bill@theheraldnewspapers.com

The men’s college basketball season is heating up, and players are dreaming about competing in the NCAA tournament in March.
There are no undefeated teams left, with Duke, Florida, and Pittsburg having gone down over the weekend. There is truly parity in the men’s game and that’s what makes it so exciting for fans. Coaches are probably not so thrilled about it, but since they chose the profession they have to live with it.
The Tennessee Volunteers win over Florida Saturday was big, but the Gators have lost to South Carolina and may be overrated. Tennessee has traditionally done pretty well against Florida, having beaten the Gators five out of the last nine games.
With Kentucky starting to play much better recently, the Vols need to be worried about the Cats. They currently have a seven- game losing streak to Kentucky, with their last win coming in Buzz Peterson’s first year as coach. Kentucky’s strength is their guards, especially Rondo and Crawford. It will be a difficult matchup for Tennessee’s guards. Having Randolph Morris in the middle is also a plus for the Wildcats, since the Vols don’t have a post player with his strength and mobility.
It appears Duke, Connecticut, Memphis, Texas, and Villanova are pretty loaded with talent this year. But as college hoops fans know, there will be upsets in March and the best teams don’t always make it to the Final Four. Will this be the year an underdog will be the champion, like Villanova in 1984 when it beat Georgetown? It certainly will be interesting.

(Bill Wright is the Advertising/Sales Executive for the Herald Newspapers. He writes weekly sports column for the Smoky Mountain Herald. Wright has won The Herald Football Pick Panel three different times, more than any other contestant.)

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