| | The Connecticut Huskies have a tough road ahead if they want to bounce back from two losses in their last three games, says ESPN college basketball analyst Digger Phelps.
During his most recent chat with ESPN.com users, Phelps talked about the brutal schedule the Huskies are facing and offered up his opinion on what the team needs to work on to get prepared for the tournament. He also talked about the struggling Carolina Tar Heels and Michigan State Spartans and predicted his No. 1 seeds.
If you missed Phelps' Jan. 25 chat, an edited transcript follows:
Digger Phelps: Good afternoon from snowy Bristol, Connecticut. (Tuesday) we have a good doubleheader with
Indiana hosting Michigan and Auburn facing Tennessee in a key SEC showdown. Obviously
Indiana has got to resolve its defensive rebounding since opponents totaled 34 offensive rebounds
in the last two games. It really showed up against Purdue since the Boilermakers had 19 offensive
boards. Indiana did shoot 56 percent for the game, but it came down to their board play.
Cuse_#1: After (Monday) night's blowout over UConn, I think America should give Syracuse a lot more respect. If
they aren't the No. 2 team at least in the polls next week, it will be a crime.
Digger Phelps:
That was a great win for Syracuse. The tragedy of the dorm fire at Seton Hall led to the game
cancellation on Saturday. Last year, when Syracuse was 3-7 at home vs Big East teams, Seton
Hall pounded Syracuse, 80-64. This would have been a tough matchup Saturday before the UConn. matchup, but instead there were four days rest. The Huskies had a physical war in a
21-point win at Georgetown.
It seemed to me that early in Monday's game, UConn had no legs.
El-Amin made his first two 3-pointers but hit just one field goal the next 33 minutes. Yes, Syracuse is
legit with balance, six players in double figures, plus 19 offensive rebounds vs. UConn. Even though
they are at BC this weekend, there is a showdown vs. St. John's on Big Monday next week.
Matt: What's wrong with Michigan State? They just can't seem to put it all together.
Digger Phelps:
There's nothing wrong with Michigan State that the next month can't cure. Ohio State did an
excellent job on the boards, which had been their weakness in their OT loss to Illinois, as well as
Kansas earlier in the season. George Reese coming off the bench to get 19 points was a big plus
in the Michigan State game. Mateen Cleaves still needs another two weeks to pull his team
chemistry together. They are still a solid team even though they have five losses. They should get
by this week, facing Northwestern and Illinois to get back on track. The Spartans will still show
up in March as a high seed.
Duke for #2: It is criminal that Stanford is still ranked ahead of Duke. Anyone who watched the Duke-Stanford
game knows it was a fluke Stanford won. It was inexperience that allowed a Stanford victory in the
waning seconds. Duke is a much better team now.
Digger Phelps:
All Duke wants to do is become a No. 1 seed in the East, win that regional and play the winner of
the South. If Stanford makes it as the No. 1 seed in the West region, and beats the Midwest finalist,
trust me, Duke would be ready to play them in the national championship game. Duke and
Stanford are two of the three best teams in college basketball right now. The consistency of
Stanford's halfcourt game, with the size factor, and Casey Jacobsen has proven himself while
Michael McDonald is a solid player at point guard. Mark Madsen gives them aggressive inside
play. Duke has the leadership of Battier, Carrawell and James and have bought the freshmen into a
mature, aggressive and physical defensive team, which has always been a trait of Coach K's
teams. If Bob Huggins can keep Steve Logan and Kenny Satterfield improving their game of
leadership, the Bearcats have a shot to get to the Final Four, possibly as a No. 1 seed in the Midwest,
based on what goes on in the SEC as well as Arizona.
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Tues. Jan. 11
Phelps, who enjoyed two successful decades as Notre Dame's head coach, joined ESPN as a college basketball studio and game analyst in November 1993. He works in the studio each Monday and Tuesday, and calls select games. He also teams with Dick Vitale to provide studio and on-site analysis during Championship Week, the NCAA Tournament and Final Four. Prior to ESPN, Phelps served as a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports during the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Championships, handling both studio and game analysis. In 1984, he served as commentator for ABC Sports' basketball coverage at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. During his 20 years as head basketball coach at Notre Dame (1972-91), Phelps won more games (393) than any coach in Irish history. His teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament on 14 occasions -- including six of his last seven seasons -- and reached the Final Four in 1978.
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JasonCA: Any thoughts on when Jerry Tarkanian will retire at Fresno State? The Bulldogs have
won 8 of their last 10, but do you think Tark will finally get Fresno to the tourney this year?
Digger Phelps:
Tark called me Sunday wanting to cure his lack of defensive rebounding since SMU grabbed 33
offensive rebounds in their win over Fresno on Saturday. The fact that Courtney Alexander is
back and is good enough to lead them to a WAC title, yet SMU is 16-3 and Tulsa is already in. It
will be a war for the WAC to get two teams into the NCAAs. Fresno has to do a better job of
boxing out for two seconds on every shot, rather than ball watch and allow people to sneak by for
offensive boards.
RJDIO: What is wrong with DePaul? Can they turn it around and make a run for the tourney? If so,
how?
Digger Phelps:
DePaul really misses Lance Williams' power game inside. I know Williams is back, but he has
struggled. Carlos Boozer struggled after his broken foot and it took time. We are seeing the same
with Williams, getting himself in shape and getting his game going. He averaged 14 ppg. and 8
rpg. for the Blue Demons last year. Without that production, they are struggling, even at home,
losing to Saint Louis and Marquette. This puts them in the negative in Conference USA. There is
still time to get it going, especially in the conference tournament.
AU Fan: Do you think this last loss for Auburn was a good loss? Maybe wake
them up a little bit?
Digger Phelps:
There's never a "good" loss, especially on the road. Mississippi played very well, going 11 for 15
on the foul line and 49 percent for the game. This is probably the first time since Stanford where
rebounding was a factor against Auburn; Ole Miss had a 33-27 rebound edge. Auburn had 8
offensive boards while they came in averaging 17. The Tigers have not shot their three's well
lately, 6-23 vs. the Rebels. It was a great OT win for Rod Barnes.
Dave_Knoxville: Can you give me a pick on (Tuesday's) marquee matchup in Knoxville?
Digger Phelps:
What impresses me about Tennessee is Tony Harris moving to two-guard with Jon Higgins taking
over the point. This is a new look for the Vols, but it will still come down to Victor, Yarbrough,
Hathaway and Black going after the quickness of Auburn on the boards. Chris Porter needs a big
night on the road. Tennessee needs a home win and can't allow another tough loss in Knoxville
like the Vandy game. I give Tennessee a slight edge.
Country kid: Why isn't Iowa State ranked? Is it because of their weak schedule or is
it that they hadn't won enough games in a row? I would think 13 games is pretty darn good.
Digger Phelps:
They would have been ranked if they won at Oklahoma. The Sooners, coming off a tough road
loss at Colorado, was focused knowing how good Iowa State was coming into the game. It was a
solid performance for the Cyclones, coming from behind in the second half. Three-point shooting
hurt, especially since Oklahoma hit 13-27. That was the difference in the game. Larry Eustachy's
team is underrated. Iowa State will be one of the five teams from the Big 12 which ends up in the
NCAAs. They could win the conference tournament championship come March. Marcus Fizer is
a solid performer.
Chad: You said that Duke and Stanford are two of the top three teams in the country and I assume that leaves
Cincinnati as the other. What about SU? Still no respect? You are normally on the 'Cuse bandwagon. Is
there something wrong with this team?
Digger Phelps:
I'm protecting my friend Jim Boeheim! Last year he told me that every time I mentioned him as a
plus, it became a minus. So I'm low-keying it!
They have four key games where they could fall -- the Feb. 10 at Louisville and 13th at home vs. UCLA. Louisville will be the challenge. Then the
19th at the Garden against St. John's, then March 1 at Notre Dame and March 4 at
Connecticut. I don't want to say they have a lock on being the No. 1 seed in the South. The Big East
RPI is seventh as a conference, so if Duke makes the run they will get the East No. 1 if they make
the run. No kiss of death on my buddy Jimmy Boeheim this year. I do love their team. Jason Hart
has to do even better shooting in big games, 2-9 (Monday) night but eight assists and great defense.
Bob: I know it is still early, but give us your best guess of the four No. 1 seeds come March.
Digger Phelps: Duke, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Stanford. I say Cincy - Midwest, Duke - East, Syracuse - South and
Stanford - West.
UConn Fan: Come on Digger, you've got to say something about the Huskies. Is Jim Calhoun going to get this mess
fixed before the Big East Tournament so they can make a run in the NCAA's?
Digger Phelps:
UConn is not out of the woods yet. Feb. 5th at Michigan State, plus a trip to the Garden to face St.
John's. There is also a trip to South Bend, a game vs. Syracuse and there are those off nights
when the unexpected can happen, as we saw when St. John's lost to Seton Hall.
Personally, their
offense is still out synch with a lack of consistency in scoring balance. Good teams usually have
four players averaging double figures. Jake Voskuhl has stepped up the last three games. El-Amin had
one FG in a 33-minute span and Mouring struggled (Monday) night. Syracuse, Notre Dame and St.
John's all did a good job of controlling turnovers, which is one way the Huskies score, converting
off turnovers. Mouring and Kevin Freeman must be more consistent; they need to average 30
ppg. between them. Tony Robertson has disappeared at times and with his game experience he
has to play like a sophomore. Wane and Dang also have to contribute. Don't write them off yet
and Calhoun is good at figuring things out, even if they were to drop to a third seed at March
Madness. That puts them in a good position in the first and second rounds.
Down'd Demon: Since C-USA is pretty strong this year, what are their chances of getting five maybe six teams in the
tourney?
Digger Phelps:
No. I still think four is likely, five would be difficult. Tulane is on a roll and has an excellent shot at
an at-large. Perry Clark has done an outstanding job with his team. After Cincinnati and Tulane, it
will be interesting to see what DePaul does, and they could be challenged by Louisville,
Marquette, Memphis and South Florida. Louisville's home loss to Charlotte last weekend was an
eye-opener.
SJP:
Would you give me your take on Carolina's problems? To me, they seem to have the
talent, but the team chemistry and effort isn't there. At some point
you have to stop being sentimental and take a hard look
at the coaching staff.
Digger Phelps:
Basically turnovers have been the biggest problem with the Tar Heels this year. Their transition
defense has been poor and their three-point defense has been questionable. Florida State made 10 of 18 from
3 and 51 percent overall. Ed Cota sat with a stomach ailment, but basically, Carolina hit just five 3's
and that was a difference in the game. Personally, having 16 turnovers at home in this game was
another negative for Carolina.
Look to see Bill Guthridge have Cota handle the ball more and
other players less, running set players to key people may be one adjustment he can make since
their motion offense has led to double-digit turnovers, with many players making the wrong
decision in ballhandling. Defensively, they may have to play more zone, but a point zone vs. a 2-3,
which would take away the wing spots in guarding the 3's. When Cota was a freshman, they
were in a negative situation midway through the season and still made the Final Four by the end of
the season.
Rich: Since the Big Ten is the best conference, how many teams will make the big dance?
Digger Phelps:
Right now I would say they have six. Last year they got seven, which opened a lot of eyes,
especially when Wisconsin made it but got embarrassed in the first round by Southwest Missouri
State 43-32. I can't see the Big Ten getting seven this season.
Alex Rawls: What do you think LSU's chances are of making the tournament this year?
Digger Phelps: They need some quality wins. Face Arizona in a big game. Losing to Tennessee at home when they
were on a roll hurt. Oklahoma State was a good win but their lack of schedule strength in
non-league games is a negative factor.
MAC: Who are your three surprise teams of the year, ones that could do some unexpected
damage in the tourney?
Digger Phelps:
Tulsa, Iowa State and NC State. All three could do damage and make it to the Sweet 16. There is
solid coaching and solid talent.
Fan: I saw last night that you are in a new studio, was that just for last night or is that a
redesign for the future?
Digger Phelps:
No, new sets, ABC and ESPN college basketball studio work is now done in Bristol. We are
excited about the new look. We have six more dates in February and March with ABC on
weekends, plus championship week and the rest of the season as part of our new Millennium look
here.
Brian Estabrook: What do you think of the Buckeyes?
Digger Phelps:
Love 'em. Jimmy O'Brien has got this team playing. Their win over St. John's, coming from
behind down 10 with less than 3 minutes left, an 11-0 run, was impressive. It brought back Scoonie to the Big East
two years ago vs. Villanova when he was MVP. The win over Michigan State has the Buckeyes
in position to make a run for the Big Ten championship as well as the conference tournament.
I
love Ken Johnson's game; the fact that he blocked 11 shots against St. John's is frightening.
George Reese gives them a great sixth man. Of course, Brian Brown gives them that three guard
offense which was a factor last year. O'Brien has done a great job figuring the weakness on the
boards after being pounded by Kansas early.
Thanks for all of your questions. I hope you watch our doubleheader (Tuesday) on Super Tuesday.
Indiana trying to rebound after their loss to Purdue. Join me and Larry Beil.
Take care everyone.
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