PUT out the Shark warnings, folks. Tark, ’Dogs know
what must be doneJerry Tarkanian and his Fresno State Bulldogs are in town - and they smell victory.
It has been a disappointing season, especially for Tark's standards, but it's not over yet.
The Bulldogs, ranked No. 13 in the nation in the preseason Associated Press poll, have had a basic problem this season.
As the late Casey Stengel once remarked: "They couldn't hit the ground if they fell out of an airplane."
In basketball terms, the ball just hasn't dropped through the basket with enough regularity. Especially from 3-point land. Especially on the road.
Good news for the Rainbows, right? The WAC's Cinderella in Sneakers will lock up first place in the Pacific Division and a berth in the NCAAs, right?
A sold-out Special Events Arena (finally) should rattle the visitors and make UH's soft inside game tougher, even with 7-foot-1 Seth Sundberg on the sidelines, right? Alika Smith and Anthony Carter will go wild, scoring at least 20 points apiece. Michael Robinson will calm down at home and exhibit his considerable talents.
Micah Kroeger will continue his steady play and Eric Ambrozich will regain his feathery touch. And we all saw Danny Furlong turn into Superman the last time the Rainbows put on the home jerseys.
Riley Wallace has done an outstanding job with this team, especially with the suspensions of three players, the loss of Sundberg and a team bus crash.
The Rainbows won at Wyoming and Colorado State, while Fresno State lost both of those games. The Bulldogs beat Hawaii at their place on Feb. 12, but only by six points. Surely, the home court is worth more than three measly buckets, right?
In other words, put the champagne on ice for the Rainbows as they full-tilt boogie toward the NCAA tourney.
Not so fast, UH hoop heads.
Tark and his gang have their backs against the wall and there is only one way out: Beat the Rainbows at their place. Revenge is also a factor. Last season's defeat here late in the league season knocked the Bulldogs out of the NCAA tournament.
TARK, of course, has only gushed about Wallace and the Rainbows. He said Riley should be considered for national coach of the year - just before Fresno State beat Hawaii.
Now he is saying that the Rainbows have had a great and miraculous season. And he means it. The guy knows a good job when he sees one after 26 years in the business.
But Tark has finally reeled in his run-and-gun guys and played a (heaven forbid) half-court game against Wyoming. They won, 76-68. They shot close to 70 percent in the first half. They outrebounded the Cowboys by 10, another rarity this season.
"That was such a startling event. I thought they'd have that on CNN or World News Tonight," Tark told the Fresno Bee afterward.
He is a funny and nice man - and one of the last true characters in the game. Tark has survived the most unfair, disgraceful treatment by the NCAA enforcement clowns and it is a cruel joke that he is not in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
This isn't a knock on Riley, but Wallace trails Tark by a few victories - 513 to be exact. Hey, very few active coaches are anywhere close to Tark's 665-143 record. And now the Shark still has a chance to slip into the NCAA tournament, which his teams have made 12 times - including four Final Four appearances.
I'll be honest. This group of Rainbows certainly deserves a waltz in the Big Dance.
But I don't think they will beat Fresno State tomorrow night. Maybe with Sundberg, but not without him.
Of course, as my sensitive and understanding readers will politely point out, I have been wrong once or twice before.