A few years ago NBA Commissioner David Stern and NCAA President Myles Brand came together and established the one year rule, which states that an incoming NBA player must be out of high school for at least one year prior to the draft. The rule was stated as a move to lead high school players into college to help them mature and get an education. In reality it was a financially driven move by both sides. NBA owners could see these anointed high school prodigies for at least a year in college to help weed out the busts. Meanwhile big conference college programs could essentially rent these players out for at least a season and reap huge profits and program notoriety. It was a win-win situation and there has been talk of expanding the rule to two years out of college.
Tag: College Basketball
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The Madness Has Arrived
by Trevor Freeman
Jalapeno Poppers. Glass Slippers. Yuengling. Bryce Drew. Chili Cheese Nachos. Harold Arcenaux. Chicken Wings. Rumeal Robinson. Budweiser. Bill Raftery. Mozzarella Sticks. Bracket Busters. Tequila. Jeff Fryar. Are you filling out your bracket right now? Is today the most unproductive Monday you have had in weeks? Don’t be concerned. It is that way for everybody. It was an excruciating wait between now and the end of the Super Bowl, but it is finally here. Ladies and Gentleman……….the Madness has arrived.
Over the past few years, the Southern Illinois Salukis have become a reoccurring member of March Madness. Not only do the Salukis take their gritty defensive game into the tournament year after year, but they usually hang around in March, and they drive opponents crazy.
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Something Old And Something New
by Trevor Freeman
Two men. One a giant in his sport and the other a literal giant had news that seemed to fly under sport’s radar last week. It is surprising considering the two names involved. However their news has the potential to impact the sports scene in 2008. For David Beckham being asked to rejoin England and Roy Hibbert deciding to rejoin the Georgetown Hoyas means there could be a little more sizzle on each side when they show up for America and Europe’s version of the Madness.
by Trevor Freeman
For the next month and a half, Kevin Durant will be inundated with people whispering that he would be a fool to not declare for the NBA Draft. They will tell Durant about the $70 million that Nike will throw at him. Agents will give him the same treatment that “Vinny Chase” got when he cruelly decided to explore the option of replacing “Ari Gold”. Writers will talk about how if the goal of college is to get a great education so you can get a good job, that Durant has already done enough to accomplish this goal. What nobody has done is articulate the other side. The reasoning for why he should stay in school. That’s where I come in. So Kevin, if you’re reading make sure you take the following five things into account before voting “yes” on the money and “no” on Texas.
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Our Look At The Final Four
By Trevor Freeman
Goosebumps. That was what filled my arm down the stretch of the Georgetown-North Carolina game as I watched the Hoyas rally back to deliver a revenge punch that had been twenty-five years in the making. And I’ll be quite honest…….I was worried that this Elite Eight was going to leave us wanting for more. I thought the only goosebumps I was going to get all weekend was from a second viewing of last Wednesday’s “Friday Night Lights” (“friends……friends….Texas forever….Texas forever man”). Then the last seven minutes of regulation and overtime gave us the stirring comeback we had been dying for all weekend.
By Trevor Freeman
Treeemendous Saturday. I know there is a God and that he loves us when he provides a weekend like this past one. Is there a more underrated happening than when St. Patrick’s Day and the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament link up? Barrooms filled with people rallying behind a team like Xavier as they try to knock off Ohio State. Loud roars each time a big shot puts a game into overtime. Maybe this year I did not get the full eight hour St. Patty’s experience, but the afternoon I spent barhopping reminded me of why this day is New York’s version of Mardi Gras.
CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! I’m not stupid enough to actually bet cash on the tournament since I’m not up on my college bball this year (aside from throwing $50 away on office pools) but I am part of a contest from nbx.com called Battle of the Blogs. Instead of a bracket, they do a contest where you start with 100,000 points and you can bet on each game. Good thing it’s not real cash or I’d be selling blood and sperm right now.
I waded slowly into the betting pool, putting down 100 or 500 points on BC over Texas Tech, Louisville over Standford, Michigan State over Marquette, and various other games. Amazingly I went 11-3-1 to begin the contest. However, from Friday to Sunday, it seemed that college basketball was fixed. Against me specifically. I dropped 16 straight bets. 16. You could flip a coin and not do anywhere near as bad.
The most entertaining sports weekend of the year is heading our way. Sixty four teams will be whittled down to 16 in a crazy four-day rush of non-stop college basketball. While every person worth knowing has already filled out a bracket, here are ten March Madness predictions anyway.
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The March Madness Roadmap
By David J. Cohen
It’s the greatest journey in all of sports. It’s a time when George Mason’s can be made and Duke’s can be broken. A time when buzzer-beaters become cooler talk. A time when that sure-fire team leaves you scratching your head as the secretary wins the office pool for the 10th year in a row.
March Madness is here. It’s a long journey, so you’ll need a good map. I’ll be your guide for what lies ahead.