ABOUT THIS BLOG

News, analysis, feature stories, random thoughts... if it's about college basketball, either in season or during the summer doldrums, you'll find it in Beyond the Arc.

Mike Miller

Mike Miller has been NBCSports.com's college basketball editor since 2003. It's a position he relishes; no wonder considering he transferred to Kansas to watch Paul Pierce play. Most of his favorite sports memories involve college hoops, usually during March, when every waking moment is spent thinking about March Madness.



Big Ten (RSS)

Coaches, style of play

Hey! A ranked showdown that was good!

Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009 8:43 PM
Filed Under: , ,

Now that’s more like it.

Most ranked matchups this season have either been sloppy or one-sided. The Paradise Jame championship was neither.

Purdue’s 73-72 win against Tennessee was nearly everything one could hope for in a Top 10 showdown – in November, or any month. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (0 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

If Purdue could only stay healthy ....

Posted: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 10:05 AM
Filed Under:

Foot injuries prompt worry among college basketball coaches. Sometimes little things that appear innocuous turn out to be season-ending. North Carolina’s Marcus Ginyard experienced this last season when a stress fracture delayed his season, then ended it.

OK, so it didn’t derail the Heels’ title run, but not everyone has their depth.

Case in point: Purdue, and the recent surgery to point guard Lewis Jackson. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (0 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

Better re-think those preseason assumptions

Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 11:28 PM
Filed Under: , , ,

On a night when college hoops’ top two teams escaped upsets, what’d we learn?

That Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are the key to Kansas’ season? Or that Kalin Lucas is Michigan State’s go-to guy? We knew all that going in.

Try this: Don’t forget recent history because Gonzaga and Memphis are actually good. Again.

The old cliché still applies, I guess. The more things change – both teams lost four starters from last season – the more they stay the same. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (4 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

Indiana's student section needs a name

Posted: Thursday, November 12, 2009 8:44 AM
Filed Under: ,

A catchy moniker goes a long way.

It’s hard for college basketball fans to think of Duke without also picturing the Cameron Crazies, their loud and usually creative student section. It’s gotten to the point where the Crazies get more attention than some college hoops teams, given that ESPN did a feature on one of ‘em last year.

Well, Indiana wants a piece of that action. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (1 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

Hey look! Evan Turner has a blog!

Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009 3:15 PM
Filed Under:

Blogging must come easily to Ohio State basketball players.

Last year, Club Trillion, a blog started by three Ohio State bench players – Mark Titus, Kyle Madsen and Danny Peters – became a minor Web sensation thanks to Titus’ funny bits riffing on life on the Buckeye bench.

So what’s life like as an Ohio State starter? Maybe Evan Turner can fill us in. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (0 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

Not feeling Minnesota without 2 key players

Posted: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 4:26 PM
Filed Under:

Whoa. Minnesota déjà vu.

A day after announcing that forward Trevor Mbwake won’t play until his court issues are resolved, Gophers coach Tubby Smith revealed that star freshman Royce White is suspended indefinitely. He faces misdemeanor charges of theft and fifth-degree assault after being accused of shoplifting at the Mall of America.

That leaves Minnesota without its top two newcomers, a pair of skilled, athletic 6-8 forwards who could eventually start for a Top 25 team. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (1 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

Playing 'what if' with Larry Bird and Indiana

Posted: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 1:08 PM
Filed Under:

The “what if?” game can torment a fan base, no matter how much their team’s won.

Perhaps that’s the a reason why Hoosier fans should steer clear of the new book “When the Games Was Ours,” by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (3 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

Mbakwe's absence no small thing for Gophers

Posted: Monday, November 02, 2009 8:01 PM
Filed Under:

In case you missed it, Minnesota basketball is relevant again.

Entering his third season, Tubby Smith’s molded his team into something Kentucky fans would recognize – a strong defensive unit that relies on winning low-scoring games because it doesn’t shoot well. Still, the Gophers return all five starters from an NCAA tournament team, which was enough to land in the preseason polls.

In short, the Gophers should be good this season. But they could be a March darkhorse if a few player issues are resolved. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (0 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

John Beilein, master of video

Posted: Sunday, November 01, 2009 3:45 PM
Filed Under:

Sounds like John Beilein is college basketball’s version of Roger Ebert. Michigan’s coach is always watching tape

When he started coaching in 1976, Beilein poured over game tapes, which morphed from Super 8 to Beta and VHS as he advanced through the coaching ranks. By the time he reached West Virginia, his laptop was his own personal movie theater.

Now, there’s not a day that goes by when he’s not showing a Wolverine something on the computer. CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (0 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

Ohio St. turning to Turner more than ever

Posted: Friday, October 30, 2009 9:48 AM
Filed Under:

Thad Matta’s no dummy. Ohio State enters the season without a good option at point guard, so he’s doing the next best thing. Maybe even the better thing.

Turner ended up leading OSU in scoring (17.3), rebounds (7.1), assists (4.0), steals (1.8) and was its best 3-point shooter (44 percent).

As a result, expect to see even more of Turner at point this season. Matta wants the ball in his hands as much as possible. I’d say expect to see a lot more of him overall, but that’d be tough. He played in 90 percent of Ohio State’s available minutes last season. When you have a player like that, why not? CONTINUED >>

DiscussDiscuss (0 Comments) Email thisEmail this | Link to thisLink to this

More posts: Next page

More Beyond the Arc

Recent Posts:


Archives:


Categories:

Syndicate This Site

Add Beyond the Arc to your news reader:
live.com xml
myyahoo msn
bloglines newsgator
google