2011 - 2012 College Basketball Season

[kcmetro]

Bill Self for coach of the year.

[phxcat]

I've watched a lot of the tourney this year and it seems like this year, more than any other, there are more commercials than there is actual playing time. It's been really annoying watching 3 minutes of basketball followed by 10 minutes of commercials; watching a team take a time out followed by a TV timeout 45 seconds after they return to action.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see more and more of this over time. Sports is the only thing people watch live anymore.

Bill Self for coach of the year.

Because he got the benefit of playing all low seeds plus the 1 without its point guard and a home court advantage? Let's wait and see what happens next weekend, when Ohio State actually has their best player in the lineup.

[kcmetro]

I've watched a lot of the tourney this year and it seems like this year, more than any other, there are more commercials than there is actual playing time. It's been really annoying watching 3 minutes of basketball followed by 10 minutes of commercials; watching a team take a time out followed by a TV timeout 45 seconds after they return to action.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see more and more of this over time. Sports is the only thing people watch live anymore.

Bill Self for coach of the year.

Because he got the benefit of playing all low seeds plus the 1 without its point guard and a home court advantage? Let's wait and see what happens next weekend, when Ohio State actually has their best player in the lineup.

LOL. You reek of bitterness and jealousy, phxcat.

[chingon]

Because he got the benefit of playing all low seeds plus the 1 without its point guard and a home court advantage? Let's wait and see what happens next weekend, when Ohio State actually has their best player in the lineup.

Yup. And he did it all with a cobbled together B team without its bench.

Also, have you looked at a bracket since the 16th? OSU's only high seed win is a 1 without its star center. That happens in the tournament. High seeds often play low seeds. Low seeds sometimes upset high seeds. Remember? Damn, it's rich for you guys to suddenly pretend low seeds are gimme games in the tournament. Pretty short memory, I guess.

And St Louis is KU's home court now? Jesus H., 2 weeks ago KC was supposedly "Mizzou's town" now St fucking Louis is in Kansas?

Why don't you finish embarrassing yourself with a Quantrill reference?

[bobbyhawks]

An aside about the tourney, I can't see how Anderson at Arkansas is ever going to have any success in the NCAA tourney with that system. I've watched a lot of the tourney this year and it seems like this year, more than any other, there are more commercials than there is actual playing time. It's been really annoying watching 3 minutes of basketball followed by 10 minutes of commercials; watching a team take a time out followed by a TV timeout 45 seconds after they return to action.

In my mind, it is a great style of play if you are constantly a mediocre seed. If you advance to the second game in the weekend, you have an advantage in that the style is very unique and different to prepare for. It is a great strategy for a coach to make a name in the tournament, but I don't know that it is something that will sustain a team over the years. Basically, I'm not sure that you can be a perennial top 4 seed with that system, but once in the tournament, you have a chance to beat some good teams when you are down on talent and 3 point shooting. If you face a team like Carolina or a Kansas team with great ball handlers and solid transition, you can also easily lose by 25.

[KCMax]

Agree. Anything "unique" is going to have a good chance of throwing a team off. Look how much KU struggled with an unconventional small lineup out of Purdue. But you're probably not going to win a championship. Of course, until you get premier athletes, you're not going to win championships, so its a decent strategy until you can recruit the horses.

Anyway, about the KU game, it was great to see KU finally play up to their potential, and really exceed any expectations I had for them. It just seemed like KU played tougher and with more intensity than Carolina. The Carolina team reminded me of a lot of the late 90s Roy's teams - great team to run, great finesse team full of All-Americans, but they can get bruised up pretty quickly. It actually reminded me a lot of when KU lost to Bill Self's Illinois team in the Sweet 16 back in 2001 I believe. Things likely would have been a lot different had Marshall played, but UNC still had a ton of NBA talent on that court.

KU is playing with house money now, I think few expected them to get this far back in the fall. I think it helps they've played OSU and Kentucky and played both very well earlier this year.

Finally, I think Frank Martin is headed to SC. Oh, not South Carolina. SportsCenter! I think he was really good in the CBS Studio, although he could crack a smile now and then. Martin really is one of the most interesting coaches in all of college basketball off the court. I don't think I've ever heard him give a boring interview, he always has a fresh take and seems to revel in not spouting meaningless cliches. If he ever washes out of basketball, I think he has a nice backup plan in broadcasting.

[KCPowercat]

Not sure many B teams have a national player of the year on them.

Congrats ku fans. Quite a season.

[bobbyhawks]

The Carolina team reminded me of a lot of the late 90s Roy's teams - great team to run, great finesse team full of All-Americans, but they can get bruised up pretty quickly. It actually reminded me a lot of when KU lost to Bill Self's Illinois team in the Sweet 16 back in 2001 I believe.

This.

Finally, I think Frank Martin is headed to SC. Oh, not South Carolina. SportsCenter! I think he was really good in the CBS Studio, although he could crack a smile now and then. Martin really is one of the most interesting coaches in all of college basketball off the court. I don't think I've ever heard him give a boring interview, he always has a fresh take and seems to revel in not spouting meaningless cliches. If he ever washes out of basketball, I think he has a nice backup plan in broadcasting.

Also, this.

I think it fair to point out that I was dead wrong about Frank Martin early in his career. I think he has modified certain habits he had early on, but his intensity and treatment of players, which I felt more in line with Mangino's treatment of players, I don't think can be mistaken for anything now but love for his team. He can still go overboard, but most coaches can. He has been a class act and represents the school and the conference well.

[KCMax]

I thought this was a pretty startling admission when I read it in the Star. Could he get into trouble with the NCAA over it?

Frank Martin paid his former players

Also:

Frank Martin To South Carolina? K-State Coach Admits They 'Have Had Conversations'

[chingon]

Not sure many B teams have a national player of the year on them.

So, at the beginning of this season you thought Robinson would be a candidate for POY? I certainly didn't. I wouldn't have picked him for Big 12 POY. I'm not suggesting he's some cinderella walk on, I know his scouting stats, but I would never have imagined he would be dominant the way he has this year, and I chalk a lot of that up to coaching.

Kansas is clearly not a B team, anymore. And that's kind of my point.

[KCPowercat]

I didn't pay any attention to ku or Robinson and try to determine how good they would be prior to the season. Not my team.

[kcmetro]

I thought KU would have 9 or 10 losses and be bounced in the 2nd round. I think this was the perspective of the majority of KU fans before the season started. So for them to be heading to New Orleans is absolutely mind blowing for me.

[AllThingsKC]

When the game was tied at halftime, I knew KU had the game won. A tied score at halftime favored KU. If Ohio State and Kansas are within 3 to 5 points of each other at halftime, KU's won that game.

And in K-State news.... South Carolina to HIRE Frank Martin TODAY!

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/26/35 ... rylink=cpy


And in Mizzou news... ________________________________________.

[KCMax]

Seems like a lateral move. Unless Frank thinks the Big 12 is unstable!

[AllThingsKC]

The SEC took Mike Anderson from Mizzou, and now they're talking Frank Martin from K-State! What's next? Bill Self to the Pac-12?

COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACHES REALIGNMENT!

[KCPowercat]

Seems like a step down to me but I could be biased. Does SC pay any attention to bball or give it support?

This is purely a personality conflict issue if you ask me.

That said I liked Martin but this isn't the end of the world. He is no future Dean Smith.

The part that worries me is Currie making this hire and his inability to keep Frank happy. I don't think KSU will move on Currie in the middle of the football stadium expansion

[chingon]

I didn't pay any attention to ku or Robinson and try to determine how good they would be prior to the season. Not my team.

Well, this is Kansas's B and C team from last season. No big recruits to fill gaps, no bench, 1.5 legit NBA-level talents, no McDonald's All-Americans, 1 relatively untested but promising bench rider, 1 very spotty senior at point guard, a back up point guard at shooting guard, a 3rd string center who most people saw as a placeholder at best and a liability at worst, a small forward whose game is 95% defensive and a former walk-on 6th man at shooting guard who averages 3 ppg over his college career.

I expected a season a lot more like K-State or Iowa State's, and if either of those team had landed in the Final Four, I would have thought it was quite a feat, too.

[chingon]

Seems like a step down to me but I could be biased. Does SC pay any attention to bball or give it support?

This is purely a personality conflict issue if you ask me.

Ditto.

Dream scenario: K-State steals Kruger or Manning.

[KCMax]

Didn't Kruger burn all his bridges in Manhattan?

[bobbyhawks]

I agree that the only reason for Martin to leave is Currie. Complete failure by KSU to keep a good thing going. There are way more good AD candidates out there than there are top tier basketball coaches, especially ones who would want in at KSU. Equivalent coaching jobs are open every year, but BCS AD jobs open up with lesser frequency. Martin just made his way into "club" so to speak being a great interview, a good and nationally known personality, as a goto for the CBS desk, etc.

I could be wrong, but I think KSU will have to get lucky with a reach of a hire again to match that caliber. Perhaps in the new SEC, Martin will be able to make a name for himself. MU and A&M, regardless of how they compare to this season will probably add a bit to the quality of bball being played overall, and USC getting better could make the SEC a tougher conference. The only other angle I could see to this move would be that he would rather not face Huggins twice a year in the new Big 12. Tough loss if true.