October 2007 - Posts
For the moment, pardon my indulgence.
Never been the biggest fan of Big Ten basketball. Whether it was downplaying Illinois’ remarkable 2004-05 season, ignoring Michigan State’s chances to beat Duke in the 2005 NCAA Tournament or bemoaning the ACC-Big Ten Challenge each season (win some games, then!), the league has never appealed to me.
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The NCAA wants its coaches to be better behaved on benches this season. Unsportsmanlike action (i.e. cussing) will result in a technical without warning. The rule has always been in place, but it’s been “interpreted in various ways” and this is supposed to streamline any decision making refs have to do.
Needless to say, it hasn’t sat well with the game’s more vocal coaches.
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Need your fill of college hoops news? Of course you do…
“North Carolina and the rest of us,” seems a little overdone, but Clemson coach Oliver Purnell isn’t far off. The Tar Heels, who return four starters and are msnbc.com’s pick to win the men’s NCAA Tournament, are the unanimous media selection to win the ACC Conference. UNC shared the regular-season crown with Virginia last season and won conference tournament, too. The rest of the ACC – Duke, N.C. State, Clemson, among others – won’t roll over, though.
Who thought they’d see the day when big-time recruits turned down Duke and North Carolina?
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Everyone’s got an opinion when it comes to who’s No. 1 in men’s basketball. And it’s one of those season when it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a consensus.
But after a season where Florida rolled to its second-straight NCAA Tournament title, a little variety at the top will be refreshing.
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One of the best features of this new blog format is the comments that can be posted with each article. Now, until hoops season begins (less than three weeks!), I don't expect the comments to pour in. It's hard to get too riled up over something until the games begin. Otherwise, that's what message boards are for.
But this was message waiting to be approved. And it's impossible to ignore.
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The legend, John Wooden, turned 97 years old Sunday. Happy belated birthday, coach.
Oddly enough, one of the biggest celebrations didn’t come in Los Angeles, where Wooden lives and rose to basketball idol status by guiding UCLA to 10 NCAA Tournament titles in the 1960s and 70s, but in his native Indiana.
Gov. Mitch Daniels issued a proclamation that makes Wooden’s birthday a celebration statewide, which was the second time Daniels has done so. The coach also may have a stretch of Indiana highway named after him. Not a bad Hoosier state honor for a coach not named Bobby Knight.
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Midnight Madness has gone the way of the summer movie. It used to be a simple thing with skits and a scrimmage. Now it takes fancy cars, fireworks and a bit of panache.
Then again, considering how much I enjoyed The Bourne Identity and Transformers, a bigger show isn’t all that bad -- especially when I think of just how excruciating Midnight Madness could be. Hanging around in the gym on a Friday night just to see an exaggerated scrimmage? Ugh. Fans could use a little entertainment.
Enter the Jerry Bruckheimer version of Midnight Madness.
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