By: David Kay
I am more excited than Brett Favre after sticking it to the Packers for a second time. I am more excited than Dick Vitale calling a Duke/North Carolina game. I am more excited than Kevin Federline when he walks into Old Country Buffet. Ok, you get the point. You should be excited too because The Sports Bank’s weekly edition of College Hoops 101 is making its’ 2009-2010 return!
The college basketball season officially tips-off tonight with the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The Isaiah Thomas-led Florida International Golden Panthers earn the honor of getting thumped at the hands of the defending champion, North Carolina Tar Heels on ESPNU while Syracuse, fresh off being upset by a D-II team, welcome Albany to town. The call has been placed to my local cable provider and I have up-graded to the next sports package which includes ESPNU, CBS College Sports, and about 17 different Fox Sports Networks. We have gone through six weeks of in-depth college hoops previews (all linked at the bottom of this page) and it all comes to an end this week to get you ready for the start of the season.
So in case you missed it last year, fellow TSB.net writer Peter Christian challenged me to watch 225 games. That goal was shattered before the NCAA Tournament even began due to the life-saving invention that is DVR and my crazy sleep schedule, as I totaled 274 games from the opening tip until the final buzzer, unless it was a blow-out and the scrubs were on the floor. (By the way, I did see daylight, interact with other human beings, and cleansed myself so I didn’t look like Russell from Survivor.) The challenge was cleverly given the name, “The Drive for 225” and every week during College Hoops 101, I updated the total count and listed each game that I watched.
Unlike the Michael Bolton look-alike in Good Will Hunting, I enjoy originality and want to do something different this year than “The Drive for 225.” I echo Michael Jordan’s sentiments when he retired from the NBA; I need a new challenge. I have been brainstorming ideas on what this conquest should be, but have yet to fall in love with a specific plan of attack. (For the record, the Birmingham Barons never returned my phone call asking if they needed a new right fielder, so that idea is out the window.) So if anyone else has a stroke of genius and can think of some way for me to top “The Drive”, speak now or forever hold your peace.
Regardless of whatever the goal turns out to be, College Hoops 101 returns for a second year. I will break down the past week in college hoops, preview the week ahead so you know which games to check out, and keep track of how many games I have watched during the season. So be sure to check back every Monday for the latest College Hoops 101.
More college hoops previews this week:
Tuesday: Mid-major breakdown
Wednesday: National Post-season Award Predictions
Thursday: My Final Four Predictions
Friday: The Field of 65/In-depth Marquette preview
The Sports Bank Big 10 Preview/Power Rankings:
Teams 8-11 (Northwestern, Penn State, Indiana, Iowa)
Teams 4-7 (Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin)
Teams 1-3 (Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State)
The Sports Bank Big 12 Previews/Power Rankings:
Teams 10-12 (Colorado, Texas Tech, Nebraska)
Teams 7-9 (Missouri, Baylor, Iowa State)
Teams 4-6 (Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M)
Teams 1-3 (Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma)
The Sports Bank ACC Previews/Power Rankings:
Teams 10-12 (Virginia Tech, Virginia, N.C. State)
Teams 7-9 (Wake Forest, Miami FL, Boston College)
Teams 4-6 (Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech)
Teams 1-3 (UNC, Duke, Maryland)
The Sports Bank SEC Previews/Power Rankings:
SEC East Teams 4-6 (Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Georgia)
SEC East Teams 1-3 (Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida)
SEC West Teams 4-6 (Arkansas, Auburn, LSU)
SEC West Teams 1-3 (Mississippi State, Mississippi, Alabama)
The Sports Bank Pac-10 Preview/Power Rankings:
Teams 8-10 (Washingon State, Arizona State, Stanford)
Teams 5-7 (Arizona, USC, Oregon)
Teams 1-4 (Oregon State, UCLA, Washington, Cal)
The Sports Bank Big East Previews/Power Rankings:
Teams 13-16 (Rutgers, South Florida, Providence, DePaul)
Teams 9-12 (Notre Dame, Pitt, Marquette, St. John’s)
Teams 5-8 (Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, Seton Hall)
Teams 1-4 (Villanova, West Virginia, UConn, Georgetown)
Post-Season Award Predictions
For all the latest college basketball info, you can also follow David Kay on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB
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I have been waiting for this article all year from you, David K.!! It is very exciting, knowing your quest is about to begin. However, I can’t believe it is already this time of year again. It means we friends sacrifice quality time with you and trade it in for viewing basketball games alongside you. If we don’t do this, we know we won’t hear from you until the end of March. So it’s bittersweet in many ways.
Have you considered creating some sort of an Advent Calendar that starts this week and continues until the Tourney? Not only would you keep track of the games you watched, I think you could mark a few of your weekly predictions on it, and keep track of your accuracy. Then you could reference that going into the Tourney.
Maybe the rest of us could put a few words of wisdom and inspiration in each “calendar window”. You’d have a collection of pretty funny quotes when it’s all said and done.
ha ha….some good ideas right there.
how about “mission 330″ a plan to see every div 1 team play at least once this season.
to paraphrase the x-mas carol “it’s the most wonderful time of the year” now when college basketball season begins
I concur with Mr. Banks that you should have to watch every DI team at least once this season coupled with a goal of say 250 total games watched. That way you can have 2 countdowns.