Thornton is Must See TV

His name was Al Thornton. He was like a god walking amongst mere mortals. He had a voice that could make a wolverine purr and suits so fine they made Sinatra look like a hobo. In other words, Al Thornton was the balls.

Over the next week, there will be a lot of discussion about who will dance and who is relegated to the Not Invited Tournament. A team that still has some work to do to stay in that discussion is Florida State. There is certainly a case to be made for them, but the case against them is not a small one. I'll get a little more in depth on my argument in the coming days, but I'll give a little preview.

1) Al Thornton
2) Al Thornton
3) Al Thornton

In case you didn't hear. Thornton dropped 45 (passed up an easy dunk as time expired for a school record 47, he stayed classy) on an improved Miami team that was playing over their heads in a must win game for the Noles. Big Al has carried this team with little supporting cast (slightly improved by the return of Toney Douglas, remember that on Selection Sunday).

Thornton is a sure fire 1st rounder next June, but the casual college basketball fan wouldn't know who he is was if he walked up to them and introduced himself. A lot of that stems from the Noles only playing one game on a real ESPN network (an early December tilt against Wisconsin). The Noles were a bit over matched in the trip to Madison, but Thornton still managed to produce what my colleague JH has dubbed the play of the year (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBBBw3OoFrQ). The only good thing about that is that new college basketball fan Bill Simmons hasn't gotten a man crush on him and made ridiculous NBA comparisons.

The country needs to see him. The guy is what is right with college hoops. A lightly recruited fifth year senior that has improved himself every year of his career and turned into one of the premier players in the country. He has developed a deadly mid range game, something that this generation of American ballers are allergic to. He's went from a 50% at the charity stripe as a sophomore to 85% as a senior.A guy that plays with an unmatched fire and intensity on the court, but still manages to carry himself with class.

FSU still faces at least one more must win on the schedule, but Al Thornton needs to be seen. He deserves better than the NIT, but he'll need some help.

-PS