Did I not get the memo about Tuesday? Was 5/22/12 National “Let’s Make Stupid Decisions” Day? Because the top stories in college hoops are all centered around dumb ideas
- But before we get to that, you gotta read some Luke Winn. It’s not exactly his power rankings, but any Luke Winn article with charts and graphs is worth your time
- Dumb idea #1 - The Crosstown Shootout is going to move for a neutral site for two years. This is good why? Did the environment in the Cintas Center last year cause the brawl? No. Did fans hurl beer cans and storm the floor? No. Then why move? This is change for the sake of change, and in this case, change is not good. “But this is better than canceling the series all together”, right? If they cancelled the series because of one brawl, well, don’t even get me started on that
- But as Banners on the Parkway informs us, it’s not a done deal yet. Let’s hope they are right
- If the Crosstown Shootout is continuing, despite a brawl, then why exactly isn’t Kentucky playing Indiana again?
- Dumb idea #2 - expanding the Big East Tournament to 18 teams. “But it’s only two more teams than last year” Yeah, but now there is no West Virginia, Pittsburgh or Syracuse. Coaches want it, but I can assure you than fans and media members don’t. But alas, nobody ever listens to the fans or the media
- Andy Katz provides some insight in the scheduling issues that will arise with the addition/subtraction of Big East teams
- Dumb idea #3 - Texas as the top team in 2013-2014. We’re not even halfway done with 2012 yet
- Jeff Goodman provides a list of all the participants in the upcoming NBA Draft combine, which will take place June 7-8 in Chicago
- Dumb idea #4 - Half of the ACC leaving for the Big-XII. Kansas State vs. Clemson? Yeah, we’re all just clamoring to see that one
- Andy Glockner previews the top impact transfers to watch out for next season. There are a bunch of instant transfers like Mark Lyons and Alex Oriakhi that will make an immediate splash, but don;t forget about guys who sat out last year, like Louisville’s Luck Hancock, Kentucky’s Ryan Harrow, and West Virginia’s Aaric Murray
- Mike Huguenin previews the top newcomers in 2012-2013 in non-power conferences
- Dumb idea #5 - Duke and UNC in the SEC? I’m just going to act like that didn’t just happen
- Here are a bunch of different conference expansion scenarios that could take place. None of them sound all that appealing
- Jason King wonders if Mike Groce can get Illinois back on track. The former-Ohio head coach made waves during the NCAA Tournament, but can he navigate the murky waters of the Chicago recruiting circuit?
- King’s co-workers, Eamonn Brennan and Myron Medcalf, wonder if the Illinois job is overrated or not
- Smart idea #1 - Continuing the Hoosier state “Crossroads Classic”. Every state needs to have one of these. The only thing getting in the way of other states doing this is egos
- Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey will become the new head coach at Binghamton
- An awesome list of five coaches who can put struggling programs back on the map. No surprise to see Frank Martin and South Carolina on this list
- Michigan probably won’t embrace the Fab-Five era, and outspoken NBA analyst Jalen Rose is not bitter about it
- Mike DeCourcy ranks the top-25 teams in the country heading in to the 2012-2013 season
- Of course the SEC is thinking about starting it’s own television network. All the cool kids are doing it
- Virginia Tech has gotten back on track by snagging UNC-Wilmington transfer Adam Smith. The freshman guard started 29 games for the Seahawks and was second on the team with 13.9ppg
- The Church of Bracketology takes a quick look at the death of the mid-major, which depending on how you look at it, can be perceived as a good thing
- You probably don’t have time to watch the whole thing, but this is a remarkable documentary about New Hampshire senior (and fellow Gunnery School graduate) Alvin Abreu
Troy Machir is the managing editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @TroyMachir.