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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 56
Wednesday, March 6, 2002
By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist |
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C-USA's Dance Invitations Hinge on
Outcomes in Cincy
�2002 Bonesville.net
Memphis, Charlotte, Louisville
Must Avoid Early Tourney Exits
The final week of the regular season did little to clear up Conference
USA's post-season picture. Instead, it managed to complicate things further.
Thanks to a handful of unlikely outcomes, we must now await the final
whistle of the C-USA tournament title game to get an idea of which league
members will reserve spots in the Big Dance, and where they might be seeded.
Cincinnati and Marquette are the only sure bets as of now, even though
their placement remains in question. Both suffered damaging road losses last
week, which perhaps only a tournament title can salvage.
The Bearcats entered last week a sure-fire NCAA top seed with an
hard-to-ignore 26-2 record and a number four national ranking. A loss to
Louisville, however, means UC may need to run the table to secure that final
top seed, with Kansas, Maryland, and Duke all virtual locks for the other
three.
Marquette, which at one point reeled off 12 consecutive victories,
entertained thoughts of landing a regional number two seed. But successive
road losses to Cincinnati and East Carolina have since changed those plans,
as the Golden Eagles are hovering over a fourth or fifth seed with a 26 RPI.
History suggests the selection committee is generous to those with strong
finishes. With two losses in their final three games, Marquette needs a
strong showing this week to collect a favorable NCAA matchup.
Memphis could have given its tournament appeal a big boost with a victory
over Cincinnati on Sunday. The Tigers were in control most of the way and
led by two with seven seconds remaining. But a calm, composed Steve Logan
patiently pushed the ball up the floor and into the hoop to extend the game
by five minutes.
That was just enough time for UC to claim its 7th-straight regular season
title. And it was more than enough to keep Memphis on the bubble.
It would seem that 22 wins is enough to send John Calipari's Tiger team
dancing, but a suspect schedule and few quality wins severely tarnish the
Memphis image � and could be the difference between dancing and singing the
blues.
Joining Memphis on the bubble are Charlotte and Louisville, both of which
are marginal candidates for different reasons.
Charlotte, on the one hand, went from a certainty to a question mark,
thanks to a late-season slide. True, the 49ers boast a good enough RPI, but
with just three wins in their last seven games, it would be tough to
consider them if they make an early exit from the tourney.
Resurgent Louisville, on the other hand, is happy to be in the bubble
picture. The Cardinals were ready to punch their NIT ticket last month, but
Rick Pitino has the U of L flying high, with back-to-back victories over
Cincinnati and Charlotte. A couple of wins this week could significantly
enhance the Cards' chances, and the name Pitino adds clout to their cause.
But what if, say, one of the underdogs win? That would really throw a
wild-card ingredient into the selection committee's mixing bowl.
South Florida, for one, has the talent to make a championship run. The
underachieving Bulls were etched in plenty of brackets before the season
began, and with two All-C-USA performers, they have the personnel to get
there.
Such a scenario would almost assuredly spell doom for Memphis, Charlotte
or Louisville, or any combination thereof. Any way you slice it, there's no
way this league gets five bids.
And when all is said and done, it may not get four.
Confident Pirates Ready for 'Big-Time Feel'
The big question for Bill Herrion entering the season was whether or not
his team could compete in C-USA. With five league wins and a conference
tournament berth, the Pirates' third-year head coach got a favorable answer,
proving the doubters wrong.
Including himself.
"When people found out we were coming into this league, nobody thought we
had a chance of winning a game, or being able to compete," Herrion said.
"Even I wasn't sure.
"I don't think anybody knew what to expect when we started this season.
We've competed well, and we've won five basketball games. I think the game
that really showed we could compete was that first conference game against
Cincinnati."
Playing without starting power forward Gabriel Mikulas, the Pirates stood
toe-to-toe in that January battle with the long-time league bullies, leading
at one point in the first half by double digits. Eventually, the Bearcats
clawed past the Pirates in snow-covered Greenville, but couldn't breathe
easy until the final buzzer.
That game set the tone for several close calls by the Pirates, before
finally claiming that historic first conference win over Louisville in
Minges, which culminated with a court-rushing celebration by the students.
East Carolina would get a similar climactic ending when it topped
ninth-ranked Marquette in a game that clinched a trip to Cincinnati, the
Pirates' preeminent objective in their initial season of C-USA play.
"I think this is a great first step for us in this conference this year,"
Herrion said. "The opportunity to play in a post-season tournament for our
kids and this program is great.
"You can't put a price tag on what it means to give these kids,
especially the younger kids � the opportunity to experience the big-time
feel we'll have in Cincinnati. Our goal at the beginning of the year was to
get into the conference tournament. Now, our goals are re-adjusted. Now, our
goal is to get to the NCAA tournament, and we know that we are going to have
to win four basketball games to do that."
Though improbable, such a feat is by no means impossible. As a ninth
seed, Saint Louis reeled off four-consecutive victories at the 2000
tournament in Memphis, including a ten-point victory over top-seeded
Cincinnati in the second round.
Considering the Pirates' level of play over the last couple of weeks,
who's to say they can't pull off a shocker or two, maybe even three.
"We're playing pretty well right now," Herrion said. "We're 5-4 in our
last nine games, and our kids are playing with confidence.
"I think these guys are feeling really good about themselves right now. I
really like the look. I really think they believe they can compete against
and beat people in this league."
Does Familiarity Breed Success?
The Pirates should feel plenty confident about their first round game, a
matchup against a Houston team they defeated handily less than two weeks ago
in Greenville. Going into that game, East Carolina was licking its wounds
from a 33-point loss at Louisville, and was in dire need of a victory to
rekindle aspirations of a C-USA tournament berth.
Herrion said Monday he could sense the urgency on the court.
"When we prepared to play Houston about two weeks ago in Greenville, I
think we were kinda desperate," Herrion said. "We were battling DePaul and
Southern Miss for that last spot in the tournament. I think our kids were
playing with a lot of desperation.
"When Houston came in here, they were probably one of the hottest teams
in the league. We were very concerned with their frontcourt. Every tape that
we watched in preparing for our game against them, they were really, really
hurting people inside. We are very, very young in the frontcourt, so we were
very concerned physically inside."
To combat the stout frontcourt of George Williams, Patrick Okafor and
Luis Truscott, Herrion deployed an active 2-3 zone, hoping to limit the
Cougars' opportunities on the glass. The strategy worked, as the Pirates
held a nine-board advantage in a 17-point victory.
Herrion hopes that same defensive alignment can again neutralize the
stronger Cougar big men. For the Pirates to be successful, though, Herrion
knows they'll need to be mindful of guard Dominic Smith's whereabouts,
especially from behind the arc.
"Dominic Smith is a very talented offensive basketball player," he said.
"He was a real key to their team coming into that game. He can really score,
and scores a lot of different ways. He's a guy that we're going to have to
really control and contain."
That could be the difference between a quick return to Greenville and an
extended stay in Cincinnati.
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02/23/2007 01:46:14 AM
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