Any college basketball fan most likely wants their team to be number 1 or at least ranked in the top 25. It’s a common thing for people to want to win whether they are actually participating in the game/activity or not. Many fans have most likely been disappointed lately. It’s no secret that many highly ranked teams have been getting defeated in the past two weeks. If a team is ranked in the top 10 of the polls wouldn’t you think that they would be able to easily defeat an unranked team? That hasn’t been the case lately.

Every week the rankings are changing because teams such as Syracuse and Kansas are losing to teams that they really shouldn’t be losing to when they were ranked 1 and 5 at the time of the game. There’s been a lot of talk lately amongst college students of different schools that maybe some of these teams don’t deserve to be ranked at all. Some students have been saying that if the number 1 team in the nation can lose to an unranked team and come close to doing it again when they are ranked number 4 then why should they be ranked so high? I brought this topic up with Ohio State students and got a very different response.

Ohio State started out this season undefeated for their first eight games. They lost their first game of the season to Kansas. The thing is though, while Ohio State has lost 3 games thus far in the season, the Kansas game was the only one that was a loss by more than 10 points (it was a loss of 11). The other two losses have been less than 5 points. Ohio State students use these stats to support their reasoning that Ohio State does deserve to be ranked number 3 right now. As for Syracuse and Kansas though, they didn’t really have an opinion. All that most of the students stated on the other schools was that if they are ranked the best then they should play like the best. A school doesn’t win games by knowing how to play the game, they win games by proving that they are worthy of the win and the ranking that they have.

It is easy to say that college football has been, and always will be one of the most exciting sports to follow in college athletics.  In most colleges and universities, football takes the lead as the most followed athletic program.  Men’s basketball, especially Big Ten basketball, runs a very close second. Big Ten teams always have high-spirited crowds supporting them and legions of fans supporting them across America.  Right now Michigan State is one of the most thrilling teams to watch.  MSU is currently ranked number one in the Big Ten, with an overall record of 15-2.  The Spartans have won every single game they have played at home at the Breslin Center.  On January 10, the Spartans faced off against Iowa.  They started with an early lead, and held on to that lead the entire game. Top scorer, Draymond Green contributed 22 points, and Keith Appling scored 15 points. With the help of the rest of the Green and White, the Spartans swept the Hawkeyes away with a whopping 34-point lead by the end of the game (95-61). Michigan State has a tremendous basketball program, and the NCAA is definitely expecting great things from the Spartans this season.  Tom Izzo is an extraordinary coach who has impressive rapport with his players.  He keeps his players focused and pushes them hard.  It is a winning combination; both coach and players are determined to win each and every game.  It is shaping up to be one of the best seasons ever for the Spartans.

Have you ever broken up with a girl and told her that it was you and not her?  Have you ever seen that girl a few weeks later out with another guy and realized that it was truly the end of something great?

Well luckily that’s not how some Auburn fans feel about the news that Lebo has been signed as the new head coach of East Carolina University’s struggling basketball team only nine days after being fired from Auburn.  A bitter breakup that is rumored to have happened while on the bus ride home from the SEC tournament in Nashville.  But, Lebo had the last laugh as Auburn payed him a $1.5 million buyout. <sigh>

East Carolina, who plays in Conference USA, was searching for a replacement for their coach, Mack McCarthy, who resigned to take a fundraising position in the athletic department after the conference tournament.  Lebo was their man.

So the moral here is that it’s not nice to hold a grudge, but it would be nice to respond with a good coach signing of our own.

Here is how it has gone down so far.

Mizzou’s Mike Anderson just laughed and remembered when Auburn rejected him before, UTEP’s Tony Barbee politely said, “I’m sorry, I made it to the NCAA tournament with my current team,” and as of right now, Minnesota’s Tubby Smith is denying any rumors that he is interested in the job.

Sounds depressing, I know.  However, a lot of people are still interested in how the search is coming along.

Let’s take a look at who is officially being interviewed.

Johnny Jones

A former LSU player and assistant coach, who is now the head coach at North Texas University, is reported to be interviewing with AD Jay Jacobs and Auburn this week.  This is according to a report in the Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle.

Jones played on LSU’s team in 1981 and spent 13 seasons as an assistant. He also made coaching stops in Memphis and Alabama.

UNT made the NCAA tournament this year after beating Troy in the Sun Belt Conference tournament and finished with a 24-9 record.  Jones has five winning seasons under his belt during his nine-year tenure at UNT, a program that had won just 20 games in the four seasons prior to his arrival.

With experience in the SEC as both a player and a coach, and with a résumé showing experience with struggling programs, Jones sounds like a good candidate for Auburn to me.

However, Jones has what many are saying will be one of his best teams returning next season with three starters who were all named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team entering their senior seasons.

Could an invitation to an SEC team take him away from a solid, experienced, championship winning team?

Bob Marlin

Marlin, a Mississippi State graduate and former assistant at University of Alabama, before taking his first head coaching job at Sam Houston State in 1998, is also being interviewed by Auburn this week.

Marlin, who is now in his twelfth season at Sam Houston, took the Bearkats to their first NCAA Tournament appearance this year where they lost to Baylor in the first round.

His loss does not cloud all that he as a coach accomplished this season, including teaching his team a new defense two days before their first round game. These accomplishments by Marlin include becoming Sam Houston State’s all-time winningest coach and the second winningest coach in Southland Conference history.  His team finished this past season with a 25-8 record including, sadly, a win over Auburn at Beard-Eaves.

Again, with SEC experience under his belt as well as NCAA Tournament head coaching experience, I am interested to see what he thinks about how he will fit into coaching at an SEC school.

Both of these coaches are a slice of the same pie in my opinion.  They both have exhibited the ability to revive a dying patient on the operating table, which is just the doctor this school needs.  Both have SEC experience, both have NCAA Tournament experience and both have impressive records and recruiting results for their respective schools.

Both are solid options.

There several other names being tossed around the rumor mill, but as of now, these are the serious names.

I’ll keep you posted with more news.

War Eagle!

March Madness is upon us. Well, already upon us and in more than just full swing. We’ve seen the number one OVERALL seed, Kansas, taken out by a team from the Missouri Valley Conference, Northern Iowa. Need I run that by again? NORTHERN IOWA defeated KANSAS, the number one team IN THE COUNTRY. So, BRACKET BUSTER ALERT! To those who do the tournament challenge and fill out brackets year after year and suffer through agony and pain, I’m sorry for I do feel your pain. My bracket had Kansas winning it all against Kentucky. But that just won’t happen now will it? A team consisted of two possible All Americans, Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, lost to a team with not one player who can even be a thought in those who consider the All American team. Then again, it is a form of madness for a reason.

Not only was Kansas a bracket buster, but in comes Ohio, a team who wasn’t even the number one seed in their respective conference and only got into the tournament because they won the MAC conference tournament. They played a highly touted Georgetown team with former number one overall recruit Greg Munroe, a 6′ 10″ PF who dominated the paint, scoring and rebound wise. Who cares about top recruits? Apparently, Ohio does not. What Ohio had was a lot of determination and heart and as a result, Ohio beats Georgetown in the first round, 97-83. It wasn’t even a close game! BRACKET BUSTER! According to CBSSports.com, 98.5 % of their users predicted that Georgetown would win. 1.5% of CBSSports.com users apparently knew what was really going to happen. Thankfully, I was part of the 98.5%. Beautiful.Yet again, it is a form of madness for a reason.

And the misery just doesn’t like one or two teams. Oh no it doesn’t. In my case, seems as though misery came in with about ten teams. Villanova, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, and Marquette are just a four of the ten teams not present in the real day tournament but seem to be playing in my bracket. And I will mention again, BRACKET BUSTER! Villanova and Marquette hurt most since they were going to make it to the elite eight. Other teams like Notre Dame and Temple I should have seen happening. The one that hurt most was Kansas, as stated earlier. They were to be my champions. Oh delightful.

And now the tournament is clearing up. 16 teams are now separating themselves from the pack. We’ve got the ‘who are they?’ in Cornell, Northern Iowa, and St. Mary’s. We’ve got the favorites in Duke, Kentucky, and Syracuse. All of these teams are looking towards the title of ‘Best Men’s College Basketball Team’ to bring home to their respective schools. Each team has been practicing day in and day out for a shot at the title, beating conference foes and non-conference powerhouses. They’ve been looking over tapes of each game and figuring out what could they strategically do in order to beat them. It is quite the journey and quite the stressful path.

Then again, there is a reason why this tournament is so enticing and mind blowing. There is a reason why Cinderella stories are used on a frequent metaphorical basis. Its the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, or as most of us sports fans refer it to, March Madness.

Virginia Tech 81, Quinnipiac 61

No luck of the Irish needed here.

In this decisive win it was clear from the start that Tech was the better team.

The Hokies after losing out on a bid to the NCAA Tourney dominated the boards in this matchup, seemed energized and ready to tackle their way through the bracket of the NIT.

They outrebounded the team 42-30 and held the Bobcats to 38% field goal percentage.

The 99% dominated Hokie crowd cheered fervently in their faithful orange and maroon combinations and of course green.

It was nice to see fans taking a few hours out of their St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to rock the Cassell.

Malcolm Delaney bounced off a disappointing performance against Miami (shooting 3-15 and sinking only 7 points) last week to lead the Hokies with 25 points.

With 6:18 to play in the first half, the Hokies only lead by seven. But then with two consective threes by Malcolm Delaney the Hokies cemented their lead and it widened fromt there.

The only problem with the Hokies play was their free throw shooting. They only made 16 of 26, 61%. Poor shooting like that would have led to a one and out in the NCAA Tourny where FT Shooting often decides games. Dare I say it is better that they are in the NIT?

With one win under their belt the Hokies next face UConn in another home game. This should be an interesting match up. The Huskies are 18-15 and have dropped 4 of there last 6 games playing rather inconsistently all season, but they are not to be underestimated.

They gave Georgetown a run for their money back in January in a down to the wire 72-69 loss. They also had narrow losses to Marquette, Syracuse, and Cincinnati in the mammoth known as the Big East.

They have beat West Virginia and Villanova.

Keys to the Game:

Virginia Tech needs to make their free throws. They cannot afford to give up ten points like they did to Quinnipiac.

They also need to focus on getting points in the paint. They cannot always rely on the three.

UConn needs a big game from Jerome Dyson who averages 17 points. They also have an edge of coming from the Big East in a league where it is anybody’s game.

For Virginia Tech to win they need to shoot at least 50% from the field, prevent UConn from second chance points and not turnover the ball.

The Hokies and Huskies face off Monday.

Auburn men’s basketball closed out their season today in a depressing loss to our in-state rivals, the University of Alabama, 73-61.

In what was, at the half, a close game, slowly but surely turned into a typical game of Auburn basketball.

Offensively the Tigers struggled.  A little worse than usual.  Auburn only shot 35.5 percent from the field and was 7-of-25 from 3-point range.

Tay Waller, who usually finds his sweet spot hovering outside the arc, was 4-12 from there today.  The two previous games he was over 50 percent on three point buckets and the Tigers won.  Do you see a relationship?  To his credit, he did have 22 points.  So I say glass half full?  Any takers?

Another player that suffered in numbers today was Brendon Knox.  I will go ahead and point out that at the beginning of this season I told friends that when Knox was off, everything was going to be off.  We have no depth in the “big man” department.  Having only six points today, I would say Knox was off.

He did have four fouls, which took him out of the game quickly.  Lebo agreed this was not Knox’s day in the sun.

“My fears came true right away as Knox had two fouls, three fouls and four fouls quickly. We need to have him. It is hard to explain how one game he can look so good and the next one not. I know he was frustrated with that. He just doesn’t do a good job playing with fouls,” said Lebo after the game on Auburntigers.com.

Lucas Hargrove had three points.  That’s saying it all right there. It was a rough day.  But then again I cannot think of another player more random with their spurts of ability than Mr. Hargrove.

So enough about the game that prevented us from having a .500 season, let’s look ahead.

With this win Auburn puts itself into the SEC’s fifth seed and will play fourth-seeded Florida in the SEC Tournament first round.  We have a good record playing the Gators in clutch situations.  Last year, the Tigers defeated the Gators 61-58 in a great game.

However, most Auburn basketball fans are not worried about next weeks SEC tournament.  Their sites are set on the future.  A new arena.  A new season.  A new chance at building a program.  But the biggest uncertainty?  A new coach?

Fans young and old have flooded the papers with letters and lit up the blogosphere with chants of “Lebo must go!”.

Jeff Lebo finished this season with an overall coaching record of 96-91 and 35-60 in the SEC. His year-by-year totals 14-17 (4-12), 12-16 (4-12), 17-15 (7-9) and this season 15-16 (6-10) look pretty ugly.

Those numbers are not exactly ammunition to use against the onslaught of attackers beating down his office door.

Is now a good time for a new coach?  I will say this, had this been football he would have been gone a long time ago.

So, that bring about the question that I think Auburn University must answer.  Is having a solid, winning and respectable basketball team worth it? In Beard-Eaves Coliseum maybe.  However, in a multi-million dollar brand new Auburn Arena, thats main purpose is to entice new recruits, Lebo’s one winning season out of four is just not going to cut it.

The talent, in my opinion is there.  We have great players.  We have a good history of playing decent basketball and providing some top ranked teams with good competition.  Kentucky this season anyone? We also have a good history of attracting good basketball talent.

It’s obvious the department that needs work is the one labeled leadership. Or, to be blunt, the coaching.

The offense? It’s like watching children throw a basketball around.  The defense?  We carefully gift wrap each point we give you with love, or your money back.  Don’t get me wrong.  That’s not every game, but let’s be honest.  I ask you to tell me how many games you watched this season where you were not screaming at DeWayne Reed to stop dribbling the ball into traffic or at Lucas to not shoot another three pointer and to stop trying for that reverse layup.  My point exactly.

So, let’s see how this SEC tournament thing goes and we’ll talk then.  In the mean time, I will sit here and keep my ears listening to words of “Lebo has left the building.”

I won’t put money on anything though.  I learned long ago to just enjoy the games and not bet on Auburn basketball.