all 4 games tonight with intriguing elements

Arkansas with a lot of energy early

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

Nova's lucky not to be down 10

5 missed FTs in a row, 3-4 missed bunnies, 3-4 great looks from 3, and a few minutes of ineffective 2-3 zone bc of Dickinson's silly foul. SUPER frustrating.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

****************
TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

Timme did his thing. Chet at least had 11 and 14 in the little time he was on the court. that backcourt stunk up the joint tho

<--- Big Baller World Order

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

<--- Big Baller World Order

It's the whole Luka Garza thing-- if you have a slow big man who primarily scores 2s and who can't defend? You're going to have an insanely efficient offense, no doubt, but you're opening yourself up to teams picking you apart on defense. Like, Baylor absolutely MASSACRED Timme last year in screens and switches. And Arkansas was targeting him as well. He makes absolutely no effort to close out on the perimeter, he can't move his feet laterally. It's bad news against a certain type of team.

Last year's guards were fine to win it all-- Suggs, Nembhard, and Ayayi is plenty good imo. They just ran into the best perimeter defender college has seen in the last half-decade-- and a team whose physical dribble drive/3PT shooting combo is tailor made to destroy a slow-footed dude like Timme. This year's guards had a disaster game on offense, no question... but again, the guy Arkansas was targeting on switches wasn't one of the guards, it was def Timme. (And I thought the guards honestly did a pretty good job making Arkansas take tough shots, Arkansas just happened to make their tough shots.)

Timme's footwork in the paint and his touch around the rim are both absolutely elite, the best in the country maybe. But if you can't defend, you can't out-leap athletes for boards, you can't protect the rim against big bodies, etc... then your ceiling is hard-capped.

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Gonzaga's guards were annihilated and if they had played better on offense, Gonzaga wins period

nobody expects Timme to offer up more than positional defense -- your senior backcourt can't go 5-21 with 4 assists and 6 turnovers

--------

In regards to the notion that Gonzaga's guards aren't good enough, I'd say they generally are. I think, in general, if the Zags continue to focus on an offense that has a slow-footed PF/C like Timme, Tillie, Petrusev, Wiltjer, Karnowski, etc., they're always going to be offering up a clear point of attack for the opposition.

But yeah, Nembhard was a disaster last night, no question that's true. Ranks up there with Karnowski's last game and Timme's Baylor game last year as one of the truly horrendous individual performances in Gonzaga tournament history.

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Michigan can’t match that. Brooks is giving a good effort, but all they really
have is Dickinson.

It’s bye bye time.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
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Villanova's guard play didnt force Michigan to miss 15 layups, 7 FTs (5 in a row at one point), and 8 wide open looks from 3

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

Making shots and FTs are part of the game. lol

Moore, Gillipse, and Daniels combined for 19 boards,
and Daniels had 9 boards coming off the bench. Those guards
battled in the paint, and they provided good ball handling.

Plus Daniels almost had a double/double

Moore was +10 and Daniels was +15

Michigan guards:

Brooks - 8
Jones -4
Houstan -11

The only player for Michigan with a positive plus/minus was Dickinson.

Michigan was always in the negative with either one of their guards on
the floor.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

im glad you can read a box score tho

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

Plus/Minus illustrates if the performance of a player
is a negative or a positive for the team.

Michigan was outscored by 8 points with Brooks on the floor.

The all-around guard play of Villanova was simply better.

That’s all I’m saying.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

because he will do exactly that.

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

---------------------------------------

"The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in." - James Baldwin

idc if they go undefeated they arent a top 10 team

<--- Big Baller World Order

---------------------------------------

"The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in." - James Baldwin

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

Nova covered too. I’m 2-0 so far. Best FT shooting team in
country. Forget about it.

I just need these other games to cover to go perfect in my
spread pool.

Some of these lines are too easy if you know college BB.

My bracket took a slight hit though with Gonzaga losing. I had
them losing in the final four.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

****************
TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

--------

it's college, so missed shots are expected, but they were struggling to run the basics of offensive basketball those last three minutes

Duke clamped down and hit super tough shots, as the more talented teams are able to do

--------

****************
TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

One of the best defenses of the last twenty years, a very mediocre offense.

I was blown away by Duke's offense in the paint in the second half. That was the most efficient half of basketball any team played against Texas Tech this year by *a lot.*

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it was just kind of staggering in such a big moment after playing decently for most of the game

dudes were having trouble making two passes in a row and needed a map for where the rim was

--------

So much of their swagger and energy comes from their stops. Once the stops stopped coming, the confidence shriveled, and they went into panic mode.

Major shout out to Mark Williams too for some massive blocks/contests down the stretch. Theo John too, really.

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I can’t be too mad. Bracket busted.

Mathurin is the truth,though, deserves to go number
1 in the draft.

God damn it...Duke advanced to the elite 8. It’s going to be a coach K
slob fest.

Frank is somewhere talking smack while drinking Dew and eating Cheetos

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

i dont think he won his matchup tonight. that's not to say he lost it, but UM got the looks they wanted.

and outside of that little stretch when Dickinson went out and UM played zone, Michigan had the perfect game plan defensively. the switching and rotations were excellent, and it seemed like most of their 2nd half scoring came from individual plays and guys taking defenders to the hoop 1v1.

i will say tho, that Nova moves the ball so well that it seemed like Michigan had to hold the turbo button down so long on defense that it made it really hard to come from behind. i can see why Nova doesnt blow second half leads.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

Lol but he’s a Nova lifer

michigan is gonna win a title under Juwon Howard , and that’s not even me saying it as an OKP curse . The recruiting class coming in w almost everyone returning is a problem

I’m gonna throw up when it happens


>i dont think he won his matchup tonight. that's not to say
>he lost it, but UM got the looks they wanted.
>
>and outside of that little stretch when Dickinson went out and
>UM played zone, Michigan had the perfect game plan
>defensively. the switching and rotations were excellent, and
>it seemed like most of their 2nd half scoring came from
>individual plays and guys taking defenders to the hoop 1v1.
>
>i will say tho, that Nova moves the ball so well that it
>seemed like Michigan had to hold the turbo button down so long
>on defense that it made it really hard to come from behind. i
>can see why Nova doesnt blow second half leads.

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

I know Jay has the rings, and results over time talk, obviously...

... but the things Sampson has done over the last five years at Houston are absolutely spellbinding. This year, they lost two starters to injury, including their best player... and they're in the Elite Eight.

2019, their two best players from the 2018 team graduate, and what do they do? Get better, make the Sweet 16, almost beat Kentucky.

2021, Nate Hinton unexpectedly goes pro, and their best player Caleb Mills gets hurt then transfers midseason... and still they get *better*, making the Final Four.

It doesn't matter who's there, doesn't matter who's running the show. They don't make mistakes, they don't beat themselves. And they defend like hell.

I tweeted before the tournament that I may just end up taking Houston to the Final Four in my bracket annually from now on, regardless of matchup. That may end up proving prescient.

There are better coaches over a longer period of time, undoubtedly... but in the last five years, I think there's been no better coach than Kelvin Sampson.

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WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

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My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
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___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

seems like every time I pick them to go deep they get bounced early..

and every time I don’t pick them they make a run.

****************
TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

Arkansas was too fast and too hungry for the Zags

****************
TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

Even watching the game, you could tell Gonzaga got better quality looks. Arkansas had to make a ton of tough shots, the Zags missed good looks. Same thing was true at Nevada-- when Musselman's teams are rolling, it's because his guys are making their Hail Mary 3s and contested off-the-bounce mid-rangers. Like, JT Notre absolutely tried to shoot Arkansas out of the win yesterday, lol.

Musselman is, however, a terrific defensive coach and an outstanding motivator. Arkansas was playing harder, scrappier. They knew the Zags had the "softness" reputation, and they went for the jugular. And for that, he definitely deserves a lot of credit. They took no plays off.

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of him stoking his kids' fire

i was about ready to run thru a brick wall myself

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

It's *so rare* to see college games where kids just don't take plays off.

Notae's gonna try to score 40 on 40 shots tomorrow.

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Reveling in Gonzaga tears is becoming a nice annual tradition.

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

rat-faced now and always will refer to K.

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

:)

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****************
TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

<--- Big Baller World Order

Between if UNC wins tonight and Duke wins tomorrow, I can't abide the thought that the only thing that could stop a Duke/UNC Final Four is a 15 seed, lol.

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<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

Purdue got cooked by a small time school out of Jersey.

Good. Hopefully, that will motivate Big Ten schools to get it together.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

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Let’s go. I like both squads, but my bracket is for UCLA

True blue bloods stand up!

Kansas got it done. This might be Bill Self’s year.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

I will be shocked if he's still at St. Peters after this.

_______________________________________

>I will be shocked if he's still at St. Peters after this.

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

although I'm sure he'll have a number of bigger offers that he'll be able to choose from.

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

<--- Big Baller World Order

<--- Big Baller World Order

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

<--- Big Baller World Order

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

<--- Big Baller World Order

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

<--- Big Baller World Order

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

So much of what defines whether a conference is good or bad is the middle of the pack and the bottom of the conference. The bottom six teams in the ACC are *easily* the worst bottom six of any high major this year. It's not close. And the middle of the pack? Teams like Cuse and FSU weren't even *NIT* picks this year. Even Wake, with its ACC COY and ACC POY, was *embarrrrrrrassed* in the NIT.

So yes, Duke has been Duke, UNC figured it out around February, and Miami has maintained their "team of destiny" thing somehow...

... but that doesn't change that the ACC sucked this year, lol. It just means that these three teams are very good at the right time, which is all that matters.

It's like when people tried to change the narrative about the Pac-12 last year because Oregon State and UCLA went on miracle runs. Miracle tournament runs don't change conference strength. Perception, sure... but unless someone can explain to me how the entire ACC is underrated because three teams played their best basketball in a two-week span against three opponents each, I always push back against these sorts of narratives, lol.

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________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

…to determine which conference might be better for the season year

Half the conference still runs archaic plodding offenses that just can’t keep up in the tournament

I just realized the last time a Big Ten team won the tournament was when Mateen Cleaves was at MSU, that’s horrendous

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

>I just realized the last time a Big Ten team won the
>tournament was when Mateen Cleaves was at MSU, that’s
>horrendous

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

I’ve been shouting that all year long, but a certain Michigan
fan said I was wrong.

The big ten hasn’t always been this way, because Illinois went to the chip
in 2005 and Michigan went in 2015 I believe, but the conference has since
regressed.

Teams put emphasis on bigs as opposed to guards, and
that gets exposed during the NCAA tournament.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

They had 4 nba players on that team tho, Donovan had a squad



>I’ve been shouting that all year long, but a certain
>Michigan
>fan said I was wrong.
>
>The big ten hasn’t always been this way, because Illinois
>went to the chip
>in 2005 and Michigan went in 2015 I believe, but the
>conference has since
>regressed.
>
>Teams put emphasis on bigs as opposed to guards, and
>that gets exposed during the NCAA tournament.

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

Terrible offense. Terrible refereeing. Defenses that just run fast and foul a lot rule the landscape.

Awful product. This sport needs change.

1-19

---------------------------------------

"The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in." - James Baldwin

That’s it.

Let’s roll.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid