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Vedad Ibisevic

Striker who plays for the Bosnian National team and VfB Stuttgart. He is currently second in goals scored in UEFA World Cup Qualiftying. Also Subotic is from Bosnia as well, not Serbia. 

That is true...

for the regular season. I am talking about performance at the conference tournaments. No one remembers who won the regular season title. As to your other point, VCU started to invest heavily into basketball under Grant. The school is giving coaches what they need to succeed. Credit is given to coaches and institutions in this case in my opinion.

2011-2012

Smart won the CAA conference title in 2012, so he did win one. Other than that he reached the final against St. Louis in his first year in the A10 and the final against ODU his first year in the CAA. Grant actually only won twice. VCU is also one of 8 teams in the country to win at least one tournament game each of the past three years. Also, improving performance does not always just come down to winning percentage. The program has reached heights that Grant never took it to. 

VCU

... beat FGCU by 23.... Transitive property? 

A10

The A10 is 6-0! La Salle beat Boise State and Kansas State, VCU beat Akron, Temple beat NC State, Butler beat Bucknell, and St. Louis beat New Mexico State. The A10 is definitely stepping up and producing results. VCU and Michigan will be a fun match up

Minnesota's AD

Their AD came from VCU so do not discount him thinking that maybe they could lure Shaka Smart to the Gophers. I do not think Smart would go there but the AD may want to give it a try and get "his guy."

Betting

This report does not implement any top clubs or countries. European and World Cup qualifiers involve many nations where players are not receiving a huge pay check for what they produce on the field. To give an example, no one would care about the European Championship qualifier outcome of Kazakhstan vs the Faroe Islands. These are the types of matches targeted. The World Cup Qualifying involves even more countries across the world that are in this type of situation.

For the Champions League matches, there are a few group stage spots available through  the playoff stages in which clubs from many of the smaller domestic leagues get a chance to make it. When these teams play teams that they know will destroy them, there is probably incentive to do this. They'd have to clarify whether the betting occurred  for the Champions League playoffs or during the Champions League itself.

Since Juventus received a very harsh punishment for their involvement with match fixing a few years ago, I think it opened up the eyes of big clubs to monitor this as much as possible. The difference in money from the top domestic league and the second tier is huge, and more importantly reflected in player contracts.        

Methods

You can most certainly get a team to tank or go after the teams best player. If you get a forward or attacking midfielder to quit on their team the likely hood of scoring decreases. If a defender allows for the opposing player to pass them with ease, goals can be scored. So individual play is still critical. What is also overlooked and more likely could be the cause are referees themselves. They can point to the spot and offer a penalty at their discretion. What makes it difficult is that a penalty could probably be given at any time a player enters the box. Also the betting in Europe is so wide ranged that you can bet on anything from a specific player receiving a yellow card to the half that they'll be receiving it.  

This would...

be a great move for the A10. This could solidify its as one of the elite basketball conferences in the country. Since this move would also be basketball oriented, I doubt it would result in any major trickle effect other than the big east dying. However that has been coming... 

Once Brothers

Was the best 30 for 30... Enough said...

Well...

Job security could add more money to that. 2.3 over 6 years is longer than 3.5 for 3 years. At Louisville he can get by as long as he goes to bowl games and not worry about being fired. Cannot say the same about the Tennessee job. Reminds me a lot of Shaka Smart, although he'll have to turn down a couple more higher programs to reach that level.

Like

was stated above, Conley said he MIGHT visit Oregon and Ohio State. He told this to a couple of reporters after his last game. Bill Greene obviously went with what would grab headlines instead of what was actually said. This is nothing new with Conley and I am sure the coaches will talk with him about this situation. However, I don't think this constant talk about visiting other schools is making Hoke happy... 

For you US fans out there

1) Do you expect this team to make the World Cup? I am assuming that they'll win these next to games to secure a spot in the final six.

2) How far do you think they'll be able to go if they reach the Cup? Do you pretty much expect to make the knock out stages or is a good group showing good enough? 

Bummer

I was really hoping to see a RVP for Dzeko plus cash swap with Man City. That would have been the best move for both teams. Arsenal stockpiling cash means nothing as they are never ones to spend on a big player because of their strict wage ceiling. I don't think this move will push Man U over Man City as the favorite in the BPL but it will certainly make the fan base happy. 

Group of Death

Rematch in the Final!

Yes

They allow teams to file petitions to replace injured players however it would be too late to switch players under any other circumstance. Such as if Balotelli gets bored and throws darts at his teammate again, too late Italy, you are stuck with him.

Ya

Nasri has been a bit disappointing for City this season. The reason they are dominating United right now because United is blanketing David De Gea with defenders and not taking many chances to attack. They only need the draw so I don't think they're looking to push forward too much and leave their goalkeeper exposed. 

Mancini

I'm hoping that City flame out the rest of the way and he gets fired. I don't like how he has handled Dzeko at all this year (admittedly bias view), the Balotelli, or Tevez situations. A manager with the roster he has at his disposable should in now way get eliminated at the Group Stage of the Champions League and not make the final 8 of the Eurocup. 

Ehhh

I don't think he'll be as successfull as some here think but I can see why Arsenal fans are optimistic. I think he'll be a nice addition however, his knock has always been that he can't play well at the club level, that is why he is at  1. FC Köln. He didn't perform well at all while he had his chance at Bayern. 

He is

building something special at VCU, no doubt about it. By no means do I think he is a lifer but he'll have his pick of jobs in a couple of years. I think he is waiting for an elite blue blood to have a job opening and then he'll accept it for the challenge and not the money. 

No football team

which is another thing he likes, a total commitment to basketball. NC State offered him a little more than 2 million a year for a number of years last year, and he turned it down

I know

that it is hard to believe but this guy is not about the money. He'll leave when he thinks the time is right and I can assure you he won't go to the highest bidder. He is recieving 1.2 Million /year at VCU and that is below what the market had demanded.

I'm not saying

that he will never leave it's just that now is not the time. One senior is graduating from a team  that just won their conference tournament. The team will be stacked next year, in addition to a very solid recruiting class coming in. I think he'll stick around for at least another year and then take a higher major job. Until then, VCU will compensate him fairely. 

Another point about Brad Stevens and Smart. They're both incredibly young. There is no sense of urgency for them to take these high major jobs. They have safe jobs now and they'll have time to impress again if they fall short of expectations one or two years in a row.

Money

VCU has shown that they are willing to pay him and he is not the type of person that will leave  just because of money. NC State offered double what VCU is paying him (which is 1.2 million annually, not including incentives). Also, Richmond is not some terrible city in its own right and Ms. Smart is a Harvard grad herself so she knows what she likes aswell. 

Better than Maryland?

I think those two jobs are on the same level except that Maryland won a National title. NC State is also more prestigious. Shaka Smart is a great and relentless recruiter so recruiting should not be a problem wherever he ends up. Another big part is that Smart needs to get guys that will committ to pressing after every made basket. His "Havoc" style is not for everyone and recruiting higher profiled players comes with more attitude and selfishness. Smart has repeatedly said the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Shaka Smart

I do not believe he is going anywhere, however things could change. He has ties to Chicago which he views sort of as his second hometown but that is where his ties end. Champagne is 140 miles away from Chicago and from what I've heard isn't an amazing city, perhaps quite the opposite. Shaka has said repeatedly he is happy where he is, and that more importantly, his wife is really happy. They just had a daughter and he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who is looking to bolt. 

Here is a recent interview with Smart if any of you guys are interested. He is saying all the right things and I see no reason not to belive him.

http://www.93xmemphis.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=5725514

His interview starts at the 42:25 mark

 

 

Divac...

I truly believe that he meant no wrong in what he did on the court that day. The reason Croatians dislike the man is for no other reason than it is what the media told them to. The nationalist politicians and media ran with it because they viewed it as a dividing factor and not a unifying one. As was destined, he became a hero in Serbia and disliked in the rest of the republics. 

What would have been

If Yugoslavia had stayed together. We would be able to challenge the US basketball team in the Olympics and almost certainly contending for World Cups. Stupid ethnic squabbles...

ITs Ohio

On to the next one...

Rooting for Rodger

I'm definitely staying up to watch this live. Watching it the next day or taping it causes it to lose it's luster. I understand those who have to work doing that but if you have nothing to do tomorrow, it might be worth it to watch. I have Federer winning although he has struggled against Nadal his entire career. Djokovic will be rooting for Nadal as well because Federer definitely gives him more trouble. Should be a great semifinals and finals down under!

Almost

all of the people under "players like him" have a fairly less impressive/often nonexistent offer list. Maybe those who think this is just a name thing are on to something...

Glen Mason

Part deux 

I logged

in just to see how many down votes this would get...

Looks

like you need to keep rooting for Ohio

WVU...

I think that States Rights question might've been what screwed them over

I was more

impressed with Man City beating Spurs at White Heart Lane. Dzeko is really coming into his own there and partnered with Kun Aguero, they can't be stopped. Arsenal seems like a side in complete free fall. Didn't make any positive splashes in the transfer market and sold two of their stars, one of them to a Champions league competitor. The EPL season is going to be interesting with the battle for number one occuring in Manchester. Of course, it is still very early in the season.

...

HALOL!!!

Dzeko

I'll keep watching Man City as long as Dzeko is blasting the ball like he did with that goal from outside of the box. The league as a whole should be great though, I don't think any team outside of Man U is guaranteed a Champions League spot this year. 

Ya...

George Mason was the clear favorite if Coach L hadn't left for Miami. Now that he has left and Hancock has left too, I think that it puts Drexel as the favorite. Mason is still number two but if VCU can put things together by the end of the season, they can make a run for the CAA tournement final. The starting five is going to be relatively young/talented, we have one NBA prospect in Bradford Burgess on the team and I'm hoping he can keep them afloat until the young guys catch on. Shaka is recruiting at a high level for VCU and is getting kids with lower level BCS offers to pick us instead. I'm expecting NIT this year but next year this team should be primed for a sweet sixteen run, when our fab five (a bunch of three stars haha) are Juniors.

Hancock

I go to VCU (plays in George Mason's conference) so I've seen him play a number of times. He is a good player who can hit the jump shot and can get to the line when his shot isn't falling. He hustles and plays hard which is his best attribute. I do not think this is a loss for Michigan because they seem to be bringing in guys whose ceiling is higher than his. I won't expect him to make an impact in the Big East but with his determination he might be able to, especially in a system like Louisvilles.

That is

how Josip Tito, the President of Jugoslavia, punished all the worst criminals and ultra nationalists in the state. It took place on a beach with nothing but rocks on it, needless to say, the punishment was pretty effective.

Per Allen

Scout could run the story on the commitment today and if not the commitment will be made public tomorrow on WTKA. The plot thickens...

Edit: Also said it wasn't Pike

Ehhh what?

How is it not racing? Because of the different kinds of turns? I don't think Indy Car or NASCAR  is racing because all they do is drive in a circle and half the people there are hoping to see a crash. I guess that is just my European bias though

Totally agree

The F1 cars are a thing of beauty. They are so much more technologically advanced compared to any other type of racing car out there. 

If

it was sarcastic, why did you post this to begin with? Beating a middle of the road ACC team means nothing if the ACC is having a down year... Which it is... Color me puzzled...

He was a virgin

unitl he was 27 but from then on... Roll Tide

I think

the sketchers shape ups commercials covered that... Please tell me that is why he did them?

It is

a huge year instate and we seem to be the favorites for a bunch of the kids. If we can grab almost all of them it would be a great foundation for our class as a whole. This year Michigan doesn't have to fly to California or Texas or Florida to get a linebacker or corner and try to convince them to leave home. 

The

instate ones

OMG Shirtless

?