Donkey

You do realize that the NCAA Selection Committee announced a new process for selecting school, correct? https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ncaa-tournament-committee-to-emphasize-road-results-in-new-bracket-process/ Right now we are weak in Column 1. We simply need to limit losses and avoid bad losses. And RPI is not favorable for the BIG. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/groupId/7

We have 2 losses already. 2 additional losses would be 14-4; we would be in. 13-5 would require BIG semifinal or better (if we are a top 4 seed that means 1 win, 5 seed would mean 2 wins). 12-6 bubble. 11-7 NIT. Assuming only 4-5 BIG schools go dancing (right now 4 are projected), Purdue, MSU, and tOSU would be in today. That leaves us, Michigan, and Maryland vying for the 4 and, possibly, 5 spot.

St Johns RPI is 57 and KenPom is 76. That is an acceptable early season road loss. The upcoming brutal schedule will not cause St Johns rankings to drop too much. As long as they stay within the top 100, the committee won’t harshly punish us. My previsous analysis was strictly off of KenPom. Looking at RPI, the only acceptable losses on our upcoming schedule are Maryland, Michigan, and tOSU. However, I think only tOSU would qualify as a signature win. RPI does not like the BIG this year. Going off RPI only, we look incredibly average. I would say more than 4 losses would leave us in the NIT at best. 3-4 losses would keep us on the bubble. 3 losses plus a deep BIG tourney run would have us in. 0-2 losses and we should be in.

20+ wins and 1. No bad losses, eg Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Rutgers. The losses to St Johns and UCF are looking better. 2. No home losses, eg Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana, Penn State. With No. 1 & 2 equals 8 wins for 20 total. 3. Split the remaining road games, tOSU, Minn, PSU, and Wisconsin, equals 22 wins. Do not not focus on signature wins as none of the remaining games are really huge. The schedule is solid but not spectacular. Just win baby and limit losses. I am most concerned with Michigan and tOSU. Michigan just seems to have our number. They were the only team to beat us at home in 2014. Must have win this year.

tOSU is probably on the bubble now based off of wins against Michigan and Wisconsin. This projection expects Minnesota to struggle. 4 of 5 losses projected to be in with only SJU being on the bubble. Assuming a win tomorrow, we have 16 chances to win 10-11 games. Should be a very interesting next two months.

The new schedule really screws the mid-majors. I guarantee you will see more P5 v. P5 conference match ups (BIG/BigE or ACC type) with a sprinkling of big name games (MSU v. Duke, etc.). However, you will see the mid/lower tier P5 schools try to schedule more guaranteed win games against mid/small conference schools. The result will be schools like SDSU, UNLV, VCU, Memphis, etc ( I would exclude Gonzaga because they are viewed as a good loss for a P5 school) will struggle to get good match ups to build their SOS. Best case scenario for them will be the early season tournaments.

Looks like its four assistants from Auburn (Chuck Person), Arizona (Emmanuel Richardson), USC (Tony Bland), and Okie St (Lamont Evans). http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/20824193/ncaa-basketball-coaches-10-charged-fraud-corruption Person has only coached college for Auburn (2014-present). Emmanuel Richardson 1998–1999 Pitt-Johnstown (assoc. HC) 2001–2004 Monroe College (asst.) 20042005 Marist (asst.) 2007–2009 Xavier (asst.) 2009–present Arizona (asst.) Tony Bland was at SD St for 2012-2013 and then USC from 2013-present. Lamont Evans: http://okstate.com/coaches.aspx?rc=226 This guy followed Frank Martin to Kansas St and then to So. Carolina. He spent last year at Okie St. "One of the nation’s most respected recruiters"

Wasn't there a thread on this very issue a few years back? I thought there was a discussion concerning some allegations surrounding Pitino at Louisville and kids pressured by Adidas to play at certain schools.

No arguing Riley's qualifications. My point is that some people are not mad at Riley per se. They are mad Riley was offered (and accepted) the position. Think of it as misdirected anger.

1. I am not surprised Eichorst was fired so quickly, but I was not expecting it to happen until after the Rutgers game. No inside information, but I bet Eichorst knew he was fired sometime Monday or Tuesday. Both sides probably wanted a quiet exit and it took a few days to work out settlement terms. From a PR standpoint, the move was very smart. Riley's mistake, to some, was simply accepting a job for which he was not qualified. Riley is generally considered a nice guy and is well respected in the coaching community. Letting Riley hang in the balance of a season would not go over well in some coaching circles. Worse yet, Riley has some legitimate players committed to the program with a few other highly rated kids seriously interested. Firing Riley will only kill any recruiting momentum unless someone who is currently available (Les Miles, Mack Brown) is immediately hired and given a 2-3 year contract. Elevating Diaco to interim coach will offer little incentive as kids will have no clue what system will be run the next season. Further, no other coach will be available until after Thanksgiving at the earliest. Remember, there is an early signing period this December and guys like Bookie may not want to reopen things in January ( especially if they are a spring enrollee). Eichorst though was treated like a villain by many. Firing him shows those in power are willing to take quick action to remedy the issue and satiates the masses. But it also helps Riley. The longer the entire process takes, the harder it will be for a new AD to fire Riley. The program needs to be stabilized and allowing the "nice guy" HC sign a solid recruiting class will help. Plus it gives the new AD time to plan things out. Riley could remove 1-2 sacrificial lambs (Cav and Langsdorf) and soothe a number of people. 2. Today really helps Miles who was under the gun this season. No NCAA and Miles would have been gone. However, Miles now falls to 3rd on the priority level and will likely have this season and next to prove himself with the new AD. If Miles signs Roberts and Johnson (and assuming there are no transfers next April), Miles will have a deep bench in 2018-2019.

I don't see Palmer or Taylor starting.

Had a conversation today. Am not able to add more.

I have not been big on Jack all summer. I was completely wrong. I would not be surprised to see Jack starting.

1. Evan Taylor is only starting if Watson is hurt. I wonder if Thomas Allen will be able to play the point for long stretches. If that happens, Taylor will see fewer minutes. 2. I got the impression Miles is counting on Thor as a contributor this season. I do not see him starting, but I could see him coming in at the 3. 3. I could see Miles starting (1) Watson, (2) Palmer, (3) Gill. If Gill is not ready, Allen would start in his place at the 2 with Palmer at the 3. 4. I agree with others that a lineup featuring Jordy, Roby, and Copeland would be optimal; however, I am not sure we have the depth to run that lineup with regularity unless something unexpected happens (e.g. Borchardt stepping up big time for ~10 minutes a game). 5. It will be interesting to see what Jack did (if anything) this summer. If he could play both the 3 and 4 this year, that would be very beneficial.

No inside knowledge, but it is possible this whole situation has been delayed due to the medical opinion/documentation. If I recall correctly, the basis of Copeland's appeal is that Georgetown had him playing while injured. If that is the case, Nebraska must not only show that Copeland was injured and should not have played but also provide some kind of basis why Copeland was allowed to play. That type of information requires time to prepare and even more time to review. The NCAA knows the Copeland decision could create future precedent for other cases, and I understand why they are being cautious. Expect a decision before the start of the season (or shortly thereafter).

I was in Iceland a few years ago and saw a number of Domino's Pizza advertisements featuring the 'Noid (a common ad campaign here in the US back in the '80s). The signature food of Iceland is hotdogs. Seriously. 3/4s of the Icelandic population is in the Reykjavik area and the other side of island is only a few hours away. I was there in November, and found it in the 40s-50s. Tons of tourism there (probably its top revenue). Icelandic Air figured out that it was about ~5-6 hours from both the US eastern seaboard and Europe. People flying between the US and Europe will break up their travel with a 24 hour layover in Iceland. Culture may not be as big of a deal as you may think. One very interesting tidbit. A good percentage of the population believes in fairies.

I will not contest Jack's stroke or hard work ethic. However, the consensus of people I trust say Jack lacks athleticism. I wonder if there is truth to this belief. Jack's inside game is not strong. He length compensates for smaller, quicker players. He seems to lack strength at times. I am not trying to dog on Jack, but he does seem more limited than other players. I have no problems with Jack finding his spots along the 3pt line and attempting shots. I am just not sure how he fits other roles. For that reason I feel he is better off the bench. I understand some will be quick to counter that Jack will probably be playing international ball after college. So did Shang Ping.

I have trouble seeing Taylor starting. He is the best option when Watson rests. I expect 15 minutes a game (mostly while Watson is getting a breather) and would be worried if he gets more. Thor's commitment is interesting as it give Miles 7 guards of which 4 of them are 6-5/6-6. I would not be surprised seeing those 7 guards playing the 1-3 which would leave Jordy, Roby, Copeland, and Okeke at the 4/5 (and possibly Borchardt). If that is true, Jack seems to be the odd man out.

I agree. However, Miles has kept one scholarship open most, if not all, the time he has coached here. When available, one of the walk ons gets it. It works to incentivize the walk ons, Miles gets some good press with the locals, and has the ability to pull the scholarship next year if/when a more talented kid comes along.

Its not priorities thing. From what I understand its more of a desire to play basketball. Its not uncommon for some kids to burnout on playing competitive sports. Further, I would never knock a kid who prioritizes school over sports.

I have heard good things about Borchardt's athleticism. However, I wonder about his drive. I am under the impression could have, but chose not to, play college sports and basically tried out for the basketball team on a whim. It could be possible Miles kept a scholarship open as motivation for Borchardt. I hope he is practicing/keeping himself in shape this summer. I get the feeling the staff may try to use him as a backup PF/C. It would be interesting to say the least.

Palmer starting at the 2 is not a reach. Taylor really should be our backup PG. There is no guarantee Gill will be 100% next year. Akenten and Allen will play, but few freshmen come in ready to start day 1. I would assume Palmer will play unless we hear otherwise. I am more curious who starts the 3.

I know of a number of positions where the employer requires employees to have a CDL to operating small equipment such as forklifts. It may not be legally required; however, it keeps insurance rates down and ensures employees have sufficient training to operate the machinery.

CDL is probably needed to operate small machinery such as forklifts. I don't know for sure but this position is responsible for ensuring the equipment gets transported to away games.

A little over a week ago, I heard about a "silent commit" from some unknown JUCO out of San Francisco. The only other information I could get out of my guy was that this kid was white and a shooter. Maybe our unsubstantiated rumors morphed from the same place.