DICK'S TIDBITS | Jan. 19, 2004
How about a round of applause for some of the surprise unbeatens in league play so far!
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The Falcons shot a staggering 75 percent (12-of-16) in the second half of their game against New Mexico.
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Let's start out in the Mountain West. Coach Joe Scott's Air Force Falcons are 2-0 in league play after winning only three conference games a year ago (3-11). Air Force has a school-record nine-game winning streak and Saturday's 68-42 win at New Mexico was an eye-opener. They shot a staggering 75 percent (12-of-16) in the second half. The Falcons' win was their first at The Pit in 42 years. During that time, the Falcons were 0-22 in Albuquerque.
At 11-2, the Falcons have almost matched last year's win total when they went 12-16. Air Force has wins at California and a 22-point victory over a solid Wisconsin-Milwaukee squad. The team's two losses came at Auburn and Belmont (the team that stunned Missouri).
Let's look at some of the other interesting unbeatens in league play:
Central Florida is 8-0 in the Atlantic Sun, riding an 11-game win streak. The Golden Knights forced 28 turnovers in their last win and are 13-2 overall.
Vermont is 6-0 in the America East after winning at Boston University on Saturday. The Catamounts almost upset UCLA at Pauley Pavilion earlier this season.
Utah State is 5-0 in the Big West and 13-1 overall. Stew Morrill's team is 9-0 at home, including a win over BYU. The team's only loss came against Rick Majerus' Utah Utes.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee is 6-0 in the Horizon after winning at Wisconsin-Green Bay last weekend.
Under first-year coach Steve Hawkins, Western Michigan is 5-0 in the MAC and 12-1 overall. The Broncos have wins over USC, Arizona State and UAB.
Southern Illinois leads the Missouri Valley at 6-0, sporting a 12-2 overall mark. First-year coach Matt Painter has the Salukis matching the school's best conference start ever.
Austin Peay leads the OVC at 5-0.
Lafayette and Lehigh are unbeaten in the Patriot League.
East Tennessee State and College of Charleston are perfect in Southern Conference play.
Mississippi Valley State is perfect in SWAC play.
Santa Clara is 3-0 in the WCC, just behind favored Gonzaga.
Northwestern State and Texas State are unbeaten in the Southland Conference.
My 25-YEAR ALL-SEC TEAM
It wasn't easy picking an All-Star team over the past 25 years from the SEC. There were so many guys who deserved consideration.
Going with just one per position was tough and great SEC players like Charles Barkley (Auburn), Kyle Macy (Kentucky) and Jamal Mashburn (Kentucky) were left off my team. At forward, I picked the rifleman Chuck Person (Auburn) and Kenny "Sky" Walker (Kentucky). In the backcourt, I went with Chris Jackson (Jackson played for LSU and later changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Raouf) of LSU and Allan Houston (Tennessee), with Shaquille O'Neal (LSU) manning the middle. Let's see who the experts picked when ESPN releases its 25-year All-SEC team later this week.
REDICK ON FIRE FOR DUKE
What a week for Duke guard J.J. Redick! He had the hot hand in wins over NC State and Wake Forest, scoring 20 or more points in both games. He's the best pure shooter I've seen in years dating all the way back to St. John's star Chris Mullin. He gets open by working around screens. When he shoots it's a delight to watch because of his flawless release and great body positioning. Coach K has to be happy with the shooting touch of his standout sophomore.
Click here to send a question for Dick Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.
