2014-2015 College Basketball Thread

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

It's that time of the year again! Lots of scrimmages tonight on campus. Looking forward to the new season! Can't wait for the pre-season tournaments to start up in a few weeks.

[Kodos]

Syracuse basketball: School officials will attend NCAA hearing on potential violations this month | syracuse.com

Syracuse in trouble.

[tarcone]

Im excited to see Iowa post-Marble. Guys have another year under their belt.

Preseason #25 ranking.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Lauren Hill, Mount St. Joseph basketball player dying of cancer, fulfills dream on court and inspires others - + KSHB.com

[Matthean]

Michigan returns a rather young group yet again but the way Beilein talks about them gives me hope. This will be a standard rebuild year after sending 5 guys to the pros in two years.

[Kodos]

Tom Crean needs to be fired.


Doyel: IU basketball's problems are an 'epidemic'

[nol]

Emmanuel Mudiay put up 29 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in the 2nd game of the Chinese season. Oh yeah, and he's making $1.2 million tax free. The way this is going, you can expect at least one top-ten recruit to bypass the NCAA next season.

[Butter]

Got my season tickets for Dayton basketball in the mail a couple of weeks ago. First and only preseason game is tomorrow night! Lot of unknowns for the Flyers this year, they lost their emotional leader to graduation in Devin Oliver and a solid backup point guard to transfer in Khari Price.

But they brought in a graduate transfer point guard, local kid Ryan Bass from Oakland U. and a Juco PF who is supposed to be more athletic than Oliver in Detwon Rogers. In addition, a standard recruit who it is buzzed could be competing for conference Freshman of the year in SG Darrell Davis.

We'll see if this team still has some competitive fire burning pretty quick, as they start out with Texas A&M in Puerto Rico two weeks from today after a tune up opener vs. Alabama A&M. Texas A&M will be a must win, as the winner of that first game likely gets UConn, which would be another great test. Dayton has played well in recent years in these exempt tournaments, but we'll see.

A nice article from Fox Sports recapping UD's Elite 8 run from last year and talking about Archie Miller's methods and upbringing... Can't wait to get things tipped off this year!

There's way more to Dayton basketball than you think | FOX Sports

[JonInMiddleGA]

Meanwhile, in Knoxville

NCAA investigation could mean bad things for Donnie Tyndall at UT - CBSSports.com

Report: Vols coach Donnie Tyndall under NCAA investigation

[MrBug708]

UCLA destroyed UNLV in a "secret scrimmage". Gotta think Dave Rice is on the hot seat with all that talent

[Kodos]

The Long Road Home - The Crimson Quarry

Nice story about Mike Davis.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

UCLA destroyed UNLV in a "secret scrimmage". Gotta think Dave Rice is on the hot seat with all that talent

It's also young talent.

Rice damn sure can recruit, though. Today, we picked up 4* recruit Derrick Jones, who ESPN had #22 and yesterday we grabbed 4* Jalen Poyser, who is a Top 100 recruit on Yahoo.

[cartman]

Kentucky just added the #11 and #13 recruits to their 2015 class.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Big slate of games tonight. Starting to get into the swing of things!

[digamma]

Harvard set to tip off against MIT in our annual Cambridge grudge match. It will get ugly very quickly.

[cartman]

Looks like Frank Haith made the right move

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by cartman

Looks like Frank Haith made the right move

Asher Fusco previews the 2013-14 season for the UMKC Kangaroos, writing that a last-place finish could be in store for this rebuilding roster.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Oh good god. Mizzou is fine. They have a very young roster with a couple of transfers. It's going to take some time this year to get them on the right page. For much of the game, we had three freshman and two sophomores on the court. It was obvious that our talent was better, but young kids are really good at taking bad shots and having mind-numbing mental lapses (of which there were plenty tonight).

When your three highest scorers are likely to be freshman (albeit highly ranked freshmen), you're going to have bumps in the road like tonight. You hate to have it in the first game obviously, but it's not that big of a deal.

[cartman]

I'd think that you'd be happy that UMKC won, considering that is the school you actually went to.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Hey now, their 7-9 record in the WAC in the 2013-2014 season was good enough for a 5th place tie with Idaho.

[panerd]

Oh come on MBBF if any other school dropped a game at home to a school of that caliber you would be all over it like stink on shit. Mizzou sucked last night, there is no excuse for a major conference school to lose to UMKC. A question I have always had was answered last night though. So those supposed first round games of these tournaments are fake I guess? Shouldn't UMKC be making the trip to play Arizona?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by panerd

A question I have always had was answered last night though. So those supposed first round games of these tournaments are fake I guess? Shouldn't UMKC be making the trip to play Arizona?

You got me thinking about that, too, and it appears you are correct. The "Opening Games" do not count in the bracket.

http://mauiinvitational.com/sports/2...14Bracket.aspx

SI

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by panerd

Oh come on MBBF if any other school dropped a game at home to a school of that caliber you would be all over it like stink on shit.

It's not that big of a deal. We were missing one of our star players and nearly all the other players were playing their first game in a Mizzou uniform. Frustrating, yes, but that's only because of the standard that Mizzou basketball holds. This is going to be one of those teams that grows by leaps and bounds over the course of the year, but it's going to take a few lumps in the non-con to learn those lessons.

[whomario]

In case you didnt Know already, gonzaga has another son of a legendary player (after David stockton) in Domantas Sabonis.

The Old College Try: The complicated recruiting sagas of Arvydas Sabonis and his son Domantas | Longform - SI.com

Nice story of his recruiting but mostly about a hail mary attempt to get his dad to come play College ball in 86.
Kid is a hell of a player, too. Played some rotation minute for malaga in euroleague play as a 17 year old last season (and was clever enough not to let himself be paid to keep eligible to play College ball)

[Izulde]

Man, a *second* comeback win to move to 2-0. We need to execute better on free throws - 51.9% through the first two games, or we would have won much more easily, but I *love* the fightback and heart in these kids.

Actually, we need to improve our shooting overall. But looking very good defensively so far, with Christian Wood and Goodluck Okonoboh hosting block parties. Wood has 10 for the season, Goodluck 13.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by panerd

Oh come on MBBF if any other school dropped a game at home to a school of that caliber you would be all over it like stink on shit. Mizzou sucked last night, there is no excuse for a major conference school to lose to UMKC. A question I have always had was answered last night though. So those supposed first round games of these tournaments are fake I guess? Shouldn't UMKC be making the trip to play Arizona?

Was looking at the teams that are now in the WAC... that literally looks like the worst conference in the country, and I'm not exaggerating here.

Here are the teams in the WAC in order of predicted conference finish this year:

New Mexico State
Grand Canyon
Seattle Univ.
Utah Valley
UMKC
Bakersfield
Texas-Pan American
Chicago State

UMKC is predicted to finish in the bottom half of this murderer's row. And it was a HOME loss. That's going to be a resume blemish no matter which way you look at it, whether it was the first game or not.

Last year, my beloved Dayton Flyers nearly lost the opener to IPFW, a team picked to finish 6th in their awful conference (Summit League). If they had lost that game, I think they don't get in the tournament and that Elite 8 run never happens. That's how important these games are. To say this is meaningless is sticking your head in the sand.

To say it's meaningless for your alma mater is embarrassing.

[Thomkal]

After an easy 40+ win over a Division II team, Coastal Carolina traveled to UCLA to play their first ever game against a PAC-12 team. Down only by 4 at the half, they couldn't hold on and lost 84-71. It was a good effort by the Chants who are still trying to figure out who should start at a few positions. Next "big" game for the Chants will be at Auburn in early December.

[MrBug708]

Ucla is an average program thus year but it's encouraging to see them beat teams comfortably enough

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Tigers looked so much better last night. After losing to UMKC, they go out and beat a very good Valpo team with great team defense (something that was totally lacking in the first game). Glad to see them get back in the saddle.

Also, if you're a Mizzou fan, it's really exciting to watch Gill-Caesar play basketball. He's still a freshman who takes some bad shots, but man, the kid is really fun to watch on both ends. Really well-rounded game. Can't wait to see Gant get on the floor with him.

[JPhillips]

Projected middle of the Horizon League is now the bar for very good?

[cartman]

The Texas men's basketball team won their 1700th game in program history last night, becoming the 17th program to hit that mark.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Ucla is an average program thus year but it's encouraging to see them beat teams comfortably enough

I'll be keeping an eye on Isaac Hamilton this year...

Miners beat Washington State easily on Saturday night and are receiving some votes already. This is the tallest, quickest Miner team I've seen in a long time...it could be something special if our freshman guards play up to their potential.

[Marmel]

Originally Posted by cartman

The Texas men's basketball team won their 1700th game in program history last night, becoming the 17th program to hit that mark.

Assuming both teams win the warm up game Thursday night, I am really looking forward to Cuse/Texas at MSG on Friday night!!

[Marmel]

Dola...

29 hour college basketball marathon starts tonight at 7. Love waking up and watching some early morning hoops before work. Tomorrow night has Duke/MSU/Kentucky/Kansas all squaring off. Good stuff.

Oh and LOL at Mizzou losing that game.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Marmel

Assuming both teams win the warm up game Thursday night, I am really looking forward to Cuse/Texas at MSG on Friday night!!

Yep, me as well! Texas has a couple of more stout OOC games after that, with trips to UConn and Kentucky.

[sterlingice]

I'm not looking forward to KU-UK tomorrow night. I think there's a lot of good money to be made, betting Kentucky -4. Kansas just doesn't look ready at all. I suspect it will be a double digit lead a lot of the game.

SI

[sterlingice]

Good news:
Sanity restored: NCAA will rename early rounds of the tournament | The Dagger - Yahoo Sports

The 64 and 32 will once again be the 1st and 2nd round after next year's tourney

SI

[Butter]

Dayton retains the First Four for three more years, but locals are a little disappointed we weren't awarded any first or second round games.

[PilotMan]

Kentucky has such an embarrassment of riches it's ridiculous.

[tarcone]

Cartman, Iowa and Texas face off in New York City.
Iowa has looked strong to start the season. But this is a big test for them.
Looking forward to this one.

[Marmel]

I'm not sure what to think about sleazy Calimari's platoon "strategy". Honestly, I think it is just for show. A real "look at me" move. What happens at the end of big games/tournament games? He is going to play a platoon? He is going to mix and match with guys who have played zero game time with each other?

Sure, they are hammering Kansas, but this game will get closer in the 2nd half.

[PilotMan]

Basically it's what happens when your freshman class doesn't get drafted and your new freshman class is good enough to press for playing time. He had to come up with something otherwise the next recruiting class will have a hard time committing if there are a bunch of other guys in the mix for playing time.

[PilotMan]

yep, this game is sure tightening up.

[Matthean]

Mildly interesting that ESPN's recap video of MSU/Duke doesn't show a single MSU highlight.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Marmel

I'm not sure what to think about sleazy Calimari's platoon "strategy". Honestly, I think it is just for show. A real "look at me" move. What happens at the end of big games/tournament games? He is going to play a platoon? He is going to mix and match with guys who have played zero game time with each other?

Sure, they are hammering Kansas, but this game will get closer in the 2nd half.

Still with the Calipari hate... The guy isn't cheating, he's just a better (and more creative, and more persistent) salesman than anyone else. Of course it's a look at me move, just like bringing in Drake is, just like going on ESPN and making sure to mention all 15 1st round picks in every interview is, but you can't argue with the success. And not (just) team success - look at his ratio of top recruits to current millionaires who are set for life. And I know for a fact that he still checks in with and takes care of any former player he's had regardless of their contributions - he just might not mention getting someone a job at FedEx when he's interviewed. Meanwhile UConn has 2 titles but has graduated like 7% of its players in the last 6 years - which coach/program is really looking out for the best interests of its players?

[cartman]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Cartman, Iowa and Texas face off in New York City.
Iowa has looked strong to start the season. But this is a big test for them.
Looking forward to this one.

Looking forward to it as well. Texas has basically had two extended practices so far. I was at the Alcorn State game, and the Braves has 3 points after 11 minutes. Will be nice to see how they fare against a decent team.

[sterlingice]

Well, that sucked. 19.6% FG for the game? Ugh.

SI

[RainMaker]

The only negative I'd say with Calipari is I hate when they make it a huge accomplishment with what he did last season. I remember a bunch of articles about how he coached up these kids and defied the odds getting them to the title game.

Fact is he had the most talented team in the nation. They should have made the title game, freshman or not.

[Marmel]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Still with the Calipari hate... The guy isn't cheating, he's just a better (and more creative, and more persistent) salesman than anyone else. Of course it's a look at me move, just like bringing in Drake is, just like going on ESPN and making sure to mention all 15 1st round picks in every interview is, but you can't argue with the success. And not (just) team success - look at his ratio of top recruits to current millionaires who are set for life. And I know for a fact that he still checks in with and takes care of any former player he's had regardless of their contributions - he just might not mention getting someone a job at FedEx when he's interviewed. Meanwhile UConn has 2 titles but has graduated like 7% of its players in the last 6 years - which coach/program is really looking out for the best interests of its players?

You have seriously been blinded by Cal's flash. Do you really believe he has not cheated to get the recruits he has? His teams have been hammered all the way back to Umass. You are being very naieve if you think Cal had nothing to do with Umass and Memphis' problems right after he left. He may or may not get caught at Kentucky, but be sure he is a huge sleazeball. Always has been, always will be.

Is he such a great recruiter that he can get practically every player he wants over any other coach and program in the country? Is he expodentially greater than every other coach in college hoops?

I'm not sure why you bring up Uconn, but their superior coaching beat 'tucky twice in Final 4's recently, with two different superior coaches. I hate Uconn almost as much as Kentucky, but to point out their graduation rate has to be some kind of joke, right? Kentucky doesn't graduate anybody! They all leave after 1 or two years. But their APR remains perfect? Seems fishy.

[tarcone]

Hey Mizzou fans! A kid from our HS just sign his LOI. Cullen Van Leer. Kid will be a great addition to the program.
Dad is the varsity coach, and has been for 16 years. Cullen is a gym rat.
He can shoot. 30 foot is easily within range.
Basketball smarts.
A little slow in his lateral movement. But a 6'4" shooting guard.
Grat kid.