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Dr. Bo Notebook

ACC basketball sagging, Rick Pitino soaring

  • Updated
  • 5 min to read
Rick Bozich

Rick Bozich unwrapped his notebook from today's sports developments.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It’s only 101 days until Selection Sunday for the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. What’s the outlook for your favorite conference?

If you’re a fan of the Atlantic Coast Conference, it’s cloudy with a taste of question marks after the ACC lost its annual challenge with the Big Ten for the third consecutive season.

This time, the 14-game showdown fell Big Ten 8, ACC 6. We’re barely more than three weeks into the season, and the ACC has no unbeaten teams and just one (Duke) ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

Sounds like the perfect time for Dr. Bo’s college basketball notebook.

1. ACC Outlook

Joe Lunardi’s latest projected NCAA Tournament bracket at ESPN.com included only four teams from the ACC in the 68-team field: Duke (1-seed); Florida State (6-seed) Virginia Tech (8-seed) and North Carolina (9-seed). Louisville was the first team Lunardi left out of his bracket.

The middle of the ACC looks like a mosh pit. Louisville should be in the middle of it.

Yes, the Cards lost to Furman and Michigan State. Ken Pomeroy’s computer formula Louisville the fifth-best team in the ACC. The Cards are fourth (behind Duke, Virginia Tech and Florida State) with Bart Torvik. And Louisville sits fifth in the league with Sagarin.

With Virginia, Syracuse, Notre Dame and four other ACC teams already carrying three or more defeats, opportunity should abound for Louisville to get well this winter.

2. The Penny Hardaway Experiment

Over the last three-plus seasons, Penny Hardaway and Memphis have stockpiled the level of talent usually reserved for Duke, Kentucky or Kansas: five five-stars and eight four-stars.

The Tigers have won plenty of games in the National Invitation Tournament, including the title last season. But they’ve yet to make the NCAA Tournament.

This season, Memphis raced to five straight wins, including a solid performance against Virginia Tech. But ... the last two games have already ignited questions about the Tigers’ ability to make the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

They’ve lost a neutral site game to Iowa State as well as a road game to Georgia on Wednesday night. The Cyclones (Big 12) and Bulldogs (Southeastern) were picked to finish last in their leagues by many observers. The Georgia victory was No. 400 for former Indiana coach Tom Crean.

What’s the issue?

Certainly, Memphis is young. Two top players — Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates — skipped their final seasons of high school to play for Penny and his top assistants, Hall of Famer Larry Brown and former NBA star Rasheed Wallace.

But Memphis has turned the ball over on more than a quarter of its possessions, which ranks No. 349 in Division I hoops. Penny does not have a point guard who can play the position the way Penny played it.

The Tigers play their next four games against Ole Miss, Murray State, Alabama and Tennessee. One or two more losses seem likely.

3. Repeat That Score

The Academy of Art Urban Knights are a Division II program based in San Francisco. They play their home games at Kezar Pavilion, which once was the home of the San Francisco Bay Bombers in the Roller Derby League.

I mention Academy of Art today because last Sunday AOA defeated UC-Davis, 79-60. Follow along.

UC-Davis defeated Utah State, 72-69.

Utah State defeated Oklahoma, 73-70.

Oklahoma dispatched Florida, 74-67.

Florida beat Ohio State, 71-68.

Ohio State beat Duke, 71-66.

And Duke beat mighty Gonzaga, 84-81.

Take a bow, Academy of Art. And print some T-shirts.

4. Can U of L, IU benefit from the North Carolina State-Nebraska struggle?

Remarkable game Wednesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. N.C. State and Nebraska needed 60 minutes — four overtimes — to settle things with a 104-100 Wolfpack victory.

North Carolina State won even though it missed 28 of 34 three-point field goal attempts. Wolfpack forward Dereon Seabron had 39 points and 18 rebounds in 57 minutes. The Wolfpack had 20 turnovers and only nine assists.

Nebraska also had more turnovers (18) than assists (12). Cornhuskers stud Bryce McGowens played 58 minutes without recording an assist or a turnover or a steal. Draw your own conclusions.

Here is the local angle. The Wolfpack are Louisville’s next opponent, Saturday at 2 p.m. in Raleigh. Indiana gets Nebraska at noon Saturday in Bloomington. Tired legs could be in the forecast.

5. Here Comes Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino and Iona have won 7 of their first 9 games this season. Iona Basketball Photo.

As long as he coaches, Rick Pitino, 69, will be a go-to basketball topic in the area and beyond. To the nobody’s surprise, Pitino’s second Iona team already looks miles ahead of his first.

Last season, Pitino’s squad won six of its first nine games, pushing from No. 262 to No. 213 in Ken Pomeroy’s computer power formula. The Gaels’ best win came against Hofstra, which was ranked No. 190.

This season, Pitino’s team has won seven of its first nine, climbing from 162 to 123 in Pomeroy. The Gaels have beaten five teams ranked No. 170 or higher, including No. 12 Alabama.

Pitino’s team is ranked ahead of a half dozen teams from the Power 5 leagues: California, Missouri, Boston College, Washington, Georgia and Pittsburgh.

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