NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Mizzou Will Continue to Struggle in '08

Charles Rich — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:36:00 EST

Filed under: Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches

Missouri likes to play a press defense. Coach Mike Anderson is a Nolan Richardson disciple and has sought to bring "40 minutes of hell" to the Tiger defense. To play that way, though, you need to rotate players and experience in the backcourt to put the pressure on the opponent when bringing up the ball.

Missouri's backcourt experience took a big hit with guard Keon Lawrence asking for and receiving his release from his scholarship. Ostensibly, it was because the New Jersey native wanted to be closer to his family, but maybe not.

"It's not my teammates, and it's not the fans. That should tell you something," Lawrence said of his reasons for leaving.

He backed away from that statement later to the "need to be closer to home" chestnut. He is likely focusing on Big East schools.
For the Tigers, they lose the guy who played the most minutes for them last year and took the most shots. Among the returning players he was also their third leading scorer returning to the team and the leading assist player.

It also leaves them painfully thin with experienced guards. J.T. Tiller and Matt Lawrence are the only returning scholarship guards. Behind them they have a junior transfer from Delaware, Zaire Taylor, and 3 freshmen.

One player transferring shouldn't be a big deal. After last season, though, with the off-campus problems and suspensions, it's another roadblock.

For a team entering its 3d season under Anderson, there is only so much that can still be pinned on the Quinn Snyder reign. Right now it looks like the Tigers will just be trying to tread water in the lower half of the increasingly competitive Big 12.

Mizzou Will Continue to Struggle in '08 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Losing Wendell Barnhouse

Charles Rich — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Texas Football, Big 12, Texas A&M Football, Kansas Basketball, Oklahoma State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, NCAA FB Media Watch

The Big 12's gain is the loss for a lot of college sports fans.

"After 36 years, 23 Final Fours, all 10 Bowl Championship Series title games and a half-dozen laptops, I'm done," he writes.

"I will begin working as a writer/blogger for the Big 12 Conference web site (so I'll need laptop No. 7). The Big 12 wants its web site to convey information about its schools in both video and story form. I'll be somewhat involved with the former and heavily involved with the latter. It's a great opportunity that I'm lucky to have considering the death spiral of major newspapers."

Barnhouse had been the national college football and basketball writer/columnist for the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. Barnhouse's national reach, reputation and popularity grew as the internet allowed more readers access. His columns were considered required reading by many college sports fans. Barnhouse was also one of the few national college sports writers at a newspaper. Not at a national paper, magazine or TV/internet operation.

The Star-Telegram benefited from his reputation, but the actual value to the paper was low. The national following added little to their subscription base. This led the paper to decide to eliminate the national college beat. Offering Barnhouse the choice of a buyout or assuming role of Texas A&M beat writer. As Barnhouse wrote, "Nothing against the Aggies, but it was clearly time to bail out."

Losing Wendell Barnhouse originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sherron Collins Has No Clue About the Court

Charles Rich — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:43:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Police Blotter

Specifically the court system. Here's a free tip. If you receive an envelope stamped by the clerk of courts naming you in a lawsuit, it's a good idea to get a lawyer and respond. Regardless of whether it is criminal or civil.

Kansas point guard Sherron Collins now has a $75,000 default judgment entered against him from a civil suit.

Jessica Brown, 35, accused Collins of exposing himself and rubbing against her on May 18, 2007, in an elevator at Jayhawker Towers, where she worked.

Collins had 20 days to respond to the lawsuit, filed May 14, 2008, but he did not.

The criminal investigation is still an open one. Apparently the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is still waiting for test results from potential evidence. There is something of a backlog. There was an initial test last June, but the results were incomplete.

Collins has maintained his innocence, so without any witnesses or any evidence it is unlikely charges could be successfully brought against Collins.

Even without any criminal charges, Ms. Brown has the right and did file a civil suit for "humiliation, mental anguish and severe emotional pain." Collins claimed he didn't understand the legal responsibility for responding and the outcome of ignoring it.

It's very likely that Collins will be able to get the default judgment vacated and reset for trial. Still, the whole issue (and potential stain on the old credit report) could have been avoided.

Sherron Collins Has No Clue About the Court originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series Set for 2008

Charles Rich — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, UCLA Basketball, Arizona Basketball, Texas Basketball, Oklahoma Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, Washington State Basketball

The Big 12 and Pac-10 go into their second year of their cross-conference competition, and have announced this year's slate of games. Most of the games take place in the first weekend of December. Since there is an imbalance in the number of teams in each conference, to allow all of the Big 12 teams to play a Pac-10 opponent, Arizona and Stanford are doubling up and 3 games will be played outside of the series window.

BIG 12/PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES

Thursday, December 4, 2008
Oklahoma State at Washington
UCLA at Texas
USC at Oklahoma

Friday, December 5, 2008
Arizona at Texas A&M

Saturday, December 6, 2008
Baylor at Washington State
Oregon State at Iowa State

Sunday, December 7, 2008
Kansas State at Oregon
Nebraska at Arizona State
California at Missouri

Outside the four-day series window
Colorado at Stanford (Sat., Nov. 29, 2008)
Kansas at Arizona (Tue., Dec. 23, 2008)
Texas Tech at Stanford (Sun., Dec. 28, 2008)

The big games are clearly UCLA-Texas and Kansas-Arizona. The latter being a rematch from last season when Kansas pulled off the win in overtime (to say nothing of the 2003 NCAA Tournament meeting to put Kansas in the Final Four).The Baylor-Washington State game looks like a very underrated match-up featuring two of the best young coaches. Oregon State-Iowa State, however, could be painful on the eyes.

Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series Set for 2008 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Sophomores Can't Wait Any Longer to Get to the NBA

Charles Rich — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:30:00 EST

Filed under: Nevada Basketball, Texas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, SEC Basketball, NBA Prospects, Stanford Basketball

You thought that 13 freshmen in the NBA Draft was a lot, compared to 8 last year? Wrong. The big leap came from the number of sophomores who have had their fill of college. Last year, only 5 sophomores turned pro. Not this year. Like the freshmen, the lucky 13 are not going back to their school.

D.J. Augustin, Texas
JaVale McGee, Nevada
Brook Lopez, Stanford
Robin Lopez, Stanford
Russell Westbrook, UCLA
Marreese Speights, Florida
Ryan Anderson, Cal
Darrell Arthur, Kansas
~~Derrick Caracter, Louisville~~
Walter Sharpe, UAB
*Jason Bennett, Tallahassee Community College
*Keith Brumbaugh, Hillsborough Community College
*Kiwan Smith, Redlands Community College

Even if you don't count the 3 players who got through community college, that's still a 100% increase over last year. Most of the players nearly came out after last season.

It seems that in year two of the one-and-done restriction, the freshmen and sophomores are beginning to charge back into the draft. Makes those columns from last year talking about how upperclassmen were making a comeback in the NBA draft look a little dated.

UPDATE: According to the official list by the NBA on the Draft, Caracter, Bennett and Smith all pulled their names before the deadline. That drops the number to 10 sophomores. Still a significant jump, but a little lower.

The Sophomores Can't Wait Any Longer to Get to the NBA originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Freshmen Overload in NBA Draft

Charles Rich — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:33:00 EST

Filed under: Memphis Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, SEC Basketball, NBA Prospects, USC Basketball, Kansas State Basketball

Now that the dust has settled and the final withdrawal deadline for the NBA Draft has passed, there are still 13 freshmen who have decided to remain in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Michael Beasley, Kansas State
Derrick Rose, Memphis
O.J. Mayo, USC
Eric Gordon, Indiana
DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M
Jerryd Bayless, Arizona
Kevin Love, UCLA
Davon Jefferson, USC
Anthony Randolph, LSU
Donte Greene, Syracuse
J.J. Hickson, NC State
Bill Walker, Kansas State
Kosta Koufos, Ohio State

Last year, only 8 freshmen declared and stayed in the NBA Draft. All 8 went in the first 21 picks. That won't happen with this group, though, it is likely that at least 10 of the 13 will go in the first round.

Freshmen Overload in NBA Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A.J. Abrams Back to Texas, Ending My Randolph Morris-esque Dreams

Shiloh Carder — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:24:00 EST

Filed under: Texas Basketball, Kentucky Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, SEC Basketball, NBA Prospects

A.J. Abrams is heading back to Texas by taking his name out of the NBA Draft. If there was anyone out there that I was hoping would stay in the draft, it was him.

I'm not saying that to slight Longhorn fans. In fact, even if he stayed in the draft, he may have still played for Texas next season anyways. Ya see, an underclassman can enter the NBA Draft and still play college ball.

If Abrams, as was kind of projected, went undrafted and still didn't sign with an agent ... he would have 30 days after the draft was held to go back to school. He would -- in the NBA's eyes -- be a undrafted free agent and able to sign with whomever he wanted whenever he wanted.

You may remember that Kentucky's Randolph Morris did this a couple years ago. Morris entered the draft but didn't sign with an agent. He kept his eligibilty requirements (which were heavily scrutinized by the NCAA) and when he went undrafted ... he came back to Kentucky for his sophomore season. Due to the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, since he entered the draft and no one selected him, he wouldn't be able to enter any future NBA drafts and was, in their eyes, a free agent.

Once the Wildcats' season ended, he signed a two-year deal with the NBA's New York Knicks and was immediately available to the team. If the Knicks (or any other NBA team) came with him with an offer at any time during Kentucky's season, he still would have been able to sign it and play for the team. Of course, that would immediately end his college eligibility and he couldn't play at Kentucky anymore.

So, in a selfish way, I wanted to see someone take the same route. Abrams looked like the best shot (aside from UNC's Danny Green, who didn't look as if he was seriously entering the draft).

A.J. Abrams Back to Texas, Ending My Randolph Morris-esque Dreams originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No More Flirting for the NBA Draft

Charles Rich — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:25:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, NC State Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, NBA Prospects

Today's the day. No more maintaining eligibility and torturing angst-ridden college basketball fans. Today's the drop dead date for either pulling out of the NBA Draft or staying and committing.

So, since last night three more names have unsurprisingly decided to stay in the NBA Draft.

West Virginia's Joe Alexander finally made it official. This was no shock, as Alexander's draft stock soared to the point where the junior is expected to go anywhere from 8th to 13th in the draft. It's unlikely he would move that much further up the draft board if he stayed for his final season. He's only the second Mountaineer player to declare early for the draft. The unforgettable Gordon Malone was the first.

J.J. Hickson from NC State is staying in the draft. He gets to add his name to the list of one-and-dones. Not a surprise, but a bit of a comedown for Hickson. He came to the Wolfpack expecting to win and then go in the first round. He didn't win at NC State and is a likely pick in the second round (end of the first, at best).

Mario Chalmers becomes the 3d Jayhawk to stay in the NBA Draft. There is a chance that all 3 players could go in the first round. The only mystery surrounding whether Chalmers would stay was because his father is Director of Basketball Operations at Kansas.

No More Flirting for the NBA Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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K-State's Bill Walker Injured the Day Before He Must Make Decision on Draft

Shiloh Carder — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:05:00 EST

Filed under: Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Injuries, NBA Prospects, Kansas State Basketball

We are less than 24 hours away from the deadline for the NBA Draft early entrants to take their name out. It should be quite a tension filled day from Chapel Hill to Tuscon.

Well, smack dab in the middle is Manhattan, Kansas where Bill Walker must make the decision whether to stay in the draft or head back to Kansas State. The decision is tougher now that he injured his knee in a workout today:

Representatives for Kansas State redshirt freshman Bill Walker were scrambling to secure a commitment from a team drafting late in the first round after Walker injured his right knee during a workout in California this weekend.

Multiple sources close to Walker, and at least one who attended the workout in the Bay Area, said Sunday night that Walker would undergo another MRI on his knee Monday. Walker was one of 24 players at the Golden State Warriors' facility to work out in front of representatives from 21 NBA teams. The players in attendance were projected as being between the 20th and 45th picks.

This is huge for Walker. He is right on the fence of being a first round pick. Of course, one of the scary things about him is this knee injury and the fact that he previously has had multiple knee injuries. That isn't the kind of thing a team picking late in the first round is looking for.

If Walker heads back to K-State, he would most likely be the focal point of the Wildcats and could really vault up his draft stock. Then, he would turn a very risky decision (staying in the '08 draft) into a financially sound one (becoming a much higher pick in the '09 draft).

Or this injury could scare him into taking the leap now. After all, he could blow out his knee during the next college season and make his draft status worse. Remember Randy Livingston? Didn't think so.

The deadline to pull your name out of the draft (provided you have college eligibility left and you haven't signed with an agent) is 5 p.m. ET today.

K-State's Bill Walker Injured the Day Before He Must Make Decision on Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What Did Bob Huggins Know About O.J. Mayo?

Charles Rich — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:53:00 EST

Filed under: Big 12 Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Gossip, NBA Prospects, USC Basketball, Kansas State Basketball

A Kansas State assistant coach has made some interesting comments about O.J. Mayo wanting to be a Wildcat, but then head coach Bob Huggins wouldn't take him.

Brad Underwood told the Konza Rotary Club this morning that Mayo was on the phone with Huggins, "begging to come here" around the time of national letter-of-intent signing day a year ago. Huggins told him no, Underwood said, because he thought Mayo would get in trouble because of money funneled to him and a friend prior to enrolling in college.
...
Mayo, originally from Huntington, W.Va., was among the top recruits in the nation at the time. Huggins, also originally from West Virginia, had been recruiting him for years and appeared to have a good shot at bringing him to K-State. Publicly, Mayo said he chose USC over K-State.

But Underwood today indicated that Mayo was saying up to the last minute that he wanted to come to K-State to be with Huggins because of their long ties. Huggins, though, said, "We're not going to take you. You'll never pass," in reference to NCAA amateur clearinghouse rules.

Who knows if this is true or not. The odds are Huggins won't admit one way or the other. Mayo will likely deny, just as he's denied everything else. Kind of hard to believe Huggins or any coach would turn down O.J. Mayo last year.
The popular story of how Mayo committed to USC involved and even told Coach Tim Floyd he would get some more players had some backing. Michael Beasley's mother told the story of O.J. Mayo seeking to get Beasley to switch his commitment to USC.

"He says, 'Ms. Beasley, I'm just calling to see if we can get Michael to come out to USC.' I say, 'Oh, no, sugar, no, sweetie pie, you need to come to Kansas State.' He's like, 'Ms. Beasley, we'll look out for Michael. I'll keep an eye out for him myself.'

"I say, 'O.J., you need someone to look out for you! Why don't you just come to Kansas State? It'll be a great team.' He says, 'We'll have a great team too.' I say, 'O.J., if you were having a great team you wouldn't be calling me at the 11th hour. Call Huggs. I'm sure he'll take you.' So I called Huggs and said, 'Hey, I just offered O.J. a scholarship. You got one? Dalonte [Hill], you got a scholarship?' They said, 'No, you're the one who offered him a scholarship!'"

Well, maybe Huggins did turn down Mayo. Or at least turned down Mrs. Smith's offer of a scholarship.

Really the whole thing is quite confusing. Mayo is very close friends with Bill Walker with whom he even roomed for a while in high school along with his AAU coach/guardian and possibly grandfather Dwaine Barnes.

It was Barnes who has a relationship with Huggins and not only steered Walker to Huggins and K-State, but wanted Mayo to go there as well. In another version of things, after Mayo followed Rodney Guillory's advice and chose USC, Barnes and Mayo had a falling out and did not speak (and in some great foreshadowing, Mayo's mother apparently had little trust for Guillory way before this year).

When it comes to trust, Mayo's mother says she doesn't have any for Guillory, her son's L.A. mentor. "Rodney kind of came in when O.J. was living in Cincinnati and I was back here," she says. "Lo and behold, there he was. I don't really know that much about him. I know what I hear, I know what I read and I know what O.J. tells me. But [Guillory] knows where I stand with him, too, because I've talked to him. You can't trust people you don't know. But if that's what O.J. wants to do, I don't want to put any extra stress on him."

With ties to Guillory and the Bill Duffy Associates severed at this point, though, it seems that Mayo has reunited with Barnes.

The Mayo camp really needs to issue a new scorecard to keep track of who is in and out of his posse these days.

What Did Bob Huggins Know About O.J. Mayo? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 29 May 2008 22:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas' Darrell Arthur Faces Allegations of Improper Academic Assistance

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:50:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, NBA Prospects

Dallas/Ft. Worth television WFAA is reporting that Kansas University forward Darrell Arthur had grades changed while at South Oak Cliff High School.

But transcripts obtained by News 8 raise questions about whether he was actually making the grade in the classroom during his junior season, specifically in math.

His transcripts show he received no grades at all his fall semester. His final grade was changed to a 70 in September of 2005 with no explanation of why.

If in fact Arthur had failed math that fall, he would not have been eligible to play basketball, and many of his team's victories in that championship season might have to be forfeited according to University Interscholastic League standards.

According to the report, math teacher Winford Ashemore notified the principal and basketball coach that Arthur was not only failing miserably, but not even giving an effort to try. When told that Arthur would receive a failing grade, he was abruptly dropped from Ashemore's class and given a grade of 70 ... which was passing.

It is also reported that the principal signed off on another changed grade in the spring of 2003.

Now, you could say that the principal is a bit sheisty. Well, he isn't there anymore. In fact, WFAA uncovered wrongdoings in a previous investigation that ended with South Oak Cliff High School having to forfeit their 2006 state championship.

"Since Darrell Arthur really did not pass Algebra, which means he did not clear the clearing house, that also means that he really should not have been eligible for a Division One major college scholarship," said Ashmore.

Now, where does this leave Kansas? WFAA reports that the NCAA told them that use of an ineligible player is grounds for "forfeiture of any or all games involving that student". Kansas is in no way, shape or form implicated in anything relating to Arthur's situation. However, it will be interesting to see how the NCAA handles Arthur's case and how they will have deemed his eligibility.

Kansas' Darrell Arthur Faces Allegations of Improper Academic Assistance originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 16 May 2008 01:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas Lands a Late Addition

Charles Rich — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:08:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Recruiting

After Tom Crean left for Indiana, he wasn't able to keep players like Terrell Holloway and Devin Ebanks to stay interested in attending Indiana. Crean's old school didn't fair much better with the top player from its recruiting class, Tyshawn Taylor.

While Marquette hired assistant Buzz Williams in part with the hope of preserving the recruiting class, ultimately they acquiesced to Taylor's demands to be released from his Letter of Intent. Taylor looked at Georgia Tech and Kansas. Ultimately, Taylor went with the national champs.

Taylor said he's looking forward to the opportunity to contribute next year, something he was worried about at Marquette with its logjam of guards.

"I'm going to have to compete for minutes. They see me playing like a Russell Robinson-type of player. I can defend bigger guards. I can also handle the ball or play off the ball when Sherron Collins is at the point."

The Jayhawks now have a recruiting class with 5 players in it -- 4 are from New Jersey schools. They will be over their scholarship limit if Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur return. Which means the Kansas coaches are rather certain both will be staying in the draft.

Kansas Lands a Late Addition originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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D.J. and A.J. Leave Texas for NBA

Charles Rich — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:06:00 EST

Filed under: Texas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NBA Prospects

Today both D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams made it known that they were going to enter the NBA Draft process. Neither have plans to sign with an agent, but almost no one expects Augustin to return.

The All-American sophomore point guard surprised some by coming back after the 2007 season. According to some reports, the only reason Augustin has not hired an agent is that he is hedging against suffering a possible injury before the final withdrawal date of June 16. Otherwise, Augustin is not coming back to the Longhorns.

After being named first team All-American and the recipient of the Bob Cousy Award for the best college point guard, It's still hard to argue against going pro,. When the best reason offered is that the 2009 NBA Draft could be really weak, that's just not enough.

Abrams, however, will almost certainly be returning to the Longhorns. It makes sense for the junior to see what the NBA scouts say, but as a 5-11 shooting guard he will not be in demand unless he can improve his 3-point shooting above the 38% of this past season. Of course, without Augustin to set him up, that seems less likely.

The loss of Augustin definitely knocks Texas out of any talk of a pre-season #1 and likely top-ten ranking. Justin Mason will likely be the point guard by default. Given the rest of the talent still on the Texas team and how well Rick Barnes has coached the Longhorns, don't keep them out of the top-25 like so many did after Kevin Durant left.

D.J. and A.J. Leave Texas for NBA originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNC's Roy Williams Picture Moved From Kansas Bathroom

Shiloh Carder — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: UNC Basketball, Kansas Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big 12 Basketball

There has been much said about UNC coach Roy Williams wearing a Kansas sticker on his shirt last Monday night (for more on that story and my take on it, click here). One thing it has done is help end a lot of the animosity between he and KU fans.

Well, that plus the Jayhawks spanking the Heels and going on to win the National Championship.

Still, Ol' Roy isn't as hated as he used to be. The much ballyhooed Kansas barber who moved Roy's picture to the men's room has now dusted it off and put it back in plain view.

Instead of facing the urinal in the back of the building, the man who coached Kansas to nine conference championships is facing customers out front. His smiling countenance is nestled between photographs of former Jayhawks greats Clyde Lovellette and Wilt Chamberlain.

"The hatchet is buried," shop owner Jon Amyx said. "I think most people would tell you that now."

"I was surprised to see that," Amyx said. "A lot of people were. It was neat to see him sitting there with that on his chest. People wanted to beat Roy more than they wanted to beat North Carolina, and we did. Now I think next time we play them, we'll just want to beat North Carolina."

He even mentioned that it's time to remember all the good things Williams did at Kansas. Quite an about-face for many fans who had been waiting for the day to face their former coach.

UNC's Roy Williams Picture Moved From Kansas Bathroom originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN's Joe Lunardi Already Has His 2009 Bracketology Up

Shiloh Carder — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:21:00 EST

Filed under: ACC Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Media Watch

ESPN's Joe Lunardi is one of the best know bracketologists in the nation. Every year, the World Wide Leader strolls him out to tell us common folk where our favorite college basketball teams may be in the NCAA Tournament.

Take that for what it's worth.

So, with nothing to do right now, Lunardi has already thrown up his bracketology for 2009. Why not now? I mean, we still have guys announcing for the NBA Draft (and some that are may come back), coaching changes going on, transfers, recruiting and so many other intangibles.

However, if you really do care about it ...

-North Carolina, Duke, Pittsburgh and Texas are the #1 seeds
-Notre Dame, Kansas, UConn and Arizona are #2 seeds
-The Big East has 9 teams in the dance.
-UCLA is a #7 seed
-Florida is a #3; Virginia Tech is a #4; Ohio State is a #5. None of those schools were in this year's tournament.
-Davidson gets a #8 seed
-UNC gets to play in Greensboro and Boston before the Final Four. Remember that Boston is now an ACC city.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi Already Has His 2009 Bracketology Up originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Beasley States the Obvious: He's Leaving Kansas State for the NBA

Michael David Smith — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:13:00 EST

Filed under: Big 12 Basketball, NBA Prospects, Kansas State Basketball

Here's the real surprise about the announcement Michael Beasley made today: It was actually treated as if it's breaking news.

Obviously, everyone knew that Beasley was going to announce that he's leaving Kansas State after one season to enter the NBA, and that's exactly what he did at a press conference this evening. Beasley, a 6-foot-10 power forward, was the Big 12 player of the year and an absolutely dominant force on the inside, putting up stats (26.2 points per game, 12.4 rebounds per game) that eclipsed those of last year's freshman Big 12 player of the year, Kevin Durant.

The question now is where Beasley will be drafted, and the most likely answer is first overall on. He's definitely good enough to warrant it.

And while some will no doubt see this announcement as a bad thing for college basketball -- the latest star freshman to stick around just long enough to get to the NBA -- I'm not so sure that it is. We got to see this wonderful player for one college season, and now we'll see him for many professional seasons. Although it takes a little while to get used to the fact that the most talented player in college basketball will almost always be a freshman, it was fun to watch Beasley this season, and it will be fun to watch the new crop of talented one-year wonders next season.

Michael Beasley States the Obvious: He's Leaving Kansas State for the NBA originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Self Turns Down Oklahoma State Money, Will Stay at Kansas

Michael David Smith — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:46:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Oklahoma State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches

The deep pockets of T. Boone Pickens and the desire to return to his alma mater weren't enough to convince Bill Self to leave the school where he's won the national championship.

Self, whose Kansas Jayhawks won the national championship on Monday, has announced he will not go to Oklahoma State and will be back at Kansas next season.

Ordinarily, it wouldn't even be an issue: Kansas just won the national championship and is a better program than Oklahoma State. Why would Self even think of leaving? But Oklahoma State is no ordinary school.

For one thing, it's the school that Self and his wife attended, and it's closer to his family than Kansas. There could have been personal reasons for him to head to Stillwater. And perhaps more importantly, there's Pickens, the billionaire who practically owns the Oklahoma State athletic department and opens up his wallet any time he thinks he can improve it. He would have made Self by far the highest-paid coach in college basketball history.

As it is, Self will turn down a few million but still be highly paid with a new contract and a pay raise at Kansas. Jayhawks Athletic Director Lew Perkins says the details of a new contract for Self "will be finalized in the next few weeks."

Said Self at his news conference today, "I don't know what the big deal is. ... There was never serious interest in leaving the University of Kansas. " Well, coach, the big deal is that you're the most sought-after coach in college basketball, and you're staying put.

Bill Self Turns Down Oklahoma State Money, Will Stay at Kansas originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas Shouldn't Fight Too Hard to Keep Bill Self on Their Bench

Josh Alper — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:20:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Oklahoma State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches

If there was a dark lining to the silver cloud that's parked over Lawrence, Kansas this week, it's the possibility that Bill Self could take a massive offer from another Big 12 school and leave the Jayhawks. If rumors are true, Oklahoma State wants to make him a fabulously wealthy man as opposed to merely the wealthy man he is today. He's an OSU alum and money is money so it wouldn't be a surprise if he jumped ship.

After saying a move could happen in a postgame interview Monday, Self addressed the situation again yesterday. He said he was "positively not interested" in the Oklahoma State job but then turned around and said that he was sure he'd be meeting with Kansas soon to "iron things out." He's certainly mastered playing both sides of the fence and even managed to make it seem like the money didn't matter.

"What I'd like to have is like everybody'd like to have. I'd like to have some security. I don't know what even Kansas would remotely be talking (about). We haven't even talked about that. When I say security, I mean years, so hopefully that'll happen."

Here's the thing, Kansas gave him a five-year extension before this season. That's an awful lot of security.

Does winning the title buy you a few more years? I suppose that the school would be amenable to that. They would probably even give a modest salary bump to make sure Self felt his efforts were appreciated. It won't be in the range of what OSU has been rumored to offer nor should it.

Why fight for Self if his first act upon doing what he was hired to do is look for a way to leverage it for himself? He's not the first guy to do it to the Jayhawks and over they years I imagine Kansas has realized that they do more for coaches than coaches do for them. Larry Brown left and the program still thrived. Roy Williams left and the program still thrived. If Bill Self leaves it's hard to imagine basketball at Kansas losing too much of its luster.

Kansas Shouldn't Fight Too Hard to Keep Bill Self on Their Bench originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kansas Fans React To Chalmers Shot

Nathan Fowler — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:57:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Fans, NCAA Basketball Video

If you couldn't be in the Alamo Dome on Monday night, Allen Field House was the place to be. The venerable old building has seen many great moments in it's history, and as you can see in this homemade video it was pandemonium last night when "Super Mario" hit the game tying 3 pointer.

Kansas Fans React To Chalmers Shot originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sean Sutton $2.7 Million From Oklahoma St. to Go Away

Charles Rich — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:27:00 EST

Filed under: Oklahoma State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches

When Oklahoma State forced the resignation of Sean Sutton, he still had 3 years left on his contract at $750,000 per year ($2.25 million total). The school, even with the deep pockets of T. Boone Pickens, really didn't want to have to pay that much each year to Sutton while paying for a new coach. Instead they reached an extended settlement.

Sutton will get $2.7 million over the next 10 years. He'll get $300,000 this month, and then starting in July he gets $20,000 per month for the 10 year period.

Unlike a lot of agreements, he gets the money regardless of whether he takes another job or not. Usually, there is some agreement to offset part of the money when a coach takes another job. Sean Sutton gets this regardless of whether he takes an assistant coaching job or another head coaching job.

Unsurprisingly, there is also a clause for both parties not to speak ill of the other.

According to the settlement document, OSU ''agrees to make no adverse comments or disparaging remarks . . . about Sean P. Sutton.'' And Sutton, ''for himself and members of his immediate family, similarly agrees to make no adverse comments or disparaging remarks (about OSU).''

Eddie Sutton, Sean Sutton's father who coached at OSU from 1990 to 2006, is not defined in the settlement as a member of Sean Sutton's ''immediate family.''

Eddie Sutton, is obviously not very happy about the firing of his son. Even to the point where he is at least making noise about not being sure he wants his name to remain on the court at Gallagher-Iba Arena (though, that just seems like some posturing).

Sean Sutton $2.7 Million From Oklahoma St. to Go Away originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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