On the Plate … 1/26/05

My Plate Looks Scarce

6:45PM

Is it just me or has this season been lacking on the "weekly big matchup" front? You know what I'm talking about…the constant barrage of in-conference brawls…early season shoving matches for first place…"make-a-statement" games. Games like Illinois at Wisconsin. That's what I'm talking about. Where did all of these games go? It's a Wednesday night in late January and I'm all out to find a meaningful conference game. Look, I know that Maryland at Duke tips off at nine, but that's not a marquee game. At least not this year. It's a good game, but not top notch. Also don't think that I'm not about to wet myself because I'm so damn nervous about the Notre Dame at Villanova game. I am. But that's a personal issue. What I'm looking for is that one big game that marks the night. You know what I'm saying, right? Look at tonight's schedule.

Marquette at Louisville / Alabama at Auburn / Mississippi at LSU / FSU at NC State / BC at Providence / Clemson at Miami / Iowa at Northwestern / Indiana at Minnesota / Maryland at Duke / Vanderbilt at South Carolina / Notre Dame at Villanova.

Where's the damn beef?!?

Don't get me wrong, Big Monday and Super Tuesday delivered beautifully this week. Big Monday gave us Part 1 of the Bedlam Series: Pokes at Sooners. Super Tuesday gave us "#1 & Undefeated" versus "38-in-a-row at the Kohl Center." Glorious, no doubt. But doesn't it seem like this is the first week with several early "must-see" games? And if so, isn't it a little late? Maybe the answer is no, and because I have been so desperately trying to get back into my CSG realm that I'm getting a little overanxious. I mean I know that February is "Showdown Month." (For the record, I just invented that saying and I think it's f'ing unbelievable.) But where has the SEC been? Does the Big Ten exist? Maybe I should just relack. Games will come, right?

Or maybe, (you didn't think I was going to settle on relacking, did you?), the heavyweights in the major conferences are so damn heavy that an in-conference #1 vs #4 matchup doesn't warrant a lot of noise. Or maybe the mid-tier competition within the conferences is a little lighter than most folks initially had expected. Or maybe some of the conferences are just plain weaker than normal. Honestly, I think it is a weird-ass combination of all three.

Go with me on this…I know we're only a third of the way through the conference schedules…but, we're a third of the way through conference schedules. Understand? Let me translate - there's clearly plenty of games left to be played, but enough games have been played to start to form some opinions.

For example, take a gander at the Big 12 this year. Name every team in the Big 12 worth a damn. Answer? Kansas, OSU, Texas and the surprising Sooners. Four very legit squads, right? So what? So what is where the hell is the rest of the Big 12? Where is Texas Tech or Missouri or Iowa State? The Big 12 normally has 6-7 kickass teams. OK, so not 6-7 Final Four contenders, but 6-7 teams that would give most squads across the country a tough game. In other words, 6-7 tournament teams in the Top 40 or so. Not this year. The Big 12 is currently sitting at four. Time for someone else to step up. Texas A&M, can you hear me?

Worse things can be said about the SEC and the Big Ten. Kentucky and Illinois are money. Wisconsin, Michigan State and Alabama are legitimate. (For the record, 'legitimate' is lower on the totem pole that 'legit' in my vocab.) Mississippi State might be ranked but I'm not buying them. They're average. Florida? Please. Iowa? Try again. Indiana? On the right track, if they kill their coach. So, woop-dee-doo. 3 teams worth a damn from the Big Ten and 2 from the SEC. 2 from the SEC? Do you have any idea how pathetic that is? Where is LSU, Arkansas, and Georgia? Hell, at this rate, where are my currently underachieving boys from Vanderbilt? I've never seen the SEC like this. Not a good thing. In fact, a serious lack of happiness pie.

Conference USA? Don't make me laugh. Can anyone actually name the 14 "teams" in C-USA? No, and why would they want to. Louisville and Cincinnati. Period. Marquette, Memphis, Charlotte? The joke store. (DePaul? Check me in 3 weeks. They might be on to something.)

The only two conferences showing some signs of competitive range from top to bottom is the ACC and Big East. Don't believe me? Of the games on the list above, which ones would you watch? Yep, that's what I thought. The ACC and Big East games. Why? Because they involve teams jockeying for early spots in ultra-competitive conferences where there are no easy outs. The same can't be said for the other majors yet.

(If I could write the "sound of nausea" I would right now. Why? Because I'm about to sit down for the Irish at Villanova game. If the above made little to no sense, now you understand why.)

10:00PM

Notre Dame (60) at Villanova (65) - I'm drained. Absolutely f'ing exhausted. And I didn't even watch the second half. Couldn't bear it. Watched Iowa State at Kansas State. It was the most remote "place" I could go. Being down 7 at the half was entirely too much for me to bear. Guess what? I love remote places in Manhattan, KS. The Cats win. I don't know how. I don't care how.

Best quote of the night…"I abhor Notre Dame. I can't believe we are down 7 to those f'ing unholy Kelts." Yep, my Dad was feeling pretty much the same way I was at halftime.

Quicks from the week thus far…

Syracuse at Rutgers - Never F with the RAC…unless you are the 'Cuse and you decide to press in the second half after spotting the Scarlet Knights an 18-point lead. Apparently that's the key to success at the UoNJ.

Oklahoma State at Oklahoma - The clarity I was looking for in this game never came. However, I was able to confirm that the Big 12 still plays the roughest brand of ball in the country bar none. And Kelvin Sampson's kids are pretty good. And Drew Lavender might be 5'7" but he plays like a giant. He's awesome.

Illinois at Wisconsin - Respect. Period. For both teams on both sides of the ball.

Xavier at GW - If I had said to you, at the turn of the New Year, that the best team in DC at the end of January would be Georgetown, not GW, would you have believed me? Me neither.

BC (78) at Providence (75) - BC finds ways to win. It's that simple.

Vanderbilt (63) at South Carolina (68) - Vandy finds ways to lose. It's that simple. Back to back losses to Georgia and South Carolina. F'ing awesome. Makes me so proud.

Iowa (74) at Northwestern (75) - And I was thinking about betting on Iowa in this one. Even I don't believe my own theories. Maybe I should start.

Clemson (65) at Miami (69) - For all of you ACC lovers, does it bother you that the Canes, who were a doormat in the Big East, moved to the ACC this year and are happily sitting in 4th place?

I'm watching the end of the Maryland at Duke game. Gary Williams just dropped 12 F-bombs on a ref in the span of 3 seconds. It was beautiful. I don't want to say I told you so, but Duke just played someone good and lost. And Gary Williams' kids, after getting curbed by the DTA last Sunday in College Park, have rebounded. For the Maryland lovers who inherently hate their team after a few losses but will woof like crazy after this win…shut the F up. Your team is good. Act like it.