Tubby Smith reportedly out at Minnesota, Rich Pitino to replace

• reclegend22

  

  Azubuike24;1417318 wrote:Wichita State returns 7 of their top 10 scorers. They also bring in a decent transfer and Freshman PG. They might not make the Final Four again, but they certainly will have a high quality team.
  
  To think he would do anything but laugh at MINNESOTA, is insane.
  
  I could see him ending up at Missouri after next year when Frank Haith's BS and terrible underachieving catches up to him. It would be a natural move.

  John Groce had everyone back at Ohio from a Sweet 16 team that was an overtime session away from playing for a trip to the Final Four. And he bolted anyway for a generally underachieving Illinois program -- at least under Bruce Webber. Illinois is obviously a MUCH better job basketball-wise than Minnesota, but I don't think that Marshall returning everyone will factor into his decision as much as a big contract with a major conference team would, if the right deal comes along.
  
  Examples of schools that I could see Marshall leaving for, if they were open, are Washington, Arkansas, Wake Forest, Missouri (as Azu pointed out), Baylor, etc. Not sure if any of those will open up this year, but all could be soon.
• Laley23

  

  WSU is also in a MUCH better conference than the freaking MAC. Ohio might not have even been the best team with Akron and they had no shot at an at-large. WSU will be in the tourney no matter what unless its a complete fuck up season. With Creighton gone, who is even gonna touch them?
• Azubuike24

  

  Nobody. The MVC is no longer a great mid-major league. Some of the once proud programs are abysmal. Bradley and Southern Illinois. Nobody will challenge WSU next year...the teams who finished 2-5 in the league all lose a majority of their team.
• ts1227

  

  Laley23;1417550 wrote:WSU is also in a MUCH better conference than the freaking MAC. Ohio might not have even been the best team with Akron and they had no shot at an at-large. WSU will be in the tourney no matter what unless its a complete fuck up season. With Creighton gone, who is even gonna touch them?

  Depends on the year. The MAC was horrid this year, but the MVC was horrid the year before that (2 good teams and a bunch of turds, like the MAC this year)
  
  The difference is the MVC's 2 (soon to be 1) good teams are one level above the MAC's 2 good teams. But the rest of both conferences are horseshit.
  
  MVC is definitely better, but it's not usually by leaps and bounds like this year.
• Azubuike24

  

  You also have to compare the venues and fan support in the MVC compared to the MAC. It's not close. The MVC actually has an incredibly rich basketball tradition, not only some of the programs but many of the geographical areas as well.
  
  The MAC...not so much...
• Laley23

  

  ts1227;1417558 wrote:Depends on the year. The MAC was horrid this year, but the MVC was horrid the year before that (2 good teams and a bunch of turds, like the MAC this year)
  
  The difference is the MVC's 2 (soon to be 1) good teams are one level above the MAC's 2 good teams. But the rest of both conferences are horseshit.
  
  MVC is definitely better, but it's not usually by leaps and bounds like this year.

  You dont have to go back too far for the year the MVC was pushing for 5 teams in the NCAAs and constantly getting multiple bids (without the best team losing...). MAC hasnt been on that level, probably ever, and certainly not recently. Though I agree, recently the MVC is trending down...but the MAC isnt really trending up, just kind of staying a 1 bid league.
• ts1227

  

  The MAC was looking like it may trend up in that 2010-12 time frame, at least the East, then they gave it all back and then some this year. It was horrible.
• Azubuike24

  

  2012-13 attendance figures. Missouri Valley 8 of 31. Average attendance 7,064. Mid American 16 of 31. Average attendance 2,970. The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament drew 62,283 while the MAC Tournament drew 30,549. The average venue size in the MVC is almost 2.2 times the size of that in the MAC. It's just not much of a comparison...
• ts1227

  

  Oh yeah, fans don't care in the MAC outside of basically Ohio, Toledo, and Kent. EMU drew 302 for their opening round MAC tourney game, and their average for the year was like 815.
  
  Most MAC arenas can't hold 7,064.
  
  Some of that comes from the MAC brass hedging their bets on football, whereas the MVC is 1-AA there so it's basketball through and through,
• Pick6

  

  Akron averaged more than 1000 more than Kent a game this year.3782 to 2652.
• gyea36

  For debate's sake, I tend to think this year's Minnesota team would beat Wichita St in a 7 game series...and Minnesota can certainly pay significantly more than Wichita St. Plus the twin cities are very desirable to live in, not to mention being in the best bball league in college. I can see him taking the job if offered.
• gorocks99

  

  It would come down to how much the university has secured in terms of funding for a new practice facility/private jet for the team. The new AD has been apparently hitting the donors up hard for cash for those two things - both of which the Gophs need to compete in the B1G. A coach - especially a proven commodity like Marshall - isn't going to up and leave a good gig without assurances that the things they need to compete in the conference are going to be in place soon.
• ts1227

  

  Pick6;1417629 wrote:Akron averaged more than 1000 more than Kent a game this year.3782 to 2652.

  
  Dambrot has been pushing hard to get asses in seats there, glad to see its starting to work
• Manhattan Buckeye

  grocks have you heard anything about Tony Bennett?
• gorocks99

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;1418921 wrote:grocks have you heard anything about Tony Bennett?

  A little bit of chatter. I think he's an OK coach but his style is borrrrriinnngg. Gophers vs Badgers with Bennett and Ryan would be a 32-30 affair.
  
  Still, they could do worse.
  
  One name that's getting a lot of buzz in recent days is MSU assistant Dwayne Stephens. Izzo said he had been contacted for a head coaching position recently.
• reclegend22

  

  I imagine Tony Bennett, if were going to take any Big Ten job, would hold out for Wisconsin. Bo Ryan isn't going to be around more than five or six more years, in my view, and if Bennett is able to get Virginia back to the tournament level year in, year out, he would be a fairly seamless transition in terms of style of play that is pretty much required for success at Wisconsin. Bennett is from Green Bay and coached for several years under his father's regime with the Badgers and later under Bo Ryan. He's deeply-rooted within the state.
  
  No way he leaves the ACC for Minnesota.
• gorocks99

  

  New name is Rich Pitino, FIU's coach.
  
  Not sure if gusta.
• wildcats20

  

  gorocks99;1419073 wrote:New name is Rich Pitino, FIU's coach.
  
  Not sure if gusta.

  
  Looks like it is all but official...
• gorocks99

  

  wildcats20;1419145 wrote:Looks like it is all but official...

  Yep, Andy Katz saying it's close to finalized.
  
  Still not sure if gusta.
• reclegend22

  

  Would Rutgers have been a better fit for Little Pitino? Like his dad, he has heavy ties in the northeast and it would still be a Big Ten job. He might also be given a bit of a longer leash to really build a program there since there is practically no modern success there.
  
  Minnesota obviously has a better foundation to build upon, though, as a longtime Big Ten program and I assume there will be some quality players left from Tubby's tenure.
• Azubuike24

  

  What will Minnesota's new floor design look like?
• Laley23

  

  Minnesota has 3 studs in the state in 2015. Pitino needs to land them.
• gorocks99

  

  Laley23;1419535 wrote:Minnesota has 3 studs in the state in 2015. Pitino needs to land them.

  Those are 2014 guys (Tyus Jones, Rashad Vaughn are both top-10 guys, Reid Travis a top-50 guy).
  
  It'd be great if he could land them, but I have absolutely zero expectation that Tyus Jones is coming to the U. Apparently none of them was too high on Tubby and Pitino is going to have to work some miracles to land even 1 out of the 3.
• Laley23

  

  I meant 2014. But yeah, he is late to the game, so it will be tough. But Minny doesn't produce studs often, and to go 0/3 would be a major disappointment for the school
• gorocks99

  

  Laley23;1419688 wrote:to go 0/3 would be par for the course for the school

  FIFY