Jay Bilas 2009

[Son of Mojo]

I'm not trying to start an argument but is there any way we can ban Bilas from espn? Hearing what he had to say during Sportscenter (which I think I only watch to get the last few minutes of PTI but left the tv there) about the further "greatness" of the holes and how they are still worthy of having the # 1 ranking is shilling at its worst. Just really annoyed me having to hear that tonight instead of hearing how Pitt being undefeated deserves the ranking or how Wake should be ranked ahead of the evil empire.

[RainingThrees]

He's trying waaay to hard to be unbiased. I don't even listen to him anymore because he tears down Duke and raises up the holes.

[MarkD83]

Jay's comments are all part of a grand plan. Even after a loss we should keep saying how great UNC is so they continue to be overconfident so that they can play Wake, lose and go 0-2 to start the ACC season.

[dukelifer]

He's trying waaay to hard to be unbiased. I don't even listen to him anymore because he tears down Duke and raises up the holes.

You have to build 'em up because if they win- you are a guru and if they lose it all in the end- as many on this board hopes and maybe even Jay does down deep- then you can talk about how they wasted all the talent and could never win the big one etc. If you have a star team in sports- you have to build them up to create drama. It makes the upsets all that more compelling. Plus- overexposing UNC will only make folks hate them more. This is all good, IMO.

[patentgeek]

To a certain extent I agree with him. If a voter is voting based on which team he thinks is the best in the country, then I don't think it's crazy to believe that the hated Heels are indeed the best in the country. Do I dislike them enormously? Yes. Do I wish they would lose every game they play for the rest of my natural life? Absolutely. But, if the question is which team I would predict, if I could only pick one, to win the NC this year, right now (and I emphasize right now) it would be our hated rivals.

That doesn't mean that I hope with every fiber of my being that it won't happen, nor does it mean that I think they're more likely than not to win (I think yesterday's performance exposed some flaws that were already apparent but which other opponents weren't able to exploit). But I think it's certainly reasonable to believe that they have a better chance right now than anyone else.

If, on the other hand, a voter is voting based on which team's body of work thus far is the most impressive, or who has the longest winning streak, or some other criterion, then I might disagree with Jay, because I think their performance thus far has been underwhelming given all of the hype.

[BlueintheFace]

Bilas is a very intelligent analyst.

UNC is still the most talented team in the nation, and might still have the best resume so far with the way in which they have beat some very good teams (and not so good ones).

Ask every coach in the nation who they would most want to avoid in a tournament right now... my guess is that the answer would be Carolina.

My top 3 would be

1) UNC
2) Pitt
3) Duke

[Carlos]

Exactly - maybe it's not that Jay's trying to be unbiased, maybe it's that he just feels UNC is the best team in the country. You may not like his opinion but there's certainly ample reason to believe that despite last night's game the Heels are still the most talented team out there.

[Lord Ash]

No problem with Jay. The guy is a former Duke athlete and a Duke basketball player at that, a guy more familiar with the game than just about anyone here. When you combine that with the fact that Carolina happened to lose a single game, and he still thinks Carolina is #1, that is fine with me. In fact, I hate the formula that seems to exist of "You lose and you fall in the polls, you win and you go up." A team can lose and still be the #1 team in the nation, I think.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

No problem with Jay. The guy is a former Duke athlete and a Duke basketball player at that, a guy more familiar with the game than just about anyone here. When you combine that with the fact that Carolina happened to lose a single game, and he still thinks Carolina is #1, that is fine with me. In fact, I hate the formula that seems to exist of "You lose and you fall in the polls, you win and you go up." A team can lose and still be the #1 team in the nation, I think.

I agree with you, Lord Ash. Jay also writes very good letters.

[natedog4ever]

He's been doing this for more than a few years now. Some of the things he says about Duke border on ludicrous. Let's face it though, he has a career to protect. I think it says a lot that so many of the holes love him.

Whatever, I just turn it when I see him.

[RainingThrees]

Guys he picked Xavier and Southern Illinois to beat us. Come on thats rediculous and frankly not objective. You gotta give us some love at some point.

[Faustus]

Not a Bilas comment but on a fawning ESPN-related note, I saw a tongue-in-cheek post on the Wake Forest board yesterday I had to smile at that was entitled something like: "Vitale says UNC's loss to BC could hurt their chances of going undefeated."

[taiw93]

For the most part, Jay's analysis is very insightful, however, Jay's man-crush on T-Hans has gotten a little out of control - Last year at College Game Day before the Duke - UNC game all he did was talk about Tyler's effort. The guy's a great player but enough is enough.
However, regarding this particular comment, I don't think any Duke fan, Pitt fan, or other college basketball fan could honestly say that UNC is not the best team in the country by far. The loss to BC proved that they are very beatable, however I think it was an aberration.

[jv001]

I try not to even think about the unc holes. But it's hard to do with all the unc posts. Go Duke!

[Devilsfan]

It's fine. Set ole roy up for the ultimate failure. Great job Jay!

[calltheobvious]

This discussion says a lot more about the inanity of college basketball polls than it does about Bilas or anyone's perception of him.

[SupaDave]

This discussion says a lot more about the inanity of college basketball polls than it does about Bilas or anyone's perception of him.

Rankings are like little participation ribbons that your team can show off during the season. They also are a good indication of the kind of season you may have had.

UNC loses four in a row and they drop out of the top 20. Not likely but that's what would happen - even though they would still have a stable full of horses...

[weezie]

No problem with Jay. The guy is a former Duke athlete and a Duke basketball player...

Plus, he rode the surf board all the way up the court last year. AND he gave me the thumbs up and a smile at the ACC tourney in DC a couple of years ago
when I yelled, "Go Duke!" At heart, he's always going to be a Dukie, no matter who signs the healthy paychecks. We need that type of secret agent to help us take over the world!!!!!

[mgtr]

I'll take Bilas any day, just lose Elmore.

[RainingThrees]

Or Hubert Davis. He doesn't even try to be unbiased.