I'm convinced that there are very few things in the basketball world more depressing than being an N.C. State basketball fan. For the uninitiated, let me give some background. State's history includes the man who basically started the ACC (Everett Case), one of the 5 greatest college basketball players of all time (David Thompson), 2 of the most iconic NCAA championships ever (Thompson's '74 team ending UCLA's run and the '83 Cardiac Pack), the first player ever to tally 1000 career assists (Chris Corchiani) ,and one of the most famous personalities in the history of college athletics (Jim Valvano). Thompson and teammate Monte Towe basically invented the alley-oop while at State, and the strategy of fouling at the end of close games was popularized largely by Valvano (who used it to great effect in the miracle run of '83). Up through the 80s, the Wolfpack were a perennial ACC contender and a national power. The original Tobacco Road rivalry was, in fact, not Duke and UNC, it was State and Carolina. However, my beloved Wolfpack have fallen on hard times since Valvano left the program. A once proud program has ranged from awful to mediocre over the last 15 years, we've watched our rivals dismiss us and our athletic department apparently be happy with an occasional appearance in the top 25. Now, you're probably thinking "a lot of teams would be happy with a few top 25 appearances, what's this guy whining about?" Well, most teams don't have the history State has, and most teams also don't play in the shadow of two colossi of the college basketball world, Duke and UNC. Why am I bringing all this up? Well, this year I thought would be the year. The Wolfpack returned all but one starter from a team that had finished on a great run last year, almost winning the ACC tournament and making a run deep into the NIT. Not only that, but we added stud recruit J.J. Hickson (the best recruit the Pack have brought in in decades) to a roster already loaded with talent. New coach Sidney Lowe (the point guard for the '83 title team) had done a fantastic job last year managing a team that was picked to be last in the ACC and really only had 6 players for most of the year. This was going to be our year, how could things possibly go wrong? Well, I should've known better, as a State fan, something can ALWAYS go wrong. Through 13 games this year, a team that has every reason in the world to be hungry has looked complacent, and the result is that they've lost to New Orleans and ECU, gotten absolutely embarrassed by Michigan State on national TV (the worst basketball game I've ever seen a team play, and that's saying something), and trailed at the half to both Presbyterian College and Western Carolina (a combined 5-28 record). I've lost faith in this team, and we haven't even played a conference game yet. I'm fully expecting to see us get beat by 40 at UNC to open the ACC season, and we'll probably be NIT-bound again this season. Oh well, there's always that old fallback that State fans have been using for the last decade, "We'll be better next year." (I promise, we will be).

Other College Basketball Thoughts

- One thing that constantly irritates me when I listen to and read college basketball analysts is the idea that Tyler Hansbrough is the leading candidate for national player of the year. Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the way Hansbrough plays. He's a self-made player, not exceptionally gifted but works harder than almost anyone, and he's the kind of guy who I'd love if he didn't play for the Tarheels. I wouldn't have any problem with Psycho T if he weren't a media darling, but the fact is that he's the single most overrated player in America. I fail to see how you can name a player the national player of the year if he is the third most important player on his own team. Make no mistake, other elite teams are FAR more scared about Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington than they are about Hansbrough. His game is based entirely on effort, he doesn't have great post moves (no matter what the talking heads may try to tell you) and he isn't a very good athlete. As a result, Psycho T struggles against high-level teams that have athletic big men. Point in case, against UNC's 4 toughest opponents so far (Davidson, Ohio State, Kentucky, Clemson), he has averaged 13.25 PPG on 35% shooting. Hansbough's 22 PPG average looks gaudy, but he's done most of his work against inferior competition and he plays on one of the nation's highest-scoring teams. He's also not a good defensive player outside of his ability to rebound the ball. I've read several analysts saying that Deon Thompson and Alex Stephenson need to step up their interior defense to give Hansbrough some help, but the fact is that he just isn't a very good defensive player. Again, don't get me wrong here, Hansbrough is a very good college player, and I respect how hard he works, but there's no way he should be leading any player of the year discussion.

- For those of you who haven't seen them yet this year, Davidson is legit. I'd be shocked if they don't win some games in the tournament. Stephen Curry is absolutely an NBA player sometime down the read, as a sophomore he already has a great understanding of how to use screens both off the ball and off the dribble, and he has one of the quickest releases I've ever seen.

- A lot of teams are going to pass on D.J. White in the next draft, and I think they're going to regret it. He absolutely dominated a good Georgia Tech frontline, and he's already got the versatile game to be effective as an undersized PF. I'm just gonna go ahead and commend the team that picks White in the second round right now.

- Speaking of Indiana, Eric Gordon is all kinds of good. Right now, I'd take him over almost any player in the nation. He can get his shot off against anyone, but he's also really strong going to the rim. He's got that extra gear in the open court, and you're not stopping him once he gets his shoulders past you. I've watched Gordon, Rose and Mayo this year, and Gordon was by far the most impressive of the three. With Gordon and White, along with underrated freshman Jordan Crawford, the Hoosiers are a team that could have a legit shot at making a run deep in the tourney.

- Can someone please tell me how Memphis isn't the number 1 team in the nation? They've played at Oklahoma, at UCONN, USC on a neutral court, Georgetown (the most impressive win of the season by any team), and Arizona and they're 13-0. Seriously, it's ridiculous that they aren't the unanimous number 1 right now. I know it might seem like I'm knocking on UNC right now, but that's not it. I don't know if Memphis will end up being the nation's best team, but there is absolutely no arguing that they have played a MUCH harder schedule than the Tarheels right now, and have a lot more impressive wins.

- Not really a college basketball thought, but more a thought about basketball in general. One of the things that really irritates me is that officials don't ever call the switching pivot foot anymore. Footwork on the catch has become almost inconsequential, because players are allowed to slide and switch their pivot foot with impunity. This video really stood out for me lately as a particularly egregious no-call (at about the halfway mark, watch where Pierce's left foot starts and where it is before he takes his first dribble). Course, that reminded me of this classic video.