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I’ve been waiting for this one. I originally planned on posting this video after Bobby Knight broke Dean Smith’s record for wins, but for two reasons, I’ve decided to post it early:

1) Adolph Rupp - whom Bobby Knight passed on the all-time wins list tonight - was a son of a bitch. Don’t even begin to think that I’m basing that opinion on that worthless movie Glory Road, either. Because Disney didn’t even have the guts to mention the reason I don’t like Adolph Rupp:

During his tenure as Kentucky’s head coach, he called the editor of the New York Times and asked him to put an asterisk next to black players in the box scores.

Why?

He wanted to know which ones - despite their great stats - he shouldn’t bother to recruit.

Congratulations, Adolph. You make the RFS “Up Yours” list along with Billy Packer and Jim Nantz.

2) This halftime speech by Bobby Knight - seriously - brings a tear to my eye. I played high school basketball, and had some hard-ass coaches. I played college basketball, and had a hard-ass coach there as well. This speech brings a tear to my eye, because… we’ll never have another coach like him. The game has changed so much that the prima donna high schoolers don’t want to play for coaches like Knight… which means that coaches like Knight cease to develop.

I’m not saying that I subscribe to abusive behavior, but Bobby Knight is a credit to the game. He’s made everyone around him better, and added flavor to the game. I don’t think I would have survived, but I would have loved to play for him.

*Warning - there’s a lot of language in the clip*

“YOU GUYS WILL RUN UNTIL YOU CAN’T EVEN SUFFER!”

Until you CAN’T… EVEN… SUFFER.

Does anyone have a hanky? I need one. Greatness. Pure… freaking… greatness.

“After this shoot is done and I can quit smiling, I’m going to make you run lines until you puke”

Now would probably be the right time to mention my favorite scene from “Knight School”, which aired on ESPN last year:

During a practice session focusing on half court offense, a wing threw an entry pass to a post player with his back to the basket in the short corner (the area between the block and the 3 point line).

Coach Knight blows the whistle and says

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“GOD-DAMMIT!!! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU THROWING IT TO HIM THERE!?!?!?! DO YOU KNOW THE ONLY THING A GUY CAN DO WITH THE BALL IN THAT SPOT?!?!?!”
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At that point, The General gets a basketball and PUNTS it 30 rows up into the stands. Hilarious, entertaining, and educational.

Because if you’ve ever played basketball, you know that the short corner isn’t worth shit, except for a defense that likes to trap the post.

By the way, I just remembered - Myles Brand has officially been added to the RFS “Up Yours” list.

On to the notebook…

WHAT I LEARNED IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL THIS WEEKEND:

I learned that Indiana is decent, but they ain’t ready - Kentucky is NOT a good team. And I’m not just saying that because I don’t like Tubby. RFS will continue to look for opportunities to bet against them.

George Mason is NOT the George Mason from last year. Jai Lewis and Tony Skinn left a bigger hole than expected. That being said, I thought they played pretty well at Duke, who is susceptible.

I learned that either (1) I am a genius for picking UA-LR over Minny, or (2) that Minnesota’s problems are deeper than expected. I didn’t see enough clips of the game to ascertain whether UALR pressed Minny. But they won. On second thought, I’m going with #1.

Kansas is a wild card. No disrespect to Toledo, but… wild card. That’s all I can say. Please keep winning, Bill…

Wisconsin keeps traipsing along that road toward their first upset (Note - RFS doesn’t consider their loss to Missouri State an upset). Mark my words - they’re susceptible. I hope to be there when they stumble. Nice win against Marquette though.

Watch out for Michigan State. No evidence, just a feeling.

Texas A&M is the real deal. Took UCLA to the wire, and they were shooting horribly from the field. They just need a little fine tuning on shot selection, and there’s no doubt in my mind that Billy Clyde will take care of that. To all of you bandwagoners out there, this team is WAY more than Joseph Jones and Acie Law. To everyone that appreciates quality basketball, watch the way aTm plays half-court defense. Beautiful. A close second to Southern Illinois. I smell a future RFS Bunker Buster when A&M takes on Texas or Kansas.

Like I said, UIC scared the crap out of Illinois.

I can’t honestly say I’ve ever seen a game like GW-USC. USC was in control early, up 12-10. Then they went cold, and by cold I mean absolute-freaking-zero.

G-Dub scored the first 7 points of the second half for a 36-16 lead. Read that last sentence again.

USC won the game, 74-65. Read THAT last sentence again. To everyone that watched on WGN, you were privileged.

Wichita State rolled at Wyoming. One of the last 10 undefeated teams, and the ONLY team that’s beaten two top-25 teams on the road. In a typical “we can’t get anyone to play us” story, Wichita State has gone on the road the last 4 weekends - at George Mason, at LSU, at Syracuse, and at Wyoming. 4-0. To all the chickenshits voting in the polls… give them some credit. That resume is worth a top-8 ranking.

I learned that South Carolina has a nice squad. Baylor is rebounding from the Dave Bliss debacle, but they’re still not worth a 6 point spread at home.

Missouri State. Watch out - they’re pissed after being the highest rated RPI (21) to be left out of the Dance. The Valley’s gonna be wild this year.

I learned that the Indiana State Sycamores are still inclined to upsets. Indiana last year, Butler this year. I really wish I hadn’t bumped my prognostication down from 4 units to 2 units. Nice win, Trees! The Valley of Death has returned…

What happened, Illy State?

If you’re a college hoops junkie and didn’t watch So Illy at Western Kentucky, you missed out. You’ll see the big-time tip-dunk on SportsCenter, but you won’t see (1) pound for pound, the best man-to-man defense in the country from Southern Illinois, (2) a great home court in Kentucky, (3) one of the best point guards in the country in Bryan Mullins - for me, he’s a close second to Raivio. Coach’s son, great handle, smart player, decent-sized - watch out, he’ll use somebody up in the tournament.

THE VALLEY IS FOR REAL… AGAIN - quit kidding yourself if you think otherwise and think you’re actually informed about college basketball. Rest assured I’ll be writing another column about this before the conference schedule starts. In the interim, here’s a piece of trivia - there are only two conferences that have every team above a .500 winning percentage…

The ACC and the MVC. And the MVC plays 75% of their games on the road.

For the 8th time, Billy… up yours!

Bonus Bobby Knight Material #1:

Bonus Bobby Knight Material #2:

Bonus Bobby Knight Material #3:

Just in case you’re wondering, the “NBA vs. Fuzzy Frogs” quote cracks the RFS top 5 all-time basketball quotes list.

Pickstravaganza #2 - RFS was on FYYYY-YAH. 16-6 against the spread, + 23 units, not including Zaga. And that was including misses on Kansas (I hate) and Wichita State (I love). Bunker Buster #1 was a hit, as Creighton handled #24 Xavier. If Danny Sheridan is reading this, I’m totally open to a buyout… as long as I retain creative control.

Here’s the updated statistics:

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Cumulative Prognostication Record: 34-20-3 (63%)

Cumulative Prognostication Net Units: +31
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I’ve got some better clips, but I’m saving them. This one’s still really solid for two reasons: (1) I’ve always been a fan of high-flyers, and David Thompson … aka Luke Skywalker… was certainly one of them, and (2) I’ve always been a fan of Bill Walton getting ‘faced. Worst… announcer… EVER!

Luke Skywalker Soars

Anyway – the YouTube video is available only via link, so I can’t post it on this page. The footage isn’t very easy to see, but let your imagination do the work – 6’3” David Thompson gets up against 7-footer Bill Walton. Watch the video here.

YES! IN THE FACE!!!!

1. RFS Pickstravaganza #2 – See below for the picks, plus RFS Bunker Buster #1 (copyrighted). In case you’re wondering, it’s named Bunker Buster because if it misses it can destroy your house.

(3 units) Indiana + 6 @ Kentucky

(1 unit) George Mason + 14 @ Duke

(1 unit) UALR + 9 @ Minnesota

(1 unit) Drexel + 10.5 @ Villanova

(2 units) Kansas – 17.5 vs. Toledo

(2 units) Missouri + 5 @ Purdue

(2 units) Wisconsin + 3 @ Marquette

(2 units) Michigan St - 7 vs. BYU

(2 units) DePaul + 3 @ UAB

(1 unit) Texas A&M + 6 @ UCLA

(1 unit) UI-Chicago + 11 @ Illinois

(3 units) USC – 3.5 vs. GW

(1 unit) Wyoming + 6.5 vs. Wichita State

(4 units) South Carolina + 6 @ Baylor

(2 units) Memphis - 15 vs. Ole Miss

(2 units) Missouri St – 8.5 @ UNC-Wilmington

(2 units) Indiana State + 10 vs. Butler

(1 unit) Oklahoma St - 14 vs. Ball St

(1 unit) Gon-Zaga - 6 vs. Washington

(3 units) Southern Illinois + 2.5 @ Western Kentucky

(5 units) Creighton + 2 vs. Xavier

(4 units) Illinois St + 2 @ Evansville

(2 units) Colorado State – 2.5 @ Colorado

I think Indiana and Kelvin are ready to put the hurt on a big-time school.

I think George Mason is weaker than expected, but I also think they have three guards better than Greg Paulus.

I think UALR is… I have no idea. But if their coaches aren’t idiots, they’ll press Minnesota and pick up a nice win against a Big Ten contender.

I think Missouri is a team on the rise, and I think that Purdue wishes that they hadn’t thought Matt Painter was the second coming of Gene Keady.

I think Michigan State is ready to blow up.

I think DePaul is ready to say they’re not a fluke.

I think Texas A&M is a badass mofo of team… if they can only get themselves to believe it.

I think UIC will scare the shit out of a mediocre Iliinois.

I think Wichita State will pound the shit out of Wyoming, but I can’t bring myself to pick it. GO SHOCKS!!!!!!!

I think South Carolina will take offense at the big spread at Baylor.

I think Memphis is going to prove their dominance after being embarrassed at Tennessee.

I think Missouri State is going to prove their dominance! GO VALLEY!

I think Indiana State is good enough to win. It’s midnight, Cinderella! Go Trees!

I think Oklahoma State is ready to make run after embarrassing the ‘Cuse in the Garden.

‘Zaga was going to be my Bunker Buster, but they’re still favored by 6. I was counting on the line being much smaller (or a pick ‘em) after the Washington State debacle. If it was a pick-em , I’d say back the truck up. ‘Zaga will win, though. Washington’s 7-footer is overrated and Appleby would struggle to score at a D-3 school. Raivio and Pargo run circles around Dentmon and Appleby, and unless Zaga is unbelievably cold from the field… the better team wins in a walk.

I think Southern Illinois will handle Western Kentucky.

I think Creighton HAS TO HANDLE Xavier, and has morphed into the first RFS Bunker Buster. I like Xavier, and Drew Lavender is a great guard. Had the ball bounced the right way a couple of times, they could have taken down ‘Bama earlier this season. But Creighton has stumbled enough that the preseason favorite in the Valley is NOW GETTING TWO POINTS AT HOME. It’s risky, but I believe in them. You have no choice, Jays… this is your season - if you don’t win this, you’re going to have to win the Valley or the Valley tournament to get a ticket to the Dance.

I think Illinois State is easily better than E-ville.

And finally, I think that Colo St is showing something. If they can handle Kansas State, they can handle Colorado!

And lastly… DISCLAIMER… I think I made these picks at 2AM after my company’s Christmas party. Good luck!

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I don’t know why they didn’t edit the first kid out of the video, but watch the second kid.

Check back with RFS on Friday night/Saturday morning for Pickstravaganza #2.

Popularity: 3% [?]

In honor of the first RFS “Pickstravaganza”, here’s a highlight reel from one of the most dominant athletic squads in college basketball history. Clyde the Glide and Akeem the Dream… beautiful.

Too bad Guy V. Lewis couldn’t teach Akeem to box out.

As always, past performance is no guarantee of future results. Looking at past results, that may actually be a good thing. The spreads are what I got online from Vegas.com (DannySheridan.com – my usual source – wasn’t posting spreads yet).

(1 unit) North Carolina – 10.5 vs. Kentucky

(1 unit) Northeastern – 1.5 vs. UNC-Wilmington

(1 unit) James Madison + 17.5 @ Old Dominion

(1 unit) Minnesota - 3 vs. Arizona St

(2 units) LSU – 17.5 @ Tulane

(1 unit) St. Joe’s – 3.5 vs. Drexel

(1 unit) Ball St - 5 vs. Indiana St

(3 units) Kansas – 9.5 @ DePaul

(2 units) TCU + 16 @ Oklahoma

(1 unit) Gonzaga – 1.5 vs. Texas

(3 units) Southern Illinois - 9 vs. Saint Louis

(2 units) St. Mary’s + 3 @ Seton Hall

(1 unit) Hofstra – 14.5 vs. Georgia St

(4 units) Kansas St + 3 @ Colorado St

(2 units) Rutgers + 5 vs. Nebraska

(1 unit) Indiana – 9 vs. Charlotte

(1 unit) Wichita St + 4.5 @ Syracuse

(1 unit) Georgetown + 7.5 @ Duke

(1 unit) Pacific + 19 @ Texas A&M

(1 unit) Manhattan + 27.5 @ Memphis

I think UNC is ready to make a statement, even though I also think they’re overrated.

I think Northeastern is ready to prove that college basketball is a home court game.

I think James Madison is getting a helluva lotta points and that even though I don’t know anything about them… if they don’t actually have James Madison himself playing for them I’m comfortable with the pick.

I would normally stay away from this game, but in honor of the Pickstravaganza I’m willing to go on the record that Minnesota’s coaching turmoil will cause the troops to rally (note – scientists have concluded that exactly 50% of the time the opposite happens).

I think LSU is pissed about the Wichita State loss and is looking to make a statement.

I think I’m picking too many damn games when I pick St. Joe’s over Drexel. But who can argue against the Palestra?

I think I hate picking against the Valley, but Indiana State wasn’t worth a damn without David Moss last year, and I don’t think they added anybody of significance this year. I respect the fairly close game at Indiana, but I’m not sold. Ball State rolls.

I think Kansas is a complete freaking wild card because of their style (fast and loose) and their personnel (underclassmen). Part of me looks at this game and says “they’re gonna come out flat after beating Florida”. But the other part of me says “they rebounded from the Oral Bob loss, are juiced from the Florida win, and they’re ready to make a statement about their claim to #1 votes in the polls”. If the 3s are falling at better than 35%, I say it’s Kansas by 20.

I think Oklahoma is a terrible team in search of identity. I don’t know anything about TCU, but I’m willing to go on the record against OU – a dangerous proposition with a BCS team… at home… with a new coach…. that came from Duke and isn’t used to losing…

I think I flipped a coin to pick Zaga over the Horns. But I’m fine with that. By any possible measure, Zaga is the better team… but UT has more physical ability in the form of Durant et al. The coaching mismatch is a joke – Mark Few is Randall P. McMurphy and Rick Barnes is Martini (see One Flew Over the Cuckoo’ Nest if you don’t know what I’m talking about.. Seriously – just watch Rick Barnes’ facial expression at the end of the game, and tell me you can’t see him saying “I bet five cents” while grinning in a lobotomical fashion. I don’t even know if lobotomical is a word, but it fits. See my CHN #4 for more rant on Texas.

I think Southern Illinois is the best half-court defensive team I’ve seen since… maybe ever, on a pound-for-pound basis. Seriously – some people don’t like their style, but if you’ve got a son that’s learning how to play basketball… make him watch a Salukis game. Ball pressure, ball tracing, trapping, help-side rotation… it’s all there. Mullins is a prototype PG, and Young and Tatum are warriors. What makes it tough is that all of these guys from Mullins to Falker to Shaw are offensively challenged. I think I hate picking them to cover 9 (since that’s equivalent to 15 points for a team that can score more easily), but they’re another statement team.

I think St. Mary’s is a decent team going on the road against a Seton Hall team that got the shee-ite kicked out of it in the NCAA tournament by Wichita State.

I think Hofstra is a dark horse that isn’t being treated like one. I don’t know Georgia State, but the Pickstravaganza dictates my opinion on this one. Write it down now, Hofstra will make noise in the NCAA tournament coming out of the CAA.

I think I’m out of my mind, leaning this hard into Kansas State. They looked abso-freaking-mutha-freaking-lutely HORRENDOUS against Cal. Seriously. The Wildcats’ point guard in particular. He can’t be a PG by trade, because I’ve never seen a D-1 (or D-3, for that matter) PG spend that much time trying to look good while achieving so little – i.e. he spends a ridiculous amount of time on lateral, behind-the-legs, behind-the-back dribbling instead of doing his job, which is to advance the ball and start the offense. But… the ‘Cats still have hosses. 7’3” Jason Bennett looks like a teenager in terms of coordination getting up and down, but he blocks a ton of shots and alters even more. In addition, Cartier Martin is the real deal. And most of all… I have it on good authority that Bob Huggins is a mean sonuvabitch, and that after a 35 point loss at Cal – CAL – I’m willing to bet that Huggy Bear has already asked each player to complete a final will and testament just in case they look like crap against Colorado State. Then again… they could be ready to pack it in and wait for Bill Walker. But you know what I think.

I think I was shocked that Nebraska beat Creighton. But I also think they’re overrated, and I think that Rutgers is pissed off about being a Big East team that’s been embarrassed by MVC teams. Another statement game. Rutgers runs away in Piscataway.

I think Indiana has some momentum after a nailbiter at (overrated) Duke. I initially picked Charlotte to cover this one, but Kelvin’s gonna get the kids on a roll.

I think I’d rather pick my nose with a razor blade than pick against Wichita State. Watch out for Paul Harris on ‘Cuse… but if ‘Cuse insists on playing their matchup zone… all the Shocks have to do is knock down the 3s – and 8 of their top 10 guys can shoot it. This is a statement game for both teams.

I think I’m out of my mind picking Georgetown at Duke. Georgetown has struggled, and there’s no bigger home-court advantage in basketball than Cameron Indoor. That being said… if G’Town hadn’t struggled recently this would be a 3 or 4 point line since Duke doesn’t have anyone who can control Roy Hibbert inside.

I think I hate picking against Texas A&M again, and I don’t know anything about Pacific except that they’re a quality program that – over the last 3 years anyway – is one of the best passing offenses I’ve ever seen. I love aTm’s program and I think they’re going to do great things. But 19 against a quality team ? Tough. Then again… maybe they continue their AVERAGE 31 point margin of victory. Insane.

I think I don’t know anything about Manhattan. I assume Bobby Gonzalez didn’t leave the cupboard completely bare before he jumped to Seton Hall, but I don’t know. And I know that Calipari is the big bad mofo of C-USA with Memphis. But I know that I like a bunch of NYC kids with 27.5 points.

Good luck, and Digg this if you can. The RFS Cumulative Prognostication is heading into uncharted waters…

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Cumulative Prognostication Record: 7-6-1 (54%)

Cumulative Prognostication Net Units: +6
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Popularity: 4% [?]