New Years Day For College Basketball Fans

Its finally here. 216 days. 5184 hours. 311,040 minutes. Thats how long those of us who consider ourselves true college basketball fans have gone without anything to do. Sure, the college football season provides a brief distraction from the boredom, and baseball is always something to while away the hours with, but for true college basketball fans, the summer and fall is spent waiting for November to finally roll around. And tonight, it has. The lineup of games to start the season isnt star-studded (at least until Friday), but it isnt bad. First up is an east coast matchup between William and Mary, perhaps best known as one of the five remaining Division 1 schools to have never played in the NCAA Tournament, and St. Johns, a school fresh off a revival year under first-year coach Steve Lavin that found them in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. The story out of Carneseca Arena, however, is clearly Lavin's bout with cancer and the impact that it has had on his young Red Storm squad. Returning just one scholarship player from last year's 21-win team, the Storm do have the luxury of one of the nation's top recruiting classes but Lavin's illness has made it difficult for those freshman to become acclimated with the ins and outs of college basketball at the pace that St Johns would like. But assistant coach Mike Dunlap, formerly interim head coach at Arizona during Lute Olson's similar bout with cancer, is a capable replacement. Add in the presence of special assistant and former Purdue head coach Gene Keady and the Johnnies should be ready to go against the Tribe. That is, however, provided they are able to overcome a lack of depth in the face of 3 of those heralded freshman- Jakarr Simpson, Norvell Pelle, and Amir Garrett- being ruled ineligible for at least the fall semester. As a result, the Red Storm roster is down to just ten players, including walk-on Sam Sealy. Then again, William and Mary returns a young roster that produced only 11 wins last year and is projected to finish 6th in the CAA. An upset doesnt appear to be in the making. Next on the docket is Mississippi State and Eastern Kentucky. Again, the Bulldogs have a talented roster and should not face much adversity against EKU. But MSU is also facing issues with eligibility, losing Kristers Zeidaks for the remainder of this season and for 11 games next season. But with the Colonels just 1-32 all time against SEC opponents, I dont think Renardo Sidney and crew have much to worry about. The final matchup of the opening night trio pits Arizona and Valparaiso, no doubt the most intriguing of the three. Arizona is on the uptick under Sean Miller, having come within an eyelash of reaching the Final Four for the first time since 2001 last season and riding a wave of recruiting momentum that has Wildcat nation hopeful that the glory days of Lute Olson and company will return under Miller's watch. But the challenge for U of A is obviously replacing Derrick Williams. The #2 pick in the NBA Draft, Williams was Arizona last season and it will be difficult to replace his production, even with the addition of four freshman ranking in the top 30 at their respective positions. If you need anymore evidence of Arizona's vulnerability in the wide open Pac-12, look no further than their 69-68 exhibition loss to Seattle Pacific. Valparaiso is a team that might jump onto some people's radar screens this season and a win in Tucson tonight would certainly help accelerate that process. The Crusaders finished 23-11 last season, racking up a respectable 12-6 record in the competitive Horizon League. As the Horizon League continues to get more attention on the national stage with the success of Butler and the expectations of Ray MaCallum's Detroit squad, Valpo could become a household name with a few key victories. Tonights matchup with Arizona is the first of two non-conference dates with ranked opponents, the next coming on November 25th when Bryce Drew's squad heads to Columbus to face #3 Ohio State. A win in either game would thrust Valpo back into the Sportscenter queue. So while the real action starts on Friday with 126 games, including the "carrier classic" between Michigan State and UNC, tonight is an appealing first course. Its been 216 days and with just a half hour remaining, the college basketball season is just about here.