Top Posts
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Even if Butler or VCU fail to win the NCAA tournament, a Final Four berth will pay huge dividends for years to come. And not just in money, either. The Bulldogs and Rams figure to reap rewards in recruiting and exposure while the schools can expect massive rises in admissions, advertising and overall revenue. Not…
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Memphis believes in Josh Pastner. The school gave its 33-year-old coach a five-year extension Monday that brings his annual pay to $1.7 million and keeps him there through the 2015-16 season. Not bad for a guy who’s 49-20 in two seasons. Even more impressive is that Pastner was this close to coaching an NIT team…
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Outlook: The shooting guard spot is where these rankings get a bit difficult. The thing that is so great about this Final Four is that three of these teams have completely fluid lineups. They can play big. They can play small. Sometimes their best lineup is four guards and a big man. Sometimes they need…
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Matt Howard’s value to this Butler team cannot be quantified by the numbers that he puts up. Normally when you say that about a player, it’s because they are a role player. Because they are one of the guys that collect floor burns and take charges. It’s rare that the leading scorer and leading rebounder…
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Outlook: As was the case across the country this season, the point guard sport is absolutely loaded in this year’s Final Four. As a matter of fact, there is an argument to be made that the best, and/or most important, player on each roster is the starting point guard. Ranking the PGs: 1) Kemba Walker,…
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Today’s question: One-and-done or a less talented four-year-guy?
Mar 30, 2011, 7:30 AM EDT
When the McDonald’s All-American game tips off tonight, at least half the players will enter college next season with the intent on staying the one required year before heading to the NBA. (Whether they’re ready is another story.) You win many, many games with those types of players and even reach the Final Four. Kentucky…
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One of my favorite blog features from this season – and one I intend on continuing through the summer and making year-round – was the blogger spotlight. It wasn’t just that I was helping to promote college hoops blogs I enjoy, but because of the Q&A format. It lets the reader see how the question…
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Steve Scott has run 136 sub-four-minute miles, a record. Didn’t know that? Don’t worry. Me either (until I looked it up). But I do know that Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile, way back in 1954, breaking a mental sports barrier of sorts. Since then, running a mile in less than four minutes is…
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OK, last post on how unlikely this Final Four is. Promise. It’s just … it’s hard to wrap one’s head around this, you know? A Final Four without any 1 or 2 seeds? With an 8 and an 11, and the 11 had to win five games just to get here? That’s absurd. People have…
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If Kentucky fans want an NCAA championship, UK coach John Calipari wants one thing from them: space. College basketball’s most frenzied fan base loves its Wildcats. A lot. But to properly prepare for Connecticut on Saturday and potentially the national title game on Monday, Calipari hopes his fans can allow guys like Brandon Knight, Terrence…
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It isn’t all about the Final Four this week. Or coaching searches. Or early entrants into the NBA draft. Sometimes, it isn’t even about basketball. With that, I offer a terrific story by Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel, who writes about Thabiti “Bruce” Boone, a kid from the projects in New York City who dreamed…
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Anyone complaining that the Final Four is lacking because the “best teams” aren’t still playing, Michael Ventre has news for you. They are still playing. His weekly Trash Talk feature for us focuses on the surprise additions of VCU and Butler to the Final Four and that Kansas and Ohio State, the top two contenders,…
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Kemba Walker really is Superman. That was true most of the season when the junior guard spent a good portion of the season carrying the Huskies on his back. Well, he’s been even better in the Big Dance. Through four NCAA tournament games, no player can claim a higher offensive rating compared to the massive…
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Butler’s return to the Final Four means another week of The Mid-Majority reporting on college basketball. But VCU’s inclusion adds another dimension to the event. One of The Mid-Majority’s teams will be playing for the national title. Again. That’s a good thing – even if it affects how we’ll cover college hoops in the future.…
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Who’s ready for a PASE update? Well, too bad. I’m posting one anyway. The Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 all fell short of their Performance Against Seed Expectations, while the ACC and A-10 were essentially spot on. The SEC’s already ahead – and could end up with the second-most wins among any conference.…
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I don’t think it would be fair to call the 2011 NCAA tournament the greatest tournament of all-time. At least not yet. The first half of the first day was outstanding. There were a couple of classics during the tournament’s round of 32. The Sweet 16 featured plenty of intrigue, and the Elite 8 was…
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Shaka Smart has got his VCU Rams playing, without a doubt, their best basketball of the season. In the lose-and-go-home format of the NCAA Tournament, everything is about matchups and getting hot at the right time. John Calipari has been to the Final Four twice before. This time, he’s managed to get to Houston by…
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For a mere $20, you could give fans of Kansas, Florida State, Purdue, Georgetown and USC – and anyone who had those teams advancing in their NCAA tournament pools — the perfect gift. If you like being mean, that is. The clever folks at Virginia Commonwealth are selling a T-shirt with words most people uttered…
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If Missouri pulls this Matt Painter move off, someone should get a raise. Besides Painter, I mean. The Purdue coach is reportedly meeting with Missouri soon (likely Tuesday) and at least one report indicates there’s “better than a 50 percent chance” he accepts the offer. The Tigers supposedly will offer a contract worth more than…
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UCLA is losing one player to the NBA, but adding a transfer. Doesn’t look like an even swap, though. Sophomore swingman Tyler Honeycutt is entering the NBA draft and plans to sign with an agent, precluding any possibility of returning to school. The 6-8 wing was the Bruins’ most tantalizing talent, averaging 12.8 points and…
