2013-2014 Basketball

[ugarte]

***
And then when all of them were seniors, the NCAA tournament committee looked around the room, nodded silently, and put the Red in a bracket as a 12 seed with two plodding, low-scoring teams as the 4 and 5 seeds. Cornell destroyed both of them. Then faced a Kentucky team who took about five minutes to figure out that they actually had to try, but once they did try, the game was over.

Careful ugarte, you are beginning to sound like one of those Penn fans who refuse to acknowledge Cornell's title run or sweet sixteen appearance as legitimate.  I know you don't want that.  :-)

I agree that while our guys competed hard with Kentucky and made a nice late run, there was never a moment in the second half when I thought we were actually going to win.  Still, they made a thinly-disguised NBA D-league team sweat a little and work for the win.

But the Temple and Wisconsin wins were hardly NCAA gifts.  Sure, Cornell was a trendy upset pick (good Ivy teams always are because it makes good copy), but there were plenty of basketball experts who thought Temple was underseeded and that the Big Red would never crack their top 10 ranked defense.  Plus, Dunphy and Temple knew the Ivy League wouldn't take an Ivy team lightly.  Wisconsin had wins over Duke, Michigan State and Ohio State.  Ken Pomeroy has both Temple and Wisconin in his final top 15.  They were good teams.

And Cornell waxed them.  These were not flukey buzzer-beaters; both games were basically over with 10 minutes left (not that I didn't hang on every play and worry about every small momentum change).  The guys saved their best two games for the NCAA tournament and crushed two very solid teams.

I agree with all of this! I'm not saying Wisconsin and Temple weren't excellent teams. They were. So was Cornell! But it is a team that had specific matchup problems that weren't manifest against teams that didn't score well and focused on interior defense.

[nyc94]

Harvard is a 12 seed, plays Cincinnati in Spokane on Thursday.

[billhoward]

Harvard is a 12 seed, plays Cincinnati in Spokane on Thursday.

And CBS / ESPN go on about how this is a well coached team that really could pull an upset. Like to see Harvard win the first one but have it remain only special Ivy teams that survive the first weekend.

Did my heart good to see Rick Pitino go on and on Saturday about how his Louisville deserved a 1-seed ... then Sunday got a 4-seed. But then he can feel good that Kentucky got an 8-seed.

[phillysportsfan]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24482383/steve-donahue-to-remain-at-bc

Cant believe Donahue gets to keep his job one more year

[phillysportsfan]

http://www.thetournament.com/teams/cornell-sweet-sixteen

Sign up to support the Sweet 16 team. They are getting back together to play in a tournament at Philly U this summer: http://www.thetournament.com/about

[Trotsky]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24482383/steve-donahue-to-remain-at-bc

Cant believe Donahue gets to keep his job one more year

So his contract expires right when Courtney's does?

Just sayin'.

[billhoward]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24482383/steve-donahue-to-remain-at-bc
Cant believe Donahue gets to keep his job one more year

So his contract expires right when Courtney's does? Just sayin'.

Gives Donahue, who'd love to be in Philadelphia, another year while Penn takes another year to make up its mind about coach Jerome Allen (a Penn legend as a player). Allen wins since taking over midway into 2009-2010 season:
 6 (partial season)
13
20
 9
 8
56-85 overall in 5 seasons. The trajectory was up for 2 years, now down for 2.

Maybe Donahue steps back in a year to being an assistant. Al Skinner, previous coach at BC, was out of coaching for 2 or 3 years, now an asst at Bryant. Skinner is also 61 or 62, a decade older than Donahue. Maybe Donahue pulls out the magic rabbit next year.

[phillysportsfan]

If he does get fired I don't see him going to Penn, it isn't the job it was when Dunphy left. There is a lot of rebuilding to do and the alumni have unrealistic expectations, Harvard isn't going anywhere

He would be better of becoming an assistant at a major or becoming a coach at another mid major again. I hope he can put it together nex t year, has to make the tournament

[mountainred]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24482383/steve-donahue-to-remain-at-bc

Cant believe Donahue gets to keep his job one more year

Nothing against Steve, but that is very surprising.

[phillysportsfan]

yes it doest make sense, BC has a new AD, if you are the AD I don't know how you don't fire him. He recruited too many Ivy level players and should have hired more assistants with ACC experience instead of bringing his whole staff along

[Ken711]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24482383/steve-donahue-to-remain-at-bc

Cant believe Donahue gets to keep his job one more year

Nothing against Steve, but that is very surprising.

Donahue was fired today.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24490348/report-steve-donahue-fired-at-boston-college

[mountainred]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24482383/steve-donahue-to-remain-at-bc

Cant believe Donahue gets to keep his job one more year

Nothing against Steve, but that is very surprising.

Donahue was fired today.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24490348/report-steve-donahue-fired-at-boston-college

So much for the earlier source.

[billhoward]

Who will replace Donahue? According to multiple sources, Harvard's Tommy Amaker is the leading candidate for the position. "In the next 24 hours, we are going to begin a needs assessment for our program," [AD Brad] Bates said. "We need to identify a profile of the specific coaches that can lead us at this point." Amaker is a likely choice because of his ACC pedigree, having played and served as an assistant at Duke under coach Mike Krzyzewski. Amaker also had head coaching stints in the Big East at Seton Hall and in the Big Ten at Michigan, recruiting blue-chip prospects at both schools.

[phillysportsfan]

Typical media, always trying to put the story out there first

I think Amaker can hold out for better jobs, a good job in a bad league is better than a bad job in a good league

Will be interesting to see where Donahue goes

[billhoward]

If you've got good contacts into New England college hoops, you hear Amaker is being considered, you know part of what you hear is a trial balloon ... and you don't write it? Please.