The Haves and the Have-Nots Have at It

Once upon a time, not that long ago, college basketball season began Dec. 1. Not that long ago, it began Thanksgiving weekend. Now, five days after Halloween, it's time for -- yup -- college basketball. On the other hand, the season won't end until one week after the 2008 baseball season has begun.

What was once a sprint that seemed to go by in the blink of an eye or the bounce of a ball is now a marathon during which many -- if not most -- of the games involving national championship contenders in the first two months of the season are dreadful one-sided affairs that have come to be known as "guarantee games."

The big-name team guarantees the no-name team money, and the no-name team guarantees the big-name team a victory. On rare occasions the mold gets broken and you can be sure that the no-name that beats a big-name isn't likely to get scheduled again any time soon.

Consider some of this week's matchups, each on national TV: Memphis-Tennessee-Martin (it would be far more intriguing if the Tigers played Rowan and Martin); Kentucky-Central Arkansas and Connecticut-Morgan State. Maryland opens its season Sunday night against traditional rival North Florida.

Now, there will be a handful of big-time games because all of the above matchups are first-round games in preseason tournaments that have popped up all over the place to allow teams to add two games to their schedules. Unless the sky falls, Maryland will meet UCLA in Kansas City the Monday before Thanksgiving. A few days before that, Memphis, Connecticut, Kentucky and Oklahoma should convene at Madison Square Garden for two days of good basketball.

But those made-for-TV games are the exceptions to the rule. A lot of November and December games will bring back memories of Billy Tubbs's days at Oklahoma when he frequently beat teams by 50, 60 and even on occasion 90 points. Once, when someone asked Tubbs what he said to an opposing coach after beating him by 90, Tubbs shrugged and said, "I say, 'Can you come back next year?' "

A lot of teams will be asked to come back next year over the course of the next eight weeks.

Which brings us back to Connecticut-Morgan State. That's a first-round game in "The 2K Sports College Hoops Classic . . . benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer." Only in America could the corporate logo of an event be in capital letters while the reason for the event is barely noticeable. No doubt promoting 2K Sports (whatever that is) is far more important than raising money to fight cancer.

This past summer, Holy Cross was supposed to play in this event. Crusaders Coach Ralph Willard wanted his team to play because one of his players, Andrew Keister, had recovered from cancer and was hoping to be part of the tournament to show other youngsters and families that having cancer as a child doesn't mean you can't be a successful athlete.

Willard had asked the tournament organizers to put his team in the Connecticut bracket (the four power teams each host a four-team bracket and then advance to New York) because the tournament came during mid-terms at Holy Cross, and he didn't want his team away from campus for four days to play two games. When Willard ran into Huskies Coach Jim Calhoun this summer, he mentioned he was happy U-Conn. was hosting so his team could participate.

Willard said Calhoun responded by saying, "I really don't want to play you guys."

Willard answered: "Well, with our two best players graduating, we'll probably lose the first night, and you won't have to play us."