Octopus Overlords

This news seems like the appropriate way to start the new season:

BREAKING: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has decided to retire after this coming season, multiple sources told @stadium
. Official announcement expected soon.

The leading candidate to replace K is assistant and former Duke player Jon Scheyer.

Coupled with Roy Williams retirement this year, Tobacco Road Hoops has just been turned upside down.

Not as devastated by this news as I would have been a few years ago. I haven't watched a game since the pandemic started, and cutting cable had led to a waning interest even before that.

Honestly the fun of NCAA basketball started declining for me when Maryland left and they started opening up the ACC to a bunch of random teams. That's when I knew the sport (at least in my region) had jumped the shark, and it's been on life support for me ever since.

I wish the new coaches all the best, and there may be a point when I get back into it, but it's probably going to be awhile before I can stomach it.

Heh, after so many locally went on the offensive when Howard was made the head coach for UofM, they're now feeling a bit defensive about the idea that he might be poached by the Celtics after one year. Radio assures me this won't happen because he has two sons that should be UofM alumni before he heads back to the NBA.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:55 pm Not as devastated by this news as I would have been a few years ago. I haven't watched a game since the pandemic started, and cutting cable had led to a waning interest even before that.

Honestly the fun of NCAA basketball started declining for me when Maryland left and they started opening up the ACC to a bunch of random teams. That's when I knew the sport (at least in my region) had jumped the shark, and it's been on life support for me ever since.

I wish the new coaches all the best, and there may be a point when I get back into it, but it's probably going to be awhile before I can stomach it.

Move out west and become a UCLA fan!

I kind of figured when Roy Williams retired he was only the first domino about to fall. As someone who grew up rooting for UNC and then went to NC State, I have never rooted for Duke (to put it mildly). Having said that, I think it's fairly obvious that Coach K is the GOAT of college basketball coaches.

The most interesting thing about his retirement to me is what happens to Duke basketball now? If they fumble the next hire, (Scheyer) they could fall into a mire they may never emerge from. All of a sudden they would be a bad team playing in a tiny, old building. I am sure they will be able to remain decent but will they ever win a ACC/NCAA title again? Will they be able to keep recruiting at the level K does?

LordMortis wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:38 pm Heh, after so many locally went on the offensive when Howard was made the head coach for UofM, they're now feeling a bit defensive about the idea that he might be poached by the Celtics after one year. Radio assures me this won't happen because he has two sons that should be UofM alumni before he heads back to the NBA.

FWIW, I would expect Howard to eventually try his hand at the NBA level (assuming he continues to be successful at Michigan), but I also think it's not likely he does it while he has an opportunity to coach his kids. He's (hopefully) got enough money in the bank after a long NBA career that he doesn't need to move around for financial reasons, so I suspect it will be when he wants the NBA challenge.

I'm sure they'll have their stumbles, just as UNC did when Dean Smith retired, but they'll find their way. The program is too big and name recognition too high for them to just fade into mediocrity.

Will Jon Scheyer be the person to keep them going? I don't know. It will be interesting to see how he does, and given how closely he worked with K I think he was certainly the obvious choice.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:57 am I'm sure they'll have their stumbles, just as UNC did when Dean Smith retired, but they'll find their way. The program is too big and name recognition too high for them to just fade into mediocrity.

Will Jon Scheyer be the person to keep them going? I don't know. It will be interesting to see how he does, and given how closely he worked with K I think he was certainly the obvious choice.

Was Scheyer really the obvious choice? I would of at least asked Quin Snyder if he was interested, he seems like an obvious choice with his background and the way college basketball is trending with one and done. I'm sure Coach K's retirement has been known long enough for them to do their due diligence on how to proceed. But I would be interested to know if others were approached before naming Scheyer. Edit: I just read an article that they did speak with other coaches but only named Tommy Amaker.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:57 am I'm sure they'll have their stumbles, just as UNC did when Dean Smith retired, but they'll find their way. The program is too big and name recognition too high for them to just fade into mediocrity.

Will Jon Scheyer be the person to keep them going? I don't know. It will be interesting to see how he does, and given how closely he worked with K I think he was certainly the obvious choice.

I doubt it. It's just insanely difficult and so few coaches get to retire on their own. UCLA post Wooden has not had a single coach retire on their own. Gene Bartow (Wooden's initial successor) is a great coach, but didn't get the patience. UCLA at least has stopped firing coaches every 2-3 years, and after the first 10 years (5 coaches), every coach has gotten at least 4 years, and most have gotten at least 7 years.

Heck, Kentucky has had 6 coaches since Rupp, 3 of them in the Hall of Fame, and none of them have (as yet) been able to retire on their own, tho Pitino left on his own and Cal is still coaching (but his seat is getting warm the past couple of years...).

It's interesting that both Duke and UNC, two of the biggest names in college basketball, chose to go with an alum with no head coaching experience. Certainly both programs could have gone after big names (for instance, Brad Stevens was floated during the UNC hire), but they chose to keep it in the family. Sometimes that works (e.g. Roy Williams), and sometimes that doesn't (e.g. Doherty). It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

On another note, Coach K announcing his retirement far ahead of the next season so that he can have his farewell tour is the most Coach K thing ever.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:57 am I'm sure they'll have their stumbles, just as UNC did when Dean Smith retired, but they'll find their way. The program is too big and name recognition too high for them to just fade into mediocrity.

Co-signed/ Nebraska football following Tom Osborne's retirement.

I referred to Scheyer as the obvious choice because (at least in my circles) he's always been viewed as the heir apparent just due to his assistant position. Whether he's the *right* choice remains to be seen. I like Scheyer, but his youth and inexperience doesn't give me a lot of confidence.

I feel like it's going to be a bumpy road for a few seasons until Duke finds their veteran coach that swoops back in to save the day Roy Williams style. But maybe Scheyer surprises us all and knocks it out of the park.

I just wonder if Scheyer is going to be making the kind of money right away to pay off the refs like Coach K, or did that come out of the Athletic Departments budget.

Season getting closer... so here's proof that Coach Wooden wasn't perfect!

UCLA looking like they are picking up where they left off!

Was fun going to a game again, and what a game!

And then the rematch.

Ouch.

So far, Gonzaga looks even better than last year, which certainly spells trouble for everyone else.

In other news, Carolina is already in a state of panic. We played well and showed promise against Purdue on Saturday but then completely slept walk through a game against Tennessee the next day and got blown out. And then last night we beat UNC-Asheville but again our players didn't play together and looked disinterested. And we beat UNCA by fewer points than powerhouses UAB and UT-Chattanooga did. Generally, our defense has been non-existent and our guys don't seem to gel well together on the court. Hubert Davis might be in for a rough first year....

edit: and it isn't helping that the potential coach many fans wanted, Wes Miller, is crushing it so far at Cincinnati with, ostensibly, less talent. So far they've shown out well, already beating a ranked Illinois team. And, in contrast to UNC, their defense looks pretty stout.

UCLA canceled its latest game due to Covid protocols. UNC is supposed to play UCLA on Saturday, but I'm guessing that's not going to happen now. Too bad for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that this was UNC's last chance to get a signature non-conference win (even if it was unlikely they would win).

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:46 am UCLA canceled its latest game due to Covid protocols. UNC is supposed to play UCLA on Saturday, but I'm guessing that's not going to happen now. Too bad for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that this was UNC's last chance to get a signature non-conference win (even if it was unlikely they would win).

We should know today regarding the UCLA-UNC game in Vegas is what I read last night.

Ohio state - Kentucky in Vegas already canceled due to covid :

Looks like it's probably going to be UNC/Kentucky rather than UNC/UCLA, unfortunately. I don't mind playing Kentucky (we seem to every year), but would have loved the chance to see our team against UCLA.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:Looks like it's probably going to be UNC/Kentucky rather than UNC/UCLA, unfortunately. I don't mind playing Kentucky (we seem to every year), but would have loved the chance to see our team against UCLA.

Confirmed. UCLA on covid pause.

NCAA

Relax, 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. You’re safe for yet another year.

The last chances for another perfect season vanished Tuesday night faster than you could say Texas Tech and Stanford. They were the perpetrators of this double-barreled attack on the two remaining unbeatens, and by the time they were done with Baylor and USC, January was beginning to look like a food fight in college basketball. The sport is never more deliciously chaotic than when highly-ranked teams lose games they had every logical reason to win.

I don't generally watch college hoops before March Madness, but USC - UCLA semifinal match in Pac 12 could be interesting.

No enthusiasm for March Madness? Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas and Baylor get the #1 seeds. It seems like the top seeds have an almost magical way of reaching the Final Four.

I have not watched (or had any interest in watching) a single college basketball game this year. But I did my yearly duty and started the work bracket this morning.

I'm tempted to do 100% random auto-fill and see how that turns out for me.

Wow, #12 seed Richmond knocks off #5 Iowa in the first round67-63.

If you told me I have to watch a College Basketball game or a Hallmark movie, I'd probably go with the Hallmark movie. It would be over faster.

Work is doing brackets, I used to fill them out and have even won before which tells you actually knowledge isn't necessary to win. I passed this year.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 5:27 pm Wow, #12 seed Richmond knocks off #5 Iowa in the first round67-63.

As a rule of thumb, you can bet against every single Big Ten team in the opening round and expect to win all but one.

While I will likely never care about the college basketball regular season, the opening weekend of March Madness remains one of the best sporting events of the year.

Watching Kentucky go down to the St Peters Peacocks ( ) was just icing on a fun day of games.

I guess those Wildcats must feel pretty blue.

And congrats to Michigan to their upset of Colorado State.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 5:27 pm Wow, #12 seed Richmond knocks off #5 Iowa in the first round67-63.

I don't think that counts as much of an upset. Richmond's SoS was nearly the same as Iowa's and their non-conference schedule was much harder. Given that and their overall records, it was much closer than a 12-5 matchup indicates.

I think the same thing applies to MI. I thought they should have been favored.

The UK outcome is just funny though. Good for St. Peters.

Note: I don't think I've watched one second of college basketball in at least 3 years.

I always love rooting for the underdog in these opening round matches. The Kentucky upset was even more sweet as I still resent Tshiebwe leaving WVU a couple of years back. Richmond always seems to make trouble for their higher seed matchups. And the New Mexico game was a fun one too.

Half my Final 4 knocked out on first day. My 2 for the finals is still alive though.

The last 2 years, when doing my bracket, I've listened to the "experts" to help make some picks because I haven't watched as much college ball as I used to. I did better when I would just made picks on my own. I need to remember that for next year.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 10:10 pm And congrats to Michigan to their upset of Colorado State.

Scrappy upstarts from Ann Arbor knocking off the powerhouse was a great way to start the tourney!

That game was a mortal lock. Michigan has spent the last month plus alternating wins and losses, and we lost the prior game. This doesn't bode so well for the matchup against 3 seed Tennessee on Saturday, unfortunately . . . .

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 9:50 pm While I will likely never care about the college basketball regular season, the opening weekend of March Madness remains one of the best sporting events of the year.

Watching Kentucky go down to the St Peters Peacocks ( ) was just icing on a fun day of games.

The great thing about that game was that St. Peter's was simply better - they were fun to watch. They didn't have a Tchibwe (sp?), but everywhere else they were faster and better.

On the other hand, my Bruins showed up thinking that the four letters on the front would win the game, rather than defense and shotmaking, and probably should have gotten punked, save for finding that lockdown defense and some nice shots late. Next up, St. Mary's, who looked amazing in destroying Indiana.

That USF-Murray St. game to close out the night was amazing as well. The folks in Indianapolis got some amazing basketball, with bonus OT sessions in both the St Peters/Kentucky game, as well as the USF/Murray St nightcap.

Go Cal State Fullerton! Remember the Titans!

Jaymann wrote: ↑Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:21 am Go Cal State Fullerton! Remember the Titans!

We are all Cal State Fullerton today.