As if these games needed any more hype

With the onset of The Shampoo Effect back in October many of my friends, perhaps knowing where my passions lie, expected me to exhibit much more of a sports focus than what I have thus far. While sports play a significant role in my life I think that I have shown a much broader scope of my entertainment interests. Now that I work in the industry, many people have asked if the consumption of sports has become like a job for me. Or rather, have sports lost their appeal because I am constantly dealing with them. Well my friends, the answer to that is no. I still find much enjoyment in watching live sporting events, although press conferences are an entirely different story. It's just that sometimes I am so immersed in the goings on of the sports world that writing about them would be bothersome for me. That however is not the case at the moment. I have a hard on just thinking about tomorrow night's slate of college basketball games.

Is it rivalry week, or what? Last year every week of the college basketball season had a stupid name like school spirit week or judgment week. I imagine that they are doing the same thing this year and that I have just been oblivious to it? Well either way, tomorrow night's two matchups features four of the most storied programs in the history of college basketball. These four squads have combined to win 5 of the past 10 national championships. At 7 pm the Syracuse Orange will travel to Stoors to take on the Connecticut Huskies in Gampel Pavilion. Then at 9 pm the North Carolina Tar Heels will stroll down Tobacco Road to take on the Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium. If you need any more motivation to watch (you shouldn't), here are a few things you can look forward to.

#22(#1 in my heart) Syracuse Orange @ #1 Connecticut Huskies

1.) Both Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf and Connecticut guard A.J. Price have had run ins with the law in their tenure as college athletes.



Devendorf missed two games earlier this year (including a 'Cuse win @ Memphis) for his alleged involvement in an off campus altercation with a female student in November. This female student claims that Devendorf punched her in the face. My first thought as a Syracuse homer was that 1.) she had it coming and 2.) she shouldn't have been standing there. I must also say that I all but called this one back on October 13th when I referenced the time that former Providence guard Donnie McGrath hit a girl. I wrote that McGrath was "Eric Devendorf before Eric Devendorf." Devendorf was eventually let off the hook with just 40 hours of community service as his punishment.

Price was suspended for the entire 2005-06 season after his involvement in the theft and attempted sale of laptop computers from dorm rooms. He was charged with 3 felony counts of larceny and lying to police, a misdemeanor. His punishment was 18 months of probation and 400 hours on non basketball related community service.

Due to their off court troubles each has faced incessant taunting during road games. Opposing fans do their best to get under each player's respective skin. With the game being at Uconn, one would think this would be an advantage for the Huskies, but au contraire. Devendorf undoubtedly wears his emotions on his sleeve. In fact, he has a tatoo on his left bicep that showcases a basketball in the center of a cross, perhaps insinuating that his religion is basketball. I believe that Devendorf is the type of player that can turn personalized chants from opposing crowds as motivation to step his game up in a postive manner. I think he will feed off of this energy and play well.

2.) Syracuse small forward Paul "Do it all" Harris and Connecticut power forward Jeff Adrien are lunch pail performers with freakish bodies



Harris and Adrien are two of the most under appreciated players in the country. While Jonny Flynn and Hasheem Thabeet get most of the pub for SU and UCONN respectively, Harris, at just 6'5, leads the Orange in rebounding with 8.3 per game and Adrien, thought of as the 4th or 5th option offensively, leads the Huskies in scoring with 14.1 points per game.

The more relevant (well less relevant for the game, but more relevant for the blog) similarity between the two is their physiques. They both look like linebackers. Harris is listed at 6'5 228 lbs. and Adrien checks in at 6'7 243 lbs. So who would win in a fight? With Adrien's height and weight advantage we can assume that he also possesses the longer reach. The deck appears to be stacked in his favor, but Harris has the X-factor; man strength. You know, the added bonus in terms of strength that only adult males possess. Harris, not Adrien, has attained this strength booster because he has achieved what I believe to be the prerequisite; he's fathered a child.

3.) Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun are both hall of famers that have survived prostate cancer



Boeheim gets the nod in this one for three reasons. 1.) He was a coach on the United States gold medal winning basketball team this summer in Beijing and 2.) He defends his players and 3.) Could Calhoun ever pull this off?


#3 North Carolina Tar Heels @ #5 Duke Blue Devils

1. ) North Carolina guard Wayne Ellington and Duke guard Gerald Henderson were high school teammates that are now excelling at rival schools



This situation continues to be fascinating. High school teammates almost always stick together when they go to the next level. A few examples- Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. going to Ohio State and Paul Harris and Johnny Flynn going to Syracuse (current SU players Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson also went to high school together). The Ellington/Henderson saga will reach a new level tomorrow night as each are finally living up to their hype. Each player can has the ability to take over games. Ellington with his ability to shoot and Henderson with his ability to slash. While they both play on the wing, they will most likely not guard each other, although this would make every possession that much more exciting. I'll give the edge to Henderson in this one because he has really turned it on lately, he'll be at home, and he caused the next reason that I'll be tuning in tomorrow night.

2.) The UNC/Duke rivalry is so intense that there is a possibility that Tyler Hansbrough might bleed, again



Tyler Hansbrough is one of those players that you either love or you hate. I hate him. I loved it when Gerald Henderson elbowed him in the face and made him spray blood all over the place. Sure he's had an amazing career, but he just seems like a loser. Here's a few examples that illustrate my point. At age 15, Hansbrough used his own money to hire a nutrionist to make sure he was eating healthy. Earlier this year, Hansbrough missed four games because of the possibility that he would get shin splints. He did not have them. There was no injury. He just had the conditions that normally lead to shin splints, which for the record is a pussy injury. Need more evidence that this kid is an L7 weenie? Look at this 'celebration' after hitting a game winning shot.

Hansbrough is easily in my top 3 least favorite college basketball players of all time. Rounding out the top 3 are Shane Battier (Duke '98-'01) and Joakim Noah (Florida '04-'07).

3.) Speaking of players you either love or hate



A six foot nothing white point guard from Syracuse that wears the #3 and likes to shoot the 3 ball? Who does this kid think he is? Gerry McNamara? Paulus, a fellow graduate of Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, has never beaten the Tar Heels on his home floor and as this article points out, it seems like he's been at Duke for the better part of a decade.

After an impressive performance in his return to the starting lineup against Miami, will the senior be able to lead his team to victory? He has often remarked, off the record anyway, that this Duke team goes as he goes. In that case, Duke fans better hope that his jump shot is falling. He doesn't have top of the line quickness and because of this he has relied more and more on his long range shot. He was impressive from behind the arc in his sophomore and junior seasons, shooting 45 and 42 percent respectively. However this season his numbers from deep have dipped to a below average 32 percent.

Paulus has certainly had his moments against the Tar Heels. He has stepped up both for the good (17.3 points per game in the past two seasons) and the bad. In a game loaded with talent on both sides he might not be the obvious x-factor, but expect him to play a pivotal role in either a win or a loss.