April 2008 - Posts
A handful of football schools made the list of the greatest basketball programs of all time. Couldn’t be helped. Even football schools produce good hoops teams, though it seems like more and more are emerging.
And at No. 24, the Oklahoma Sooners are the first football school on this list.
It may seem strange that Oklahoma landed one spot ahead of N.C. State, one of the game’s historic powers, but give the Sooners their due. They’re worthy.
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What’s the deal with the other draft? You know, the one where college basketball prospects have to inform the NBA of their intentions by Sunday?
Click here to see who’s in. The last few days were especially busy.
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N.C. State doesn’t lack for hoops history.
The Pack has multiple NCAA Tournament titles, more than 1,500 wins and their 36-game winning streak is among the best in NCAA history.
Prefer your history by years? Only Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky squads won more games in the 1950s, the 1973-74 squad could be considered the greatest ever, while Jimmy V’s 1983 team pulled off perhaps the biggest upset the Big Dance has ever seen.
The topper? N.C. State started the tradition of cutting down the nets after winning a title. Move over Jim Burt.
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If there’s ever a time to feel sorry for UCLA – 11 NCAA titles? Share the wealth, Westwood! – this week was the time. For about 5 seconds.
Losing Kevin love and Russell Westbrook on the same day is par for the course in college hoops today. But having your starting power forward declare a day later just aggravates the wound. Waiting to see if your starting point guard will also leave may mean some amputation.
Unless, of course, you’re UCLA.
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So Kevin Love’s in the NBA draft. So are Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur. So is Russell Westbrook. All of them except for Rush are likely lottery picks.
Just how will they be as pros? I wouldn’t project any of ‘em as future All-Pros, but there’ll be a few All-Star games involved.
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It’s easy to spot the best men’s college basketball programs. They have the most wins, NCAA Tournament victories and titles, have thrived recently and send more players to the NBA than any other schools.
You know ‘em: UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Indiana and Duke. Six schools who have rich basketball traditions, devout fan bases and high expectations every season.
The harder part is figuring out which teams come after the stellar six. Who are those teams?
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A cavalcade of links, random thoughts and more from what’s been a fabulous college hoops week. Well, at least if you like Kansas...
Mario Chalmers shoots his way into NCAA lore and Bill Self makes a state ecstatic. Good things happen in bunches.
Not so good? Memphis' bad luck, Stanford's retain rate (for coaches) and beware Jay Bilas' verbal smackdown.
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Who knew a school like Stanford could outsmart itself like this?
Ex-Cardinal coach Mike Montgomery had been an assistant athletic director at the school since he was fired by the Golden State Warriors in 2006. Last week, he took the job across the bay at rival Cal. A week later, current Stanford coach Trent Johnson is expected to take the LSU job.
Who knew you could lose your current coach and Hall-of-Fame caliber replacement in waiting in just seven days?
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Bill Self’s “remarkable week” turned into extraordinary on Monday night when Kansas ended 20 years of title frustration and beat Memphis for the NCAA Championship.
And now, the bidding for Self’s services can begin.
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Pick your favorite Derrick Rose superlative. Astonishing. Unbelievable. Phenomenal. They all apply to Memphis’ freshman point guard.
So what’s left? Champion.
Just five years ago, Carmelo Anthony etched his name into NCAA lore as the best freshmen we’d ever seen. Rose is one victory from matching ‘Melo. Who knew history repeated itself so often? (For symmetry’s sake, the title-game opponent is the same as Anthony’s: Kansas. Go figure.)
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Flip a coin.
Deciding Saturday’s Final Four winners is that simple. Grab a coin – nothing fancy – and call it in the air. Sure, you could always go with the Vegas line, but doesn’t a coin flip work just as well?
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March Madness’ lasting impression on the world isn’t the teams vying for the title. It isn’t the memorable moments of buzzer-beaters, upsets, great games or the coaches.
It’s the bracket. The amazing, all-purpose, not-used-often-enough bracket.
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If Memphis beats UCLA in the Final Four, it’ll set an NCAA record for victories in a season. If North Carolina wins the title, it’ll set a record. And if the Tigers win it all, their 39 wins would be a memorable moment for the record books.
Yet, would 39 or 38 wins in one season be enough to vault either team into the “greatest ever” discussion?
After all, in the most loaded Final Four we’ve ever seen, shouldn’t the winner (survivor) receive some kind of consideration for “greatest” talk?
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