Home court not such a big advantage so far in the Big East
There's nothing like the home court advantage in college basketball, unless you play in the Big East. Of 33 games to date, the visitors have won 19 (.576), the 19th time being Pitt's victory over Villanova on Wednesday night at the Pavilion. Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin, whose team is 3-0 on the road, said the fact that six teams play home games off campus in large arenas waters down the home edge, and that the league's veteran officials aren't influenced by the partisan crowds.
There's nothing like the home court advantage in college basketball, unless you play in the Big East.
Of 33 games to date, the visitors have won 19 (.576), the 19th time being Pitt's victory over Villanova on Wednesday night at the Pavilion. Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin, whose team is 3-0 on the road, said the fact that six teams play home games off campus in large arenas waters down the home edge, and that the league's veteran officials aren't influenced by the partisan crowds.
"There will be ebbs and flows to that," Cronin said. "There's a lot of parity in our conference. But I really couldn't put my finger on" the reason.
Come out fighting
The strangest event in college basketball this week came at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College, Pa., where Michigan State roommates Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson threw punches during an argument and damaged a wall.
Spartans coach Tom Izzo sat both for the first half, and Payne scored 20 points in the second in the win over Penn State.
Izzo scowled when it was suggested that Payne needed an episode like this to get him going.
"If he thinks I'm going to pat him on the back because he's got to do something stupid . . . to get motivated, I don't want a motivated player," he said.
Police investigated but did not file charges.
Brotherly basketball love
Syracuse and Pittsburgh are leaving the Big East after this season and heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference, but that doesn't mean their coaches want to stop playing in the Philadelphia area.
Why would they? The Orange's Jim Boeheim (with Rick Jackson, Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters) and the Panthers' Jamie Dixon (Brad Wanamaker, Nasir Robinson) have recruited some terrific players locally.
Both coaches have suggested playing here in the future, if not against Villanova then another City Six team.
"I think that's something we'll be looking into," Dixon said. "There's no question there's value for us playing in Philadelphia."
Stealing thunder
When ESPN takes College GameDay to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday to feature mid-major darlings Butler and Gonzaga, the spotlight could be hogged by Zags 7-foot redshirt junior Kelly Olynyk, who is averaging 18.1 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting better than 66 percent from the field.
After limited playing time his first two seasons, Olynyk, who is from British Columbia, suggested sitting out because of the team's depth.
He has come back this season to lead Gonzaga to its best ever start as a Division I program.
The friendly skies
The move of West Virginia from the Big East to the Big 12 has meant a giant bump in travel. The team will fly 31,128 miles to get to road games. Four trips to Texas - Austin, Lubbock, Fort Worth, and Waco - will average a hefty 2,721 miles round trip.
The flight earlier this week to Ames, Iowa, wasn't as bad (1,740 miles round-trip) but the ride home must have seemed infinitely longer after the Mountaineers lost by two at Iowa State.
Anything going on?
Basketball at Notre Dame has taken a backseat to the uproar over Heisman Trophy runner-up Manti Te'o and the hoax regarding a girlfriend who never existed.
"It's a little mind-blowing for all of us," Fighting Irish coach Mike Brey said. "I have spent a little bit of time with him and have always been impressed with him as a stand-up, up front, what you see is what you get. I don't think our players or us have really been able to get our arms around it."
Sophomore center Rakeem Christmas, who played a season-high 33 minutes last Saturday against Villanova, leads Syracuse in blocked shots (2.2 average) and is second in rebounding (5.5 per game) while averaging 6.9 points. The 6-foot-11 Academy of the New Church graduate also leads the team in field-goal percentage at 57.3 percent.
Christmas needs to step up Saturday when the Orange meet 6-11 Gorgui Dieng and top-ranked Louisville.
The Real Top 10
1. Louisville 16-1
2. Duke 16-1
3. Michigan 17-1
4. Kansas 15-1
5. Syracuse 16-1
6. Indiana 15-2
7. Arizona 15-1
8. Gonzaga 17-1
9. Florida 13-2
10. Ohio State 13-3
- Joe Juliano
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Games of the Week
Top Choice
Syracuse at Louisville, Saturday at 4 p.m., ESPN: The top-ranked Cardinals and the No. 6 Orange engage in a heavyweight matchup of two teams with Final Four aspirations. Louisville's Russ Smith and Peyton Siva might be the nation's best backcourt combination, but they will have their hands full with Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche. Cardinals center Gorgui Dieng might be the difference.
Starting Five
Missouri at Florida, Saturday at 2 p.m., ESPN: In this duel of the SEC's only top-25 teams, dynamic point guard Phil Pressey of Missouri dribbles into a Gators defense that ranks first in the league in points allowed.
Gonzaga at Butler, Saturday at 9 p.m., ESPN: The battle of the Bulldogs, each of whom is ranked, loses a little luster if Butler's Rotnei Clarke can't go because of a neck injury.
Kansas at Kansas State, Tuesday at 8 p.m., no TV (ESPN3): The Jayhawks entered the weekend as the nation's No. 4 team, meaning Ben McLemore and friends will encounter an extremely raucous crowd in Manhattan.
Duke at Miami (Fla.), Wednesday at 7 p.m., ESPN: The Hurricanes are the only undefeated team in Atlantic Coast Conference play and want to prove to the Blue Devils they belong at the top of the league.
UCLA at Arizona, Thursday at 9 p.m., ESPN2: The Wildcats haven't exactly been impressive in their wins lately, and the Bruins, with freshman star Shabazz Muhammad, seem to be finding their stride.
- Joe Juliano
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