Hardwood - Basketball Forum: NCAA Tournament

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Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date

#658	03/11/2018 10:19:49 am	Jan 24th, 2004
admin Joined: 01/24/2017 Posts: 2493 Hardwood Administrator	Is your team in or out? Looking like UCLA is a 9 or 10 seed. Hoping they get a winnable first round match-up. Steve

#662	03/11/2018 5:05:27 pm	Jan 24th, 2004
admin Joined: 01/24/2017 Posts: 2493 Hardwood Administrator	Wow...not much respect for the Pac-12. USC left out and UCLA and Arizona State in the 11th seed play-in games. Steve

#663	03/11/2018 5:25:21 pm	Jan 24th, 2004
Benchwarmer Joined: 02/06/2018 Posts: 25 Inactive	My alma mater UMBC made it in by winning their conference tournament, they are a 16 seed, though.

#664	03/11/2018 6:30:39 pm	Jan 24th, 2004
newtman Joined: 02/04/2018 Posts: 338 Inactive	Having grown up an ACC fan, I am happy. I knew my alma mater wouldn't make it after losing in the conference tournament. I remember several seasons in the past two decades where I thought the Big East or Big 10 were given way too many teams, nice for the shoe to finally be on the other foot. I do have to cheer for Ohio St. though since their new head coach, Chris Holtmann, started his head coaching career at Gardner-Webb before going to Butler.

#667	03/11/2018 9:25:00 pm	Jan 24th, 2004
Dcmrulz Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 99 Inactive	My Alma Mater Miami made it in, and I have hope for them in a pretty weak pod.

#668	03/11/2018 10:44:08 pm	Jan 24th, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	My alma mater Missouri made it as an 8 -- with our best player hurt all year! I bought tickets to the Nashville pod games, and they got put in it, so needless to say, I am pumped

#676	03/12/2018 10:37:47 am	Jan 29th, 2004
coachwannabe Joined: 03/09/2018 Posts: 437 Penn Quakers V.3	I have Missouri pulling off some big upsets in my bracket. They made it as an 8 and Michael Porter is now returning? That's dangerous, and it sucks to be the #1 in that region.

#677	03/12/2018 10:39:46 am	Jan 29th, 2004
coachwannabe Joined: 03/09/2018 Posts: 437 Penn Quakers V.3	This is the worst field I've seen in a long time. To have Oklahoma make it and not Oklahoma State, USC, etc. They really need to fix this committee.

#678	03/12/2018 1:28:50 pm	Jan 29th, 2004
BigBallerPeter Joined: 02/13/2018 Posts: 346 Inactive	I picked Virginia to win it all. I want my dads alma mater and my favorite team Purdue to win.

#679	03/12/2018 3:07:39 pm	Jan 29th, 2004
newtman Joined: 02/04/2018 Posts: 338 Inactive	You have a short memory coachwanabe. NCAA Tournament Selection Committee screws up with a few bubble teams each year. As far as the field goes, this is one of the better ones I've seen in awhile, no team looks completely untouchable. Virginia and Villanova look very impressive, but even they look like they have certain match-ups they could be vulnerable to...

#680	03/12/2018 5:48:35 pm	Jan 29th, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	coachwannabe, I agree, but we are also missing Jordan Barnett -- who has a DWI. He would be back for a game vs. Xavier at least. (I don't agree with that, but I'm not the coach.) Michael also was really awkward in our game against Georgia in the SEC tournament. I hope he's had more time to rest and recover, and get his confidence back. It really depends on which Missouri team shows up -- the one that beat Tennessee, Kentucky / should have beat WVU / hung with kU OR the team that lost to Ole Miss, Illinois, and Georgia. (Of course, all of this was with no MPJ at full-strength, but...) If Porter was at full strength the whole year I think we would have won an SEC regular season title and looked at a 27-5 or better record. He will still leave the program far better than he found it. I must admit Xavier is the most vulnerable 1, but I would really have wanted a second-round date with kansas in Wichita. Updated Monday, March 12 2018 @ 5:53:13 pm PDT

#681	03/12/2018 8:54:45 pm	Jan 29th, 2004
coachwannabe Joined: 03/09/2018 Posts: 437 Penn Quakers V.3	Newt, I disagree. Does the committee get some bubble teams wrong every year? Absolutely. But this year, there is upwards of 10 teams that should've been in but were left out. Oklahoma was the 9th best team in the Big 12 and lost 11 of their last 15 games, yet somehow beat out Oklahoma State (who beat them twice) and Baylor (who also beat them). Also, talk about inconsistency... Kansas has multiple losses to teams who didn't even make the big dance, yet they still get a 1 spot? USC being left out is a joke, seeing as they have an RPI of 34, finished 2nd in the Pac 12, and came into the tournament on fire. And I hate USC, trust me, but they deserve it. UCLA too. Yet, Arizona State got in over both? Complete joke. Middle Tenn, Notre Dame, and Louisville were also deserving teams (more so than Oklahoma, St. Bon, or Syracuse, for sure). As for the top teams, there are good teams, no doubt, at the top. Villanova, Virginia, Michigan State, Arizona... lots to watch but the committee still missed on making the tournament deep. As for 1 spot, I think Xavier is certainly vulnerable. They didn't impress me this season, and I really love Coach Mack too... just not an impressive 1 seed. Kansas also looks like a weak 1 seed to me, and now they've lost Azubuike... we'll see. But yeah, Buff, MPJ did look awkward against Georgia. Still, he has had a week to find his rhythm again, and his brother has looked good as of late. He definitely helped Missouri without even playing, thanks to him recruiting his brother to the team and making other high level talent want to play at Mizzou.

#685	03/12/2018 9:31:01 pm	Jan 29th, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	You don't have to tell me that. I had two years of Frank Haith and two years of Kim Anderson... I know LOL

#687	03/12/2018 11:35:20 pm	Jan 29th, 2004
admin Joined: 01/24/2017 Posts: 2493 Hardwood Administrator	USC being left out is a joke, seeing as they have an RPI of 34, finished 2nd in the Pac 12, and came into the tournament on fire. And I hate USC, trust me, but they deserve it. UCLA too. Yet, Arizona State got in over both? Complete joke. UCLA got in...along with ASU. My problem (and this is true with the college playoff system), is that it really marginalizes the conferences and their standing. USC was the 2nd place team in the PAC-12 and runner-up in the conference tournament. The 2nd place team in all five of the power conferences should get in. ASU gets in because they beat a couple top teams early in the season. Then they floundered through the whole conference season (finished tied for 8th out of 12 teams). They were 4 games behind USC. ASU was playing really well at the beginning of the season -- but I also think Kansas was in a bit a disarray. Steve

#691	03/13/2018 1:07:14 am	Jan 29th, 2004
coachwannabe Joined: 03/09/2018 Posts: 437 Penn Quakers V.3	Thanks for the correction, I missed that UCLA is one of the first four. ASU did not deserve to be in. The problem with this year that wasn't like in the past is that the committee has opted to do a more "full year" consideration, rather than leaning towards the teams that get hot late in the season (as they did in the past). This is how ASU got in. This is also how Oklahoma got in (because once teams learned to stop Young, they got demolished). I like seeing the best teams at the end of the season getting in. Makes for better competition. There's also speculation that the FBI probe played into some of the decisions.

#693	03/13/2018 4:15:33 am	Jan 29th, 2004
newtman Joined: 02/04/2018 Posts: 338 Inactive	I disagree wanabe. I have seen teams that catch fire in conference play look bad when they played against non-conference competition for the first time in months. Looking at the full schedule of work also emphasizes the importance of not just scheduling easy home games in non-conference, but also going on the road and playing good competition.

#698	03/13/2018 1:55:29 pm	Jan 31st, 2004
coachwannabe Joined: 03/09/2018 Posts: 437 Penn Quakers V.3	I agree with weighing non-conference. But you also have to look at the narrative of a team. If a team loses their star player and proceeds to lose 10 games straight without him, do we really want to see them in the tournament? Or if a team starts the season 17-0 and then proceeds to go 0-15 in the last half of the season, do we really want them in the tournament? You don't have to discount the non-conf games altogether, but basketball is all about narrative, and I think the committee disregarded that completely this season. Oh well, I'm gonna grab some beers and try to enjoy it. Any guesses as to who the Cinderella story might be this year?

#699	03/13/2018 4:17:17 pm	Jan 31st, 2004
admin Joined: 01/24/2017 Posts: 2493 Hardwood Administrator	The issue has gotten much worse, because basically all the non-conference games are at the start of the season now. So it's really a measure of early team strength. But college teams can grow and change really fast. Freshman at the beginning of the season are much more dependable by season end. So team's and especially conference's fate is based on these first 10 games at the start of the season. It used to be that there were a few non-conference match-ups throughout the season that helped to make the weighting not so early season heavy. Steve

#700	03/13/2018 5:34:38 pm	Jan 31st, 2004
newtman Joined: 02/04/2018 Posts: 338 Inactive	On the issue of getting players back, having seen what happened in terms of team chemistry when Duke got Kyrie Irving back for the NCAA Tournament, they bombed out early. I remember it happening to someone else as well, but I am forgetting the case. The prior examples combined with Mizzou's very poor showing in the SEC tourney has me thinking Mizzou will be extraordinarily lucky to make it to the second weekend.

#702	03/13/2018 9:53:48 pm	Jan 31st, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	Mizzou's very poor showing in the SEC tourney has me thinking Mizzou will be extraordinarily lucky to make it to the second weekend. You're probably right. Especially with one starter out for the Florida State game. Michael may not have shot well, but there were at least three starters who needed to play well and didn't. It's inaccurate to blame MPJ for the team's woes. However, Kyrie didn't have a younger brother on the team and a dad on the coaching staff... (and two older sisters who play for their aunt). Michael has always been a presence on Missouri's team this year, but we can only hope he shook off the rust. With 27 wins in three years under Kim Anderson, this season (even if not what we hoped) is an astounding success. I'm actually seeing them practice Thursday afternoon, and I'll let you know how that goes. TLDR: We can hope MPJ gets the rust off by Friday, but the whole team has to show up for us to win. That's been the case even with no MPJ in-game.

#703	03/13/2018 9:54:48 pm	Jan 31st, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	Also, I would have traded UCLA, Arizona State, and Syracuse for USC, MTSU, and St. Mary's. But that's just me!

#704	03/14/2018 9:19:17 am	Jan 31st, 2004
newtman Joined: 02/04/2018 Posts: 338 Inactive	I think you missed the point of what I was saying though. Even if Porter was around the program the whole time (as Kyrie was) the team played over 20 games without him, they are not used to having him on the floor. All those quality wins came without him playing. In theory the fact that he is an outstanding player should make them better, but college basketball teams are rarely just plug and play. As for the teams that got in versus who didn't, St. Bonaventure didn't play their best game at all, but still beat UCLA. I don't keep close tabs on the PAC-12 but if you think USC would have done better, I won't argue the point. As for Syracuse, I think it could have been a toss up with Notre Dame, both had some good wins, but also some definite blemishes. It is unfortunate MTSU and St. Mary's got left out, as mid-majors usually provide much more excitement than the 5th-10th school out of a power conference but we have this discussion every year (or at least I do being I went to a mid-major that was snubbed before, admittedly with a weaker profile).

#712	03/15/2018 12:41:26 am	Feb 5th, 2004
admin Joined: 01/24/2017 Posts: 2493 Hardwood Administrator	Also, I would have traded UCLA, Arizona State, and Syracuse for USC, MTSU, and St. Mary's. But that's just me! Why USC over UCLA? Bruins beat the Trojans twice, head-to-head. Steve

#735	03/15/2018 10:40:00 pm	Feb 5th, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	Newt, I see your point, but I partially am just ignoring all of that -- my bias + the fact this case is independent of Kyrie Irving. UCLA just never really stood out to me, no offense, Steve. The Pac-12 was incredibly weak top to bottom and today proved that. I remember making predictions conference championship week and I was like, "I guess Arizona will win?" USC finished second in its conference in the regular season and tournament, but two teams who finished below them got in doesn't make sense. Arizona State I kind of got but they just peaked at absolutely the wrong time. UCLA was not that great either. I guess now I look at their schedules at least, UCLA may have been better, but I don't think they were quite worthy of the tournament, either. I still think St. Mary's and MTSU should have both gotten in, over Syracuse and Arizona State. I say all this and then Missouri gets smoked by 30 tomorrow night. I'm not trying to talk smack or personally attack, just happens to be you like them! At least UCLA has no more Ball family + studs coming in next year to look forward to

#763	03/16/2018 8:55:30 pm	Feb 7th, 2004
Benchwarmer Joined: 02/06/2018 Posts: 25 Inactive	Well, well, well. How about that. My Retrievers took out the number 1 seed Virginia. Anyone have that in their bracket? (I'll be honest, I didn't, but I don't care!)

#765	03/16/2018 9:12:30 pm	Feb 7th, 2004
admin Joined: 01/24/2017 Posts: 2493 Hardwood Administrator	My alma mater UMBC made it in by winning their conference tournament, they are a 16 seed, though. Wow...congrats to UMBC! First #16 seed to upset a #1! Go Retrievers! Steve

#778	03/16/2018 11:41:30 pm	Feb 7th, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	I talked a big game -- and we did not show up. I have no regrets, because usually I don't have a team I can talk up. We got out-coached, and did not play with any sense of urgency. The Porters played absolutely badly, and Michael didn't take over until it was too late. Jordan Barnett's DUI was both untimely and selfish -- I don't feel bad to criticize him. Awesome to see them play in person, but I am really upset over the whole thing. Good season, but not enough. Thanks to everyone who tolerated me over the past few days, haha. #AtLeastWereNotUVA

#779	03/17/2018 12:16:25 am	Feb 7th, 2004
coachwannabe Joined: 03/09/2018 Posts: 437 Penn Quakers V.3	Wow, congrats to UMBC! That's awesome, and I hope they can pull off some more miracles! That whole quadrant of the bracket is up-in-the-air now (with Arizona first, now Virginia). Mizzou was quite disappointing. I'm really glad I only picked them in one of my brackets (I do 3 every year). I was rooting for them though, I thought they could've been a surprise team. Michael looked ugly. I wonder how much his stock drops / if he considers returning to play with his brother for another year.

#791	03/17/2018 11:29:28 am	Feb 12th, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	Michael looked ugly. I wonder how much his stock drops / if he considers returning to play with his brother for another year. He looked ugly against Georgia, too. He was definitely not at full strength, even last night. He says he's thinking it over, and it wouldn't surprise me either way. He just better play kick-ass if he comes back next year. I like to think with him and point guards who actually care about the team, we could do better.

#807	03/17/2018 7:17:29 pm	Feb 12th, 2004
admin Joined: 01/24/2017 Posts: 2493 Hardwood Administrator	Michael looked ugly. I wonder how much his stock drops / if he considers returning to play with his brother for another year. I still saw him at #3 in a couple of mock drafts. I'm not sure...we'll see. Steve

#814	03/17/2018 9:34:20 pm	Feb 12th, 2004
newtman Joined: 02/04/2018 Posts: 338 Inactive	As an ACC homer this tournament has been pretty painful, but on the flip side of my prediction of Mizzou, I don't think that should hurt his draft spot too much. That was only his second game played with the team, and he probably had no more than two weeks to practice with a team that had been playing together all season. That is the very definition of a disruption, even if it could be argued to be a positive one. Duke looked REALLY good today, which gives me some hope for the ACC yet. Villanova looked just as good unfortunately. Tomorrow should be another entertaining day.

#815	03/17/2018 9:34:26 pm	Feb 12th, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	I'd be amazed if he went that high. He did not play like a lottery pick this year, whether it's his fault or not. It wasn't for lack of trying. He's definitely top-10 worst-case. Again, not holding my breath for him, but whatever happens is not a big surprise. At least I got a pic with him late last month. I think he was trying to lay low after that game, but was a good sport anyway

#818	03/18/2018 9:21:11 pm	Feb 12th, 2004
buffmckagan Joined: 02/02/2018 Posts: 58 Missouri Tigers V.16	Went to a great pair of games tonight! Nevada/Cincy and FSU (screw those guys)/Xavier! Didn't think those comebacks would happen until they did...

#861	03/22/2018 10:28:07 pm	Feb 21st, 2004
newtman Joined: 02/04/2018 Posts: 338 Inactive	FSU tallied another win for the ACC looking like they can play with anyone against Gonzaga. Keep picking against them, Michigan won't shoot like that over FSU's length and depth. That Loyola-Chicago versus Kansas State match-up though is going to be fun to watch, two teams who have pulled some upsets that play the same defensive style of basketball. Looking forward to tomorrow's games though, especially pulling for Clemson in a game they can win. Then I can mark out the "Midwest" Region and write in what it essentially already is, the ACC Region.

#875	03/25/2018 4:54:16 am	Feb 28th, 2004
newtman Joined: 02/04/2018 Posts: 338 Inactive	I don't know what FSU was doing last night. With the 331st ranked free throw shooting team in D1 they failed to foul one of the three terrible free throw shooters on the court for Michigan. Props to Michigan for making it to the Final Four, FSU's defense looked like the toughest in the entire tournament when factoring in length and quickness with effectiveness as a team. If FSU hadn't taken really stupid shots down the stretch it would have been a far more exciting finish. On the plus side, the end of game logic made the current Hardwood end of game logic look not that bad.