Running 2023-24 NCAA Basketball Thread

Ain't broke, so we must fix it

 

This is a sly contender for post of the year.

 

Disinterested means impartial, not uninterested.

 

Tennessee may have its best white player since Ernie Grunfeld.

It's going to be a fun . . . January and February!

 

/insert sad but true meme

 

I'd certainly rather see a mid-major power in the NIT than a major-conference also-ran. That should go without saying.

 

Posts from the 1970s.

 

The big basketball news out of that game was that Sparty actually played full court pressure (a medium intensity zone trap) for significant periods of the game. I don't think Izzo has ever pressed in non-emergency situations in 30 years. Like, ever.

Of course, it was an "exhibition game," and they lost, and they gave up a lot of points, so maybe that experiment will vanish like the proverbial fart in the wind. But they didn't lose because the press was getting beat.

 

The thing about BKC exhibitions is this: So much of it comes down to who's motivated to play that game. That's why D-II programs knock off D-I clubs several times every year. (Pace defeated St. John's this weekend.)

It may not be the regular season yet, but that IS the highlight of the winner's season. It's a glorified practice for the D-I squad.

 

The intensity and crowd were like nothing I've seen in a hoops exhibition.

I'm just not sure why.

 

Yeah, I know. Sparty and U-M play Hillsdale, Grand Valley, Ferris State, etc etc.
It's a new thing that the "exhibition games" are legitimate D1 matchups you'd actually pay to watch anyway.
Why not just call it a non conference game?