its a love hate relationship – Rush The Court

It’s a Love/Hate Relationship: Volume III

Jesse Baumgartner — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 17:01:59 +0000

Jesse Baumgartner is an RTC columnist. His Love/Hate column will publish each week throughout the season. In this piece he’ll review the five things he loved and hated about the previous seven days of college basketball.

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. Arizona‘s balance. So far, this year has been all about the fantastic freshmen and the individual talents that have really driven early-season interest in the college game. But I have yet to see a team that looked as consistently balanced across the floor as the Wildcats did against Duke last Friday night, particularly down low with stud freshman Aaron Gordon and veterans Brandon Ashley [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume II

jbaumgartner — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 17:31:42 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. teams playing havoc with the minds and emotions of AP Poll voters. Perfect example this week – North Carolina. After laying a giant stink bomb at home against Belmont and making everyone wonder exactly how much of a difference P.J. Hairston will make even when he’s back, those same short-handed Heels went out and took it straight to the defending champs [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume I

jbaumgartner — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 19:01:43 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. starting this year off with what for my money was the best preseason event in recent memory. Combining the history of the Duke/Kansas/Kentucky/Michigan State programs with the incredible talent those squads have this year was a November treat for any college basketball fan who has grown tired of the NFL’s unthinkably terrible Monday/Thursday schedule this fall. Michael Wilbon said it right [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume XVI

jbaumgartner — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:55:07 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. a final game that was so good, so full of quality and runs and drama, that you literally sat in your seat and wondered if it could sustain itself for 40 minutes. The answer was yes, and anyone who wasn’t on the edge of their seat for most of Monday night doesn’t have a pulse. That game was everything we [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume XV

jbaumgartner — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:01:13 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. Mach Five speed. There reached a point in Sunday’s regional final between Louisville and Duke where lateral movement ceased to exist. There was Peyton Siva, there was Russ Smith, and there was 94 feet of court from end to end. It didn’t matter where and when they got the ball – they were heading straight to the hole, and [...]

It’s Love/Hate Relationship: Volume XIV

jbaumgartner — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:01:12 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. the swag of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. Absurd (and questionably timed) alley-oops, the wing walk, tongues wagging, unknown jigs while running downcourt – it’s hard not to like the amount of fun that these kids have on the court, and they have the talent to back it up.

Florida Gulf Coast: the Story of the NCAA Tournament This [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume XIII

jbaumgartner — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:01:48 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED… Wisconsin senior Ryan Evans. One of the best things about conference tournament week is that you suddenly get a much larger dose of all the guys who you’ve seen for a just few highlights, or maybe a couple of prime time games. And while I was ready to stamp Wisconsin with the “lucky to make it to second weekend” [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume XII

jbaumgartner — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:01:19 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. seeing Cody Zeller want, demand and pursue the ball with the game on the line against Michigan. Yes, Michigan helped blow this one with a last-minute collapse, but credit Zeller for being aggressive and relentless on the glass in IU’s biggest game to date. Winning in Ann Arbor has been brutal for road teams in the last two years, [...]

It’s a Love/Hate Relationship: Volume XI

jbaumgartner — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:45:33 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. Ohio State’s Sam Thompson getting so high on this alley-oop against Michigan State on Sunday that he was literally staring at the rim when he got the ball. That would have been enough, but then he chose to hammer home right on a poor Michigan State defender – just for kicks. Definitely one of the more impressive athletic plays I’ve [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume X

jbaumgartner — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:13:09 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. Minnesota coach Tubby Smith. Please watch this video, and tell me how anyone can not love Tubby as he breaks it down with moves that men his age should not be attempting. If he ever gets a miraculous title with the Golden Gophers, all will be right with the world.

I LOVED…. an unexpected dunk attempt. When North Carolina’s toothpick point guard Marcus [...]

It’s a Love/Hate Relationship: Volume IX

jbaumgartner — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:31:09 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. my friend’s text response to my joking suggestion that Dickie V might not survive five overtimes at his age during the Louisville-Notre Dame game Saturday night: “At one point in the third OT he said on air, ‘Dan I gotta go to the bathroom. Seriously I’m not kidding,’ and then he was gone from the broadcast for like five [...]

It’s a Love/Hate Relationship: Volume VIII

jbaumgartner — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:06:39 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. remembering just how bad of an announcer Bill Walton is during the Washington-Arizona game on ESPN, and coming to the incredible conclusion that he might be even worse at college than he was with the NBA. In a two-hour span Bill managed to explain what a disgrace UCLA basketball is, mention Reggie Miller Night at Pauley Pavilion 10 (10!!) [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume VII

jbaumgartner — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:31:41 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. Kansas guard Ben McLemore. I’ve been captivated this guy since the first time I turned on a KU game this year – the only comparison for pure smoothness as a freshman might be Melo at ‘Cuse. I can usually judge a guy’s talent by how willing I am to prioritize his Thursday snoozer at 8:30 PM on ESPN2. Do [...]

It’s A Love/Hate Relationship: Volume VI

jbaumgartner — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:45:50 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED…. the magic of an intrastate rivalry in a basketball crazy state with Butler/Indiana. There are some games that seem like they’re just meant to take place in March, with all of those final consequences, and this sure seemed like one of those contests. What a treat of a game this early in the year, with all the back-and-forth [...]

It’s a Love/Hate Relationship: Volume V

jbaumgartner — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:05:17 +0000

Five Things I Loved This Week

I LOVED… another strong week from Michigan. I’ve always gotten a kick out of subtly rooting for the Wolverines, but have never quite been able to put my finger on why. I guess that while most people enjoy stirring up images of tradition and excellence when programs like Indiana get back on track, with Michigan it’s more about stirring up those [...]