I don't think there are many other coaches out there right now who could have done what he's done at Memphis...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/c...lick-refer

3601 Wrote:I don't think there are many other coaches out there right now who could have done what he's done at Memphis...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/c...lick-refer

Are we witnessing the 21st Century version of the UNLV, sans the multiple national championships?

That is, Memphis is definitely an elite program, but it plays in a sub-par conference and as a consequence it's accomplishments are often overlooked for the majority of the season. Thus while teams like Syracuse face off against Georgetown, or UNC plays Duke, Memphis has no attention grabbing games once conference play starts. If Memphis had to play in the BIG EAST or ACC it would not have such a gaudy record. Maybe that will change in the future....

The one remarkable thing about Memphis's recent success is that Cal can continually put together great recruiting classes despite playing the majority of their schedule against CUSA opponents. The guy must be a GREAT salesman.

CyberBull Wrote:

3601 Wrote:I don't think there are many other coaches out there right now who could have done what he's done at Memphis...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/c...lick-refer

Are we witnessing the 21st Century version of the UNLV, sans the multiple national championships?

That is, Memphis is definitely an elite program, but it plays in a sub-par conference and as a consequence it's accomplishments are often overlooked for the majority of the season. Thus while teams like Syracuse face off against Georgetown, or UNC plays Duke, Memphis has no attention grabbing games once conference play starts. If Memphis had to play in the BIG EAST or ACC it would not have such a gaudy record. Maybe that will change in the future....

The one remarkable thing about Memphis's recent success is that Cal can continually put together great recruiting classes despite playing the majority of their schedule against CUSA opponents. The guy must be a GREAT salesman.

I have said this before " Memphis will be fine as long as Calipari is there." Are there other coaches who could bring memphis recruiting and winning to the level that they are presently at? Sure there are, but Cal seems to be the perfect fit for Memphis. If he can recruit like he has in Cusa, I think he would be a monster in a conference like the BE or Acc.

I've always liked Calipari. His teams at UMASS were always exciting to watch. We had some great battles with UMASS back in the A-10 days. I wish him and Memphis nothing but success (except against BE teams, of course).

2 things:

UNLV actually won just 1 national championship.

Conference affiliation is not important: Gonzaga, Butler, So. Illinois, Xavier to name a few current examples. Those schools would shard on half the Huge East, sorry 16 is ridiculous. I am not dissing the conference, just pointing out BCS conference affiliation is rather irrelevant to the hardwood.

I disagree that conference affiliation is irrelevant. The schools you mentioned are the exception rather than the rule. If you look back at the teams making the Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final Four over the past 2 decades, the VAST majority are from the BCS leagues, or the "Big 6."

Sure, it's possible to succeed and build a strong program in leagues like the MVC, A-10, CUSA, etc, but I would say that it's probably more difficult, which just makes Calipari's job at Memphis all the more impressive.

esayem Wrote:2 things:

UNLV actually won just 1 national championship.

Conference affiliation is not important: Gonzaga, Butler, So. Illinois, Xavier to name a few current examples. Those schools would shard on half the Huge East, sorry 16 is ridiculous. I am not dissing the conference, just pointing out BCS conference affiliation is rather irrelevant to the hardwood.

Those schools would "shard" half of the overrated and bloated ACC, not dissing your conference, just pointing that out.

esayem Wrote:2 things:

UNLV actually won just 1 national championship.

Conference affiliation is not important: Gonzaga, Butler, So. Illinois, Xavier to name a few current examples. Those schools would shard on half the Huge East, sorry 16 is ridiculous. I am not dissing the conference, just pointing out BCS conference affiliation is rather irrelevant to the hardwood.

You're making it seem like UNLV didn't accomplish much. They won a national title, and then went undefeated the following year all the way to the Final Four and lost. That was a great run by UNLV.

Cal will be in the HoF, no matter what league he's in.

3601 Wrote:I don't think there are many other coaches out there right now who could have done what he's done at Memphis...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/c...lick-refer

You have a CUSA board for that stuff too...
http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=439

CatsClaw Wrote:

esayem Wrote:2 things:

UNLV actually won just 1 national championship.

Conference affiliation is not important: Gonzaga, Butler, So. Illinois, Xavier to name a few current examples. Those schools would shard on half the Huge East, sorry 16 is ridiculous. I am not dissing the conference, just pointing out BCS conference affiliation is rather irrelevant to the hardwood.

You're making it seem like UNLV didn't accomplish much. They won a national title, and then went undefeated the following year all the way to the Final Four and lost. That was a great run by UNLV.

Nice try, but all I was saying is they won a single title, not multiple.

UNLV was a great program. I don't care if they cheated...everyone does it, they got caught. I'd rather see UNLV on tv everynight over Duke or Kentucky.


Calipari is dirty...didn't cbssportsline do a big piece on it during the offseason about some basketball mafia guy that gets him all these 5 stars?

esayem Wrote:

CatsClaw Wrote:

esayem Wrote:2 things:

UNLV actually won just 1 national championship.

Conference affiliation is not important: Gonzaga, Butler, So. Illinois, Xavier to name a few current examples. Those schools would shard on half the Huge East, sorry 16 is ridiculous. I am not dissing the conference, just pointing out BCS conference affiliation is rather irrelevant to the hardwood.

You're making it seem like UNLV didn't accomplish much. They won a national title, and then went undefeated the following year all the way to the Final Four and lost. That was a great run by UNLV.

Nice try, but all I was saying is they won a single title, not multiple.

BCS conference affiliation is unimportant?

That has got to be news to the schools you listed (gonzaga, butler, Xavier, So Ill) since not only have none of them ever been to a championship game, not a single one has ever been to a final four.

Here are some quick ones for you...

Q: 2000 -2007 there have been 28 final four spots. How many were reached by non-bcs schools????
A: 3 -George Mason, Marquette Louisville

Q 1990-2000 there were 40 final four spots How many were reached by non-bcs schools???
A: 3 - Umass, Cincinnati, UNLV

Soooo in the last 17 years of basketball 6 teams out of 68 have reached the final four that weren't part of a BCS conference. If you subtract out the ones in that group that are now BCS schools ( Cincinnati, Marquette, Louisville) it leaves you with 3 total schools in 17 years who have made it to a final four. None made it to the championship game.

Still think BCS affiliation isn't an issue on the hardwood?

stpnum4 Wrote:Calipari is dirty...

This is said all the time of Cal, but where is the proof? In 16 years as a college coach, he has done nothing to get a program put on NCAA probation (and before you bring up Camby at UMass, Calipari was cleared in that episode...that involves Camby taking money from an agent, not Calipari giving money to Camby). He has never even done anything to have a program put under investigation. But, somehow, he is "dirty", "crooked" and a "slimeball".

KState1125 Wrote:

3601 Wrote:I don't think there are many other coaches out there right now who could have done what he's done at Memphis...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/c...lick-refer

You have a CUSA board for that stuff too...
http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=439

Nobody asked you. First of all, the story references multiple Big East schools. Secondly, Cal has been discussed on this board for years.

wvucrazed Wrote:I've always liked Calipari. His teams at UMASS were always exciting to watch. We had some great battles with UMASS back in the A-10 days.

How many of you know that Memphis played AT UMass while Calipari was the coach there (1996?)? It was nationally televised: they were ranked #1 and we were ranked #2. UMass won by one point, as I remember.

Gray Avenger Wrote:

wvucrazed Wrote:I've always liked Calipari. His teams at UMASS were always exciting to watch. We had some great battles with UMASS back in the A-10 days.

How many of you know that Memphis played AT UMass while Calipari was the coach there (1996?)? It was nationally televised: they were ranked #1 and we were ranked #2. UMass won by one point, as I remember.

Minor corrections. We were ranked #3. We lost 64-61.

3601 Wrote:

Gray Avenger Wrote:

wvucrazed Wrote:I've always liked Calipari. His teams at UMASS were always exciting to watch. We had some great battles with UMASS back in the A-10 days.

How many of you know that Memphis played AT UMass while Calipari was the coach there (1996?)? It was nationally televised: they were ranked #1 and we were ranked #2. UMass won by one point, as I remember.

Minor corrections. We were ranked #3. We lost 64-61.

I knew I could count on you (easier than looking it up). Daddy taught me to always err in my favor.

Eastside_J Wrote:

esayem Wrote:

CatsClaw Wrote:

esayem Wrote:2 things:

UNLV actually won just 1 national championship.

Conference affiliation is not important: Gonzaga, Butler, So. Illinois, Xavier to name a few current examples. Those schools would shard on half the Huge East, sorry 16 is ridiculous. I am not dissing the conference, just pointing out BCS conference affiliation is rather irrelevant to the hardwood.

You're making it seem like UNLV didn't accomplish much. They won a national title, and then went undefeated the following year all the way to the Final Four and lost. That was a great run by UNLV.

Nice try, but all I was saying is they won a single title, not multiple.

BCS conference affiliation is unimportant?

That has got to be news to the schools you listed (gonzaga, butler, Xavier, So Ill) since not only have none of them ever been to a championship game, not a single one has ever been to a final four.

Here are some quick ones for you...

Q: 2000 -2007 there have been 28 final four spots. How many were reached by non-bcs schools????
A: 3 -George Mason, Marquette Louisville

Q 1990-2000 there were 40 final four spots How many were reached by non-bcs schools???
A: 3 - Umass, Cincinnati, UNLV

Soooo in the last 17 years of basketball 6 teams out of 68 have reached the final four that weren't part of a BCS conference. If you subtract out the ones in that group that are now BCS schools ( Cincinnati, Marquette, Louisville) it leaves you with 3 total schools in 17 years who have made it to a final four. None made it to the championship game.

Still think BCS affiliation isn't an issue on the hardwood?

Can you tell me what that has to do with the BCS tag? Didn't think so. BCS stands for Bowl Championship Series, not Basketball Conference Superiority. When a non-BCS team beats a BCS team in football then it is big news a lot of the time, in basketball it happens on the daily. Final Fours and championships are hard enough to reach and most big time programs only have the strength to get there; it is the program/coach which is most important for college basketball, not the BCS. Thanks for your time.

esayem Wrote:

Eastside_J Wrote:

esayem Wrote:

CatsClaw Wrote:

esayem Wrote:2 things:

UNLV actually won just 1 national championship.

Conference affiliation is not important: Gonzaga, Butler, So. Illinois, Xavier to name a few current examples. Those schools would shard on half the Huge East, sorry 16 is ridiculous. I am not dissing the conference, just pointing out BCS conference affiliation is rather irrelevant to the hardwood.

You're making it seem like UNLV didn't accomplish much. They won a national title, and then went undefeated the following year all the way to the Final Four and lost. That was a great run by UNLV.

Nice try, but all I was saying is they won a single title, not multiple.

BCS conference affiliation is unimportant?

That has got to be news to the schools you listed (gonzaga, butler, Xavier, So Ill) since not only have none of them ever been to a championship game, not a single one has ever been to a final four.

Here are some quick ones for you...

Q: 2000 -2007 there have been 28 final four spots. How many were reached by non-bcs schools????
A: 3 -George Mason, Marquette Louisville

Q 1990-2000 there were 40 final four spots How many were reached by non-bcs schools???
A: 3 - Umass, Cincinnati, UNLV

Soooo in the last 17 years of basketball 6 teams out of 68 have reached the final four that weren't part of a BCS conference. If you subtract out the ones in that group that are now BCS schools ( Cincinnati, Marquette, Louisville) it leaves you with 3 total schools in 17 years who have made it to a final four. None made it to the championship game.

Still think BCS affiliation isn't an issue on the hardwood?

Can you tell me what that has to do with the BCS tag? Didn't think so. BCS stands for Bowl Championship Series, not Basketball Conference Superiority. When a non-BCS team beats a BCS team in football then it is big news a lot of the time, in basketball it happens on the daily. Final Fours and championships are hard enough to reach and most big time programs only have the strength to get there; it is the program/coach which is most important for college basketball, not the BCS. Thanks for your time.

He made a good point though Esayem. You look at all of the basketball schools, of which there are well over 300. Then you look at the basketball programs that play in bcs conferences, of which there are only 73. Why is it that the overwhelming majority of the times that the 73 bcs schools are winning the national championships and getting to the final 4? I dont believe its a coincidence. I think also that the BCS does not directly have much to do with basketball, but it does indirectly allow the bcs basketball schools some significant advantages, such as much higher revenues and being able to pay more for good basketball coaches and facilities, being on tv more often etc... Most of the bcs conferences all play major football. Its also interesting that it has been 20 years or more since a basketball school that doesnt play D1a football has won it all as well.