Sunday, 16 November 2008

  • Some Quick Observations

    Obviously, I am excited for bowl eligibility and the win over Kentucky, but here are some other qiuck observations.

    First, while Florida looks like the best team in college football right now, they seem to be getting a lot of help from officials. They are hardly ever penalized. Their offensive line looks like they are moving before the snap pretty often (maybe they're just getting a great jump but it looks early to me). Other penalties in the Florida game that I think get called on every other team were Tebow's horse collar tackle after making a poor pitch on an option play and a pretty obvious block in the back on one of the many South Carolina punts. I'm not saying they wouldn't win those games handily anyways (they would), but it's just something I think I've noticed.

    Second, Vanderbilt's basketball season starts today against Morehead State, and I think this basketball team could be extremely good. They're young, and it is going to take some time, but this is one of the most athletic teams Vanderbilt has ever had, and it will be interesting to see how they improve as the season moves along.

    Lastly, I think the key to the season for the basketball team will be Jermaine Beal. A.J. Ogilvy is obviously the best player on the team and will likely lead the team in scoring. Still, Vanderbilt's biggest weakness has been defending quick guards, and if Jermaine Beal can step up his defense, he can definitely help take this team to another level. Offensively, I think he's one of the best point guards in college basketball. He can take guys off the dribble and kick out to players on the wings, or he's big enough and athletic enough to finish in the paint and in traffic. He has also improved his three-point shooting from his freshman year, and if he can hit from the new three-point line at close to a 40% rate, then I think he's looking at serious All-SEC first team consideration.

    I may be hugely wrong in that last observation, but after watching Beal be basically the best player on the floor in last year's upset of then #1 ranked Tennessee, I have developed big expectations for him.

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