Forde Minutes: Who deserves a No. 1 seed?
Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college basketball, where Nike hats apparently are in short supply at Swoosh flagship Kentucky. Wonder how the boys in Beaverton felt seeing injured center Nerlens Noel (1) wearing an Adidas lid courtside on national TV against Missouri on Saturday night?
WHO WANTS TO BE A NO. 1 SEED?
By The Minutes' estimation, there are 11 teams still in the running to land the four No. 1 NCAA tournament seeds, which should make the jockeying for position intense and interesting down the stretch.
In an attempt to prioritize the contenders, The Minutes combined the 11 teams' rankings in the AP Top 25, RPI, Sagarin Ratings and Ken Pomeroy's numbers. The lower the number, the better:
Indiana (2). Total: 11 (No. 1 AP and Sagarin, No. 2 Pomeroy, No. 7 RPI).
The case for: The nation's best offensive team is the sole leader in the nation's best conference. That's a good place to start. In a season defined by parity and unpredictability, Indiana gained some separation from the national pack the last couple of weeks with four straight victories, including road triumphs at Ohio State and Michigan State. The Hoosiers are 4-0 against other teams on this list. Their three losses are by a total of nine points.
The case against: There isn't much of one. But if you insist, Pomeroy rates Indiana's conference strength of schedule 12th in the 12-team Big Ten. It certainly is easier than Michigan State's (second hardest, per Pomeroy).
The stretch run: at Minnesota on Tuesday, Iowa on Saturday, Ohio State on March 5, at Michigan on March 10. Certainly no cakewalk, but it would probably take three losses in that stretch to loosen the Hoosiers' grasp on a No. 1 seed heading into the Big Ten tournament.
Duke (3). Total: 12 (No. 1 RPI, No. 2 AP, No. 4 Sagarin, No. 5 Pomeroy).
The case for: Nobody had a better non-conference run, beating Louisville, Ohio State, Minnesota, VCU, Kentucky, Temple and Davidson while going 13-0. Even with Ryan Kelly out 12 games and counting, the Blue Devils are 11-3 in the ACC – and if he does indeed come back at full speed, you're talking about a team that is unbeaten with him in the lineup. Like Indiana, Duke has been consistently very good all year long.
The case against: Duke has played three ACC road games against teams in the top half of the league (North Carolina State, Miami, Maryland) and lost them all. Among those losses was the 27-point debacle at Miami, and if it comes down to a beauty contest between the Hurricanes and Blue Devils for a No. 1 seed, that should be entered as evidence. (Pending a rewrite of the record Saturday, when Miami travels to Cameron Indoor Stadium.) Duke's best win in a true road game is probably at Florida State, which isn't saying much.
[Related: Duke star Ryan Kelly targets senior night return from foot injury]
The stretch run: Two more road games against upper-division opponents (Virginia on Thursday, North Carolina on March 9), plus the big home game against Miami on Saturday and Virginia Tech on March 5. Multiple losses – especially if coupled with a quarterfinal ACC tourney upset – could open Duke's strong top-seed résumé to second-guessing.
Florida (4). Total: 15 (No. 1 Pomeroy, No. 2 Sagarin, No. 4 RPI, No. 8 AP).
The case for: The computers love the Gators, who have trampled the vast majority of their 22 victims. There are quality non-league victories over Wisconsin (by 18), Marquette (by 33) and Middle Tennessee State (by 21) to go with a dominant 12-2 Southeastern Conference record. None of Florida's four losses significantly tarnish the résumé.
The case against: Does the best team in a bad league deserve a No. 1 seed? The SEC is, by most yardsticks, the No. 7 league in the nation this season. So dominating a football conference doesn't mean as much as winning the Big Ten or Big East. Like Duke, Florida doesn't have a signature road victory – unless beating Texas A&M counts. (Hint: It doesn't.)
The stretch run: At surging Tennessee on Tuesday, home against bubblicious Alabama on Saturday and horrible Vanderbilt on March 6, then at bubblicious Kentucky on March 9. The Gators have two chances to post their best road win of the year against the Volunteers and Wildcats, but also two chances to provide NCAA ticket-punching fodder to the opposition. A sweep of the remaining games would put Florida in solid position for a No. 1 seed, as long as it avoids an SEC tourney quarterfinal upset.
Gonzaga (5). Total: 23 (No. 2 AP, No. 4 Pomeroy, No. 7 Sagarin, No. 10 RPI).
The case for: The Zags beat up on the Big 12 (Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor), took down Davidson, swept St. Mary's and are 14-0 in the West Coast Conference. They have the best record in the nation (27-2), which explains the No. 2 ranking with the humans (voters love shiny records). They are 12-1 away from home, with the lone loss coming at the buzzer at Butler.
The case against: The WCC is even weaker than the SEC, which is why no team from that league has ever gotten a No. 1 seed. It also means quality opponents have been few and far between for Gonzaga. The Zags haven't played anyone currently ranked in the AP top 12, and are just 2-1 against the current Top 25.
[Bracket Big Board: Latest NCAA tournament seeding predictions]
The stretch run: At BYU on Thursday, then home against Portland on Saturday. After that it's on to the WCC tournament. A dominant win in Provo might yield a few more converts, but there isn't nearly as much left to gain as there is to lose the rest of the way. A single loss would probably be enough to put Gonzaga on the No. 2 seed line.
Michigan (6). Total: 23 (No. 4 AP, No. 5 Sagarin, No. 6 RPI, No. 8 Pomeroy).
The case for: Non-conference victories over Pittsburgh, Kansas State, North Carolina State and Arkansas. A 10-4 Big Ten record, including a sweep of Illinois, a road win at Minnesota and a home win over Ohio State. Nothing even remotely resembling a bad loss (although the 23-point margin of defeat at Michigan State was an eye-opener).
The case against: Wolverines have lost ground in recent weeks. They've lost their last three on the road and are just 1-4 against the Big Ten teams with winning conference records. Solid as the overall résumé is, Michigan does not have a major statement victory.
The stretch run: Home games against fellow No. 1 seed competitors Michigan State (March 2) and Indiana (March 10) could provide that major statement. Road games against Penn State and Purdue should be routine victories, or seed-killing upsets. Michigan may need to make the Big Ten tourney final and get some help elsewhere.
Louisville (7) . Total: 24 (No. 3 Pomeroy and Sagarin, No. 8 RPI, No. 10 AP).
The case for: Cardinals regrouped nicely from a three-game January swoon, going 6-1 since then (with five blowouts). Lone loss was the epic, five-overtime game at Notre Dame. Louisville was 12-1 in non-conference play, with victories over Missouri, Memphis and Kentucky, and the loss was to Duke on a neutral floor without injured center Gorgui Dieng. A solid 9-4 record in road/neutral game. Five losses by a total of 21 points.
The case against: Cardinals are just 1-3 against the top five teams in the Big East, and Pomeroy says they have played the easiest conference slate in the 15-team league. Last road victory against an NCAA tourney team was Dec. 15 at Memphis (though beating UConn in January would count if the Huskies were eligible).
[Also: Cheerleader teaches miracle move to Harlem Globetrotter]
The stretch run: Road games this week against DePaul (Wednesday) and Syracuse (Saturday). Home games next week against Cincinnati and Notre Dame. A sweep of those games would put Louisville in strong position for a No. 1 seed. A loss in any of those games could derail that hope, pending winning the Big East tourney.
Kansas (8). Total: 27 (No. 5 RPI, No. 6 AP and Sagarin, No. 10 Pomeroy).
The case for: Take away a three-game, eight-day meltdown at the start of February and the Jayhawks are 24-1. That includes victories over Ohio State and Oklahoma State on the road; Saint Louis in Kansas City; Belmont, Oklahoma and Temple at home; and sweeps of Iowa State and Kansas State. The non-conference loss was a three-pointer on a neutral court against Michigan State (no shame in that). Kansas is, once again, primed to win the Big 12, too.
The case against: About that meltdown … losing to 10-17 TCU, No. 229 in the RPI, is the kind of thing that can and will be held against any aspiring No. 1 seed. Nobody else on this list has a loss anywhere near that bad. And while winning the Big 12 is nice, it is by no means a killer conference this season. Kansas also benefited from two fluke circumstances to beat Iowa State – a banked-in 3-pointer to force overtime in Lawrence, and some of the most atrocious end-game officiating in recent history in Ames on Monday night. Bert Smith and Tom O'Neill should be suspended by the Big 12 for outright incompetence after robbing the Cyclones.
[Related: Controversial late no-call costs Iowa State an upset win over Kansas]
The stretch run: Home against West Virginia and Texas Tech, and a regular-season road finale at Baylor. A loss to any of those three – or in the Big 12 tourney, which ends on the Saturday before Selection Sunday – may preclude Kansas from a top seed.
Miami (9). Total: 34 (No. 2 RPI, No. 5 AP, No. 13 Pomeroy, No. 14 Sagarin).
The case for: Befitting an unspoiled, non-establishment program, the Hurricanes played precious few non-conference weaklings and left home to do so. There were four true road games in the non-conference schedule and two more on a neutral court – that's why RPI loves them. They also beat Michigan State in November, and their 13-1 ACC record includes the 27-point domination of Duke, a sweep of North Carolina and a victory at North Carolina State.
The case against: There are some skeletons in the closet. Namely, a November loss to Florida Gulf Coast, a December loss to Indiana State and the surprise thumping Saturday at Wake Forest. The loss to the Demon Deacons, plus the wobbly wins over Clemson and Virginia preceding it, raise suspicions that Miami is buckling under the weight of unprecedented expectations and exposure.
The stretch run: Miami will be solidly favored in its three home games (Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Clemson) and a likely underdog at Duke on Saturday. A sweep of the Blue Devils would make everyone forget the Wake Forest loss. Another blowout defeat on Tobacco Road would intensify the doubts.
Michigan State (10). Total: 39 (No. 9 Sagarin, RPI and AP; No. 12 Pomeroy).
The case for: The Spartans have played the toughest schedule of any of the top-seed contenders: UConn, Kansas and Miami in non-conference play (and none of them at home); Indiana and Ohio State twice; Michigan and Wisconsin once (with a meeting against each still to come). Despite the gauntlet, Michigan State is tied for second in the Big Ten at 11-4 and 22-6 overall.
The case against: The Spartans’ record in those nine games against heavyweight competition is just 4-5, including losses in their last two games to Indiana and Ohio State. They're an iffy ball-handling team that has had a difficult time executing late in close-game situations recently.
The stretch run: At Michigan on Saturday in a return game from a blowout victory in East Lansing. Home against Wisconsin on March 7 in a return game of a two-point victory in Madison. And home against Northwestern on March 10. Sweeping the Wolverines and Badgers would reinvigorate Michigan State’s top-seed hopes heading into the Big Ten tournament, an event Tom Izzo rarely puts a lot of emphasis on.
Syracuse (11). Total: 44 (No. 9 Pomeroy, No. 11 Sagarin, No. 12 RPI, No. 12 AP).
The case for: It got a lot weaker in the last few days, with losses at home to Georgetown and at Marquette. But the Orange is 22-6 overall, 10-5 in the rugged Big East. There are a couple of good non-conference wins, over San Diego State on a Navy ship and at Arkansas (harder to do than it sounds). In conference play a victory at Louisville is major, and dominating Notre Dame doesn’t hurt. Syracuse survived six games without James Southerland, which should also register with the committee.
The case against: Syracuse is backing up. The Orange is 4-5 in its last nine games after an 18-1 start. The non-conference schedule was classic Jim Boeheim, with about eight complete cupcakes on the slate.
The stretch run: Home against Louisville on Saturday and DePaul on March 6, and at Georgetown on March 9, possibly for the last time. Unless Syracuse wins out – regular season and Big East tourney, including multiple games against teams playing better than it is right now – getting a No. 1 seed is a long shot.
Georgetown (12). Total: 46 (No. 7 AP, No. 12 Sagarin, No. 13 RPI, No. 14 Pomeroy).
The case for: The Hoyas lead the Big East, and if you can win that conference the historical respect level is pretty high – the league has produced six No. 1 seeds in the last four NCAA tournaments. Despite the competitiveness of the Big East, the Hoyas are on the longest roll of any contender save Gonzaga. They have won nine straight, five of them against likely NCAA tourney teams, capped off by a road win over Syracuse. Non-conference victories over UCLA and Tennessee help the cause as well.
[Also: Cincinnati's late skid puts NCAA tournament hopes in jeopardy]
The case against: There is some junk on the résumé: a loss to South Florida (No. 131 RPI); a 28-point home shellacking against Pittsburgh; scoring 37 points against Tennessee (albeit in a winning effort). Georgetown didn’t play a single true road game until January, which should be a deduction in the fearlessness category.
The stretch run: At UConn on Wednesday, home against Rutgers Saturday, at Villanova on March 6, home against Syracuse on March 9. That’s three tough games still to come, which means an additional loss or two would not be a shock heading into the Big East tourney. But if the Hoyas can win the league’s regular-season title outright, it will have an argument for a top seed.
RIDE-OR-DIE GUYS
Five players who have helped make their teams good, but occasionally get their teams beaten via questionable decisions or excessive hubris. They’re too good to live without, but too erratic to rely on every game. How they play in March could determine the fate of their teams:
Phil Pressey (13), Missouri. He’s by far the most vital player on the team, logging 225 more minutes than the second-most played Tiger, taking the most shots and owning more assists than the rest of the team combined. But the little man’s insatiable competitiveness sometimes leads to doing too much, especially late in close games. The loss Saturday at Kentucky was quintessential Pressey: he kept Mizzou in the game with 27 points and 10 assists, then helped lose it at the end with a key turnover and bad shot. Missouri is 3-5 in games decided by three points or less or in overtime, and in all five losses Pressey has had at least one critical offensive error with the game in the balance.
Keith Appling (14), Michigan State. Like Pressey, Appling leads the Spartans in minutes, shots and assists. But he’s also shooting just 40.5 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from 3-point range, and he was brutal in Michigan State’s last two games: 2-14 from the field, 0-6 from 3-point range, 5-9 from the line, three assists, seven turnovers. That included some ugly possessions with both games on the line late. Appling has made a bunch of big shots and big plays in his career, but you never really know what you’re going to get game to game.
Russ Smith (15), Louisville. The Cardinals are using Russdiculous on 31.9 percent of their offensive possessions, among the highest rates in the country. That has led to a whole lot of good and a fair amount of bad from Smith, who has never met a jumper he didn’t want to take or a drive he didn’t want to make. But since overdosing on Hero Serum in the five-OT game at Notre Dame, Smith has been a bit more judicious about shot selection. He’s taken just nine 3-point shots in the last three games while attempting 31 free throws. The advantage Louisville has over Missouri and Michigan State is that Smith is not the primary ball handler – that’s Peyton Siva, who can be boom-or-bust in his own right but never shoots his team out of a game.
Shabazz Muhammad (16), UCLA. When the freshman wingman is scoring, the Bruins generally win. When he’s held in check, the Bruins generally struggle. Record when he scores 19 or more points: 10-1. Record when he scores 18 or fewer points: 7-6.
Jamaal Franklin (17), San Diego State. The 6-foot-5 junior does a ton of things well for the Aztecs, but 3-point shooting is not one of them (27.3 percent). Still, he persists (121 launches on the season, more than one-third of his field goal attempts). Franklin had a good week from beyond the arc last week, making 5 of 9 attempts. In the previous nine games he was 8 of 40.
MAJOR CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR RACES
A brief look at the leading contenders for Player of the Year in the top 10 leagues:
ACC (18): The favorite: Mason Plumlee of Duke (17.5 points, 10.7 rebounds per game). The leading challengers: Shane Larkin of Miami (13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists); C.J. Leslie of North Carolina State (15.4 points, 7.6 rebounds); Joe Harris of Virginia (16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 46.4 percent from 3); Seth Curry of Duke (16.8 points, 43.7 percent from 3). Best player on a non-contender: Erick Green of Virginia Tech (nation’s leading scorer at 25.2 points per game).
Big 12 (19): The favorite: Ben McLemore of Kansas (16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds per game). The leading challengers: Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State (15 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.9 steals); Rodney McGruder of Kansas State (15 points, 5.3 rebounds); Jeff Withey of Kansas (13.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4 blocks); Romero Osby of Oklahoma (14.3 points, 7.1 rebounds). Best player on a non-contender: Pierre Jackson of Baylor (leads the league in both scoring and assists).
Big Ten (20): The favorite: Victor Oladipo of Indiana (14 points, six rebounds, 2.4 steals per game). The leading challengers: Trey Burke of Michigan (18.9 points, 6.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds); Cody Zeller of Indiana (16.6 points, 8.1 rebounds); DeShaun Thomas of Ohio State (19.9 points, 6.1 rebounds). Best player on a non-contender: Brandon Paul of Illinois (16.2 points, 4.3 rebounds).
[Also: Much-needed win over Michigan State boosts Ohio State's NCAA résumé]
Big East (21): The favorite: Otto Porter of Georgetown (15.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 steals per game). The leading challengers: Russ Smith of Louisville (18.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 steals); Michael Carter-Williams of Syracuse (12.5 points, eight assists, 4.9 rebounds); Jerian Grant of Notre Dame (13 points, 5.6 assists). Best player from a non-contender: Shabazz Napier of Connecticut (17.2 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds).
Pac-12 (22): The favorite: Allen Crabbe of California (19 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists). The leading challengers: Shabazz Muhammad of UCLA (18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds); Solomon Hill of Arizona (13.6 points, 5.4 rebounds); Jahii Carson of Arizona State (17.5 points, 5 assists, 3.1 rebounds); Spencer Dinwiddie of Colorado (15.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, three assists). Best player from a non-contender: Dwight Powell of Stanford (15.4 points, 8.3 rebounds).
SEC (23): The favorite: Pick a Gator, any Gator. As of today, The Minutes would favor Erik Murphy (12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 54.2 percent from the field, 47.9 percent from 3-point range). The leading challengers (besides multiple other Gators): Nobody really, but if you insist add Phil Pressey (12.4 points, seven assists, 3.2 rebounds) and Marshall Henderson (19.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, lots of shots). Best player from a non-contender: Too many to mention. The SEC shouldn’t even have an all-conference team this season.
Mountain West (24): The favorite: Kendall Williams of New Mexico (14.4 points, 4.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds). The leading challengers: Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State (17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists); Anthony Bennett of UNLV (17 points, 8.4 rebounds and a shoulder injury last Saturday at Wyoming); Colton Iverson of Colorado State (14 points, 9.8 rebounds). Best player from a non-contender: Michael Lyons of Air Force (18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds).
Atlantic-10 (25): The favorite: Dwayne Evans of Saint Louis (12 points, 6.8 rebounds, coming on strong in the last month and bringing his team with him). The leading challengers: Khalif Wyatt of Temple (19.4 points, 4.1 assists); Roosevelt Jones of Butler (10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists); Ramon Galloway of LaSalle (17.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists); Treveon Graham of VCU (15.6 points, six rebounds). Best player from a non-contender: Chaz Williams of Massachusetts (15.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds at 5-foot-9).
Missouri Valley (26): The favorite: Doug McDermott of Creighton (22.4 points, 7.6 rebounds). The leading challengers: There are none. This race is over. Best player from a non-contender: Jackie Carmichael of Illinois State (17.8 points, a league-leading 9.4 rebounds and a league-leading 2 blocks per game).
West Coast (27):The favorite: Kelly Olynyk of Gonzaga (17.7 points, seven rebounds). The leading challengers: Matthew Dellavedova of St. Mary’s (16.1 points, 6.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds); Tyler Haws of BYU (20.9 points, 4.7 rebounds). Best player on a non-contender: Kevin Foster of Santa Clara (17.9 points, 4.4 assists, 2.4 steals).
FADING ONTO THE BUBBLE
Four teams that once felt secure, and now feel some bubble stress:
Cincinnati (28). That was then: 18-4 on Feb. 2, 6-3 in the Big East, with victories over Iowa State, Oregon, Xavier and Pitt away from home and Marquette at home. This is now: 19-9 overall, 7-8 in the league, riding a three-game losing streak (against quality competition). Bearcats should make the field, but a loss to South Florida in the regular-season finale would be a crusher.
Mississippi (29). That was then: 17-2 on Jan. 26, 6-0 in the SEC, with victories over Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee twice. This is now: 20-7, 9-5 in the meek SEC. Rebels haven’t won a road game in a month and didn’t do anything noteworthy in the non-conference schedule. They need to finish strong and have the schedule to enable that (Texas A&M and Alabama at home, Mississippi State and LSU away).
Baylor (30). That was then: 14-5 on Jan. 26, 5-1 in the Big 12, with victories over Kentucky in Rupp Arena, St. John’s on a neutral floor and Oklahoma State in Waco. This is now: 16-11, 7-7 in league. Bears may need to win their final four regular-season games, which include home opportunities against Kansas State and Kansas.
Minnesota (31). That was then: 15-1 on Jan. 9, 3-0 in the Big Ten, with victories over Michigan State, Illinois and Memphis. This is now: 18-9 and 6-8 in the Big Ten, including consecutive 20-point road shellackings at Iowa and Ohio State. Gophers haven’t broken the 60-point mark since Feb. 3.
CHARGING TOWARD THE FIELD OF 68
Four teams that weren’t entertaining hopes of at-large berths a few weeks ago, but are now:
California (32). That was then: 13-9 on Feb. 7, 5-5 in the Pac-12, with home losses to Harvard and Washington. This is now: 18-9, 10-5. Golden Bears have won five straight, including road wins over league co-leaders Arizona and Oregon. They close with three straight home games for a chance to be 21-9 overall, 13-5 in the league.
Akron (33). That was then: 4-4 on Dec. 15, including a loss to Coastal Carolina. This is now: 22-4, 12-0 in the MAC, riding an 18-game winning streak and owning the first Top 25 ranking in school history. The Zips’ best win actually came early, on Dec. 2, over Middle Tennessee State. But an undefeated conference regular-season record would make them a compelling at-large candidate should they falter in the MAC tournament.
Oklahoma (34). That was then: 14-7 on Feb. 4, 5-4 in the uninspiring Big 12. This is now: 18-8 overall, 9-5 in the league, with a victory over Kansas and a sweep of Baylor in the books. Only loss in the last five games was in overtime at Oklahoma State.
Tennessee (35). That was then: 11-10 overall on Feb. 6, 3-6 in the SEC and coming off a dismal home loss to Georgia. This is now: 16-10 overall, 8-6 in the SEC. Volunteers have won five straight, including a 30-point obliteration of Kentucky. Huge home opportunities against Florida Tuesday and Missouri March 9.
MINUTES RANT OF THE WEEK
Enough with the Harlem Shake (36). It had its run on college campuses and in basketball arenas nationwide, and it was a good one. The best thing about it was the 30-second duration.
But if it can be contained to the month of February, that seems like plenty. It’s the shortest month, and 28 days of fairly pointless, largely redundant Harlem Shaking is sufficient.
Bring on March, and a new fad.
UNDER-THE-RADAR LOVE
Taylor Smith (37), Stephen F. Austin. The 6-6 senior leads the 23-3 Lumberjacks in scoring (15.7 points), rebounding (8.8) and blocked shots (2.9) while shooting a crazy 70.9 percent from the field. Stephen F. Austin plays at an excruciatingly controlled pace, and Smith is a classic undersized inside player who knows his role: he has attempted zero 3-pointers in two seasons with the Lumberjacks.
COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK
Jim Crews (38), Saint Louis. The man who replaced Rick Majerus has done remarkable work all season, but never better than last week. The Billikens rearranged the A-10 standings by mauling VCU at home, then rallying to beat Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse and assume sole possession of the league lead. Saint Louis stands a solid chance of entering the postseason on a 13-game winning streak.
COACH WHO SHOULD TAKE THE BUS TO WORK
Mick Cronin (39), Cincinnati. His scattershooting Bearcats have lost three straight and five of six, and in that span have only broken the 60-point barrier in regulation once. Not coincidentally, that’s the only game of the six that they’ve won. The offensive nadir arrived Saturday in South Bend, when Cincinnati had six points with seven minutes left in the first half and 15 points with 17 minutes left in the game. Ugly.
BUZZER BEATER
The Minutes kept it local last week, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t quality food to be had. When hungry in Louisville, try the peerless Jack Fry’s (40), a famed local landmark that has nothing bad on the menu. If you’re there for lunch, try the burger or beef tenderloin sandwich, with a cup of ham and potato soup, and thank The Minutes later.
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