Sagarin update

It's no exaggeration to say I'm forcing myself to talk about Furman basketball. But the truth is, this season is getting pretty interesting in an I-sort-of-want-to-see-that-new-Friday-the-13th-movie way.

Which I do, by the way.

Anyway, Davidson handed Furman its worst loss of a long season earlier this week, a 40-point drubbing that sank the Paladins to 2-14 (or 0-14 as far as the computer is concerned, since the wins were over D-III and NAIA schools). Here are some other numbers to chew on:

• Furman has now lost games by 32, 27, 24, 20 and 19 points this season. Granted, all were on the road, and three were to Notre Dame, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. But, still ...
• To be fair, Furman has been more competitive at home, losing by 5, 11, 11, 5 and 6 points. So, good for them.
• Jeff Jackson's career record as a head coach heading into this year was 43-99. Now it's 45-113, for a winning percentage of .284. That's right, .284. I'm not kidding, the man has won 28 percent of his games at Furman and New Hampshire. In his official bio on the Furman athletic Web site, an accolade goes as follows: "In his first season the Wildcats won seven games and the next year improved to 10-17." Wow. That's awesome.

Furman doesn't offer a media guide online, so I can't put this season into perspective when it comes to the worst ever, but it has to be on pace. According to the USA Today Sagarin computer ratings, Furman is 344th out of 347 D-I schools - and, incredibly, the Paladins have already lost to the 343rd and 345th ranked schools this season.

Naturally, we have to wonder at this point if Furman can go a cool 2-28 (counting the inevitable first-round Southern Conference tournament loss). It's possible - this team really stinks - but there are some formidable roadblocks starting Monday when UNC-Greensboro comes to Timmons.

The Spartans are a cool 3-13, so the Paladins on paper won't have a better chance this year to notch the all-important Win No. 3. Should they falter, it gets tough.

Remaining games include Georgia Southern, Western Carolina, Elon, Citadel, College of Charleston and Wofford on the road and Samford, Chattanooga, Southern, Davidson and Wofford at home. Based on performances so far this year (no road loss by less than 11 points except for a five-point setback at 344th-ranked Dartmouth) we can probably rule out any of the away games, though Elon is only 4-11 and could present a test to Furman's futility.

That leaves the contests at beautiful, silent Timmons Arena. Chattanooga is only 9-10 but has already beaten Furman by 27. I don't see that turning around, even with 350 home fans creating that crazy atmosphere Timmons is known for. Davidson? That's a good one.

So only Samford, Southern and Wofford remain. Samford is 9-8 but only beat Furman by 11 in Birmingham, while Southern is only 6-10, while Wofford is 7-8. Honestly, on paper, the Paladins could win two of those games, and they'd better, or Jackson's job could be on the line.

I'm totally kidding. I have no idea what it takes to get fired as Furman men's basketball coach, just as I have no idea what it takes to get hired. But I'm proud to say I was there to witness the Jeff Jackson era.

Painful

Now I've learned two things about DVR: As I said earlier, you should always set the stop time more than two hours from the start time. And it's also a fantastic tool to illustrate exactly how Tyler Hansbrough is able to constantly find himself alone under the basket against Virginia.

Of course, if I told you that he was being "guarded" by Jamil Tucker that would probably answer your question completely enough, but video evidence puts proof in the pudding. Example 1:

Hansbrough starts out at the free throw line. Tucker is under the basket. A Carolina player takes a baseline jumper. Hansbrough, as he's been known to do, beelines for the rim. Tucker, as he's been known to do, stands still and watches the ball float through the air, likely wondering how this can somehow mean he gets to take another 3. As the shot nears the rim, Tucker remembers he was supposed to be doing something - what was it? - oh yeah, where's that big white guy? Tucker looks behind him, but Hansbrough isn't there because he's now between Tucker and the rim. Shot misses, Hansbrough grabs it, puts it in, is fouled, and Tucker claps his hands together in frustration.

If you're Jamil Tucker, how are you ever thinking about anything else but boxing Tyler Hansbrough out? If he's at halfcourt, you're pushing him toward the 3-point line on the other end of the court, right? Yet somehow Dave Leitao has sent him on the court not completely certain that it's critical to account for Tyler Hansbrough around the basket. That's something you'd feel stupid doing, or not doing, at the Y. Yet failing to box out the hustling offensive rebounder happened over and over again on Saturday.

Example 2:

Tucker is again under the defensive basket. Hansbrough is behind him on the block as a Carolina player in front of Tucker drives baseline as if to take another baseline jumper. Mike Scott collapses on defense, forcing the UNC player to pass the ball over to Ed Davis about 15 feet away between the free throw line and the baseline. Tucker immediately begins racing Scott to get to Davis, who then passes the ball to a wide-open Hansbrough under the basket. Tucker turns and futilily hacks Hansbrough as Hansbrough scores and again heads to the line. Scott looks at Tucker with his palms out, asking, basically:

If you're Jamil Tucker, how are you ever thinking it's more important to stop an Ed Davis 15-footer than a Tyler Hansbrough dunk? Again, this would be a stupid defensive play at the Y. In the ACC, it's inexcusable. But unfortunately it's par for the course at Virginia these days.

Obviously, I'm not a basketball coach. There can be no doubt that Dave Leitao knows more basketball in his pinkie that I will ever know. But even if he could counter any criticism I made with a sound Xs-and-Os argument one thing that can't be glossed over is the fact that Virginia is the worst team in the ACC. By that simple measure, something is very wrong in Charlottesville.

I know, I know, I had some happy thoughts after the Virginia Tech game. And I'm not backing away from anything I said, though it was sobering how far optimism in Charlottesville is from the quality of play in Chapel Hill. Sylven Landesberg was humbled by the Tar Heels' team defense and athletes. Sammy Zeglinski was overwhelmed and, apparently, terrified of Ty Lawson. Worse, though, than Carolina's glaring talent advantage was how much more cohesively they played.

The Tar Heels were determined to stop Virginia's best player, and they did. The majority of their baskets came from an assist -which means means that Carolina was running something akin to an offense. If you're Virginia, you can't win this game with what you're sending onto the court. But you can stop Tyler Hansbrough with double teams and box outs. You can run plays to free Mustapha Farrakhan and Jeff Jones for 3-pointers off of screens. You can isolate Mamadi Diane on the wing and let him try to beat his defender off the dribble. You can post Mike Scott and let him try to work inside.

They did none of those things, however. Any particular reason?

I saw maybe two Scott isolations inside. I saw one play where Virginia actually seemed to be setting a screen on purpose for Farrakhan to shoot a 3. The rest of the time, it was ineffective confusion from the Cavaliers. Did anyone understand what he was supposed to be doing? If I'm wrong, somebody please tell me what I'm missing, because to me it was guys catching passes on the perimeter, dribbling around hesitantly, Leitao screaming move, a pass to a different spot on the perimeter, more tentative looking around, culminating with a wild jumper from Farrakhan or Calvin Baker.

Painful.

Other notes:

• Jeff Jones seldom plays, and when he does he sometimes doesn't look all that great. But it took about two trips down the court against Carolina in mop-up time to show once again that he is as talented a player as Virginia has. I'd like to blame the kid, but with Leitao's history either he doesn't have a clue how to develope these guys or he does an awful job analyzing mental makeup before he offers a scholarship. All I kept thinking was, there is no way Jeff Jones goes to Carolina or Duke and doesn't end up contributing to that program. But if he doesn't transfer after this season I'll be stunned.
• Zeglinski has to be more aggressive to play at this level. He's a good ballhandler and sees himself as a point guard, but he must make more happen than dribbling over the halfcourt line and passing. In the ACC, point guards attack the paint. Until he does that, Leitao has little choice but to play Calvin Baker - and that's not exactly a recipe for long-term success.
• Why did Tunji Soroye never get off the bench against the biggest team in the league? He's limited, but he's a senior who has been in your program for five years and logged a lot of minutes. If you can't figure out how to make a contributor out of a kid like that, especially on a last-place team, it says more about you as a coach than it does about that kid.
• Watching Diane explode off the ground around the rim in the second half, taking rebounds away from Danny Green, reinforced what I just said: Getting no production out of the best athlete on your roster in his senior season says more about your coaching than it does about that kid. OK, he's not hitting 3s. But you know what? He's always taken too many of those to begin with. Slashing to the rim is a huge void in Virginia's attack, and Diane clearly can do it at an ACC level. Yet he never does. Why has Leitao not taken him aside and said, Mamadi, this season we need you on the offensive glass. We need you attacking the rim. That's the only way we can win. If Diane refuses to do it but has been asked, why is Jeff Jones or Farrakhan not starting? Nothing in that scenario indicates effective coaching.

I don't want to spend all of my time bashing Leitao, but when I watch Virginia I always end up asking myself over and over again, what are they doing? Still, they're young. The optimist would say that UNC was angry and Virginia is young and learning. Bad combination.

Perhaps things will be different tonight at Maryland. We shall see.

Good advice

There's a headline on the Virginia men's basketball home page about Jamil Tucker. It reads: "Jamil Tucker: The Road Less Traveled."

They must be talking about the one to the paint. BAM.

Virginia shows some signs of life

Before I forget (which is all too easy to do with Virginia basketball these days), I watched the Cavs-Virginia Tech game on Sunday, a day late compliments of my prized new DVR. Which reminds me: When you get that option about changing recording end time, you probably should on a college basketball game. Because they almost never end at two hours, which I found out when my screen went black with 57 seconds left and the Cavaliers making a furious comeback.

Of course, I didn't actually think they'd win - and they didn't - but coach Leitao's troops actually gave me a little hope. Mostly out of fear, I hadn't watched a Virginia game beginning-to-end all season, but I was pleasantly surprised by Saturday in a number of ways.

First of all, 7-foot freshman Assane Sene is a VERY exciting player. Obviously, he's tall, but in stark contrast to lumbering Tunji Soroye (for whom I've always had a soft spot not supported statistically in any way) he's an active, high-energy guy. Even better, he's almost shockingly athletic (he has 20 blocks already) and is a fiery competitor.

That last trait jumps out especially at Virginia, whose players usually look like slack-jawed, glossy-eyed zombies as they passively take their beatings.

Secondly, I was impressed with freshman point guard Sammy Zeglinski simply because he looked like a point guard. Clearly, he's got a ways to go to compete with ACC athletes on a consistent basis, but a he's pass-first, shoot-second guy that can shoot if you let him. I love Sean Singletary, and maybe this was out of necessity because of his weak supporting cast, but too often for my taste he played more like Allen Iverson than Steve Nash - dribbling and dribbling and dribbling and making the occassional spectacular pass but often eschewing the simple kick out or dump in to the post that could have gotten more guys involved.

And don't get me started on Calvin Baker. Too late. I could go on and on here, but for the sake of my sanity and your attention span two things: STOP DRIVING UNDER THE BASKET, JUMPING, AND THEN LOOKING AROUND FOR SOMEBODY TO PASS TO! And, PASS THE DAMN BALL TO THE POST GUY WHEN HE'S OPEN! STOP LOOKING AT HIM, PUMP FAKING, LOOKING AGAIN, AND THEN RE-EMBARKING ON YOUR POINTLESS DRIBBLE JOURNEY AROUND THE 3-POINT LINE!

OK, now that that's out my system: Yet a third freshman looks like he could be one of the best players to play in Charlottesville. Assuming, of course, he can avoid getting picked up for shoplifting at a JC Penney, resist stealing any electronic devices from somebody in his dorm or pull a gun at a party. Not that I have any reason to think Sylven Landesberg would do any of those things, but a precedent has been set.

This kid is the real deal. He can shoot, he's a tremendous offensive player off the dribble, and, best of all, Landesberg has some basketball sense. He's not a Courtney Alexander gunner, and he's not a one-dimensional, Curtis Staples, 3-point shooter. He scores when he can, when it fits in the game, and he passes when it doesn't.

He's averaging 18.5 point per game, fifth in the ACC, and is already the best Virginia freshman since Bryant Stith - who was probably the best Virginia freshman ever. Jeff Lamp's 17.3 average as a freshman in 1977-78, the current school record, is in real trouble, as is Stith's record of 513 points as a freshman.

Landesberg, Zeglinski, Sene, combined with 6-8 sophomore Mike Scott, who has worked hard to become a respectible inside force, are pieces to what could become the core to a real-live basketball team. Virginia still lacks depth, a coherent offensive plan half the time and horrible lapses in defensive intensity. There is no other scorer to help Landesberg (Mamadi Diane, please, for the love of God, exhaust your eligibility). The Hokies were noticeably more athletic at times.

But I have hope. Hope. Now, if I can just find Andy Dufrain on the Pacific coast of Mexico, perhaps Leitao can guide this program to an ACC tournament win.

Now that's bad

We're up to 347 D-I men's college basketball teams. Furman is now ranked 343rd according to the Sagarin Ratings in USA Today. At 0-11 and counting, we can officially start making the case for Furman as the nation's worst program. I'm so proud.

Only Dartmouth (1-11), North Carolina Central (0-18), Alcorn State (0-14) and New Jersey Tech (0-16) are looking up at Furman. That's right, Furman, the school that produced Frank Selvy, is keeping company with the likes of New Jersey Tech. The Paladins were recently passed by 2-13 North Florida, which broke its 54-game road losing streak with a win over Furman last month. Dartmouth's lone victory? You guessed - compliments of Furman. Now, technically, the 'Dins are 2-11, but to the computer those victories don't count because one was over, gulp, D-III Emory (that would be, no athletic scholarships) and the other was by four points over Berry - a .500 NAIA team.

There is one other winless school, 0-13 Eastern Michigan, but the Eagles are way up there at 317. The way I see it, there are really two questions left to be answered this winter for Paladin hoops: Can Furman go 0-fer, and how much longer can the school put up with the debacle that is coach Jeff Jackson?

Now, sadly for someone who was hoping Jake Delhomme would crack double digits in interceptions on Saturday, there's a fair chance Furman will win at least one more game. The Southern Conference isn't exactly a juggernaut, and with the likes of 4-8 Elon, 7-9 Citadel and 2-11 UNC-Greensboro on the schedule it's possible some loser team will muck up Furman's quest for epic horribleness. But stay positive.

Rumor had it, Larry Davis left the cupboard bare when he bolted to Cincinnati three years ago, so Furman's 17 or so basketball fans thought Jackson had invented coaching when he went 15-16 his first year. OK, so 7-23 last season was a step back, but maybe THAT was when Davis' talent drain kicked in.

Now Jackson has two recruiting classes in place, however, and it's hard to see how things are looking up. Jordan Miller leads the team at 14.2 points per game. Only two other players average more than 9. Nine different players have started at least one game. The Paladins can't shoot - not even free throws - and get outrebounded. They're not athletic. There is not a single statistical category where they are not getting handily beaten by their opponents. Not one.

In other words, they're a disaster. An optimist would say that there are only two seniors and two juniors on the roster, and Miller is a sophomore. As someone who hasn't seen a decent Furman team since '91, however, let's just say I'll believe I should be optimistic in retrospect.

Just the D being the D

As we all know, Jake Delhomme was Ishtar bad Saturday night. Nobody should thank him more than the Arizona Cardinals, though his own defense might want to drop a card in the mail at some point for taking the bullet.

The Panthers have built a reputation as a defensive team. To hear Sunday afternoon pundits tell it week after week, Carolina is just this side of the Steelers and Ravens of the world. John Fox is always described as a "defensive guru." My only question is: Why?

I mean, to be a good defensive team one of the requirements is that you be good at stopping the other team from scoring and/or moving the ball. Carolina wasn't. The Panthers ended the regular season 18th in the league in yards per game. And down the stretch, with the chance to first lock clinch the NFC's top seed and then advance to the conference championship game, the they were brutal.

Against the Giants in Week 16, Carolina made Derrick Ward look like Bo Jackson. And I don't mean the Bo Jackson who posterized Brian Bosworth; I mean the Bo Jackson on Techmo Super Bowl who ran like he was riding motorcycle. In the second half and overtime, Ward looked like he was running against the scout team. A girls lacrosse scout team. A high school girls lacrosse scout team. In a state that doesn't recognize it as an official sport.

Ward cracked 80 yards twice all season - rushing for 101 against the Browns and, ahem, 215 against Carolina in their most important game of the season. How is that possible? And it's not like the Panthers were only bad against the run. Larry Fitzgerald had 150 yards receiving IN THE FIRST HALF Saturday. Maybe the Panthers were focusing too much on Anquan Boldin, and if that were the case it might make be a explanation had Boldin actually, you know, played.

More disturbing, in both cases it's not like the offensive players were performing at a superhuman level. Ward was seldom touched. A Panthers linebacker appearing on the TV screen was akin to a bigfoot sighting. And television didn't do justice to just how open Fitzgerald was. There wasn't a Carolina jersey within 10 yards of him half the time.

Missing tackles or having a team run down your throat means you have bad players. But having a defense so obviously out of position and unprepared for what the offense throws at it tells me you have bad coaching. My guess is coordinator Mike Trgovac will have some serious 'splainin' to do to Fox this week.