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John Calipari and Jim Calhoun hate each other.
They won't acknowledge this, of course.
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| Jeff Adrien has stood out in the Huskies' first few contests this season. (US Presswire) |
But regardless of how much they smile for the cameras in each other's presence, these two men have a relationship that is among the iciest in the sport, dating back to the days when a 29-year-old Calipari took over at Massachusetts and started explaining to any reporter with a notepad how his Minutemen playing Connecticut was good for New England basketball.
That's right, Calipari (from Moon Township, Pa.) spent a good portion of the late 1980s and early 1990s telling Calhoun (from Braintree, Mass.) what was good and bad for New England basketball, and never mind that Calipari had just moved to New England and Calhoun had been there his whole life. Those details didn't matter to the young coach. He was just as brash then as he is today at Memphis, and it all led to Calhoun openly mocking Calipari while nicknaming him "Johnny Clam Chowder."
So again, these guys hate each other.
To this day, still.
Which is why the title game of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic should be a dandy Friday night when Calipari's Tigers play Calhoun's Huskies at Madison Square Garden. It'll be the first time Calhoun and Calipari have met on the sidelines since the 1989-90 season. And when they shake hands before tip-off and put their arms around each other, just promise me that you won't believe any of it's genuine.
Because it's not.
Calipari and Calhoun hate each other.
And here's the rest of the Friday Look Ahead.
Game worth flying to see in person: The matchup of the weekend is Memphis vs. UConn at MSG. Why? On some level, it's because of Derrick Rose and Jeff Adrien, Joey Dorsey and Hasheem Thabeet. But mostly, it's because of the Calipari-Calhoun storyline. They hate each other, remember. How many times do I need to go over this?
Game worth driving to see in person: Arizona is too good of a program to be opening anybody's new building, and I hope the Wildcats learned that last season when they helped Virginia unveil John Paul Jones Arena by losing to Dave Leitao's team in a rowdy environment. Either way, the two schools get together Saturday night for a rematch, this time at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson. It's a chance to see a pair of All-American candidates in action -- Virginia's Sean Singletary (21.0 points and 7.0 assists per game) and Arizona's Chase Budinger (25.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game).
Game worth watching on TV: There aren't many great TV options this weekend, so go with the title game of the Puerto Rico Shootout. It's Sunday afternoon on ESPN2, and it'll feature two quality teams, perhaps even a matchup of former Billy Donovan assistants if Arkansas (John Pelphrey) and Virginia Commonwealth (Anthony Grant) win their semifinal matchups.
Some non-BCS love: Now that some schools have already played four times, Southern Illinois is ready to get started with a Friday night game against Northern Illinois. So it's a civil war of sorts, the North vs. the South. But unlike that other civil war from the 1860s, the South is a huge favorite this time, primarily because Chris Lowery is much better than Robert E. Lee at teaching defense.
An obvious prediction: Southern Illinois will cruise against Northern Illinois. The South will rise again! And hold its opponent to 33 percent shooting!
A crazy prediction (but it might happen anyway): Syracuse is off to a great start, and Jonny Flynn looks like this season's version of Mike Conley. But Friday night provides a respectable test, and coming off such an emotional win like the one against Saint Joseph's earlier this week could mean trouble for the Orange when Fordham visits the Carrier Dome. To be clear, the upset probably won't happen. But it could. And if it does I'll pretend I picked it and claim to be a genius, so consider yourself warned.
Player trying to keep rolling: J.J. Hickson did his best Michael Beasley impression in his opener, getting 31 points on 12-of-12 shooting in North Carolina State's victory over William & Mary. The freshman's encore is scheduled for Sunday when the Wolfpack host New Orleans. Wonder if he'll miss this time?
Player trying to get rolling: Chris Lofton is in a notable shooting slump, missing nine of 10 3-point attempts while averaging just 7.5 points through two games. But my guess is it all changes Friday night, and the reason is two-fold. One, Lofton is too good to keep missing. Two, Tennessee is hosting Prairie View A&M, a team I watched lose to Oklahoma State by 56 points last week. They don't guard too well, those Prairie View A&M Panthers. So Lofton should get some open looks, and this is the perfect contest to work out any kinks.
Three things you should know before you go
1. While UCLA practices this weekend, Darren Collison will still be trying to mend a sprained left knee. He's expected to miss at least another 10 days and probably will not return until a Nov. 28 game against George Washington.
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| Keep an eye out for a weekend explosion from Michael Beasley. (US Presswire) |
3. Missouri State will be missing three players at the center of a police investigation into stolen property when it meets Harding on Friday night and UNC-Greensboro on Saturday. Of the group, Chris Cooks is the lone significant loss. But this still isn't good for a team already off to an 0-1 start or a coach (Barry Hinson) under immense pressure to finally make the NCAA Tournament.
Final thoughts: The news here at Mississippi State isn't so much Thursday night's loss to Clemson, but the ongoing and strange recruitment of Scotty Hopson, a 6-foot-6 wing from Kentucky who committed to the Bulldogs more than a year ago. Even so, when this week's national signing period approached Hopson told Kyle Veazey of The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Miss., that he "wasn't going to sign."
And that's where we stood Thursday morning.
But things had changed by Thursday afternoon.
"We are signing Friday," Scotty's mother, Jeanette Hopson, told the family's hometown paper in Hopkinsville. "At first, we were going to wait, but then we decided to just go ahead and get it over with."
According to Jeanette, the final decision to ultimately sign with MSU was made late Wednesday. She was then asked why her son was still telling reporters he wasn't going to sign, and her answer is a classic even in the nutty world of recruiting.
"He didn't know," she said, "because I haven't told him yet."
Poor Scotty Hopson.
Always the last to know.