College Basketball!

[GoldenEagle]

I would love to see UCLA and Memphis in the same bracket, with UCLA the 1 and Memphis the two. I hope they meet up somewhere East like in Lexington.

[Butter]

Lexington's a 1st/2nd round site, so that's not going to happen.

[GoldenEagle]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Lexington's a 1st/2nd round site, so that's not going to happen.

I thought it was a regional site?

[Butter]

St. Louis, San Jose, E. Rutherford, and San Antonio are the regional sites this year.

[hoosiergoody]

Originally Posted by DeeBrownforPresident

There is a possibility that Ohio State and Wisconsin both get 1 seeds. In fact, as of now, isn't the consensus just that, with Florida being a 2 seed?

Wisconsin's shot at a #1 seed took a hit when the kid dislocated his elbow. For them to get a 1 now would mean that they need to win/be runner-up in the Big Ten tournament, since he was an impact player. Remember UCin getting a 2-seed vs. 1-seed when KMart went down with his injury a few years back- makes the team totally different w/o them... and I don't think that the impact is as extreme as the UC example, but Wisconsin needs to prove that over the next week.

I also don't think that Florida now deserves a #1 seed- early season losses would have been better than having them now in their instance- unless they win/are runner-up in their conf tourney...

So, does that make the # 1's OSU, UCLA, Kansas, and _____? I would consider Texas A&M as a strong candidate- 3pt loss to UCLA (#1 then), 8pt loss to LSU (#9 then), and 2 losses to TexTech by 4 total points... Memphis just hasn't had a strong enough schedule to merit a 1 to me...

All of that aside, has anyone else mentioned their displeasure to how much the conf tournaments are weighed in the decisions? A team can have a strong regular season, and then lose in the tournament to a team that "has nothing to lose" and gets hot, causing stronger team to lose out on its chances for a bid...

[GoldenEagle]

Memphis is not a 1 at this point and I do not see them becoming one. They do not have the resume of a # 1 seed. They tried to schedule quality games, but it did not work out and of course CUSA has been awful.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Memphis is not a 1 at this point and I do not see them becoming one. They do not have the resume of a # 1 seed. They tried to schedule quality games, but it did not work out and of course CUSA has been awful.

The A-10 has been awful as well... maybe we need to bring back the Great Midwest Conference or something.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by molson

Damn straight.

Still a little uneasy about the RPI though, #49 even after the win. If they lose at 'Nova and the 1st round of the BE, I'm not sure they're in.

They are in regardless of what that dumbass Bilas or the other brainless RPI drones say on ESPN

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

I would love to see UCLA and Memphis in the same bracket, with UCLA the 1 and Memphis the two. I hope they meet up somewhere East like in Lexington.

Why on earth would you want to face UCLA? I was reading a Duke board earlier this week and Duke fans wanted to play UCLA for some odd reason.

[kingfc22]

Acie Law is putting on a show along with Kevin Durant. Double OT in Texas right now on ESPN2.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Acie Law is putting on a show along with Kevin Durant. Double OT in Texas right now on ESPN2.

What a game that was.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Acie Law is putting on a show along with Kevin Durant. Double OT in Texas right now on ESPN2.

Word. Law was unreal with a 3 at the end of regulation to send it to OT, then another 3 at the end of OT to send the game to a second OT. Texas holds on for a 98-96 win. Texas is coming together as a team just at the right time. They are reminding me of the Michigan Fab Five teams.

Bring on the Chickenhawks on Saturday!

[mauchow]

That was a pretty good game..I thought the refs should've called that a 3-point shot on the foul, or at worst an intentional foul.

But A&M almost got it tied up after the missed free throw.

This only helps Wisconsin's chance for a #1 seed now that A&M is out of the picture.

[SFL Cat]

Grrrrrr! Tubby needs to go in Kentucky

[Karlifornia]

I'm really impressed with Texas A&M. Every game I see them in, they have 2 or 3 guys who just have ice water in their veins. I think I'll pick them in my Final Four.

[SuperGrover]

So, does that make the # 1's OSU, UCLA, Kansas, and _____? I would consider Texas A&M as a strong candidate- 3pt loss to UCLA (#1 then), 8pt loss to LSU (#9 then), and 2 losses to TexTech by 4 total points... Memphis just hasn't had a strong enough schedule to merit a 1 to me...

Texas Texh is not a tournament team and LSU might have been #9 at the time but that is irrelevant-they are not very good. A&M has lost 3 games to non-tourney teams and now has 5 losses total. I can't see them getting a #1 .

UCLA, Ohio State, Kansas and UNC are the #1s right now. I'd put Florida, Wisconsin and A&M as the next three with a shot.

[sooner333]

What better Texas vs. Oklahoma State (3OT) or Texas vs. Texas A&M (2OT)?

[Pumpy Tudors]

UNO knocks off UALR at the Chamber of Horrors in New Orleans. On to the Cajundome for the Sun Belt quarterfinals, Sunday vs. Arkansas State!

[GoldenEagle]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Why on earth would you want to face UCLA? I was reading a Duke board earlier this week and Duke fans wanted to play UCLA for some odd reason.

It would be sweet revenge from last year. I think the Tiger match up better with UCLA than a couple of other teams. UCLA is not all that and more. They are a top 5 team but probably not the best team coming into the bracket this year.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

It would be sweet revenge from last year. I think the Tiger match up better with UCLA than a couple of other teams. UCLA is not all that and more. They are a top 5 team but probably not the best team coming into the bracket this year.

You already beat UCLA last year so UCLA's win was a revenge game. UCLA is a better offensive team then last year and still has their tenacity. They also have the luxury of throwing a lot of big bodied defensive players. Put that with Afflalo and Collison at the guard spot. We don't really need to go into a coaches comparison either now do we?

[GoldenEagle]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

You already beat UCLA last year so UCLA's win was a revenge game. UCLA is a better offensive team then last year and still has their tenacity. They also have the luxury of throwing a lot of big bodied defensive players. Put that with Afflalo and Collison at the guard spot. We don't really need to go into a coaches comparison either now do we?

Memphis will be the only team in the country to finish in the Top 5 two years in a row. We will just wait and see but I would love for UCLA to be in the same bracket with Memphis. Memphis is not the same team it was last year, either.

[MrBug708]

Fair enough. I just figured you'd want your team to go further this year

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Memphis will be the only team in the country to finish in the Top 5 two years in a row. We will just wait and see but I would love for UCLA to be in the same bracket with Memphis. Memphis is not the same team it was last year, either.

This actually makes me curious, because I realize I don't know much about Memphis's squad this year except that they have continued to do well (albeit in a weak conference). GE, could you give a rundown of what your team looks like this year? Who it's best players are, and the style of play of this year's team (if it differs from last year).

You know I am a UCLA honk, so take this with a grain of salt, but I would be surprised you would want a rematch with UCLA, from what I know right now (which is why I want to know more). What I see is that UCLA, after its kids got some experience and really started to play well, pasted Memphis last year. That Memphis team lost three incredible players at least, including Carney. UCLA, meanwhile, only lost one player who would have been considered major (Farmar). This year, UCLA has been pretty dominant all year, with Collison making people forget Farmar rather quickly. So my gut says UCLA's largely the same team at least and is likely even better than last year, while Memphis lost three NBA pros. So based on that, that's why I wonder why you would want to see that matchup.

But like I said, I don't know anything really about this year's Memphis squad.

[st.cronin]

UCLA is the best team I've seen this year. (Other than Wisconsin, that is.)

[GoldenEagle]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

This actually makes me curious, because I realize I don't know much about Memphis's squad this year except that they have continued to do well (albeit in a weak conference).

How weak is it though? It is the 11th best conference according to the RPI. Not only has Memphis done well, they have dominated. Only one game has been within double digits.

GE, could you give a rundown of what your team looks like this year? Who it's best players are, and the style of play of this year's team (if it differs from last year).

Memphis is a much better outside shooting team this year. Jeremy Hunt and Donel Mack give the team much better outside shooting. Joey Dorsey has matured and has become a force inside. Last year, you could collapse on the Tigers and they would jack up threes. If they had an off night (like against UCLA), they would lose. This year, you have to cheat out further on them and that opens up stuff in the paint.

What I see is that UCLA, after its kids got some experience and really started to play well, pasted Memphis last year.

Pasted? I would not call 50-45 a pasting by any means. Memphis had off night. If they shoot even a little better, they win the game.

So based on that, that's why I wonder why you would want to see that matchup.

I would rather face UCLA then Ohio State, Florida, and UNC. Since Memphis is likely a 2 seed and those teams may be one seeds, I would rather draw UCLA in our bracket. Wisconsin would be a better choice than UCLA.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by sooner333

What better Texas vs. Oklahoma State (3OT) or Texas vs. Texas A&M (2OT)?

For pure entertainment, the 3OT game is still the best one of the year. But for impact on the season, last night's game takes the cake. Texas has been a completely different team since A&M pasted them 100-82 on Feb. 5th, and have won 6 in a row since then.

[terpkristin]

I was watching the game last night and wasn't online, but I just want to say right now:
GO TERPS!!!!

Yay. We can even lose to NC State and I might be ok with it after our last two games.

Ok, I'd be bummed, but it could be worse.

/tk

[LloydLungs]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

UNO knocks off UALR at the Chamber of Horrors in New Orleans. On to the Cajundome for the Sun Belt quarterfinals, Sunday vs. Arkansas State!

Last night's Buzz Williams Incident Du Jour: After several HARD UALR fouls on our players late in the game, Buzz had some rather animated words with LR coach Steve Shields during the postgame handshake (there was some pointing and shouting). I'm glad we got out of that game without any of our players getting killed.

Fortunately Buzz managed to keep it together this time on the postgame interview. He has wept on the radio three times this season. He's a tad emotional. I already compared him to Dick Fick but there's some Dick Vermeil in him too. I'm sure there's a good dick joke here somewhere but I don't want to interrupt the UCLA/Memphis pissing contest any more than I have already.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

How weak is it though? It is the 11th best conference according to the RPI.

Which I believe says a lot about the difference between the top conferences vs the rest of the pack. I certainly wouldn't want to hang my hat on being #11 considering how weak their out of conference schedules are (22nd OOC SOS)

Memphis might very well be for real, they might be a mirage (and I lean more toward real personally) but the conference this year doesn't appear to be anything that you could really judge them on.

[WSUCougar]

Cougs host UCLA in Pullman tonight. Wish us luck (except for you, Bug and CR).

[JonInMiddleGA]

GT beats UNC in Atlanta & Nevada loses at Utah State.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

GT beats UNC in Atlanta & Nevada loses at Utah State.

And UVA beat Va Tech. As long as Wake Forest (last place in the ACC) doesn't give them too much trouble the 'hoos should end atop the ACC!

[SuperGrover]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

GT beats UNC in Atlanta & Nevada loses at Utah State.

Roy has lost this team. It peaked in early-January, eerily reminiscent of the 2000-1 team that went from #1 to out in the second round against Penn State.

Very depressing for a UNC fan.

The last #1 seed is now officially on the blocks.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by SuperGrover

Roy has lost this team. It peaked in early-January, eerily reminiscent of the 2000-1 team that went from #1 to out in the second round against Penn State.

Very depressing for a UNC fan.

The last #1 seed is now officially on the blocks.

Is it safe to say at this point that it won't go to an ACC team? When is the last time the ACC did not have a #1 seed if so?

[WSUCougar]

Congrats to the Bruins on the win and the Pac-10 title.

[SuperGrover]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Is it safe to say at this point that it won't go to an ACC team? When is the last time the ACC did not have a #1 seed if so?

It's not safe as a UNC win Sunday and a run through the tourney will probably get them a #1 seed. However, the way they are playing there is no chance in Hell that will happen.

The last time an ACC team did not get a #1 seed was 2003. Wake was a 2 and dook was a 3.

[Radii]

Yeah, this is getting depressing, what happened to the rebounding for UNC?! They have such great big men and such great agression... usually. Ga Tech was outrebounding UNC 20-9 at the half last night. Maryland dominated the offensive boards, something has gone very wrong here.

UNC could still get a #1 seed but it would suprise me. A #2 is still ok, but I do hope that they don't end up in Ohio State's region(looking waay ahead).

In the short term, there appear to be scenarios where UNC and Duke play each other in the ACC Qarterfinals, and a UNC/Virginia Tech matchup appears possible in the ACC Semis should both get there. The ACC Tournament will be even more exciting than usual this year I think

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by LloydLungs

Last night's Buzz Williams Incident Du Jour: After several HARD UALR fouls on our players late in the game, Buzz had some rather animated words with LR coach Steve Shields during the postgame handshake (there was some pointing and shouting). I'm glad we got out of that game without any of our players getting killed.

Fortunately Buzz managed to keep it together this time on the postgame interview. He has wept on the radio three times this season. He's a tad emotional. I already compared him to Dick Fick but there's some Dick Vermeil in him too. I'm sure there's a good dick joke here somewhere but I don't want to interrupt the UCLA/Memphis pissing contest any more than I have already.

Buzz sounds like high comedy. I didn't know anything about him being this way. It sounds like an improvement for UNO. They may still be a roughly .500 team on the court, but now you get laughs from the coach. Monte never provided this much fun.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by SuperGrover

It's not safe as a UNC win Sunday and a run through the tourney will probably get them a #1 seed. However, the way they are playing there is no chance in Hell that will happen.

The last time an ACC team did not get a #1 seed was 2003. Wake was a 2 and dook was a 3.

Except that the ACC tournament ends after the selection is done, so I don't know how much a run through the tournament will help.

Apparently I don't know my college basketball history. I thought UNC or Duke almost always got a #1 seed.

[JeeberD]

I think the Miners played respectable ball against Memphis last night. We may have lost by 11, but it was much closer than that for most of the game. We're a very young team and I was really expecting us to lose by 20 or 30, so it was nice the see the kids playing hard.

I really can't wait to see what Barbee can do once he gets some of his players in El Paso...

Edit: After looking at the box score, I'm amazed that we were only outrebounded by 11. It seemed like the Tigers were grabbing boards at will.

[GoldenEagle]

Jeebs,

UTEP did play hard and the atmosphere was electric. I am still not sure how you guys lost so many games this year. Other than USM, I thought UTEP played the Tigers the toughest.

The funny thing is, if Hunt had not been reinstated, he would have been at UTEP this year.

[LloydLungs]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Buzz sounds like high comedy. I didn't know anything about him being this way. It sounds like an improvement for UNO. They may still be a roughly .500 team on the court, but now you get laughs from the coach. Monte never provided this much fun.

Nah, Monte was always trying to be funny but he was more of a doofus. Buzz is hilarious without trying to be, and I think he's only vaguely aware of how strange his idiosyncracies look to other people. I'm telling you, this guy would be a huge college basketball celebrity if he were coaching a good TV team. I'm crossing my fingers that maybe there's some other reason UNO underachieved this year and he can actually coach. He's a good guy and very genuine.

[Karlifornia]

I hope Memphis and UCLA wind up in the same bracket again this year so we can have "Square-Off Of The FOFC Homers II: Blind Ambition"

[cartman]

11am Central Saturday, on CBS:
Texas at Kansas

I didn't think Texas had a chance against A&M, and I think they have less of a chance at Allen Fieldhouse. But Kansas looked pretty pedestrian against OU their last time out. I'm hoping for another great Big 12 game!

[henry296]

One bid down and 64 to go. Penn routs Yale to clinch Ivy League championship. This is their third bid in a row. They should be a 13 seed and hopefully a good matchup and maybe an upset for a solid core of seniors.

[henry296]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Except that the ACC tournament ends after the selection is done, so I don't know how much a run through the tournament will help.

Apparently I don't know my college basketball history. I thought UNC or Duke almost always got a #1 seed.

Tournament selection isn't done until 6 PM on Sunday and ACC title game is at 1. The selection committee will probably develop contigency brackets depending on who wins.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

I hope Memphis and UCLA wind up in the same bracket again this year so we can have "Square-Off Of The FOFC Homers II: Blind Ambition"

Brah is Back

[cartman]

54-42 Texas at the half on the road at Kansas. Durant has scored 25 so far.

I'm happy with a ten point lead. Texas is gonna need it, because they haven't been doing a good job of holding second half leads.

[Lathum]

ok, this is the first time I have watched Durant for an extended period of time. He is a freak.

[miami_fan]

OH NO! Durant is hurt