0 comments by Matt Zemek on 11/13/2015
Preseason predictions are not meant to be taken too seriously. As long as you view them in a spirit of fun, they offer an enjoyable way to ease into the season. From a writer’s viewpoint or through a prognosticator’s eyes, a preseason prediction becomes serious — and somewhat important — only if said writer or […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
You’ve heard the expression a million different times in sports: “No one talks about him.” This is obviously a statement that’s not meant to be taken as a literal truth. Someone, somewhere, talks about a head coach at a program in the public eye. If you’re at Kennesaw State, okay, few will talk about you […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Through New Year’s Day, most of the focus in the college sports world will fall on football — that’s just the way it is. Yet, a lot of important college basketball will be played until the turn of the calendar year. League play will start for the power-conference teams in the final week of December. […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 11/12/2015
One could say that before any sports season begins, all the participants are hard to read. However, you can sense what’s meant underneath the surface of that expression. The St. Louis Cardinals baseball team is going to win 90-something games, maybe 100. The Seattle Mariners are going to stumble. The Tom Brady New England Patriots […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Let’s not pretend to ignore the reality that before a season begins, notions of “overrated and underrated” can be quite tenuous. Nevertheless, conference strength is an undeniably fascinating water-cooler topic, a bread-and-butter part of college sports conversations. Football certainly leads the way in this regard, but basketball — while in second place — is abundantly […]
WASHINGTON DC-JANUARY 23: Hoays head caoch John Thompson III is shown during the Georgetown Hoyas defeat of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights . Washington DC January 23, 2010. (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post) StaffPhoto imported to Merlin on Sat Jan 23 15:16:05 2010
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Need. The term is easily used in place of “want,” but even for people with various views on the matter, the word can apply to a range of situations. We’re talking here about the college basketball programs which need to step up this season, or if not then, in the near future, a two- or […]
This man’s in a lot of trouble.
0 comments by Matt Zemek
You might wonder why the title of this piece wasn’t simply “Underrated and Overrated Coaches.” There’s a reason for that. The overrrated part remains in place, but the underrated half of the equation could not be kept intact. In this conversation, Ryan Palencer and I will deal with overrated coaches, but the other half of […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Fans obviously want their own teams to do well, and they obviously want their rivals to suffer a 16-1 or 15-2 upset in the NCAA tournament, but what do they want from college basketball on a larger level? College sports — beyond basketball; the dynamic applies just about anywhere — bind people to teams through […]
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TSS columnist Allen Kenney — who really is college football’s finest mind (others are as smart, but no one’s noticeably smarter) — is a Big 12 expert. Naturally, he got to the heart of the matter with the Big 12 and its playoff-based discontents the other day: Allen’s statement speaks to several realities all at […]
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The American is enjoying a very successful college football season. Saturday night, a city known for its urban sprawl will appropriately host the game that might mean more to the AAC than any other in 2015. * Just chew on that last sentence for a bit. There’s a lot to take in. First, Houston is […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Last week, the time-slot complications which are a constant part of life as a college football fan or chronicler did not become as severe as they could have. Oklahoma State’s blowout of TCU in the 3:30 window enabled us to see the Florida State-Clemson conclusion without a sense of heightened worry that we’d miss meaningful […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 11/11/2015
Plenty of coaching vacancies will open up again at the end of this season. As we noted earlier this week, a number of coaches are set up to fail in the coming months. How well did athletic directors fill vacancies during the past offseason cycle, particularly in the scramble during and immediately following the NCAA […]
Former University of Texas head basketball coach Rick Barnes addresses reporters after being named head coach at the University of Tennessee Tuesday, March 31, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
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Each season shapes and reshapes every sport. In many instances, the effects are short-term in nature. In some instances, the effects reach well into the future and cast a long shadow over the rest of the industry. In just about every instance beyond the immediacy of who wins and loses, it’s hard to know if […]
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College basketball is something we love here at The Student Section, but a loving relationship sometimes requires you to get mad at the one you love. If you care enough about something or someone, you will express your anger when you feel you need to. In our latest discussion of college basketball on the eve […]
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It’s easy to simply say, “The NCAA Tournament,” when asked what’s best about college basketball. However, the sport which will once again become a part of our lives through early April is about more than just the Dance. Yes, casual sports fans view college basketball as a March-only entity, but those who love the sport […]
