Who you rolling with? Who is this year's Cinderella?

I got Texas winning it all. I think experience is a big factor in March. And Texas is old. And big12 battle tested.

Cinderella: I got Drake getting to the Sweet 16. Why? *shrug*

Would like to see Pitt vs UCONN

Also keeping my eye on Marquette.

I don’t have faith in Kansas or fucking Purdue in making it deep in this tourney.

Hate to say it but Duke has an easy path this year and they are healthy and focused.. I just hate them too much to pick them to win it all

The way to beat Duke is to draw them out of their drop coverage, make them defend ball screens where they're pretty aggressively mediocre, and have multiple shot makers who can take and make shots from anywhere. And Oral Roberts, more than really anyone else before the Elite Eight in our side of the bracket, is tailor made to do all of that.

Duke will need to play inside out, destroy the boards, and impose will with size and athleticism to take ORU out of their rhythm. If we do that? I like our chances to make Sweet 16-- and considering Purdue has a pretty brutal second round draw imo, the shot they'll have at an Elite Eight is fairly decent as well.

Feels dumb as shit to say "either first round exit or Elite Eight," but that's the tournament for you. Matchups, matchups, matchups.

love the VCU shout out too

we family!!!

Blown coverage of the 3-point shooter on the final play and blown box-out for the tip-back-- yet Mississippi State misses both. Unreal. Happy for Capel-- Iowa State's vulnerable, so maybe he can put a miracle run together.

Marquette, UConn, UCLA…

I’m already expecting Illinois to get bounced in the first round… too capricious of a team
to make a run. Hopefully, having that perception of not expecting anything will lead to
them having success.

I’ll still be rooting for them on GP

Orange crush!

We play like trash away from home so I’m not expecting much.
Let’s go though. Shock em all Kev Willard.

We play like trash away from home so I’m not expecting much.
Let’s go though. Shock em all Kev Willard.

.

Capel lucks out against Mississippi State, Hurley absolutely demolishes Nevada.

This can only mean one thing: KENNY BLAKENEY PULLS OFF THE MIRACLE AND HOWARD UPSETS KANSAS.

I understand he was trapped, but damn. I know yall practice passing out of traps. Dude just threw a smooth pop-fly.

he is usually very steady with the ball and calm under pressure. He's the guy UVA wants with the ball in his hands in those situations, just like he was in 2019's championship run. He just found himself trapped in a bad spot, and he is tiny (he's listed as 5-10 but he is like 5-8 tops, probably closer to 5-7) and just panicked.

Just an awful way for a great career to come to an end. But regardless, salute to a champion:

https://twitter.com/Zach_Carey_/status/1636466064966950912

We (Ohio U.) were a 13 seed when we knocked off defending champs Virginia 2 years ago. One of the kids on the team, Ben Vander Plas, transferred to Virginia after that. I was a little salty but his dad had played ball at Virginia so I kinda get it.

Fast forward 2 years and he gets to be a part of another 13 over 4 upset but from the wrong side.

he's named after them, Ben is short for Bennett. So yeah their ties run pretty deep.


> Fast forward 2 years and he gets to be a part of another 13
>over 4 upset but from the wrong side.

he broke his hand last week so he was out, but yeah March Madness is wild.

> he's named after them, Ben is short for Bennett. So yeah
>their ties run pretty deep.

Oh damn, I didn't know that at all.

>he broke his hand last week so he was out, but yeah March
>Madness is wild.

That's a lousy way to end the season & maybe his college career. I think he's a grad student so I don't know how much eligibility he might have.

that being said, this is me right now:


https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/018/898/sad.jpg

If you win it all, that washes a *lot* of tough tournament losses, lol.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/018/898/sad.jpg

(along with all UVA fans right now, myself included)

.

The line had Mizzou as the underdog, but the team's played well post-Kansas.

With Arizona out, there's a legit chance the school gets to the Sweet 16. I can't even remember the last time that happened. Was that the D'Marre Carroll team?

D'Marre, Marcus Denmon, Lyons, Bowers, Kim English. Fun times. Won the Big 12 Tourney, got in the dance and made a deep run. Couldn't get past UCONN in the Elite 8. Too much Kemba and Thabeet owned the boards.

Even with Flip battling food poisoning apparently, we still easily took care of business with our defense first. Have to love that.

For Scheyer's first season, no matter what happens from here, I absolutely love what I'm seeing from a schematic perspective.

18 turnovers last night against a bad defensive team, including 10 by the primary ball-handlers (3 of 4 being seniors)

not even good turnovers either, just throwing the ball into the stands and getting it stripped in slow motion

Tennessee averages over 12 turnovers per game so this isn't just a no-Zakai-Ziegler issue, they are sloppy in general

going 12-21 at the free throw stripe didn't help matters

I doubt Tennessee will score effectively the way our halfcourt defense has been playing, so we just need to avoid one of those 18-to-20 turnover games, which would give Tennessee easy points.

If we don't shoot ourselves in the foot and we avoid good shooting luck for Vols/bad shooting luck for us, I like our chances.

>I doubt Tennessee will score effectively the way our
>halfcourt defense has been playing, so we just need to avoid
>one of those 18-to-20 turnover games, which would give
>Tennessee easy points.

>If we don't shoot ourselves in the foot and we avoid good
>shooting luck for Vols/bad shooting luck for us, I like our
>chances.

I guess you could call the Nkamhoua game lucky, but this is why Barnes stuck with him all year (he had 27 against Texas too) -- he has incredible extremes but his upside can win a game

Lifetime locks.


Brad Underwood is the Thibs of the NCAA


He is shit and needs to be fired.

Out of conference teams are in for a surprise…

They are one of those teams that every top team should beat, but run into
trouble because they are very tough.

Beat Illinois three times
Beat NW twice
Beat Indiana twice
Beat Maryland
Played Purdue to a 2 point loss

So they can certainly lose if Pickett and Funk are cold... but that doesn't happen often.

If they're both hot, they can make a run.

is high end elite at getting to the hoop and creating his own shot. I’m a huge fan of their coach - Micah Shrewsberry - and it seems like his players all love him.

With that said, they do lack size and will struggle against bigger teams/players. They had no answers at all for Edey. He killed them on the glass and in the paint. Surprisingly, PSU still had a chance to win the game and only lost by 2 in the conference championship.

It was ridiculous that they were given a #10 seed. Indiana - who they recently beat - had a similar/slightly better record got a #4 seed. Iowa was 19-13 and somehow got an #8 seed.

Pitt had more turnovers than made field goals... and they won by TWENTY, because Iowa State couldn't hit the broad side of a fucking barn, both from the field or the free throw line.

Unwatchable basketball. But happy for Capel-- he's a former Duke guy, he never beats Duke, and he always beats UNC, so he's basically everything I want from an ACC coach imo.

Like... that performance *has* to be close.

lmaooooooo

sike

losing Baldwin didn’t help.

DeLuesh is a douche. Boy can’t get right. Nothing but turnovers and bad fouls.

I had a VCU Moneyline ticket, so I was bummed obviously, lol-- but even beyond that, Baldwin just deserved a healthy shot at a run. Hate to see it, dude can ball.

.

I remember one game last year he outrebounded the opposing team for the entire game. Dude is one of the best college rebounders i've ever seen.

-------------------------------------------------------
Keep the crack raps up that shit is double plus what-ever-the-fuck.
Everybody's afraid to say that it just sucks to watch talented motherfuckers pretending they sell drugs - EL-P

That Zone and athleticism creamed them!

The smallest team in the country!

They kept the big man from getting the ball, and the
other players were too shook to even shoot

Fick Painter - I'm done with his chocking ass

I think they're both really good, and by the time they're upperclassmen (think UVA with Jerome and Guy), they could be super legit. Shit, next season, if they bring everyone back, they're almost certainly the preseason #1.

But... yeah. The backcourt is where Purdue got completely fucked. They also just... stopped looking for Edey entirely.

Smith - yes. Fletcher Loyer can transfer to D2 for all I care and take Morton with him. Or go to Davidson and have a nice career like his brother.

Bit painter is the issue, he never adjusts. He must be the best off season coach in NCAA history, we skate Oprah in January/Feb. conversely wise March coach.

Last three tournaments, losses to a 16; 15; 13! W T F !!!!

I'm usually a pretty big Painter defender, but you absolutely CANNOT go so long in a game without the big man touching the ball. Coaching malpractice.

6’9 Zach Randolph type of player eating up the glass and getting blocks

great play by FAU at the end, they just got beat (turned over the ball themselves on the possession before anyway)

>Who you rolling with? Who is this year's Cinderella?
>
>I got Texas winning it all. I think experience is a big factor
>in March. And Texas is old. And big12 battle tested.
>
>Cinderella: I got Drake getting to the Sweet 16. Why? *shrug*
>

LET'S FUCKING GO

FUCK DOOK

The brotherhood can fellowship at spring break somewhere lol

>The brotherhood can fellowship at spring break somewhere lol
>

Happy for the Jeremy Roach era to be over. He just can't play in physical games like that on either end, has never been able to.

Hopefully we'll bring a few dudes back. Feeling good about Scheyer on the whole. If we can somehow bring back Proctor, I'd be over the fucking moon.

we taking impossible twos...game over.

It was a really impressive year and completely unexpected. Gates exceeded everyone's expectations this year, even with getting a late start since he was hired later in the cycle.

This year, he'll have some juice that he's earned because of his coaching that he can hopefully translate into convincing better recruits.

I think the extension is a bit premature, but the rationale makes sense. Even though he's only had the one good year, I don't want to think of the disappointment the fanbase would feel if another school poached him.

If we can maintain the quality of play from this year into next year, then I think Gates will have started to establish a foundation that will sustain some excellence that Mizzou hasn't had since Mike Anderson.

Duke is trash.


Like I said Marquette, UCLA or UCONN


Marquette could actually win this thing.

Houston’s looks like they are going to go down.

Pick your poison!

LOL

FOH

Pitt had a great year

.

There's absolutely no reason for them to be in this game. And they are. Again. Incredible.

https://twitter.com/LoIra_BTW/status/1637665786444537857?s=20

.

Such a big difference when he was out of the game. It's like they didn't know what to do without him

..Kansas State is serious.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Thought they were headed to the Elite 8 after the way they beat Duke.

they weren't geared up to play FAU and it showed, they got killed on the boards despite having a major height and length advantage

I follow VCU, Pitt and Tennessee

I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to UT as a freshman

then I took summer classes at Pitt but that shit was too expensive.

Moved south, lived in VA for a year and finally graduated from
VCU.

and of all these teams which one made a Final Four over all these years? VCU

Pitt been hurting my soul since Vandy beat them in the sweet 16. Game went to OT and the cable went out. When it came back on they were down 6 with seconds left.

and I been disappointed by the Vols ever since I attended when Allen Houston was there in 91/92.

Its been a looooong time and lots of disappointment.

and they were favored in a large number of them

ones that hurt my soul to this day:

2019 L vs. Purdue -- the last year of Grant and Admiral; Vols are up two and Lamonte Turner fouls Carsen Edwards on a three with one second left. Virginia would have knocked them out the next round but it's crazy those Grant and Admiral teams only played in one Sweet 16...of course that same year Bruce Pearl takes fucking Auburn to the Final Four

2018 L vs. Loyola-Chicago -- Loyola-Chicago hits a floater that bounces off the rim, backboard, rim again, then falls through with three seconds left...Vols would only have had to beat (7) Nevada and (9) Kansas State to make the Final Four if they had won that

2008 L vs. Ohio State (Elite Eight) -- Chris Lofton hits 6 threes and Vols blow a 17-point lead at half-time to the Mike Conley Jr. and Greg Oden combo...Ohio State goes all the way to the championship game after that.

2000 L vs. UNC -- Vols were up 9 points with seven minutes to go and blow it. Carolina sucked that regular season (8 seed) and went on to the Final Four. one of the early Tennessee basketball teams I loved -- Jerry Green was an average coach but that man could recruit. freaking Julius Peppers came off the bench that game and just started blocking shots and eating glass out of nowhere.

although this was a mediocre offensive team that then lost their point guard, so Sweet 16 was a nice surprise

got up for Duke, but once they were favored they went back to sleep mode

beat on the boards, which was inexcusable

I think most Tennessee fans have been sick of Plavsic's antics all season and his flagrant was inexcusable selfishness

Barnes should call timeouts during runs, I dislike how he tries to let them play through it

gotta find more scorers next year; Barnes' teams will always play good enough defense to be competitive but he has to balance the team better -- your senior backcourt cannot go 8-for-31

What a complete ass.

How bout, make free throws and the you can play on Saturday.

fuck him

against a top 15 three-point defense.

"Never been prouder of a team because we didn't have our game tonight. Those two shot clock threes they hit, one was a bank in from almost on the ground, and then we missed some free throws, some of our better guys. It just wasn't -- they made some plays, and we did some strange things. I give a lot of credit to Kansas State, but boy, it was their night with some of those shots that went in. That's it."

The fall-down end of the shot clock ones, you kind of start thinking it's not your night."

Wonder why

Iona, damn St. Mary’s as the 5 seed, 8 seed Arkansas, and the 2 seed in their bracket was down 2 starters and gets knocked out.

Smh.

I hope they lose. Can’t stand Hurley.

UConn has a damn good team this year, and will compete against anybody.
They don’t make the draw…they just serve whoever is in front of them.

And they absolutely *smashed* both of them. And most 13 seeds aren't Top 75 teams with a Hall of Fame coach at the helm.

Now they're going to face Gonzaga, which has the best offense in the country-- which was apparent last night when they went nuclear against perhaps the best defense in the country.

I think UConn's had a plenty tough road-- tougher than most of the title-contenders left, even tougher than a road like Kansas State's, which had bigger names attached but teams that underperformed much of the year.

I'm not even a big believer in Hurley, but this team is just absolutely on one right now.

>And they absolutely *smashed* both of them. And most 13 seeds
>aren't Top 75 teams with a Hall of Fame coach at the helm.
>
>Now they're going to face Gonzaga, which has the best offense
>in the country-- which was apparent last night when they went
>nuclear against perhaps the best defense in the country.
>
>I think UConn's had a plenty tough road-- tougher than most of
>the title-contenders left, even tougher than a road like
>Kansas State's, which had bigger names attached but teams that
>underperformed much of the year.
>
>I'm not even a big believer in Hurley, but this team is just
>absolutely on one right now.


Zags beat UCLA by 3 with 2 starters down for the Bruins. A healthy UCLA wins that and likely beats UConn.

UConn is playing well and murdering these mid teams - they’re doing what they’re supposed to and then some. But they’ve been front runners all year. Let’s see what happens when the talent is equal and the game is close and things aren’t going their way.

Here are games they lost by 2 possessions or less.

Creighton neutral court
Alabama at Alabama
Baylor at Baylor
Mizzou at Mizzou
Texas A&M at Texas A&M

They also went 1-5 after they lost Nick Smith (right after they'd already lost Trevon Brazile for the season). They had some struggles, but they showed repeatedly that they could compete in incredibly tough situations. They beat San Diego State neutral, smashed Kentucky at Kentucky-- obviously just beat Kansas neutral. I think Arkansas was loved by the analytics for a reason.

I don't even *like* UConn, lol. And I honestly have some degree of faith that Hurley will fuck this up at some point (assuming they stop making 45% of their 3s lol). But I just don't think their path was a gift.

Assumed an 8 seed with that many losses is mid, but that’s a good explanation as I admittedly haven’t paid attention to Arkansas like that since 95.

Still….their 1 seed lost and their 2 seed lost while down 2 starters, and I’m not buying St. Mary’s as a 5 seed….

... but they also beat Alabama by 15 on a neutral court, so it's not like I'm a skeptic that they could've, y'know?

St. Mary's was also the highest rated in all the analytics of all the 5 seeds-- beat San Diego State neutral and the Zags at home, probably the best pair of wins any of the 5 seeds had entering the tournament. I think they're insanely well-coached, they just have a bit of a talent deficiency probably when it comes to the tourney and facing one of the more physically imposing teams in the tourney.

I think Texas's path is super easy-- Penn State, Xavier, and Miami are all great offenses, bad defenses, and Texas seems especially built for those matchups.

Coach K got draws like this most of his run

When you play at the Y, and all you need is a 2 to win, if someone on your team pulls up a bullshit 3 in that scenario? It always goes in. Can't be explained with science. Something about a "no no no no no YESSSSSS" unnecessary 3 just always pulls it into the basket.

He's also shot, like, 42% from 3 this year. You just have to know when they're running up the floor like that that there's a world in which he pulls the trigger on that.

that shit looked like a desparation heave to me. as soon as he jumped up w/ the ball i'm like "that shit ain't going in. typical Zags meltdown" but hey, credit to him.

also, they SAID that was what was drawn up so even though i hate that rat faced alcoholic fuck Mark Few, credit to him cuz that doesn't even seem like his usual m.o. usually, he'd go for something way more safe.

UCLA had plenty of time to get a good shot off but that big hair ass point guard came down and fumbled the ball away lol

but maybe that was regulation

I can’t remember.

but they had the ball prior to that, after the logo 3 from Gonzaga.

he got stripped and then they had to foul so Gonzaga made a FT to make the final difference three points.

Bama
Houston
Creighton
Texas

.

If the favs lose now, I think the Favs win tonight…especially Creighton

Relying so heavily on the 3 in a best of 7 is one thing.

In a one and done format though? The shooting variance is way too high when you need to beat 4-5 good teams in a row. Especially with college kids. On a big stage.

In other words….SUCK IT, STATBOY!!! Wrong gym, wrong time hoe!

Also, the refs killed Bama and the NCAA clearly didn’t want the Miller story around the final 4. So they got the Cuse/Bernie Fine/Ohio State game 2012 treatment.

It's not even an analytics thing, as the analytics would say, "Hey, don't be entirely jumpshot reliant, even if you have elite jump shooters." They have one of the lowest 2-pointers scored rates in Division 1. That's crazy.

And you're exactly right, it's because it ratchets up the variance. Makes sense for a 14 seed to shoot a shitload of 3s, a 1 seed less so.

Wild that SDST was the one that did it though. Especially considering their struggles in the tournament over the last near-decade. Just goes to show, you're only "the team that can't win" until you win.

Houston has been a streaky number 1 all season long …just like Purdue and Kansas.

But yea, their defense and aggression is suffocating.

NOPE! Don't do it! Danger Will Robinson!

Only people who haven't seen Victor or Scoot.

He's been very good this year-- clearly the best NBA prospect in college basketball over the course of the season. I'd def take him top 3...

... but not above Vic or Scoot. No way, lol.

Bigs moving like guards usually leads to serious health issues down the
road, see KD and AD.

A guard being trapped in a big man’s body comes with a few caveats.

It’s inevitable…so I would probably go with the unpopular pick.

Just look at look Chet Holmgrem…similar skillset..moves like a guard can put it on
the floor, shoot the three….injured before his career even started.

Porzingis…injury prone.

Maybe just being big as all hell and not having a field of research dedicated to ensuring big as all hell bodies should be jumping and lumbering on hardwood for miles at a clip is the problem.

fuck that team

they dont dominate the game and they let it flow for the most part.

So long as neither UConn nor Gonzaga win it all, I’m good with it

UCONN just has to worry about Texas and maybe San Diego State....teams that have physical wings and at least two serviceable bigs. You shut UCONN down on the boards, they can't play at pace. When they start those medium speed breaks that is when Hawkins, Karaban, Calcaterra, Diarra, Newton, LOL and Allene find spaces to shoot freely. You not shutting ALL of them down. Dan Hurley has found ways to mess it up before, but this team has a decent plan of attack and an embarrassment of riches to execute it.

Folks think he is just a shooter...that boy got a COMPLETE game.

just a beautiful sight to behold.

dumbass Drew Timme. FOH.

They split their regular season matchups, so both teams know each other.

UCONN is clicking right now. When they lost to Creighton in Feb...they shot under 40% from the field and under 30% from 3. But they killed Creighton on the glass and lost by 3. That bad shooting wasn't happening again.

San Diego State has bodies.....Connecticut has problems with teams that can rebound with them. If you can rebound with UCONN, that makes a huge difference. UCONN has been crushing teams with early offense.

.

on one, and that should be played out unless it is just physically blatant.

Letter of the law?

Yes.

but spirit of the game? No.

If that foul weren’t called, there wouldn’t have been any complaint whatsoever.


And there was physical contact like that throughout the entire game and nothing
was called…players bumped and pushed all game long in the air and on the floor.

Jay Wright is correct…If you have not called that call all game long, and it’s been
happening all game long, and you decide to call it with 5 seconds left in the game…
that’s a ref deciding the outcome of the game.

dude be talking over everyone and interrupting them like thats his personal show.

as well as Jay…because they are champions and have bigger statuses

Like you said nobody wants to hear him all over the show.

This is some good ass BB….and Miami is doing it with 2s

They haven’t really gotten into their 3pt shooting …shittt if that happens

I’ve got a degree from them, so I’ll bandwagon 😂

.

my job’s main HQ is in Boca….been to FAUs campus a couple times. Hard to believe they are in the damn Final 4.

Miller with a monster game.

George Mason and now Miami

>George Mason and now Miami

Shit’s ridiculous.

Our last chip was 2014, We began with Langston Galloway's St. Joes squad, then we had Villanova, the Big East champion, in the round of 32. Then we had Iowa State, who finished in the top ten, in the round of 16. Then we had an Izzo team that finished second in the Big 10 (Valentine, Garry Harris and Adrien Payne). Then we beat #1 seed Florida, the top team in the country, and then we had to beat Kentucky with Julius Randle, the Harrison twins, James Young, Willie Caulie Stein, and Alex Poythress.

Open path my ass. Bruh they STILL hated Calhoun. This was the Shabazz -Ollie chip and it was an epic run for a team that entered the tournament 18th in the country.

The Kemba chip was no less epic- we entered the Big East tournament having lost the last two games of the season and we were 9th in the league. Kemba caught fire and we won 5 games in five days, and then turn around, in between Bucknell (a rout) and Butler (a meltdown/defensive master class), we beat Cincinnati, who finished ahead of us in the Big East, then San Diego State, Arizona and another loaded (Brandon Knight, Terence Jones, Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins) Kentucky team...all nail biters. Bucknell was a cupcake but that is after an absolute meat grinder of a league tournament.

The 2008-09 team had AJ Price, Kemba, Hasheem Thabeet, Stanley Robinson, Jeff Adrien, Jerome Dyson. This team lost in the 6 OT game to Cuse in the beginning of the Big East tournament, and then to eventual champions Michigan State in the Final Four. We beat two top twenty teams in route to the final four...ran through two other squads. But never had a cupcake route. Period. As a Big East team, the tournament format meant after 2009, you had to win 5 or 6 games to win the league tournament. AAC and ACC is a three game cycle for the finals. We've won the Big East tournament 8 times, AAC tournament once, 4 chips and an NIT. (None of which Hurley has done yet, but hopefully he gets it done). None of that is cupcake.

Cmon. Who plays an 8 seed in the finals? Twice!

2004 might’ve handled whoever regardless, but still got 9-7 in the ACC Georgia Tech.

When you look back through the history of the dance, the *majority* of the title winners catch some fortunate breaks on opponent seed. Which makes sense-- the harder your path, the more likely you lose. The more 1, 2, and 3 seeds you face, the less likely it is you win. So plenty of title winning runs feature either zero or one game against either a 1 or a 2 seed.

Last year's Kansas team faced 16, 4, 9, 10, 2, 8.
Virginia in 2019: 16, 9, 12, 3, 5, 3.
UConn in 2011: 14, 6, 2, 5, 4, 8.

In 2004, they made it to the Final Four before they played a single team higher than a 6 seed. In 1999, no team higher than 4 seed til Duke in the finals. Like, yes, they had to beat two very, very good Duke teams (in games I remember all too well), but their paths helped get them there, there's no question.

But there's also no question, imo, that that doesn't really matter at the end of the day, because folks remember rings, not how they got there. And enough teams benefit from fortunate breaks that the more fortunate title winners aren't really outliers-- the teams like 2016 Villanova who played *four* games against top 3 seeds (including beating two 1 seeds) are the real outliers.

he KNOWS everything you just said.

and i'm not begrudging him his saltiness either. i hate all my rivals too, lol.

We don't need to pretend the paths to a title that aren't hard are... but we also don't need to pretend that that shit matters at all, lol. An easy path to a championship is *desirable.*

I doubt UConn fans are kicking and screaming that they'll only face one team higher than a 4 seed all tournament long. I'd be on Cloud fucking 9 if my team got such an easy draw, lol. Fifty years from now, not a soul will remember what path you faced on your way to a title and if it was harder or easier than anyone else's. They'll just see the banner.

in our finals appearances.

I don’t want to hear about tough paths when you get 8 seeds and Georgia Tech in the finals, lol.

I don’t want to hear about bad luck, when we were a 1 seed and lost our starting Center before the tournament in both 2010 and 2012. Both those teams would’ve washed UConn’s 11 and 14 champions.

I misspoke a bit by saying “every time they’re good, the seas part for them”….that only applies to like post 2010. They’ve had like 3 good teams in that entire time and all 3 are gonna win the chip against some bullshit, smh.

* I know damn well 90s and 00’s UConn had some flat out great squads that got some tough draws. All them Ray Allen, Donyell Marshall, Rudy Gay, etc teams were better than ‘11 and ‘14.

And I don’t know what to make of this current UConn team because the path has fallen into place for them….but they’re absolutely waxing everybody.

>Our last chip was 2014, We began with Langston Galloway's St.
>Joes squad, then we had Villanova, the Big East champion, in
>the round of 32. Then we had Iowa State, who finished in the
>top ten, in the round of 16. Then we had an Izzo team that
>finished second in the Big 10 (Valentine, Garry Harris and
>Adrien Payne). Then we beat #1 seed Florida, the top team in
>the country, and then we had to beat Kentucky with Julius
>Randle, the Harrison twins, James Young, Willie Caulie Stein,
>and Alex Poythress.
>
>Open path my ass. Bruh they STILL hated Calhoun. This was the
>Shabazz -Ollie chip and it was an epic run for a team that
>entered the tournament 18th in the country.
>
>The Kemba chip was no less epic- we entered the Big East
>tournament having lost the last two games of the season and we
>were 9th in the league. Kemba caught fire and we won 5 games
>in five days, and then turn around, in between Bucknell (a
>rout) and Butler (a meltdown/defensive master class), we beat
>Cincinnati, who finished ahead of us in the Big East, then San
>Diego State, Arizona and another loaded (Brandon Knight,
>Terence Jones, Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins)
>Kentucky team...all nail biters. Bucknell was a cupcake but
>that is after an absolute meat grinder of a league tournament.
>
>
>The 2008-09 team had AJ Price, Kemba, Hasheem Thabeet, Stanley
>Robinson, Jeff Adrien, Jerome Dyson. This team lost in the 6
>OT game to Cuse in the beginning of the Big East tournament,
>and then to eventual champions Michigan State in the Final
>Four. We beat two top twenty teams in route to the final
>four...ran through two other squads. But never had a cupcake
>route. Period. As a Big East team, the tournament format meant
>after 2009, you had to win 5 or 6 games to win the league
>tournament. AAC and ACC is a three game cycle for the finals.
> We've won the Big East tournament 8 times, AAC tournament
>once, 4 chips and an NIT. (None of which Hurley has done yet,
>but hopefully he gets it done). None of that is cupcake.

Yet we end up with a FAU, San Diego State, Miami, UConn final 4.

Miami definitely bought their team, but the main point still stands. How did these schools overcome the NIL environment?

if I can get paid AND start why am I going to sit on the bench at a power school?

I actually think these 5th year seniors are bullying this young boys.

>if I can get paid AND start why am I going to sit on the
>bench at a power school?
>
>I actually think these 5th year seniors are bullying this
>young boys.

the cream of the crop gets PAID but that 3 star recruit who has the heart and hunger of a 5 star aint going to Kentucky to ride the bench and then get passed over by the next hot freshman.

They're 148th nationally in experience.

Outside of Matt Bradley at SDSU and Jordan Miller at Miami, there are no fifth year players. They're *generally* more experienced than the pack, but there's not an *obvious* trend there. UConn and FAU are actually both less experienced than half the field.

But you're right re: why players will choose to find a home that isn't just a blue blood or a giant high-major team. Some kids will want to be part of that, other kids will want to be part of their own thing, others still will want to insure they're the Guy at their school. The beauty of NIL is that there are opportunities for all these different types of dudes to find paths anywhere.

there were a lot of teams bounced early this year by more experienced teams

and you may be right about 5th year seniors overall but my point is these older cats dogwalked some of these young talents

Look at the biggest upsets in the first round.

The team with the least D1 experience in the entire field? Fairleigh Dickinson. They were older in age, sure, but Purdue starts three upperclassmen and the National Player of the Year.

Second least D1 experience in the field? Princeton. Arizona's top 50 in the country in experience. Princeton was the better team.

Some of the *most* experienced teams in the field?
Virginia. Loses to Furman.
Maryland. Gets boatraced by a very young Alabama team.
Memphis. Loses to FAU.
Tennessee was starting four seniors and a sophomore down the stretch, and yes, they beat a younger Duke team... but lost to a younger FAU team.
etc. etc.

My point is, yes, experience is important in *some* respects-- for instance, I think it's really useful for helping teams *make* the tournament. More than half the teams in the dance were in the top 100 in D1 experience this season, and I don't think that's a coincidence. (Especially in a year where the mean age of student-athletes is the oldest it's ever been due to COVID.) I'd say odds of a Final Four team having above-average experience are fairly good, largely because the bulk of the teams in the field tend to have above-average experience.

But I don't think relative experience vs. your opponent matters *that* much in the NCAA tournament-- and I think it's fairly overblown tbh. Like, the most experienced team in last year's Final Four was Villanova, and they got routed. This year, UConn and FAU are the least experienced teams left, and I would be very unsurprised if they made it to the championship game.

It's good to have experience-- it's more important to have talent, favorable matchups, roster versatility, a good coach, shooting luck, etc. Experience falls below a lot of things on the list imo.

This is just what the people who didn't want college athletes to get paid claimed would happen. In reality, this is always what would happen-- democratization. Yes, some schools (Miami, Creighton, Texas) can always pay more off the break, but most schools at this point have a collective or some system in place to advocate for local deals and/or merchandise set-ups for their players. FAU definitely has a collective-- is it as lucrative as Kansas's or Kentucky's? No, but it's probably enough that kids who want to play serious minutes will stick around instead of potentially riding pine at a big university.

It's still the Wild West to some extent, and there will obviously be notable exceptions (Nijel Pack, Baylor Scheierman, Tyrese Hunter, etc)... but ultimately I do believe that players will realize there's value in finding a place to stay and cultivating a relationship with fans over multiple years, as those fans will be more likely to buy your shit. And for every offer that comes in from UNC or Oregon, there will always be a mid-major saying, "Hey, we may not have national exposure, but you can be the Star here and get deals with every local business there is." There are so, so many paths available to players who stay in college now-- and I think it's going to be very exciting to see how it all shakes out.

Coach K and Jay Wright obviously

Roy was fading his final years but Hubert has had two good months in the past two years

Self had health issues and Cal got his lifetime contract and apparently wants to find out how much he can get away with and UK still honor it

Chris Beard seems like a horrible person but the man can coach

and those coaches left, 1 and done played a role as well

>Coach K and Jay Wright obviously
>
>Roy was fading his final years but Hubert has had two good
>months in the past two years
>
>Self had health issues and Cal got his lifetime contract and
>apparently wants to find out how much he can get away with and
>UK still honor it
>
>Chris Beard seems like a horrible person but the man can
>coach

Duke's roster will be stacked next year.

Kentucky will have a historically good class.

I don't really think that NIL plays too big a role in the results of this season beyond the relative democratization of the sport.

After already playing Georgia Tech and Butler for national championships.

Get the entire fuck outta here. Luckiest program in history.

when UConn beat Duke in the Final Four and everyone knew that was the real title game going into the game

wtf?

im not talking about a ticker or even a small screen in screen joint...they minimized and muted the basketball game to a small screen in screen and had the weather dude in the bigger screen talking over the whole thing.

at one point...they just took the basketball game off the screen entirely and had the weather alert coverage on there by itself.

im honestly bout to write these niggas for this shit lol.

I thought he was going to dribble the clock out. What a shot

>I thought he was going to dribble the clock out. What a shot

that joint was wet

Incredible moment for Butler, incredible moment for State.

It’s often ugly but when it works it is beautiful.

If he can keep his key assistants for at least one or two seasons....he could replicate Calhoun's run.

https://nypost.com/2023/04/01/former-uconn-coach-jim-calhoun-shares-in-dan-hurleys-success/

HOUSTON — From one program architect to another: Well done.

Dan Hurley has Connecticut back at the Final Four this weekend as the heavy favorite to cut down the nets Monday night at NRG Stadium, and the man who turned the Huskies into a national brand has nothing but positive things to say about the guy who is continuing the tradition.

“He’s done a terrific job. He’s made mistakes, he didn’t bury his head down,” Calhoun told The Post in a phone interview this week. “He seeked advice to talk through it. He’s been a great bulldog in that regard, staying with it and believing in what he’s doing. I just think he’s attacked after things not going quite as well . That’s what’s called coaching.”

Calhoun is more than just an interested former coach rooting on his old program.

Hurley has used his knowledge to help UConn, leaning on him for advice and having him speak to the team on several occasions.

He was a semi-regular at practices this season, and is in Houston this weekend for what the 80-year-old Calhoun hopes is the Huskies’ fifth national championship.

In fact, during Hurley’s first season at UConn, he was moping about the state of the program, even questioning if he made the right decision by leaving Rhode Island.

He complained about it to Calhoun, who gave him the equivalent of a verbal spanking.

“He looked at me with a serious scowl then called me a f–king baby and said, ‘Get your head out of your a–,’ ” Hurley recalled this week on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast. “ ‘This is UConn, son.’ You know, he ripped . And since then I’ve shot out of a cannon. … When a coach tells you that, you get to work.”

Recalling that conversation, Calhoun said he told Hurley not to worry about losing, because the result would be losing his job if that happened.

If he won, he would get a raise.

All he should worry about is the present.

Hurley has done that, leading the Huskies to three straight NCAA Tournament berths and putting together elite recruiting classes.

Next year’s group is ranked fourth by 247Sports.com.

Still, entering this March there were questions if Hurley could get it done in the NCAA Tournament.

He lost in the first round as the favorite each of the previous two seasons.

He has emphatically answered those doubts, leading fourth-seeded UConn back to the Final Four — where it will meet No. 5 Miami — for the first time since it won it all in 2014.

“By Danny going to his third straight NCAA , we’re certainly headed in the right direction. Obviously we can make a giant leap this weekend in Houston,” Calhoun said. “I’m very happy with what he’s done with the program. They don’t have to make me happy, but I am. I’m proud of the way Danny has stayed with it. It’s never easy, and it won’t be easy to maintain greatness. It never is.”

That, essentially, has been Calhoun’s message to Hurley’s players: Seize the moment.

You never know what can happen in the future.

Embrace being the favorite and don’t waste this opportunity.

“One of the things they need to hear, and I was more than happy to tell them: What I’ve seen this year right now at this moment in time, they’re the best team in the country,” Calhoun said. “And you know what? I’d always rather go in with having the best team in the country. My thing was to assure them how good they are. These eyes have seen a lot of balls bounces, heard a lot of whistles and seen a lot of games. This team is really good.”

Calhoun is thrilled to still be involved, appreciative that Hurley has included him with this group so much.

If requested, he wouldn’t mind talking to the team again if it advanced to Monday’s national championship game.

“I’ll always be a Husky,” Calhoun said.

it seems like it'd be big based on how easily UConn has won their games thus far.

but, i don't have a good grip on how good UConn was this year.

like, obviously they are good but are they just on a heater, such that if they lost, the good fortune just ran out?

Duke was a 9.5 point favorite in the title game and lost.

UConn is a 7.5 point favorite tomorrow. There have been a couple of 7.5 point spread favorites since 1999, but they've taken care of business. Beyond that, Georgetown was an 8 point favorite when Villanova won in 1985, and Oklahoma was an 8 point favorite in 1988 when Kansas won.

Those two and Duke are the three biggest title game upsets since the tournament expanded to 64. If San Diego State wins, it'd be the fourth.

outside of point spread, what i was trying to get at was is this a big upset if SDSU wins because we're talking a 4 seed vs. a 5...so is UConn being a 4 seed reflective of how good they actually are, or are they really more like a 1 seed but they didn't have it together during the regular season so they got a seed that was a bit lower than what their actually quality is?

does that make any sense?

Long story short-- and maybe Castro can back me up on this-- UConn was an absolute juggernaut to start the year. I saw them in person completely crush Alabama.

When they got to conference play, they had a tough stretch of schedule where they lost 6 of 8-- they were struggling to adjust to what more familiar conference foes were scheming against them. (Some of these were also road games against coaches like Sean Miller, Ed Cooley, Shaka Smart.)

Then, they adjusted, figured things out. They've lost twice since the start of February by a combined 5 points. Again, some of that was getting the hard part of the schedule out of the way-- but some of it was also the adjustment period. They had two heavy minute starters return, a mega-talented guy in Hawkins who'd only played, like, 16 MPG the season before, a freshman, and a transfer PG. Teams like that are bound to hit speed bumps.

But now they're crushing teams again. And, IIRC, this UConn team is *undefeated* against the spread against non-conference foes this year. Which is *crazy* to think about.

So yeah, even though they had eight losses going into the Dance, they were *fourth* in KenPom. Meaning fourth *overall.* KenPom absolutely graded them as the equivalent of a 1 or 2 seed in terms of actual quality of play over the course of the season. And I think that projection has clearly revealed itself to have merit.

I actually felt it would be closer because SDSU was one of the teams I felt could physically impose themselves on the Huskies, and that showed itself to be true at points in the game....what killed them (SDSU) were the calls early in the second half. A lot of them were legit, but they were blowing the whistle pretty quickly. That stretch came back to haunt SDSU once they made their move because they were digging out of a deeper hole.

As far as upsets, it would have been pretty substantial if SDSU won. They were really a 2 seed at worst but that stretch was Hurley figuring shit out...when they got to Big East play, Jackson was still initiating the attack and teams simply dared him to shoot and guarded everyone else...destroyed the flow of the offense. They finally put Newton at point and although he is still shaky, everyone knows he can shoot, so that opened things back up. Additionally instead of switching starters all the time, he settled on a rotation with Calcaterra, Allene, Diarra and Clingan coming off the bench. Worked like a charm. They didn't win the big east tournament, but they we clicking. And once they got back out of conference...it was a wrap.

it feels like last night was the real climax to the college basketball season.

Everybody’s bracket has been trash since the first weekend, so just pick the champ.

UCONN

but, if there's a "anything can happen" kind of contest, its the NCAA tournament.

i got UConn.

I'm obviously hopeful that San Diego State wins it, because mid-major titles are exceedingly rare-- and UConn beat my team in a couple of huge games over the years, so fuck them, lol.

But you can't pick San Diego State in this game unless you are just being a contrarian for the sake of being a contrarian. *Maybe* they can cover the 7.5 point spread by slowing it down and making the game ugly... but winning? I'd be really, really surprised.

And they are in the championship game for a reason…

I’m not saying Uconn is going to lose, but I wouldn’t be surprised
if they do. If anyone is going to stop them, it would be a great defensive
team…and that’s SDST

SDST ML is going to get some action for sure

last year’s final.

Could turn out to be a very low scoring game based on the defense of
the Aztecs…but UConn has been ruthless throughout the entire tourney so
this could turn out to be a bloodbath.

There is a lot of value in the Aztecs covering though, because everyone is going to
be on Uconn

Let's go

every since then, SDSU been wearing UConn down.

and it was game over from there.

Uconn too big and too strong.

Double digit wins every game.

Ain’t even won a tourney game since ‘14 and they’ve got another chip.

“Im hating” - Ghostface

he needs to take a nap

Most of their games were competitively over with 10 minutes left to play. This title was well earned.

I have to give Hurley his flowers, he is still a ham sandwich waiting for a camera and a mic to point towards him, but he handled his business and kept the squad focused to finish the job. Love that they finally acknowledged Jim Calhoun as the architect and talked about UCONN's dominant run since 1999.

Proud of these kids, wishing Sanogo and Hawkins good luck at the next level.

They have been building and hopefully they can get some decent recruits and scorers to help spring board them into the next few seasons.

UConn’s five titles in the previous 25 years are two more than North Carolina’s and Duke’s in that span, three more than Kansas’s and Kentucky’s, five more than UCLA’s and Indiana’s. Its six Final Fours from 1998 onward are topped by only the Tar Heels’ eight.



I personally think Duke is dead without coach K
Calipari has checked out
UNC in shambles
Indiana trying , bless their hearts
Bill Self dealing w health issues

There’s a new king in CBB. Pay homage

.

Duke just came within one blown call of winning the ACC, and they're bringing a ton back to join the #2 class in the country.

As much as I'd love to dunk on UNC, they *did* make the finals literally last season. I think they'll load up in the portal and be fine (though I'd love to be wrong).

Bill Self will be fine, he'll coach another 5-7 years minimum, I'd think. And they just won the title.

Kentucky has a historically good class coming in, so they'll be at worst like a 3 or 4 seed. (Though obviously the fan rage has never been louder, lol.)

There's no question that UConn, if they make the tournament and win the first round game, has an unparalleled ability to go on a deep run in the last 25 years, lol. But I do think consistency matters end of the day, and that's something that's alluded Connecticut-- even in their quarter century of genuine relevance.

I didnt say none of these programs would be back, I just said what UCONN did in the last two decades eclipses all the programs below.

and that Dan Hurley is a better coach than all the guys running the programs below.


>Duke just came within one blown call of winning the ACC, and
>they're bringing a ton back to join the #2 class in the
>country.

Jon Scheyer is unproven and instills fear in no one with his bball xs and os.


>As much as I'd love to dunk on UNC, they *did* make the finals
>literally last season. I think they'll load up in the portal
>and be fine (though I'd love to be wrong).

Again, Hubert Davis sucks.


>Bill Self will be fine, he'll coach another 5-7 years minimum,
>I'd think. And they just won the title.

You a doctor? He just announced a press conference tmw morning, I wouldnt be surprised if he announced his retirement.


>Kentucky has a historically good class coming in, so they'll
>be at worst like a 3 or 4 seed. (Though obviously the fan rage
>has never been louder, lol.)

ooooh a number 1 class *clutches pearls*
...they never do shit with anyway.
Calipari washed up too.

>There's no question that UConn, if they make the tournament
>and win the first round game, has an unparalleled ability to
>go on a deep run in the last 25 years, lol. But I do think
>consistency matters end of the day, and that's something
>that's alluded Connecticut-- even in their quarter century of
>genuine relevance.

UCONN been relevant for 25 years

Duke been relevant for 36

It's not that much of a difference.

the point is , now youre behind UCONN in terms of the most important thing, COACHING.

Hurley also had never made the second weekend of the dance until *this* year-- his reputation as a postseason coach until this year was not good, lol. He was seen as, more or less, a very good floor raiser, but not much else.

>>Bill Self will be fine, he'll coach another 5-7 years
>minimum,
>>I'd think. And they just won the title.
>
>You a doctor? He just announced a press conference tmw
>morning, I wouldnt be surprised if he announced his
>retirement.

Kansas already came out and said it's a standard press conference. I would be very surprised if he retired without it leaking.

>>There's no question that UConn, if they make the tournament
>>and win the first round game, has an unparalleled ability to
>>go on a deep run in the last 25 years, lol. But I do think
>>consistency matters end of the day, and that's something
>>that's alluded Connecticut-- even in their quarter century
>of
>>genuine relevance.
>
>UCONN been relevant for 25 years
>
>Duke been relevant for 36
>
>It's not that much of a difference.

I mean, when Coach K took over, Duke was *at the time* Top 10 in college basketball history in both wins and Final Fours. People overblow Duke's "irrelevance" before K just because neither Vic Bubas, a college basketball Hall of Famer, nor Bill Foster closed the deal and won a ring. But Duke's had a title game appearance every decade dating back to the 1960s.

>the point is , now youre behind UCONN in terms of the most
>important thing, COACHING.

*shrug* As a Duke fan, I wouldn't trade Scheyer for Hurley going forward, personally. I liked enough of what I saw from Scheyer that I'm excited to see if he can cash in on his potential in the next few years. No denying Hurley has the results now, but if I would've said "I prefer Scheyer to Hurley" three weeks ago, then I should probably stick with it instead of shifting my entire perspective on a monstrously impressive six-game sample size.

...but that's all. Just above average.

and on no planet is Scheyer a better coach than the one who just won an NCAA championship, no matter what weird qualifiers you try to use.


>Hurley also had never made the second weekend of the dance
>until *this* year-- his reputation as a postseason coach until
>this year was not good, lol. He was seen as, more or less, a
>very good floor raiser, but not much else.

Well good thing he won a national title this year to negate all that.

We dont even know what Scheyer is seen as, other than Coach K's butler.


>>>Bill Self will be fine, he'll coach another 5-7 years
>>minimum,
>>>I'd think. And they just won the title.
>>
>>You a doctor? He just announced a press conference tmw
>>morning, I wouldnt be surprised if he announced his
>>retirement.
>
>Kansas already came out and said it's a standard press
>conference. I would be very surprised if he retired without it
>leaking.

ok, so Bill Self is better. But UCONN's had just as much success , and will have more once Self is gone.


>>>There's no question that UConn, if they make the tournament
>>>and win the first round game, has an unparalleled ability
>to
>>>go on a deep run in the last 25 years, lol. But I do think
>>>consistency matters end of the day, and that's something
>>>that's alluded Connecticut-- even in their quarter century
>>of
>>>genuine relevance.

You and I have a different definition of consistency then.


>>
>>UCONN been relevant for 25 years
>>
>>Duke been relevant for 36
>>
>>It's not that much of a difference.


>I mean, when Coach K took over, Duke was *at the time* Top 10
>in college basketball history in both wins and Final Fours.
>People overblow Duke's "irrelevance" before K just because
>neither Vic Bubas, a college basketball Hall of Famer, nor
>Bill Foster closed the deal and won a ring. But Duke's had a
>title game appearance every decade dating back to the 1960s.

Zero championships until 1991 = irrelvance.

Final four banners and championship game appearances = yawn

(we got 11 of those useless banners, more than everyone except UK, KU, Duke, UNC and UCLA) but we're still irrelevant bc no rings since 1960.

Same goes for Duke. Coach K put them on the map. Dukes bball history begins with him.

>>the point is , now youre behind UCONN in terms of the most
>>important thing, COACHING.
>*shrug* As a Duke fan, I wouldn't trade Scheyer for Hurley
>going forward, personally.

you're emotionally attached from his playing days at Duke, I get it. I guess if Aaron Craft ended up as our coach , I'd say the same (but probbaly not lol)

>you're emotionally attached from his playing days at Duke, I
>get it. I guess if Aaron Craft ended up as our coach , I'd say
>the same (but probbaly not lol)

He's so young, and he showed enough this year-- ACC tournament title, damn near ACC conference title, even with our presumed #1 option in Whitehead hurt all year-- that I'm intrigued. Like, of course I'd punt him away for some obvious legend like Billy Donovan or Jay Wright in a heartbeat, lol, but absent those options, I'm inclined to keep him around until we see more.

Because if we fired him after like three seasons and he went somewhere else and beasted, it'd be a real kick in the dick, lol. If you think a guy who's "one of yours" might have the goods to be a great coach, you've got to see it through for a little while until you have a clearer answer. And I think there's a *chance* Scheyer has the goods. Not sure yet... but also not sure he doesn't.

Would really just love more than anything for Hubert Davis to be *just* good enough that UNC can't fire him, because I *am* already sure after one season that Scheyer is better than Davis. Low bar to clear, but it's a great start, lol.

doing it with three different coaches makes it even more impressive

I saw someone on Twitter call them "the New York Giants of college basketball," and I think that's pretty fair commentary-- they're not in it every year, but goddamn if they don't have a knack for closing the deal when they get a clear shot at it. It's unclear yet whether Hurley will rip off the twenty-year stint that Calhoun did, but winning a title is obviously as good a start as one could ask for, lol.

And yeah, there are very, very few schools in the history of the NCAA that would trade histories with UConn. Even fewer if you just go with the modern era of the tournament.

Most are looking at the door from time they set foot on campus.

These top recruiting classes aren't scaring anybody.

I would imagine that more of them than ever beginning looking at multi-year stints-- certainly Duke bringing back two five-star guys (soon to be three) that all *absolutely* would've been OADs in years past indicates that at least the players Duke's going after see some of the writing on the wall.

Certainly out of the five-stars in this next class that are coming in, only Mgbako projects as a *definite* one-and-done too. Foster, McCain, Stewart, Power, all guys that should play at *least* 2 years despite their pedigree (unless one of them completely goes off next year, which I wouldn't mind, lol).

The transfer portal is going to devalue five-stars in recruiting as well to some extent.

It's crazy

>The transfer portal is going to devalue five-stars in
>recruiting as well to some extent.

in 1988. UCLA hasn't had one since 1995.