Friday, September 10, 2004
channel surfing
At long last, Gregg Doyel is up with 25 games he can't wait to see. Surprisingly, there is little overlap between his selections and my 90 games of must-see TV. Pourquoi?Parce que Doyel focuses not on games between elite programs, but on duels between premier, rival or associated coaches, players or recruits. For example:
Ohio State at Clemson, Dec. 1: As a freshman and sophomore at Clemson, Tony Stockman was an out-of-control guard. Now a senior at Ohio State, Stockman is an out-of-control guard. Play nice, Clemson fans.
Notre Dame at Michigan, Dec. 4: Mike Brey vs. Tommy Amaker. Winner gets dibs on the Duke job.
Houston at Texas A&M, Dec. 29: Houston wanted Billy Gillispie. Texas A&M got him. Tom Penders and Dave Maggard, discuss.
Tennessee at Auburn, Jan. 29: The first SEC meeting between two of Dean Smith's boys, Buzz Peterson and Jeff Lebo. As an aside, when Peterson got the Vols job a few years back, the runner-up was Lebo.
As evident from my excerpt, Doyel has a knack for wit and sarcasm (though he rarely employed either to such an extensive degree in previous columns). His commentary on the games above and several others is right on target, successfully highlighting several of this season's most interesting single-game storylines.
But a storyline does not a quality game make. VCU at UAB? I could care less about Jeff Capel and Mike Anderson's conversation. USC at UNC? I foresee a twenty or thirty point blowout in Chapel Hill. Minnesota at Purdue? I've seen enough of Gene Keady at Mackey Arena. Come February, I hope to avoid watching teams bound for neither the NIT nor the NCAA Tournament. Viewing two mediocre clubs play one another? Please.
That being said, several of Gregg's suggestions warrant an update to my list. I'll also use this opportunity to add a key Husky road game.
| 11/26 | Memphis | vs. | Maryland | 12/05 | Manhattan | @ | N.C. State |
| 11/27 | Florida | vs. | Providence | 12/11 | Indiana | vs. | Kentucky |
| 12/04 | Notre Dame | @ | Michigan | 01/10 | Connecticut | @ | Oklahoma |
