College basketball 2009-10 running thread No. 1

Den, I hope that was blue font. Between Kentucky and John Calipari, this landmark is enough to make me lose my lunch.

Mike Krzyzewski has recruited pretty well, but a stout post player or three, a little more chemistry and a little less fixation on everyone's part as the number of McDonald's All-Americans would be wise. Sometimes, the All-Americans learn, grow and improve. Too many of them, it seems, learn little more and become little more than pouting bench fodder.

It never hurts to get blue-chip recruits. But if you want impressive, try a program like Virginia Tech. When's the last time Seth Greenberg grabbed a guy who was the envy of the top programs? (We'll leave ignoring the Currys to another argument). Yet, they're always prepared, never rattled and a complete pain in the butt for opponents.

Also impressive for coaching up has been Al Skinner at Boston College and Frank Haith at Miami. It's not the five-star recruits, or whatever anyone wishes to call them, that make a roster. It's what a coach can do with them once they're in the program.

Mike Krzyzewski adjusted, has recruited a lot more size that hopefully won't come at too heavy a price to mobility and speed and has done relatively well. Up to expectations? No, but barring put enough banners to make Cameron a fire hazard, that's pretty much going to be the case in Durham. But it's not like this program has come off the rails and taken a dirt road. Not yet.

 

laettner, ferry, dawkins, hill, hurley, battier, jay williams ... those are the type of guys he hasn't been getting. he may get the elite "blue chippers" every year, but lately they haven't blossomed. not his fault. sometimes the "best" recruits turn out to be mediocre.

 

The problem with Coach K, atleast to me, is he nor his staff can really develop talent. Players come and end as they are. Never really understood that.

 

cornell beats the johnnies to bust 41-game losing streak (dating to 1969) against big east teams.

 

As already noted:

 

IMO, K hasn't done a truly great coaching job since 2001. Though wrangling a #1 seed out of that 2005 team was half-great.

 

Duke will go something like 27-5, be a 2 seed, but lose to a 7 seed with athletes and a dominant big man.

Not sure who that will be, but there's more than half a season to find out.

 

Yeah, that's about right. Either that or the Annual Duke Loss In The Sweet 16 (see also: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009).

 

Can't wait for Michigan State-Texas tonight. Should be a good one.

 

byu and nevada played some defense today: 110-104.

 

Wait a minute...they played a game this afternoon? What the hell!

 

BYU's playing football tonight in Vegas. Did they do a sort of double header on this?