Hoopaholics Gazette (& A Smidge of Pigskin)

b-ballLet’s just get the Roll Tide thing out of the way, and I’ll move on to what really matters: hoops.

Face it, Nick Saban is probably the best college coach ever.

He’s got the most resources. Something like 40 or more on his staff. A budget bigger than 45 member countries of the UN.

The fiercest fan base. Somewhere today Harvey Updyke is wearing houndstooth, smiling and crowing.

The most talent. How about the play that rookie CB made, when Deshaun Watson dropped a dime to a teammate in the corner of the endzone, only to have the ball pulled from his mitts as he tumbled to the turf? Among, like, many others.

Which means Saban’s a great recruiter, and hires great recruiters. His special teams are loaded with **** and *****.

His teams are fundamentally sound.

Etc, etc, etc.

Last night’s game, between two relatively even teams, both playing at the highest level, turned on one play. A Special Team play. The onside kick.

It was a play the team had practiced every week since the heat of August, and used but once. Last night, when it mattered, to win the national championship.

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney is a gosh darned, Southern fried charmer, an up and comer.

Last night, Master taught Pupil a lesson.

In a truly outstanding, exciting football game.

 * * * * *

Ah, but tonight . . . tonight, on the hardwood and a telly near you, we got Mississippi State @ UK, Kansas at tough West Virginia, Miami @ UVa, Davidson @ Dayton, Maryland @ Michigan, Iowa State @ Texas plus a few other tasty hors d’oeuvres.

Love it when league play starts, and tilts start to matter.

 * * * * *

After passing on the celebration of his undefeated NCAA championship team, there is only one thing Bobby Knight could do that would enhance his indisputable stature as the biggest asshole in the history of college hoops.

Endorse Donald Trump or Ted Cruz for president.

 * * * * *

Name the rivalry, described in this quote:

“Within this matchup exists a highly venomous and toxic environment that fuels irrational behavior and has nothing to do with enhancing relationships or appreciating differences.”

Wrong, ye feather and fur acolytes.

That’s Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak talking, giving his reason for discontinuing — for the time being — the annual game between the Utes and BYU’s Cougars, who, in recent years, haven’t quite lived up, on the hardwood or gridiron, to the moral standards of their Mormon beliefs.

 * * * * *

Steve Lavin is one of the names being mentioned as the possible replacement at UNLV.

Not sure why Runnin’ Rebs would consider him. He’s proven time and again not to be a very good coach.

On the other hand, I love him in the studio, where he can now be found, during hoops telecasts on Fox and FS1. He’s astute. Funny. And always tosses in lots of pop cultural references.

 * * * * *

Coach Cal to the Nets?

For $12 mill/ year for 10 years. Guaranteed.

Uh, I don’t think so.

 * * * * *

I’m advised, from a source, that there’s a rumor floating around the Sunshine State, among fans who would care, that Rick Pitino has started discussions with Tom Jurich about a buyout.

I don’t buy it. I don’t believe it. But that’s never stopped me from printing innuendo, just to see what my loyal (and not so loyal) readers think of it?

 * * * * *

Several of those loyal (and not so loyal) readers posited objections to this post of mine about last week’s sizzling 3OT thrilla between Kansas and Oklahoma.

Some, not reading carefully, chastised me for calling it the best game ever. Which I didn’t do. What I said was it was the best game I’d ever seen.

And, of course, several more reasonable commenters pointed out others that I might have overlooked. Like that 6OT dazzler between UConn and Syracuse in the ’09 Big East tourney.

Thus, I consider myself duly chastised.

The U of L 5OT L at South Bend, during the ’13 title campaign, was also mentioned. To that I must disagree. It was exciting. Compelling. But not very well played.

What struck me the most about last week’s Jayhawk W was the high quality of play from both fives until the end.

 * * * * *

Finally, there’s a disturbing trend developing this hoops season.

Much has been made (including here several times) about the smile-inducing antics of the Monmouth bench.

Which, as often happens in this copycat age, has fostered attempts at such behavior among other sets of reserves.

Give it up, guys.

Mo’ later.

— Seedy K

5 thoughts on “Hoopaholics Gazette (& A Smidge of Pigskin)

  1. Agree completely about Knight. Pure garbage as a human being. Long forgotten is the fact that he almost became the coach at my alma mater Wisconsin. It is one of the great gratitudes of my life that he did not.

  2. Hey Wildcat, your gain was Texas Tech’s loss ! An all-time Knight great was when he got in a pissing match with Tech’s Chancellor at a salad bar in Lubbock.

  3. gotta admit that onside kick was as well executed as I’ve ever seen….I guess they saw something on film and worked it..,,,wow….but Clemson was really good and if Watson is going to be there next 2 years we got our work cut out for us for sure…what’s really cool with all the resources Alabama has…….coaching/money etc…it turned on the special teams….these were even teams which bodes well for us and most every team…….

  4. Greg — It’s reported that Saban and his special teams coach, in addition to practicing that pooch play all year, noticed that the Clemson end on that side always peeled back as soon as the ball was kicked. Good Coaching. And all those resources, it seems to me, are why the special teams are so good. Lots of five stars on those units, not ready to crack the O and D lineups.

  5. Tremendous football game between 2 excellent and very competitive teams. But for 2 special teams plays, I thought Clempson may have been a little better, being that QB is such an important position and Watson was clearly better than the Clearasil Kid.

    With that said, one of the best plays of the night was the third down pass the Kid completed as he was being hit right above his knees. Great throw for a long gain at an important time in the game that kept the Tide in it

    Plus, the TE’s on both teams were Quality “A-One”, which I love….since, as I have said many, many times–the Tight End is always open.

    I agree with you (shock!) that the biggest play of the game was the on-side kick. Brass balls, coach. The next biggest was the TD on the kick return. Just shows how important the kicking game can be, right Coach Stoops? You don’t need a kicking game Co-ordinator, do you?

    Right……

    ….Call for Mr. Walsh, Mr. Blair Walsh on line 3….for the win…ouch…

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