College Basketball
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RecentSmackdowns
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Smackalicious
2 Votes
40%
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All this hype around the *alleged* Mayo controversy is a crock of crap. All the major Division-1 teams are paying people off. You telling me Beaseley just *decided* to go to Memphis State!? Bullshit. If the NBA is going to force this crap one-year rule down everyone's throats, then they're going to have to expect these kind of back-room deals....
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Rebuttal
My point is that market economics sooner or later will break through artifical attempts to contain them. It's like Stalin-ist Russia. If the delta between people's financial reality and their needs becomes too great, black markets crop up. This is what's happening at the intersection between college and pro sports. "Society" wants to artificially keep athletes, who would otherwise be making millions and millions of dollars, in collegiate sports where they don't make shit. Meanwhile, the universities make off with huge revenues off the backs of their "student athletes" and all they have to do is hand out a few scholarships. This is fundamentally broken economics, and the righteous indignation that people like you feel around this is ludicrous. I don't blame the kids for trying to get what's rightfully theirs.
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SmackDaddy
3 Votes
60%
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First things first, don’t point the finger at the NBA; they are not the issue here. Agree with their policies (such as the so-called “one year rule”) or not, they cannot be used as an excuse to condone unethical or illegal practices on the part of a player or university.
As for Mayo/Bush, I’m struggling to understand if you believe that their alleged antics violated NCAA rules. Regardless, and at the crux of this debate, is the fact that USC chose to bury its head in the sand and ignore bla...
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Rebuttal
The smack topic isn’t social economics, student athlete compensation, or the policies of the NBA or other professional sporting bodies. If you’d like to debate the topic of whether student athletes should be paid or to smack down the one-year rule, those are different smack topics than this one.
At the end of the day, there are clear policies that the collegiate and professional sporting bodies have established. Whether we agree with them or not, the rules are the rules and they must be followed (and in the case of university athletic departments, reasonably enforced). Despite all of that, USC showed wanton disregard for the rules- plain and simple. There are many clean programs that do the right thing and don’t deserve to be treated as guilty by association.
This smack topic is: “USC is no worse than any other D-1 school”. That statement is wrong.
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Mike Trigg
1 Vote
25%
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With James Phillips set to officially start next week as Northwestern's new athletic director, I have to say I'm not very excited -- at least not yet. I don't know much about the guy (who does, he's from NIU for God's sake), but I'm skeptical that he's going to turn around the culture of losing that has set in yet again, at least with the top-tier sports. The only bright side I can really see is at least it's a change -- we certainly deserve better than last place in men's basketball, and seco...
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lazlong
3 Votes
75%
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I think the more relevant question is, who cares? What's your next challenge, whether I like the new unis the NU women's field hockey team is sporting? Here's the problem with the NU athletic program, and I realize it's a little chicken-and-egg, but no one cares.
NU is only going to build a first class athletics program when people start ponying up the cash to help out. Stanford and Duke kick NU's ass in alumni giving so it's no surprise they consistently field good teams (though neither has ...
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ShitStain
5 Votes
62%
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T Boone Pickens will make sure of it. Rumor has it that in addition to offering him a $1M raise, Pickens is going to give him a "position" in his hedge fund. Let's face it, Self is a solid recruiter and a mediocre coach. He rides his horses well and is known to be quite the ladies man on campus. ...
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Packer Backer
3 Votes
37%
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I'm guessing no. Kansas will get close enough in money to keep him. Why in God's name would you leave Kansas and go struggle through mediocre basketball at Okie State? Didn't he go there? This isn't like Les Miles going to Michigan. Self would always be at a disadvantage at Ok. State. No way. This is an easy one for me....
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Cheesehead
0 Votes
0%
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OK, so I may have been wrong about Kansas "choking" (rumor was, they used my last smackdown as locker room motivation). But this is Memphis's game to lose. They have that rare combination of being the team that is bigger, faster and more athletic (therefore, usually the favorite), PLUS the motivation of perceiving themselves as underdogs with a chip on their shoulder. They are out to prove that they are legit, and they're going to show it tonight....
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Rebuttal
My argument is not that Memphis is the underdog. I see the lines, read the papers, listen to radio, watch TV, and agree that everyone likes Memphis. You think I live in a vacuum? My point is that they *perceive* themselves to be underdogs. They have felt all year (probably all their NCAA careers). And that is a powerful motivator.
Second, the size disadvantage I was talking about is at guard. Rose and Douglas-Roberts are going to drive against you all night. Fine, your big men can hack 'em, but as they showed against UCLA, those guys have been money from the line lately. I don't see what KU's answer is to them.
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The Keg
6 Votes
100%
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Clearly the fact that you're on their bandwagon does not bode well for them (witness your Wisconsin diatribe). While I'm not going to vehemently argue the other side of your statement--I think this matchup is a toss up at best (and the current line on the game is Memphis by 1.5)--I think that KU has just as good a chance to win tonight as Memphis does.
I will, however, take issue with your claims that 1) the Tigers are "bigger, faster, and more athletic" and 2) they are "underdogs."
First...
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Cheesehead
1 Vote
20%
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The ACC was so weak this year, and yet NC almost lost in the ACC playoffs. They really haven't faced any tough teams in the tourney yet, and Louisville and Tennessee are both formidable. Even WSU might challenge them. I have Tennessee coming out of the East in my bracket....
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TheColonel
4 Votes
80%
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I can't believe I am defending the Tarholes, but I have no doubt they are coming out of the East. Here is the #1 reason.
Tyler Hansborough just wants it more than anyone else. He is simply relentless. Apparently he has thought about last year's loss to Georgetown in the Final 8 every single day for the last year. He will put this team on his shoulders.
Reason #2 - Roy Williams is actua...
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PatsFan
0 Votes
0%
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I think Stanford comes out of nowhere and takes this thing.
Brook Lopez is just damn good, and big man play always seems to be under-rated in the tournament. I'm sorry, but in that Marquette game everyone in the stadium and their mothers knew that last pass was going to him, and yet they could still execute it.
/www.youtube.com/v/33z...
Well coached, great b...
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Wolverine
4 Votes
100%
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Hey fancy boy, just because the Cardinal win a couple games in the tournament doesn't justify this lovefest. You have your place in this world and that place is to cheer against Stanford. It should be part of your DNA by now. Stanford gets the woodshed treatment next game against Augustin and the Longhorns anyway.
All that matters is this below.
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smithala
0 Votes
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What a joke the play in game is? Seriously, who knows who was in the play in game the past 3 years? A couple of problems with the 65 team field.
1) How come no Major conference team can play in the play in game? You're supposed to have the top 31-34 at large teams, and yet the play in game is always from mid-majors. You can't tell me that avg team coming from the ACC, Big East, SEC or Pac-10 wouldn't scare the heck out of the #1 seed they might play if they would win this play in game.
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zEE
0 Votes
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Wolverine
2 Votes
50%
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Well, it finally happened. Michigan fired Tommy Amaker after a very disappointing season this year, capped off with a 20 point shallacking by FSU in the second round of the NIT.
http://sports.espn.go....
Some highlights of his career include:
1. No NCAA Tournament appearances with Seton Hall or Michigan over almost 10 seasons.
2. The ability to take solid (maybe not great...
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Pickle
2 Votes
50%
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So I'll take a shot at hypothesizing the only possible reason Michigan could regret firing him. Now Amaker is headed to Harvard, where he will build a tradition of Ivy League championships that will be the envy of D1 basketball.
This is a school whose sole athletic highlight outside of hockey and the major prep school sports (fencing, crew, etc.) has been the year its women's hoops team became the only 16 seed ever to beat a 1 (Stanford). The bar for athletic excellence is set very low, rig...
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Wolverine
3 Votes
50%
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After watching last night's dismantling of the Buckeyes, I began to think about where Florida stands relative to previous NCAA Champions. My conclusion: This Florida team is the best team since the Running Rebels of the 1999-2001 stretch.
The starting lineup for that team:
Larry Johnson = Al Horford
George Ackles = Joakim Noah
Stacey Augmon = Corey Brewer
Anderson Hunt/Travis Bice = Ryan Humphrey
Greg Anthony = Taurean Green
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Moose
3 Votes
50%
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For starters, I should win this one outright because the Running Rebels of 1999-2001 sucked ass. There is no comparison. You're asking me to compare a 1959 bordeaux to a bottle of Night Train.
Realizing, however, that I am dealing with someone PERILOUSLY out of their depth and full of more ineptitude than said 1999-2001 UNLV teams, I will engage you here since OBVIOUSLY you meant to discuss the 1990-1991 UNLV teams--and, hey, gold star for short, bald guy for getting their names right!
For...
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Pickle
5 Votes
50%
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Every year, it's inevitable that we hear it in the last five minutes of a March Madness game -- it came up in Florida/Butler last week. A color commentator saying "this team just knows how to win." Which tells you exactly nothing about what's going on.
How do you win? Score as many points as you can and keep the other team from scoring. That's not an insight, it's the rule book.
When you hear a sportscaster say "this team knows how to win," it's a usually a shorthand for saying one of ...
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TheColonel
5 Votes
50%
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No doubt you'll hear lots of meaningless blather from announcers of any sport. But what I am hearing Pickle argue is that there is no such thing as a team that is "clutch", that is a team that consistently makes the big play under pressure to win close games against other teams of equal talent.
I can already hear all the Bill James/Michael Lewis sabermetrics idealogues pulling out their stat sheets to claim there is no such thing as a clutch-performers.
But just keeping things to the NC...
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smithala
3 Votes
42%
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Back in the days when the women didn't look like men, and actually played like little girls, this would've been fine. But looking at the "women" on the court now, they can more than handle the bigger ball. Women want gender equality on everything yet this has been one topic that was passed up or ignored.
We all know that they've been playing with the men's ball in the gym, in order to get better, playing against the men. Let's stop kidding ourselves and make the move to a real ball. Let's...
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Packer Backer
4 Votes
57%
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Give me a break. It's tough enough to watch the women's game right now. It would be disastrous to watch it with a bigger ball. It sounds like a very sexist position and meant to embarass the women's game even more. They aren't men so they should have a ball that shows a better game. ...
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Cheesehead
5 Votes
45%
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Someone needs to call out the Colonel for his pre-tournament prediction that a #1 seed was going to get ousted in the first round:
http://www.smacknatter...
Not only did all 4 #1 seeds make it to the Sweet 16, but the lowest seed left in any bracket is UNLV at #7. In other words, almost the exact inverse of his prediction. Wolverine was right. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but such off-target prognostications can't go u...
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TheColonel
6 Votes
54%
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Well, I didn't get that one right, but I'd rather be a year early than a year late.
What do I have to say for myself? Two words. Leader Board. I won that Smackdown, and thanks to it I am sitting a couple slots ahead of you, Trigginator.
Now we all know the name of the game on this site is good smack talking. Actually being correct is secondary at best. Hell, I nearly lost to FilipinoFungo claiming his high school tennis match was better than McEnroe/Borg.
[URL]http://www.smacknatt...
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Packer Backer
1 Vote
14%
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I would much rather watch UNC or Kansas. UCLA is just gross to watch. Ohio State isn't much better. These defensive teams that don't have that many athletes are just not fun to watch. I'm not saying UCLA and Ohio State aren't good. They are good enough. I just don't like watching it. ...
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Eazy E
6 Votes
85%
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Wolverine
2 Votes
40%
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I'm watching Conley break down Tennessee's defense on every single play tonight. I've watched him do this to many teams this year and the dude is just a freshman. He is as composed as any freshman point guard in memory.
The value of a PG like that should never be underestimated. Look at the impact of Chris Paul at New Orleans. I think Conley will be even better. He is strong, smart, and cool as a cucumber. I might have a man crush.
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smithala
3 Votes
60%
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I accept that you have a man crush, but he isn't as good as Chris Paul and never will be. When is the last time you've seen Conley Jr. hit a jumper? He's TJ Ford. Can drive, can dish, can break you down off the dribble, quick, but still got no "J". Not knocking TJ Ford, but he has his limitations and defenses should play to that. Same with Conley Jr. Play him to drive, and force him to hit a jumper.
Chris Paul stepped in immediately and made Wake a contender. They weren't that good bef...
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smithala
2 Votes
33%
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1) if she were a man and slept with a female player, would he be hired again? NO
2) how can you prevent her from having another sexual relation with another player? You can't
3) it would draw too much attention to a University that doesn't need all of that attention.
4) she knew what she was doing was wrong. It's no different than a teacher sleeping with a student, a boss sleeping with a co-worker. There's no way to police this appropriately....
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Wolverine
4 Votes
66%
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Smithala, I agree with you 100%, but couldn't stand to watch this Smackdown go unanswered for so long. You need to post more controversial stuff dude.
So let me take this a few different angles. Perhaps this proclivity of hers could be used as a recruiting advantage. Pokey is kind of cute....in a women's basketball context.
I was wondering how she got the name "Pokey." Sadly, my favo...
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Wolverine
4 Votes
44%
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Take a gander at this well produced and somewhat off-color video (apologies for some of the inappropriate language) that sprung up in my email box today from a Tar Heel fan:
http://www.youtube.com...
With all due respect to TK and TheColonel, doesn't more of the country root against Duke than for Duke? Are the Dukies not the equivalent of the Yankees for College Basketball? It's simply a matter of jealousy, but sure is fun to root for the other team (except for ...
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Moose
5 Votes
55%
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Packer Backer
6 Votes
60%
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I loved the quote from the AD that Michigan is used to winning Big Ten and national championships. Is he talking about all sports or just basketball? Tommy inherited a disastrous program that cheated. He cleaned it up, still recruited pretty well, had 3 20 win seasons and fell victim to a ridiculous amount of injuries. Don't tell me that Ohio State hasn't loosened standards in football and basketball to get where they are.
Tommy has his faults and he's too nice a guy but to fire him beca...
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Wolverine
4 Votes
40%
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I'm sort of glad it finally happened. I really like Tommy Amaker a lot, but that program was not going to win any time soon with him at the reigns, and I think a better coach could get them to the Tournament regularly....even with those miserable facilities.
Bill Martin's winning tradition comment was a reference to 3 runs to the championship game from 1989 through 1993 and some NCAA appearances thereafter. I agree with you that the program was dirty for all of those teams, so it isn't someth...
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PatsFan
4 Votes
44%
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Let's face it - 90% of the people watching the tournament are doing so just because they have some brackets going somewhere and/or their friends are talking about it.
The only real College Hoops fans who pay attention for any longer than that short span in March are the ones who went to a competitive D1 hoops school and wish they were still back their with a funnel in their mouth.
If college hoops were so great, we'd all pay attention during the full season, like we do for the NFL....
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Barbaro
5 Votes
55%
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Roscoe
1 Vote
12%
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It should be the same as the NBA 3-point line. Teams rely far too much on the 3 in college. It is ridiculous when teams attempt more 3s than 2s. It would do a world of good for the quality of the game....
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