The 'Bag has messed around with the Magic Eight and other things the last couple weeks, so we thought it was time to get serious about answering reader questions -- straight, no chaser. Saddle up...
I know you're going to get all kinds of crazed fans questioning your logic about your Magic Eight, but I'm really confused. I don't object to including Washington State. But how can you use the reasoning for including Wazzu and not even include Oregon in your "Left Out" section?
-- Matthew, Diamond Point, N.Y.
After Oregon's terrific wins against UCLA and Arizona, it's time for a full mea culpa: We whiffed on the Ducks. We whiffed on not including them among the group that just missed making the Magic Eight (even though we wouldn't put them in the final eight itself). And we whiffed on our prediction in Sports Illustrated last month that coach Ernie Kent would be replaced in 2007 by Mike Montgomery.
Fact is, Oregon is a heck of an entertaining team to watch, and now that Malik Hairston is back in good form, this is a team that can be called (as I did in this week's SI) a real threat to win the national title. A lot of it has to do with dynamite team chemistry and everyone filling his role. Aaron Brooks is a top-notch floor general and clutch shooter who has outplayed rivals Darren Collison and Mustafa Shakur in recent games. Tajuan Porter has been a solid two-guard, and Maarty Leunen is an underrated horse in the middle who grabs a ton of rebounds. We just wish the Ducks would have as much fun with their hoops uniforms as the football team does with its jerseys.
You've had one miss on the Magic Eight, and you didn't learn your lesson. Who reminds you of Syracuse '03 this season? Maybe Texas, with Kevin Durant playing 'Melo, A.J. Abrams playing G-Mac, and rangy athletes working hard on improving their D and playing quite a bit of 2-3 and 3-2. Outside of overall youth what else kept you from picking the Horns for the Magic Eight?
-- Rocky Van Husen, Midland, Texas
Well, that was the killer: youth. We swear, though, it came down to a choice between Tennessee and Texas, and we ended up choosing the Vols. Probably not the correct choice in hindsight. Has anyone seen a more exciting game this season than Oklahoma State's 105-103 triple-OT win over Texas on Tuesday? I have probably learned more about Texas and its amazing freshman, Durant, in two close losses (to Tennessee and OSU) than I have in any of its other games. I know it was 3 OTs, but Durant went for 37 big ones, cracking 30 yet again. If he keeps it up he's definitely getting into Carmelo territory.
I was perusing some stats and noticed that Duke frosh Lance Thomas has now played 227 minutes in college without recording an assist. Can we give him a shout-out for this? Could this be something to watch during the season (most minutes played before recording first assist)?
-- Steve, Hackensack, N.J.
Sorry, Steve, Thomas won't be the Yinka Dare of college hoops. Thomas bagged Assist No. 1 of his college career in the Blue Devils' win over Miami on Sunday.
CNN
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