Turkey Week Tournaments - College Basketball News, Tips And Picks

Turkey Week Tournaments
By Jim Johnson
Posted: 11:00 am PDT 2006-11-21

Thanksgiving is approaching and do you know what that means, besides turkey and football? College basketball tournaments, of course. The odds are your mind doesn't work that way, but there will be a lot of good basketball played that week which deserves your attention.

Maui Invitational, Monday-Wednesday: This has developed into the marquee annual event of early-season college basketball because of the ridiculously strong fields it draws, and this season is no different. Beyond host Chaminade, the other seven participants all have realistic hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament this season.

UCLA is the highest-ranked team in the field, joined by fellow Top 25 schools Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Memphis. Also participating are DePaul, Oklahoma and Purdue. DePaul and Kentucky promises to be the best first-round matchup. Both teams feature a physical, half-court style, but DePaul has more firepower. The Blue Demons return four players who averaged double figure scoring last year, led by guard Sammy Mejia. They also have large bodies to match up with the Wildcats' big man, Randolph Morris.

Georgia Tech and Memphis will likely face off in one semifinal, a pairing of two young, athletic teams. Unlike the Tigers, the Yellow Jackets have plenty of experience to put around their stud freshmen Thaddeus Young and Jevaris Crittenton and should advance to the final.

They will run up against UCLA in the title game. The Bruins will easily dispatch Chaminade (the Silverswords if you were curious) and use their defensive prowess to shut down DePaul. UCLA is not the type of team you want to face early in the season if you have a freshman point guard, which is what the Yellow Jackets have in Young. Look for the Bruins to walk off with the trophy here.

ESPNU Classic Thursday-Saturday: There are some interesting teams to watch in this made-for-TV event down in Orlando. Southern Illinois, Arkansas and Virginia Tech are unranked but hopeful of changing that as the season progresses.

The SIU Salukis return their top eight players from a squad that won 22 games last season. Their senior guard combination of Jamaal Tatum (15.0 ppg) and defensive stopper Tony Young will again make them formidable in the MVC and beyond. Arkansas has point guard Gary Ervin, a transfer from Mississippi State, to get the ball to its strong front line. The Hokies bring back their entire starting lineup this season. Anchored by three seniors, if they can avoid the injuries and personal tragedy that plagued them last year, they are good enough to compete for an NCAA bid.

I like Southern Illinois to win this tournament with Tech being its strongest challenger. Arkansas will be a work in progress during their early schedule. It will also be interesting to see West Virginia here. Picked for last place in the Big East by at least one major publication, the Mountaineers have to replace 83% of last season's scoring.

Nothing But Net

Two surprises have already happened in the ACC. The good news was Virginia's upset of No. 10 Arizona last Sunday. The Cavaliers, in the first game in their new $130 million arena, overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat the Wildcats 93-90. Virginia was bolstered by a 5-6 performance from three-point range by sophomore wing Mamadi Diane, who made only 24.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc last season.

The bad news for the ACC was Boston College's 77-63 loss at home to Vermont. The Eagles were missing suspended center Sean Williams, but they were really done in by their 30.2% shooting, including only 1-10 from their bench. Coach Al Skinner will need to find another consistent scoring option beyond Jared Dudley for BC to live up to its preseason hype.

Kansas was the first of the big three teams to lose this year, dropping a surprising 78-71 decision at home to Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 10 point lead in the first half behind the three-point shooting of sophomore Marchello Vealy. Vealy, who made only 1-13 from beyond the arc last season, knocked down 7-8 against the Jayhawks.

Well, Bob Knight was at it again. For the record, I have a deep respect for Knight's coaching success, but I have little respect for him as a person. If you missed it, Knight bopped his player Michael Prince on the chin during a discussion on the sideline during a game last Monday night. As usual, Knight has found nothing wrong with striking a player. Knight's puppet, Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers, agreed. The player, Prince, confirmed Knight's story that he was trying to get the player to stop being too hard on himself and had no issue with the coach's actions.

In no way, shape or form do I believe Knight should be fired for his latest offense, but for him to receive no discipline at all is an embarrassment to the university. Knight has never held himself to the standards he imposes on his players, and has seldom been held accountable. He long ago learned that winning a lot of basketball games and intimidating people placed him above most rules of decent human behavior.

In my book, it will be a sad day when he breaks Dean Smith's record for most career wins later this season. Smith was one of the classiest men ever associated with college basketball. Knight, on the other hand, is one of the most classless.

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