NCAA tourney week open thread
I guess for all random NCAA tourney discussion/observations that don't come close to warranting their own thread. I know I will spend a good deal of this week with these thoughts etc., so why not have a place to discuss it on the blog if you please.
A couple to start. I think SDSU has yellow road uniforms. I think that means we are in whites. I hate the whites. Boooo.
Any word from anywhere as to whether Tim Hardaway's ankle is attached and functional. I was surprised that he returned to that game and was wondering if the rumor mill had issued any word on his status.
I like Staee out of the Midwest. I think they will hulk-smash both Memphis and Duke (if Duke gets by Cinci-not a given) with size, muscle, and neck flagrants. I also think they benefit from having played Louisville last year and match up well with the Cardinals. I know I know, I hate Spartan fever in Michigan during March as much as the next guy, but I like their prospects with that draw.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:17 AM ^
I went through and did a rough bracket without paying much attention until the end. I ended up with 3 B1G teams in the final 4. So, I decided to try to do things how I did them last year and hope for less excitement in the round of 32 this year. This is the post that inspired that:
http://mgoblog.com/content/bracketology-because-its-bracketology-week
March 18th, 2013 at 12:15 PM ^
went through a rough draft and came up with three big ten teams (and florida...). big ten is good - but not that good.
unfortunately, i think both ohio and indiana are as close to locks as you can get - but im not sure about the other two teams.
I kind of feel the same way, however, I don't ever think a team is a lock. OSU has an easy bracket, but my number crunching has convinced me OSU will lose somewhere before the Final 4. At the same time, my nubmer crunching shows Indiana losing before the Final 4, but I'm pushing them through.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^
I am nervous for the week. The last two years, my coin flip bracket has correctly predicted the round and opponent that Michigan has bowed out to. This year in mine, South Dakota St made it to the Finals. Very nervous.
As for the actual tournament, I think alot of the Big Ten teams got good draws. MSU should cakewalk to the Sweet 16 IMO and I don't think Duke or Louisville are invincible, though it's a tough region. OSU should make the Final Four. Wisconsin could get to the Elite 8 or further. Indiana shouldn't have a tough time until the regionals, and I wouldn't be surprised if we made a run. Even Illinois and Minnesota wouldn't shock me if they pulled some upsets.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^
that a lot of the paranoia right now is due to getting dropped to the 4 spot. No question that amounted to a vote of no-confidence from the committee. If anything, the loss last year can show the team and the fanbase how fragile things are this time of year and that nothing can be taken for granted.
March 18th, 2013 at 12:54 PM ^
people are making a little too much out of the way Michigan played in the Big Ten Tournament. Aside from the Penn State loss, Michigan closed by beating Illinois, a 7 seed, Staee, a 3 seed, won a tough road game, lost a heartbreaker to Indiana, avenged Penn State by 20, and lost a tough one to Wisky, a 5 seed that almost won the entire tournament. There are certainly concerns, but this team still has a lot to like.
I can talk myself into Michigan making a long tourney run....
We looked improved against Indiana and took care of business against Penn State. We got caught by the Bo Ryan slow-down machine, but that's a team seemingly designed to defeat Belein's 3-intensive strategy (and at least we haven't lost 12 straight to them). And we're now actually going to see fouls called on players impeding our ball-handlers, so Burke and Hardaway should be that much more efficient.
Kenpom says we match up well against SD St. VCU struggles against teams that don't turn the ball over, and we don't. Kansas has proven that their shooting will abandon them and that they can lose to literally anyone with their loss to TCU (and we'd be playing them in a cavernous dome, making shooting that much more difficult). I'm not convinced Florida's going to make it past their first close game, as they haven't won one all year. G'town is good but we have more weapons. No one else on that side of the bracket scares me.
That said, I can also talk myself into a rain of 3's against SDSt and an early exit. Right now, I'm predicting Sweet 16, which is a step but still depressing.
I think we are turning it around and are on an up swing. Plus, I think they are motivated to have a good tournament performance and remember what happened last year. Our draw looks very doable, a;so.
No question that amounted to a vote of no-confidence from the committee.Not necessarily. The committee will often give a team a lower-than-expected seed but a better location/draw, especially when it wants to spread out teams from one conference.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^
So youre nervous cause a 50-50 chance says we lose?? Alright then...
There was a 25% chance of those coins coming up that way...
March 18th, 2013 at 11:21 AM ^
March 18th, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^
So you keep advancing them even though you have them losing? Interesting strategy.
March 18th, 2013 at 12:43 PM ^
and knows all the other outcomes so that he only needs focus on State.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^
Try this:
Heads: Michigan wins
Tails: South Dakota State loses
March 18th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^
montana to the sweet 16. syracuse is garbage, cal upsets unlv, montana rollllllllllls
March 18th, 2013 at 11:33 AM ^
My request for a vacation day on Thursday was approved by the boss, so I'm looking forward to a long day on the coucn. Although......maybe I'll get a spur in my ass I and just decide to make the drive from Phoenix to Vegas this weekend.
I love this sporting event. It's a rare event that I can enjoy even if my favorite team is not involved, and the first weekend is just so damn jam packed with action. Thursday can't get here fast enough.
I've got a meeting at the other company building in the afternoon, so I'm going to take the afternoon off and watch the tourney.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:42 AM ^
Re: the uniforms. If we wear the Cazzie throwback whites I will be pleased.
I logged in simply to upvote this.
My wife thinks the all yellow unis make them look like "walking bananas".
March 18th, 2013 at 11:47 AM ^
will be lucky to even see Kansas. IF they can manage to beat the Jackrabbits, VCU will likely knock them out because they play great defense - that will focus on shutting down a massively one-dimensional team.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:53 AM ^
don't play great defense. They force a lot of turnovers. They are not the same thing. A pressing aggressive can be the easiest to exploit. I would not get on the bandwagon just yet.
has VCU 46th in defense. As ijohnb says, that's not great.
March 18th, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
but I basically read that when VCU loses the turnover battle, they lose. Almost guaranteed. With Trey Burke leading us most of the way, I think that's a battle we can win
March 18th, 2013 at 11:51 AM ^
I think they added the first 4 so that they could accomodate more conference champions without removing spots for teams on the bubble. What I heard is that they aren't going to accomodate the Big East split. Since they aren't going to accomodate all conference champions now, I would have to agree that removing the first round would be the best thing they could do for the tournament.
They actually created the first four because people us with pay to watch whatever televised garbage is tangentially related to college athletics.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:56 AM ^
March 18th, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^
March 18th, 2013 at 12:06 PM ^
Can't blame them one bit. Painter has a young team that can only benefit from the extra games, particularly Hammonds. That guy is going to be a beast.
College Basketball Invitational, held on campus venues.
"The CBI provides a meaningful opportunity for teams that are deserving of a postseason experience."
Take a trip back into the wayback machine, Michigan was projected a 1 seed for the 2010 CBI. Beilein turned down the invite however.
Dark times.
I had no idea teams turned the CBI or any postseason tournament down ever? Hopefully we will never see Michigan again in the days where it can't at least make the NIT.
March 18th, 2013 at 12:04 PM ^
I love March Madness! Rick Stanzi loves March Madness!
AMERICA LOVEZS MARCH MADNESS!!
March 18th, 2013 at 12:10 PM ^
March 18th, 2013 at 12:23 PM ^
Minny? LOL.
They could, but they won't. Classic Minny.
is a quick out. That is one to stay away from.
March 18th, 2013 at 12:21 PM ^
I hate the whites too. They make me look very Magnus. I like the blues a lot better. Very slimming.
Louisville is actually really good, man. I know, obvs things are obvs, but seriously they have a top teir upper classman PG, a scoring machine SG (who can drive you crazy with his shoot shoot shoot shoot KOBE mentality) and they have what seems to be a large man creation machine. Every time they need a big Patino just creates one. That Harrel kid is a freshman and is a monster and wasn't even getting any play earlier this year. When he first came into a game I was all "WTF who is that massive human?"
Louisville bigs: Gorgi, Bahanan, Harrel, Vantreese and I think they have another who is actually pretty good too. They have the size and depth to run over MSU. I live in the Ville thus I have watched this team a ton. I wish they wouldn't do the stupid full court press but it's Patinos thing and it got him to where he is and he won't drop it, but whatever. If Russ Smith goes all KOBE or Siva shrinks in the moment (which he still does sometimes even as a SR) they could lose, otherwise they are my fav to win it all.
Again I know, obvs things are obvs.
March 18th, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^
Louisville cannot win it all, I have a perfectly valid explanation as to why they can't win it all, but I'm not going to take the time to post it. Instead I'm going to post this fun filled picture
March 18th, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^
For the position he's in.
March 18th, 2013 at 12:45 PM ^
March 18th, 2013 at 12:34 PM ^
I don't know that obvious is always so obvious. Some have MSU coming out of that bracket. I think that's crazy. Beyond your in-depth examples of why Louisville is, like, really good (sigh...darn you Pitino's wife liking Kentucky), I think people are sleeping on Duke. In any other region I'd probably have them in the Final Four. They're back at full strength and looking fearsome lately. That bracket is just really tough.
Which makes my strategy vs. talent really go up against each other this year, because I like to go with who most plausbily get there to win (because if you have a better chance to lose early, your odds of winning it aren't great), but I can't really pick Ohio State over Louisville to win it even if the Buckeyes got the cake region. And Indiana winning 6 in a row doesn't really excite me either. So I guess it's Louisville, even though everyone will pick them and their region is brutal.
March 18th, 2013 at 12:43 PM ^
As soon as I saw how my post read I thought about the "EDIT:" but then I thought who is going to get offended if someone hates whites?
March 18th, 2013 at 12:59 PM ^
What, just because I'm white you assume that I emigrated from the country of Europe? That's racist.
I hate white people as well. Equinsu ocha!!
March 18th, 2013 at 12:42 PM ^
The Dude, at it again. Y U so mad bro? Get over it.