NCAA Basketball Thread 2024-2025
Quick OP here just to get us up and running
Things to watch for this year:
1. Can UConn 3-peat? Hurley won back to back championships with Clingan, Tristen Newton, and company. Can he make it a third with only one returning starter?
2. Who will be this years national player of the year? Zach Edey was the best player I've seen play college basketball in my lifetime. People throw the term generational talent around alot and Edey was truly a generational talent winning back to back national player of the year awards. But, now he's gone. So who can win the award?
- the 5th year guards in Mark Sears(Alabama) and RJ Davis(UNC) are a good spot to start. Both elite shooters and engines of an offense, they should lead two really good teams.
- the 5th year centers in Hunter Dickinson(Kansas) and Ryan Kallbrenner(Creighton) are also viable options. They'll be the anchors to what should be two really good teams.
- The phenoms: Cooper Flagg(Duke), Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper(Rutgers), VJ Edgecombe(Baylor), and Tre Johnson(Texas) lead a loaded freshman class.
3. Who are the contenders?
Spoiler
Lettuce college basketball
Now you see why they simulated fighting conditions. This Houston defense is tough.
Kalkbrenner the new Edey? Goes for 49 on 20-22 shooting against powerhouse TX-Rio Grande Valley.
at the half
37.85 possessions
Sparty: 0.634 ppp
KU: 0.793 ppp
Flagg looks a bit slow at first blush.
Every time I turn on NCAAB I'm instantly reminded of how ****ing terrible the officiating is.
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And he looked slow and tired at the end with the two last minute iso turnovers to blow the game. Didn't look like much speed or hops or explosiveness to his game. Good player, for sure. Don't know about the #1 pick talk.
And he looked slow and tired at the end with the two last minute iso turnovers to blow the game. Didn't look like much speed or hops or explosiveness to his game. Good player, for sure. Don't know about the #1 pick talk.
Yeah I don't know about #1 overall. But his floor is extremely high and probably easiest highest floor of this class. But I don't see an extremely high ceiling.
Yeah he'll eventually be a nice player for someone. Long way to go for "future of the NBA." Getting a ****ing Luka whistle as a n00b in NCAAB on contact he initiates and being a FT merchant will be exhausting.
What team should I root for to win it all?
I have no current fandom.
I hate Duke in general because why not? but I am a big Cooper Flagg fan.
Fwiw, last year I kinda rooted for Purdue and was an Edey fan.
?????
Profit
What team should I root for to win it all?
I have no current fandom.
I hate Duke in general because why not? but I am a big Cooper Flagg fan.
Fwiw, last year I kinda rooted for Purdue and was an Edey fan.
?????
Profit
I can't justify rooting for Duke for any reason
Purdue could use your support
does any team with a freshman phenom even have an outside chance of winning it all?
does any team with a freshman phenom even have an outside chance of winning it all?
How about Rutgers with Ace Bailey?
I've watched a few minutes of his highlights.
I think he's Tracy McGrady 2.0 and may become the best player coming out of the 2025 NBA Draft when all is said and done due to his unreal offensive upside.
How about Rutgers with Ace Bailey?
I've watched a few minutes of his highlights.
I think he's Tracy McGrady 2.0 and may become the best player coming out of the 2025 NBA Draft when all is said and done due to his unreal offensive upside.
Bailey is the #2 player in the class, but Rutgers also has the #3 player in Harper.
No idea if he's any good, but holy moly that's a tall boy!
Kalkbrenner update, thru 3 games: 35-38 FG (92.1% FG), 3-3 3FG, 16-18 FT, 29.7 PPG
Rioux was a 3-star prospect. Was not in the top 150 of the 247sports 2024 class and ranked only 60/64 for graded centers. There isn't a ton of footage of his play but I'd slot him in somewhere between Mamadou Ndiaye and Tacko.
Id slot him above them in one category
Idk if anyone saw last night, but the Kansas City Roos beat something called Calvary Warriors 119-19.
I know guys need to practice, but why schedule games that figure to be this non-competitive?
Idk if anyone saw last night, but the Kansas City Roos beat something called Calvary Warriors 119-19.
I know guys need to practice, but why schedule games that figure to be this non-competitive?
yeah, it doesn't make much sense to me
you might schedule a team like that during the pre-season as an exhibition, but i don't see the utility in playing non-D1 teams once your regular season begins
there are a total of 364 D1 teams after all. plenty of scrubs to play. look no further than Creighton's early schedule to see how it can be done if that's what you want for your program
