http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3094969&sportCat=ncb

 

Really interesting read...

 

Five Sleepers (5)

Teams that will be better than you think:

1. Florida

2. Oregon

3. Purdue

4. Western Kentucky

5. Virginia Commonwealth

 

Five Stellar Sophomores (14)

The talent from the recruiting class of 2006 didn't all go pro with Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Sophomores we'll be talking about this season:

1. Stephen Curry, Davidson

2. Jodie Meeks, Kentucky

3. Earl Clark, Louisville

4. Chase Budinger, Arizona

5. Raymar Morgan, Michigan State

 

Five Up-and-Down Guys With a Lot In Their Hands (18)

1. Edgar Sosa, Louisville: Showed how talented he was by tearing up Acie Law IV for 32 points in the NCAAs last March. Showed how mentally frail he is by blowing the game in the final seconds. His maturation process could be the difference between Final Four or bust for the Cardinals.

 

Five Must-See Nonconference Rivalry Games (21)

1. Louisville at Kentucky (Jan. 5, CBS): No single game has more fan emotion invested in it than this one. Every year. And now Billy Gillispie arrives to spice things up anew.

 

Five best sights in Rupp Arena (32)

1. Ashley Judd in blue

2. Ashley Judd in white

3. Ashley Judd in gray

4. Ashley Judd with toboggan

5. Ashley Judd without toboggan

 

Five Best General Fan Bases (38)

1. Indiana

2. Kentucky

3. Louisville

4. North Carolina

5. Illinois

Notice that he subtly picked UK to finish 3rd (or worse) in the SEC East. I'm not saying he is wrong, but that is counter to what most experts are predicting.

 

Darrin Horn needs to win this year at WKU.

 

Courtney Lee may be the best player no one has ever heard of.

He forgot to mention X in the Final Four... :lol: :jump:

He forgot to mention X in the Final Four... :lol: :jump:

 

I said by 2009. I get it GT, you disagree.

I'm biased, of course, but what makes IU's fan base better than UK's?

I'm biased, of course, but what makes IU's fan base better than UK's?

I don't even know that I agree with that.

 

I guess it depends on what "better" means, and even then I have no idea.

How could you leave this one out?

 

3 of these 5 are from our "area"...

 

Five from the Sticks (11)

The All-Small Team -- five guys who grew up in small towns but have made it big:

1. A.J. Graves, Butler -- hometown: Switz City, Ind.

2. Chris Lofton, Tennessee -- hometown: Maysville, Ky.

3. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina -- Hometown: Poplar Bluff, Mo.

4. O.J. Mayo, USC -- hometown: Huntington, W.Va.

5. Bill Walker, Kansas State -- hometown: Huntington, W.Va.

Five New Coaches in Good Spots (25)

4. Tubby Smith, Minnesota: Fresh start he needed, at a place that appreciates him.

...

Five Coaches Allergic To Neckties (30)

1. Bob Huggins, West Virginia

...

Five Coaches Who Stayed in Great Spots (27)

1. Billy Donovan, Florida: Not at Kentucky. Not in NBA. Smart man.

 

 

Five best gyms -- Old School Edition (33)

1. Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler

2. Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke

3. Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas

4. Assembly Hall, Indiana

5. Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State

 

 

Five Best Gyms -- New School Edition (34)

1. Mizzou Arena, Missouri

2. Breslin Center, Michigan State

3. Galen Center, Southern California

4. Qwest Center, Creighton

5. The Shoemaker Center, Cincinnati:confused::confused::confused:

5. The Shoemaker Center, Cincinnati:confused::confused::confused:

 

I was shaking my head at that one as well...

How could you leave this one out?

 

3 of these 5 are from our "area"...

 

Five from the Sticks (11)

The All-Small Team -- five guys who grew up in small towns but have made it big:

1. A.J. Graves, Butler -- hometown: Switz City, Ind.

2. Chris Lofton, Tennessee -- hometown: Maysville, Ky.

3. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina -- Hometown: Poplar Bluff, Mo.

4. O.J. Mayo, USC -- hometown: Huntington, W.Va.

5. Bill Walker, Kansas State -- hometown: Huntington, W.Va.

 

It may not be a metropolis, but I wouldn't exactly consider Huntington a small town. Especially when lumped together with Switz City, which makes French Lick look huge.

Five Up-and-Down Guys With a Lot In Their Hands (18)

1. Edgar Sosa, Louisville: Showed how talented he was by tearing up Acie Law IV for 32 points in the NCAAs last March. Showed how mentally frail he is by blowing the game in the final seconds. His maturation process could be the difference between Final Four or bust for the Cardinals.

 

It blows my mind that people have that opinion of him from that game...Should he have taken that shot at the end? Maybe not....But he CARRIED UL that game, and had it not been for his performance that night, there wouldn't have even been an opportunity for a last second shot.

It blows my mind that people have that opinion of him from that game...Should he have taken that shot at the end? Maybe not....But he CARRIED UL that game, and had it not been for his performance that night, there wouldn't have even been an opportunity for a last second shot.

 

It's not how you start. It's how you finish.

It's not how you start. It's how you finish.

 

One bad shot is not the reason UL lost that game....Without Sosa, that game would have been ugly, simple as that.

One bad shot is not the reason UL lost that game....Without Sosa, that game would have been ugly, simple as that.

 

Thats not what people will remember bottom line. I know he had a great game but he didn't get it done when it mattered the most. I am very interested to see how he does this year.