Bilastrator?

[dukejunkie]

Interesting link for those of you that have ESPN Inside Access. Even if you don't, you can read the relevant parts at the beginning.

#1) Jay Bilas now refers to himself in the third person.
#2) Jay Bilas picks Duke as the top contender. This is anti-Jay in many ways and I'm hoping some of you will figure out his motives. I have no clue if he is being serious. Maybe he feels the need to balance some of the past hate. Either way, I hope this isn't a major jinx.

Enjoy:

http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9924930/jay-bilas-preseason-college-basketball-opus-college-basketball?refresh=true

[OldPhiKap]

Jay Bilas picks Duke as the top contender. This is anti-Jay in many ways and I'm hoping some of you will figure out his motives.

Jay calls them like he sees them. Sometimes we like that, sometimes we don't.

I think Jay is one of the better non-coach analysts out there today. And a whole lot better than some coaches (cough){Digger}(cough)

[Henderson]

Interesting link for those of you that have ESPN Inside Access. Even if you don't, you can read the relevant parts at the beginning.

#1) Jay Bilas now refers to himself in the third person.
#2) Jay Bilas picks Duke as the top contender. This is anti-Jay in many ways and I'm hoping some of you will figure out his motives. I have no clue if he is being serious. Maybe he feels the need to balance some of the past hate. Either way, I hope this isn't a major jinx.

Enjoy:

http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9924930/jay-bilas-preseason-college-basketball-opus-college-basketball?refresh=true

Maybe my thoughts as follows should be in the "Sports Phrases that Should be Retired" thread: I'm tired of hearing negative commentary from sportscasters referred to as "hate". When I want uncritical plaudits, I call my mother. Does anyone really think Jay Bilas hates Duke?

[hurleyfor3]

Maybe to peeve off Kentucky fans? If so, bully on him.

By the way, where are all the Kentucky fans? With the season starting, DBR getting more exposure and Kentucky the consensus #1 among people not named Jay Bilas, I'd think we'd have a few crawling around here already.

[jimsumner]

Maybe to peeve off Kentucky fans? If so, bully on him.

By the way, where are all the Kentucky fans? With the season starting, DBR getting more exposure and Kentucky the consensus #1 among people not named Jay Bilas, I'd think we'd have a few crawling around here already.

Be careful what you wish for.

[BigWayne]

Maybe my thoughts as follows should be in the "Sports Phrases that Should be Retired" thread: I'm tired of hearing negative commentary from sportscasters referred to as "hate". When I want uncritical plaudits, I call my mother. Does anyone really think Jay Bilas hates Duke?

You and me both. It's a common misuse of language these days, most commonly used by certain agenda groups, that anyone that doesn't agree with you is guilty of "hate."

[Duvall]

You and me both. It's a common misuse of language these days, most commonly used by certain agenda groups, that anyone that doesn't agree with you is guilty of "hate."

Agenda groups?

[hurleyfor3]

Be careful what you wish for.

Oh, trust me, I am. With the move to SBN I've been bracing for an Attack of the Annoying Fanbases that hasn't come yet.

[Henderson]

We may hear from the UK fans later, but for now, even they know what "NIT" stands for. At least if they have a WiFi connection to Wikipedia in their trailers.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Agenda groups?

Wow, this is dangerous territory.

I'm betting that Bilas literally hates Duke (def. #2). Meaning, harkening back to the thread on sports language, that he metaphorically hates Duke. As opposed to the literal agenda groups (def #1). Meaning, those who print out their daily schedules.

Put me in the "Bilas praising Duke makes me uneasy" group. I like it best when we have to prove him wrong and assume that it was all some sort of elaborate motivational ruse.

Even still, his analysis is better than 95% of the other yammering heads in the multimedia universe.

Go Duke!

[dukejunkie]

You and me both. It's a common misuse of language these days, most commonly used by certain agenda groups, that anyone that doesn't agree with you is guilty of "hate."

Of course Jay doesn't hate Duke. It has been a common theme on these boards that some think he goes out of his way not to seem biased in favor of Duke. The fact that he picked Duke was very interesting. Him going off the deep end and referring to himself as the Bilastrator might be of more importance...

[ForkFondler]

Put me in the "Bilas praising Duke makes me uneasy" group. I like it best when we have to prove him wrong and assume that it was all some sort of elaborate motivational ruse.


It's a rather obvious trick on his part, really. I can't believe anyone would fall for it.

[Dev11]

Oh, trust me, I am. With the move to SBN I've been bracing for an Attack of the Annoying Fanbases that hasn't come yet.

Since we didn't jump to the SBN comments feature, I would imagine the effect would be dampened. Joining adjacent SBN blogs is so easy once you have an account. Joining DBR may feel a little more foreign.

Plus, for so many years Duke was absent from the SBN roll call, perhaps people figured it would never happen.

[Li_Duke]

I always liked Jay's analysis of team rankings and outcomes. I think he calls it like he sees it. It's a fresh perspective from most analysts teams rankings which really just ranks teams on how long they haven't lost. He attempts to predict future outcomes rather than rank based on prior outcomes. Many in DBR gave him grief last year for ranking Louisville over Duke after Duke beat them early, but that game was so close that before the final buzzer, the probability of a Duke win was about 50%. You can't call him biased against Duke for picking heads over tails just because tails came up the last time. Now I agree that he does try to go out of his way to appear objective on TV and in his articles, but privately (admittedly through 2nd hand sources: my ex-girlfriend's dad and Jay worked together in the same law firm for years), he does root for Duke and Coach K.

[DukeAlumBS]

Maybe my thoughts as follows should be in the "Sports Phrases that Should be Retired" thread: I'm tired of hearing negative commentary from sportscasters referred to as "hate". When I want uncritical plaudits, I call my mother. Does anyone really think Jay Bilas hates Duke?

I agree with you on this. I think Jay is the better college analyst than most. I have never felt he was a Duke hater. He went there, played there, and is very involved with the alumni association. Especially promoting that part of his life. I have seen him 3-5 times at events. A solid fan, and supporter. One game was the Duke/Kentucky game at MSG some years back. I got to have a couple beers with Jay. Next to him was a man that hates Duke. Digger Phelps, in a matter of 10 minutes pissed me off, with his brash style!
I think we should focus on the Digger Phelps types. Not Jay Bilas.
Have nice day
Jimmy, Duke wins it all!

[kAzE]

Boy, Jay's alter ego is pretty much all ego . . just read those opening paragraphs haha.

I'm not complaining though, he's got Duke as the title favorite, and Jabari as the #4 player in the Wooden Award race, behind only McDermott, Smart, and Wiggins. He also has Jabari as a starter on his "perfect college basketball team."

Bilas LOVES Jabari, which is music to my ears, because all Bilas has done since he got the ESPN gig is hate on his alma mater. So if he's this high on our team this year, we must be good.

Listing his famous followers on Twitter might be a little pretentious . . . but okay, I get it. "The Bilastrator," has a high opinion of himself.

[OldPhiKap]

all Bilas has done since he got the ESPN gig is hate on his alma mater.

That's simply not so. I don't even understand where this comes from.

[kAzE]

That's simply not so. I don't even understand where this comes from.

Not literally, it's just that he's usually lower on Duke than other analysts, most times rightly so. I was exaggerating a bit, but he's almost never this high on Duke in the preseason, you have to at least admit that.

[DukeAlumBS]

Not literally, it's just that he's usually lower on Duke than other analysts, most times rightly so. I was exaggerating a bit, but he's almost never this high on Duke in the preseason, you have to at least admit that.

Just saw it on ESPN. He has us playing Kentucky in the final. He seems very high on Jabari Parker and also what we have as a team.
Nice day
Jimmy

[flyingdutchdevil]

Just saw it on ESPN. He has us playing Kentucky in the final. He seems very high on Jabari Parker and also what we have as a team.
Nice day
Jimmy

Bilas loves to favor talent over experience, which I guess is why he went with this game.

I think he is right for this year, where the talented teams are clearly favored over the experienced teams, which are few and far between (Mich St, Louisville, possibly Florida).

[blUDAYvil]

he's almost never this high on Duke in the preseason, you have to at least admit that.

Someone who isn't nearly as high on Duke in the preseason is Jay Williams... believes Kansas is going to "destroy" Duke on Tuesday

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/89713/3-point-shot-bold-2014-predictions

[DukeAlumBS]

Someone who isn't nearly as high on Duke in the preseason is Jay Williams... believes Kansas is going to "destroy" Duke on Tuesday

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/89713/3-point-shot-bold-2014-predictions

JW is getting to be like JB. JW? you are wrong. Parker over Wiggins. Hood makes this game pretty! BTW
Kansas will not be able to play the 3.
Hood may lead in points this game. As the 1 and 2 battle.
We win by 20
Nice day

[OldPhiKap]

Not literally, it's just that he's usually lower on Duke than other analysts, most times rightly so. I was exaggerating a bit, but he's almost never this high on Duke in the preseason, you have to at least admit that.

The bold part is kinda my point.

Jay is not a homer. We are not always the best team in a match-up. His job is to call what he sees.

And yes, I am glad that Jay objectively thinks we may have a championship-caliber team. Very much so.

[Edouble]

Someone who isn't nearly as high on Duke in the preseason is Jay Williams... believes Kansas is going to "destroy" Duke on Tuesday

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/89713/3-point-shot-bold-2014-predictions

Meh... he actually said he thinks that "Kansas is going to destroy Duke down low." I think that's different.

[kAzE]

Yeah, I gotta disagree with Jay Will on that one. Duke isn't always one of the last few teams standing in March, but early in the season, nobody plays better than a Mike Kryzyzewski coached team. I believe we are undefeated in the champions classic, and how many early season tournaments have we won in a row now? Duke is just better prepared than most teams early in the season, particularly teams that are relying on many inexperienced players like Kansas. Not saying we will definitely win, but we're certainly not going to be "destroyed."

[Henderson]

That whole Bilastrator piece was tongue in cheek, intended to amuse, including the references to himself in the third person.

Anyone else remember Johnny Carson's Carnac schticks? Did anyone think he was seriously stating his ability to predict the future?

But Bilas thinks Duke is likely to be exceptional this year. He hasn't always said that. Jay is a smart analyst. One of the best. He calls 'em like he sees 'em. I appreciate that, whether his analysis of Duke is positive or negative.

[JBDuke]

Yeah, I gotta disagree with Jay Will on that one. Duke isn't always one of the last few teams standing in March, but early in the season, nobody plays better than a Mike Kryzyzewski coached team. I believe we are undefeated in the champions classic, and how many early season tournaments have we won in a row now? Duke is just better prepared than most teams early in the season, particularly teams that are relying on many inexperienced players like Kansas. Not saying we will definitely win, but we're certainly not going to be "destroyed."

While I don't think we will be "destroyed", either, you might want to go read the Al Featherston article posted on the DBR Main Page. One of the topics he discusses is the significantly greater challenge this team might experience in dealing with Duke's early season schedule, as compared to teams over the last five years.