Duke,Carolina,Duke,Carolina,Duke,Carolina.Duke...

It's College Basketball Wednesday!!!

First of all, I would like to introduce the official "Random Thoughts Rankings." Never mind...

I fully understand that Dick Vitale University and the University of Michael Jordan are two of the most-storied programs in the history of college basketball and fully deserve their place in the spotlight, but ESPN's obsession with the two schools is really getting a little scary. First, the network builds an entire "week" around yesterday's game, artificially deciding that this week shall be henceforth known as "Rivalry Week." Rivalry Week, eh? Preach the truth, my network friends! I, for one, could not be more pumped up. I mean, tonight we have an opportunity to watch the renewal of the famous Boston College- Wake Forest rivalry. Boy, you sure have to throw out the records when those to meet and prepare for raw intensity. After all, the two teams have met a grand total of three times in their history and have not squared off since 1985. Boy, I had better sit down. All this excitement making me lightheaded.

As if the creation of a novelty week is not enough, word is now leaking that the March 4 Duke-Carolina game will be shown on ESPN (duh!), ESPN 2 (huh?) and ESPN U (double huh?). You read that correctly...the game will be shown on all three channels, with the deuce providing up-to-the-second stats and the U focusing exclusively on the Cameron Crazies. That's right, some of the nation's finest minds are going to have the cameras focused on them for an entire two-plus hours. I suppose it is not all bad though. At least they will have something pleasant to look back on during those long, lonely years spent hunkered over a microscope in a lab somewhere or huddled in a solitary cabin somewhere in Big Sky country.

Is it just me or is this a clear indication that ESPN is taking this Vitale-Jordan rivalry just a bit too far? After all, it will never compare with the always bloody Indiana - Wisconsin rivalry. What do you mean IU and Wisconsin are not really rivals? I checked and double-checked my ESPN schedule and it turn out that they are playing each other tonight during rivalry week. I suppose I will have to let so of all my distaste of Purdue, Illinois and Kentucky and focus on my new-found hatred of the Badgers. Thanks ESPN for setting me straight!

The game last night actually was pretty good. Duke sprinted out to a 17-point lead before Carolina fought back and took the lead. Ultimately, J.J. Redick saved the Blue Devils with two late three-pointers and 35 points overall. Speaking of Redick. I know that Adam Morrison is a terrific player, has the funky hair and sports a mustache that is reminiscent of the fake 'stache worn by "Phil" on his double date with Greg, but if Redick does not win the player-of-the-year award, then there is something seriously wrong with the voters. Redick is a fantastic college player and saves his best for those spots in the game when Duke needs points the most. (And if you even mention Dee Brown in the POY conversation, I invite you to stop drinking the orange and blue kool-aid and get a clue).

There is no doubt that Duke is a favorite to in the title, but one team to really watch out for is West Virginia (see how good I am getting at including transitions?). It is going to be really interesting to see how they fare in the Madness. On one hand, they have one of the toughest offensive systems to prepare for, which makes them almost impossible to beat on the weekend when a team has less than 48 hours to prepare. On the other hand, they lack a true post presence and rely heavily on the three-point shot. My guess is that they go quite far, perhaps all the way to the Final Four.

West Virginia is also a team that seems to like to have a lot of fun while on the court. It turns out that they name their plays. "Boiled sweet potato" is a favorite, but the best has got to be "Best Play in the World." Imagine sitting back on defense and hearing Mountaineer point guard J.D. Collins (who has got to be Jameer Nelson's long lost twin) call out "best play in the world." In my opinion, West Virginia is an example of what is right about college basketball.

By the way, West Virginia looks to be a strong program in years to come. An often reported coaching carousel scenario features Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser moving on to coach Jailbird University (aka Cincinnati) (Prosser must be emotionally spent from all the ultra-intense rivalry games with Boston College), current West Virginia coach John Beilein taking over at Wake (and replacing Johnny Damon as the most hated man in Beantown) and former Jailbird University coach Bob Huggins assuming the coaching duties at W Va. The key...wherever Huggy-bear goes, he is expected to bring along #1 ranked HS player O.J. Mayo, who will bring along top-10 recruit Bill Walker, who will be accompanied by top-15 recruit Keenan Ellis. Viva West Virginia!!

Is anyone else absolutely delighted with the struggles of Bob Knight and the Texas Tech Red Raiders this season? At 12-11, Texas Tech is NIT-caliber at best and things may be about to get even more interesting in Lubbock. Besides the upcoming premiere of "Knight School," an unauthorized biography of Knight is about to be released by Simon & Schuster. Apparently, the book paints a not-too-appealing picture of an out-of-touch coach who on occasion has toted a shutgun to practice. All this at a time, when Bob (ahhh...I called him Bob...he's coming to get me!) is apparently losing his luster at Tech. Two years ago, you could not get a ticket to a Red Raider men's game. Now the team is being outdrawn by the women's team by a considerable margin. Looks like the locals have rediscovered the joys of souping up muscle cars and playing chicken on matching tractors. What fun hillbilly Texas must be!

Teams I am currently impressed with: Wisconsin, LSU (still), UConn, Tennessee, Miami (Fla)

Teams who are overrated: Washington, Southern Illinois, Oklahoma, Seton Hall

Okay, so I am not really impressed with Wisconsin, but given the downright pathetic performance of my "impressive" teams last week, I figured that I would throw them in there given that they host the Hoosiers tonight in the can't miss, rivalry game of the week...

Every year at this time, I like to try and predict the 65 teams that will make the tournament. In the next couple of days I will try to post my predictions for everyone's amusement and conversation. Further, I will hopefully post a message with my attempts at breaking down the Big Ten race.

Finally, as you all know I am an Indiana fan and those of you who also reside in Hoosier Nation will agree that the two games that IU will play this week will likely define the rest of their season (at Wisc, Iowa at home). Sweep the two games and IU will be positioned as a favorite to win the conference and get a protected seed in the Madness. Split and IU will maintain the status quo (as a 5-8 seed in the tournament). Get swept and a matchup with Notre Dame in the NIT is likely. This week is that important.