Lipscomb 12/29 7:00 ESPN+

[sedz]

I wonder if it makes sense for us to pay freshmen in this no limit transfer era. You just never really know if they will be any good at this level, and they are free to leave whether or not they are good. I'd rather spend on players who have proven themselves. Preferably, getting proven incoming sophomores and then paying them to stay here to play out their eligibility so we can have development and continuity.

[zykarious]

I wonder if it makes sense for us to pay freshmen in this no limit transfer era. You just never really know if they will be any good at this level, and they are free to leave whether or not they are good. I'd rather spend on players who have proven themselves. Preferably, getting proven incoming sophomores and then paying them to stay here to play out their eligibility so we can have development and continuity.

I've thought the same thing, there are a few can't miss one-and-done type guys, but other than that it doesn't seem to really make sense to pay freshmen. Maybe get a few guys cheap who you hope you can develop and retain, but it seems like most 4-star and 5-star guys expect more minutes/money than they deserve and then will likely move on when the minutes don't come. .

NCAA basketball really needs multi-year contracts or some way of longer retention. Otherwise it makes more sense as you said to just poach off proven guys who are looking to move up a level or change teams for more minutes/money. Sophomore/Junior/Senior I'm not sure it really matters at this point, can't really count on guys sticking around for more than a year regardless.

[London 'Cat]

I wonder if it makes sense for us to pay freshmen in this no limit transfer era. You just never really know if they will be any good at this level, and they are free to leave whether or not they are good. I'd rather spend on players who have proven themselves. Preferably, getting proven incoming sophomores and then paying them to stay here to play out their eligibility so we can have development and continuity.

This appears to be the approach UC football has taken. They are recruiting freshmen but the majority of NIL money is saved for the portal. I think the same philosophy would work well in basketball and would cost less to make a team competitive as you only need one or two players.

[bearcatlifer]

Abaev reminds me somewhat of Jeremiah Davenport: a step slow, a little awkward and liked to jack up 3's. Inexplicably he ended up with a pretty good stat line at Arkansas. So if Shon 's PT doesn't meet his expectations he'll undoubtedly transfer out and someone else will develop him. Honestly, I wouldn't know how to proceed in this landscape if I were a coach!

[swilsonsp4]

commercials pay the networks and they pay the conferences. Ain't no going back. That is why outside of live UC bb games where we discuss it in real time here, I record the games and fast forward through the commercials.

The media get eight timeouts per game (<16:00, 12:00, etc., each half). These are to last about two minutes each. Each team gets four timeouts, with one that must be used in the first half (use or lose). In the second half, the media get an additional "floater" timeout whenever either coach calls the first one of the half. These are to last two minutes. All other coach-called timeouts are for thirty seconds. So, 16:00 for the media's regular spots, 2:00 for the "floater" and 3:30 for the other coach-called timeouts. So, about 21:30 minutes.

[Rufus]

I don’t feel sorry for him at all. He is paid to be an effective basketball player. He is not meeting that expectation. To date, he has not demonstrated that he can make 3s so he needs to adapt. He hasn’t thus far so I agree with the decision to sit him.

He's finding out that at 6' 7" or 8" whatever he is it's easy to make treys in high school. It's a lot tougher when someone is in your grill. He may turn out to be an excellent bball player but at this level you need to be able to have more ways to score than just shooting from the arc. He seems to handle the ball fairly well so he needs to add some smashing and driving, being able to maneuver around defenders to do intermediate shots and layups. To do that increases the chances of getting to the free throw line too. It's a win win. He's a little taller ( not much ) than Pete Mickeal. A good coach could help in developing these skills.
To address Leo's comments I too am cautiously nervous about UH. They have had our number for a good many years. If Harris starts he no needs to settle down. He may have had starters nerves last game. Kriisa seems more comfortable coming off the bench but does seem to be invested in the behind the back pass every game. I would designate Day Day as the point and try to slow the game down but that means that everyone needs to be on board and down the floor on defense. We can't run with these guys. I also posted earlier that Baba needs to be assertive offensively in the paint. Same as Abaev, we need a Pete Mickeal type slasher who's not afraid to challenge defenders. I 'm hoping the good guys win but Houston to start the conference is a hard ask.

[leeraymond372@gmail.com]

I wonder if it makes sense for us to pay freshmen in this no limit transfer era. You just never really know if they will be any good at this level, and they are free to leave whether or not they are good. I'd rather spend on players who have proven themselves. Preferably, getting proven incoming sophomores and then paying them to stay here to play out their eligibility so we can have development and continuity.

You bring up an excellent point. I agree with you, but what would happen to the pool of freshman basketball players if every NCAA school adopted the practice? Also, my guess is the NCAA constantly needs to replenish the athlete pool when students graduate or run out of eligibility. So, the NCAA brings in freshman.

Nevertheless, you bring up a very good point.

[leeraymond372@gmail.com]

I was surprised and pleased at how UC ran over Lipscomb. I was not expecting UC too run away with the game. Since the new starting lineup, UC has won all three of its halves by an average score of 45-30. Maybe UC has found its mojo. Maybe it has found some needed scoring punch in James. You know he has scored in double figures in all of his games played so far this season. With James in the lineup, UC now has 4 guys that can score.

I do not know how many wins in the BIG XII it will take for UC to get into the NCAAs. However, I do feel good about UC's chances going forward.

[leo from jersey]

You bring up an excellent point. I agree with you, but what would happen to the pool of freshman basketball players if every NCAA school adopted the practice? Also, my guess is the NCAA constantly needs to replenish the athlete pool when students graduate or run out of eligibility. So, the NCAA brings in freshman.

Nevertheless, you bring up a very good point.

I agree with you and had thought about that. The smaller schools would even become more of a minor league system. What about the level of coaching? I think many would still go to high majors because the teams won't risk losing out so they will take chances. Some smaller schools will become powerhouses and perhaps have secret agreements with a big name school. If a guy pans out, he most likely will jump to the NBA if he is that good. It is a good thought, but schools are about winning and thus there is much room for all kinds of nonsense and little for logic. The thing is that the teams have always gambled with the recruits, but with blowing NIL money or losing them quickly to the portal, logic would be nice. It will be an interesting and perhaps sad times the next few years.

[bearcatlifer]

I still think that the colleges and their legal teams will come up with some way to bring some sense to the current dumpster fire. The players are going to have to become university employees and sign actual contracts.They will get a w2 as opposed to a 1099 It might take a bigger bite out of their paychecks and they might have to answer more directly to the employer.

[John P]

I still think that the colleges and their legal teams will come up with some way to bring some sense to the current dumpster fire. The players are going to have to become university employees and sign actual contracts.They will get a w2 as opposed to a 1099 It might take a bigger bite out of their paychecks and they might have to answer more directly to the employer.

My granddaughter is going to a small college; she is getting some scholarship money to help with tuition. At one of the games they were getting beat badly and some of the girls just gave up. The coach at half time informed the girls that if they gave up in playing their best, they were putting their scholarship money in jeopardy. The effort improved dramatically in the 2nd half.

[leeraymond372@gmail.com]

My granddaughter is going to a small college; she is getting some scholarship money to help with tuition. At one of the games they were getting beat badly and some of the girls just gave up. The coach at half time informed the girls that if they gave up in playing their best, they were putting their scholarship money in jeopardy. The effort improved dramatically in the 2nd half.

Wow! Very interesting. I believe, no matter what level of play, athletes should get paid based on their productivity. If certain performance thresholds are not met, then some of the money is withheld. To me, that is fair.

Good post.

[leo from jersey]

Wow! Very interesting. I believe, no matter what level of play, athletes should get paid based on their productivity. If certain performance thresholds are not met, then some of the money is withheld. To me, that is fair.

Good post.

Truth but near to impossible to entice players with that stipulation. They have heard for years how great they are.

[DesertFog]

The media get eight timeouts per game (<16:00, 12:00, etc., each half). These are to last about two minutes each. Each team gets four timeouts, with one that must be used in the first half (use or lose). In the second half, the media get an additional "floater" timeout whenever either coach calls the first one of the half. These are to last two minutes. All other coach-called timeouts are for thirty seconds. So, 16:00 for the media's regular spots, 2:00 for the "floater" and 3:30 for the other coach-called timeouts. So, about 21:30 minutes.

Thanks for the info but it sure seemed to me that many commercial breaks were much longer than 2 minutes. Moreover, it seems to me that the long durations are greatest on ESPN plus. I'm going to time them in the future.