Semi-official 2013-14 College Basketball Thread

[ntndeacon]

It sounds like Mack to Wake is not Wake's first pick. But in case other possibilities fall through... Names I have been hearing ....Howland, Smart, among others...

[mauchow]

Lots of transfers and players leaving Indiana. For Indiana to avoid anymore fallout Creans gotta go... I gotta think 10-15 wins next year is the best they will do next year then Crean is done. But he has a $12 mill buyout. Ouch.

[Kodos]

Yep. Things are a mess. Outside of Vonleh, no important guys involved. Crean's seat is warming up.

[Vince, Pt. II]

This Clemson/Belmont game in the NIT is pretty awesome. Clemson was stomping them in the first half, but Belmont has really fired up the transition game and with a flurry of threes has taken the lead midway through the second half.

[CU Tiger]

Yep Im watching...

Clemson is not used to getting calls go our way but tonight

And KJ is putting on a show jumping all over the place

[Vince, Pt. II]

Belmont just can't miss from three this half. It's making for an awesome game, because Clemson is athletic as all hell, flying around and blocking shots. Unfortunately, they're allowing a bunch of offensive rebounds to Belmont, or they'd be comfortably ahead right now.

[Matthean]

UConn's women's team gets to the Sweet 16 by beating a team by 39.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Oof, Belmont wilting under pressure. They seem to be picking up their dribble way too quickly. The great ball movement they were using earlier is gone.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Matthean

UConn's women's team gets to the Sweet 16 by beating a team by 39.

One of their smaller margins of victory this year, their first win by less than 20 in 12 games.

Their wins over ranked teams (going backwards to the start of the season) include:
#3 L'ville by 20
#24 Rutgers by 26
#3 L'ville by 20
#24 Rutgers by 27
#4 L'ville by 17
#24 Rutgers by 30
#7 Baylor by 11
#21 Cal by 33
#2 Duke by 22
#13 Penn State by 19
#8 Maryland by 17
#3 Stanford by 19

The smallest margin of victory over an unranked opponent was 25

edit to add: Similarly 34-0 Notre Dame is 11-0 vs ranked teams, their closest win over one was by 10, on the road at Penn State back in early December. The gap between those two & the rest of WCBB appears to be enormous.

[Logan]

Manhattan's Steve Masiello's deal with USF is off, after the school learned he did not graduate from Kentucky as he claimed on his resume.

[sterlingice]

That falls under the "who lies about that sort of stuff in this day and age?" They weren't hiring him because of his college degree so why lie about it?

SI

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

That falls under the "who lies about that sort of stuff in this day and age?" They weren't hiring him because of his college degree so why lie about it?

SI

It's odd he thought he'd get away with that lie, but I also believe many schools have a requirement that coaches on their staffs have to have a degree.

[molson]

Stories like that fascinate me. He must have been close to graduating, he was there 4 years. Then he spent a year as an admin assistant at Tulane for some reason. Maybe he saw that as a huge opportunity, and felt he needed to lie to get it, rather than just take the year to graduate. I wonder if Manhattan will take him back.

Edit: The lie must have originated at almost exactly the same time the George O'Leary thing went down. Maybe he figured he'd never have a job as high-profile as Notre Dame head football coach, so it didn't matter.

[Logan]

Smart officially passed on Marquette, FYI.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Logan

Smart officially passed on Marquette, FYI.

That was obvious since around 5:30pm Central on 3/24

[Kodos]

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Logan

Smart officially passed on Marquette, FYI.

Would love to hear the back story on that. Meyer was convinced on his radio interview that Smart would be leaving. Wonder how much they offered.

[Izulde]

Lot of chatter that Rice is considering a contract with USF.

Personally, I think he's just using this as a leverage move to negotiate more money out of UNLV.

[Izulde]

Rice officially confirms he was offered the USF job, and he's meeting with AD Kunzer-Murphy right now. Word is it's not the money he wants, it's the job security and more resources for the basketball program, like an academic advisor who works just with the men's basketball players.

[Izulde]

Latest reports: USF offer is reportedly 5 years at 1.4 million per (essentially double what UNLV is paying him right now)

If Rice gets an extension, he'll most likely stay, and any pay raise he gets, he'll put the money right back into the program. Also, reportedly people associated with 15 different coaches have contacted the AD about the job, with rumors of big names.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Rice officially confirms he was offered the USF job, and he's meeting with AD Kunzer-Murphy right now. Word is it's not the money he wants, it's the job security and more resources for the basketball program, like an academic advisor who works just with the men's basketball players.

Just off hand here, is there really an adequate amount of advisement to justify a full-time (hypothetically, since you didn't actually say that specifically) person for give or take 15 players? In theory I can see how it would be possible but I don't see enough players taking that much advantage of it to justify it.

More of an educational question than a basketball one really.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Just off hand here, is there really an adequate amount of advisement to justify a full-time (hypothetically, since you didn't actually say that specifically) person for give or take 15 players? In theory I can see how it would be possible but I don't see enough players taking that much advantage of it to justify it.

More of an educational question than a basketball one really.

I believe at one school I've been to, the academic advisors also ran the study halls for the players, in addition to helping them stay on track in their classes and contacting said players' instructors.

They were very much handlers for certain athletes rather than letting the athletes take initiative to do things on their own. I won't go into more detail here obviously, but I will say I'm never surprised when academic scandals break out at any Division I university.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Just off hand here, is there really an adequate amount of advisement to justify a full-time (hypothetically, since you didn't actually say that specifically) person for give or take 15 players? In theory I can see how it would be possible but I don't see enough players taking that much advantage of it to justify it.

More of an educational question than a basketball one really.

Whistleblower says UNC put athletes in classes that never met and required only one final paper. This one got an A-. pic.twitter.com/HShyr6ivGm

— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) March 26, 2014

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Whistleblower says UNC put athletes in classes that never met and required only one final paper. This one got an A-. pic.twitter.com/HShyr6ivGm

— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) March 26, 2014

{scratches head}

I've seen this a couple of times today, I'm just still trying to figure out why. This is all rather old news best I can tell.

[nol]

I think that's the first example anyone's seen of the actual "coursework" from the UNC scandal.

[Izulde]

So it appears Rice is staying after all, and an extension and more money for the program is forthcoming. It's possible this may have all been a leverage play on his part like we've seen so many times before (and which I honestly thought of and mentioned to somebody while all of this was going down).

Was an interesting day yesterday though, and today there's some dispute over whether he was given a formal offer. USF says no, but people were reporting 5 or 6 years at 1.3 million per pretty consistently. So my guess is while they didn't make a formal offer, there was an informal one with a suggestion that this would be the type of contract they would offer him.

Gotta feel for South Florida fans though.

[Matthean]

Despite how much he has denied it and shifts the blame to Michigan fans, I don't think the Izzo/Pistons rumors will go away until the Pistons have a new coach.

[nol]

Speaking of NBA rumors, teams going after Fred Hoiberg is going to be an annual occurrence, but it's a welcome problem for Iowa State fans to have.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Jordan Clarkson declares for NBA Draft. Jabari Brown said he and Clarkson would likely do the same thing in regards to the NBA, so he's probably gone too. Both of their dads have recently been diagnosed with cancer, so it's a good reason for both of them to make the jump now if they feel it will work.

[Eaglesfan27]

Spurned agent alleges he paid Tyler Honeycutt at UCLA - SBNation.com

[MrBug708]

This UCLA's statement:

"In June 2011, Noah Lookofsky contacted the UCLA athletic department asserting that he had provided extra benefits to former men's basketball student-athlete Tyler Honeycutt. The institution immediately reported this information to the then Pac-10 Conference as well as the NCAA.

"Over the next several months, UCLA worked jointly and cooperated fully with the Conference and the NCAA while the matter was reviewed. During the investigation of these claims, Lookofsky refused to provide additional information to verify his assertions and was unwilling to meet with investigators from the NCAA and UCLA to tell his story. Both UCLA and the NCAA took significant measures to ascertain the facts from the former student-athlete and his family, but they also declined to cooperate. In October 2011, after four months investigating the matter, and with nothing more than the assertions of Lookofsky, the NCAA informed UCLA that it considered the case closed with no finding against the institution or any individual.

"In accordance with NCAA by-laws and past recommended actions by the NCAA Committee on Infractions, because Honeycutt failed to cooperate in the matter, UCLA disassociated him from the institution. This disassociation, which remains in effect today, prohibits UCLA from providing any benefits to him, such as game tickets, and he cannot be granted access to any university facility that is unavailable to the general public. In addition, UCLA may not accept any benefit or donation from him.

"In February of 2014, a member of the UCLA staff was contacted by a reporter regarding the same assertions brought to light in 2011. The reporter indicated that he had documentation from Lookofsky. Once again, the University immediately contacted the Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA to communicate our willingness to cooperate fully to address this issue. The NCAA and UCLA then attempted to meet with Lookofsky, but he again declined to be interviewed.

"UCLA takes its obligations of membership in the Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA seriously and we appreciate the diligence the NCAA has continued to show in assessing the situation."

[Chief Rum]

It was Honeycutt's bed that Reeves Nelson allegedly peed on. I am beginning to be more and more in support of this action than I was before.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Interesting that Jabari Brown declared but did not sign an agent. Only has until April 15th to withdraw. I find it highly unlikely that he'll be back to Mizzou.

[Logan]

Mizzou's Zach Price was arrested today.

[Logan]

Mizzou's Zach Price was arrested today..

[Buccaneer]

One of the several things that have turned me off from watching college basketball is the amount of traveling and carrying. I was, however, curious as to the current rules and found this Video Rule Book - Home (applying to NBA). I guess one of the things I did not know was as long as you are dribbling, it doesn't matter the height of the dribble or how many steps between dribbles (as shown in the new Giannis Antetokounmpo video). However, looking at each of the Traveling & Dribbling Violations, I can understand how these are more obvious rule violations.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Logan

Mizzou's Zach Price was arrested today.

Originally Posted by Logan

Mizzou's Zach Price was arrested today..

At first I thought you double posted and now I read this did happen. Impressive accomplishment.

[nol]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Spurned agent alleges he paid Tyler Honeycutt at UCLA - SBNation.com

While the first reaction is "really principled of him to speak out on all of this after he went bust as an agent," this is why we'll never see a minor league system for college football and basketball. Good luck to the NBA D League offering a max salary of $25,000 when twice that isn't enough to secure Tyler Honeycutt.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by nol

While the first reaction is "really principled of him to speak out on all of this after he went bust as an agent," this is why we'll never see a minor league system for college football and basketball. Good luck to the NBA D League offering a max salary of $25,000 when twice that isn't enough to secure Tyler Honeycutt.

Principled isn't the term I would use when he then evades the NCAA and UCLA seeking more information and evidence.

[nol]

Oops, thought I was being as sarcastic as possible there, but apparently not.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Just off hand here, is there really an adequate amount of advisement to justify a full-time (hypothetically, since you didn't actually say that specifically) person for give or take 15 players? In theory I can see how it would be possible but I don't see enough players taking that much advantage of it to justify it.

More of an educational question than a basketball one really.

They can run study halls.
They can verify class attendance.
They can review coursework before its turned in.
They can strong arm professors into improving grades..ooops scratch that.

Now the next level is HS relations/academic advisor. In that role they spend considerable time reviewing recruits transcripts and making sure they are on track to graduate, enroll

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Logan

Mizzou's Zach Price was arrested today.

He's likely gone. Two felonies and you haven't even played a minute for the team. That won't end well. We're on some pretty good recruits. Guess another one of them just got an offer after this incident.

[jbergey22]

A Pitino leads a team to a championship for the 2nd year in a row.

[Matthean]

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Payne seems like the type of player the Spurs will get late in the 1st round and end up being an All-Star. Being projected late first seems too low for his skill set IMO.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Danny Manning to Wake Forest.

[Thomkal]

So chances Gregg Marshall stays at Wichita State now that he's been named Coach of the Year and brought a Final Four appearance then a perfect regular season and then a #1 seed there? I know we talked about this last year, and there was so mention of his behavior and attitude holding him back, but he flat out wins. Can the big-name schools take a pass on him again?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

So chances Gregg Marshall stays at Wichita State now that he's been named Coach of the Year and brought a Final Four appearance then a perfect regular season and then a #1 seed there? I know we talked about this last year, and there was so mention of his behavior and attitude holding him back, but he flat out wins. Can the big-name schools take a pass on him again?

I don't think it's a situation where schools have been ignoring him at all. He's been on the final list for several good BCS openings in the past. He's on the radio often here in KC and he's been very clear in the past that his family and kids like Wichita and they're not in any hurry to uproot from that area. He's always stated that he's able to live a very good life on his salary (which will likely go up after this year) and that he's not in any big hurry to start over at a program. I think they just like the pace of life in that area and aren't interested in moving to a more stressful and tougher environment. Reminds me a lot of the Gonzaga/Few situation.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

So chances Gregg Marshall stays at Wichita State now that he's been named Coach of the Year and brought a Final Four appearance then a perfect regular season and then a #1 seed there? I know we talked about this last year, and there was so mention of his behavior and attitude holding him back, but he flat out wins. Can the big-name schools take a pass on him again?

I think if you're one of the hot new things, you have to find a job that fits you. Buzz Williams waited too long and never did so he has to start over again at Virginia Tech. Brad Stevens held out just long enough to get an NBA gig and a good one at that. Shaka Smart probably needs to find his right job before things go south at VCU because he seems like a guy who won't stay in one place for a long time. Meanwhile, Mark Few waited too long so he's had to "settle" for his mini-mid-major dynasty up in Spokane.

I think Marshall is one of those guys who eventually wants to leave. But if you're him, what program did you see open that you really want to go to? Marquette? Wake Forest? His stock will never be higher than this year but would you rather wait another year or two when some bigger dominoes start falling? Does Boeheim retire? Do Izzo or Self or Ollie or Pitino go to the NBA? Does Calipari get pinched by the feds? Did Barnes's good year in Texas only buy him one more year? If one or more of those jobs come open, do those or the domino effect of open jobs give him a good chance at a better gig?

He also carries some personality baggage as there are claims that he's a bit high maintenance, even by head coach standards, and not every program is going to put up with that. So, this may be the highest he's thought of, maybe waiting a year or two gets him in a better job than jumping this year.

SI

[Matthean]

8-Year-Old Princess Lacey Passes Away - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)- Princess Lacey known for her life long battle with cancer and for winning the heart of star MSU basketball player Adreian Payne, has passed away.

8-Year-Old Lacey Holsworth befriended Payne after the Spartans basketball team made a trip to the hospital where Lacey was staying. The pair quickly formed a relationship and Payne refers to her as Princess Lacey and considers her his little sister.

Lacey's parents made a post on her Instagram Thursday night saying "Princess Lacey has achieved the ultimate victory. She now dances among angels...the world is a better place because you were in it".

Our heartfelt thoughts and condolences are with Lacey's family, friends, and the Spartans who knew and loved her.