College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

UK has a fight on its hands. This is a good game, so far.

Yes, Jay, congrats to Washington for snagging the crown and a bid. But unless they play better than they've played all year, Marquette's gonns whup their butts, but good.

And as for that Kentucky game . . . well, I'm tired of beating the same old dead nag. The Wildcats got the win in OT in one more game they tried their best to lose. They have the talent to go all the way, and the ability to let the Texas/Wake winner send them home early.

[The Poet]

It seems that Rick Majerus is PO'd that his Saint Louis Billikens did not get an invite to the NIT. Hell, as far as I care, he can have the Heels' one if he really wants it. :D

[WildBlueSooner]

Yes, Jay, congrats to Washington for snagging the crown and a bid. But unless they play better than they've played all year, Marquette's gonns whup their butts, but good.

And as for that Kentucky game . . . well, I'm tired of beating the same old dead nag. The Wildcats got the win in OT in one more game they tried their best to lose. They have the talent to go all the way, and the ability to let the Texas/Wake winner send them home early.

UK just isnt that good....they have let so many teams hang with them this year :r

[jcruse64]

And as for that Kentucky game . . . well, I'm tired of beating the same old dead nag. The Wildcats got the win in OT in one more game they tried their best to lose. They have the talent to go all the way, and the ability to let the Texas/Wake winner send them home early.

No argument there.

[The Poet]

No argument there.

Well, you'd think so, wouldn't you Joe? But some people are fans, and others just nutz. :r

We have the play-in game in the NCAA tonight, between Winthrop and Arkansas Pine Bluff, with the winner getting the opportunity to be embarrassed by Dook. Some folks don't like this game, but I look at it this way . . . this is the best chance either of these two teams have of actually winning an NCAA game, thus getting their school off the O'fer snide. But aside from this one, there are games in the NIT, the CBI, and the CIT - whatever the fark those last two are. You don't much care? Well, neither do I. But you must grant this: Those games will involve a good number of teams who . . . unlike that pair above . . . could actually win a game in the NCAA, aside from that play-in one.

In opening round action in the NIT, the following hosts play:

U. Conn vs. Northeastern = Eh, could be OK.
South Florida vs. N.C. State = Eh, should be OK.
UAB vs. Coastal Carolina = Eh, will be OK.
Seton Hall vs. Texas Tech = A pair of yo-yos dueling.
UNC vs. Wm.& Mary = Can the Heels stay a .500 team?
Miss. St. vs. Jackson State = One defensive rebound from the NCAAs, MSU is likely to take frustration out on J.State.
Arizona St. vs. Jacksonville = Dissed for where they play, not what they did, the Sun Devils are also p!$$ed.

And in the CBI, we have:

VCU vs. George Washington = Here's two who could whup most 14-16 seeds in the NCAA.
Indiana St. vs. Saint Louis = And after Rick Majerus popped off yesterday, he'd better not pull a Gary Williams and lose this game.

And in the WTF . . . excuse me, the CIT:

Fairfield vs. George Mason = You tellin' me these 2 couldn't beat Winthrop/AR-PB?
Western Carolina vs. Marshall = Or these 2?
South Dakota vs. Creighton = Or these?

So if you really need to feed your basketball jones before you gorge it starting Thursday, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Lemme do this quick and dirty, as I'm already late and there's a $#!+load to do.

NCAA play-in:

AR Pine Bluff 61 - Winthrop 44 = So now we're down to 64 officially.

NIT first round:

Jacksonville 67 - Arizona State 66 = So maybe I had too much respect for the Sun Devils.
U. Conn 59 - Northeastern 57 = And too little for Northeastern, as this was close.
N.C. State 58 - South Florida 57 = But not as close as this one.
Miss. State 81 - Jackson State 67 = No shock here.
UNC 80 - Wm.&Mary 72 = And the only shock here is that Carolina made the plays late it failed to do all year.
Texas Tech 87 - Seton Hall 69 = If reports are right, this loss had NOTHING to do with Bobby Gonzalez getting fired 12 hours later.
UAB 65 - Coastal Carolina 49 = Another bubble team snubbed makes its case.

Tonight in the NIT:

Kent State vs. Tulsa = I'd go with Tulsa here.
Virginia Tech vs. Quinnipiac = The Hokies will own them.
Dayton vs. Illinois State = Don't know, don't care.
Cincy vs. Weber State = If the Bearcats show up, it's theirs.
Rhode Island vs. Northwestern = I'm picking RI.
Mississippi vs. Troy = And Ole Miss.
Wichita State vs. Nevada = Pick 'em.
Illinois vs. Stony Brook = Illini, easily.
Memphis vs. St. John's = Will Norm Roberts get the ax too after this loss?

Last night in the CBI:

VCU 79 - George Washington 73 = Was probably a good game. Did anybody see it? Didn't think so.
Saint Louis 63 - Indiana State 54 = Rick Majerus managed to avoid looking further the @$$ . . . and if you know Rick, that's quite the @$$ he has.

Tonight's CBI games:

Princeton vs. Duquesne = The Tigers roar.
Akron vs. Wisc. G.B. = Zips.
Eastern Ky. vs. Charleston = Another "don't know, don't care."
Hofstra vs. IUPUI = Ditto.
Morehead St. vs. Colo. St. = Double dit.
Oregon St. vs. Boston U. = Triple that.

In the CIT:

Creighton 89 - South Dakota 78 = Congrats, I guess.
Fairfield 101 - George Mason 96 (OT) = No slipper for Geo.Mason this year. But at least it seems both teams cared enough to fight for it.
Marshall 90 - Western Carolina 88 = And this must have been fun too.

CIT tonight:

App. State vs. Harvard = No thoughts, save that Haa'vad was touted early as an NCAA team, but now are in this joke tourney.
Missouri St. vs. Middle Tenn. State = They play basketball?
Northern Colorado vs. Portland = And remember 'way back when Portland was ranked in the Top 25? I do, and I wonder if they do too.
Loyola Marymount vs. Pacific = What do they both really care? Surf's up!

As I won't be here until later in the afternoon tomorrow, I'll also give you the early 1st round games in the NCAAs now:

Villanova vs. Robert Morris = You really have to ask here?
BYU vs. Florida = The money seems to be BYU, but I'm going Gators.
Vanderbilt vs. Murray State = And some say Murray St.'s tricky offense will win this. Against some teams, maybe, but Pearl's too smart to be fooled.
Kansas State vs. North Texas = Somebody on here . . . Travis, was it? . . . thought heart would favor NT. I wonder how he felt when he saw their pairing!
Notre Dame vs. ODU = Should be a good one. I'd pick ODU as more consistent.
Richmond vs. St. Mary's = And I always go with the Spiders in such games. Those arachnids are tough!
Baylor vs. Sam Houston State = The team from Texas takes this one, I'd betcha. :D
Butler vs. UTEP = And I'd lean towards the same outcome here too.

As always, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Well, let's get today's scores outta the way first, as that's what most of you care about:

ODU 51 - Notre Dame 50 = Like I said, ODU wins it. As for the Irish, they needed a second Hansbrough on the court. Baby brother Ben did what he could, with 17 pts. and 6 boards, but that over-rated stiff Harangody only got 4 & 7. You gonna tell me Tyler wouldn't have found some way to win this squeeker?

BYU 99 - Florida 92 (2OT) = And I picked the Gators here, but don't blame me. They had the last shot in regulation, then the last shot in the 1st OT, and missed both chances to win.

Villanova 73 - Robert Morris 70 (OT) = And I implied this would be a walkover, but how was I to know that Jay Wright would sit Scottie Reynolds down for the first 4 minutes, thus throwing off his whole game. But they did survive, and do advance.

Baylor 68 - Sam Houston 59 = I was right. The Texan team won.

Murray State 66 - Vandy 65 = Wow, this shocks me. Though Vandy's been spotty all year, I expected more from them. 'Grats to Murray State, and so far it's a bad day for the SEC.

I'll be back later with more. Until then, enoy.

[qwerty1500]

Love this time of year!!!!

Some great games so far today. Taking the day off tomorrow and will be glued in front of the TV.

[The Poet]

Love this time of year!!!!

Some great games so far today. Taking the day off tomorrow and will be glued in front of the TV.

I wish I could. In fact, I did, for many years. The first Friday of March Madness was always understood to be a "sick day" for me. Sadly, I cannot this year.

I've had too much work to give a full update, but I'll have time to catch up tomorrow. But I do have some more finals:

Kansas State 82 - North Texas 62 = I guess this is a good-enough showing for NT, as they stayed within 20 of a much more talented team.

St. Mary's 80 - Richmond 71 = Yeah, I picked the Spiders here. My bad. In my defense, this St. Mary's team has been like too many others this year . . . impossible to figure out. They lost to a crappy USC team by 11, a briefly over-ranked Portland by 5, got beaten twice by Gonzaga in the regular season, then spanked the Zags by 19 in the WCC tourney final. I figured they'd shot their wad. Shows what I know.

[The Poet]

The buzz on the Net is that Villanova did not actually win that game against Robert Morris . . . the zebras gave it to them. Now I saw some questionable calls myself as they made their move to push it into OT, but I did not see the extra session. Did anybody here? I'd be interested in objective opinions, if you can manage that. :ss

[jcruse64]

Murray State 66 - Vandy 65 = Wow, this shocks me. Though Vandy's been spotty all year, I expected more from them. 'Grats to Murray State, and so far it's a bad day for the SEC.

YYYEAAAAAHHHHH BABY!!!!!!

Ha Hahh, been smiling all afternoon!!! I only got to hear the game intermittently at work, and at 3:15, decided I'd had enough and headed for the house to see the end. Freaking vendor calls me on the way home, with 1.5 minutes left, and I thought I was going to miss it. Easley fouls out as I put it in the driveway, and so I had just enough time to see the last 20-30 seconds. As good as the game seemed to be, I appear to have been lucky enough to see the best part of the game :banger:dr:D. 22 years is a long wait, but...

Wooooooohhhhhhh!!!

[The Poet]

Glad you enjoyed it, Joe, and all the best of luck to them against Butler. Hey, if they can take Vandy, they can certainly take them too.

But if you think YOU'RE happy, consider the Ohio Bobcat fans. More to follow, once I have my AM stogie.

[The Poet]

Man, that was a nice smoke - a JR Ult. Petit Cetro Maduro while sitting out in front of the shop flirting with pretty girls in the parking lot on this lovely last day of winter. But enough about me an my tough life.

That Murray State win can be considered an upset, but not a huge one. In fact, some experts gave them a good shot at the victory, and they proved them right. And some are calling the Northern Iowa game an upset too, but they are wrong. Although I did question their ranking earlier in this thread, it was not because I thought they were a bad team. They have some good offensive options, and play good D. Besides, no 8/9 game can be called an upset. However, there's no doubt that the win by Ohio U over Georgetown was one of the biggest in recent history. Remember, two weeks ago the Bobcats were dead, while Georgetown was regaining their power, and made a run to the championship game of the Big East tourney. Be honest now. If you had OU in your bracket, you either know nothing about basketball or you thought it was OSU instead.

So far today, 15-seed Morgan State is hanging tough with 2-seed West Virginia, as is 12-seed Cornell with 5-seed Temple. I'd be surprised if they hold onto it, but after yesterday . . . who knows? One game I do see as a possible "upset" today is Siena over Purdue.

If you guys want to discuss any of the games from yesterday, or today, such as the Wake win over Texas, the survival of Tennessee, or the squeekers Kentucky and Kansas had, please feel free. Later.

[The Poet]

Well, it's official now, just like I've been hinting at all season long: After 6 seasons as head coach of St. John's, Norm Roberts was fired today. Although he took the Johnnies from the 6-21 debacle under Mike Jarvis to a 17-16 record this year, and a bid to the NIT, that was not enough to save his job.

The fall of this storied program had nothing to do with this poor sod, and I feel for him. As for his compatriot at Seton Hall, Bobby Gonzalez, who was canned two days ago . . . well, that was his own damn fault for being such a screaming psycho @$$hole.

[The Poet]

As I expected, WVA has gone into the break with an 11-point bulge. But Cornell is still 9 better than Temple, with 5 1/2 left in the 1st.

[The Poet]

Xavier/Minnesota a low-scoring battle with 4 1/2 in the 1st.

[ripper]

Yes, Jay, congrats to Washington for snagging the crown and a bid. But unless they play better than they've played all year, Marquette's gonns whup their butts, but good.
Nice call!
http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq302/bartripp/2008843498.jpg

[The Poet]

Nice call!
http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq302/bartripp/2008843498.jpg

Hey, don't blame me! The only other big game they won all year was the championship of the Pac-10, and without that one they woudn't have been dancing at all. :r Marquette should have thumped them and taken their lunch money to boot, and you know it too.

Congratulations to them. Now we'll see how they fare against the Lobos, from that best conference in the West. :ss

[The Poet]

At the half, Xavier/Minnesota tied @ 26, and Cornell 37-29 over the Owls.

[ripper]

Hey, don't blame me! The only other big game they won all year was the championship of the Pac-10, and without that one they woudn't have been dancing at all. :r Marquette should have thumped them and taken their lunch money to boot, and you know it too.

Congratulations to them. Now we'll see how they fare against the Lobos, from that best conference in the West. :ss
Funny that an 11 seed is favored over a 3 -- UW by 1.5.

[The Poet]

Funny that an 11 seed is favored over a 3 -- UW by 1.5.

Well, if Coach Romar has finally convinced his players to play up to their early-season hype, then good for him. He picked the right time to do so, for sure. But don't think Alford can't coach a little too, since he took a lot of the good . . . and damn little of the bad . . . from Bobby Knight.

[The Poet]

8 minutes into the 2nd, WVA spanking Morgan State like a red-headed stepchild. Action's started in the other 2, but no significant change yet.

[The Poet]

Cornell still up 10, but plenty of time left for the Owls. X-men up 5, so that's far from over too.

While the subject of the Washington/Marquette game is fresh, lemme make another point: Marquette's loss, plus Notre Dame's and Georgetown's, and with Villanova needing OT to take care of Robert Morris, and couple that with opening-round NIT losses to St. John's, Seton Hall, and South Florida, and also U. Conn edging Northeastern by 2 there . . . well, maybe now you understand why I've been calling this the Big Mouth Conference for years! :r

[The Poet]

Cornell now up 15! Wow. Xavier up 8 with under 8 to play.

[BigAsh]

Cornell now up 15! Wow. Xavier up 8 with under 8 to play.

Killin' me.....

[The Poet]

Up 14, Cornell is 6 1/2 from a real rarity: An Ivy League win in the NCAAs.

[The Poet]

Xavier up 10. Big Red now 17 over Owls!

[The Poet]

Final: West Virginia 77 - Morgan State 50 = The margin is fine, but seems awfully low-scoring for a 2-15 game.

[BigAsh]

xavier up 10. Big red now 17 over owls!

hoot.....hoot....hoot

[The Poet]

hoot.....hoot....hoot

My friend, I can only quote the great Woody Durham, long-time broadcaster for UNC, who'd always say when the Heels were down late: "Go where you go, and do what you do." It may not help them, but it ain't gonna hurt them either. :D

[The Poet]

Three to play, up 18 now. Best hurry, Owls.

[The Poet]

Cornell 78 - Temple 65 = Here's one for the books, my brothers.

Xavier 65 - Minnesota 54 = Here's pretty much what one might expect.

[BigAsh]

My friend, I can only quote the great Woody Durham, long-time broadcaster for UNC, who'd always say when the Heels were down late: "Go where you go, and do what you do." It may not help them, but it ain't gonna hurt them either. :D

Play ugly and lost ugly....Props to Big Red.:tu

[The Poet]

Play ugly and lost ugly....Props to Big Red.:tu

Amen to that. Lord, I can't remember how long ago it was that Princeton beat the Hoyas, but it's been a while.

[BigAsh]

I'll be pulling for Cornell to go a little deeper....

[The Poet]

I'll be pulling for Cornell to go a little deeper....

Seeing's how my bracket is already totally farked - hey, why not?

[BigAsh]

Seeing's how my bracket is already totally farked - hey, why not?

:r:r EXACTLY what I was thinkin'

[The Poet]

Clemson/Missou tied @ 39 at the break. Purdue outscores Siena 16-3 to open 2nd half and take 10-point lead with 15+ to play.

[The Poet]

Siena has some work to do against Purdue in the last 3 minutes. Wofford has tied Wisconsin with 16 1/2 left. Clemson/Missouri a war, back and forth.

[The Poet]

Pitt 13 better than Oakland at the break.

[jaycarla]

Well, if Coach Romar has finally convinced his players to play up to their early-season hype, then good for him. He picked the right time to do so, for sure. But don't think Alford can't coach a little too, since he took a lot of the good . . . and damn little of the bad . . . from Bobby Knight.

I don't think the Lobos are going to keep UW out of the Sweet 16. The squad is playing like most of us thought they should have played all year. Should be another good game though.

[The Poet]

I don't think the Lobos are going to keep UW out of the Sweet 16. The squad is playing like most of us thought they should have played all year. Should be another good game though.

We'll see soon enough, brother. Good luck to both squads.

To go back to that Cornell win for a second, I've done some research. That's the 1st win for an Ivy school since #5-seed Princeton beat #12-seed UNLV 'way back in 1998. As for the Owls coach Fran Dunphy, he extends his NCAA losing streak to 11 straight, and is now 1-12 in his head coaching career in The Dance.

Talk about your wallflowers! :r

[The Poet]

Final: Purdue 72 - Siena 64 = Wouldn't you know it? The one upset I predict does NOT happen.

[The Poet]

Finals:

Wisconsin 53 - Wofford 49 = Another run-and-gun Badger victory.

Missouri 86 - Clemson 78 = I KNEW the Tigers would win this one. Plus, I picked Missouri too. Clemson can't win a big game to save their freakin' lives.

[The Poet]

Final: Pittsburgh 89 - Oakland 66 = Yeah, this is more like what these 1st-round mismatches should actually be. I did not see a second of this, as I'm at work, but I feel confident it wasn't even that close.

[The Poet]

In the infamous "buried" game, Texas A&M is trying to do just that to Utah State, having them down 11 with 3 left in the 1st.

[The Poet]

At the half, Aggies 42-29 over . . . uh, Aggies.


Well hell, at least it ain't Tigers or Wildcats again.

[The Poet]

Aggies have cut Aggie lead to 7 with 12+ to go.

Go Aggies!

[The Poet]

Aggies get it back up to a dozen @ the under-8 TVTO.

[The Poet]

Aggies up 18 with 4 1/2 to go. Time is running out for the Aggies. I think the Aggies will win, just as the Tigers did earlier today.

I gotta go now, but will be back about tip-off time tomorrow. Until then, enjoy . . . and if it's anything like last night, you should.

[jcruse64]

I liked the Cornell win. Also had my brackets blown apart by the G'Town loss and the Purdue win.

KU and UK went as expected. I REALLY hope this is the finals. UK is going to have to stay awake to get there, though. Very interested in the UL game tonight...hope I can stay awake. Most of the guys at work have UL beating dook, to face UK in that semi. I'd like to see UK facing dook though.

[The Poet]

I liked the Cornell win. Also had my brackets blown apart by the G'Town loss and the Purdue win.

KU and UK went as expected. I REALLY hope this is the finals. UK is going to have to stay awake to get there, though. Very interested in the UL game tonight...hope I can stay awake. Most of the guys at work have UL beating dook, to face UK in that semi. I'd like to see UK facing dook though.

Brother, I don't know if Dook can survive to the Final four, but I do know that Louisville ain't gonna knock them out. :r

More to follow ASAP.

[The Poet]

As alluded to above, California took care of the Cardinals 77-62, in a game that was closer than the final score. The Bear lead was down to 4 with plenty of time left, but once they got it back up to double-digits an intentional foul call, coupled with a T slapped on Rick Pitino, put it out of reach for good. Hey, 4 from the stripe, PLUS the ball, will end a chance quickly. I'm pleased with this, for two reasons: First, although I reported on it frequently on this thread, I never bought into the experts who said the Pac-10 was as weak as they believed. Hell, I felt the Sun Devils deserved a bid also! And second, even though I like Pitino a little - and I do mean a LITTLE - bit better than I liked Denny Crum, I still cannot stand Louisville. Props to the Pac-10 for going 2-0 so far . . . as opposed to the 4-4 for the Big East.

As for the back half of that point above, Duke beat up on AR Pine Bluff 73-44. Surprise, surprise. But again, though the margin was OK, it still seems the scoring was a bit meagre for a 1-16 matchup.

Speaking of which, Syracuse took out Vermont 79-56. One might excuse the low scoring as being a partial product of the Orange zone D, but the - relatively - slim margin in this 1-16 has to worry the 'Cuse faithful if their week+ layoff hurt their chemistry.

As I tend to ignore the obvious, I found 3 other scores to note:

Georgia Tech 64 - Oklahoma State 59 = All year long we heard how great Big 12 ball was, and how poor was the ACC. Well, take that!

Maryland 89 - Houston 77 = The magical run for the Cougars ends against a clearly superior team. Props to them for even making the tourney, and more props for hanging tough. Yet despite a poor shooting night for Vasquez, the Terps grabbed control and held it.

Michigan State 70 - New Mexico State 67 = Last year's runner-up for the championship needed a controversial lane-violation call, plus a reported fark-up with the clock that cost the Aggies a third shot to send the game into OT, in order to get the win. Well, boo-hoo. Hey, $#!+ happens. If you don't want the game decided by the zebras, then go out and dominate.

I'll be back later, after I check back on that OTHER half of last season's championship. My Heels too a 3-point lead over Miss. State into the lockerroom, and I want to see when they lose it. :r

[The Poet]

I know you don't care, but the Heels up 2 with 3 1/2 left.

[The Poet]

Now down 3 with 2 1/2 left. Oh, and St. Mary's giving 'Nova more than they can handle, late in the 1st.

[The Poet]

Tied @ 71, 1:16 left.

[The Poet]

Up 2, 32 ticks.

[The Poet]

Ohhh, baby! Heels hit one at the horn to win 76-74! For the second time inna row they made the plays they needed to down the stretch, and beat the team that took Kentucky to the brink a week ago . . . in Starkville, no less. Now let's see if Jerry's kids can win, and set up another UNC/NCSU matchup.

[The Poet]

Four minutes gone in the 2nd, and the Gaels have increased their lead over 'Nova to 10.

[The Poet]

Midway thru 2nd, 'Nova cuts it to one.

[The Poet]

TVTO, 2:49 to go, Gaels by 1.

[The Poet]

Oh, and St. Mary's in the bonus, and still with 2 fouls to give.

[The Poet]

Reynolds misses 2nd shot in a row, Gaels to the line with under 2 minutes.

[The Poet]

Tied at 65, 1 1/2 to go.

[The Poet]

Gaels hit loooong 3, 1:15.

[The Poet]

'Nova misses layup, Gaels back to line, 40 ticks, 3-point edge.

[The Poet]

2 more from the stripe.

[The Poet]

30 seconds, 'Nova timeout as Jay Wright draws up a 5-point play. :D

[The Poet]

Gaels BACK to the line, still up 5. Oh, my!

[The Poet]

2 more, 23 ticks.

[The Poet]

Stokes hits a 3-ball. Gaels by 4, 13 ticks.

[The Poet]

2 more FTs, 11 ticks.

[The Poet]

It's over. St. Mary's 75 - Villanova 68. The team that stomped the 'Zags a week ago knock one more Big East team out of the Dance.

[The Poet]

Butler/Murray State off to slow start, and 12-10 with 9 gone in 1st. In NIT, Jacksonville leading Texas Tech by a handful with 3 left in 1st . . . in Lubbock, no less.

[The Poet]

With 6 left in 1st, both teams still laying bricks: Butler 22-17 over Murray State.

[The Poet]

In Lubbock, J'ville 35-28 at the break.

[The Poet]

Two more minutes gone, one more point scored. Jeez.

Early on, Ohio U hanging tough with Vols.

[The Poet]

Murray State end the half on an offensive tear. With the 2-point conversion, they score 8 in the last 1 1/2 minutes, and take a 26-22 lead off the gridiron. Now for the halftime show!

Crap, this is too painful. I'm going away now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I'll see you back here Monday.

[BeerAdvocate]

Kansas lost! Ha ha ha ha ha
Go Kstate

[jaycarla]

Kansas lost! Ha ha ha ha ha
Go Kstate

Careful, don't tempt the Hoop Gods!



U-DUB!!!! Sweet 16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb72/jaycarla/UWblocklogo.jpg

[Resipsa]

Kansas lost! This, IMHO, was a team that was vastly overrated all year long. Not surprised at all.

[jcruse64]

:mad: :-(

No crying emoticon, or it'd be all over this post!

Murray definitely had a great chance here, but it is VERY hard to win a game when you turn the ball over +10 times, much less 16. AND not hit free throws. FT alone cost them the win. Tough loss, but VERY glad to see my old school win a game here, and proud of 'em for hanging tough. Rebounds and a better shooting % kept them in there. Butler will need to do better than this against a school that can hang on to the ball better. They got it done today though, and my hat off to them and good luck!

Kansas.... oh my!!!! :tu:D:banger. Takes the sting out a little :D.

Some fun games to watch here. Pac-10 representing well, good on you, Washington!

Poet, you keep this up and your keyboard will melt!!!

[jcruse64]

UK looked strong again tonight. Shaky start, but they rubbed the sleepies out of their eyes pretty quickly, and really handled Wake well. Looking forward to watching the other #1's play.

[jcruse64]

'Cuse looked good today, what I saw of the game. The Buckeyes are having a rough start though.

Still can't believe Kansas got knocked off. You can only ht the snooze button so many times. I hope UK remembers that.

[gettysburgfreak]

Syracuse is going to take it all the way this year.

[WildBlueSooner]

UK looked strong again tonight. Shaky start, but they rubbed the sleepies out of their eyes pretty quickly, and really handled Wake well. Looking forward to watching the other #1's play.

I went to Nawlins to the game...it was amazing. UK is looking very strong, when they come to play no one can touch them. These last two games have shown how many truly good players they have. Aside from the obvious stars, Darius Miller, Dodson, Orton, and Liggins have all stepped up at times.

The three point shooting has improved dramatically lately, if they keep shooting the ball well, they will keep winning big.

That said, they are going to have some tough games coming up. Right now GT and WV are tied...could be an interesting Sunday :banger

Go Big BLUE!

[Resipsa]

Syracuse is going to take it all the way this year.:banger

Syracuse, which leads the nation in shooting percentage (51.6 percent), hit 7 of 14 from beyond the arc in the first half in taking a 47-32 lead. They finished 12 of 25 on 3s.:tu

[WildBlueSooner]

Syracuse is going to take it all the way this year.

:r

[Resipsa]

:banger

Syracuse, which leads the nation in shooting percentage (51.6 percent), hit 7 of 14 from beyond the arc in the first half in taking a 47-32 lead. They finished 12 of 25 on 3s.:tu

bump:banger:banger

[WildBlueSooner]

I would love to see a Cuse and UK final, but I dont see Cuse getting past KSU.

[Resipsa]

:banger

Syracuse, which leads the nation in shooting percentage (51.6 percent), hit 7 of 14 from beyond the arc in the first half in taking a 47-32 lead. They finished 12 of 25 on 3s.:tu

:banger:banger

[WildBlueSooner]

:banger:banger

Whatever makes you feel good ;)

[WildBlueSooner]

Gotta love Cornell! :tu

[jaycarla]

Amazing finish in the Mich State/Maryland game!

[gettysburgfreak]

I think if Syracuse plays like they did against Zaga then they should have no problem against KSU. I am from Syracuse so I gotta go with them no matter what.

[Resipsa]

I think if Syracuse plays like they did against Zaga then they should have no problem against KSU. I am from Syracuse so I gotta go with them no matter what.The best way to beat the 'Cuse is to outshoot them from beyond the arc. If you can't do that it's going to be a tough row to hoe. I don't see them having a problem with Kansas, and further down the road Kentucky is not a good 3 shooting team, and most likely would face a matchup nightmare against Syraucse.

[WildBlueSooner]

The best way to beat the 'Cuse is to outshoot them from beyond the arc. If you can't do that it's going to be a tough row to hoe. I don't see them having a problem with Kansas, and further down the road Kentucky is not a good 3 shooting team, and most likely would face a matchup nightmare against Syraucse.

I will have to disagree here for sure...they way to beat a 3 pt shooting team is not to try to out shoot them. UK would beat them with crazy defensive pressure and upping the tempo to a pace SU could not handle. Kentucky is to athletic, to good in the post, and will be able to penetrate against SU.

You are right about UK not being a good 3 pt shooting team, but they have not had issues playing against good shooting teams this year. When UK plays well, nobody can handle all of the threats (Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, Patterson, Miller, Liggins, Dodson, etc.)

[Resipsa]

I will have to disagree here for sure...they way to beat a 3 pt shooting team is not to try to out shoot them. UK would beat them with crazy defensive pressure and upping the tempo to a pace SU could not handle. Kentucky is to athletic, to good in the post, and will be able to penetrate against SU.

You are right about UK not being a good 3 pt shooting team, but they have not had issues playing against good shooting teams this year. When UK plays well, nobody can handle all of the threats (Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, Patterson, Miller, Liggins, Dodson, etc.)

SU's strength isn't their shooting accuracy, it's their D. The offense is a nice little bonus. Few teams play the 2-3 zone, and Syracuse is the master of it, it's extremely difficult to penetrate against them. If the two
play and Kentucky can't hit from
long range, it's going to be a problem for them

[WildBlueSooner]

Keep in mind UK beat Louisville and their stingy 2-3 zone. Also, keep in my UL beat Cuse...twice!

[Resipsa]

Which proves what? :rh

Look, if they play each other I guess we'll find out who wins, won't we? Until then my opinion of Kentucky is much the same as it is of Kansas, ovverrated. Kentucky consisently struggled all year against teams they suppossedly were a lot better than. Play like that now and you're goin home. And no, you're not going to change my mind:r

[jcruse64]

Which proves what? :rh

Look, if they play each other I guess we'll find out who wins, won't we? Until then my opinion of Kentucky is much the same as it is of Kansas, ovverrated. Kentucky consisently struggled all year against teams they suppossedly were a lot better than. Play like that now and you're goin home. And no, you're not going to change my mind:r

My thoughts exactly, but in regards to Syracuse instead. UL was not a great team this year, way inconsistent and not nearly as good a team as 'Cuse, but they took Syracuse's lunch money twice, no??? Syracuse = overrated, IMO.

Hey, we can trade back and forth all night, but the rubber hits the road when the games start, so we'll see then. I do agree that Kansas was a bit overrated, but I never expected them to go so flat this early in the tourney, and I figured them to make it to the finals over 'Cuse. Can't believe they decided to wait to press till that late in the game.

[forgop]

How about a little love for my Boilermakers???

I'd love to beat Duke on Friday, but somehow think we'll fall just a bit short without our best player in the lineup.

[WildBlueSooner]

Which proves what? :rh

Look, if they play each other I guess we'll find out who wins, won't we? Until then my opinion of Kentucky is much the same as it is of Kansas, ovverrated. Kentucky consisently struggled all year against teams they suppossedly were a lot better than. Play like that now and you're goin home. And no, you're not going to change my mind

:r:r All I can say is I hope we meet...I think it is funny people are still calling UK overrated, yet Cuse and Puke are the other 1 seeds :r

I love it! College Basketball at its finest...

My prediction...UK over KSU 84 to 72 for title number 8! Although I would love to beat Cuse instead. Oh and what team hasnt had close games...I dont care if we won every game by one point..a win is a win is a win, havent you been watching the tournament. I one point game in the championship game means one thing...you just won the National Championship in exciting fashion! :banger And I dont plan on changing your mind....I will let the b-ball do that

[WildBlueSooner]

How about a little love for my Boilermakers???

I'd love to beat Duke on Friday, but somehow think we'll fall just a bit short without our best player in the lineup.

I am glad for Purdue...nice game

[The Poet]

Well, I'm glad to see there was some activity on this thread while I was gone, since there was so little on the court. :D A few thoughts on the postings:

All props to Northern Iowa for knocking out top-ranked Kansas. I knew they had good help-defense and some decent options on offense, but I never gave them a chance against KU. I doubt if you did either. But I don't doubt you also whooped - one way or the other - when that mad Iranian bomber Farokhmanesh shot down the Jayhawks with that trey at 38 ticks. And from the Kansas viewpoint . . . well, perhaps they should change that "Rock Chalk" to "Brick Choke".

And while we're on the subject, props too to Cornell, St. Mary's, and Washington. Thanks for screwing up everybody's brackets.

When it comes to the Orange, I think they have a good shot at the Final Four, and put them there in my bracket. But I do not trust that zone to win a championship, especially when a talented and well-coached team has a week to prepare for it. Luckily for them, Butler and Xavier is the latter, and K-State the former, but neither is both. Unluckily for them, both Mich. State and Ohio State, possible semis opponents, ARE both.

Duke, another 1-seed, is in my eyes the least talented of the top teams left. But they are more talented than many of you give them credit, and are amongst the best coached squads left. They can beat you at their game or yours . . . and they can fall flat on their face. Fortunately for them, neither Purdue without Hummel nor Baylor/St. Mary's match up well against them, so they could . . . COULD! . . . walk into the FF.

Now for the sticky one: From what I've seen so far, Kentucky has played at a higher level than anybody else so far. If they keep it up, and considering the way they have diddled about in other games this season that is a sizable IF, they now have to be favored. At that point, we will need to wait and see if the NCAA lets them keep their wins. Perhaps you missed it, but a few days back the Sec. of Education Arne Duncan stated that there were a dozen teams in the Tourney with a graduation rate of less than 40%, and due to this he felt they should not even be allowed to compete - and UK was amongst these. As he put it, that's a low bar if you can't graduate 2 out of 5 of your student-athletes. Of course, he has no power over the NCAA, but he says he does intend to use the power of his office to push for such a requirement.

On a subject unrelated to this . . . leastwise for rabid Kentucky fans . . . the appeal of Memphis University to the NCAA regarding the penalties and sanctions levied against their 2007-08 team has been denied, and they have had to forfeit their 38 wins that year. As for whether or not they can keep that loss to Kansas in the championship game . . . you remember, the one they gave the Jayhawks from the line, after Calipari said all season that their poor free-throw shooting hadn't hurt them yet, so why think that it would now? . . . well, I suppose they can keep it. :r

OK, let the spitballs fly. I'm ready!

[jcruse64]

Incoming.....ptooey!!! :D

I saw the story on Memphis this morning. I am probably not educated enough with the full case, but I thought this hinged on the fact that NCAA bosses told Memphis twice that Rose could play, so they played him. What'd I miss????

On graduation rates, do one-and-done's factor in these grad rates (I'd assume they do)? Why penalize a program whose talented players go off to play for the big $$$ before they finish a degree?

[Resipsa]

On graduation rates, do one-and-done's factor in these grad rates (I'd assume they do)? Why penalize a program whose talented players go off to play for the big $$$ before they finish a degree?
Can't answer this for sure, but it certainly seems to me that the handful of players who leave school early to play pro ball are going to have a negligible effect on overall graduation rates.:2

What is probably irritating them the most about schools like Kentucky is for some reason there is a huge racial disparity in the athletic grad rates:

http://web.bus.ucf.edu/documents/sport/2010_Mens_Bball_PR.pdf

[WildBlueSooner]

Well, I'm glad to see there was some activity on this thread while I was gone, since there was so little on the court. :D A few thoughts on the postings:

All props to Northern Iowa for knocking out top-ranked Kansas. I knew they had good help-defense and some decent options on offense, but I never gave them a chance against KU. I doubt if you did either. But I don't doubt you also whooped - one way or the other - when that mad Iranian bomber Farokhmanesh shot down the Jayhawks with that trey at 38 ticks. And from the Kansas viewpoint . . . well, perhaps they should change that "Rock Chalk" to "Brick Choke".

And while we're on the subject, props too to Cornell, St. Mary's, and Washington. Thanks for screwing up everybody's brackets.

When it comes to the Orange, I think they have a good shot at the Final Four, and put them there in my bracket. But I do not trust that zone to win a championship, especially when a talented and well-coached team has a week to prepare for it. Luckily for them, Butler and Xavier is the latter, and K-State the former, but neither is both. Unluckily for them, both Mich. State and Ohio State, possible semis opponents, ARE both.

Duke, another 1-seed, is in my eyes the least talented of the top teams left. But they are more talented than many of you give them credit, and are amongst the best coached squads left. They can beat you at their game or yours . . . and they can fall flat on their face. Fortunately for them, neither Purdue without Hummel nor Baylor/St. Mary's match up well against them, so they could . . . COULD! . . . walk into the FF.

Now for the sticky one: From what I've seen so far, Kentucky has played at a higher level than anybody else so far. If they keep it up, and considering the way they have diddled about in other games this season that is a sizable IF, they now have to be favored. At that point, we will need to wait and see if the NCAA lets them keep their wins. Perhaps you missed it, but a few days back the Sec. of Education Arne Duncan stated that there were a dozen teams in the Tourney with a graduation rate of less than 40%, and due to this he felt they should not even be allowed to compete - and UK was amongst these. As he put it, that's a low bar if you can't graduate 2 out of 5 of your student-athletes. Of course, he has no power over the NCAA, but he says he does intend to use the power of his office to push for such a requirement.

On a subject unrelated to this . . . leastwise for rabid Kentucky fans . . . the appeal of Memphis University to the NCAA regarding the penalties and sanctions levied against their 2007-08 team has been denied, and they have had to forfeit their 38 wins that year. As for whether or not they can keep that loss to Kansas in the championship game . . . you remember, the one they gave the Jayhawks from the line, after Calipari said all season that their poor free-throw shooting hadn't hurt them yet, so why think that it would now? . . . well, I suppose they can keep it. :r

OK, let the spitballs fly. I'm ready!

No spitballs....I just love reading about UK good or bad...because when you are hated, you are damn good. :banger

[NCRadioMan]

On graduation rates, do one-and-done's factor in these grad rates (I'd assume they do)? Why penalize a program whose talented players go off to play for the big $$$ before they finish a degree?

Yes, it does count against the rate. As does a player that transfers to another school. :confused:

It's all screwed up.

[vankleekkw]

How about a little love for my Boilermakers???

I'd love to beat Duke on Friday, but somehow think we'll fall just a bit short without our best player in the lineup.

Boiler-Up!!! I love how Kramer took it to the house for the win.

[The Poet]

Yes, it does count against the rate. As does a player that transfers to another school. :confused:

It's all screwed up.

According to the story I read in USA Today (available online, if you want to search), that 40% figure did NOT include any players who left early for the NBA, nor did it include any players who transferred. Furthermore, that graduation rate was not calculated over a four-year cycle, but rather a six-year one, which not only makes allowance for the redshirts and fifth-year seniors but also for the added strain put upon a player's time and energy devoted to the team (why no such allowance is duly given to the poor slob who flips burgers or stocks shelves in order to pay tuition, don't ask me). However, it is logical to assume that this figure DOES include those scrubs and walk-ons who sit on the end of the bench, and who feel lucky if they get into a game for a minute at the end of a blow-out, and whose main contribution to the success of the team is as the practice squad against the starters in scrimmages. And although I have no facts to support the assertion, I would think it also logical to assume that the graduation rate of these benchwarmers is HIGHER than that of the team stars. If that is taken as a given, even if just for argument's sake, then the actual graduation rate of those players who truly do account for the success or failure of the team is even significantly LOWER than the 40% figure given in the report.

But hey, who cares? What role does education and integrity play in all this, when there are games to win? Why should an institute of higher learning concern itself whether or not any learning truly happens? What business is it of theirs?


If nothing else, I'm trying my best to keep this thread going until action starts again Thursday . . . since nobody much cares about the NIT games this evening. :D

[NCRadioMan]

According to the story I read in USA Today (available online, if you want to search), that 40% figure did NOT include any players who left early for the NBA, nor did it include any players who transferred.

That's not what Doug Gottlieb and other talking heads at ESPN (HYPE) have been saying.

[The Poet]

That's not what Doug Gottlieb and other talking heads at ESPN (HYPE) have been saying.

I believe you, brother. However:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-03-16-grad-rate-proposal_N.htm

Look at the paragraph right after the 12 schools cited. That's all I know.

[The Poet]

St. John's has been granted permission by Georgia Tech (who, BTW, is another of those dozen NCAA teams cited for their sub-40% graduation rate) to talk to Paul Hewitt as the Johnnies begin their search to replace the recently-fired Norm Roberts. Hewitt is from New York, which may be part of the incentive from both sides. A second possible one, from his point-of-view, is the possibility that he will lose several key underclassmen to the NBA as well as his - presumably? mebbe not - graduating seniors.

Hey, if he thinks he's gonna waltz into a more talented squad at St. John's, he's nutz. :r

[jcruse64]

But hey, who cares? What role does education and integrity play in all this, when there are games to win? Why should an institute of higher learning concern itself whether or not any learning truly happens? What business is it of theirs? :D

I'm with ya. Not even touching on all the behind-the-scenes stuff with boosters/way-more-money-than-sense supporters who are throwing $$$ around behind the scenes and adding to all the unsavoriness (sp?). I love UK ball, but I also am not dumb enough to think UK Blue is pure Blue. I lay a lot of the blame on that right with NCAA, which now comes into billions in revenue on the backs of the "student-athlete". Plenty of blame to go around here. And it all starts well before college.

[forgop]

Boiler-Up!!! I love how Kramer took it to the house for the win.

I knew you were a Sox fan, but I didn't realize you were this cool. ;)

[NCRadioMan]

Too bad for W. Va. They lost their point guard due to a broken foot.

http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?cat=netnews&story=16336

[The Poet]

I'm with ya. Not even touching on all the behind-the-scenes stuff with boosters/way-more-money-than-sense supporters who are throwing $$$ around behind the scenes and adding to all the unsavoriness (sp?). I love UK ball, but I also am not dumb enough to think UK Blue is pure Blue. I lay a lot of the blame on that right with NCAA, which now comes into billions in revenue on the backs of the "student-athlete". Plenty of blame to go around here. And it all starts well before college.

Joe, the more you post here, the more I like you. :tu

[The Poet]

Too bad for W. Va. They lost their point guard due to a broken foot.

http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?cat=netnews&story=16336

Yeah, I saw that yesterday, and it put another potential hole in my bracket. I picked them to knock UK out. Also, Kalin Lucas is out for Michigan State with a torn Achilles suffered in Sunday's game. It is a shame, but sadly it's all part of the game.

[The Poet]

And while we're on injuries, perhaps we need note that Syracuse will again be without center Arinze Onuaku for their game against Butler, as he is still nursing his right quad. The Orange made it past Vermont and Gonzaga without him, and their zone might also get them past the Bulldogs too, even with that hole in the middle. Beyond that, it becomes more of a possible problem.

Hey, how's about some actual hoops news, for a change. You may have missed it - even on purpose - but there was one heck of a game in the NIT last night. Ole Miss outlasted Texas Tech 90-87 in 2OT, and move on to the semifinals in MSG starting next Tuesday. There they will face the winner of tonight's Dayton/Illinois contest.

Also making it to the Garden, to the site where their season-long collapse all began 'way back on Nov. 20th, THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL!! They defeated favored UAB in Birmingham last night 60-55, and now move on to their first NIT semifinals since 1973. Of course, in all fairness, that is mainly because they have spent the best part of the prior four decades in the NCAA Tournament instead. They will face the victor of this evening's Virginia Tech/Rhode Island matchup, and if they can manage to win that one they will - at long last - get their 20th W of the season.

Hey, they have beaten two of the best "bubble" teams dissed by the NCAA in UAB and Miss. State, and are trying to make the best of a no-win situation, so I give them credit for that. Whether or not you choose to do so also, that's your call.

[The Poet]

After helping to lead his Northern Iowa team to the Sweet Sixteen with the biggest win in that school's history, Ben Jacobson has been awarded a new 10-year contract as the program's head basketball coach. The new deal will pay him $450K/season starting next year, with an automatic $25K bump per year. This contract replaces his old one that ran through 2016, and payed him $289,300/year.

Now, that's more like what a college coach SHOULD get, dont'cha think? Hey, if they want NBA-sized contracts they should go to the freakin' NBA, right?

[forgop]

Don't forget about Robbie Hummel from Purdue being out. A lot of the pundits had Purdue going out in rounds 1 and 2 without their best player, but they still came out on top. Purdue with Hummel in their lineup is in my opinion just as good as any other team left. Duke will certainly be a challenge though.

[E.J.]

Just got the call that I have a ticket to the SLC Regionals and where to meet for beers after work(pre game)..... YES!!!!

LOVE having friends in the biz.....!!!

(can you tell I am excited)

[The Poet]

Don't forget about Robbie Hummel from Purdue being out. A lot of the pundits had Purdue going out in rounds 1 and 2 without their best player, but they still came out on top. Purdue with Hummel in their lineup is in my opinion just as good as any other team left. Duke will certainly be a challenge though.

Thanks, though I have mentioned Hummel's absence several times earlier, and only overlooked him due to the fact that he's been out for a month or more now. The Boilermakers have had enough time to adjust to his absence, or at least as well as they are able. With him in the line-up, I could see them taking Dook to the wire, at the least. However, with the defensive pressure the Blue Devils can put on their opponent, Hummel's loss as a ballhandler will make it more difficult for Purdue, without a doubt, and they need now count on the failure on Dook on the other end of the court . . . and, at times, they do just that, and can struggle to score if the iron is unkind.

We'll know better about midnight tomorrow. :D

[The Poet]

To follow up on that report 2 days ago: Paul Hewitt has declined St. John's offer to become their new head coach, and will stay with Georgia Tech . . . this week, anyway. :r

Maybe you didn't realize it, but there are a few basketball games scheduled for tonight. In order of tip-offs, we have:

Syracuse vs. Butler = I have less faith in the efficacy of the zone defense than does the loyal Orange fans, as I can name a handful of ways it can be beaten. I have even less faith that Butler can manage to accomplish this, however, and see the 'Cuse advancing with relative ease.

West Virginia vs. Washington = The loss of Darryl Bryant has put a crimp in the Mountaineers' game plan, though they do have a capable back-up at the point in Joe Mazzulla. However, he is more a ballhandler and passer than a scorer, so WVA will need more points from someone else . . . like Da'Sean Butler, for instance. As for the Huskies, they have played better in the Tourney than they have all year, and have looked nearly as good as they were suppsed to be. This one's a tough call, both because of the injury and because I don't know which Washington team will show up tonight. But since Butler's the best player on the court, I'll give WVA the nod.

Kansas State vs. Xavier = And this one's not easy for me either. Imprimis, I have not seen K-State too much, and by general impression and history have little faith in their ability to win big games. That's my prejudice, admittedly, but that's what I'm dealt, so tough. As for the X-Men, they have been as consistent as lumpy gravy all season, with smooth creamy play full of "Nots". So, as I must pick one, I'll give K-State one more win this year . . . but only one.

Kentucky vs. Cornell = A no-brainer, you say? Well, OK, I'll grant you that. Yet I've been told I have no brain so many times that once more ain't gonna hurt. The Wildcats have as much talent and athletic ability on their bench as Big Red has had, in toto, in the last 50 years . . . and then there is the UK starters! For many of these kids, their next loss will be their last college game, so they may not want to end their brief visit to Lexington tonight. But the next loss for Cornell will also be the last in their careers, for entirely different reasons . . . they are loaded with seniors. We know the advantage Kentucky has. Cornell, on the other hand, is a much more experienced, more disciplined, and more controlled team, due to their age, their time together, their intellect, and their coach's own abilities. Will that be enough? I can't see it. However, if they can keep it within a few baskets until the final 5 minutes or so, there is the possibility that UK will blink first. Kentucky can win by a ton. Cornell can hold on and edge them at the end. Will they? No.

[gettysburgfreak]

LETS GO 'CUSE!

Would really like to see another NY school in Cornell win tonight. Should be two good games to enjoy tonight.

[The Poet]

Should be two good games to enjoy tonight.

Could even be four, or at least three.

[jcruse64]

'Cuse/Butler has had an interesting start. Butler is not laying down by any means, and this could be pretty good.

I'm very interested to see which UK shows up tonight...I only hope I can stay awake, as I usually am in bed by 9:30 :D.

I really hate to see these young guys get hit with injuries and miss such an awesome opportunity. I like to see a team's best play, even if against the team I root for.

[WildBlueSooner]

The best way to beat the 'Cuse is to outshoot them from beyond the arc. If you can't do that it's going to be a tough row to hoe. I don't see them having a problem with Kansas, and further down the road Kentucky is not a good 3 shooting team, and most likely would face a matchup nightmare against Syraucse.

Oops...you forgot to mention Butler.

[gettysburgfreak]

Syracuse played like absolute **** and by no means deserved to win. God damn I see this time and time again, typical Syracuse basketball in March.

[Resipsa]

wasn't a basketball game, that was a mugging, :r

[Resipsa]

well for an unranked team at the beginning of the season, not too bad of a year, albeit a disappointing ending.

At least the team has integrity and class, unlike other schools who are constantly under sanction and threat of sanction by the Powers that Be, coached by an asshat with the ethics of a lawyer, :r

Did I say lawyer? I meant a sewer worm;)

[taltos]

well for an unranked team at the beginning of the season, not too bad of a year, albeit a disappointing ending.

At least the team has integrity and class, unlike other schools who are constantly under sanction and threat of sanction by the Powers that Be, coached by an asshat with the ethics of a lawyer, :r

Did I say lawyer? I meant a sewer worm;)There you go insulting sewer worms. I would love to see Cornell win not because I like Cornell, I don't since I went to Dartmouth, but because I hate the Kentucky coach. He has left 2 programs after they got dirty.

[JaKaacH]

This, IMHO, was a team that was vastly overrated all year long. Not surprised at all.:banger

'Cuse me...

[WildBlueSooner]

C-A-T-S

Keep on haters!

[Resipsa]

There you go insulting sewer worms. I would love to see Cornell win not because I like Cornell, I don't since I went to Dartmouth, but because I hate the Kentucky coach. He has left 2 programs after they got dirty.Well, at least since he's where he is at now there's no chance of him GETTING a third program dirty, they've always been right down there in the mud with him. :r


Excellent article here Paul:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/185861-college-basketball-memphis-in-trouble-calipari-uk-should-be-ashamed

[JaKaacH]

C-A-T-S

Keep on haters!

:tpd:

Go CATS--Frank Martin is doing a great job coaching this year..:banger











:D

[WildBlueSooner]

"Camby took $28,000 from an agent while in college"-- JC had nothing to do with this.
"player cheat on his SAT and making payments to an associate of a Memphis player of over $2,000 for travel to road games, all during the 2007-2008 basketball season." --JC did not do this.

And as far as him bolting for UK...UK is the best job in basketball (7 NCs, the most wins of all time), and Memphis is hardly "one of the most prestigious" schools in basketball. Anyone with any sense can figure out that when you get the best recruits in basketball, there is a better chance that they were approached by agents or had extra help in HS.

Anyone who blames JC for UMass or Memphis is ignorant or greeeeeeeeeeen with envy. He is a coach who successfully recruits the best players, wins basketball games, and coaches the best team in basketball. Get over it, or get used to being mad about him winning, cause its gonna keep on keepin on.

[WildBlueSooner]

:tpd:

Go CATS--Frank Martin is doing a great job coaching this year..:banger











:D


Frank Martin is a great coach and I like KSU...but they are the 2nd best Cats in this tourney!

[BeerAdvocate]

Hell of a game last night KSU vs Xavier.
I wanted to shoot Crawford for hitting those 3s!
But the Cats prevail, what a ride this year has been!!!!

[Resipsa]

In tomorrow's episode of "Your Baby Can Read", we will work on D-O-G-S.......

let's see if we can get that graduation rate UP!!

[taltos]

"Camby took $28,000 from an agent while in college"-- JC had nothing to do with this.
"player cheat on his SAT and making payments to an associate of a Memphis player of over $2,000 for travel to road games, all during the 2007-2008 basketball season." --JC did not do this.

And as far as him bolting for UK...UK is the best job in basketball (7 NCs, the most wins of all time), and Memphis is hardly "one of the most prestigious" schools in basketball. Anyone with any sense can figure out that when you get the best recruits in basketball, there is a better chance that they were approached by agents or had extra help in HS.

Anyone who blames JC for UMass or Memphis is ignorant or greeeeeeeeeeen with envy. He is a coach who successfully recruits the best players, wins basketball games, and coaches the best team in basketball. Get over it, or get used to being mad about him winning, cause its gonna keep on keepin on.JC had the responsibility of oversight on both programs. It has been used to burn football coaches and if the NCAA felt that the programs had no responsibility, the penalties would not have been as harsh. He did not do his job as a coach and mentor.

[The Poet]

Lemme just add this to the discussion, before I get to the games, as readers of this thread already know where I stand on the Calipari/UK issue. As Jonathan states (albeit to put it a bit less prejudiciously), the job of head coach at Kentucky is AMONGST the best in all of college basketball. It is without question the most highly paid, as the $4 million they are giving Cal is greater than most NBA coaches receive. Yet, since the time of Rupp, said job has been a revolving door. Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, Billy Gillespie . . . did I forget a few in there? And with the possible exception of Pitino (who may just have gotten fed up with the crap), none of these could keep the job for very long, due to one of two reasons. Imprimis, they did not win enough to suit the boosters and fans, so were canned. Secundus, they got caught cheating, and were fired in order to sweep this under the Big Blue rug. Nota bene, I said CAUGHT cheating, as the act of cheating in itself, as viewed with the historical perspective of Wildcat hoops, is not the issue . . . it's getting caught that's the problem.

It is not a matter of hating UK basketball for winning: It is a matter of disgust at the attitude they have about doing so at whatever cost to the integrity of the game. If the UK fans don't like this perception, they should take it up with the Chancellor and the Deans of the University, not with me.

Back briefly, with actual hoops news.

[The Poet]

OK, as some of you may have noticed, there was some action on CBS last night which involved initials other than NCIS or CSI . . . namely, NCAA:

Butler 63 - Syracuse 59 = And another 1 bites, and another 1 bites, and another 1 bites the dust. Just as I said, the Syracuse zone can be beaten. And just as I said, Butler was not the team to do it. You read that right, for although the Bulldogs did manage to swing the ball around and get open looks, they missed a lot more of them than they made, and thus should have lost the game. However, I did not count on The Orange being totally incapable of holding onto the orange, and could not predict that they would have more turnovers than a bakery chef. Nor could I predict that they would be the first to panic, as they began to midway through the first half, and would begin to hoist up bad shots much too quickly in an attempt to erase their deficit all at once. When you put these 2 together, you realize why Butler got more shots than did the 'Cuse . . . yet did not hit any more! No, the Bulldogs were 21-52 with 6 threes, and the Orange were 21-48 with 7. The difference was at the line, and Butler's 15-21 was just enough to beat the 10-14 of Syracuse. Hey, you move the ball, you drive, you pass, you try to create, you use time, you get fouled. You run down the court and hoist up a prayer within 10 seconds, you don't. There was your game.

West Virginia 69 - Washington 56 = These two banged and pushed all night long, and the refs seemed to let them get away with it too . . . with the exception of Pondexter, that is. Yet though the Huskies' star had to sit out the end of the first half with 3 fouls, and never seemed to get his flow back in the second stanza, Washington hung tough in a close game for 2/3rds of the contest. But the Mountaineers have been a better team all year, and were again last night, making the plays they needed on both ends to build their lead and take the win.

Kentucky 62 - Cornell 45 = Do I really have to say it . . . again? Once the Wildcats got their rhythm and got the flow going, they were all over Cornell like mint on julip and quickly wiped out Big Red's early lead. That game was over by halftime . . . or so we thought. But once more, as they have done time and time and time and time and time again, the kittens took a 'Catnap, and bam!, Cornell was right back into it, down by as few as 6 with lots of time left. Yet Cal's yelling and screaming finally woke his litter up once more, and they managed to do just enough to make this appear to be no-contest . . . to those who did not watch it. A better, more talented team (can you say WVA?) might just have booted another 1 outta the Dance last evening. Cornell was not that squad. Congratulations to them for their stellar season, and too bad for these Cinderellas that their stars are on a lower sphere than those orbiting Lexington.

Kansas State 101- Xavier 96 (2OT) = What a game. What a freakin' game! There were nearly as many ties and lead changes as there were fouls (53 whistled in all), and neither team gave an inch. Often one feels bad for the team that loses such a matchup, but it's awfully hard to feel bad for the Musketeers who were bested in this duel, that's just how good a game it was. If you missed it . . . well, indeed, you did miss it. Now we'll see if K-State can recuperate in time to give us the same with Butler . . . who is a very similar team to those gritty X-Men.


And speaking of getting one's rest, did you get yours? Reason I ask, there are some more games starting soon:

Ohio State vs. Tennessee = Evan Turner is certainly one of the best individual players left in the field, and he alone may be capable of moving the Buckeyes past the Volunteers. As for the Vols, they did beat Kansas, thus could beat anyone on a given night. But as the men in orange have much less NCAA experience than do their distaff sisters . . . hey, it is called Summit Court, not Pearl . . . I'd say OSU has that edge going for them. Buckeyes by a bucket.

Baylor vs. St. Mary's = The Big 12 crowd wants us to consider this a NC, but the Gaels ain't gonna forfeit. They beat the crap out of perennial fixture Gonzaga a few weeks ago, and they have one thing in their favor the 'Zags never do . . . they do their talking on the court, not in the press. And let's face it: Baylor's not exactly a household-name powerhouse of college hoops itself. They are no more use to the spotlight as is St. Mary's. Might be a lot closer than you'd think. If the Bears are not in hibernation, I'd say they have a slim advantage.

Michigan State vs. Northern Iowa = The Spartans have been here before, in case you don't remember. As for the Panthers, it's virgin territory. This could be a factor, if their scrotes tighten up too much. But don't forget that MSU is without their star PG Kalin Lucas, and keep in mind how tough NI's man-to-man help defense can be. If you can't keep the ball, you can't score it . . . just ask Syracuse. After seeing what Northern Iowa can do, I'd call this a pick-'em.

Duke vs. Purdue = Now that Kansas is done, the Blue Devils have the best mix of talent, experience, and coaching. Sadly for them, that talent comes last in that list. No, it's not that they are bad, but they really do not have some outstanding athlete who can put a team on his back and carry them all if needed. They have good scorers, good defenders, good rebounders, yet none of them are NBA-lottery picks. As for Purdue, they have had difficulty scoring more than 50 points without Hummel figuring into their mix. And with the Dook D . . . maybe not quite their classic Wojo-in-your-sneakers stickiness, but pretty dang good nonetheless . . . it will be a problem for the Boilermakers to do so tonight. If this is played in the 70s or 80s, Duke will cruise to a win. If the iron is unkind and their shots won't drop, and Purdue can keep it in the 50s or 60s, the Boilermakers have a shot. The X-factor? Dook has gotten into the habit of falling on their faces about this time of year. Will these seniors want to get off that snide too badly, or just enough? Duke by 3 possessions, that's my call.

We'll talk more later. As for tonight, enjoy.

[The Poet]

It has been reported by "A. Source" that St. John's will interview Boston College head coace Al Skinner for that position previously filled by Norm Roberts, before he was fired after leading the Red Storm to a 17-16 record (6-12 Big East). Skinner led the Eagles to a 15-16 mark (6-10 ACC). Yeah, there's an upgrade for you.


And who exactly is this A. Source fella? Damn, he shows up EVERYWHERE!

[jcruse64]

Wow!!! UT makes it's 1st Elite Eight. They just kept hanging around, and then Chism and Prince took it over. Looked like some bad calls against UT, too (I say that as a UT hater :D). Nice play by UT.

Baylor is just kicking the crap outta St. Mary's.

[The Poet]

Wow!!! UT makes it's 1st Elite Eight. They just kept hanging around, and then Chism and Prince took it over. Looked like some bad calls against UT, too (I say that as a UT hater :D). Nice play by UT.

Baylor is just kicking the crap outta St. Mary's.

So let's get these two outta the way first:

Tennessee 76 - Ohio State 73 = I called this as being Buckeyes by a bucket, and it certainly had all the appearance of being just that. OSU had the late slim lead, and had the ball to boot. But with the chance to make me a prophet in their hands, they lost the handle and turned the ball over TWICE in the last minute. Even at that, they had the final shot with an opportunity to send the game into OT, yet they could not get it off, much less hit it. I won't call it a choke, as the Vols played a good game also, and deserve respect for the win. Considering all the stuff they had to play through this season, off the court and on, they earned it.

Baylor 72 - St. Mary's 49 = I had the fear that the Gaels would pucker up under the pressure of such a huge game, and they did just that. They did not play worth a puck. Yet give these guys some credit too. Prior to last week, the Gaels had not won an NCAA game since 1959. That is not meant to take anything away from the Bears, who did exactly what they needed to, and took control over the contest early and late, never giving St. Mary's a sniff. And they too had problems to play through this year, what with reduced scholarships, transfers out of the program, and the NCAA threatening to shut them down completely. Pre-season, they were predicted to be 10th in the Big 12. Now they have the chance to make the Final Four for their first time since 1950 . . . when there were only 8 teams in total competing.

Michigan State 59 - Northern Iowa 52 = Here was my "pick-'em" game, and it was pretty much just that. The magic for the Cinderella Panthers finally ran out, but they did not go easily. Their defense was as tough as ever, and had they hit a few freethrows they may have advanced. But they didn't, whereas the Spartans did hit the shots late they needed to once again advance. And although Izzo's path towards the Final Four is considerably easier than it was last year, he has still proven himself a near-master of March. Hey, you can't call him a TRUE master until he takes a few more trophies back to East Lansing.

Duke 70 - Purdue 57 = As I said, if the game was in the 70s up, Duke would win, and if it was in the 50s or 60s Purdue had a shot. Well, the Boilermakers did play in the 50s . . . thanks mainly to a few late "gimmes' by the Blue Devils D. Sadly for Purdue however, Dook made it to 70. So Coach K's squad avoids another early exit, and are in line to move on to their first FF since 2004. K said he'd rather be known as a "since" team than a "never" one, and because Baylor's sixty-year hiatus may as well be a "never", this will be an interesting matchup tomorrow.

But before tomorrow, we have tonight:

Kansas State vs. Butler = Didn't they just play this game? No, wait . . . that was Xavier, not Butler. Same diff. You can expect same game too. K-State has the edge in athletes, and Butler has a more polished team. Furthermore, these Wildcats are a middlin'-weak 2-seed, while Butler is a solid 5-seed with more experience . . . and even slightly moe success . . . in The Dance. I said before their last win that I'd give K-State one more W this season, but only one. However, that's when I expected them to face the Orange, not the Bulldogs. Yet fair is fair, so although my head is leaning towards K-State, I'll go with Butler in a squeeker.

Kentucky vs. West Virginia = Before Darryl Bryant went down this week (well, actually, on Selection Sunday, to be honest), I picked the Mountaineers to send Kentucky back to where damn few of their players hail from . . . namely, Kentucky. (To be fair, WVA has exactly as many players from West Virginia as does Kentucky . . . one. But that's another issue for another time.) Now? Now? What the hell, I'm gonna stick with that call. WVA has talent too, plus more experience, plus less of a tendency to fall asleep. Further, although I don't think either coach is truly a great teacher of the game, I do feel Huggins' screaming intensity is sometimes more effective than is Cal's laissez-faire "let 'em street-ball" attitude. WVA opens it up in the last 5 minutes, and knocks the 'Cats for a loop.

Then, to spark up your Palm Sunday afternoon, we have:

Tennessee vs. Michigan State = Here's a somewhat unlikely 5-6 matchup for a seat in Indy. And, to be totally frank about it, I don't know which way to go here. Both teams have played great games this season, and both teams have stunk the place up at times. Izzo has more experience in this type of contest, yet the Vols not only just beat another (and a better) Big Ten team but also have had bigger wins this year than have the Spartans. Hey, if you can beat both Kansas and Kentucky, you can beat anybody. OK, so I just convinced myself . . . Vols by a couple.

Duke vs. Baylor = Even were I not an ACC fan (see, not all Tar Heels hate the Pukes :ss), I'd have to go with the Blue Devils on this one. Dook has stumbled in recent times because they had a bad game, and were unable to do the things for 40 minutes which got them through the previous 30+ games. Well, they had that game last night, believe it or not, but since Purdue was even less effective than Duke, the Devils survived. Baylor has had an amazing run this season, and deserve kudos for their effort and success. That ends Sunday. It might be close, but Duke prevails.

I'll be back Monday afternoon to take my lumps. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Kevin Broadus, the suspended head coach of Binghamton University, has filed a racial discrimination complaint against the University, their acting AD, the SUNY Board of Trustees, and its chancellor. He claims the school is attempting to release him from his 5-year deal because he is African-American.

Of course, the fact that the program is under investigation for serious violations, such as the false enrollment of players and academic fraud on their behalf, and the fact that six of their players were dismissed from the program for these and other flaws . . . such as selling cocaine . . . had absolutely nothing to do with the coach losing his job. No, it is simply a matter of his race: scumbag.

[BryanB]

Duke vs. Baylor = Even were I not an ACC fan (see, not all Tar Heels hate the Pukes :ss), I'd have to go with the Blue Devils on this one. Dook has stumbled in recent times because they had a bad game, and were unable to do the things for 40 minutes which got them through the previous 30+ games. Well, they had that game last night, believe it or not, but since Purdue was even less effective than Duke, the Devils survived. Baylor has had an amazing run this season, and deserve kudos for their effort and success. That ends Sunday. It might be close, but Duke prevails..

I think the game will be close. Baylor is not going to be a push over by any means. I'm just glad to see you on the good side Thomas. :D

I hope UNC wins the NIT. ;)

[WildBlueSooner]

In tomorrow's episode of "Your Baby Can Read", we will work on D-O-G-S.......

let's see if we can get that graduation rate UP!!

Or how about L-O-S-S...Syracuse fans might know about that :r

[jcruse64]

Butler is playing some fine ball this tourney. Nice win. Heck, Murray State has given them their closest game in this tourney, so far :D.

UK game is getting dicey for the faithful Blue...the outside shot is not falling in the 1st half, and WVU started waking up and hitting the outside jumpers about halfway through the half. We need to start seeing some "Ashley in the crowd" shots from CBS...she is good luck for UK!!! :dr:D.

UT girls go down to Baylor earlier today. 10 blocked shots for the 6' 8" prizefighter.

[jcruse64]

See what happens when they don't give us "Ashley shots"?!?!?!?

Sheesh! The Cats stunk, for the most part. Calipari didn't have them ready, couldn't buy a free throw, wouldn't/couldn't help out on defense, refused to abandon the ice-cold 3 point line, etc. No real full-court pressure till the last couple of minutes, for some reason. REAL bad time to go cold. WVU just plain out-played them, and deserved the win. I hope they stomp dook.


And I hope Butler wins it all, now. -(P

[jcruse64]

Oh, and as much as I've enjoyed Enberg over the years, it's time he stepped down from announcing. Not real good tonight.

[jaycarla]

Oh, and as much as I've enjoyed Enberg over the years, it's time he stepped down from announcing. Not real good tonight.

As much I as understand the frustration with announcers that make mistakes and have obviously lost their edge, which Enberg would classify as, I still love him.

This has nothing to do with the point made above that Enberg has lost a step, I agree. For me I still love him. I think too much is often made of announcers that are past their prime. I will take Dick Enberg over his idiot partner Bilas and most of these other weak asses that are rolled out on a telecast.

Having Enberg doing the game and hearing his voice is just.....I don't know how to word it other than it is comfortable. It frustrates me like everyone else when they f up, but I guess I just don't mind when it comes down to it.

The best analogy I can use is Pat Summeral. As must as he struggled calling a game, hearing him on Sunday just felt right.

Rambling now, so I will stop. Again, not trying to stir any pot, just wanted to plant my flag in the land of loving the old school pros of broadcasting. The ones that made people take notice of the broadcaster in the first place.

For me the Enbergs, Summeralls, Michaels, K Jackson's, Gowdy's, Scully's, Caray's and Niehaus's(local flavor I know, but he is the chit) of the world will always have a mic open for them.

That is all. Looking forward to the games tomorrow, great games today. This has been one of the better tournaments in recent years no doubt.

[Resipsa]

Or how about L-O-S-S...Syracuse fans might know about that :r

OH MY!!!!!!!!

There really are basketball gods, :r:r:r:r

[WildBlueSooner]

OH MY!!!!!!!!

There really are basketball gods, :r:r:r:r

Yup, the same gods that gave UK 7 basketball championships. We went from one of the worst teams in basketball to one of the best in count em...1 yr! All I can say is since you are such a hater, you better start praying to the god, cause championships 8,9,10,11 are not far away :banger

[WildBlueSooner]

Gonna be an interesting Final Four this year...props to all the teams in so far!

[jcruse64]

Cannot believe I'm actually going to root for UT today :ss:rolleyes::D.

I was really expecting more out of Calipari last night, and I was noticing some "loser" body language from the Cats, in the last part of the 2nd half, especially Cuz. I had kind of hope Patterson would be able to step up and give some more floor leadership in the second half also. I think he did okay, but okay is not enough at this point of the season; each game demands the best. I think I could have scored on those guys last night, and I can't walk and dribble at the same time :D.

It's going to be interesting to see what Patterson and the freshmen do now. For sure, Cuz could use another year to mature, and it wouldn't hurt Wall either. But I would not blame them for going on to the pros. I also think Patterson could benefit as a senior team leader, but not sure if he can do that with this team. I got the feeling Calipari has been looking to Wall for that leadership, instead of Patterson, this season. Playing for Billy G was no help to Patterson either, IMO.

UT/MSU now tipping off...enjoy!!!

[jaycarla]

Gonna be an interesting Final Four this year...props to all the teams in so far!

:tpd:

Glad it isn't all four #1's again, I like having some lower seeds in there. Was really pulling for Baylor, but it wasn't meant to be.

[BryanB]

:D :D :D :D :D

Go Duke

[The Poet]

I spent a half-hour logging in my post re the games, but when I hit the button I was told I was not logged on - though I was.

So I logged on again, spent another half-hour writing it all again, hit the button, and was told I was not logged on - again.

Fark it all, my fingers are starting to bleed. I'll try again tomorrow.

[The Poet]

OK, I'm gonna try this again today, but I'll do these one atta time, in an attempt to avoid the crap I had to deal with yestiddy.

Butler 63 - Kansas State 56 = Lesson #1: Practice, and execute. There are two main ways in which a team can earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament. One, they can have athletes with talent and ability who are able to win games on that basis. Two, they can have a collection of players who are willing to work and learn precise team basketball, and thus can win games by outplaying their opponent, even though that opponent may be bigger, faster, and stronger. You may think that K-State should have learned a lesson about this type of play during their squeeker battle with Xavier just two days prior to this matchup, but apparently one class was insufficient to the task at hand. Thus, the Bulldogs handed them a clinic on how to execute crisp team basketball, and sent these Wildcats back to that other Manhattan. They had a great season, and I give them credit for that. And perennial Horizon contender Butler at last gets to don that slipper, both for them and for their league. Congratulations to the Bulldogs.

[The Poet]

West Virginia 73 - Kentucky 66 = Lesson #2: Play with focus and intensity, from tip to horn. In their second game this season, Kentucky was tied with the powerful and heralded RedHawks of Miami Ohio (14-18 this year) with only six seconds left. They might have lost this one had not superfreshman John Wall driven the full length of the court to hit the game-winner at the buzzer. And HAD they lost that game, they may have learned a lesson they seemed to avoid learning all season long. Too often these highly-talented Wildcats farked around and farked around and farked around, either allowing their opponent to stay in the game or get back into it, depending upon their superior skills to be able to pull it out whenever they really needed to. They managed to do so too, most every time on the court. But the Mountaineers were having none of that, thank you very much. They grabbed ahold of the game early and held onto it late, so by the time the 'Cats finally awoke and tried to jerk their bacon out of the fire it was too little, too late. Their fatback was burned, and WVA ate their lunch. Well done, Mountaineers, and congratulations. As for UK, their team and fans can take consolation in two things: First, they had a very good season, despite this disappointment. Second, their new coach John Calipari set an NCAA record that is likely to stand for a loooooooong time to come. With the denial by the NCAA of Memphis U's appeal of the vacation of their 2007-08 season, coupled with this loss to WVA, Calipari has become the first coach in history to lose two trips to the Final Four, with two different schools, all in the same week.

Forgive my Schadenfreude, but :r :r :r!!!

[The Poet]

Michigan State 70 - Tennessee 69 = Lesson #3: Fundamentals are, by definition, fundamental. I was torn when it came to making a pick on this game, as I felt they were so evenly matched. Yet, although I like both Izzo and the Spartans better than I do Pearl and the Volunteers, I felt UT had just the slightest edge in this, so gave them the reluctant nod. This was the only one of the four games I did not successfully predict, but I WOULD have gone four-for-four had THOSE STINKIN' VOLS HIT A FEW OF THEIR STINKIN' FREETHROWS AT THE END!! (Also, if the refs had called that 3-seconds on the Spartans with about 40 ticks left, when that kid drove the lane, got trapped by 3 Vols, and parked there for a week or so . . . but that's another issue, so forget it.) And don't doubt it - that is where the game was won and lost. Both teams went to the line 21 times each. MSU hit 16 from the stripe. UT hit 14 of theirs. There is the flip-flop of the final margin right there. Congratulations to the Spartans for making it back to the Final Four after such a long absence. ;) And kudos to UT too, for fighting through a difficult season to make it as far as they did.

[The Poet]

Duke 78 - Baylor 71 = Lesson #4: Rest on offense, work on defense. One of the nags I've been flogging all year is my lack of faith in a zone defense to win you a championship. A zone is fine to throw out a few times a game, to give your opponent a different look, but you cannot depend upon it exclusively. It can win you your share of games, it can give you a successful season, but there are too many ways in which a well-coached team can exploit its weaknesses. This matchup highlighted one of those most dramatically . . . the zone is susceptible to yielding up too many offensive rebounds. When you are defending an area instead of a player, it is much harder to box a guy out. This game was tighter than new shoes until late, when Dook got four second-chance buckets in a hurry . . . three 3s, plus that stick-back slam by Thomas. Shoot, the Blue Devils had 17 offensive boards IN THE SECOND HALF ALONE!, and none were more devastating than those four there. That is not to take anything away from what Scott Drew did with this team, pulling them out of the Dave Bliss abyss and into a position nobody would have predicted when the season started. And I suppose he had little choice but to dance with the girl what brung him. Yet in the end, it was Duke who took her home. Congratulations to them, and good luck to those "spectacularly un-athletic" players (as one analyst called Dook) against WVA - I gotta feeling you might need it. :D

[The Poet]

There's more hoops news for you.

Tim Floyd, former coach of Southern Cal, has been hired to take over at UTEP. He has left his job as an analyst, and hopefully he burned no bridges there. If the NCAA finds he was guilty of any wrong-doing in the whole O.J. Mayo thing at USC, he may need a back-up plan.

And speaking of the Pac-10, former UCLA coach Steve Lavin has been hired to take over at St. John's. Perhaps he can duplicate one of the most remarkable bi-coastal coaching accomplishments of all times - that of Lefty Driesell. When he left Davidson and took over at the Univ. of Maryland in 1970, the old Lefthander said that he would make Maryland "the UCLA of the East." And by God, he did it too! How he managed to drag UCLA down to his level from a continent away, I will never know!

And speaking of St. John's, Al Skinner, who interviewed for the position there last week, was fired by Boston College today. Well, according to the AD there, is was by "mutual agreement", but if it smells like smoke, it's a fire. So how's that for a week . . . going from two jobs to none. And I thought my life sucks.

[The Poet]

Did anybody but me know, and does anybody but me care, that there is basketball on for tonight. Yes, Pacific takes on Missouri State in the CIT (the "S" in front is, I suppose, silent). But also, there are semifinals in that tournament that, at one time, actually DID mean something. In Madison Square Garden tonight the NIT continues, with:

Mississippi vs. Dayton = All you SEC fans should tune into this one, as this is the last of your conference's teams still playing this year. But hey, don't feel too bad about that . . . not only is the Big East and the Big Ten down to a solo also, but the Big 12 and Pac-10 and Mountain West and CUSA and a buncha others are totally done. As for Dayton and the A-10, they not only have Saint Louis still alive in the WTF . . . I mean, CBI, but they also have:

Rhode Island vs. UNC = That makes three still alive for those East Coast boys, plus a second for those other Atlantic Coast boys also. Hey, you might not think much of it, but it's better than what most of you guys got left, right?

[The Poet]

The NCAA has ordered IUPUI to vacate wins due to grave violations - in 14 sports!

Shoot, I didn't even realize they PLAYED 14 different sports there. :r

[jcruse64]

Forgive my Schadenfreude, but :r :r :r!!!


Ouch!!! :D

Good recaps. ESPN could use you.

[jaycarla]

Thread Jack!!!!

NIT Thread 09-10!!!

GO TARHEELS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, done.

Love,
Jay

[The Poet]

Thread Jack!!!!

NIT Thread 09-10!!!

GO TARHEELS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, done.

Love,
Jay

Hey, as Roy Williams said himself, it's best to be playing the last Monday of the year, but playing the last Thursday is better than not playing at all - like 300+ other teams. :D

[BryanB]

Hey, as Roy Williams said himself, it's best to be playing the last Monday of the year, but playing the last Thursday is better than not playing at all - like 300+ other teams. :D

:r:r

[NCRadioMan]

Hey, as Roy Williams said himself, it's best to be playing the last Monday of the year, but playing the last Thursday is better than not playing at all - like 300+ other teams. :D

After he said that, he said, "good arm tackle, Dion Sanders style". :r

[The Poet]

:r:r

I wouldn't laugh too hard yet, Bryan, and I can give you 3 good reasons:

Imprimis, your guys ain't won nuttin' yet, and it's not wise to tempt the hoop gods. Of course, you may already be happy, seeing as how:

Secundus, Dook finally made it to another Final Four for the first time since '04 instead of crapping out early, embarrassing not only themselves (which is fine, if that's what they want) but the ACC too (which is not). Meanwhile, my boys were winning 2 more trophies. Also, you'd better make the best of this opportunity, because:

Tertius, next season the Blue Devils will be in much the same boat at this year's Tar Heels, what with most of their team leaving Durham for good . . . the only difference being, they won't be going to the NBA. :ss

[The Poet]

So what are we talking about above, and what's this all about? Well, in MSG last night:

Dayton 68 - Mississippi 63 = The Flyers end the season for the SEC, sending Ole Miss back to the Delta. Dayton has not won an NIT championship since 1968, but it's not for lack of trying. They have certainly found themselves in this "other" tournament often enough. Tomorrow night their seven seniors will get a chance to win their third, when they go up against the underachieving underclassmen of:

UNC 68 - Rhode Island 67 (OT) = Laugh if you will, but at least these kids are finally trying their damndest to win. They scored the last 5 points in regulation to send it into OT, grabbed 27 offensive rebounds, forced 18 turnovers, and beat the team with the highest RPI (#40) of any who did not get at at-large to the NCAAs. Plus, this gives them 20 wins for the season, which is a mark I thought unreachable a month ago. Hey, if you're given lemons, you know what to do.

[The Poet]

Kevin Willard takes over at Seton Hall for the fired Bobby Gonzalez. According to the "release", he has spent the last three seasons reviving the program at Iona . . . though you coulda fooled me.

Hey, regardless how he does with wins and losses, he's bound to be an improvement over Gonzo's insane demeanor on the sidelines. Plus, he might actually spend a little time with his players to boot, instead of just dropping in for practice and games like that jerk Bobby was wont.

[The Poet]

Oklahoma has announced it is conducting an internal investigation regarding reports that one of its players, Tiny Gallon (Tiny Gallon? Is that what they call a litre in Norman?) received money from a Florida financial adviser. The program is still under probation from violations in football and under former basketball coach Kelvin (as opposed to Celsius, I guess) Sampson. The university has declined requests to interview present coach Jeff Capel . . . whom one would think had learned a better way under Coach K. What will this mean? I guess we'll know, Sooner or later.

[The Poet]

Tonight will be the championship game of the famed (and formerly relevant) NIT Tournament, pitting the Dayton Flyers against the UNC Tar Heels. Dayton is appearing in its 22nd NIT, second only to St. John's 27, yet has not won one since 1968. The Heels have been to many many fewer, for the obvious reason that they are normally otherwise occupied, yet has had more recent success, as they won it back in 1971. I did not have to google this, since I have the T-shirt somewhere in my dresser. :D As has been the case throughout the tournament, the Heels are favored . . . to lose. The senior-laden Flyers should not be daunted by the "CAROLINA" emblazoned across their opponent's chests, yet this just might be the determining factor . . . I've seen it happen before.

I'll let you know for sure tomorrow.

[The Poet]

Houston has hired a new head coach to replace Tom Penders . . . James Dickey.


Why do I hear those "Deliverance" banjos in the background? :r

[NCRadioMan]

Houston has hired a new head coach to replace Tom Penders . . . James Dickey.


Why do I hear those "Deliverance" banjos in the background? :r

Horrible fire and hire. Houston gets what it deserves.

[The Poet]

Horrible fire and hire. Houston gets what it deserves.

I don't know enough about Dickey (well, the coach, and not the poet) to know how good or bad he is. I do know a bit about Penders, and one of these is that he was not canned, but rather resigned. He said he has no plans to retire, but that it was time to move on to a different challenge after getting Houston back into the NCAA Tournament once more.

Hey, who am I to question the man's motives, or judgement?

[The Poet]

Now for the thing you've been waiting for, at least in part for some of you:

Dayton 79 - UNC 68 = Congratualtions to the Dayton Flyers for winning what might just be the last NIT Championship game ever played, ending a storied tradition that goes back to 1938. (In case you've missed it, the NCAA is contemplating an expansion of The Dance to 96 teams, which may finally pull the plug on the patient they've been trying to slaughter for the last 30 years - but that's another issue). As a Tar Heel, I say this with all sincerity, for a number of reasons. Not only did they play better in this game, thus deserve the victory, but they have spent a good part of the previous 40+ years since 1968 trying to win another NIT. As Dayton has little chance of ever winning the NCAA Tourney, this is in effect their "national championship", so it means a lot more to them than it ever could to UNC. Let's face it: Had the Heels won, their fans would have said "Eh, OK, good for them" while their detractors would have countered with "Big freakin' deal!" But now the Flyers can fully enjoy it, untainted with any negative vibes at all, and made all the sweeter in that they can crow to their children and grandchildren that they beat mighty Carolina for the crown.

As a good Tar Heel, I will never deny anyone else the right to their well-earned slice of glory and joy. :tu, Dayton.

[The Poet]

There is apparently some sort of stink brewing in Lawrence regarding possible misuse of doner money and the illegal sale of tickets for personal gain. I read the full story as reported on Yahoo, but to be honest with you I could not make head-nor-tails of it. On the one hand someone has been dismissed or suspended, and Kansas is launching an investigation, but on the other they have sent out a massive e-mail to their doners that nothing is wrong, and that their contributions have not been misused. On the THIRD hand, the assure these doners that none of their money will be used to fund the investigation - of nothing. Or something? Who the hell knows? Obviously, neither I nor the Jayhawks do, at this point anyway.

[NCRadioMan]

I don't know enough about Dickey (well, the coach, and not the poet) to know how good or bad he is. I do know a bit about Penders, and one of these is that he was not canned, but rather resigned. He said he has no plans to retire, but that it was time to move on to a different challenge after getting Houston back into the NCAA Tournament once more.

Hey, who am I to question the man's motives, or judgement?

Don't let the official release fool ya. He was fired. They paid him the rest of his contract to leave.

[The Poet]

Don't let the official release fool ya. He was fired. They paid him the rest of his contract to leave.

Could be. If so, they sure picked a poor time to do that.

The Indianapolis Star has apologized to Duke University for publishing a doctored photo of Mike Shuschef . . . uh, Kerzooks . . uh, Krzyzewski wearing devil's horns and with a target across his face. Coach K called it "juvenile", and was concerned that his seven grandkids would see it and lament "That's not Poppy!"

The Indy Star should know better. And Mikey should learn how to take a joke. :r

[JaKaacH]

Can I take in some beers and wings.?

http://wcco.com/sports/ncaa.final.four.2.1607668.html

[jaycarla]

Could be. If so, they sure picked a poor time to do that.

The Indianapolis Star has apologized to Duke University for publishing a doctored photo of Mike Shuschef . . . uh, Kerzooks . . uh, Krzyzewski wearing devil's horns and with a target across his face. Coach K called it "juvenile", and was concerned that his seven grandkids would see it and lament "That's not Poppy!"

The Indy Star should know better. And Mikey should learn how to take a joke. :r

Not that I condone it, but as a Colts and a Tarheel fan, there is a piece of me that was warm and fuzzy when I saw it.

To clarify though, as much as it pains me, I have nothing but the highest respect for Coach K and Duke University. (Fook, that hurt to type.)

[The Poet]

Not that I condone it, but as a Colts and a Tarheel fan, there is a piece of me that was warm and fuzzy when I saw it.

To clarify though, as much as it pains me, I have nothing but the highest respect for Coach K and Duke University. (Fook, that hurt to type.)

What struck me is that the Cameron Crazies are renowned - and LAUDED! - for pulling the same kind of stunts repeatedly, ad nauseum. Now Coach K gets bent outta shape when he reaps a bit of what he sows? Gimme a break. It was dumb of the paper to do it, but it was just as dumb to make an issue of it. Get over yourself, Coach.

Can I take in some beers and wings.?

http://wcco.com/sports/ncaa.final.four.2.1607668.html

Well, I guess spending $25 to see it 3D in New York is better than $2500 to see it 3D in Indy. :D

[The Poet]

So, after . . . what, 5 or 6 thousand games? . . . it's down to only 3 more left:

Butler vs. Michigan State = When you have a pair of 5-seeds going up against each other, who the hell you gonna pick? Both teams are good, in their own way, yet neither is a dominating force. The Spartans have played well with Lucious taking over the point for the injured Lucas, but are not as good with him starting there, and are turned over more easily. As for the Bulldogs, they are capable of doing just that very thing, they have some nice offensive options themselves (hey, when you have a big who can shoot like Hayward, it's hard to stop them scoring), and play a team game which does not depend upon one or two superior athletes to carry the group to victory. Plus, they have the same home-court "advantage" the Spartans held last year, without the added pressure they had to face: Nobody is expecting Butler to rescue Indiana from its economic woes in the way some put that burden re Michigan's problems back then. Yes, that was silly, but you cannot say for certain it was not in the back of some Spartans' minds. On the other hand, this is entirely virgin territory for the Bulldogs, and they have doubtless faced more hype and attention in the last few days than they have ever ever seen. This goes for their coaches as well as the players. The oddsmakers have MSU the slightest of favorites, and for this final point alone I will agree. When the buzzer sounds, Izzo and the Spartans will get another shot on Monday night.

West Virginia vs. Duke = This one is much more of the matchup one might expect, as it pits a 1 against a 2-seed. The contrast between these two teams could hardly be more glaring. Da'Sean Butler wears No. 1 on his jersey, and fittingly so: He is far and away the best athlete on either team. In fact, the entire Mountaineer team can be said to be the same, as Duke has been characterized (not by me, but I see the point) as "spectacularly unathletic". On the other hand, and likely because of this, the Blue Devils do play better together as a team, since they have to to succeed. And though their scorers are not as flashy and touted as were Carolina's last year, they do have as many different options, which means if you are able to stop one of them two others can hurt you instead. Furthermore, consider this: If you could pick your coach to win a big game, which one would you choose, Huggins or K? Even the most fervent WVA fanatic must admit that's a no-brainer. Yet the X-factor in all this is the unfortunate loss of Bryant to injury a week back. So far Mazzulla has done well enough to advance the Mountaineers. But anyone who watched the last few minutes of their victory over Kentucky knows that WVA is having trouble against intense defensive pressure. That, my friends, is Duke's game and, unlike the Wildcats, they won't wait until the game is over before they try to turn up the heat. According to the odds, the Mountaineers are the smart bet. This I believe is because the oddsmakers look at NBA-caliber talent, which would make them correct. Me, I look at college-level team ability. Horns and all, Duke, by a bucket or so.

[The Poet]

Tommy Amaker has withdrawn his name from consideration as the new head coach of Boston College, stating that his heart is at Harvard.

Let's see now . . . a handful of years assisting Coach K at Dook, a handful as head at Seton Hall, another handful at Michigan, and now a handful at Hah'vaad . . . nope, he's wrong. It's time to move again, but Chestnut Hill's just a little too close to Cambridge for him. :r

[NCRadioMan]

. It was dumb of the paper to do it, but it was just as dumb to make an issue of it. Get over yourself, Coach.


He didn't make an issue of it. The paper called Duke before anyone said anything about it. Then in the press conference was asked about it. He never brought it up first. Besides he had a little fun with it. He was joking that he hoped it would have been a better drawing than it was because it looked like somebody just doodling.

[The Poet]

He didn't make an issue of it. The paper called Duke before anyone said anything about it. Then in the press conference was asked about it. He never brought it up first. Besides he had a little fun with it. He was joking that he hoped it would have been a better drawing than it was because it looked like somebody just doodling.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-finalfour-newspaperflap

I guess the part that says Coach K "was not amused" confused me into thinking that Coach K was not amused. Silly me.

[GreekGodX]

Lets go Spartans!!!

[The Poet]

Lets go Spartans!!!

They most certainly will, brother. Whether on, or home, remains to be seen. :D

[NCRadioMan]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=ap-finalfour-newspaperflap

I guess the part that says Coach K "was not amused" confused me into thinking that Coach K was not amused. Silly me.

That was what the reporter said, not K. When it quotes him, he is joking about it.

[The Poet]

OK, sure, whatever. You obviously know best, whereas I just report idiot opinions, including my own.


Nearly 30,000 fans showed up for Butler's shootaround in the Lucas yesterday, which is about 4 times their average attendance. Their coach, Brad Stevens, says it was probably good that his kids had a chance to "play" in front of such a huge crowd before their game tips off, to get them used to it. However, I think it might be a bit different when a huge chunk of the audience are NOT cheering you on.

[The Poet]

It is just over an hour before Butler and the baby-faced Stevens tipoff against the Spartans and the - relatively, anyway - grizzled Izzo. After that, we'll have our Duke/WVA nightcap, then we'll know who will face off Monday night for all the marbles. But now it's time for me to go, so no matter which way you wish to root - enjoy.

[jcruse64]

That was what the reporter said, not K. When it quotes him, he is joking about it.

RIF.

[jcruse64]

Congrats to Butler! Downed 2 MSU's in one tourney.

[WildBlueSooner]

Well....Lets go Butler, beat the Dookies. Who would have thought Butler and Duke in the Championship. Its been a very good tourney!

[kelmac07]

How 'bout them Butler Bulldogs? :tu Always pull for the underdog. :D

[The Poet]

How 'bout them Butler Bulldogs? :tu Always pull for the underdog. :D

Especially if you're a Met fan, right Mac? :r

So, in case you missed it:

Butler 52 - Michigan State 50 = Congratulations to the Butler Bulldogs, and to the Horizon for reaching this zenith. I wish them the best of luck tonight (and I suspect they'll need some), and I hope their center Matt Howard has recovered enough from the concussion he received Saturday evening to be able to play. According to Coach Brad Stevens, he was cleared by the doctor after the shootaround, but would NOT play if there is any question as to his health and well-being. Good for coach. It may be a national championship game, but once you remove all the adjectives from that one thing is clear - it is a game. As for that game Saturday - well, meaning no disrespect to either team, but I cannot remember ever seeing an uglier Final Four contest in my entire life. You can "credit", if that's the proper word, some of that to the tight defense of both squads, and some to the fact that the zebras seemed to get involved with nearly every play to disrupt any possibility for either team to establish or maintain any sort of flow. But much of my disappointment (hey, I had no dog in the hunt, and merely wanted a good game) lay in the fact that neither team could shoot as well as your average high-school kids. Butler did play hard enough to win the game (as did the Spartans, most of the time) and their 12 steals and 7 more made FTs were the key to their victory. The Bulldogs have now attained a 25-game winning streak, with their last loss being that 10-point one at UAB just before Christmas. Can they make it 26? Well, in order to do so, they'll have to get past:

Duke 78 - West Virginia 57 = I suspect that, if you are a Mountaineer fan, you might claim that this was an ugly game also, and you'd be right - on their side of the court, that is. But at the other basket, Dook finally showed the nation that complaints about how over-rated they are are themselves over-rated. Much like WVA did against Kentucky, the Blue Devils grabbed control of the contest with the outstanding shooting which had abandoned them for much of the tournament. This, coupled with an effective defense (which, wisely, did not overplay and gamble as much as they did against Baylor, thus preventing some of those backdoor cuts and layups which hurt them in that game) led to what amounted to a fairly easy victory. And though I was as saddened as anyone to see Da'Sean Butler go down with that torn ACL at the 8:59 mark, I don't want to hear that the Mountaineers would have come back with him on the court, nor do I want to hear that it was Zoubek's fault, nor even that it should have been his 5th foul on a block instead of the charge as was called. (And remember, this is from a Tar Heel who's still p!$$ed that Gerald Henderson broke Tyler Hansborogh's nose in a game which was already over!) But most of all, I don't want to hear from Huggins again until next year at the earliest, as his complaint to the refs regarding Duke that "They don't foul!" was just silly. What game was he watching? At that point of the game, the only thing that was keeping the Mountaineers within shouting distance was the disparity of calls going AGAINST the Blue Devils. Duke ended the game 7-9 from the charity stripe, while WVA was 14-19. Yeah, right - the refs were totally calling the game Coach K's way. But that's enough of that $#!+. Congratulations to Duke, and best of luck tonight against the hometown favorites (in all but the money-line, that is). Let's see if you can quiet the crowd as quickly as did my Heels in Detroit last year.


So, what's my pick? Well, as I hinted above, the line is 7 in favor of the Blue Devils. Three possessions? Yeah, that's fair. These are two very similar teams, but Duke has the edge in talent and focus, whereas Butler may have the emotion and will have the crowd. But even if Howard can play effectively, Dook has Zoubek and the Plumlee trees down low. So, even if the shots aren't falling for Singler, Scheyer, and Smith, the offensive rebounds and second-chance buckets will be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome. Their streak ends tonight, and Duke hangs a fourth banner.

Right or wrong on that, I am right on one thing: This will be you last chance this season, so ENJOY!

[The Poet]

Oh, and speaking of Duke:

After nine years as coach of St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, where he amassed a 223-21 record, Dan Hurley was named the new head coach of Wagner today. And also today his father, the legendary Bob Hurley of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, was informed he will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer.

As for brother Bobby Jr., I don't know if he'll show up in Indy tonight for the game. That may depend on whether or not his motorcycle gets him there in time. :D

[BryanB]

Lets go DUKE!!!!!!!!

[Resipsa]

Exciting game to watch, congrats to Duke.:banger

[Mark]

From one of the great columns in Daily Tar Heel history...

"Now I realize that school spirit is a pretty goofy thing to some people, but I'll tell you something: I hate Duke with an infernal passion undying. I hate every leaf of every tree on that sickening campus. I hate every fake cherub Gothic piece of crap that litters the buildings like hemorrhoidal testaments to imagined superiority."

[NeverEnoughStick]

Well Butler had a good run and almost pulled it out in the end!

[The Poet]

From one of the great columns in Daily Tar Heel history...

"Now I realize that school spirit is a pretty goofy thing to some people, but I'll tell you something: I hate Duke with an infernal passion undying. I hate every leaf of every tree on that sickening campus. I hate every fake cherub Gothic piece of crap that litters the buildings like hemorrhoidal testaments to imagined superiority."

OK, fine, but I don't. Shoot, I had a lot of fun on that campus back inna day, and spent many an enjoyable evening watching great rockers in Cameron.

Or at least I think I did. Sometimes it's hard to remember what was real and what was - uh, "imagined". :r

Well Butler had a good run and almost pulled it out in the end!

Yes indeed. :tu

[The Poet]

Just in case your wife made you watch "Idol" or "Dancing" or some other horse$#!+ last night:

Duke 61 - Butler 59 = Congratulations to the DUKE BLUE DEVILS for winning the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Best wishes to the players, coaches, staff, students, alumni, fans, sycophants, and buttboys. Thank you for keeping the banner where it belongs - in the ACC and the state of North Carolina. And although said banner would look better hanging in that state-of-the-art facility a few miles east, it will certainly flutter more in that drafty old firetrap of Cameron. Just so you know, I rightfully celebrated your victory today, first by wearing my Tar Heel cap, and second by smoking a cigar sent to me by our resident Wolfpack fan Jerry (Col. Kurtz). -(P

Now as to the game itself:

Congratulations are also due to the BUTLER BULLDOGS, not only for making it into the game at all, but for doing their part to make the game about as close as it could be. Despite all their protestations to the contrary, Butler was channelling "Hoosiers" in at least one sense - they wanted one shot to win it for all the little guys who never get that chance. And they got that shot too, albeit a 45-foot prayer just before the horn, which maybe missed by a full inch of banging home. Had it done so, it would have been the single biggest shot in the NCAA final since Lorenzo Charles stuck in that layup of Derek Wittenberg's "pass" back in 1983. Although it didn't, the Bulldog faithful have no reason to feel bad today, as the entire nation (with the possible exception of Durham) views you with nothing but respect.

Now, as for Duke - well, in a nutshell, had they truly wanted to give Butler the crown in the last five minutes, they should have tried just a little bit harder. Even at that, they came razor-close to doing so regardless. On the defensive end they made the same mistakes they did against Purdue and Baylor, gambling with double-teams and traps 30 feet from the hoop. That is fine and good if your players are quick enough to recover or rotate in the help, but Dook's are not that fast. (True, Singler got that one block after he'd been beaten, but if the shooter'd taken it strong to the tin instead of stopping and faking for the short leaner the result would have been, in Kelloggic, the "hoop and harm".) But their errors on the offensive side were even more egregious. Remember, the line was 7 points, and the Devils had a 5-point bulge plus the ball several times, with Butler on its heels and Dook's offense clicking, and the opportunity to take the fight out of the Bulldogs and the crowd out of the mix. And what did they do? They took the air out of the ball instead, and thus deflated their own chances. (Yeah, I hear you snickering - "A Tar Heel's saying this?" Just wait a second.) With only a two-possession lead, and five minutes to kill, and with what you have been doing working so far, you don't do that in this shot-clock era. However, if you DO decide to do so, you run your delay offense the right way. And are you gonna tell me that Coach K did not see the likes of George Karl, Phil Ford, Kenny Smith, or Steve Hale run it often enough to know precisely how to do it? You have to spread the offense, which not only spreads the defenders but splits their attention between their assignment and the ball. Plus, you don't run it from the wing, which ameliorates both those defensive problems - you run it from the center circle. And you don't let the clock get down to single digits either, but rather go with about 12 seconds, giving yourself a chance to either pull it out and start again if it's not there the first time or to make the extra pass or two to hit the open cutter. Now, I don't know why Coach K did not have his guys do this, but were I to guess, knowing what I know of him, I'd have to surmise he'd rather risk losing the game than do anything which looks like something Dean Smith would have done. Hey, tell me if I'm wrong.

Well, all that's beside the main point, and is not meant to detract from Duke's victory. It's just my worthless opinion anyway, as has been the vast majority of this entire thread, and based solely upon my half-century of enjoying the lovely game that is college hoops at its best. This has been some work for me over the previous few months, but I have enjoyed every second of it. Yeah, I wish my boys had done better, but so it goes. I hope you too have found some enjoyment and distraction here, and I thank you for your attention and for your input also. And for those of you I cheesed off here and there, if "sorry"'s not enough for you, then :fu . I may be back from time to time if any news of interest pops up, but for the main . . . we're done here.

See you next year? Hey, you tell me!

[jcruse64]

See you next year? Hey, you tell me!

Definitely!!! Hopefully celebrating another Murray State tourney win!

Great, great thread, Poet. Enjoyed reading your take on the games and the game. It will be interesting to see if we end up with a format change for next year...stay tuned.

[The Poet]

Thanks, Joe. I don't know how Murray State will shape up for you next year, but I can tell you this: Duke has had a full day to celebrate before Rivals.com knocked them off their perch by predicting Kentucky as next year's #1 - assuming that all undeclared underclassmen remain in their respective schools. Following them, the Top Ten in order are: Ohio State, Duke, Michigan State, Butler (??? really???), Syracuse, Purdue, Georgetown, Kansas State, and Pittsburgh. If we toss out the Horizon League pick as being a product of lingering emotion rather than logic, we note that, as has become normal, this list is dominated by Big Ten and Big East teams, whereas the conference which has produced the last two National Championships is - as always - dissed. :r

To give the first, and last, nod on this thread to the distaff side, I'll report that the Lady Huskies of U. Conn won their 7th title last night by defeating Stanford. No, not by 40 points, nor even by 20, but by the "Butler-esque" score of 53-47. Those of you who are not in this local area may not know this, but Coach Geno Auriemma and Coach Jim Calhoun are NOT exactly bosom buddies. In fact, it's more like each other's name is atop the list to NOT receive a Christmas card each year. I suspect this victory, coupled with the disappointing season Jim's men had this season, won't improve their mutual relationship. :D

[The Poet]

Wake Forest is in the process - at this very moment - of firing head coach Dino Gaudio. He was hired in 2007 after Skip Prosser died of a heart attack, and went a more-than-respectable 61-31 in his 3 seasons there, but his 1-5 postseason record was not good enough to suit the suits at Wake. Thus it appears the Demon got the better of the Deacons in this case.

Xavier Henry has announced he will indeed become Kansas University's first "one-and-done" player, and will enter the NBA Draft. His loss to a team already losing Sherron Collins to graduation, plus junior center Cole Aldrich to the draft, means KU may not face the prospect of again being the first #1-seed in next year's NCAA Tourney to go home. Hey, if you're not a #1-seed, you can't be embarrassed in this way. :r

[The Poet]

Evan Turner is skipping his senior year at Ohio State to enter the NBA Draft. This is one with which I have no argument. He gave the Buckeyes three great seasons, and won a shelfload of POY awards. His stock and game will get no higher in Columbus.

[The Poet]

Patrick Patterson, the junior forward who helped lead Kentucky back to national prominence this season with their 35-3 record, has declared himself eligible for the upcoming NBA Draft.



Oh, yeah, and freshmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Daniel Orton have done so also. Once again, forgive my Schadenfreude, but :r :r :r !!!


Hey, Cal . . . strike one!

[The Poet]

Butler coach Brad Stevens has signed a new 12-year contract through 2022 with the school, thus ending rumors he might accept millions to go to Oregon, Wake Forest, or Clemson. Financial details have yet to be released, but his total compensation this year was $750,000.

Man, did they get their money's worth!

[The Poet]

Bobby Gonzalez has filed suit today in a Newark federal court against Seton Hall University for his recent firing as head basketball coach. His record over four seasons was 66-59 overall, 29-45 in Big East play. He was seldom with his team other than some practices and most games, and probably had as many technical fouls as wins during his tenure there. The day before he was fired, one of his players sucker-punched an opponent during the Pirates' opening-round NIT loss, and in that same week two of his former players were arrested and charged with armed robbery.

Yeah, he's got one hell of a case. :rolleyes:

[The Poet]

After previously winning both the AP and the Naismith POY awards, Evan Turner of Ohio State completed the trifecta last night by receiving the John R. Wooden Award. He is the first Buckeye to win this honor.

Congratulations to him for this well-deserved award. Not only did he have an outstanding season, he broke is back - quite literally! - for his team and university.

[The Poet]

UNC sophomore forward Ed Davis has just announced he will enter the NBA Draft. Considering the number of other early entries, the way his stock dropped during the season's course, and the question regarding how his broken wrist has healed, he may be making a mistake, as he has possibly slipped from a lottery pick to a late-first/early-second round selection. But he did give Carolina nearly two good seasons, and helped them win a National Championship, plus it is his life and decision. He says he will continue to pursue his degree at Chapel Hill. Best of luck to him, in his professional, academic, and personal life.

[The Poet]

Oh, and speaking of Duke:

After nine years as coach of St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, where he amassed a 223-21 record, Dan Hurley was named the new head coach of Wagner today. And also today his father, the legendary Bob Hurley of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, was informed he will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer.

As for brother Bobby Jr., I don't know if he'll show up in Indy tonight for the game. That may depend on whether or not his motorcycle gets him there in time. :D

Well, I still don't know if Bobby's bike made it to Indy, but it did apparently make it to Staten Island. Brother Dan has hired Jr. as his assistant at Wagner. I guess that's apt, being an assistant . . . after all, Bobby's still the all-time assist leader for Dook. :D

[The Poet]

Oh, and speaking of assistants, Rod Strickland is trying his best to keep the "ass" first in that position. The Kentucky assistant was arrested just before 3 AM Sunday morning for DUI after running a red light in Lexington. As it is only his 4th such offense, no doubt the Wildcat faithful will forgive him. :tu

[jcruse64]

Oh, and speaking of assistants, Rod Strickland is trying his best to keep the "ass" first in that position. The Kentucky assistant was arrested just before 3 AM Sunday morning for DUI after running a red light in Lexington. As it is only his 4th such offense, no doubt the Wildcat faithful will forgive him. :tu

Ahh, c'mon, he's not even close to Billy G's record yet, much less Eddie Sutton's fantastic string of DUI's swept under the rug :D:rolleyes:.

[The Poet]

Ahh, c'mon, he's not even close to Billy G's record yet, much less Eddie Sutton's fantastic string of DUI's swept under the rug :D:rolleyes:.

Hey, when you're right, you're right. But it seems it's in the Sutton genes, so there's that excuse. :r

[The Poet]

By my latest count, about 50 of the "key underclassmen" in the NCAA have already declared for this year's NBA Draft. Some of these have not hired agents, so they can pull out if the interest in them does not materialize, but many already have found agents. There are still around 15 listed as "undecided", and only 7 or so who have stated definitively that they would stay in school.

In general, I am ambivalent about this whole situation. I think an education is important, and the student owes the school as much loyalty and support as the school owes him (Yeah, I realize this leaves one gaping hole, especially for those programs where the coach himself is a gaping 'hole, but there it is). On the other hand, it is unjust to deny an athlete the chance to earn a living and forge a career. But this disparity seems a bit extreme to me. If half the "key underclassmen" go, that's a shame. When 7 or 8 go for every 1 who stays, that's a crime.

[The Poet]

Well, speak of the devil. While I was writing the above, Butler forward Gordon Hayward announced he too will enter the draft.

Sheesh. When I was his age, kids were fighting to stay in school and avoid the draft at all cost! :r

[The Poet]

So I thought I'd post this up for all you Tar Heel haters out there.

Robert Bower "Buzz" Peterson, former guard on Dean Smith's 1982 National Championship squad, has accepted the position of head basketball coach at UNC Wilmington after only one season in that same position at Appalacian State. Well, to be honest, it was only one season THIS time. See, he bagan his coaching career as an assistant there in 1987, before moving on to an assistant job at East Tennessee State. He was then an assistant at N.C. State, and then one at Vanderbilt. In 1996 he got his first head coaching job at App. State, where he stayed until 2000. At that point he finally moved out of the "State of Franklin" to accept the job heading Tulsa, where he led them to the NIT title. Next year he went back to Franklin to lead Tennessee, where he stayed for four season until taking over at Coastal Carolina in 2005. From there he was lured into the pro ranks by his old college roommate Michael Jordan, and he spent about two years as the director of player personnel for the Charlotte Bobcats. Last season he went back to the top job at ASU, and led them to a 24-13 season. He interviewed for the job at Marshall earlier this month, but a contract could not be agreed upon, and so he is now headed to UNC-W in an attempt to rerbuild their struggling program (16-47 over the last 2 years).

Hey, I guess he caught the Larry Brown disease when he was in Chapel Hill. :r

[The Poet]

Rutgers sophomore guard Mike Rosario, their leading scorer the last two years, has decided to transfer to the Florida Gators, and will become eligible to play for them in the 2011-12 season. In his statement regarding his time in Piscataway, Rosario said that "The hard part was losing. Basketball is something I love to do and that comes first besides school."


Sounds like he'll fit into the SEC just fine. :r

[The Poet]

Louisville has announced the name of its new downtown 22,000-seat arena, which will replace Freedom Hall in the coming season. Kentucky-based Yum Brands, who operate such fast-food giants as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, have agreed to pay $13.5 million/year for the next ten years for the naming rights, and will thus burden this new facility with the name "KFC Yum! Center".


Hey, maybe they can follow the lead of other schools by honoring a former coach, and call it the Crum Bucket. :r

[The Poet]

Duke forward Kyle Singler has announced he will return to school for his senior year. Good for him. I wish him the best of success next season - except when he is playing my Heels - and I hope he remains healthy, and has a chance to compete on the next level if he so chooses once he does graduate.

For those of you keeping count, and with a few players still undecided with a few days left for them to declare, the count of "key underclassmen" who have declared for the draft now only outnumber those remaining in school by about 5 to 1. :rolleyes:

[BryanB]

Duke forward Kyle Singler has announced he will return to school for his senior year. Good for him. I wish him the best of success next season - except when he is playing my Heels - and I hope he remains healthy, and has a chance to compete on the next level if he so chooses once he does graduate.

Best news I've seen in awhile. The repeat is possible now. :D

[The Poet]

Best news I've seen in awhile. The repeat is possible now. :D

No it's not. :r

[BryanB]

No it's not. :r

C'mon Thomas. Whose left to compete? Kentucky wouuld have been the best until everyone bailed. Barnes will be good but UNC is gonna need more than that.

Gotta give us more credit than that.

[The Poet]

C'mon Thomas. Whose left to compete? Kentucky wouuld have been the best until everyone bailed. Barnes will be good but UNC is gonna need more than that.

Gotta give us more credit than that.

It's not a matter of who'll compete, or who does or doesn't deserve credit. It's just that it's not that easy to repeat.

Besides, you came within an inch of losing THIS one to Butler at the buzzer. Remember? :r

[The Poet]

Well, I got news news, and good news, and bad news.

The NCAA has announced it is expanding its field of 65 for next year's tournament - to 68 whole teams. I can only assume at this point that this means there will now be 4 "play-in" games instead of just one, which makes more sense anyway. So that's the news.

They also announced that this expansion is part of a new TV contract with old-guard CBS and new kid Turner, and that this will mean each and every game will be available for viewing live, on either CBS, TBS, TNT, or truTV. Everything through the second round will be shown on one of those - which is either good or bad news, depending upon several points. If you don't have cable or satellite, you won't be able to see some games at all. And perhaps the game you ARE watching is one of those 102-44 snoozers, and you can't watch that buzzer-beater elsewhere. After the second round, CBS and Turner will split regional semis, with CBS retaining the regional finals, the Final Four, and the Championship game - through 2015. Beginning in 2016, the regional finals will be split between CBS and Turner, and the FF and C games will alternate between the two. This means you will either have to pay for it, or miss it altogether. And that, my friends, is just wrong. CBSSports.com will provide live streaming video of the games, but Turner "secured rights for any player it develops" . . . whatever the fark that's supposed to mean.

And what's the bottom line? Regardless of how you feel about the above, the bottom line is $10.8 billion over the next 14 years.

[The Poet]

After a few weeks of waffling on the question - perhaps channelling his career, or the round-robin coaching changes he's endured (recruited by Tubby Smith, played for Billy Gillispie and John Calipari in his three years), Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson has finally decided he will join the fourfold freshman exodus from Lexington and enter the NBA Draft. This may give UK 3 players selected in the first round, along with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, and perhaps even 4 if Eric Bledsoe impresses somebody in the camps. It won't be 5: Daniel Orton isn't that ready, and not big enough to be a "first-round project." . . . especially when you consider all the others coming out.

Hey, you don't HAVE to play for Kentucky to be a bust in the NBA - ain't that right, Sam Bowie, Kenny "Sky" Walker, and Rex Chapman. :r

[The Poet]

The early entry deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NBA Draft has passed, and the students have failed. By my count, fewer than 20 of the "key" players will remain in school, and by Rivals' count 67 have declared themselves available. Some of them have not hired agents, so can change their minds. But this beggers the point if they have minds to begin with. And why would I say this? Well, the NBA will draft 60 players. If you subtract from this number those slots which will be taken by either seniors or international players, how many of those 67 can one squeeze into the remaining space?

I guess math was not their best subject. :D

[The Poet]

Although they have not yet confirmed the format, the NCAA has approved the expansion of the tournament field from its present 65 to 68 teams. It seems obvious that this will mean 4 "play-in" games as opposed to only 1, but the Committee is not yet ready to say so.

It is also not yet clear how they feel about that scene which aired on "Glee", when a character says "I hate Duke like I hate the Nazis." :r

[The Poet]

Two items of marginal interest:

Newly-hired Hofstra coach Tim Welsh has resigned before his first practice, much less his first game. He was arrested last Friday in Levittown for DWI (The actual charge was "aggravated driving while intoxicated", which sounds like a scene from The Blues Brothers.), and though he's pleaded innocent he has quit a month after he signed a 5-year, $3 million deal. :rolleyes:


And speaking of :rolleyes: , the Lexington Herald-Leader has obtained the GPAs from 9 of the 12 SEC basketball programs, and of those 9 the University of Kentucky brings up the rear with an abysmal 2.025. Not only was this the lowest of the 9 reporting, but it was also the lowest of all the 20 athletic teams at UK. If this info surprises you, you know neither John Calipari nor Kentucky basketball.

[BigAsh]

Two items of marginal interest:

Newly-hired Hofstra coach Tim Welsh has resigned before his first practice, much less his first game. He was arrested last Friday in Levittown for DWI (The actual charge was "aggravated driving while intoxicated", which sounds like a scene from The Blues Brothers.), and though he's pleaded innocent he has quit a month after he signed a 5-year, $3 million deal. :rolleyes:


And speaking of :rolleyes: , the Lexington Herald-Leader has obtained the GPAs from 9 of the 12 SEC basketball programs, and of those 9 the University of Kentucky brings up the rear with an abysmal 2.025. Not only was this the lowest of the 9 reporting, but it was also the lowest of all the 20 athletic teams at UK. If this info surprises you, you know neither John Calipari nor Kentucky basketball.

:r:r

[The Poet]

:r:r

:ss

[jcruse64]

:ss

Haters....

:D;)

[WildBlueSooner]

Haters....

:D;)

:tpd:

Why go to class when you can ball? ;)

[The Poet]

:tpd:

Why go to class when you can ball? ;)

Well, I guess you can ask Antoine Walker that, seeing as how little basic math and business economics he learned at Kentucky. After all, he managed to p!$$ away $100 million, and that ain't easy. :r

[The Poet]

OK, this seems weird, because I seem to remember that Duke won the championship this year, yet all the stories coming out are about Kentucky. (Well, there was the announcement that Duke/Butler would meet in the Meadowlands next season, but who really cares?) Now we have this:

As Vinnie Del Negro has been fired by the Chicago Bulls, they have reportedly approched John Calipari to be their next coach. Never mind that he is NOT known as a great coach, nor that he had modest success helming the Nets, nor that he just finished the first year of an 8-year contract with UK, who are paying him NBA-type money already. Well, as soon as this report leaked out, Cal was approched by the AD at UK about extending his contract. According to Cal's "tweets" on the matter, he is open to an extension, and is not looking for a raise on his spanking-new $4 million/year deal.

Experts point out that, in March last year, when Cal was already in negotiations with Kentucky, he announced that Memphis was "where I want to coach." Yeah, right.

[The Poet]

There is no confirmation yet, but reports from California aver that the twin freshmen forwards for UNC, David and Travis Wear, will transfer out of Chapel Hill now that the spring semester is completed. They were minor contributors to the Tar Heel (lack of) success this previous season, due both to some injury problems and to the fact that they were low on the rotation, but with the departure of both Deon Thompson and Ed Davis this will make the Heels a little thin on experienced bigs next season. But, on the bright side, it does free up two scholarships for a program that rarely needs to actually recruit.

The line forms at the rear of the Smith Center, fellas. :D

[The Poet]

Despite his health problems, an NCAA investigation regarding inappropriate contact with a recruit, and a disappointing season on the court, Jim Calhoun has signed a new 5-year, $13 million contract to remain the head coach at UConn. Nothing especially odd in this, but there are a few unusual terms and conditions in this contract. For instance, he will forfeit $100,000 if the school loses an athletic scholarship due to a poor academic performance rating by his team. Also, he can retire at any time after next season, and will in that event receive either $1 million or a 5-year job with the athletic department (washing jockstraps, maybe?). The contract further stipulates that Calhoun can be removed from his job (without compensation?) if there is an NCAA or Big East violation which he is aware of, and for which he does not act to correct said violation within 10 days. How the administration thinks they can know, much less prove, such a prior knowledge or lack of reaction . . . well, it beats me.

By in large, I find nothing wrong in principle with terms such as these being included in every coach's contract. However, it does strike me as strange that UConn would be moved to pioneer this type of control. Do they know something we do not? :confused:

[The Poet]

The NCAA has released its list of schools whose athletic programs overachieved in academics, and three of the Final Four teams were so honored. The one or these four which was "diss-honored", you ask? West Virginia, you assume? Wrong. Michigan State, maybe? Nope. Butler then? Strike three.


Dook. :r

[The Poet]

:tpd:

Why go to class when you can ball? ;)

Well, I guess you can ask Antoine Walker that, seeing as how little basic math and business economics he learned at Kentucky. After all, he managed to p!$$ away $100 million, and that ain't easy. :r

And if that ain't enough of a lesson for you, and if you think I pick on Kentucky all too much, google the story that just came out about Kenny Anderson. He only p!$$ed away about $60 million in NBA money, but will finally graduate soon . . . though not from Georgia Tech.

Hey, had he gone to Carolina, like he was supposed to do before Bobby Cremins lured him to Atlanta, he'd have had a degree a looooooong time ago. :r

[The Poet]

Texas A&M recruit Michael "Tobi" Oyedeji, a 6-9 power forward from Houston Bellaire rated in the Top 100 in the 2010 class, died due to injuries sustained in a car accident Sunday, following his prom.

Condolences to his family, his friends, his teammates and classmates, and to the university. Perhaps you now know why I so often said in prior posts "Chill. It's only a game."

[The Poet]

The Wear twins, who announced their transfer from UNC earlier this month, have signed written offers of financial aid to attend UCLA next year. The freshmen will redshirt for one season, and have three years of eligibility left . . . unless they find some campus even closer to Huntington Beach. :r

Good luck to them in the balance of their careers. And for the Bruins' sake, let's hope they are more help to their program than they were to Carolina's. Let's be honest here . . . as disappointing as was the Heels' season, UCLA needs the assistance more.

[The Poet]

Two stories of some interest, at least to me . . . one from KU, one from UK.

As reported on this thread earlier, Lawrence is ablaze at the moment with the ticket-selling scandal, and the $#!+ is really starting to hit the fans. It has been confirmed that a handful of employees for the KU athletic department have been selling tickets to basketball and football games for at least five years, all for personal profit. (Well, since some of them were only pulling down 6-figure incomes, you can understand their need for more in the outrageously expensive environs of Lawrence.) The sales were for over 17,000 hoops ducats, and 2K gridiron stubs, with face value of at least a million. Five KU athletic staffers and one consultant have been dismissed. No word yet on criminal charges, but since it appears that one of these staffers also destroyed records to hide the thefts, I'd expect some serious jailtime to ensue.


Meanwhile, in Lexington, the basketball program announced that they had an improvement in academics for the spring semester, from their fall figure of 2.025 . . . all the way up to a 2.18. :r