Jovenitti: Top ten LOLs in college basketball

One of the best things about being a sports fan is being able to laugh at other teams.

No… One of the best things about being a sports fan is being able to laugh at other teams.

No matter how bad the Pittsburgh Pirates are, Bucs fans will always be able to laugh at the Chicago Cubs’ “curse.” And even though the Pittsburgh Steelers lost Super Bowl XLV, their fans can still laugh at the Dallas Cowboys’ pathetic season.

Then there are those moments and games that make you simply laugh out loud. Yes, the phrase “LOL” is overused nowadays, but it was actually appropriate when you saw that the Cleveland Cavaliers lost 24 straight games.

So for my top 10 this week, I give you the biggest LOLs of the college basketball season.

10. Tennessee. As if their NCAA violations weren’t enough to make you laugh at them, the Volunteers lost to Oakland, Charlotte and USC in three straight games. But the joke is really on Pitt here, since the Vols had just defeated the Panthers before going on their losing tear.

9. Duke losing to St. John’s. The fact that St. John’s defeated Duke isn’t a huge surprise, but how St. John’s defeated Duke certainly is shocking. The Red Storm completely manhandled the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden and all Big East fans could do was simply laugh at Duke. St John’s is currently 13-9 overall and 5-5 in the Big East.

8. West Virginia losing to Marshall. In my last column, I pointed out the hilarious revenge that karma struck upon WVU after a Mountaineers fan hit former Pitt assistant/current Marshall head coach Tom Herrion in the face with a coin last season. But still, we need to just laugh at the fact that the team that went to the Final Four last year lost to Marshall. No matter the outcome of the Backyard Brawl series this year, WVU will still have lost to the Thundering Herd.

7. North Carolina’s nonconference play. Sure, the Tar Heels are back on track at the top of the ACC. Early in the season, however, the annual powerhouse was desperately in need of some electricity. North Carolina was ranked No. 8 to start the season, but it promptly lost four games before conference play even began. That’s worth at least a chuckle.

6. The ACC in general. Once again, Duke and North Carolina are the leaders of the pack, with the rest of the ACC far behind. But this year, the rest of the pack is much, much farther behind. As of last week, the ACC had the fifth-worst winning percentage of the six major conferences.

5. Michigan State. The Spartans were ranked No. 2 to start the season, and the green and white faced a daunting schedule. All the team really needed was one or two big wins in nonconference play, but Michigan State lost four games before Big Ten play began. Then it lost six more. The once-mighty Spartans have officially hit rock bottom.

4. Syracuse losing four straight. When Pitt defeated Syracuse in January, it sent the Orange into a spiral of losing, where they fell to Villanova, Marquette and Seton Hall. Not only did they lose to Seton Hall, but they lost at home — by 22 points. Again, the joke is kind of on Pitt here as the win didn’t look as impressive following Syracuse’s losing streak;, but it’s not as bad as with Tennessee, since the Panthers actually beat the Orange.

3. Texas being ranked above Pitt. This is perhaps the biggest joke of all. Pitt is in a much better conference than Texas, and Pitt has a better record than the Longhorns. And, oh yeah, Pitt beat Texas on a neutral floor. Granted, the rankings really don’t mean anything, but this just perpetuates the feeling that Pitt gets overlooked and disrespected, even when it is a Top 5 team.

2. Jimmer Fredette. This kid is so good, all you can do is just laugh at his awesomeness.

1. Angry nets. This is the one thing that everyone must laugh at, regardless of your basketball allegiance. First, Kansas State’s Jamar Samuels slammed the ball into the hoop on a put-back. As it went through the hoop, the ball got caught in the bottom of the net and flew out. Then the same thing happened less than a week later to Texas A&M’s Kourtney Roberson. But my writing doesn’t do the hilarity justice. Go watch the videos.

Happy LOLing.