Okie Lite's problem is that they are very vulnerable on the interior ... which is a problem against what Arizona does. Given how beat up Gonzaga is, Okie Lite was a terrible draw for them.
Both Wisconsin and Creighton have enough firepower and matchup challenges for Arizona to be able to beat them - particularly if Arizona can't shoot the ball on a given day.
creighton is not consistent enough to make it to that point. And I have my doubts about Wiscy getting past Oregon, not to mention arizona. 3 coaches you never trust in march, Mark Few John Thompson and Bo Ryan
creighton is not consistent enough to make it to that point. And I have my doubts about Wiscy getting past Oregon, not to mention arizona. 3 coaches you never trust in march, Mark Few John Thompson and Bo Ryan
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.
There are more National Title contenders in that bracket than all of the others combined.
The West is a friggin joke especially. UA can sleep walk to the FF.
creighton is not consistent enough to make it to that point. And I have my doubts about Wiscy getting past Oregon, not to mention arizona. 3 coaches you never trust in march, Mark Few John Thompson and Bo Ryan
I don't trust Sean Miller either.
this is his best team, and in the 2 years he's made the tourney he's gone elite eight and sweet 16. He's one of the beter NCAA tournament coaches
What about Creighton do you not trust about their consistency? McBuckets will score 30 a game ... he's as consistent as anybody in the Country. The only question is what the others will do around him. The only thing I don't like is that Baylor gets to play down I35 in San Antonio ... but Baylor's Baylor.
Wisconsin basically sucked for about a 2 week stretch in the middle of the season. They are a damn good team.
Anybody that thinks that Sean Miller is FS should be considered a Beach minion.
Bo Ryan has been to the dance 13 straight years and has made it past the sweet 16 once, he's basically the mark few of the big ten. On certain nights creighton has looked elite, like both games against nova. At the same time they've lost to the likes of SJU, Providence, George Washington, etc. I don't love either team
Let me give you a bit of a perspective on Okie Lite because I understand where you're coming from. Living in the Southwest, every school has some bastardized nickname that gets thrown around from fan base to fan base. Examples being TAMU calling Texas the "t(ea) sippers," Texas Tech getting crap for their tortilla slinging, and Oklahoma St being called Okie Lite because they do everything they can to be Oklahoma but they never are quite as good as them at anything.
Regarding "McBuckets," I'm not sure what's so douchy about that one. Unfortunately everybody is saying that right now ... which sucks. It's a pretty good nickname for him given his name. It's far better than something like "Dougie Fresh."
I wish we could bet on that. Oklahoma State was overrated at the beginning of the year because of Smart. 50-50 that Oklahoma State beats Gonzaga.
50/50? You mean 50 points? Gonzaga plays three guards who are under 6 Ft, one who couldn't have started on my high school team.
The good news is Few said "Some people are really screwed up frankly. It's way harder to win the WCC than to win 2 or even 3 games in the NCAA tourney."
Factcheck: Few has NEVER won three games in the NCAA tourney, and hasn't won 2 in a looonnnggg time.
I wish we could bet on that. Oklahoma State was overrated at the beginning of the year because of Smart. 50-50 that Oklahoma State beats Gonzaga.
50/50? You mean 50 points? Gonzaga plays three guards who are under 6 Ft, one who couldn't have started on my high school team.
The good news is Few said "Some people are really screwed up frankly. It's way harder to win the WCC than to win 2 or even 3 games in the NCAA tourney."
Factcheck: Few has NEVER won three games in the NCAA tourney, and hasn't won 2 in a looonnnggg time.
This thread is getting kind of doogish.Gary Bell and Kevin Pangos are pretty good. The freshman one looks like he will be good too. The only one who sucks is Stockton.
I get that Gonzaga hasn't done well in the tourney, but OK State isn't good. It's not like Few has never won a game in the tournament. The will get plungered by Arizona in round 2, but they can beat OK State.
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.
Disagree. They got by far the best 8 seed (4 seed on metrics) in UK, the best 3 seed in Duke and the best team my metrics in the country in Louisville as a 4. We all remember what happens when you have to face an underseeded Ville in the S16. Wichita State is a legit #1, obviously much better than that UW 1 seed was, but this Louisville team is also better than the one UW faced.
It's by far the TUFFest draw of any 1 seed I've seen in a long time.
Kentucky has talent ... but it really hasn't played that well at all all year. They were sloppy in a very piss poor SEC. If they play their best game, I'd agree that Wichita State will be in a dogfight. But I find it hard to believe that Kentucky will play a game like that and not just get carved up by a far more disciplined team that gives consistent effort every game.
I get that the metrics provide that Louisville is great. I just don't buy it. They aren't anywhere close to as good as they were last year and in all honesty, a lot of their metrics were built up playing teams that didn't belong on the court with them.
It's not that I discredit Duke or Michigan ... I just personally think that they don't matchup well and in particular Duke. Duke is a team that has a ton of young guys that don't react well when they get hit in the mouth. Wichita State hits you in the mouth. And in my opinion, Michigan has outperformed their talent all year. They aren't a particularly strong 2 seed.
I get that it's a tough bracket. But the team that can beat Wichita State would be Louisville. Everybody else in my opinion is people suggesting that Wichita State isn't that good because of the conference they play in (big conference >>> little conference card). They are solid. And as you mentioned, a legit #1 seed. They are easily one of the top teams in the country.
In my bracket, I have them losing in the title game to Michigan State - who is the most talented team in the country.
Look I don't trust Sean Miller. But watching SDSU, and NDSU play they practically have a walk to the elite eight. I think there's some validity to what phineas says, Oregon is hot, and I picked them to go to the elite eight, mostly because it's impossible to trust a Bo Ryan team in March, and I'm not a huge creighton fan. If Arizona meets oregon there is no way Oregon beats them on a neutral site. Arizona has by far the softest region
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Both Wisconsin and Creighton have enough firepower and matchup challenges for Arizona to be able to beat them - particularly if Arizona can't shoot the ball on a given day.
There are more National Title contenders in that bracket than all of the others combined.
The West is a friggin joke especially. UA can sleep walk to the FF.
Wisconsin basically sucked for about a 2 week stretch in the middle of the season. They are a damn good team.
Anybody that thinks that Sean Miller is FS should be considered a Beach minion.
Let me give you a bit of a perspective on Okie Lite because I understand where you're coming from. Living in the Southwest, every school has some bastardized nickname that gets thrown around from fan base to fan base. Examples being TAMU calling Texas the "t(ea) sippers," Texas Tech getting crap for their tortilla slinging, and Oklahoma St being called Okie Lite because they do everything they can to be Oklahoma but they never are quite as good as them at anything.
Regarding "McBuckets," I'm not sure what's so douchy about that one. Unfortunately everybody is saying that right now ... which sucks. It's a pretty good nickname for him given his name. It's far better than something like "Dougie Fresh."
The good news is Few said "Some people are really screwed up frankly. It's way harder to win the WCC than to win 2 or even 3 games in the NCAA tourney."
Factcheck: Few has NEVER won three games in the NCAA tourney, and hasn't won 2 in a looonnnggg time.
I get that Gonzaga hasn't done well in the tourney, but OK State isn't good. It's not like Few has never won a game in the tournament. The will get plungered by Arizona in round 2, but they can beat OK State.
It's by far the TUFFest draw of any 1 seed I've seen in a long time.
I get that the metrics provide that Louisville is great. I just don't buy it. They aren't anywhere close to as good as they were last year and in all honesty, a lot of their metrics were built up playing teams that didn't belong on the court with them.
It's not that I discredit Duke or Michigan ... I just personally think that they don't matchup well and in particular Duke. Duke is a team that has a ton of young guys that don't react well when they get hit in the mouth. Wichita State hits you in the mouth. And in my opinion, Michigan has outperformed their talent all year. They aren't a particularly strong 2 seed.
I get that it's a tough bracket. But the team that can beat Wichita State would be Louisville. Everybody else in my opinion is people suggesting that Wichita State isn't that good because of the conference they play in (big conference >>> little conference card). They are solid. And as you mentioned, a legit #1 seed. They are easily one of the top teams in the country.
In my bracket, I have them losing in the title game to Michigan State - who is the most talented team in the country.
If Arizona meets oregon there is no way Oregon beats them on a neutral site.
Arizona has by far the softest region