1: The Bonnies will be lucky to win a game this year. Well, I went to see St. Bonaventure play Marist last week, and let me tell you, there are high school teams that could give the Bonnies all they want this season. One of my colleagues here, Professor Paul Wieland, says this is the worst SBU team he’s seen in over 50 years (and yes, he’s been around that long, so it’s an informed viewpoint).

Marist had very little in the way of actual talent, but they were well-coached and they executed their game plan. That hoops scandal a couple years ago has just killed the Bonnies program. Carolina, Wake, or Duke would beat them by however much they wanted to beat them by.

2: The #1 ranked Deacons win the NIT. But if they don’t get their act together they ain’t gonna be #1 for long. I watched the Providence and Zona games, and this Wake team is a long way from a national title. They’re missing free throws left and right, their defense is better than last year but not enough better, and every once in awhile Paul goes into a damned dribbling frenzy. Too much dribble, not enough create, and that’s not good in the half court.

It’s interesting how Skip is working his rotation so far – Ellis is getting plenty of PT and it’s coming at the expense of Williams and Danelius.

One thing I do like – this is damnedest shot-blocking team I have ever seen. They attack everything in the paint, and they have three or four guys who can jump out of the gym. Other teams are playing hell trying to get a shot off in close. It’s impressive how they team for blocks. One guy will body the shooter a bit, and the away guy comes in for the kill. Smart, and very effective.

It’s way too early to say more than this.

3: BTW, that Zona team is probably a few slots better than the #17 ranking they had coming into the Wake game. Lute has some tools to work with here, which means they’re going to be no fun at all come March.

4: Stern almost gets it right. Congrats to NBA commish David Stern for that picture-perfect two-boot landing on the players involved in the Motown Melee. Sadly, he failed to send the right message to the Pistons (and other NBA teams, for that matter) regarding their responsibility to control their fans. I repeat what I said at the time – the Pistons should have been forced to play their next two home games in an empty arena. Do that, and fans will get the message. Teams will get the message, too, in a way that only two lost paydays can fully communicate.

5: Time warp. UNC whipped USoCal 97-65 Sunday night.

Five games in eight days. An all-night plane ride, arriving back on campus late Friday, followed almost immediately by practice (thanks, Coach!) Another workout on Saturday, then the game. Damn.

I sympathize. Coming back from Hawaii to the Mountain Time Zone back in January nearly killed me. Readjusting to EST after this swing would make beating a JV team tough.

Heels are going to be hell this year. It’s a damned shame the ACC’s admins only have them playing Wake once this year. Bastards.