College Spun - Social. Local. Consumable. College Sports. » Pittsburgh http://collegespun.com Thu, 23 May 2013 23:26:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Could The ACC Move Its Men’s Basketball Tournament To Madison Square Garden? http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/could-the-acc-move-its-mens-basketball-tournament-to-madison-square-garden http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/could-the-acc-move-its-mens-basketball-tournament-to-madison-square-garden#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 19:48:07 +0000 Matt Lombardi http://collegespun.com/?p=44959

Flickr/hutchike

The ACC may not be finished insulting the Big East. The conference began its spring meetings yesterday, and one of the items on the table was the men’s basketball conference tournament – currently being held in Greensboro, North Carolina.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon were both lobbying for the conference to consider Madison Square Garden for its future tournaments.

“Obviously, coach Boeheim and I are excited about New York, but I also know that Greensboro has a strong, strong presence here at these meetings,” Dixon said. “I think [Madison Square Garden] would be the best thing for the conference. I hope that’s the way they’re headed, but I don’t know that it is.”

Today, ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reported that momentum is gaining for the potential move.

The ACC’s contract to keep the tournament in Greensboro runs out in 2016, so the earliest this could potentially happen is for the 2016-2017 season. And of course, the (new) Big East is still in the mix as well. But with the size and draw that the ACC now has, it could potentially look like the better option for MSG. We’ll find out soon enough.

]]> http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/could-the-acc-move-its-mens-basketball-tournament-to-madison-square-garden/feed 0 The 4 Main Consequences Of The ACC’s Grant Of Media Rights Deal, Pertaining To Conference Realignment http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/the-4-main-consequences-of-the-accs-media-grant-of-rights-deal-pertaining-to-conference-realignment http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/the-4-main-consequences-of-the-accs-media-grant-of-rights-deal-pertaining-to-conference-realignment#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:03:15 +0000 Matt Lombardi http://collegespun.com/?p=42570 This morning, David Glenn of accsports.com reported that all of the ACC’s 15 members reached an agreement on a grant of media rights until 2027.

What does that actually mean? Basically, any school which wants to leave the ACC will not be able bring over any TV money to its new conference – until 2027. It removes the incentive for a school to leave – it would be forfeiting all television dollars for a period of years.

What are the consequences of the deal, as it pertains to conference realignment?

1. ACC schools are committing themselves to the conference, and won’t bolt

This seems pretty obvious, but it’s worth repeating given the instability of the college athletics landscape over the past decade. There is really no longer an incentive for an ACC team to leave for another conference; remember, all of this is about money. And guess what…

2. The Big Ten is probably stuck at 14 schools for a long time

The B1G recently added both Rutgers and Maryland, grabbing two more media markets it thought it needed to continue its world domination. There were rumors of some combination of UVA, Georgia Tech and UNC moving to the conference next, but nothing ever materialized. Obviously, that can’t happen now. If the ACC isn’t open for poaching, where does the Big Ten turn? The Big 12 has a similar grant of media rights deal, as does the Pac-12. So unless it wants to take a shot at some SEC teams (the only major conference which doesn’t have one of these, yet), it may be stuck at 14 schools. 

Of course, it could take a look at UConn and Cincinnati. But it’d be highly unlikely that the heavyweights of the conference would be in favor of splitting profits with either of those schools – they just don’t bring enough to the table.

Flickr/bobafred

3. The Big 12 is probably stuck at 10 schools for a long time

The rumors about Florida State and another school (Clemson was tossed around a great deal) bolting for the Big 12 should now end as well. Just as was the case with the Big Ten, it was always presumed that if the Big 12 were to expand, it would be looking east. 

Could the conference add schools like SMU and Houston? Sure. But getting to 12 teams isn’t a necessity, and any additions further split the pot for existing members. Getting FSU and Clemson would have been a much, much different situation.

4. UConn and Cincinnati should get used to life in the AAC

The big losers today are the Huskies and the Bearcats. Both schools have made it known that they’d prefer to be in a power conference, and the fact that this deal halts the domino effect is bad news. 

If schools like UNC and Georgia Tech were to leave for the Big Ten, the ACC might have looked to replace them. After all, that’s how Louisville got itself off the sinking Big East ship – the Cardinals replaced Maryland. With no major conferences left for poaching (save the SEC, which won’t happen), there should be a lack of movement in conference realignment for quite some time. 

]]> http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/the-4-main-consequences-of-the-accs-media-grant-of-rights-deal-pertaining-to-conference-realignment/feed 0 The 25 Most Successful College Basketball Teams Of The 21st Century, Scored By NCAA Tournament Bracket Rules http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/the-25-most-successful-college-basketball-teams-of-the-21st-century-scored-by-ncaa-tournament-bracket-rules http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/the-25-most-successful-college-basketball-teams-of-the-21st-century-scored-by-ncaa-tournament-bracket-rules#comments Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:13:54 +0000 Matt Lombardi http://collegespun.com/?p=41936

How far did Louisville move up?

Everyone loves to debate which college basketball schools should be considered the most “successful”. But how do you define success? Is the NCAA Tournament the sole measuring stick available to determine bragging rights? Do conference titles matter? Should conference tournament titles count? Then, of course, there’s the time period you’re measuring. Success is measured by accomplishment within a given time frame.

As you can see, there are many ways to go about creating a list like this. We decided to start a project, using just NCAA Tournament data, with the goal of determining the most successful college basketball programs in the 21st century. In honor of the recent completion of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, we decided to score each school based on how most bracket pools are tabulated:

Syracuse in the top 10?

Round of 64 loss = 0 points
Round of 32 loss = 1 point
Sweet 16 loss = 2 points
Elite Eight loss = 4 points
Final Four loss = 8 points
Championship Game loss = 12 points
National Champions = 16 points

So theoretically, if you are the type of person who picks the same team to win the NCAA Tournament every year, you might want to take a look at No. 1 on this list – because that team has (since 2000) statistically performed better than any other over time. 

Without further ado, here are the schools ranked 25-11. The top 10 start on the next slide.

Dwyane Wade (marquetteu)

24. Oklahoma State (tie) – 16 Points
24. Pittsburgh (tie) - 16 Points
24. Xavier (tie) - 16 Points
24. Gonzaga (tie) - 16 Points
22. Villanova (tie) - 17 Points
22. West Virginia (tie) - 17 Points
21. Marquette – 18 Points
19. Indiana (tie) – 19 Points
19. Oklahoma (tie) – 19 Points
16. Texas (tie) – 24 Points
16. Wisconsin (tie) – 24 Points
16. Memphis (tie) – 24 Points
15. Illinois – 25 Points
12. Maryland (tie) – 31 Points
12. Butler (tie) – 31 Points
12. Ohio State (tie) – 31 Points
11. Arizona – 32 Points

Next: >> Schools Ranked 10-6

]]> http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/the-25-most-successful-college-basketball-teams-of-the-21st-century-scored-by-ncaa-tournament-bracket-rules/feed 3 College Fans Show Their True Colors With Cool Easter Eggs http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/college-fans-show-their-true-colors-with-cool-easter-eggs http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/college-fans-show-their-true-colors-with-cool-easter-eggs#comments Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:31:10 +0000 Tyler Moorehead http://collegespun.com/?p=41149 Coloring eggs is a fantastic Easter tradition — of course college sports fans were going to make some creative eggs showing their team support. Here are some good ones we found:

]]> http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/college-fans-show-their-true-colors-with-cool-easter-eggs/feed 0 Imgur User Makes Awesome College Basketball Brackets For Every Conference Tournament http://collegespun.com/national/imgur-user-makes-awesome-college-basketball-brackets-for-every-conference-tournament http://collegespun.com/national/imgur-user-makes-awesome-college-basketball-brackets-for-every-conference-tournament#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:02:46 +0000 Tyler Moorehead http://collegespun.com/?p=38156 Looking to keep up with all of the conference tournaments in college basketball this week? Fear not, because one user of Imgur, Raidenradio, has created a fantastic set of brackets — one for every single conference, 30 in total — that will help you follow all of the action in style.

These get updated daily, so make sure to check back throughout the week — you just don’t find Big Sky Conference coverage like this elsewhere!

Note: Brackets appear in alphabetical order by conference name.

]]> http://collegespun.com/national/imgur-user-makes-awesome-college-basketball-brackets-for-every-conference-tournament/feed 0 Syracuse Survives Pittsburgh, Advances to Semifinal Matchup With Georgetown http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/syracuse-survives-pittsburgh-advances-to-semifinal-matchup-with-georgetown http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/syracuse-survives-pittsburgh-advances-to-semifinal-matchup-with-georgetown#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:31:02 +0000 Ben Glidden - Syracuse Campus Rep http://collegespun.com/?p=39488 Score: No. 19 Syracuse 62 No. 17 Pittsburgh 59

Stars: Syracuse: James Southerland 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 6-for-6 3-Pt FGs. Michael Carter-Williams 11 Pts, 7 Ast. 6 Reb. 

Story: It wasn’t easy, but with the help of an incredible shooting performance from James Southerland and some late-game heroics from Michael Carter-Williams, the Orange survives and advances to the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament.

Syracuse came out hot. The team jumped to an early double-digit lead on the Panthers that lasted through halftime. But Pittsburgh started rolling in the second half, figuring out a way to beat the 2-3 zone that stumped it in the first half. The other key for the Panthers was smothering Southerland. He was only able to get off one three-pointer in the second half and, of course, he made it.

Pittsburgh pulled within one point with seconds left in the game, however Carter-Williams ruined the Panthers’ chances of tying the game. He made a huge steal with the Orange up three and dribbled time off the clock at the other end of the floor. Carter-Williams scored the team’s final six points of the game, assuring the victory.

With the win, Syracuse will get one more chance at Georgetown tomorrow night. The Orange was crushed last Saturday by the Hoyas and look to end the rivalry on a positive note. 

]]> http://collegespun.com/big-east/syracuse/syracuse-survives-pittsburgh-advances-to-semifinal-matchup-with-georgetown/feed 0 Marquette Sends Pittsburgh Packing http://collegespun.com/national/marquette-sends-pittsburgh-packing http://collegespun.com/national/marquette-sends-pittsburgh-packing#comments Sat, 09 Mar 2013 02:43:44 +0000 Tim Fontenault - UConn Campus Rep http://collegespun.com/?p=37925 Score: No. 10 Marquette 66, No. 15 Pittsburgh 43

Stars: Marquette: Katie Young 11 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast. Katherine Plouffe 10 Pts, 9 Reb. Pittsburgh: Brianna Kiesel 12 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast.

Story: Earlier this season, Marquette coach Terri Mitchell complained about the Big East schedule pitting her team against UConn twice, saying that it was unfair to her team.

Of course, UConn won both matchups in blowouts. But on Friday, it was Marquette blowing out the competition.

The Golden Eagles routed ACC-bound Pittsburgh 66-43 in the first round of the Big East Championship, advancing to play No. 7 DePaul in the second round on Saturday.

The game started out closer than expected, but Marquette hit its stride midway through the first half and never looked back.

Marquette took a 34-22 lead into the half, thanks in part to a dominant inside game. At halftime, the Golden Eagles held a 26-16 rebounding advantage and outscored Pittsburgh 24-12 in the paint.

Katherine Plouffe got big for Marquette in the paint, leading the way with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Marquette rotated and had an incredible balance of scoring, meaning Katie Young needed only 11 points to become the Golden Eagle’s leading scorer. It is the first time Young has been in double figures since Jan. 22 against Louisville.

“I thought [rotating] was extremely important,” Mitchell said. “You’re going to do what you need to do in a game to win, but I thought the way we played, it was getting people in and out, we had good rhythm, we’re used to playing each other. In any given game there’s going to be people to step up. Our scoring was very balanced. I don’t think we’re a team of superstars. I think we’re a team of hard-working individuals that find each other very extremely unselfish and do what we need to do. So I was really happy with that in looking at our minutes and how we distributed them tonight.”

Pittsburgh’s time in the Big East has come to an end, and the Panthers will begin play in the ACC next season. Coach Agnus Berenato and sophomore guard Brianna Kiesel praised the Big East as the best conference in college basketball, but that it is time for both the Big East and Pittsburgh to move on.

“In the Big East there’s been a lot of good players that I’ve seen…I’ve learned a lot from the players that I’ve played against,” Kiesel said. “Although we didn’t do as well as we’d have liked to, I think, us as a team, we grew in the last two years we’ve been here, and I’m looking forward to next year. Now I have two years in the Big East and I know what the Big East is like. Now I have two years in the ACC to see what that’s gonna be like.”

Tomorrow’s matchup against DePaul will be the third matchup of Catholic 7 schools at the Big East Tournament. Georgetown and Providence played in the first round while Seton Hall will meet St. John’s on Saturday.

]]> http://collegespun.com/national/marquette-sends-pittsburgh-packing/feed 1 This Is The Only Graphic You Need To See During March Madness http://collegespun.com/national/this-is-the-only-graphic-you-need-to-see-during-march-madness http://collegespun.com/national/this-is-the-only-graphic-you-need-to-see-during-march-madness#comments Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:59:04 +0000 Matt Lombardi http://collegespun.com/?p=37655 The running theme of this year’s college basketball season is that no team is safe. With 19 upsets by unranked squads over those ranked in the top 5 this season, it’s easy to see why the 2013 NCAA Tournament is going to be one of the most wide-open in history.

Other sites have often made “parity charts” to illustrate the theory that any one team really can beat any other team. With the NFL and the NBA, it’s pretty easy to throw together a graphic that shows teams beating each other in a circle. But I wanted a bigger challenge. At the beginning of the season, I told myself that once every team had won and lost a game each, I’d set out to create a parity chart of every NCAA basketball team. But I ran into a problem.

You see, Grambling State never won a game (0-28). Every other team in the NCAA won a game – they didn’t. So while I can’t create a true parity chart, I figured I’d create one that ended on the Tigers. 

The chart starts on the bottom left with Wichita State and ends (as you guessed) with Grambling State. Some of the logos are probably tough to read, but it was pretty difficult to fit them all onto something viewable. 

It answers the question: Which teams should you bet on this March?…with the answer being a giant question mark.

]]> http://collegespun.com/national/this-is-the-only-graphic-you-need-to-see-during-march-madness/feed 14 New College Basketball Rankings Released – Gonzaga Tops AP Poll For First Time Ever http://collegespun.com/national/new-college-basketball-rankings-released-gonzaga-tops-ap-poll-for-first-time-ever http://collegespun.com/national/new-college-basketball-rankings-released-gonzaga-tops-ap-poll-for-first-time-ever#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:05:50 +0000 Matt Lombardi http://collegespun.com/?p=37580 It’s official – Gonzaga is the new top dog in men’s college basketball. The Zags have reached No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in school history. Losses by Indiana, Duke, Michigan and Miami this week all-but assured the Bulldogs their place in history.

Zags fans are pumped.

Here are the top 25 for this week:

1. Gonzaga (29-2)
2. Indiana (25-4)
3. Duke (25-4)
4. Kansas (25-4)
5. Georgetown (23-4)
6. Miami (23-5)
7. Michigan (24-5)
8. Louisville (24-5)
9. Kansas State (24-5)
10. Michigan State (22-7)
11. Florida (23-5)
12. New Mexico (25-4)
13. Oklahoma State (22-6)
14. Ohio State (21-7)
15. Marquette (21-7)
16. Saint Louis (23-5)
17. Syracuse (22-7)
18. Arizona (23-6)
19. Oregon (23-6)
20. Pittsburgh (23-7)
21. VCU (23-6)
22. Wisconsin (20-9)
23. UCLA (22-7)
24. Notre Dame (22-7)
25. Memphis (25-4)

]]> http://collegespun.com/national/new-college-basketball-rankings-released-gonzaga-tops-ap-poll-for-first-time-ever/feed 0 With The Latest Conference Realignment News, Here’s What The Big East And ‘Catholic 7′ Will Look Like http://collegespun.com/national/with-the-latest-conference-realignment-news-heres-what-the-big-east-acc-and-catholic-7-will-look-like http://collegespun.com/national/with-the-latest-conference-realignment-news-heres-what-the-big-east-acc-and-catholic-7-will-look-like#comments Fri, 01 Mar 2013 02:31:21 +0000 Matt Lombardi http://collegespun.com/?p=37236 If you haven’t heard, ESPN reported tonight that the ‘Catholic 7′ schools breaking away from the Big East will actually be taking the league name with them. Furthermore, they’ll be leaving immediately and will begin conference play for the 2013-2014 season. This brings about numerous questions, only some of which can be answered at the moment.

Flickr/justinknabb

1. Who will be part of the “new” Big East, formerly known as the ‘Catholic 7′ in 2013-2014?

The original seven schools – DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Seton Hall, Providence, St. John’s and Villanova – will be joined by Xavier and Butler for the upcoming 2013-2014 season. ESPN reports that the A-10 buyout for the two schools is $2 million apiece. There will also supposedly be a tenth team added to the group for the 2013-2014 season, though it isn’t known which. There is also a possibility that Notre Dame could play in the conference for one season before leaving for the ACC in 2014.

2. What about after the 2013-2014 season?

ESPN reports that Creighton, Dayton and Saint Louis will be joining for the 2014-2015 season, making it a 13-team league. It is not known if the league would be looking for one more to get to 14 teams.

UConn football...

3. What will the old Big East look like for the 2013-2014 season in football and basketball?

Syracuse and Pittsburgh are gone on July 1st. Rutgers and Louisville, however, don’t leave for their new conferences until the 2014-2015 season. Notre Dame is on the same timeline. So for the 2013-2014 football season, the league formerly known as the Big East will consist of:

  • UConn
  • Cincinnati
  • Temple
  • Houston
  • SMU
  • UCF
  • Memphis
  • South Florida
  • Louisville
  • Rutgers

Flickr/dbking

Tulane and ECU will join in 2014, replacing Louisville and Rutgers. Navy will join in 2015 for football. Expect the conference to look for a twelfth team.

Basketball:

  • UConn
  • Temple
  • Cincinnati
  • Louisville
  • South Florida
  • Houston
  • SMU
  • UCF
  • Memphis
  • Notre Dame (possibly)

After the 2013-2014 season, Louisville and Notre Dame leave for the ACC, while Tulane joins the conference. That leaves the old Big East with nine teams to start the 2014-2015 season.

Another predicament.

4. What’s the deal with Notre Dame?

Notre Dame is supposed to move to the ACC for the 2014-2015 season. While the Irish are independent in football, they will have a relationship with the ACC that requires them to play four ACC opponents each year. 

The ‘Catholic 7′s move leaves the Irish in a tough position. In a perfect world, Notre Dame would expedite its move to the ACC. But since it’s a bit late in the game for that (and Louisville isn’t joining until 2014), the Irish are probably going to be choosing between staying in the old Big East for one season or joining up with the ‘Catholic 7′ for a one-year deal. How that’ll pan out is anyone’s guess.

]]> http://collegespun.com/national/with-the-latest-conference-realignment-news-heres-what-the-big-east-acc-and-catholic-7-will-look-like/feed 1