All-purpose college basketball thread

Been there, done that. Have the T-shirt. The thing is that it's so common, and I wonder, sometimes, whether writers are using it over and over again. I might have used it a few times before I recognized that it was becoming stale just in my own arsenal. But, I'll say this: I've written some wild-ass ledes that took a damned psychologist and a linguistics expert to translate. So I'm willing to be there are some editors out there happy to get an over-used lede that can be fixed in a pinch than some crazy, incoherent mess like what I send in with almost every story.

 

Agreed, the problem now is that a kid could come to me with that, and when I tell him/her not to do that again, he/she can give me the, "well, it was good enough for ESPN" line, and away we go.

 

If that's what the intern says, simply reply with, "So is Stuart Scott. Boo-yah!"

 

So did I. ;D

 

Is there a more over-rated team than Pitt? Is there a more over-rated oaf than Aaron Gray? I think the answer is "no" on both accounts.

 

Come on now, Oz. Kansas won today. Can't you just enjoy that instead of trashing my team???

 

It was the best of halves. It was the worst of halves.

Or -- for whoever at ESPN used that headline -- It was the best of lines. It was the worst of lines.

 

I'm a shameless Illinois fan by nature of my birthplace. But it occurred to me today that they'll probably get an invite. That actually bothers me. When they're 25-7 or 27-4, I'm excited as all heck to see how they'll do in the big tourney.

But, I'm not going to pretend there's almost no chance that they'll win the thing this year. It simply isn't happening. So I'd rather see a mid-major with a good record but no auto bid get in. It's such a rarity for the Illini that I've never considered before just how sad it is when a mediocre team from a major conference is overlooked.

So here's to hoping there are five teams from the Missouri Valley again, along with three teams from the Ivy League.

 

I'm of the opinion that Seth Greenberg's done more with less than anyone in the conference. But I'm open to arguments for Leitao and Williams.

 

Wait a second. I thought the ACC decided not to play this year. Is this a trick question?