2014 NCAA Tournament All Game Comments

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 10 years ago

You should run back to the scout board Sean and tell them how funny and brave you are...and how much we dislike PC and the big east because you have a bigger tv contract than the A-10.....

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

i dont disagree with NIT

i dont see how if you only made the tourney by winning your conference this year that you are better than that next year after losing Cotton. its just not possible. he made everyone around him look and play better than they are. i like cooley and your team next year, more depth, but you dont get better after losing an all world player no matter how great a recruiting class you have. its not logical.

difference being me and you is that i am not a smug jackass who only watches BE basketball, i have seen every one of your games this year, and you cannot say the same. you and your friar fans bball opinions are largely microscopic in nature b.c you dont watch dayton, SLU, vcu, etc. you just think they suck because of the patch on their chest. lack of information makes your opinions ill informed and ignorant. go back whence you came and see you in december.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Money can't buy happiness....as in NCAA tourney bids and wins.....

It remains to be seen how much success the NBE will have due to that money...from what I understand there are a lot of conditions attached to that money...

Maybe it's not as "guaranteed" as people seem to think it is.....

Fox execs, if they were stupid enough to guarantee that money, must be wanting to jump off tall buildings right about now....

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

No everything is just rosy....from CBS Sports

"This marks the first time since 1993 that no Big East team is repped in the Sweet 16."

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 10 years ago

bigappleram wrote:No everything is just rosy....from CBS Sports

"This marks the first time since 1993 that no Big East team is repped in the Sweet 16."

Ugh. That tournament wrecked me, Seton Hall lost to Western Kentucky and then Duke lost to Cal, all on the same day.

peeps4life · Unread post by **peeps4life** » 10 years ago

when did i say those A10 teams suck? i watch a lot of college BB... but there are only so many A10 games available.

cotton is a great player... one of my favorites. he made all 5 other guys better and led the BE in assists and 2nd in scoring. that basically never happens.

i can be brad stevens and play the stats game. you might argue... but dunn is a playmaker. did you see the games he played in this year? he is a beast on D and has incredible vision. i think he steps right in where cotton left off as far as PG duties. personally... i think he is a better PG, but that's certainly arguable.

back to playing the stats game... my worry for next year is points scored. they are losing 34ppg between batts and cotton. i think they can make that up with depth including freshmen. a 6 man rotation turns into an 8 man rotation. i think 2 freshmen can replace 50% of production that you got from cotton and batts. then you are looking for upticks from some existing guys and 2 additional depth guys to score 17ppg. i also think the team will be a very good defensive team with dunn returning. cotton rarely played D on the best guard on the opposition. dunn is the guy that does that.

you lose the crunch time guy no doubt... and that's why i'm in the "solid NIT" camp with an "outside shot at NCAA". perfectly logical.

URI still has a bit of improving to do. leaping to top 75 RPI would REALLY be leaping.

and you'd be right if you said i don't know anything about your recruits for next year. but in that case i can just throw your "freshmen don't do shlt" line of thinking (however misguided that might be).

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

CBS, on our side...

Now, let's get them to up our TV deal. We've earned that right.

Same for NBC.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 10 years ago

The past is irrelevant ..... This is the new big east....and to some extent the new A-10.... We will not get as many bids next year as we did this year....we may lose more schools to the siren song of $4M in TV revenue....and we will lose good coaches to BCS schools....the big east can start recording their history this year and going forward....and year one was not a great one for them...

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

Dunn is a great penetrator and defensive menace...but he is not an offensive threat. You can sag on him and force him to hit jumpers. A PG that cannot consistently hit three point shots has a ceiling in college. In my conference we call that Briante Weber. Nice player, but the only similarity to Bryce Cotton is they both will be wearing shorts. Cotton accounted for 52 of your 76 points the other night, between points and assists. If you think two FR can replace half of his production (forget Batts) you are asking a lot.

I am not in the FR cant do shit camp, certainly not when EC was our best player and Hassan has an even higher ceiling IMO. But history tells you there is a pretty steep learning curve for all but the top 10-15 guys. EC was an anomaly for us.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Bernadette looks like she will keep the A10 on an upward course, whatever happens.

The NBE has money, but what else right now? Sure it helps, but everything else is a crapshoot.

I'm sure there will be many changes going forward for both leagues.

One thing's for sure. The NBE has the best TV deal it will EVER get. There's only one direction for it.

DOWN.

The A10's deal? Should only get better and better going forward.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

i guess that's one way of looking at it

i dont discount the money, but it has to translate to Ws and none of those programs were cash poor before the Fox deal.

we are 1 player away from possibly being VERY GOOD next year, until then I will keep my mouth shut and wait to see what happens.

peeps4life · Unread post by **peeps4life** » 10 years ago

bigappleram wrote:Dunn is a great penetrator and defensive menace...but he is not an offensive threat. You can sag on him and force him to hit jumpers. A PG that cannot consistently hit three point shots has a ceiling in college. In my conference we call that Briante Weber. Nice player, but the only similarity to Bryce Cotton is they both will be wearing shorts. Cotton accounted for 52 of your 76 points the other night, between points and assists. If you think two FR can replace half of his production (forget Batts) you are asking a lot.

I am not in the FR cant do shit camp, certainly not when EC was our best player and Hassan has an even higher ceiling IMO. But history tells you there is a pretty steep learning curve for all but the top 10-15 guys. EC was an anomaly for us.

the best night of his career the other night. can't pretend that result was nightly when 3 other guys averaged 13+ppg for the year. 2 freshman won't replicate 50% of the best game from a top 10 best player for the program ever. come on...

i'm way way way higher on dunn than you, but that remains to be seen with health/rust and all.

i feel like you are just assuming you can subtract 21ppg from our boxscore because we can't replace cotton. i contend in the aggregate, the points will be there as a team. it is the close games and the crunch time that they'll have to determine a go to guy (henton has shown that he can do that... and he was our best 3pt shooter... even though i cringe every time he puts one up).

i'm sticking to it. solid NIT with an outside shot at NCAA. top 75 RPI.

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 10 years ago

Ramulous wrote:You should run back to the scout board Sean and tell them how funny and brave you are...and how much we dislike PC and the big east because you have a bigger tv contract than the A-10.....

Whaaat? Might be time for night nights. I'm not even on this thread .

rhodylaw · Unread post by **rhodylaw** » 10 years ago

Thinking about comments from shabazz Napier after the st joes game - he was talking about not knowing the guys from st joes at all before that game. I'm sure he didn't mean it but it was such a belittling comment. Who are these guys on this team that I never watch?

I think that is where most of the NBE is heading and probably why Buzz left. You can be a great team, have great players but if you aren't on ESPN no one knows about you. So the BE has 17 top 100 recruits coming in and I bet very few if any of them become national stars. They may be great players but will be unknown around the nation until tourney time. That is what being a mid-major program is like. It's frustrating to be a fan but they will get used to it.

peeps4life · Unread post by **peeps4life** » 10 years ago

i mean... 17 of the top 100 HS players is a lot. you guys really brush that off like it's no big deal.

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 10 years ago

Observations from the Weekend:
Impressive win by Wisconsin over Oregon.
Former URI Recruiting target Jason Caliste looked good for Oregon scoring 20 points on 4-5fg and 11-11ft. Caliste chose Detroit over URI then transferred for his SR year to Oregon. When I saw him live in HS he shot his FT's about 18 inches behind the line. He has now moved up and is still a foot behind the line when he releases??? but he hits them. He lost his cool in the last seconds shoving the Wisconsin guy and getting a tech. Tough player.
Joe Young was unreal for Oregon. The former PC signee who changed to Houston then Oregon when his dad got canned at Houston went off for 29 points. 10-19fg, 5-6ft and 4-7 on 3 pointers. He hit many clutch shots for the Ducks.
Iowa State over North Carolina.
Former URI Recruiting target DeAndre Kane scored the winning basket for Iowa. Kane went 10-19fg, 10 rebounds and 7 assists to lead Iowa State with 24 points. Kane chose Marshall over URI then transferred to Iowa St for his Senior year. Great win for Iowa St considering Georges Niang broke his foot earlier in the Tournament.
Last Teams in for A10, NBE and ACC. Strength or depth in leagues can be judged by how the last team "in" performs.
NC State was the last team in for the ACC finishing 7th and barely getting in. They beat Xavier (the NBE last team in and 4th place NBE finisher) handily by 15 points. NC State then went on to lose to A10 team Saint Louis.
Dayton finished 6th in the A10. They beat 6th seed Ohio State and 3 seed Syracuse to reach the Sweet 16. Says a lot when the 6th place A10 team achieves Sweet 16 status.
Tennessee reaches the Sweet 16
The Volunteers were an 11th seed and beat 11 seed Iowa in Dayton, then beat 6th seed UMASS by 19, then beat 14th seed Mercer by 20 - quite a roll for a bubble play in team.
UCONN reaches the Sweet 16
7 seed UCONN beats pride of the NBE Villanova by 12 points
Villanova guards were a combined 12-36fg
Stars Not Stepping Up in the Big Games
2 seed Kansas loses to 10 seed Stanford. Andrew Wiggins goes 1-6fg for only 4 points and only 4 rebounds in 34 minutes. Wayne Selden Jr only played 18 minutes with 4 fouls. 1-5fg, 1 rebound. These guys are talking leaving early for the NBA?
3 seed Creighton gets pummelled by 6 seed Baylor by 30 points and it was worse than the score indicates. Announcers said the difference in talent on the floor was like watching a High School Varsity team play it's JV team. They also said the Baylor players were bigger, faster and more talented than the Creighton players.
McDermott was 7-14fg, many late in the game, and only 2 rebounds for 15 points

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Good thing URI never got Niang, Kane or Caliste. CFL would still be here.
As far as top 100's, sure everyone wants to get them.
Still, look at McDermott, Cotton and Treveon Graham. What they have in
common, besides being terrific players is, nobody recruited them!
Just think, every big name coach in America came to watch Harrison Barnes play
in high school. His teammate? Doug McDermott.
That means, every one of these big time talent judges, turned a blind eye to the better
player. Barnes was so highly rated and was a good, not great player at UNC.
Even in this day of You Tube clips and AAU tourneys, there are still
diamonds to be found who aren't noticed.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 10 years ago

Peeps = Sean. Same quixotic mission.....now run home and tell scout how stupid we are....

peeps4life · Unread post by **peeps4life** » 10 years ago

you're not all stupid.

and sean and i are most definitely not the same. at all...

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 10 years ago

peeps4life wrote:you're not all stupid.

and sean and i are most definitely not the same. at all...

How gracious, Peeper…..

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

BE fans love to point to those 17 top 100's, and say they will be back on top soon. No guarantees.

They got them, due to money and the BE's past reputation.

Well, the BE's reputation just took a BIG hit this year, and over time, that will start to show when it comes to recruiting.

So, enjoy them while you can, we'll see how good they become, and whether or not they actually end up playing.

Also, the money edge that the BE currently has, will shrink over time. Fox isn't going to continue to pay for 0.1 ratings for too long.

peeps4life · Unread post by **peeps4life** » 10 years ago

rambone... you keep saying the same things. very few of which are based on fact. simply conjecture.

the fact is that next year's recruiting class had NOTHING to do with the old BE. NOTHING.

and yes... fox will continue to pay for 11 more years. even with new deals negotiated, a 1000% difference in TV money for conferences like the A10 is an ENORMOUS gap that will not shrink that dramatically.

twisted3829 · Unread post by **twisted3829** » 10 years ago

Tennessee may have been the luckiest team this week. They get lucky and somehow get the play in game to OT and win then get a good matchup with overseeded UMass who hadn't been playing well then play Mercer who is decent but a fame they should win and did

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Notice that superfly66 hasn't posted much lately.

He's the most well informed and impartial PC/BE poster on here.

He must be embarrassed as shit over his league's performance.

Can't say that I blame him.

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 10 years ago

peeps4life wrote:rambone... you keep saying the same things. very few of which are based on fact. simply conjecture.

the fact is that next year's recruiting class had NOTHING to do with the old BE. NOTHING.

and yes... fox will continue to pay for 11 more years. even with new deals negotiated, a 1000% difference in TV money for conferences like the A10 is an ENORMOUS gap that will not shrink that dramatically.

Rambone, I am not sure I get the money thing. Are you saying the Big East Teams are paying the incoming players? Lot's of schools have tons of money but it doesn't mean they have good men's basketball teams.
NBE got a big TV package. many of us said it was not a good deal and would not last back when it was first signed. Now it looks like it was not a good deal.
But I don't think I see the relationship between the Fox TV Package and the bringing in of top recruits. How many of the 17 would have gone NBE had the Fox TV deal not been in place? My guess is most all of them. There is so much TV now that even the lower level D1 Teams are getting their games on TV. TV is not the end-all that it used to be.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

No, I don't mean they are directly paying players. That would be an obvious violation.

Things like "jobs" etc. More money also helps recruiting.

We lost Terrell because Dan couldn't or wouldn't promise whatever he was asking for. Ok St could. It's more than just quality of facilities too.

Some of the BE schools' facilities aren't any better than the A10's.

What I'm saying is, money isn't everything when it comes to recruiting, but it sure helps.

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 10 years ago

It takes a long time to get over a loss in the tournament, especially when you feel you had a good chance to win. I didn't see the whole game. But, from what I did see, it looked like pc could have won. I wasn't impressed with NC.
It's too bad so much is put on just one tournament where 1 loss knocks you out. It tends to take away from a very good season.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

I will say - it was nice to see that when comparing the ACC - A10 both had 6 teams, both only have one left. Plus that A10 victory over the ACC team.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

The thing that makes the NCAA tournament so tough, is that after months of buildup and anticipation, it's over in a heartbeat.

One play. That's all it takes to end it, at the end of a close game.

And then the cycle begins again. It's still worth it, though.

Some day, all of our efforts will be rewarded.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

85, for some of us older fans, we still haven't gotten over certain particular losses in the tournament.

I guess if you're Duke or UCLA or whoever, it all tends to fuzzy a bit, because they've been to so many Dances and won some of them.

But if you're a URI or PC fan, the close losses tend to sting, and linger a lot more, because we don't get that many chances, and we've never won one.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

peeps, just curious, how many Top 100s entered the league before last season? how about the season before? i would have to assume a comparable number...how did that translate on the court?
or wait, did demoting to a lesser league have the opposite effect on recruiting? that would be what is becoming known as Friar logic...

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 10 years ago

Totally agree, 78.

I was telling Rod yesterday that I was embarassed to say I didn't even realize all the teams that were currently in the ACC. I haven't really been following the conference realignments closely, except for ours and NBE. This constant realigning of teams has really hurt the game, in my opinion. Unfortunately, there's no end in sight.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

There's currently a lull in realignment, but I think there's another round coming.

I would have to guess the BE will add 2 more, whether they want to or not. Fox's money will call the shots.

Will Fordham leave the A10, and will Siena and others be added, if the BE takes 2 more from us?

Will UConn and Cincy leave the AAC? They want out yesterday. That would imo destroy that league, especially with Louisville leaving.

Still many questions to be answered within a couple more years.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 10 years ago

I would imagine any catholic school would rather be aligned with other catholic schools....and the big east has the best tv revenue contract of any mid-major conference by far....but for butler all nbe schools have the catholic designation....we probably cannot compete w those two factors in keeping Dayton and St. Louis if the offer is extended....but is fox gonna kick in an extra $8M a year to get those 2 television markets...to keep the per school revenue at $4M...especially with the poor viewership the nbe gets without their former glamorous members....maybe fox thought the name "big east" would fool viewers into thinking it was quality basketball....

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Ramulous, Fox will not do that. If 2 more are added, it will reduce the payouts for the other schools in the conference. The pie will not get bigger, it will be split in more pieces.

Also, there are contingencies in the contract concerning TV ratings. Those 4 mil a year numbers aren't going to be realized, what with 0.1 ratings for this year's telecasts.

I have not read the contract, before some of you question if I have. That is what I've been told.

So, even though the money for the BE schools is far and away bigger than what the A10 schools get, it isn't quite as big as first thought.

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 10 years ago

Soon conferences will be adding network execs. to their boards of directors. Why not? they're making all the calls, anyway.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

85, I want to see the A10 pushing for more TV money. Don't they deserve it?

Compared to what Fox is getting for all the millions they've shelled out for a mediocre product, CBS and NBC are getting a bargain with the A10.

As to TV execs being involved with league decisions, that's likely to be a big factor in future realignments.

Say CBS/NBC or whoever says to the A10, OK we'll give you more money, in return for dropping the weak links of the league? You know, the bottom feeders, or the schools with poor facilities, etc.

Fox has set the bar. The hounds have been released. Time for the money grab.

Especially if an A10/ACC deal is reached concerning the Barclay's/OOC games. Also especially if ESPN gets involved. What a kick in the balls that would be for the BE!!!!

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:Ramulous, Fox will not do that. If 2 more are added, it will reduce the payouts for the other schools in the conference. The pie will not get bigger, it will be split in more pieces.

Also, there are contingencies in the contract concerning TV ratings. Those 4 mil a year numbers aren't going to be realized, what with 0.1 ratings for this year's telecasts.

I have not read the contract, before some of you question if I have. That is what I've been told.

So, even though the money for the BE schools is far and away bigger than what the A10 schools get, it isn't quite as big as first thought.

I had read before that Fox would up the tv money so that the per school payout would be the same if more schools were added. However, given the terrible ratings and poor performance of the league in year one, I am not so certain that Fox would want to do this right now. My guess is they will want to wait a few years to see if the ratings improve and the performance of league teams gets better wth more bids and deeper NCAA runs.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 10 years ago

Why wouldn't fox want to throw good money after bad....it seems to be working well for them ?

They are now my favorite network...and the new big east is my favorite conference...and pc is my favorite school.....sean, peeps, and rj have convinced me to switch....

rhodyrudder · Unread post by **rhodyrudder** » 10 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:85, I want to see the A10 pushing for more TV money. Don't they deserve it?

Compared to what Fox is getting for all the millions they've shelled out for a mediocre product, CBS and NBC are getting a bargain with the A10.

Say CBS/NBC or whoever says to the A10, OK we'll give you more money, in return for dropping the weak links of the league? You know, the bottom feeders, or the schools with poor facilities, etc.

Fox has set the bar. The hounds have been released. Time for the money grab.

Not to be debbie downer, but $ = ratings.

I, for one, am not convinced that an A-10 package on ESPN or NBCSN or CBSSN would generate ratings any higher than BE ratings on FS1. Not that the games wouldn't be better, clearly they would. But are people in, say, Dallas any more likely to want to watch Rhody-St. Bona than Seton Hall-Butler? We're not getting rich on a new contract, the way the BE schools did.

I also think it's extremely unlikely that the BE expands this year, because that per team amount will not go down unless BE lawyers are idiots. They will almost certainly keep the $4M figure. And that will also certainly not change because of low ratings. The league doesn't control the ratings, they'll argue. It's the network's fault for not being in enough homes, for not generating sufficient publicity, etc etc.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Fox should stick to what it does best....Sunday night cartoon lineup.....

Seriously, nobody can claim that Fox will ever approach ESPN with their sports coverage.

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 10 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:
Seriously, nobody can claim that Fox will ever approach ESPN with their sports coverage.

Anyone who wants to compete with ESPN has to have deep pockets and willing to spend the money to compete. If Fox does not want to do that, they will be a footnote with the other failed sports networks.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Unless someone can turn the Rutgers program around. Going to the B10, that's a huge challenge, but also a huge opportunity.

Obviously Rutgers has to be willing to commit big bucks, if they want to compete on that level. Since they were invited, I'd have to assume they will.

Again, 66, money spent WISELY will work for Fox, money thrown away is just that, thrown away. They still have a huge mountain to climb, and I don't think they'll get there.

Fox WAY overpaid for the product, to get the product. The product had better improve markedly over the next 2-3 years, or it's a failure. Fox's sports ventures may fail with or without it anyway.

I don't see either the BE or A10 getting a national viewing audience in any event. Neither are going to generate anywhere near the ratings that the old BE used to get. It's either regional, or nothing.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Jesus would have trouble turning Rutgers around.
I certainly wasn't comparing the jobs. Marquette is
a great job. Rutgers is the pitts.

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 10 years ago

College basketball would not carry any network, and is basically filler content. If Fox wants high ratings, it won't be just by carrying the Big East. Would ESPN have huge ratings if every other night Clemson was facing Wake Forest or South Florida was facing Tulane? Of course not. Fox needs to surround the Big East with other sports and conferences to make FS1 a viable television option. The goal should be to create an outlet where quality basketball is on every night, mixed it with other sports options. ESPN is so great because they can pick matchups from 8 conferences and well over 100 teams. And even then, college basketball will not carry ratings on any network, outside of the NCAA Tournament.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Don't know where this should go, but lots of players delusionally
coming out for the NBA draft.
Latest is Noah Vonleh. 11.3 ppg and 26 mpg.
Barkley was saying yesterday that he didn't think any of the freshmen he's seen
are NBA ready.
One and done stinks.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

It does Rod, but it helps the little guys.

If guys like Parker, Randle, and Embiid stayed for more than 2 years, then the big boys would totally dominate the sport, even more than they do now.

Schools like URI and PC need their guys to stay for 3-4 years to get good. Cotton?

Guys like Sly, Lamar, [and possibly EC and Hassan] don't grow on trees for programs like ours.

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 10 years ago

I am reluctant to say this, but I don't think Peeps or RJ are that far off with their comments. The A-10 will continue to be at-risk for losing teams and coaches to the new Big East as long as there is a big disparity in the TV contract dollars. To me, that's the most important thing for the A-10 going forward - Using the strength of the league to negotiate a better TV contract. It's nice that the A-10 outperformed the new Big East in the NCAA tournament this year, and that (arguably, of course!) the top of the league was just as good as the new Big East. But it's just a one-year sample, and the A-10 is going to have to do it for a couple years in a row to really leverage a better contract.

EDIT: Removed my comment about Smart, since there was a thread split.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Moving coaching change rumors to new thread....

Steve, moved your post back here!

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Good post Greenwell. Actually, the A10 HAS done it two years in a row. Last year, we went 5-0 first round.

Time for a new TV contract. 1 mil a year per team, for starters. Won't be near the BE deal, but will be FAR better than any other mid-major conference out there. And it should be.