I don’t like the NCAA Tournament. I don’t like that college basketball’s regular season provides little postseason incentive. I don’t like that the coach is a bigger personality than the players. I don’t like that the games are played on neutral courts. I don’t like that one bad game or bad call or bad break can end a team’s season. I don’t like that “close” becomes a synonym for “well-played.” And I don’t like that poor play determines the outcome much
Things were understandably heated last night between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Texas Tech Raiders. In what was supposed to be a simple NCAA game between the two programs, now has a controversial moment from it. Oklahoma State’s sophomore guard and projected lottery pick Marcus Smart came into conflict with a fan named Jeff Orr during tonights collegiate matchup. In a game where Oklahoma State was trailing before ultimately losing 65-61 to Texas Tech, it was understandable why Smart would
The NCAA early signing period for basketball runs from Nov. 13-20, and even with Tuesday’s commitment by Trey Lyles to Kentucky, there’s still a slew of elite prospects and future NBA lottery picks left on the board. Here’s a look at the top 10 uncommitted and committed prospects in the Class of 2014, including perhaps the projected top three overall picks in the 2015 NBA draft. [Read more…]
The deadline to enter the 2013 NBA Draft was Sunday, and we now know this much — the 2013 draft will be OK at best. The 2014 draft? It’ll be one for the ages. [Read more…]
Things have changed since we published Mock 1.0 on April 1. The NCAA field is down to four teams, and a couple of the players in our Top 30 have decided to return to school or wait another year in Europe (Darko Saric). Hence, Mock 1.0.1. [Read more…]
With the NCAA Tournament finally underway, we’ll be bringing you the stars of the night after each day of action. For those of you with day jobs, it’s hard to keep up with all the action. 16 games were on the schedule Thursday (while four are still in progress) so lets take a look at the stars of the day. [Read more…]
Oklahoma State is into the Big Dance as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region. Here are five things to know about the Cowboys: 1. Point guard Marcus Smart nearly has Jason Kidd numbers. Seriously. The freshman is averaging 15.4 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.9 steals. Kidd’s numbers as a freshman: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.8 steals. In other news… 2. Smart is the Big 12 Player of the Year. He carried Oklahoma State
The NBA draft is all about projections and potential. A generation ago, most NBA executives’ strategy was to compare prospects based on their collegiate careers. Then the Fab Five arrived at Michigan, and suddenly the process was flipped upside down. Underclassmen were scrutinized, analyzed and scouted thoroughly by NBA clubs who wanted to get the next big-time prospect. While prospects with high upside are intriguing, they come with more risk than upperclassmen. The lottery is annually dominated by underclassmen, primarily freshmen. [Read