Revisiting how some items from college basketball preview played out
WE DO a preview of the college basketball season each November where we highlight 50 things fans should know about. Here's a look at how a few of those items played out, including some that didn't turn out too well:
WE DO a preview of the college basketball season each November where we highlight 50 things fans should know about. Here's a look at how a few of those items played out, including some that didn't turn out too well:
Item: How tough is the ACC expected to be? "I think we certainly rival a couple of the years in the Big East when we put 10 or 11 teams in the tournament," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, referring to his former conference. "I think we're really close to that with 10 or 11 teams that could be (NCAA) tournament teams."
What happened: The ACC got nine teams in. Alas, Syracuse was not one of them. The Orange were 18-14 on Selection Sunday and were done in by a 2-11 road record and an 84 RPI. They got into last year's tournament with a 19-13 record and made it to the Final Four.
Item: Danny Manning has gone 7-29 in the ACC in his two seasons as coach at Wake Forest.
What happened: The Demon Deacons went 9-9 in league play and probably got the NCAA Tournament bid that might have gone to Syracuse. Wake won an ACC Tournament game. The Orange did not.
Item: Oregon was picked to win the Pac-12 for the first time in the 28-year history of the preseason poll. "I'll be interested to see how they handle it," coach Dana Altman said. "We've always come from the back of the pack. This year, the expectations are higher."
What happened: The Ducks tied with Arizona for the conference crown and made it the Final Four for the first time since 1939.
Item: "Honestly, being in practice around coach (Bill) Self, he knows that I'm kind of a special player," Kansas freshman Josh Jackson said, "and he still never takes it easy on me. He never kisses me on my butt. He's really hard on me and sometimes I think I need that. "
What happened: Jackson broke or tied four freshman school records and will be a lottery pick. Kansas lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament and was bounced in the Elite Eight.
Item: LSU, which sent Ben Simmons to the Sixers, was picked to finish 12th in the SEC.
What happened: The Tigers finished 13th, closed the season by losing 17 of 18 and fired coach Johnny Jones.
Item: Rutgers is on its seventh coach since its last NCAA Tournament appearance in 1991. "We're trying to change the culture here," said new head man Steve Pikiell.
What happened: The Scarlet Knights finished last in the Big Ten, but went 15-18 and won a conference tournament game for the first time in school history. They were 7-25 last season.
Item: The 14-team SEC responded to having just three teams in the NCAA field for the third time in four years by adding Dan Leibovitz as an associate commissioner and Mike Tranghese as an adviser. Leibovitz cut his teeth as an assistant at Temple under John Chaney from 1996-2006.
What happened: The league got five teams into the NCAA Tournament, three (South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky) advanced to the Elite Eight. Heck, two SEC teams (Mississippi State, South Carolina) even played for the women's championship.
Item: "Every time I turn around and look up at the banners - where the national championship banners are - sometimes it hurts me that we don't have the 2016 national championship up there. It's just motivation to me," said North Carolina guard Joel Berry.
What happened: We'll find out Monday night. North Carolina and Gonzaga tip at 9:20 p.m.
@EdBarkowitz