Rivalry Week Recap (Part 1)

I've largely made good on my promise to dive face-first into Rivalry Week, so far catching five games featuring 8 teams in the top 14, 6 in the top 10, and 4 of the top 5. In a number of cases, this was my first chance to take a close look at the top contenders this season, and on initial impression, I have to say it's a relatively unimpressive lot. You can't fully judge a book by reading just one chapter, so I'll be sure to revise my views as I get through the backlog of games on my DVR and as the rest of the season unfolds. But for now, color me lukewarm.

Let's take a closer look at some of these games (AP ranking in parentheses).

Villanova (4) at West Virginia (5) - The week got started with a pretty lackluster game in front of a pretty lackluster crowd. I guess the 'Eers fans have been chastened by the national scolding they've received for using their home floor as a dumpster, because they sat on their hands for about 35 minutes. You had to know things would be tame after Bob Huggins pulled a Sam Wyche on the home fans, only without the triumphant insult of the rival fanbase:

(Side note: For years, I used to cap off agitated rants by telling people that they didn't live in Cleveland, they lived in Cincinnati. It's really satisfying, try it.)

Admittedly, there wasn't a helluva lot to cheer about, with the home team putting in a thoroughly mediocre performance in an 82-75 loss. They have a chance to redeem their Rivalry Week though with the return game in this year's edition of the Backyard Brawl. As I type, that game has just landed in my DVR queue.

As unimpressive as West Virginia was, Villanova really wasn't that much better. Scottie Reynolds put on a great performance and salvaged an otherwise forgettable contest, but there are more systemic problems with the Wildcats. I watched their game against Georgetown over the weekend, and both times, their defense showed a disconcerting lack of discipline and positional fundamentals. They tend to exert a lot of energy, running around frantically, but end up getting caught out of position and, most problematically, failing to close out on open 3-pt shooters. If they can't correct these issues down the stretch, their

March could be shorter than expected.

Kansas (1) at Texas (14) - Perhaps these are my preconceived notions talking, but Kansas does seem to be the one team that, as expected, stands out head and shoulders from the rest. They play really tough defense, especially inside (where they were double-teaming Dexter Pittman to good effect), and they have a bunch of offensive weapons. Plus, they've got that most cherished of March Madness treasures - a senior point guard leader.

As for Texas, aside from Damion James showing that he's developed into a pretty terrific all-around player, it was a pretty middling performance in front of (another) pretty middling crowd. Rick Barnes' perpetual underachievement is a constant source of bemusement for the March's blogging tandem, and this year looks like it'll be no exception. But it does seem to me that the key for Barnes is getting a really great point guard, a la TJ Ford and DJ Augustin. Those teams have been his best, and the ones that have underachieved relative to their talent level have visibly struggled for lack of floor leadership. J'Covan Brown was one of the two bright spots for the Longhorns on Monday night, and maybe that means that he's ready to step up to the plate in this regard. But I remember Varez Ward having a good game or two a couple years ago, and I'm not sure he even plays anymore. So we'll see, I guess.

Tennessee (12) at Vanderbilt (22) - It's always fun to watch Bruce Pearl lose, but it's especially fun when it happens on one of my favorite courts in the country, where the benches are on the baseline and the court is is elevated above the floor.

I've long held that Pearl needs an offensive coordinator, and this game was a good example of why. Watching his halfcourt offense is a masochistic exercise. Yes, it's made barely tolerable by the fact that sometimes, his players' random 1-on-1 moves actually accomplish something. And indeed Tennessee pulled back into this game that way after a characteristically excruciating first half. But this is not an offensive system that optimizes the potential of its players, and until Pearl figures out how to do that, his teams won't consistently perform and get over the hump. (Now, having said all that, the Vols are the only team to put down Kansas this year, and I haven't seen that game, though I will. Maybe after watching that, I'll take it all back. Or maybe it'll just show how much the team underachieves in other games.)

Vanderbilt, on the other hand, runs a pretty effective team offense. With freshman sharpshooter John Jenkins hospitalized with the flu, they executed a balanced attack. I was disappointed not to see Jenkins play, as I'd been excited to catch a glimpse of the guy that was so praised for his shooting skills in high school. But it gave me a chance to focus on Vandy's other players, and I came away somewhat impressed with Jeffery Taylor. The big man is pretty versatile. That said, their defense was kind of so-so. If they can tighten it up, they could make a run in March.

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I'll be back with more thoughts on Purdue-Michigan State and Syracuse-UConn. I won't be back with more thoughts on Duke-UNC, because even though the Comcast viewer guide told my DVR that the game was on ESPN, it was actually blacked on in favor of a local broadcast on some random local network. Yet another disastrous consequence of living in ACC country.