NCAA Hoops 2011-2012

[crazy canuck]

Whatever CC. You keep taking your personal beef from thread to thread, I think I am going to just start ignoring you, it simply isn't worth the effort anymore.

You claimed you never said anything like that. In fact if you back through your anti Duke rants you will refresh your memory as to your hatred of people talking about how great Duke is because in your rather petty view Duke isnt as good as people say they are.  It really irritates you the coach K gets all this, in your view undeserved, adulation.

Well you are going to have to live with it.  Coach K will be mention for a long time to come now that he has the most wins in history.

[The Minsky Moment]

Some of it is because it is just plain fun to hate Duke - and they always get the most easily despised players in college basketball, just the little prima donna twerps like Reddick and Wojo and Laetner.

This.
Nothing really against Coach K, but the program is just plain fun to hate. 

As for those who suggest envy in play - that is part of it - everyone not a Duke fan probably has some moment when their Duke hatred crystalized, and it is probably some moment when some Duke team crushed their team's title hopes.  But most fans have many such moments caused by many teams over the years - yet somehow that intangible air of smugness and insufferability that accrues when Duke does it sticks in the craw differently.

[crazy canuck]

Some of it is because it is just plain fun to hate Duke - and they always get the most easily despised players in college basketball, just the little prima donna twerps like Reddick and Wojo and Laetner.

This.
Nothing really against Coach K, but the program is just plain fun to hate. 

As for those who suggest envy in play - that is part of it - everyone not a Duke fan probably has some moment when their Duke hatred crystalized, and it is probably some moment when some Duke team crushed their team's title hopes.  But most fans have many such moments caused by many teams over the years - yet someone that intangible air of smugness and insufferability that accrues when Duke does it sticks in the craw differently.

It is because Duke is just that good.  Which is a very good thing when one grows up a Duke fan.

[The Minsky Moment]

It is because Duke is just that good. 

See that is a good illustration what we are talking about.

Duke hasn't been any better than UNC over the years and Coach K is no greater a legend than Dean Smith.  Yet UNC doesn't attract the hate.

[Eddie Teach]

I bet people from Stanford care about them though, and it hasn't turned them into a bunch of insufferable twats.

People from other schools care too, but only if they or a close friend is on the team. Or they're Valmy. I didn't mean nobody literally.

But winning an NCAA volleyball championship isn't the kind of thing likely to make one obnoxious around a water cooler.

[grumbler]

See that is a good illustration what we are talking about.

Duke hasn't been any better than UNC over the years and Coach K is no greater a legend than Dean Smith.  Yet UNC doesn't attract the hate.

But here you are talking about bandwagon fans, who don't have anything to do with the school.  The assholes among them will gravitate to Duke (like their NFL counterparts gravitate to the Raiders and their college football counterparts gravitate to Florida State), but I am not sure how responsible you can hold Duke for their ignorant fans.  As you say, there is no reason to choose Duke over UNC, and several reasons to do otherwise (UNC being much less elitist and snobbish, despite being as good a school overall).  Assholes do like to associate with Duke, though.

[derspiess]

So WVU had been 5-1 in their last 6 games, including a win over Georgetown and the loss being a hard-fought game against UCONN.  They were poised to jump into both Top 25 polls for next week, so of course last night they lost to a lousy 8-11 St. John's team last night

More importantly, they needed that game to cushion their conference record which is sure to take a beating with Cuse, Louisville, Marquette, and Notre Dame (twice) coming up in the next few weeks. 

Sad that the Big East as we know it will end soon.  It's a fun conference to watch, particularly at this point in the season.

[Ed Anger]

My Wright State raiders are a sucky 10-12, but at least Butler is only 12-9. Fuck Butler.

[katmai]

John Wooden rolling over in his grave?

[Ed Anger]

The rebirth of the Hoosiers pleases me.

[Admiral Yi]

The rebirth of the Hoosiers pleases me.

Agreed.

Syracuse's switch to the ACC less so.

[grumbler]

I was in a quandary about this Saturday's MSU-Ohio game, until I realized that I could hope for MSU to lose, without necessarily hoping that Ohio would win! 

If Michigan can win out (which they should) and OSU beat MSU, Michigan will have a share of the B10 title for the first time in 26 years.  Thank you, Indiana!

[grumbler]

And the stars align for Michigan once again; first B10 MBB championship in 26 years.

This is a great time to be a Wolverine!

[PDH]

Wyoming won 20 games, after years of horrible coaching a new (old) face reappeared in Laramie in the person of former Gator's Asst Head Coach Larry Shyatt (who was the Wyooming head coach for one year 13 years ago).  Despite losing the top two returning players from last year they did well enough, including one win over a top 25 team.

I am not sure how to handle the rise from basement to mediocrity...

[Berkut]

Arizona lost to ASU, of all things.

Hard to be too upset though, having watched the game. Arizona played very well, but ASU just wanted it a lot more - beating Arizona means they have had a successful season, and it showed in their play tonight. Shot 90%+ from the FT line, had some nobody shoot 7/8 threes, and just managed to score no matter what kind of defense was played. I don't know how many times they jacked up a desperate three as the shot clock expired that banked in off the glass. It was baffling.

Arizona I think will make the NCAA tournament anyway...although winning a couple P12 tournament games might not be a bad idea to cement that...