- Sometimes, you find ridiculous things on the Internet. This is one of those times. We’re linking you to this article not because we believe the writer has any credibility in claiming Rick Barnes should face the hot seat, but rather because his wild assertion only reinforces that Barnes’ job should not in any way be on the line at this point. Losing to Chaminade is bad. Losing to Chaminade by double figures is indefensible, and losing a second game in Maui to USC in overtime isn’t very impressive, either. Myck Kabongo or not, Rick Barnes has had about as disastrous of a start to the 2012-13 season as humanly possible. And he’s still not even close to losing his job. The funny thing is, this article actually supports our point in the opening paragraphs by listing all of Barnes’ accomplishments and crediting him as the face of Texas basketball. Should have probably just stopped right there. Barnes is flawed, and he’s not Coach K, but he’s done one heck of a job in Austin for a long, long time. We owe it to the man to let him work with this team of freshmen and sophomores and see what he can do when (or if) Kabongo returns.
- Bob Huggins is always great for a soundbite, but he’s actually rather disappointing in this article. Instead, he keeps it real. Fair, but real. He’s not happy with this West Virginia team, but you don’t get the sense he’s panicking in any way. “I thought our returning guys would do a better job, but the honest to God truth is we started three of them who haven’t played,” he said, referring to transfers Juwan Staten, Matt Humphrey and Aaric Murray. Right now, the whole program needs to step it up for Huggins. It’s not really an issue of the transfers not acclimating themselves, but rather that West Virginia still hasn’t returned to that Huggins-like identity of rough and tough basketball. It was a problem a year ago, and the returning players haven’t embraced the defense and rebound-oriented style. Yet. Give it a few months and they may come around.
- Kansas State didn’t think it’d be facing Delaware at the Garden this week. The NIT Season Tip-Off does it right, though, and does not simply advance the top seeds from regional sites to New York City. Delaware beat Virginia in Charlottesville, so Delaware plays at the Garden. Fair is fair, people! Virginia may have been a more difficult task, but Monte Ross is quietly building a solid CAA program out East. The Blue Hens won eight straight games to close the 2011-12 regular season and have an experienced core of upperclassmen playing with nothing to lose. The Wildcats won’t be able to stroll along in this one.
- We’ve been laughing for months at the people gushing about Marcus Smart, since they anointed him the king of college basketball before he ever played a game. Well, after the whole Puerto Rico title thing, we’re joining the gushers. Smart was flawless, and here’s a detailed look at just exactly how good he was. By the time Smart finishes his college career — whenever that is — the kid might have become a legend. He’s the kind of mature, humble superstar the world loves to get behind.
- Good day for Fred Hoiberg. He picked up a top-100 guard in Monte Morris earlier this week, landing a Michigan native who could have played just about anywhere in the country. Oh, he’s a smart kid, too, with a 3.6 GPA and took a look at Princeton. That’s what you want out of your point guard, and hey, he’s not a Division I transfer! See, Hoiberg really can do the traditional recruiting thing.