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Wichita St and the NCAA Tournament
Tequilla
Member Posts: 19,917
I love all the people whining and crying about the "draw" that Wichita State has to get to the Final Four.
People talk about Kentucky ... a Kentucky team that has lost 10 games playing in a dreckfest of a conference in the SEC that has 2.5 teams in the NCAA Tournament. The same Kentucky team that is being said to be "hitting their stride" yet has lost 4 of their last 7? Apparently moral losses against a Florida team that everybody says is great that I'm still not 100% sold on them being anything more than a talented but somewhat hot/cold offensive team that is viewed as being a great defensive team because of the competition that they've played in the SEC. Kansas St is at least as talented as Kentucky (from what they've shown - although certainly Kentucky probably has a higher ceiling if they both play their best) yet everybody thinks it's a given that Kentucky will just waltz on through that game?
Then everybody talks about how great Louisville is but that conference they play in is full of teams that are either decent with limited offensive ability or just downright terrible. It's definitely not the same team that they were last year when they won a national title ... even though everybody would make you want to think that they are.
Michigan is probably the weakest 2 seed along with Villanova. And Duke's shown time after time this year that they are great as long as you don't hit them in the mouth but they definitely aren't physical.
Not saying that Wichita State's path is easy ... but people making it out to be the hardest path in the world might as well just say that they don't think that their record is for real and that their team is talented. Something tells me that since Gregg Marshall is a good coach (hello Kim Jong Vino) that he'll make sure that he has his team properly motivated and fully aware that most people don't think that they are worth a damn.
People talk about Kentucky ... a Kentucky team that has lost 10 games playing in a dreckfest of a conference in the SEC that has 2.5 teams in the NCAA Tournament. The same Kentucky team that is being said to be "hitting their stride" yet has lost 4 of their last 7? Apparently moral losses against a Florida team that everybody says is great that I'm still not 100% sold on them being anything more than a talented but somewhat hot/cold offensive team that is viewed as being a great defensive team because of the competition that they've played in the SEC. Kansas St is at least as talented as Kentucky (from what they've shown - although certainly Kentucky probably has a higher ceiling if they both play their best) yet everybody thinks it's a given that Kentucky will just waltz on through that game?
Then everybody talks about how great Louisville is but that conference they play in is full of teams that are either decent with limited offensive ability or just downright terrible. It's definitely not the same team that they were last year when they won a national title ... even though everybody would make you want to think that they are.
Michigan is probably the weakest 2 seed along with Villanova. And Duke's shown time after time this year that they are great as long as you don't hit them in the mouth but they definitely aren't physical.
Not saying that Wichita State's path is easy ... but people making it out to be the hardest path in the world might as well just say that they don't think that their record is for real and that their team is talented. Something tells me that since Gregg Marshall is a good coach (hello Kim Jong Vino) that he'll make sure that he has his team properly motivated and fully aware that most people don't think that they are worth a damn.
Comments
My sense is that they aren't anywhere close to as good as they were last year when Wichita State played with them in the Final Four. I definitely think that Wichita State is better this year than they were last year.
When I was in Vegas around Christmas time last year, I made 3 National Championship bets at the time (Sparty wasn't one of them because the odds weren't very good at all):
Arizona @ 10-1
Syracuse @ 12-1
Wisconsin @ 40-1
I'm liking the fact that Arizona and Wisconsin are both in the West ... can't see one of them not getting to the Final Four.
But Ro is really good. Really.
WOOF!
If Embid gets healthy I think Kansas can beat Florida, if not that pick is screwed.
I picked Michigan State over Virginia, thought hard about picking ISU over them in the elite eight.
And then I like Duke over Wichita, basically because I don't want to risk putting wichita in the final four because I'm not sold they beat LU.
When Embid is healthy I think Kansas is the best team, mainly because of that stretch in midseason when they knocked off like 5 ranked teams, and I trust Self
The Wildcats are in a soft region, but they're not exactly a powerhouse.
I just don't see a team that can force them to shoot from the perimeter. And I don't know if Okie State has enough to beat them (they will be their hardest test before the final four)
Or you should just bet The Field.