Captain Kangaroo

10 points in an entire 1st half. By a #9 seed. Could you imagine trying to defend that selection, and seed, if it were an at-large? THAT would be silly.

I remember Fat Tub of Goo Stainbrook trying to kick a Zip in the shins last year (Zeke?). Man, did WMU prove themselves to be a bunch of sore losers in that game.

Thank God they didn't get an at-large that year...it would have ruined any MAC program's chance at an at-large bid for eternity.

JSF said 2006, not me.

They lost every measuring stick OOC game that season. Their loss to the Zips in March wouldn't have helped their cause either. That K.e.n.t. team would certainly have been in the at-large conversation, but ultimately they wouldn't have made it. And judging from their Pitt beatdown in the tourney, they shouldn't have made it. And don't get me started on their follow up "appearance" vs. UNLV. Something like 40-10 at the half?

Had we beaten VCU and/or CSU, we had a legit at-large shot. It is fun to see the Zips in the at-large conversation. Short-sighted Zips fans have long opined "The Zips will never get an at-large...the only thing that matters it the MAC Tourney...the MAC hasn't had an at-large in 10+ years...wah wah wah." The MAC hasn't seen a team as talented and deep as this Zips squad in 10-or-so years. The Zips, or any other MAC program, are a decade+ removed from serious at-large discussion because, quite frankly, they didn't deserve to be discussed. If this team didn't contract the Marsupial Suspension Flu in December, an at-large possibility would be very real. It's nice to finally be in the discussion. Look for real, serious NCAA at-large Zips banter in 2012-13. Especially after a couple NCAA tourney wins in 2012.

It was only for ESPNU. ESPNU is the devil. BTW - I made the trip to Athens last year. A handful of Zips fans joined me. I doubt there would have been many on-hand this February 25th (Saturday night). Wonder if The Keith Dambrot Show will still promote it as being held on the 25th? Smart money says "Yes."

The phone has not stopped ringing...the texts incessant...tweets...FaceBook...I am absolutely fed up with Ken Pomeroy and Jeff Sagarin hassling me over this week's "Harney20" calculation. I have half a mind to tell'em to go pound salt...but it just wouldn't be fair to all the others who have waited patiently for this week's number...should there even be a number. The answer is -- "Yes," there is a Harney20 value associated with the Western Michigan game. If Harney is a complete no-show, my CKalculator™ says the Zips will in fact lose in Kalamazoo. Nick's lacklustre performance Saturday night factored heavily into the WMU final value, as Harney20 is weighted towards most-recent performances. And the Zips showed Saturday that a disinterested, lethargic Harney performance can still yield a blow-out victory. Hence we see a lower-than-ever-previously-seen number. So without further adieu, I hearby announce the WMU Harney20 number is: >13. And note to ZN.o lurkers Pomeroy and Sagarin -- the CKalculator™ ain't for sale. At any price.

Over Christmas break I brought my Kiwanis hoops team to a Zips game. When placing my ticket order I asked, "Any chance we can sit in the north end student section?" The guy replied "No, those seats are reserved for students." My response was - "Have you ever seen the student section when the students are on break? It's e-m-p-t-y." The predictable response was - "We need to reserve all those seats for the students. Sorry." The end result was - At the game, I spoke to a sane person within the Athletic Department who allowed my 6 kids to fill some of the 80+ empty seats, and the kids had a great time. And I am grateful to this intentionally unnamed person. The moral of the story - With the exception of one person, UA would rather follow policy and have the lower seats empty than have anyone sit in them. The opposite policy - At the Zips/WVa basketball game, after the tip-off, the WVa game announcer stated "Everyone in the upper section - if you want to move down to a vacant lower seat, feel free to do so." And all the lower seats filled up. And no one was injured, died or was maimed. The fans were simply happy, and the game environment was improved.

Great info. Thanks!

Regarding attendance - If it is low this Saturday night vs. NIU, it's because The Zips Coaches Show promoted the game about 8 times...with a noon start time. Gheez....hope to see at least a couple of you around 7:30pm.

For those who want a sneak peek at ORU, they will be televised on DirectTV Channel 363 (religious channel - Golden Eagle Broadcasting) on Thursday (IUPUI) and Saturday (Western Illinois).

I didn't change my mind. #42 may never have another chance to score a college bucket. Both Harney and Tree had wide-open chances to give the kid the ball during the final two minutes, and elected to take it themselves. Tree's dunk was great, but bucket by #42 was what the remaining crowd, and the guys on the bench wanted to see. I hope they dish it off next time...assuming there is a next time.

I like it. And at the expense of repeating myself - the kid is playing GREAT basketball. Any negatives tossed his way at this time are just plain silly.

Personally, I have a concern that Tressel's presence overshadows, or detracts from some of the excellent coaches we have on-campus. The Tressel hire could be a great thing. If the guy gets us a windfall of donations that get us a hoops arena, a new conference, a dramatically-improved national visibility...great. If it's like the Celtics, with Pierce, Allen and Garnett, great. But if it's like Melo and Stoudemire...big names...no results...I'll pass. Proenza wants UA to be a 49,000 student University in 10 years. To get there, we certainly need to think bigger than ever before on all fronts. Hopefully Proenza realized that they need some out-of-house new blood and expertise to get there. On paper, Tressel should be that combination.

My thoughts on the column - Yeah, we need to grow up a bit. But immature teams don't win as many games as we've won on the road. Maturity is low on my list of concerns. Singling-out Diggs? Diggs has been awesome the past 6 weeks. If he jaws with the opposing bench, good. Larry Bird loved to talk smack. It's part of basketball. As long as Diggs doesn't get T'd up or suspended, I'm good with just about anything he feels gives him an edge. Zeke had a nice game against Toledo. It could have been better, but he had some huge blocks, "alters" and rebounds. And I'll disagree with Elton that his fouls, especially the final couple, were mandatory whistles...they were pretty iffy. The Zips need to quit taking plays off on defense, and quit committing unforced turnovers on offense. Then they'll begin romping to their capabilities. Until then, we'll just need to be satisfied with underachieving wins.

To summarize: Some players mature fast, and some players mature slow. We simply need to put our faith in the coaching staff to help them reach their potential, and hope for the best in March. Man, I swear I've read that before? Must have been GP1.

Finger Pointed at Marshall and Diggs

I saw him in the Tommy Evan Lounge.

Hence why he needs to focus on that aspect of his game. His mortal flaw is predetermining what he's going to do offensively once he passes mid-court. He doesn't take what the defense gives him, he does what he wants to do. I like Nik, and he's a 5th year senior that's not gonna change. But if he could cut down on those 1-on-1 drives to the lane that always end up as a travel, charge or turnover, it would rule.

Not the three's he attempted last night.

I can't wait for the STO announcers to buy into it!

I ran the Harney20 calculation last night, and that's the result. The Zips will beat BG regardless of Harney's minutes. No so @ WMU. Sources say Matt "Underwear" Stainbrook, the Terry Forster of The MAC, will give Zeke fits.

But is that the standard by which the 2011-12 team should be judged....not being threatened by Toledo? Toledo is terrible. They have no size, and their guards are terrible ball-handlers. In the JAR, we should have killed them. McClanahan said it last night...this team is coasting on it's abilities. It doesn't have a killer instinct. It allows lesser teams to hang around, rather than wax them. It's like watching your kid, who's capable of "A" grades, pulling down "B-'s." The Zips need to administer some beatdowns over the next 3 weeks against the cupcakes...not simply coast to uninspired, turnover-riddled wins. ORU and WMU are the only Harney20 Games between now and February 25th.

I like this observation. It seems every game for the Zips is a struggle, followed by a good half. Sleep-walk, followed by a good half. Build a big lead over the course of 5 minutes...give it away over the course of 5 minutes. Abreu is maddening...one second he looks like the best PG in Zips history...then he commits multiple, crazy, unforced turnovers. Reducing the unforced turnovers is a big key to the Zips reaching their potential. Abreu and Cventinovic top the list of "those who have room for improvement." Conversely, Diggs has been fantastic over the past several weeks. And Gilliam is rounding into form as well. Is it wrong for Zeke to have 5 blocks...and for me to be disappointed he didn't have 10? Probably, but I'm sure he'll look at the game tape and see there were 5 big fat ones he could have swatted into the GA upper-deck. You never got the feeling we were going to lose last night's game. But you knew we'd never put the dagger in 'em either. Final note: Pearson is fun to watch. He's what I'd envision DJ Cooper would be like, if he were 6' 4".