NCAA Hoops - Final Four / Championship weekend - Men & Women - will you watch? Predictions?
The college hoops season wraps up this weekend. There were two things I noticed when looking at the matchups - and that is what both the men's and women's brackets have in common. They are: are:
- Three P5 conferences are represented on both sides. The B1G (Purdue and Iowa - men's and women's), the ACC (NC State - both men and women), the SEC (Alabama - men, South Carolina - women), and UConn (both men and women.
- Second - the seedings - in both men's and women's brackets - two #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four - Men (Purdue and UConn) - Women (Iowa and South Carolina).
- Both UConn (which isn't necessarily a suprise) and NC State (which is a bit of a surprise) - have FF teams for both men and women.
From a B1G "homer" perspective, it's nice to see the B1G represented in the Final Four.
The schedule - Women play tonight (Friday - and Sunday - final) while the Men play tomorrow (Saturday and Monday - final) with tournament seeding and tip off times are:
Friday - Women's semifinals:
- NC State (3) vs South Carolina (1) at 7:00 pm EDT
- UConn (3) vs Iowa (1) at approximately 9:00 pm EDT
Saturday - Men's semifinals:
- NC State (11) vs Purdue (1) - 6:09 pm EDT
- Alabama (4) vs UConn - 8:49 pm EDT
A few questions:
- Will you watch? If so - any specific games and the reason(s) why.
- Will the B1G end its drought in hoops titles? The last B1G men's team to win it all was MSU in 2000, while for the women - it was Purdue in 1999.
- Who do you think will be victorious?
If Caitlin’s playin’, I’m watchin’
Hell yeah. Most interested in Uconn/Iowa because of the obvious star matchup and NC State/Purdue because of the center matchup. I'll be watching and likely losing money on all the games. I think Purdue is going to have its hands full with NC State. I'll take NC State +9.5. UConn will roll and probably win it all. I'll be pulling for Iowa to win on the womens side.
I won't be betting on the games, but these are the two of interest for me, also.
Paige vs. Caitlyn will be a great follow-up to Angel Reese from LSU. Hope Clark gets her ring this year.
I was talking to a Purdue buddy (whose son went to Iowa) of mine and he was saying that the NC State center is going to be a challenge because of his passing ability.
Will be interesting of NC State breaks tendency and doubles Edey, or employs the Hack-a-Zach strategy like the previous teams.
I think Purdue will win, but it will take more than just Edey. If PU's guards are streaky, it could be closer than you expect.
I'll be watching the B1G teams.
Never been a fan of women's basketball, but Caitlin Clark is amazing.
i'll prolly watch as long as my wife doesn't go into labor and doesn't want to watch reruns of jane the virgin
i don't root for the big ten anymore, i think i'm rooting for a UConn-NC St double final
SCAR and Purdue
Hope all goes well and is going well through the pregnancy!
Posthumous well wishes from a Michigan MVP and US president can only bode well. Congrats and best wishes Vasav! Clearly your name is not short for vasectomy.
Watching all, betting all. Don't particularly care who wins, though I'd like Purdue to break through, and South Carolina finishing the undefeated season would be cool, even more than the Clark or Bueckers story.
I always bet the biggest long shots in the elite 8. This year I got 4 of them and Alabama (+1800) and NC state (+2600) are still left.
How this usually goes is one of my teams will get run off the floor and the other will come away with a moral victory taking the other team to the very edge. Rinse and repeat.
I will watch the Women tonight. But I'm not missing Wrestlemania for this lame ass Final Four.
If you smelllllll......
I’m most interested in Iowa (lots of Hawkeyes in my extended family).
Rooting for Iowa and Purdue, but
UConn over Cackalacky in women's
UConn over Purdue in men's
Last game I wanted to watch was Iowa v LSU - "the rematch".
Watching Caitlin Clark shoot hoops reminds me, in some ways, of Larry Bird. Clark's shooting ability is freakishly good (as was Larry's).
Bird v Magic and Clark v Reese. Fun little narratives that made the games interesting.
I predict that if UConn goes 3-21 from (3) as they did against the Illini that Matt Painter led Boilers will win the tournament.
That 30-0 run could have easily been 45 if UConn hits from 3.
There are times when I'll be supportive of conference teams. Painter and Purdue are a combination I don't field any animus towards. Illinois is a very different story.
I live in Illinois - and, seeing that run by UConn was as enjoyable of a "few minutes of hoops" as I can recall recently.
It's like how some of the Illinois alumni tailgate - these are parents who live two hours away - and, have kids at the school. They're fans of the "turnkey" tailgate - someone else sets it up - while you just show up and write a check. To me - that's not tailgating. (As a point of reference, I understand that people who live "further away" may need to resort to this simply because of practicality.) Whereas my approach to tailgating has always been - be at the lot when it opens - set up your gear - helps "neighbors" set up theirs - and get ready for a ten to twelve hour day of Michigan football - with the gear / food / drink that YOU bring to the festivities.
This is the comment you needed to make instead of that awful thread. lol
Rooting for Iowa to win it all; redemption year complete for Clark who will go on and dominate in the WNBA (hopefully increasing interest in the WNBA)
Rooting for Purdue to win it all. Would be nice to finally stop saying that MSU 2000 team was the last to win for the Big-10, just because I don't want to see film of that team and coach winning it every time that stat is brought up. Purdue is a gross team, but whatever it takes to get MSU away from being mentioned.
Bingo. It’s probably because I have an unhealthy dislike for MSU, but yes, someone needs to come through from the B1G and take them off that perch.
I will be watching all the basketball Friday and Saturday because I work both nights. Won't be watching the champions because I never really watch TV at home unless Michigan is directly involved.
I honestly think Iowa wins the WBB title this year - Clark is just such an offensive dynamo and Iowa has figured out how to play with her to such a degree that it's hard to see anyone outside if SC having much of a chance. Obviously SC is the overall #1 seed and undefeated but Iowa just slayed LSU and they feel locked in.
UConn is so much better than everyone else in CBB now it's hard not to pick them. I think Purdue is good enough to give them a scare but that's it; Alabama and NC State just aren't at that level. I hope that it's UConn vs. Purdue for the title because that's just a fun matchup and I harbor no ill will toward Painter or the Boilermakers. Plus, the upset-to-16-to-title-win story was done by UVa but I'm a sucker for sequel.
I want Iowa and Purdue to win it all.
I expect UConn men to win it all, and either UConn women or South Carolina to win it all.
Definitely watching the men’s final four. Still don’t find women’s basketball appealing.
I’ll be glued men’s and women’s. Michigan dad but an NC State alum (actually a Duke alum as well but not even an hint of allegiance confusion in the regional final). Was a freshman in 83 and we were always nationally competitive when I was a student but been so long since our men were relevant it’s almost a shock. Wish I was in Phoenix (sorry women, nobody wishes they were in Cleveland).
Expectations in check. Purdue and Carolina are very tough matchups but we are playing with the biggest pile of house money ever (WSJ article yesterday calculated that a $100 bet on the first game in the ACCT rolled over the nine straight wins would be at about $670k at this point). If we can’t do it would like to see Purdue win it all. Painter seems like a pretty good guy and Purdue’s fan base has suffered about as much as ours.
Go Pack!
I was at Crisler the day Caitlin torched Michigan for 46 points, including three logo 3 pointers (Michigan still won!) Just incredible to watch how seemingly effortlessly she can shoot. Ever since, I try to watch when she plays.
Her passing is even better - miles ahead of anyone else. If their guards are on, they can beat UConn, who have zero depth. South Carolina I don't know - they are deep and big.
Purdue I'd like to see win (a Painter fan), but no one is taking down UConn this year IMO - they just win any way they need to. Love to be wrong.
Iowa and not Purdue. If I have to root for a conference team it will be Iowa.
If the games are close with 5 minutes left, then I will watch the rest.
I'll watch NC State
UConn wins both.
Bank.
It's been a pretty exciting 4th quarter. Some excellent shot making mixed with some very curious decision-making.
I'm sorry, but that is a horse shit call at the end of a national semifinal.
RIDICULOUS!!!
Fucking refs.
That looked like one of the calls you get, Vlady.
Agreed. I could feel it coming though. You know the big money wanted it this way.
That was "Olympic ref in the bag for someone" bad. Embarrassing.
"Embarrassing" indeed. Scummy call.
You mean the moving screen at the end of the UConn Iowa game? That's 100 percent a good call. Her feet move and her elbow comes out, blocking the defender to set up a potentially game winning shot
Uh, no. It has to be egregious to call it with 4 seconds left.
lol I can’t say I haven’t ever used this line before, but it’s ultimately a silly take. Why should the rules be different in the final minute? Reffing is just as much about what you don’t call as what you do. It’s either a moving screen or it’s not. None of this “well maybe sorta it was but probably not and anyway you can’t call it in the last minute…”
Watching it again at full speed… I think it was the correct call, but I also think moving screens are way under-called in today’s game. Gabbie Marshall drew another one earlier, so there was some precedent within the game.
No, not a fan of that call.
On the men's side, I win my bracket pool if Purdue wins it all, so go Boliermakers!
On the women's side, I'm already done for, so I hope Caitlin goes nuts and wins it.
I have a hard time believing that the refs blows the whistle if the roles were reversed and Caitlin has the ball for the chance at the win.
I’ll play. I believe Iowa would not have fouled and Clark would have hit a 3 for the win. Iowa wins!
Like when the Kansas player ran right thru the Mitch McGary screen, before Trey buried the deep 3. Except it was the screener being fouled. If the ref makes that call, there's no chance at a 3 point shot. I prefer how that was handled by the refs - let the players play at the end of the game.
I understand the sentiment behind such a take--but it's sentiment. The idea that you somehow suspend the rules--worse, one set of rules--in the final moments? Ridonkulous. Always going to be.
UConn suffered what looked like a couple of bad calls down the stretch of an extremely choppy game. I'd leave my observations at that, because if most of us are honest, calls look different when you break them down. We've all got one set of eyes, and one camera angle on the original.
It's a split-second decision. There's no sentiments or observations involved. You either make the call or don't. That ref decided an offensive foul was how the game would end. You can always pass on that call - especially since there was NO ADVANTAGE GAINED. Both Iowa players were in position to contest Paige on the 3 point shot.
I watched the last few minutes of Iowa-LSU to see what all the hype was about. It looked like a bunch of girls playing basketball.
All of the liabilities in Edey's game on full display tonight--slowness, terrible hands, poor play facing the basket. . .
EDIT: Few of the strengths, too, I guess. :)