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What's Going On Here?

© Chris Lin

What a beginning of the new college basketball season. We couldn’t ask for more. Good teams are falling, underrated teams are moving up fast, and inconsistency has plagued many top programs. Through it all, it appears that Duke, Michigan State, and Stanford are looking superb in the early going.

Let’s start with some surprises. Well, one of my preseason favorites, North Carolina, is finding out how tough it is to play without Ed Cota and a solid D. With big expectations, they played Michigan State. They were crushed, and then later, against a struggling Kentucky team, they were trounced at home. Don’t worry, Heel fans. Brendan Haywood is looking mighty strong in the middle, and Joe Forte is looking, well, like Joe Forte. As always, the talent is there. Kris Lang is becoming a huge threat, Jason Capel has a wide variety of weapons, and the only question marks are point guard and, more importantly, mental toughness. If Matt Doherty can instill discipline, especially on the defensive end, by next year, this team will be in good shape, because Brendan Morrison and Adam Boone will soon realize that it’s better to pass it to the big guys and the closest-thing-to-Jordan-in-Carolina-since-Vince-Carter than to shoot long threes.

How ‘bout Arizona? They really have problems without Loren Woods. Woods, out with a suspension, could not help his team against an inspired Purdue squad. Despite big wins against Dayton and Illinois, Woods is the key. He makes this team dominant. As good as Jason Gardner, Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, and Michael Wright are, nobody matches up well with Woods, who is possibly the best player in the country. Forget about his debut game, in which his 3-12 shooting, two rebounds, and botched goaltending call in the loss against Connecticut were major reasons why the Huskies won the game. Down the road, when Woods gets into the flow of things, there will be nobody who can stop the Wildcat machine.

Perhaps the most disappointing team thus far has been the Maryland Terrapins. They were supposed to be the best team ever for coach Gary Williams (Don’t forget that this team had Steve Francis, Terence Morris, Laron Profit, and Lonny Baxter two years ago). Well, they still have Morris and Baxter, two of the best forwards in the ACC, as well as super guard Juan Dixon, and an experienced point guard in Steve Blake. Through all of that, and they lose to Dayton and Wisconsin. However, after putting Byron Mouton into the starting lineup, the Terps are looking a lot better, destroying Michigan and smaller teams. Again, this team should be okay by next year.