Thursday Stock Watch (Stars and Stiffs)

STOCK UP (STARS)

Brandon Rush - Rush only had 12 points, but it was on 6-6 shooting. Furthermore, the bright-futured sophomore showed his versatility as a player, contributing with 5 assists and 5 rebounds. He seems to come up with big plays right when Kansas needs them; the momentum shifted when Rush threw a beautiful alley-oop pass to Darrell Arthur, and Kansas never looked back.

Missouri Valley Conference - Southern Illinois couldn't come a way with a W, but their defensive prowess hindered the national powerhouse Jayhawks enough to make them look like a sixth grade travel team. Well, not quite, but they certainly made things interesting in a game that many people (myself included) thought would be a blowout. The Salukis' performance reinforced that last year's MVC success in the tournament (Bradley, Wichita State) was not a fluke. It's an incredibly tough league in which the defense is the best in the nation. Don't expect this favorite mid-major conference to fade over the upcoming years.

Bruce Pearl - When I saw Bruce Pearl say on Pardon the Interruption that he didn't think his team had any chance of winning it all because of their size, I took it to heart. He was almost pleasantly surprised. Perhaps the comment was a tactical move because he wanted his team to fly under the radar, but if you know much about Bruce Pearl, he was probably just being honest. The Tennessee coach is a breath of fresh air; he's whacky, earnest, and hilarious. And oh yeah, he's also a brilliant coach. I remember watching him tear apart my 4 seed Boston College Eagles as a 12 seed in the second round while coaching UW-Milwaukee. Yes, Tennessee lost to Ohio State, but Pearl took Oden out of the game with foul trouble by having his players go right at him, and in turn, they were in position to win the game. Bruce Pearl has done an unbelievable job at Tennessee in the two years he's been there.

Jeremy Hunt - In a game devoid of offense, the Memphis sharpshooter came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark for the Tigers, pouring in 19 points on 6-12 shooting (3-7 three-point fgs). When Hunt is hot, he can score with the best of them--he scored 25 in the first half at UAB earlier this season. The senior most likely will not get drafted this year, but he could find his way to the NBA eventually with a great career overseas.

Ron Lewis - Much like Hunt, an NBA career is not imminent for Ron Lewis. He may as well make the most of his college career. And that's exactly what he's been doing. After the cold-blooded three he sunk to send the Xavier game into overtime, you had to wonder whether the rest of the tournament would just be a letdown for him. Well, wonder no more. Lewis put his team on his shoulders, dropping 25 points in OSU's tremendous comeback win over the most stubborn Volunteers in the world.

Chris Lofton - In a previous entry, I said that Lofton would put forth another 25 point performance. Well, that's what he needed, but he only got 24 as Ohio State lost by a single point. Lofton was heroic in the defeat however, hitting 6 three-pointers, including a huge one near the end. He carried Tennessee throughout the tournament, and it's a shame he couldn't take them one more round.

Bill Raftery - I don't have to say much about Raftery if anyone has watched a game with him announcing. He is simply the most entertaining announcer not named Dick Vitale that exists on the face of the Earth. With his inexplicable outbursts, screaming terms that don't make sense to the average viewer, like "THERE'S A LITTLE LINGERIE ON THE DECK!", who wouldn't rather listen to him and anyone else than Jim Nantz and Billy Packer?


STOCK DOWN (STIFFS)

Acie Law IV - Not only did the Naismith finalist go 6-17 from the floor, but that 17th attempt was a missed layup that would have put the Aggies up 3 with 45 seconds left to go. For someone who has been repeatedly praised for his late-game heroics and touted as some sort of Robert Horry disciple, this was quite the mistake. Law will probably still be a mid-first round draft pick, but this game certainly didn't help his standing.

Joey Dorsey - The man that most of us only know as "that guy who is always dunking on SportsCenter highlights where Memphis is thrashing pathetic conference opponents by upwards of 25 points" fouled out of the Texas A&M game with just 8 points and 4 rebounds. For someone with his athletic abilities to be that unproductive is really almost impressive. As Ron Burgundy would say, "Actually, I'm not even mad. That's amazing!"

Aaron Gray - 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 fouls. Honestly, he's just too slow to play at this level, let alone the NBA. He's a projected first round draft pick, but more importantly, he's a lock to be the next Eric Montross. Unless Six Minute Abs really works as well as it does on the commercials, Gray better take his first round draft pick guaranteed contract and start saving the money before anyone realizes just how immobile this guy actually is.

Sherrod Collins - The Kansas point guard who has been "the diference-maker" in the Jayhawks' success toward the end of the season finished the SIU game with 2 points and 1 assist. The underwhelming performance should raise some red flags for Kansas as they go on to face teams like UCLA and Florida. If he continues to play like that, they don't stand a chance of achieving their goal of winning the National Championship.

Greg Oden - Give me Kevin Durant! Oden could easily be the number one pick of the draft, but I wouldn't say he's earned it so much as he's just a freak-of-nature-athlete. Oden almost cost his team the game by being unable to stay out of foul trouble once again. People will likely remember image of him blocking that final shot, (which was after the buzzer and would not have counted anyways by the way,) but he finished with just 9 points and 3 rebounds. With Durant consistently putting up 30 point games on a team that is nothing without him, Oden has been little more than an intimidation factor under the hoop at times for the Buckeyes. There is no doubt he will be a great professional player, but I could never pass on Durant for him.