Beyond the Arc : Links roundups

Let's talk Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina

Mike Miller — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:27:00 GMT

Another day, another round of college basketball media days. But that’s a good thing! Even the most mundane press conference have some tidbits worth sharing.

OK, it helps that the stories focus on Kentucky, North Carolina and Kansas, among others. Still, the best factoid came from Arizona State. Derek Glasser threw Rob Evans under the bus.

But I’m saving the best for last. Check out these others first.

Marc Serota/AP

Derek Glasser says Arizona State is past its losing environment.

Big Blue Nation can’t wait
John Calipari says he’s done enough politicking in Kentucky – glad-handling, “kissing babies” and such – and is just happy that the season’s finally ready to begin. He still maintains onlookers (media, fans) are a little nuts for slotting the Wildcats into the Top 10 when they haven’t played a game yet.

Oh, and don’t be surprised to see Patrick Patterson shooting the occasional 3-pointer. From having to do it all inside to playing some wing. That’s how deep Kentucky is.

Ty Lawson isn’t walking through that door
North Carolina doesn’t have Ty Lawson anymore, but don’t expect Larry Drew II to be Lawson. That’s just setting up Drew for failure. Drew knows, Williams knows it and everyone else should too. So there.

"He's not Ty and he's not going to be Ty," Williams said. "You have your own skill set. There's some things you do better than Ty, there's some things Ty did better than you.”

National title? Sounds like fun!
When Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins returned to school last spring, Kansas jumped to the top of the favorites list. Turns out that helped when Xavier Henry was choosing a new school after backing away from Memphis.

"That was (10 days) before I made my announcement (to come to Kansas)," Xavier Henry said. "They said they had a chance to win a title. So I said I might as well join them." To which Kansas replied, “welcome aboard!”

Irish eyes want to be smilin’ in record books
Is it strange that Notre Dame’s senior class of Luke Harangody, Tory Jackson and Jonathan Peoples need just 23 win to post the most victories at the school? That would put them at 93 win in four years.

That’s like 3 seasons for Chris Douglas-Roberts when he was at Memphis. Just sayin’.

We’re not animals, we’re Hogs
Arkansas’ offseason was spent downplaying a number of off-court issues, including an allegation against three players by a woman who claimed she was raped. Charges were dropped, but the reputation lingered a bit. John Pelphrey’s trying to halt that.

"We're trying to mold them into men," Pelphrey said. "It's a process. That's why you have coaches, that's why I have bosses. That's why I have people trying to help me be the best I can be. I hope they understand. If they don't, we'll keep pounding them and doing all that we do."

Guard Courtney Fortson has a better solution: “Win.”

We used to be losers
James Harden’s two-year stay at Arizona State resulted in 46 wins in 2 seasons and an NCAA tournament victory, a rarity for the Sun Devils the last 14 years. But that was part of the problem, says senior point guard Derek Glasser. Before Herb Sendek arrived, no one cared.

"When I first came here, it was OK to lose," said Glasser, now a senior. "You're competitive, so that was OK. As long you don't get blown out, it's OK. But now we've learned how to win.

"The culture is different," Glasser said. "It's not OK to lose. We win now."

(Whistles).

Somewhere, Rob Evans is seething. Or not, if Glasser is to be believed.

Follow me on Twitter and get more college basketball news at NBCSports.com.

More from athletes behaving badly

Mike Miller — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:56:00 GMT

Attention all Bracketologists: Hold off on penciling in Binghamton for back-to-back appearances in the Big Dance.

The Bearcats’ senior point guard, Emanuel “Tiki” Mayben, was arrested and found with 3.4 grams of cocaine on Wednesday, according to police. He already was being sought on a two-count indictment for third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, but was charged with two additional felony drug possession counts, the Times Union reported (Albany, N.Y.) reported.

It seems doubtful Mayben will return to the team given the litany of charges, but who knows? Binghamton is the third school at which he’s played, so he’s used to second chances.

The school – you can hear ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser mention his alma mater occasional on PTI – must be tired of its players’ shenanigans, too.

As Rush the Court details, Miladin Kovacevic allegedly beat another student into a coma and fled the country after posting bail, while Malik Alvin was arrested in 2007 for trying to steal condoms from a Wal-Mart (is that going too far for safe sex? Two basketball players at my high school once got busted for the same thing).

Hm. Maybe the Kansas’ fracas isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a school…

UPDATE: The Quad, N.Y. Times' college blog, tracked down Kornheiser for his reaction to the arrest and the school's reputation as UNLV East. I don't think Tony's amused.

“I know there’s been scrutiny,” he told the Quad. “It’s been a program I defended and liked very much. I know the athletic director and the president. It’s my school. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a tipping point. It’s certainly going to bring more scrutiny. It would have to advance along whatever scrutiny has been there already.”

But he's clear on one thing: He's a proud alum, but doesn't want to be seen as the school's spokesperson.

“Whatever you quote me as saying, I’m not a spokesman for the university,” he said. “I’m an alum. I have a lot of visibility, holding up the Bearcat. I’m not a spokesman for the university, not their defender or lawyer or anything. I’m a guy who went to Binghamton with visibility.”

Need more cowbell for hoops schedules?

Mike Miller — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:11:00 GMT

Self-promotion/programming alert!

The plan to roll out a new preview for the 2009-10 season began Sunday with the Top 10 conferences. Coming this week: Games you can’t miss.

I know, I know, you can hardly wait. Perhaps these links will help tide you over.

The Big Monday slate for ESPN was announced last week, and it’s no slouch. Villanova at Louisville. Kansas at Texas. West Virginia at UConn. Love it. Rush the Court points to Feb. 8 as the best day (‘Nova at West Virginia, followed by KU at Texas), and they may not be wrong. Regardless, it gives you a reason to finally like Monday. (Me, I work Sunday through Thursday so that’s actually my Tuesday, but I digress.)

Most of the holiday tournament kerfuffle was covered last month, but in case you were on vacation, here are some pertinent links. A breakdown of the six biggies and some bemoaning. (And here’s the definition of kerfuffle.)

Links for conference schedules follow: ACC; A-10; Big East; Big 12; Big Ten; C-USA; MWC; Pac-10; SEC, among others.

But the best link is probably this breakdown from Luke Winn. He details the five toughest non-conferences schedules (actually the Top 10), two of the weakest and some other intriguing matchups. Good stuff.

Reflections, links on Brand's death

Mike Miller — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:35:00 GMT

Myles Brand’s death on Wednesday prompted an outpouring of stories and columns reflecting on his time as the NCAA president, his impact in that position and the move that vaulted Brand into the public eye, how he handled and eventually fired Bob Knight at Indiana.

Here’s a roundup from the best I read on the web.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty images

Myles Brand

Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News: Brand’s lasting legacy includes a greater focus on athletes’ welfare, more accountability toward academics and an embracing of basketball that was essential to the game’s development.

Andy Katz, ESPN: Brand was always willing to listen. You may not have agreed with him, but he was a good listener and a good soul.

Alexander Wolff, Sports Illustrated: The man who made his reputation by firing Knight cemented it forever as NCAA president when he ended the practice of paying lip service to academic performance.

Dennis Dodd, CBS Sportsline: Brand’s legacy much more than simply firing Knight, though he was right to put Knight in his place.

(It’s interesting to think about the relationship between Brand and Knight. Both valued academics above nearly everything else (the graduation rate of Knight’s players at Indiana was reportedly 98 percent), yet they’ll forever be viewed as polar opposites. Just sayin’.)

Kevin Blackistone, Fanhouse: If anyone epitomized the “speak softly and carry a big stick” mantra, it was Brand.

Christine Brennan, USA Today: The NCAA lost one of its finest leaders and a pragmatic reformer.

Mark Alesia, Indianapolis Star: Brand didn’t have the power of a czar, but he made great use of the bully pulpit.

Stephenson suitors now down to one?

Mike Miller — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:50:00 GMT

Despite an abundance of talent, Lance Stephenson’s college career is still on hold. And it could be that way for a while.

Maryland – fresh off the news that do-it-all point guard Greivis Vazquez will return to school – has stopped recruiting the high school star. Yes, Gary Williams’ program could use a boost. Doesn’t matter. Sounds like they’ll take their chances without one of 2009’s elite talents. (Much to some fans’ chagrin.)

Terps officials are worried about a possible fiasco with Stephenson’s eligibility. He also faces a court date later this month regarding a misdemeanor sexual assault charge.

Sure, he’s talented, but there’s enough baggage that teams are scared of taking him. And really, who wants to get burned?

Turns out there’s still one school that is recruiting Stephenson – Memphis.

(shakes head)

Say this for the Tigers: They’re willing to gamble.

A links roundup:

Prosecutors want an extension in the alleged Rick Pitino extortion case. And … they got it. They’re still collection phone records and producing tape recordings of the defendant.
The key to winning the ACC next year? Forwards. Also, the News&Observer makes a smart pick to win the conference.
Gani Lawal’s return to Georgia Tech should be a huge boost for Derrick Favors, the best recruit not named John Wall.
On the other hand, Ater Majok withdrew from the NBA draft, but Jim Calhoun isn’t sure Majok will be back at UConn. Simply put: Majok’s from Sudan, and his family could use money. He play in Europe.
The USC bloodletting continues: Jamie Dixon doesn’t want to talk about the Trojans, and a former recruit is poised to sign with Florida.
Across town, Ben Howland is pondering his next move now that Jrue Holiday isn’t staing with UCLA.
Meet Jeff Withey, eating machine.
Optimistic quote of the day: After Cincinnati gives Mick Cronin an extension, he declares: “There’s no question that we’re back.”
Finally, this link may only interest me, but I thought it was suitable given my recent dalliance with balanced budgets.

LeBron's shot spurs buzzer-beater dreams

Mike Miller — Sat, 23 May 2009 22:00:00 GMT

LeBron James’ magnificent game-winner against the Magic (and because I’m at work on a long weekend) just makes me want to watch more buzzer-beaters.

That’s normal, right? One good buzzer-beater deserves another – even if it isn’t March…

Top 10 lists for college hoops buzzer-beaters circulate every year, even on sites that don’t … condone … college hoops, to say nothing of the usual suspects.

Charles Arbogast/AP

Christian Laettner vs. Kentucky, 1992

For starters, they’re a blast. Seeing it happen live – the few of us who were in the newsroom Friday night all yelled when LeBron sunk his shot – is marvelous, and just makes you (Read: me) want to talk about it all night and into the next day. (My wife rarely feels the same way, unless it’s about Kansas, but even she has her limits with the Jayhawks.)

But the post-shot discussion is my favorite. Where does each shot rank? How hard was it? Did he or she get lucky? And do you remember when … well, you get the idea.

So come with me and take a trip down memory lane for some of the best buzzer-beaters in college hoops history.

Start with the non-NCAA tournament shots. ESPN did a fun highlight package last year when Cleveland State beat Syracuse that featured nothing but half-court shots, and some that were even farther. (The full-court heave after the missed free throw is astounding.)

But they don’t have to be half-courters to be dramatic. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen Jeff Capel’s buzzer-beater against UNC in ’95 replayed.

Still, most of the memorable buzzer-beaters happen during the NCAA tourney. The event’s tailor-made for drama because of what’s at stake and the number of games (more chances for drama!).

This list is a pretty good rundown of the ones we all know, but there’s no video involved. And here’s a ranking of the Top 5.

But what good are buzzer-beaters if you can’t watch ‘em? Here’s another ESPN highlights package of 10 good ones, including Christian Laettner sinking Kentucky, Lorenzo Charles saving N.C. State and Valpo’s play for Bryce Drew.

So what’s missing? I always liked this Drew Nicholas shot against UNC Wilmington in 2003. Sure, the Terps were the defending champs and it would’ve been a nice upset, but there’s just something about Nicholas dribbling all around the court and hitting an off-balance shot. Clutch.

Ty Rogers’ shot to sink Drake in 2008 was pure.

Laettner vs. Kentucky is usually hailed as the greatest college hoops shot of all time, but is it strange that his jumper two years earlier against UConn in the East Regional finals is rarely mentioned? Sure, it’s a little shorter, but it also sent the Devils to a Final Four. Great shot.

I suppose if Kentucky would’ve eventually beaten Michigan State in 2005 Austin Regional finals, Patrick Sparks’ shot from the top of the key would be talked about more often. As is, it’s just a dramatic moment in part of a game.

Then again, sometimes a person’s favorite shot isn’t a buzzer-beater, just a last-second shot. I know I can’t watch this shot enough.

How long until March again?

Finally, video of Obama vs. UConn women

Mike Miller — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:51:00 GMT

Sometimes, you can never find video when you want it.

When the Connecticut women's basketball team visited the White House and President Obama Monday, it was the typical news story -- President honors NCAA champs, etc, etc -- but with a nice spin.

He played the Huskies in a game of P.I.G.

The president is an unabshed hoops fan -- his NCAA tourney bracket was the source of numerous news stories and daily updates -- and this was a brilliant way to liven up what's usually a formal affair.

Except I couldn't find any video. Not on NBC's affiliate Web sites, not on YouTube, the White House, nada.

Well, just needed to wait a day, and look again. It's not bad video, either. Not sure what P.I.G. rules applied, but it's a lot of laughing, shot-making and a little good-natured trash talking from both sides. Enjoy.

Essential reading for your bracket

Mike Miller — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:37:00 GMT

So, you’ve spent the past two days pouring over every bit of info related to the NCAA tournament. You’ve scoured the Web sites, the blogs, the newspapers (or not), listened to the radio, watch the TV and talked with friends about your bracket.

And now, here you are, still agonizing over which 5 seed will lose first, if North Carolina can win with an ailing Ty Lawson, and just which mid-major is the most likely to make a run.

It’s a bear, right? Here’s some help.

Before you do anything else, read this analysis from Basketball Prospectus. It covers just about everything you should know regarded seed performance and the best indicators or tournament success.

True, it doesn’t what teams fit those indicators in this year’s tournament. But you’re not doing anything else in the next few days, right? OK, you have to work. Me too.

In the meantime, take an hour or so and sift through the following links. They cover everything you need to know.

I’ll open with our stuff from NBCSports.com. We’ve added stuff since Sunday night.

If you’re just starting, here are 10 who could win. But cross-reference those with who’s hot and who’s not. It’ll save some time. These first-round games to watch cover mostly the 8-9 and 7-10 matchups. More than any other year, the 1 and 2 seeds should be wary of their second-round games. Finally, don’t overlook these darkhorses.

Off to ESPN. Dana O’Neil’s tidbits column is a nice read, including a bit on the hottest ticket for the opening weekend (Dayton). Pat Forde has the Coen Brothers on the brain, but in a good way. The regional analysis (East, Midwest, South and West) isn’t must different than anywhere else, though.

Playing ESPN’s tournament challenge is SOP for people my age, but I like the new feature for this year: Importing a celebrity’s bracket. Not sure it’s much use, but it’s fun. It’s much more useful than the bracketcaster feature. I simulated the entire tournament, with some random results.

Chattanooga stunned UConn in the first round, and then had BYU win the West Region. And the East Region was even more strange. Pitt was stunned in the first round by ETSU, which then narrowly lost to No. 13 seed Portland State in the Sweet 16. The Vikings then reached the Final Four. George Mason, eat your heart out.

Sporting News also used Accuscore to predict the tournament, but didn’t have that kind of result. It did indicate that Kansas was the most vulnerable 3 seed, while Washington is the 4 seed most likely to lose in the first round. Food for thought.

SI.com’s Luke Winn is probably my favorite reporter out there. His 50 thoughts doesn’t disappoint. Of note are Nos. 37-40, which cover the stats that matter. Read up. Also, features on each region, East, Midwest, South and West.

CBSSportsline features the best online product in March: Watching the NCAA tournament streamed live. For those stuck at work, it’s a Godsend. Also worth a look? CBS is using “Bracket Science” to help users make picks. It weighs performances from past seeds and the likelihood of upsets and how often you should pick those upsets.

Then again, you could ignore that and just read this story on “anatomy of an upset.” It’s a little easier to read, both in layout and easily digestible facts.

FOXSports.com mostly uses video to preview the tournament, which is nice, but uninteresting to me. I’d rather find some text pieces, like their regional stuff from the East, South, Midwest, West. Right after that, I’m entering their game. A million bucks to the winner, in this economy? Wow.

Ah, fun with Digger Phelps. A Pitt-Xavier Regional final would be something to see.

Yahoo’s hoops experts had their picks up early. Most everyone else is waiting for Wednesday. Also cool on Yahoo are their early plotlines (In case you didn’t know, Morehead State’s first berth since 1984 was the longest stint for any school in the 65-team not making its first appearance. Phil Simms loves it.) and the tournament, from A to Z.

But really, the most important thing to know before you fill out a bracket is this link. Efficiency margin is killer for the eventual champ.

Who hit the hoops milestones?

Mike Miller — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:48:00 GMT

This one’s for you, BW -- the milestone edition of Beyond the Arc.

Monday’s win against Notre Dame was No. 1,499 for Villanova. If the Wildcats beat Providence on Thursday, they’ll be the 27^th team to hit the 1,500 plateau.

Farther up the all-time wins list, North Carolina grabbed No. 1,975 by throttling Georgia Tech on Saturday (the Heels are 10 behind Kentucky for the top spot).

But the more important milestone came courtesy of Tyler Hansbrough, who passed Dickie Hemric for the most made free throws made (907) in a career. It also placed him at 2,678 career points, surpassing David Robinson and Waymon Tisdale for 21^st all time.

Not far behind, Davidson’s Stephen Curry passed the 2,500 mark with 26 points during Monday’s regular-season finale victory against Elon. He moved ahead of guys like Bill Bradley and Elgin Baylor in the process. Another season and Curry would finish No. 2 all-time behind Pete Maravich.

UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet needs just 3 blocks to reach 400 for his career. Another 15 would tie him with Shaquille O’Neal.

(ADDED): Huskies coach Jim Calhoun also reached massive milestone of his own when the Huskies beat Marquette on Feb. 25. He's just the seventh men's D-I coach to hit that mark. (Jim Boeheim's next.)

Not to be outdone, the Huskies women’s team completed another perfect regular season by beating Rutgers Monday night. It’s the fifth unbeaten regular season for UConn (30-0), and its first since 2002-03.

He’s not perfect, but Philadelphia University coach Herb Magee passed Adolph Rupp with career victory 877 on Saturday. Magee, 877-344 since his career began in 1968, is eyeing Dean Smith next. If the Rams win their conference tourney, it’s done.

I’ll close with a personal milestone. This was my 400^th post since starting this blog in Oct. 2006. Sure seems like more…

When college hoops meets a Facebook trend

Mike Miller — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:25:00 GMT

Anyone with a Facebook account’s seen the latest note making the rounds: 25 things about me. I haven’t written one yet, but the guys over at Storming the Floor put together 25 things about the college basketball season so far.

(I say I haven’t written one yet I kinda want to blow it off, but it’d be rude to ignore the people who tagged me in theirs. My laziness is evident. Seriously, how hard is it to write 25 things about yourself? I manage to crank out hundreds of emails and the daily blog post but can’t churn out a simple list? Laziness, I tell ya. ANYWAY.)

It’s a nice mix of humor, insight and criticism. An example:

12. The NCAA was right to move the 3-point line back. This big kerfluffle of the offseason has amounted to sound and fury signifying nothing. Great shooters are still canning treys with ease, and mediocre ones have had their green light taken away (which is for the good, we think). We'd even support it going all the way back to pro distance in the future.

Also, STF isn’t immune to sticking with something even if it isn’t working. Kind of like the poll voters and Syracuse. The Orange have lost six of the last nine fer crying out loud! For STF, it’s the Zags.

24. God help us, we still like Gonzaga. They lack real beef, but can really shoot from all over the floor. So many complementary players on the roster, and a smart head coach in Mark Few. With Pargo running this team, don't be surprised if it all comes together and they catch fire in the tournament

Anyway, give it a look. What else are you going to do on a Friday at work?

Some links:

College Hoops Journal highlights the international players to watch come NCAA tournament time.
Our hoops expert, Ken Davis, previews the big game in Saturday's BracketBusters -- Davidson vs. Butler.
Thursday wasn't pretty for Xavier. Kiss that nice seed goodbye.
Roy Williams said a bad word. Can’t say I blame him.
Rush the Court offers up thoughts on the McDonald’s All-American team. Haven’t seen any highlights yet.
The latest on Ken Mink, 73-year-old hoops wonder.