2025 March Madness
You and Sir Charles. I have no horse in the race. And, can’t stand Duke!
NIL Before NIL!
Although I do miss Bobby Knight!
professor I have no affiliation with Indiana, but have actively rooted against them ever since they sent Bobby Knight away.
Terps!
I heard a little "editorial" on sports talk radio about the NIL and money affecting NCAA basketball. It was hysterical! Why? Because big schools, with big programs have always had big Booster money anyhow. What's really the difference?
professor helps out those universities like Marquette and Creighton too that are small in comparison yet have big$ boosters. Creighton basically has a new team every year. I suspect there are quite a few universities with similar enrollment yet big$ boosters. SMU another one. It levels the playing field against the prior cheaters, but it still fucks those programs that like to develop players and have longevity.
ode Nobody keeps and develops players anymore. Every team is recruiting every season. This isn't all because of NIL; there used to be a rule that if you transferred schools you had to sit out an entire season. Now you can play right away.
There are now literally seniors who have played for four different schools in their four years.
rsvman2 Wisconsin does. Ironic however the guy they got, John Tonje, was a star, and without him they would have likely stunk. But then they lost two guys, Connor Essegian, he went to Nebraska; and Chucky Hepburn went to Louisville. I can't explain what happened to these guys in the 2023-24 season, but they were both dead weight, compared.to what they did in 2022-23, both showing tremendous upside. Chucky started and Essegian turned out.to be a key reserve. They both went on to have good seasons, Chucky making a pretty good splash in the ACC. Likely good for both of them that they left, but it definitely makes me wonder if they stay and pull their heads out of their asses, how good they would have been this year with Blackwell and Essegian coming off the bench. IMO with Gard's new approach to scoring those two staying put, would have been huge for depth and scoring. Wisconsin does not get blue chippers,literally EVERY in state blue chipper goes elsewhere. The list is mind numbing and makes me want to puke. But Bo Ryan came and changed the entire mindset with the program and they did it through development. In the Dekker/Kaminski era when they went to consecutive final 4s and to the final game the 2nd year. Those teams were amazing yet none.of those guys were highly sought after or MacD,s all Americans. NIL is making it.next to impossible to do that anymore because pieces would have been taken away. They would still have been good because of Dekker and Kaminski, but pieces would have been taken away, it's simply too tempting for some of these players. Where Kaminski started to where he ended was truly amazing. A note on Tonje, he didn't do much before coming to Wisconsin, but man he had a helluva year, so it's not as if we got a name, but he turned into that. I hope what this does is offer the in state phenoms a window into what they could do by staying home.
ode , but it still fucks those programs that like to develop players and have longevity.
Ah, and there’s the big rub for. I’m a Pitt alumni and I just loved the Jamie Dixon era. That guy would build teams - teams he’d keep together for squads of guys playing together for years. He’d only be able to secure 3 star recruits but, he’d mold them over time to become really solid and savvy players. Yeah…
ode
Oh such genuine passion and understanding in that post! Excellent!
However, now makes me wonder what level of understanding folks have from those kids’ perspective.
Do folks know how hard they work?! Know about AAU ball they’ve been playing since they were wee kids? Know about their own national social networks? All these guys cross paths, playing Club ball, going to Junior Nationals, play with and against each other, social internet network… Yeah, without that old year ineligibility, they have more agency now. No longer a one sided game. May be hard to adjust to the myth of “school loyalty” for we older fans. But they’re living it and no longer “meat on the hoof”.
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rsvman2 Nobody keeps and develops players anymore. Every team is recruiting every season. This isn't all because of NIL; there used to be a rule that if you transferred schools you had to sit out an entire season. Now you can play right away.
There are now literally seniors who have played for four different schools in their four years.
Why can't "NIL deals" be multi-year? Seems rather silly (and chaotic) to start from scratch every season. You would think providers of NIL money would start being more stingy with the funds after shelling out big $ to prized recruits only to watch them leave after one season.
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MidwayJ Why can't "NIL deals" be multi-year? Seems rather silly (and chaotic) to start from scratch every season.
Now there's some good thinking! Yes, if there's going to be an adoption of "professional" then, let's do it right. Seriously! So you got a Head Coach and an AD. Time to hire on some General Managers, right?
It's time that contract are signed and contracts are honored.
MidwayJ There is talk about this happening going forward. Major NIL policy changes are being pushed forward. Wisconsin led the charge in the Xavier Lucas NIL deal by not releasing him and living up to his signed NIL deal. Nothing is going to be gained here but at least Wisconsin put their foot down no other college entity would risk it.
Since, the is March this happened over the weekend. Wisconsin Women's Hockey took their 8th Nat'l NCAA Div. 1 Championship. 1980 Miracle on Ice player Mark Johnson is the head coach of Wisconsin women's team and a great coach.
Highlights vs. Ohio State. 3rd Period 18 secs. to go
OT winner.
Saw a headline yesterday that asked if the NCAA needs to advertise the women's March Madness more due to lack of interest. Then I watched two games yesterday where the higher seed basically annihilated the other team on their home floor and thought that no amount of advertising will attract viewers to that.