Paulus Won’t Play Football at Duke; Big Luke Might Go Pro

Greg Paulus, who you might recall played point guard for the Duke Blue Devil last season, has been kindly shooed away from playing football for the Blue Devils.  Apparently Paulus used to play a little quarterback when he was in high school and was inquiring about playing QB for Duke this year. However, the Duke coach said that they already have their quarterback situation in place. He offered Paulus the opportunity to try out ofr a receiver position, but Paulus declined.  It was also mentioned that Paulus might transfer to Michigan for the opportunity to play QB.

In other news around the NCAA, Luke Harangody, the Notre Dame power forward, has decided whether or not he will declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft, and will announce that decision at a press conference later today.  We’re not sure of his decision as of this post, but the smart money says he tries his hand at the NBA Draft.  Harangody was the only player to finish in the top ten nationally in both scoring and rebounding. He’s an average defender, but is one of the most accomplished offensive players in the NCAA.

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 16, 2009 - Post a comment

Which Team Has the Most to Lose in the NBA Draft?

The NBA draft is the natural enemy of the college basketball coach and the college basketball fan.  For players, it’s a chance to earn millions and reach the peak level of their sport, but for those who love NCAA hoops, it just means  the players they came to know and love for a year or more are leaving them for good- off the to greener pastures of fame and fortune.

Some teams have more to risk than others. If you’re a fan of one of the most competitive teams, it’s more likely that the team has NBA caliber talent looking for the right time to declare for the draft. Some chose to stay on in college all four years, but most of the elite college basketball stars will declare after their first or second year.

Bleacher Report has a nice slideshow/article about the NCAA hoops teams that will be decimated if their top players all chose to go pro. What would Davidson be without Stephen Curry?  What would happen if Wake Forest lost their big three? Take a look at the report and see if your team is in the crosshairs of post-draft cellar status.

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 15, 2009 - Post a comment

Isaiah Will Coach at FIU

Isaiah Thomas will return to the sidelines as the coach of the Florida International University Panthers next season. Thomas was a legendary player when he was in the NBA, but his coaching career was lackluster to say the least. He’ll have a shot at getting that coaching career back on track with the Panthers, a mid-major team that could have string together a couple of successful seasons under Isaiah.

In other coaching news, Xavier has hired a new head coach. Chris Mack, it should be reported officially on Wednesday, will be the new coach of the Musketeers. The head sideline job went vacant after the old Xavier coach, Sean Miller, left to coach at Arizona. Xavier, a team you’ll recall from this past NCAA Tournament, should be a strong contender next season.

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on April 14, 2009 - Post a comment

You’re One Out of 7.52 Million; Plus, UNC Will Get Davis Back

7.52 million unique visitors went to CBSSports.com to watch the NCAA Tournament games for free this year.  This was a roughly 75% increase from the previous year, when 4.76 million visitors came to CBS looking for Tournament coverage. As you know from reading the Final Four Blog, CBS was offering online viewing of every single NCAA Tournament game in the country, all the way from the first round to the National Title Game. What do you think the increase in viewer ship is attributable to? Increased awareness?

In other news, the reigning national champs have at least one contributor coming back to play at UNC. While it’s almost certain that most of the starting five from North Carolina’s championship roster will declare for the draft, they did get one commitment from a player wanting to stay in school. Ed Davis, a sophomore next season, will play in a kind of Tyler Hansbrough role for the Hells next season. Congratulations, Ed, and good luck next season.

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 13, 2009 - Post a comment

Jim Calhoun to Return to UConn; Curry Unsure

Jim Calhoun, the embattled head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies, has stated his intention to return to the sidelines for the next season. It will be his 24th year at the helm of UConn. This would come as no surprise, except for a few recent incidences that prompted the veteran coach to question returning to the game. He has been accused of recruiting violations, he got into a heated verbal exchange with a reporter a while ago, he missed a game in the NCAA Tournament for health reasons, and general old age. But Big Jim’s back now, so you’d better come with some facts!

Jim Calhoun knows where he’s going, but one of the best basketball players in the NCAA doesn’t. Apparently Stephen Curry, the hero of last year’s NCAA Tournament, is still undecided about whether he will enter into the NBA Draft. He led the nation in scoring this last season, but because he’s a skinny kid people are wondering if he’ll be able to handle the physical strain of the NBA. Other skinny shooting guards have succeeded though, like Reggie Miller and, more recently, Kevin Martin.

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on April 10, 2009 - Post a comment

A Season in Review

With the championship game having ended a few days ago, the time to reflect on the past season has come.  There’s a video on the main college basketball page so ESPN that covers the highlights of the yea. Pat Forde went over some of the things he thought were the important storylines. First he mentioned North Carolina, who started out the year as the overwhelming favorite and then ended the season as the overwhelming champion. He also pointed to the Big East, which was clearly one of the most dominating conferences in the history of college basketball. They had three of the top seeds in the tournament and lasted all the way until the national championship game. Andy Katz mentioned Blake Griffin, who was considered the best player and took most of the individual acclaim all year long.

What are the other major themes of the past college basketball season? There was the lack of mid majors in the tourney, the lack of a Cinderella at the Dance. The big programs got bigger and the smaller ones were shut out of the fun. Stephen Curry was only a factor for the beginning of the season, but was unable to rally his team to the Tourney. Lute Olsen left Arizona, and the Pac-10 struggled in general.

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 9, 2009 - Post a comment

A Preseason Top 10 Already?

The college basketball season just concluded on Monday when the North Carolina Tar Heels stormed through the title game, but already college basketball writers are getting geared up for the next season of competition. Even though only a few players have officially entered the draft pool (and they can opt out as long as they don’t have an agent), and we’re not sure of the freshmen situation for many teams out there, Luke Winn is putting forth a preseason Top Ten list. Not surprisingly, there are a few obvious picks in there. Because UNC is losing Hansbrough, they aren’t coming back as No. 1, but Michigan State, according to Winn, is the team to beat. They’ll (probably) return many of the same elements that took them to the final game this year.

Who else made the list?  You’ll have to check it out to find that out. That’s why we have links, silly. However, we will tell you that Kentucky, which this year got bumped early from their stint in the NIT, has made Luke’s list as a “wildcard.” Interesting pick. They’re a team with a lot of upside (if Jodie Meeks stays), they just got a winning coach in John Calipari, and they probably secured a freshmen class that’s about a million times better because of the transfers coming over with J.C.

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 8, 2009 - Post a comment

North Carolina Wins the National Championship!

The Heels were firing on all cylinders last night.  With a squeak and a puff of tire smoke, the North Carolina Tar Heels burst off the line to jump out to a record 21-point lead at halftime in the 2009 NCAA National Championship Game last night.  UNC eventually put the machine into overdrive and then cruise control, winning 89-72 against the home town favorites, the Michigan State Spartans. Wayne Ellington won the Final Four MVP, Ty Lawson had a record eight steals in the game, and everybody got in on the action as Roy Williams’ Tar Heels crushed the Michigan State Spartans, who were unable to get any sort of run together throughout the game.

But although it looked effortless, North Carolina’s road to the championship was actually difficult at times. Although they won every game in the NCAA Tournament by at least 12 points, UNC actually had some trying times in the regular season. And given the fact that they were the unanimous preseason selection to win the title, the expectations were sky high. Given the fact that future NBA players Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to come back to school this year rather than declare for the draft, the pressure was on to win the whole thing or be forever disappointed. As it stands, this Heels squad will probably go down as one of the best national championship teams in the history of the game.

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on April 7, 2009 - Post a comment

National championship Game: North Carolina-Michigan State Tonight!

The National Championship Game is upon us. This past Saturday Michigan State outlasted UConn and UNC devoured Villanova to advance to the final round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It’s Spartans vs. Tar Heels. It’s the fairly tale versus the predictable juggernaut. It’s Tom Izzo versus Roy Williams.  Big Ten versus ACC.  This is the battle we’ve all been waiting for, and there’s not a moment to waist in thinking about who will win.

Speaking of Fairly Tales, Greg Doyle, the curmudgeon of CBS Sports writing, has an article debunking the Michigan State love-fest. You see, in this time where Michigan has been hit hard by the auto industry downturn, fans in the upper Midwest are looking for a hero. Will the Spartans give Michigan a little boost of optimism, or will Psycho-T and the rest of North Carolina crush their hopes out like so many cigarette butts and so many heels? Although the early-season meeting between UNC and MSU at ford Field ended in a landslide UNC win, everyone is thinking that this game will be much closer. Get home early, grab your favorite frost-brewed beverage and enjoy the show, America. Tonight we’ll get to hear Luther Vandros’ “One Shining Moment.”

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on April 6, 2009 - Post a comment

Blake Griffin Wins Player of Year

The Associated Press named Blake Griffin the Player of the Year this week.  In a landslide vote, the AP, which votes on the most popular weekly Top 25 poll, has named the star Oklahoma forward as the best player in the country this past season.  Griffin averaged the most rebounds per game in the nation (14.4) and was one of the leaders in points per game (22.7). Griffin earned 66 out of the 71 first place votes. Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina and DeJaun Blair of Pittsburgh also received votes.

What do you think about the award?  According to the debate in the comments section of this CBSSports article on the matter, most people agree that Blake Griffin was the best option for POY. It was pretty clear that he was the best player on his team- by a wide margin- and his team was pretty darned good- going 30-6 before finally losing to North Carolina in the Elite Eight of the Tournament. Some critics will point out that UNC’s win over the Sooners was proof that Hansbrough was the better choice. Others will try to recommend their own choices. But it seems, at least overall, that most people are content with this votes-on, subjective selection.  Congratulations, Blake. You earned it.

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on April 3, 2009 - Post a comment


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