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In Case You Missed It
By Yoni Cohen on Mon May 19, 2008 at 12:06:02 AM EST
Florida Atlantic will offer Mike Jarvis its head coaching job. Yes, the very same Mike Jarvis named in this NCAA Infractions Report. But no columnist has found it fit to criticize this potential hire at length, even in the wake of ESPN's "Outside the Lines" investigation into O.J. Mayo and new questions about Darrell Arthur's grades.
ESPN's Andy Katz caught a few Pac-10 coaches unaware of new recruiting guidelines prohibiting evaluation weekends. These coaches' staffs need to do a better job briefing their bosses.
By Yoni Cohen on Mon May 19, 2008 at 12:05:39 AM EST
The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy is right to suggest more than the obvious. Arizona is a short-term mess (see Negedu, Emmanuel), but Mike Dunlap's arrival from Denver confirms the Wildcats remain a good long-term buy.
Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn is right to argue that Maryland's Gary Williams is playing with fire by bringing in oft-troubled guard Tyree Evans. Even Cincinnati, not exactly a moral paragon, opted not to accept Evans a couple years back.
By Yoni Cohen on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 11:44:46 PM EST
Many people assumed that Memphis' nine point lead with 2:12 remaining in the NCAA tournament final suggested the Tigers had all but won the championship.
Not Bill James, the famed baseball statistician.
According to James' formula -- developed in large part at Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse -- the Tigers' lead was only "23% safe."
Kansas wasn't the only one that rallied to win in the NCAA Tournament. Yoni Cohen of the blog YoCoHoops.com recovered from a shaky first round to win the fifth annual [Salon.com] Pool o' Experts.
Cohen had declared himself "not much of an 'expert' these days" upon turning in his bracket because over the last year he'd focused his attention on political work rather than writing about hoops for Fox Sports.
But he was one of only two experts, or at least two panelists, to have Kansas winning -- yours truly was the other -- and he was the only one who correctly identified Kansas and Memphis as the Championship Game contestants...
Cohen's prize is dinner at my house, home cooking or actual house neither implied nor guaranteed. Here are the final standings:
Expert Points
1. Yoni Cohen, YoCoHoops.com
1,260
2. NCAA Selection Committee
1,100
3. King Kaufman, Salon
1,010
4. Jonah Keri, ESPN/N.Y. Sun
1,000
5.Grant Wahl, Sports Illustrated
990
6. CBS SportsLine users
980
7. Stewart Mandel, Sports Illustrated
950
8. Tony Kornheiser, Washington Post
940
9. Seth Davis, CBS/S.I.
900
10. Luke Winn, Sports Illustrated
860
11. Gregg Doyel, CBS SportsLine
800
12. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
780
13. Michael Wilbon, Washington Post
720
14. John McCain, R-Ariz.
710
15. Buster, Coinflip 4 Kids
390
By Yoni Cohen on Sun Mar 16, 2008 at 09:01:43 PM EST
Only ESPN's Joe Lunardi correctly guessed the field of 65.
This afternoon, Georgia defeated Arkansas to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament -- and leave only three bids for the pundits' final seven teams.
After the game, ESPN's Joe Lunardi updated his bracket, replacing Virginia Tech with Georgia. Yahoo Sports' Mike Huguenin and Bob McClellan also updated their bracket, replacing Oregon and Virginia Tech with Georgia and St. Joseph's.
The selection committee then went to work, inviting Oregon, St. Joseph's and Villanova to participate in March Madness at the expense of Arizona State, Illinois State, Ohio State and Virginia Tech.
The result?
All 65: ESPN's Joe Lunardi correctly guessed all 65 teams.
64 of 65: CBS Sports' Gary Parrish, Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy and Yahoo Sports' Mike Huguenin and Bob McClellan missed Oregon. Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel missed Villanova.
63 of 65: Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman missed Oregon and Villanova.
By Yoni Cohen on Sun Mar 16, 2008 at 12:09:35 PM EST
The morning of Selection Sunday, there is little consensus on the field of 65.
Wise men agree, at least implicitly, that seven teams are competing for the final four bids. Georgia, however, could steal one of the final four bids by beating Arkansas to win the SEC Tournament. Similarly, Illinois could steal a bid by beating Wisconsin to win the Big Ten Tournament.
By Yoni Cohen on Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 09:58:29 AM EST
Win or lose later today against Temple, Fran Dunphy should consider the season a success.
In his second year at Temple's helm, Dunphy guided the Owls to (at least) 20 wins and a second place regular season finish in the Atlantic 10.
When the going got tough in mid-February, the Owls really got going. Mark Tyndale & Co. beat Massachusetts and Rhode Island in overtime, then won seven of nine en route tonight's A-10 tournament final.
By Yoni Cohen on Sun Mar 09, 2008 at 11:18:54 AM EST
North Carolina will not win the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
Roy Williams' experienced Tar Heels were my preseason pick for the national title. But during the second half of last night's game at Duke, the Tar Heels didn't demonstrate the heart of a champion.
Yes, North Carolina won. At Cameron Indoor. For the ACC regular season title. After shutting the Blue Devils down for the final five minutes plus.
But Mike Krzyzewski's club wanted it more. A lot more. For most if not all of the second half, the Blue Devils outhustled the Tar Heels.
Now we know why Tyler Hansbrough is known as "Psycho T." It is because his inspired play, last night included, stands in stark contrast to "lethargic UNC."
Hansbrough is the exception to North Carolina's heartless rule over college basketball. A reign of terror I now predict will come to an end during March Madness -- when grit, determination and toughness count for more than pure talent and experience.
By Yoni Cohen on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 11:44:16 AM EST
I've long thought that former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson got a bum rap. Many former coaches have been guilty of worse -- yet had an easier time landing another gig.
But does Nolan really want to coach in the state of Arkansas? Wouldn't he be better off at, say, Providence or Virginia Commonwealth (assuming Anthony Grant moves on to LSU)?
