Busting Brackets CBB Town Square meeting while sitting at a Roundtable
By Joe Nardone
Program on the rise?
Dec 7, 2013; Des Moines, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Fred Hoiberg talks to guard Naz Long (15) during their game agains the Northern Iowa Panthers at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
JN: UConn. Not because they ever fell off, but because Kevin Ollie wouldn’t allow it — if that makes any sense. Ollie took over the program when it was supposedly on a decline because of Calhoun’s exit and postseason ban. Fast-forward to this very second and I don’t think anyone thinks any less of the program than it did four years ago. That, my friends, is winning. Oh, and Ollie sometimes rocks a neat mustache. So there is that. DePaul comes in at a close second because there is nowhere but up for them(obligatory shot at Blue Demons quota met).
BLW: Creighton. The Blue Jays have been hanging around the periphery for a few years. Doug McDermott will be leaving after this season, but the Blue Jays are about more than just McDermott. In the new Big East, the Blue Jays are positioned to really make a great leap forward in terms of prestige. Recruiting should be much easier now that they are consistently on national TV and get to play in the nation’s major metropolitan areas on a regular basis.
JM: I don’t want to snub SMU here, but Larry Brown has already surpassed the over in how long people expected him to be with this program, I don’t know how much longer he’ll be there so I don’t know how much longer they’ll continue their progress towards becoming a legitimate basketball program again. However, The Mayor Fred Hoiberg has built something special at Iowa State, and this may be the first year that they’re a serious contender for not just the Big 12 title, but a deep run in March. The recent three game skid aside, Iowa State has one of the best players in the nation in senior point guard DeAndre Kane, they run arguably the most efficient offense in the country, and they rebound with the best teams in the country. I obviously don’t need to tell you to watch out for a top 10 team in the country, but watch out for these guys over the next couple of months, and years.