Championship Week Roundtable

Why is John Wall so excited? The RSS Roundtable is back! All of us take our combined powers to discuss the college basketball season and Championship Week. With the NCAA Tourney rapidly approaching, our CBB coverage will intensify as well. Who are the players to watch, the biggest surprises and disappointments of the year, and the major stories as we get ready to go dancing!

Who's the Player of the Year?

Y1: This is a 2 man battle between John Wall and Evan Turner, nobody else comes close. My pick is Turner because he has far less talent around him. Heck, even Jon Diebler is a consistent contributor. Evan Turner, a junior, is a perfect example of someone staying in school to perfect his game - and it has showed this year.

Y2: I'll take the other side and say the POY is John Wall of Kentucky. Clearly, in this age of college bball, it's not shocking to bestow such an award on a freshman. And, although DeMarcus Cousins is just as important to Kentucky's success (15 PPG, 10 RPG), no player has had the impact that Wall has had since the start of the season.

BY: Turner, hands down. Yes, Kentucky is the higher profile team this year and gets all the accolades and Sportscenter time but Turner is doing more with less, as Y1 stated above. I tend to not focus too much on college basketball but seeing the lines everynight regarding Turner's game it is evident to me that he is the POY.

From his game-winning plays, to the way he dominates from the PG position (16 PPG, 6 APG, 4 RPG, 2 Steals/Game) Wall has to be POY because he has lifted Kentucky back to where they belong among the national elite.

Averaging 19/9/6 while filling a huge need at point for Ohio St. shows that Turner means more to his team than any other player in the country. His game isn't invincible (4 TO pg and 28% 3PT shooting), but he's #1 in the Big 10 in PPG, RPG and #2 in APG. He's been the man this year in the Big 10 and the country.

What has been the biggest surprise of the season?

You don't have to look outside the Top 3 to see the biggest surprise is clearly Syracuse. They lost 3 of their best players off of last year's team (Flynn, Harris, Devendorf), and yet are even better than last year. Their defense is much improved, Wes Johnson has raised his game after transferring in, Andy Rautins and Scoop Jardine have blossomed in the backcourt, and they have underrated big men in Jackson and Onuaku. They have to be one of the favorites to win it all.

I tell it like it is, and without a true feel-good story, the biggest surprise is the fall this season of the ACC much to Dukie V's chagrin. Once a powerhouse conference, they have hit hard times. Duke is talked about being a #1 seed but when you look at who they have beaten in their conference it is less than stellar. UNC being down this year has really hurt the ACC and I think that if Duke gets in as a #1 seed they will be the first to exit.

Look at the current Top 10. Who's the one team that doesn't belong? New Mexico of course! They played 6 Top 25 teams and beat them all. Granted, BYU was the strongest of those, but they deserve a 2/3 seed if they can win the Mountain West tourney. Steve Alford's club is deep (4 players in double figures) and have an elite player in Darington Hobson - they are the real deal, especially in a year with a relatively weak upper echelon.

Ok, time to get negative... biggest disappointment

BY: The whole season? Can I say that? You look at the revolving door of teams who have sat atop the rankings this season. Texas once was, now they have fallen into some pit and it seems to be the kiss of death to be ranked #1. There has not been as much flair this season and the talk of expanding the field has made me annoyed. The whole 2009-2010 season has been a disappointment.

UNC by a mile. They're the defending champs! As a lifelong Missouri fan, nothing makes me happier then seeing Roy Williams fail, and fail he has! By the way, comparing UNC's season to the Haiti earthquake might be the underdog candidate for D'Oh Soundbyte of the year - although the media did a good job of protecting Roy Williams and not making it a story.

By far the biggest disappointment has been Texas. For a team that was ranked #1 overall just over a month ago, they've fallen completely off the face of the Earth. They're 6-8 in their last 14 games since starting the season 17-0 falling from a top seed to probably a 6 or 7.

At 16-15, UNC will miss the tourney unless it pulls off an ACC Tourney upset. These days, big programs like UNC are supposed to reload and not rebuild. There are plenty of worthy candidates, but UNC is the biggest disappointment by far.

UNC is a solid choice, but Texas was #1 well into the season. After the first few weeks, we knew UNC would struggle. Even their strong strength of schedule can't help Texas' seeding, unless they make a big run in the Big XII tourney. For a team with so much talent, they've really fallen off the tracks.

And doesn't that make the whole season a disappointment. The fact that there are so many candidates for the falling off the face of the earth award. We haven't even mentioned UCLA, Arizona, or UConn. The 09-10 campaign won't go down in the annals of great college seasons anytime soon.

Who are your #1 seeds?

Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Ohio St.

Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, then either Duke, Ohio State, or Kansas State, whoever goes furthest in their tournament.

Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke will get the 4th, but that doesn't mean they deserve it.

Which major conference tourney are you looking forward to the most?

The Big East is the easy answer, but outside of that, it's actually the SEC tournament. I want to see how Calipari's youngsters handle postseason play in their first chance. Can the freshmen handle the different level of play in the tourneys? Vandy and Tennessee are two dark horses to make long NCAA runs, and there are many teams that need a big push to make the big dance. Ole Miss, Miss St, and Florida all need deep SEC runs to seal their spot.

The Big East is the easy answer because it's the correct answer! Everything you look for in compelling basketball is there. Look at the history, the great games that are remembered for years (Ray Allen vs. Allen Iverson, the Brandin Knight game, UConn/Syr last year). The setting is only the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden. And finally, it's the best conference in the country from top to bottom. What more could you ask for?

Big Ten: I am a homer, being an OSU fan I like to watch Big Ten bball. As my colleagues have said above they like the Big East, partly because it is the sexy pick this season and the deepest. However, Ohio State can win the Big Ten and set themselves up for a #2/#1 seed and will cause some damage in the tournament. No matter what the critics say, I like Big Ten ball, baby!!

Who has the most to gain/lose in the upcoming week?

I'd say the entity with the most to gain or lose isn't just a single team, but an entire conference, the Atlantic 10. The A10 used to be considered among one of the strongest basketball leagues in the country, but is now an afterthought. But, they have an extremely deep conference this season and have moved their title game to Selection Sunday. If teams back in the pack like Dayton, Rhode Island, or Saint Louis make runs, the A10 could get as many as 4 or 5 bids, which would be a big accomplishment.

Duke. Will they continue to be the big fish in the small pond that is the ACC and get themselves a #1 seed or will they show their true colors and go down in the blaze of glory in the tournament? Duke better hope for the #1 seed to ease their road to the title, otherwise they are up poo creek without a paddle.

Here I'll look to the bubble teams of the Big East and the Pac 10. Already a USF loss has them most likely out and tonight Seton Hall and Notre Dame play a win or go home game. Then, in the Pac 10, no team is safe for an at-large bid. That will have the true Championship Week pressure of having to win to get in.

What's the defining story of the season so far?

BY: Expansion. They will turn this into the CFB bowl season which is an unwatchable sham for the first 3/4 of the games. Basketball will turn out the same if this is allowed and March Madness will never be the same.

The defining story of this season will be the growing steam behind expansion of the NCAA tournament in the face of the weakest field of 65 in history. College basketball thrives when their are many great teams going in to the Big Dance.

OK, how about a less gloomy picture guys. The likely PoY coming out of nowhere leading an unlikely Ohio St. team to a Big 10 title and a possible #1 seed. That's good enough, but oh yea, Evan Turner also broke his back earlier this season! Breaking your back and winning player of the year in the same season might be one of the most unique accomplishments in NCAA history.

As a Buckeye grad student, Evan Turner has been perhaps the highlight of the season. Nevertheless, this year maybe only 3 or 4 teams look like they have what it takes to cut down the nets. And expanding the field to 96 purely for monetary reasons would only make matters worse. Hopefully we don't remember the turn of the decade as a turn for the worse for college basketball.

Finally, is it just me, or has this been a lackluster college basketball season? This has been one of the most uninspiring, forgettable seasons in recent memory. Has there been one memorable game this season? It's ok, I'll wait.

I totally agree, this season has been totally uninspiring. Although John Wall and Evan Turner are great stories, they don't have the charisma or backing from ESPN to be national stars.

I honestly haven't watched one entire game this year. There is no elite team and there is just nothing there to watch. I could watch John Wall but he won't make it past this season in the college game.

I think this season is a culmination of the one-and-done rule that has completely robbed college basketball of any developed, identifiable stars. If the rule isn't changed, we'll continue to see this drab, almost meaningless regular season basketball leading to a watered-down tournament. Either get rid of the rule, or make it 3 years like the NFL, $h*t, or get off the pot.

How many teams can legitimately win the tourney? Maybe 8? 10 tops? The quality of play is down this year all over the board. Look at the Pac 10, which might field 2 teams in the NCAA tournament, I might have my dog fill out my bracket.

The elite teams aren't unbeatable, and at the same time the depth of the Top 25 isn't there either.Sports has become so football-centric that sports with longer regular seasons suffer. With Championship Week and the NCAA Tournament, the regular season is just plain insignificant.