NCAA Tournament Selections

[waborat]

Damn, that Midwest region for OSU is brutal...

Was hoping we wouldn't be with the Jayhawks...

Have a hard time believing the other 3 will be as tough?

San Diego St @ an #11 & New Mexico St @ a #12 could easily move on to 2nd round...

Onward

[skatingtripods]

Northern Iowa gives Kansas a hell of a game.

Syracuse-Vermont could potentially be the first 16 v. 1 upset. Onuaku won't be 100%, Rautins hasn't been good down the stretch.

The Midwest is a scary regional for Ohio State for sure. I think Georgia Tech wins that 7-10 game and they're no easy matchup.

[JoJo White]

Kansas is the best team in the country and they will win the ship on 4/5.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

New Mexico St upsets MSU.

SDSU upsets Tenn.

Murray St beats Vandy.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

That East bracket is pretty good too.

[Triple-S]

So West Virginia, a team that purdue whooped ass on gets in at a Number 2 seed and Purdue gets a number 4 seed and has to go all the way to fucking spokane.

fuck this.

[waborat]

Northern Iowa gives Kansas a hell of a game.

Syracuse-Vermont could potentially be the first 16 v. 1 upset. Onuaku won't be 100%, Rautins hasn't been good down the stretch.

The Midwest is a scary regional for Ohio State for sure. I think Georgia Tech wins that 7-10 game and they're no easy matchup.

If NIowa plays like they did vs Evansville then UNLV rolls...

GTech > OKSt...

Boy, did Duke get an easy road until the Elite 8...

Surprised FLA got in...

Nice to finally see 8 at-large mids in

[danwismar]

How OSU...arguably the best #2 seed....gets put in the same region with Kansas, clearly the top #1 seed...is a head-scratcher. (you could make the case for WVU as top 2 seed, but still...OSU should have been put in with Syracuse or KY)

Duke, somehow, gets favored treatment.

Tough draw for Buckeyes after 1st round... Ga. Tech...then G-town...before KU.

[waborat]

The funny thing for once, is that we can bitch & argue seeding, but honestly no one got robbed from not making it which is rare

[Cerebral_DownTime]

That South bracket is a fucking joke.

[fundamentals]

Mr. Boeheim may want to get the visions of the Richmond Spiders out of his head, might be replaced by Catamounts:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball ... aab,227817

[swerb]

How bout that draw for Duke?

Buckeyes/Hoyas, a lot of history there. Met in '86, '06, and '07 tourneys.

Love seeing Vitale freak out every year, absolutely priceless. Bilas just nailed it. By far the best college hoops analyst in the world.

Could be one of those years where all the #1 seeds advance.

Kentucky wins it all. Best talent, best coach, best point guard.

[fundamentals]

How bout that draw for Duke?

Buckeyes/Hoyas, a lot of history there. Met in '86, '06, and '07 tourneys.

Love seeing Vitale freak out every year, absolutely priceless. Bilas just nailed it. By far the best college hoops analyst in the world.

Could be one of those years where all the #1 seeds advance.

Kentucky wins it all. Best talent, best coach, best point guard.

Duke has a pretty nice go of it.
I said back in mid January that I liked WVU to win it all (don't ask me how/why), can't go back on that woeful prediction. I don't know why everyone is worried about tOSU, they get lots of time to rest in between games during the NCAA tourney, nothing different than usual for their Iron Five.

By far, the greatest time of the year.

[skatingtripods]

If Cal shoots the rock well, they can beat Duke. Texas A&M is also battle tested.

I don't see Duke getting through, whether they lose to Cal/Louisville, Baylor, 'Nova, or A&M.

[peeker643]

So West Virginia, a team that purdue whooped ass on gets in at a Number 2 seed and Purdue gets a number 4 seed and has to go all the way to fucking spokane.

fuck this.

Dude, Purdue was destined for a 3-5 as soon as Hummel's guitar string snapped. They're flailing away out there and have nothing but some defense to draw on. Hummel's out, Moore is hobbled a bit and they were shaky for stretches when healthy. They peaked way too soon and were in scramble mode for the last month.

They're where they should be IMO. In fact, I wondered of a slide to 5th was possible. The committee considers health of key players and they also watched them look like a bad YMCA team Saturday which confirmed their thoughts.

Not sure how you can bitch about WVU getting that #2 after being a Top10 team all season and winning their conference tourney. They didn't wet the bed and lost an 18ppg guy like the Boilermakers. Purdue beat them almost three months ago.

And ask Paddy Mills and St. Mary's if the committee looks at injuries.

[swerb]

Purdue might be first round underdogs to Siena. If anything, they're slight favorites in that game. 3-4 points. 4 seed was generous. I woulda put em as a 5.

[OldDawg]

Hey Swerb.
You putting an NCAA bracket challenge together again here at TCF??
OD

[waborat]

So West Virginia, a team that purdue whooped ass on gets in at a Number 2 seed and Purdue gets a number 4 seed and has to go all the way to fucking spokane.

fuck this.

Dude, Purdue was destined for a 3-5 as soon as Hummel's guitar string snapped. They're flailing away out there and have nothing but some defense to draw on. Hummel's out, Moore is hobbled a bit and they were shaky for stretches when healthy. They peaked way too soon and were in scramble mode for the last month.

They're where they should be IMO. In fact, I wondered of a slide to 5th was possible. The committee considers health of key players and they also watched them look like a bad YMCA team Saturday which confirmed their thoughts.

Not sure how you can bitch about WVU getting that #2 after being a Top10 team all season and winning their conference tourney. They didn't wet the bed and lost an 18ppg guy like the Boilermakers. Purdue beat them almost three months ago.

And ask Paddy Mills and St. Mary's if the committee looks at injuries.

Wow Brian, your post somehow feels like deja vu to me

[peeker643]

So West Virginia, a team that purdue whooped ass on gets in at a Number 2 seed and Purdue gets a number 4 seed and has to go all the way to fucking spokane.

fuck this.

Dude, Purdue was destined for a 3-5 as soon as Hummel's guitar string snapped. They're flailing away out there and have nothing but some defense to draw on. Hummel's out, Moore is hobbled a bit and they were shaky for stretches when healthy. They peaked way too soon and were in scramble mode for the last month.

They're where they should be IMO. In fact, I wondered of a slide to 5th was possible. The committee considers health of key players and they also watched them look like a bad YMCA team Saturday which confirmed their thoughts.

Not sure how you can bitch about WVU getting that #2 after being a Top10 team all season and winning their conference tourney. They didn't wet the bed and lost an 18ppg guy like the Boilermakers. Purdue beat them almost three months ago.

And ask Paddy Mills and St. Mary's if the committee looks at injuries.

Wow Brian, your post somehow feels like deja vu to me

Can I help it if rational people have such discussions days ahead of the selections while imbibing in an adult beverage or four?

No. I cannot help that.

I might be stretching the 'rational' thing to it's very thin edges and I prefer not to count actual pints consumed, but you get the flavor of it all.

[jordan kramer]

i think Kansas is the best team in the land, but when Ohio State is firing on all cylinders they can beat any team in the country. i'm looking forward to that elite eight match up

[Cerebral_DownTime]

i think Kansas is the best team in the land, but when Ohio State is firing on all cylinders they can beat any team in the country. i'm looking forward to that elite eight match up

Ehh, I love the Bucks, but I don't think they can beat Kansas, Syracuse or Kentucky. They're deeper and can really hurt OSU inside. Lauderdale has upside and is a solid defender, but his offensive game is laughable and he loves to foul.

[waborat]

Like last year, the Buckeyes play the late game on Friday night

[jordan kramer]

i think Kansas is the best team in the land, but when Ohio State is firing on all cylinders they can beat any team in the country. i'm looking forward to that elite eight match up

Ehh, I love the Bucks, but I don't think they can beat Kansas, Syracuse or Kentucky. They're deeper and can really hurt OSU inside. Lauderdale has upside and is a solid defender, but his offensive game is laughable and he loves to foul.

i think Kentucky is very overrated. they are talented, but very young and it shows, i think they are very beatable. Duke is perpetually overrated. and Syracuse really needs Onuaku healthy. i would be confident OSU could win any other region, except this one. Kansas is the real deal, but i think it will be a great game regardless

[Cerebral_DownTime]

i think Kansas is the best team in the land, but when Ohio State is firing on all cylinders they can beat any team in the country. i'm looking forward to that elite eight match up

Ehh, I love the Bucks, but I don't think they can beat Kansas, Syracuse or Kentucky. They're deeper and can really hurt OSU inside. Lauderdale has upside and is a solid defender, but his offensive game is laughable and he loves to foul.

i think Kentucky is very overrated. they are talented, but very young and it shows, i think they are very beatable. Duke is perpetually overrated. and Syracuse really needs Onuaku healthy. i would be confident OSU could win any other region, except this one. Kansas is the real deal, but i think it will be a great game regardless

I think John Wall is overrated, but not the team as a whole. They have Cousins on the inside and he won't be stopped by Lauderdale. Kansas is a complete team, top to bottom they're the best in the country. Onuaku is supposed to be fine for the second round, with him they can beat anyone. I do think we could beat Duke, how they got in that weak bracket is beyond me.

[waborat]

i think Kentucky is very overrated. they are talented, but very young and it shows, i think they are very beatable.

If they were a few months older, then what? Not lose the 2 games they did?

How are they "very overrated & very beatable"?

They lost on the road both times and one of them was to a top 20 school...they blew everyone out of the water this year...the only close games were back in the fall versus Miami (OH), UNC & UCONN when the "very young" were still learning JCal's game...Yesterday's game? It was the 3rd in 3 days against a good bubble team on a neutral court...I know, the SEC is sooooooo weak, blah, blah, blah...

They may not be the best team this year and they do have a very hard road to the Final Four, but this team and coach are very good and I'd bet that there isn't 1 team (KU included) who wants to play them in the next 3 weeks...

This program was in shambles the past few years and they were able to put it all together like this is amazing to me

[jordan kramer]

i think Kentucky is very overrated. they are talented, but very young and it shows, i think they are very beatable.

If they were a few months older, then what? Not lose the 2 games they did?

How are they "very overrated & very beatable"?

They lost on the road both times and one of them was to a top 20 school...they blew everyone out of the water this year...the only close games were back in the fall versus Miami (OH), UNC & UCONN when the "very young" were still learning JCal's game...Yesterday's game? It was the 3rd in 3 days against a good bubble team on a neutral court...I know, the SEC is sooooooo weak, blah, blah, blah...

They may not be the best team this year and they do have a very hard road to the Final Four, but this team and coach are very good and I'd bet that there isn't 1 team (KU included) who wants to play them in the next 3 weeks...

This program was in shambles the past few years and they were able to put it all together like this is amazing to me

the SEC is soooo weak blah blah blah is right. me personally, i'd rather play Kentucky than Duke, Cuse, West Virginia, or Kansas State

[waborat]

the SEC is soooo weak blah blah blah is right.

Same old argument was made about Memphis over the past decade in a weak C-USA...

Always came to play come Tourney time...

This team has played better competition all year, they are not overrated...

Not saying they'll go all the way, don't know? Agree the Mountaineers will be tough

[JoJo White]

The Final Four will be:

Kansas
Syracuse
Kentucky
Baylor

And in the title game:
Kansas 82
Kentucky 68

[swerb]

My final Four ...

Kansas
Butler
Kentucky
Duke

Kentucky over Kansas in the title game.

[skatingtripods]

My Final Four:

Kansas
Kentucky
Baylor
Kansas St.

I fully see three Big XII teams in the final. Not enamored with Duke or Syracuse. Kansas will be very battle tested and Kentucky has the easiest road. I think New Mexico takes them to the wire in the Elite 8.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Kansas
Syracuse (if Onuaku is healthy) K State
Nova
West Virginia

[leadpipe]

i think Kentucky is very overrated. they are talented, but very young and it shows, i think they are very beatable.

If they were a few months older, then what? Not lose the 2 games they did?

How are they "very overrated & very beatable"?

They lost on the road both times and one of them was to a top 20 school...they blew everyone out of the water this year...the only close games were back in the fall versus Miami (OH), UNC & UCONN when the "very young" were still learning JCal's game...Yesterday's game? It was the 3rd in 3 days against a good bubble team on a neutral court...I know, the SEC is sooooooo weak, blah, blah, blah...

They may not be the best team this year and they do have a very hard road to the Final Four, but this team and coach are very good and I'd bet that there isn't 1 team (KU included) who wants to play them in the next 3 weeks...

This program was in shambles the past few years and they were able to put it all together like this is amazing to me

Exactly.

And John Wall may be overhyped (as many are in this day and age), but in no way is he overrated. Good God, the job he's doing with a young - and sometimes dumb team. Gets ANYWHERE on the floor he needs to go, and best of all, defends very well - especially compared to past hyped freshman point guards.

Kansas is probably a bit more likely to play 6 good games, but if Kentucky does it they'll be cutting them down.

[CAVSTRIBEBROWNSin07!]

Are there any early round matchups that are essentially home games for anyone? Or any potential later round games close to home for any teams? I like to look for those most years.

[jb]

i think Kansas is the best team in the land, but when Ohio State is firing on all cylinders they can beat any team in the country. i'm looking forward to that elite eight match up

Ehh, I love the Bucks, but I don't think they can beat Kansas, Syracuse or Kentucky. They're deeper and can really hurt OSU inside. Lauderdale has upside and is a solid defender, but his offensive game is laughable and he loves to foul.

Bucks won't get past G-town. Wish they would.

Appropos of nothing and getting ready for the inevitable banzai charge assault on this take, Love ET as a college player, but he strikes me as more Dennis Hobson than Jimmy Jack on the next level. I'd love for him to stick around one more yer and develop physically more and play with Sullinger.

Oh, and jk, UK is the shit.

If they are so young and open to losing, then it took a hell of a rivalry effoert by UT and a pull it out his bung hole effort by that midget guard on SC to beat them. 2 losses don't lie. That said, their region is a bitch.

Politically, It's good to be Coach K. Wow.

All four number one seeds are going to he final 4.

[peeker643]

i think Kansas is the best team in the land, but when Ohio State is firing on all cylinders they can beat any team in the country. i'm looking forward to that elite eight match up

Ehh, I love the Bucks, but I don't think they can beat Kansas, Syracuse or Kentucky. They're deeper and can really hurt OSU inside. Lauderdale has upside and is a solid defender, but his offensive game is laughable and he loves to foul.

Bucks won't get past G-town. Wish they would.

Appropos of nothing and getting ready for the inevitable banzai charge assault on this take, Love ET as a college player, but he strikes me as more Dennis Hobson than Jimmy Jack on the next level. I'd love for him to stick around one more yer and develop physically more and play with Sullinger.

Oh, and jk, UK is the shit.

If they are so young and open to losing, then it took a hell of a rivalry effoert by UT and a pull it out his bung hole effort by that midget guard on SC to beat them. 2 losses don't lie. That said, their region is a bitch.

Politically, It's good to be Coach K. Wow.

All four number one seeds are going to he final 4.

I keep coming up with the four #1s too. And I'll agree with jk and JB- OSU does have the talent and the formula to get back to Indianapolis. But match ups are a mutha and I'll go so far as to say that round two might be their Waterloo. If they get past it, look out, but I don't know that they do.

[waborat]

i think Kansas is the best team in the land, but when Ohio State is firing on all cylinders they can beat any team in the country. i'm looking forward to that elite eight match up

Ehh, I love the Bucks, but I don't think they can beat Kansas, Syracuse or Kentucky. They're deeper and can really hurt OSU inside. Lauderdale has upside and is a solid defender, but his offensive game is laughable and he loves to foul.

Bucks won't get past G-town. Wish they would.

Appropos of nothing and getting ready for the inevitable banzai charge assault on this take, Love ET as a college player, but he strikes me as more Dennis Hobson than Jimmy Jack on the next level. I'd love for him to stick around one more yer and develop physically more and play with Sullinger.

Oh, and jk, UK is the shit.

If they are so young and open to losing, then it took a hell of a rivalry effoert by UT and a pull it out his bung hole effort by that midget guard on SC to beat them. 2 losses don't lie. That said, their region is a bitch.

Politically, It's good to be Coach K. Wow.

All four number one seeds are going to he final 4.

I keep coming up with the four #1s too. And I'll agree with jk and JB- OSU does have the talent and the formula to get back to Indianapolis. But match ups are a mutha and I'll go so far as to say that round two might be their Waterloo. If they get past it, look out, but I don't know that they do.

My problem is trying to figure out who'll they'll even play in 2?

OKSt & GTECH is a hell of a matchup

[skatingtripods]

Syracuse just doesn't play enough defense for me to move them into the Final Four. I don't think that anybody in their half of the bracket can beat them, but I genuinely think K-State, Pitt, and Xavier can beat them. I think K-State's the team that does. Syracuse played zero Big XII teams this season. In fact, their overall non-con schedule was weak. No fault of their own that Cal and UNC flopped, but still, they're untested outside the Big East.

As for Duke, their best road win is Clemson. Their major non-con wins were both at home. They lost to then unranked Wisconsin on the road and played a cupcake in the B12. If they run in to a team that plays good defense, and they will, I can't see them going Final 4. If A&M avoids the potential landmine that is Utah St., I think they beat Duke. They're far more battle tested and can play some D.

Are there any early round matchups that are essentially home games for anyone? Or any potential later round games close to home for any teams? I like to look for those most years.

Richmond has a big geographic edge over St. Mary's. That's really the only one of obvious substance in the first round that I see.

[skatingtripods]

My problem is trying to figure out who'll they'll even play in 2?

OKSt & GTECH is a hell of a matchup

Neither team is good away from home. OKSt has the big road win over K-State, but they've also lost @ Rhode Island, @ Tulsa, and @ Oklahoma. GTech's non-conf road games were Chattanooga, Charlotte, and Georgia (L). They ran out of gas against Duke playing their fourth game in four days and still almost won.

I like GA Tech in that game. Their guards attack the rack and could get OKSt in foul trouble, and OKSt is very thin. If GA Tech takes care of the basketball, they should win.

[CAVSTRIBEBROWNSin07!]

If BYU can get through both Florida and Kansas St, they'll be playing home games in Salt Lake. I cant see Pitt or Xavier having enough to beat then on the road, and possibly not even Syracuse. BYU in the Final 4???

Does K-State have a lockdown guy to throw at Fredette?

[jb]

Syracuse just doesn't play enough defense for me to move them into the Final Four. I don't think that anybody in their half of the bracket can beat them, but I genuinely think K-State, Pitt, and Xavier can beat them. I think K-State's the team that does. Syracuse played zero Big XII teams this season. In fact, their overall non-con schedule was weak. No fault of their own that Cal and UNC flopped, but still, they're untested outside the Big East.

As for Duke, their best road win is Clemson. Their major non-con wins were both at home. They lost to then unranked Wisconsin on the road and played a cupcake in the B12. If they run in to a team that plays good defense, and they will, I can't see them going Final 4. If A&M avoids the potential landmine that is Utah St., I think they beat Duke. They're far more battle tested and can play some D.

Are there any early round matchups that are essentially home games for anyone? Or any potential later round games close to home for any teams? I like to look for those most years.

Richmond has a big geographic edge over St. Mary's. That's really the only one of obvious substance in the first round that I see.

Yeah man, I sweated Cuse vs K State when doing my bracket. In the end, I'm just a Big east p-i-m-p like Curtis jacskon this year. It may end up being my downfall (except Pitt - I have them going out early as I always do. don't care how good they are. It's a thing where all of my burgh hatred is manefested, like SSS ) But cuse losing to them wouldn't shock me.

I just think G-town is too physical for the Bucks this year. But I had visions of UNC banging tOSU around locked in my head irrationally when I thought that and made the call.

[fundamentals]

Duke has a pretty nice go of it.
I said back in mid January that I liked WVU to win it all (don't ask me how/why), can't go back on that woeful prediction. I don't know why everyone is worried about tOSU, they get lots of time to rest in between games during the NCAA tourney, nothing different than usual for their Iron Five.

By far, the greatest time of the year.

WVU on the cusp......cue a Kentucky comeback in three.two.....one

[swerb]

My final Four ...

Kansas
Butler
Kentucky
Duke

Kentucky over Kansas in the title game.

Butler

[waborat]

My final Four ...

Kansas
Butler
Kentucky
Duke

Kentucky over Kansas in the title game.

Butler

Great pick w/ Butler, not so much w/ UK/KU

[fundamentals]

Good job Swerb with Butler. The way things are going, they just might win it all.
I had tOSU vs. WVU in title game with WVU winning.

[OldDawg]

I am so far into last place, I need a telescope to see the dude in front of me.