NCAA Dance Thread

[JWags85]

In no particular order:

Wright
Sampson
Musselman
Bennett
Larranaga

That's a joke right?  No qualms with the list otherwise.

[MuggsyB]

Nova should be up 15-18.  Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite them.

[Uncle Rico]

That's a joke right?  No qualms with the list otherwise.

I think he's done really good work at Miami, better than anyone outside Leonard Hamilton for a short stretch.  They were bad the previous 3 seasons, for sure

[JWags85]

I think he's done really good work at Miami, better than anyone outside Leonard Hamilton for a short stretch.  They were bad the previous 3 seasons, for sure

I think he's a solid coach but in 25 years at GMU and Miami, he's gotten past the first round of the NCAA just 5 times.

He's been good at Miami, but he's finished 10th or lower in the ACC as many times as he's finished top 5.  He's barely .500 in conference.

Nothing to be ashamed of, but nowhere near an active "best coaches in the country list" IMO

[Uncle Rico]

I think he's a solid coach but in 25 years at GMU and Miami, he's gotten past the first round of the NCAA just 5 times.

He's been good at Miami, but he's finished 10th or lower in the ACC as many times as he's finished top 5.  He's barely .500 in conference.

Nothing to be ashamed of, but nowhere near an active "best coaches in the country list" IMO

I didn't want to say Few or Self or Izzo

[PGsHeroes32]

Nova should be up 15-18.  Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite them.

15 to 18?!?!??!

Neither team can make crap. The only difference right now is Nova has hit a couple 3s and got to the line more with the ball fakes.

Great half by Nova but margin is about right.

[MuggsyB]

15 to 18?!?!??!

Neither team can make crap. The only difference right now is Nova has hit a couple 3s and got to the line more with the ball fakes.

Great half by Nova but margin is about right.

Okay.  Maybe 12-14.

[JWags85]

I didn't want to say Few or Self or Izzo

Fair enough.  I'd add Cronin after what he's done the last few years and then the sleeper, Steve Pikiell

[Hards Alumni]

Do I say something, or let him continue to reel? 

[MuggsyB]

What makes Musselman so good?  Is it his energy and intensity?  It seems to me he bounced around the NBA forever until he became the HC at Nevada.  He's a guy we could have hired years ago.

[MuggsyB]

I just rewatched our 2013 thumping of Miami and Larranaga. God bless Greg Anthony.

[Jockey]

I think he's a solid coach but in 25 years at GMU and Miami, he's gotten past the first round of the NCAA just 5 times.

He's been good at Miami, but he's finished 10th or lower in the ACC as many times as he's finished top 5.  He's barely .500 in conference.

Nothing to be ashamed of, but nowhere near an active "best coaches in the country list" IMO

"Great" coaches win because they have better players. Period.

Bill Fitch averaged <35 wins a year in 9 years in the NBA - until he was hired by Boston. In 4 years there, he averaged >60 wins. He did not become a great coach by moving to another city - he just got a team that drafted Larry Bird.


Does anyone here think Pops or Phil Jackson would have all those rings if they coached the Sacramento Kings?

Of course they were excellent coaches - but great players are way more important than great coaches. Eric Spoelstra may be the best in the NBA today - but is he good enough to win a title when JFB is his best player?

Coach K always has the best players. He should be winning lots of titles.

[bradforster]

"Great" coaches win because they have better players. Period.

Bill Fitch averaged <35 wins a year in 9 years in the NBA - until he was hired by Boston. In 4 years there, he averaged >60 wins. He did not become a great coach by moving to another city - he just got a team that drafted Larry Bird.


Does anyone here think Pops or Phil Jackson would have all those rings if they coached the Sacramento Kings?

Of course they were excellent coaches - but great players are way more important than great coaches. Eric Spoelstra may be the best in the NBA today - but is he good enough to win a title when JFB is his best player?

Coach K always has the best players. He should be winning lots of titles.

The Pats won six titles in two decades because they had Tom Brady under center.  He was far more responsible for the championships than BB.  New England is quickly finding out it's not so easy without the best ever under center.  The players are always more important than the coaches.  Rick Pitino isn't winning any national championships at Iona.

[Uncle Rico]

Fair enough.  I'd add Cronin after what he's done the last few years and then the sleeper, Steve Pikiell

I'd like Pikiell to get a better job but at 54, Rutgers might be it.  Him at UConn May have been a problem for teams in the Big East

[JWags85]

What makes Musselman so good?  Is it his energy and intensity?  It seems to me he bounced around the NBA forever until he became the HC at Nevada.  He's a guy we could have hired years ago.

Dude can just flat out coach.  Second best winning percentage in CBA history.  Went to the USBL for 2 years and utterly dominated.

He got completely screwed in the NBA.  His first season in GS he had the best season in 10 years.  Then was good the next year even losing Gilbert Arenas and Jameson, but Chris Mullin fired him cause hes a dope.

Never got a real chance in Sacramento even after a decent season.  Then got branded an NBA failure cause thats just how the NBA can be.  Then went to the G League and was really good there, still didn't get an NBA look, so then he went to the college ranks and just keeps winning.

"Great" coaches win because they have better players. Period.

Bill Fitch averaged <35 wins a year in 9 years in the NBA - until he was hired by Boston. In 4 years there, he averaged >60 wins. He did not become a great coach by moving to another city - he just got a team that drafted Larry Bird.


Does anyone here think Pops or Phil Jackson would have all those rings if they coached the Sacramento Kings?

Of course they were excellent coaches - but great players are way more important than great coaches. Eric Spoelstra may be the best in the NBA today - but is he good enough to win a title when JFB is his best player?

Coach K always has the best players. He should be winning lots of titles.

Ok so then Jim Larranaga is a better version of Mike Deane.  Getting good players is part of being a college coach.  He's had 25 years to learn how to get really good players at mid major or better level and he can't enough to consistently win at a high level.  He's a great Xs and Os guy, but in college thats only part of the job.  Ok the NCAA isn't everything, but I want a coach with more than 2 conference titles in 15 years if we're talking "best active".  Not really sure what your argument is here.

[MuggsyB]

Ugly shooting by both teams.

[statnik]

Ugly shooting by both teams.

Poorly played game all around.  Nova lucky they're playing a tired Houston team like this.  If they played like they did against Arizona they'd be up on Nova.

[MuggsyB]

Gillespie is really struggling but somehow Nova is up 9. 

[MU82]

I'm saying right now that if I'm Wright and I'm up 3 with a few seconds left I am NOT fouling. Not with the way Houston rebounds.

[Uncle Rico]

Ugly shooting by both teams.

This Nova team has a lot of bad Virginia in them at time

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Gosh, we beat this Nova team at the Finn as well.

[MuggsyB]

Gosh, we beat this Nova team at the Finn as well.

And MU played a tremendous game Feb 2nd at Fiserv.  It upsets me greatly that things went off the rails.

[JWags85]

This Nova team has a lot of bad Virginia in them at time

It's my consistent argument against the slower "efficient" offense teams.  It's great when you're playing amazing ball, but when you're offense struggles, you don't have plenty of possessions to work through it and it becomes a slog.  For a team with more pace, 10 rough possessions/missed shots is whatever.  For a UVA/Nova/UW that's a big part of a half

[MuggsyB]

Nova did not slam the door and now it's a coin flip.  Very, very, upsetting.

[Uncle Rico]

It's my consistent argument against the slower "efficient" offense teams.  It's great when you're playing amazing ball, but when you're offense struggles, you don't have plenty of possessions to work through it and it becomes a slog.  For a team with more pace, 10 rough possessions/missed shots is whatever.  For a UVA/Nova/UW that's a big part of a half

As we're seeing with Nova now.  They just don't have the elite talent of the '16-'18 teams.  Still a helluva team, but those teams would have blown the doors off this Houston team.  Credit to Wright, though, for getting them in position by recognizing that