2020-21 return of NCAA Hoops thread

[Pyperkub]

Alabama won the SEC regular season for the first time since 2002. Nate Oats has the program on the right track after only 2 years coaching. Team still has issues, offense has gone cold but defense is keeping in the games. If the offense gets in gear again this team could go deep in the tourney.

From what I've seen of Alabama, if you don't let them run, you have a good shot against them. They really thrive on running (like most teams, but they are better at it). IMHO, the SEC coaches are learning that the second time around. Nice thing is that in the tourney, you generally don't run into teams you've played before.

[Pyperkub]

I think you are overreacting. The point being that there is no information as to what it is, or if he'll be back. I'm OK with not knowing, and work at a university, and know there are plenty of reasons for there to be no information, I just want him back - he was one of my favorite players on the team to watch, and I'd root for him even if he transferred to SC. Not knowing in some ways makes it worse.

That is not how I read your comment. I appreciate the clarification.

No worries. In pandemic time, the worries run deeper.

[Pyperkub]

Michigan has looked really good (when they've been playing). I'm impressed with Howard as coach (thought he would struggle as a rookie Coach), though having Martelli on the bench has to be helping him through the early career a lot.

To be fair, this is Howard's second year. He did pretty well last year as a rookie coach (including blowing out Gonzaga for their last loss), but obviously not at this level. I do think Martelli was a great choice, but there are some people (*cough*Michigan State fans*cough*) who are trying to paint him as the brains of the operation. This despite the fact that commentators have been remarking on Michigan having so many NBA elements to their game, particularly on offense.

I think the value for Howard is two-fold. 1) College Game management experience - the game is different from the NBA, and the players more prone to letting plays and atmosphere and tough coaching get to them. Having an experienced College Coach to help with those differences, and even be able to do a bit of tear down/build up, good cop/bad cop coaching from a respected voice is probably really valuable. 2) Recruiting, and given transfer rules nowadays, that also means re-recruiting your own players...

[ImLawBoy]

Alabama won the SEC regular season for the first time since 2002. Nate Oats has the program on the right track after only 2 years coaching. Team still has issues, offense has gone cold but defense is keeping in the games. If the offense gets in gear again this team could go deep in the tourney.

Funny thing is, if Beilein had left for the NBA just a bit earlier, it's quite possible that Oats would have ended up at Michigan. There was even some talk that Michigan would try to poach the newly hired Oats, although I don't know how much credence I'd put in that. Regardless, seems like both schools are happy with the way things ended up!

[Pyperkub]

Michigan has looked great. They, Gonzaga, and Baylor (despite the recent loss) look to be the clear Tier 1 of college bball this year.

Carolina has had a pretty up and down year and lately we've been completely bi-polar. In the last week and a half we beat Louisville by 40+, lost to Marquette (oof), beat Florida State, and last night lost to a mediocre Syracuse team. At least if the trend holds, we should beat Duke this weekend.... A lot of it has to do with our youth; five freshmen get heavy minutes and this year in particular I think teams dominated by freshmen are struggling (see Duke, Kentucky, etc). And, as is always the case at UNC, the most important position is the PG. Our freshman PG just hasn't played well: he consistently makes bad decisions with the ball and doesn't seem to know how to make an entry pass. This has lead to way too many turnovers. In the last three games, we've had 60 (!!!) turnovers, and a high percentage of those are from our freshmen guards. Hard to win consistently when you turn the ball over on 25% of your possessions.

Marquette is a mystery to me - they looked like a Sweet 16 kind of team against UCLA and UNC - fast, well coached and aggressive, and have gotten pwned in conference with none of that energy.

[Remus West]

Alabama won the SEC regular season for the first time since 2002. Nate Oats has the program on the right track after only 2 years coaching. Team still has issues, offense has gone cold but defense is keeping in the games. If the offense gets in gear again this team could go deep in the tourney.

Funny thing is, if Beilein had left for the NBA just a bit earlier, it's quite possible that Oats would have ended up at Michigan. There was even some talk that Michigan would try to poach the newly hired Oats, although I don't know how much credence I'd put in that. Regardless, seems like both schools are happy with the way things ended up!

Loving that Howard is back at UM and doing so well. He was my favorite of the Fab Five. That said, Nate Oats coached and taught math in the same district as me (when he left for Buffalo I took his teaching position at the high school). I've never heard anyone say a single bad thing about him other than that he was more concerned about coaching basketball than teaching math - which isn't really an issue for a college coach. He would have been an absolute force in local recruiting but I don't think he'd be able to compete with the clout Howard brings to the national scene.

[LordMortis]

Talk radio and it's callins had huge concerns about Howard being unqualified and a hire based in nepotism that would destroy Beline's legacy in 2019. I wonder if they have changed their tune and swallowed those words yet.

[ImLawBoy]

Loving that Howard is back at UM and doing so well. He was my favorite of the Fab Five.

I have a long, close, personal relationship with Juwan (I call him Juwan, since I'm so close to him) dating back to 1991 or so when I stood behind him and Jalen Rose in line at Taco Bell at 2:00 am. We didn't actually speak, but I could feel the Chicago kinship with him. If I ever see him again in person, I'll be sure to remind him of our long-standing friendship.

[ImLawBoy]

Talk radio and it's callins had huge concerns about Howard being unqualified and a hire based in nepotism that would destroy Beline's legacy in 2019. I wonder if they have changed their tune and swallowed those words yet.

Those are the people claiming it's all Martelli and that Juwan (as you may recall, I call him Juwan due to our tight relationship) is just a figurehead.

[LordMortis]

Talk radio and it's callins had huge concerns about Howard being unqualified and a hire based in nepotism that would destroy Beline's legacy in 2019. I wonder if they have changed their tune and swallowed those words yet.

Those are the people claiming it's all Martelli and that Juwan (as you may recall, I call him Juwan due to our tight relationship) is just a figurehead.

I've commuted a lot less and heard less chatter as a result. If they say it's not Howard (Juwan as you call him due to your tight relationship) why were they so concerned in the first place?

[ImLawBoy]

Talk radio and it's callins had huge concerns about Howard being unqualified and a hire based in nepotism that would destroy Beline's legacy in 2019. I wonder if they have changed their tune and swallowed those words yet.

Those are the people claiming it's all Martelli and that Juwan (as you may recall, I call him Juwan due to our tight relationship) is just a figurehead.

I've commuted a lot less and heard less chatter as a result. If they say it's not Howard (Juwan as you call him due to your tight relationship) why were they so concerned in the first place?

Gosh, I can't imagine why some people would doubt the intelligence and ability of someone like my good friend Juwan. It's a real puzzler . . . .

(To be fair, there were legit reasons to question the hiring at the time given that he hadn't been in the college game since his playing days and all his coaching experience was as an assistant. I only now ascribe ulterior motives to those who claim it's all the old white dude who is responsible for his success.)

[Torfish]

I highly respect teams hiring former players as coaches. Michigan and Howard are working out well.

If you're a big ten fan, then tonight is a great night for you. Three very good meaningful games. I plan to be glued to the TV for a few hours. Looking forward to it. I love this time of year.

[Jag]

I highly respect teams hiring former players as coaches. Michigan and Howard are working out well.

If you're a big ten fan, then tonight is a great night for you. Three very good meaningful games. I plan to be glued to the TV for a few hours. Looking forward to it. I love this time of year.

Looking forward to it, my son is at Michigan now and went to HS with Howard's son Jace who is on the team now. I'm glad Howard is doing well. We were big fans of his from his Fab 5 days through his time with the Heat down here.

[Remus West]

Loving that Howard is back at UM and doing so well. He was my favorite of the Fab Five.

I have a long, close, personal relationship with Juwan (I call him Juwan, since I'm so close to him) dating back to 1991 or so when I stood behind him and Jalen Rose in line at Taco Bell at 2:00 am. We didn't actually speak, but I could feel the Chicago kinship with him. If I ever see him again in person, I'll be sure to remind him of our long-standing friendship.

I coached the daughter of one of his assistant coaches in the Fall of 2019. I'm expecting my complementary lifetime season tickets for seats right behind the bench any day now.

[Remus West]

I highly respect teams hiring former players as coaches. Michigan and Howard are working out well.

If you're a big ten fan, then tonight is a great night for you. Three very good meaningful games. I plan to be glued to the TV for a few hours. Looking forward to it. I love this time of year.

Looking forward to it, my son is at Michigan now and went to HS with Howard's son Jace who is on the team now. I'm glad Howard is doing well. We were big fans of his from his Fab 5 days through his time with the Heat down here.

One of the things that always drew me to being a fan of Howard's is the class he carries himself with. He did it in his playing days and does it now. I've yet to see him exhibit any sort of low class behavior - and he has had plenty of people hating on him that he could have sunk to their level in reply.

Can you tell I'm a big fan of his. I was more upset when he left early (although I totally understood) than when Weber did the same a year earlier.

[Torfish]

I highly respect teams hiring former players as coaches. Michigan and Howard are working out well.

If you're a big ten fan, then tonight is a great night for you. Three very good meaningful games. I plan to be glued to the TV for a few hours. Looking forward to it. I love this time of year.

Looking forward to it, my son is at Michigan now and went to HS with Howard's son Jace who is on the team now. I'm glad Howard is doing well. We were big fans of his from his Fab 5 days through his time with the Heat down here.

Nice. I have a son at Michigan and two daughters at Purdue currently.

[Remus West]

I highly respect teams hiring former players as coaches. Michigan and Howard are working out well.

If you're a big ten fan, then tonight is a great night for you. Three very good meaningful games. I plan to be glued to the TV for a few hours. Looking forward to it. I love this time of year.

Looking forward to it, my son is at Michigan now and went to HS with Howard's son Jace who is on the team now. I'm glad Howard is doing well. We were big fans of his from his Fab 5 days through his time with the Heat down here.

Nice. I have a son at Michigan and two daughters at Purdue currently and absolutely no money anymore.

FTFY.

[Remus West]

That was awful.

[ImLawBoy]

HOWARD IS A BUM!!! GET HIM OUT OF THERE!!!

[ImLawBoy]

On a more serious note, that was a great defensive effort by Illinois combined with an uncharacteristically poor night from Michigan's big 3 (Livers, Wagner, and Dickinson).

Ultimately it's my fault for resurrecting this thread yesterday.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

The OO jinx is strong with this one.

[Jag]

That wasn't pretty.

I highly respect teams hiring former players as coaches. Michigan and Howard are working out well.

If you're a big ten fan, then tonight is a great night for you. Three very good meaningful games. I plan to be glued to the TV for a few hours. Looking forward to it. I love this time of year.

Looking forward to it, my son is at Michigan now and went to HS with Howard's son Jace who is on the team now. I'm glad Howard is doing well. We were big fans of his from his Fab 5 days through his time with the Heat down here.

Nice. I have a son at Michigan and two daughters at Purdue currently.

I have a younger son who is getting ready to apply for college. Not sure if he will chose Michigan though. Might be too big for him.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

It's been a pretty up and down year for UNC, but can't be too upset when we sweep Duke and put the (hopefully) final nail in their NCAA tournament chances. We should now safely be in, regardless of what happens in the ACC tournament. I just hope we don't end up as an 8 or 9 seed; I would rather not have to play the #1 seed if we won the first game (definitely not a given with this team). Would actually feel better about our chances of making a slight run if we were the 10, 11, or 12 seed (ideal would be whatever seed matches us up against Villanova in the 2nd round, since they've been crushed by injuries this last week).

[Pyperkub]

I think you are overreacting. The point being that there is no information as to what it is, or if he'll be back. I'm OK with not knowing, and work at a university, and know there are plenty of reasons for there to be no information, I just want him back - he was one of my favorite players on the team to watch, and I'd root for him even if he transferred to SC. Not knowing in some ways makes it worse.

That is not how I read your comment. I appreciate the clarification.

One good thing I've heard (though 100% unverified) is that he's still in classes, so good for him.

[Isgrimnur]

Arizona

The Arizona Wildcats announced Tuesday that they are self-imposing a one-year postseason ban for the 2020-21 season, which will keep them out of the NCAA and Pac-12 Tournaments.

KOLD

According to the documents released by UArizona, the NCAA found enough evidence of wrongdoing to suggest the case be moved to a hearing panel due to Level 1 violations.

That is not new. In October 2020, it was announced the school was facing nine total violations, including five that were Level 1.

Those allegations include a lack of institutional control and failure to monitor by the university; a lack of head coach control Miller.

According to the NCAA”s Notice of Allegations, the following incidents were violations.

• From March 2016 to September 2017, Richard and assistant coach Mark Phelps helped two recruits by arraigning “false academic transcripts.” Richardson allegedly paid $40,000 for the documents. Both recruits, who were not named in the report, ended up playing for the Wildcats. According to the NOA, this was a Level I violation.
• Sometime between March and September 2017, Richardson accepted $20,000 in bribes from a sports agent to get a Wildcats player to sign with the agent when he went pro. According to the NOA, this was a Level I violation.
• In June 2017, Phelps gave a $500 loan to a player to the player could buy a plane ticket to visit a friend or family member. According to the NOA, this was a Level II violation.
• In July 2017 and January 2019, Phelps told a player to delete text messages that referred to the ongoing NCAA investigation. Phelps also allegedly told the player to provide “false or misleading information” to investigators. According to the NOA, this was a Level 1 violation.
• In July 2016, Phelps allegedly asked a player to help recruit two athletes. According to the NOA, this was a Level III violation.
• From March 2016 to September 2017, Miller failed to monitor both Richardson and Phelps. According to the NOA, this was a Level I violation.
• From October 2018 to September 2019, assistant swimming and diving coach Dwight Dumais helped a booster connect with a swimmer the school was trying to recruit. He also allegedly helped local swim club families get “preferential treatment benefits” and hosted impermissible tryouts. According to the NOA, this was a Level II violation.
• From November 2018 to September 2019, head swimming and diving coach Augie Busch failed to monitor Dumais and stop what happened. According to the NOA, this was a Level II violation.
• From March 2016 to September 2019, the University of Arizona failed to “exercise institutional control and monitor the conduct and administration” the men’s basketball and swimming/diving programs. According to the NOA, this was a Level I violation.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Definitely jinxed Michigan....

[ImLawBoy]

I'm not too concerned that we lost yesterday. We were playing sloppy (like a team that had already clinched the conference) and MSU had a lot to play for (they're probably solidly in the tournament now - would have been iffy otherwise). I'm more concerned that Eli Brooks rolled his ankle pretty bad. He's not one of the big stars on the team, but as a senior guard he's very important.

[Remus West]

I'm not too concerned that we lost yesterday. We were playing sloppy (like a team that had already clinched the conference) and MSU had a lot to play for (they're probably solidly in the tournament now - would have been iffy otherwise). I'm more concerned that Eli Brooks rolled his ankle pretty bad. He's not one of the big stars on the team, but as a senior guard he's very important.

I feel like Brooks is the most underrated player on the team. He missed the MN game - they got whooped. He missed the vast majority of the second MSU game - they got beat. He is the player that always seems to make the right cut or move to get a big basket when they need it.

I also heard rumor that Wagner was limping after the MSU game so I'm worried there too.

[pr0ner]

Duke is OUT of the ACC tournament after a positive Covid test from a player on the team.

This likely ends their season.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Not quite as satisfying as seeing their season end with a loss.

[pr0ner]

UVA now OUT of the ACC tournament after a positive Covid test. Their season may not be over, as long as they have enough eligible players (you only need 5) and the rest of the team keeps testing negative.

Also, next season, Michigan State's basketball team will be referred to as MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

The MSU news is bonkers. Getting corporate sponsorship for an arena is fine, but for the actual basketball team? It's just sort of embarrassing.

The UVA thing sucks. Per NCAA rules, close contacts need 7 consecutive days of negative tests before leaving for Indy. The NCAA tournament starts 6 days from now, so unless they have a late Friday game, I'm not sure how they make it. I imagine we might see similar things happen a few times in the tournament.

[pr0ner]

The MSU news is bonkers. Getting corporate sponsorship for an arena is fine, but for the actual basketball team? It's just sort of embarrassing.

A coworker who is a MSU alum pointed me to this story saying that United Wholesale's CEO just dumped $32M into MSU's athletic program, and this is part of how Rocket Mortgage (who's already a big MSU donor) is responding. Sounds like things are getting heated between United Wholesale and Rocket Mortgage, to MSU's benefit.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Kansas just had (another) player test positive. This player played in their game yesterday.

[pr0ner]

Kansas just had (another) player test positive. This player played in their game yesterday.

I saw they're still on the schedule for tonight. Are they not having to pull out like the ACC schools did?

[Pyperkub]

Kansas just had (another) player test positive. This player played in their game yesterday.

I saw they're still on the schedule for tonight. Are they not having to pull out like the ACC schools did?

They are out:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... -to-final/

[pr0ner]

Kansas just had (another) player test positive. This player played in their game yesterday.

I saw they're still on the schedule for tonight. Are they not having to pull out like the ACC schools did?

They are out:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... -to-final/

Thanks for the link.

Will be interesting to see how this impacts both KU and UVA for the NCAAs. Or if other teams are going to have issues.

This, taken from an article on UVA, appears to be the NCAA's rules for tourney withdrawals.

If Virginia does have to pull out of the tournament, the NCAA's contingency plan depends on when the Cavs withdraw.

If they withdraw before Selection Sunday, they won't be selected.

If they withdraw between Selection Sunday and Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, they'll be replaced by the first at-large team left out of the field.

If they withdraw anytime after Tuesday at 6 p.m., their next game will be declared a forfeit.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

If they withdraw before Tuesday, does that mean some bubble team gets their (presumably top 4) seed?

[Remus West]

If they withdraw before Tuesday, does that mean some bubble team gets their (presumably top 4) seed?

i would think they would maybe bump teams up a notch to fill it in.

On another note, officiating still sucks. I’ve watched a lot of games the last few days and the inconsistency within games as to what is a foul and what isn’t is baffling.

[pr0ner]

If they withdraw before Tuesday, does that mean some bubble team gets their (presumably top 4) seed?

Like Remus said, I would assume they reseed since the tourney is in a bubble.