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Roundball Chatter
Dick VitaleSPECIAL TO ESPN.COM
Every Friday I will give my thoughts on the game I love, college basketball.
There will be a lot of emotion at Cameron Indoor Stadium and at the Verizon Center. Both the ACC and Big East regular-season titles will be on the line with Duke hosting North Carolina while Louisville visits Georgetown. It will also be special as the final home game for Duke's DeMarcus Nelson and Georgetown's Roy Hibbert. Senior Day has shown us some special moments all over America. It is not always easy to say farewell to a favorite star, and the emotion is something else.
This is also a great time of year as the little guy gets his chance to make it to the big dance. There are so many great stories out there. What about American and coach Jeff Jones? He last coached in the NCAA tournament in 1997 with Virginia. American has never made it to the big dance, and the Patriot League regular-season champs are in the conference semifinals after barely escaping against Holy Cross in the quarterfinals. Portland State, the Big Sky regular-season champion, has never made the big dance. The top two seeds in the America East, Maryland-Baltimore County and Hartford would receive its first dance card.
Tennessee won its first outright SEC regular-season championship since 1967 and set a school record for victories with 27 when it won at Florida. It was a great comeback for Bruce Pearl's club, which rallied from an early 16-point deficit. The Vols are very much in the hunt for a #1 seed in the big dance, depending on their performance at the SEC tournament.
What a great accomplishment for Notre Dame and coach Mike Brey. The Irish became the first Big East team to go undefeated at home in conference play over back-to-back seasons. That is quite a feat when you think back to the great Georgetown teams in the 80s, the Syracuse squads that dominated at the Carrier Dome, and the success stories since the league began back in 1979. The Irish now enjoys a 37-game home win streak, just one shy of the school mark set 60 years ago (1943-48). Brey and company have something to shoot for next season, and Rob Kurz is the lone senior from this year's squad. My friends, the future is bright in South Bend.
Do you think Shan Foster sent a message throughout the SEC? He wants his name engraved on the league's MVP trophy! Foster put up 42 points in a win over Mississippi State; he hit his last nine trifecta attempts, including the game-winner in the final seconds. He has put up the kind of numbers that makes him a contender for All-Solid Gold honors.
When will Bo Ryan get the national attention he deserves? Think about the talent he lost from last year's team – Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor were big-time PTPers. The Badgers simply reloaded and now Wisconsin has locked up at least a share of the Big Ten title, not expected in the preseason when Michigan State and Indiana were considered the frontrunners. It's the third time in the last seven seasons that Wisconsin has won or shared the crown, and the Badgers sit at 25-4 overall and 15-2 in league play. That includes a big win over Texas. What a season out in Madison … it has been really special.
Out west, keep an eye on the BYU Cougars. I was impressed with Dave Rose's team when I saw them take on North Carolina out in a tournament in Las Vegas earlier this season. The Cougars became the first team to win back-to-back Mountain West regular-season titles in the league's nine-year history. The Cougars are 12-1 in their last 13 games. During that run, BYU has two wins over New Mexico and a 26-point victory over UNLV. The lone loss during that stretch came at San Diego State by just four points. Trent Plaisted can flat-out play!
How about a salute to Seth Greenberg and his Virginia Tech Hokies? Most experts figured this squad would finish in the lower part of the ACC standings this season. The Hokies go into this weekend's test at Clemson with a four-game win streak, a 9-6 ACC mark and 18 wins overall. That's pretty impressive for a very young team. During the current four-game run, Tech has blowout wins over Boston College (by 19) and Wake Forest (by 22). The NCAA tournament selection committee has to take a serious look at this team if it can make some noise in the ACC tournament.
I like what leagues like the Horizon and WCC do to reward regular-season success. The top two teams in those conferences get byes all the way through to the semifinals in the league tournament. Butler and Cleveland State in the Horizon, and Gonzaga with St. Mary's in the WCC can sit back and get ready for showdowns.
I was sorry to see Detroit's Perry Watson retired, leaving his post as basketball coach at Detroit after 15 seasons. Watson was on an indefinite leave of absence since Jan. 7 for medical reasons. Associate head coach Kevin Mondro guided the Titans in Watson's absence. Detroit dropped its last 13 games of the season. Mondro and assistant coach Carlos Briggs, a successful recruiter and former standout at the JUCO level, figure to be among those who merit consideration for the position.
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in December 1979. Send him a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
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