COLLEGE BASKETBALL ~ (MONDAY JAN. 23RD, 2023)
STOCK UP – STOCK DOWN TEAMS OF WEEK
STOCK UP
1). MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
NEW MEXICO, NEVADA, SAN DIEGO STATE, BOISE STATE, UTAH STATE
Note: All 4 of these teams can flat out play. Nobody wants to play any of these 4 in the Dance and one of them I fully expect making it to the Sweet 16 this March. This Conference is sneaky good….get’s little coverage but it’s filled with star talent. Add in UNLV (who has slumped some of late when I once had them in my Top 10 teams overall…but still this team can hang with almost anyone.
2). ALABAMA: Now the best team in nation to me…Purdue has best player in Edey…but ball doesn’t flow like Bama Offense does…Bama is fast, long, and deeper than anyone else. If both played tonight against each other I’d be all over Bama BIG.
3). CLEMSON: I have never been a big fan of Clemson HC Brownell…but this is easily his best season and this team has all the pieces needed….height…depth…shooters….and best I’ve seen them move ball in years.
4). ST MARY’S DEFENSE: This team should shock nobody as they kept up with Gonzaga over the years with much less superstar talent. I think this season the Gaels are better than the Zags and the reason is their Defense. It’s suffocating. It’s on par with Houston’s Defense….folks Houston D is MEN…HUGE ADULT MEN….playing Defense is a “cause” and not many revel at being great at it. St Mary’s Offense is very good…but the Defense is almost slowing the Offense down some as they are taking big leads and then going thru more a time kill then playing with any speed game like an Alabama plays at. In the end the Gaels will win the West Coast this season and it will shock much of the world, but not me.
VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD WIN IT ALL
1). XAVIER, TCU, MARQUETTE, KANSAS STATE
ADDED SUPER SNEAKY “UNDER THE RADAR” REALLY, REALLY GOOD TEAMS
1). FLORIDA ATLANTIC
2). COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
3). AKRON
4). KENT STATE
5). MISSOURI
6). SAN JOSE STATE
STOCK DOWN TEAMS
1). DUKE BLUE DEVILS: This one is tough to type as this is one of my two childhood favorite teams. They had the number 1 Class coming into this season but in no way has it produced to that level. In fact they have been really just an above average team this year. They aren’t great from outside 15 feet and they simply move the ball too slow on Offense. Roach was supposed to be the steady leader running the point but he simply seems off with all these younger guys who never seem even sure of the plays being called. Look folks playing lots of Freshman at same time is no easy task and so far it’s not gone great. Last year it seemed almost same so there is still lots of time to start to finally gel.
2). IONA: I really felt Rick Pitino had makings of a team that could go far and shock world this year. But this team simply lacks energy. They go 5-6 minute spurts of playing no Defense and they play down to their bad competition. They have scoring so in end they likely win their Conference but as of today I’d bet they go out Round 1 of the Dance. Team just going thru the motions.
3). ARIZONA: This team is loaded with superstars but the past 5 games it’s been stunning to watch….the Offense is slow….the pace is helter skelter….and to me even the win over my UCLA boys on Saturday they couldn’t fully close out a tired and shorthanded team until final seconds. This team needs a big kick in the ass soon….luckily for them the Pac-12 is horrible and they can string some blowouts together and grab some confidence/swag back….in CBB often it’s all about the Mojo….cuz this team’s fan base is A+.
HONORABLE MENTIONS (*BIGGER NAME TEAMS I SIMPLY AM NOT HIGH ON AT ALL)
1). IOWA, MICHIGAN STATE, WISCONSIN, OHIO STATE, OKLAHOMA, GONZAGA, SYRACUSE
NEVER, EVER BET THESE TEAMS
1). GEORGIA TECH: WORST Head Coach in country and soon to be FIRED….I have never seen anything from this Josh Pastner and yet he somehow has fleeced tens of millions all the while doing NOTHING.
2). LSU: This team simply can’t score….it’s almost hard to believe but they have nobody who is a star and nobody who can really even get you 25 on any night … this team somehow has a winning record….when I watch….they have no energy….play no Defense and struggle to run a simple set play.
3). NOTRE DAME: Never been a HC Brey fan and so not shocked team struggling but coming out and saying you are throwing in the towel after this season was a terrible idea to do it DURING the season….this team lacks everything….including capable Coaching.