https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ke-blue-devils
"Is Grayson Allen the next hated white Duke player?"
February 9, 2016
So, yeah, if Timme was at Duke...1.) he'd be hated more, 2.) we'd likely defend him.And, of course, Allen is a white guy in a Duke uniform, the latest vessel, the reincarnation of Christian Laettner, Chris Collins, Steve Wojciechowski, J.J. Redick, Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer. The personas are interchangeable, and equally hard to like.
"No other black player from any other school is hated as much as a white player from Duke,'' former Duke point guard Jay Williams said. "None.''
...
"It was predominantly white fans,'' said Hill, who witnessed the Laettner era in person. "I don't know what that's about, but I find that fascinating.''
It's not that black players at Duke have been given a pass. Shane Battier was tormented for his wrinkly scalp and called a shar pei, but the level of venom never reached what his white peers received, nor did anyone mock Battier or other black players for their ability.
Do NOT want this thread to get of course with this "debate", but had to point out the obvious difference.
(So, yeah, I'm saying I agree with you.)
You are really moving the goal posts.
I think we are wasting way too much bandwidth on Southern’s Stephen A Smith-esque hot takes. He doesn’t like Gonzaga for reasons most of the rest of us don’t understand. Let’s move on - the squeaky wheel doesn’t need the grease.
I do get a 1999 vibe from Gonzaga/Baylor this year - clearly the 2 best teams in the country on a collision course for the national championship game. Everyone has been singing Gonzaga's praises all year (justifiably so, they are truly great), but could Baylor be underestimated and pull off the upset?
Yes. Although I'm not sure Baylor will be in the Finals.
I'm convinced the Zags are going to be in the Finals. 538 gives them a 83% chance of beating UCLA, which is crazy high but still sounds low to me.
Zags-Baylor would be a wonderful game. When is the last time the two preseason favorites a) proved themselves as the favorites throughout the year and b) met in the Finals?
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
In 2000-2001, Arizona was pre-season #1 and Duke was pre-season #2. They met in the finals and Duke was of course victorious. However, they were not end-to-end 1/2 during the season...Duke was in the top 4 throughout entering the tournament as the #1 ranked team. Arizona fell all the way to #21 at one point and entered the tournament as the #5 ranked team.
Before that, the '98-'99 season had Duke #1 and UConn #2 pre-season. UConn slipped to 4 and entered the tournament ranked #3. Duke slipped to 4 at one point and entered the tournament #1.
That's just my Duke knowledge though, there may be others more recently.
Somewhat relatedly, Kenpom found that preseason media rankings are better predictors of NCAA tournament performance than end of season media rankings. That has always amazed me. A lot of it has to do with the dumb ways media rankings are adjusted as the season goes on, but still amazing.
Yep. Although I thought it was Nate Silver/538 that had that thesis? Maybe they both did...can't find a link to either at the moment.
Found this one that compares pre-season poll with end of season RPI:
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...eseason-polls/
RPI is admittedly garbage and has been replaced obviously.
Definitely the best to never win the Championship [ducks to avoid canned tomatoes being thrown from '86 lovers]. In all seriousness, I put that team right up there with the '92 team as far as best ever. Only time I woofed hard about Duke definitely winning a title. It was at a UConn friend/fan in the days leading up to the game. I take full responsibility for us losing that one.
Bump. Game day. Here are some links for pregame reading.
USA Today: Ranking the 10 best college basketball players in the men's NCAA Tournament Final Four
Spoiler alert: Drew Timme, Jared Butler, Jalen Suggs, Johnny Juzang, Corey Kispert, Quentin Grimes, Davion Mitchell, Jaime Jaquez, Joel Ayayi.Here's a ranking of the best players still standing in Indianapolis, based on college basketball prowess, tournament performance and NBA potential.
Yahoo Sports: The top eight men's college basketball coaches still searching for their first Final Four
Or don't read it: Leonard Hamilton, Sean Miller (?), Matt Painter, Chris Mack, Mark Turgeon, Mike Brey, Buzz Williams, and Steve Alford.Here are the top eight coaches who haven't been to a Final Four — in order of most likely to get there first:
Washington Post: The transfer portal has taken Houston, Baylor, Gonzaga and UCLA to the Final Four
CBS Sports: Transfer trend will be on full display during NCAA Tournament title chaseIn Saturday’s Final Four matchups, eight of the 20 projected starters from Gonzaga, Baylor, Houston and UCLA will be transfers. With more than 1,000 players reportedly already in the transfer portal this year, these Final Four squads are perhaps a glimpse of what future college rosters will look like.
Good subject, though somehow the articles never mention Bo Ryan's quote about rent-a-players, and one of them talks about the 2019 tournament without mentioning Texas Tech at all. I did learn that each 2021 Final Four team has a starter who transferred from the SEC: Houston's Reggie Chaney (Arkansas), Baylor's Davion Mitchell (Auburn), UCLA's Johnny Juzang (Kentucky), and Gonzaga's Andrew Nembhard (Florida).By comparison, there were a total of five transfers who started in Final Four games during a decade's worth of Final Fours between 2006 and 2015.
Finally, a tweet that shows Bill Walton's bracket is not entirely busted right now, and was probably in good shape for the Sweet 16:
Dave Pasch @DavePasch
Bill Walton’s Final Four: USC, Colorado, Oregon State, Oregon (despite being in USC’s region), UCLA (despite that you can only have 4 teams in the final four).
6:45 PM · Mar 14, 2021
Baylor - Houston game off to an entertaining start.
Bob Green
Baylor is good. I am now hoping for Baylor/Gonzaga so we can get a top tier final.