• Portland: Even with a loss to No. 8 West Virginia in the title game, the Pilots were the story at the 76 Classic in Anaheim. The 27-point domination of UCLA was not a fluke, especially when Portland took out a deep, talented Minnesota team that doesn't have a single scrub. The Gophers and Bruins have oodles more talent than the Pilots, but that doesn't mean T.J. Campbell can't play with any of them. Portland shoots from all over the perimeter, can board with the best and never loses its poise. The Pilots should be a good watch throughout the season.

• Gonzaga: The Zags were the West Coast preseason favorite and probably should have been in the Top 25. There is no doubt now after a run to the Maui Invitational title. Gonzaga beat back Wisconsin and then Cincinnati in the title game, as Elias Harris, Robert Sacre and Steven Gray are proving to be more than complementary players to Matt Bouldin. Once again the Zags look like a team that could make a deep March run.

My take on these snippets:

1. UCLA is neither deep nor talented. I have watched every one of their televised games this season, and they will be at the bottom of a historically bad Pac-10. They have absolutely no offense and no inside game whatsoever. They are really hard to watch.
2. T.J Campbell is overextending himself within the Portland offense. He needs to be more of a point guard and less of a black hole. Portland has alot of tools, and it makes no sense that he would try to do everything himself.
3. I watched the Portland - Minnesota game, and Minnesota came out flat-footed and looked pretty bad. I give all the credit to Portland for dismantling them, but they certainly did not look like a top-25 team.
   
4. Elias Harris is getting alot of attention. It's not that he doesn't deserve it, but I just hope that it doesn't get to his head and change his role within the team dynamic and get him thinking about the NBA before it is right for him to do so.

<!--Session data-->