Elite 8 Open Thread
Miami needs to slow this down and try to win ugly. No way they win a track meet with Kansas
Might be right overall but having Wong, using his speed can be huge for them in transition.
I always enjoy watching, or even hearing about, Kansas losing. It stems from an issue here with a Kansas grad and her sister, who are both from North Dakota and hate Michigan because of the hockey rivalry. Things got heated with the Kansas grad when we played them in the tournament. So, yeah, go Peacocks, and just for today, GO MIAMI!
It's all about the U (until this game is over)--Beat Kansas.
Scoring guards is the key
We need the guard play both these teams have.
I didn't realize Bill Self is a hall of famer until they mentioned it in the pregame. I always consider him as not a great tournament coach for having as loaded teams as he does.
He dominates the Big 12 though. The consistency there counts for a lot. It is HARD to win that tournament, man. The other team's shooters get hot and yours turn cold. Bunnies turn to bricks. You get one game against that opponent and little scouting time--anything can happen. That's what makes it more exciting than the football tournament with its preordained results. Look at little St. Peter's making a run.
Def agree with that. It's def a crapshoot but it's a big advantage as a 1 or 2 seed year in year out. He's had his fair share of tourney dissappointments.
Big12 is getting tougher the last few years.
yeah, its an advantage they earn by winning their conference constantly. b12 is getting tougher, and yet here they are again in the FF
People pay way too much attention to the results of this highly unpredictable tournament. Besides, Self has made three Final Fours (not counting this year), and won one. And his results in the Big Twelve are not just "consistent" -- they're freaking unbelievable. He's won sixteen Big 12 championships (more than Mike Krzyzewski in the ACC, despite coaching eighteen fewer years) including fourteen in a row.
Yes, I cheer for the Jayhawks (after Michigan, obviously), so I'm a little biased, but ... come on, man.
Fair enough. But again is he a great coach or just have great bag men? Like Duke must be nice to coach when your team is always more talented at every position than your opponent. Fuck out of here he's not coaching savant.
Wasn’t self implicated in buying players for Kansas? 5 level 1 violations ala miller from Arizona?
The one thing I notice about Kansas is that every highlight is from within 3 feet of the basket. They out athlete everyone and especially in the Big 12. Very interested to see what Villanova does against them.
Well, you can hate on Coach K and Self--and by all means do so. But both are great coaches. Kids want to play for them because their games improve. They learn the game, movement on offense, team d. That's why you go there instead one of the other schools that also pays. What you're saying is true of Calipari, who really is a pretty shitty coach who has no sense of roster construction or cohesive team play.
cmon man - calipari might be a jerk or a scumbag (i dont know) but he's not a SHITTY coach. thats kind of a ridiculous comment
The Calipari comment is up there for dumbest thing I've read this year. Led UMass to their only golden age. They've done nothing before or since. Led Memphis to their best era. Won a national title at Kentucky and went to 4 Final Fours in 5 years. He's admittedly "down" from those lofty accomplishments in the last half decade, but calling him a shitty coach is just flat out false.
Eh, maybe shitty coach is to harsh. He is a great recruiter and wins when he has big talent advantages. Like Camby in the A10 or stacking multiple best ever UK classes. Now that his recruiting is merely very good he can't win the SEC. So how is he anything more than Bruce Pearl on 'roids?
Clarence, I like your posts mostly but that's really naive and supports the delusional Duke and (especially) Kansas fans who think they cheer for clean programs.
I don't think Mike K or Self are clean. I think both are far better tacticians than Calipari. I think Beillein is better tactically as well.
He is a cheating rat like coach k and Cheatipari
Man, I remember being so bummed when Jalen Wilson decommited, it would have been so nice to have him on our team this year. High IQ, good shooter, leader and all around solid player, very Livers-like, sigh.
🦚 it’s peacock time!
Weak ass foul called on St Peters, turned into a 3pt possession. Not a good start for them. UNC playing too well right now to be in a hole, especially early. I guess their hope could be for UNC to go up 25 pts and crumble away and choke over the latter quarter of the game!
Meanwhile Bacot gets to push off on rebounds
There's a lid on the fucking hoop for Peackcocks. So frustrating.
We wouldn't know anything about that though.
Finally call a push on Bacot. After a made 3 on the other end by St Peters finally.
Cmon Peackcocks!!!
Hope StP can come back, but right now 2/4 ACC, and 4 "usual" types in the FF look likely. UNC and Duke putting together runs that were mostly unexpected after less than amazing seasons (by their own standards) - Duke - mostly because of how they played.
Recruits will be lining up for all 4. Man, Bill self leaving illinois... i know its been forever, but man, they just win 30-32 games a year without a hiccup
If I was a Purdue fan I would be pretty devastated. Had a golden opportunity to get to a elite 8 and your coach shits the bed.
If I was a Purdue fan I would be pretty devastated.
FIFY
This feels not unlike when UM played UNC and the Heels just started bombing 3s from 27 feet out and whatever bit of competitiveness you felt in the game disappeared.
A potentially unique Final Four has devolved (provided St. Peters doesn't stun the world and pull this out) into a heavyweights invitational. Every program has at least 3 national titles. I doubt that has happened before.
If UNC were to win it all, there would be some irony in that they would have won more national titles during Coach K's time at Duke than Duke itself (6 to 5).
Wow, great observation, let's review:
UNC, '82, '93, '05, '09, '17
Duke '91, '92, '01, '10, '15
If UNC does win it all, it would give them 7, Kentucky has 8, inching closer to the 11 by UCLA.
UNC would also have 14 Final Fours to K's 13. To be somewhat fair, Coach K was just getting started when UNC went to the 81 and 82 Final Four.
I'm not sure how Roy Williams is treated in the annals of college hoops coaches, but he should probably be more respected than he is. If he had won one at Kansas, he'd probably be talked about in the same breath as K.
Looks like a blue blood final four this year.
I suppose the networks will love it, but a FF of Duke, NC, Kansas and Villanova is like a football playoff of Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and Ohio State. Zzzzzzzz
Villanova losing Justin Moore most likely will crush their hopes against Kansas. I can’t think of any of them that I want to see win it.
Bacot with a casual 19 boards so far. Dude is a tournament bulldog
Coach K will get a farewell ring, Osborne style.
TAR!
HEELS!
March 27th, 2022 at 10:32 PM ^
Hard to believe this will be Duke -North Carolina first tournament matchup . yes weve all known for years the committee tries to keep these two away from each other ,but with as many games as they have played ,youd think they would played at least once