Before the season gets going in earnest – just about every school that has yet to play a game will play one Friday or Saturday – I have to get a couple of other sleepers on the record. Earlier in the week I mentioned Creighton and Xavier. Earlier in the off-season I gushed about Utah State. A couple more to watch: Vanderbilt and Georgetown.

Last season, Vandy was 43rd in adjusted offensive efficiency and 31st defensively. That put them 29th in adjusted pythagorean winning percentage, the highest ranked team to miss the tournament. They do suffer some losses, with the departures of three of their top six in terms of minutes played last season. The Commodores still have a nice one-two offensive punch in point guard Mario Moore and wing Shan Foster. Virginia transfer Derrick Byars gives them a shooting threat at the two.

Georgetown has been getting a little press, but they really should spend more time in the top 25 than out of it this season. They have nearly everybody back and they were damn good last season (35th/70th adj. offense/defense). Their offense was the third most improved in the nation. What can John Thompson III do in year two now that the players know what to expect from him and vice versa? I’m guessing big things.

Line o’ the Night

                           FG    3pt  FT   Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A  O-T   A F S TO BLK Pts
Jason Harris           40  5-22  1-3  4-4  3-7   2 2 2  6  3   15
Result: Win. Sacramento St. 67, Southern 64 (OT).

There were only three games last night and two were glorified exhibitions, so pickins for Line o’ the Night were slim. Yahoo! named Harris the top performer in Sacramento State’s victory in a consolation game of the Guardians Classic. He missed 17 shots and committed 6 turnovers, but who am I to argue with Yahoo!?