Around this time a couple of weeks ago I wrote a story about a Suns game, and how the addition of Shaq would either help or hurt them. So far they have a below .500 record since the trade, and the critiques of the move by the Suns seem to be the last ones laughing now. It isn’t that Shaq isn’t trying. In fact, he has looked revitalized in his role, grabbing rebounds at a higher clip than he was with the Heat, but he simply too slow to match the high octane pace of the rest on the Phoenix lineup. Shaq is now in his mid 30’s, and even as a younger man he might have been too slow for the job, it isn’t easy lunging 330 pounds from end-to-end on a nightly basis. They do still have Steve Nash, and in a different year when Kobe and LeBron weren’t tearing up the court every night, he’d probably be in the running for yet another MVP trophy. He is averaging nearly 12 assists a game, the best in the league, and still has a way of making lesser players look good and good players look great. The Suns will probably still make the playoffs, but it is still a question mark regarding how far they will advance.

The Spurs, when completely healthy, are still the team to beat in the West. The defending champions can share the ball better than any team in the league, and also plays defense among the best teams in the league. Manu Ginobili leads the team with over 20 a game, but on any given night Tony Parker or Tim Duncan can take over a game just as easily. I favor the Spurs in this game, but I also feel that these are the types of games that Shaq could make a different, at least defensively.

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Missouri and Oklahoma may both be on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA tournament, but the Sooners may have a little bit of a shot. The Missouri Tigers are 15-14 overall with a 5-9 record in the Big-12 conference. Missouri would most likely need to win the Big-12 conference tournament to make the Big Dance. If they finish above, or at .500 they would be eligible for the NIT tournament. At times the Tigers have looked good this season, but they were never consistent enough to get above .500 in the tough Big-12. Oklahoma is 19-10 overall with a 7-7 record in the Big-12. Assuming they beat Missouri, which I feel they will, they will have an above .500 record in the league. If they are able to win a game or two in the Big-12 conference championship then they could be able to sneak in depending on what the other bubble teams do, and if any top seeds are bounced early in their conference, meaning they would still make the dance.

The Sooners have three players averaging double digits in scoring, but they are led by Freshman Blake Griffin. Griffin is averaging 15 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game. If Griffin sticks around for a while he could develop as one of the top centers in the country, but sometimes the all mighty dollar of the NBA makes decisions for the young players. Oklahoma is playing for more in this game. While I think Missouri could pull off the semi-upset, I think Oklahoma, riding the waves of a 64-37 victory over Texas A&M, will take this one, and get one step closer to the NCAA March Madness tournament.

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Unless one of these two teams pulls off a near miracle and wins the ACC conference championship, then both of these teams will be watching the NCAA tournament from their dorm rooms. Boston College is 13-14 and 4-10 in the tough ACC conference. Boston College almost pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year against UNC last week, but in the end the Tar Heels pulled it out. Junior Tyrese Rice scored a career high 46 points in the loss. On the year Rice is averaging 21 points a game, and hopes his good ending this year rides into next year. If Boston College can finish above .500 for the year they will be eligible for the NIT tournament. Georgia Tech is one game ahead of BC in the conference standings, but have an overall record of 12-15. Georgia Tech seems like they have a pretty good unit set in place for the next year or two. The entire team only has three seniors on it, meaning they will be bringing back 3/4ths of their team. With a lot of other teams losing seniors, and other players to the NBA, the experience could bring the Yellow Jackets in the following season. To qualify for the NIT you have to have at least a .500 record, and without a little work Georgia Tech won’t be able to do that. However, as mentioned, they looked pretty set to make a run in the upcoming years.

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