Oklahoma City started slowly on Wednesday night, but the Knicks turned back into the Knicks midway through the second quarter and the Thunder got the win and cover as the daily free play. I’ll head to the Big West for my Thursday comp.
751 HAWAII at 752 UC SANTA BARBARA
Take: 751 HAWAII -5
I have no idea whether or not Hawaii will part of the forthcoming Big West Tournament. Nobody else does, either. The Warriors still haven’t received word from the NCAA regarding the status of their current postseason ban. That is a bad joke on every level. First off, make a damn decision so plans can be made should the ban get lifted. There is no excuse for this taking so long.
Secondly, it’s a crock that the penalty is in place to begin with. The current coaches weren’t the problem, nor were the current players. I’ve never agreed with how penalties are meted out by the NCAA. Basically, it’s like the guy in front of me running a red light and me receiving the ticket because, even though I stopped like I was supposed to, I happened to be next in line. If there is anyone on the planet who can explain to me how this is just, let me know about it.
In any event, Hawaii is certainly playing with focus in the hopes they can continue their season in the Big West event, and perhaps even beyond in one of the minor tournaments. This is a very young team, but they’re very well coached and have clearly improved since the early portion of the schedule. At worst, the Warriors can finish the season with continued momentum and, in fact, they are still in mathematical contention for the regular season title.
The flip side is UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos will get into the conference tournament if the Hawaii ban doesn’t get lifted. But there isn’t any doubt as to the worst team in the league this season. Everything has gone wrong for UCSB. They probably overscheduled a bit and started the season 2-9. Then they lost three post players, including a pair of starters to academic ineligibility. It got even worse a couple weeks ago when their best player went down with a knee injury.
UCSB doesn’t have a single double figure scorer on the active roster, they’re having to give expanded minutes to guys who aren’t ready for this level, and the buzz is that this might be it for longtime head coach Bob Williams. He’s been on the job for 19 years and has won more than 300 games. But his contract expires in August and I’m hearing who the school already has mind as a replacement for Williams. I can’t say who that is without burning my source, sorry, but let’s just say he gets really good info.
In any event, UCSB is barely competing in many of their games, with one blowout loss after another taking place. Hawaii won the first meeting by a huge margin and while I don’t expect this to be quite as lopsided, I do expect the visitors to complete the series sweep. I’ll spot the points with Hawaii.
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