M College BB
Scores/Schedules
Rankings
Standings
Statistics
Transactions
Injuries
Weekly lineup
Teams
Recruiting
 Thursday, February 17
Respect doesn't always come from rankings
 
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

 Oregon has received little love from the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, despite being tied for first in the Pac-10.

Oregon was behind Gonzaga, UCLA and USC in the voting last week -- three teams the Ducks just happen to have beaten already this season.

ESPN/USA Today poll voters
The ESPN/USA Today Board of Coaches is made up of 31 Division I head coaches (one from each conference), by agreement with the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Here is the 1999-2000 voting panel:

Steve Aggers, Eastern Washington
Frankie Allen, Tennessee State
Eddie Biedenbach, UNC-Asheville
Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
Mike Brey, Delaware

Rickey Broussard, Nicholls State
Barry Collier, Butler
Dick Davey, Santa Clara
James Dickey, Texas Tech
Jessie Evans, Louisiana-Lafayette

Rob Evans, Arizona State
Dave Faucher, Dartmouth
Patrick Flannery, Bucknell
Tom Green, Fairleigh Dickinson
Dan Hipsher, Akron

Bob Huggins, Cincinnati
Gene Keady, Purdue
Jim Kerwin, Western Illinois
Mack McCarthy, VCU
Ritchie McKay, Colorado State

Bobby McKillop, Davidson
Joe Mihalich, Niagara
Ron Mitchell, Coppin State
Jim Molinari, Bradley
Dave Odom, Wake Forest

Oliver Purnell, Dayton
Tubby Smith, Kentucky
Bob Thomason, Pacific
Mark Turgeon, Jacksonville State
Davy Whitney, Alcorn State
Willis Wilson, Rice

Is it because they're on the West Coast? Do coaches have a gripe against Ernie Kent? Does it even matter?

Not really, but the lack of respect for a few selected teams off the radar screen is a growing trend. It's no surprise college basketball polls are usually skewed toward the nation's elite -- voters are traditionally lazy in both polls.

"You don't understand it," Kent said. "The biggest thing is being in the field of 64. I could jump up and down about the polls but I won't."

Yet the discrepancy doesn't make sense. Oregon had a nine-place differential in the polls -- No. 23 in the AP vs. No. 32 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

Do politics play a roll in the coaches' poll? TCU's Billy Tubbs thinks so. During TCU's run to a 14-0 WAC record two years ago, the Horned Frogs couldn't get into the top 25 in the coaches' poll but they were ranked in the writers' poll.

"No one intentionally tries to be malicious," said Tubbs, a past poll voter. "They just try and protect their conferences and self interest."

Tubbs believes coaches don't want schools that are on their same level to be given too much credit.

"You vote for people you're playing against to make yourself look better," Tubbs said. "You go for the obvious people but you don't go out of the way to find teams that do well. A lot of guys don't research it. I may not be paying attention that Southern Cal is playing well. Hey, if I was on the poll, I'd rank SMU second and Tulsa first (two teams in the WAC). You don't vote for the teams that you're on the bubble with. It's human nature."

Tubbs said the natural thinking was that he didn't receive coaches' votes because he wasn't well liked (for the Frogs' tendency to run up the score). But he said it was more than that.

"They didn't give a hoot about Billy," Tubbs said. "They weren't paying attention to the WAC, period."

National Association of Basketball Coaches director Jim Haney said he hasn't heard of any coaches playing favorites in this year's poll. But it has happened. Haney said there was a time in the '70s and early '80s when former Washington coach Marv Harshman wouldn't vote for UNLV because of then-coach Jerry Tarkanian.

"Ultimately, the teams that win get votes," Haney said.

Each conference has a representative voter, with the votes registered on Sunday nights through a 1-800 number. Coaches have to vote themselves -- instead of having another school representative do it -- because the automatic phone message asks for a specific code.

While the coaches have missed out on certain teams, they have given credence to mid- to low-major schools doing well --Appalachian State, Long Beach State, Indiana State, Bowling Green and Southeast Missouri State all earned a handful of votes in the latest coaches' poll. None of those schools received a vote in the AP poll.

But here's the ultimate question: Does it matter when it comes time for selecting the 64 teams?

"The polls only validate teams but they don't keep teams from getting in," said Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson, the chair of the selection committee. "All a poll does is make sure a team that deserves consideration doesn't fall through the cracks. The reason there is a bias against teams from the West is they don't see the scores. That's why they get hurt. Nothing else."

So, enjoy the polls each week but don't buy them as true validations for the top 25 teams in the country. In a perfect world, the coaches and writers should pick who they think are the top 25 teams each week, without concern for recognition or potential. If a team like North Carolina isn't playing like a top 25 team in a particular week, it shouldn't be ranked.

The complaints are all valid about positioning in the polls, but don't expect immediate justice. The polls primarily serve an ordering purpose -- television and newspapers need a way to run down top scores in a particular order.

Changes in the Big East
The Big East will move to two divisions for the 2000-01 season, when Virginia Tech is added as a full member. Only 12 of the 14 teams will be invited to the Big East tournament, with the top two teams in each division receiving first-round byes. The first-round matchups will be cross-divisional games.

But the Big East coaches may soon find out that eliminating one team from each division from the tournament will be a sore spot. The WAC went through this format for three seasons and the coaches were against keeping certain schools out of the tournament.

The new alignment will prevent two of the league's top programs from facing each other every season. Connecticut is the marquee team in one division while Syracuse is in another. Connecticut's division includes Boston College, Miami (Fla.), Providence, St. John's, Villanova and Virginia Tech. Syracuse is with Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall and West Virginia.

The 16-game regular season schedule will include 12 games within the division (home-and-home) and four games against the other division (four single games). That could create imbalance in the schedule when a team draws Connecticut or Syracuse instead of Pittsburgh or Providence. Ultimately, it could end up determining the champions of each division.

Solving the AAU problem
The NCAA is sending out a harsh message regarding extra benefits. Just ask UCLA's JaRon Rush, Missouri's Kareem Rush and Oklahoma State's Andre Williams about their recent suspensions -- and throw in Jamal Crawford for good measure.

All four players' eligibility was put in question because of alleged extra benefits they accepted prior to enrolling in college. None of the four suspensions have an apparent link to the players' present schools.

The Rush brothers were suspended for taking extra benefits (travel, cash, gear) from their former AAU coach (JaRon was also suspended for accepting a $200 stipend from an agent). Williams missed time this season because his senior year of prep school was paid for by a local benefactor. Crawford is being held out because his living arrangements while attending high school in Seattle could be construed as an extra benefit.

The NCAA can't police every incoming freshman. AAU coaches of elite players have told ESPN.com that 75 percent of the elite players could be viewed as committing some sort of violation for taking extra benefits during the summer or school year.

Will Rush's 44-game suspension over two seasons curtail coaches giving out a free trip to a tournament, an extra gear bag, new shoes or some cash on the side to future players? Probably not. So how can the NCAA prevent what it views as widespread violations before the players ever reach their campuses?

Utah coach Rick Majerus has a solution -- make every player sign a waiver that states if he participates in summer basketball and receives an extra benefit, he is subject to losing part or all of his eligibility for his freshman season or beyond.

This would give the NCAA a leg to stand on when it tries to go back and see if players were aware of the rules regarding extra benefits, making it much more of a black-and-white situation. Without such a waiver, a player would not be considered a recruitable athlete.

Regardless, the NCAA may find itself in a legal battle to determine how far its jurisdiction extends on this issue. The first volley could come from Rush. UCLA is waiting for an appeal on his suspension for next season (he must miss the first 17 games minus the number of postseason games UCLA plays this season). If the Bruins don't win the appeal or get a reduction, sources at UCLA say Rush could file a court injunction to allow him to play next season.

Members of the UCLA coaching staff told ESPN.com that they expect Rush to stay with UCLA next season, rather than make an attempt at a pro career.

Kareem Rush and Williams have already returned to the court after serving suspensions.

Crawford's situation came to the fore Tuesday when he was held out of the Wolverines' game against Michigan State. The Michigan coaching staff is livid over the suspension, considering that it didn't occur under its watch. But the NCAA is taking its time on reaching a decision as to when Crawford can play again. The school is hoping that it gets him back for Sunday's game against Ohio State.

This latest chapter in Crawford's troubled freshman season could be another sign that he will declare for the draft. He tried to declare last season but filed the paperwork a day late.

It's not all doom and gloom for the NCAA, however. A recent rule change allows high schools to determine high school core classes instead of the NCAA Clearinghouse. That's a step in the right direction -- a computer at the NCAA shouldn't be determining what is a core class at a random high school.

High schools have to be given some latitude to make these decisions on their own. Too many players have been hung up for portions of their freshmen seasons because of arbitrary rulings on what is or isn't a core class. This should eliminate that problem.

Weekly chatter

  • Coaches should hold on before making their summer plans. July 2000 isn't safe from the NCAA yet. Jim Haney, National Association of Basketball Coaches director, said the NCAA could still make changes in the recruiting calendar for this summer. Proposals for cutting down the days (from 24 to 14, 16, 18 or 20 days) are still on the table and waiting for review.

    "We're just waiting for the NCAA to release its information on the subject for the 60-day comment period," Haney said. "If there are changes, they'll make them for July 2000. They won't wait."

    But any scheduling issues (like exempted games or changing the starting date of the season) won't be put into place until 2001-02. Too many schedules have been done in advance and a change would prove too costly to the institutions.

    Meanwhile, the NABC is pushing its agenda to change poor minority hiring in athletic departments, sending out releases to all 318 Division 1 college newspapers.

  • Speculation on Kansas coach Roy Williams heading to the Washington Wizards to join Michael Jordan is a reach (they were at North Carolina together). When Jordan took over the Wizards, Williams issued a statement saying he has no interest in the position, adding that the Wizards' job may be the toughest in the NBA.

    Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach John Calipari, the former Massachusetts coach, said college coaches are less likely to go to the NBA if the situation is at all risky. Calipari's right. Any future movement of college coaches to NBA gigs will likely be strictly for money.

    The only exception could be at Kentucky. If Tubby Smith ever decides to leave Lexington for the NBA, it will likely be for new a challenge. Kentucky is the closest college job to a "pro job," with the financial gap not as wide.

  • Samford's Jimmy Tillette signed on for another seven years at the Alabama school. His commitment shows he's willing to stick it out at a low-major rather than make the natural climb up the coaching ladder.

    Tillette would have been a hot name on the coaching circuit this month. His long-term contract gives him a chance to build Samford into a perennial postseason team like the College of Charleston.

    Samford lost in the first round of the NCAA last season, but began this year with a win over St. John's. Samford (12-8, 6-4) has work to do to get in this year with a fourth-place standing in the Trans America Athletic Conference.

  • Injuries to starters Mike Wilks, Erik Cooper and Shawn Tyndell have made life miserable for Rice coach Willis Wilson. He's playing eight freshmen, three walk-ons, a transfer (T.J. McKenzie) and one senior (Alex Bougaieff). The Owls (4-13, 0-6 WAC) are looking for their first conference win against TCU and Southern Methodist this weekend.

  • Fresno State could have a lock on two of the top individual statistical categories if not for a technicality. Senior guard Courtney Alexander is averaging 24.9 points a game, just ahead of George Washington freshman guard SirValiant Brown (24.7) for tops in the country. But because of a stress fracture in his foot earlier this season, Alexander has only played in 15 of the Bulldogs' 21 games.

    The NCAA rule prevents a player from qualifying for the stats until he's played in 75 percent of his team's games.

    Senior forward Larry Abney is fourth in the nation with 11 boards a game, 3.4 behind Fairfield's Darren Phillip. Abney had 24 boards in a upset over Tulsa last Saturday. Both Alexander and Abney are tops in the WAC.

    "Abney was awesome," Tulsa coach Bill Self said. "We couldn't get a body on him. That win by Fresno makes this an interesting race."

  • Arizona coach Lute Olson has never been a fan of cross-country midseason, non-conference games. Remember St. Joeseph's? The Wildcats stood up the Hawks a few years ago because of poor weather. The whole point of last week's trip to LSU was rendered moot -- Olson scheduled the game to get New Orleans native Eugene Edgerson a home game. But the senior forward is redshirting while he fulfills requirements for his teaching certificate, and didn't even make the trip because of a conflict. All Arizona got out of the trip was an embarrassing 86-60 loss.

    Meanwhile, injured sophomore forward Richard Jefferson (stress fracture) is on track for a potential return to the Wildcats for the last two weekends of the Pac-10 season -- the Oregon/Oregon State road trip March 2 and 4, and home games against Stanford (March 9) and Cal (March 11).

  • TCU coach Billy Tubbs may be struggling this season but he's banking on 2000-01 being his best year with the Horned Frogs (he says he's not retiring despite speculation to the contrary). He's high on UNLV transfer point guard Greedy Daniels (his brother Dinno transferred from Tulane to Tyler JC in Texas) and is hoping Indian Hills (Iowa) College wing Cory Hightower follows through on his commitment.

    But sources close to Hightower have indicated he's thinking about the draft. If he declares, he won't be able to go to a Division I college even if he pulls out of the draft. Junior college players and high school seniors don't fall under the same rule as college underclassmen. They give up their amateur status once they declare for the draft, regardless of whether or not they're selected. TCU (12-10, 3-3 WAC) also returns guards Ryan Carroll and Bingo Merriex and forwards Derrick Davenport and Myron Anthony.

  • Virginia lost at Maryland on Wednesday in the second of four straight road games. It's the first time in three seasons that an ACC team has had to endure such a brutal stretch. The Cavaliers (15-6, 5-3) have the second-best freshman class in the ACC (not bad when Duke is No. 1) with forwards Travis Watson (11.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Roger Mason (7.2 ppg) and point Majestic Mapp (5.2 ppg).

  • Wake Forest's problems have returned because they've reverted to relying too much on Robert O'Kelley. O'Kelley is really a scoring guard having to play the point. He would flourish if the Demon Deacons could rely on a point to set him up. The Demon Deacons lost to Davidson on Wednesday, dropping deep onto the bubble at 12-9 (3-5 in the ACC).

  • Looking for a fact to back up why Maryland's Terence Morris needs to be more assertive (or at least get the ball more often)? Check shots attempted. The preseason all-American is third on the team with 224 shots, behind Juan Dixon (300) and Lonnie Baxter (240).

    Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball runs Thursdays throughout the season.

    		•  



    ALSO SEE
    Ducks hoping to find respect in Arizona

    Duke, UNC renew Tobacco Road rivalry tonight

    West: Quacking up the Pac-10

    AP Top 25

    ESPN/USA Today poll

    Ratings Percentage Index

    Weekly Watch: A contender emerges

    The Word's Answer Man

    Missed the Word?

    Have a question for the Weekly Word?