2013/14 NCAA Basketball

[Paelos]

Yep Louisville had them and couldn't make free throws. That's a deathknell in the late rounds of a tournament game.

Oh well, Michigan State and Florida are still in my final four, along with Wisconsin. We'll see if they make it.

[ghost]

It shouldn't surprise anyone that either Michigan State or Kentucky are in the final eight.  They were the top two ranked teams in the pre-season, so clearly the ability was there.

[Rasix]

I loved the "plucky underdog" joke about Kentucky that had permeated their previous games.  They have a ton of young talent, it should not be a surprise they can do this (which everyone seems to acknowledge).   That being said, I'd rather play them than Michigan.  Even though they looked shakey at the end of that Tennessee game, we barely escaped with a win last time we played, and I think we still had Brandon Ashley.   

Wisconsin is going to be tough. The Big 10 is looking really good, and a team that can shoot well always scares me against our team.  Plus, the free throw thing is going to emerge sooner or later.

[ghost]

Yeah, there are a lot of very high quality teams left.  I don't think I'd sleep on Dayton if I was Florida, either. 

[Paelos]

Florida has been on cruise control, and several times have started poorly against inferior teams. If they spot Dayton a huge margin, they may not be able to climb out of it.

[ghost]

Florida reminds me a lot of the Spurs.  They are a spectacular team but just don't have the talent that the other teams have.  Kentucky, Arizona and Michigan State are all much more talented.  Same deal with Wisconsin.  I think it's tougher for those sorts of teams to win out.  The end of the year is when the talent really shines through.

I'm actually going to pick Michigan State to win out, with Arizona being my second pick.

[Tannhauser]

I'm a little shocked but happy the Vols made the sweet 16.  Very close game vs. Michigan.  Vols have been hot down the stretch.  Maybe next year!

[ghost]

I figured they were going to beat Michigan.  I'm personally much happier Kentucky is playing Michigan, tbh. 

[Rasix]

Elbows all game. 

[Mithas]

The final 2 minutes of every game is slow. Reviews make it so much worse. I hate it.

That said, Wisconsin wins!!!!!!

[ghost]

Elbows all game. 

That is the Big Ten in general and Wisconsin, in particular.  It was to be expected.

Aaron Gordon had a fucking amazing game for you guys and yet an awful game at the same time.  Eighteen fucking rebounds is pretty awesome, but he couldn't hit the ocean from the beach tonight.

[Rasix]

Griping aside, we still could have won.  We didn't have a great game, but they played good D.  It still would have been nice if they ran a better play there at the end or Johnson got off a legit shot.  Not super happy with how the game was called, but they avoided slapping us with most of the stupid fouls that plagued our first few games.  Only Tarczewski and Jefferson played well offensively, but the former had a hideous defensive effort.  I do hope he comes back next year, however.  He keeps improving.

[ghost]

I can't imagine where Tarczewski would go.  He's not looked at as a first round draft pick, I don't think. 

You guys have Stanley Johnson coming in next year to replace Gordon (assuming he goes to the NBA) who I actually like quite a bit better.  I think you guys will be improved next year.  Miller has you rolling.

Now my team will lose every player on the roster to the draft, for what that is worth.   

[Paelos]

Game was interesting while at the same time being terrible offensively. Both teams shot under 40%. I agree with Barkley that the officiating was a complete joke. The amount of times they flat out flew out-of-bounds calls was appalling.

That being said, I'll insert my dig at the Pac-12 here. Add on another year where nobody makes the Final Four.

Florida looks like they are going to run away with this thing if Michigan State doesn't stop them.

[ghost]

It will be interesting if it is an all Big Ten/SEC final four. 

I think that Florida probably doesn't want to play Kentucky again.  It is really tough to beat a team four times in a season. 

[Tannhauser]

Wow.  How bout dem Wildcats?  And Michigan had a TON of fight in them too.  Great game.

[ghost]

Kentucky's margin of victory is about what, 4 points? 

They've had a really, really tough bracket though. 

[HaemishM]

Yep, my bracket is blown to shit.

[ghost]

I have Wisconsin and Kentucky in my final four.  I imagine having two is pretty decent, although a lot of people will have picked Florida and Wisconsin.  Doubt too many people except Kentucky idiots have picked them to get to the FF.  I'm currently third in my fairly large group.   

[Paelos]

I had Florida, Wisconsin, Louisville, and Michigan State.

Spartans let me down.

[Ingmar]

Monty retiring, presumably headed to the HOF eventually:

http://blog.sfgate.com/cal/2014/03/31/montgomery-calls-it-a-career/?cmpid=hp-hc-sports#22053101=0

[Paelos]

HoF seems a stretch for a guy who got to one Final Four in 32 years, but he had a long career with a lot of good teams.

I'll always think of that Stanford team that went 29-1, and crapped out against a bad Alabama team in the second round. That was my senior year of college and right when I started paying attention to the tournament. It's one of the more embarrassing exits for a #1 seed I can remember.

[ghost]

Kentucky versus Stanford in 1998 is one of my favorite games ever.  I hated those son of a bitches.  Mark Madsen was super annoying. 

[Ingmar]

Yeah Madsen is probably in my top 5 of hated Stanford athletes ever. Certainly the top 10.

[ghost]

Who is worse? 

[Ingmar]

Off the top of my head, I know I hate Tommy Vardell most of all - playing against him was just agonizing. "Tommy Vardell hits the line and falls forward for 7 yards!" Pete Sauer, on the same team as Madsen, probably wins the crown for most hated in basketball. John Elway of course. I never really hated Luck for some reason but I sure hated Fleener and Ertz, they just seemed unfair.

Tiger Woods. 

[ghost]

Arthur Lee from that '98 Stanford team was ridiculously good.

[ghost]

Louisville wins the final four........of meth!   

[ghost]

Wisconsin has the third worst graduation rate among NCAA tournament teams.  Suck it, Bo Ryan. 

[Ingmar]

One thing about those numbers is they never compare it to the overall rate for the schools in question. 44% is bad, and should get them in trouble - but it's actually not super far behind Wisconsin's 56% overall 4 year graduation rate. Big public universities don't typically engage in hand-holding and people drop out at a fairly high rate.

[ghost]

I think the point is that Bo Ryan was being a pretentious dick about Wisconsin focusing on "the student athlete" and that his players are "students first".  Sure, Calipari could care fuck all about education, but at least he's honest about it.  And he's honest with the players.  Ryan is a hypocritical dickbag. 

[Ingmar]

Ah I hadn't heard about that, was just pondering the chart.

[Paelos]

I think the point is that Bo Ryan was being a pretentious dick about Wisconsin focusing on "the student athlete" and that his players are "students first".  Sure, Calipari could care fuck all about education, but at least he's honest about it.  And he's honest with the players.  Ryan is a hypocritical dickbag. 

Shocker that the conference that prides itself on Leaders and Legends would employ pretentious assholes. I despise everything about the Big 10. I could stomach them if they were actually good, but they have an undeserved superiority complex that hasn't been real in a decade.

[Chimpy]

 

[ghost]

Yeah, I'm sick of hearing about the spectacular Big Ten academics.  Apparently AAU status doesn't help your players graduate.