Thoughts from The Oklahoman Sports Columnist Berry Tramel | NewsOK.com

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Shout-out for an OU-Kentucky video

I got this email this afternoon from a woman in Moore:

“Berry, we have never met, but I have followed you through the years through The Oklahoman and on radio. I have never sent an e-mail like this, but, I am just going to ask: do you know how I can obtain a copy of last night’s OU women vs. Kentucky game?

“My husband and I have an 11-year-old daughter and her name is Kyndal. The three of us have been season ticket holders for the past six years and we love supporting the OU women. Kyndal plays on her school team and is quite a student of the game. She reads the sports section of the paper, keeps up with statistics and watches the past OU games over and over.

“She goes to Coach Coale’s camp each summer and was thrilled when we stayed at the same hotel as the team last year in St. Louis for the Final Four.

“Kyndal set our DVR to record the Notre Dame game before we left for Kansas City on Sunday. We were not sure of the time for the second game until later. Kyndal called her uncle when she found out the time and attempted to ‘walk him through’ the recording process. We left Kansas City following the trophy ceremony last night. This afternoon, we discovered the game did not record.

“This may sound silly, but she is brokenhearted because she does not have a recording of the game. She is an A student and her teachers all gave the OK for her to miss school to go to Kansas City. (We did go to the Truman Presidential Library and Museum which was very interesting while we were there!) I am trying to find a way to get a copy of the game for Kyndal. In the grand scheme of things, this is not important, but to Kyndal, it is something she enjoys.

“That is why I am writing to you. I thank you for your time and would appreciate any ideas you can pass along.”

Well, there you go, Sooner fans. Can anyone help Kyndal? If you know of a way to get a video copy of the game, email me, and I’ll put you in touch with Kyndal’s mom.

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Tougher road: Men or women?

Making the Final Four for a second straight season is a monumental achievement for OU’s women’s basketball team. Yes, the Sooners got a cushy NCAA Tournament assignment, with two home games to start with, a regional without Connecticut and a trip to Kansas City, which its fans could drove to and create a decent homecourt advantage against Notre Dame and Kentucky.

But still. The Sooners won two virtual tossup games — they were slight underdogs against Notre Dame, slight favorites against Kentucky — against completely different but very worthy opponents.

The Sooners’ trek to San Antonio shows the difference between the men’s NCAA Tournament and the women’s NCAA Tournament. The men’s Final Four is harder to reach, because the men’s field is deeper.

Men’s mid-majors can step up and bite you. Women’s mid-majors rarely do. Three mid-majors reached the women’s Sweet 16. Only Xavier won. No mid-major has reached the women’s Final Four since (Southwest) Missouri State in 2001. Meanwhile, five men’s teams reached the Sweet 16 and Butler made the Final Four, the second mid-major to do so in the last five years.

So that means it’s much easier to reach the Sweet 16 in the women’s tournament. But often, it’s harder to get out of the second weekend in the women’s tournament.

Compare OU’s run to the Final Four with the Duke men’s. Duke beat a 16 seed (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), an 8-seed (California), a 4-seed (Purdue) and a 3-seed (Baylor). The Sooners beat a 14-seed (South Dakota State), an 11-seed (Arkansas-Little Rock), a 2-seed (Notre Dame) and a 4-seed (Kentucky), the first two at home. Pretty clear that the Sooners had the easier early road but the tougher later road.

Compare OU’s run to Michigan State’s men. The Spartans beat a 12-seed (New Mexico State), a 4-seed (Maryland), a 9-seed (Northern Iowa) and a 6-seed (Tennessee). The Spartans won those first two games in the literal final possession. Then won a tight game against UNI and another final-possession game against Tennessee. Again, much tougher road to the Sweet 16 for the Michigan State men, and tougher games combined when the Spartans got there, but overall the caliber of competition was tougher for the Sooner women.

Fewer upsets on the women’s side means more high-seed showdowns in the regional finals and semifinals. That doesn’t mean there’s more parity among those high seeds. Doesn’t matter if Connecticut plays a 2-seed or a 14-seed, the Huskies are going to win by 50.

So all in all, the men’s Final Four is more difficult to reach. But once the women get to the second week of the NCAA Tournament, a team like Oklahoma gets few breaks. It’s got to do just what a Michigan State or even a Duke has to do on the men’s side. Win two straight tossup games.

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Big 12 South: Women’s hoops central

When the Big 12 was formed, the South Division figured to be a monster, and that’s mostly been true.

Football was down at the time — OU was pre-Bob Stoops, Texas was pre-Mack Brown — but that’s been fixed over time. In the 2000s, OU and Texas have dominated, but Texas Tech and Oklahoma State have elevated their programs. Texas A&M has slipped and Baylor has mostly floundered, but you’d have to say that South Division football has been everything the conference hoped it would be.

Men’s basketball has zoomed. This decade alone, OSU, OU and Texas have made Final Fours, and the other three have made Sweet 16s. Baylor came close to reaching a Final Four over the weekend, and A&M remains a strong program. Tech is struggling without Bob Knight and that probably won’t change. But you’d have to say Big 12 South men’s basketball has been very good. Maybe great.

Baseball has been a small disappointment in the Big 12 South. OU and OSU haven’t made a College World Series since the ’90s. Texas is still Texas, but Texas Tech has fallen on hard times. Baylor made the CWS in 2005, but A&M hasn’t been since ’99. Only two schools have made it to Omaha from the South Division in the 2000s. That’s a disappointment.

But women’s basketball has been anything but disappointing. It might be the South’s best sport. Baylor just made its second Final Four and OU can join the Bears there tonight. The Big 12 South is full of successful coaches. OSU’s Kurt Budke is the South’s only coach who hasn’t been to a Final Four. Sherri Coale and Kim Mulkey coached their current schools there, and the others were hired away. Texas A&M’s Gary Blair coached Arkansas to a Final Four, Texas Tech’s Kristy Curry coached Purdue to a national championship and Texas’ Gale Goestenkors coached Duke to multiple Final Fours.

A&M is a perennial national contender, OSU was in the Sweet 16 two years ago and missed it by a whisker this year, Texas always is good and the Sooners and Baylor speak for themselves. Right now, you’d have to say only Tech is down in women’s basketball.

The South is so strong in women’s basketball, it skews the conference standings. The top two seeds in the Big 12 Tournament were Nebraska and Iowa State. But the two teams still standing were seeded third (OU) and sixth (Baylor).

OU’s run to the Big 12 championship game was a brutal South Division gauntlet. Baylor, OSU and A&M. By comparison, OU’s run to the regional championship game (South Dakota State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Notre Dame) was a holiday tournament.

If the Sooners win tonight, it will be the finest moment for Big 12 women’s basketball, other than Baylor’s 2005 NCAA title. Two teams in the Final Four are a sign of conference prowess. Two teams from the same division show the dominance of the South.

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Final Four: Back to almost normal

The Final Four is almost back to normal. Michigan State, Duke and a Big East school. Nothing unusual about that. After two weeks of great finishes and great stories from the little guys, we’re left with more than we could ever hope out of a Final Four but not near what we dreamed about.

Butler carries the Cinderella flag into the Final Four, but it could have been so much more. Northern Iowa seemed capable of winning the regional and it was. Saint Mary’s seemed capable of winning the regional but it wasn’t. Cornell didn’t seem capable, but a nation can dream, can’t it?

So in the end, this is a Final Four we can sink our teeth into. A deserving Cinderella. An annual power, Michigan State, that is my favorite among the blueblood schools, since Tom Izzo seems to run a solid program and is America’s best coach. Duke, which I have no use for and which has a smug coach, but at least Mike Krzyzewski — the anti-John Calipari – flies in the face of the one-and-done culture. And West Virginia, which has a coach you can’t get behind (Bob Huggins) but at least hasn’t been to a Final Four in 51 years.

So I’ll take this Final Four. It’s better than most.

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A great NCAA Tournament keeps getting better

The regional final round of the NCAA Tournament usually is a dud. We go from 16 games a day the first two days down to just two games a day during the Elite Eight round, and upsets usually are rare.

But not Saturday. West Virginia beat Kentucky and Butler beat Kansas State. Which means a great NCAA Tournament just keeps getting better. Here’s what Saturday meant:

1. A five or six seed will play for the NCAA title. Butler will play the Michigan State-Tennessee winner in the Final Four. That means a five (Butler or Michigan State) or a six seed (Tennessee) will play in the championship game.

2. At most, just one No. 1 seed will make the Final Four. Duke’s Blue Devils can uphold the honor of the bluebloods today against third-seeded Baylor.

3. If Baylor and Tennessee win today, no school in the Final Four will have been in the NCAA semifinals in more than 50 years. Butler and Tennessee haven’t been there ever. Baylor hasn’t been in 60 years. West Virginia last made it in 1959. That’s 51 years. What a country.

4. Three teams nicknamed Wildcats were seeded first or second. All are gone. Kentucky, Kansas State and Villanova.

5. I finally got the best of President Obama. My bracket got blown up a week ago; his has remained strong but no more. I got one Final Four team right — West Virginia. Obama played the Wildcat card (Kentucky, ‘Nova and K-State) plus Kansas. All are gone.

6. No league will have two Final Four teams. Already in are the Horizon League and the Big East. The four leagues represented today are the Big 10, SEC, ACC and Big 12.

7. Butler making the Final Four is a glorious thing. And fitting. George Mason stole all the mid-major thunder when it made the Final Four a few years ago, but George Mason was a lightning strike. Schools like Xavier, Gonzaga and Butler have been fighting the good fight for more than a decade, chasing the great dream. It’s good to see one of the long-time flagbearers reach the Promised Land.

8. Butler’s hometown appearance in the Final Four spotlights a goofy irony about the Final Four. Butler plays in glorious old Hinkle Fieldhouse, home of “Hoosiers.” The Pacers play in Conseco Fieldhouse. So Indianapolis has one of the nation’s two best old arenas (Allen Fieldhouse will give Hinkle a run) and one of the nation’s two best new arenas (Dallas’ American Airlines Center and Conseco). So where will the Final Four be staged? In a football stadium.

9. Saturday was a great day for Bob Huggins. It almost was better. His Mountaineers made the Final Four. But the other program he revived, Kansas State, almost made the Final Four, too.

10. Butler’s Final Four was remarkable for this reason. Butler beat Kansas State with the exact script with which it beat Syracuse. Butler got up on the big favorite, controlled the game, then down the stretch (3-4 minutes left) wilted and got behind. And THEN spurted back to retake the game and win going away. Hardly ever do you see a big underdog in the NCAA Tournament win that way. Most underdogs hold on or keep control. They don’t fall behind, then rally. Butler did it. Twice within 46 hours.

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Emails in on OU’s basketball troubles

The new emails are in, and lots of talk about the joy of women’s basketball and the lack of joy with the men.

Greg: “Great article. I emailed your column to my close friends who are Penn State, Alabama, Missouri, Army, Navy, Florida and Florida State grads. All basically are from schools where women’s basketball has now overtaken the men, or just as you noted, they head to their TV sets to watch. Every night the OU women play, I have these men, not women, but men and all basketball aficionados, gather to watch the Lady Sooners for their skills, their beauty and the fact they damn well enjoy doing what they are doing. It is infectious.”

I hope I didn’t mislead people. I don’t believe women’s basketball has overtaken the men, either in quality of play or entertainment value. But some fans have migrated to the women’s game, and attitude of the players is a major reason why.

Don: “I think dropping down a notch or two in the schools, Division II or NAIA, you still can find STUDENT athletes. My youngest daughter played four years at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan. There was an older gentleman and his wife who had seats next to us and always came for the girls game and left, not staying for the boys. Come to find out he had played for Southwestern in the 1920s. He told me in his opinion the boys no longer played basketball, and the girls still did, actually running some plays and exhibiting some teamwork. His actions in not staying for the boys came backed up his words.”

This is a common theory, which I don’t support. The women might play a little more old-style basketball – cuts and screens, etc. – but not much more. And women’s play generally is sloppier; more turnovers, poorer shooting. But the women still are fun to watch, as much for the spirit as anything.

Bert: “Loved the article on the joy to be found in women’s basketball. As a former girls coach, I’ve often told surprised friends that I much prefer coaching the ladies, simply because they are better students of the game. They listen better, are more coachable and care more about the finished product.”

Now that’s a great debate. Is it easier to coach boys or girls? Men or women? I think males, unless you factor in the academic side of college. When coaching males, I don’t think you have to worry about emotions and personalities as much. That can be a huge part of the job coaching females. On the other hand, if it’s college, then getting guys to go to class and do their work is a big part of the job. I had a friend who had coached both men and women on the college level; he said part of his job with the men was getting guys out of bed to go to class. Part of his job with the women was getting them to put the books down on road trips and try to relax.

Dave: “You’re right on target. I started following the Lady Sooners many years ago when Sherri Coale took over. OK, maybe Sherri got us interested, but it’s the style of play and enthusiasm that got many of us into it. Her teams have quite a following with the adult sports fans in the metro. You’re sure right about some of the players in the men’s game. But that K-State game was sure fun. Thanks for the kind words on women’s basketball.”

Again, the men’s game has its charms, too. Fewer blowouts. Better finishes. More parity. All things being equal, I would rather watch a men’s game. But a bunch of the time, things aren’t equal.

Ruth: “Your column was right on target. With the departure of the Griffin brothers, the men’s team took on a different persona. They were no longer fun to watch in person. My husband and I only attended one game. Some TV games I chose not to watch. Large egos and lack of team spirit were a real turnoff. Stealing clothes can eventually be forgiven if there is true repentance, but how do we know that? The women’s team is a real joy. Their enthusiasm and sense of having fun, even when the score is not in their favor, is infectious. The atmosphere in Lloyd Noble is positive for everyone. The stands are full of families, seniors and students of all ages who are courteous and appreciative of the young women players. The same is not true at a men’s game. A number of people have told me they would not take their children to watch the men play because of the atmosphere. I hope Jeff Capel and his coaches can learn something from this year and put the fun back in OU men’s basketball.”

I don’t know if this is the right forum or not, but I’ll give it a go. The worst thing about being in an arena, men or women, is the fans’ constant beration of refs. And the worst for several years has been some woman who sits right behind press row at women’s games and yells incessantly at the officials. That gets older than car trouble. She makes me want to run sprint to the men’s games.

Charlie: “Thanks for your article. I’ve never thought of it in those terms, but the joy of playing is one of the reasons I prefer the ladies’ game over the men’s. My other reason, the one I usually give for preferring the ladies – is they aren’t so rough (or physical, as it is usually called). But they are plenty rough. Perhaps you can help me remember; was the game of basketball so physical 30, 40, 50 years ago? You aren’t likely old enough to remember that far back, but I’d like to hear your comments. Or am I just remembering poorly? It’s bad enough that carrying the ball and travelling are not called nearly often enough. Wasn’t there a time when resting (actually ‘pushing’ is a better word) one’s forearm against an opponent’s back was not allowed?”

Yes, the game is much more physical now than it was then. And it’s probably too physical. But some physical increase was necessary. Offenses would be undefendable otherwise. And I don’t know how much less physical the women are than the men. Nobody in men’s basketball hauled off and punched anybody in the nose this season, far as I know.

Jim: “You hit the nail right on the head with your column today. I have become a big fan of women’s basketball and the way they put their hearts and souls into it.”

I keep repeating myself. But I think most men put their hearts and souls into it. But a few don’t, because they are more interested in what’s ahead. That’s the difference. You don’t find that much in the women’s game.

Rick: “Someone in the NCAA needs to recognize that men’s basketball is losing fans. I agree, the women’s game is way more fun to watch. The NBA has totally lost the concept of team vs. individuality.”

I think college basketball is losing fans, but I think it has more to do with the schedule – start in November, when no one cares – and the lack of good games. And I think the NBA is more pure than the colleges. Some NBA players – not all – play team basketball and are in it to win it, to quote Idol’s Randy Jackson. Few pros are looking ahead. A whole bunch of collegians are looking ahead.

Pete: “Earlier you were writing about the OU women’s basketball team, and you mentioned something about the ‘look’ that Amanda Thompson gets, the one that ‘could clear a biker bar.’ I spit out my coffee when I read that. I have attended all but one home game this season and have seen that look many times. It is a very accurate description, and any journalist who can use that kind of simile is damn good in my book. But your column this morning captured a much broader observation, and I really agree with you. I have all but given up watching men’s basketball. Too much swagger, too much ‘me-me-me’ that is so evident, too much unhappiness – as you describe it – so that it just isn’t fun to watch. I have been at a loss to explain why I really enjoy OU women’s basketball, but I have been attending games since before Sherri Coale was hired, and I have grown to really love the game. I always thought it might be because I have two daughters, and I coached them both in soccer, and have enjoyed girls sports since that time. But I think you are right; there is a joy evident in the women’s play that I don’t see in men’s basketball very much, maybe since Magic Johnson played in college, or maybe even back to the days of Pete Maravich.”

You know, I never can get a grip on what words like “simile” mean. But I know a mean look when I see it.

Neal: “You hit the nail on the head about women’s basketball being played with spirit. Whether it be the Cowgirls or the Lady Sooners, the game is always enjoyable. The women’s game is really fun as the players show a true compassion for the game being played. It seems men’s college sports is all about the money. If they are really good, they might make the big bucks, otherwise they return to society as a has-been college player without a degree. Maybe it should be made a rule or law that if you are given a scholarship to play college sports and the athlete decides to turn pro, they should have to repay the university for each year of school they attended. TMG may be a good college player, but until he matures he will just be playing in the pickup games at the park.

This kind of attitude gets us nowhere. The idea that athletes should have to pay back their scholarship? Why don’t colleges just recruit guys who are interested in education? I don’t feel sorry for any basketball program. And why be mad at Mason-Griffin? He was just playing by the rules. He was told he had to wait a year to go pro, so he waited a year. I don’t understand the blame.

A lot of readers commented solely on the sorry state of OU basketball. Bruce: “After reading the latest update on the soap opera known as OU basketball, it may sound crazy, but I kind of miss Kelvin Sampson, or at least the product he put out on the floor. He never had a team with three high school all-Americans, much less any player taken in the first round of the draft. Yet every team except one was in the NCAAs. Every team got better as the year went on and every team maxed out its potential. He had numerous teams that would have been rated in the bottom third of the conference in terms of talent yet every year they found a way to go 9-7 or 10-6 in conference play. Aside from Jabahri Brown, I don’t remember any player getting into any legal trouble or being a problem in the locker room. Hard to believe I’d be waxing nostalgic on the Sampson era just four years after he put the program on probation but this last year was that frustrating. At least with football this year, a fan can be comforted in knowing that the barrage of injuries was one of those once-in-a-coach’s-career type things. Bob has been too good for too long for doubt to creep in after one disappointing season. Capel unfortunately hasn’t earned that benefit.”

Sometimes the very thing you’re looking for is the one thing you can’t see. Sampson’s recruiting infractions were inexcusable, but the guy was a heck of a coach.

Larry: “I enjoyed your column and am in complete agreement. Another negative aspect of it is that these players who have no interest in furthering their education and are just there because they are required to be before pursuing their professional aspirations are displacing someone else. Tommy Mason-Griffin took a scholarship away from someone else who, while perhaps not quite as talented, may have been grateful for the opportunity to get a free college education at Oklahoma for playing varsity basketball. Maybe that person is playing D-I ball elsewhere as a result, but at some level, these rent-a-players are shoving real student/athletes out of major college ball. I believe the current system is unfair to all concerned. It wasted Mason-Griffin’s time and at the same time deprived someone else of a valuable opportunity.”

Excellent point. Truth is, college basketball has turned soul-less. The idea of student-athlete is silly. And the NCAA is an accomplice by going along with the NBA’s 19-year-old rule. High school graduates should be allowed to give the pros a try, and while the NCAA can’t do anything about the NBA’s rule, it can retaliate this way. Don’t strip eligibility away from players who declare for the draft. If they sign with an agent, sure. But otherwise, declare that until someone signs with a team or an agent, he remains college eligible. That would make the NBA sober up about its rules – the draft evaluations would be even more complicated – and the NBA might compromise by doing away with the 19-year-old rule.

Tom: “What a disappointing decline in OU basketball this year. It is hard not to notice the difference in the devastating feeling of the loss the Morris twins from Pennsylvania, Aldrich from Minnesota and Collins from Illinois exhibited after the loss to the absolute almost ‘I don’t give a damn’ attitude of these OU basketball players this year. Frankly I was a little disappointed by what I saw of the reaction of Xavier Henry, but I may be wrong (regardless, he fit into the program and sure was a contributor, not detraction, this year). There are still kids that care in men’s basketball. Somehow, this OU staff just appears not to find them or properly evaluate the intangibles and concentrate only on the athletic ability. I have heard some compare the disappointment of this year’s OU football and basketball seasons. Frankly I do not see it at all. Football had a rash of injuries but at no point did I feel they did not care and ever gave at least the appearance of less than their best (although limited by ability and youth). This basketball fiasco had to start with the personnel evaluations made by Capel and the rest of the coaching staff during the recruiting process.”

I agree, Capel’s personnel (and personality) evaluations played a huge role in his team’s demise. But I wouldn’t read too much into anyone’s post-game attitude. Anyone can be dismayed at losing as a big favorite in the NCAA Tournament. Anyone can celebrate a great victory. Attitude and personal conviction is determined in practice and games.

Jim: “At the Y this morning, I heard from a usually reliable source that TMG had gone to class ‘very little’ all last semester and not at all after the Sooners’ last game. If this is even close to being correct, the OU program needs significant revamping.”

I don’t know about last semester. But OU’s season ended on the Wednesday night before spring break, and he basically bolted the Monday after spring break, so at most, we’re talking about two days of skipped classes. In the grand scheme of things, not a huge scandal.

Ward: “Speaking of Mason-Griffin, the sportstalk station in Dallas featured an interesting discussion on the lack of star-power in the NCAA Tournament. Now that so many are leaving so soon, gone are the days of the Patrick Ewings coming back each year for one shining moment. It’s hard to find anyone in the past few years with that kind of draw, and it’s no wonder upsets are happening more often. Where are the stars?”

Kevin Durant would be a college senior today if he hadn’t gone to the NBA. Think about that for a minute. Three years ago, Durant was an unbelievable college player. Think what he would have been – and Greg Oden, too – had he stayed in college. Durant would be a national phenomenon, like Bird or Magic or Maravich. Those were the days, my friend.

Brian: “I read in your blog that Tommy Mason-Griffin and Drew Lavender were both the perfect recruits, but both bolted. You did fail to mention Byron Eaton. He fits the same category as both Mason-Griffin and Lavender. They were all three McDonald’s all-Americans and undersized. I think Eaton was better than both. He stayed on campus for four years and was a proven leader all four years. His only problems were his eating habits and only making the NCAA Tournament once.

I would agree that Eaton falls into that category, and I by no means meant to imply that my list was all-inclusive. I would say that Eaton was not a leader all four years. Maybe two. And I liked Eaton. Liked him a lot.

 Wayne: “How important was Blake Griffin’s staying for the second year? How hard did he work to get better for that second year? I would rather have a team of Cade Davises than three Parade all-Americans who only have the NBA on their minds. I think that was what was wrong with Willie Warren this year. Leroy Combs made a statement a few weeks ago about today’s high school athlete. They know all of Allen Iverson’s moves but have no concept of the basics of the game. The screens, the pick ‘n roll and defense is not in their game. How many ever make the lineup in the NBA? Not many compared to how many play the game. Jeff Capel will be OK next year. He will recruit, he will coach and hopefully have some players that deem playing for OU a privilege and the education their goal. My advice to Willie Warren would be stay in college two more years; he will only get better. Get the education, it will be with you a lot longer than the game of basketball.”

Blake Griffin made more money by waiting. But no one gets better by waiting. You get better by playing and practicing against pros, not Ryan Wright and Orlando Allen. I don’t know if Capel will be OK. It looks like a rough year ahead. And Willie Warren should do whatever he thinks is best. The way I see it, he’s put in his time.

Blake: “Why the defections and unrest at OU? Is Capel turning out to be a lame duck coach after he lost the Griffin brothers? Will he survive another losing season?

I think Capel just picked a bunch of sour apples. I don’t think he’s a lame duck, but I also don’t recommend another year like this, and one might be coming.

Larry: “Take a look at this and you tell me if you see a problem. Look back at OU’s basketball recruiting. 2006: Tony Crocker- 4 years; Kyle Cannon-dismissed; Keith Clark-flunked out. 2007: Blake Griffin-NBA after 2 years; Tony Neysmith-transferred; Cade Davis-junior still there; Chris Early-dismissed. 2008: Willie Warren-injured in second season, may be gone; Ray Willis-transferring; Juan Pattillo-dismissed; Orlando Allen-warming the pine. 2009: Tiny Gallon-probably gone; Tommy Mason-Griffin-gone after freshman year; Andrew Fitzgerald-returning?; Steven Pledger-returning?; Kyle Hardick-returning. At this rate, the Sooners will be fortunate to have one senior a year because they are losing the bulk of each class after one or two years. I love Capel, but he’s got to do a better job at bringing in players that can stick around. I understand the deal with Blake, but all those other guys. A team cannot make it losing the numbers they do in a four-year period.”

The exodus is not good, but I’m not sure it’s been worse at OU than anywhere else, until this year. Mason-Griffin is a major loss, because you build around him. But if you bring in 3-4 guys a year, it’s automatic that some are going to leave, because you can’t play 14 guys. No one is interested in sitting.

Mitch: “Here are some great delusions. 1) World Peace; 2) The perfectibility of man; 3) Kim Jong Il is truly a great golfer; 4) Sean Penn is a great intellectual; 5) “Health Care Reform” will lead to efficiency, better health, a reduced deficit and a happier America; 6) OU has low tuition (yeah, but have you seen the fees?); 7) Zac Robinson was a Heisman candidate; O.J. is innocent; 9) Barry Bonds is the best baseball player ever; 10) All the above are sane, rationale and reasonable compared to the idea that Tommy Mason-Griffin and Half Pint Gallon can play in the NBA. And frankly, if I had a pick, I would bypass Willie Warren too. Warren has been nothing short of inconsistent and totally overrated. Tons of guys have had has skill set and are pushing brooms.

Tons of guys who have Warren’s skill set made the NBA, too. I don’t think Mason-Griffin and Gallon can make the NBA, at least not anytime soon, and the smart play is to get some college behind them and see where they’re at. But let’s check out the statements. 1) World peace? Probably not doable; 2) Longshot; 3) The North Korean dude? Who knows or cares? 4) Maybe not, but Penn is a heck of an actor. I caught an old film of his from several years ago, 21 Grams. Great movie; 5) The problem with health care is that no one can afford it. Our technology has far outdistanced our economy; 6) OU (and OSU) do have great bargains as far as education; 7) Zac Robinson was a Heisman candidate. If the Cowboys had come through in a couple of other big games, Zac would have been in the hunt; O.J. is guilty; 9) I’ve never heard anyone say Bonds was the greatest player ever, but he was ONE of the greatest players ever. A great, great player. If he had retired in 2000, Bonds would be an epic player.

Jim wrote about my blog applauding the proposed change in classifications for high schools that control their enrollment: “Why is average daily attendance a bigger criteria than beginning of the year enrollment, or yearly averaged enrollment? Why would a school with a high truancy rate be given special athletic benefits? The 15 percent rule is ridiculous. If you are in the bottom of 3A, it doesn’t bump you to 4A. And if you are in the bottom of a class, does even 30 percent move you up? Probably, but I really don’t know. Do you really want Mount St. Mary competing with Douglass in 4A hoops? This is all a class envy driven issue, plain and simple. Punish people who have. Try to level the playing field. If the academic leaders would spend half the time worrying about academics that they do about sports, more than half of the freshmen would still be in school their senior year. Let’s do this. Let’s use the enrollment of the freshmen classes as the criteria. Maybe that would encourage better academics in the public schools. Why punish Classen school of arts and sciences or Dove Academy because they have good daily attendance and they have a good academic environment. Schools that are failing academically should be punished in their athletics, not the opposite. What is more important? The present system rewards bad administration. A school that maintains a good academic environment is punished athletically? That makes sense? Are they next going to reward bad academic schools when they go to band competition, debate tournaments, mock trial events. Are good academic schools going to start those competitions with minus points? Inner city parents take their kids from Northwest Classen all the way to Northeast Academy because they want their kids in a better environment. Why is that frame of mind a punishable offense for their kids athletically? This whole thing is driven by McGuinness’ run of state basketball titles. Which was brought to you by two families, the Merritts and the Crawford-Orton families, who came through the Catholic feeder schools. If they were Baptists going to Putnam City North, we would not be having these discussions, because the Irish would have no state titles.”

Actually, the current revolt was driven by Heritage Hall, not McGuinness. It’s not the 4A schools most up in arms. It’s the 3A schools. But Jim raises some great questions about academics. I don’t agree with his answers. I don’t believe the inner-city administrations – the people most affected by dropouts – have elevated athletics over academics. Anyone who has ever seen the facilities or support of Oklahoma City Public Schools would agree. There’s not an emphasis on academics or athletics. There’s an emphasis on keeping the lights on and the weapons out. Do I want the Mount playing Douglass in basketball? I like that matchup a lot better than U.S. Grant playing Tulsa Union in football.

 Joe: “The 1.15 multiplier for schools that charge tuition or offer financial aid is a fine idea. What’s confusing and maybe you can get the answer to this is what do they mean when they say ‘for schools that control their enrollment, a .15 multiplier would also kick in.’ When a public school starts getting full, they ask the taxpayers to vote on building another school, hence Putnam West, Putnam City, Putnam North or Edmond Memorial, Edmond North and then Santa Fe. What does a private school do if they have one building with limited classrooms/space and are landlocked? How are they supposed to take an unlimited number of students if first they don’t have additional space and secondly they can’t ask the taxpayers for another school? Nor can they receive lottery money or other tax money. This may not apply to all the private schools, especially if they have a bunch of land to build on.”

Private schools don’t take an unlimited number of students. That’s the point. They decide how many students they want, and then they decide WHICH students they want. That’s the whole advantage. Some public schools DO control their enrollment. Magnet schools. They take applications and decide who gets in.

Let’s move on to some football. Shawn: “How well do you think the OU football team will do this season? How many games do you think they will lose if any, and who to?”

Um, you do know it’s March, right? OK, I’ll play along. I’ll say 11-2. Lose to A&M and Texas.

Jacob wrote about my Josh Fields blog: “Just my opinion, but I’ll take Fields over Zac Robinson and Mike Gundy. Now granted, I’m too young to have seen Gundy play (other than the games getting replayed on ESPN Classic), but he had such incredible talent around him on that offense. Two NFL Hall of Fame running backs, a first-round pick at receiver and a great offensive line. So to me, that diminishes his accomplishments. Now, I have perspective on Fields and Robinson. I feel like their offenses were pretty close in talent, but Robinson never had the moment like Josh had as a freshman in Norman. That is what separates the two in my mind. Think about what Josh’s statistics would be if he had returned for his senior year.”

Fields gets no credit for his vacated senior year. But the rest are all good points. Fields most definitely remains in the discussion. I would still rank Gundy No. 1. He’s the Big Eight’s all-time passing leader; he played when teams didn’t routinely put up 600 yards total offense.

Ed wrote about the end of Andrea Riley’s career: “I’m an OU guy and no lover of things OSU. And it was easy to dislike Riley, who liked to swat people and who played for the wrong team. We were in Gallagher-Iba the night Riley hung 45 on us, Kurt wore his orange jacket, and the fans stormed the floor after the game. Heck, we even had to walk back to our car listening to OSU fans complain that not enough fouls were called on Courtney Paris. It was not a fun night for Sooners, believe me. And, yes, it got on my nerves that Riley chewed on her mouthpiece and flashed that orange and black thing around. But my goodness, what a talent, as both you and Sherri Coale have pointed out. Lightning quick and unbelievable range. I’ll sure give her that, and I’m happy we won’t face her again. Budke understandably called Riley the greatest player in the Big 12 that night in Gallagher-Iba, further stinging us Sooners, who would prefer to believe in Courtney Paris. I don’t know which of them was better. It’s a difficult but interesting question. We have just seen Andrea break Courtney’s scoring record(s). But they were so different that it is very hard to compare them. Andrea had the points and the assists. Courtney had the points and the rebounds and the blocks. Maybe Andrea shot too much, and maybe Courtney didn’t always run back down the court as fast as she should have or practice free throws enough. Maybe Andrea didn’t look for open teammates like she should have. But it’s been fun watching them. Courtney took her team further, but she probably had more talent around her than Andrea had at OSU. I am reminded of a story from Russia. Time was when a very good American operator in Russia had finished his tour and was leaving the country. When he boarded his plane for home, there was a row of KGB rivals standing in a line, and they took off their hats in a silent salute to the guy from the other side. So long, Andrea.”

I will put the quality of my readers up against any. We seamlessly go from women’s basketball to the KGB. The KGB story is like the scene from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” where up in the balcony the black reverend leads all the people in standing because Atticus Finch is walking by.

Jim: “I am probably the only one who thinks this way, but, I think OSU women will be better off without Riley. 9 for 31 and 2 for 10. Yuck!!”

I am determined to defend Riley to the bitter end. Again, top-10 nationally in scoring AND assists. I’ll take that and 35-percent shooting. Seven days a week and twice on Sunday.

Sharon: “I am wondering why Jasmine Hartman is getting so many minutes lately. It appears to me that she is not contributing anything to the team.”

I think Hartman plays pretty decent and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. On this team, that can be valuable. Not that I don’t wish Whitney Hand was healthy.

PJ: “I think a good solution for the women’s tournament would be to reward the top 16 seeds by letting them host a four-team bracket. For instance, this year, OSU being a four seed would host a five seed, a 13 seed and a 12. The regional finals would then be held in neutral sites, but within a one-day, if possible, drive for all four teams. In other words, the regional finals teams would not be assigned until the Sweet 16 is determined. The Final Four locations would obviously have to be pre-determined. It is similar to what the NFL uses. The season counts because you are playing for homecourt advantage. I think it is the only way to get good attendance and make the advantage be something you earned. My system is more fair than letting a 13 seed host a 4 seed or a situation like OSU playing in Arizona where entire sections in the lower bowl were empty.

Your suggestion actually is what they used to do. The problem is, the NCAA has a variety of organizational requirements. How to handle drug testing. How to handle the media. How to set up the bands, etc. So it’s very difficult for a school to get ready in 3-4 days if it doesn’t know the regional is coming. And plus, it’s inherently unfair. No one should get to play at a home court. Rewarding a good regular season doesn’t work because nothing is earned. Schedules aren’t centralized. We use stuff like power ratings and strength of schedule. The NFL is 32 teams, all playing very similar schedules. College basketball is 340 teams, and the tournament bracket is mostly guesswork. So the seeds reward the regular season to some degree, but home courts should be scrapped.

Randy: “It appears to me there may be more hype than substance when it comes to March Madness. Example, do we really know the attendance for all first- and second-round games. My guess, if there were no local teams or geographically close participants, the crowds probably weren’t that big. How did Tulsa fair with Conference USA men and women tournaments? The only figures I read were 150 for one of the women’s sessions and about 200 for another session. While the men’s NCAA may get by with mediocre crowds, clearly the women have to have the better known schools host.”

Most conference tournaments don’t draw well at all. The Big 12 is a notable exception. The women’s NCAA doesn’t draw flies without a local draw. The Ford Center men’s regional didn’t do well, but not terrible – seventh in percentage of capacity out of eight but fourth in total attendance, which isn’t bad.

Jeff: “Commenting about the low attendance at the NCAA basketball events the last couple weeks got me wondering how many NCAA (men’s and women’s) and NBA games are available in the OKC area between March 18 and 27? Best I can figure, it is 16 games, and at what average cost? It would seem like there is only so much money in the area for basketball, and all factions act like they should get the lion’s share. My point being, should we have the men’s and women’s regionals on different years and have a one-year cushion between the Big 12 tournaments and NCAA regionals?”

Excellent questions. I would say no. I would say the All Sports Association has had a great track record of bringing a quality event to town EVERY year, and until now ticket sales were not an issue. The Thunder might change all that, of course, but for now, I would stay the course.

Mike: “You caught my curiosity when you asked how many teams have made it to the Elite Eight without having a BCS conference opponent. It’s happened more than I expected. However, you MIGHT find this interesting. No team, in such a situation, has ever won the title. Only four have made the championship game. Since the expansion of the Big Dance to 64 teams in 1985, it’s happened 13 times in 26 tournaments, counting Kansas State and Baylor: 1985 Georgetown and Oklahoma, 1986 Duke, 1988 Duke, 1993 Florida State, 1999 Duke, 2001 Michigan State, 2004 Kansas, 2005 Illinois, 2006 Memphis and 2007 Oregon. I must say, there are five ‘exceptions’ that faced teams that weren’t in BCS conferences but could arguably be considered as major conference opponents. If you don’t include opponents as Louisville of Conference USA (thrice), Cincinnati of Conference USA (once) and Texas Tech of the Southwest Conference (once), then you can stick with the 13 instances.

Outstanding research. I would count the old Conference USA – Louisville, Marquette, Cincinnati, Memphis – as a power conference. And the SWC, too. It wasn’t a good power conference, but a power conference it was.

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Baylor, KSU prop up Big 12

The Sweet 16 is where mid-majors go to die, and we saw that again Thursday and Friday. Five mid-majors reached the regional semifinals. But only Butler, a 63-59 upset winner over Syracuse, survived.

Baylor trounced St. Mary. Michigan State survived Northern Iowa. Kentucky popped Cornell. And Kansas State beat Xavier in two epic overtimes.

But don’t think the NCAA Tournament has ended up looking very much like it always does. Two No. 1 seeds are out. And while familiar names like Kentucky, Duke and Michigan State remain, other schools, even from the big conferences, are walking on grass.

Kansas State is in its first regional final since 1988. West Virginia hasn’t been this far since 1959. Baylor since 1950. Tennessee and Butler never have been this far. So that’s a great tournament.

Baylor’s ascension has fortified the Big 12, and the Bears aren’t a terrible pick to upset Duke. Kansas State, too, which ranks with Kentucky (vs. West Virginia) as the most likely regional finalist to win. K-State will have a huge talent and size edge on Butler.

Excluding the Horizon League’s 3-0 (all courtesy of Butler), the SEC has the best record this tournament among conferences. But the Big 12 has the most victories. The SEC is 6-2, thanks to Kentucky and Tennessee. The Big 12 is 9-5 and wouldn’t have the best record even had Kansas made the regional final. That’s the curse of having so many teams (seven) in the NCAA Tournament. Losses pile up.

But the Big 12′s two regional finalists, neither of them KU, shows the quality of the league. It’s been a good post-season for the Big 12.

The conference records: SEC 6-2, Big Ten 8-4, Big 12 9-5, Pac-10 3-2, ACC 6-5, Big East 7-7. That’s right. The Big East has the worst winning percentage in this March Madness among the power leagues. And unless West Virginia can upset Kentucky, the 2010 NCAA Tournament can only be described as a disaster for the Big East. Meanwhile, if the Big 12 can win at least one of its regional finals, the 2010 NCAAs will have to be labeled a success despite the meltdown of Kansas.

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Salute the Sooners for offer to Tyler Neal

In spring 2004, an OU basketball scholarship came open. Kelvin Sampson decided to take a flier on David Godbold of Douglass High School.

Godbold was an excellent high school player but was not heavily recruited. The summer before his senior year, Godbold had been contacted by Arkansas-Little Rock, Colorado State and North Carolina-Wilmington but had no scholarship offers. The next spring, he had offers from Idaho, Oral Roberts, Wichita State and Texas-San Antonio. Godbold was getting ready to take a trip to Southwest Missouri State when Sampson called with a scholarship offer.

Godbold made the starting lineup as a freshman, played four years, was in the rotation his entire career and played in five NCAA Tournament games.

Sometimes you need a David Godbold. The Sooners need one now. Jeff Capel’s roster is ravaged, and one remedy is to give a scholarship to a player you know wants to be on the Sooner campus.

Enter Putnam West’s Tyler Neal, a 6-foot-6 forward who had been recruited by Oral Roberts. Neal kept his options open, and an OU offer came this week.

In recent years, we’ve taken to critiquing the in-state football recruiting practices of both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. But we might have been looking at the wrong sport.

Football is a sport in which roster stability is inherent. A couple of transfers, a couple of early pro entries, a couple of troublemakers. Experience them all and still they do not make a wasteland of the roster. They can hurt your chances of winning. They can affect depth. They do not make coaches head down to the rec center looking for walk-ons.

But that exact scenario can occur in basketball. Which is why a coach is wise to build a base of solid citizens who want a degree from that coach’s school and wants to play hoops while doing so.

Even a program as popular as Kansas, which can recruit just about any player it wants, makes a place for a guy whose talent might not be up Jayhawk standards but whose devotion to the school is unquestioned. KU’s Brady Morningstar is a Lawrence kid whose dad played for the Jayhawks.

I have no idea what kind of player Tyler Neal will be. Heck, everyone figured Taylor Griffin was one of these kind of glue guys, a guy recruited to get his brother on campus, yes, but also a guy who would be solid in the classroom and the locker room, and if he turned out to be a ballplayer, that was a bonus. Taylor Griffin currently resides on an NBA roster.

So this is not a pronouncement that Tyler Neal can’t play. It is a pronouncement that sometimes prospects are strangers in their own land. A pronouncement that all kinds of players from around these parts prove to be valuable players, they just need a chance. Terry Evans was that for Billy Tubbs. Godbold and Griffin were that way for Sampson and Capel.

Cade Davis is that way for Capel now.

Both OU and OSU should try to sign the best Oklahoman (or two) every year. Guys who care about the place they’re at can rub off on others. Guys who are invested in their school can help change the culture.

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KSU’s win: Banner day for the Big 12

Wow. What a day to be a college basketball fan in Salt Lake City. Butler upset Syracuse, then Kansas State beat Xavier in two great overtimes. Great night to be a college basketball/Big 12 fan. That nightcap either meant we were assured of a mid-major in the Final Four or a Big 12 team in the Elite Eight.

Kansas State’s 101-96 victory gives the Big 12 seven schools that have made a regional final in the 2000s. Kansas, of course, plus Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Iowa State and now K-State.

The Big 12 ranks solid in that category. During the 2000s, the Big East has had seven schools make a regional final, but that’s not counting Marquette in 2003. Marquette joined the Big East in 2005. The Big Ten has had six regional finalists in the 2000s, the Pac-10 five, the SEC four and the ACC four.

The ACC most surprises me. North Carolina is the only ACC school to make a regional final since 2004. Duke can get there with a victory over Purdue tonight.

Here are the conference lineups of regional finalists in the 2000s.

Big East: Louisville, UConn, Pitt, Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown, Syracuse (plus Marquette, which made it in 2003, before it joined the Big East).

Big 12: Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas State.

Big Ten: Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue.

Pac-10: UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, USC.

SEC: Kentucky, Florida, LSU, Alabama.

ACC: North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Duke, Maryland.

What can we learn from this list? Several things.

* The Big 12′s middle tier schools have risen to the occasion. Kansas State, Iowa State. Baylor if it wins tonight.

* The ACC is not living up to its standard. No Wake Forest in a regional final. No N.C. State. No Virginia or Boston College.

* The SEC needs some help from Arkansas. This is a program that made three Final Fours in the early ’90s, won an NCAA title and yet hasn’t done squat since.

* The Pac-10 has done well but seems to be floundering. Its glory outside UCLA and Arizona was done a decade ago. Stanford and USC success came in the early 2000s, and Oregon has fired Ernie Kent, who brought it success in the middle part of this decade.

The Big East is basketball’s best league, this season notwithstanding. Most nationally-competitive programs. Of course, it ought to be, with 16 teams. But the Big 12 can hold its head high.

And another NCAA championship would help the Big 12 even more. Can Kansas State do it? I say yes.

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OSSAA proposal: excellent idea

The proposed change to Oklahoma high school classifications is excellent. Sounds like we’ve got some Solomons on the committee formed to adress inequities among schools in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association.

Our man Ryan Aber wrote about the proposals in today’s Oklahoman, and the idea is this: use a multiplier for schools that control their enrollment. A .15 multiplier — thus a school of 100 students would be grouped as if it had 115 — for school that control their enrollment. That includes private schools, magnet schools, charter schools, boarding schools, etc. Also, an additional .15 multiplier for schools that charge tuition or offer financial aid (basically, private schools).

In essence, private schools would be given a 0.3 multiplier, so that a school of 100 would be grouped as if it had 130 students. All other schools that control their enrollment would be given a .15 multiplier.

This to me is a superb compromise. It does not automatically bump up schools that have an enrollment advantage, but it bumps up some. The earlier suggestions, mostly by Class 3A or close public schools, that schools be bumped up two classes was ridiculously punitive.

The controlled-enrollment schools do not have that much of an advantange. But they do have an advantage.

Controlled-enrollment means two things. Control the number. Control the individual students. Private schools, magnet schools and charter schools can set their limit of students: 300, 500, 800. Doesn’t matter. They basically can determine in which class they’ll be placed.

Public schools cannot. If 1,492 students show up to enroll at U.S. Grant, 1,492 is what Grant must take. That is not the case with the controlled-enrollment schools.

The other element of controlled-enrollment is individual control. If Bobby Delinquent shows up at Noble High School, Noble has to take him, no matter what kind of knucklehead he is. If Bobby Delinquent shows up at Mount St. Mary, the Mount can say, no thanks. Special education is part of this debate, too.

The basic truth is that schools that control their enrollment have an advantage, and reclassification is one way to address the inequities. The committee’s proposal, presented by Bethany superintendent Kent Shellenberger, seems fair and effective.

Let’s salute the committee’s work and urge all schools in Oklahoma to vote for the proposal.

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