Around The Blogosphere: March 31, 2011
Posted by nvr1983 on March 31st, 2011
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Final Four Notes
- Feinstein On The Brink … Of Encephalic Detonation: “One definition of insanity is said to be doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Whether you agree with that or not, it is commonly used to display the logical flaws in not making changes to a given process when the process doesn’t work. John Feinstein wants to give us yet another common example of how one’s sanity can be questioned: ‘Ignore reality and maybe it will go away.'” (A Sea of Blue)
- Enes Kanter: For Love of Wildcat-Not: “The tragedy that is Enes Kanter’s Kentucky Wildcats basketball career has gone mostly unnoticed since the NCAA declared, for the final time, that Kanter would never be able to play college basketball in the United States. I say this is a tragedy not because the outcome ruined a promising young career — it didn’t. Kanter will be fine. He will be drafted to play in the NBA in this year’s draft, and he’ll be making millions next year. He could have already been making millions playing for Fenerbahçe Ülker in Turkey. So I use the term “tragedy” advisedly. It is really a tragedy for Wildcat fans that we didn’t get to see Kanter on the court.” (A Sea of Blue)
- Before we go forward, a look back: Reflecting on the Huskies historic upset of Duke in 1999. (The UConn Blog)
- Are we witnessing the final days of Jim Calhoun’s career?: “Up until the time UConn was finishing its five-day March to the Big East championship, I thought there was no chance in hell the Huskies would make a Final Four this year, let alone win the national championship. But then the run through Madison Square Garden happened and it became clear that, with a little luck, this UConn team actually did have a shot at the title. And once I started thinking about that, my mind jumped to the next logical place: What does that mean for Jim Calhoun?” (The UConn Blog)
- As Huskies rise, Lamb emerges as UConn’s future: “The signs have been there, long before the national hype or the unparalleled postseason success. He hinted at as much early on in the season, his efficiency serving as a glimmer of hope amidst a once-successful season in a downward spiral. And he’s proven as much this March, averaging 16 points over an almost unheard of nine-game run spanning the two toughest tournaments in the nation. Now, it’s a fact: Jeremy Lamb is the next star of the UConn Huskies.” (The UConn Blog)
Other News/Analysis
- Painter is Staying: “After a nerve-racking soap opera of a day, and nearly a week of rumors, conjecture and theory, there is only one fact that we as Purdue fans care about: Matty will return as Purdue’s Head Basketball Coach.We’re still not happy that this conversation/flirtation/courtship took so long to put to bed, but we’re glad it’s over and that it ended this way. That said, Purdue’s administration and athletic department needs to make changes in the coming months to avoid allowing this to happen again. Is that a restructuring of budgetary practices? Probably. Should personnel changes be made? Absolutely. Will any of it happen? Who knows.” (Boiled Sports)
- Addressing the “Mike Alden got played… again” narrative: “Given the events of the last 12 months, I started to become curious: would some of the “Mike Alden got played!” sentiment be as prevalent if these circumstances were framed in the context of other businesses? While these are perfect metaphors by no means (there’s clearly a level of nuance and detail that can’t accurately be portrayed), I hope they at least provide a different way of analyzing recent events.” (Rock M Nation)
- Commenting on Jordan Williams, the NBA Draft, and Everything: “So, uh, the world exploded last night. Either that, or signs started to point to Jordan Williams leaving Maryland and entering the NBA Draft. (I think it was that one, actually). As it turns out, Maryland’s most productive post player in decades (maybe ever?) is now planning on putting his name in the NBA Draft to “test the waters”, per his father Leon. The wide belief seems to be that he’s a lean to go pro for good, with quite a bit of chatter building a strong case for it.” (Testudo Times)
- Gary Williams Expects Jordan Williams Back Next Year, Let’s Hope He’s Right: “Jordan Williams’ testing-the-waters declaration was just the tip of the iceberg of the drama that’s going to take place over the next few weeks. The will-he-or-won’t-he obsession will dominate UMD sports for the next couple of weeks, and with good reason. Gary Williams, for his part, definitely expects Jordan to return. Or at least that’s what he’s telling the media, the Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens in particular.” (Testudo Times)
- Should Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris enter the NBA Draft?: “The immediate future of Tennessee Basketball perhaps rests more on four players than on their new coach. Or better said, Cuonzo Martin’s best chance for early success is to convince some or all of Scotty Hopson, Tobias Harris, Chris Jones, and Kevin Ware to put on a Tennessee uniform next season.” (Rocky Top Talk)
- Malcolm Lee’s AAU Coach “Interviewing Potential Agents”: “The AAU coach is involved in this … with agents? The good thing for the Bruins here is that Lee is a solid kid. There is a chance Lee may come back if he does not get some kind of non-written guarantee from NBA teams trying him out in next few weeks. The gusto with which he is trying to get out of Westwood is still alarming.” (Bruins Nation)
- With Two Mid-Majors in the Final Four, Is it Time to Wonder About the Zags?: “For the second consecutive year, Butler is set to play in the Final Four after winning the Horizon League conference tournament. Despite finishing fourth in the CAA, VCU has won five consecutive games to earn a spot in the Final Four after years of being a difficult matchup in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, for the second straight year, Gonzaga saw its season come to an end with a blowout loss in the second/third round of the NCAA Tournament. With Mid-Majors breaking through to compete for the ultimate prize in college basketball, it’s interesting to ponder why Gonzaga not only has yet to make this break through, but also why it has been 12 years since the Zags even earned a spot in the Elite 8.” (The Slipper Still Fits)
- Bill Self Gives A Small Lesson In Accountability: “Since the loss to VCU we’ve had a few schools of thought emerge from the Kansas fan base. There are those who probably live in one extreme and now question a coach who has consistently delivered Big 12 titles to Lawrence and there are those who credit is to a bad game and have no intention of questioning anything. I’m not here to be a “sunshine pumper”, but there are a handful of quotes that struck me during these last few days and they serve as a pretty strong statement from Kansas coach Bill Self as to what he expects from himself and what he understands this job demands.” (Rock Chalk Talk)
- UCLA Shutting Out Students From Sidelines of “New Pauley”: “UCLA is eliminating student seats from the sidelines. There will be no student seating along the sidelines and they will be limited only behind one basket. If you had any vision of student section at the new Pauley looking like Cameron Indoors, you can stop now.” (Bruins Nation)
