In Division II circles, the CIAA is one of the most competitive basketball leagues in the country. On top of that, ECSU’s men’s team could be beginning to establish itself as one of the top teams in the conference.

The season is very young, but the Vikings are looking like a team on a mission. Offensively, I think this is a more explosive team than last year for the mere fact that there are several guys on the court that can score. Last year, with Anthony Hilliard and C.J. Pigford carrying the load, the goal was to slow one of them down. Now, along with Hilliard, Olajuwon Johnson has stepped up big time and guys like Anthony Butler, Kenyon Alston and Matt Nowlin can light it up on a given night giving opposing defense much more to think about.

Coming off a CIAA championship, the expectations for the Vikings are higher this year and I think the team is up to the challenge. If you have some time, take a look for yourself. This is a pretty good team.

Oh yeah, go early and catch the women too. The Lady Vikings may be young and could struggle at times, but with each game there are fewer and fewer chances to see Celeste Trahan at ECSU. A great player and nice young lady, there are not many adjectives left to describe the best women’s college basketball player in the history of Elizabeth City and a player worth the price of admission.

———

Sean Taylor’s death is a very tragic and unnecessary and I just can’t help think there is a lot more to this story. Right now, I do not buy the random burglary theory. There are just way too many questions that have not even been asked.

———

How can the NCAA hold on to the bowl format when every other team sport, pro or amateur, has a playoff? The real NCAA Division I football champion will be determined on the field in Chattanooga on Dec. 14. Division II, Division III and NAIA manage to cap their regular seasons and play a tournament. Even high school football teams all around the country are able to schedule massive brackets for their football championships. So why can’t the big boys figure out how to make it happen?

In this wacky college football season, a real possibility has Missouri losing to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game and West Virginia losing to arch-rival Pittsburgh on Saturday. That would vault Ohio State back into the BCS title game against, potentially, a 10-2 Georgia team that did not even with its division in the SEC. An embarrassment if you ask me. Of course, with as many upsets as there have been this year, the final week probably won’t feature any.

But wouldn’t you like to see a 16-team playoff? Give Hawaii, Kansas and Illinois a chance to prove themselves on the field. You can still have the bowls for everyone else, kind of like the NIT, and incorporate the big bowls into the semifinals and final. Seems to me that this would be a huge money maker for the NCAA and TV as well as giving the fans something they seem to be clamoring for.

———

Rant No. 2 is aimed at the NFL Network and the cable companies. Both are to blame why Thursday’s Packer-Cowboy game was not on TV here. The NFL wants too much money and big cable wants to charge too much. All the while it is the football fan that is suffering. I tried to switch to a dish, but have too many trees around, so I am stuck. We are being held hostage and I, for one, have no sympathy for our captors. I love the NFL and I like cable too, but this fight over my wallet has to stop.

Comment on this column at www.DailyAdvance.com