The not-so-great have to find some answers

Sporting News, The, Dec 14, 1998 by Mike DeCourcy

The Great Eight has been with us long enough for a couple of facts about the teams involved in this annual event in Chicago to become firmly established: They are always eight, but often not great.

The first mission of the Great Eight is to round up the last two teams standing in the NCAA Tournament's four regionals the previous year, but teams can change for one reason or another in the nine intervening months.

Boston College came by in 1994 on the way to 19 losses. Mississippi State passed through in 1996 and absorbed one of its 18 defeats. Just last year, Louisville was nudged by North Carolina on the way to its first 20-loss season. You wonder if the people at Washington, Kansas, Utah and Michigan State are aware of this history.

Those were the losing teams in this year's event, which turned out to be like a halfway house for addicted NBA types longing for a basketball fix. Grant Hill showed up, along with Scuttle Pippen, Antoine Walker and just about every pro personnel guy this side of Rick Pitino.

Those who attended were likely unimpressed by at least three of the losing teams, but all four left with serious issues to address. None seems destined to wind up the season on the wrong side of .500, but they'll be closer than they'd like if they don't solve these problems:

Washington (69-48 loser to Connecticut): Even against a team that is not physically imposing, Washington appeared malnourished. The spectacle of UConn grabbing a 48-28 rebounding advantage made you wonder who hid the key to the UW weight room.

The departure of 7-footer Patrick Femerling, who left Washington a year early to play pro ball in his native Germany, has not only removed elements of defense and rebounding strength from the Huskies, it left them learning to play without the dual-post alignment that was in place the past two seasons. Center Todd MacCulloch is doing fine but is being asked to do too much.

"We're probably still getting used to it," Washington coach Bob Bender says, "but we've had some time now to recognize we don't have that luxury anymore."

Sophomore Thalo Green, a race change-of-pace player in his first season, produced just 14 rebounds in his first five games as a starting power forward.

"Rebounding obviously is an area where we really are hurting," Bender says. "We've got to be more fundamental in our rebounding. We're not going to outjump you. We've got to go back to the basics."

The Huskies need to excel in other areas to challenge for the Pac-10 title. With two gifted wings in Deon Luton and Donald Watts, they can be great with the ball, but not if sophomore point guard Dan Dickau continues playing with hesitation. If Dickau asserts command of the team, Luton and Watts will be free to attack out of aggressiveness, not desperation.

Kansas (63-45 loser to Kentucky): It had been nearly 15 years since KU scored so few points and four years since it had lost by such a wide margin. Perhaps the Jayhawks are accustomed to the occasional March struggle but, golly, this is December. This is their time.

"I hate to use the word `embarrassing,'" coach Roy Williams says. "But I hope and I think we're a better basketball team than we showed."

The Jayhawks are in a similar position as Washington, lacking frontcourt muscle. The difference with Kansas is there are answers on the roster. Power forwards T.J. Pugh (ankle) and Lester Earl (knee) are recovering from injuries.

"T.J., I think it'll come gradually. It's a little better each week," Williams says. "We may not get it out of Lester all season. How many times did you see Lester power up and dunk the ball? None. And that's his game. He may never get that back. It's just what people have to understand."

If either or both eventually contribute to rebounding and frontcourt defense, there still is a problem on offense: Who can put the ball on the floor and turn the corner after the Jayhawks stretch the defense on the wings? Paul Pierce was brilliant in this regard.

Sophomore Kenny Gregory shoots better off the catch. He's getting the largest share of attempts, and his iffy ballhandling is one reason they have not been high-quality shots. The offense does not lead often enough to open jumpers for senior Ryan Robertson, one of the purest shooters in the nation, and improving sophomore center Eric Chenowith is not given enough opportunity to post up.

The struggling Big 12 might not expose KU's offensive deficiencies. If they aren't corrected, the NCAA Tournament will.

Utah (70-63 loser to Rhode Island): With 15:45 left against the Rams, junior forward Hanno Mottola found himself double-teamed on the right baseline but not out of options. Mottola snapped a sizzling pass across the lane to wide-open shooting guard Jeremy Killion on the left wing. Killion paused, pondered and eventually passed. It was a defining moment for these Utes.

"Guys are worried if they make a mistake, coach is going to take them out," says point guard Andre Miller, who is in no such danger.

"I think we're probably a little too tentative," coach Rick Majerus says. "That's my fault. I think we're not looking to be aggressive enough. I think I've got them uptight."