Bracket Help--Give FOFC A Rundown On Your Team

[Chief Rum]

Hey everyone,

As I was reading through the NCAA Selection Show thread, it occurred to me that a lot of people don't know a lot about some of the other teams they don't really watch much. Even major teams, like the #1s, are unknowns to many.

So that gave me an idea. Most everyone here is a fan of a college basketball team and has watched them a ton this year. They will have the best takes on a team's strengths and weaknesses. They will also probably have a good handle on their team's conference foes in the tourney.

So let's all help each other out in our brackets this year by giving a rundown of our teams, and if possible, our conference foes.

Nothing that needs to long--just some good basics to expect, why they could win and why they could lose.

[Craptacular]

Wisconsin Badgers: Play with fire and passion at home. Play like my elementary school team on the road. Just hack Alando Tucker constantly and make him shoot lots of free throws, and you'll be OK.

[Chief Rum]

I posted a good snapshot of UCLA in the other thread, so I will repost it here:

"The reason you haven't heard anything about UCLA all season is because ESPN conveniently forgets the Pac-10 exists except to tell you they're down, and then just dismisses them. The Pac-10 itself doesn't help matters by playing its games on regional Fox networks.

UCLA has been very good all season, but pretty much a fly under the radar type as a result of the lack of national coverage.

The fact is, this is a classic case of a team really starting to come together at the right team. Last year's UCLA squad (also a NCAA team) started three freshmen that were among the best in the country, and then they brought in five more strong freshmen this past year, all of whom playing good minutes this season. So this is a very young team that has been devleoping as the season has gone by.

They also have been absolutely killed with injuries. Josh Shipp is out for the season, and has only played four games (he was considered by many to be the best all around player on the team). Jordan Farmar has been hobbled by injuries to his ankles all year. Ryan Hollins, Alfred Aboya, Michael Fey and Lorenzo Mata (just now coming back from a broken leg) all missed a lot of time, and they were supposed to be the guys in the middle. Ced Bozeman is playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder (UCLA is 21-3 with him in the lineup).

So this team has gotten the experience it needs, has proven playmakers in Farmar and Afflalo, the Pac 10 frosh of the year in Luc Richard Mbah A Moute (pay attention to him, he's gonna be really good), and is at its healthiest all seaosn (although still missing Shipp, and Bozeman and Mata hobbled).

I think what really made things stand out now is that UCLA has been blowing teams off of the court the past couple weeks, and that includes Cal and Arizona. Their losses are to Memphis, West Virginia, Cal, Washington twice and USC. All teams are in the NCAA except USC, and the Trojies won 17 games (or soemthing like that)."

I don't have much else to say to that. We're a very good defensive team, especially in working together. Afflalo is a shut down type of defender, and Bozeman is also solid. Hollins is hit-and-miss--sometimes he shows up and is a fine shotblocker and a presence inside. Other times, he's a complete zero. No idea which one will show up for the tourney. Regardless, we're weaker on the inside, and could be susceptible to teams with dominating frontlines.

Mbah A Moute does all the little things you love as a fan. Plays bigger than he is, plays solid D, gets garbage points and cleans up the boards especially offensively.

This is a deep team that plays intense, pressure D on the perimeter, and tends to double scoring big men effectively. Don't expect easy points coming against UCLA, or assume they are prissy Pac-10 "hands off" team. This is a Big East team on the west coast.

Offensively, the Bruins can get a little bogged down, and few players really create on their own.

Farmar and Afflalo can be very hot-and-cold, but if either get on a run, watch out. They have both carried the team at times. Farmar will have the ball in his hands at crunch time, and will almost certainly take the money shot.

Collison, the superquick backup to Farmar, changes the game completely when he's in. He's much quicker than Farmar (or anyone else on the team) and penetrates well. He made some mistakes early on in driving to the hoop, but he has gotten much better. And he's shooting more confidently from outside.

Hollins pretty much resorts to slam dunks, but Bozeman and Mbah a Moute can surprise and step out a bit for 15 footers. If you see thick, slow looking doof of a white guy on the outside, don't assume he isn't dangerous. Roll is the best shooter on the team, and he sometimes launches from NBA range.

[Young Drachma]

Hmm..my team isn't here obviously. But here are the two teams I do know about, having watched them here.

SAN DIEGO STATE
They are a dangerous team. Sure, they played no one. But Marcus Slaughter is a beast, their point guard is solid and that one kid whose name escapes me at the moment can do enough to give you pause. So the matchup with Indiana is one of those that could give a surprise upset, though it wouldn't be a real surprise.

AIR FORCE
They don't beat themselves, they'll let you do it for them. They're disciplined and remind me a lot of Princeton from the old days in the tourney, in other words, capable of pulling off an upset - especially after squeaking into the tourney. For a bit there, they were hot and ranked just out of the Top 25 in January. So they know how to play and are extremely well coached and so...I dunno. I think if any team is likely to pull off an upset, these guys are because they come in with a huge chip on their shoulder and they can hear the mumblings from New York to Colorado Springs that they have no business in this tournament.

As for Wyoming? We'll talk about them in the 2020 tournament...once Pepsi creates their own as a rival to the NCAA. ;)

[Chief Rum]

Other Pac 10 teams...

Cal-- Cal also plays Big East style, a much tougher brand than you usually see out here. Leon Powe is the frickin' man. Just a stud. He's powerful underneath, and can pop out to drain the 15-footer. Devon Hardin has length and hops. Then they have Rod Benson off th ebench, and he could start for a lot of tourney teams. This is one of the best frontcourts I have seen in the Pac-10 in some time (Stanford's Collins twins frontcourt may have been the last one like this, and they didn't have the same kinda firepower). Ubaka is a solid point guard who can dish and shoot. Wilkes is also dangerous at the three. This is a team with multiple scoring options. I'm not sure these guys can create off the dribble, though, and I don't think the squad is very deep.

Washington-- This is a very dangerous #5 team. They could have been up to a #3 if they didn't put up a big stinker against Oregon in the Pac-10 tourney. Brandon Roy is amazing. He can shoot and drive to the basket. Not sure there's anyone better getting to the basket in the league. Bobby Jones is a good multi-option. Appleby can't take a good forearm shiver to the nose, but he can shoot. Brockman is a developing monster underneath, and Dentmon, another frosh, gives the team good depth in the backcourt. They will try to run you off of the court. They don't play much defense, IMO, but then they usually don't need to. They will generally just challenge you to outscore them (and most teams can't).

Arizona-- This is a very fragile team from a psyche perspective, but they have terrific talent. Hassan Adams is a great shooter, but he had a DUI last week. Chris Rodgers is great at making things happen and creating his shot, but apparently everyone on the team hates him. Shakur is a dangerous player at point, and he can create some action, but he always felt hit-and-miss to me. Radenovich is a quietly effective player for the Cats, kinda like their version of Mbah A Moute. Underrated, IMO, and on his way to a terrific career. Only problem is he's a big who's a bit soft. That's the Cats' problem all around--they really miss Channing Frye underneath. Then there is Marcus Willaims. He's a terrific frosh who could be a great scorer, but he's probably not ready to be the man at his age. Maybe next year.

[bionicgrov]

For everyone in the Oakland bracket,do the following if you play Memphis:

1. Play a 2-3 Zone.
2. Force us to shoot over 20 three-pointers.

Those are your keys to the game if you want to win. If you don't do that, I don't like your chances.

On a side note, we beat UCLA earlier this season, but the Bruins really scare me in this bracket. They are really good.

[Chief Rum]

For everyone in the Oakland bracket,do the following if you play Memphis:

1. Play a 2-3 Zone.
2. Force us to shoot over 20 three-pointers.

Those are your keys to the game if you want to win. If you don't do that, I don't like your chances.

On a side note, we beat UCLA earlier this season, but the Bruins really scare me in this bracket. They are really good.

You're in luck. Howland has some big thing against the zone (a straight sone, at least, I have seen him go to a matchup zone). He probably wouldn't use it even if terrorists held his kids hostage and told him to play zone.

[Swaggs]

West Virginia University -- The Mountaineers are a very odd team, in several ways. For one, the team uses only a seven-man rotation (barring injuries or foul trouble) and five of the seven are seniors. On offense, the team plays a halfcourt-motion offense and takes a ton of 3PT shots. When they are well rested, there are a lot of players moving around, trying to lull the defense to sleep. Kevin Pittsnogle is a 6'11" player that has unlimited shooting range and has really improved his inside offensive game this season, as well. Mike Gansey, a SG/SF-type is great athlete and is our best all around player. Joe Herber, the other SG/SF, is a good all around player and is the best threat to penetrate (and often dish). The coach's son, Pat Beilein is a limited player, but has great range off the bench.

On defense, the team runs a 1-3-1 zone after made shots and a man-to-man after misses and in-bounds. J.D. Collins, the PG, runs the baseline on the 1-3-1 and gets his hands on the ball a lot. Gansey plays at the top and chases the opponents' best offensive non-big man. Gansey and Frank Young, a SF that plays PF for WVU, are important to the team's rebounding efforts.

Watching this team the past two seasons, I really feel like they are capable of beating any team in the field, but they are also capable of losing to nearly anyone. They have beaten Villanova, Oklahoma, UCLA, Pittsburgh, Georgetown twice, and hung with UConn (lost by 6), Texas (lost by 1 after missing two one-and-ones in the last minute and allowing them to come back), and LSU (lost in OT after they made a 3 pointer at the buzzer to send it there).

I will be pretty disappointed if WVU does not make it to the Sweet 16. I think their unorthodox style will make it tough for teams that have not seen them before. If Herber and/or Young can contribute some offense by driving and knocking down some open shots, they will free things up for Gansey and Pittsnogle and make things a lot easier.

[GoldenEagle]

For everyone in the Oakland bracket,do the following if you play Memphis:

1. Play a 2-3 Zone.
2. Force us to shoot over 20 three-pointers and pray that Shawne, Anderson, Carney, or DWash or a combination do not get hot.
.

FYP

[GreenMonster]

UCONN

Best PG in the country
Best SF in the country
Best front court in the country
Top 5 coach
NCAA leading scorer 6th man
Best bench in the country with former ACC rookie of the year barely getting any PT


How could this team lose the title. Well at times we play below our competion with long awful defensive lapses, along with whole halves of non-inspired play. When they are playing their best Uconn is unstoppable, but they have only hit this a few times this year(see 20pt halftime lead at the Cuse).. I think if we make it to the Final 4 we will finish of the rest of the field because we will have the motivation.

[Chief Rum]

Bump

[MrBug708]

http://mb17.scout.com/fnorthcarolinastatefrm1.showMessage?topicID=54395.topic

That is what NC State fans think of their team....pretty effing funny

[Schmidty]

Michigan State - I am disgusted with my team. They did not deserve such a high seed. I was thinking 7-8.

Anyway, expect a team with excellent offense, and sporadic defense. If you can shut down the fast break points and play even decent half-way decent half court defense, you will likely win (if you can score even a little).

I am so pissed at this year's team. :mad:

[Jas_lov]

Iowa Hawkeyes

A starting lineup of 3 seniors and 2 juniors-Greg Brunner, Jeff Horner, Adam Haluska, Erek Hansen, and Mike Henderson isn't too shabby. They made a great run to win the Big Ten Tourney and should be a tough out for anyone in the NCAA tourney even with Steve Alford as coach because they can defend and rebound very well. The one achilles heel is they don't shoot well at all, ranked last in the Big 10 I think. If the Hawks can shoot better and keep defending like they have all season they could go further than the sweet 16. Iowa's beaten everyone in the tough Big 10, NC State, Kentucky in non conference so this team can play with anyone, and I'm hoping they'll get a chance at revenge vs. Texas in the sweet 16.

[timmynausea]

West Virginia University -- The Mountaineers are a very odd team, in several ways. For one, the team uses only a seven-man rotation (barring injuries or foul trouble) and five of the seven are seniors. On offense, the team plays a halfcourt-motion offense and takes a ton of 3PT shots. When they are well rested, there are a lot of players moving around, trying to lull the defense to sleep. Kevin Pittsnogle is a 6'11" player that has unlimited shooting range and has really improved his inside offensive game this season, as well. Mike Gansey, a SG/SF-type is great athlete and is our best all around player. Joe Herber, the other SG/SF, is a good all around player and is the best threat to penetrate (and often dish). The coach's son, Pat Beilein is a limited player, but has great range off the bench.

On defense, the team runs a 1-3-1 zone after made shots and a man-to-man after misses and in-bounds. J.D. Collins, the PG, runs the baseline on the 1-3-1 and gets his hands on the ball a lot. Gansey plays at the top and chases the opponents' best offensive non-big man. Gansey and Frank Young, a SF that plays PF for WVU, are important to the team's rebounding efforts.

Watching this team the past two seasons, I really feel like they are capable of beating any team in the field, but they are also capable of losing to nearly anyone. They have beaten Villanova, Oklahoma, UCLA, Pittsburgh, Georgetown twice, and hung with UConn (lost by 6), Texas (lost by 1 after missing two one-and-ones in the last minute and allowing them to come back), and LSU (lost in OT after they made a 3 pointer at the buzzer to send it there).

I will be pretty disappointed if WVU does not make it to the Sweet 16. I think their unorthodox style will make it tough for teams that have not seen them before. If Herber and/or Young can contribute some offense by driving and knocking down some open shots, they will free things up for Gansey and Pittsnogle and make things a lot easier.

I think this is a pretty good assessment of WVU, although I'd add that there is concern about Gansey's health. He had some kind of abdominal strain/cramping that kept him out of most of the second half against Pitt in the BE Tournament. WVU needs him healthy to succeed.

Defensively WVU forces a lot of turnovers but also gives up a ton of dunks, and they are one of the worst rebounding teams in the country. The good news is that Southern Illinois doesn't have any starters over 6'7'', so hopefully they won't be able to fully take advantage of those weaknesses in the first round.

[Karlifornia]

My team isn't the tourney this year (unbelieveably, Athlon picked Stanford as a final four team this year, and they played their way to a 15-13 mark and an NIT bid), but I will say this:

I have Uconn and UCLA in the title game, with UConn winning. Connecticut has the most complete team I've seen all this year, and UCLA is firing on all cylinders right now.

[hoopsguy]

Illinois - strong man-to-man defensive team. Early in the year success was predicated on both Brown and Augustine having plus offensive games, but they have begun to distribute the load more with Pruitt establishing himself as a low-post threat and McBride gradually improving his play. Brian Randle is a very good athlete, but has yet to develop a jump shot. The bench was beginning to show they could contribute on the road as well as at home with late-season wins at Minnesota and Michigan State. Non-conference schedule featured road win at UNC, neutral site win against Wichita State, and home win by double-digits against Georgetown. In conference they won their one meeting with Wisconsin, split with Indiana, Iowa, won 2 of 3 from MSU (both regular season, lost in conference tourney), and lost at Ohio State.

Best way to play against them is to be physical on defense, especially with Brown because the rest of the team can fall into lapses of waiting for him to do something. There isn't anyone on this team who can consistently create their own shot in the halfcourt, although Brown just flies in full court situations. Be willing to mix up defensive looks, as the Illini often seem slow to respond to switches from man/zone. Make getting to the glass a priority - Illini are a pretty good rebounding club this year and can make up some of their offensive shortcomings on the offensive glass. Finally, if you are behind don't be afraid to send them to the foul-line, as this was a significant area of concern for Illinois.

I think this is a team that can compete with just about anyone on a given night on a neutral court, with the possible exception of UConn. Weber's teams always play tough in the tournament - can't remember the last time with either Illini or Southern that they didn't play at least to their seed. But the games aren't necessarily going to be aesthetically pleasing, especially in comparison to the 2004-2005 team.

[Butter]

Ohio State:

Very weak inside game if you can force Big Ten Player of the Year Terence Dials to the bench with fouls.

Streaky 3-point shooting team... have been on a massive COLD streak of late. Frankly, Penn State should've beat them in the Big Ten tourney Q'Finals if they hadn't hit a good patch with about 9 minutes to go. They have a tendency to just jack up large amounts of 3's if you play any sort of good perimeter defense against them.

Good, but not great, defensive team... but again, they can be had with any team that can power it up inside.

If they get hot shooting, they will make it to the Final 4. If not, they will struggle to get past the 2nd round. It's that simple. If I were you, if you believe they can beat G'town, then pencil them in for the regional final, because I don't see Florida or Oklahoma taking them down either in the Sweet 16 if they make it that far.

[cody8200]

Indiana -

Have won their last 5 out of 6 losing the conference semi-final by one to Ohio State. They have beaten quite a few people that are in the tournament this year. Number 8 Kentucky, Number 4 Illinois, Number 9 Wisconsin, Number 2 Ohio St. Also they beat the Michigan Wolverines, number 1 seeded team in the NIT twice.

They have won the last 5 out of 6 knwoing that their coach will not be with them next year as Mike Davis has resigned from the team following this year. They have played weak in many first half games, especially as of late but have lit it up shooting wise in the 2nd half. They are one of the top 3 point shooting teams in the country. In fact, they held the top spot well over half the year. They have a tendency for runs. They are very streaky. Few teams have the potential to score as fast as us but we also are prone to being lethargic and not scoring for minutes at a time.

I have no idea what we will do in the tournmanet. I'm nearly positive we will destroy San Diego St. but nothing is for sure. Then we would have to play Gonzaga, to tell you the truth, thats going to be a nearly impossible win. Although, just to let you know. We played both Uconn and Duke this year. During the UConn game we were up by 9 in the first half and lost by 8. During the Duke game, at the time they were still undefeated, we were leading the game with 6 minutes left. We lost that game by 8 as well.

Being the super fan I am, I'd love to win the whole thing. Being somewhat realistic, I have us losing to Gonzaga in round 2. One reason, we only won 2 games away from home the whole year in conference play. Doesn't look good when we have to play in Oakland.

[Johnny93g]

Indiana -

Have won their last 5 out of 6 losing the conference semi-final by one to Ohio State. They have beaten quite a few people that are in the tournament this year. Number 8 Kentucky, Number 4 Illinois, Number 9 Wisconsin, Number 2 Ohio St. Also they beat the Michigan Wolverines, number 1 seeded team in the NIT twice.

They have won the last 5 out of 6 knwoing that their coach will not be with them next year as Mike Davis has resigned from the team following this year. They have played weak in many first half games, especially as of late but have lit it up shooting wise in the 2nd half. They are one of the top 3 point shooting teams in the country. In fact, they held the top spot well over half the year. They have a tendency for runs. They are very streaky. Few teams have the potential to score as fast as us but we also are prone to being lethargic and not scoring for minutes at a time.

I have no idea what we will do in the tournmanet. I'm nearly positive we will destroy San Diego St. but nothing is for sure. Then we would have to play Gonzaga, to tell you the truth, thats going to be a nearly impossible win. Although, just to let you know. We played both Uconn and Duke this year. During the UConn game we were up by 9 in the first half and lost by 8. During the Duke game, at the time they were still undefeated, we were leading the game with 6 minutes left. We lost that game by 8 as well.

Being the super fan I am, I'd love to win the whole thing. Being somewhat realistic, I have us losing to Gonzaga in round 2. One reason, we only won 2 games away from home the whole year in conference play. Doesn't look good when we have to play in Oakland.

This sums up Indiana. We lost a bunch of games we should have won this year...The Duke game, and the Ohio State game spring to mind. This team is capable of beating every team in the tournament, but it's also capable of coming out flat, and losting a 56-55 game to San Diego State. Robert Vaden needs to play much better then he did to finish the season (If healthy)

[cody8200]

This sums up Indiana. We lost a bunch of games we should have won this year...The Duke game, and the Ohio State game spring to mind. This team is capable of beating every team in the tournament, but it's also capable of coming out flat, and losting a 56-55 game to San Diego State. Robert Vaden needs to play much better then he did to finish the season (If healthy)

I agree Johnny. Vaden does need to step it up. I think Strickland and Wilmont need to play well. We just can't focus on one player the whole game because all year, anytime we did, we ended up losing. Even when Vaden has huge games, we dont win necessarily, Iowa game.

[Wolfpack]

http://mb17.scout.com/fnorthcarolinastatefrm1.showMessage?topicID=54395.topic

That is what NC State fans think of their team....pretty effing funny

It's funny, but after about five years' worth of it, it just gets old. Still find it interesting that the first time the State board cracks the consciousness here, it's because the fans are so joyous in tearing the team down. At this point, it's almost like people on the left who say they support the troops but hate the President. (note, not making a political statement, but just making a comparison) Our fans say they support the players but really want to see Sendek take a long walk off a short pier.

[MalcPow]

Georgetown

They are coming off an absolute gut-shot loss to Syracuse in the Big East semis, where they blew a 15 point lead, missed five straight free throws in the last two minutes, and turned the ball over in their final two possessions with the game in the balance. So it's anyone's guess where they will be coming into the dance. Leadership is a little lacking as the team's three seniors that see a lot of time (Bowman, Cook, and Owens) are all inconsistent and at times very tentative, and no one on the team has been to the tournament before so there's always the possibility that they will just go out and lay an egg like they did in their regular season finale against South Florida.

That being said, they responded to the South Florida loss by winning two tough contests in a row in the Big East tourney before running into another second half McNamara show in the semis. They have three outstanding sophmores in Jeff Green (PF/SF), Roy Hibbert (C), and Jonathan Wallace (PG). Hibbert is 7'2" and has become a great inside presence this season, and has been absolutely dominating in a few games where the opposition has been unable to put anyone on him that either has the size or athleticism to match up with his length, and he's an excellent free throw shooter for a big man. (Northern Iowa looks like they will have problems with him.) Green is 6'9" and can play the 3, 4, or 5 on both ends of the floor, and if he was a better foul shooter would be a very polished package. Wallace brings the fearlessness to the team, but sometimes the aforementioned seniors rise above his influence to assert their own brand of leg-crapping chokistry.

The types of teams that give us a lot of trouble are a team like West Virginia with a lot of movement and a center that can extend outside, or a team that just has an incredibly athletic frontline like Uconn. The first type is tough because Hibbert can't really chase people around, so Green is moved over to center but we lose Hibbert's post presence on the offensive end which hurts a lot. The Princeton offense the team runs relies on a lot of cuts and backdoor layups and it is a lot more effective when people are coming over to help on Hibbert and then trying to run back to guard someone else and holes open up. So if a team has someone that can just match up with Roy one on one, that's a problem too.

Overall, outside shooting is a little spotty, so we need Hibbert and Green to be factors. If you make your open threes you will be very much in the game and we tend to let this happen fairly often as the team's man defense collapses too much on a guard trying to penetrate, and they switch on screens to a fault, creating mismatches that can be exploited by swinging the ball around. I think they control the game but still let Northern Iowa hang around, and end up winning by six or so in a game where I'm still pulling my hair out with twenty seconds left. They've had problems down the stretch with letting teams back into games, and doing everything they can to give it away in the final minute. They can certainly beat Ohio State (in a lot of ways this is a really crappy draw for OSU as Gtown is really a 6, and could have been higher with a bounce or two their way), but it should be a good game. If they beat OSU they could give Villanova a run for the bracket. Ultimately though, they probably go down to OSU in a game they'll have every chance to win but just won't quite have the composure to finish.

[Radii]

North Carolina: Young. Talented as hell. UNC was near the top of the ACC(perhaps led, I forget) in rebounding margin. Hansbrough is a great rebounder, espicially on the offensive end, where UNC gets an unusually large number of second chance opportunities most games. The problem for much of the year was turnovers. As the freshmen matured, they got a handle on that but it still shows up sometimes.

A team that executes well on offense can pick UNC apart, as Boston College showed Saturday. Hansbrough can play with any big man in the nation, but may have shown a small crack against BC after being pushed around by BC's big front court for 15 straight minutes, he started roaming outside the paint for a number of posessions.

Outside of Wes Miller, not a great 3 point shooting team. Miller is deadly, but only as a spot up shooter.

This team could make the final four or lose to Murray State and it won't suprise me too much either way.

[Chief Rum]

Hey, thought I would bump this agin for anyone who hadn't seen it yet. Good stuff here, everyone.

[Blade6119]

Missouri Tig...oh wait.... :(