2013-14 season preview – Rush The Court

Vegas Odds to Win It All: Season Opener Edition

rtmsf — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 18:01:07 +0000

It’s opening week and we’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come through the first weekend of college basketball. As we head into the start of the 24 Hours of Hoops Marathon tonight, culminating in tomorrow night’s top-five double-header at the Champions Classic, it’s time to take a look at how oddsmakers view the upcoming season. As we mentioned last week upon the release of the RTC Preseason Top 25, there appears to be a consensus top five (Kentucky, Michigan State, Louisville, Duke and Kansas), followed by a second-tier group of six more teams (Arizona, Florida, Ohio State, Syracuse, [...]

20 Questions: Will PJ Hairston’s Eligibility Make or Break UNC This Season?

Bennet Hayes — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 13:31:44 +0000

When the Tar Heels left Coral Gables last February 9 as victims of a violent Miami beatdown, an NCAA Tournament bid was far from a certainty. NIT discussion had grown ever-real for one of college basketball’s flagship programs, and the aimless Heels headed north still seeking an identity. Enter P.J. Hairston. Roy Williams inserted his sixth man into the starting lineup four days later, playing the 6’5” Hairston as a de facto power forward in a small-ball lineup. The new look Heels would lose a tight one to Duke in Cameron that night, but they went on to win eight of [...]

2013-14 RTC Season Preview Materials: Easy Links to Everything

rtmsf — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 21:15:57 +0000

As we’re typing this, the first college basketball game of the 2013-14 season has already begun, at the All-Military Classic in Lexington, Virginia, between Air Force and Army. This soldier-on-soldier match-up represents the first of some 10,000-plus regular season games that will be played around College Basketball Nation this season, and although there’s no organization on earth that can adequately cover, consider, review and analyze all of them, we’re certainly planning on doing our best, in this, Rush the Court‘s seventh full season of coverage.

The Armed Forces Classic Tips Things Off in Earnest Tonight

We have some new offerings [...]

Where 2013-14 Happens: Reason #1 We Love College Basketball

rtmsf — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 20:31:42 +0000

Here we go… headfirst into another season heralded by our 2013-14 edition of Thirty Reasons We Love College Basketball, our annual compendium of YouTube clips from the previous season completely guaranteed to make you wish games were starting tonight. For the next three weeks, you’ll get two hits of excitement each weekday. We’ve captured what we believe were the most compelling moments from last season, some of which will bring back goosebumps and others of which will leave you shaking your head in astonishment. To see the entire released series so far, click here.

#1 – Where Repeat Performance? Happens.

We also encourage you to re-visit the [...]

The RTC Interview Series: AAC Preview with Dom Amore and Jason Smith

Walker Carey — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 18:01:36 +0000

Rush The Court is back with another edition of One on One: An Interview Series, which we will bring you periodically throughout the offseason. If you have any specific interview requests or want us to interview you, shoot us an email at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.

With the college basketball season nearly upon us, we thought it would be a good idea to gather some expert opinions on the nation’s major college basketball conferences. To read through the entire 2013-14 preseason interview series, click here. As part of our national preview with the AAC, RTC correspondent Walker Carey recently had the pleasure of speaking with two [...]

20 Questions: Which Returning Player Makes The Leap?

Bennet Hayes — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 17:20:29 +0000

There has never been a more opportune time for the player waiting in the wings. With transfers more prevalent than ever, the one-and-done era in full swing, and each new college basketball season bringing a brand new landscape with it, we have become accustomed to seeing fresh faces starring in old places. Needless to say, that leaves a pretty sizable group of candidates to choose from when answering the question of which returning player will make the leap this year. LaQuinton Ross looks ready to shoulder the scoring load at Ohio State. Talented sophomore T.J. Warren could develop into a [...]

Where 2013-14 Happens: Reason #2 We Love College Basketball

rtmsf — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 14:31:41 +0000

#2 – Where National Player of the Year Happens.

We also encourage you [...]

2013-14 Conference Preview: Mountain West

Andrew Murawa (@amurawa) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 21:31:30 +0000

Andrew Murawa is the RTC correspondent for the Mountain West and the Pac-12. You can find him on Twitter at @Amurawa.

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The Best of Times, The Worst of Times? In some way, the 2012-13 regular season was the peak for the Mountain West basketball. As a conference, the MW finished third in RPI, behind only the Big Ten and the Big East, with regular season champion New Mexico finishing third nationally in that admittedly flawed rating. Colorado State, UNLV and San Diego State all finished in the top 35 in RPI, while only two teams – Fresno [...]

The RTC Podcast: 2013-14 Opening Weekend Edition

rtmsf — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 21:01:11 +0000

That little countdown clock in the uppper left of this site says it’s about 24 hours from the return of the college hoops. We’ve got you covered. Throughout this preseason, the RTC Podcast has been putting in some serious recording work. Led by hosting and producing stalwart Shane Connolly (@sconnolly114), we have now dropped a total of two preseason podcasts (Part I, recorded in mid-October and featuring guest Mike DeCourcy, can be found here) and seven conference-specific podblasts (listed below).

AAC Preview Podblast ACC Preview Podblast Big East Preview Podblast Big Ten Preview Podblast Big 12 Preview Podblast Pac-12 Preview Podblast SEC Preview Podblast

Today’s Part II of the [...]

Where 2013-14 Happens: Reason #3 We Love College Basketball

rtmsf — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 20:31:39 +0000

#3 – Where Dunk City Happens.

We also encourage you to re-visit the [...]

2013-14 RTC Top 25: Preseason Edition

Walker Carey — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 19:01:46 +0000

And so it begins. The time of year where we hear familiar voices on the television, see the faces on the floor, and our favorite teams finally playing games that count in the standings. It is a beautiful time, indeed. With the games commencing on Friday evening, we officially unveil RTC’s 2013-14 Preseason Top 25. Starting November 18, you can expect our weekly poll to come out every Monday morning. Along with the rankings will be the usual quick and dirty analysis that dives deeper into how the teams shake out from top to bottom. To see how we did last [...]

Preseason All-America Teams Are All Fine and Well Except For Being Right

Bennet Hayes — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 18:01:43 +0000

There is no more optimistic time on the college basketball calendar than the final days leading up to the season. Players feel confident in their readiness for the five-month grind ahead, coaches are left to dream only of best-case scenarios (and often, better), and fans and media are fully entitled to the prognostications of their choosing. It is an undeniably exciting week for a number of reasons, but one item that always adds to the enthusiasm of the days leading up to the year is the unveiling of the Preseason All-America teams. Recognizing the individuals most likely to influence [...]

20 Questions: Who is This Year’s Indiana?

Brian Otskey (@botskey) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 15:40:37 +0000

Who is this year’s Indiana? Whoa, that is a loaded question that certainly won’t endear me to one particular fan base. This exercise is essentially an educated guess based on unknowns, so remember to take this with a big grain of salt. Before we begin, here is a little refresher for those who may have forgotten some things about last season. The 2012-13 Indiana Hoosiers were the nation’s preseason No. 1 team, an ultra-talented group that went 26-5 in the regular season and won the Big Ten with a 14-4 league record. Despite bowing out to Wisconsin [...]

Where 2013-14 Happens: Reason #4 We Love College Basketball

rtmsf — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 14:31:38 +0000

#4 – Where Hinkle Magic Happens.

We also encourage you to re-visit the [...]

Where 2013-14 Happens: Reason #5 We Love College Basketball

rtmsf — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 20:31:28 +0000

#5 – Where A Fallen Hero Inspires Us All Happens.

We also encourage [...]