College Basketball

[SophiaD]

Coach Summitt was a remarkable person.  All women athletes of whatever stripe owe her a huge debt of gratitude.  She fought SO HARD for women to be allowed to compete and to be taken seriously.  That 100% graduation rate is just incredible.

I loved seeing all of the tributes to her from women and men alike, from major sports organizations all over the country.  Her influence and stature were incomparable.

Edited June 29, 2016 by SophiaD

[roamyn]

The NCAA has removed 7 championship games from NC this year.

I'm not sure which sports, but this seemed like a good forum to post the news in.

[mojoween]

Men's hoops is one of the sports so good call!

At least the NCAA did one thing right.

[MyAimIsTrue]

If Dean Smith was still alive he'd probably be the first one to commend the NCAA for their actions.

[roamyn]

20 hours ago, roamyn said:

The NCAA has removed 7 championship games from NC this year.

I'm not sure which sports, but this seemed like a good forum to post the news in.

And the ACC followed suit today.

[roamyn]

Well, glory be .

Gov. McCrory is FINALLY considering repealing HB2, but only if Charlotte repeals their non-discrimination city laws.

He just doesn't get it.  That's why he's behind in the polls.

[MyAimIsTrue]

McCrory actually thinks discrimination measures need to be in place since Charlotte is making sure there's no discrimination?

[roamyn]

31 minutes ago, MyAimIsTrue said:

McCrory actually thinks discrimination measures need to be in place since Charlotte is making sure there's no discrimination?

Yep.  It's because Charlotte's anti-discrimination measures include letting Transgendered people use the bathrooms of their identifying sex.

Why do the two have to be lumped together?

I think there should be gender neutral restrooms (whenever possible).  I don't want to go to the restroom with some guy who thinks they should be fenale, but will never understand what it's like to be menstruating.

The rest of the law is pure BS.  It should've never been couched behind the "bathroom" ordinance.  He slipped it in there, like bigots do, hoping no one would catch on.  And then rushed it through in one day. 

[xaxat]

Nigel Hayes does something to make me like him even more.

[Minneapple]

On 10/15/2016 at 1:08 PM, xaxat said:

Nigel Hayes does something to make me like him even more.

Given that I am a Badger, I love Nigel. However, he may not be the best athlete to make this point given that he chose to come back to college after exploring the NBA option last year. I believe he received a second-round grade. 

It's not as simple as "pay the players." There are like a million thorny issues involved in "paying the players." 

[xaxat]

I understand that the issue is far more complicated than would seem from Nigel's protest. But I love it when anyone takes a shot at the hypocrisy of the NCAA.

They can't continue to be a profit maximizing organization while claiming it's all about educating kids.

[Minneapple]

I agree about the hypocrisy of the NCAA, but technically they are not a profit-maximizing organization. The NCAA, like the NFL, NBA, etc., is a nonprofit. Their biggest revenue source is the television contract for the men's basketball tournament. They dole out money to the conferences that have earned it (more wins by teams in your conference means more money for the conference) and use the remainder of the money to stage national championships for nonrevenue sports like track, softball, etc. And yeah, I know there's money left over that probably goes to...lining greedy bureaucratic pockets or whatever.

What drives me nuts about the NCAA are the idiotic red tape rules and regulations. Like, until just a couple years ago, there was only a certain amount schools could spend on feeding athletes. WTF? At least they changed that and now schools are allowed to give unlimited meals and snacks to student-athletes.

I think the NCAA started with honorable intentions, but somewhere along the way, the greed and the need to fine-print everything just derailed those intentions.

Meanwhile, today Rick Pitino and Louisville were served with notice of allegations because of the little brothel they were running in the basketball dorm. Pitino claims he's GUILTY!...of being too trusting. Sure, Slick Rick. WE BELIEVE YOU. 

If Louisville fans claim that Pitino didn't know about the strippers and hookers, then they can never say that Calipari knew about Marcus Camby's agent, or that Derrick Rose didn't take his own SATs. Or that Boeheim knew...well, everything that was going on in his program (Syracuse has just been sanctioned too). Or that Roy Williams knew about the fake classes at UNC. 

[xaxat]

38 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

I agree about the hypocrisy of the NCAA, but technically they are not a profit-maximizing organization. The NCAA, like the NFL, NBA, etc., is a nonprofit.

Calling it the "NCAA" was a lazy shorthand on my part. Because there are so many components that are driving the desire to make more money from college athletics. (Presidents, ADs, conference commissioners, football coaches. . .)

(The NFL conceded it's non-profit status last year so all of the pro leagues are for profit.)

26 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

I think the NCAA started with honorable intentions, but somewhere along the way, the greed and the need to fine-print everything just derailed those intentions.

It was always about money.

Quote

A fairy-tale version of the founding of the NCAA holds that President Theodore Roosevelt, upset by a photograph of a bloodied Swarthmore College player, vowed to civilize or destroy football. The real story is that Roosevelt maneuvered shrewdly to preserve the sport—and give a boost to his beloved Harvard. After McClure’smagazine published a story on corrupt teams with phantom students, a muckraker exposed Walter Camp’s $100,000 slush fund at Yale. In response to mounting outrage, Roosevelt summoned leaders from Harvard, Princeton, and Yale to the White House, where Camp parried mounting criticism and conceded nothing irresponsible in the college football rules he’d established. At Roosevelt’s behest, the three schools issued a public statement that college sports must reform to survive, and representatives from 68 colleges founded a new organization that would soon be called the National Collegiate Athletic Association

[azshadowwalker]

Very interesting what the NCAA and the pro leagues find worthy of boycott. The Arizona show your papers law? No biggie, even for the heavily Latino MLB. Viciously anti-choice laws? Really no biggie, since Texas, Indiana and the like see tons of events. Tells you who has power and who doesn't. 

[mojoween]

Sigh.  I miss the days when the entire month of November was cupcakes.

[Calvada]

What are these warm ups the Badgers are wearing?  What's with the gray back, and the Where's Waldo stripes across the front?  Hideous.  Whoever designs these things should be drug-tested.  I pity the guys at the end of the bench who have those things on for the entire game. 

[AimingforYoko]

82 game winning streak on the line tonight for the women of UConn. You know Geno really wants this one, you can count the times he's been an underdog with the fingers on one hand.

[Carey]

On 11/16/2016 at 5:46 AM, mojoween said:

Sigh.  I miss the days when the entire month of November was cupcakes.

I guess they're taking after College Football and scheduling tough.  Which doesn't mean as much since you can actually lose those games or a couple, and still get into the Dance.  It's a major bonus IMO if you win those tough ones early. Or in the event of a tourney, you go far.  Anyway, I would play my backups in crap-ass games early for the experience (as well as a safety net in the event of injury or in-game foul trouble)

Man, I really, really, hope Connecticut gets to 100 consecutive wins. That is all

[mojoween]

2 minutes ago, Carey said:

Man, I really, really, hope Connecticut gets to 100 consecutive wins. That is all

Me too.  I actually do not like Auriemma AT ALL, but if no one is going to gripe about Alabama running roughshod over the land, I don't want to hear garbage about UConn.  Don't want them to dominate?  Beat 'em.

[MyAimIsTrue]

As long as UConn continues their graduation rate of 100% I think Geno can do anything he wants.  More power to those women.

[AimingforYoko]

Duke indefinitely suspends Grayson Allen.

My question is, how does Krzyzewski keep finding these guys?

[xaxat]

I bet Christian Laettner never thought he could fall to number two on the "I hate (fill in the Dukie)" list.

[Carey]

After Grayson serves 5 games, I sort of hope it continues beyond 5 games. To be clear, Allen should return only after he shows legitimate proof that he received help & is receiving help.  I don't think Duke should have to force it upon him, but instead let the kid think real hard about receiving the help on his own.  That way he might change as opposed to getting help just long enough to play

[Calvada]

I'm old enough to remember the days when Wisconsin fans thought the Badgers would NEVER win in Assembly Hall.  They've won 6 of their last 8 at Indiana, and 16 of the last 18 overall against them.  Good times!  Still hate those warmups though . . .

[voiceover]

Child of a mixed marriage here (Dad = K-State; Mom= KU), so it's tough on those "Sunflower Showdown" games, knowing who to root for.

Last night was another one for the ages, capped off by Svi's half-court one-step jam for the W.

This morning's music bumper on local KC sportstalk was "Travelin' Man" and "500 Miles".  And they credited "travel arrangements" to TraveLodge.

[AimingforYoko]

Best line was from ESPN's Fran Fraschilla, "Even in Europe, that's traveling."

[ketchuplover]

Half-court one-step jam?  Please clarify/elaborate asap. Thank you.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

After Grayson serves 5 games, I sort of hope it continues beyond 5 games. To be clear, Allen should return only after he shows legitimate proof that he received help & is receiving help.  I don't think Duke should have to force it upon him, but instead let the kid think real hard about receiving the help on his own.  That way he might change as opposed to getting help just long enough to play

...or Duke could go the complete other direction and have him sit out one game, showing that the entire "indefinite suspension" was all PR and no substance.

They went that route, of course. It's Duke! He started tonight.

[Jediknight]

On 1/4/2017 at 9:58 PM, hendersonrocks said:

...or Duke could go the complete other direction and have him sit out one game, showing that the entire "indefinite suspension" was all PR and no substance.

They went that route, of course. It's Duke! He started tonight.

And he may have tried to trip another player.

Man, when he gets in the NBA he's in for a rude awakening.  Everybody knows what he does, and that tantrum shows a lack of maturity and mental toughness.  NBA players are going to egg him on, and when he trips an NBA player, he's going to meet the opposing team's enforcer, and well he'll throw another fit and storm off the court.

[xaxat]

5 hours ago, Jediknight said:

NBA players are going to egg him on, and when he trips an NBA player, he's going to meet the opposing team's enforcer

The enforcer is an extinct breed in the NBA. That's why Draymond Green gets away with his antics.

And Grayson's move last night looked positively Draymondian.

Last night's Nevada/New Mexico game was bananas! 

Edited January 8, 2017 by xaxat

[voiceover]

Sonofabitch!!

Bill Self, man.  I will love him til I die.

One of the grittiest KU comebacks ever!  With two minutes to go, someone on my Twitter feed pointed out that the National Champs had been down 9/with 2 to go, and someone else tweeted, "Send in Mario!!"

RockfuckinChalk.

*faints dead away*

 

It's almost 2am, and I am rewatching (the most satisfying relaxing way to watch my teams) the repeat on ESPN.  I echo Vitale, even louder, in his condemnation of the Kansas "fans" who left with 2:43 on the clock.  Turn in your season passes, you gutless wonders.  

Edited February 14, 2017 by voiceover
Because twice through this game still isn't enough

[MyAimIsTrue]

Congratulations to the UConn women for their 100th consecutive victory.  As Christine Brennan said this morning on NPR this is the greatest day in the history of women's sports... until tomorrow.

Somewhere the late US Rep. Patsy Mink is smiling.

[mojoween]

Sometimes it really fucking blows being a Duke fan who has lived in Syracuse her entire life.

[voiceover]

Coach Self & the KU Jayhawks!! Congratulations on 13 straight years at the top of the Big 12.

Speaking as someone who was raised a (KState) Wildcat: Go ahead and break the UCLA record next year-- and then, uh...then, can we get a shot?

[voiceover]

I was holding up okay during Senior Night.  Then I saw Frank Mason's dad break down.

Why is it that the fathers crying, gets to me more?  

Stupid question.

[mojoween]

Hearing Dan LeBatard rail against Virginia's style of basketball last week and then seeing last night's UVA/NC score makes me giggle.

[xaxat]

Holy shit! I just saw photos of the Michigan plane that overshot the runway.

I'm glad everyone is OK.

Edited March 10, 2017 by xaxat

[Moose135]

That could have been ugly, they were very lucky the way it turned out.

[mojoween]

I don't understand why the B1G tourney is in Washington. It doesn't seem to be much of a draw for fans.

[xaxat]

15 hours ago, mojoween said:

I don't understand why the B1G tourney is in Washington. It doesn't seem to be much of a draw for fans.

It makes for a shorter trip for fans of traditional Big Ten powerhouses Rutgers, Penn State and Maryland.

[Minneapple]

15 hours ago, mojoween said:

I don't understand why the B1G tourney is in Washington. It doesn't seem to be much of a draw for fans.

They're just trying something different for a couple years. 

The early rounds of the Big Ten tourney never do well in terms of attendance, even in Chicago or Indy. Attendance looks fine today for Michigan-Purdue.

[xaxat]

I want Joe Lunardi off my TV so bad!

[mojoween]

We are at BDubs and the Minnesota game is on one screen and Kentucky on another.  I was looking at one screen and I was like wait why is Rick Pitino in Washington?

Then at halftime they did an interview with the Minnesota coach with the chyron under his name that said Richard Pitino.  It finally clicked that it was his kid, duh.

[mojoween]

I feel like the selection committee is going to do what they can to get Rhode Island on Duke's side of the bracket.

I know SU has been discussed as one of the last four and I hope all four of the last four are at-large.  I don't recall what has happened previously but it's not fair to win your conference tourney and then have to play your way into the dance.

[Ohwell]

Welp.  The Duke tongue bath has started.

[mojoween]

I liked that but probably not in the way you intended as I sit and watch my Duke flag whipping in the freezing cold winds we are currently experiencing.  I am ALL for all Duke all the time.

[Ohwell]

LOL.  I love hating Duke so much until I have a celebratory drink when they lose. 

[mojoween]

Michigan is putting the beat down on Wisconsin and the kids are beyond excited so I wonder was Michigan on the bubble?  Or is this a release of everything that happened this week.

[AimingforYoko]

24 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Michigan is putting the beat down on Wisconsin and the kids are beyond excited so I wonder was Michigan on the bubble? 

Maybe at the beginning of the tournament, but I believe they were in, win or lose. But when you're that close to the automatic bid, why leave it to chance? Congrats to Michigan, they've had a hell of a week. In every sense.

My #1s: Kansas, Gonzaga, Villanova and Arizona. (Though I won't be shocked if they give the last #1 to the Tar Heels)

[mojoween]

I found the answer to my question, that automatic qualifiers DO NOT play on Tuesday/Wednesday.  

I always get burned with expecting what happened in the conference tourneys to carry over to the dance but that possible Michigan/Louisville game confounds me.

Edited March 12, 2017 by mojoween