From the Danbury CT Newstimes ... StJ #23
Borges Top 25: Goodbye Villanova, Syracuse — and, possibly, UConn’s strength of schedule
By David Borges Updated 10:47 pm EST, Sunday, November 18, 2018
Following a pair of losses this week, Syracuse drops off of David Borges’ weekly AP college basketball Top 25 ballot.
After UConn’s impressive win over Syracuse on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, we were all set to put the Huskies on our ballot for the first time since the 2016 preseason.
All the Huskies had to do was beat Iowa — or at least give the Hawkeyes a good battle in the 2K Empire Classic title game Friday night.
Neither happened. Iowa rolled to a 91-72 victory that was never really close. So, instead of the Huskies on this week’s ballot, we go with the Hawkeyes, who had also topped No. 13 Oregon on Thursday.
Iowa sure looked impressive last week. Tyler Cook looked like a lottery pick against UConn, and Luka Garza certainly wasn’t swimming with the fishes. Or maybe the Huskies just made the Hawkeyes look better than they are?
Or maybe a little of both?
Certainly, UConn’s win over Syracuse looks a bit diminished after the Orange got stomped by Oregon the next night. I mean, Frank Howard doesn’t make that much of a difference, does he? Syracuse gets quickly jettisoned from our ballot this week. So does defending national champ Villanova, which got utterly outclassed at home by Michigan, then lost at home to Furman — Furman ! — on Saturday.
Which brings us to UConn’s schedule. The Huskies needed a tough non-conference slate to help offset what looks to be a down year in the American. It certainly looked like they had a tough one, with Syracuse, Villanova, Arizona and Florida State (along with the possibility of Oregon in the 2K) on the docket. But Syracuse and ‘Nova appear wildly overrated, and Arizona, while still good, is a bit down this season. That could make a Dec. 8 bout with Florida State in the Never Forget Tribute Classic in Newark, N.J. the Huskies’ best game of the season for NCAA resume purposes.
Who would have thought that just a few weeks ago?
Here’s our Top 25 this week. Only one team from the Pac-12 and Big East, none from the American:
1. Duke: A lot of people falling under the spell of Zion-ism, most notably the folks at ESPN.
2. Kansas: We all know how talented Dedric Lawson is. Just wonder how much of a winner he is.
3. Virginia: Send it in, (Ty) Jerome! (Or maybe, “Shoot it in” is more fitting?)
4. Gonzaga: Zags look to upstage Duke at this week’s Maui Invitational.
5. Nevada: Wolf Pack play AAC’s Tulsa on Thursday. Will Golden Hurricane spot them a 20-point lead?
6. North Carolina: Nassir Little is a big talent.
7. Kansas State: Truly believe Wildcats can unseat Kansas as Big 12 champs.
8. Auburn: Recruiting scandal has really hurt Tigers: They’ve got the No. 10-rated 2019 class.
9. Tennessee: Damn, the SEC is pretty good this year, isn’t it?
10. Michigan: Wolverines bookend week with massive wins over pair of Big East teams, Villanova and Providence.
11. Kentucky: Program has faced teams from every state and has winning record against all but one — Connecticut (3-4).
12. Michigan State: Spartans aren’t spectacular, just very good.
13. Florida State: Seminoles face UConn Dec. 8 in Newark. May wind up being Huskies’ toughest non-conference challenge.
14. Virginia Tech: Nice comeback win over Purdue late Sunday to win Charleston Classic.
15. Purdue: Still a good showing at Charleston Classic, where UConn will play next year.
16. LSU: Naz Reid (15.2 ppg) has been cash money for Tigers so far.
17. Iowa: Tyler Cook may not be a lottery pick, but he sure looked like one Friday night.
18. Wisconsin: Ethan Happ is now Badger program’s all-time leading rebounder.
19. Oregon: Maybe that loss to Iowa wasn’t so bad; and maybe UConn’s win over Syracuse wasn’t so great?
20. Buffalo: Road wins at West Virginia and Southern Illinois. That’ll work.
21. Ohio State: Buckeyes spoiled unveiling of Cincinnati’s refurbished arena, then won at Creighton.
22. Clemson: Marcquise Reed leads Tigers in scoring, rebounding and assists. Wow.
23. St. John’s: If there are enough basketballs to go around for Mustapha Heron, Shamorie Ponds, Red Storm could win Big East.
24. Indiana: Demolished Marquette earlier in week, edged by Arkansas on Sunday.
25. Furman: Palladins have defeated half of last year’s Final Four already — on the road. That’s good enough for me.
[URL][URL]https://www.newstimes.com...op-25-Goodbye-Villanova-Syracuse-13403886.php[/URL][/URL]
Borges Top 25: Goodbye Villanova, Syracuse — and, possibly, UConn’s strength of schedule
By David Borges Updated 10:47 pm EST, Sunday, November 18, 2018
Following a pair of losses this week, Syracuse drops off of David Borges’ weekly AP college basketball Top 25 ballot.
After UConn’s impressive win over Syracuse on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, we were all set to put the Huskies on our ballot for the first time since the 2016 preseason.
All the Huskies had to do was beat Iowa — or at least give the Hawkeyes a good battle in the 2K Empire Classic title game Friday night.
Neither happened. Iowa rolled to a 91-72 victory that was never really close. So, instead of the Huskies on this week’s ballot, we go with the Hawkeyes, who had also topped No. 13 Oregon on Thursday.
Iowa sure looked impressive last week. Tyler Cook looked like a lottery pick against UConn, and Luka Garza certainly wasn’t swimming with the fishes. Or maybe the Huskies just made the Hawkeyes look better than they are?
Or maybe a little of both?
Certainly, UConn’s win over Syracuse looks a bit diminished after the Orange got stomped by Oregon the next night. I mean, Frank Howard doesn’t make that much of a difference, does he? Syracuse gets quickly jettisoned from our ballot this week. So does defending national champ Villanova, which got utterly outclassed at home by Michigan, then lost at home to Furman — Furman ! — on Saturday.
Which brings us to UConn’s schedule. The Huskies needed a tough non-conference slate to help offset what looks to be a down year in the American. It certainly looked like they had a tough one, with Syracuse, Villanova, Arizona and Florida State (along with the possibility of Oregon in the 2K) on the docket. But Syracuse and ‘Nova appear wildly overrated, and Arizona, while still good, is a bit down this season. That could make a Dec. 8 bout with Florida State in the Never Forget Tribute Classic in Newark, N.J. the Huskies’ best game of the season for NCAA resume purposes.
Who would have thought that just a few weeks ago?
Here’s our Top 25 this week. Only one team from the Pac-12 and Big East, none from the American:
1. Duke: A lot of people falling under the spell of Zion-ism, most notably the folks at ESPN.
2. Kansas: We all know how talented Dedric Lawson is. Just wonder how much of a winner he is.
3. Virginia: Send it in, (Ty) Jerome! (Or maybe, “Shoot it in” is more fitting?)
4. Gonzaga: Zags look to upstage Duke at this week’s Maui Invitational.
5. Nevada: Wolf Pack play AAC’s Tulsa on Thursday. Will Golden Hurricane spot them a 20-point lead?
6. North Carolina: Nassir Little is a big talent.
7. Kansas State: Truly believe Wildcats can unseat Kansas as Big 12 champs.
8. Auburn: Recruiting scandal has really hurt Tigers: They’ve got the No. 10-rated 2019 class.
9. Tennessee: Damn, the SEC is pretty good this year, isn’t it?
10. Michigan: Wolverines bookend week with massive wins over pair of Big East teams, Villanova and Providence.
11. Kentucky: Program has faced teams from every state and has winning record against all but one — Connecticut (3-4).
12. Michigan State: Spartans aren’t spectacular, just very good.
13. Florida State: Seminoles face UConn Dec. 8 in Newark. May wind up being Huskies’ toughest non-conference challenge.
14. Virginia Tech: Nice comeback win over Purdue late Sunday to win Charleston Classic.
15. Purdue: Still a good showing at Charleston Classic, where UConn will play next year.
16. LSU: Naz Reid (15.2 ppg) has been cash money for Tigers so far.
17. Iowa: Tyler Cook may not be a lottery pick, but he sure looked like one Friday night.
18. Wisconsin: Ethan Happ is now Badger program’s all-time leading rebounder.
19. Oregon: Maybe that loss to Iowa wasn’t so bad; and maybe UConn’s win over Syracuse wasn’t so great?
20. Buffalo: Road wins at West Virginia and Southern Illinois. That’ll work.
21. Ohio State: Buckeyes spoiled unveiling of Cincinnati’s refurbished arena, then won at Creighton.
22. Clemson: Marcquise Reed leads Tigers in scoring, rebounding and assists. Wow.
23. St. John’s: If there are enough basketballs to go around for Mustapha Heron, Shamorie Ponds, Red Storm could win Big East.
24. Indiana: Demolished Marquette earlier in week, edged by Arkansas on Sunday.
25. Furman: Palladins have defeated half of last year’s Final Four already — on the road. That’s good enough for me.
[URL][URL]https://www.newstimes.com...op-25-Goodbye-Villanova-Syracuse-13403886.php[/URL][/URL]
