June
is often considered a fallow period in men's college basketball, but there are always a few stories that could impact teams' chances to win their conference or even affect their current odds to make a run at a national title.
The
following is a look at this week’s most interesting news and notes from the
world of college basketball.
SEC-Big East challenge
The pairings
have been released for next season’s SEC-Big East Challenge, pitting some of
the top programs from each conference against one another in 12 separate games
over the course of three days. This will be the last season that both Syracuse
and Pittsburgh play in the Big East Conference as both schools are heading for the ACC
after this season. The Orange were slated to play at Arkansas on Nov. 30 but
have reportedly declined the offer, citing a conflict in their schedule while
the Panthers have been left out of next season’s Challenge all together.
Some of the
other games include Marquette at Florida and Kentucky at Notre Dame on Nov. 29,
Tennessee at Georgetown and Georgia at South Florida on Nov. 30, and
Mississippi State at Providence and Villanova at Vanderbilt on Dec. 1.
Bovada has
the Kentucky Wildcats with the best odds in the SEC to win a national title at
10/1 and Louisville has the best odds in the Big East to win it all at 8/1.
Kentucky vs. Indiana series in
serious jeopardy
The
on-again, off-again talks between Kentucky and Indiana to keep their
long-running series alive appears to have hit a stumbling block that threatens
to derail the annual game between the two basketball powers once and for all.
The Wildcats reportedly rejected the Hoosiers’ bid for a four-year extension
that would have staged next year’s and the following year’s game at Lucas Oil
Stadium. The third game would have been played at Kentucky with the final game
played at Indiana. The Wildcats publically stated that they would rather opt
for a two-year deal at this point.
Kentucky is
already scheduled to play Portland on Dec. 8, which has traditionally been the
past date of this matchup. Indiana suggested a move to Dec. 5, but the Wildcats
are already set to play Samford on that date.
It appears
that neither school is willing to compromise on their differences, but Kentucky
has left both Dec. 15 and Dec. 22 open on their calender for a possible game against
the Hoosiers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Wildcats’ Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart
cited that “in the best interest of our fans, I would hope we can come to a
conclusion to continue this storied series this December.” The way things are
headed right now, do not count on it.
Louisville to rely heavily on Siva
for another run at a national title
While it is
rare for NBA-caliber players to stick around for all four years of their
eligibility, there are a couple of seniors on this year’s list who will be
back to have a major impact on their team’s fortunes next season.
The player at the top of this list is Louisville
guard Peyton Siva, who was instrumental in leading the Cardinals to the Final
Four last season as a junior and is considered to be the perfect field general
to get them to at least that point next season. At 6 feet and 180 pounds, he is a
bit on the small side for a legitimate NBA prospect, but has already proven he
can play at the highest level in the collegiate ranks. Last season, he averaged
9.9 points and 5.6 assists a game and was named Most Outstanding Player in the
2012 Big East Tournament.