Jump to content

College Basketball: Sweet and disappointing


Mexal

Recommended Posts

Following the GameCocks huge upset of Duke this weekend.  You know... the team that was the greatest assemblage of talent ever before the season...

A discussion popped up on Kentucky Sports Radio regarding how Coach K is regarded and his reputation.  In 2010 and 2015, Duke won two national titles on the strength of WVU and Wisconsin upsetting UK. Had Kentucky reached the title game, they are of the opinion (and I agree) that UK would have won easily in those years.  The athleticism of the Wall/Cousins team and of the Towns/Twins teams would have been entirely too much for either of those Duke teams to handle.

So if they don’t get favors from those two schools, what is Coach K’s reputation? He has titles in 91,92, and 2001. With several early flame outs in the long 16 years since his last title. Is he thought of the same?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Triskan said:

I think that in that scenario you'd have an ever-present media theme about the title drought with rejoinders from the Dickie V's of the world about "Are you kidding me!?  Coach K is flat-out one of the greatest coaches of all time!"

Oh god... tell me you can't read that statement without hearing it in Vitale's cadence and tone?!!?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, sperry said:

Those are some bizarre hypotheticals, and the idea that Kentucky would have easily beaten those Duke teams is laughable.

Wait... you honestly think that Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, and the Harrison Twins wouldn't have killed a Duke team that relied on a freshman Greyson Allen?!!?

Even Jay Williams has said publicly multiple times that he believes Kentucky would have killed them.

As to the 2010 team, I'm a bit more sanguine about that; but yes, I think they handily put away Duke in the Final Four and then Butler.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Rhom said:

Wait... you honestly think that Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, and the Harrison Twins wouldn't have killed a Duke team that relied on a freshman Greyson Allen?!!?

Even Jay Williams has said publicly multiple times that he believes Kentucky would have killed them.

As to the 2010 team, I'm a bit more sanguine about that; but yes, I think they handily put away Duke in the Final Four and then Butler.

Grayson Allen played 9 minutes a game, and as much of a tool he is, he's going to play in the NBA.  So, the 4th guy off the bench was a future NBA guy. That Duke team was stacked, and the coaching mismatch is just outrageous. They beat an absolutely loaded Wisconsin team twice, the same Wisconsin that beat Kentucky.

 

"If we took 40% of Coach K's titles away would he be a good coach???" I mean I don't even know what to say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More about match ups that year.  Wisconsin was a bad match and had played the entire year with one goal,  Beat KENTUCKY.  And it showed in the title game.

And yes, if you take away two titles;  what is the conversation?  I think Trisk  nailed it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, S John said:

http://www.aseaofblue.com/2017/3/21/15009852/lavar-ball-says-kentucky-wildcats-tune-up-ucla-bruins

 

caught this in the college basketball subreddit.  First comment: "The man is gonna be having neutrals rooting for Kentucky, an impressive feat."  

:lol:  

There's really nothing that this guy won't say. If Lavar Ball said that he could give birth a child, I'd believe that he thinks he could actually do it, sans uterus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just an update on the VCU coaching. Mike Rhoades had his press conference today and the fans showed up in the thousands. The overwhelming reaction to him brought him and his wife to tears. His first comments were "I'm home". It also sounds like he's spoken to the 2017 recruits and everything is going well so far. He plans on visiting them soon. All in all, I'm a lot happier today then I was a day or two ago. 

Also, he's bringing back Havoc. Should be fun to watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Rhom said:

Wait... you honestly think that Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, and the Harrison Twins wouldn't have killed a Duke team that relied on a freshman Greyson Allen?!!?

Even Jay Williams has said publicly multiple times that he believes Kentucky would have killed them.

As to the 2010 team, I'm a bit more sanguine about that; but yes, I think they handily put away Duke in the Final Four and then Butler.

I'll be honest - when that happened my outlook for that tourney changed dramatically.  Duke would not have been run off the court, but I would not have them favored in any way and would not have been surprised by a double digit loss.

What it would do to Coach K's legacy?  I think the only thing it would have done is put an asterisk on his name that he couldn't adjust to the short term college career players - still an all time coach, but just isn't able to get the factory like production that the UK's, etc get.  (that's what I think would be said, not what I believe of UK, etc).  The General went 20+ years without a title and that hasn't really impacted what his legacy was.  Kicking chairs and strangling players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Mexal said:

Just an update on the VCU coaching. Mike Rhoades had his press conference today and the fans showed up in the thousands. The overwhelming reaction to him brought him and his wife to tears. His first comments were "I'm home". It also sounds like he's spoken to the 2017 recruits and everything is going well so far. He plans on visiting them soon. All in all, I'm a lot happier today then I was a day or two ago. 

Also, he's bringing back Havoc. Should be fun to watch.

 

Think it's readily obvious that VCU is much better off, and both Will Wade and LSU are worse off. And you can tell why one program has had sustainable success, and another is just trash. Also shows that Wade isn't much of a decision maker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, sperry said:

Think it's readily obvious that VCU is much better off, and both Will Wade and LSU are worse off. And you can tell why one program has had sustainable success, and another is just trash. Also shows that Wade isn't much of a decision maker.

Definitely agree in regards to VCU. No idea what will happen with Wade and LSU. He might be an egotistic snake and might be tough with players but he knows the game of basketball and what a program needs to compete. It'll be interesting to watch anyway. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18977048/doug-gottlieb-interview-oklahoma-state-cowboys-coaching-vacancy

Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttt?  Lose Brad Underwood and replace him with Doug freakin'-hide-your-credit-cards Gottlieb?  Are they nuts?  Guy has never been a collegiate coach and they are going to put him in charge of a Power conference program?  They cannot be serious.  I would honestly be furious that they were even wasting time talking to this guy if I were a Pokes fan.  

Gotta think Big XII coaches are licking their chops at the prospect of doling out a few thrashings to a talking head trying his hand at doing the job instead of criticizing it.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Ded As Ned said:

Didn't Gottlieb beg for the job when they ended up hiring Underwood and they turned him down?

Yes I believe so.  Have a feeling it could be one of those knee-jerk "he'll never leave us!" reactions of the recently scorned.  And as WVU fan I have experienced that exact thing *cough* 2007 *cough*.

Of course, Gottlieb is not a guaranteed failure if OSU does indeed hire him.  I have to acknowledge that I can't see into the future and it could end up working out -  but it just seems really risky to me.  A lot of people *know* basketball, but that doesn't mean they can recruit or lead young men, and do so effectively when you are the one under pressure.  

I'm putting myself in the shoes of an OSU fan here.  I would want someone who has at least some collegiate coaching to point to.  If Gottlieb wanted to get into coaching, I think it'd be fine for him to land a gig at a smaller school with lower expectations and build up a little bit of a resume.  But I think it's crazy at the Power 6 level, in arguably the most competitive top-to-bottom conference, at a program that expects reasonable success, to put a guy in there with no experience.   

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...