Rare is the player who arrives in the NBA ready made for greatness, so how do teams ensure their draft picks have the tools to thrive in the pros?Predicting NBA performance from a handful of NCAA games is, at best, an imperfect science. And identifying and drafting talent is only half the equation, trusting the process requires time and patience. This is especially true in today’s NBA, where seven-footers are expected to shoot threes and handle the ball, and point guards have to be ready to match up with bigger players off the pick and roll. So often, especially with younger players entering the NBA, there are weaknesses — shooting, ball-handling, physicality — that need to be corrected. Rare is...
The Bulldogs were attempting to get into one of the most exclusive clubs in sport – but their entry was barred by one of college basketball’s blue bloodsNorth Carolina see off Gonzaga for sixth national championshipThe Cinderella story is the tale of a young woman of the lower class who has her life transformed into one of wealth and wonder. It is folk tale. A myth. We know with certainty it is not a true story, because pumpkins can’t magically change into carriages, but more so because Gonzaga failed to win the national championship on Monday night against North Carolina in Glendale, Arizona. Related: North Carolina see off Gonzaga for program's sixth national championship DAGGER! #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/n3HJg1zGHVRefs missed BOTH of...
Enough of the hypocrisy: every other top-class basketball program is trying to copy Kentucky, which makes rooting against them so outdated and pointlessThe NCAA tournament field is down to the Sweet 16 weekend of games, featuring 15 collegiate programs and the Kentucky Wildcats, a D-League team that is still officially unaffiliated with the NBA.John Calipari’s team will take the court on Friday night featuring three freshmen starters in De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Edrice Adebayo – all of whom are expected to go in the first round in June’s NBA draft, with Fox and Monk slated to be selected among the first few picks. This one-and-lottery-pick approach is the way it’s been at Kentucky since Calipari arrived in 2009. He...
The Sweet 16 is set after four frenetic days. Which of the teams left standing has the best chance of cutting down the next in Phoenix?Fifty-two of the 68 schools that entered the NCAA tournament have been sent home. Here’s a look at who’s left – and who’s got the best chance of cutting down the nets in Phoenix.The 65 @GamecockMBB pts in the 2nd half are the MOST ever allowed in a half by a Coach K Duke team (2,538 halves). @SECNetwork Related: Duke crash out while Michigan's charmed run continues into Sweet 16 Related: Why March Madness is bad for college basketball Related: Protestors fly Confederate flag next to NCAA arena in South Carolina Related: Tom Crean rebuilt...
It’s been 30 years since the Hoosiers last won a national title, but if you’re not Bob Knight, bringing Indiana back from disaster apparently isn’t enough What’s the worth of building respectability in college basketball?Late in the winter of 2012, not long before Indiana would return to the NCAA tournament that had once been their regular domain, I listened as Hoosiers coach Tom Crean told me how bad things had been four years before. Related: NCAA tournament 2017: first round games, scores and upsets – live! Continue reading...