Jack Scheuer’s Off The Boards – March 18, 2015 Edition

There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that Temple, among several others, got a bad deal from the NCAA by not being included in the tournament field. That the “Power Conferences ” are given special treatment is obvious, and the system certainly should be changed.  But that is easier said than done, and that powerful body continues to do whatever it wants, fair or not.  What isn’t fair is that Will Cummings, the ultimate warrior, will be deprived of playing  in the NCAA’s in his final season at Temple, and Fran Dunphy’s resume will have one less tournament appearance than it should have.  Maybe some day the system will be changed, but I wouldn’t count on it.

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Here is one man’s first and second All-American teams for this season: Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant, Frank Kaminsky from Wisconsin, Utah’s Delon Wright, and Seth Tuttle, of Northern Iowa. On the second team; any five players from Kentucky.

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Trivia Time: Who is the New York Knicks all-time steals leader? Answer at the end of the column.

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Some time ago I mentioned that Virginia and Villanova are mirror images of each other.  Both play terrific defense, share the ball, don’t turn it over, and each has only one real big man in the rotation.  What is interesting about all this, is that they could very well meet in the final game of the East Regionals.

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It will be interesting to see how the Temple players respond against Bucknell in their NIT game tonight.  Will the disappointment stemming from not going to the Big Dance result in a lack of intensity, or will they be angered enough to take it out on the Bison?  Bucknell, by the way, won’t be an easy opponent.

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This and That: Here is a  suggestion to the Big 5: Have a 6th Man Award so that Josh Hart can get his just due.  The Villanova sophomore is having such a terrific season, they might want to name the award after him…. Fran O’Hanlon is in a unique position.  If his Lafayette team beats Villanova tomorrow, it will be the biggest upset in tournament history.  If the Leopards lose, his alma mater advances.  O’Hanlon still shares the Villanova record for most assists in one game(16) with Jim Huggard…. Tough to go against Kentucky, but I think Gonzaga might have a shot to knock off the loaded Wildcats.

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Answer to Trivia Time: Patrick Ewing, of all people,had 1,061 steals.