The Confidential

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01 Apr 2013
5 Comments

Huge News: West Virginia to ACC in 2014-2015!

The ACC and West Virginia have scheduled a press conference for 3:00 p.m. today to announce that the Mountaineers will become a full-time member in the ACC for the 2014-2015 season.  West Virginia was able to extricate itself from the Grant of Rights on the basis that both sides just felt that it was a mistake, couple with the fact that Brigham Young is finally ready to join the Big XII.  With 13 teams being unwieldy, and no suitable schools for a 14th, this just made the most sense.  The oft-discussed cooperative efforts of the Big XII and the ACC came into play obviously too.

Winners:  West Virginia, obviously.  Gets to reinvigorate rivalries with Pitt, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech.  The ACC–gets a football school to help placate the masses, while awaiting a Notre Dame decision.  The Big XII–West Virginia was always a geographical outlier.  BYU–they almost lost out on being at the grown-up’s table.  This salvages that.  The Big East leftovers–this stabilizes expansion for a while.  Hopefully.

Losers: Connecticut and Cincinnati.  They are plainly on the outside right now.   They will have to wait for defections from the ACC, which seem a bit less likely now.  Maryland, who considers West Virginia a rival, for some reason.

Big Losers: Us, for posting this April Fool’s Joke in such a very cruel manner.   Those people who will not realize that this is an April Fool’s Joke and/or post on Twitter that it is.  Nobody likes a spoiler.

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Conference News, Conference Realignment, Football, Non-Serious, Sarcasm, Satire and tagged , , , , , , , ,
01 Apr 2013
4 Comments

Things the Confidential Would Like to See In College Hoops…

Everyone is a critic.  Everyone has an opinion.  But not everyone has this forum for sharing it.  So here are the things the Confidential would like to see in College Hoops.  In no particular order:

  • How about an elimination of the timeout/timeout stuff during basketball games?  If a team calls a timeout with 16:20 left in the half, it must be a timeout that lasts for a commercial break.  Does anyone really need 30 seconds of play in between commercial breaks?  It is almost as bad as the NFL with its… commercial, kickoff, commercial crap.
  • Call us crazy, but we WANT to see Andy Enfield of Florida Gulf Coast go to USC.  First, it would be nice for someone to kick the crap out of Steve Alford, who left Iowa and has now left New Mexico.  We get that the 10-year contract means very little, but at least give it a year.  Not a week.  So the Confidential would love to see Dunk City shift over to L.A.  Second, Enfield plays an exciting brand of basketball.  That is needed on the West Coast.  Good fit.  Third, his wife has had motherhood take away from her modeling career.  Being back in the LA area would be nice for her.  Granted, if they do not want it, so be it.  But, if they do, it is fine with the Confidential.
  • How about some props for Jim Boeheim–perhaps even a few mea culpas by the talking heads?  A fourth final four, in four decades.  This team is not one of his most talented, but defense counts and they are very talented defenders.  An excellent tournament run.
  • Some prayers for Kevin Ware.  Plenty of people get injured each day, but not all of them have to do it in the floor in front of thousands and on TV in front of millions.
  • Charles Barkley retiring from the CBS host gig for March Madness.   His opinions are not that insightful.  Frankly, they are not even accurate.  While Barkley deserves credit for being opinionated and having the guts to share that opinion, even better would be if his opinions included sound basketball analysis.  He may know the NBA game, but there have to be 1,000 guys who know the college game more.
  • Give credit to Rick Pitino.  He has wasted a ton of time in the NBA, but still has 7 Final Fours.

What do YOU want out of college hoops?  Let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
31 Mar 2013
4 Comments

Confidential Bracket: Update 3/31/13

The Final Four is set.  Congratulations to Syracuse, Wichita State, Michigan, and Louisville for reaching the pinnacle of college hoops.  Again, the stakes are higher at this stage–losing hurts all the more.  The Confidential noted it recently.

It kind of works like that with the brackets.  If you are in the top 5, you are THIS close to earning $25.  To come this close and fall short would be awful.

Going to be an interesting finish.  Here is the top 20 (including today’s games):

1
WinnersBracket
 48 39 25 8 – Louisville 30 150
2
Florida State
 50 30 20 16 – Kansas 29 145
3
Cuse Stormin the ACC
 48 30 25 16 – Syracuse 21 140
4
TheEssentialsOfCool.com
 48 30 15 16 – Louisville 23 132
5
Da Cuseman Cometh
 42 30 25 16 – Syracuse 17 130
6
Boeheimian Rhapsody
 50 27 20 8 – Syracuse 23 128
7
Boeheims possible farewell
 44 30 20 16 – Syracuse 17 127
8
LenVILLE
 48 30 15 8 – Louisville 18 119
9
Cards 80 86 13?
 44 21 15 16 – Louisville 17 113
9
KC’s Bracket
 46 33 10 8 – Louisville 16 113
11
Will Bonn’s Bracket
 42 27 25 0 – Indiana 18 112
12
Maverick
 44 30 20 8 – Louisville 8 110
12
win prizes
 40 30 20 0 – Gonzaga 20 110
14
Allen’s Bracket
 40 27 15 16 – Louisville 11 109
15
Bye Bye Big East
 46 33 15 0 – Georgetown 12 106
15
KAOS
 36 30 20 8 – Georgetown 12 106
17
Rebecca’s Dandy Bracket
 40 30 15 0 – Duke 18 103
17
Goop’s Bracket
 40 33 10 0 – Miami (FL) 20 103
19
BracketBuster.
 46 24 15 0 – Kansas 16 101
20
My Legit Bracket
 42 33 15 8 – Louisville 0 98
20
Otto the Great and Powerful
 42 33 15 8 – Louisville 0 98
Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Bracket Contest and tagged , ,
31 Mar 2013
4 Comments

The ACC Has At Least Two Final Four Teams to Root For

As the march to Georgia Tech’s hometown of Atlanta continues, fans of the ACC can be certain that they will have at least two teams to root for.  By beating Marquette handily in yesterday’s Elite 8 game, Syracuse ensured that there will be someone from on that side of the bracket to root for.  Meanwhile, there is no doubt that one of Duke or Louisville will be heading to Atlanta too.  So ACC fans can be certain that they will have a rooting interest for two of the teams next weekend.  But that just leads to two more questions.

#1.  Who are you rooting for in today’s game between the Blue Devils and the Cardinals?

For Duke fans, that is easy.  For Louisville fans, that is easy.  But if you are a fan of one of the other thirteen schools, who are you going to be cheering for?  Is the Duke hatred so strong that you are leaning Louisville?  As a future ACC member, it would be fine to root for Louisville anyway.  Then again, they currently represent the Big East (or the leftovers, or whatever they are being called right now)?  And then there is the coaches–some people have strong feelings about Coach K and Rick Pitino.  The one thing that is clear is that both are excellent coaches.  Should be a great game today.

#2. A similar question arises out of the Michigan-Florida matchup.

The Big 10 is becoming the New York Yankees of college sports–throwing their money around without any regard for making sound decisions or the “Butterfly Effect” impact on the rest of college sports.  If that is not bad enough, how can anyone root for the Michigan Wolverines?  The cockiest of all the Big 10 fanbases, the program brought us the Fab 5, and then sanctions for apparently having bought the Fab 5.  And the football team is full of self-worth and entitlement, despite once thinking that hiring Greg Robinson was a step in the right direction for a defense.  But the other option is Florida–rival to Florida State and Miami.  Not exactly the most modest of fan bases either.  And Billy Donovan had his own core of players that, much like the Fab 5, provided two years of outstanding play.  At the very least, it is difficult to dislike Billy Donovan and his Michigan counterpart, John Beilein.

So, you tell us, who are you rooting for in today’s Elite 8 matchups?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
30 Mar 2013

Confidential Bracket: Update 3/30/13

At the midpoint of the Elite Eight stage, half the participants are not picked to win by anyone (Florida, Michigan, Marquette, and Wichita State).  Meanwhile, the entrants that picked Kansas, Indiana, Gonzaga, Georgetown, Miami, and St. Louis are in trouble.

Going to be an interesting finish.  Here is the top 25 (excluding today’s games):

1
WinnersBracket
 48 39 25 – – Louisville 30 142
2
Florida State
 50 30 20 – – Kansas 28 128
3
Cuse Stormin the ACC
 48 30 25 – – Syracuse 20 123
4
Boeheimian Rhapsody
 50 27 20 – – Syracuse 22 119
5
TheEssentialsOfCool.com
 48 30 15 – – Louisville 22 115
6
Da Cuseman Cometh
 42 30 25 – – Syracuse 16 113
7
Will Bonn’s Bracket
 42 27 25 – – Indiana 18 112
8
LenVILLE
 48 30 15 – – Louisville 18 111
9
win prizes
 40 30 20 – – Gonzaga 20 110
9
Boeheims possible farewell
 44 30 20 – – Syracuse 16 110
11
Bye Bye Big East
 46 33 15 – – Georgetown 12 106
12
KC’s Bracket
 46 33 10 – – Louisville 16 105
13
Goop’s Bracket
 40 33 10 – – Miami (FL) 20 103
13
Rebecca’s Dandy Bracket
 40 30 15 – – Duke 18 103
15
Maverick
 44 30 20 – – Louisville 8 102
16
BracketBuster.
 46 24 15 – – Kansas 16 101
17
KAOS
 36 30 20 – – Georgetown 12 98
18
Cards 80 86 13?
 44 21 15 – – Louisville 16 96
19
mikemab wolf
 42 27 20 – – Ohio St. 6 95
20
Allen’s Bracket
 40 27 15 – – Louisville 10 92
21
My Legit Bracket
 42 33 15 – – Louisville 0 90
21
BeerThirty
 40 27 15 – – Miami (FL) 8 90
21
Otto the Great and Powerful
 42 33 15 – – Louisville 0 90
24
Mr. Tar Heel
 36 24 15 – – Saint Louis 8 83
24
*Commander Caffrey
 38 27 10 – – Indiana 8 83
Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Bracket Contest and tagged , ,
30 Mar 2013
2 Comments

March Madness? More Like March Sadness

Well, we are down to 8 teams left for the NCAA Championship.  There are 347 teams that compete in Division 1 basketball.  Aside from the other post-season tournaments, there are 8 teams left.  What an amazing accomplishment for those teams.  March Madness can be the greatest of times.  But it really is also the worst of times.   A March Sadness, if you will.

Each year, there are 16 teams given 1 through 4 seeds.  If a #1 seed wins it all, that means that 15 of those 16 seeded teams will end the season with a loss.  In fact, 67 of the 68 teams in the Big Dance end the season with a loss.  All but one.

Of course, that happens in the NFL too.  And the other major sports have playoff series that end.  The difference with the pros is that those teams can, in theory, remain fully intact for the following year.  There is always “next year.”

There is no next year for college Seniors.  And if you are a very good college underclassman, there is no next year either.  It just makes it so…. “final.”  As a fan, it’s tough enough to know that this is the last time you will see that superstar.  But it is even harder to say goodbye to that 4-year Senior who went from a clueless Freshman to a capable Senior.  The guy who went from a boy to a man right in front of your eyes.  And then he loses, sheds tears on TV, and is gone.  Forever.  At least in that jersey.

And it is never easy.  Think being Georgetown is tough?  Losing to a 15-seed is embarrassing and difficult-to-stomach.  But what about Indiana–a #1 seed losing to ANYONE is tough.  They were, in theory, “supposed to beat” Syracuse.  And now it’s over.  It is not limited to being a high seed.  Pittsburgh and North Carolina State had low expectations and exited without much fanfare.  It’s still ending the season with a loss.

Of course, some team will lose in the National Championship and consider THAT to be the worst-type of defeat.  Syracuse fans still mourn the Keith Smart shot–even though they were the last team to taste the bitter pill of defeat in 1987.  They may have lost on a shot with a few seconds left, but everyone else was at home.  Syracuse had it better than all but one team.  And yet there is only painful memories.  So there is nothing great about losing late.  Or early.  Or in the middle.  It’s all about losses.  And yet the late losses sting the most.  So as the teams continue to win, the emotions increase.  The desire to win is as much to taste victory as it is to stave off the inevitable sadness that all but one fanbase will be forced to suffer through.  What a paradox!

March Madness may be the greatest event in sports, but one cannot help but notice just how much sadness permeates the whole process.  For this year’s crop of Elite 8, losing this weekend means no Final Four.  It means walking off the court as the net-cutting ladder is coming on.  The only consolation is that you did not have to endure the same thing on the final night of the season.  Maybe the bowl season is not so bad after all?

 

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, March Madness, Opinion and tagged , , , , ,
29 Mar 2013
4 Comments

Sweet Sixteen: The Best Cinderellas in the Modern Era

The Cleveland Fan has put together a list of the top 40 Cinderellas since 1979.  40?  Must be an homage to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.  Regardless, the Confidential does not like the list very much.

First–take Kansas, Villanova, and North Carolina State off.   Those teams did not overachieve in the post-season.  They underachieved during the regular season.  That Villanova team was stacked with talent, including experienced players that were ideal for their positions.  Besides, Cinderella cannot come from a major conference.

Second, here is the remaining list:

 

Sweet 16 of All-Time Cinderella teams:

  1. George Mason (2006) – Seed #11 / Finish: Final Four–including an epic defeat of #1 UConn along the way.
  2. VCU (2011) – Seed: #11 / Finish: Final Four–an outstanding run, especially from the play-in game.
  3. Butler (2010): Seed #5 / Finish Finals Runner-Up–the seed is a bit high for a Cinderella, but look at the great teams they beat along the way.
  4. Davidson (2008) – Seed: #9 / Finish: Elite Eight
  5. Gonzaga (1999) – Seed: #10 / Finish: Elite Eight
  6. Louisiana State (1986) – Seed: #11 / Finish: Final Four
  7. Florida Gulf Coast (2013)–Seed #15/ Finish: TBD
  8. Loyola Marymount (1990) – Seed #11 / Finish: Elite Eight
  9. Kent State (2002) – Seed: #10 / Finish: Elite Eight
  10. Xavier (2004) – Seed: #7 / Finish: Elite Eight
  11. LaSalle (2013): Seed #14 / Finish: TBD
  12. Northern Iowa (2010) – Seed: #9 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
  13. Butler (2011) – Seed: #8 / Finish: Finals Runner-Up
  14. Tennessee-Chattanooga(1997) – Seed: #14 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
  15. Cleveland State (1986) – Seed: #14 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen
  16. Valparaiso (1998) – Seed: #13 / Finish: Sweet Sixteen

How did we do? Did we miss anyone?  Disagree?

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, March Madness, Opinion and tagged , ,
28 Mar 2013
1 Comment

Sorry Duke Fans, Collins to Northwestern

Northwestern has issued a press release confirming the hiring of Duke’s Chris Collins.  Sorry Blue Devils, fans.  Although I am sure you can easily reload with other former alums.  Greg Paulus, anyone?

http://www.nusports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/032713aac.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=449343&hq_l=14&hq_v=b663d3491d

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , ,
27 Mar 2013
3 Comments

Because We Still Pretend to Care About Maryland

Did you know that Maryland is still playing in the NIT?  Did you care?  If yes, chances are you are a Maryland fan.  Actually, chances are many Maryland fans do not care.  Anyway, as long as the Maryland Terrapins are still nominally in the ACC, let’s find some Maryland NIT highlights on YouTube.

Here is one.

Oh, wait, that’s more of a Syracuse highlight.

This one is about the NIT.  Apparently.

Wow… someone did this.  OK.  It probably says Maryland in that blurry mess.

Here we go.  This is some of the high-quality basketball we’ve all come to expect out of Maryland in the post Juan Dixon era.

Ah screw, it.  Screw Maryland.

Time for some more DUNK CITY!

Florida Gulf Coast… the most exciting team since Phi Slamma Jamma.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, March Madness, Opinion and tagged , , ,
25 Mar 2013

Ranking College Basketball Programs in Florida

OK, unless you have been living under a particularly large rock, you know that Florida Gulf Coast beat Georgetown (i.e. the team picked by this author to win a bracket or two) and then beat San Diego State to make it to the Sweet 16.  You also know that the FGCU’s coach’s wife was a supermodel.  Or is.  Not sure if that is like being President, where you always get to call yourself a supermodel.  So, yeah, quite a story!  But, with FGCU beating Miami and playing Florida this week in the Sweet 16, how do YOU rank the Florida college basketball programs?

First, let’s identify all the schools by conference:

  • ACC: Florida State, Miami
  • Atlantic Sun: FGC, Stetson, Jacksonville, North Florida
  • Big East (old): South Florida
  • Conference USA: Central Florida
  • MEAC: Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M
  • SEC: Florida
  • Sun Belt: Florida Atlantic, Florida International

Second, let’s cull the list to eliminate those who have never made the big dance: Bethune Cookman, Stetson, and North Florida.  That reduces things to 10 teams.

Third, let’s rank the remaining 10 teams:

  1. Florida.  4 Final Fours.  2 National Championships.  A 70% winning percentage in NCAA tournament games.  Conference championships!  Very easy selection.
  2. Florida State.  The Seminoles have been invited to 10 Big Dances.  The 10-10 record means an average of at least one win per invite.  Not too shabby.  Had a nice ACC run last year too.
  3. Miami.  In the last 33 years, Miami has been invited to 5 NCAA tournaments, with a record of 4-5 (and counting).
  4. South Florida.  The USF Bulls have only been invited to 3 NCAA tournaments, and are 2-3 overall.  Struggling to get anywhere in the loaded Big East.
  5. Florida Gulf Coast.  The Eagles have never lost in the NCAA tournament!  Who can top that?  Have to put these guys at #5 already.
  6. Florida A&M.  With a 1-3 record in their 3 appearances, Florida A&M nestles right in behind FGC.
  7. Central Florida has had four one-and-dones in the NCAA tournament.  Still looking for that first win in March Madness though.  Gotta put them below the Eagles.
  8. Florida Atlantic.  One tournament appearance, about a dozen years ago.  Yawn.
  9. Florida International.  Coached by Richard Pitino, the last and only NCAA tournament appearance was in 1995.
  10. Jacksonville State.  Like the two schools above them, they had a one and done, albeit in 1986.

As you can see, Florida Gulf Coast is already #5 on the list of NCAA tournament wins.  An argument could be made that they are now the #4 program in the state.  Only a matter of time before conference realignment turns its eye towards these guys.  Conference USA?

What do you think?  Is too much credit being given for this one year?  Too little?

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Opinion, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , ,

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