College Hoops Knowledge

More than Carolina, or Duke's game: Don't count Notre Dame & St. Mary's out inMarch

Jordan Taylor of Wisconsin
Photo via Wager Minds
Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey
Photo via SB Nation

In the sport of golf, Saturday is known as Moving Day, meaning that it’s the day when players attempt to move into position so that they have a chance to win on Sunday. When you talk about college basketball, February is Moving Month.

Teams will try to jockey for position in their respective conferences so that they have a legitimate chance of doing damage in March — and getting to New Orleans for the Final Four. As this exciting month gets into gear, here are some of the storylines to follow.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: NOTRE DAME

The Irish seemed like a Big East afterthought after losing top returning scorer Tim Abromaitis to a season-ending injury. A loss on Rutgers Jan. 16 dropped Notre Dame to .500 in the conference.

That’s when the Irish took out No. 1 and then-unbeaten Syracuse, sparking a four-game winning streak that also included a hard-fought win over Connecticut. While young players like Eric Atkins, Jack Cooley and Jerian Grant have stepped up their games, the real star has been coach Mike Brey’s “Burn” offense, which slows the pace of the game and limits the possessions of opponents.

The style has helped the Irish limit opponents to 50 points per game in the winning streak.

SOARING: WISCONSIN

After Wisconsin lost three of its first four conference games, including two at home where the Badgers generally dominate, it appeared as if Bo Ryan’s string of Big Ten standout teams was about to expire. A tough gut-check win at Purdue turned the tide, and Wisconsin won six in a row before losing the showdown with Ohio State Saturday.

Although senior point guard and team leader Jordan Taylor has shot poorly this season, a more balanced attack than in past seasons along with a rugged defense has helped to compensate.

STRUGGLING: KANSAS STATE

The Wildcats burned through the preseason schedule to the tune of 11-1, but things turned sour once they hit the Big 12 season. Although they have a nice resume win over Missouri, they’re currently only .500 in the league (5-5) even after beating Texas A&M Saturday.

Back-to-back losses to fellow conference mid-packers Iowa State and Oklahoma really set Kansas State back in its search for NCAA Tournament seeding. The Wildcats have an all-conference candidate in shooting guard Rodney McGruder along with some good young players, but their inexperience has shown in several close losses.

UNDER THE RADAR: ST. MARY’S

In the West Coast conference, Gonzaga gets most of the publicity, and Brigham Young’s arrival this year also grabbed headlines. But Randy Bennett’s Gaels are already 3-0 against those heavyweights so far this season as part of a 11-0 start to conference play, 22-2 overall.

Matthew Dellavedova is one of the most underrated point guards in the nation, while forward Rob Jones is averaging a double-double. This is a veteran team, but freshman center Brad Waldow has been coming on of late. St. Mary’s has suffered some heartbreak on Selection Sunday a few times before, but it's removing all doubt this season.

The Gaels won't just be dancing. They'll be dangerous.

GAME OF THE WEEK: DUKE at NORTH CAROLINA, Wednesday Night, 8 p.m.

Suddenly it’s a three-way race in the ACC, as Florida State has knocked off both of these perennial titans. That makes this game even more important than usual, since the loser will likely drop to third. Duke’s big men, especially center Mason Plumlee, will be hard pressed to deal with the one-two inside punch of John Henson and Tyler Zeller, and the Blue Devils also lack a suitable wing player to match up with Harrison Barnes, the top Tar Heel scorer.

But Duke has the edge in the backcourt, thanks to freshman Austin Rivers and sweet-shooting Seth Curry.

Enjoy the hoops, and I’ll talk to you next week.

unspecified

rock on

Native Houstonian brings Austin-based climbing gym to the East End

Photo courtesy of Crux Climbing Center

One of the many climbing walls at Crux.

Crux Climbing Center, one of Austin's best indoor bouldering and climbing gyms, opened its first Houston location in September and is hosting a grand opening celebration this weekend.

"As a native Houstonian, bringing Crux to the Bayou City has always been a part of the long-term vision," said native Houstonian, CEO, and co-founder Kevin Goradia. "Crux is a community-oriented climbing gym, and our decision to open our first out-of-market location at The Plant was largely inspired by Concept Neighborhood’s plans to create a walkable neighborhood that truly integrates the local community.”

Goradia — the son of Houston petrochemical billionaire Vijay Goradia — co-founded the first Crux in South Austin in 2016 after being dissatisfied with the offerings at other climbing gyms. Crux has almost everything a climber could want, including bouldering, training boards, a spray wall, strength training, fitness and yoga classes, saunas, locker rooms, a Kids Cave, lounge space and a retail shop.

The gym flourished in the post-COVID physical activity boom as more people looked for both exercise and social interaction following the lockdowns. The community aspect of Crux is very important to Goradia. When he was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023, he credits the support he had through the climbing scene in Austin as a major factor in his eventual recovery.

Now, he's bringing that to Houston, a city where indoor-climbing is booming. The exceptional flat city has few natural climbing spots, which would be arduous even if they existed thanks to the heat. Instead, the last twenty years have seen an explosion of massive, indoor facilities like inSPIRE, Momentum, and now Crux.

The grand opening event will take place at the 21,000-square-foot gym space located at The Plant (3100 Canal St.) on Saturday, October 10 from 2-8 pm. This is more than just a few grab bags and a chance to do some climbing. Native Houstonian, CEO, and co-founder, Kevin Goradia is pulling out all the stops with a full vendor fair offering art, jewelry, and vintage items.

The climbing will be a great way to work off the calories from some of the food partners. Cheaters Creamery and Sinfull Bakery will both be handing out treats, and Miguelitos Grill will be serving fresh-off-the-grill quesadillas that can be washed down with beer from St. Arnold's Brewery for the 21-and-up crowd. There will even be free tattoos from 13 Goats.

And, of course, there will be climbing. Throughout the event Crux is offering BOGO deals and raffles. The event itself is free, so this is a great opportunity to get a look at what made Crux stand out in Austin.