Must Be Calhoun

I don't know if Jim Calhoun has a vote in the coaches poll, and I don't know if some sycophantic UConn or Oklahoma beat writers have votes in the AP Poll, but how on EARTH is Pitt not a unanimous number one in either set of rankings? Inexplicable. Oklahoma getting two votes I can almost live with. Yes, they lost, but their best player, who also happens to be the best player in the country only played 11 minutes and they had a chance to tie in the closing seconds. I don't agree with that, but I can live with that.

But UConn? UConn? Sorry, Jerome Dyson isn't a miracle worker. His loss hurt the Huskies, but I think everyone still believes they're a title contender without him. The manner in which Pitt won (dominate inside early, weather a Connecticut run, finish strong) dictates that they should be a unanimous number 1. I want to meet the coach and voter who had the Huskies at the top, because they both need a violent, remorseless beating. Oh, and I hope the coach is Calhoun. I'd beat his hard-talking, bitch-ass, wah wah wah ass all the way down the Mass Pike.

This is the Sound of Me Smirking

I remember reading ESPN's college basketball preview edition and chuckling to myself about Hasheem Thabeet's quotes regarding other outstanding big men in college basketball, specifically Tyler Hansbrough and Luke Harangody. The quotes were brash, brazen, and mainly disrespectful to the reigning National and Big East POY's. Funny thing was, I agreed with some of it. Hansbrough is perpetually overrated, despite what Dick Vitale wants to tell you. Harangody will get his 27 and 12, except it'll take him 26 shot attempts to get there. In a lot of ways, he's like a white, tall, lurpy Allen Iverson. So Thabeet was probably right to go after those guys. He didn't, however, have anything to say about DeJuan Blair. Probably because he didn't know who he was. Jim Calhoun is notorious for bad-mouthing Pitt, even as they beat his team, so it wouldn't be surprising if the same dismissive attitude permeated his players.

It's safe to say that if Thabeet had dissed Blair in print, DeJuan would have gone for about 45-40 last night. If Thabeet was the clear choice for Big East POY before last night, doesn't Blair have to now be in the driver's seat if he simply reaches his averages each game the rest of the year? I can't honestly think of a bigger statement game by a college player this year. Yeah, Blake Griffin goes nuts nightly, but he's playing JV teams compared to the minefield that is the Big East. Jodie Meeks has scored approximately 378 points five separate times, but again, the SEC has all of one ranked team, and it ain't Meeks' Kentucky Wildcats.

So let's assume Blair finishes strong and wins the award like he should. Can we also safely assume that if the man stays out of foul trouble in the post-season that Pitt will at least make the Final Four? I think we can. He's that good--good enough that I hope he doesn't leave for the NBA after this year. You can bet the scouts were drooling over him last night in spite of the fact that he's maybe 6'6 1/2", tops.

This post is nothing more than a rambling expression of my growing man-crush on Blair. I was going to try and write some big-time, shit-talking missive about how Pitt rulz and all that, but then I realized that they'll get a chance to prove it all over again on March 7. Keep Carolina/Duke, Dickie V, I'll take this shit any day of the week.