2018-19 College Basketball thread

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Is it hard to listen to Chris Weber for anyone else?

Really? I've been quite impressed with him as an analyst.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Hoping my huskies can hang in there. Pretty excited for the game. I’m on a plane headed back from Vegas. Bought the WiFi just hoping to follow along and the video is working through the MMOD app.

The game was over before it ever started. North Carolina was pretty much the worst possible match-up for this team, and it's a little irritating that Oregon got an easier path to the Sweet 16 than we did. Ah well, a Pac-12 championship, 27 wins and a win in the NCAA Tournament - pretty good 2nd season for Hopkins, and the future looks even brighter.

Gonna be a way different looking team next year without Dickerson, Thybulle, Crisp, Green and Nowell.

[Brian Swartz]

I do not get the Tennessee press conference. According to Barnes and Schofield, he didn't play in overtime because he didn't want to - because he wouldn't have been able to guard due to foul trouble, they would have gone after him to get him fouled out. Umm … so what?? It's overtime, not midway through the second half. At that point you just play whoever you need to play, the time for worrying about fouling out is past. If that's the real reason, it's a totally stupid one - and if it's not, why did they make it up? And why is Barnes not taking ownership of the decision and letting his players decide?

Just weird all the way around.

[stevew]

Is it a fair question to ask why Zion is going to be a superstar where countless other 6'5" PFs have become punchlines in the NBA? I know he's better than guys like Anthony Bennett but still.

[Kodos]

Good year to pick all the higher seeds so far. You'd have 14 of 16 teams still alive.

[albionmoonlight]

That might have been our last best chance to send Duke packing. So close.
Sigh.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I do not get the Tennessee press conference. According to Barnes and Schofield, he didn't play in overtime because he didn't want to - because he wouldn't have been able to guard due to foul trouble, they would have gone after him to get him fouled out. Umm … so what?? It's overtime, not midway through the second half. At that point you just play whoever you need to play, the time for worrying about fouling out is past. If that's the real reason, it's a totally stupid one - and if it's not, why did they make it up? And why is Barnes not taking ownership of the decision and letting his players decide?

Just weird all the way around.

Would you really want to put a guy out there who told you he would be tentative in overtime of an elimination game whatever the reason? Whether he should be worried about fouling out is irrelevant. If he is thinking about it and it affects his game, he shouldn't be out there IMO.

This may be another one of those cases where we don't know the relationship between coach and player (a senior to boot) and he decided to trust the kid's instincts as he has done in the past. I guess the narrative can be spun to fit a personal view. The kid was scared of the moment vs. the kid trusted his teammate in that moment.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I guess the narrative can be spun to fit a personal view. The kid was scared of the moment vs. the kid trusted his teammate in that moment.

The latter narrative really doesn't fly since he's the same guy who scored 11 of their last 14 to save their ass two days prior. And not a ounce of hesitation on those rise & fire threes he did it with.

I think this was just one of those moments where someone knew themselves so well that they knew what they'd do / not do.

A little recent history with this maybe too. Looking at his recent 4/5 foul outings:

loss vs Auburn
loss vs Auburn
OT loss vs LSU (he was great offensively that night tho)
loss vs Kentucky
overtime win vs woeful Vandy (one of the worst games he's ever played)

You have to go back that far - a full two months - to find a game they've won where he had four fouls. Granted, he hit the game-winner against Gonzaga while playing with four. And they haven't lost a single game where he had less than four.

But take all of that into account, I just think he knew how he plays - or would play in that particular moment - with foul trouble.

[Thomkal]

Coastal up 50-36 at the half over W. Virginia in the second round of the CBI

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Coastal up 50-36 at the half over W. Virginia in the second round of the CBI

We are to never speak of this game.

[Thomkal]

In maybe their best performance on the road that I can remember, Coastal beat WV 109-91. They could not miss a shot. They move on to play South Florida in the next round. It's the first 100+ point game Coach Huggins has allowed at WV.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

In maybe their best performance on the road that I can remember, Coastal beat WV 109-91. They could not miss a shot. They move on to play South Florida in the next round. It's the first 100+ point game Coach Huggins has allowed at WV.

First time watching CC this year and I'm pretty sure Devonte Jones is going 1st overall in the NBA draft over Zion.

In all seriousness, congrats on the win.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I just think he knew how he plays - or would play in that particular moment - with foul trouble.

Thanks for the opinions guys. I guess this is just where the disconnect is for me. Going back to when I played in HS - I had and have the mental fortitude of a drenched napkin and there are many kinds of situations where that would have an effect. I can see someone you might not want there because of decision-making/nerves/whatever at the end of a game/OT, but as mentioned this isn't that guy. Foul trouble being one of those situations just doesn't make any sense to me. I've literally never heard of someone being tentative because of foul trouble specifically before when it's at the end of a game. Not wanting to foul out with lots of time left, being tentative in general or due to pressure situation, sure. I just can't imagine someone playing at this level of competition having an issue with just not 'being able' to play their normal game because of fouls. *shrug*

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I just can't imagine someone playing at this level of competition having an issue with just not 'being able' to play their normal game because of fouls. *shrug*

It's not just "not playing normal", it's more like a case where - in the matchup at hand - an unrestrained Alexander vs his tentative self was a better play in his mind.

Normal rotation would have been AS on the court, zero doubt of that.
This turned out to be the most minutes Alexander (also a senior) has played in a game since a putrid team outing vs Vandy in late January, most free throw attempts he's had since an overmatched Samford in mid-December.

Do I expect Schofield to take himself out in every tight game when he gets his fourth foul? No. I think this was just a guy being honest about what he felt was right in this particular moment.

Compare & contrast also to a key moment down the stretch in OT. Grant Williams makes a steal while defending in the post with four fouls. Split second decision, it worked out for him but could have easily been his fifth foul instead. That's how Williams is wired. It's just not how Admiral is wired (they're a real odd couple but their friendship has been obvious all season, they're a staple together in post-game interviews & such).

[JonInMiddleGA]

So my women's bracket went 6-2 in the final day of the second round (doubling my number of misses from the first three days) but I actually moved up to #44 nationally.

I got both the SD State and UCLA upsets right, missed by picking Kentucky over NC State, and like most people missed the Missouri State upset of Iowa State.

So I've got 13/16 teams still alive and all my E8 teams.

[Young Drachma]

Interested to see how far Texas can go in the NIT and whether it pays any dividends next year for Shaka Smart, who by all accounts has been a bust in Austin. (I'm not convinced that job's ceiling is as high as everyone thinks it ought to be anyway...) VCU won a CBI and then made a Final Four the following year, though apparently the NIT is a less good predictor of following year tourney success.

Going to relax my tournament moratorium of the past few years by watching the women's tournament the rest of the way out.

[Thomkal]

Coastal Carolina travels to Chicago tonight to play Depaul at 8 pm in the semis of the CBI. The bracket that I was looking at had the wrong information, and had us against South Florida. Not sure it matters much. Loyola Marymount is still alive in the other bracket, and would much prefer S. Florida for travel reasons in the final. I hope they bottled some of that magic they had against WV.

[Young Drachma]

Warlick out as Lady Vols' coach after 7 seasons

[Thomkal]

404 - StoryLine


Edit: Ohio man has the most perfect bracket in NCAA tournament history

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Warlick out as Lady Vols' coach after 7 seasons

Too late I'm afraid, the damage appears to have been done.

She was the wrong hire from day one. For as much love & respect as her predecessor gets & deserves, the cracks were starting to show before she stepped down.

And I don't believe Pat's health was the reason, but rather the dramatic change in player personalities. Holly was an attempt to continue an approach that was already showing diminishing returns.

[JonInMiddleGA]

A couple of hires that might be of interest

UNLV tabs SDSU's T.J. Otzelberger
Alabama hires Buffalo's Nate Oats

edit to add: And WSU hires SF's Kyle Smith

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

A couple of hires that might be of interest

UNLV tabs SDSU's T.J. Otzelberger
Alabama hires Buffalo's Nate Oats

edit to add: And WSU hires SF's Kyle Smith

Very important note: That's South Dakota State, not San Diego State.

This is also a horrible hire. Boosters free up the money and we get a guy who inherited a program and hasn't proven he can build one.

I'm pissed. At best, this is a lateral move. More likely, it's about five steps back - everyone is in the transfer portal pretty much, and nothing about this dude excites me.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Very important note: That's South Dakota State, not San Diego State.

This is also a horrible hire. Boosters free up the money and we get a guy who inherited a program and hasn't proven he can build one.

I'm pissed. At best, this is a lateral move. More likely, it's about five steps back - everyone is in the transfer portal pretty much, and nothing about this dude excites me.

Geez, that's a hot take. Otzelberger is considered a fantastic recruiter, and while you're right that South Dakota State was doing well under Nagy, this isn't exactly some highly established program where it's plug-and-play with coaches. That he didn't let the progress under Nagy backslide is a mark in his favor. Otz has been well-regarded in basketball circles for quite a while now.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Coastal Carolina travels to Chicago tonight to play Depaul at 8 pm in the semis of the CBI. The bracket that I was looking at had the wrong information, and had us against South Florida. Not sure it matters much. Loyola Marymount is still alive in the other bracket, and would much prefer S. Florida for travel reasons in the final. I hope they bottled some of that magic they had against WV.

Coastal ahead by 2 at the half 38-36. Been very close, no one's lead by more than 3 points I think.

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

A couple of hires that might be of interest

UNLV tabs SDSU's T.J. Otzelberger
Alabama hires Buffalo's Nate Oats

edit to add: And WSU hires SF's Kyle Smith

Whoa, Bama actually made a basketball hire that makes sense? Big news for me, an alum who loves Crimson Tide b-ball and basically any other Bama sport but football.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Coastal ahead by 2 at the half 38-36. Been very close, no one's lead by more than 3 points I think.

And the magic is over-Coastal gave up 56 points in the second half and lost by 5 92-87 Still a succesful season for the Chants, but nearly not given they were at .500. Need to build on it and move close to the top of the Sun Belt next season.

[miami_fan]

Come on ref! The kids have to learn that people are going to bump into them without saying excuse me in the "real world"

[albionmoonlight]

Tennessee/Purdue 2 minutes left. Really good game now.

[panerd]

Wow what a game. That purdue kid is on fire

[Brian Swartz]

Welp, I knew this was the point at which Michigan would need to be making shots or they'd be in trouble. First one didn't happen today, rather obviously. This was supposed to be a down year for them and I'm not shocked they lost, though it would have been nice if they'd made a game of it. Shooters were never as good the rest of the year as they were for about the first month. Only Matthews graduates so they should a key final four contender next year.

Not gonna win many games with 44 points. It'll be interesting to see how much success Tech has against the Zags.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Welp, I knew this was the point at which Michigan would need to be making shots or they'd be in trouble. First one didn't happen today, rather obviously. This was supposed to be a down year for them and I'm not shocked they lost, though it would have been nice if they'd made a game of it. Shooters were never as good the rest of the year as they were for about the first month. Only Matthews graduates so they should a key final four contender next year.

Not gonna win many games with 44 points. It'll be interesting to see how much success Tech has against the Zags.

You think Brazdeikis stays? I think he's a first rounder.

Thanks to that epic last 10 minutes of Purdue/Tennessee for saving what otherwise was a brutal night, but given the teams involved we shouldn't have been surprised.

[Brian Swartz]

I'd be surprised if Brazdeikis leaves just yet. One-and-done types don't generally go to programs like Michigan, and I think he's the kind of good-but-not-great collegian who needs one more year. It could happen though - I just think it'd be a mistake as he's not ready for the NBA(defense, passing, etc.)

[bob]

I don't watch tons of college basketball, but that was the worst offensive performance I've seen since the UConn / Butler final a while back.

[HomerSimpson98]

Would like to get Jon's thoughts on the Vols game.


I had a kids game and missed the first half, but damn what a game. Really impressed with Purdue. Cline shot off his ass but they pass the ball incredibly well too. Sucks for the Vols because they are so damn fun to watch. Very unselfish, great defense, and a couple of damn good players. I guess the hole they dug was too big to dig out of.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by HomerSimpson98

Would like to get Jon's thoughts on the Vols game.


I had a kids game and missed the first half, but damn what a game. Really impressed with Purdue. Cline shot off his ass but they pass the ball incredibly well too. Sucks for the Vols because they are so damn fun to watch. Very unselfish, great defense, and a couple of damn good players. I guess the hole they dug was too big to dig out of.

The season, bright as it was, probably ended the way it had to. (and exactly in the spot/to the team I predicted). They started 23-1, they finished 8-5 down the stretch.

They were talented but thin, one of the thinnest rosters in terms of productivity/reliability I can remember watching since seeing Georgia Tech roll out the "Thin Gold Line" night after night (and that was nearly 30 years ago). That takes a toll, as does doing everything the hard way which was just about all they knew for the last month. Lose a half step here, a step there, just from being worn down & it makes a difference.

They're a good group of people I think, incredibly easy to root for. Indeed a beat writer summed up a lot of things I've seen when he said something to the effect that "as big a loss to the basketball program as the seniors will be, they might be an even bigger loss to the campus & the community". They proved that success without Bruce Pearl IS possible, something that a lot of doubts existed about.

And while I know he seems to be kind of polarizing and I'm very aware of his post-season history, I have to say that Rick Barnes has been a very pleasant surprise to me. When he was hired I figured they had, at most, a caretaker for the program for a while. Or worse, a guy looking to collect a few final paychecks. Instead, by all accounts he's worked his butt off and done a lot to try to create a culture such as really hasn't existed at any point in the program. He's earned his checks & then some.

[Young Drachma]

Checking out the Portland regional women's games later today. Figured if I was going to end my NCAAs moratorium, the women's game was a place to do it.

[miami_fan]

If Auburn wins on Sunday, cookout at Coach Pearl's house?

[cuervo72]

Does Pearl always sound like Jeff Garlin?

edit: ok, it was probably just the choked up part

[Logan]

Would be nice if the NCAA could afford a few concussion spotters at these games.

[Scoobz0202]

HOW CAN THEY (DUKE) KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT

[Danny]

He choked that last shot big time

[Scoobz0202]

and two air ball three pointers right before that

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Does Pearl always sound like Jeff Garlin?

I Googled (recognized the face a little, but not the name) and, yeah, that's kinda what BP sounds like. Just with a little higher pitch.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And on the women's bracket side I get a 4-4 night and move into 28th place nationally at ESPN.

I ain't gonna win the thing but it's still been a fun ride to have it stay up there this late.

[Thomkal]

Congrats Jon

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Congrats Jon

Thanks.

Just think, if I finish #1 overall somehow I get ... 15 seconds of fame?
(No, I didn't check the boxes for any opt-in sponsored contests)

Honestly, it's just fun to not completely suck & actually be doing well.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I went back and read the fine print on the actual contest stuff btw.

The Grand Prize Winner ($5k in Amazon gift cards for the women's bracket, $10k in gift cards + 5 nights in Hawaii in November for the men's bracket) is actually chosen randomly from all those who finish in the top 1%.

[Vince, Pt. II]

That's hilarious. It doesn't actually go to the best bracket?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

That's hilarious. It doesn't actually go to the best bracket?

Nope, in neither contest. Not sure when that became a thing.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Also, congrats on performing so well! I've only had one team ever do that well, an ESPN fantasy football team that hit the 99.7% mark way back in '02 or so. I think I worked it out that I was something like 1,100th or so.