Running 2023-24 NCAA Basketball Thread

[tapintoamerica]

Most have finally dumped the city designation. But someone should have cured the cranial-rectal fusion when they got around to naming two relatively new high schools.

In Jacksonville, they named a new high school Northside ... yes, the same name a school in Beaufort County possesses in a little spot called Pinetown. So now, it's Northside-Jacksonville (sometimes, I go with Jax) and Northside-Pinetown. Then, when they closed the old Williamston High in Martin County, they built a Riverside High School. Oops ... there was already a Riverside in Durham. So there's now a Riverside-Martin and Riverside-Durham.

Just stupid ... and short-sighted, even for North Carolina. It's already enough that so many of the new schools in the metro areas have names that sound like subdivisions (Mallard Creek in Mecklenburg County, Cedar Ridge in Orange County ... and Wake County now has Green Hope and Green Level high schools).

And while we're on the city nomenclature, I originally had Southern Nash's dateline as "Bailey" years ago. Was told that was wrong, that it was "Stanhope." Now coming back to find out that it's in ... Bailey. Huh.

----

Back on topic ... how about the Wolfpack?

Not bad. Are they still trying to chase off their coach?

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Was talking about the women. And, somehow, I think Wes Moore is safe. Just a guess.

 

[tapintoamerica]

Was talking about the women. And, somehow, I think Wes Moore is safe. Just a guess.

I renounce myself. Confused on sports.

 

[Della9250]

Geno getting beat in the perfect place. Think maybe NCSU's women should be ranked? Just maybe?

(And maumann ... the moniker game was strong on Friday night HS football in North Carolina. The Rampants from J.H. Rose traveled down near the border and beat the Scorpions from North Brunswick on Friday.)

It's gotta be the first time No. 1 and No. 2 lost in the first week right?

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Not sure. But either there's more parity in the women's game or the pollsters have no idea ... at least not yet.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

I renounce myself. Confused on sports.

Understandable. No telling how many people read "Rivers leads N.C. State" and did the same thing.

 

[dixiehack]

I think I count six schools in the AP Top 25 for both football and men's rings. None more heartwarming than James Madison.

 

[BTExpress]

Only five next week.

 

[franticscribe]

I think I count six schools in the AP Top 25 for both football and men's rings. None more heartwarming than James Madison.

As a former resident of the Valley and a long ago classmate of Mark Byington, I want the cockles of my heart to be warmed by JMU's success.

But every time I think about JMU, I get hung up on how much they charge every student ($1,100+ a semester) in student fees just for the athletic department and it makes me angry. JMU's rise is as emblematic of what is wrong with college sports as the PAC-12's collapse, or any of the myriad cheating scandals because of how they've done it.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

As a former resident of the Valley and a long ago classmate of Mark Byington, I want the cockles of my heart to be warmed by JMU's success.

But every time I think about JMU, I get hung up on how much they charge every student ($1,100+ a semester) in student fees just for the athletic department and it makes me angry. JMU's rise is as emblematic of what is wrong with college sports as the PAC-12's collapse, or any of the myriad cheating scandals because of how they've done it.

None of it is going to work out for them in the long run, either. There's never going to be a spot for them at the big boys table in football and Byington's teams always start fast and fade late. There's a pretty good chance they don't make any real postseason tournament in men's hoops.

 

[micropolitan guy]

As a former resident of the Valley and a long ago classmate of Mark Byington, I want the cockles of my heart to be warmed by JMU's success.

But every time I think about JMU, I get hung up on how much they charge every student ($1,100+ a semester) in student fees just for the athletic department and it makes me angry. JMU's rise is as emblematic of what is wrong with college sports as the PAC-12's collapse, or any of the myriad cheating scandals because of how they've done it.

JMU has an FBS football team, 21,000 students and an endowment of approximately $130 million. My alma mater has an FBS program, 4,181 students and a $3.3 billion endowment. FCS or not, I'd rather be us than them.

 

[Chef2]

I always remembered tonight as being the "unofficial" opening tip-off for NCAA Basketball with the 24 hours of basketball.
I miss that.