. Coach K's first four years, Jim Boeheim's first four years, Calipari, Pitino, Knight, Huggins, etc, none of them had more wins in their first four years as a head coach.

Its been well documented that Butler is the small, bare bones, Indiana basketball school right out of the movie Hoosiers. Their home court, Hinkle Field House, was built 83 years ago (83!) right before the Great Depression in 1928.

The most interesting and unbelievable piece of last night's story was when Stevens was asked about Butler's recruiting budget. It was estimated that Butler men's basketball program spent about $73,000 on recruiting in 2010 (a number in which Stevens called a bit inflated). Let's compare that number to the teams that Butler played in the National Championship game the past two years, Duke and UConn.  In 2010, Coach K and the Blue Devils spent over $900,000, while UConn spent close to $525,000 (and Jim Calhoun isn't giving back one dime of that).

Duke spends 13 times as much on recruiting as Butler does, yet the Dawgs have ended up in the final game in the past two seasons (a couple inches away from beating Duke in 2010).

Hinkle Field House in Indianapolis (pic:Butler Athletics)

Stevens says that its all about recruiting the kids that will become the players you want them to be in college, as well as getting kids that will play with 'moxy' (his words). When asked if he thinks Butler can get back to the final game for an unprecedented third time in a row, Stevens says its all about winning the next game, winning the next play.

One of the next times that Butler steps on the court, December 3rd against Valpo to be exact, Daily Onions will be there in person, getting its first look in person experience at Hinkle Field House. If given the opportunity, you can guarantee we'll try to measure the height of the rim (10 feet) and the distance to the foul line (15 feet), since Hinkle has "the exact same measurements as our gym in Hickory."

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Syracuse Community Reacts to Allegations Against Bernie Fine

I’ve been a Syracuse fan since I was in the 4^th grade. If my math is correct (was a Communications major, so bear with me), I’ve been bleeding Orange for almost 21 years. My Syracuse fandom can legally drink alcohol now.           

There is no question that I am passionate about my alma mater (class of 2003), always quick to highlight the accomplishments of our athletic programs or the success of our alumni.I had the privilege of covering the football, basketball and lacrosse teams while in school, and was sitting court side when Syracuse cut down the nets in New Orleans.

When the allegations against Bernie Fine were released last night, my phone lit up with calls, texts and tweets from friends, fellow alum and anyone else that could connect me to Syracuse. After 10 days of nonstop Penn State media coverage, I think many of us had in the back of our mind, “I’m glad this isn’t my school.”  Well now it is my school. I am sickened by the allegations, and the content of the victims’ stories are unimaginable.

With that said, I’m proud of how Syracuse University has handled this situation (thus far). From the school releasing a statement within an hour of news hitting the wires, to putting Fine on administrative leave while this gets hashed out, to Chancellor Nancy Cantor writing a thoughtful letter to the Syracuse community stating they (administration) are not afraid to “shine a harsh light on its athletics program.”

When Bobby Davis (alleged victim) brought his story to ESPN in 2003, the sports network decided not to run the story because it didn’t have any other witnesses or individuals to confirm his story. With police not able to investigate the situation because of the statute of limitations, Syracuse University launched its own four-month investigation into the allegations. Davis brought other individuals to the school that would help support his claims, yet none of those stories checked out.

Bernie Fine in the middle of sexual abuse allegations (Pic: Post Standard)

From what we know, Syracuse has done everything right to date and as an alum, that’s what you like to see. The next 24-48 hours should paint a better picture to what claims are factual and which are false.

If you ask Jim Boeheim his thoughts on these allegations, he’s not holding back. Calling these claims “a bunch of a thousand lies,” saying that Davis “is lying,” mentioning that the timing of this story is “suspicious” and believing that the two alleged victims are looking for money, Boeheim is laying his neck on the line for his long time assistant coach.

My thoughts on Boeheim’s comments are two fold: Either he knows that there is no way these allegations are true, so he is coming out strong to try and show that; or he thinks that if these allegations are going to bring down him and the program, he is going to go down swinging.

Personally, I would be shocked if Boeheim made those comments last night without knowing to the fullest extent that the claims are just not factual. If the allegations do end up being true, then I will be extremely disappointed that a man as smart as Jim Boeheim would have tried to cover up an unthinkable crime, especially in light of the events at Penn State involving Joe Paterno.

So if you are asking my thoughts on this whole situation as a an alum of Syracuse, I’ll tell you that I am proud of the way the school has handled its business thus far. They’ve been proactive, transparent and have made it clear that no one’s legacy or stature is bigger than this investigation.

If and when the truth comes out, if it shows that Syracuse University, Jim Boeheim or Bernie Fine are at fault, well then you can check back for my updated thoughts then.

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DaJuan Coleman: Syracuse Looking for the Man in the Middle

Coleman, from nearby Jamesville-Dewitt, is headed to 'Cuse in 2012 (Picture: Syracuse Post Standard)

With DaJuan Coleman's decision to attend Syracuse last week (beating out Kentucky and Ohio State), the Orange not only catapulted into a Top 10 recruiting class for 2012, but they also might have secured a dominant true center, something they've been searching for for a long time.

Coleman checks in at 6-10, 280 lbs, (for sake of comparison, Ohio State's super sophomore Jared Sullinger is listed at 6-9, 280) making him a true center in ever sense of the position. With the Fab Melo experience entering its second year, we should get a better sense of just how good he can be, or whether or not we need to move our hope in the middle to Coleman (Fab did look good in last night's exhibition against Cal State - LA, with 12 pts, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks).

With Fab's ceiling still unknown, and Coleman coming in next season, we started thinking when was the last time, Syracuse had a dominant center? Let's look back at the last 15 years.

• On the cusp of the 15 year time frame we had the '96 final four team, that had three headed monster of John Wallace, Otis Hill and J.B. Reafsnyder  in the middle. With Wallace playing all over the court, Hill being more of a undersized four, and JB being a guy that rocked an undershirt and a pair of knee braces, we don't have that dominant post player here.
• Next it was Etan Thomas. A first team All-Big East selection his senior year, and back-to-back Big East Defensive Player of the Year Awards, Thomas ended his career averaging 11 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game. Great on the defensive end of the court, solid on offense. The fact that he has also been a definition journeyman center in the NBA can tell you that he was a pretty damn good big man.
• After Etan, Syracuse had a combination of Jeremy McNeil, Billy Celuck and Craig Forth. Here's what we can tell you about McNeil, who had the affectionate nickname of "Big Perm": his favorite movie back in 2002 was Training Day (insider information gained thanks to having a class together junior year), Boeheim enjoyed throwing him back as the last line of defense in the Syracuse press, giving him free reign to try and block or foul everythig that came near him, and he played a huge role in Syracuse's epic win over Pitt at the Dome in 2003. A follow up tip dunk and two crucial free throws led to my second and final court storming of my college career.
• Not sure how many words to spend on Celuck. Let's put it this way. You had a better chance of seeing him at Lucy's or 44's than seeing him make a difference in the middle. With that said, he started numerous times and got decent minutes during the 2000-01 season.
• Forth, who started every game of his four year career (136 for 136). He has a National Championship, regular season Big East Title, and three NCAA tournament trips. Known for his sometimes stone hands, and being one of the best all-around student athletes you'll ever meet, Forth was a local kid (Albany) who had a solid college, accomplished career.
  
• Terrence Roberts and Daryl Watkins held down the lane for the Orange the next three years, which included two first round NCAA tournament losses and an NIT berth. Roberts, who came from St. Anthony's in New Jersey, was an athletic as heck power forward who never really lived up to the hype. Watkins was a raw, big body who, all things considered, had decent junior and senior year seasons averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds each year.
• Give credit to Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson. For what they lacked in size and athleticism, they made up for it with good posts moves and they could both score with their back to the basket. Onuaku's unfortunate injury in the Big East Tournament in 2010 led to him missing NCAA tournament games, including the Orange's heartbreaking loss to Butler in the Sweet 16, when they Cuse was one of the favorites to go to the Final Four. Jackson also had is post season struggles. Despite being a double-double machine his senior season, he was held to 7 points and 4 rebounds when the Orange were bounced in Round 2 of the NCAA tournament last year.
• Syracuse now has another three-headed monster in the middle, with Melo as a true center (7-0 and a slim-downed 244 lbs), Baye Keita (a long, athletic and raw 6-10, 213 - get this man some food), and freshman Rakeem Christmas (more of an athletic power forward at 6-9 - unless he grows back the "gumby" he rocked in high school). 

All signs are pointing to Fab being primed for a breakout sophomore season: he's in better shape, he's got a year of experience under his belt and it seems like he's having more fun thus far this year. If Fab is able to have a breakout year, that's fantastic - it makes next year's outlook even better. If he struggles again though, Syracuse at least can look forward to the potential of DC 2.0.

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