Basketball

[hbelkins]

I don't feel the slightest bit of sympathy for Duke. They cower out of their nonconference games because they can't handle a rough start to the season, then their lying about the opt-out being Covid-related bites them in the back when Covid actually ends their season. I don't by any means like to see people get sick, but as far as basketball goes, good riddance from the tournament for the NCAA.

I'm going to guess that it was a false-positive rapid test.

[oscar]

I don't feel the slightest bit of sympathy for Duke. They cower out of their nonconference games because they can't handle a rough start to the season, then their lying about the opt-out being Covid-related bites them in the back when Covid actually ends their season. I don't by any means like to see people get sick, but as far as basketball goes, good riddance from the tournament for the NCAA.

FWIW, the Duke women's basketball team pulled the plug on this season in December, much earlier than the men's team. Covid-19 concerns (including some canceled games) were the stated reason, but was clear early on that this was going to be just a rebuilding year for the women's team under a new head coach.

[NWI_Irish96]

The NCAA has released the 68-team field for the Division I men's tournament. Undefeated Gonzaga is the overall #1 seed. The tournament brackets look much like any other year, but there are some changes:

1) The biggest change is that, due to COVID, the entire tournament is being played in Indiana, though the four regions are still being given their traditional North, Midwest, South and West names. In addition to basketball venues you are more likely familiar with, Hinkle Fieldhouse and Indiana Farmers Coliseum, the Indianapolis home arenas of Butler and IUPUI respectively, will be hosting early round games.

2) If any team has to withdraw from the tournament on or before Tuesday due to COVID, there are "waitlisted" teams on standby to take their place in the bracket. As of now, all but one (Ivy League, who did not play a season) conference is represented in the tournament. If any team has to withdraw after Tuesday, there will be no replacement and the scheduled opponent will advance automatically.

3) The opening weekend of the tournament has been pushed back a day, with the first round games now on Friday-Saturday instead of Thursday-Friday. The second weekend of the tournament has been pushed back two days, with Sweet 16 games now Saturday-Sunday instead of Thursday-Friday. The Final Four, which was already scheduled for Lucas Oil Stadium, retains its Saturday-Monday format. I actually think this should be a permanent change and not just a temporary COVID change. Makes sense to have more games on the weekends.

4) Fan attendance will be limited to 25% capacity. I actually had a pair of Final Four tickets and was planning on taking my son to our first ever tournament games, but I was part of the 75% who received refunds instead of tickets.

[nexus73]

How's this for more unusual sports deals?  Oregon State wins the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time and heads for the NCAA's.  Duke is not in the field.  Talk about reversals of form!

Rick

[Henry]

Well, at least we'll have it back after a year out of action.

So this means that UVA will still be the defending champions, as they won in 2019?

[NWI_Irish96]

Well, at least we'll have it back after a year out of action.

So this means that UVA will still be the defending champions, as they won in 2019?

Yes, that's correct.

[Big John]

Hope you didn't start VCU.  Got screwed with a cancelled game.

[hotdogPi]

Wut:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/michigan-state-basketball-team-msu-spartans-presented-by-rocket-mortgage-223057968.html

And the announcers have to say the full name, where no one has to.

I was thinking that maybe this would be better if the team and the company were basically the same thing.

Colgate sponsored by Colgate
Purdue sponsored by Perdue Chicken
Oral Roberts sponsored by Oral B
NC A&T (women's) sponsored by AT&T
Liberty sponsored by Liberty Mutual

[jp the roadgeek]

Wut:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/michigan-state-basketball-team-msu-spartans-presented-by-rocket-mortgage-223057968.html

And the announcers have to say the full name, where no one has to.

I was thinking that maybe this would be better if the team and the company were basically the same thing.

Colgate sponsored by Colgate
Purdue sponsored by Perdue Chicken
Oral Roberts sponsored by Oral B
NC A&T (women's) sponsored by AT&T
Liberty sponsored by Liberty Mutual

Gonzaga sponsored by Salemville Gorgonzola Cheese
UConn sponsored by the GMC Yukon
High Point sponsored by Carson's of High Point
Syracuse Orange sponsored by Orange Crush
Hartford sponsored by The Hartford
Iona sponsored by ION Television

[Henry]

Elgin Baylor, one of the Laker greats from the 60s, has passed away:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31114563/los-angeles-lakers-star-former-la-clippers-exec-elgin-baylor-dies-86

[hotdogPi]

Is there a way to create a balanced game between men's teams and women's teams, maybe by having a different number of players on each side? (For minor adjustments after determining the number of players, there would be a point handicap.)

[jp the roadgeek]

Is there a way to create a balanced game between men's teams and women's teams, maybe by having a different number of players on each side? (For minor adjustments after determining the number of players, there would be a point handicap.)

Ban dunking

UConn women can probably beat a few mens teams. 

[I-55]

Is there a way to create a balanced game between men's teams and women's teams, maybe by having a different number of players on each side? (For minor adjustments after determining the number of players, there would be a point handicap.)

Ban dunking

UConn women can probably beat a few mens teams.

Or instead of just banning dunking implement an equivalent to the high stick rule, where now you can't touch the ball in any circumstance once it's at or above rim level. Because I know that if you just ban dunking they're going to just dunk it without touching the rim and it'll be legal (based on the logic that dunking is not allowed in warmups but if you don't grab rim the refs won't do anything).

[hbelkins]

Is there a way to create a balanced game between men's teams and women's teams, maybe by having a different number of players on each side? (For minor adjustments after determining the number of players, there would be a point handicap.)

Ban dunking

UConn women can probably beat a few mens teams.

Or instead of just banning dunking implement an equivalent to the high stick rule, where now you can't touch the ball in any circumstance once it's at or above rim level. Because I know that if you just ban dunking they're going to just dunk it without touching the rim and it'll be legal (based on the logic that dunking is not allowed in warmups but if you don't grab rim the refs won't do anything).

I remember when dunking was not permitted at the HS or college levels. It came back during the 70s.

[LM117]

UNC head coach Roy Williams is calling it quits.

https://wr.al/1KGHC

[1995hoo]

Is there a way to create a balanced game between men's teams and women's teams, maybe by having a different number of players on each side? (For minor adjustments after determining the number of players, there would be a point handicap.)

Spurs assistant Becky Hammon, who would probably have as good a perspective on that issue as anyone, has said there is not a way.

[nexus73]

Back in the spring of 1973, our high school had a demo game between five girls facing off against two boys who were basketball players.  They were not the best two we had but this pair was good enough to slaughter that quintet of girls on the court.  In the girls' defense, there was no basketball team for them at that time so they had no concept of the fundamentals.  Had this been a team of five experienced girls who knew how to pass the ball to the open player, they should be able to beat two equally experienced boys.

Rick

[NWI_Irish96]

I don't know if this is still the case, but the Tennessee women's team used to scrimmage against men in practice. These were Tennessee students who all played in high school, but weren't good enough to get DI scholarships. They were described as being better than any team that the women's team would play during their season.

From that I think we can extrapolate that the worst DI men's team could beat the best DI women's team.

[Roadgeekteen]

Anyone watch the crazy March Madness game yesterday?

[ilpt4u]

Anyone watch the crazy March Madness game yesterday?

The TV Ratings data is not out yet, but I'm sure there were just a couple of people watching the UCLA-Gonzaga OT thriller last night

[1995hoo]

I don't know if this is still the case, but the Tennessee women's team used to scrimmage against men in practice. These were Tennessee students who all played in high school, but weren't good enough to get DI scholarships. They were described as being better than any team that the women's team would play during their season.

From that I think we can extrapolate that the worst DI men's team could beat the best DI women's team.

The Duke women's team used to do the same.

[DandyDan]

I don't know if this is still the case, but the Tennessee women's team used to scrimmage against men in practice. These were Tennessee students who all played in high school, but weren't good enough to get DI scholarships. They were described as being better than any team that the women's team would play during their season.

From that I think we can extrapolate that the worst DI men's team could beat the best DI women's team.

I thought that was a common practice for college women's teams in general. I can't tell you whether that means a bad men's team would beat a good women's team.

[LM117]

UNC head coach Roy Williams is calling it quits.

https://wr.al/1KGHC

Hubert Davis is the new coach.

https://wr.al/1KHpF

[NWI_Irish96]

So, the last 3 teams to enter the Final Four undefeated, 2021 Gonzaga, 2015 Kentucky and 1991 UNLV all lost, and all of them did it in Indianapolis.

[Roadgeekteen]

Sorry Gonzaga fans, as a Patriots fan I know how it feels.