It’s still a month away, but when the madness starts in March, the following teams and players will wish the NCAA had already decided on expansion:
North Carolina (13-10, 2-6 ACC) » The fall from a national title has been so steep that the Tar Heels probably wouldn’t make the NCAAs this year even if the tournament had 96 teams. Their best players are still in high school. So there will be no misty-eyed conversations this March with head coach Roy Williams, and no complaints about how they always seem to get a homecourt advantage in Raleigh or Greensboro. Instead, they’ll likely be in Chapel Hill for their NIT opener.
Connecticut (14-9, 4-6 Big East) » This week will be brutal for the Huskies (at Syracuse, home vs. Cincinnati, at Villanova). But despite Stanley Robinson headlining a roster that includes three potential NBA draft picks next year — to say nothing of freshman Alex Oriakhi — Jim Calhoun is chasing Roy Williams back to square one.
Any Pac-10 at-large bid » If there were a BCS in college basketball, this conference would be kicked out.
Luke Harangody, F, Notre Dame, Sr. » One off the most productive collegiate players in the country the last three seasons, Harangody still hasn’t been able to lift the Fighting Irish (17-7, 6-5 Big East) beyond “tough to beat at home,” and his NCAA prospects are equal to his NBA prospects: grim.
Lance Stephenson, G, Cincinnati, Fr. » Speaking of the Bearcats (14-9, 5-6), if their New York City prodigy has lived up to anything, it’s that he would be a challenge to manage and have an up and down freshman season. We can’t help but wonder if his professional career will be the same way.
Willie Warren, G, Oklahoma, Soph. » He was supposed to emerge out from under the shadow of Blake Griffin this season, but with the Sooners (13-9, 4-4 Big 12) struggling, Warren was barely mentioned until he hurt his ankle last month. In a deep Big 12, Oklahoma is having trouble treading water.
