Thursday, December 09, 2004

Lack of Hoops Respect

First, we get dissed because of our pre-conference schedule:

No. 3 Georgia Tech is a prime example of this. Georgia Tech might be the third-best team in Division I, but how would we know based on its performance thus far?


The Yellowjackets have five wins against unranked opponents -- including three against Alabama State, Illinois-Chicago (which is the only time they've played on the road) and Arkansas-Little Rock. They will in all likelihood finish the month of December 10-0 -- and have maybe one win against a ranked team.


Yet, because they were in the Final Four last year, had a number of key players return, they got the benefit of beginning the season ranked in the top 10, and thus, it will take a near collapse for them to fall out of the top 10.


There are plenty of other examples of this, but the bottom line is until the system is changed, teams will continue to feast on lightweights and be rewarded for it. It is time to start looking at who is beating whom before we actually decide who are the 25 best teams in Division I.




Next, BJ Elder is slighted when discussed the best wings in the ACC.


On the other side, we do get respect here (thanks tiffman for the line):

A quick glance at the Jackets' season statline, and everything seems in order: B.J. Elder is the leading scorer, Luke Schenscher the top rebounder and Jarrett Jack the No. 1 assist man. Look closer and you'll notice a significant development with Jack, who is shooting 50 percent (8-of-16) from 3-point land after firing at a 31.6 clip last season. He reportedly spent the summer launching 400 to 500 trifectas a day.
Next two: 12/15 vs. James Madison, 12/19 vs. Gonzaga (in Las Vegas).