In this work, you do not take root. You don’t pull for teams. It is part of the basic rules of the press room – even in virtual times.
But I am willing to make an exception. I am hoping the State of Oklahoma will enter the NCAA Tournament. I’m hoping Cade Cunningham will dance. I hope that the NCAA Infringement Appeal Committee does not make a decision on the Cowboys’ appeal before the March Madness begins. This would allow them to be included.
Cunningham, the potential number 1 choice in the NBA draft, deserves to play in the tournament. The state of Oklahoma too. The sport would be better for him, in a year when several elite prospects – mainly Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga – chose to follow the new and lucrative G-League Ignite route.
The state of Oklahoma handled everything right with its scandal, as one of the schools involved in the FBI’s investigation of college basketball corruption. He immediately dismissed assistant coach Lamont Evans, who pleaded guilty to taking bribes. Cooperated with the NCAA. Evans, it should be noted, was in school only a year. He worked only a few months under coach Mike Boynton, although the two were assistant coaches together for one season.
This is not Arizona, Kansas or LSU, where coaches Sean Miller, Bill Self and Will Wade continue to skate denying after denial, throwing other people under the bus and being lucky that those same people are loyal and do not do the same for they. Oklahoma did not attempt to use the post-season ban’s self-imposed trick in a season that hoped it would be low, like Arizona and Auburn.
The punishment for a post-season ban fell long after Cunningham chose Oklahoma instead of North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky and Washington. He would have been able to get out of that commitment. The ultra-skilled point guard could have taken the money and joined Green and Kuminga in the G-League. He could have been transferred to a blue blood program and become eligible.
But Cunningham stayed. The six-foot-tall Texan was loyal, partly due to the presence of his older brother Cannen, an assistant coach at the school. He elevated the program to a tie in the losing column for third place on Big 12. The Cowboys are stomping their feet at the right time, with four consecutive wins and five wins in six games. Cunningham, averaging 19.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks, does a little bit of everything. He is throwing the team’s 43.2 percent mark in the 3-point range and is coming out of his best performance as a schoolboy, a 40-point masterpiece and 11 rebounds in a turnaround against rival Oklahoma.
In recent years, the single route has lost its luster. The G-League is offering a lot of money to high school players. The college was dominated by experienced teams. Duke and Kentucky are having bad seasons for them.
Cunningham was different. He has been exceptional in every possible way. He proved to be an elite freshman – the right one – can change a winding program, in ways that Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and Anthony Edwards have not been able to in recent years. When he chose to stay at Oklahoma State, Cunningham said part of the reason was the opportunity to play on such a big stage at Big 12.
“I want the average basketball fan to know who Cade Cunningham is,” he said last summer.
Hopefully, Cunningham will have the opportunity to really show up in the coming weeks. The state of Oklahoma can take a big step. He could pull a Danny Manning.
The player and the school deserve the chance. It would only increase what should be an incredible tournament. Most importantly, it would be the right thing.
Barrel background
The Big Ten is a very good league. At worst, the second best in the country after the big 12. It is not historically good, as some experts predicted in November. The upper half of the conference is excellent. The bottom half was overestimated.
I can see several Final Four teams leaving the Big Ten. Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State and Iowa are all capable. With the right draw, Rutgers, Purdue, Wisconsin and Maryland are potential Sweet 16 teams. The rest of the league does not belong to the dance.
Indiana and Minnesota proved to be soft teams that do not even belong to be considered on Selection Sunday. Michigan’s loss to Michigan on Sunday undermines the Spartans’ momentum and makes Michigan’s comeback this week almost mandatory. A team with three games under 0.500 in conference does not deserve an offer. Penn State, Northwestern and Nebraska just fattened the records of the teams ahead of them.
Game of the week
No. 13 Creighton at No. 8 Villanova, Wednesday, 8:30 pm
The Big East regular season title will be up for grabs in Philadelphia as the major league teams seek to recover from disappointing defeats – Creighton on Xavier and Villanova on Butler. A victory for Creighton, followed by a victory next Saturday over Butler, and the Bluejays will claim the conference title for the first time. Since the formation of the new Big East in 2013, Villanova has won a part of the title for six out of seven years.
Sowing:
- Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan, Ohio
- Illinois, Alabama, West Virginia, Houston
- Villanova, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa
- Arkansas, Florida State, Texas Tech, Texas
Stock Watch
James Bouknight – Up
Choosing the Brooklyn-designed, native lottery changes everything for UConn. It is more than just your score. It is his presence, attention and focus that he attracts. When the second guard plays – he lost five weeks with an elbow injury – the Huskies are 8-2, with defeats to Villanova and Creighton. When he doesn’t, UConn is 4-4, challenged offensively and mediocre. Bouknight doesn’t just make the Big East program an NCAA tournament team. He makes them a candidate on the second weekend.
Isaac Brown – Up
In November, the state of Wichita was in disarray. Gregg Marshall resigned amid accusations of physical and verbal abuse. Exhausted Shockers were chosen in seventh place at AAC. Fast forward to the final week of the regular season and they are at the top of the conference. Brown, 51, in his first year as a college coach, did more with less, and the former interim coach was rewarded for that with a five-year contract. He deserves every penny he receives.
NET – Down
The excuse for the small sample size does not work at this time of year. There is absolutely no reason for Colgate – yes, Colgate! – must be classified in 10th. That Loyola Chicago should be in 16th place. And San Diego State should be in 18th place. Together, they have a victory in Quad 1 – in five opportunities. Colgate’s season was one of games against the Army, Boston University and Holy Cross. That’s it. San Diego State’s best win was UCLA’s 37th place at home. Loyola Chicago won at No. 41 Drake. NET relies heavily on offensive and defensive efficiency. Values quality performance. It must also take into account who wins a team. The assessment tool needs adjustments.
-Down Drake
Bulldogs will need to win the conference tournament to go dancing. They now have more defeats at Quad 3 (two) than wins at Quad 1 (one), after a terrible setback to sub-0.500 Bradley on Saturday. Your NET of 41 is good enough, but the work set is not. It’s a shame that Drake lost stars ShanQuan Hemphill and Roman Penn due to significant injuries. This team seemed capable of causing damage in March.