Quality Is Job 1

With so many moving parts, how can anyone expect them to gel into an NIT squad? The CSM people must have more faith in Coach Martin than most Mizzou fans do.

I'm sorry to see this. Not to make light of anything tragic, but with the fall occurring in January, the last that he saw, the Billikens were ranked and a good bet for an at-large bid.

If Memphis counts as "Power 6," then isn't it really 7? Pac-12, Big 12, SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big East, American?

When you consider that Jim Crews was one of the Bills' coaches during that span, you must be impressed by this distinction. Also, consider Brad Soderberg's sometime involvement with three of the top 13: he obviously knows defense.

The REAL reason for the reactions and the omission of an allusion to "PAYSTUBS" is that, in that instant, the hosts realized that Coach Forte IS "Basketball Country," but now that he's part of #TeamBlue, all is forgiven in billikens.com-land. Henceforth, Coach Forte will be "Coach PAYSTUBS, supreme ruler of Basketball Country."

For all Olympians, or just for Team USA?

SLU is offering him more than Oklahoma State?!

So he already has a rapport with Coach Ford?

Good game. Defense wins championships and gold medals. That, and giving France's Gobert the French treatment (see what I did there?).

It was a joke.

It was a trade: Nesbitt for Hornett and two ________ to be named later.

In the 2.5 years+ that I've lived in Cleveland, I haven't been swarmed by anything — though the mosquitos can be pretty bad. Maybe it's kind of like the predicted swarm of 13-year cicadas (or something like that) that was supposed to descend upon St. Louis in 2010 or '11. (I did see some.)

Update: So, I guess the powers that be, who've been throwing around changing the name of Cleveland's MLB team for a while, are considering "Guardians." To respond to Rich, I haven't really followed any MLB team for several years; to the extent that I would, I'm still a Cardinals fan. I haven't adopted any Cleveland team other than the Cavaliers, which has been the team I've liked the most for decades (because of my ties to Cleveland), because St. Louis never had an NBA team during the years I lived there. @Pistol and @billiken_roy: Thanks!

Sure could do without the vax debate.

I'm sure. But I haven't heard of any Guardians.

Thank you! You lost me.

I miss my home of nearly 50 years (St. Louis), but this is where God has led me. I'm settled. I've found someone willing to marry me! That's one of C-land's redeeming qualities! They consider a 90-degree day very hot here. But lake-effect snow makes it The Mistake by the Lake.

Cleveland, Ohio.

Games at Duquesne, Dayton, and St. Bonaventure are possibilities for me. (Weather will be a big factor for Dayton and especially the Bonnies. Duquesne is my easiest trip.)

I think the problem is that our brains have been trained to see "mid" and think "middle" — "mediocre." While that's what "mid" usually means, it's not supposed to mean that in the context of "mid-major." It really only means "not in a conference that plays football in the FBS." Being mid-major (actually, in a mid-major conference) doesn't mean a program can't be more successful than a so-called high-major (in a FBS conference) program, but there are hurdles to get over, as the FBS conference members have much more money to utilize. So, if you read 3-Star's statement about Grant as, "He is a very good coach for a school that doesn't have FBS football," would you still pick that bone?

I'm guessing the emoji () in your post is actually supposed to be a position. Is it center?

In that case, wouldn't BYU be in the same boat?

My compliments for the proper choice of spelling for complements.

Just a heads-up that in two places you accidentally replaced the recruit's name with his high school's name.