TicketsThe college offseason is long and tedious. Some days there won't be much to talk about, especially when I am bringing the Breakfast Monday-Friday. Today, unfortunately, is one of those days. More than 250 Breakfasts a year, they can't all unveil life-altering truth.
We'll see if we can't manufacture better conversation tomorrow.
Let's eat...
--- This Draft Prospect blog places Yancy Gates as No. 60 in a 2012 Mock Draft. Two things about this post:
1) Gates will be defined by how he plays in his senior season. A consistent effort can quell suspicions about a lacking work ethic and replace them with conversations about developing maturity and upside.
2) Wow, if you didn't know North Carolina was going to be good next season, this post should help you. Projected two of the top three and all five starters in the top 24 selections.
--- Good news for all my Big East accountant readership that love to send me emails about conference finances. The Big East made out on the NCAA tournament, banking $24.9 mil in the tourney, compared to second-place Big XII at $18.9 million.
For those of you who appreciate this blog and would like to see it grow, send suggestions for distribution of that new cash to AD Mike Thomas.
--- Did you know Pitt hasn't had a first-round draft pick since Vonteego Cummings in 1999. Perhaps the league felt it wasn't ready for another Panther after Cummings stellar three-year stint. Hard to believe, though. DeJuan Blair was close, but slipped to 37 before becoming known as the steal of the 2008 draft for San Antonio.
As for UC's draft picks since 2000 (not counting that year when Kenyon Martin, DerMarr Johnson and Pete Mickeal went 1,6 and 58, respectively)
2001: Kenny Satterfield/54/Dallas
2002: Steve Logan/30/Golden State
2005: Jason Maxiell/26/Detroit
2006: James White/31/Portland
2010: Lance Stephenson (UPDATED: I somehow forgot to include Lance in the original version. I am not officially moving to a two-coffee, pre-Breakfast writing diet)
The draft will come and go with no Bearcats drafted on Thursday. Only one player selected since 2006 will mark the fewest over a five-year period since UC's re-emergence with Corie Blount and Nick Van Exel selected in 1993.
Only four drafts between 1993 and 2006 didn't include a UC player selected.
--- Andrea Adelson looked at UC's Big East title chances. She cites three reasons they will (skill players, better defense, Year 2) and three reasons they won't (how much better will defense be?, schedule, special teams).
For my money, you can add a third category in a football success limbo between the two on her list: Offensive line. If the line comes into its own and plays well, put them in the title hunt. If not, finding enough open space of the skilled playmakers will be a season-defining challenge.
--- A great story on Tony Campana from The Tennessean.
--- Some randomness...
--- Tate Forcier experienced a rough few months. But let's not start feeling sorry for the guy.
--- Can't believe Comedy Central cancelled Onion SportsDome. Loved that show. Produced one of the funniest three-minute pieces no the network all season with this David Wright-heckling piece. "He's human garbage."
--- Kevin Durant went all And-1 in a summer league game with a nasty, off-the-backboard dunk. What I love most is how fans just run on the court to celebrate the slam. Can we start allowing this in NBA games? I want dunk timeouts to come into play so people can run in for chest bumps.
We'll see if we can't manufacture better conversation tomorrow.
Let's eat...
--- This Draft Prospect blog places Yancy Gates as No. 60 in a 2012 Mock Draft. Two things about this post:
1) Gates will be defined by how he plays in his senior season. A consistent effort can quell suspicions about a lacking work ethic and replace them with conversations about developing maturity and upside.
2) Wow, if you didn't know North Carolina was going to be good next season, this post should help you. Projected two of the top three and all five starters in the top 24 selections.
--- Good news for all my Big East accountant readership that love to send me emails about conference finances. The Big East made out on the NCAA tournament, banking $24.9 mil in the tourney, compared to second-place Big XII at $18.9 million.
For those of you who appreciate this blog and would like to see it grow, send suggestions for distribution of that new cash to AD Mike Thomas.
--- Did you know Pitt hasn't had a first-round draft pick since Vonteego Cummings in 1999. Perhaps the league felt it wasn't ready for another Panther after Cummings stellar three-year stint. Hard to believe, though. DeJuan Blair was close, but slipped to 37 before becoming known as the steal of the 2008 draft for San Antonio.
As for UC's draft picks since 2000 (not counting that year when Kenyon Martin, DerMarr Johnson and Pete Mickeal went 1,6 and 58, respectively)
2001: Kenny Satterfield/54/Dallas
2002: Steve Logan/30/Golden State
2005: Jason Maxiell/26/Detroit
2006: James White/31/Portland
2010: Lance Stephenson (UPDATED: I somehow forgot to include Lance in the original version. I am not officially moving to a two-coffee, pre-Breakfast writing diet)
The draft will come and go with no Bearcats drafted on Thursday. Only one player selected since 2006 will mark the fewest over a five-year period since UC's re-emergence with Corie Blount and Nick Van Exel selected in 1993.
Only four drafts between 1993 and 2006 didn't include a UC player selected.
--- Andrea Adelson looked at UC's Big East title chances. She cites three reasons they will (skill players, better defense, Year 2) and three reasons they won't (how much better will defense be?, schedule, special teams).
For my money, you can add a third category in a football success limbo between the two on her list: Offensive line. If the line comes into its own and plays well, put them in the title hunt. If not, finding enough open space of the skilled playmakers will be a season-defining challenge.
--- A great story on Tony Campana from The Tennessean.
--- Some randomness...
--- Tate Forcier experienced a rough few months. But let's not start feeling sorry for the guy.
--- Can't believe Comedy Central cancelled Onion SportsDome. Loved that show. Produced one of the funniest three-minute pieces no the network all season with this David Wright-heckling piece. "He's human garbage."
--- Kevin Durant went all And-1 in a summer league game with a nasty, off-the-backboard dunk. What I love most is how fans just run on the court to celebrate the slam. Can we start allowing this in NBA games? I want dunk timeouts to come into play so people can run in for chest bumps.