You can change your vote up to either the 15th or 16th (I set the poll for 10 days). The tournament begins the 16th (First 4 in Dayton is the 14th and 15th). If anyone wants to set up a bracket pool that would pretty awesome.
Right now I'm following all of the conference tournaments. I actually went to Arch Madness (MVC Tournament) this past weekend and I will say that Wichita State looks dangerously good again this year. I would not be surprised if they made it to the Sweet 16 this year. For some reason they are projected as an 8 seed playing Kansas in the second round even though Wichita is ranked 20th. I think a 5 seed would be more appropriate for them. They are 30-4 after all.
As far as a national title goes I am not sure if there is one team that is a clear favorite this year. Literally anybody could win it all this year. I'll have to wait until the bracket comes out in 6 days to make my actual pick, but I'm placing my vote on UCLA in the poll for now.
Gonzaga is iffy. They've only lost once, but I am not impressed with them overall. Losing at home to BYU on senior night is not what #1 teams do, especially in the WCC. If a 16 seed were to ever win I think this is the year it could happen (someone upsetting Gonzaga). I doubt I pick the Zags to get past the Sweet 16 if I pick them to get that far.
Duke has to many on the court issues with Grayson Allen, so I think their chances are minimal. The Big Ten seems weak, so I also doubt any teams from there will even get to the Final 4.
Potential cinderellas have to be Vermont, UNC Wilmington and Middle Tennessee. They are all very underrated and if they can win their conference tournaments and get into the tournament they all have the potential to make a run. I also like Princeton's and CSU Bakersfield's (once again assuming they even make it) chances of maybe making an upset in the first round, before bowing out in the second round. If a potential Wichita State run would still be considered a cinderella story then add them to this list too. Overall I don't see very many mid majors making upsets this year, because a lot of the ones that have a chance to will get upset in their respective conference tournaments and will be in the NIT.
This year the Ivy League is having a conference tournament for the first time, so now all conferences have one. Jacksonville State has made it for the first time ever.
I still remember last year, when I mocked-up all this and inadvertedly predicted correctly the Champion as I replaced all teams but Villanova with Spanish towns and villages, Villanova also being the name of one.
Not Kentucky. The preseason #2 team (moved to #1 after Duke lost its first game) has not improved as the season has progressed. UCLA and Louisville exposed some weaknesses in Calipari's ability to manage a game. And even though the Cats ripped through the first part of the conferece schedule, they've gotten worse. A slow start like they've had the last several games against a good opponent and they're likely not going to be able to come back. I predict a #3 seed and second-round exit.
In my opinion, Bam Adebayo ought to sue De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk for nonsupport. As the year's gone on, Fox and Monk have been playing more for the NBA scouts and less for the team. I wouldn't hesitate to bench them in favor of seniors and Kentucky natives Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis should Fox and Monk start playing selfishly. Both are capable of being big scorers but both haven't developed a good basketball IQ yet. Hawkins and Willis are a steadying influence and have improved their games.
I'm rooting against Louisville, North Carolina and Duke. Also not a big UCLA or Kansas fan.
I'm pulling for my hometown Seton Hall. With a few big upsets and close calls, they can at least hang with anyone. I doubt they'll win it all, but I'll have at least one bracket hitting the Elite 8.
I'd like to see the Zags win it this year
As much as I'd like VT to win, I think they're pretty much locked in to get bounced by whatever 1/2/3 seed they face in the second round.
Northern Kentucky could make its first appearance in the March Madness... in their first year of elegibility! They are facing Milwaukee tonight in the Horizon League tournament final.
Quote from: Thing 342 on March 06, 2017, 11:31:27 PM
As much as I'd like VT to win, I think they're pretty much locked in to get bounced by whatever 1/2/3 seed they face in the second round.
I am still used to having no expectations for them meaning that they had a great season no matter what the final result is.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on March 07, 2017, 05:47:08 AM
Northern Kentucky could make its first appearance in the March Madness... in their first year of elegibility! They are facing Milwaukee tonight in the Horizon League tournament final.
If Milwaukee wins they will be in the tournament with a 12-23 record! :clap:
Other Championship games tonight include the NEC (St Francis vs Mt St Marys), the Summit League (South Dakota State vs Neb-Omaha), and the WCC (St Mary's vs Gonzaga).
Auto Bids So FarA-Sun= Florida Gulf Coast
Big South= Winthrop
CAA= UNC Wilmington
MAAC= Iona
MVC= Wichita State
OVC= Jacksonville State
SOCON= East Tennessee State
Quote from: kurumi on March 06, 2017, 10:22:58 PM
I'd like to see the Zags win it this year
That'd be cool. I'd at least like to see them make it to the Final Four for the first time. They've been such a consistent program over the past 2 decades, and that's the next big accomplishment they haven't been able to hit yet.
I've never understood why these small conferences, who only hope to have one team in the tournament, continue to have conference tournaments in half (or less) empty gyms where a really strong regular season champion that might actually have a shot of winning a game or two in the NCAA runs the risk of being upset by a team with a losing record. It doesn't matter in a big-time league like the SEC, where Kentucky's going to get in even if it doesn't win the conference championship. Those conference tourneys can't be big money-makers for the leagues or their teams. I'd think they'd want their strongest representative in the NCAA tournament.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 07, 2017, 09:04:43 PM
I've never understood why these small conferences, who only hope to have one team in the tournament, continue to have conference tournaments in half (or less) empty gyms where a really strong regular season champion that might actually have a shot of winning a game or two in the NCAA runs the risk of being upset by a team with a losing record. It doesn't matter in a big-time league like the SEC, where Kentucky's going to get in even if it doesn't win the conference championship. Those conference tourneys can't be big money-makers for the leagues or their teams. I'd think they'd want their strongest representative in the NCAA tournament.
If the money wasn't there, they wouldn't do it. Not that I don't agree with you, the conference tournaments completely take away any meaning from the regular season. But it gives conferences a
guaranteed revenue stream as well as a nationally televised championship game, which is probably preferable on small budgets with typically weak teams that wouldn't win a game very often in the NCAA tournament. The conference gets ~$250k for each game one of their teams plays in the NCAA tournament. Not sure the revenue on conference tournaments, but let's say $50k. Get $50k and put in a team with a 5% chance at an upset, or try for the $250k with a team with a 10% chance at an upset. Might as well take the guaranteed money and play the lottery on top of it.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on March 07, 2017, 05:47:08 AM
Northern Kentucky could make its first appearance in the March Madness... in their first year of elegibility! They are facing Milwaukee tonight in the Horizon League tournament final.
The Norse are IN!!! They defeated Wis-Milwaukee 59-53 to win the Horizon League Championship and punch the ticket to the Big Dance! Nothing like going from 9-21 to 24-10! Hopefully, they will not play in one of the Dayton "play-in" games. They should be a 13 or a 14 seed.
This is a program that twice made it to the Division II National Championship Game in the 1990's, losing both times. The women's team has won two Division II National Championships. We wish nothing but improvement for the program in the future (and maybe a few more Tournament appearances).
Every year I pull for Syracuse. I have been a diehard fan ever since my teen years, which happens to coincide with the time Jim Boeheim has been the head coach.
I'm sure HB will be pulling for Louisville :-D I mean Kentucky, even though his post says otherwise.
As far as teams he will be rooting against, there are two he mentioned that he could not warm up to even if he was embalmed with them.
If the SWAC championship game comes to be Texas Southern vs Alcorn State, the former would be in the March Madness before playing because the latter is ineligible due to "dumb reasons" (Is failing to meet the required Academic Progress Rate a dumb reason for a post-season ban?).
I'm already surfing Wikipedia in order to pick the 68 eponimously named diseases that will replace the real teams in my mock-up bracket :sombrero:. I'll be predicting a Pearson vs Dravet Championship game in that, although at this time it's still unknown which teams will be "Pearson" and "Dravet" respectively. Last year I did the same using Spanish municipalities instead with a surprising outcome explained in reply #1 (Although my prediction had Miami (FL), disguised as "Ariza", taking the title). It appears I'm good at predicting things: just after the 2015 World Series ended I declared the Curse of the Billy Goat had already been broken by the closure of Alanland thread, and the following year Chicago Cubs won it after 108 years.
Auto Bids from Yesterday's Games
Horizon League= Northern Kentucky
NEC= Mount Saint Mary's
WCC= Gonzaga
Summit League= South Dakota State
The only championship game tonight is in the Patriot League between Lehigh and Bucknell. Then there are no more championship games until the 11th and the 12th (Selection Sunday). There will be plenty of tournament games to discuss the 9th and the 10th though.
It's too bad Baylor's playing has been somewhat erratic. You'd think their record would be better just based on the physical attributes of their players (i.e., they've got some serious height and strength) and they're unstoppable when they're clicking on all cylinders. Still...they can't seem to do that on a consistent basis.
I agree that Kentucky's weaknesses have been revealed to all the world, especially by Louisville. They won't pull it off.
Gonzaga unfortunately will not do it, despite years and years of trying to win real respect in the tournament. That BYU game was just...blech.
I'm thinking Villanova or UCLA; probably UCLA. Meh.
Then again, maybe Grayson Allen will trip enough players so Duke wins it all and Duke fans become more insufferable than ever.
Quote from: HazMatt on March 07, 2017, 09:37:17 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on March 07, 2017, 09:04:43 PM
I've never understood why these small conferences, who only hope to have one team in the tournament, continue to have conference tournaments in half (or less) empty gyms where a really strong regular season champion that might actually have a shot of winning a game or two in the NCAA runs the risk of being upset by a team with a losing record. It doesn't matter in a big-time league like the SEC, where Kentucky's going to get in even if it doesn't win the conference championship. Those conference tourneys can't be big money-makers for the leagues or their teams. I'd think they'd want their strongest representative in the NCAA tournament.
If the money wasn't there, they wouldn't do it. Not that I don't agree with you, the conference tournaments completely take away any meaning from the regular season. But it gives conferences a guaranteed revenue stream as well as a nationally televised championship game, which is probably preferable on small budgets with typically weak teams that wouldn't win a game very often in the NCAA tournament. The conference gets ~$250k for each game one of their teams plays in the NCAA tournament. Not sure the revenue on conference tournaments, but let's say $50k. Get $50k and put in a team with a 5% chance at an upset, or try for the $250k with a team with a 10% chance at an upset. Might as well take the guaranteed money and play the lottery on top of it.
My alma mater (Morehead State) is in the Ohio Valley Conference. In 1983, the Eagles backed into the NCAA tournament. Akron was in the OVC then, and the Zips were the conference champs in the regular season. Back then, the OVC tournament was a seeded four-team affair. Akron got upset in the first game, and Morehead won both games and got in. Their reward was being sent to Hartford, Conn. to get drilled by Syracuse.
The next year, MSU won both the regular-season and tournament championships. They had to do a play-in at Dayton, beat North Carolina A&T, but lost the next game (I think to Louisville).
Morehead upset its way into the NCAA a few years ago when Kenneth Faried was either a sophomore or junior. When Faried was a senior, Morehead won the regular-season and the tournament and beat Louisville in the first game, but came out flat in the next game and lost to Will Weaver's most-hated team. (My wife hates spiders, too...)
But I remember during one of those years, watching an OVC tournament game on television and seeing a mostly-empty arena in Nashville. The next week, the same place was packed most every game for the SEC tournament.
I agree with HB's root against list 100%. Really I root against all private schools, but especially Duke, which is the epitome of what is wrong with not only college sports, but college.
Glad for NKU, but who came up with "Norse" as a knickname? The Cincinnati suburbs are hardly viking country, the old joke about the region being that the "old country" was either Munich or Pikeville.
Ohio Valley Conference champion Jacksonville State (it is the Jacksonville in Alabama, not Florida) is in in the Alabama River watershed, not the Ohio. Of course whoever wins the Missouri Valley Conference every year not be in the Missouri Valley, as no team in the league is (5 are on the wrong side of the Mississippi, in fact) ; the Atlantic Sun has a team in New Jersey; the Atlantic 10 (which has 14 members) has teams in Ohio and Missouri; the Big East has a teams in Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Illinois; the West Coast has a team in Utah; the Atlantic Coast has 3 schools on the Gulf side of the Eastern continental divide (and one right on it) and one on Lake Michigan; and the Pacific 12 has one team on the Atlantic half of the continent and one in the Great Basin.
I think teams play conference tournaments, one because their masters in Bristol, CT tell them to, but more importantly, two, because it gives a team something to shoot for rather than just give up in mid-January. I don't think it really matters which team a one-bid conference sends they are not going to win anyway. I do think that conference tournaments should not be on home courts.
Another geographical deal. The ACC women's tournament was in Myrtle Beach, nearer to South Carolina which is in the SEC, and the SEC women were in Greenville, which is next to Clemson, which is in the ACC.
Remember Georgetown?
Northern Kentucky was the Norsemen for years. Then political correctness became a thing on college campuses (campi) and Norsemen and Norsewomen became the unisex Norse.
I guess they're the Norse because the campus is very close to the northernmost point in the state.
Interesting fact: Whatever they call the downtown arena in Cincinnati now is going to be closed next year for yet again another remodeling, so the University of Cincinnati is going to play its home games in NKU's arena. I didn't even know NKU had an arena, and I guess Xavier and UC hate each other so much that there was no consideration for UC playing its home games on its side of the river.
I presume the downtown arena is what used to be known as Riverfront Coliseum. Of course since Cincy stupidly tore down one perfectly good stadium and built two new ones in its place, anything is possible.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 08, 2017, 02:57:57 PM
Interesting fact: Whatever they call the downtown arena in Cincinnati now is going to be closed next year for yet again another remodeling, so the University of Cincinnati is going to play its home games in NKU's arena. I didn't even know NKU had an arena, and I guess Xavier and UC hate each other so much that there was no consideration for UC playing its home games on its side of the river.
I presume the downtown arena is what used to be known as Riverfront Coliseum. Of course since Cincy stupidly tore down one perfectly good stadium and built two new ones in its place, anything is possible.
The arena being renovated is UC's on campus Fifth Third Arena at the Shoemaker Center.
You would expect the logical arena for them to use during the interim would be the downtown US Bank Arena (formerly known as the Riverfront Coliseum), but from what I've heard from a good friend that's a UC grad, the relationship between UC and the operators of US Bank Arena is bad enough that it resulted in UC agreeing to play their games next year at UNK instead.
I'd like to see either UVA (my undergraduate school) or Duke (my law school) win it all. Neither one will. UVA has trouble playing offense for a full 40 minutes. Duke's too inconsistent and a couple of the players are too immature.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 08, 2017, 11:37:35 AM
Quote from: HazMatt on March 07, 2017, 09:37:17 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on March 07, 2017, 09:04:43 PM
I've never understood why these small conferences, who only hope to have one team in the tournament, continue to have conference tournaments in half (or less) empty gyms where a really strong regular season champion that might actually have a shot of winning a game or two in the NCAA runs the risk of being upset by a team with a losing record. It doesn't matter in a big-time league like the SEC, where Kentucky's going to get in even if it doesn't win the conference championship. Those conference tourneys can't be big money-makers for the leagues or their teams. I'd think they'd want their strongest representative in the NCAA tournament.
If the money wasn't there, they wouldn't do it. Not that I don't agree with you, the conference tournaments completely take away any meaning from the regular season. But it gives conferences a guaranteed revenue stream as well as a nationally televised championship game, which is probably preferable on small budgets with typically weak teams that wouldn't win a game very often in the NCAA tournament. The conference gets ~$250k for each game one of their teams plays in the NCAA tournament. Not sure the revenue on conference tournaments, but let's say $50k. Get $50k and put in a team with a 5% chance at an upset, or try for the $250k with a team with a 10% chance at an upset. Might as well take the guaranteed money and play the lottery on top of it.
My alma mater (Morehead State) is in the Ohio Valley Conference. In 1983, the Eagles backed into the NCAA tournament. Akron was in the OVC then, and the Zips were the conference champs in the regular season. Back then, the OVC tournament was a seeded four-team affair. Akron got upset in the first game, and Morehead won both games and got in. Their reward was being sent to Hartford, Conn. to get drilled by Syracuse.
The next year, MSU won both the regular-season and tournament championships. They had to do a play-in at Dayton, beat North Carolina A&T, but lost the next game (I think to Louisville).
Morehead upset its way into the NCAA a few years ago when Kenneth Faried was either a sophomore or junior. When Faried was a senior, Morehead won the regular-season and the tournament and beat Louisville in the first game, but came out flat in the next game and lost to Will Weaver's most-hated team. (My wife hates spiders, too...)
But I remember during one of those years, watching an OVC tournament game on television and seeing a mostly-empty arena in Nashville. The next week, the same place was packed most every game for the SEC tournament.
Interesting fact is that starting next year the OVC tournament is going to be in Evansville. I'm already planning on going to both the semi finals and the conference championship game next year.
Quote from: Buck87 on March 08, 2017, 03:08:08 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on March 08, 2017, 02:57:57 PM
Interesting fact: Whatever they call the downtown arena in Cincinnati now is going to be closed next year for yet again another remodeling, so the University of Cincinnati is going to play its home games in NKU's arena. I didn't even know NKU had an arena, and I guess Xavier and UC hate each other so much that there was no consideration for UC playing its home games on its side of the river.
I presume the downtown arena is what used to be known as Riverfront Coliseum. Of course since Cincy stupidly tore down one perfectly good stadium and built two new ones in its place, anything is possible.
The arena being renovated is UC's on campus Fifth Third Arena at the Shoemaker Center.
You would expect the logical arena for them to use during the interim would be the downtown US Bank Arena (formerly known as the Riverfront Coliseum), but from what I've heard from a good friend that's a UC grad, the relationship between UC and the operators of US Bank Arena is bad enough that it resulted in UC agreeing to play their games next year at UNK instead.
I hope that part of the agreement was that UNK gets to play a "home" game against Cincinnati next year :biggrin:. That would at the very least be a somewhat interesting game I think.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 08, 2017, 09:46:12 PM
Duke's too inconsistent and a couple of the players are too immature dirty.
FTFY.
Greater Cincy indoor venues, I think:
US Bank Arena, nee Riverfront Coliseum is the site the infamous The Who concert stampede. It was built in the mid 70s, and UC played there until they built their own place. I have not been there in years, but I gather that it has pretty much been neglected. UK would play a "home" game there every now and then until the mid-00s. It holds 17K or so.
The Cincinnati Gardens was built in the 40s and is one of the last remaining of those classic big city arena buildings. It was the home of everything in Cincy until Riverfront got built, and Xavier played there until 2000. The owners sold it last summer and is no longer in use.
The Cintas Center which holds 10K was built as Xavier's on-campus arena. Xavier and UC hate each other and there is no way UC would have played there for the year.
Fifth-Third (which is a dumb name for a bank) Arena, nee Shoemaker Center is UC's on campus arena built in 89, it holds 13K or so. This is the building that is being renovated, forcing UC to find a temporary home.
BB&T Arena (BB&T has like 20 sports venues named for it, most of them inherited from other banks it bought) nee Bank of Kentucky Center is NKU's arena, built in 08. It is really nice for a school NKU's size and, unlike most on campus college arenas, is revenue positive for the school. NKU's location (right off the interstate and just suburban enough to have reasonable parking and close enough to downtown to not be a trip) makes the 9K venue very competitive for many shows.
Cincy's leaders have been arguing about building a new large arena since at least the early 90s. Like most things in the Queen City, all they do is argue about it. Unless Cincy gets a major league indoor sport, which is unlikely, it won't happen.
They may not have much of a chance, but I'm pulling for my alma mater, UCLA! Enough said.
Quote from: Rothman on March 09, 2017, 08:52:54 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 08, 2017, 09:46:12 PM
Duke's too inconsistent and a couple of the players are too immature dirty sucks.
FTFY.
And I FIFY... :-D
As for Northern Kentucky, I remember when it was strictly a commuter school.
And I remember the Who concert incident very well. As a student at Morehead State, we had a lot of students from the river counties in Ohio because Kentucky allowed residents of those and a couple of other Ohio counties to attend at in-state rates. There was no social media back then, but word spread pretty quickly from Cincinnati to Morehead about that. Lots of students were worried that some of their friends may have been hurt or killed. I don't think I actually knew any fellow students who were there, but I know some were.
Go Middle Tennessee State!
Automatic Bid Update (3/9/17)
Atlantic Sun= Florida Gulf Coast
Big South= Winthrop
Colonial= UNC Wilmington
Horizon= Northern Kentucky
MAAC= Iona
Missouri Valley= Wichita State
Northeast= Mount St. Mary's
Ohio Valley= Jacksonville State
Patriot= Bucknell
Southern= East Tennessee State
Summit= South Dakota State
West Coast= Gonzaga
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also in the Big 12 Tournament Kansas was upset by TCU.
Michigan won by 20 over Illinois and they had to play in their practice uniforms because of an investigation into their plane crash (no one was hurt). Their game uniforms were being held during the investigation.
Quote from: Thing 342 on March 06, 2017, 11:31:27 PM
As much as I'd like VT to win, I think they're pretty much locked in to get bounced by whatever 1/2/3 seed they face in the second round.
Just remember 2005 with Taylor Coppenrath and TJ Sorrentine. Knocked off the 4 seed Syracuse in a game that has since been vacated due to improprieties at Cuse. Reason I remember is 2 seed UConn getting knocked off by 10 seed NC State in the same DCU Center location after almost getting knocked off by 15 seed UCF (ironically, now a conference opponent) in the first round.
Sadly, unless there's another miracle AAC tournament run, my Huskies aren't even getting in the NIT. OTOH, 107 wins and a row and counting for the womens' tournament.
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on March 09, 2017, 09:05:05 PM
Quote from: Thing 342 on March 06, 2017, 11:31:27 PM
As much as I'd like VT to win, I think they're pretty much locked in to get bounced by whatever 1/2/3 seed they face in the second round.
Just remember 2005 with Taylor Coppenrath and TJ Sorrentine. Knocked off the 4 seed Syracuse in a game that has since been vacated due to improprieties at Cuse. Reason I remember is 2 seed UConn getting knocked off by 10 seed NC State in the same DCU Center location after almost getting knocked off by 15 seed UCF (ironically, now a conference opponent) in the first round.
Sadly, unless there's another miracle AAC tournament run, my Huskies aren't even getting in the NIT. OTOH, 107 wins and a row and counting for the womens' tournament.
Man I miss Julius Hodge. I think Vermont has a good shot. ESPN has them projected as a 12 seed with all the upsets in conference tournaments.
Vermont is really good this year. I've watched them play a couple of times this year on TV (ESPN3 via my computer). They have to win tomorrow against UAlbany to make it to the NCAA tournament despite the fact that they are 28-5 overall (16-0 America East). If they make it to the tournament they definitely have the talent to make an upset or two in the Big Dance.
If it was up to me I'd give them an at large regardless of what happens tomorrow, but the committee doesn't see it the same way I do (aka a loss equals NIT for the Catamounts). I would also weed out some of these power 5 teams. If you can't finish at least .500 in conference play then you should not be able to make it to the NCAA Tournament unless you can get the AQ. A 16-0 or 17-1 team deserves it more than a 7-9 or 8-10 team. There are some teams "on the bubble" that have worse records. TCU went 6-10 in conference play and somehow they are still in consideration. I know they beat Kansas yesterday, but IMHO they should have to win the Big 12 tournament to make it to the Dance.
I would also expand that and say that if you have at least 25 D1 wins you are in as well and if you don't have at least 20 D1 wins you cannot be in consideration for an at large.
Continuing on with my little rant conference play should not count as part of your SOS. Every conference in D1 basketball only gets 1 automatic bid. The ACC might get 10 teams in this year but only 1 of those teams is an AQ. The rest are at-larges.
Let's take IU for example. They played 12 non-conference games. They played 9 of those at home and only one of those teams was from a P5+1 conference (North Carolina). The rest of them were chumps. 2 of their non-conf games were neutral site (in Honolulu vs Kansas and in Indianapolis vs. Butler). Only one of their games was on the road and that was at IU-Purdue Fort Wayne and they lost that game. http://iuhoosiers.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
Most P5 teams load their non-conference schedules down with "easy wins" at home. If they are worth anything at all they should be able to finish with at least a 10-2 record entering conference play. Then they get to conference play and finish with a 8-10 record and we have to hear about how difficult their SOS was, when in reality it really wasn't that difficult at all. And the fact of the matter is that they lost when they actually had to go on the road and play a decent team. Then they get to the conference tournament they win in their play in game against a bottom dweller in their conference and add another win before getting losing to a top tier team, but no worries they'll still be in come Selection Sunday. This is how you end up with 19-13 teams in the NCAA Tournament with losing records in conference play.
If non-conference play was the only part of your SOS that counted it would actually force some of these teams to go play someone good in their non-conf play. This change by itself would weed out some of these P5 teams because instead of finishing with a 19-13 record they would finish 14-18 and not even be in consideration. This would also open the door for more of the smaller schools to have a chance at making it that finish 27-5 or 26-8 that probably actually deserve to be in the tournament.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on March 08, 2017, 05:06:15 AM
If the SWAC championship game comes to be Texas Southern vs Alcorn State, the former would be in the March Madness before playing because the latter is ineligible due to "dumb reasons" (Is failing to meet the required Academic Progress Rate a dumb reason for a post-season ban?).
It happened :sombrero:. Texas Southern is now in the March Madness.
Auto Bids earned today
ACC= Duke
America East= Vermont
Big East= Villanova
Big Sky= North Dakota
Big West= UC Davis
Big 12= Iowa State
CUSA= Middle Tennessee State
MAC= Kent State
MEAC= NC Central
Mountain West= Nevada
Pac-12= Arizona
Southland= New Orleans
SWAC= Texas Southern
WAC= New Mexico State
Quote from: hbelkins on March 09, 2017, 10:31:59 AM
Quote from: Rothman on March 09, 2017, 08:52:54 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 08, 2017, 09:46:12 PM
Duke's too inconsistent and a couple of the players are too immature dirty sucks
FTFY.
And I FIFY... :-D
....
:nod: :nod: :nod:
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 11, 2017, 11:03:22 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on March 09, 2017, 10:31:59 AM
Quote from: Rothman on March 09, 2017, 08:52:54 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 08, 2017, 09:46:12 PM
Duke's too inconsistent and a couple of the players are too immature dirty sucks
FTFY.
And I FIFY... :-D
....
:nod: :nod: :nod:
...otherwise called a fluke.
Quote from: Rothman on March 12, 2017, 01:35:16 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 11, 2017, 11:03:22 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on March 09, 2017, 10:31:59 AM
Quote from: Rothman on March 09, 2017, 08:52:54 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 08, 2017, 09:46:12 PM
Duke's too inconsistent and a couple of the players are too immature dirty sucks
FTFY.
And I FIFY... :-D
....
:nod: :nod: :nod:
...otherwise called a fluke.
yawn
Four teams have made it to the March Madness for the first time in history. They are North Dakota, UC Davis, Northern Kentucky and Jacksonville State. In the NKU case they achieved the feat in the first year of elegibility, only seven other teams have done so before.
I've already done my own Selection Sunday, consisting of 68 eponimously named diseases. I've seeded them from 1 to 68 so that they will replace the team with the same overall seed. The resulting bracket may be interesting at the very least.
The Final Auto Bids were earned today.
American Athletic= SMU
Atlantic 10= Rhode Island
Big Ten= Michigan
Ivy League= Princeton
SEC= Kentucky
Sun Belt= Troy
The selection show starts in under 10 minutes!!!
All Auto Bids
AAC= SMU
ACC= Duke
AM East= Vermont
A-10= Rhode Island
ASUN= Florida Gulf Coast
Big East= Villanova
Big Sky= North Dakota
Big South= Winthrop
Big Ten= Michigan
Big 12= Iowa St.
Big West= UC Davis
CAA= UNC Wilmington
CUSA= Middle Tennessee St.
Horizon= Northern Kentucky
Ivy= Princeton
MAAC= Iona
MAC= Kent St.
MEAC= NC Central
MVC= Wichita St.
MT West= Nevada
NEC= Mt. St. Mary's
OVC= Jacksonville St.
Pac 12= Arizona
Patriot= Bucknell
SEC= Kentucky
Southland= New Orleans
Southern= East Tennessee State
Summit= South Dakota State
Sun Belt= Troy
SWAC= Texas Southern
WAC= New Mexico State
WCC= Gonzaga
I did a bracket for every conference tournament and I picked the champion in 17 out of 32 of them.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on March 12, 2017, 04:40:38 PM
Four teams have made it to the March Madness for the first time in history. They are North Dakota, UC Davis, Northern Kentucky and Jacksonville State. In the NKU case they achieved the feat in the first year of elegibility, only seven other teams have done so before.
Make it five with Northwestern, as an at-large berth has been awarded to them.
Northwestern could be called the "Vanderbilt" of the Big Ten" and Vanderbilt could be called the "Northwestern" of the SEC.
Neat to see these schools with similar situations matched up against each other.
UNK vs UK is a matchup where there is likely a huge percentage of one school's alumni that are primarily fans of the school they are playing.
And there's a good chance that round 2 will feature a rematch of the 2013 National Championship game
I finished my bracket. I'll list the winners (only) of each round.
First 4
New Orleans
USC
NC Central
Wake Forest
First Round (Round of 64)
Villanova
Wisconsin
UNC Wilmington
Florida
SMU
Baylor
South Carolina
Duke
Gonzaga
Northwestern
Princeton
West Virginia
Maryland
Florida State
VCU
Arizona
Kansas
Michigan State
Nevada
Vermont
Rhode Island
Oregon
Michigan
Louisville
North Carolina
Arkansas
Middle Tennessee State
Butler
Cincinnati
Kent State
Wichita State
Kentucky
Second Round (Round of 32)
Wisconsin
Florida
SMU
Duke
Gonzaga
West Virginia
Florida State
Arizona
Kansas
Nevada
Oregon
Michigan
North Carolina
Middle Tennessee State
Cincinnati
Kentucky
Sweet 16
Wisconsin
SMU
West Virginia
Arizona
Kansas
Oregon
North Carolina
Kentucky
Elite 8
SMU
West Virginia
Kansas
North Carolina
Final 4
SMU
North Carolina
National Championship Game
North Carolina
As I said I have Pearson vs Dravet, ergo Villanova vs Kansas as the National Championship Game. With Kansas taking the title. I haven't decided on the rest of the bracket yet (Apart of the obvious Villanova and Kansas runs).
Someone at the NCAA has a sense of humor.
Last week Jim Boeheim was quite negative about the city of Greensboro and was talking about how the ACC Tournament should not be played there because it should be in higher-profile venues (I think he has a valid point).
Syracuse will open the NIT at home.....against UNC-Greensboro. :-D
Due my policy of not use the sponsored names unless they pay me, here is the list of arenas to be used during the Big Dance as I know them (Bold are different).
First Four:
Dayton: UD Arena
First and Second Rounds:
Buffalo: Crossroads Arena
Milwaukee: Bradley Center
Orlando: Orlando Events Center
Salt Lake City: Salt Lake Ice Center (Yes, the olympic name)
Greenville: Greenville Arena (For a lack of "generic name", I use the city name)
Indianapolis: Pacers Fieldhouse (Same as Greenville, but at least it has a NBA franchise to name the arena after)
Tulsa: Tulsa Center (Same as Greenville)
Sacramento: New Kings Center (Same as Indianapolis)
Regional semifinals and finals:
Kansas City: Downtown Arena
San Jose: San Jose Arena
New York City: Madison Square Garden IV
Memphis: Grizzles Forum (Same as Indianapolis)
Final Four
Phoenix: Cardinals Stadium (Curse the University of Phoenix for not having intercollegiate athletics program)
^^ For Greenville, Bi-Lo is a grocery chain that sponsered the arena.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on March 13, 2017, 08:24:22 AM
Due my policy of not use the sponsored names unless they pay me, here is the list of arenas to be used during the Big Dance as I know them (Bold are different).
First Four:
Dayton: UD Arena
First and Second Rounds:
Buffalo: Crossroads Arena
Milwaukee: Bradley Center
Orlando: Orlando Events Center
Salt Lake City: Salt Lake Ice Center (Yes, the olympic name)
Greenville: Bi-Lo Center
Indianapolis: Pacers Fieldhouse (For a lack of "generic name"...)
Tulsa: Tulsa Center (Same as Indianapolis, but since there are no major league teams...)
Sacramento: Golden 1 Center
Regional semifinals and finals:
Kansas City: Downtown Arena
San Jose: San Jose Arena
New York City: Madison Square Garden IV
Memphis: Grizzles Forum (Same as Indianapolis
Final Four
Phoenix: Cardinals Stadium (Curse the University of Phoenix for not having intercollegiate athletics program)
We are getting off topic, but what name do you have for the arena in my city lol?
I'm going to see two games that are being played at KeyBank Center....laugh at me all you want, but don't be surprised if the Fighting Irish are the Fallen Irish come this Thursday. :D
The real winners of the conference tournaments: Kansas State and Vanderbilt. Without their late runs into their semifinals, they probably wouldn't be in the tournament. Too bad that came at the expense of mid-majors like Illinois State. This kind of thing happens every year, though
As for the tournament, I'm going to have a tough time picking the Big Ten to go very far. Of the seven teams, four would face a 1- or 2-seed in the second round should they make it, and two are facing some of the best mid-major teams in the field. I wouldn't be surprised of only one team (I'd pick Purdue) makes the sweet 16.
The Northwestern-Vanderbilt game is going to be tough to pick for me: I'd like to see Northwestern win a game or two in their first tournament, but Vanderbilt is coached by Valpo's star player-turned-coach Bryce Drew. Like I said, though, it was stretch for Vanderbilt to be in the field in the first place, IMO.
Quote from: tdindy88 on March 13, 2017, 08:53:18 AM
Golden 1 is a credit union.
Thanks for the heads up. From now, I'll know that as "New Kings Center".
Regarding Duke:
Quote
First time someone won four games in four days to win the championship.
UConn did win the 2011 Big East Championship by 5 wins in 5 straight days (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Big_East_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament). Does seem like a long time ago, though.
Quote from: Buck87 on March 12, 2017, 06:46:22 PM
UNK vs UK is a matchup where there is likely a huge percentage of one school's alumni that are primarily fans of the school they are playing.
You could say that about every public school in Kentucky versus Big Blue, with the exception of that hopefully not-a-public-school-for-much-longer one in Louisville, although the Cincy suburbs are the least Kentucky-like part of Kentucky, lots of people from the other side of the river and lots of young famlies from elsewhere, also generally north.
You can say the same thing about fandom in Alabama, save for Auburn,; Arkansas, Indiana, save for Purdue; Louisiana; Michigan, save for Michigan State; Nebraska; North Carolina save for NC State; Ohio, possibably save for Ohio (whose fans have the world's worst case of "little brother'), and Tennessee. Don't know that much about Florida, but I never have met a fan of any of the "directional Floridas", so probably.
I chose Cincinnati at random.
I don't know if my Maryland Terps made it, but I just wanted to mention that I have very fond memories of their 2002 national championship. Both of my parents spent part of their college years at College Park. I am a proud Marylander and I stick with my Terps even if they're the absolute worst NCAA basketball school.
All I know is that anytime my alma mater has gone up against UK, I've just hoped for them to keep it respectable.
And as usual, the selection committee hosed UK again. Late game on Friday night, and the possibility of two regular-season rematches (UCLA and North Carolina). I disagree with the determination that UK was the overall #5 seed (the top of the four #2's) but other than getting to play in Indianapolis, the committee did Calipari no favors. It's a rite of spring, like people crying over DST.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 13, 2017, 03:14:20 PM
All I know is that anytime my alma mater has gone up against UK, I've just hoped for them to keep it respectable.
And as usual, the selection committee hosed UK again. Late game on Friday night, and the possibility of two regular-season rematches (UCLA and North Carolina). I disagree with the determination that UK was the overall #5 seed (the top of the four #2's) but other than getting to play in Indianapolis, the committee did Calipari no favors. It's a rite of spring, like people crying over DST.
Playing late on Friday is hosing the fans, not the team. Every coach will tell you they'd rather get the extra day to prepare and play Friday instead of Thursday, especially given that Kentucky is one of the teams who played Sunday, and most players are used to evening games.
Quote from: kurumi on March 13, 2017, 11:44:48 AM
Regarding Duke:
Quote
First time someone won four games in four days to win the championship.
UConn did win the 2011 Big East Championship by 5 wins in 5 straight days (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Big_East_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament). Does seem like a long time ago, though.
Right, but I was referring to the ACC (otherwise I would have said "a championship" instead of "the"). First time it's happened in the ACC.
It's NKU (Northern Kentucky University), not UNK.
Okay, the big dance starts today. I finished my bracket just in time, and like US 41 I post my winners in each rounds.
First 4
New Orleans
Kansas State
North Carolina Central
USC
First Round (Round of 64)
Villanova
Wisconsin
UNC Wilmington
Florida
SMU
Baylor
Marquette
Duke
Gonzaga
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame
West Virginia
Xavier
Florida State
VCU
Arizona
Kansas
Miami (FL)
Nevada
Purdue
Creighton
Oregon
Michigan
Louisville
North Carolina
Arkansas
Middle Tennessee
Butler
Kansas State
UCLA
Wichita State
Kentucky
Second Round (Round of 32)
Villanova
Florida
SMU
Duke
Gonzaga
Notre Dame
Florida State
VCU
Kansas
Nevada
Creighton
Michigan
North Carolina
Butler
UCLA
Kentucky
Sweet 16 (Round of 16)
Villanova
SMU
Gonzaga
Florida State
Kansas
Michigan
North Carolina
Kentucky
Elite 8 (Quarter finals)
Villanova
Florida State
Kansas
Kentucky
Final 4 (Semifinals)
Villanova
Kansas
National Championship (Final)
Kansas
I've included some upsets, like a good bracket should include.
Here's the schedule for today at the UD Arena in Dayton OH. Times are Eastern, which is one hour ahead of my current "forum time" (I haven't switched to DST yet):
6:40 p.m.: No. 16E Mount Saint Mary's vs No. 16E New Orleans
9:10 p.m.: No. 11S Kansas State vs No. 11S Wake Forest
Okay, my bracket (and US 41's) already went bust in the first match. Both predicted a New Orleans win, and Mount St. Mary's won. Luckily the first four is not taken into account in the online brackets (And Mount St. Mary's is going to be out in the First Round anyway), and as such I've also copied my bracket into ESPN and joined a Spanish group they have set up there.
Today's matches are the following. The other two of the First Four at the UD Arena in Dayton OH. Tomorrow is when March Madness really starts.
6:40 p.m.: No. 16MW North Carolina Central vs No. 16MW UC Davis
9:10 p.m.: No. 11E Providence vs No. 11E USC
E2A: I've added another two brackets with North Carolina and Duke becoming champions in these. Bracket number 1 is the one I have on paper and published here.
Quote from: Big John on March 13, 2017, 08:37:17 AM
^^ For Greenville, Bi-Lo is a grocery chain that sponsered the arena.
So where the hell is Greenville?
So I got my bracket up just now. My other bracket on my astronomy webpage has Villanova, UCLA, Arizona and Louisville in the Final Four with UCLA winning the whole ball of snakes over Arizona, simply because that's how it shook out. I pointed out that I could just as easily had Kentucky, Duke, Arizona and Kansas to the Final Four, so I did that here. And if my championship game picks are correct, it's guaranteed the Wildcats will win the NCAA Tournament!
And does anybody really care about those silly "play-in" games in which two Number 16 seeds play a game to see who gets blown out of the water by Kentucky to the score of 83-39? And two Number 11 teams playing each other? You're either Number 11 or you're not. Come on, NCAA, pick one team and stick 'em in! That's your job!
Oh, I know. Those "play-in" games are primarily for the sponsors to sell one more six-pack of beer, one more pick-up truck and one more prescription for those funny blue pills for a certain part of the male anatomy.
Quote from: hm insulators on March 15, 2017, 11:06:26 AM
Quote from: Big John on March 13, 2017, 08:37:17 AM
^^ For Greenville, Bi-Lo is a grocery chain that sponsered the arena.
So where the hell is Greenville?
Not far from Spartanburg.
Quote from: Big John on March 13, 2017, 08:37:17 AM
^^ For Greenville, Bi-Lo is a grocery chain that sponsered the arena.
I didn't notice this until now. So Greenville Arena it is, for a lack of unsponsored name. I used the planning name in some cases, in the Salt Lake City case I used the olympic name.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 15, 2017, 01:00:01 PM
Quote from: hm insulators on March 15, 2017, 11:06:26 AM
Quote from: Big John on March 13, 2017, 08:37:17 AM
^^ For Greenville, Bi-Lo is a grocery chain that sponsered the arena.
So where the hell is Greenville?
Not far from Spartanburg.
And Greenville is the control city for I-85 in Atlanta.
With the first four teams already out (I correctly predicted the no. 11 seeds but failed the no. 16 ones), the madness really takes off today as the bunch of teams get in the action. Honestly all the brackets could be busted today or tomorrow like it happened last year when Middle Tennessee upset Michigan State. Anyway, here are today's matches, ordered from East to West (yes, I checked and Buffalo is East of Orlando), and using unsponsored names for the arenas. Notice all eight matches of the West region are played today, so none will be played tomorrow.
Noon: Online brackets close.
Crossroads Arena, Buffalo NY
12:15 p.m.: No. 5W Notre Dame vs No. 12W Princeton
2:45 p.m.: No. 4W West Virginia vs No. 13W Bucknell
7:10 p.m.: No. 1E Villanova vs No. 16E Mount St. Mary's
9:40 p.m.: No. 8E Wisconsin vs No. 9E Virginia Tech
Orlando Events Center, Orlando FL
12:40 p.m.: No. 5E Virginia vs No. 12E UNC Wilmington
3:10 p.m.: No. 4E Florida vs No. 13E East Tennessee State
6:50 p.m.: No. 6W Maryland vs No. 11W Xavier
9:20 p.m.: No. 3W Florida State vs No. 14W Florida Gulf Coast
Bradley Center, Milwaukee WI (Some weird schedules here...)
1:30 p.m.: No. 4S Butler vs No. 13S Winthrop
4:00 p.m.: No. 5S Minnesota vs No. 12S Middle Tennessee
7:27:30 p.m.: No. 4MW Purdue vs No. 13MW Vermont
9:57:30 p.m.: No. 5MW Iowa State vs No. 12MW Nevada
Salt Lake Ice Center, Salt Lake City UT
2:00 p.m.: No. 1W Gonzaga vs No. 16W South Dakota State
4:30 p.m.: No. 8W Northwestern vs No. 9W Vanderbilt
7:20 p.m.: No. 7W St. Mary's vs No. 10W VCU
9:50 p.m.: No. 2W Arizona vs No. 15W North Dakota
Middle Tennessee just upset Minnesota, and if I remember correctly, weren't they the team that blew a lot of brackets out of the water last year by beating Michigan State?
Quote from: hm insulators on March 15, 2017, 11:49:50 AM
So I got my bracket up just now. My other bracket on my astronomy webpage has Villanova, UCLA, Arizona and Louisville in the Final Four with UCLA winning the whole ball of snakes over Arizona, simply because that's how it shook out. I pointed out that I could just as easily had Kentucky, Duke, Arizona and Kansas to the Final Four, so I did that here. And if my championship game picks are correct, it's guaranteed the Wildcats will win the NCAA Tournament!
And does anybody really care about those silly "play-in" games in which two Number 16 seeds play a game to see who gets blown out of the water by Kentucky to the score of 83-39? And two Number 11 teams playing each other? You're either Number 11 or you're not. Come on, NCAA, pick one team and stick 'em in! That's your job!
Oh, I know. Those "play-in" games are primarily for the sponsors to sell one more six-pack of beer, one more pick-up truck and one more prescription for those funny blue pills for a certain part of the male anatomy.
For some reason, my bracket is not filled out, even though I filled it out and now it's locked. What the heck happened? :banghead:
Quote from: hm insulators on March 16, 2017, 06:24:42 PM
Middle Tennessee just upset Minnesota, and if I remember correctly, weren't they the team that blew a lot of brackets out of the water last year by beating Michigan State?
Correct.
Quote from: hm insulators on March 16, 2017, 06:24:42 PM
Middle Tennessee just upset Minnesota, and if I remember correctly, weren't they the team that blew a lot of brackets out of the water last year by beating Michigan State?
The one. That's why I predicted they would win agaisnt Minnesota, and it came out right.
I also correctly predicted Xavier would win against Maryland :sombrero:. However I have two Round of 16 (Sweet Sixteen) fails, as both Nevada and VCU are out. Anyway, here is the schedule for today. Notice no West region matches are played today, as all of the were decided yesterday.
Greenville Arena, Greenville SC (originally scheduled to be in Greensboro NC, but f*ck those LGTB-fobics)
1:30 p.m.: No. 8S Arkansas vs No. 9S Seton Hall
4:00 p.m.: No. 1S North Carolina vs No. 16S Texas Southern
7:20 p.m.: No. 2E Duke vs No. 15E Troy
9:50 p.m.: No. 7E South Carolina vs No. 10E Marquette
Pacers Fieldhouse, Indianapolis IN
12:15 p.m.: No. 7MW Michigan vs No. 10MW Oklahoma State
2:45 p.m.: No. 2MW Louisville vs No. 15MW Jacksonville State
7:10 p.m.: No. 7S Dayton vs No. 10S Wichita State
9:50 p.m.: No. 2S Kentucky vs No. 15S Northern Kentucky
Tulsa Center, Tulsa OK
12:40 p.m.: No. 3E Baylor vs No. 14E New Mexico State
3:10 p.m.: No. 6E SMU vs No. 11E USC
6:50 p.m.: No. 1MW Kansas vs No. 16MW UC Davis
9:20 p.m.: No. 8MW Miami (FL) vs No. 9MW Michigan State
New Kings Center, Sacramento CA (Again, weird schedules...)
2:00 p.m.: No. 3MW Oregon vs No. 14MW Iona
4:30 p.m.: No. 6MW Creighton vs No. 11MW Rhode Island
7:27:30 p.m.: No. 6S Cincinnati vs No. 11S Kansas State
9:57:30 p.m.: No. 3S UCLA vs No. 14S Kent State
I am unsure how I feel about Virginia Tech losing. I really wanted them to win a tournament game, but I also did not want them to get creamed by Villanova in the second round.
I waffled back and forth with Xavier...and chose poorly.
Quote from: hm insulators on March 16, 2017, 06:24:42 PM
Middle Tennessee just upset Minnesota, and if I remember correctly, weren't they the team that blew a lot of brackets out of the water last year by beating Michigan State?
One Pitino down, another to go!
I actually saw Richard Pitino play high school basketball, as a JV player for Lexington Catholic back in the 1990s.
Dang it, USC has beaten SMU and ruined my bracket number 1, where I had SMU reaching the regional final (or quarter-finals as I call it).
Okay, I predicted a team which played the First Four would make it to the Round of 32. But not the correct one, thus ruining two of my brackets (the second one actually had SMU in the Final Four!). Currently bracket number 3 is the less damaged.
With the First Round done, let's move to the Second Round. Here's the schedule for today. Once again, all of the West Region plays today.
Crossreads Arena, Buffalo NY
12:10 p.m.: No. 5E Notre Dame vs No. 4E West Virginia
2:40 p.m.: No. 1E Villanova vs No. 8E Wisconsin
Orlando Events Center, Orlando FL
6:10 p.m.: No. 11W Xavier vs No. 3W Florida State
8:40 p.m.: No. 5E Virginia vs No. 4E Florida
Bradley Center, Milwaukee WI
7:10 p.m.: No. 12S Middle Tennessee vs No. 4S Butler
9:40 p.m.: No. 5MW Iowa vs No. 4MW Purdue
Salt Lake Ice Center, Salt Lake City UT
5:15 p.m.: No. 1W Gonzaga vs No. 8W Northwestern
7:45 p.m.: No. 7W Saint Mary's vs No. 2W Arizona
What's up with everyone making 10 different brackets? Like make one and stick with it. I get so tired of hearing people saying "I picked that one in one of my brackets".
The other thing I get tired of is people rooting for their brackets. I never root for my bracket. I'm always cheering against the Power 5+1 teams. There are only 6 teams left I can root for now though (Gonzaga, St Mary's, Middle TN, Wichita St, Cincinnati, and Rhode Island).
In my one and only bracket I made I still have 3 of my Final 4 teams left. SMU losing to USC really hurt my bracket. I'm still fairly confident in North Carolina winning the whole thing, although as I mentioned above if Middle Tennessee knocked them off (in a potential Sweet 16 game) I would not be disappointed at all.
Down go the defending national champs...so we already have our first exit by a 1 seed
Nice win by Wisconsin, who probably should have been seeded higher.
Curse Wisconsin, they ruined my bracket! I decided to pull the I-41 shield out of my avatar because of that.
Three cheers for Wisconsin. Now I just need UVA to do their part tonight.
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 18, 2017, 05:42:13 PM
Three cheers for Wisconsin. Now I just need UVA to do their part tonight.
:banghead:
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on March 16, 2017, 07:37:27 PM
Quote from: hm insulators on March 16, 2017, 06:24:42 PM
Middle Tennessee just upset Minnesota, and if I remember correctly, weren't they the team that blew a lot of brackets out of the water last year by beating Michigan State?
The one. That's why I predicted they would win agaisnt Minnesota, and it came out right.
That's why I chose Minnesota to win that game. I figured lightning wouldn't strike twice. Well... :wow:
I correctly picked Wisconsin to play Florida. The problem is that I had SMU playing Wisconsin and SMU going to the Final 4. West Virginia won today in the West Regional and I feel like they have a really good chance of making to the Final 4 (as I picked in my bracket). If Northwestern can almost beat Gonzaga surely West Virginia can (although I will be rooting for Gonzaga).
So far I have 5 of the Sweet 16 teams correct. SMU, Nevada, Middle TN, and Florida St are the 4 that I predicted wrongly to make it to the Sweet 16.
Well, my bracket number 1 is already out, at least on the left side (East and West). Luckily I have two other brackets, one of them (number 2 IIRC) had Xavier vs Arizona, as it finally happened.
Anyway, here is the schedule for today.
Greenville Arena, Greenville SC
6:10 p.m.: No. 1S North Carolina vs No. 8S Arkansas
8:40 p.m.: No. 7S South Carolina vs No. 2E Duke
Pacers Fieldhouse, Indianapolis IN
12:10 p.m.: No. 7MW Michigan vs No. 2MW Louisville
2:40 p.m.: No. 10S Wichita State vs No. 2S Kentucky
Tulsa Center, Tulsa OK
5:15 p.m.: No. 1MW Kansas vs No. 9MW Michigan State
7:45 p.m.: No. 11E USC vs No. 3E Baylor
New Kings Center, Sacramento CA
7:10 p.m.: No. 11MW Rhode Island vs No.3MW Oregon
9:40 p.m.: No. 6S Cincinnati vs No. 3S UCLA
Quote from: hm insulators on March 18, 2017, 10:57:28 PM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on March 16, 2017, 07:37:27 PM
Quote from: hm insulators on March 16, 2017, 06:24:42 PM
Middle Tennessee just upset Minnesota, and if I remember correctly, weren't they the team that blew a lot of brackets out of the water last year by beating Michigan State?
The one. That's why I predicted they would win agaisnt Minnesota, and it came out right.
That's why I chose Minnesota to win that game. I figured lightning wouldn't strike twice. Well... :wow:
I heard that 60% of brackets picked Middle Tennessee over Minnesota. However, they still lost to Butler last night.
My bracket is only busted with Villanova. But as a Big Ten fan I'm happy to see Wisconsin move. My throwaway bracket has a Wisconsin-Michigan final game - which is amazingly still alive after the first weekend! Who knows!
DUKE LOST!!!
Quote from: Alps on March 19, 2017, 05:39:00 PM
My bracket is only busted with Villanova. But as a Big Ten fan I'm happy to see Wisconsin move. My throwaway bracket has a Wisconsin-Michigan final game - which is amazingly still alive after the first weekend! Who knows!
I'm amazed how far Michigan has really rode this streak of wins, they didn't look anything like they are playing all damn year. I didn't think that they stood a chance at a tournament bid unless they got three wins in the Big Ten Tournament. At least there was a little measure of revenge with Louisville for the National Championship a couple years back.
My bracket is surprisingly doing very well so far. I have 10 of the 16 teams correct (Wisconsin, Florida, Gonzaga, West Virginia, Arizona, Kansas, Oregon, Michigan, North Carolina, and Kentucky). If Wisconsin, West Virginia, Arizona, Kansas, Oregon, North Carolina, and Kentucky all win I will have 7 Elite 8 teams correct in my bracket.
Louisville lost. Duke lost. That makes it a good day. If the refs hadn't screwed over Arkansas, North Carolina would have lost and it would have made a good day even better.
And then the Wichita State coach's wife shows up drunk to the ballgame and makes an ass of herself, almost gets thrown out of the game, and actually has to be escorted out of the arena by the cops after the game was over.
Quote from: Alps on March 19, 2017, 11:16:48 PM
DUKE LOST!!!
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FvYtvpWp.gif&hash=93cd14ea699857105c16bcfe2b72187751fa1295)
She's not gonna take it anymore
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/gallery/21_20_03_17_10_32_42.jpeg)
Quote from: hbelkins on March 20, 2017, 12:36:40 AM
Louisville lost. Duke lost. That makes it a good day. If the refs hadn't screwed over Arkansas, North Carolina would have lost and it would have made a good day even better.
And then the Wichita State coach's wife shows up drunk to the ballgame and makes an ass of herself, almost gets thrown out of the game, and actually has to be escorted out of the arena by the cops after the game was over.
I would have been very happy with my predicted Arkansas win.
Quote from: Alps on March 20, 2017, 03:29:55 PM
I would have been very happy with my predicted Arkansas win.
What's the difference between the Arkansas basketball team and the North Carolina basketball team? The Razorbacks have no class. The Tar Holes don't go to class. :bigass:
Quote from: LM117 on March 20, 2017, 06:54:20 AM
Quote from: Alps on March 19, 2017, 11:16:48 PM
DUKE LOST!!!
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FvYtvpWp.gif&hash=93cd14ea699857105c16bcfe2b72187751fa1295)
No more Grayson trips :clap:
So it appears my main bracket is busted on the left side (East and West regions, only Gonzaga can advance and it's over), while the right side (North -as I call the Midwest- and South regions) is mostly spot-on. Today and tomorrow (tomorrow and Saturday in my time zone) are the Sweet Sixteen ("Round of 16") matches: today the "North" and West regions are playing, and tomorrow it will the turn for the East and South. Schedules are rounded to the next multiple of 5.
Downtown Arena, Kansas City KS MO (North region)
7:10 p.m.: No. 3MW Oregon vs No. 7MW Michigan
9:40 p.m.: No. 1MW Kansas vs No. 4MW Purdue
San Jose Arena, San Jose CA (West region)
7:40 p.m.: No. 1W Gonzaga vs No. 4W West Virginia
10:10 p.m.: No. 11W Xavier vs No. 2W Arizona
Okay, my main bracket is over in the left side. However my second one (the one that makes North Carolina champion) correctly predicted the Xavier win over Arizona, a risky one IMO. Tonight matches are the following.
Madison Square Garden, New York NY (East region)
7:30 p.m.: No. 3E Baylor vs No. 7E South Carolina
10:00 p.m.: No. 8E Wisconsin (F*** them) vs No. 4E Florida
Grizzlies Forum, Memphis TN (South region)
7:10 p.m.: No. 1S North Carolina vs No. 4S Butler
9:40 p.m.: No. 3S UCLA vs No. 2S Kentucky
...and my three brackets are all shot to heck.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on March 24, 2017, 03:23:18 PM
However my second third one (the one that makes North Carolina Duke champion, something impossible now as they are out) correctly predicted the Xavier win over Arizona, a risky one IMO.
FTFM.
I'm happy Wisconsin is out. That means the I-41 shield will return once baseball season kicks off, they forced me to change to the Cubs logo earlier than expected by throwing out Villanova, which I had in the National Championship game ("Final") (I had planned to do so around Opening Day to commemorate the current World Series champions, which are so for the first time since 1908). Anyway, now with the Sweet Sixteen done it's time to move to Elite Eight (Or as I know the regional finals, "quarter-finals").
6:10 p.m.: No. 1W Gonzaga vs No. 11W Xavier, San Jose Arena, San Jose CA
8:50 p.m.: No. 1MW Kansas vs No. 3MW Oregon, Downtown Arena, Kansas City MO
9:00 p.m.: DST starts in Europe
Thanks Ball, you sucked and UCLA lost :-D :banghead:
My left side is done and I assume almost everyone's is unless you picked Gonzaga to get to the national championship game.
My right side is perfect right now as far as picking Elite 8 teams goes. I correctly picked Kansas to play Oregon and I correctly picked UNC to play Kentucky. (I have UNC and Kansas advancing in my bracket and UNC advancing to the national championship and winning it all.)
As far as teams I'm rooting for right now goes. I'd love to see either Gonzaga or Xavier win it all this year. It would be something different and they are both mid major schools, at least by my definition.
Quote from: US 41 on March 25, 2017, 10:19:30 AM
I'd love to see either Gonzaga or Xavier win it all this year. It would be something different and they are both mid major schools, at least by my definition.
At any rate, it's great to see that one of these 2 programs is guaranteed to make it to their first Final Four.
It's somewhat amazing how similar their tournament histories are, as BOTH schools can claim these exact stats:
16 trips to the Round of 32
8 trips to the Sweet 16
3 trips to the Elite 8
Hope Xavier beats Gonzaga. No preference on Kansas vs. Oregon; I'm not a Kansas fan but Oregon's coach seems to be a bit of a jerk.
Neither am I a fan of either Florida or South Carolina, but since SC has never employed Billy "The Clone" Donovan as a coach, I guess I hope they win.
No comment needed on the other regional final. UK vs. the class-skipping Tar Holes.
Would love to see a Xavier-UK game somewhere in there because the two schools are separated by about 75 miles of I-75.
I had Kansas in the Elite 8!
And I'm done.
Who I will be cheering for from here on out (underlined).
Tomorrow Elite 8
South Carolina vs Florida
Kentucky vs North Carolina
Final 4
Gonzaga vs SC/FLA winner
Oregon vs UK/UNC winner
National Championship
If either Gonzaga or South Carolina make it to the national championship I will root for them regardless of who they are playing. If Florida is playing UNC or UK I root for Florida. If Oregon is playing Florida I will root for Oregon.
Okay, Kansas is out. Since I'm now rooting for North Carolina I can forget my main bracket. Schedule for today:
2:20 p.m.: No. 4E Florida vs No. 7E South Carolina, Madison Square Garden, New York NY
5:05 p.m.: No. 1S North Carolina vs No. 2E Kentucky, Grizzlies Forum, Memphis TN
South Carolina has beaten Florida...the Cocks have never penetrated this deep into the tournament before
South Carolina just won, at least we're getting a lot of different teams going to the Final Four. Too bad there isn't a way for both UNC and Kentucky to lose.
Meanwhile, over at the women's tournament, suspense is building over whether someone can take down UConn.
Nah, just kidding! Not that I particularly root against UConn, and the one remaining team I was rooting for just won a close one against Notre Dame to advance to the Women's Final Four. But UConn's persistent dominance is deeply unhealthy for that sport.
I stopped following this year's men's tournament early on, when the one team I was rooting for lost, and the team I was rooting against lost too. Regrettably, it took three games -- including a "First Four" play-in -- for someone to finally put Southern California out of our misery.
Wow what a game between UNC and UK!
I suppose this Final Four will be exciting for anyone from the Pacific Northwest and the Carolinas.
North Carolina's players will be so happy about winning that they will actually attend class next week.
Quote from: tdindy88 on March 26, 2017, 07:45:22 PM
I suppose this Final Four will be exciting for anyone from the Pacific Northwest and the Carolinas.
Even better, there is a 50% chance that the final game will be from entirely one region. NC vs. SC has quite a nice ring to it.
Quote from: Alps on March 26, 2017, 08:08:16 PM
NC vs. SC has quite a nice ring to it.
Winning team gets season passes to Carowinds
Stay classy, Kentucky. :sombrero:
https://mobile.twitter.com/HLpublicsafety/status/846147657131327488/video/1 (https://mobile.twitter.com/HLpublicsafety/status/846147657131327488/video/1)
I tried starting a new poll with just the Final 4 teams, but I guess I can't unlock the poll...... :banghead:
Anyways my guess is that it will be Gonzaga and North Carolina in the title game and North Carolina will win it all.
South Carolina-Kentucky in the title game! Right??????
Carolinas vs Pacific Northwest....talk about a crazy regional matchup for the Final Four! Once again truth is stranger than fiction...LOL!
Rick
No real rooting interest left in the tournament. I guess I am for South Carolina. SEC team. I've meet Darius Rucker (Hootie of Hootie and the Blowfish) and he is really a nice guy. Politically incorrect state, knickname, and fanbase. Good loyal fanbase that shows up win or lose and they have never won in anything except for baseball, they deserve somthing. Never met anybody in SC that was not nice.
UNC was given two games by the officials, and the fact that it, for 3 decades, has been running fake degree programs for athletes should have gotten it the "death penalty". This is way bigger than the typical paying the players. This goes right to the legitimacy of the acadimics of the university. And its alumni all think they went to Harvard. Memo: you went to a state u, and apparently one that gives out fake degrees.
Gonzaga is some private school for rich kids on the left coast that charges $40K/year. To hell with it. CBS plays this sappy angle about how great it is for the little college to finally make it. Memo: when you can pay $160K for an undergrad degree, lay off the sympathy angle.
Oregon is on the left coast and is run by Nike. Nike is an evil company and clearly they are cheating their asses off. Altman (coached at Marshall for one year) is a weird guy.
So go Gamecocks.
Hoping for a Carolina Final at this point, with UNC winning. Dark horse is Oregon
How is "gamecock" politically incorrect? Just a little birdie.
*looks innocent*
Quote from: Rothman on March 30, 2017, 06:23:00 PM
How is "gamecock" politically incorrect? Just a little birdie.
*looks innocent*
Have South Carolina play Oregon State for dirty stuff...LOL!
Rick
Updates for the 3 lesser tournaments. I've been following all of them (I am a college basketball nut however) and winning any of them is an accomplishment that the players and fans should be proud of.
TCU just won the NIT Championship over Georgia Tech.
Wyoming plays Coastal Carolina for the CBI Championship and St Peters plays Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the CIT Championship. Both of those games are tomorrow night.
Quote from: US 41 on March 30, 2017, 10:21:55 PM
Wyoming plays Coastal Carolina for the CBI Championship
In game 3 of a best of 3 series, a neat feature the CBI has used for its championship round since its inception. Interesting that Wyoming scored 81 points in both of the first two games, losing the first by 10 and winning the second by 24.
Quote from: Rothman on March 30, 2017, 06:23:00 PM
How is "gamecock" politically incorrect? Just a little birdie.
*looks innocent*
Maybe you haven't seen the "COCKS" baseball hats? Not sure any of the SC teams actually wear them, but they definitely are for sale, and I've seen non-athletes wear them.
While on this tangent, what's with all the [team name] MENTALITY and CREATE YOURS [team logo] shirts I've seen? I gather that is the doing of competing athletic wear companies, but what's the point, especially when most everybody seems to be wearing one or the other? Makes me go "huh?.
UConn is knocked out of the women's tournament, by Mississippi State in a buzzer-beater at the end of overtime. Finally!
South Carolina beat Stanford in the other semi-final (grrr), so SC still has a shot at winning both the men's and women's tournaments in the same year (as UConn has done).
Quote from: SP Cook on March 30, 2017, 02:38:07 PMUNC was given two games by the officials
It seems Kentucky fans agree with you.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19029689/ncaa-official-john-higgins-receiving-death-threats-kentucky-wildcats-fans-following-loss-north-carolina-tar-heels (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19029689/ncaa-official-john-higgins-receiving-death-threats-kentucky-wildcats-fans-following-loss-north-carolina-tar-heels)
Seriously, I believe Kentucky fans are like FC Barcelona ones. Both argue officials/referees steal their matches.
The Final Four has arrived. The last three matches are to be played at the Cardinals Stadium. The "University of Phoenix Stadium" name would be valid under my naming policy if it was the home stadium for them, but they don't even have an intercollegiate athletics program, and thus they have to be removed. As always times are Eastern.
6:10 p.m.: No. 7E South Carolina vs No. 1W Gonzaga
8:50 p.m.: No. 3MW Oregon vs No. 1S North Carolina
Heh. Back when UMass lost to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 in the early 1990s (my favorite UMass team), us Minutemen fans blamed it on a UK-friendly ref that called Calipari being just outside the coach box when UMass was on its only run in the game.
My cousins in Kentucky seem to be taking the loss in stride, though. I actually haven't heard many sour grapes about it.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on April 01, 2017, 07:41:00 AM
Seriously, I believe Kentucky fans are like FC Barcelona ones. Both argue officials/referees steal their matches.
The Final Four has arrived. The last three matches are to be played at the Cardinals Stadium. The "University of Phoenix Stadium" name would be valid under my naming policy if it was the home stadium for them, but they don't even have an intercollegiate athletics program, and thus they have to be removed. As always times are Eastern.
6:10 p.m.: No. 7E South Carolina vs No. 1W Gonzaga
8:50 p.m.: No. 3MW Oregon vs No. 1S North Carolina
The University Of Phoenix has the best home record in collegiate sports history since they have never lost as the host...LOL!
Rick
Quote from: Buck87 on March 30, 2017, 10:30:23 PM
Quote from: US 41 on March 30, 2017, 10:21:55 PM
Wyoming plays Coastal Carolina for the CBI Championship
In game 3 of a best of 3 series, a neat feature the CBI has used for its championship round since its inception. Interesting that Wyoming scored 81 points in both of the first two games, losing the first by 10 and winning the second by 24.
Wyoming is the CBI champion and St Peter's is the CIT champion.
Gonzaga beats the Cocks, and now it's time to see whether they'll play the Webfoots or Tarheels
Oh my goodness. Gonzaga is impressive.
Quote from: oscar on March 31, 2017, 10:05:37 PM
Quote from: Rothman on March 30, 2017, 06:23:00 PM
How is "gamecock" politically incorrect? Just a little birdie.
*looks innocent*
Maybe you haven't seen the "COCKS" baseball hats? Not sure any of the SC teams actually wear them, but they definitely are for sale, and I've seen non-athletes wear them.
And the same crew made hats that said "BEAVERS" and "WOODY" as well. That said, I haven't seen any of those styled hats in at least a decade. But, I haven't been around any kids (aka college environment) since then, either.
I won the AA Roads Off Topic NCAA bracket challenge. I won it last year too
SAMSUNG-SGH-I747
I correctly predicted the National Championship game would be between two No. 1 seeds... though not the correct ones :-D (I had predicted Villanova vs Kansas, turned out to be Gonzaga vs North Carolina).
Heh. Meteorologist's standard of success.
That rebound at the end saved UNC. :wow:
I picked UNC to win it all in my bracket, but I will be rooting for the Bulldogs tomorrow night.
I knew it would be a matter of time before Gonzaga made it to the national championship game; I'll be rooting for them to beat UNC tonight.
Heels! :bigass:
(https://media.giphy.com/media/eYefTcfZCrtZu/200.gif)
Somehow, I knew that UNC would not get denied for a second year in a row.
Ugh. Of course North Carolina had to win it all. One of my dad's brothers is a North Carolina fan. My dad and I are both Maryland fans and with Maryland being a former ACC school, you can guess how we feel about that.
figures
What is a "Tar Heel" anyways? I've never seen a definitive definition of what it supposed to represent.
Seeing this result (and my busted bracket) helps me understand why many people are sick of the Patriots.
"Oh, it's not just because they win all the time, it's because the Pats are cheaters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_North_Carolina_academic-athletic_scandal)!"
Good game though, and congrats to the winners
Heck, if they end up vacating North Carolina's title then I'll consider no March Madness was played, much like I consider NIT wasn't contested in 1997, 1998 and 2003.
But at least UNC brought me to victory in my secondary bracket. Heck, my main bracket performed poorer than my two back-up brackets!
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 04, 2017, 09:53:59 PM
What is a "Tar Heel" anyways? I've never seen a definitive definition of what it supposed to represent.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_Heel (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_Heel)
List of 2016-17 D1 Tournament Champions.
NCAA= North Carolina
NIT= TCU
CBI= Wyoming
CIT= St. Peter's
I made a bracket for each of those tournaments and I only picked the champion correctly in one of them (the NCAA). Overall the NIT this year was by far the most exciting tournament. There were upsets everywhere in that tournament.
The NCAA tournament finally got better in the second round, but I wasn't as excited about it this year as I usually am. And of course there were 3 teams (SC, Zaga, Oregon) that could've won it all that would have made March Madness a lot better, but of course the team that seems to win a championship quite often (UNC) won it all. The championship game in my opinion was awful. Those refs were so whistle happy. I wish they would've let them play a little more, after all it is a championship game. Literally everyone was in foul trouble and no one could get into any kind of rhythm.
Nothing would thrill me more than to see North Carolina's most recent titles vacated, as well as Louisville's 2013 title, but that's not going to happen because the NCAA lacks both a spine and a set of testicles. They've vacated Final Four appearances in prior years (Western Kentucky in 1971 is probably the best-known example around here) but I don't think they have the courage to vacate a championship.