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Basketball Top expert has Penn State making deep run in the NCAA Tournament

You know, I've not followed college hoops that much in recent years. But a few thoughts.

1. The Alabama situation is just grotesque. If the college pep bands that perform at these things had any stones at all (think like the old UVa scramble band), they'd come armed (pun intended) with a medley of songs like "Killer Joe," "Killer Queen," "Psycho Killer," etc.
2. Really would love to see Duke and Purdue's big guys encounter each other again.
3. Go Miles Dread! Hail Gonzaga! AMDG!
 
You know, I've not followed college hoops that much in recent years. But a few thoughts.

1. The Alabama situation is just grotesque. If the college pep bands that perform at these things had any stones at all (think like the old UVa scramble band), they'd come armed (pun intended) with a medley of songs like "Killer Joe," "Killer Queen," "Psycho Killer," etc.
2. Really would love to see Duke and Purdue's big guys encounter each other again.
3. Go Miles Dread! Hail Gonzaga! AMDG!
Yep. I don't know if you read it or not but the Alabama player that was asked to bring his gun (that was used in a murder that night) had his teammate "pat him down" during the next night's game during team introductions.

I can tell you that of the 64-ish teams in the tourney, the one I will be rooting against is Alabama.
 
Yep. I don't know if you read it or not but the Alabama player that was asked to bring his gun (that was used in a murder that night) had his teammate "pat him down" during the next night's game during team introductions.

I can tell you that of the 64-ish teams in the tourney, the one I will be rooting against is Alabama.
Disgusting, flaunting his role in a murder and still out there representing Alabama. Alabama must have zero integrity left.
 
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F

Funny he has us losing to IU after being 2-0 against them
For me, if Penn State somehow makes it to the Elite Eight and is playing Indiana again, I’m taking PSU into the Final Four.

If that happens, we’ll need Philly Public Works to make a guest appearance greasing poles in State College. :)
 
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I see what you are saying. Short trip for Boise fans. A challenge with march madness is the fans don't really have time to react. Tough call for anyone wanting to go to Iowa when we didn't know a week ahead of time.
600 miles between Boise and Sacramento is a pretty good drive.
 
The conspiracies never end with this guy. The worst time would have been the first game of the day. This is actually a good time for the team as they are used to night games. He would find a way to say we got screwed if we were the 1 seed. For once it would be nice to see some excitement on the board as the chances of playing in this game looked dead two weeks ago. I have no problem watching a game at 9:55.
BTW, KU team and fans feel like they got screwed and they did get a “1” seed.
 
They are slotting in 16 different games each day…it’s not all about our game.
Yes, stop with the they are out to get Penn State. I doubt A&M brings a huge crowd to Des Moines. Late game for both. Let's play the game! I like our chances with Pickett taking over and getting our guards open 3 looks.
 
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Yep. I don't know if you read it or not but the Alabama player that was asked to bring his gun (that was used in a murder that night) had his teammate "pat him down" during the next night's game during team introductions.

I can tell you that of the 64-ish teams in the tourney, the one I will be rooting against is Alabama.
FWIW, the pat down thing was going on all year and explained as a TSA check, ready for takeoff.. I know it was stopped once the public believed it was a mockery of the shooting. We’ll see how much it’s brought up throughout the tournament.
 
FWIW, the pat down thing was going on all year and explained as a TSA check, ready for takeoff.. I know it was stopped once the public believed it was a mockery of the shooting. We’ll see how much it’s brought up throughout the tournament.
Of course it was. Do you believe that?
 
I’ve been taking the Thursday and Friday off for the tournament for 30 years. Driving to Des Moines Wednesday after work to meet my buddy from Albuquerque who has been saying for years that if Penn State makes the tournament we’re going to watch. It’s finally here and there’s only excitement, not complaints about time of game or seed. Hoping we get to see them play Saturday also. Tournament games are all about matchups, guard play and the 3 point shot. We’re going to be a headache for A&M and hopefully Texas. Both have stretches where their offense looks bad. They don’t have big post up players. They may beat us but I’m thrilled to get out of Big Ten play and all those good big post players. Only worry is if the guys are spent from the grueling last couple weeks. Could be beneficial because they’ve been playing in elimination games already and had success in clutch situations. Should be a confident group.
 
I think it’s worth listening rather than making a judgement when I know very little about the situation. If they’ve done it all year it should be easy to find. Honestly it makes more sense than mocking a shooting to get pumped up for a game so yeah I’d tend to believe it.
Well the murder also occurred at the beginning of the year so if the coach is claiming this has been going on all year, then it is worse than we thought.
 
It actually didn’t, but why let facts get in the way of things
Here are those facts.

University of Alabama forward Darius Miles, 21, has been indicted on murder charges following the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman on Jan. 15 that occurred near campus.

The coach said the pat down act has occurred all year, not all season. He said all year. And regardless of if the coach mis-spoke and it has occurred all season (we have seen no evidence of this), they were doing this inappropriate routine for like a month and a half if the coach is to be believed and that the coach had been made aware of it and did not stop it until the media jumped on it.

"Oats said after Saturday's game that he had been made aware of the routine and had understood it to have been happening all year." This was in reference to the pregame pat down on Feb 25th.

"I don't watch our introductions," Oats said after the win over Arkansas. "I'm not involved with them. I'm drawing up plays during that time. Regardless, it's not appropriate. It's been addressed, and I can assure you it definitely will not happen again the remainder of this year."
 
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Here are those facts.

University of Alabama forward Darius Miles, 21, has been indicted on murder charges following the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman on Jan. 15 that occurred near campus.

The coach said the pat down act has occurred all year, not all season. He said all year. And if the coach mis-spoke and it has occurred all season (we have seen no evidence of this), then they were doing this inappropriate routine for like a month and a half if the coach is to be believed and that the coach had been made aware of it and did not stop it until the media jumped on it.

"Oats said after Saturday's game that he had been made aware of the routine and had understood it to have been happening all year." This was in reference to the pregame pat down on Feb 25th.

"I don't watch our introductions," Oats said after the win over Arkansas. "I'm not involved with them. I'm drawing up plays during that time. Regardless, it's not appropriate. It's been addressed, and I can assure you it definitely will not happen again the remainder of this year."
Newsflash...when a basketball coach says "all year", he's speaking about the season. That's not "misspeaking", that's simply how pretty much everyone refers to it. Or do you really think that if, after the Rose Bowl, James Franklin said "Sean Clifford had a great year", he's saying he's been good in the calendar year of 2023, but not talking about the reason of the season? Wow.
 
Newsflash...when a basketball coach says "all year", he's speaking about the season. That's not "misspeaking", that's simply how pretty much everyone refers to it. Or do you really think that if, after the Rose Bowl, James Franklin said "Sean Clifford had a great year", he's saying he's been good in the calendar year of 2023, but not talking about the reason of the season? Wow.
I can concede that. It may or may not be the case but it's really a moot point. Try to focus on the facts below.

1) The murder occurred JAN 15th.

2) The coach claims to have known about the pat down pre-game routine and that it has occurred all year but also claims that he doesn't watch their introductions which seems odd to me.

3) The coach did not address the inappropriate pat downs in introductions until the media criticized them after the Feb 25th game.

4) So by the coaches own admission, he has known for about a month and a half after the murder that the players were doing the inappropriate pat down but he did nothing about it until after the media criticized them after the Feb 25th game.

No one at the school stopped them from a pat down routine which would appear to be mocking the murder of a 23-year-old woman for a month and half? How is that not worse?
 
I can concede that. It may or may not be the case but it's really a moot point. Try to focus on the facts below.

1) The murder occurred JAN 15th.

2) The coach claims to have known about the pat down pre-game routine and that it has occurred all year but also claims that he doesn't watch their introductions which seems odd to me.

3) The coach did not address the inappropriate pat downs in introductions until the media criticized them after the Feb 25th game.

4) So by the coaches own admission, he has known for about a month and a half after the murder that the players were doing the inappropriate pat down but he did nothing about it until after the media criticized them after the Feb 25th game.

No one at the school stopped them from a pat down routine which would appear to be mocking the murder of a 23-year-old woman for a month and half? How is that not worse?
Can you share a link where Nate Oats says that he knew all along that they were doing this (or at least he knew for a month and a half and let it continue)...when I read the story and his comments, he alluded to the fact that it's been going on all season, but didn't say he realized what was happening all along. Very likely explanation being that people started asking questions after 2/25, he followed up on it saying "what the hell were you guys doing", and was told it had been happening all year (sorry, all "season").

Do you really think the worst in people to the point that you believe this routine was meant to "mock" the murder? Were they doing it the first half of the year (sorry, "season") in anticipation that something might go down in mid-january? It obviously had bad optics and the players stopped doing it once they/the program were made aware of how bad it looked.

And it seems odd that the coach doesn't watch introductions? I'd be shocked if many coaches were just sitting back and watching introductions at that point.
 
I can concede that. It may or may not be the case but it's really a moot point. Try to focus on the facts below.

1) The murder occurred JAN 15th.

2) The coach claims to have known about the pat down pre-game routine and that it has occurred all year but also claims that he doesn't watch their introductions which seems odd to me.

3) The coach did not address the inappropriate pat downs in introductions until the media criticized them after the Feb 25th game.

4) So by the coaches own admission, he has known for about a month and a half after the murder that the players were doing the inappropriate pat down but he did nothing about it until after the media criticized them after the Feb 25th game.

No one at the school stopped them from a pat down routine which would appear to be mocking the murder of a 23-year-old woman for a month and half? How is that not worse?
I am not sure of those ‘facts’. Coach said he never watches so how would he know it has gone on all year? Did he ask the players about it? Did he study video? Or ask assistants or others?

So if he said all year how can he be sure it was happening in Nov and Dec?

I do know what happened and no one here does. But if they were doing that in Dec they should have immediately stopped it when the woman was murdered. Pretty shameful.
 
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Can you share a link where Nate Oats says that he knew all along that they were doing this (or at least he knew for a month and a half and let it continue)...when I read the story and his comments, he alluded to the fact that it's been going on all season, but didn't say he realized what was happening all along. Very likely explanation being that people started asking questions after 2/25, he followed up on it saying "what the hell were you guys doing", and was told it had been happening all year (sorry, all "season").

Do you really think the worst in people to the point that you believe this routine was meant to "mock" the murder? Were they doing it the first half of the year (sorry, "season") in anticipation that something might go down in mid-january? It obviously had bad optics and the players stopped doing it once they/the program were made aware of how bad it looked.

And it seems odd that the coach doesn't watch introductions? I'd be shocked if many coaches were just sitting back and watching introductions at that point.
I posted quotes from articles above. You can read them. Or look up articles yourself and read the quotes from the coach.

Frankly, I think the coach is lying to about it to try to cover for the players. But if what the coach says is true and their pregame antics have occurred for a month and a half while NO ONE AT THE SCHOOL HAS ADDRESSED IT?

Do you think that not one responsible adult at the school has seen the pregame intros for a month and a half? Not one person would think, hmmm, maybe patting down players after the murder on campus isn't appropriate? Even if we take the coach at his word that he doesn't watch the pre-game introductions, what about the AD, the countless other people in the athletic department or campus police or anyone working for the university that knew that a murder had just occurred or may have known that the player had been questioned?

It's very hard to defend what they did and even harder to defend it if the coach's statements about it are to be believed. It seems to me like loss of institutional control. The players just do whatever they want and brazenly in front of crowds of tens of thousands and no one stops them even if it is wildly inappropriate.
 
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I think it’s worth listening rather than making a judgement when I know very little about the situation. If they’ve done it all year it should be easy to find. Honestly it makes more sense than mocking a shooting to get pumped up for a game so yeah I’d tend to believe it.

I don’t think anyone thought he was mocking the shooting. It was more of a ‘WTH are you stupid or callous?’ type thing given the situation. It blew up after it was finally revealed, (after weeks of keeping it quiet), that he was the person that brought the gun to the shooter……. who then killed the young lady in Tuscaloosa.
 
I am not sure of those ‘facts’. Coach said he never watches so how would he know it has gone on all year? Did he ask the players about it? Did he study video? Or ask assistants or others?

So if he said all year how can he be sure it was happening in Nov and Dec?

I do know what happened and no one here does. But if they were doing that in Dec they should have immediately stopped it when the woman was murdered. Pretty shameful.
I think the coach said the part about it occurring all year and that he was made aware to cover for his players.

I think the coach said the part about not watching the pregame intros to cover for himself.

Basically, he wants no one to be accountable for it. Not the players fault because he said he was made aware and they have been doing it. Not his fault because he never saw them do it. Sounds like a very poor attempt at CYA to me.
 
I don't see it. TAMU is a really tough draw. Plus at a really weird time of night. PSU depends on their outside guard play. They simply MUST knock down 3s. It is anybody's guess on how they will react in this massive game and at a weird time of night. One can argue TAMU is in the same boat but they are far more experienced in big games than we are. I feel like PSU's success came after the pressure was off and they could say "Screw it, what do we have to lose?" It is going to be hard to have that attitude at this level. Regardless, nobody knows. It is so new, fresh and different.
They made it to the final of a pressure packed B1G tourney to secure the NCAA bid. This would seem to be less pressure. Texas A & M is a tough draw as you stated. Hopefully the seniors can carry the team in the first round to a "W" and then just enjoy the ride. They did more than what I thought they would do. Happy for them.
 
They made it to the final of a pressure packed B1G tourney to secure the NCAA bid. This would seem to be less pressure. Texas A & M is a tough draw as you stated. Hopefully the seniors can carry the team in the first round to a "W" and then just enjoy the ride. They did more than what I thought they would do. Happy for them.
yep...they've accomplished a LOT. One of the issues about the B1G tourney is that you don't have any time to think. You win>you play. It is hard to overthink. In the first half against Purdue, that may have changed (or their legs were tired) and they missed shots. Once down, with their backs against he wall, and Purdue being more conservative, PSU stormed back. But this time, PSU has a week to think about it.

They either come out with a) OMG we are in the big dance! Holy crap! or b) None of these MF's think we can win, Lets get this game going! What was the scene in Hoosiers? Gene Hackman comes out and measures the height of the basket and basically goes "yep, just like back home. no difference." This is where Coach has to make sure they come out firing with nothing to lose, no downside. Get beat by 30 or get beat by 1, no difference. Don't think, Let it fly and show the world.
 
yep...they've accomplished a LOT. One of the issues about the B1G tourney is that you don't have any time to think. You win>you play. It is hard to overthink. In the first half against Purdue, that may have changed (or their legs were tired) and they missed shots. Once down, with their backs against he wall, and Purdue being more conservative, PSU stormed back. But this time, PSU has a week to think about it.

They either come out with a) OMG we are in the big dance! Holy crap! or b) None of these MF's think we can win, Lets get this game going! What was the scene in Hoosiers? Gene Hackman comes out and measures the height of the basket and basically goes "yep, just like back home. no difference." This is where Coach has to make sure they come out firing with nothing to lose, no downside. Get beat by 30 or get beat by 1, no difference. Don't think, Let it fly and show the world.
the coach has been on a staff that went to the final game twice

you just saw it, he knows how to coach in a tournament

he also had to put this team together overnight with transfers

a lot of people still not realizing how great of a hire this was
 
I don’t think anyone thought he was mocking the shooting. It was more of a ‘WTH are you stupid or callous?’ type thing given the situation. It blew up after it was finally revealed, (after weeks of keeping it quiet), that he was the person that brought the gun to the shooter……. who then killed the young lady in Tuscaloosa.

Sure it could be perceived as ignorant or callous or it was just their routine and they didn’t associate their “ready for takeoff” 2 second intro with anything outside of that. Coach addressed it when told about it and it stopped. You can read deeper into it if you want. I know the things yelled at him on the road were much more insensitive than the pregame routine.
 
Sure it could be perceived as ignorant or callous or it was just their routine and they didn’t associate their “ready for takeoff” 2 second intro with anything outside of that. Coach addressed it when told about it and it stopped. You can read deeper into it if you want. I know the things yelled at him on the road were much more insensitive than the pregame routine.
i cant believe he is playing after basically being involved in a murder

you would think the school would expel him for being associated with it even if he is not being charged
 
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i cant believe he is playing after basically being involved in a murder

you would think the school would expel him for being associated with it even if he is not being charged
Just expel him even thought he hasn't been charged with any type of crime and with no due process?

And then what, just cross your fingers that insurance will cover the inevitable lawsuit?
 
Just expel him even thought he hasn't been charged with any type of crime and with no due process?

And then what, just cross your fingers that insurance will cover the inevitable lawsuit?
what are you talking about? universities expel people for cheating and fighting and bad conduct and for all sorts of other reasons.

if supplying a gun for a murder situation isn't considered bad conduct what is?
 
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what are you talking about? universities expel people for cheating and fighting and bad conduct and for all sorts of other reasons.

if supplying a gun for a murder situation isn't considered bad conduct what is?
If I’m his lawyer…he wasn’t supplying a gun for a murder situation, hence why he wasn’t charged as such. He was returning a gun to it’s owner who may have needed it for protection (I mean, why else are those in Alabama so able to legally own guns). No where is there any evidence that he was attempting to aid in a murder, and expelling him from school without any type of due process means we’re getting quite the payday. The defendants are still claiming self defense and that they were shot at first…that sorta needs to play out before any full conclusions can be reached.
 
If I’m his lawyer…he wasn’t supplying a gun for a murder situation, hence why he wasn’t charged as such. He was returning a gun to it’s owner who may have needed it for protection (I mean, why else are those in Alabama so able to legally own guns). No where is there any evidence that he was attempting to aid in a murder, and expelling him from school without any type of due process means we’re getting quite the payday. The defendants are still claiming self defense and that they were shot at first…that sorta needs to play out before any full conclusions can be reached.
you are looking at the legal remedy. University's don't follow the legal definition. Hence, kids are kicked off of teams and even out of college for simply mouthing off to a person in a position of authority. We've seen this at PSU hundreds of times.
 
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you are looking at the legal remedy. University's don't follow the legal definition. Hence, kids are kicked off of teams and even out of college for simply mouthing off to a person in a position of authority. We've seen this at PSU hundreds of times.
i think he would have been thrown off the team and out of school at most other universities

it is way too sketchy for comfort and everyone remembers Baylor
 
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you are looking at the legal remedy. University's don't follow the legal definition. Hence, kids are kicked off of teams and even out of college for simply mouthing off to a person in a position of authority. We've seen this at PSU hundreds of times.
And when it happens, those kids go through due process (well, at least the amount of due process that the University Kangaroo Courts allow). And, I'd doubt that they are expelling them for things that they've already been cleared for in the legal process, if the legal process did also play out, and if it was a potential law that was broken.

I'd have no issues with them suspending him pending further investigation (though if they had, he's likely back playing by this point). But I don't see how they could expel him because they feel like it and not following any formal process without opening themselves up to a big ole lawsuit.
 
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