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Post by motorcitysam on Sept 15, 2022 16:44:36 GMT -5
UConn took a loss off the court yesterday, a bigger loss than any they will take on the court. An independent arbitrator ruled in the favor of former head coach Kevin Ollie, and ordered UConn to pay Ollie $11 million dollars in the next ten business days. Quick recap of the Ollie situation. He played at UConn under Jim Calhoun and joined the staff after his NBA career was over. He was named head coach when Calhoun left. The program was under sanctions for previous issues, but in his first year, 2012-13, the Huskies went 20-10. They were ineligible for post season play. In year two, UConn went 32-8 and won the NCAA title. (Detractors say he won with Calhoun's players, but it was Ollie who was recruiting those players to UConn and helping develop them as an assistant.) Year three was an NIT year, year four they made the second round of the NCAA tournament. In the next two seasons, the team went a combined 30-35, being hit hard by the injury bug. The administration not only decided to fire him, but they decided to try to fire him for cause to escape from paying his buyout. (UConn has famously had budget issues in their athletic program.) They school self reported allegations of violations to the NCAA and fired Ollie. Ollie fought the firing, and it ended up in arbitration, with this being the result. I'm happy for Ollie. I think the university tried to screw him to save some money. Earlier this week, UConn's athletic department announced that their budget deficit had grown from $43 million to 47 million. That was before the ruling. www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/33109968/arbitrator-rules-uconn-improperly-fired-huskies-men-basketball-coach-kevin-ollieKevin Ollie gets another win over his former school as he and UConn agree to settle his lawsuit against the school for $3.9 million. This should close the chapter on the battle between UConn and their former student-athlete and coach. It's a shame that the UConn administration made it so ugly. www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/34597769/uconn-settles-former-men-basketball-coach-kevin-ollie-39-million
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Post by motorcitysam on Oct 18, 2022 11:53:17 GMT -5
Official Big East Poll for 22-23.
1. Creighton 2. Xavier 3. Villanova 4. UConn 5. Providence 6. St. John's 7. Seton Hall 8. Butler 9. Marquette 10. Georgetown 11. DePaul
Player of the Year: Adam Sanogo, UConn
All Conference Team: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton Jared Bynum, Providence Posh Alexander, St. John's Colby Jones, Xavier Jack Nunge, Xavier (The Big East does not include the Player of the Year on the preseason all conference teams.)
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Post by motorcitysam on Dec 11, 2022 15:06:22 GMT -5
Creighton legend Paul Silas, who averaged over 20 points and 20 rebounds in his collegiate career, passed away at the age of 79. Silas was part of multiple NBA championship teams during his playing and coaching career. RIP. www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35232689
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Post by motorcitysam on Jan 6, 2023 12:20:15 GMT -5
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Post by fan on Jan 6, 2023 12:37:22 GMT -5
I wonder what Georgetown's attendance looks like?
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Post by motorcitysam on Jan 6, 2023 12:51:16 GMT -5
I wonder what Georgetown's attendance looks like? Last two home games had announced crowds of 6,000 plus (Butler) and 7,000 plus (Nova). Didn't look like it was that many on television. The building seats 20,000.
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Post by Commissioner on Jan 6, 2023 12:53:30 GMT -5
And beating out DePaul for that record took some real hard work!
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Post by motorcitysam on Jan 19, 2023 2:04:25 GMT -5
How good is the Big East? Consider this:
UConn started the season 14-0, reaching the #2 spot in the national rankings. Those games included wins over Oregon, Alabama, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Florida. They have since dropped 5 of 6 games in Big East play, including tonight's loss to Seton Hall.
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Post by motorcitysam on Jan 26, 2023 13:41:03 GMT -5
Mid season Big East Check In.
Creighton was considered to be the class of the Big East prior to the start of the season. A great start including a bunch of wins over high major programs put the spotlight on UConn. As of this writing, the leaders of the league are 17-4, 9-1 Xavier (not a surprise) and 16-5, 8-2 Marquette (big surprise) and 16-5, 8-2 Providence (also a surprise). Losing streaks put Creighton in fourth place and UConn in 6th. Georgetown has been historically bad, as their influx of new players haven't gelled. Villanova and Seton Hall are both right around .500 with first year coaches. DePaul is still fighting that uphill battle.
Crazy stat: Butler has been beaten by 20 points in seven conference games this year.
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Post by motorcitysam on Feb 28, 2023 3:33:13 GMT -5
From the Department of Things That Make Me Envious: Marquette is ranked #6 in the AP poll this week, their highest ranking since 1978.
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Post by motorcitysam on Mar 8, 2023 20:30:56 GMT -5
Butler began the Big East tournmanet today missing starters Manny Bates and Eric Hunter. Both were ruled academically ineligible. The Bulldogs lost to St. John's 76-63, falling to 14-18 on the season.
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Post by motorcitysam on Mar 8, 2023 21:10:28 GMT -5
Marquette picks up some big honors as Shaka Smart is named Coach of the Year and Tyler Kolek is named player of the year in the Big East.
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Post by motorcitysam on Mar 9, 2023 19:22:07 GMT -5
With Patrick Ewing being fired by Georgetown, Rick Pitino is a name I see often mentioned as a likely successor.
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Post by motorcitysam on Mar 20, 2023 13:13:41 GMT -5
Shake up in the Big East as Ed Cooley leaves Providence for Georgetown. Cooley and Providence looked like the perfect coach/program match, so this surprised me a bit. On the other hand, I know how Cooley felt about John Thompson and the high regard he has for Georgetown.
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Post by ptctitan on Mar 20, 2023 14:37:51 GMT -5
Like the Duke Brothers in Eddie Murphy movies, Rick Pitino is back in the Big East.
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