KEITH GROLLER'S BASKETBALL PICKS

Can't believe it but the regular season is about half over. The season became officially one month old on Monday night and the last date of the regular season is Feb. 12.

So, yes, we're already halfway home.

We're starting to get some clarity and separation in these leagues.

Here's how I see the Lehigh Valley Conference entering Tuesday's games which are all rematches from the Yasso/Rothrock Christmas City Classic back on the opening Saturday:

1. Liberty (9-1)....They can win slow-paced games, fast-paced games, any kind of game you want to play.

2. Allen (8-2) ... Looking forward to seeing how the Canaries matchup with Liberty on Friday night in Bethlehem,

3. Whitehall (6-3)...Won a three-point game last week and lost one. The Zephs are cut out of the mold of past great Whitehall teams, relying on defense and hard work to get things done.

4. Nazareth (7-2)....Get first look at Blue Eagles and Chuck Dibilio at Emmaus tonight.

5. Freedom (6-4)....Patriots battled Hurricanes tough last Friday. Curious to see how they handle Pocono West on Wednesday.

6. Northampton (7-3)...Brian Stevko is a special player and the K-Kids have some nice complementary pieces. Will definitely make districts, but probably not LVC tourney.

7. Easton (4-5)...The Red Rovers don't have the same level of talent of recent years, but still have a lot of bodies to throw at opponents and still scrap.

8. Becahi (6-5)....Still a lot of fun to watch. They are to the LVC what the Arizona Cardinals are to the NFL playoffs, which is to say lots of offense, not so much defense.

9. Parkland (3-6)...Every game is critical for this team to qualify for the district tournament, where they can be dangerous. Just have to get there first.

10. Central Catholic (5-5)....Vikings probably should be higher and will be. But still have to prove they can make layups and foul shots and make things easier for themselves.

11. Emmaus (4-5)....This is not a bad team. And it's another team that will probably wind up much higher than 11th. It's just that there's so little difference between teams in this league this year that teams that lose a couple in a row are going to drop.

12. Dieruff (1-9)....Starting to get a Anthony Ross for the LV Hall of Fame movement going. The current Pocono East assistant and former Husky star deserves consideration.

Colonial League rankings

1. Wilson (5-3)....They have scored 26, 27, 38 and 39 points in various games, and yet they have not lost in the Colonial League.

2. Bangor (6-4)....Slaters are having trouble outside the league, but haven't been beaten in it.

3. Notre Dame (8-2)....Despite a couple of slips, they're still probably the team to beat.

4. Northern Lehigh (9-2)...Another Waylen scoring a lot of points and another talented Bulldogs team in Slatington.

5. Salisbury (5-4)....The Falcons made an early statement with a big win over Saucon Valley and have struggled to make another one.

6. Catasauqua (4-5) .... The Roughies are another team that has been hard to figure. Bangor and Northern Lehigh pulling away from them in the Colonial North.

7. Saucon Valley (4-5)...Panthers have too much talent not to be at least a district playoff team.

8. Palisades (2-9)...Call me crazy, but the Pirates are still headed to their best season in years and the win over Southern Lehigh the other night is a sign of things to come.

9. Southern Lehigh (4-6)...Spartans had been playing well until stubbing their toes against Palisades.

10. Northwestern (5-6)....Tigers still searching for a quality league win.

11. Pen Argyl (1-9)...Joey Wagner is having a nice season.

12. Palmerton (2-8)....21 points against Northern Lehigh, 25 against Bangor. Yikes. A work-in-progress to be sure.

And here is Greg Garcia's last Mountain Valley Conference report. Greg is back at school at Penn State and we thank him for his insights while home during the holiday break. Hopefully, we'll hear from him again.

1. Pocono Mountain East (6-4) ... The Cardinals followed a three game losing streak with impressive wins over East Stroudsburg North and William Penn of York at home. Coach Heaton and the Cards look like they are finally ready to break out and take the next step - a championship.

2. Pocono Mountain West (7-2) ... The Panthers jump ahead of the Mounties because I feel they are the only team that can pose a legitimate threat to the Cardinals. With Tynell Fortune on the court, the Panthers have a lot of quickness and their full court pressure always strikes fear into their opponents.

3. Stroudsburg (2-8) ... This team is better than their record indicates. One thing we cannot forget is that the Mounties are the defending Mountain Valley champions. I can guarantee nobody wants to face Coach Thornton and his team in the opening round of the conference playoffs.

4. East Stroudsburg North (7-3) ... North had a huge chance to make a statement in the conference and rise in my power rankings, but with two blowout losses to East and West last week has me still questioning the T'wolves. If they can make some adjustments for the second half they can become a trendy pick in the playoffs.

5. Pleasant Valley (4-5) ... The Bears are on the outside looking in right now, sitting at number five. They are a young team that could challenge North for that fourth seed.

6. East Stroudsburg South (2-7) ... The Cavaliers easily defeated Lehighton as Dwayne Alexander led the way with 16 points. Other then Lehighton, I don't see much wins coming up anytime soon.

7. Lehighton (0-9) ... I think its fair to say that the Indians do not belong in this conference. It has been a tough season for the Indians thus far.

Keith Groller