NCAA Basketball FanHouse

NCAA Eliminates Useless Component From Tournament Selection

Chas Rich — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:35:00 EST

Filed under: March Madness, Media Watch, NCAA Tournament

Among the many criteria the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses to select and seed the 65 teams for the NCAA Tournament, the most statistically irrelevant is the "last twelve games" criteria. The NCAA has finally seen the light and eliminated the last twelve games from the toolbox.

There are many reasons for the stat's uselessness. There is little statistical correlation to how a team finished their season, and that team's performance in the NCAA Tournament. It is generally misleading, especially in the power conferences where TV scheduling emphasizes that the projected top teams play each other later in the season while the teams expected in the lower half face each other.

NCAA Eliminates Useless Component From Tournament Selection originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Henry Family Reconfirms Commitment to Kansas for a Year

Chas Rich — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:54:00 EST

by Chas Rich

Filed under: Kansas, Kentucky, Big 12, SEC, Media Watch, Recruiting, Rumors

For a rather wild day, it looked like things were going to get even weirder than they usually do in the college basketball offseason. Even before the summer recruiting began. In the end, it was a lot of noise but no change. Xavier and C.J. Henry are still going to Kansas for the 2009-10 season, not reversing field to go to Kentucky to be with John Calipari.

Xavier Henry is one of the top-5 high school players in the country. He had already switched his commitment from Memphis to Kansas, but since he could not sign a new National Letter of Intent (NLI) he is not actually bound to Kansas until he shows up on the campus and signs the scholarship papers. His older brother, C.J. Henry, is a walk-on with the New York Yankees paying his way following a failed baseball career.

Henry Family Reconfirms Commitment to Kansas for a Year originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cincy Risks (Academic) Progress With Lance Stephenson

Chas Rich — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:24:00 EST

by Chas Rich

Filed under: Cincinnati, Big East, Recruiting

The rumors started swirling over the weekend that Lance Stephenson, the ultra-talented guard out of New York, was visiting and would commit to Cincinnati. Tuesday, the news broke and was confirmed elsewhere that Stephenson is indeed committing to the Bearcats. Whether official word will come before or after his July 15 court date regarding his misdemeanor sexual assault charge is undetermined.

While teams have been scared off from recruiting Stephenson for plenty of reasons (the sexual assault, meddling father, attitude questions, academics, NCAA eligibility relating to an online documentary on Stephenson), Cincy coach Mick Cronin seems willing to take a chance on Stephenson -- assuming the NCAA clears him to play.

Cincy Risks (Academic) Progress With Lance Stephenson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kelvin Sampson's Appeal Rejected by NCAA

Chas Rich — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:26:00 EST

by Chas Rich

Filed under: Indiana, Big Ten, Media Watch

I have no proof that the people in the NCAA that evaluate appeals were laughing and giggling their way through Kelvin Sampson's appeal of his sanctions. I like to think they were. Most people had a good laugh when they found out Sampson was appealing. Not surprisingly, Sampson had his appeal officially rejected today.

Essentially the appeal by Sampson came down to two arguments. The first was that the committee misinterpreted the evidence that was the basis of the penalties. That is, all those excessive phone calls at Indiana, the three-way calls, the "mistakes" that were made. The committee just looked at them the wrong way. The 100 plus phone calls were simply individual mistakes and not reflective of a pattern.

The other claim was that the enforcement staff that investigated and brought the charges before the committee were biased against him. Of course those past violations from Oklahoma that were almost the same as what happened at Indiana should be ignored. To say nothing of how they factored into the harsher penalties on Sampson

The NCAA upheld the penalties handed down by the infractions committee that effectively banned him from coaching in the NCAA for five years. Hopefully Sampson will finally let it go.

He may be done in college basketball, but he still has a coaching future.He is an assistant in the NBA, and has always been a players' coach. His basketball acumen has never been questioned. Just his ethics.

Kelvin Sampson's Appeal Rejected by NCAA originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Racial Paternalism and College Sports

Clay Travis — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:30:00 EST

by Clay Travis

Filed under: NBA Prospects, Campus

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal published an investigation that found just 26 major league baseball players and managers have college degrees. Twenty-six! That's out of a pool of a potential 1,042 players and managers. You want that in percentage terms, that's 2.5 percent. A staggeringly low percentage, even if you pull out all Latin American players (who don't have the same collegiate opportunities) from the equation. Yet, I defy you to find an article that utilizes this fact to make an argument that baseball players need better educations.

The same would hold true for tennis, hockey and golf. As a society, we don't care about the education of our athletes in those sports. In fact, what are the only two sports that we seem to care about when it comes to the education of athletes? Football and basketball. Which just so happen to also have the largest percentage of minority athletes. That's got me wondering, isn't our society guilty of racial paternalism when it comes to sports?

Racial Paternalism and College Sports originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Obama as Sports Czar? Mostly Good

Terence Moore — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:51:00 EST

by Terence Moore

Filed under: Oregon State

In case you've never seen the video, the President of the United States can't bowl. He should declare any alley he visits a major disaster area. Then again, after First Brother-In-Law Craig Robinson thought the other day about the pathetic ways of Barack Obama whenever he rolls a ball toward a set of pins, he told me with a playful frown, "I mean, bowling isn't even a sport, so why bring it up?"

Why, indeed? Except for bowling, this President is becoming the Commander In Chief of all things athletic. Just take it from Robinson, the older brother of First Lady Michelle Obama. Robinson also is the miracle worker of a basketball coach at Oregon State when he isn't the unofficial head of the Barack Obama Fan Club.

Obama as Sports Czar? Mostly Good originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeff Jordan Done With Basketball, Ready To Focus on Academics

Matt Snyder — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:35:00 EST

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Illinois, Big Ten

Jeff Jordan, most famous for being Michael Jordan's son, has decided to hang up the high-tops -- at least as far as competitive play goes. The 6-foot-1 incoming junior has decided to stop playing basketball and stay at the University of Illinois to concentrate solely on his academics.

Jordan, a player who won over the Illini coaches with his heady play and strong work ethic, was set to be a part of the Illinois rotation this coming season. He, unlike his Dad, was not an offensive threat, concentrating more on being a defensive stopper. Illinois head coach Bruce Weber offered some kind words for their now dearly departed.

Jeff Jordan Done With Basketball, Ready To Focus on Academics originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Coaches Critical of NBA Age Limit

Terrance Harris — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:40:00 EST

by Terrance Harris

Filed under: Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Big 12, NBA Prospects

Could the NBA and its minimum age requirement really be guilty of hypocrisy?

It certainly appears that way to Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel and some other Big 12 coaches after watching the most recent NBA Finals and seeing which NBA players were pushed as the faces of the league throughout the season.

The straight out of high school players, who are the type of players the NBA no longer wants to be associated with, are now carrying the torch for the world's best pro game.

"If you follow the NBA, if you look at the guys who are promoted as the face of the NBA, you are talking about Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett," Capel said. "Those are four that jumped right out and none of those guys attended college and I don't think it hurt them."

Check Out FanHouse's NBA Draft Coverage

NCAA Coaches Critical of NBA Age Limit originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trojans Pick O'Neill for Stability

Gary Washburn — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:40:00 EST

by Gary Washburn Kevin O'Neill has gained a reputation as the guy always looking for the next job. He was building a winner at Marquette and then bolted for Tennessee. He was in the midst of trying to make Tennessee less of a football school when he bolted and took the Northwestern job. After a 30-56 mark for the Wildcats, O'Neill left for an NBA assistant job.

He returned to the NCAA to be Lute Olson's assistant at Arizona but then became the interim coach when Olson took ill and missed the 2007-08 season. Apparently, O'Neill was lobbying to get Olson's job permanently and he was not asked back to Olson's staff for the next season.

So USC athletic director Mike Garrett has decided on O'Neill to stabilize and bring respectability back to its program. It's an odd hire because O'Neill has never been known as a stabilizer or someone who stays put.

Trojans Pick O'Neill for Stability originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kevin O'Neill New USC Basketball Coach

Matt Snyder — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:35:00 EST

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Coaches

According to a report on ESPN, Kevin O'Neill has been hired as the new head basketball coach at the University of Southern California. USC had been without a head coach since Tim Floyd resigned under fire a few weeks ago. Allegedly, Floyd paid someone $1,000 to convince highly-touted recruit O.J. Mayo to attend USC.

In the wake of Floyd's departure, there is a bit of a mess to be cleaned up for Trojan basketball, and that's the task at hand for new coach O'Neill. Much of the roster who inexplicably made a Sweet 16 run last season is gone, as are three solid recruits Floyd had previously signed. O'Neill will try to pick up the pieces with Dwight Lewis and Leonard Washington as the leaders of his team -- assuming he can convince them to stay aboard.

Kevin O'Neill New USC Basketball Coach originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lance Stephenson Has Really Limited Choices

Chas Rich — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:52:00 EST

by Chas Rich

Filed under: Memphis, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, Campus, Recruiting, Rumors

Lance Stephenson is one of the top high school players in the country. He was a McDonald's All-American. He is also just about the only major recruit not running screaming from the rubble of USC that is without a college destination.

Where once he seemed headed for Kansas, that door has closed. Arizona opted against wanting him. Now Maryland has decided they are not interested any longer.

Lance Stephenson Has Really Limited Choices originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UCLA's Gordon Injures Knee

Gary Washburn — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:28:00 EST

by Gary Washburn

Filed under: UCLA, Pac-10, Injuries

Drew Gordon, expected to play a major role for the UCLA basketball team this season, suffered a partially torn patellar tendon at the 2009 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Gordon, a sophomore from San Jose, Calif., is expected to return to Los Angeles for further examination to determine the extent of the tear. Gordon could miss up to six months, meaning he likely wouldn't return to the Bruins until Pac-10 play begins. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 3.6 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman.

UCLA's Gordon Injures Knee originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big 12 Hoops Coaches Say League Will Be Best Next Season

Terrance Harris — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:58:00 EST

by Terrance Harris

Filed under: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, Big 12, Missouri

The debate about which conference is the best basketball league usually heats up in December.

But the Big 12 coaches set fire to the debate early by staking claim as the best basketball conference Tuesday, some five months before the 2009-10 season begins. So the Big East, ACC, Pac-10 and SEC will have to just lineup for second best.

"I do think it's going to be the best with what we have retuning and the things that we've done in the last few years," Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon said during the Big 12 summer teleconference call Tuesday. "I've talked to some so-called experts out there and they think we are going to be the best league, too.

Big 12 Hoops Coaches Say League Will Be Best Next Season originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It Could Be Worse, USC, Ask a Hoosier

Matt Snyder — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:30:00 EST

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Indiana, USC, Big Ten, Pac-10

In case you haven't been paying attention to the goings on of college basketball in the last few weeks, USC's 2009-10 basketball season has been already been summarily decimated. Tim Floyd resigned in the face of allegations against the program. In the wake, three incoming recruits have been granted their release from letters of intent to play for the Trojans. Plus, three players from last year's Sweet 16 squad have entered the NBA Draft early and now cannot change their minds. Factor in two graduations, and the team is left with only two players who logged regular, meaningful minutes in 2009, with no recruits of consequence.

It Could Be Worse, USC, Ask a Hoosier originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Draft Deadline Decisions: Team Winners and Losers

Chas Rich — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:54:00 EST

by Chas Rich

Filed under: WCC, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, SEC, NBA Prospects

The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA draft came and went Monday at 5PM. Plenty of underclassmen had already made decisions to not even test the waters (Willie Warren, Oklahoma) or previously decided to return (Patrick Patterson, Kentucky). Still, plenty of others never looked back by hiring an agent right away (Earl Clark, Louisville).

The focus is strictly on the players that took it up until this weekend or even right under the wire Monday afternoon. Before getting to the programs that "won" and "lost" with the decisions to stay or go there are two teams that have counter-intuitive situations.

Draft Deadline Decisions: Team Winners and Losers originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jodie Meeks to Remain in NBA Draft

Matt Snyder — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:25:00 EST

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Kentucky, SEC, NBA Prospects

According to an ESPN.com report by Andy Katz, Jodie Meeks is still going to forgo his senior year in favor of entering the NBA Draft. Meeks had joined the early entrant list to the NBA Draft prior to the hiring of John Calipari as the Wildcats' head basketball coach. Once Calipari was brought on board, there was some thought amongst the general public Calipari's presence would somehow convince Meeks to change his decision, but that isn't the case.

Meeks was arguably the best player in the SEC last season. The 6-foot-4 junior averaged 23.7 points per game, and put together a brilliant 54-point outburst against Tennessee mid-January, which was a school record. He shot brilliantly for the season, hitting 41 percent of his threes and 90 percent of his free throws.

Jodie Meeks to Remain in NBA Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UConn Coach Calhoun Collapses After Charity Bike Race

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:50:00 EST

by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Connecticut, Big East, Coaches

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun was hospitalized Saturday after he collapsed following a 50-mile charity bicycle ride during which he fell and broke five ribs.

Calhoun, 67, was taken to the UConn Health Center in Farmington, where he was listed in good condition. He was to be held overnight for observation and released Sunday, said Maureen McGuire, a hospital spokeswoman.

UConn Coach Calhoun Collapses After Charity Bike Race originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With 'Bama in the Books, Florida State, USC, Memphis Back in NCAA Spotlight

Jim Henry — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

by Jim Henry

Filed under: Memphis, USC

Like or loathe the NCAA, this much is certain about this unique, voluntary association that houses the largest collegiate athletic organization in the world:

It's good to be the King -- and royalty certainly works at its own pace and plays by its own rules.

Following Thursday's announcement that 16 teams at the University of Alabama have been penalized for their involvement in improperly obtaining free textbooks for other students, three high-profile NCAA investigations are currently on the books for fans to score at their leisure.

With 'Bama in the Books, Florida State, USC, Memphis Back in NCAA Spotlight originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ralph Willard Would Rather Serve

Chas Rich — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:21:00 EST

by Chas Rich

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches

"Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. " John Milton, Paradise Lost.

Ralph Willard turned that quote on its head in every way. The head coach of the Holy Cross Crusaders has apparently decided that he would rather give up his successful reign as head coach of his alma mater to return to being an assistant to Rick Pitino at Louisville.

While there is no word on Willard's Web site yet, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv is reporting that Willard has decided to accept Pitino's offer to be his assistant coach. It is doubtful that Willard will take much of a paycut. It is more likely that he will get more money from Louisville to be Pitino's assistant.

Ralph Willard Would Rather Serve originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After Floyd, USC's Top 5 Candidates

Gary Washburn — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

by Gary Washburn

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Rumors

It's June, a.k.a., a terrible time to find a quality basketball coach. But that will be USC's task after Tim Floyd's sudden resignation Tuesday amid a slew of allegations regarding the recruiting of star guard O.J. Mayo. Athletic director Mike Garrett (right) is used to hiring coaches on the fly. He fired Henry Bibby just four games into the 2004-2005 season, tabbed Jim Saia as interim coach for the season and then nabbed Floyd.

Garrett has time before having to go the interim route and there are some qualified coaches who either are unemployed or at mid-majors and would likely leave their schools and incoming recruiting classes for a job at a major school in a major conference. The USC athletic director has a history for going after tough gets and succeeding, but the question is whether the Trojans basketball program will be severely punished for the Mayo situation? Floyd was accused by former Mayo associate Louis Johnson of giving $1,000 to Rodney Guillory, an alleged street agent representing Mayo.

After Floyd, USC's Top 5 Candidates originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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