UCLA

[Galway Eagle]

You'd think we'd have learned it was about matchups when Florida's team of giants beat down one of our best teams since the Al days or when Cuse proved that it was a fluke that a poor outside shooting team was able to shoot over their zone the first time in the E8.

That being said Bennett's style could work in the tournament, didn't both his dad and Bo Ryan prove that?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I think it is difficult for defensive oriented team's like Bennett's to string together the victories to win in today's NCAA.  Look at the NCAA champions over the years that Bennett has been at UVa and their season rank in total points scored:

Villanova (1)
North Carolina (1)
Villanova (2)
Duke (1)
UConn (9)
Louisville* (1)
Kentucky (1)
UConn (6)
Duke (1)

Here is UVa's rank in each of those seasons: 239, 244, 70, 157, 105, 137, 251, 306, 251

This is a little misleading because the teams at the top play more games so of course they are going to score more, but it is obvious from this that you need offense in today's college basketball.  So I don't think it is a function of randomness that Bennett has underperformed in the tournament.  It is a function of his style.  But he's a good coach. So he's going to get a school to consistently win, but his margin in the NCAA tournament is going to be slim. 

[Lennys Tap]

Not even one month, but one game a year.  In the month of March in the ACC Tournament he has won the tournament three times.  Has done very well in one and done competition against some of the best teams in the nation. 

This is also ignored by some here.

I'm more than willing to give TB credit for preparing and coaching his team admirably in the crapshoot one and done ACC tournament. His success warrants it.

And to be consistent (something you obviously have a problem with) I also give him "credit" for his epic failures in the much more important crapshoot one and done NCAA tournament. The first ever 1 to lose to a 16 (and losing by 20), losing as a 1 to a 10, a 2 to a 7, a 1 to a 4 and losing two "toss ups" (5 vs 4 and 10 vs 7) by 24 and 26 on one side of the ledger. His best win? winning once as a #1 against a #4. If you think that's the record of a guy whose teams were prepared and ready to play their most important games on the biggest stage then you're just hopeless.

[Cheeks]

Isn't the ACC Tourney a crapshoot too?

No, it really isn’t.  I realize you are teasing, but all the same.  You know your conference brethren better than any other teams.  You play them often twice per year and you know coaches tendencies far longer from playing teams year after year.

And, you already know how the bracket shapes up long before in some cases.  Let’s use MU, we know in mid February that most likely we have a top 2 seed, can’t play Nova until the final and have a bye.  In the coming weeks we will know with only a couple of iterations who the opponents will be.  We also know we are going to New York.

NCAA, on a Sunday night we find out we are playing someone we may be playing 4 days later and at most five. In the event we matchup against a play in team, we don’t even know the opponent for two more days. On tha Sunday we also find out what part of the country we go to.  So we have at most 4 days of practice, often 3 but also need to travel in that time period.  If we are fortunate to win we have one day to practice for a team that we also haven’t played all year long. 

[MarquetteDano]

Probably going to regret stepping in here but why can't both sides be right on this topic?

There is definitely an upset aspect to the NCAAs moreso than regular season. But some coaches have proven consistency in the tourney as well. 

Coach K is the classic example. Duke has lost to much lower seeds many times in the tourney. He has also won it all  several times proving he's a good tourney coach.

I think if an older coach  has consistently great teams but has never reached the Final Four to me that is on him.

However a younger coach who has great teams that lets say never gotten to the Final Four after 5-8 tries... it is not enough sample size to know.

[79Warrior]

No, it really isn’t.  I realize you are teasing, but all the same.  You know your conference brethren better than any other teams.  You play them often twice per year and you know coaches tendencies far longer from playing teams year after year.

And, you already know how the bracket shapes up long before in some cases.  Let’s use MU, we know in mid February that most likely we have a top 2 seed, can’t play Nova until the final and have a bye.  In the coming weeks we will know with only a couple of iterations who the opponents will be.  We also know we are going to New York.

NCAA, on a Sunday night we find out we are playing someone we may be playing 4 days later and at most five. In the event we matchup against a play in team, we don’t even know the opponent for two more days. On tha Sunday we also find out what part of the country we go to.  So we have at most 4 days of practice, often 3 but also need to travel in that time period.  If we are fortunate to win we have one day to practice for a team that we also haven’t played all year long.

Good news is everyone is in the same boat.

[Cheeks]

Probably going to regret stepping in here but why can't both sides be right on this topic?

There is definitely an upset aspect to the NCAAs moreso than regular season. But some coaches have proven consistency in the tourney as well. 

Coach K is the classic example. Duke has lost to much lower seeds many times in the tourney. He has also won it all  several times proving he's a good tourney coach.

I think if an older coach  has consistently great teams but has never reached the Final Four to me that is on him.

However a younger coach who has great teams that lets say never gotten to the Final Four after 5-8 tries... it is not enough sample size to know.

Largely agree with what you are saying and don’t think I’ve argued differently. Some guys have done well in the tournament, they also usually tend to have great talent....I’m not so sure Bennett and others with high seeds have had the same talent levels as others, but have put their teams in those high seed positions regardless.


My only nit is how would you define consistency, using Coach K as an example.  He’s won it all, 3 times he hasn’t gotten out of the first round.  I suppose it comes down to definition in terms of numbers. 

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Probably going to regret stepping in here but why can't both sides be right on this topic?

They can but some people like to argue.

[Benny B]

I'm sympathetic to Chico's view

I think it goes without saying that we’re all sympathetic for Chico’s views. 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I think it goes without saying that we’re all sympathetic for Chico’s views. 

He certainly seems to have a lot of them!

[tower912]

Repetition is the key to learning for adults.

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

Can u imagine having to be around the guy on a daily basis?  Truly a psychiatrists wet dream or maybe nightmare.

[lawdog77]

Can u imagine having to be around the guy on a daily basis?  Truly a psychiatrists wet dream or maybe nightmare.

or it's just an online.persona who gets a kick out.of getting under.peoples skins.

[Jon]

Crash, I was also intrigued by Hopkins when Buzz left. Not sure who would have been the better hire. The concern about him bolting for Syracuse is definitely a real one. One of my good friends is a big time Syracuse booster and he still holds that the second Jimmy B retires, Hopkins is coming back home. IIRC, this was also before Boeheim announced he was sticking around for a few more years, there was a lot of speculation back then that he was a year or two away from retirement.

I liked Hopkins as a candidate, was near the top of my personal list. That being said there's a lot of misinformation in this post. In year 1 he signed 1 4-star and 4 3-stars for the 41st best class in the nation per 247. And that 4-star wasn't a borderline 5-star, he was ranked #109. In year 2, he has signed 1 5-star, 1-4 star, and 1 3-star so far. And again, that 4-star isn't a borderline 5-star, he's ranked #82, so I'm not sure what second 5-star you are thinking of. The class is currently ranked #20 though he may still add onto it. And as Wades pointed out, Washington was in the tournament 8 years ago, still a very long time, but not a decade.

It's hard to tell how good Washington is this season, most services put them in the 30s to 50s. I did watch their matchup with Gonzaga and they gave the Zags all they could handle, I came away impressed. They definitely looked like a tourney team to me. I think they may take a step backwards next season. They will lose four starters to graduation and I've also seen Nowell's name pop up on some mock drafts (though all as a 2nd rounder). If Hopkins loses his entire starting lineup (or even 4/5) that would be hard for any coach to recover from in a single offseason.

Aggie

We were very close to hiring Hopkins. The single biggest factor was the Cuse connection and the thought Boeheim was within 2-3 years of retiring.

I have no dog in the U Dub fight - in fact, I am much more interested in seeing the Zags succeed than I could ever possibly care about the Dawgs. But I have a colleague who has his name on a campus building so I hear about them a lot.

Not sure about the validity of rankings in terms of legitimacy but ESPN has Hopkins' first class with four 4 star recruits and 2019 with a 5 and 2 4's with another 5 signing this spring.

http://www.espn.com/colleges/basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/264/class/2019

We can argue about the precision of an imprecise science but the fact is Hopkins is signing some legitimate high major talent.

I think Marquette would have flourished under Mike Hopkins. At the time I saw him as the exceptional prospect amongst the crowd of Cuonzos, Marshalls, Howlands, et al.

Goose and I agreed at the time that Hopkins was an excellent choice. Neither of us heard about Wojo until it happened. Wojo is finally getting results. Hopefully, he will sustain it.   

 

[Jon]

Power in what...the Pac 12?  The conference ranks 7th in basketball, behind the Big East and AAC (both non P5 conferences).  In football ranked 5th of the P5 conferences.  I think a lot of Peterson and Hopkins is off to a good start largely because he has brought in the Syracuse zone that the other Pac 12 schools haven't figured out yet, but the conference is really struggling right now in the two main sports.

Jams

As i said, the 12 is way down in the two major sports. It is actually embarrassing how bad the conference has become.

Having said which, the overall strength of the 12 doesn't take away from what Petersen and Hopkins are building at the U. Petersen went to the Final Four and will likely be competitive for a spot in the BCS for years to come.

Hopkins is building something special in hoops. He is getting a pass this year because the 12 is so awful. But if you look at the talent he is bringing in there is no question that the Dawgs will be competitive on a national level under him.

[wadesworld]

Aggie

We were very close to hiring Hopkins. The single biggest factor was the Cuse connection and the thought Boeheim was within 2-3 years of retiring.

I have no dog in the U Dub fight - in fact, I am much more interested in seeing the Zags succeed than I could ever possibly care about the Dawgs. But I have a colleague who has his name on a campus building so I hear about them a lot.

Not sure about the validity of rankings in terms of legitimacy but ESPN has Hopkins' first class with four 4 star recruits and 2019 with a 5 and 2 4's with another 5 signing this spring.

http://www.espn.com/colleges/basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/264/class/2019

We can argue about the precision of an imprecise science but the fact is Hopkins is signing some legitimate high major talent.

I think Marquette would have flourished under Mike Hopkins. At the time I saw him as the exceptional prospect amongst the crowd of Cuonzos, Marshalls, Howlands, et al.

Goose and I agreed at the time that Hopkins was an excellent choice. Neither of us heard about Wojo until it happened. Wojo is finally getting results. Hopefully, he will sustain it.   

 

That’s fine that he’s bringing in some big time recruits, but you don’t have to make up a recruiting ranking for their classes that simply is false. I also looked up the ESPN rankings yesterday and they had their class outside of the top 40 his first year (as far as I could find they only ranked the top 40 classes each year) and 17 his second year. That’s a huge difference from top 5 his first year and #3 his second year.

[MUBurrow]

I think it is difficult for defensive oriented team's like Bennett's to string together the victories to win in today's NCAA[...] it is obvious from this that you need offense in today's college basketball.  So I don't think it is a function of randomness that Bennett has underperformed in the tournament.  It is a function of his style.  But he's a good coach. So he's going to get a school to consistently win, but his margin in the NCAA tournament is going to be slim.

I'm totally, 100% on board with this. TB is a great coach, but you're always going to be more vulnerable to upsets in a tournament format when your style is designed to shorten the game. Its a higher floor-lower ceiling approach. The problem is that when you actually have the more skilled team (presumed when you're the higher seed) there's a self-limiting aspect to slowing the game down and aiming to win games in the 110s-130s rather than 140s-160s. If you have more skilled players, you should want more possessions, to allow that difference to play out. The longer the game, the more your skill level and depth works for you.  Instead, by playing fewer possessions, you allow lesser teams to hang around, gain confidence and crowd support, and your more skilled team starts to play tight.

I still think TB is a T-20 coach, but he's a good fit at places that could be tough to recruit. UVA, Wisco, etc are good examples of schools in the upper-middle 1/3 of their conferences who are well-served by playing this style. But if I were hiring at a blue blood, I wouldn't want TB unless he showed a willingness to leave that style behind.

[jesmu84]

Why are those posters who initially disliked the wojo hire still trying to tear him/our program down? Even doing so indirectly by presently propping up one of their preferred candidates

[Cheeks]

Good news is everyone is in the same boat.

.....mostly agree, but not entirely when you say everyone.  Top seeds are pod protected, they know where they are going within reason while most of the teams have no idea where they are going until Sunday.  Duke knows with 99.9% certainty today they are playing their first two games in Columbia, SC.  No problem with that, it's how the rules are setup, but most teams have no idea where they are traveling to.

I'm guessing you are hoping MU goes to San Jose so you can see them, I'd love for them to get to the Sweet 16 here in Anaheim, but considering how we have fared in the state of California in the last 15 years.....I'm just as happy if MU avoids the state altogether.

[Jon]

if that were the issue, pay for their subscriptions to pornhub 5000 and a robot babe.  otherwise, come on jonny, wedding cake ain't gonna satiate the sick appetite for the youngsters.

Greg

The most disgusting aspect of the priest scandals is how the hierarchy has been complicit in the crimes. The institution itself has actively engaged in covering up the most heinous of crimes.

The USAF has a code of conduct which every member knows and lives by. Break the faith and you are prosecuted. I cannot imagine the chain of command ever actively covering up breaches of the code.

What is happening in the Roman Church is systemic pedophilia. The unwillingness to address this crime destroys the Church's moral authority - it's akin to KFC not knowing anything about chicken.

I have to point out that in the other Christian faiths, where clergy are married, the sexual abuse of children does not happen. Coincidence? I think not. 

[Cheeks]

Jams

As i said, the 12 is way down in the two major sports. It is actually embarrassing how bad the conference has become.

Having said which, the overall strength of the 12 doesn't take away from what Petersen and Hopkins are building at the U. Petersen went to the Final Four and will likely be competitive for a spot in the BCS for years to come.

Hopkins is building something special in hoops. He is getting a pass this year because the 12 is so awful. But if you look at the talent he is bringing in there is no question that the Dawgs will be competitive on a national level under him.

Fair enough, but I think the Hopkins hire is risky as he has one foot in Syracuse potentially.  Peterson I love, hopefully they can bring some luster back to the conference.  Exposure is needed, and their tv situation is killing them. Larry Scott needs to be shown the door, the conference tv rights need to be purchased by a Fox, Comcast, Disney, AT&T, or someone to give them leverage on distribution.  They are in desperate need of a major partner, but the above names are awfully leveraged at this point with massive debt issues.

[Cheeks]

or it's just an online.persona who gets a kick out.of getting under.peoples skins.

Shhhh, don't spoil the surprise.

[Jon]

Why are those posters who initially disliked the wojo hire still trying to tear him/our program down? Even doing so indirectly by presently propping up one of their preferred candidates

Personally, I did not dislike the Wojo hire. And, yes, I am pleased with the success of this season to date.

[Cheeks]

Greg

The most disgusting aspect of the priest scandals is how the hierarchy has been complicit in the crimes. The institution itself has actively engaged in covering up the most heinous of crimes.

Even more disgusting is not just coming out with the reality of what is also going on, but no one has the balls to say it...well, some do but of course dismissed immediately.  Staring everyone in the face for years.

[Jon]

Fair enough, but I think the Hopkins hire is risky as he has one foot in Syracuse potentially.  Peterson I love, hopefully they can bring some luster back to the conference.  Exposure is needed, and their tv situation is killing them. Larry Scott needs to be shown the door, the conference tv rights need to be purchased by a Fox, Comcast, Disney, AT&T, or someone to give them leverage on distribution.  They are in desperate need of a major partner, but the above names are awfully leveraged at this point with massive debt issues.

I know nothing of TV issues but I am told that Hopkins and his family love it here in Seattle.

Our counsel lives next door to Hopkins in Montlake. He said Mike is from Seattle and Trish Hopkins, who is from the west coast, is thrilled to be here and out of the Cuse Snow Zone.

There is always talk about him going back to Cuse but a recent article seems to suggest he is fine in Seattle.

https://www.syracuse.com/expo/sports/g66l-2019/02/94cfee59574493/could-mike-hopkins-return-to-syracuse-as-head-coach-mikes-mailbox.html

Personally, I don't care about Mike Hopkins since he didn't land the MU job. But to suggest he isn't doing a great job in Seattle is silly.