NCAA Hidden Gems

In men's college basketball today, there are superstars waiting to go to the next level, and there are those that know who not many know about that know how to help their team win. Everyone knows about Oklahoma's Blake Griffen, and his monster numbers both in points and rebounding that he puts up on a nightly basis. Then there is Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet who dominates on the the defensive end of the court with his shot blocking and rebounding ability. Another common household name is Stephen Curry, sharp shooter who plays for Davidson. Curry can shoot for anywhere on the court, and whenever he has an open look, do not expect anything but a made basket. However, there are those names that you have probably never heard of, and if so, only because of a Sports center highlight.

Here are some players you should keep an eye out for during this year's college basketball season as conference play gets under way in a few weeks:

Trevor Booker-Clemson:
Booker is a 6-7 forward who is averaging about 15 points and 9 boards a game. He can get it done inside and outside with a good medium range jumper. Booker helps lead the Tigers to a 10-0 start and into the rankings. Look for Booker to have a strong year, and into the tournament with a solid performance.

Jeff Pendergraph-Arizona State:
We all know about James Harden and his abilities over there at ASU, but the Sun Devils would be no where near where they are with out his contributions. Pendergraph is averaging 12 points 7 boards, but has had break out games this season of 23 and 22. Pendergraph is Hardens wing man who is second on the team in scoring but is the team's leading rebounder. The Sun Devils are currently ranked #20.

Durrell Summers-Michigan State:
Summers, a freshman guard helped carry the Spartans to a huge win over Texas on Saturday with a big 3 pointer with under a minute to go. Summers is one of the best role players in the nation, and knows how to knock down the big shot. He will surely be Tom Izzo's go to guy as he progresses in his collegiate career.

Dante Cunningham-Villanova:
Cunningham is Villanova's best player this year. He has been injured all his career at Nova, but this year he has been healthy. When Cunningham has been healthy, he has shown his talent. Leading the team in points (16.7) a game and rebounds (7.6) he has taken pressure off of guard Scottie Reynolds, an All-American calibre point guard. Look for Cunningham to have a solid year.

Al-Faroug Aminu-Wake Forest:
Aminu is a 6'9" freshman who has the ability to dominate games. He is said to be NBA ready. He can put up a double double every night and uses his length to dominate on the defensive end. His scoring ability is natural, and has soft hands around the basket. Look for Aminu to be a high draft pick in next June's draft.

Other Hidden Gems:
Derrick Brown-Xavier
Jeremy Pargo-Gonzaga
Jrue Holiday-UCLA
Cameron Tatum-Tennessee
Manny Harris-Michigan

NCAA BCS Playoff Solution

I'm sure this has been said around the internet many times, maybe not. I don't know. However, there is a very simple solution to the BCS problem. And yes, it involves a Playoff system.

I think a 16 team tournament would be phenomenal, but we'll start with a more reasonable and practical 8. That seems to be a consenus compromise. An 8 team tournament would encompass the top 8 teams in the national by BCS ranking. That was we can still keep the "BCS" format and naming to the whole thing. Yes, some teams are still going to gripe and complain they weren't invited, however it won't be a major problem because it will be wining from the #9, #10 teams, not the #3 team.

This proposed 9 team tournament would encompass 7 games. All 7 of these games would have big time bowl names to keep their naming deals in tact. The Championship would still be the FedEx National Championship, which i'm sure they would be more than happy with. And the remaining 6 bowls would be split between the big 4 (Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl) and two next tier bowls (Possibly the Capitol One Bowl or Gator Bowl or Outback Bowl, etc.). In my mind, the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are the biggest of the big four and would claim the two semi-finals spots. Obviously the two new bowl addition would be more than happy to move up in status and most likely, monetary intake.

There are definitely possible setbacks to this deal. The Cotton and Orange Bowls might have a problem from being separated from the Rose and Sugar Bowls. Also, the Bowls have contracts with the conferences which would create issues, but no one said that the plan is flawless. I think something will be done a lot sooner than everyone is expecting and this idea is just another step in the right direction.