College Basketball - Year of the Blue Bloods?

[Ramsay B.]

#10 Duke lost two tough conference road games this week. One at the buzzer and one with no Allen. They should definitely move up a few spots...especially since a matchup with UNC is on the horizon.

Malik Monk is gonna be a star in the NBA.

I didn't realize how bad Texas is. I knew they were struggling, but not 10-18 struggling.

[Ramsay B.]

Yeah, it's definitely early but the record is alarming. It seems like everytime I've seen them on ESPN this year they're always in the games until the end, that's why seeing their record now is a surprise. He did bring in some great youngsters in Allen and Jones so with their development I think next year he'll have much better luck. 

[S John]

Zags go down.  Will they retain a 1 seed?

[Rhom]

17 hours ago, Ramsay B. said:

Malik Monk is gonna be a star in the NBA.

I'm pretty sure Bill Simmons has only watched the UNC game and highlights, but he has a huge man crush on Monk. Whenever he gets around to watching highlights from the Florida game, the love will be enough to even make me blush.

8 minutes ago, S John said:

Zags go down.  Will they retain a 1 seed?

I've wondered about that.  Things were getting awfully tight with both UNC and a PAC XII team both seeming to deserve a 1.  I have to think this will give the committee the excuse they need to drop Zag down and move UNC and maybe Oregon up.

[sperry]

Shaka Smart probably isn't a good coach. He took over a program that was already good, and went on one miracle final four run. After that, they were decent but nothing special and survived basically on hype.

[Rhom]

London Ball's dad says his son will only play for the Lakers.

I hate this kid more and more every day and it has nothing to do with him.

ETA:  Damn auto correct.  Lonzo

[Mexal]

4 hours ago, sperry said:

Shaka Smart probably isn't a good coach. He took over a program that was already good, and went on one miracle final four run. After that, they were decent but nothing special and survived basically on hype.

He's a good coach. I don't think you can understate what he did for VCU and I think it's unfair to downplay the Final Four run. Teams of VCU's calibre rarely make the Final Four.

[Rhom]

10 hours ago, Mexal said:

He's a good coach. I don't think you can understate what he did for VCU and I think it's unfair to downplay the Final Four run. Teams of VCU's calibre rarely make the Final Four.

But does making a Final Four really make you a good coach?  Or does it mean you were incredibly hot for a 5 game stretch?  (Since they had to win the gawd awful play in game.)  Kevin Ollie won a title with UConn.  But I think its pretty obvious he's not a good coach.  (Should have jumped to the NBA when he had a chance.) 

Honestly, I think the question on whether a coach is "good" or not is better answered with regular season consistency.  Ollie has just as many national titles as Bill Self... but Bill Self will be a Hall of Famer.

I'm not saying I don't think Smart is a good coach, but I do think its fair to say the jury is definitely still out.

[Mexal]

3 hours ago, Rhom said:

But does making a Final Four really make you a good coach?  Or does it mean you were incredibly hot for a 5 game stretch?  (Since they had to win the gawd awful play in game.)  Kevin Ollie won a title with UConn.  But I think its pretty obvious he's not a good coach.  (Should have jumped to the NBA when he had a chance.) 

Honestly, I think the question on whether a coach is "good" or not is better answered with regular season consistency.  Ollie has just as many national titles as Bill Self... but Bill Self will be a Hall of Famer.

I'm not saying I don't think Smart is a good coach, but I do think its fair to say the jury is definitely still out.

Not entirely but I think to do it with the talent VCU had was very impressive. I also think there is more to being a coach then just Xs and Os, especially in the college game and Shaka did an excellent job setting up VCU to build a $25 million practice facility and regularly recruit top 100 prospects, neither of which VCU had prior to Shaka. Outside of Kansas, I don't think there is another team in the country that has had as many consecutive 26+ win seasons as VCU and we're among 7 or so teams that have gone to the NCAA tournament each of the last 7 years. That started with Shaka and continued with Wade. 

I'll say this. Smart was a great coach for VCU. He made us relevant, developed some really good players (three of which are in the NBA right now) and left the program in a much better space then when he arrived. The VCU revolution was happening prior to Smart with Capel then Grant but I think Smart took it to the next level. Has he been a good coach at Texas? Not really. Was he a good coach at VCU? Yes.

[S John]

Big game @ Baylor tonight, I believe we clinch the #2 seed in the Big 12 tournament with a victory tonight or a victory later in the week against ISU.  

I think we are an extremely bad match-up for Baylor, but it's on the road and they are a good team who arguably needs the W more than us so anything can happen.  WVU mercilessly beat thier ass in Morgantown so I expect revenge will be a motivating factor as well.

[Mexal]

I just read today that Tevin Mack, Shaka's prized freshman, is being released. He was suspended in mid-Jan for some unknown reason. He was our top recruit until Smart left and then Mack went with him to Texas. Insane he's leaving the team.

[Rhom]

47 minutes ago, Mexal said:

I just read today that Tevin Mack, Shaka's prized freshman, is being released. He was suspended in mid-Jan for some unknown reason. He was our top recruit until Smart left and then Mack went with him to Texas. Insane he's leaving the team.

I'll put in a call to Coach Cal and get him to send Shaka a copy of the "Proper care and handling of McDonald's All Americans" handbook.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

I get the Monk hype (Durant 2.0, though a little shorter), Fultz will be a superstar, but the Lonzo Ball craze...I'm just not buying it. Sure he can make 35 footers, but how will hold up.to the physicality of NBA? He's all bones. If I'm a GM with the first pick, it wouldn't be Ball. He'll, I think the Jackson from KU has the potential to be better than any of them.

ETA: WVU needs this game tonight, will go a long way in what their seed is. And, sorry @RedEyedGhost if we get KU on a neutral court, I think we win.

[Ramsay B.]

10 hours ago, Rhom said:

But does making a Final Four really make you a good coach?  Or does it mean you were incredibly hot for a 5 game stretch?  (Since they had to win the gawd awful play in game.)  Kevin Ollie won a title with UConn.  But I think its pretty obvious he's not a good coach.  (Should have jumped to the NBA when he had a chance.) 

Honestly, I think the question on whether a coach is "good" or not is better answered with regular season consistency.  Ollie has just as many national titles as Bill Self... but Bill Self will be a Hall of Famer.

I'm not saying I don't think Smart is a good coach, but I do think its fair to say the jury is definitely still out.

You bastard!! I do mostly agree though. Until Ollie has a really great team with his players and not Calhoun's he should be held accountable. He doesn't seem to be a good X's and O's guy, and he's obsessed with recruiting athletic guards instead of guys who can actually shoot. Being a good motivator can only get you so far. If Uconn doesn't bounce back next year then I'm totally giving up on him.

Like Mexal said, Smart was excellent at VCU and I think his luck at Texas will turn around next year...but we'll obviously just have to wait and see how his career pans out.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

4 minutes ago, Ramsay B. said:

You bastard!! I do mostly agree though. Until Ollie has a really great team with his players and not Calhoun's he should be held accountable. He doesn't seem to be a good X's and O's guy, and he's obsessed with recruiting athletic guards instead of guys who can actually shoot. Being a good motivator can only get you so far. If Uconn doesn't bounce back next year then I'm totally giving up on him.

Like Mexal said, Smart was excellent at VCU and I think his luck at Texas will turn around next year...but we'll obviously just have to wait and see how his career pans out.

Smart is a good coach, no doubt about it. He inherited a mess, IMHO. It takes 3-5 to get your type.of players for your system and for them to buy into it. I think AD's such are too quick to pull the trigger when teams don't have instant success.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

I just feel if it's a whole lot of hype surrounding Ball. He certainly isn't 6'6". As far as winning games compared to Fultz, I think we agree the talent on each team is drastically different. Maybe I'm wrong, just a feeling. Maybe he"said the next Steph.

[Ramsay B.]

23 minutes ago, Triskan said:

I cannot possibly see Lonzo Ball not being solid in the pros?  All bones?  Has that stopped Kevin Durant?

Ball is a 6'6" point guard who not only can make 35 footers but throws down with ease and is probably the best passer in the college game. 

Yeah, and he's just 19 on top of all this. Dude is gonna be legit in the pros. It's not like it's the 80's or 90's where the NBA was obviously way more physical too.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

We'll see. And you can throw it in my face or I in yours. I say he's a decent  player, but by no means a franchise player.

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

6 minutes ago, Triskan said:

What makes you say that?  He's certainly listed as 6'6", and while I understand that not everyone exactly hits where they're listed he looks pretty long out there.  Even if he was 6'4" I would not discount his stock for the pros.

Because they are always a couple inches shorter when they get measured at the combine. Look, you can have your feeling for Ball, I respect that. I have mine. I don't hinkle he is a franchise player.

[Joe Pesci]

10 minutes ago, Triskan said:

My bolding.  Citation? 

It's not always, but here's an article showing that it does happen quite a bit. I needed something to do while watching another top 5 team in UNC go down to UVA.

Also is there anyone who follows a team in the A-10 and has a little insight into the conference? Their conference tourney is in Pittsburgh and I'm thinking of attending. Haven't been to a conference tourney since the ACC came to DC back in '05, and that was a blast.