# 2012 NCAA March Madness (Men's) thread

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-ncaa-march-madness-mens-thread/615503>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [March 12, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-ncaa-march-madness-mens-thread/615503 "2012-03-12T00:26:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 12

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**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-ncaa-march-madness-mens-thread/615503/221 "2012-04-19T23:33:09Z")

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> [@R.P.McMurphy](#):
>
> It’s not just baseball, it’s hockey also. Guys get drafted when they are in college, stay in college and then pursue their pro career. What’s the harm? It’s been tried and it works. Sorry for the lack of detail but a couple of years ago a kid got drafted as the NHL #1 pick and decided to do a year in college because he wasn’t ready for the NHL and didn’t want to spend time with the cement-heads in the minors. What’s wrong with that? He still gets the college experience. Everybody benefits.

You’re right, Erik Johnson played for the Gophers for a year.

But there is a difference between the baseball and hockey situations. In hockey, basically anyone in college can be drafted in any year. Hockey players can (and occasionally do - see Kyle Okposo for a relatively recent example) also turn pro in the middle of the season as well. I’d rather basketball follow the baseball direction.

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**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-ncaa-march-madness-mens-thread/615503/222 "2012-04-20T14:02:03Z")

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> [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](#):
>
> You’re right, Erik Johnson played for the Gophers for a year.
> 
> But there is a difference between the baseball and hockey situations. In hockey, basically anyone in college can be drafted in any year. Hockey players can (and occasionally do - see Kyle Okposo for a relatively recent example) also turn pro in the middle of the season as well. I’d rather basketball follow the baseball direction.

An interesting example is Chris Kreider. He played on the Boston College NCAA championship team this year and is now playing for the Rangers in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Nobody seems to find that scandalous. Who got hurt? (Answer: the guy who’s roster spot he took.)

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**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-ncaa-march-madness-mens-thread/615503/223 "2012-04-20T15:14:54Z")

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> [@R.P.McMurphy](#):
>
> An interesting example is Chris Kreider. He played on the Boston College NCAA championship team this year and is now playing for the Rangers in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Nobody seems to find that scandalous. Who got hurt? (Answer: the guy who’s roster spot he took.)

The difference is that he left after the championship game. I don’t have as many problems with that, and it happens on a regular basis. Okposo, on the other hand, joined the Islanders in December after playing the first two months of the season for the Gophers.

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