FULL COURT SPRINTS |
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BASELINE TO BASELINE |
LAST SHOT |
Go coast to coast with our roundup of the nation’s top stories.
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Tweets from Hoops Nation:
chris_chalktalk: How bad are the injuries at #Xavier? Doug Tifft, X Newswire editor, suffers a concussion drawing a charge during intramurals. Get well man! CBBRumorCentral: Is Duke’s backcourt too full? http://es.pn/9yy9MW As blue-chippers roll to Cameron, will there be enough playing time to go around? DStrick01: Am I the only one scared of squirrels?? Jared_Sully0: I wish I had Ray Allens Jump shot for one week. I’ll never shot a lay up. Haahahhaaha. chrisbosh: Veteran’s Day is just around the corner, Pat Riley and I are taking time to honor these brave men and women & give b… http://say.ly/zFH4up Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Hoopville. Check out the highlights and post-game interviews from the Howard Homecoming celebrity game. |
STUDY SESSION |
OPENING TIP |
With the 2010-11 season fast approaching, Hoopville will be offering a new feature: a player efficiency rating system for major conferences. We don’t have a sexy name for it yet, but we’re working on that.
With the rise of statistical analysis in all sports — think Moneyball in baseball, John Hollinger’s ratings for NBA ballers — we’re joining the party. Because our methods are low-tech and time-consuming, we’re going to stick with ratings for just the major-conference teams. If you like what we’re doing, we’ll look to expand the ratings beyond the Power 6 conferences. Look back Wednesday for the inaugural ratings and more explanation about what in the world we’re doing with this idea. |
We’ve got games that count getting under way Monday, with the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Classic first round. On tap:
Rhode Island at Pittsburgh And of course, the NCAA sets off the fireworks for the official start of the regular season next Friday, with 138 games on the slate. Hallelujah! |
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE |
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Politics is a dirty game, and the hardwood is college basketball’s sanctuary from university-level drama.
With the midterm elections ending this past week, we witnessed a shift in political power in Washington as Republicans gained more clout. However, their real influence — and ability to do anything to help this country — remains unclear. But that’s not stopping every Democratic and Republican evangelist from going on TV and the radio to interpret the results based on entirely on what’s good for their party, the truth be damned. In college basketball, we have plenty of politics to deal with: NCAA rules and regulations, high school recruiting, eligibility standards, agents looking for in-roads, teams scheming on others’ coaches, etc. It can get almost as messy and nasty as election campaign ads. But for 40 minutes, players on the court and coaches on the sidelines can remove themselves from any drama and focus on one thing: winning. In the moment, nothing else matters except doing the best you can in hopes that that will be enough to delivery a victory. It’s the joy of sports, and it’s a temporary escape from energy-sapping political fighting that generates lots of noise and not much satisfaction. |
Are You in Game Shape?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21iAS0cMo74