Revenge of the Nerds

Jock schools, be afraid. Be very afraid.

Yeah, so Butler was a two-year wonder. The little school that could. You felt a soft spot for them, but now it's time for the big boys to dominate again, right? Wrong.

Sure, you were used to Duke running the show in college basketball. Duke has a storied tradition and the legendary Coach K. They're a private school with great academics, but they had honorary jock status. But Harvard? Baylor? They're not supposed to be basketball powers, right?

It's official. America's small, private colleges are starting to take the hoops world by storm.

Harvard's loss to UConn didn't diminish the early respect bestowed upon them; rather, it only added to it. Harvard went into Storrs and played tough, gritty basketball. The loss to the defending national champions showed simply that Harvard is not going away anytime soon. What Tommy Amaker has done in building the Crimson program is nothing but remarkable. Harvard became the first Ivy League school to be ranked in the AP top 25, and despite losing to UConn, a win over Boston University this weekend should keep Harvard in the national discussion.

The Crimson win without having a dominant superstar. Rather, Amaker plays his bench smart and the team plays a tough defensive game, forcing a team to either fight through or beat themselves. Don't expect a last second Princeton shot in a playoff game to take down Harvard's dream of their first NCAA tournament berth this year.

As for Baylor, the rise to national prominence is recognition of just how good a coach Scott Drew is. He came to Waco during one of their darkest hours and has breathed new life into the Bears program that has never been seen before. Baylor has been in cruise control all season so far, never being threatened en route to a 7-0 start. While it might take a lot to pry him away from Baylor, Scott Drew could be the next superstar of basketball coaches and could demand a huge salary in the upcoming future.

What makes this team especially scary is their depth. Drew plays a 10-man rotation that is fast, aggressive and can shoot their way from any point on the court. Perry Jones III (aka PJ3) has All-American potential, while Quincy Acy brings veteran leadership and toughness to the Bear attack. Beating the Bears requires a perfect storm of sorts. First, teams have to slow the pace way down and have a point guard that handles the ball well. Second, you have to have a team that plays defense so intense that they manage to miss most of their shots. Even then, that's a challenge, as five Bears shoot better than 46 percent from the field, and four shoot better than 36 percent from behind the arc.

It doesn't stop there. Xavier, who's become a national power, is making waves again with one of the top backcourts in the country in Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons. And let's not forget little Belmont in Nashville, who almost knocked off Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium to start the season. The Bruins play a deep bench, with no one playing over 29 minutes, and I love the guard play of Kerron Johnson and Ian Clark.

While the small, private schools struggle to become power players on the college football scene, one thing's for sure. Come hoops time, they're a large piece of the elite pie.

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