Archive for February 25th, 2009

WATERCOOLER CHAT: HARD TO BE ON TOP IN COLLEGE BBALL

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Wow, it appears that the worst place you want to be in college basketball, is sitting on the #1 throne.  Teams can’t sustain the seat very long before getting upset.  It just keeps happening.  The latest victim: Pittsburgh.  They assumed the top spot earlier this week, but were greeted with pure kinetic force from an unranked Providence team.  Pitt’s top player, DeJuan Blair, got in foul trouble, and Pitt (like Oklahoma) isn’t the same team without its star on the court.  Providence even got up by 20 points, led by their guard Weyinmi Efejuku (yeah, you pronounced it right), who had 16 points on the night.  At the end, Providence fans stormed the court, and the Friars strengthened their case for an at-large tournament bid.

NBA

The new-look Chicago Bulls looked to change their losing vibe against the Orlando Magic, one of the top teams in the East.  The Bulls recently acquired Brad Miller, Tim Thomas, and John Salmons from the Sacramento Kings, and they looked fantastic in their Chicago debut.  For the first time this season, the Bulls seemed to be jelling.  Derrick Rose led the way for the Bulls with 22 points, and he looked very comfortable with his new teammates.  By the way, if you haven’t seen the #1 pick of the draft play yet, you should — he’s amazing!  Just a pleasure to watch.  Dwight Howard had 26 points on the night for the Magic, but it just wasn’t enough.  Chicago 120, Orlando 102.

Elsewhere in the NBA, there’s rumor that Mr. Troublemaker, Stephon Marbury, might be Boston bound.  The Knicks have completely turned their back on Stephon this season.  Now it looks like they might have to buyout his contract if he heads to the Celtics.  Plus, the Knicks don’t want to help out a rival in any way.  However, by letting him go, the Knicks will save 5 million dollars in cap space.  From Boston’s point of view, their bench is a little lighter than it was last year, and adding Marbury to their roster would give them a very talented player (albeit ball-hog and chemistry killer). And, Boston’s chemistry is what makes them so strong.  If Marbury disrupts this, the Celtics could be in trouble in the post-season.

NFL

Finally, an era has come to an end in the NFL.  Marvin Harrison was officially let go by the Indianapolis Colts.  He went from being ‘the man’ in Indy, to succumbing to injuries, to becoming the No. four receiver on the team behind Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, and tight-end Dallas Clark.  So, nearing the end of his career, he wants to look for a fresh start elsewhere — perhaps even having a resurgence similar to Joey Galloway on the Bucs or Keyshawn Johnson on the Panthers a few years ago.  It’s rumored that he might want to play for Philly, and reunite with his former college teammate Donovan McNabb.  It could be an exciting statistical year for Harrison this upcoming season.

Share
No comments