Official College Hoops 2012 Off-Season and Coaching Carousel Thread

[Johnny Zhivago]

Originally Posted by Canadian Bacon

Maybe Kentucky will play Dook
Oh wait unless it's in MSG or Durham Dook won't agree to it

UK plays Duke on 11/13 in the Georgia Dome...

[Red Dog]

Indiana and KU are apparently talking about a home and home now.

[WallyOPD]

Originally Posted by Johnny Zhivago

UK plays Duke on 11/13 in the Georgia Dome...

That's not something set up between the two schools, though, that's part of a made-for-TV 4-team event.

[brizz]

Originally Posted by Canadian Bacon

Maybe Kentucky will play Dook
Oh wait unless it's in MSG or Durham Dook won't agree to it

Cal put an end to their series w/ UNC as well already, so I doubt he'll be putting Duke on the schedule any time soon. Maybe UNC-Chattanooga though.

He's clearly going for the undefeated season and trying to protect the home winning streak by bugging out of the IU series - as that would have been their biggest chance at losing at home this year. and he also knows this team will pale in comparison to last year. so he'll water it down as much as possible to try and keep himself looking good. I truly hate that fucking douchebag.

[wildcatlh]

Originally Posted by wildcatlh

Apparently Syracuse is going to play Missouri in the Big East/SEC Challenge this year. No clue where it's going to be (insert joke about not leaving NY here)

Looks like it's going to be @ Missouri. That's two road games out of New York this year!

[wildcatlh]

Originally Posted by brizz

Cal put an end to their series w/ UNC as well already, so I doubt he'll be putting Duke on the schedule any time soon. Maybe UNC-Chattanooga though.

He's clearly going for the undefeated season and trying to protect the home winning streak by bugging out of the IU series - as that would have been their biggest chance at losing at home this year. and he also knows this team will pale in comparison to last year. so he'll water it down as much as possible to try and keep himself looking good. I truly hate that fucking douchebag.

That's UT-Chattanooga. Which is now just Chattanooga.

They can go play my undergrad alma mater (UNC-Greensboro) at the Greensboro Coliseum. Though that's usually a privilege for the entire ACC to get an easy "away" out of conference win.

[Decker]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Indiana and KU are apparently talking about a home and home now.

You got my hopes up. The KC Star from late last week reports that the IU-KU series is DOA.

[WallyOPD]

Xavier transfer Mark Lyons picked Arizona earlier today. He should be able to play immediately and have 1 year left. You may remember him as one of the instigators of the Crosstown Shootout brawl this past season.

Pretty torn on this one. He's a big trash talker and embarrassed himself and his school both in the brawl and the postgame press conference. He's also a good talent and covers the biggest position of need for a year before Duquesne transfer TJ McConnell becomes eligible in 2013. I'm going to have faith in Sean Miller on this one, but I would rather have seen him pick Kentucky or Kansas.

[Red Dog]

Now IU and Louisville are talking about a home-and-home. Given what those teams have coming back, that would be a terrific matchup next season.

[cardsfan111]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

Now IU and Louisville are talking about a home-and-home. Given what those teams have coming back, that would be a terrific matchup next season.

I've been wishing this would happen for years. As you said, it would be great if it can be done prior to this season.

[brizz]

Cal spews an amazing amount of bullshit to justify why he won't schedule any decent teams and refuses to accept any deal longer than 2 games (i.e. "i don't know if we'll be good every year, so I don't want to risk playing games we might lose") This is seriously the biggest load of bullshit I've ever seen in my life. what a fucking douche.


Forming a nontraditional schedule for a nontraditional program

We will no longer have multiple contracts of longer than two years. Because of our roster turnover, it makes it difficult to lock ourselves into five home-and-home series. If we need to replace a team for a year or two, we will have the option to do that to protect our program. If eight guys leave and go in the first round, and we’re not the type of team that can play a ridiculously hard schedule, then we shouldn’t be locked into contracts we can’t adjust.

With our nontraditional approach, we are using the entire season to prepare us to compete for national titles. It’s not just about winning as many games as we can win or playing as many home games as we can play. There are no road games in the NCAA Tournament. You are in a neutral venue, hopefully with more of our fans than anybody else, and they’re in big buildings. Why not prepare for that?

[B.A.]

His program is one of many reasons why I hate the "one-and-done" system.

[WallyOPD]

Cal certainly knows how to pander to his fanbase.

[B.A.]

Thanks to Sam McLaurin's tweet:



We now have this:

[sven]

Steve Kerr on the NBA age limit.

[brizz]

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by brizz

what a fucking douche.

My sister (who really hates him) and I have coined the phrase "Cal-bag" in his honor.

[Michael Corvin]

Originally Posted by cardsfan111

I've been wishing this would happen for years. As you said, it would be great if it can be done prior to this season.

Not happening this season.

[brizz]

Kentucky Recruit Nerlins Noel Attracts N.C.A.A. Inquiry

[cardsfan111]

Originally Posted by Michael Corvin

Not happening this season.

Oh well, still hopeful for something in the near future.

Originally Posted by brizz

Kentucky Recruit Nerlins Noel Attracts N.C.A.A. Inquiry

That link requires you to create an account. Here's the ESPN report referencing the same NY Times article.

[cardsfan111]

Originally Posted by brizz

I just noticed that was something printed in the Lexington, KY newspaper. Ouch.

[wildcatlh]

Oh Red Dog, you'll just love this latest Bilas piece.

We have all heard about it but, like unicorns, Bigfoot or a flattering photo from a low angle, it does not exist and never has: the level playing field. In college basketball, we talk a lot about competitive balance and how "unfair" it all can be. We love the occasional upset in the NCAA tournament but, given the disparity in money and talent throughout Division I, we lament how the "little guy" has little chance to win against the big shots. And many seem to think that it is unfair for the little guy without resources to have to compete against the big guy with seemingly unlimited resources.

We hear it all the time. The big guys won't play the little guys on the road. The blue bloods won't play anything but home games and neutral-court games. But the little guy understands the market and now demands an unreasonable amount of "guarantee" games. The little guy cannot get on TV or get media exposure. But nobody watches such games when they are on TV, and so few little guys have capitalized on NCAA tournament success to be nationally relevant that it is a nonstarter. The NCAA tournament has become the Holy Grail of college basketball, and the regular season has become irrelevant and almost meaningless.

All the while, NCAA administrators talk in highbrow terms about reform and a return to the values of higher education. They talk about "getting back" to what college sports are supposed to be about. We talk about students who just happen to be athletes.

It is time to seriously consider making Division I smaller, streamlined and therefore more competitive and meaningful.


No reasonable person I know in college sports has differed with me when I suggest that Division I basketball should mirror college football in the number of teams. With more than 350 teams and rising, Division I basketball is simply too big, and it is not conducive to better competition or a better product. Whether it is the current Football Bowl Subdivision number of 120 teams or more toward 150 teams, we need to shrink Division I to a reasonable size.

The first reaction to this proposal is "it will ruin the NCAA tournament" and "eliminate any chance of a Norfolk State or Lehigh" and "we wouldn't have George Mason or VCU." Of course, the first concern expressed is for the NCAA tournament and assumes, incorrectly I believe, that the occasional Cinderella upset is driving the bus.

If Division I shrinks to a reasonable size, somewhere between 100 and 150 teams, the level of competition will improve. With a smaller field, the quality of matchups during the regular season will improve because teams will not have such a wide range of cupcakes to schedule. Is there really any compelling reason for Kentucky to play Marist, Radford, Portland, and Chattanooga at Rupp? Does anyone outside of Lexington care to see those matchups? Does it make any more sense than playing Transylvania or Morehouse, the Cats' exhibition games?

Does it move anyone to see North Carolina play Elon, Nicholls, Mississippi Valley State, Monmouth or Tennessee State at home?

In 2012, the Kentucky Wildcats, North Carolina Tar Heels, Michigan State Spartans, Syracuse Orange, Kansas Jayhawks and Washington Huskies (the teams that finished first in BCS leagues) played 37 nonconference games against teams rated below 120 in the Basketball Power Index. Here's the breakdown:

[I can't c+p this. But it's just a chart showing that, shockingly, the top teams beat the teams ranked below 120]

Those six power conference teams, one of which did not even make the NCAA tournament, were a combined 37-0. North Carolina's average margin of victory in those games was 30.7 points. Such games are not competitive. No player is pining to play in such games, and there is no broad appeal to fans. Those games are glorified exhibitions and not in the best interests of the game.

The bottom half of Division I is simply not competitive enough on a consistent basis to justify the bloated size of Division I. If Division I is reduced to a more reasonable size, there would be better games, a better distribution of talent across a smaller pool, and a better and more marketable product.

If Division I shrinks to 120 or 150 teams, the cry that Butler and VCU would be left out is the first one hears. Slow down. Look at the 120 FBS teams on the football side, and then look at the top 150 in the BPI. Teams like Butler (which just bolted the Horizon League for the Atlantic 10) and VCU would be among the 120 to 150 teams that are qualified and committed to a better Division I. It would include plenty of committed and competitive teams, and nobody would miss the early-season games against sacrificial lambs.

But, some would say, what about the teams that would be left out? Where do they go? They go into a new and better Division II and play against each other and those currently in Division II that wish to play "like teams" in a more competitive environment. Division II gives scholarships and competes just as hard and cares just as much as Division I. But, generally, the teams are not as powerful.

Finally, we could easily accommodate the best teams in Division II with invitations to the NCAA tournament. Then, even though Cinderella is not driving the popularity of the NCAA tournament, she could still make an appearance at the ball, and the best interests of the game would be better served.

http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-coll...ps-product-ncb

[Red Dog]

The idiot thinks having the same size tournament in a 100-150 team environment would make the regular season more meaningful? Huh? W....T....F? Go watch the fucking NBA, douchebag.

Then it makes even less sense with his D-II 'accomodation.'

And at his "No reasonable person I know in college sports has differed with me...." comment - I can think of people connected in some fashion with about 200 schools who would disagree. But I guess his rebuttal would be they're unreasonable. This kind of crappy thought process is something you'd find on a sports message board. Fortunately for Jay, he doesn't have to deal with rebuttal arguments with his ESPN platform.

Oh and Jay....what are people going to take away from this year's pretty crappy tourney besides UK's dominance? Those 2 15/2 upsets. That's it.

[wildcatlh]

Originally Posted by Red Dog

This kind of crappy thought process is something you'd find on a sports message board. Fortunately for Jay, he doesn't have to deal with rebuttal arguments with his ESPN platform.

First thing I thought about upon reading that article was your sig.

[Michael Corvin]

I'd be fine if they started the shrinking by just dumping the tournament play-in ga... er Round 1.

Originally Posted by cardsfan111

I just noticed that was something printed in the Lexington, KY newspaper. Ouch.

I didn't catch that either. Brutal.