Sunday NCAA tourney open thread

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March 21st, 2010 at 4:21 PM
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jmblue
Joined: 11/07/2008
MGoPoints: 28972
Sunday NCAA tourney open thread

A few thoughts:

1. I remember thinking that our loss to Alabama was awful because Bama had lost to Cornell. It may have been a bad loss anyway, but Cornell is clearly legit. Congrats to them.

2. Why are Bo Ryan's teams so mediocre in the tournament? They seem to have all the key ingredients: good guard play, good shooting and a very low turnover total. Still, they never seem to amount to much in the tourney.

3. I will never cease to be amazed at how MSU's reputation as a "physical team" allows them to reach in and go over the back like crazy.

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March 21st, 2010 at 4:28 PM | I'm ashamed (Score:1)
dr eng1ish
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Joined: 08/28/2009
MGoPoints: 1013

Come on people the health care thread has 20 replies and the tourney thread has 0? What kind of sports fans are we? Some interesting games going on right now. Cornell is playing the best of any team I've seen all year, absolutely crushing Wisconsin.

March 21st, 2010 at 4:41 PM | The better question is... (Score:1)
M-Wolverine
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Joined: 10/04/2009
MGoPoints: 38882

...why did it take 3.5 hours for a Tourney thread to go up today?

"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk

March 21st, 2010 at 4:46 PM | Damn you, Cornell (Score:1)
MGoJen
Joined: 11/23/2008
MGoPoints: 1301

I will never pick against them again. I had them winning through and beating Wisky but went with Temple at the last possible second.

Never, ever again.

You'll be better and you'll be smarter and more grown-up and a better daughter. . .

March 29th, 2010 at 3:05 PM | Sucks to be you. (Score:1)
InRichRodWeTrust
Joined: 02/26/2010
MGoPoints: -1

Sucks to be you.

March 21st, 2010 at 5:14 PM | Or, (Score:1)
skunk bear
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Joined: 03/09/2010
MGoPoints: 1969

perhaps healthcare is more important than basketball?

EDIT: Evidently not to the mods!

March 21st, 2010 at 4:28 PM | OSU is trying their best to blow this thing (Score:1)
Mitch Cumstein
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They haven't played D in the last 5 min. Also, does cornell miss a shot?

"A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a danish"

March 21st, 2010 at 4:33 PM | Man I'm so pissed about the (Score:1)
Plegerize
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Man I'm so pissed about the OSU-GTech game. I fucking hate Ohio State. They ruin EVERYTHING.

I picked MSU to make it to the Elite Eight so their winning I don't mind.

A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool because he has to say something. - Plato

March 21st, 2010 at 4:42 PM | MSU just can't win (Score:1)
M-Wolverine
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MSU just can't win comfortably, can they?

"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk

March 21st, 2010 at 4:43 PM | Wow, Sparty is trying to (Score:1)
mrider
Joined: 12/01/2008
MGoPoints: 690

Wow, Sparty is trying to choke this game away.

March 21st, 2010 at 4:45 PM | Haha Sparty! (Score:1)
hail2mich
Joined: 10/12/2009
MGoPoints: 1091

Haha Sparty!

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. 

March 21st, 2010 at 4:45 PM | get a pressbreak sparty (Score:1)
BoiseBlue
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get a pressbreak sparty

March 21st, 2010 at 4:45 PM | ahhh (Score:1)
GoBlogSparty
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why doesn't MSU ever blow teams out? So frustrating.

Your friendly neighborhood Sparty

March 21st, 2010 at 4:46 PM | SPARTY NO! (Score:1)
Tshimanga Cowabunga
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This is an epic collapse down the stretch. Still have a chance to pull it out

March 21st, 2010 at 4:46 PM | Unfamiliar for Spartan (Score:1)
mrider
Joined: 12/01/2008
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Unfamiliar for Spartan Basketball but, Sparty Noooo!!!

March 21st, 2010 at 4:47 PM | Really Izzo... (Score:1)
M-Wolverine
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WTF?0

"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk

March 21st, 2010 at 4:47 PM | Fuck State. (Score:1)
hail2mich
Joined: 10/12/2009
MGoPoints: 1091

Fuck State.

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. 

March 21st, 2010 at 4:47 PM | Wowow. That was insane (Score:1)
mrider
Joined: 12/01/2008
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Wowow. That was insane

March 21st, 2010 at 4:47 PM | Michigan State GODDAMIT! (Score:1)
Topher
Joined: 07/05/2008
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Michigan State GODDAMIT!

March 21st, 2010 at 4:47 PM | I hate Sparty (Score:1)
MGoJen
Joined: 11/23/2008
MGoPoints: 1301

But that was an awesome shot.

You'll be better and you'll be smarter and more grown-up and a better daughter. . .

March 21st, 2010 at 4:47 PM | Holy Shit (Score:1)
Mitch Cumstein
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Joined: 10/02/2009
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Sparty haha. Biggest shot of CL's life.

"A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a danish"

March 21st, 2010 at 4:50 PM | KL (Score:1)
BoiseBlue
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KL

March 21st, 2010 at 4:53 PM | People don't seem to realize (Score:1)
BlockM
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People don't seem to realize it's spelled Korie.

Amazing shot. I had Maryland, but oh well.

@pnbloem | Ultra-MGoBoard

March 21st, 2010 at 5:23 PM | De-Lucious. (Score:1)
BlueintheLou
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De-Lucious.

"Those who stay will be champions."
"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1."
March 21st, 2010 at 4:48 PM | Wow (Score:1)
M-Wolverine
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Wow

"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk

March 21st, 2010 at 4:48 PM | oof (Score:1)
TrppWlbrnID
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oof

2013 resolution - make it onto the 2014 favorite MGoPosters post, not ironically
i wish i would have made my screen name "IT WAS THE CHAIR"
March 21st, 2010 at 4:49 PM | congrats to sparty. great (Score:1)
BoiseBlue
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congrats to sparty. great shot by Lucious, and Green did what he does. Such a smart player. Maryland played their hearts out -- gotta feel for Vasquez

March 21st, 2010 at 4:49 PM | I see Izzo was trying to get (Score:1)
hail2mich
Joined: 10/12/2009
MGoPoints: 1091

I see Izzo was trying to get a timeout

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. 

March 21st, 2010 at 4:49 PM | Holy fuck that was awesome. (Score:1)
formerlyanonymous
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Holy fuck that was awesome.

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March 21st, 2010 at 4:49 PM | Seriously... (Score:1)
Seth9
Joined: 04/01/2009
MGoPoints: 2336

Well, that just perpetuates how badly my bracket is doing today. Figures.

March 21st, 2010 at 4:52 PM | Yeah well OSU's win fucked me (Score:1)
Plegerize
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Yeah well OSU's win fucked me over. Just one more reason to hate them...

A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool because he has to say something. - Plato

March 21st, 2010 at 4:54 PM | I have MSU and OSU facing off (Score:1)
formerlyanonymous
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I have MSU and OSU facing off in my Elite 8. That side of my bracket isn't doing so badly.

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March 21st, 2010 at 5:00 PM | Smart picks! (Score:1)
MGoJen
Joined: 11/23/2008
MGoPoints: 1301

What made you think State would beat Maryland? I had Maryland winning and was pretty confident with my pick.

You'll be better and you'll be smarter and more grown-up and a better daughter. . .

March 21st, 2010 at 5:08 PM | I didn't feel that strongly (Score:1)
formerlyanonymous
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I didn't feel that strongly about UMd, especially past Vasquez. I find it hard to pick against Izzo when I don't particularly like something about the other team.

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March 21st, 2010 at 4:50 PM | Wow (Score:1)
Tshimanga Cowabunga
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Lucsious, Lucas who gives a fuck? Sparty saved with a buzzer beater

March 21st, 2010 at 4:51 PM | I hate sparty (Score:1)
pz
Joined: 06/30/2008
MGoPoints: 716

but that was just an amazing sequence of basketball.

Also, decent for the big 10, I suppose while Wisconsin is getting whooped by Cornell.

This is Michigan.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:52 PM | Timeouts should be void with 90 seconds left (Score:1)
Topher
Joined: 07/05/2008
MGoPoints: 737

Games where no one has timeouts so the game has to go on are so much more exciting than those foul-timeout-foul-timeout-timeout finishes that take 20 minutes.

March 21st, 2010 at 5:01 PM | I have no idea how anyone (Score:1)
jmblue
Joined: 11/07/2008
MGoPoints: 28972

I have no idea how anyone could have negged you for this comment. I'm a big basketball fan, but I hate the choppy end to most close games because of all the timeouts.

March 21st, 2010 at 5:10 PM | the whole game is chopped up (Score:1)
TrppWlbrnID
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the whole game is chopped up with those deadball tv timeouts every 4 minutes

2013 resolution - make it onto the 2014 favorite MGoPosters post, not ironically
i wish i would have made my screen name "IT WAS THE CHAIR"
March 21st, 2010 at 5:16 PM | That's not a big deal. In a (Score:1)
jmblue
Joined: 11/07/2008
MGoPoints: 28972

That's not a big deal. In a four-minute span, there should be 8-12 total possessions. I don't mind giving players a break then. But calling timeouts after every possession in the final minute (and there are often lots of them thanks to late fouls) is too much.

March 21st, 2010 at 5:13 PM | I thought the Kansas-Memphis (Score:1)
Topher
Joined: 07/05/2008
MGoPoints: 737

I thought the Kansas-Memphis NCAA final two years back was a damn disgrace, because the actual basketball game stopped with a minute to go and it became a foul shot series - like a rope-and-dope.

I know you gotta make your free throws to win games, but it's just ridiculous when the entire endgame relies on a long series of shots at the line.

March 21st, 2010 at 5:21 PM | Timeouts and fouls (Score:1)
Sgt. Wolverine
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ruin the end of what should be exciting basketball games. The penalty for fouling to stop the clock should be more harsh. Maybe three shots per foul or something. Just something -- anything -- to reduce or remove the incentive to absolutely destroy every last shred of excitement in the part of the game that should be most exciting.

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March 21st, 2010 at 5:31 PM | I agree it breaks the flow, (Score:1)
BoiseBlue
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I agree it breaks the flow, but isn't clutch foul shooting a mark of a great team? There's a reason the teams that win the NCAA have that in common.

March 21st, 2010 at 5:36 PM | Yeah, I don't think you can (Score:1)
jmblue
Joined: 11/07/2008
MGoPoints: 28972

Yeah, I don't think you can change the rules about fouling. Last-minute fouls do make it easier to stage comebacks. I see them as a necessary evil. But the timeouts need to be cut back. Maybe limit teams to one in the last two minutes.

March 21st, 2010 at 6:52 PM | I think it's kind of odd to (Score:1)
Sgt. Wolverine
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I think it's kind of odd to let intentional rule-breaking give a team a better shot at a comeback. I also don't like that the harm to that team's chances of making the comeback is largely dependent on the other team making its foul shots.

Actually...if it's apparent they're fouling to stop the clock, why not just call them as intentional fouls? Seems like that wouldn't be a big stretch.

Sportscenter.com raves: Sgt. Wolverine, "Michigan's biggest fan"!

March 21st, 2010 at 6:59 PM | This concept exists in other (Score:1)
jmblue
Joined: 11/07/2008
MGoPoints: 28972

This concept exists in other sports. In baseball there are intentional walks. In football, DBs will deliberately commit pass interference when they're beaten deep, and sometimes teams will even deliberately let a team score a TD at the end of a game to get the ball back. And so on.

As for intentional fouls, that rule needs to be scrapped and replaced with a flagrant foul rule. It's obvious that it's intentional harm that matters to officials, and not intentional fouling.

March 21st, 2010 at 7:08 PM | No, not really (Score:1)
Sgt. Wolverine
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An intentional walk isn't breaking the rules to gain an advantage; it's using the rules to avoid giving a great hitter a chance to make contact. Throwing a ball rather than a strike isn't illegal.

Likewise, letting the other team score isn't illegal. It's extraordinarily unlikely to work, but it's not illegal to play intentionally bad defense.

And intentionally committing pass interference is NOTHING like late-game fouling in basketball. When you intentionally commit pass interference, the other team gets a first down and another chance at scoring. The penalty for pass interference is among the most severe in the game. It may prevent the touchdown on that play, but it still puts the team in a significantly worse position than it was in prior to the penalty.

Sportscenter.com raves: Sgt. Wolverine, "Michigan's biggest fan"!

March 21st, 2010 at 7:14 PM | You're splitting hairs here. (Score:1)
jmblue
Joined: 11/07/2008
MGoPoints: 28972

You're splitting hairs here. A walk is a penalty for throwing four unhittable pitches, just as free throws are a penalty for committing a foul when your team is in the bonus.

Philosophical issues aside, late-game fouls are realistically never going to go away. If you want the end of games to go more more smoothly, you have to focus your attention on limiting timeouts.

March 21st, 2010 at 7:35 PM | Maybe -- though I'm a little (Score:1)
Sgt. Wolverine
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Maybe, but it doesn't effectively guarantee something good for the team intentionally walking the batter as basketball fouls do in effectively guaranteeing another possession for the team that committed the foul. It's not a full guarantee, but it's close enough -- that's why teams foul.

I do agree that late-game fouls aren't likely to go away, but I do think they harm the game, so I'm still inclined to talk about the problem when it comes up.

I'm not entirely sure limiting timeouts would really solve the problem, though, because then there would likely just be MORE fouls at the end of the game to make up for the inability to stop the clock legally. It'd still be choppy and nearly unwatchable; it'd just be a different sort of choppy and unwatchable.

Sportscenter.com raves: Sgt. Wolverine, "Michigan's biggest fan"!

March 21st, 2010 at 4:50 PM | Fuck a turtle. (Score:1)
SEAL Fan
Joined: 01/18/2010
MGoPoints: 1599

Fuck a turtle.

March 21st, 2010 at 4:51 PM | jeez, what a finish. But (Score:1)
GoBlogSparty
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jeez, what a finish. But seriously? Cornell??? By 20???

Your friendly neighborhood Sparty

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