Let's Go Ahead and Start an NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON Thread.

It's hardly the players' fault, after all, and it's not really even Krzyzewski's fault. Sure, he works it bigtime and he's a whiner and he gets a Visa commercial for himself, whatever, all college coaches whine and work whatever angle they can. He seems like an okay guy for a college coach, anger issues aside, and he seems to be in his players' corner.

Do I love Duke? No. I'm a Badger fan in the Bo Ryan era, I love UNC much more than Duke, I hate Christian Laettner, blah blah blah. But do I want to do that thing where I go around professionally hating a whole team just because Dick Vitale sucks the great teat? Not really, who cares about that? If they're good, they're good, and they usually are.

I think Texas will be great this year. I think the Big Ten is a lot tougher than people know, but the ACC is clearly tougher. Never ever pick Cincinnati to win the NCAA Tournament. That is all I know.

Sorry, had to do it - I know it does sound spiteful and petty but really the only thing I really care about this season wrt college hoops is that Dook doesn't take the crown and tie us for titles 4-4.

The young Heels will struggle but will surprise some people, believe it, and I have no doubt they'll be dancing (however briefly) in March.

Maybe this ought to be spun off into a Rolling Kick-Ass Basketball Analysis thread, but this column by the great Paul Daugherty is a must-read:

Everyone needs to move on. But this story wears the scent of permanence. It's this generation's version of the Pete Rose soap-saga. From now on, every time a college coach does something unjustifiable and keeps his job, we will hear how UC "fired" Huggins. Every time a school loses scholarships for not graduating players, we'll hear that Huggins' players graduated.

What's worse, every time Andy Kennedy's Bearcats lose a game this season they're expected to win, they'd have won if Huggins had been coaching. The ex-coach even visits practice. All his former players have his cell phone number. Is this helpful to Kennedy?

On Wednesday, Huggins allowed that "way more than five" schools already have expressed an interest in hiring him. Here's a question: Why do the athletic directors at the way-more-than-five still have jobs today? Don't they have coaches now?

Ethics? We don't need no stinkin' ethics.

Unless, of course, none of the ADs knew of the interest their schools supposedly expressed, in which case they should still be fired, for general incompetence.

wva almost over texas tonight was a great game. good to see west virginia take them to the final seconds, though a win would have been sweet. outrebounded. at times it looked like the texas guys just kinda stepped right past the entire team and were just fighting amongst themselves for the ball.

anger issues aside, and he seems to be in his players' corner

i dunno how you can have anger issues and be in your players' corner. dude has no loyalty. i remember last year watchin him literally pushing shavlick randolph into a chair and berate the kid. didn't seem to be in his corner. now, randolph was all hype, but coach k bought it and recruited him. and he certainly wasnt in his corner when he essentially cut randolph after not living up to expectations. lame.

too bad you wouldn't know if listening to espn's pancake-flat play-by-play. geez guys, did you miss a dinner reservation or something??

jesus h. christ what a game. That was March-like action right there, my friend. Can't believe Sparty lost that one: they got the first lead in all three overtimes, and they had a chance to seal victory in the last two ... but Neitzel steps on the baseline (!?) and then that freshman misses a dunk (!!??), and the Zags prevail. Gonzaga is one hell of a team. great great great game.

(Ungh.)

Kentucky will be able to play some defense, but they cannot shoot for crap in the field or at the line. The theme to their season will be "winning ugly".

also, looking forward to/dreading another acc/big ten challenge next week. acc will take it again, but man, north carolina/illinos is gonna be slopp-E.