The Schuylkill 16 2010-11: Week 8

We were a bit short on voters this week, but we soldier on nonetheless. Perhaps a few people were a bit late getting home after their New Year's revelry.

The other thing I need to note is that ballots were cast before Wednesday's games, so those results were not factored in.

Wih that, here goes.

1. Villanova, 12 points (11 first-place votes)
- "Okay, right from the jump, for all the Nova haters out there, it's time to bow down to the Kings of the Big 5 and shut up. Temple has a nice team (Ugh, I hate saying that) but there was no way PePe and his boys would beat the Cats at the Pavilion." (Ralph Manoppello)

When last I checked, Juan Fernandez was a real human being, not a cartoon character. Fernandez is also not a skunk as far as I know. But anyway.

- "Now that the Big 5 Championship has been decided, can't we all get along for the rest of the year?" (Nick Catrambone)

Of course not. You know that.

2. Temple, 21 points (1 first-place vote)
- "Can't hate on the Owls. That's a good team. What's Pomeroy say about them running the table in the A-10?" (Nick Catrambone)

Before Wednesday's game, they were indeed projected to go undefeated in the A-10, and that remains the case. 

3. Drexel, 41 points
- "When he gave me Comment of the Week, embedded my video, and listed my Twitter account last week, it was a like Tannenwald gave me a Colbert-esque bump. Between that and Drexel's big win over Niagara, I was flying high... Then Drexel lost to Hofstra." (Marshall Fleming)

And here I thought that crashing noise was someone accidentally knocking over a pitcher of beer at Cavanaugh's.

4. Princeton, 71 points
- "You think Sydney Johnson did the "They are who we thought they were! We let 'em off the hook!" routine after they blew the UCF game?" (Nick Catrambone)

5. Rutgers, 72 points

6. Penn State, 74 points

7. Rider, 75 points
- "I'm upset with Drexel for forcing me to rank the Broncs so high. Please don't let this happen again, Bruiser." (Nick Catrambone)

8. La Salle, 82 points
- "Sure, they beat Binghamton on the rebound from losing to Towson, but I think my 86 year old grandmother's retirement home team might be able to beat Binghamton (or at least take them to OT)." (Brian Ewart)

9. Bucknell, 93 points

10. Delaware, 108 points

11. Saint Joseph's, 115 points
- "Do I have any pithy comments?... Sure. But will any of them adequately describe C.J. Aiken's performance of late or his shot blocking ability? C.J. Aiken blocks shot the way Eminem blocks away boy from asking Haley out on a date. C.J. Aiken blocks the way Benjamin Button blocks away wrinkles as he gets older. Finally, C.J. Aiken blocks the way Jessica Alba blocks away good movie scripts." (Carl Minniti)

Having had no personal experience with any of those scenarios, I will just take Carl's word for it.

12. Penn, 116 points
- "How do you go from 9 points down at Marist College to 12 points up at Rupp Arena? Theoretical physics is easier to explain than Penn basketball." (Jeff Shafer)

I believe the physics department at Penn is across 33rd Street from the Palestra, isn't it?

- "What the hell is Penn doing playing Kentucky??? It should be the Ivy League rule, choose an Ivy League education, play only an Ivy League school." (Ralph Manoppello)

That would seem to preclude the Quakers from playing any non-conference games, but again, that's just my perspective.

13. Lehigh, 135 points

14. Lafayette, 147 points

15. Delaware State, 165 points

16. Monmouth, 169 points

2. Connecticut's women's team
- "Let's throw an Attaboy out to our Norristown guy, Geno Auriemma. Thanks for making the area proud with your outstanding Uconn program. Your girls would be number two in the S-16 in my books. Wouldn't it be great to see Maya Moore post up that skinny center playing for the prestigious Hawklets or banging in a trey from the perimeter." (Ralph Manoppello)

I really wanted to write-in a high school team, but it looks like a down year for prep hoops in Philly. I'd give it to St. Patrick's because Michael Gilchrist is a South Jersey kid, but I'm not opening up Union County, N.J. to the Schuylkill 16. If we open up Union, then we have to let in Essex. And if we let in Essex, that opens the door for Seton Hall.

But we already have an awful Big East team in Bergen county, so there's no need to expand any further north to take another one. So my apoligies to Michael Gilchrist. De-commit from Kentucky, sign with Villanova. Then we can renegotiate.