Badgers to final four

..........Wisconsin heads to Texas with the most momentum.  So says Nate Silver...

 

Which team had the most impressive run to the Final Four?

The question might seem like the sports equivalent of “Which of your children do you love the most?” Any team that wins four straight games in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has a lot to be proud of. Papa Brackets thinks all the Final Four teams — Florida, Connecticut, Kentucky and Wisconsin — are very special.

But conventional wisdom appears to hold Kentucky’s path in ever-so-slightly higher regard than the other schools’. The Wildcats defeated an unbeaten No. 1 seed (Wichita State) and both of last year’s finalists (Michigan and Louisville) en route to Arlington.

Kentucky has been great. Despite entering the tournament as a No. 8 seed, it has a 19 percent chance of winning the NCAA championship, according to the FiveThirtyEight forecast model. That’s up from only a 2 percent chance before the tournament began.

Still, Connecticut’s run has been slightly more special than Kentucky’s so far. And Wisconsin’s, even more so.

 

Andrew Wiggins, "I've loved my time in College. It goes so fast. If I could do it all over again I would"

 

I do believe there was a time when many referred to this as a "sofmore" or "soffmore" season Andrew.

So some would rather have a Joel Stave than a Russell Wilson?  

Uh OK

All Wilson did was set the single season record for QB efficiency and he put UW in a legit national championship discussion. 

The next time Joel Stave wins a Super Bowl please let me know

How about any bowl......

Hey Goldie,

 

Thanks for the link to that article, that was encouraging reading!

 

And Hungry5, thanks for posting the SI cover!

 

Meanwhile, I sure wish there was more discussion around Wisconsin basketball and how it is they might be able to fare OK.

 

Like I said before, they bigtime have to block out and go after all defensive rebounds and thankfully, defensive rebounding is often positioning.  Also, composure on offense with lots of passing, and decent outside shooting when the shots present themselves.

 

I do think Wisconsin's offensive scheme could drive the Wildcats crazy with its many and precise passing and patience.

Russell went to school for 4 years, albeit only one at WI. We are talking about one and done in college. 18 and 19 year-olds leaving the UK system every year for the NBA.  What do you call a so-so player at UK? A Senior.

I wonder if you polled long-time Kentucky fans if they would have more affinity for members of that 91-92 team that overachieved and got beat by the Laettner shot in the regional final or would they prefer Anthony Davis, John Wall, etc.?

Phaedrus, great post. I don't give 2 sh1ts about the one and dones. Let's talk bball.

Is that a triple strawman?  

 

 

Well done, good sir.  

 

I saw an interview with Bo last night - I think it was on the BTN.  He looks quite loose and confident.  He seems to be the same guy no matter the circumstances.  I love that.

A nice little road trip with an ice storm coming to central Wisconsin          Distance between Madison, WI and Dallas, TX

 

Duh, I missed your point. No, Bo did not recruit that one and done mofo.

He seems to be the same guy no matter the circumstances.

ZACTLY!  and that translates directly to his teams not being easily rattled.

Comparing Bielema to Bo. Nice blanket statement, dude. The only partial qualifier to play for Bo actual went on to score a 4.0 his junior year. That was Marcus Landry.

It's nice that not only do I obviously want UW to win, but I also very much want Bo Ryan to win as well.

 

Just seems a total class act that is as qualified a college basketball coach as there is.

Izzo was on ESPN yesterday and even he said he was pulling for Bo and the Badgers. 

I can't stand Calipari either so it will be even better when UW knocks them off this Saturday.  There's no doubt Kentucky has more talent but if Bucky can frustrate them the way they did Arizona I think they win.  This team is just too poised and focused to not come out and play well.

Just for my clarification, are people really truly bothered a college athlete can leave college after one year to get a job?

 

 

I am not bothered by it one bit because both the pros and the colleges have created this situation.  I also think the lines between college athletics and academics has been totally blurred by the sheer dollars generated and pressure to win.

I for one am bothered that a lot of college grads can't find good jobs......

8 minutes in

 

Q. Bo, when you're on the road recruiting and the assistants are out here looking at guys that you want to add to the program, how difficult can it be sometimes, or relatively easy, to project where a young kid might be when he comes here and how much he can develop when he's here?  What are some things you have to see and look for in a kid?

RYAN: "Well, I didn't realize these questions were going to be about that.  I thought it was about our journey.

 

But the things that you look for, it would be the same as if you're the head of personnel and you're hiring.  If you're going to have scholarships being used, you want to make sure that the people that are using them are good students, going to take advantage of the opportunities that are given to them.  You want people who have a vision of a better future, want to get better.

 

It's amazing how many times we get our first lead on a player where they say, 'Oh, this is a Wisconsin player.  This is your kind of player'.  And I say, 'Well, why do you say that'?  'Well, because right now he's a little raw, but if he gets with you, he's going to be really good'.  Oh, okay, that's not bad, but it's -- so I said, 'Hey, how about the one and done guy?  Why don't you tell him to come and see me'?

 

When (Kentucky head coach John Calipari) called last night, we talked about that a little bit.  I said, I think they probably think I'm too old or something.  I was thinking, you know, that might be an advantage for a one and done guy.

 

But anyhow, it's all about the character of the person.  It's all about whether or not -- you look at the percentages and say, will this person make it here, and will this person make the most of their opportunity?  And we've been very fortunate over the years that only a couple of guys have decided to go somewhere else, where it didn't work out for them.

But for the most part, the guys that come here and play at the University of Wisconsin stay and work and get better, and those are our kind of guys."

Jabari Parker seems like a great kid and he's going to a school known for academics, and he's very likely a one and done player.  Would you automatically pass on that kind of player?  Now, if he was a turd, or selfish, or brought negative attention to the program that's a different situation but that's something that you need to look at if you are a Bo Ryan or any other big name coach.

For what it is worth I heard today that Parker is undecided......according to his dad

▶ Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines ft. T.I., Pharrell - YouTube  blurred lines???  Oh my.  

Parker to the Lakers #1 after Stern fixes the lottery once again

Heads explode everywhere

If I'm not mistaken, and for what it's worth, Coach K picked the Badgers to win vs UK and then beat Fla in the title game. Something to the effect, "It's Bo's time".

I don't think people are bothered by a player or two.   But that's not the discussion at hand.  Maybe you came in late to this thread and missed the gist of the arguments.  The discussion has been:  should recruiting "one-n-doners" be the primary focus of your recruiting strategy? If so, is that good for the NCAA's image of "student athlete"?  Can the NCAA still pedal that nostalgia if they allow an entire team of "one-n-doners" each consecutive year?  I do think that's what the NCAA needs to be looking at in the near future.  Caliprari has not violated any rules at all and he's a winner....albeit with that recruiting philosophy. Kentucky fans have sold their soul:  while the wins increase, their academic reputation is decreased.  That, is a negative correlation.

The NCAA's image of the student athlete and peddling nostalgia is a fragile glass figurine that's getting close to absorbing a sledge hammer blow that's long overdue. 

 

Schools and programs have to decide if one and done kids are the right path. 

 

The NCAA and their image are on borrowed time. 

 

SD:

Maybe you came in late to this thread and missed the gist of the arguments.

I think El's use of Russell Wilson as analogous fully supports your suggestion.

Does anyone really think that playing professional sports is a job?

If it's not a job, what is it? 

Entertainment.

 

 

Clearly I wasn't following the train of thought that was intended in this thread, but if it helps, I will explain myself.  It was brought up that "one and done" is part of the problem, and our own sense of nobility would be better fulfilled if players stayed for 4 (or 5) years it would be better for us, colleges, and America.  I brought up RW, because he was recruited to UW as a "one and done" player, yet cheering for him seemed to not cause cognitive dissonance in to many Badger fans.  I understand the circumstances are different, but for the sake of argument, RW was more of a sure thing to be one and done than any of Cal's starting 5 on Saturday. 

Entertainment has been a job for many, many years. 

 

Thankfully Boris provides it free of charge for all of us here. 

Going back to the Bo interview that Bong posted it seems pretty clear to me that Ryan would be perfectly fine with "one and done" prospects as long as they fit the profile he was looking for (i.e. high character, good teammates, etc). 

Does that present some kind of moral and ethical dilemma for Badger fans?   I mean,  Duke and Coach K have followed that path and it's worked pretty well for them. 

No one is saying they need to go Jerry Tarkanian and violate a bunch of rules but I feel very comfortable with the way Ryan runs the program.  He's not going to sell his soul to simply win games but let's remember it is about winning games and if it means taking a player or two that is supremely talented and might leave early for the pros so be it.

I'm positive BO would not turn a player away because his talent level was so high he might go pro after one year. 

Just to add something to the conversation.  One of Arizona's superstar freshman and a McDonald's All-American, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, is from the same town in Pennsylvania as Bo.  From the articles I've read, Rondae and Bo have a relationship that goes back a bit.  Rondae was asked if he was recruited by Bo.  I'm paraphrasing here, but Rondae's statement was Bo didn't bother going after him because he knew he wouldn't play basketball at Wisconsin.  

 

Mind you, it wasn't derogatory and Rondae is anything but arrogant (Although I can see where it would be taken that way).  These "one and done" players typically go to schools like Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina... and over the past few years, you can add Arizona to that.  They have another one coming in next year in Stanley Johnson.  

 

There are acceptiions to this as well.  SMU for instance somehow convinced Emmanuel Mudiay to come in next season... he will be a one and done as well. 

 

As a fan of a school that gets some of the high level recruits, it's fun watching them but it's tough to win championships with them too.  By the time they reach their potential, they are in the NBA for the most part.  Hell, they leave well before they reach their potential.  I mean, look at Aaron Gordon.  This guy couldn't hit a jump shot to save his life and shoots around 45% from the free throw line.  Sure, you can see his ridiculous athleticism around the basket and his obvious upside... but do I think he's "ready" for the NBA?  Hell no. 

My point, El Ka, is that where the tension is for some is that "one and done" is just a game.  A farce.  These are players who are not going to college to get a degree.  They are also kids, fresh out of high school.

 

Wilson doesn't fit that mold - at all.

I don't know. He didn't recruit Russell Wilson.