NCAA Basketball Tournament - Nailing Down The Final Four (Open Thread)
Alright, folks, we've got half of the Final Four - we'll know the other half today. On CBS, we have:
2:20 PM - Michigan State vs. Louisville (line is MSU -2.5, I think)
5:05 PM - Duke vs. Gonzaga (line is Duke -2.0, last I saw)
My picks in the ESPN Bracket were Louisville and Duke, but I have MSU and Gonzaga in my yearly "chaos bracket" too.
Because the coaches who always get one seeds would have worse averages. E.g., MSU had the hardest path of any of the elite 8 teams this year by average seed by a pretty big margin.
Only because they were a 7 seed. They had the bracket with the worst #1 and the second worst #2. Out of the 8 #1 and #2 seeds, they could beat 3 of them, and they just happened to to get 2 of the 3 in their region.
March 29th, 2015 at 11:01 PM ^
MSU played the #36, #15, #13, and #6 teams. Kentucky for example played #254, #44, #21, and #9. By pretty much any measure MSU had the hardest road of all the teams that made the E8 and there's no controversy over this fact anywhere but on this board.
March 30th, 2015 at 10:29 AM ^
Yes, I agreed, saying "Only because they were a #7 seed." Obviously they're going to play tougher seeds on the way to a Final Four than any #1 seed. The lucky part is having an easy #1 and #2 seed in their region. Like I said above, if any of the other #1 seeds or if Gonzaga or Arizona were in their region, I don't see them winning that game. Instead, they get 2 out of the 3 teams they can beat (out of 7 #1 and #2 seeds) in their region.
Under Izzo, in games where they, by seed, should be playing a top 4 seed they are:
14-9 against those top 4 seeds and
9-2 playing against lower seeds that had made it further than 'by-seed'.
and 1-1 when playing a lower top 4 seed than by seed (e.g. playing a 3 seed instead of the 2 in a regional final)
They have advanced further than their seed 9 times, same as seed 6, and less than 3 times.
They have advanced futher than their pre-season rankings 9 times, less than 7 times, and 2 equal.
I am not sure about averages but I would guess with seven final fours they have seen plenty of combinations.
In 2014 UM played the #15, #7, #11, and #8. Of course they failed to win the Elite 8 game to reach the final four.
Interestingly, UCONN played the identical seeds in 2014 as MSU in 2015 - #10, #2, #3, and #4. They also had Virginia, MSU, and Villanova in the same region. I don't know if that will provide any comfort.
I honestly don't care if any other of the three teams win it all. I just want MSU to lose. Please do not say that MSU being in the Final Four is good for Michigan. It's not. In fact, it's terrible for us.
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Remember when people thought OSU winning the national title was good for Michigan?
HAHAHAHA
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Every single coach in the final four is the worst. THE WORST.
I don't think I could have pretended to write a more MSU post than this one, you embody everything that is MSU. (LMAO)
It must suck to have nothing going for you in life that you need to come to a rival board to talk shit on the day you should be celebrating your own team's accomplishment. Unless you are 13 you have no excuse. Now go make me the sandwich I ordered and remember the customer is always right.
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Pot, meet kettle.
fuck yourself.
March 29th, 2015 at 10:43 PM ^
Seriously, why do you care what we think?
When we went to the Final Four recently, I did not care at all what MSU fans thought about it. I didn't need them to validate that it was a cool thing, I figured that out all by myself.
But if it makes you feel better, Izzo's had a pretty good run. So now it's official, because a Michigan fan just validated it for you.
Now you can go run along.
March 29th, 2015 at 11:04 PM ^
plus one to this comment
Michigan is up 6-5. Both teams have two Elite 8's and a Final Four, but Michigan has made it to the title game. Michigan has 2 regular season B1G titles to MSU's 1. So maybe "light years" ahead is an exaggeration and "neck and neck" would be more accurate
Plus I hate your coach because he's such a whiner. He's the kind of guy who would call a foul on the last possession of a pick-up game because he missed the shot
Goodness. Its always the same thing with these fucks.
You should go see a funny movie or something. Lotta hate you're spewing.
RCMB is that way --->
Dude, we get it, you don't like people saying not nice things about your team, and I commend you for coming here and trying to be tactful and gently reminding people that MSU genuinely does deserve to be where they are. But it's a bit of a stretch to come to a Michigan board and expect an Izzo/Valentine slurpfest. I remember how MSU fans acted online two years ago, this isn't one iota different. You're kind of demanding that sports fans not be sports fans. Believe me, I get tired of the mindless mudslinging too, but what you're doing is really pretty pointless.
What makes this interesting is some of the blinders you folks have on. You realize at one point, one of your posters was bragging about how the JH hire (apparently) stole some thunder away from the OSU natty & MSU cotton bowl wins.....and then went on to wishing SOMETHING ANYTHING would come up to overshadow this FF run? Just when i think you guys have hit rock-bottom, you go and dig a deeper hole.
I saw some of your own fans bitching about how much coverage Harbaugh's hiring got.
As for wanting something to overshadow the FF run, I again refer you to the comments of plenty of Sparties two years ago. Not a lick of difference. Every fanbase has petty knuckleheads, and NO fanbase is going to be pleased to see their rival succeeding. It's OK for sports fans to be sports fans when it's your own side doing it, but you kind of need to expect that other people are going to act just the same.
Thanks for the civil response. I'm over here a lot but don't post much. It's understandable that UM fans are pissed that MSU keeps winning. And I know I won't change the opinions of the people to whom I'm responding. However, sometimes I (unfortunately) can't help myself and try to provide facts to counter the hate.
March 29th, 2015 at 10:05 PM ^
I understand totally. But it is what it is and always will be. I didn't know what "RCMB" was when I first started posting here, but I saw it referenced a couple times and checked it out once. That was enough for me. From my perspective it was nothing but a pit of venom and vitriol, that, honestly, I felt went way beyond sports and contained zero objective viewpoints whatsoever. I'm sure this place looks similar through your eyes. I just don't think much can be done to change either view.
March 30th, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^
The RCMB is an interesting place. Sure, most of the posters over there hate UM as much as people here hate MSU, and you'll get your share of dick jokes and mostly-naked chick pics, but there really is a lot of good sports news and discussion (mostly one-sided of course). It's a one-stop-shop for all things MSU, advice, entertainment, as well as anything else. For example, in the past people have asked for directions on how to build a pergola arbor, vented about Wendy's running out of ketchup, and claimed they were giving up football after Heath Ledger's death because they watched a game with him in a bar one time - all resulting in much hilarity (trust me, you had to be there). Most people enjoy the off topic threads, but I can see how it's not everybody's cup of tea, especially NSFW items for people who browse at work. If MSU and UM weren't rivals, I bet that most MGoBloggers would love it.
March 29th, 2015 at 10:47 PM ^
Yeah agreed, not sure why so many MSU fans get upset about the things said over here. It is what it is, when is anyone happy to see their rival do well? Just a part of fandom really, nothing to see here. What I'm most curious about is who the hell do you guys root for on Saturday? My guess is an asteroid because that would be my pick if it were UM vs. Duke.
March 29th, 2015 at 10:55 PM ^
There are two teams I'd hate to see win it and one I'd be unhappy with. Go Arizona. Mainly just anyone but MSU
March 29th, 2015 at 10:58 PM ^
March 29th, 2015 at 11:35 PM ^
after the MSU win today, from 5% to 7%.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/march-madness-predictions-2015/…
They give the following cumulative likelihoods of reaching the finals, and winning it all, respectively:
Sorted in order of Natl Champ likelihood
| Team | Wins Semis | Wins Final |
| Kentucky | 69% | 53% |
| Duke | 67 | 22 |
| Wisconsin | 31 | 19 |
| Mich State | 33 | 7 |
The main reason Duke has a higher chance of winning the NC is their path. In the semis, Duke gets #4 MSU for sure while Wiscy gets #1 Kentucky for sure. Should Wiscy upset Kentucky, FiveThirtyEight gives Wiscy a 61% chance of winning against the Duke/MSU winner.
March 30th, 2015 at 12:29 AM ^
March 30th, 2015 at 11:47 AM ^
If you had asked me two weeks ago what were the four teams guaranteed to make me not want to watch the Final Four, I would have said Spardy, Duke, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. (Actually, Ohio State probably would have been worse than Wisconsin.)