FRONT OF THE RIM

I'll bet the "other" state champions in Indiana other than the hugh schools don't think it is a horrible idea. If it is that bad in Indiana, why don't they vote to go back to the way it was. By the way, since you are a Somerset fan, don't you think your football players get a little more excited with the idea they really have a chance to win a state title by beating someone their size rather than Trinity, etc?

NCC probably has a reciprocal agreement with several teams that they will each allow them out of a game if they have too. If you figure you will advance and don't you just wind up playing fewer than 30 games. It's a chance you take, but looking at their schedule this year it appears they did their homework because the most they would have to do is drop one game, and that is assuming the CovCath game is finished and the Newport game is made up. If they play Newport in the ALL A that game could be counted as the seeding game and the conference game. Just takes a little planning.

Who is the best football team, soccer team, CC team, track team, and all the other sports that are classified now? Is that a real problem? There is NO difference. However, if you really insist on an overall state champion here's what you do. After the 4 state champions are crowned, they become the semi-finalists for the OVERALL state champion. Play it off. You know it can be done as 49 other states support their "non-revenue" state championships, so don't try to tell they can do it but Kentucky can't.

I am not at all convinced they could not have 4 classes, have the first 2 rounds of each tourney played at host schools, and bring the final4 in each class to Rupp. You would have better games in all the matchups and still have 16 teams there. I think this is just a threat the KHSAA uses to not go to classes. You would have teams of all sizes playing for titles and it would be just as exciting, if not more, as the current set up. IMO they just don't want to go to the trouble top set it up. It CAN be done.

Point well taken, but with the other tourneys they have been in they have had plenty of compition.

Not the case at all. You get 30 games in the regular season, period. The rule was changed several years ago.

Talk about everybody getting a trophy, look at football. Beat 31 other teams in your class and you are state champ. The ALL A includes about 40% of the teams in the state. And who said there is a limited number of tournaments you can play ina year. NCC went and played the best in the state in Louisville and Lexington, does that disqualify them from playing in a tourney with teams determined to be their size also? If you want a tourney for the really small schools try liminiting it to the 50 smallest and see how long that lasts financially. The real answer is for the KHSAA to get in line with the other 49 states in the country and classify basketball. Nobody ddares touch that one, however. The reason the ALL A came into existence in the first place is because the organizers of the ALL A were rebuffed when they challanged the KHSAA to classify. If we are going to point fingers then the KHSAA could solve ALL these questions by doing what everyone else in the country does. And don't tell me logistics is a problem. If they can't figure out a way to do it, just have them contact Stan Steidel and his crew and they would have it set up in about a month.

Why wouldn't NCC want to play in the All A. They have 360 students, well below the cutoff for these teams. Just because they happen to have a good run of players right now is no reason to exclude them. If you think winning the ALL A is not a big deal to them you weren't there last year when they won it. You just can't arbitrarily exclude an eligible team because they happen to be pretty good.

So I guess the way to eliminate this is just get rid of them. Sounds logical.

Why not play the game at Thomas More every year. It seats more people, condensation would not be a problem, and I'm sure the college wouldn't mind getting kids onto their campus as a recruiting tool.

Agree completely. They are NOT going to beat the really good teams if Schulte/McDonald only score 19 points between them. And most of those points came off of fastbreaks or offensive rebounds.

Your point about the ball not going inside is well taken, and could cost them down the road.

It comes into play with all the computer rankings. That's how they work, by comparing what the spread should have been against what actually happened. I think this is a GREAT way of ranking teams by combining ALL the polls. You really can't argue with this unless you just have an ax to grind. Great job doing this. Thanks.

I'm talking about the state as a whole rankings. I believe any given region's coaches would do a better job. I don't think the coaches rank the state better than the computers do. To much predudice toward the big city teams.

Congratulations to Sarah. As nice a person as you will meet, and a great smile.

Do you really think coaches from around the state do a better job?

Heard Freppon has a cut below his eye from an elbow, but the trainer was able to butterfly it and he is fine.

Thanks for any help anyone can supply.

Why in the world would NCC boys and girls play on the same night? I think it happens this week when the girls play Brossart and the boys play Cooper. Some people would like to see both games, but this forces them to choose.

Does anyone have the Cantrell, Litkenhouse, or coaches ratings?

Agree. Game won't be close.

I guess we will find out a little more next week with CovCath/Holmes and CovCath/NCC. Personally I'll go with a team that has the beat 6 players, as #7-10 very often don't come into play.

In spite of all of this Dixie played very well. Actually played well the whole tournament.

Agree completely.

The bigs weren't the ones turning it over.