Rants
I may have lost it. Just a bit.
Every scandal needs a villain. In the case of Memphis’ vacated Final Four season, two have emerged. But I’m unclear why there aren’t three.
Popular opinion is saddling John Calipari with most of the blame. No surprise there. Coach Cal was Memphis’ coach since 2000 and turned the Tigers into a national title contender. Anything regarding the program – victories, recruiting, publicity, compliance – falls to Calipari.
The NCAA also is taking some heat. But there's enough blame to spread to Derrick Rose, too.
CONTINUED >>
Hype’s a hard thing to ignore. Every season, the elite incoming college freshmen are touted as instant stars, able to carry a team to the Final Four (Derrick Rose) or even a title (Carmelo Anthony).
And why not? When we read about their exploits, see a YouTube video or various SportsCenter highlights, it’s hard not to believe that one of these players could indeed dominate like Kevin Durant.
Thankfully, there are writers who keep their cool and remind us that sometimes, not all freshmen are saviors, but merely good players.
CONTINUED >>
Hand it to North Carolina – the school knows how to kick off a celebration.
A pro alumni game featuring the likes of Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace and members of the 2005 and 2009 title teams is set for Sept. 4. Tickets are $20 a pop, but that seems like a deal to see roughly 24 ex-Heels strut their stuff.
This news has been around a while now, but it’s still enthralling. It’s the stuff arguments and reminiscing are made of.
CONTINUED >>
Who knew Ed O’Bannon would be the origin of so many stories this year?
This spring brought stories about O’Bannon’s post-basketball career, which center around his job as the assistant promotions manager for a Las Vegas car dealership. Pretty interesting stuff, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Until today.
O’Bannon is the lead plantiff in a lawsuit against the NCAA over its use of former student athletes’ images in DVDs, video games, photographs, apparel and other material. It’s a familiar refrain, the NCAA profiting handsomely off of its major sports and those athletes, but it’s always been able to win any lawsuits.
Now, that may change, mostly thanks to O’Bannon.
CONTINUED >>
Now’s the time to buy in college hoops – if you’re in the market for a piece of parquet. (OK, it’s not parquet, I just like the alliteration.)
Starting Friday, North Carolina fans can nab a piece of the court from the 2009 Final Four. Cost for the price of owning some of the Heels’ fifth NCAA title? $250.
Too cheap? Don't worry. There is plenty of floor to be had -- for much more money.
CONTINUED >>
It must be exhausting to be an NCAA compliance officer. Ensuring your school follows every rule and regulation is a never-ending task.
It’s a gig where you’re usually the party pooper and tell people they can’t do something.
And make no mistake, there’s a lot to cover. Give the rule book a read sometime. Catch up on your text messaging protocol or what kinds of greetings are appropriate between coaches and players.
But this new Facebook spin is over the top, even for the NCAA.
CONTINUED >>
The Madness is here.
Tuesday kicked off 13 glorious days of college basketball tournaments. Nearly 300 teams are vying for 31 automatic bids to the NCAA tournament awarded to conference tourneys champions. (That includes the Ivy League, which doesn’t hold a tourney, but gives its bid to the regular-season champ).
Those who don’t win place their fate with the seeding committee on Selection Sunday when the field of 65 is announced at roughly 6 p.m. ET. Most know these tourneys are their only shot at going dancing.
CONTINUED >>
OK, maybe the Stephen Curry adulation is going too far…
That may sound weird given this blog’s man crush on the Davidson star. But it’s true. The Curry crush has reached such proportions that CBS is going to rob most of the country of a Top 10 showdown Saturday in favor of Curry’s Wildcats.
Yes, it seems that No. 2 UConn vs. No. 8. Gonzaga may be a regional broadcast in favor of Davidson’s game vs. Purdue.
CONTINUED >>
During a week loaded with great basketball, who knew a mid-major coach would steal the show?
Just not in a good way.
Jimmy Patsos, the coach of Loyola (Md.) devised a way to prevent Davidson star Stephen Curry from scoring on Tuesday night. Curry, a sharpshooter who came into the game averaging more than 30 points a contest, was double-teamed whenever he was on the court. He took three shots and scored zero points.
CONTINUED >>
Tuesday night’s main events went pretty much according to plan. North Carolina outran Kentucky. Stephen Curry scored a bunch, but Davidson lost to Oklahoma. And Kansas raised its championship banner.
Lost among the shuffle – and that late starting time – was a ridiculous finish between Arizona and UAB. Well, ridiculous is being nice. Stupid, maybe? Pick your favorite synonym because it applies. The House that Lute built is slowly crumbling.
The quick synopsis is this: A free-throw with .8 seconds remaining gave UAB a 72-71 in the quarterfinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off. But that omits all the boneheaded details leading up to the end.
CONTINUED >>
