2012 NCAA Tournament Thread

[sterlingice]

Yeah, we aren't even in the Sweet 16 yet. Gotta get past Purdue tonight first. I saw 2 games at the Big Ten tourney: Northwestern/Minnesota and Nebraska/Purdue. I was with a couple of guys from work who weren't basketball fans much and, at one point, partway through the Purdue blowout, I turned to the guy next to me and said: "you can just see this team is on a totally different level than the other three teams we've seen today".

SI

[sterlingice]

So, anyone got Lehigh in the Sweet 16 in their bracket? ColtCrazy's class of 5th graders, maybe?

SI

[Radii]

Lehigh!

[PurdueBrad]

Originally Posted by mauboy1

You obviously mean Purdue...

And I obviously wish this part were true! I'm just hoping that we show up and put up a respectable effort tonight vs. Kansas.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Radii

Lehigh!

I know it's way too early to declare a NCAA tourney game open but did anyone have Lehigh with a double digit lead in any NCAA tourney game?

SI

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Even with a stellar class coming in, I don't see how MSU doesn't regress next year with Green being gone. He means far too much to that team for them to simply replace him with what is going to be there next year.

This is Izzo. 15 consecutive tournaments. This makes 10 sweet 16's or better in those 15 years. What does regression mean? Something like last years .500 record in conference and first round exit? I could see that.

Still, they have 2 Frosh and 2 SO getting good minutes in critical games right now. Throw in a couple of juniors likely to return and the incoming class? Regress probably, but I still wouldn't want to play em as we get into March next year.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I know it's way too early to declare a NCAA tourney game open but did anyone have Lehigh with a double digit lead in any NCAA tourney game?

SI

Well, unless anyone had them beating Duke by any amount of points, I'd say no.

Lehigh is rolling now. If they win, they would face Baylor. I think Baylor would just have too much size and athleticism for them to contend with. STill, this is stunning. Hope they pull this off and head to next week. Good for them.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Lehigh is rolling now. If they win, they would face Baylor. I think Baylor would just have too much size and athleticism for them to contend with. STill, this is stunning. Hope they pull this off and head to next week. Good for them.

Yeah, sounds about right. I was disappointed Norfolk State didn't put up a fight today against Florida, very very happy to see Lehigh playing so well for a second game.

[TargetPractice6]

It's hard for me to believe Green is even still in school. I remember him committing to Kentucky under Tubby Smith back in 2007. Seems like an eternity ago.

[Lathum]

Go Leigh!

I have Baylor in the final 4

[sterlingice]

...Wobbling... but not breaking...?



SI

[sterlingice]

This game is suddenly a lot different

SI

[sterlingice]

Well, crap. We've started out down 8-0

SI

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by TroyF

This is Izzo. 15 consecutive tournaments. This makes 10 sweet 16's or better in those 15 years. What does regression mean? Something like last years .500 record in conference and first round exit? I could see that.

Still, they have 2 Frosh and 2 SO getting good minutes in critical games right now. Throw in a couple of juniors likely to return and the incoming class? Regress probably, but I still wouldn't want to play em as we get into March next year.

Something where they tap out around around the Sweet 16. Even if Izzo is the best tourney coach, his team has gone out 4 times in the first round and another in the 2nd. I think them being an Elite 8 team next year will be pushing it and anything beyond that is really stretching it. Saying that, in two years they have the potential to be as good as anybody.

[ColtCrazy]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

So, anyone got Lehigh in the Sweet 16 in their bracket? ColtCrazy's class of 5th graders, maybe?

SI

Sadly no. My wild bracket picked the wrong 15 seed to go to the Final Four. VCU was her champion. Guess you could say her bracket is done.

[mauchow]

That was an UGLY free throw. Worse than an airball.

[sterlingice]

Geez- the substitutions here are like a chess game. It was interesting watching Self talking with Travis Releford. He's only a junior but he's a defensive specialist and a guy with a high "basketball iq" and they were talking over defensive positioning on the floor, it looked like.

SI

[terpkristin]

Look, I'm happy when teams do unexpected things, especially beating Duke, but my bracket is broken enough...

/tk

[mauchow]

I forgot that the offensive player can just jump into the defender and still get a shooting foul.................

[sterlingice]

KU getting outmuscled underneath so Taylor is starting to force stuff.

SI

[mauchow]

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......shaky flagrant call imo

[sterlingice]

Hummel's being allowed to use two arms on Robinson underneath. He's not going to get anything going if that happens

SI

[TroyF]

I REALLY don't like the way the NCAA is looking at flagrant fould this tournament. It seems incredibly inconsistent on something that should be a fairly obvious call. Did the guy hack too hard or not?

In the Kansas game the Purdue player hit ball before he hit the player, he tried to hold him up as they were going down and somehow that's a flagrant 1. Look at the Marshall injury and tell me that foul was less violent than the one Purdue just had.

I'm all for taking violence out of the game, but I didn't view that as a horrible foul at all.

It's just too bad we can't go back in time and have these refs view the Laetner stomp. No way in hell he'd have finished that game. And I wouldn't have to see replays of that shot every freakin tournament.

[mauchow]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Hummel's being allowed to use two arms on Robinson underneath. He's not going to get anything going if that happens

SI

Purdue is the biggest user of the hand check, holding defense in the B1G; it's crazy how much they get away with it in the B1G -- I haven't paid close enough attention to the whole game to see how they've been doing against Kansas... no doubt plenty of hand checks and holds.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by mauboy1

Purdue is the biggest user of the hand check, holding defense in the B1G; it's crazy how much they get away with it in the B1G -- I haven't paid close enough attention to the whole game to see how they've been doing against Kansas... no doubt plenty of hand checks and holds.

They're just holding Robinson underneath, sometimes two guys. He can't move hardly

SI

[sterlingice]

Silly observation time: The winner of the Purdue/Kansas game will likely play North Carolina State and North Carolina (provided they win and UNC beats Ohio)

SI

[sterlingice]

This just in: Robbie Hummel is filthy

SI

[mauchow]

ticky-tacky, ticky-tacky fouls.. wtf

[mauchow]

Who was that foul on? This is ridiculous.

[sterlingice]

I was really ticked early on that they could murder us and we'd get ticky tack fouls. Now it's the exact opposite. I think it's just crappy officiating.

SI

[sterlingice]

And, yeah, the refs missed a really, really obvious goaltend on KU

SI

[TargetPractice6]

Lehigh ties it up. Not sure how I feel about this. I'd love to see Lehigh keep rolling, but I think Xavier would give Baylor a better game.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Silly observation time: The winner of the Purdue/Kansas game will likely play North Carolina State and North Carolina (provided they win and UNC beats Ohio)

North Carolina plays North Carolina State for the right to go to the final four. Local sports talk radio explodes. I want this to happen so bad.

[sterlingice]

Geez. Hummel from insane territory

SI

[TargetPractice6]

22 in the first half for Hummel? Are you kidding me??

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by TargetPractice6

22 in the first half for Hummel? Are you kidding me??

He can't miss. He just hit one from about 26' with a hand in his face and the shot clock at 1

SI

[mauchow]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

He can't miss. He just hit one from about 26' with a hand in his face and the shot clock at 1

SI

Get it right at least - shot clock was at 2.

[sterlingice]

I figured there was a chance you were going to tell me it was 28'

SI

[mauchow]

Got to golf today, watch basketball, hang out with my 16-month old, watch more basketball. 77 degrees in north-central Wisconsin. Best March weekend in a long time, as a whole.

[TargetPractice6]

Anyone else getting tired of the Toyota recruiter?

[mauchow]

Refs continue to miss the obvious fouls and call the non-fouls....

[sterlingice]

This is ridiculous. If you're within the paint, no fouls. But out front, standard calls if not even a little ticky-tack

SI

[mauchow]

Robinson was moving on the screen - glad I don't have a team involved in this one. I'd be ripping my hair out.

[mauchow]

I really wish they'd go with three media timeouts vs four per half. Every 5th minute is plenty. TV still wins with the five timeouts mainly being used at the end of the halves/game where they still fit in three minute timeouts.

[Scoobz0202]

3 for 20 from 3-point land won't get it done Lehigh

[MizzouRah]

SI, what's going on with Kansas?

[mauchow]

I thought Kansas would be a lot better defensively - are they missing a key component? Purdue gets quite a few good looks. I know Hummel is going nuts, but they still get good looks around the free throw line after a little simple screen.

[ColtCrazy]

As much as I want to see another Big Ten team move on, the refs have let this game get to physical. Purdue seems comfortable with it, but you can tell it's gotten to Kansas. 3s have kept them in this game.

[mauchow]

If Jackson would have made any of his driving lay-ups that'd be a help for Purdue.

[mauchow]

Neither team shooting free throws very well; each with six misses.