2011-12 NCAA Men's Basketball Thread

[Cujo]

I'd be willing to bet New Mexico's Steve Alford would leave Albuquerque for the right $ituation -- even you, Illinois.

[Billy B]

I don't really think that makes Illinois look too bad. While he was the top candidate, it's not much of a surprise that Smart didn't decide to leave VCU. He was my top choice as well and I would have liked the signing had it happened, but I wasn't completely sold on him. I think he may end up staying at VCU for a long time, but maybe that's what he wants. You can only ride your mid-major success for so long until the top offers stop coming in. But it will be interesting to see where Illinois goes from here. The only bad thing about not getting Smart is that there is still the pressure to hire a minority coach. I just hope we don't skip over any better candidates just to hire a minority.

[pmoehrin]

I'd be willing to bet New Mexico's Steve Alford would leave Albuquerque for the right $ituation -- even you, Illinois.

I don't see Alford leaving New Mexico under any reason under his own terms other then to coach at Indiana or to go to the NBA.

New Mexico is a very nice job to have. Solid alumni base, great arena, not much competition in terms of recruiting and your expectations aren't extremely high. Plus your basically the only show in town. I don't think I would trade that in to go to a school that would fire me at the drop of a hat if its not a place I could see myself being at for the rest of my career.

[CS85]

I don't really think that makes Illinois look too bad. While he was the top candidate, it's not much of a surprise that Smart didn't decide to leave VCU. He was my top choice as well and I would have liked the signing had it happened, but I wasn't completely sold on him. I think he may end up staying at VCU for a long time, but maybe that's what he wants. You can only ride your mid-major success for so long until the top offers stop coming in. But it will be interesting to see where Illinois goes from here. The only bad thing about not getting Smart is that there is still the pressure to hire a minority coach. I just hope we don't skip over any better candidates just to hire a minority.

The problem was that Thomas was drunk on Smart, he was Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Their entire offseason plan was getting Smart in here, and he told them to get off his lawn. There are some decent candidates that might be interested, but even so, the Smart pickup was so public that candidates now know the stupidly ornate offers Illinois was throwing at Smart, so anything to these other candidates will be kind of insulting.

[pmoehrin]

I'm not that surprised that Illinois is having problems at finding a coach nor am I that Smart turned them down.

There are alot of coaches that will look at the situation and view it as a trap job. Tough area to recruit in, high expectations and brutal in conference competition from more or just as established programs. The only pro they have is money but alot of coaches will take the mindset of what good is money if I have to constantly worry about the axe coming down on me, especially if I don't have any real connections to the University?

They will get somebody but I highly doubt it will be somebody the Illinois fanbase will be thrilled with. Looking at that list my guess would be Tommy Amaker and the rationale I would use there is he would take the job purely as a stepping stone to try and land the Duke job if and when that comes up, something he will not be able to do if he's coaching at Harvard.

[rams80]

I'd be willing to bet New Mexico's Steve Alford would leave Albuquerque for the right $ituation -- even you, Illinois.

Why the would Illinois hire Alford? They saw what he did at Iowa.

[rams80]

They will get somebody but I highly doubt it will be somebody the Illinois fanbase will be thrilled with. Looking at that list my guess would be Tommy Amaker and the rationale I would use there is he would take the job purely as a stepping stone to try and land the Duke job if and when that comes up, something he will not be able to do if he's coaching at Harvard.

See comments regarding Alford, only replace "Iowa" with "Michigan".

[pmoehrin]

156']

They will get somebody but I highly doubt it will be somebody the Illinois fanbase will be thrilled with. Looking at that list my guess would be Tommy Amaker and the rationale I would use there is he would take the job purely as a stepping stone to try and land the Duke job if and when that comes up, something he will not be able to do if he's coaching at Harvard.

See comments regarding Alford, only replace "Iowa" with "Michigan".

I wouldn't read much into that.

Been plenty of good coaches where it just didn't work out at a particular place. Michigan also had alot going against them when Amaker was there that he had no control over. You can't say they didn't. I don't know if any school outside of some place like Kentucky that could compete at an elite level serving the type of penalties that were levied against Michigan.

I think the success he's had at Seton Hall and Harvard is enough to override that. He will get a job at a big time program very soon even if its not Illinois.

[rams80]

156']

They will get somebody but I highly doubt it will be somebody the Illinois fanbase will be thrilled with. Looking at that list my guess would be Tommy Amaker and the rationale I would use there is he would take the job purely as a stepping stone to try and land the Duke job if and when that comes up, something he will not be able to do if he's coaching at Harvard.

See comments regarding Alford, only replace "Iowa" with "Michigan".

I wouldn't read much into that.

Been plenty of good coaches where it just didn't work out at a particular place. Michigan also had alot going against them when Amaker was there that he had no control over. You can't say they didn't. I don't know if any school outside of some place like Kentucky that could compete at an elite level serving the type of penalties that were levied against Michigan.

I think the success he's had at Seton Hall and Harvard is enough to override that. He will get a job at a big time program very soon even if its not Illinois.

He had 6 years at Michigan and had 3 NIT bids to show for it. It shouldn't take that long to turn a college program around-even with the loss of 1 scholarship for 4 years. Especially at a place with the resources of Michigan. And are we seriously going to say he's an awesome coach because of that one time he rode Eddie Griffin to the Sweet 16?

/Stop using Verdana

[Punch]

Minnesota advances to the Final Four for the first time since 2002. Better yet, they've won all three games on the road. Although I'm content with a Final Four berth, next year the expectations are much higher. They have a few young freshman who are playing like veterans down the stretch here. If Trevor Mbakwe is granted another year of eligibility, I wouldn't be surprised if they contend for the Big Ten title.

/Takes off homer hat, realizes this is just the NIT

[Billy B]

Minnesota advances to the Final Four for the first time since 2002. Better yet, they've won all three games on the road. Although I'm content with a Final Four berth, next year the expectations are much higher. They have a few young freshman who are playing like veterans down the stretch here. If Trevor Mbakwe is granted another year of eligibility, I wouldn't be surprised if they contend for the Big Ten title.

/Takes off homer hat, realizes this is just the NIT

But the rest of the Big Ten would be.

[pmoehrin]

Minnesota advances to the Final Four for the first time since 2002. Better yet, they've won all three games on the road. Although I'm content with a Final Four berth, next year the expectations are much higher. They have a few young freshman who are playing like veterans down the stretch here. If Trevor Mbakwe is granted another year of eligibility, I wouldn't be surprised if they contend for the Big Ten title.

/Takes off homer hat, realizes this is just the NIT

Alot of people bash the NIT, but I don't mind it.

I think the fact that the games are a home gives it a better atmosphere then the NCAA tourney in some ways. I would actually rather the NCAA have the top seeds play home games, but for obvious that won't happen.

I'm kind of pulling for Minnesota if for nothing else so I could watch more big games at The Barn.

[cshookemHORNS]

Cinci's pink is a bit much, but it creates buzz, so mission accomplished.

And Texas loses in the first round. SHOCKER. (Fire Barnes?)

Um I don't know about that if because he had taken Texas to the tournament 12 or 14 years in a row (can't remember right now) and has put together strong seasons with top freshmen leaving every year. Even though this year wasn't his best he still got them to the tournament and because he doesn't have a strong record in the tournament who else could they get to replace him?

[OnWis97]

I don't really think that makes Illinois look too bad. While he was the top candidate, it's not much of a surprise that Smart didn't decide to leave VCU. He was my top choice as well and I would have liked the signing had it happened, but I wasn't completely sold on him. I think he may end up staying at VCU for a long time, but maybe that's what he wants. You can only ride your mid-major success for so long until the top offers stop coming in. But it will be interesting to see where Illinois goes from here. The only bad thing about not getting Smart is that there is still the pressure to hire a minority coach. I just hope we don't skip over any better candidates just to hire a minority.

The problem was that Thomas was drunk on Smart, he was Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Their entire offseason plan was getting Smart in here, and he told them to get off his lawn. There are some decent candidates that might be interested, but even so, the Smart pickup was so public that candidates now know the stupidly ornate offers Illinois was throwing at Smart, so anything to these other candidates will be kind of insulting.

One thing that has occured to me with Smart is that he is from about 30 miles south of Madison, WI and Bo Ryan is 65...

[HedleyLamarr]

Not sure why that's in and of itself a bad thing. You want the best teams playing, don't you? If all the higher seeds are moving on, that must mean we're seeing the best remaining teams, right?

That's the logical approach, I guess, but the biggest reason why most people watch March Madness is to see thrilling upsets. Most of the games going chalk is kind of boring.

You complain when there isn't many upsets.....then you complain when not-so-great teams have a low-scoring game in the championship match. Can't have it both ways.

Folks watch to see upsets early on, then they want to see the best players and teams advance as the tournament plays on.

[ninersdd]

Sophmore Forward Kyle Cain has left the Arizona State Sun Devils. 11 Scholarship Players have left in the last 4 years. Losing seasons and players leaving should equal Sendek being fired. Losing Cain is a blow and I bet wherever he goes he will succeed if he can calm his attitude, he has shown that he has potential to be a good player. I want ASU to succeed, but with Sendek I am having my doubts. Harden was the only reason why they won in his heyday, but now with him gone, Sendek doesn't have anything to hold to get the Devils to win. Lisa Love should at least look into why Eleven players have left. First Erickson, now Sendek, the choice should have been made, but the upset over Arizona may have saved Sendek for another year of being a Head Coach for an under achieving team.

You're not gonna like this: Lockett to Transfer. Too bad for him and his personal situation. Now that makes 3 Devils transferring (Lockett, Cain, and Cheekmur I believe). As for trying to fire Sendek, this came out last month, but the AD and president seem commited to Herb long term: Sendek part of ASU's long term plans.

[Still MIGHTY]

Sophmore Forward Kyle Cain has left the Arizona State Sun Devils. 11 Scholarship Players have left in the last 4 years. Losing seasons and players leaving should equal Sendek being fired. Losing Cain is a blow and I bet wherever he goes he will succeed if he can calm his attitude, he has shown that he has potential to be a good player. I want ASU to succeed, but with Sendek I am having my doubts. Harden was the only reason why they won in his heyday, but now with him gone, Sendek doesn't have anything to hold to get the Devils to win. Lisa Love should at least look into why Eleven players have left. First Erickson, now Sendek, the choice should have been made, but the upset over Arizona may have saved Sendek for another year of being a Head Coach for an under achieving team.

You're not gonna like this: Lockett to Transfer. Too bad for him and his personal situation. Now that makes 3 Devils transferring (Lockett, Cain, and Cheekmur I believe). As for trying to fire Sendek, this came out last month, but the AD and president seem commited to Herb long term: Sendek part of ASU's long term plans.

Why even bother having a basketball team... Hell, at this point, convince Brock Osweiler to drop out of the NFL Draft and join the basketball team like he was going to two years ago.

I know Lockett is a personal situation and is different from the other drops, but Gary's right. You don't lose 11 players (12 with Lockett) for no reason or just because you are a bad team. There is something fundamentally wrong with Sendek and the program. Unfortunately, that win over UA this year just might have bought him more time, but it shouldn't make a difference. Sendek is holding on to the legacy he got with James Harden. If Harden was never a Sun Devil, Sendek probably still wouldn't be either. I can see Love making excuses and reasoning that Sendek is being dealt a tough hand with players leaving so what should we expect. We should expect you to look into why these players are leaving, and I'm pretty sure the answer is staring them in the face. ASU has been awful, and I don't see any reason that's going to change.

[RyanMcD29]

Saw a lot of people chime in on Syracuse-Wisconsin.. I'm not sure how I feel. I'm nervous about how Wisconsin can dictate the pace with their stallba... oh, this isn't lacrosse, slowed-down offense and lack of turnovers, as well as the usual "white guy who can shoot three's on Syracuse's zone" problem that always hits us around this time, not to mention Wisconsin's D, but at the same time I liked what I saw in Wisconsin's struggles against the zone against Vandy last Saturday, plus the fact Syracuse has the more athletic team. I'm still on the side of worrying about this game and thinking it's a bad matchup, but it does look like it can go either way.

[OnWis97]

Saw a lot of people chime in on Syracuse-Wisconsin.. I'm not sure how I feel. I'm nervous about how Wisconsin can dictate the pace with their stallba... oh, this isn't lacrosse, slowed-down offense and lack of turnovers, as well as the usual "white guy who can shoot three's on Syracuse's zone" problem that always hits us around this time, not to mention Wisconsin's D, but at the same time I liked what I saw in Wisconsin's struggles against the zone against Vandy last Saturday, plus the fact Syracuse has the more athletic team. I'm still on the side of worrying about this game and thinking it's a bad matchup, but it does look like it can go either way.

Even though I don't feel good, you should worry. At their best, Wisconsin can play with anyone. Their problem is that "at their best" relies on being effective from three point range. They can't really have a long streak of games without offensive ineptitude, which explains their huge regular season success but disappointing postseason success in the Ryan era. After a good first weekend, they are kinda due to go 3 for 22 from long range.

I have read some that Syracuse makes the most out of opponent turnovers. Most likely, Wisconsin will not help you out there. Every now and then they'll have a game with about 5 turnovers, though I'd guess they'll have 10 to 15.

The questions are whether Bo's staff has figure out a way to deal with the zone that Vandy threw at 'em late last week, whether Syracuse may struggle with the frustration of Wisconsin's D, and weather Wisconsin can shoot the ball reasonably well. If the answer to all of those questions is "yes", Wisconsin may very well win. But if not, then it could be a long day for the Badgers...possible blowout. Wisconsin does not often get blown out, but when they do, they prefer to do so in the NCAA tournament.

[RyanMcD29]

Saw a lot of people chime in on Syracuse-Wisconsin.. I'm not sure how I feel. I'm nervous about how Wisconsin can dictate the pace with their stallba... oh, this isn't lacrosse, slowed-down offense and lack of turnovers, as well as the usual "white guy who can shoot three's on Syracuse's zone" problem that always hits us around this time, not to mention Wisconsin's D, but at the same time I liked what I saw in Wisconsin's struggles against the zone against Vandy last Saturday, plus the fact Syracuse has the more athletic team. I'm still on the side of worrying about this game and thinking it's a bad matchup, but it does look like it can go either way.

Even though I don't feel good, you should worry. At their best, Wisconsin can play with anyone. Their problem is that "at their best" relies on being effective from three point range. They can't really have a long streak of games without offensive ineptitude, which explains their huge regular season success but disappointing postseason success in the Ryan era. After a good first weekend, they are kinda due to go 3 for 22 from long range.

I have read some that Syracuse makes the most out of opponent turnovers. Most likely, Wisconsin will not help you out there. Every now and then they'll have a game with about 5 turnovers, though I'd guess they'll have 10 to 15.

The questions are whether Bo's staff has figure out a way to deal with the zone that Vandy threw at 'em late last week, whether Syracuse may struggle with the frustration of Wisconsin's D, and weather Wisconsin can shoot the ball reasonably well. If the answer to all of those questions is "yes", Wisconsin may very well win. But if not, then it could be a long day for the Badgers...possible blowout. Wisconsin does not often get blown out, but when they do, they prefer to do so in the NCAA tournament.

I agree. There's just so many variables with this game that makes it really hard to predict how it's gonna go