OFFICIAL March Madness Thread
Comments
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Kentucky just got manhandled on the offensive glass by Cincinnati. They'd be lucky to win 10-15 games in the nbaNeGgaPlEaSe said:
Problem is Kentucky's second team could take on Duke. they could probably pull off a 5 or 6 seed in the NBAdhdawg said:Their defense is still suspect but duke looks destined for matchup against kentucky
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Woosh?
I was at the Louisville Kentucky game this year, and I didn't walk away impressed with Kentucky by any means. Compared to the UNLV team, I just don't see it. If they go all the way I will be shocked. I could see Wisconsin or Arizona giving them a run
"Calipari isn't going to want to hear it, but this argument is something that's going to come up quite often this season due to multiple factors. First off, Kentucky's unusually loaded with talent this season. With nine McDonald's All-Americans, there are going to be guys on this team who have NBA potential and will still be riding the pine in important moments. It's Calipari's deepest Kentucky team ever, and that's something that college basketball truthers will mention as they make this argument.
While Kentucky has potentially one of the best college basketball teams ever, the NBA features one of its potential worst teams ever in the Philadelphia 76ers. It's a squad full of young draft picks, undrafted lottery tickets and cast-offs that might struggle to reach 10 wins. With Nerlens Noel featuring as their best player until last season's rookie of the year Michael Carter-Williams returns from injury this week, the Sixers are playing guys who honestly probably wouldn't start for this Kentucky team right now.
It's a perfect storm of potential greatness and historic awfulness that could make this topic come up often as the season progresses. However, it's also a ridiculous argument that isn't particularly worth having.
The problems with this comparison are numerous. Just generally, NBA players are professionals who are more fully committed to basketball than NCAA players are simply due to collegiate obligations. And I know there will be some sort of argument to this that college players don't do their own work, and that's fine. But even if you want to go down that route, simply keeping up the appearance of doing college work takes up time and energy that isn't being devoted to basketball. There are also practice limits in college that don't exist in the NBA, and that allows coaches to implement more complicated schemes that take time to learn. For instance, if you thought Andrew Harrison struggled at times last season trying to adjust to the speed of the college game, imagine him being immediately thrust into a whole new ballgame of well-coached and hard-working defensive players.
Even if you think the talent levels are close on these teams -- which, with the injuries the 76ers currently have right now to Carter-Williams and third overall pick Joel Embiid, I might follow along with while not agreeing totally -- it's just not plausible that Kentucky would win.
Calipari is one of the biggest promoters of his own players in the sport, and he's even telling you to not entertain it." -
Bob Bender will not be sharing his accomplishment.Gladstone said:dunno man
wiltjer is pretty fucking good and is stepping it up -
Iowa has made a choice to play no interior defense today
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Update: beating 2 teams in the sweet 16 and not making the NIT is always specialdhdawg said:4 teams UW beat are in the round of 32 (Utah, SDSU, Oklahoma, Oregon)
yet UW didn't even make the NIT, that should tell you all you need to know -
i know it goes against the zag narrative but i don't see UCLA beating this team. they're so damn solid inside and out and have depth to boot
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iowa really blows though. how do you give up so many uncontested 3s? pangos literally cannot get shots up if someone is guarding him.
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Iowa fooled me on Thursday. I guess Davidson was just fucking horrible. Way too many easy layups for Gonzaga.
I agree about the zags likely beating UCLA, although it's Gonzaga so you never know and UCLA has some pieces.
They won't shoot 9-15 from 3 again -
This is Iowa's MO though ... they play great one night and then lay an egg the next.
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Dana Altman can fucking coach. Wisconsin has the most versatile big in the country, Oregon doesn't even have a big and it's close coming down the stretch.
If he ever has an official size and weight team the Ducks win the conference with their eyes closed. If Artis and Dotson were still around Young plays the 2 and this game is already over. -
Artis sucked hthMosster47 said:Dana Altman can fucking coach. Wisconsin has the most versatile big in the country, Oregon doesn't even have a big and it's close coming down the stretch.
If he ever has an official size and weight team the Ducks win the conference with their eyes closed. If Artis and Dotson were still around Young plays the 2 and this game is already over. -
I hate the FS argument that this somehow proves UCLA deserved to be in the tournament. No one was saying that they couldn't get hot and potentially win a couple games, and had no business playing any of these teams. The argument is that their resume fucking sucks and based on that alone didn't deserve to be in
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UCLA played a 6 seed that played in a shit conference and a 14 seed. That doesn't prove shit.
In 3-5 years though, all anybody will remember though is that Alford got them to the Sweet Sixteen. -
people said the same thing about vcu 4 years ago. a magical run to the final 4 didn't change the fact that they should have never even sniffed the tournamentDugtheDoog said:I hate the FS argument that this somehow proves UCLA deserved to be in the tournament. No one was saying that they couldn't get hot and potentially win a couple games, and had no business playing any of these teams. The argument is that their resume fucking sucks and based on that alone didn't deserve to be in
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As someone who has been through 6 Lavin sweet16s and now 2 Alford sweet 16s, using the tournament as a salvage for the season is FS.Tequilla said:Disappointing years can be salvaged by winning a few games in March ...
A good year can be disappointing by blowing a game in March that you're supposed to win. Jay Wright says "you say goodbye, and I say hello ... hello goodbye hello goodbye ..."
Alford isn't building any championship level program, he just has pieces of UCLA caliber talent and got lucky with his draw in the tournament. Saying a sweet 16 salvages a season is every bit akin to saying a Holiday Bowl win salvaged a Sark season.
Only difference is the illusion of survive and advance in basketball, which for shit programs like Lavin, Alford and Romar is 100% illusory they still are 4 wins from a title and two wins from anything meaningful.
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Potential elite 8 matchups: Kentucky-Wichita, Arizona-Wisconsin, Louisville-Mich State and Duke-Gonzaga
Good shit -
I'm just going off memory and I'm too lazy to look it up, but Jay Wright's Villanova teams are perennial underachievers come tournament time. I know they made the F4 in 09 but other than that it seems like they're regularly a top 5 seed and get bounced in the first or second round.
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Bump.Tequilla said:So @RoadDawg55 can laugh at me later for how dialed in I am ... I will take Villanova over Arizona for the title.
In a Kentucky vs the field bet, the field looks strong to me. Computer models that I've seen place both Wisconsin and Arizona as toss ups against Kentucky. -
Flagged for including Duke v Gonzaga aka The ISIS Regional.JaWarrenJaHooker said:Potential elite 8 matchups: Kentucky-Wichita, Arizona-Wisconsin, Louisville-Mich State and Duke-Gonzaga
Good shit
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We're ALL rooting for ISIS in that regional final. Hence the inclusion.TierbsHsotBoobs said:
Flagged for including Duke v Gonzaga aka The ISIS Regional.JaWarrenJaHooker said:Potential elite 8 matchups: Kentucky-Wichita, Arizona-Wisconsin, Louisville-Mich State and Duke-Gonzaga
Good shit