NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Never a Dull Moment for SEC Coaches

Chas Rich — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, SEC, Coaches

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive might have been hoping that when college football season ends, he would not have to be issuing weekly warnings to his high profile coaches to watch their mouths. But it looks more like he will be chiding coaches some time into April.

The addition of John Calipari at Kentucky means the SEC coaching family gatherings promise to be more entertaining. Calipari has never been one to build warm relationships with other coaches in his conference (right, John Chaney?). His soured relationship with Rick Pitino should make his meetings with Florida's Billy Donovan more interesting.

The warm and special relationship that was built during his time at Memphis, with Tennessee's Bruce Pearl will undoubtedly produce the most entertainment. .
As Calipari made no secret of his feelings at SEC basketball media day.

"He was trying to take over the state, and I wasn't going to let him," said Calipari. "I conceded the rest of the state other than Memphis.

"I'm not recruiting Knoxville, you're recruiting Memphis; that's why I didn't want to play him in a home-and-home (series)," Calipari said, his audience swelling as he spoke. "What good does it do for me to go to Knoxville, other than to play in front of 22,000 people in orange ... I can't stand the color."

Which should make his trip to Knoxville as well as Florida, for that matter, a little more spicy.

Pearl, who always seems to enjoy any and all attention played the good sport.

"Why would he like orange? I think that's great," Pearl said. "I said when I took this job I wanted Kentucky to be my rival. If we're not competitive, it's not a rivalry."

Then there is Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt to declare his lack of interest in public shots by coaches -- after he fired one.

"I don't agree with all the things Bruce does, or John will do ..." Stallings said. "I don't want to be out there publicly feuding with other coaches.

"If John and Bruce want to square off and have a 12-rounder, I'm sure people will pay attention to it. A little bit of that is probably good for the league."

Safe to say that SEC basketball is going to be a lot more entertaining this year. On and off the court.

Never a Dull Moment for SEC Coaches originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Wall's Misdemeanor Likely Won't Impact Recruitment

Chas Rich — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:44:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, Florida, Kentucky, NC State, ACC, SEC, Media Watch, Police Blotter, Recruiting, North Carolina

John Wall, the nation's top point guard recruit and possible No. 1 pick of the 2010 NBA draft, was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering yesterday.

Contrary to what my colleague wrote, this will likely have minimal impact on the teams recruiting him.

So far no team or coach has even circulated a rumor that they are done recruiting Wall (though NCAA regulations prohibit coaches and programs from speaking directly about an unsigned recruit).

After Wall makes a decision, no doubt the snubbed coaches will imply or let intermediaries suggest that they stopped recruiting him after this incident. Fans of the snubbed schools will doubtlessly claim that they are happy that a "thug" and "criminal" like Wall is not going to sully their program.

Please.

Wall was cited -- not even arrested -- for misdemeanor breaking and entering (North Carolina GS Sec. 14-54(b)) last week. It was into an empty house, with no sign of forced entry (not a bad house, judging by the listing).

Essentially, Wall and a couple friends were stupid enough to decide to walk into an empty house. They did not take anything. Essentially, the police wrote him a ticket.

The officer saw Wall leaving from the rear door of the residence and detained him without incident, [Raleigh police spokesman Jim] Sughrue said.

A few minutes later, a second teenager, Bria Renea Draughn, 16, was detained while walking on a nearby street. A third, Reginald Leonard Jackson II, 17, was detained when he returned to the Laurel Glen Drive house, Sughrue said.

Each of the three was issued a citation on a misdemeanor charge of breaking and entering, said Wake County chief magistrate Gary Wills.

The citation is similar to one issued for a traffic violation, Wills said. "You can be cited for a misdemeanor breaking and entering," he said. No warrant was executed.

This is not to minimize what he did, but sneaking into an empty, abandoned house is not exactly an unheard-of action for teenagers, even an 18-year-old under plenty of scrutiny for his basketball prowess. When even a county magistrate is comparing it to a traffic violation, it is hard to draw real outrage.

Athletes in Trouble With the Law

May 4: Prized recruit John Wall is charged with a misdemeanor breaking and entering. Click through to see more sports figures in trouble with the law.

Chris Williams, Icon Sports Media

May 4: NFL wide receiver Biren Ealy, pictured, and tight end Kolomona Kapanui were accused of being drunk, urinating in public and exposing themselves.

Getty Images

April 30: Former football star Lawrence Phillips, pictured here with the Dolphins in 1998, will go to trial on charges that he attacked his girlfriend in 2005. Phillips already is serving a 10-year sentence for hitting three teenagers with his car in Los Angeles.

AFP / Getty Images

April 26: Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips was cited for misdemeanor battery for allegedly striking a security guard in the face at a hotel.

Tom Hevezi, AP

April 22: Former Jaguars star Jimmy Smith faces multiple drug charges, plus a charge of driving with a suspended license following an arrest.

Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images

April 20: Purdue point guard Lewis Jackson pleads guilty to illegal alcohol consumption and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

April 15: Eugene Edgerson, a former Arizona basketball player who tours with the Harlem Globetrotters, was arrested for the second time in two months on domestic violence charges.

Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE / Getty Images

April 16: Former Broncos running back Travis Henry admitted to a single count of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and faces 10 years or more in prison.

Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

April 13: Michigan State's Glenn Winston was sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to assault charges.

Carolyn Kaster, AP

April 11: Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whitner was arrested on charges of aggravated disorderly conduct and resisting police outside a Cleveland nightclub.

Paul Jasienski, Getty Images

John Wall's Misdemeanor Likely Won't Impact Recruitment originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 05 May 2009 13:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Donovan Hires Richard Pitino

Matt Snyder — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Louisville, Big East, SEC, Coaches

Rarely do assistant coaching hires make the news, but this one is just too interesting to pass up. Billy Donovan, former assistant to Rick Pitino, has hired Richard Pitino, the 26-year-old son of Louisville's head basketball coach. The younger Pitino has been an assistant at Louisville for the past two seasons.

The intertwined relationships here are quite unique. In the past, there has been speculation that one of the reasons Donovan didn't take the head job at Kentucky was due to his close relationship with Pitino. The two often talk about how they consider each other family.

This seems like a case where the younger Pitino needed to be out of his father's shadow in order to grow and develop into a head coaching candidate down the line. It's very doubtful that this was done without Rick Pitino's full blessing, as evident by his public stance.

"Richard and I have been talking this possibility over for the last two weeks," Rick Pitino said. "Billy is like a son to me and there's no other person in the country that I would rather have Richard work with than him. We both agree that this a unique opportunity for Richard to develop his own identity while helping Billy build his program back to national prominence."

After two consecutive national championships, Florida has spent the past two postseasons in the NIT. Both the playing roster and coaching staff have been decimated in the wake of those championship teams, so, with Pitino in house, Donovan will look to get some sort of continuity back in Gainesville.

Billy Donovan Hires Richard Pitino originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Florida Makes a Point, Sort Of

Chris Burke — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:25:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, SEC

I'm starting to get the feeling that the SEC will get at least three, possibly four, bids to the NCAA Tournament. And I don't get it.

Barring someone making a Georgia-like miracle run in the conference tournament, your most likely candidates for dance invitations are LSU, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida. The Gators stay in that group on the basis of Saturday's messy 60-53 over Kentucky. While both Florida and Kentucky entered the contest technically on the bubble, neither really looked like a tournament team -- especially the Wildcats, who have now lost four straight and have one foot in the ground.

Florida 60, Kentucky 53: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

But can someone explain to me why either South Carolina or Florida would get in?

The Gamecocks have 21 wins after beating Georgia, sure, but zero -- absolutely none -- against RPI top-50 teams. Florida, meanwhile, has 22 wins now, which looks great on paper. When you dig a little deeper into those numbers that the NCAA Tournament committee love to look at, the Gators case looks crummier too.

Road wins? Florida has two mediocre ones, at Vanderbilt and Auburn. Top-50 wins? Florida has just two. A strong finish? The Gators are 4-6 in their last 10, even after Saturday's win. Their best victory was on a neutral site over Washington in November, and they have a terrible loss at Georgia, a team that has an RPI near 200.

Florida didn't exactly wow a national-TV audience in the Kentucky win, either. The two teams combined for 37 turnovers (23 by Kentucky), with the Gators winning despite shooting less than 40 percent. A statement, it was not.

Still, the Gators are undoubtedly alive for a berth as they head to the SEC conference tournament, but they should need a win or two to make sure. Kentucky, on the other hand, is deservedly dead. Barring an unexpected hot streak next weekend, the Wildcats are NIT bound.

Florida Makes a Point, Sort Of originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boom Goes the Bubble

Ray Holloman — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston College, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi State, NC State, Virginia Tech, March Madness, University of Miami, Georgia

March started days ago. The Madness started Wednesday night.

On an evening where bubble teams could've punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament and boosters could've started humming bars of "One Shining Moment," teams turned down invitations like they were to a wedding without an open bar or the People's Choice Awards.

A memo, fellows. This isn't an invitation to a candlelight dinner with Randy Johnson. "Big Dance" doesn't mean you're cutting a rug with Mark Madsen or waltzing cheek-to-cheek with Mike Tyson.

You actually want to go to this thing.

Yet any team with bubble aspirations did its best impersonation of your 401k.

Virginia Tech had the equivalent of a print-at-home ticket to the Big Dance, but had no more luck finding their way into the tournament than coach Seth Greenberg would have recommending a good barber. But at least they lost to North Carolina. What's your excuse, Boston College?

The Eagles, who have already cleared a whole carton of egg of their face by losing to Harvard in a something that doesn't involve fractals, lost to N.C. State, a team that could only generously be described as a bubble team if, in fact the NIT has a bubble.

The formerly storied Kentucky Wildcats lost to a Georgia team that's 11th in what might be a three-bid conference and long ago fired its coach. Then again, that's what playing with the passion of a man waiting on a bus will do to you.

Miami, which made Duke and North Carolina sweat like Gary Williams in back-to-back games in early February, and looked like a possible Sweet 16 team a month ago, ensured its postseason wouldn't get in the way of Spring Break, falling to Georgia Tech.

Minnesota, a borderline-out bubble team beat Wisconsin, a borderline-in bubble team in the Big Ten, officially giving the league more possibly qualifiers than the total of points some of its teams have scored in a half this season.

And then there was the Gators, a team that just two years ago was flirting with Tom Emanski territory as back-to-back national champions.

Florida lost to Mississippi State in a game that wasn't even as close as its 80-71 score indicates. The Bulldogs took a nine-point lead in at the half, led by 16 in the second and never once so much as had the Gators in drafting distance in the final frame. The Bulldogs, we're fairly certain, could tell you where the CBI will be held without looking it up.

And Florida's loss could be magnified for all the teams that counted the Gators among their top-50 RPI wins, like Syracuse and South Carolina. The Gators were 49th in the RPI before falling to the Bulldogs. And that number will certainly gain a few pounds after getting dumped by Mississippi State. In fact, should the Gamecocks lose tonight against Tennessee, they could conceivably enter Selection Sunday with double-digit SEC wins and zero victories over the RPI top 50.

Of course, this is America. There's always a reward for kicking back and laughing at the misery of others (This, we suppose, is why Detroit Lion games make it on television). So who benefits from the bubble burst?

Maryland, who has four wins in four tries over N.C. State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, and whose two top wins over North Carolina and Michigan State match up with anyone on the bubble, should get a bump out of all the wreckage, provided the Terps beat ACC doormat Virginia this weekend. Providence might find its way in now with a solid league record and, like Maryland, a recent marquee win, over Pittsburgh. Michigan can play the big-win card too, with victories over Duke and UCLA, but the Wolverines' most notable victory in the past two months, Purdue, perhaps predictably for last night, lost to Northwestern, a team whose good old days involve Evan Eschmeyer.

And Penn State, who has no great wins to speak of, must look a lot more attractive this morning because the Nittany Lions have nothing that's even in the same Congressional district as a bad loss. If last night proved anything, it's that avoiding embarrassment might be the toughest thing to do in college basketball.

That, or get Wojciechowksi spelled correctly in caligraphy.

But each of those teams are written in pencil, and lightly at that.

So who was the real winner? The conference tournaments. These weekend events were usually three and four-day practices for the NCAA Tournament, an exercise in seeding and souvenir programs. Now they'll be stage for nearly every team to play their way onto, or off, the bubble.

And, of course, the college basketball fan. Beacuse the Madness is finally here.

Boom Goes the Bubble originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vols Hold Off Gators for First-Place Win

Will Brinson — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Tennessee, SEC, Coaches

Tennessee spent the first half of Sunday's game against Florida showing that it knew two things about the outcome of this game: The winner would be tied with South Carolina for first in the SEC East and find themselves on the right side of the bubble watch heading towards the SEC Tournament.

The second half was a different story. The Gators outscored the Vols 42-34 in the final 20 minutes, cutting the lead to three points with 54 seconds remaining. But Tennessee managed to hold on for a 79-75 win, hitting just enough free throws to stave off the Gators.

So where does this leave the SEC?

Tennessee 79, Florida 75: Box Score | AP Recap | SEC Scores

Florida, with the loss, now joins Kentucky firmly on the bubble, which is especially interesting because the two schools meet each other next Saturday with the loser possibly getting squeezed out of March Madness.

Tennessee, on the other hand, travels to Columbia, S.C., for a weekday matchup against the Gamecocks with first place in their division on the line and serious NCAA seeding up for grabs.

The good news for all these schools, though, is that it appears as if plenty of big-conference schools will get NCAA tourney berths this year. That doesn't excuse the SEC's inability to offer the nation a single team that has a chance at a championship. It does however, put a tremendous amount of weight on a game like Tennessee - Florida today, and makes you wonder how Billy Donovan couldn't get his team as prepared as Bruce Pearl's.

Vols Hold Off Gators for First-Place Win originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA or NIT: Florida Gators

Chas Rich — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:08:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, SEC

College basketball has gone past the halfway point of the conference season. Now every game takes on greater importance for the teams that are trying to make the NCAA Tournament. FanHouse will take a look at the teams that find somewhere between the NCAA or NIT.

Team: Florida Gators

Record: 21-7 (8-5 SEC)

Good Wins: At Washington and South Carolina

Bad Losses: At Georgia

Comments: The Gators played a very weak non-conference schedule that came in with a dismal 240th on the strength of schedule (SOS). They have the very good win against Washington, but in their only other games against major conference teams -- Syracuse and Florida State -- they came away with losses.

In the SEC they have won almost all of their games against the teams below them, so they only have one "bad" loss. With the exception of splitting the season series with South Carolina, they have not beaten any of the other top teams in the SEC. Not Kentucky, LSU or Tennessee. Against teams in the RPI top-50 they are only 2-5.

Other Views: Florida is 41st in RPI, the Basketball State has them 63d, while the Sagarin Ratings have them at 44th.

Verdict: Florida's computer numbers are decent enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament right now. They do need to win some more conference games, as they played a ridiculously bad non-conference slate coupled with a down conference. Ten of their wins this season came against teams with a sub-150 RPI.

The Gators chances at the NCAA hinge on their final three games. They face Tennessee and Kentucky at home and have a road game with Mississippi State. Win two of three and they should be in the NCAA Tournament with a 10-6 conference record.

Lose two of three and they will have to go to the SEC Tournament Championship Game to get in to the big dance.

NCAA or NIT: Florida Gators originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does Anyone Want to Win the SEC?

Chas Rich — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:08:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, SEC

Well, I mean aside from LSU which has run their record to 10-1 in the conference. Over in the SEC East it is a mess. Whether you want to call it parity, mediocrity or just plain suckitude, there are four teams pillow-fighting their way to see who can back into the top spot in the division.

Kentucky got humiliated by Vanderbilt yesterday. Florida, which had lost three of four got a win over a bad Alabama team. Tennessee got run out of Oxford by an injury-ravaged Ole Miss team. South Carolina has been overachieving, but they couldn't win in Starkville. That leaves all four with identical 7-4 conference records.
South Carolina may have the best chance to win the SEC East. The Gamecocks get Kentucky and Tennessee at home and have games with one-win Arkansas and one-win Georgia as well as 5-6 Vandy.

Tennessee has the toughest road, with road games at South Carolina, Florida and Kentucky still on its schedule. They also have to face Mississippi State before they end the season with Alabama.

Kentucky does not have it that much easier. Even with three home games, Rupp Arena has hardly been a source of mystique and intimidation. The Wildcats have to play LSU, Tennessee, go to South Carolina and finish the season at Florida. Only a visit from Georgia seems like a respite.

Florida should be able to finish reasonably strong. They do have to go to LSU and Mississippi State, but they have Vandy, Tennessee and Kentucky coming to them.

All four of the teams somewhere on the dreaded bubble. Except for Tennessee, they have all played very, very weak non-conference schedules. Couple that with the SEC being so weak, and the only sure way any of them have to get into the NCAA Tournament is by winning the conference tournament.

Does Anyone Want to Win the SEC? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ranking the Rankings: Duke's No. 1

Will Brinson — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, NC State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, UCLA, UNC, USC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, SEC, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch

Ranking the rankings criticizes the critics as soon as the polls come out.

Headlining: It's obvious, right? Duke tops both polls for the first time since the end of the 2005-06 regular season and we're all ~~depressed~~ ecstatic! I want to say that it's hard to like this Blue Devil team, but when is it easy to like Duke? (Answer: When you're a Duke fan. Or when the Blue Devils are playing Carolina.) That being said, the 2008-09 incarnation isn't nearly as hate-able as previous teams.

Gerald Henderson is a freakish athlete who tries hard, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer embody a certain Durham stereotype, but at least they're not Chris Collins and Wojo, and Greg Paulus has been relegated to a supporting role and has yet to play more than 24 minutes a game.

The antipodal proposition alone should be worth a slightly less odoriferous and palatable annoyance. (Yes, I'm pretending that I graduated from Duke and write for Slate.) Of course, there's still the matter of butting heads with the previous top team, Wake Forest, Wednesday, but for now: Everyone respects Duke.

Freefallin': Georgetown (12/14 to 25/23), Syracuse (8/8 to 15/15) and Notre Dame (19/19 to UR/22). In fairness to all three teams, the Big East is really good. And in fairness to the pollsters, this group of teams combined to lose five games (the Irish lost that Saturday prime timer as their only game of the week en route to three straight losses; coughing one up to Marquette Monday won't help their case either) last week, so it's not that shocking. The Big East teams are certainly going to beat up on each other all season long and they'll fluctuate; anything other than the same from the top tier ACC teams would be surprising as well.

You Gotta Rise Up: Kentucky (UR/UR to 24/UR), UCLA (17/16 to 13/11). It's never a total shock when two big name programs -- Louisville could apply here too, I suppose, just based on the relative inaction of the top 10 -- win a couple of games and start vaulting higher. In Kentucky's case, it's Jodie Meeks helping to propel the Wildcats back into the rankings for the first time since November ... 2007. It wouldn't seem that long if it wasn't Kentucky we're talking about, but the Wildcats are held to a higher standard. Presuming they can beat both Mississippi and South Carolina this week, it's safe to say you'll see them ranked in both polls next week.

Hyped: Clemson (12/11). Yes, the Tigers only have two losses, but they're still in the top 15. And while I don't necessarily know that the Tigers are en route toward a total and utter meltdown, I certainly won't vouch that they aren't, either. They've got games against Virginia Tech, Duke, Florida State and Boston College in their next four matchups. Two of those teams have beaten No. 1-ranked squads ... and they're the two inferior teams on the schedule. A win against Georgia Tech kind of righted the ship, but there's a distinct possibility that they could go 0-4 over that span.

Bunked: Arizona State (14/14). Call me a Herb Sendek homer if you want, and I won't care. I love the guy, and all he does is produce teams that go to the NCAA Tournament. His last five teams at N.C. State went to the Big Dance and It's not far-fetched to say that the Wolfpack would probably deal with an annual tourney bid right now. The Sun Devils are not a high-scoring bunch, and losses to USC and Cal aren't impressive, but James Harden is a baller and 22 points per game in Sendek's offense might be equal to 49 anywhere else.

WTF?: No one from the coaches' poll dropped. Like, literally no one. Florida is this -- makes pinching motion with index and thumb -- close to inching in, just one point shy of Gonzaga, and Utah State is right behind, but it's still really unusual to see a poll with no movement whatsoever.

People That Vote Are Smart: Ron Morris of The State in Columbia, S.C., takes the cake. He really thinks highly of Luke Harangody, so much so that he puts Notre Dame at No. 14 in his poll. Yes, the Irish are a talented team, but when he voted they had lost three straight, and they've dropped four straight now. It's kind of tough to bump a team from No. 14 to unranked in one week, but here it's arguably deserved. He also has UConn and North Carolina ahead of Duke.

Ranking the Rankings: Duke's No. 1 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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South Carolina's Zam Frederick Redeems Himself in 3.3 Seconds

Chas Rich — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, South Carolina, SEC

Usually it takes until the next game before a player gets a chance to make up for a mistake that costs his team a chance to win. For Zam Frederick, it came much faster in South Carolina's 70-69 win over Florida Wednesday.

The Gamecocks were down one with Zam Frederick on the line with a chance to tie the game. Frederick missed and Florida got the rebound. Florida's Chandler Parson's got the rebound and was immediately fouled with 3.3 seconds remaining. Parson went to the free throw line in a 1-and-1 situation. He missed, and Mike Holmes made a perfect pass to a streaking Frederick for a game-winning finish.

South Carolina's Zam Frederick Redeems Himself in 3.3 Seconds originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Florida State Upsets Florida

Shiloh Carder — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 02:19:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, ACC, SEC

Florida State is making this into a habit. For the third straight year, the Seminoles have beaten their in-state rivals, the Florida Gators.

Despite shooting 31 percent and their leading scorer, Toney Douglas, scoring just two points, Florida State upended Florida, 57-55.

Just another weird game during a weird week for an ACC team. I mean, these Noles were beaten handily by Northwestern earlier this week. Now they can topple No. 23 Florida?

It's hard to figure out exactly what the Seminoles are. We'll get a chance to see what they are made of over the next month. They play Pittsburgh in two weeks with Western Kentucky and Duke looming after that. They will then play three of four on the road (all ACC games) before hosting No. 1 North Carolina.

After that stretch, we should have a better grasp on who Florida State is.

Florida State Upsets Florida originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 02:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recap of the FanHouse 2008 Semi-Preseason BlogPoll

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Connecticut, Davidson, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, LSU, Marquette, Memphis, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA, UNC, UNLV, USC, Wake Forest, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, Pac-10, SEC, NCAA Basketball BlogPoll, Fans, University of Miami

Well, there you have it. The FanHouse Preseason College Hoops BlogPoll for 2008 is complete.

The voting for No. 1 was not close. North Carolina was atop every single ballot. UCLA, Louisville and UConn usually followed in a variety of orders. From there, it was a typical free-for-all as there is a glut of teams from No. 5 to No. 12 that was very fluid.

The poll also had some newcomers to it. Davidson is now a household name; St. Mary's will soon be; UNLV is back on the map while schools like Arizona State, Miami-FL and Wake Forest are primed to make their move. Defending champion Kansas didn't make the cut.

Still, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The top two ranked teams were in the Final Four last year, UConn takes back its place among the elite and six of last March's Elite Eight are ranked in the top twenty.

Will we be wrong with this poll? Of course! Heck, our No. 2 team has already been beaten. But name me the last time the Associated Press or the coaches got their preseason poll completely right. The key is that these teams will be the ones to know when March Madness rolls around.

Big thanks to all the bloggers across the internets for lending a hand and breaking down these teams.

1 - North Carolina Tar Heels
2 - UCLA Bruins
3 - UConn Huskies
4 - Louisville Cardinals
5 - Michigan State Spartans
6 - Gonzaga Bulldogs
7 - Oklahoma Sooners
8 - Pittsburgh Panthers
9 - Purdue Boilermakers
10 - Memphis Tigers
11 - Texas Longhorns
12 - Duke Blue Devils
13 - Miami-FL Hurricanes
14 - Arizona State Sun Devils
15 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish
16 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons
17 - Tennessee Volunteers
18 - UNLV Runnin' Rebels
19 - St. Mary's Gaels
20 - Davidson Wildcats
21 - Florida Gators
22 - Marquette Golden Eagles
23 - LSU Tigers
24 - USC Trojans
25 - Syracuse Orange

Recap of the FanHouse 2008 Semi-Preseason BlogPoll originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse NCAA Hoops BlogPoll: No. 21, Florida Gators

Shiloh Carder — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, SEC, NCAA Basketball BlogPoll, Fans

This week, FanHouse is taking a look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams.

Today, we have enlisted MLMinTampa of the Alligator Army to break down the Florida Gators.

The Florida Gators return the core of a team that finished in the final four. Of the NIT.

Last season was a disappointment for the Gators not just for the fact that they did not make the NCAA Tournament, breaking a streak of nine consecutive appearances. But the reaction of head coach Billy Donovan after the Gators bowed out of the SEC Tournament first round ("They're not committed to it," in speaking of his team) led fans and outsiders to believe that this group of players was beyond saving. After rallying in the NIT, there is some optimism for this year's edition despite subtractions. The Gators' only front line presence, Marreese Speights, is in the NBA. Sophomore guard Jai Lucas, after playing the first preseason game, will transfer. UF hopes they can overcome both losses.

Point guard Nick Calathes will have to lead the way with fellow sophomores Chandler Parsons and Alex Tyus seeing time up front. The Gators have two freshmen who can contribute at the five, Kenny Kadji and Eloy Vargas (both 6-10). If Florida wants to be successful they have to not only play better but play with a passion that was missing for much of last season.

Why they should be ranked here: Florida will finish in the top half of the SEC, even if they struggle against an out-of-conference schedule that includes decent mid-majors like Bradley and Winthrop as well as NC State and Syracuse. They were not tested at the start of last season, which led to the delusions of grandeur that followed in SEC play. The Gators should make the NCAAs and the Sweet 16 is a real possibility in 2009.

Why they should be ranked higher: Talent. The Gators have plenty of it. Followers of the team see it up close and Donovan has always been a great recruiter. The challenge is been applying the talent.

Why they should be ranked lower: It is entirely possible UF is still a year away from being a great team when their young bigs have a year under their belt and Calathes becomes a true point guard. Donovan's patience finally expired at the end of last season when he made his team practice in an intramural gym instead of their $12 million practice facility. If Donovan makes them practice outside, you know this team is going nowhere.

Thanks to MLMinTampa of the Alligator Army for coming into the 'House to break down the Gators.

FanHouse NCAA Hoops BlogPoll: No. 21, Florida Gators originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Donovan Doesn't Think NABC Should Tell Him Who He Can Recruit

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:40:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, SEC, Coaches, Recruiting

There was a big stink when Florida's Billy Donovan went against the National Association of Basketball Coaches recommendation that coaches stop recruiting kids who haven't completed their sophomore year in high school.

Three weeks after that declaration, Donovan signed Doc Rivers' son ... who was still in the 8th grade. Oh, and he doesn't think there is anything wrong with that:

"I don't know if it really made a whole lot of sense," Donovan said. "Because one of the things they should be doing, at least from my perspective, is opening up the lines of communication more than closing them down."

"I think for the NABC just to mandate when we can offer scholarships and when we can't -- what we need to be doing is (exploring) how can we open up the lines of communication more to get to know these kids better," he said.

"Whether the school offers at any age really comes down to the family and what the family thinks is in the best interest of the kid. I don't think anybody's forcing anybody to do anything."

This is a very hot topic, especially since the NABC (which is obviously run by the coaches) has come out against this practice. There is a line of thinking that coaches should keep in contact with these kids so they are more acclimated to the program, the coach and the college lifestyle change. Another line wants these kids to be kids and develop in their own time frame.

Donovan Doesn't Think NABC Should Tell Him Who He Can Recruit originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Donovan Snubs NABC, Accepts 15-Year Old Son of Doc Rivers' Commitment

Ryan Ferguson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:17:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, Kentucky Basketball, SEC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Recruiting

It was a big deal when Billy Gillispie accepted a commitment from Michael Avery, a 15-year old 8th-grader who hadn't yet settled on which high school he'd been attending when he said 'yes' to Kentucky. Gillispie took a lot of heat, not only from the press but the UK athletic director, who took some convincing before he blessed his coach's actions.

The National Association of Basketball Coaches, an organization which has no power of enforcement but does carry clout within the profession, issued an edict which basically stated that recruiting kiddos prior to their sophomore year of high school is a big no-no -- or at least, "strongly discouraged". Gillispie responded in kind by saying he fully respected the NABC's position and that he intended to abide by it from now on.

Enter Florida's Billy Donovan, who just three weeks removed from the NABC's recommendation accepted a recruitment from Austin Rivers, son of Doc Rivers, coach of the 2008 world champion Boston Celtics. Young Rivers, like Avery, is merely 15 years old and two grades shy of the NABC's recommended 10th-grade.
Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue wonders why Donovan isn't getting a public beatdown after the outcry over Gillispie's nearly identical circumstances.

So now comes my next question -- will we see the media come out in force condemning Billy Donovan for violating the NABC's "moratorium" on accepting early commitments, or will we hear crickets? My bet is the latter, because what we clearly have here and have had for some time is a double standard. The media clearly knows that Gillsipie wasn't the first to do this, but they have, in general, studiously avoided mentioning coaches like Roy Williams and Billy Donovan. Why? Because it's much easier to make Gillispie the fall guy. Everybody knows Gillispie has a couple of alcohol-related incidents in his past, and painting a flawed person as an ogre is much easier than manufacturing one from clean-cut Billy Donovan or sweet Ol' Roy.

Perhaps so, but it's worth noting that the firestorm over Gillispie's young recruit started within the Kentucky beat section of the college basketball media. Local writers were critical of Gillispie from the get-go, and perhaps the prickly nature of the relationship between the local press and the head coach was fuel for the fire.

As for Donovan's snub, the NABC now plans to deal directly with NCAA to address what they see as a "serious problem." Whether the NCAA agrees, and answers with new regulations, remains to be seen.

Donovan Snubs NABC, Accepts 15-Year Old Son of Doc Rivers' Commitment originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Donovan Starts Preparing for Next Season By Kicking His Team Out of the Gym

Josh Alper — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, SEC Basketball

The only thing we know for sure about this year's NCAA Tournament is that there's not going to be a repeat champion. Make that a three-peat champion. The Florida Gators aren't in the field of 65 and won't be able to defend their crowns. Not too many people expected them to make a run for a third title but settling for the NIT obviously still burnt Billy Donovan. Burnt him so much, in fact, that he banned his team from practicing in Florida's main gym while they prepare for San Diego State.

"I think probably in some respects the confetti is still falling down around them. When you've had great, great success like we've had, I think it's very easy to become complacent and lose sight of how good things are around here, and have this attitude of well, I'm at Florida, this is what's going to happen."

This has nothing to do with 2007-2008. Even with five freshman playing 10 or more minutes, the Gators won 21 games which is about as much as you could expect from such a young team. They were also constantly reminded that they were the defending national champions. That was not a moniker they earned, of course, and Donovan's going out of his way to remind them that you need to earn the perks. If players like Nick Calathes and Marreese Speights get the message, the Gators could be right back in the mix this time next year.

Billy Donovan Starts Preparing for Next Season By Kicking His Team Out of the Gym originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last Year's Finalists Florida and Ohio State Fail to Make Tournament

Shiloh Carder — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:20:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, Ohio State Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, SEC Basketball, March Madness

Last year's March Madness ended with Florida beating Ohio State for the national championship. Maybe they can face off in the N.I.T. instead.

The mass exodus of Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford have turned the Gators and Buckeyes into viewers of the NCAA tournament instead of participants.

That hasn't happened since 1980 ... which was also due to an exodus of sorts. After meeting in the championship game in 1979, Michigan State and Indiana State failed to make the '80 tourney. Maybe that had something to do with ISU's Larry Bird winning the NBA's Rookie of the Year while MSU's Magic Johnson was winning the NBA championship for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Florida became the first defending champion to miss the tournament since Kansas in 1989. The Jayhawks were banned from postseason play that season and couldn't defend their title.

Read FanHouse previews for all teams actually in the NCAA Tournament.

Last Year's Finalists Florida and Ohio State Fail to Make Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NIT Selection: Prove You Were Snubbed

Charles Rich — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, Ohio State Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, Umass Basketball, ACC Basketball, A-10 Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Virginia Tech Basketball, MVC Basketball, Ole Miss Basketball, Arizona State Basketball

What? You didn't know the NIT announced their bids tonight as well? They were. If you were a fan of a bubble team that didn't make it, now is the chance to at least make a good showing that you were the most deserving team left out of the NCAA Tournament.

#1 seeds: Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Syracuse
#2 seeds: Florida, Illinois State, Ole Miss, UMass
#3 seeds: Creighton, Florida State, Dayton, Nebraska
#4 seeds: Minnesota, Cal, SIU, VCU
#5 seeds: Oklahoma State, Maryland, New Mexico, UAB
#6 seeds: Rhode Island, Akron, Cleveland State, Charlotte
#7 seeds: San Diego State, Stephen F. Austin, Utah State, UC-Santa Barbara
#8 seeds: Alabama State, Robert Morris, Morgan State, UNC-Asheville

Not much else to say. This is as big an indictment of how weak the bubble really was when you look at this list. Only a couple of these teams have any sort of argument that they were screwed by the NCAA Tournament.

NIT Selection: Prove You Were Snubbed originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doesn't Anyone Want to Get Off the Bubble?

Charles Rich — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:15:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, Umass Basketball, Oregon Basketball, A-10 Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, Conference USA Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, MWC Basketball, Arizona State Basketball

This is a little ridiculous. The NCAA Tournament selection is only a few days away and few teams are doing much to make a case. It's getting so that the argument by fans of bubble teams will come down to, "My team sucks less."

The major and semi-major conference tournaments finished first or second round action, and one thing was very clear. All of these teams are bubble teams for a reason. They just aren't that good and they can't close the deal.

Villanova follows up a big win over Syracuse with an equally big loss to Georgetown.
Arizona State (with a little help from the Pac-10 refs -- of course) loses again to USC.
Baylor had to stage a second half comeback to lose in double-OT to Colorado.
Florida had to make a furious comeback to lose to Alabama by 11.
Dayton couldn't make a case against Xavier.
UAB probably needed to at least make the C-USA final, goes out in its first game.
UMass collapsed in the second half against Charlotte.
Oregon couldn't beat Washington State in a win-and-in type game.
Maryland fell apart (again) in the second half to hand it to Boston College.
Ole Miss cames back several times only to give up an easy basket just before the buzzer in OT for a Georgia win.
New Mexico couldn't close it in OT, losing to Utah.

South Alabama and VCU are feeling a lot better tonight. Heck, Virginia Tech suddenly has a legitimate case. Ohio State and Arkansas, it's your turn on Friday.

Doesn't Anyone Want to Get Off the Bubble? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN's Joe Lunardi: 'The Bubble Is Bad'

Michael David Smith — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, Maryland Basketball, Arkansas Basketball, March Madness, ESPN, Virginia Tech Basketball, Arizona State Basketball

It's early march, which means it's time for us to hang on every word spoken by Joe Lunardi, the ESPN bracketologist who has carved out his own niche as the world's foremost authority on which teams are getting into the NCAA Tournament and which teams will be left out.

Lunardi is the guru of the Bubble, so what Lunardi said on ESPN Radio today was particularly interesting. Explaining why he wouldn't want to expand the Tournament field beyond 65 teams, Lunardi said, "The bubble is pretty bad."

Lunardi hasn't updated his bracket with the weekend's action, but going into the weekend he listed Arkansas, Arizona State, Virginia Tech and Maryland as the last four teams in, with Florida, Syracuse, Saint Joseph's and Western Kentucky as the last four out.

Fans of those eight teams won't want to hear that the bubble is bad, but Lunardi is basically right: The bubble teams aren't particularly good basketball teams, certainly not good enough that it's realistic to think they could win six straight games to win the title. So while the bubble teams are the ones that garner the most attention at this time of year, the bubble really isn't very good. And expanding the field would just make the bubble worse.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi: 'The Bubble Is Bad' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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