College basketball 2009-10 running thread No. 1

Ok, are we talking about winning Big East titles, which, only teams in the Big East value or are we talking about winning in the NCAA Tournament?

That's what I thought and the key word to everything you've written is ONE as in ONE Final Four in six years and he ain't going to one this year.

And correct me if I am wrong, but since that NCAA Tourney they were knocked out in the second round and then last year went to the NIT -- with a great recruiting class by the way, they went to the NIT.

So I'll say it one more time --- all of that stuff, players of the year, drafted guys, first round picks, even Big East titles --- doesn't amount to shit if you don't win in the NCAA Tournament and in the past two years he's got one NCAA Tournament win and frankly, they'll be knocked out of the tournament this year in a manner very similar to the way they just lost to Marquette.

Oh wait, I forgot, they have a player of the year and a good recruiting class, that means they are going all the way to the Final Four....... :

 

I honestly think if Jonathan Baldwin wanted to play hoops instead of football, he'd be a great forward, especially at a place like Pitt where they'd teach him how to play defense, they'd put him in the weight room and they'd strengthen his fundamentals.

Speaking of him, I haven't seen much of Seton Hall this year -- how has Herb Pope done? Is he still playing with them?

 

On ESPN.com's front page: Clemson may be winless in Caple Hill, but the Tigers proved Wednesday night they can beat North Carolina.

That's a hard one to fuck up.

 

Zag,

One final four in six years. I'll take that every time.

They lost to Marquette because they were a desperate team playing at home, didn't want to go 0-3 in the conference to start the league schedule and hit a million three's, including a 6-6 effort by David Freaking Cubillian. I was more impressed that they actually should've won that game than pissed about the loss.

And I wouldn't be so quick to say they aren't going to a Final Four this year. They have as good a chance as anyone in the country.

 

I think he gets a bad rap because his team has had some very high profile blown leads in recent years and they seem so up and down (sometimes they look like they could beat some NBA teams and then in some of the same games they look like they couldn't beat a good high school team).

I do like that he wasn't very impressed - it means he understands this isn't a very good North Carolina team he just beat - though the fans went crazy as if they beat last year's version of the Tar Heels.

Still, it is a good win for Clemson.

 

Well that is the beauty of this all, only time will tell.

I don't happen to like the way that team is built and you seem to love it.

One of us will be right and one of us will be wrong -- and I know this....I'll be here to admit I was wrong, will you?

 

He's still working through the stigma of their second-half collapses in 05-06 and 06-07, too.

 

I've always admitted when I was wrong.

And this team is constructed much better than last year

 

But you do think that it was a bit curious that they went from 12-2 or whatever to losing 13 of their last 16 or whatever it was and bowing out of the NIT?

I mean, that is something I never thought would happen with a team coached by John Thompson.

Early exits from the tournament won't surprise me but losing that many games down the stretch did.