269 replies to this topic

[RedEyedGhost]

The old thread is at it's limit, so I'll start a new one.

Matrim Fox Cauthon, on 19 March 2012 - 06:05 PM, said:

Rhom, with everything that has happened to Syracuse, UNC, and other upsets, UK has no excuse for NOT winning the tournament at this point.

They are the odds on favorite, but upsets do happen.  They're also likely to meet MSU in the final four, and I would never discount Izzo.  UK's not perfect (although, they're darn close), and I do believe that their loss in the SEC conference tournament will be beneficial in keeping them focused for the rest of the season.  Baylor has the talent, but they also have one of the worst in-game coaches and the team's lack of hunger is appalling.  If they can get up for the game it will be a good one (assuming they beat Xavier).



Pat Forde is a steaming pile of feces, but he is right on with this:

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Loser: Academics. Remember all the NCAA puffery about how a football playoff was problematic because players would miss too much school? Remember the insistence by the NCAA on using the term “student-athlete”? Remember the NCAA slogan about how most of the athletes in college will be going pro in something else?

Well, those academically committed souls in Indianapolis signed off on starting four Sunday games at 7:10 Eastern or later - the last of them, Cincinnati-Florida State, actually tipped off at 10 p.m. and finished after midnight. On a school night.

In prior years, Sunday games always were played in the afternoon; they were done by the time 60 Minutesstarted, which was at 7 p.m. Eastern. That schedule at least theoretically gave those teams (and their band, cheerleaders, etc.) a chance to be back on campus Sunday night and go to class Monday.

Not this year. I’m sure this was a ratings-driven decision, dribbling out games one at a time during the afternoon, then saturating the market Sunday night with overlapping games, when a whole bunch of Americans watch TV.

Combine that with the fact that the winning teams in the execrable First Four missed almost every class last week, and this is the most academically un-friendly basketball tournament in NCAA history.

Edited by RedEyedGhost, 25 May 2012 - 08:58 PM.

[Triskele]

I don't know who to root for.

I am very much a creature of the west coast.  The Pac-12 is slain, as are Gonzaga and St. Mary's (who both got tough match-ups and could have made it to this round in a redo).

I would have rooted for Michigan as I loved the Fab Five back in the day, but they somehow lost to Ohio U.

I might have considered Missou as a quasi-power that was up-and-coming, but no longer.  I would have been all over Purdue if they'd pulled it out yesterday.  But now I don't know what to do.

If no one intervenes I might just root for NC State.

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

The Sinister Kid, on 19 March 2012 - 10:36 PM, said:

I don't know who to root for.

If no one intervenes I might just root for NC State.

Don't root for NC State.

[S John]

The Sinister Kid, on 19 March 2012 - 10:36 PM, said:

I don't know who to root for.

I am very much a creature of the west coast.  The Pac-12 is slain, as are Gonzaga and St. Mary's (who both got tough match-ups and could have made it to this round in a redo).

I would have rooted for Michigan as I loved the Fab Five back in the day, but they somehow lost to Ohio U.

I might have considered Missou as a quasi-power that was up-and-coming, but no longer.  I would have been all over Purdue if they'd pulled it out yesterday.  But now I don't know what to do.

If no one intervenes I might just root for NC State.

From a bracket standpoint it is in my best interest for Kansas or Ohio State to keep winning.  Ohio State would be better because in my money pool only one other person had them winning it all, so if OSU wins the Championship I have a chance at winning 'bout 300 bucks.  

Personally, I'm pulling for Cincinnati at this point.  I guess if Ohio State beats them I'm still alive in my bracket so that game is kind of a win/win.  I'll probably pull for Marquette or Baylor if Cinci goes down.  I don't have it in me to actually root for Ohio State, we just have a business agreement at the moment.

Edited by S John, 20 March 2012 - 04:13 AM.

[Greywolf2375]

The Sinister Kid, on 19 March 2012 - 10:36 PM, said:

I don't know who to root for.

At this point, I don't care - been a great tourney so far, just want to see that keep going.

From a bracket standpoint, going with my Blue & Whites - UK & UNC.

[Fez]

Its an easy choice for me. I love a good upset, particularly when double-digit seeds are doing it, and I love it when a mid-major team is doing well. So, even though they are a conference rival, I'm still pulling for Ohio. MAC represent!

If they go down I guess I'll switch to Syracuse. I have no great love for them but I am from upstate New York originally, so I guess that's something.

[Greywolf2375]

Looks like Marshall's surgery was a success:

http://www.cbssports...o-your-seatbelt

A team that makes the 16 is dangerous, but given that Marshall was requesting the refs watch Creighton going after Hensons wrist, I don't see them using him at all.  Even without him I think UNC should be able to handle them.

[Skunkbelly]

Hopefully, Marshally will be able to play on Friday. In not maybe UNC can pull through without him so he can play in the Elite 8.

I don't know who to root for either. I have no particular love for SU, but since I live so close, I think that I'll have to cheer for 'Cuse if my Tarheels go down.

[Rhom]

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Rhom, with everything that has happened to Syracuse, UNC, and other upsets, UK has no excuse for NOT winning the tournament at this point.

True.  But that's what makes it so scary!  And then there will always be the haters that say "You didn't beat anyone to win the title."

I kinda feel bad for UNC, but then I remember that no one ever worries that Keith Bogans had a high ankle sprain in 2003 when Kentucky took the number one defense in the country into the tourney.

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

Rhom, on 20 March 2012 - 02:49 PM, said:

True.  But that's what makes it so scary!  And then there will always be the haters that say "You didn't beat anyone to win the title."

I kinda feel bad for UNC, but then I remember that no one ever worries that Keith Bogans had a high ankle sprain in 2003 when Kentucky took the number one defense in the country into the tourney.

UK fans feel bad about it, and UNC fans will likely feel bad about Marshall. No matter who is injured, I feel bad when injured players cannot play, especially in the Tourney. When my team beats another team, I want that win free of the lingering doubt of how it could have been different if 'so and so' had not been injured on the roster.

[Rhom]

Matrim Fox Cauthon, on 20 March 2012 - 03:46 PM, said:

UK fans feel bad about it, and UNC fans will likely feel bad about Marshall. No matter who is injured, I feel bad when injured players cannot play, especially in the Tourney. When my team beats another team, I want that win free of the lingering doubt of how it could have been different if 'so and so' had not been injured on the roster.

The emotion on the faces of these kids (and its easy to forget that at 18-22 years of age, they are still kids) always brings it home for me.  To reach the pinnacle of your collegiate sport and have it taken away by a fluke injury is a fate I would wish on no one.  I'm sure he'll give it a go should UNC hit the Elite 8, but I'm not sure he should.  He has a career worth millions of dollars waiting for him and he's given UNC fans all they could ever ask for.  I wish him the best in his recovery.

[Rhom]

A couple of tidbits from around the world of college basketball while we're between sessions: It's bad when Rick Reilly becomes the voice of reason.

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What happens to Bob Knight if he says the word "Kentucky"? Does his lower jaw fall off? Snakes spring from his hair? My God, does he smile?

Kentucky media and bloggers have been noticing this for a while, but now that the tournament is here its being picked up by the mainstream media. Knight has an unhealthy fixation with all things anti-Kentucky and it spills over into his "journalistic" profession. As long as ESPN purports to be a "real" news source and not just a sports-entertainment hub; this sort of behavior is unprofessional and juvenile. Its kind of like that cell phone commercial where the girl calls her boyfriend to let him know that she's giving him the silent treatment.

A couple of Arizona guys talk about what to do if Sean Miller leaves Arizona

Whoa there Nelly! Lets not get the cart before the horse. They speculate that Miller might jump if Calhoun retires from UConn or Calipari leaves Kentucky for the pros. I know that FriskyTrisky has been high on Miller, but what exactly has he done in the desert to justify a job at a higher level? I know that I would be very wary of any talk of him coming to my school.

REG's favorite coach is accused of approaching a player about a transfer

The article mainly focuses on Bruce Pearl talking to Ohio guard DJ Cooper about transferring to Tennessee while he was already enrolled in school, but he also mentions Baylor's Scott Drew who I know for a fact REG has  man-crush on.     It would be just UT's luck for the ghost of Pearl to reach out from the grave and smack with more violations.

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

Rhom, on 20 March 2012 - 03:57 PM, said:

The emotion on the faces of these kids (and its easy to forget that at 18-22 years of age, they are still kids) always brings it home for me.  To reach the pinnacle of your collegiate sport and have it taken away by a fluke injury is a fate I would wish on no one.  I'm sure he'll give it a go should UNC hit the Elite 8, but I'm not sure he should.  He has a career worth millions of dollars waiting for him and he's given UNC fans all they could ever ask for.  I wish him the best in his recovery.

Honestly, I would much rather see him physically well than have UNC win. Some colleges push their student athletes too hard. I trust Roy will make the right decision, and hopefully Marshall too will be sensible.

[Triskele]

I hate injuries in sports, so there's a part of me that is now for UNC because I'd love to see Marshal soldier on and dominate.

UNC is pretty fat and happy these days, though.

I'm going with Marquette as my #1 team followed by Louisville and Cincinnati.

These are preferences; not predictions.

ETA:  Sean Miller rumors - Fair question, but I do think he's got a solid resume.  He kept Xavier comfortably as one of the most dangerous teams not from a "power conference."  He transitioned U of A from their debacle-meltdown into a great tourney run with a win over Duke last year, and he has the #1 class in the country coming in next year after a really good one this year.

If I were the AD at UConn or UK, and I thought I was losing my coach, Miller would be on my list.  Not a no-brainer per se but certainly on the list.

ETA2:  Calipari is a fool if he leaves, and he probably will.

Edited by The Sinister Kid, 20 March 2012 - 09:38 PM.

[Skunkbelly]

Matrim Fox Cauthon, on 20 March 2012 - 07:38 PM, said:

Honestly, I would much rather see him physically well than have UNC win. Some colleges push their student athletes too hard. I trust Roy will make the right decision, and hopefully Marshall too will be sensible.

What? You didn't want to watch Hansborough play with a broken nose in 2007? Ugh.  I am sure that everyone all around will be smart about Marshall's injury. I can't imagine playing through that type of pain. (I ain't no elite athlete but I have broken my wrist twice.)

[Rhom]

The Sinister Kid, on 20 March 2012 - 09:34 PM, said:

ETA: Sean Miller rumors - Fair question, but I do think he's got a solid resume. He kept Xavier comfortably as one of the most dangerous teams not from a "power conference." He transitioned U of A from their debacle-meltdown into a great tourney run with a win over Duke last year, and he has the #1 class in the country coming in next year after a really good one this year.

If I were the AD at UConn or UK, and I thought I was losing my coach, Miller would be on my list. Not a no-brainer per se but certainly on the list.

I don't know. I just havn't seen anything from Miller yet to justify a top top job. He was supposed to have a decent year this year, and he floundered in the weakest PAC Whatever that the west coast has ever seen. Honestly, he probably had tougher conference opponents at Xavier!

Last year was a great run, but it started slow too. The sudden development of Derek Williams came out of nowhere and led to a better finish than could otherwise be reasonably expected. I don't think he's a bad coach, but I do think he's over his head at Zona. IMHO, he should have cut his teeth at a middle level high major before taking on the big boy job in the desert. Just my $0.02.

The Sinister Kid, on 20 March 2012 - 09:34 PM, said:

ETA2: Calipari is a fool if he leaves, and he probably will.

I dunno. I will admit that I was really nervous a couple years ago when the rumors surrounded him going to Cleveland to coach LBJ; but I don't see it happening this year. Certainly not to the Knicks (who increasingly look like they might be happy with who they've got). I just don't see it happening.

Skunkbelly, on 21 March 2012 - 05:52 AM, said:

What? You didn't want to watch Hansborough play with a broken nose in 2007? Ugh. I am sure that everyone all around will be smart about Marshall's injury. I can't imagine playing through that type of pain. (I ain't no elite athlete but I have broken my wrist twice.)

I always think back to the '97 title game. Derek Anderson had torn his ACL three months previously and had made a miraculous recovery and was one of the best players in practice. He was cleared by doctors to play and Pitino had even let him shoot technical foul shots in the Final Four game against Minnesota. When overtime came against Arizona, popular speculation amongst Kentucky fans is that had Pitino played Anderson for those 5 minutes it would have given the team a spark that lifted them to the title. He decided that Anderson's future as a pro was more important than a second straight title.

On a personal level myself, I see young athletes come through my office on a regular basis and I have to wonder at the decision making process. I have one patient who is a 21 year old gal playing softball at a NAIA school. I hadn't seen her in about two years. A few months back, she came in with her mom and told me that she is going to have surgery on her pitching arm to move the ulnar nerve to the lateral side of her arm. I told her it was a terrible idea. She has one season of eligibility remaining and the only reason to have the surgery is to keep playing softball. If she quits softball, some physical therapy will be all she needs to lead a normal life and there is nowhere near the risk associated with a radical surgery like that. She looked at me like I had told her to go shoot herself. I told her mom later that someone needs to tell her that there is life after softball and unless there is a monetary career in front of her, she can't base longterm health decisions on sports.

I think she had the surgery.

[Rhom]

Just heard on ESPN radio that Shaka Smart turned down Illinois.  I wonder if he's holding out to see if he gets a shot at UCLA next year after Howland gets fired, or if he genuinely wants to stay at VCU.

By and large, I'm a strike while the iron is hot kind of guy.  I think he needs to take a promotion while its here, because you're only the darling of the dance once or maybe twice.  Then you're just old hat.

[BLU-RAY]

Would you want the $100K more per year at Illinois, where he'll have no job security, over the program where he's a golden god and basically would have to put a hit on someone to get fired?  IDK.  Not to mention, after seeing Izzo's opinion of how Illinois handled their coaching situation, maybe it just doesn't look like that great of a job.

[RedEyedGhost]

Rhom, on 20 March 2012 - 05:01 PM, said:

Kentucky media and bloggers have been noticing this for a while, but now that the tournament is here its being picked up by the mainstream media. Knight has an unhealthy fixation with all things anti-Kentucky and it spills over into his "journalistic" profession. As long as ESPN purports to be a "real" news source and not just a sports-entertainment hub; this sort of behavior is unprofessional and juvenile. Its kind of like that cell phone commercial where the girl calls her boyfriend to let him know that she's giving him the silent treatment.

How is that any different than what Dick Vitale or Jimmy Dykes or Mike Patrick do?  Just because they're slobbing knobs on air instead of refusing to say "Kentucky" doesn't make it any less biased.  ESPN has been a joke for years, and I'm sure they're loving the publicity from this.  How many more viewers will be tuning just to see if Knight says Kentucky the next time he's on the air?  Hundreds of thousands?

Quote

A couple of Arizona guys talk about what to do if Sean Miller leaves Arizona

Whoa there Nelly! Lets not get the cart before the horse. They speculate that Miller might jump if Calhoun retires from UConn or Calipari leaves Kentucky for the pros. I know that FriskyTrisky has been high on Miller, but what exactly has he done in the desert to justify a job at a higher level? I know that I would be very wary of any talk of him coming to my school.

I doubt Miller is going anywhere, but I'm also not sold on his ability to run a program on Arizona's level.  He had a really highly rated recruiting class this year, and did nothing with them.  And UCONN's a fucking mess right now, I don't know why anyone would want to go there.

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REG's favorite coach is accused of approaching a player about a transfer

The article mainly focuses on Bruce Pearl talking to Ohio guard DJ Cooper about transferring to Tennessee while he was already enrolled in school, but he also mentions Baylor's Scott Drew who I know for a fact REG has  man-crush on.     It would be just UT's luck for the ghost of Pearl to reach out from the grave and smack with more violations.

He's dreamy

DVD ROTS, on 21 March 2012 - 01:45 PM, said:

Would you want the $100K more per year at Illinois, where he'll have no job security, over the program where he's a golden god and basically would have to put a hit on someone to get fired?  IDK.  Not to mention, after seeing Izzo's opinion of how Illinois handled their coaching situation, maybe it just doesn't look like that great of a job.

He was making $1.2M/year at VCU and Illinois offered $2.5/year, but VCU said his contract will be adjusted.  That's quite a pay bump.

I think he must be genuinely happy at VCU, because Illinois is a top job in College Basketball.  There's only five jobs better than it, there are several equal to it, but very few better.

He would have been a god at Illinois too.  Bruce Weber was commonly called BAM on Illinois message boards - Bruce AlMighty.  They have some very passionate fans.

Sports Illustrated list Anthony Grant and Johnny Dawkins as the next targets, but apparently Grant isn't interested either.  I think they should at least try for Brad Stevens, but they don't want to keep getting publicly turned down and Stevens seems pretty happy at Butler... even though Illinois would be a big step up for him too.




Sad news for GAF - Royce White is hiring an agent.

Nutty, delusional fans are always good for a laugh  

Bitter, angry asshole fans are not

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

RedEyedGhost, on 21 March 2012 - 09:04 PM, said:

Nutty, delusional fans are always good for a laugh  

Let (presumably) NC State fans have their conspiracy theories.

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Bitter, angry asshole fans are not

Definitely agree with the article. Wragge's part in Marshall's injury was entirely accidental and unintentional from what I saw. Those sort of unintentional injuries do happen frequently across the board. Even Marshall thought that it was entirely clean and innocuous. GIbbs was the one who winked at his bench after hitting Henson's wrist.