2025 NCAA Tournament 3-20 Discussion Thread

[Boom Soon]

They don’t have talent? Aj Storr averaged 16 a game on a good Wisconsin team. Dickinson,Adams, and Harris are good college players as you referenced. Flory is a very good freshman and has some nba upside. Zeke Mayo averaged 18,18, and then 14 (he can shoot lights out). Rylan Griffin averaged 11 on a final four Alabama team…. If that’s not talent, then I have 0 idea what is. Not every team is going to have 5 nba guys. But that’s a very solid above average roster….

Self is really struggling in the era of the portal. Team lacked cohesion this year

 

[IndySooner]

Self is really struggling in the era of the portal. Team lacked cohesion this year

It’s almost as if he can’t compete in an era where the field has been leveled…

 

[SoonerMagic21]

Self is really struggling in the era of the portal. Team lacked cohesion this year

I would agree. I am just simply stating that there was talent there……

 

[TSSR]

Self is really struggling in the era of the portal. Team lacked cohesion this year

All the older coaches are struggling in this new era. It's interesting to watch and see.

 

[BoulderSooner]

It’s almost as if he can’t compete in an era where the field has been leveled…

they also just spent money on the wrong guy .. dickenson is making a ton there and he is just an ok player .. not a superstar like he is being paid ..

 

[hoopsaustin]

they also just spent money on the wrong guy .. dickenson is making a ton there and he is just an ok player .. not a superstar like he is being paid ..

They are failing their portal evals.. the year before I think they spent a lot on nick Starbuck (timberlake?) or whatever his name was and he was not very good either.

 

[TSSR]

they also just spent money on the wrong guy .. dickenson is making a ton there and he is just an ok player .. not a superstar like he is being paid ..

I was texting a buddy of mine during the season that this would've been the year to play them and beat them.

 

[Rew21218]

Will be interesting to see what Self decides to do moving forward. Would think he wouldn’t want to leave KU going out in first round but wouldn’t shock me to see him hang it up.

 

[AnotherSoonerInTX]

Michigan survives.

UC San Diego couldn't get a call to save their lives. Awful officiating in that game.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Louisville expecting to spent between 8 and 10 million in the portal .. this cycle

 

[cowboysooner]

All comparisons of coaches and teams that are referenced by anyone where they are comparing teams or coaches prior to 2021 and coaches or teams now are nonsense and without merit. The game has completely changed. Methods of evaluating coaches and deciding on hiring decisions have to change. We have such disparity in funding of rosters now, you really have to take that into consideration on how a coach is doing his job. System coaches will likely struggle now as they have a different roster every year and so most of their kids won't be at their program for more than a year or two. Way more complicated in today's world. For example, being able to compete in the SEC, with its frontcourt size and talent, across the board, may be completely different than at a mid major where you are dealing mostly with normal frontcourt college players. Juggling whether to spend money on coaches, NIL or whatever, will be way more complex.

And for schools like OU that pretty much have the same revenue from tickets, year to year, regardless of how good they are, and therefore, most of their revenue comes from TV (unlike in Football for us), you have to consider how much sense it makes to dump a bunch of money into basketball, in coaches or players, to be successful. We will make about as much money in Basketball regardless of how good we are. In fact, the less we spend on coaching and players, the more profitable we will be, even if we are losers. Of course, at schools that still sell out large gyms on a regular basis, it will make more economic sense to spend money to keep that going.

I would imagine that OU is directing its major donors to football until they get it going in order to keep selling out our 85000 seat stadium, at high ticket prices and mostly donor seating, and just putting basketball on survival mode until when and if things change. At some point, when we have things going again in football, maybe we will see a more significant interest in funding basketball. I can't see why that would make any economical sense until we get a new stadium/gym. Interesting times

 

[WichitaSooner]

They don’t have talent? Aj Storr averaged 16 a game on a good Wisconsin team. Dickinson,Adams, and Harris are good college players as you referenced. Flory is a very good freshman and has some nba upside. Zeke Mayo averaged 18,18, and then 14 (he can shoot lights out). Rylan Griffin averaged 11 on a final four Alabama team…. If that’s not talent, then I have 0 idea what is. Not every team is going to have 5 nba guys. But that’s a very solid above average roster….

Loaded with talent implies NBA guys. And for Kansas in particular, this is one of their least talented rosters in years. I didn’t say it’s a bad roster, but it isn’t a great one.

 

[Boom Soon]

Loaded with talent implies NBA guys. And for Kansas in particular, this is one of their least talented rosters in years. I didn’t say it’s a bad roster, but it isn’t a great one.

And Bill Self definitely can’t do more with less. He’s never had to at Kansas

 

[NickZepp]

All comparisons of coaches and teams that are referenced by anyone where they are comparing teams or coaches prior to 2021 and coaches or teams now are nonsense and without merit. The game has completely changed. Methods of evaluating coaches and deciding on hiring decisions have to change. We have such disparity in funding of rosters now, you really have to take that into consideration on how a coach is doing his job. System coaches will likely struggle now as they have a different roster every year and so most of their kids won't be at their program for more than a year or two. Way more complicated in today's world. For example, being able to compete in the SEC, with its frontcourt size and talent, across the board, may be completely different than at a mid major where you are dealing mostly with normal frontcourt college players. Juggling whether to spend money on coaches, NIL or whatever, will be way more complex.

And for schools like OU that pretty much have the same revenue from tickets, year to year, regardless of how good they are, and therefore, most of their revenue comes from TV (unlike in Football for us), you have to consider how much sense it makes to dump a bunch of money into basketball, in coaches or players, to be successful. We will make about as much money in Basketball regardless of how good we are. In fact, the less we spend on coaching and players, the more profitable we will be, even if we are losers. Of course, at schools that still sell out large gyms on a regular basis, it will make more economic sense to spend money to keep that going.

I would imagine that OU is directing its major donors to football until they get it going in order to keep selling out our 85000 seat stadium, at high ticket prices and mostly donor seating, and just putting basketball on survival mode until when and if things change. At some point, when we have things going again in football, maybe we will see a more significant interest in funding basketball. I can't see why that would make any economical sense until we get a new stadium/gym. Interesting times

You would think with the Arena being essentially a done deal in like 3 or4 years now. That they would start investing now so they could be good by that time. But that doesn't seem to be a priority. Moser or whoever is coaching here next year will have the same problems.

 

[Moneyball]

Day one was kind to me! 25,000 perfect brackets left, and my 2 are in that group! I’m hoping my OU bracket stays perfect

 

[AnotherSoonerInTX]

And Bill Self definitely can’t do more with less. He’s never had to at Kansas

He did as a young man at ORU. As he's moved up the ladder (Tulsa, Illinois, Kansas), the more resources he's had.

But, with an even playing field, the KU basketball monster is similar to the OU football monster and will eat him alive.

 

[AnotherSoonerInTX]

And for schools like OU that pretty much have the same revenue from tickets, year to year, regardless of how good they are, and therefore, most of their revenue comes from TV (unlike in Football for us), you have to consider how much sense it makes to dump a bunch of money into basketball, in coaches or players, to be successful. We will make about as much money in Basketball regardless of how good we are. In fact, the less we spend on coaching and players, the more profitable we will be, even if we are losers. Of course, at schools that still sell out large gyms on a regular basis, it will make more economic sense to spend money to keep that going.

I would imagine that OU is directing its major donors to football until they get it going in order to keep selling out our 85000 seat stadium, at high ticket prices and mostly donor seating, and just putting basketball on survival mode until when and if things change. At some point, when we have things going again in football, maybe we will see a more significant interest in funding basketball. I can't see why that would make any economical sense until we get a new stadium/gym. Interesting times

I think this is the calculation the athletic department has made. The revenue is going to be the same. They have to spend in order to keep the fans reasonably happy with tournament appearances, but not competing for national championships.

Meanwhile, football is the cash cow and is struggling. From what I've heard, big donations are indeed partly or fully channeled into football. Football is indeed the best way for the athletic department to make a profit, but the other sports need to be successful as well, especially if donors are donating to those sports only to have their donations redirected.

 

[61sooner]

Don't tell Rick Patino he is too old to coach in this day and age.

 

[hoopsaustin]

You would think with the Arena being essentially a done deal in like 3 or4 years now. That they would start investing now so they could be good by that time. But that doesn't seem to be a priority. Moser or whoever is coaching here next year will have the same problems.

Is it a done deal? I don't follow it but I thought everyone was in an uproar and appealing everything they can

 

[NickZepp]

Is it a done deal? I don't follow it but I thought everyone was in an uproar and appealing everything they can

There's an appeal that will probably end up being denied to put it to vote. Even then at this point I think they probably ignore the vote if it happens.