College basketball

[billy.pilgrim]

the odds are right up there with why I've only bought one state lottery ticket, but looking at the playoffs - the winner of the Auburn/Charleston game could win over Clemson and then NC State, then Duke and play NC in the championship. While I like AU in the picture, a run like that through the Carolinas would be cool.

[Vrede too]

the odds are right up there with why I've only bought one state lottery ticket, but looking at the playoffs - the winner of the Auburn/Charleston game could win over Clemson and then NC State, then Duke and play NC in the championship. While I like AU in the picture, a run like that through the Carolinas would be cool.

You could also get revenge on Bama in between Duke and UNC.

Pretty ambitious dreams for a #4 seed, #19 or #21 ranked team.

PM

[billy.pilgrim]

the odds are right up there with why I've only bought one state lottery ticket, but looking at the playoffs - the winner of the Auburn/Charleston game could win over Clemson and then NC State, then Duke and play NC in the championship. While I like AU in the picture, a run like that through the Carolinas would be cool.

You could also get revenge on Bama in between Duke and UNC.

Pretty ambitious dreams for a #4 seed, #19 or #21 ranked team.

PM

I looked again. I'm wrong.

[Vrede too]

I looked again. I'm wrong.

I think you had it right, you just skipped a step - beating the East. No Carolina teams there, so could theoretically be Alabama but more likely to be Villanova. From the bracket:
College of Charleston - Clemson - North Carolina State - Duke - Alabama - North Carolina to win it all.

PM

[billy.pilgrim]

I looked again. I'm wrong.

I think you had it right, you just skipped a step - beating the East. No Carolina teams there, so could theoretically be Alabama but more likely to be Villanova. From the bracket:
College of Charleston - Clemson - North Carolina State - Duke - Alabama - North Carolina to win it all.

PM

in no way do I think this could happen

after looking again - it is only Auburn, New Mexico and Charleston that could go all the way to #1 with all opponents being from Alabama or the Carolinas

[billy.pilgrim]

I agree that Auburn's 7 footer should have had to miss the entire season because his Mom took $6,000, but this Mom and Dad took millions

so why is he playing?

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/inde ... _game.html

[Vrede too]

I agree that Auburn's 7 footer should have had to miss the entire season because his Mom took $6,000, but this Mom and Dad took millions

so why is he playing?

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/inde ... _game.html

[billy.pilgrim]

I agree that Auburn's 7 footer should have had to miss the entire season because his Mom took $6,000, but this Mom and Dad took millions

so why is he playing?

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/inde ... _game.html

you say that like a Duke fan

[Vrede too]

you say that like a Duke fan

Less so after learning they were cheating, too.
http://www.blueridgedebate.com/viewtopi ... uke#p83118
It's why I didn't pick Dook to win MM. I would have done so in one bracket, and failed as it turns out, otherwise.

What I meant with the gif is that it sounds like the whole private club thing makes it easier to play Whack-A-Mole with the money trail. Did the Auburn player's Mom get a check directly?

[billy.pilgrim]

you say that like a Duke fan

Less so after learning they were cheating, too.
http://www.blueridgedebate.com/viewtopi ... uke#p83118
It's why I didn't pick Dook to win MM. I would have done so in one bracket, and failed as it turns out, otherwise.

What I meant with the gif is that it sounds like the whole private club thing makes it easier to play Whack-A-Mole with the money trail. Did the Auburn player's Mom get a check directly?

I'm not sure, but I think that she did.

That's why they should be able to play pro whenever they can and play for schools only as amatures. Maybe basketball and football need minor league type teams.

I've been a big Duke fan for about 60+ years. Mom always followed Duke because her high school was the Blue Devils and Dad was coaching football at the same high school when I was 5. Any blue devil team was fine by me. also, my son went to coach K's camp 3 years.

[billy.pilgrim]

Damn, found out yesterday that our big freshman, who had to sit out last year, took his name out of the draft and will play at Auburn this year, but ... (there's always a but)

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... urn-tigers

our high scorer Mustapha, who also declared to drop out of the draft, decided to leave Auburn and move to a school closer to his Connecticut home

[billy.pilgrim]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... fbi-probe/


I think I like it.

[O Really]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... fbi-probe/


I think I like it.

It's a good start.

[billy.pilgrim]

yeah, late season injuries almost took us out of it.

Alabama 81, #16 Auburn 63. Ut-oh, does that put the NCAA Tourney in doubt? Probably not, but still ugly to lose in the quarterfinals.

North Carolina knocks off Miami, advances to face Duke in showdown for a No. 1 seed?

Classic. AP #19 Clemson vs. 1 Virginia in the other semi tonight. Go Duke and Virginia, then go Duke.

"go Dook"?? Seriously? K9Nanny will bop you on your pointy little head. I will fart in your general direction.

I don't know what to say about the game, except it was strange to watch.

We beat them in the first half and beat them in the last ten minutes, but we didn't make any shots in the first ten minutes of the second half. We did suck for those ten minutes and that is what lost us the game.

Their top paid player did what he was paid to do and the refs were in awe. I would love for any non Alabama fan to critique the officiating and tell me that it was only my bias watching him travel five or six times under the basket, commit multiple offensive charging fouls and Auburn fouled multiple times for getting too close to the star.

Yahoo Sports: 'How do these guys keep their jobs?' Major NCAA programs prepare for federal corruption trial fallout.
https://sports.yahoo.com/guys-keep-jobs ... 38938.html

Everyone knew about the money paid to Sexton and his family, but he only had to miss one game.

Auburn did have 2 top starters involved, but no proof, so far, that more than a couple thousand was paid to one parent. We lost both players for a year plus 9 games, resulting in one of the two leaving school.

Sexton got tens of thousands. I wonder if they will have to forfeit their wins.

[Vrede too]

Yahoo Sports: 'How do these guys keep their jobs?' Major NCAA programs prepare for federal corruption trial fallout.
https://sports.yahoo.com/guys-keep-jobs ... 38938.html

Everyone knew about the money paid to Sexton and his family, but he only had to miss one game.

Auburn did have 2 top starters involved, but no proof, so far, that more than a couple thousand was paid to one parent. We lost both players for a year plus 9 games, resulting in one of the two leaving school.

Sexton got tens of thousands. I wonder if they will have to forfeit their wins.

I've wondered about that as a punishment. It makes sense, but how many folks really care about the record books? The players have moved on to the pros or other careers, the coaches other than the punished ones have seen advantages, the wagers have been paid off, the parades are over, the drunken partying or drowning of sorrows is done, etc. Certainly do it, but school/administrator/coach/player/family/business/booster accountability seems more meaningful to me.

... The intriguing part of the sport’s dirty laundry being hung across social media is that it’s actually part of the plan for defense attorneys in the case. To prove the innocence of two men affiliated with Adidas (Jim Gatto and Merl Code) and a runner (Christian Dawkins), the lawyers are demonstrating in detail the pervasive nature of transactions that violate NCAA rules — but may not violate the law. Stephen L. Hill, a partner at Dentons in Kansas City who prosecuted the Myron Piggie case a generation ago, summed up the strategy this way: “We admit to everything. We’re going to burn down the house completely and you can’t convict us for burning the house down. It was a bad house to start with.”

... Schools included in the initial set of charging documents in September 2017, and in subsequent superseding indictments, knew this day was coming: Arizona, N.C. State, Kansas, Maryland, Louisville, USC, Auburn and Miami. Others have been mentioned in testimony this week: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Washington and Utah. More will follow. On Monday, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan mentioned LSU, Creighton, DePaul, Oklahoma State and Texas to jurors....

What reason is there to believe that it's just basketball?

[billy.pilgrim]

Yahoo Sports: 'How do these guys keep their jobs?' Major NCAA programs prepare for federal corruption trial fallout.
https://sports.yahoo.com/guys-keep-jobs ... 38938.html

Everyone knew about the money paid to Sexton and his family, but he only had to miss one game.

Auburn did have 2 top starters involved, but no proof, so far, that more than a couple thousand was paid to one parent. We lost both players for a year plus 9 games, resulting in one of the two leaving school.

Sexton got tens of thousands. I wonder if they will have to forfeit their wins.

I've wondered about that as a punishment. It makes sense, but how many folks really care about the record books? The players have moved on to the pros or other careers, the coaches other than the punished ones have seen advantages, the wagers have been paid off, the parades are over, the drunken partying or drowning of sorrows is done, etc. Certainly do it, but school/administrator/coach/player/family/business/booster accountability seems more meaningful to me.

... The intriguing part of the sport’s dirty laundry being hung across social media is that it’s actually part of the plan for defense attorneys in the case. To prove the innocence of two men affiliated with Adidas (Jim Gatto and Merl Code) and a runner (Christian Dawkins), the lawyers are demonstrating in detail the pervasive nature of transactions that violate NCAA rules — but may not violate the law. Stephen L. Hill, a partner at Dentons in Kansas City who prosecuted the Myron Piggie case a generation ago, summed up the strategy this way: “We admit to everything. We’re going to burn down the house completely and you can’t convict us for burning the house down. It was a bad house to start with.”

... Schools included in the initial set of charging documents in September 2017, and in subsequent superseding indictments, knew this day was coming: Arizona, N.C. State, Kansas, Maryland, Louisville, USC, Auburn and Miami. Others have been mentioned in testimony this week: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Washington and Utah. More will follow. On Monday, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan mentioned LSU, Creighton, DePaul, Oklahoma State and Texas to jurors....

What reason is there to believe that it's just basketball?

I think football was more like this and has straightened up some.

Like football, pro basketball is big money, but basketball is easier to play anywhere and you can wear the shoes to school
Basketball has huge money in endorsements and
Endorsements have huge money in youth sports leagues and travel teams.

One and done makes it easier to hide the money.

No other sports really have the big money. Maybe swimming or track to some slight degree.
Or the one where the swimmers dance upside down.

[Vrede too]

I think football was more like this and has straightened up some.

Like football, pro basketball is big money, but basketball is easier to play anywhere and you can wear the shoes to school
Basketball has huge money in endorsements and
Endorsements have huge money in youth sports leagues and travel teams.

One and done makes it easier to hide the money.

No other sports really have the big money. Maybe swimming or track to some slight degree.
Or the one where the swimmers dance upside down.

Baseball - maybe the farm system is a buffer against college corruption.
Soccer - maybe someday.

There are other sports without much college money but huge endorsement possibilities for pros, like tennis and golf. Otoh, I'm not sure there are age restrictions. Maybe the great ones all skip college play.

[billy.pilgrim]

Basketball is the big money game right now.

ESPN: Brian Bowen Sr. accuses colleges of offering cash, improper benefits for son to attend.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... son-attend


"According to Bowen Sr., Dawkins told him that Arizona assistant coach Joe Pasternack offered $50,000; Oklahoma State assistant coach Lamont Evans offered $150,000 cash, $8,000 for a car and additional money to buy a house; Texas assistant coach Mike Morrell offered to "help me with housing"; and Creighton assistant coach Preston Murphy offered $100,000 and a "good job, a lucrative job."

[Vrede too]

"... Texas assistant coach Mike Morrell offered to 'help me with housing' ..."

... Morrell is now the head coach at UNC-Asheville ...

Oh goodie, I was starting to feel left out.

[billy.pilgrim]

"... Texas assistant coach Mike Morrell offered to 'help me with housing' ..."

... Morrell is now the head coach at UNC-Asheville ...

Oh goodie, I was starting to feel left out.

I'm still not understanding why so much of this was known before the season started last year. I don't keep up like my kid does, but he told me nearly all of this last fall.
If the information was out there and the school still played the dirty players, forfeiting all involved wins would go a long way toward correcting the problem.