# Conference Tournament Thread 2015



## bball2223

Same as the past few years, relegate all talk of conference tournaments and end of season conference regular season races to this thread. As always I will be tracking the Auto-Bids for each league and highlighting when tournaments are starting and playing for Auto-Bids. Last year's thread hit almost 25 pages, hopefully we can have similar activity this time around. 

The madness will be upon us on Sunday, and conference tournaments will be in full swing within the next 10-12 days.


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## bball2223

*Auto-Bids:*

*American East:* Albany
*American:* SMU
*Atlantic-10:* VCU
*ACC:* Notre Dame
*Atlantic Sun:* North Florida
*Big 12:* Iowa State
*Big East:* Villanova
*Big Sky:* Eastern Washington 
*Big South:* Coastal Carolina 
*Big Ten:* Wisconsin
*Big West:* UC-Irvine
*Colonial:* NorthEastern
*C-USA:* UAB
*Horizon:* Valparaiso
*Metro-Atlantic:* Manhattan
*MAC:* Buffalo
*MEAC:* Hampton
*Missouri Valley:* Northern Iowa
*Mountain West:* Wyoming
*NEC:* Robert Morris
*Ohio Valley:* Belmont
*Pac-12:* Arizona
*Patriot League:* Lafayette
*SEC:* Kentucky
*So-Con:* Wofford
*Southland:* Stephen F. Austin
*SWAC:* Texas Southern
*Summit:* North Dakota State
*Sun Belt:* Georgia State
*West Coast:* Gonzaga
*WAC:* New Mexico State


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## bball2223

The following teams are ineligible for postseason play:

_UMass-Lowell_-American East (Still Reclassifying to Division One)
_Syracuse_-ACC (Self-Imposed Postseason Ban)
_Northern Kentucky_-Atlantic Sun (Still Reclassifying to Division One)
_Southern Mississippi_-C-USA (Self-Imposed Postseason Ban)
_UW-Milwaukee_-Horizon (APR Penalties)
_Florida A&M_-MEAC (APR Penalties)
_San Jose State_-Mountain West (APR Penalties)
_Central Arkansas_-Southland (APR Penalties)
_Houston Baptist_-Southland (APR Penalties)
_Lamar_-Southland (APR Penalties)
_Abilene Christian_-Southland (Still Reclassifying to Division One)
_Incarnate Word_-Southland (Still Reclassifying to Division One)
_Alabama State_-SWAC (APR Penalties)
_Southern_-SWAC (APR Penalties)
_Omaha_-Summit (Still Reclassifying to Division One)
_Appalachian State_-Sun Belt (APR Penalties)
_Grand Canyon_-WAC (Still Reclassifying to Division One)

http://www.bloggingthebracket.com/2014/8/11/5963473/2015-mens-college-basketball-conference-tournament-information


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## bball2223

The following schools have already locked up Regular Season Conference Titles:

Albany *(American East)*
Villanova *(Big East)*
Iona *(Metro-Atlantic)*
NC-Central *(MEAC)*
Wichita State *(Missouri Valley)*
St. Francis (NY) *(NEC)*
Murray State *(Ohio Valley)*
Kentucky *(SEC)*
Gonzaga *(WCC)*
New Mexico State *(WAC)*


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## bball2223

Conference Tournaments start March 3rd, here is a listing of which tournaments start on which days:

*March 3rd:*

Atlantic Sun
Horizon League
Patriot League

*March 4th:*

America East
Big South
Northeast
Ohio Valley

*March 5th:*

Metro-Atlantic
Missouri Valley
West Coast

*March 6th:*

Colonial
Southern

*March 7th:*

Summit

*March 9th:*

MAC

*March 10th:*

C-USA
MEAC

*March 11th:*

Atlantic-10
ACC
Big 12
Big East
Big Ten
Mountain West
Pac-12
SEC
SWAC

*March 12th:*

American 
Big Sky
Big West
Sun Belt
WAC

*March 13th:*

Southland


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## bball2223

Ivy League bid will likely be awarded to the winner of Harvard/Yale next Saturday at Ha-vahd.


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## bball2223

Highlight games for the final week of the regular season:

*Monday:*

19 Baylor at Texas 7 ESPNU
2 Virginia at Syracuse 7 ESPN
16 Oklahoma at 12 Iowa State 9 ESPN

*Tuesday:*

15 UNC at Georgia Tech 7 ESPNU
14 Maryland at Rutgers 7 BTN
Georgetown at 23 Butler 7 FS1
20 West Virginia at 8 Kansas 9 ESPN2
1 Kentucky at Georgia 9 ESPN
6 Villanova at Creighton 915 FS1

*Wednesday:*

9 Notre Dame at 17 Louisville 7 ESPN2
25 Providence at Seton Hall 7 FS1
Wake Forest at 4 Duke 8 FullCt
24 San Diego State at UNLV 11 CBSSN

*Thursday:*

5 Wisconsin at Minnesota 7 ESPN
18 Arkansas at South Carolina 7 ESPN2
Cal at 7 Arizona 9 ESPN
22 VCU at Davidson 9 ESPNU
13 Utah at Washington State 11 ESPNU

*Friday:*

Texas Tech at 19 Baylor 9 ESPN2

MAC East Deciding Games:

Akron at Kent State 7 ESPN2
Bowling Green at Buffalo 7 ESPN3

*Saturday:*

23 Butler at 25 Providence Noon FS1
Florida at 1 Kentucky 2 CBS
St. Johns at 6 Villanova 2 Fox
Oklahoma State at 20 West Virginia 2 ESPNN
LSU at 18 Arkansas 2 ESPN
Stanford at 7 Arizona 4 CBS
8 Kansas at 16 Oklahoma 4 ESPN
Clemson at 9 Notre Dame 4 FullCt
13 Utah at Washington 4:30 Pac-12
George Mason at 22 VCU 5:30 NBCSN
2 Virginia at 17 Louisville 6:30 ESPN
12 Iowa State at TCU 8:30 ESPNN
4 Duke at 15 UNC 9 ESPN
Nevada at 24 San Diego State 10 CBSSN

*Sunday:*

Tulsa at 21 SMU 3 ESPNU
5 Wisconsin at Ohio State 4 CBS
14 Maryland at Nebrasak 7:30 BTN


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## Gormin71

Dude, get your head out of ESPN's media-ass, and actually look at the schedule.

Big game on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, when the Rhode Island Rams (@UD40) travel to play against the Dayton Flyers at UD Arena.

Yet, you list George Mason at VCU. A lowly school in the A10 playing at a top school in the A10.

And you list the MAC East deciding games. Like who gives a flying F.


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## Gronehestu

Why are you shitting on him for doing all that work setting this thread up?

The MAC may not be a very powerful league, but look at the standings: three 19-win teams are within one game of one another for their half of the league. This is why March rules. Who cares if it's not a league you care desperately about


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## bball2223

Gormin71 said:


> Dude, get your head out of ESPN's media-ass, and actually look at the schedule.
> 
> Big game on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, when the Rhode Island Rams (@UD40) travel to play against the Dayton Flyers at UD Arena.
> 
> Yet, you list George Mason at VCU. A lowly school in the A10 playing at a top school in the A10.
> 
> And you list the MAC East deciding games. Like who gives a flying F.



Has head up ESPN's ass yet comments on MAC East race. Can't explain that one, Slugger.


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## Gormin71

Gronehestu said:


> Why are you shitting on him for doing all that work setting this thread up?


Because that's why people do here on BBF.com? Right @Basel?


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## bball2223

Wisconsin clinches a share of the Big-10 title, not a surprise, but another job well done for Bo and company. Providence dismantles Marquette, and UConn earns a huge victory over SMU, who now sits a half game back of Tulsa in the American.


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## Basel

Gormin71 said:


> Because that's why people do here on BBF.com? Right @Basel?


That's usually how it goes for me, yes.


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## Gronehestu

Holy shit Purdue. Holy shit Pittsburgh. Holy shit Stanford. This evening has not been particularly kind to bubble teams. I mean HOLY SHIT, Purdue.

I often wonder why Ohio St isn't better than 21-8 with all that talent, and then I see Amir Williams on the basketball court. lol I love that hapless bastard

And if Frank Kaminsky doesn't win the Wooden Award, I will just be devastated. He is everything that a star college athlete is supposed to be, and not just that, he legitimately may be the best player in all of America. 31 and 8 with 3 helpers, 3 blocks and 2 steals on Senior Day against a bitter rival. That is ****ing legendary stuff man


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## bball2223

Massive game for Texas tonight, if they can't beat Baylor it's either B12 tournament or NIT.


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## bball2223

ACC 1st Team is going to be tough to pick:

*Locks:*
Okafor
Christmas
Grant 

Then it gets muddy. Tyus Jones, Olivier Hanlan, Quinn Cook, Brogdon, Rozier, Harrell, Winslow and Lacey all could make a claim. I personally would put Cook/Jones because they have been flawless the last 5 weeks and change. Will be interesting to see how the coaches see it. 


Also very ugly game in the Carrier Dome right now.


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## bball2223

Virginia wins their second straight ACC title. Texas going into OT against Baylor. And for the first time in seemingly ever a Big Monday game that doesn't overlap with the 9 PM game.


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## bball2223

Texas gets a huge win over Baylor. Still some work to do, but that will help.


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## Gronehestu

Stupid Texas. I don't want them getting in. Team with that much talent on the roster doesn't deserve a super bubbly bubble bid....grumble grumble

for further grumblage, that was the lamest 7-player ejection 'altercation' I've ever seen lol

Virginia, ACC champs back-to-back. And each of the last two years, you had multiple media outlets proclaiming - before the season tipped off - that 'this year's ACC could be one of the greatest conferences _ever_'. Let's all give Tony Bennett a round of applause, college basketball fans. 

I'm shocked and appalled at Iowa St right now. They've lost two straight and are down 37-18 _at Hilton_ to Oklahoma. Barring a huge 2nd half, the past 10 days have seriously downgraded Iowa St's seed.


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## Gronehestu

So Iowa St scores 59 points in the 2nd half to win 77-70, I mean who didn't see that one coming?


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## bball2223

They came back and won 77-70, missed all of it for another slow episode of Better Call Saul.


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## bball2223

Also with the Oklahoma loss Bill Self clinches a share of his what? 11th or 12th straight B12 title? Just ridiculous.


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## bball2223

Kansas currently in OT against West Virginia. The rest of the top 25 won, sans Butler who lost to Georgetown. Dayton grabs control of the A-10 with a big home victory over Rhode Island.


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## Gronehestu

See, it's shit like LSU losing by 15 at home to a .500 team on March 4th that should completely disqualify a bubble team (in this case, LSU) from the NCAA tournament. 

I love to hate programs like that. Teams that subsist on pure, volatile talent and nothing more

Michigan St got a pretty good win over Purdue, there's so many 8-10 seeds coming out of the B1G this year lol shit...

Boise St and Colorado St should be tourney teams, but if San Diego St ****s up against UNLV tonight it would really throw the MW tourney picture into chaos. Stupid UNLV, what was I saying about teams with volatile talent rather than playing hard and smart?

Cincy seems back on track - holding Tulsa to 34% shooting and 47 points at home is pretty impressive this late in the season in such a big bubble game. The Bearcats are young and really went through a lot with Cronin's health issues earlier this year. I wouldn't wanna face them in March. That's a program to continue to watch.

I'm tracking SDSU/UNLV and Oregon St/Oregon very closely tonight


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## Gronehestu

Whew, San Diego St held on. Damn. And Oregon is definitely going to Dance, 23 regular-season wins after the roster attrition that they dealt with prior to the season is pretty darn impressive. I really dislike that university, though

A hearty congratulations to Larry Nance Jr, Josh Adams, Riley Grabau, Charles Hankerson, Derek Cook and Larry Shyatt's Wyoming team on a very impressive senior night. And what was extra cool is this: Adams gave up his starting spot to Jack Bentz, a fellow senior guard who's played only 110 minutes all year, and Bentz handed out 6 of the Cowboys' 26 assists on their 30 made baskets. That's a halluva senior night all the way around. There's so much to like about this team and when they've got a healthy Nance, they're an NCAA tournament team. I know they won't get a bid unless they win the MW, but I'll be rooting them on to do just that and hopefully more.


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## Gronehestu

Arch Madness has begun. Now, truly, it feels like March - Bradley and Drake going to OT as I type this post. Always such a fun tourney. I like Evansville and Illinois St to be the other semifinalists along with Wichita St and Northern Iowa. 

Damn, Davidson! They're writing an epic tale of how to join a new conference with style. That shellacking of VCU is a statement to the selection committee. Davidson is an NCAA team, no matter what happens in the A-10 tourney. 

USC Upstate came back to win a big game against rival Florida Gulf Coast behind 15 points from ShunQuez Stephens, one of my favorite players in college hoops for his name alone. If the Spartans can upset North Florida for the Atlantic Sun title, they're a serious upset possibility for the NCAA's. Ty Greene was awesome this year, stepping out from departed Torrey Craig's shadow and winning the A-Sun Player of the Year award. They defend well, turn people over without giving the ball away themselves, and have a nice backcourt pair in Greene and do-everything senior Fred Brown. Potentially dangerous underdog. I'll definitely be tuned into their matchup with North Florida

If UConn wins the AAC tourney, I won't be surprised. But I will be pissed off. Likewise, If Diamond Stone signs with them instead of us, I will be pissed off. 

I really hope Stanford loses to Arizona St so we can stop talking about them being in the picture at all. 

Arkansas tried to pull an LSU. That would have been pretty funny. The SEC is still a shit basketball conference. 

And finally...










My face(s) when Bucky claimed the Big 10 Championship outright, on east dakota's own floor. It doesn't get too much better than that. 

As Gasser said "we haven't done anything yet"

This team has its sights set on the grandest of prizes. I feel so lucky and appreciative to be a Badgers fan. This team makes me so damn proud. 

On Wisconsin!


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## bball2223

Liked for the OutKast gif, and the overall post itself. 


Murray State and Belmont play at 7 for the first automatic bid to the tournament. Murray State has won 25 straight games since losing to Valparaiso by 35, at home none the less. They beat Belmont by 15 in their only meeting this season.


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## bball2223

Villanova has been cruising lately and haven't lost since January 19th. I would be content either way with Nova or Wisconsin grabbing the 4th number one seed.


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## bball2223

LSU! Hornsby hits a 3 at the buzzer to give the Tigers the win at Bud Walton. That is the win they needed to solidify themselves in the tournament.


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## bball2223

Illinois State upsets Wichita State in the Semi's of Arch Madness. Bubble teams have to be pulling for Northern Iowa to win the Conference Tournament now.


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## HKF

Some teams are really limping to the finish. VCU looks like a mess in particular. Paul Hewitt (GMU) should be getting fired this year.


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## HKF

So Belmont wins the OVC tournament by one and Murray State is sent to the NIT. 27-5 all for naught. Damn shame. Yale also chokes away a tournament bid losing a game they were leading the entire way to Dartmouth. They will play Harvard next Saturday at Penn for the league title. 

Would have been cool to see Yale in the tournament, now I feel like they are going to blow it.


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## shupioneers1

Time to play everyones favorite game "Name the Blind Resume."

Team A: 19-12 overall, 9-9 in conference. Home loss to Eastern Washington, losers of 4 of 5 to end the regular season.
Team B: 19-12 overall, 8-10 in conference. The conference was RPI rated the toughest conference in the country however through 18 games they finished under .500, lost 8 of 13 to end the regular season and who's only 2 OOC noteworthy wins are @ UConn a team not in the tournament and a neutral court win over a decent Iowa team.
Team C: 27-5 overall, 16-0 in conference. Ended the regular season winners of 24 straight games. Sure they haven't beaten anyone and losses to Hoston and Portland really hurt but they won 27 games and went undeafted in conference play, which imo, is much more of an evaluator of how good a team is then a 3 day stretch in March at the conference tournament.

If you haven't guessed A is Indiana a team squarely on the bubble, B is Texas who as of Saturday night March 7 is one of the last 4 teams in, and C is Murray State after their loss in the OVC tournament who according to doofus Lunardi isn't in the tournament.

I'm starting to think the mid-major conferences should break away from the major conferences and form their own division because I'm sorry but Murray State being left out of this years tournament would be a COMPLETE JOKE. The bubble is so incredibly weak this year that UConn a team that was 17-12 after Thursday got included in the "next 4 out" after beating the worst Memphis team since pre Cal! And let's say Kentucky played Murray's schedule and had the same results starting with an opening night loss to Houston and culminating in a 1 point loss to Belmont in the OVC championship not only would a 27-5 Kentucky be an absolute lock for the NCAA tournament losing to Belmont would probably only drop them from a 2 seed to a 3 or 4 seed! And if the suits at Indy are discrediting Murray because the conference is bad why are they comparing the 2 conferences in the same division anyways??

You can give me all the RPI, SOS, non con SOS, conference rank numbers you want but the biggest deceider should be the eye test! I see the worst Indiana team in probably 10 years playing in a mediocre Big 10 that only managed a 9-9 conference record. Do they deserve to be playing in the NCAA tournament?? Nope! I see a Texas team that finished sub .500 in their conference. Should they be playing in the NCAA tournament?? Nope! I say any team that cant finish at least .500 in a conference should be disqualified from tourney discussion. Should Murray State be playing in the NCAA tourney?? From what I saw Saturday night yes. They lost by 1 with Belmont hitting a ridiculous 15 three pointers. Don't screw this up Indianapolis!


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## HKF

Murray State doesn't really have a great win all season. Sucks for them, but at least they will be in the NIT.


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## Gronehestu

shupioneers, I don't agree with everything you said but you do make some very good points. I'm not that sold on Murray St's resume, but this year they should get in because as you said, there's a tremendous amount of mediocrity from Power 5 programs a lot of people somehow consider shoe-ins 

Wheeeeeeew, Valpo hung on against Cleveland St to set up a winner-take-all matchup against Green Bay. Dat gon b gud.

Feels like a whole bunch of bubble teams just absolutely dynamited themselves in the foot today. Pitt screwed up, Indiana screwed up, Ole Miss and Texas A&M REALLY screwed up, Dayton ughhhhhh why Dayton? The Flyers should definitely be in regardless of how the A-10 tourney goes, but dammit they really didn't need to lose their last regular season game to a .500 team. Saint Mary's and Stanford are now completely out of the picture, 

Not to mention that Xavier very, very nearly screwed up, also. 

All this talk of the SEC definitely being a 6-bid league is pissing me off. A&M's best non-league win came by a single point over Arizona St (17-14). Ole Miss owns a win over Cincy, but as much as I like Cincy they're still a bubble team. Georgia's best non-league win was...Seton Hall? I mean, you can't just put every team that has a winning SEC record into the NCAAs, because the SEC just is not a very good league. But they sure do have influence in all the most important places. 

So far as the B1G, Wisconsin, Maryland, Sparty, Iowa, Purdue and Ohio St should be locks at this point. Indiana and Illinois are virtually the same as those 3 SEC teams I mentioned, and should not be in the field of 68. 

I love Tom Crean at Indiana. I hope he never leaves

Colorado St, Boise St, and San Diego St have all handled their regular-season business. Those 3 teams are all NCAA locks, in my opinion. But Wyoming broke my heart again tonight with a shitty, shitty road loss in which they shot 31% for the game against a .500 New Mexico team. I can't imagine how depressed I'd be if I was a Wyoming fan, and not just some dude who likes them from afar. 

Iowa St sure seems to enjoy terrible first halves. They might want to stop letting their opponents get out to big early leads, because they aren't going to score 60ish points in the 2nd half ever game...

...or will they?

I really wish I hadn't been at work most of the day so I could have had the chance to tune into that Murray St/Belmont matchup, sounded epic. 

Damn, didn't expect to see Wichita St or Virginia go down today, those losses definitely will lead to some questions but shit happens. Once the Hoos are healthy again they'll get back to stifling everyone in their path. Wichita St is somewhat hard to read. They haven't looked that great against the good teams they've played this year (outside of last week against Northern Iowa), and I wonder how to pick them in my brackets...a lot will depend on their matchups. 

Utah, what the ****. Seriously, just..what the ****

I wonder how much noise St Bonny's and Richmond will make in the A-10 tourney. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if either of them made it to the semifinals, or the title game. Davidson just keeps kicking ass and taking names, Bob McKillop needs to get some serious hardware for the job he's done. Again. 

I really hope Texas loses its first game in the Big 12 tourney, but right now I have a feeling they're going to the title game of that league. Drat. 

I like March


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## Gronehestu

Oh jeez, and how could I possibly have not mentioned the Syracuse thing. 

It's a lame attempt by the NCAA at actually bringing the hammer down on a blue blood school, but at least they singled out Jim Boeheim a bit. 

Really, it's amazing the NCAA didn't come down harder on them given the huge amount of shit that they formally announced in that list of charges, with basketball program people doing all kinds of literal cheating and forging of grades/papers/etc to keep players eligible. 

This is why big time programs continue to play outside the rules. They're just like mega-corporations: too profitable and with too many lobbyists working behind the scenes for the governing body to actually put teeth into any form of punishment or regulation. 

And then Jim Boeheim still releases a statement blaming other people for his own mess. 

And then Jim Boeheim chickens out and doesn't attend the post-game press conference after his team gets stomped by NC St

Let me be as clear as crystal: Jim Boeheim is a son of a bitch, a man utterly without integrity, and a man who deserves absolutely no admiration for any of the things he has done. He does it the wrong way, and then he plays the victim when it doesn't go the way he wants it to, and he treats people like shit unless they can be used to further his ambitions. 

**** Jim Boeheim


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## bball2223

I wouldn't mind seeing Murray State in, but they have zero quality wins non-conference. They barely survived the semifinals, as well. 

Congrats to Belmont on the first automatic bid.


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## bball2223

The following conferences will be handing out Automatic Bids today:

*Atlantic Sun: *North Florida vs. USC-UpState
*Big South:* Winthrop vs. Coastal Carolina
*Missouri Valley:* Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa


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## UD40

I love the days leading up to the major conference tourneys, which in turns adds fuel to the fire for the NCAA. It's a great time to be a basketball fan!

PS) In the Million Post Thread I made my A10 tourney predictions with Rhody beating Davidson.

Don't judge me...go Rhody!


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## Mrs. Thang

I don't buy the "if Kentucky had Murray State's resume they'd be in" thing. A 21-12 Kentucky team just got left out of the tournament two years ago in favor of a Middle Tennessee State team that had a similar resume.


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## UD40

Coastal Carolina is about to get invited to the dance.


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## bball2223

Big win for Coastal Carolina. Cliff Ellis can coach, and Coastal Carolina might give a 2/3 seed trouble. They have length and can score.


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## UD40

Illinois St not phased at all by Northern Iowa.

31-15 lead heading towards the under 4 timeout.


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## bball2223

UNI isn't making shots and they don't want it nearly as bad as Illinois State. This is the start of the full court press being put on the Bubble Teams if this result holds. 

Stony Brook will play Albany in the American East finals next Saturday. DeShaun Thrower with a huge game for the SeaWolves. Still have no idea how Central/Western/Eastern let Mr. Basketball get out of Michigan. Would love to have him filling in for Chris Fowler after next year.


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## UD40

UNI now up 4 after coming out hot to start the 2nd.


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## bball2223

Northern Iowa with the lead now.


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## EpicFailGuy

Saint Louis's Conference Tournament should be sponsored by Delta.

Don't 
Even
Leave
The 
Airport

It's really hard to justify a trip to Brooklyn this year.


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## bball2223

Illinois State has only scored 13 points in the first 14 minutes of the 2nd half. Need to get some buckets quickly or UNI will bury them.


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## HKF

Coastal Carolina gave Virginia all they could handle last season in the tournament. They could be dangerous.


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## bball2223

Northern Iowa wins Arch Madness, meaning all bubble teams can breathe a sigh of relief for now.


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## bball2223

Gronehestu said:


> Oh jeez, and how could I possibly have not mentioned the Syracuse thing.
> 
> It's a lame attempt by the NCAA at actually bringing the hammer down on a blue blood school, but at least they singled out Jim Boeheim a bit.
> 
> Really, it's amazing the NCAA didn't come down harder on them given the huge amount of shit that they formally announced in that list of charges, with basketball program people doing all kinds of literal cheating and forging of grades/papers/etc to keep players eligible.
> 
> This is why big time programs continue to play outside the rules. They're just like mega-corporations: too profitable and with too many lobbyists working behind the scenes for the governing body to actually put teeth into any form of punishment or regulation.
> 
> And then Jim Boeheim still releases a statement blaming other people for his own mess.
> 
> And then Jim Boeheim chickens out and doesn't attend the post-game press conference after his team gets stomped by NC St
> 
> Let me be as clear as crystal: Jim Boeheim is a son of a bitch, a man utterly without integrity, and a man who deserves absolutely no admiration for any of the things he has done. He does it the wrong way, and then he plays the victim when it doesn't go the way he wants it to, and he treats people like shit unless they can be used to further his ambitions.
> 
> **** Jim Boeheim


I played AAU with a kid who's dad played with Boeheim at Syracuse. Probably the only person I have ever met who had anything positive to say about him, and he was even fairly reserved. 

I agree with you, though, **** Jim Boeheim.


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## Gronehestu

USC Upstate trying to mount a charge against North Florida, and just a few minutes till Bucky tips off

I hope we bloody Thad Matta's stupid nose. On Wisconsin!!!


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## bball2223

North Florida has this wrapped up. First NCAA tournament appearance for the Osprey's. Always fun to see the small schools make the dance for the first time.


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## bball2223

What a dime from Russell. Kaminsky is the B1G/National Player of the Year, but Russell is far and away the best NBA prospect in the Big Ten.


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## bball2223

SMU beats Tulsa by 5 to clinch the American regular season outright. This team with Mudiay would have been scary.


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## bball2223

Wisconsin absolutely dismantled Ohio State. Hell of a season for the Badgers.


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## Gronehestu

I am obviously biased. I know this

But how in the hell are you not going to give Wisconsin a #1 seed? This team is awesome

And what's more, if we get a 2 seed in the same region as Kentucky I'm going lose my ****ing mind. This is AT WORST the 5th best team in America and as such should get matched against the 'easiest' #1 seed if they aren't a #1 seed themselves


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## bball2223

Yeah I would put Wisconsin in the same region as Nova if they are a 2. Although the guy who interviewed with the CBS crew earlier stated that Wisconsin would likely go to Cleveland as UK's number 2. Should be interesting to follow how Sconnie and Nova do in their respective conference tournaments.


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## HKF

Right now, there are 6 teams worthy of a No. 1 seed. Kentucky (lock), UVA, Duke, Nova, Wisconsin and Arizona. Conference tournaments are going to be the difference.


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## Mrs. Thang

I agree Russell looks like a great NBA prospect, but his "prospectness" has had Ohio State overrated all season. Outside of a couple great games, his talent really hasn't manifested into any kind of consistent team success on the floor. I'm not saying that is his fault, just that usually teams with that kind of NBA talent on them don't suck so much to watch.


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## bball2223

Mrs. Thang said:


> I agree Russell looks like a great NBA prospect, but his "prospectness" has had Ohio State overrated all season. Outside of a couple great games, his talent really hasn't manifested into any kind of consistent team success on the floor. I'm not saying that is his fault, just that usually teams with that kind of NBA talent on them don't suck so much to watch.


I agree. He has had a couple of so-so outings, but there's just not a lot of talent in Columbus to play with him. If Lyle and Grandstaff aren't dynamite as freshman next year the Buckeyes are going to struggle mightily.


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## Gronehestu

HKF said:


> Right now, there are 6 teams worthy of a No. 1 seed. Kentucky (lock), UVA, Duke, Nova, Wisconsin and Arizona. Conference tournaments are going to be the difference.


Very good point. 

I wonder if the selection committee will hold the PAC 12's overall standing against Zona. I've heard people discrediting Bucky cause the B1G is 'down'. I've heard people discrediting Villanova because the Big East has no other elite teams. I've heard people discrediting Virginia because they don't score a whole lot (lol fools)...but I've yet to hear anyone say anything about holding Zona back because the PAC 12 is, outside of Utah and surprisingly Oregon, a shockingly bad Power 5 league.


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## bball2223

Maryland holds on against Nebraska.


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## bball2223

Handing out a few more bids tomorrow, here are the match-ups:

*Colonial:* William and Mary vs. Northeastern
*Metro-Atlantic:* Iona vs. Manhattan
*So-Con:* Wofford vs. Furman

Not so invested in the other two, but would love to see Iona win the MAAC because they play a fun brand of basketball.


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## bball2223

The following conference tournaments begin tomorrow:

*MAC:* Buffalo (KenPom projected Champion)
*MEAC:* N.C. Central (KenPom Projected Champion)

Hoping my Chippewas can pull out the MAC title. Y'all would enjoy watching them play in the Dance.


----------



## Gronehestu

bball2223 said:


> Maryland holds on against Nebraska.


That was a sloppy, ugly foulfest. Kinda reminiscent of Gonzaga/Oklahoma St last year. Maryland plays to the level of its opposition as much as any team in America. The only things preventing them from being a legit Final Four threat (in my mind) are the lack of a true scoring option up front and the presence of Evan Smotricz and Jake Layman defensively. Wells and Trimble are a helluva duo, though. If they're both on...well, the Terps are pretty good. 

And I missed the friggin William & Mary 2OT win, dammit! Yesterday I missed Murray St/Belmont. I feel like I just got up to have a piss and someone hit a towering home run while I was gone lol

Edit: as far as Central, you're not wrong 2223. They can get up and down. I'm surprised Western hasn't been better this year, with all the returning guards they had. I won't be shocked if they make a semifinals run. Same for Eastern, even as a 9 seed - they just thrashed Toledo (who I'd picked to win the league 3 months ago) the other day 85-59. They can defend all you like, but there's absolutely no secondary scoring in Ypsilanti. Also it'd be funny if 3/4 of the semis were from Michigan in a down year for the B1G's Michigan schools.


----------



## bball2223

Furman (all 11-21 of 'em) will be playing for the Southern Conference title against Wofford. These were the best (Wofford) and worst (Furman) teams in the conference. Wofford won by 25 at home, and by 2 at Furman. Nothing would define March better than a Paladins win tomorrow night.


----------



## bball2223

Gronehestu said:


> Edit: as far as Central, you're not wrong 2223. They can get up and down. I'm surprised Western hasn't been better this year, with all the returning guards they had. I won't be shocked if they make a semifinals run. Same for Eastern, even as a 9 seed - they just thrashed Toledo (who I'd picked to win the league 3 months ago) the other day 85-59. They can defend all you like, but there's absolutely no secondary scoring in Ypsilanti. Also it'd be funny if 3/4 of the semis were from Michigan in a down year for the B1G's Michigan schools.


Western has been up and down, but the MAC is a weird league. Central plays fast, they press and they shoot a lot of 3's. Our best lineup features a gumpy 6'8" kid at the 5, but he's one of the best 3 point shooters in America (John Simons). Eastern could make a run, but I think that one of Buffalo/Central/Kent is going to win. Buffalo would be the best bet to win a tournament game, but Central is very refreshing compared to the way a lot of college teams play, lol.


----------



## HKF

Really disappointed if Furman were to win tomorrow. Wofford has the type of team to be a problem. I need Furman to be curb-stomped tomorrow night.


----------



## bball2223

I agree. I want Wofford and Iona to both win. Not very interested in the Colonial final as I think that winner is going to be one and done. Wofford/Iona could both do damage.


----------



## HKF

William and Mary and Northeastern both shoot the 3 well. I think W&M would be the tougher team though because of Marcus Thornton and Omar Prewitt. Those two dudes are big time scorers and both could be pros. 

With the CAA the question is where will they be seeded. Since ODU, VCU and George Mason left, the league has been a bottom 4 (13-16) seed type of league.


----------



## HKF

This CAA Final is entertaining. Both teams can make shots.


----------



## Gronehestu

Furman is staying right with Wofford so far, this should be an interesting finish.

South Dakota St laying waste to South Dakota

Miami (OH) giving Eastern Michigan a fight early on, trying to mess up my predictions


----------



## HKF

It would be infuriating to me to be a SoCon team where Furman sucks literally all season then decides now they want to play their asses off. How did this team finish in last place?


----------



## HKF

Northeastern starting to put the hammer down on Bill & Mary.


----------



## HKF

William and Mary is down 6 now, but they played out a possession after Northeastern missed two straight front ends of one and ones. Horrible clock management by Tony Shavers.


----------



## Gronehestu

Eastern! My semis prediction is holding true through the first day lol


----------



## HKF

Manhattan putting the screws to Iona.


----------



## HKF

Amaya has made 3 huge mistakes in this second half for Iona. Damn.


----------



## shupioneers1

The bubble really is pathetic this year! Is there a mandate we have to take 68 teams this year?? Can we cut the field this year back to 48 because really outside of SMU, Kansas, Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame, Iowa State, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Villanova, Wisconsin, Maryland, Wichita State, Arizona, Utah, Kentucky, Gonzaga and MAYBE Arkansas, Louisville, Michigan State, Ohio State, Dayton and UNC no one else deserves to be in the tournament as the other bubble players continue to shoot themselves in the foot game after game after game! This is only a short selection of bubble teams but here's what the rest have going for them:
Texas A&M got swept by 18-13 Alabama and lost to "won't even qualify for the NIT if they lose in the first round" 15-16 Florida. LSU lost at home by double figures to 15-15 Tennessee. Texas is 8-10 in conference. Tulsa has the same number of good OOC wins as Murray does (sorry Auburn doesn't count!) and lost at home to a division 2 team! Eastern Washington finishing 23-8 is the one saving grace for Indiana. OK State also finished 8-10 in conference, and lost 5 of 6 to end the year including embarrassing losses to Texas Tech & TCU. BYU lost at home to Pepperdine and @ 15-16 San Diego.


----------



## Gronehestu

It's a terrible year for bubble teams so far as bad losses staining their resumes, I totally agree. But it's not quite _that_ bad

Louisville, Ohio St, Dayton and UNC absolutely, 100% deserve bids. Michigan St, Arkansas I'd say 95% deserve bids. 

But if you focus your disdain on those teams like Texas A&M, Illinois, Tulsa, etc, I'm completely on board

Texas is one of the trickier cases in recent years - much like Virginia a couple years ago, they own some key 'good wins' but also have a resume stained by too many losses. Now, the Big 12 is one monster of a conference, but I'm not going to give the 'Horns too much credit for running that gauntlet. Why? Their tough schedule is offset by the fact that they are a team absolutely LOADED with talent at all positions, and should not have to be pushing hard in the final week for a bubble bid. Is that criteria that won't even enter the selection committee's conversation? Probably, but it is what it is. When you stack the Longhorns' wins up against the rest of the Power 5 bubble teams, they do have some of the best wins, too: vs tourney teams Baylor, Iowa and West Virginia. The main reason their case is better than that Virginia team I mentioned is that their worst loss is to Stanford, who was in the bubble discussion right up until the end of the regular season (for some reason - now watch, they'll win the PAC 12 tourney...), whereas the Hoos had like 3 RPI 150+ losses

In this poor year on the bubble, that's gonna be enough to get them in unless they shit on themselves in the Big 12 tourney. 

I just hope to hell we don't have any bullshit like Stanford getting hot in last year's tourney. I'm fine - more than fine - with 'mid majors' making deep March runs. That's what makes March Madness fun. But I do NOT want to see these in-by-the-hair-of-their-chinny-chin-chin Power 5 teams making Sweet 16 runs. Especially Indiana or Texas


----------



## shupioneers1

The arena St. Francis Brooklyn plays in seats like 900 people......if their lucky. The only two previous NEC title games Brooklyn played in they played on the road, and I wonder if they will move this game over the LIU's Wellness Center, which is a more friendly environment for an ESPN broadcast then Brooklyn's Pope Center, as LIU and Brooklyn are only 3 blocks through the Fulton Street mall away from each other. Too bad nobody (except me) will be watching this game since it's taking place at the same time as the Horizon final between Green Bay and Valpo. Brooklyn has NEVER appeared in the NCAA tournament before.


----------



## bball2223

Congrats to Northeastern, Wofford and Manhattan on clinching bids this past evening.


----------



## bball2223

The following conferences award bids tomorrow:

*Horizon:* Valparaiso vs. Green Bay
*Northeastern:* St. Francis (NY) vs. Robert Morris
*Summit:* South Dakota State vs. North Dakota State
*West Coast:* BYU vs. Gonzaga


----------



## bball2223

The following conferences start their tournaments tomorrow:
*
ACC* (KenPom Projected Champ: Virginia)
*SWAC* (KenPom Projected Champ: Texas Southern)


----------



## Gronehestu

I'm so ready for that Valpo/Green Bay game, holy shit. They split their in-season matchups, by a combined score of 113-110. Keifer Sykes is passing the torch on to Alec Peters as this league's dominant player. These are two of the most successful programs in the league this decade. 

Sykes and his buddies have been inconsistent against good defenses this season because so much of their offense is predicated on driving inside and creating looks. When all else fails, Sykes can do it himself, but GB has been at its best when he's making defenses react and Mays or McKinnie can get inside for easy looks. Defensively, those two big guys have GOT to stay out of foul trouble or Valpo will wreck GB on the glass like they did in the 2nd game these teams played (45-30 advantage)

It would really be huge if they can get Vashil Fernandez into foul trouble (and that can be done), because he's been a roadblock to GB's offensive plans in both previous games. If he's on the bench, it pulls Peters inside more and the Phoenix can try to wear him out defensively. Can Fouse continue to do a good job limiting Peters on the other end? In the two teams' previous games, Peters has gone just 7/23 from the floor for 21 points combined.

It's going to be 50+ glorious degrees outside tomorrow, so I'm spending the whole afternoon outside. But once 6 o'clock rolls around, I'm gonna be planted on the couch for this matchup


----------



## HKF

Go St. Francis. I root for all my local New York squads. Sorry Robert Morris, but it's time for Brooklyn to get the monkey off it's back. I hope.

P.S. Stony Brook too.


----------



## Gronehestu

10 minutes till GB/Valpo tips awwww yiss

halftime edit: Green Bay's defense is really good tonight, they're not letting Valpo get any clean looks. Fouse has done a tremendous job on Alec Peters in each of these teams' games this year. If it weren't for that reserve big man Skata hitting 3's, they'd be trailing badly right now.

Conversely, while GB was getting to the rim early and built up this lead, since about the 8 minute mark Valpo's D has tightened up and GB has been settling for some jumpers. Now, their bigs are capable shooters, as McKenzie showed late in the shot clock with that corner jumper. But they're best when Sykes is penetrating and getting his teammates easier looks inside the paint.
Go Phoenix! Sconnie bros


----------



## bball2223

St. Francis and Green Bay lead at the half.


----------



## Gronehestu

Some sloppy, bad-position fouls here to start this 2nd half for both teams. Fernandez is limited at both ends of the floor but as a space eating rim-protector and finisher on offense he can be an asset. 

Greg Mays needs to stop trying to do too much, and let Sykes run the offense.

Damn, Green Bay's pressure is just making all kinds of trouble for Valpo. Keep it up!


----------



## bball2223

Huge 3 for St. Francis. Down by 1 with 16.2 seconds to go.


----------



## bball2223

Missed an obvious travel there. College refs are infuriating.


----------



## bball2223

Fouled on a 3, St. Francis with a chance to tie this from the stripe.


----------



## bball2223

Missed all 3, wow. Robert Morris is going to the dance.


----------



## bball2223

Valparaiso will move on, and make it to the rug cutting ceremony. Summit and WCC games starting currently.


----------



## bball2223

Collinsworth for BYU tore his ACL a year ago tomorrow and now has six triple doubles this season alone. Awesome story.


----------



## HKF

Collinsworth is really good. Also, this Dakota championship game is hotly contested. North Dakota State doesn't look any worse even with all their guys graduating last year plus losing Saul Phillips to Ohio.


----------



## bball2223

Gonzaga leads at the half.


----------



## bball2223

Battle of the Dakotas is good so far. 57-56 NDSU with 29.3 to go (23 on the shot clock).


----------



## bball2223

North Dakota State is dancing, again. What a game.


----------



## bball2223

While we take in the last bit of the WCC title game, the following conference tournaments start tomorrow:

_*Atlantic-10:*_ (KenPom Projected Favorite: Davidson)
*Big 12:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Kansas)
*Big East:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Villanova)
*Big Ten:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Wisconsin)
*C-USA:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Old Dominion)
*Mountain West:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Boise State)
*Pac-12:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Arizona)
*SEC:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Kentucky)
*Southland:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Stephen F. Austin)
*WAC:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: New Mexico State)


----------



## bball2223

And the following tournament will award an automatic bid tomorrow:

*Patriot:* Lafayette vs. American


----------



## bball2223

Gonzaga is cruising now. BYU will have to sweat it out for five more days.


----------



## shupioneers1

Bad news for teams like Florida state, Tulane, Seton Hall, TCU, AZ state, & U Dub as all these 1 seeds are falling in the conference tourney and gobbling up NIT bids. SD state & St Francis Brooklyn both lost as the top seed in their conference and hence will get guaranteed NIT bids


----------



## shupioneers1

bball2223 said:


> While we take in the last bit of the WCC title game, the following conference tournaments start tomorrow:
> 
> _*Atlantic-10:*_ (KenPom Projected Favorite: Davidson)
> *Big 12:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Kansas)
> *Big East:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Villanova)
> *Big Ten:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Wisconsin)
> *C-USA:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Old Dominion)
> *Mountain West:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Boise State)
> *Pac-12:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Arizona)
> *SEC:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Kentucky)
> *Southland:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Stephen F. Austin)
> *WAC:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: New Mexico State)


Mountain West tourney is gonna be fun. Any idea how many tourney games CBSSN picked up??


----------



## bball2223

2 of the Quarterfinals on Thursday and both semis. @shupioneers1


----------



## Gronehestu

bball2223 said:


> While we take in the last bit of the WCC title game, the following conference tournaments start tomorrow:
> 
> _*Atlantic-10:*_ (KenPom Projected Favorite: Davidson)
> *Big 12:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Kansas)
> *Big East:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Villanova)
> *Big Ten:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Wisconsin)
> *C-USA:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Old Dominion)
> *Mountain West:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Boise State)
> *Pac-12:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Arizona)
> *SEC:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Kentucky)
> *Southland:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Stephen F. Austin)
> *WAC:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: New Mexico State)


I have nothing at all to do tomorrow, off work and on the computer to stream every game possible as all those tournaments kick off

I'll need to focus most on these matchups in particular: 

11 am: Clemson vs Florida St = because I have a soft spot for Clemson and they've had a tough year. Oh, if only KJ had stayed one more year, and Grantham could have been the 6th man, and Blossomgame could've developed into a devastating Robin to McDaniels' Batman, and Rod Hall could have worried more about taking care of the ball, and not scoring, and...well, anyways I hope they can do some surprise damage in the ACC tourney. FSU has some guards who can go off on people, though

1 pm: I'll pay cursory attention to BC/UNC just in case Hanlan can go for 40 and the Eagles pull off an upset over a Tar Heels team which apparently will be without Kennedy Meeks. 

2 pm: More cursory attention to Wazzu/Cal, I'm wondering if maybe Cal can figure their shit out or just embarrass themselves a bit more. It's kind of like Wisconsin broke that team when we played them in January

3:30 pm: Penn St/Nebraska in a matchup of underrated chuckers playing for teams that should have been better this season than they were. Still, both these teams defend, would like to find some kind of high note to finish the year on, and hey, DJ Newbill vs Terran Petteway should be a great individual battle

5:30 pm Eastern Michigan/Bowling Green - I'm still taking Eastern to make a semifinals run and they draw a game vs another solid defensive squad in BG. The Falcons don't really stand out in many areas; they're a good 3pt shooting team that can space the floor, though. 6'8" Richaun Holmes is going to be a tough cover for Eastern - he shoots 43% from 3 but doesn't jack from outside all that often, using his jumper to set up defenders on his way to the rim. EMU got 11 surprise points from forward Anali Okoloji (5.7 season avg) in their last game. They'll need someone else to step up and give them some secondary scoring in each game from here on


6:00 pm: Kansas St/TCU is a very interesting game. I'll be paying attention because I anticipate a close tilt throughout. It's just that I doubt either one of those teams will be able to advance much further due to the meat grinder nature of the 1-7 seeds ahead of them

also 6:00 I'll be paying a bit of attention to the Pitt/NC St game. The two main reasons are a) Pitt is a desperate team and b) NC St likes to take games off. Could get interesting. 

also also 6:00 I'll be hoping the golden rodents can get Buttger'd in the first round of the B1G tourney 

8:00 pm: Colorado/Oregon St pits a Buffaloes team that massively, hugely, and embarrassingly underachieved this season against a team that was absolutely left for dead but instead showed that they are very much pointed in the right direction under new coach Wayne Tinkle. Gary Payton II is really fun to watch as he makes things happen in all kinds of ways, and Colorado's frontcourt is big and talented

also 8:00 Akron/Western Michigan in a game featuring two teams that have experienced recent MAC tourney success. Should be a close one

Gonna be a nice tuneup for Thursday-Sunday!

edit @shupioneers1 I agree the MW tourney is going to be awesome this year. Four teams at the top in SDSU, Boise, Colorado St & Wyoming who all beat up on one another through the league season. I'm definitely hoping that Wyoming can make a run and steal the auto bid for Larry Nance and the rest of Shyatt's seniors. Lot of defense gonna be played in the semis and final of this league


----------



## shupioneers1

If there's one good thing about having a fractured wrist and staying home, it's this week with all the big time conference tournaments going on.


----------



## Gronehestu

FSU leads Clemson 33-26 at the half. Not the first half I was hoping for out of Clemson, but they're not down too badly. 

The Tigers did get Landry Nnoko going a bit, he's got 6 and 5 with a pair of blocks and a steal already. This team needs to make jump shots, and Blossomgame needs to get going a bit more to properly space things out. Clemson doesn't have any one guy you have to worry about guarding, so the players have to really help one another to open up high% shots

This Xavier Rathan-Mays kid for FSU is legit. He's assertive with the ball in his hands, has deep range, and isn't afraid to go get his shot in close. As we saw with that 30-points-in-4-minutes thing a couple weeks back, he's going to score in bunches as his career plays out


----------



## shupioneers1

Is it wrong for me to hope VA Tech beats Miami tonight so we can stop talking about Miami being an NCAA Tournament team??


----------



## Gronehestu

Clemson made such a great run to try and steal that game from FSU but it just wasn't meant to be  Hopefully Nnoko, Grantham, Blossomgame and newly-eligible San Fransisco transfer Avry Holmes can bring the Tigers back to NCAA contention next year. 

Rathan-Mays, damn. He's gonna be a star.

And I'm not actively rooting against Miami, cause I do still kinda like them. A loss to Va Tech, though, would absolutely knock them off the bubble. Really this team shouldn't even be in bubble trouble, they've done it to themselves with all kinds of bad losses.


----------



## shupioneers1

Florida State avoids an absolute choke with a missed Clemson 3 to win by 3. They were up by 20 with 9:15 to play and still lead by 9 with 60 seconds to go before they forgot how to inbound the ball.


----------



## HKF

That was really brutal to watch from FSU. Then Leonard Hamilton nonchalantly shrugged it off. I would have been on my team so hard. We have to play better than that. I mean FSU has talent on the roster, no excuse for 5 turnovers in less than 90 seconds of basketball with a 12 point lead. Just idiotic.


----------



## bball2223

Just got out of work and its beautiful outside for the first time since September in Michigan. Going for a run then watching basketball the rest of the day. Thanks for the game updates per usual, fellas.


----------



## Gronehestu

Hell yeah it was too nice to watch those BC/UNC and Air Force/New Mexico games, but I did see the 2nd half off Nebraska/Penn St here, with Penn St winning 68-65. That definitely was not a pretty game, but you saw glimpses of why these teams should have been better this year. They traded those 14-0 runs midway through the 2nd. First it was Newbill getting whatever he wanted, launching deep 3's, attacking the rim. Then Petteway came back re-energized after his tech, and teamed with Shields to get the Huskers back in it. Nebraska probably should have had a coupe more foul shots because Shields in particular got hacked on no-calls right around the rim. 

Congrats to DJ Newbill and Penn St, though. Even if they lose to Iowa tomorrow, they'll finish above .500 and hopefully get a chance to win the CBI or something. When Garner, Taylor or Thorpe give Newbill some help, this Penn St team is kinda dangerous. They do some bone-headed shit but Chambers always makes them play defense and of course, Newbill can virtually beat you by himself. 

Hopefully Petteway and Shields come back next year and team with Andrew White to bring Nebrasketball back onto the national scene. This was sort of a perfect-storm bad year for a team that had gained so much momentum. But that's going to happen once in awhile when you're trying to win at a tough job in a deep, deep league. Wish the Huskers well, though.

Eastern Michigan has a baker's dozen in the first 6+ minutes for a 13-11 lead over BG, now I'm gonna flip between this one and TCU/Kansas St


----------



## bball2223

The PSU/Nebraska game was ugly. Nebraska improving next year would be nice for the B1G, but I'm not too much a fan of Petteway, and the way he plays. 


Also have Eastern/BGSU queued up. My dad is a BGSU alum, but Eastern would be the easier possible opponent out of the two for Central, so Go Eagles?


----------



## Gronehestu

Raven Lee and Mike Talley are shooting the Eagles towards another win, this is a pretty entertaining game!

Final: Eastern Michigan 73, Bowling Green 67

The Eagles are moving on towards a date with Toledo - the league's 4th seed and yet a team that Eastern stomped on less than a week ago. I smell an upset, folks!

TCU has opened up a double-digit lead on K St, and NC St has been even better in their matchup with Pitt. I'm ready for Colorado/Oregon St and Akron/Western Michigan to tip!


----------



## bball2223

(For one of the first and only times in my life) Go Eagles!


----------



## shupioneers1

What the hell happened to Seton Hall after the Villanova win?? Getting totally embarrassed by Marquette down 20 with 9 minutes left. Are we watching the final 9 minutes of Willard on the SH sidelines??


----------



## bball2223

shupioneers1 said:


> What the hell happened to Seton Hall after the Villanova win?? Getting totally embarrassed by Marquette down 20 with 9 minutes left. Are we watching the final 9 minutes of Willard on the SH sidelines??


No question.


----------



## bball2223

Lafayette is dancing.


----------



## bball2223

The following conference tournaments are starting tomorrow:

*American:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: SMU)
*Big Sky:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Montana)
*Big West:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: UC Davis)
*Sun Belt:* (KenPom Projected Favorite: Georgia State)


----------



## bball2223

No more auto-bids will be awarded until Saturday


----------



## Gronehestu

Western sorta lucky to only be down 7 at the half, it took them until 7 minutes were left in the half to hit double figures. Akron canning plenty of triples

Texas with a lead on Texas Tech, it would sure be awesome if the Red Raiders pulled an upset. Likewise Miami is keeping ahead of Va Tech despite sloppy play early. Apparently Angel Rodriguez can play tonight, but Larranaga hasn't had him in yet. Looks a bit like Miami needs him...

Saint Louis made a half dozen triples in the 1st half against Duquesne, and leads 26-23 at the break. Go get a win in NY, Bills!!

Oregon St leads 40-38 against Colorado at halftime. Josh Scott is a really tough cover for the Beavs, and he has 12 and 5 already. Malcolm Duvivier has gotten a creative dozen of his own in the first half, and Payton II has kept Askia Booker to 0-5 shooting...but he's also been whistled for two fouls that put Booker on the stripe. Gonna be an interesting matchup in the 2nd half as well.

Edit: Western and Akron both starting the 2nd half sloppy, lot of settling on outside jumpers by Akron and they've been turning it over but has maintained the advantage. Western trying to force the issue inside but marginal success so far. Kinda feels like that Penn St/Nebraska game earlier. What's going to make Western's life easier in the paint is that they just picked up the 4th foul on Akron's big man Pat Forsythe with 15:19 left in the game. 

30-30 all, Dambrot just picked up a T and this game is getting intense. Western is almost in the bonus already and this has the look of a close finish


----------



## bball2223

Now that this site will show it I can say it proudly, lol. 

Fuck Western Michigan, Go Zips!


----------



## HKF

Thursday is the last day of the season where so many games will be played at the same time. Gonna savor it the best I can.


----------



## bball2223

Should be some outstanding games today. Will probably be all ACC until 4. Will be catching Toledo/EMU at 6:30 to see who Central has to play. Then probably finish ND and Utah/Stanford.


----------



## bball2223

Justin Anderson will play for Virginia today. Won't start, but will play in spurts.


----------



## bball2223

Virginia cruising so far. I'm a major fan of Perrantes game.


----------



## bball2223

It would be huge if Virginia can make it to the ACC finals. Give Anderson 3 games to get his feet wet before the tournament.


----------



## shupioneers1

With all games at the same time, with a bunch of teams fighting for their seasons, and the fact it's conference tournaments, and teams are familiar with each other I think today is better then the first day of the NCAA tournament. Agree/disagree??


----------



## bball2223

shupioneers1 said:


> With all games at the same time, with a bunch of teams fighting for their seasons, and the fact it's conference tournaments, and teams are familiar with each other I think today is better then the first day of the NCAA tournament. Agree/disagree??


It depends on the year. This year I totally agree because I will miss almost all of the games next Thursday due to class/work. Most years I prefer the first day of the actual tournament.


----------



## bball2223

Virginia is up 34-17 at the half. Michigan up 40-23 on Illinois, 20 minutes away from popping someone's bubble.


----------



## shupioneers1

Does Illinois realize they are somehow still on the bubble?? What a completely embarrassing performance by the Illini!


----------



## Mrs. Thang

Oh my Illinois, is that poop in your bed?


----------



## bball2223

B12 is so deep it has the 16th and 18th best teams in the country playing in a quarterfinal game.


----------



## bball2223

Baylor up by 2 at the half.


----------



## bball2223

Illinois down by 3 TD's and a safety? Jesus. Groce isn't necessarily on the hot seat, but he needs to pick it up next year and beyond.


----------



## bball2223

Florida State has cut it to 5.


----------



## HKF

Virginia is one of those teams that could really lose a game because they never put their opponents away. I would be worried if they get the wrong matchup in the 2nd round with a good three point shooting team.


----------



## Gronehestu

bball2223 said:


> B12 is so deep it has the 16th and 18th best teams in the country playing in a quarterfinal game.


For real I laughed when I saw this matchup slated for today. Been a good game throughout, trading blows. WVU's pressure is definitely going to be an advantage in the NCAA's, as will Baylor's size, length, playmaking, deep shooting and rebounding ability.

I'm pretty shocked with the easy time Michigan had destroying Illinois. Guess the Illini really didn't want an invite to the Dance this year. I don't know how critical to be of Jon Groce, but I know I'd be damn frustrated with him if I was an Illinois fan. 

FSU made a charge, but glad to see Virginia moving on. Er, wait...I'm not. Because with them and Villanova both smacking around their first-round opponents, it's pretty darn hard for Bucky to angle for a one see now...

I know Iowa has been hot the last few weeks, but I won't be surprised if Penn St gives them a close game


----------



## bball2223

Baylor is moving on after a 10 point win.


----------



## Mrs. Thang

Groce seems like the kind of coach that gets his teams to play hard on defense by letting them do whatever they want on offense. They play like an AAU team.


----------



## bball2223

HKF said:


> Virginia is one of those teams that could really lose a game because they never put their opponents away. I would be worried if they get the wrong matchup in the 2nd round with a good three point shooting team.


They go on long scoring droughts, too. Definitely something that would make me feel wary of them come March.


----------



## bball2223

Paige with a 3 and a steal in the first minute of the second half. Could really use a dominant half from him.


----------



## shupioneers1

Another NIT bubble team is in trouble as the #1 seed in the Big West Cal-Davis is down by 8 at the half against the 8 seed Cal state-Northridge 36-28. As the 1 seed Davis gets a guaranteed NIT bid no matter what happens in the Big West conference tournament.


----------



## bball2223

This Louisville/UNC game is becoming pretty fun. Lots of uptempo basketball. Very refreshing after that first game.


----------



## bball2223

Holy Oop Tez


----------



## HKF

DJ Newbill is a pretty talented guy. He's going HAM on Iowa. Iowa is such a fraud.


----------



## Gronehestu

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Fuck Iowa, I love having no profanity filter

Now the rodents can lose later tonight, like Illinois already did, and life will be just sweet


----------



## HKF

So Louisville is going to lose. They are an easy upset pick come tourney time IMO. Kansas is looking shaky too with all of their attrition.


----------



## shupioneers1

HKF said:


> So Louisville is going to lose. They are an easy upset pick come tourney time IMO. Kansas is looking shaky too with all of their attrition.


Even in the posters polls as Gronehestu & bballfan can attest to, I was never quite sold on Louisville this year and always thought they were higher ranked then I thought they should be. I agree, they are my upset pick come the NCAAs.
Another overrated team I see losing quite early is Ohio State but with their seed it maybe predicted....but if they are a 6/7 seed I'd pick the 11/10 seed to advance.


----------



## HKF

Playing Kansas in KC. What was Allen Fieldhouse booked? Why is this league always in KC? Most of the teams are in Oklahoma and Texas.


----------



## HKF

God this Kansas centric officiating is just horrible. Come on guys.


----------



## Gronehestu

Texas A&M playing themselves right off the bubble. Love it


----------



## shupioneers1

HKF said:


> Playing Kansas in KC. What was Allen Fieldhouse booked? Why is this league always in KC? Most of the teams are in Oklahoma and Texas.


Remember when Memphis was in C-USA the C-USA tourney used to ALWAYS be @ the FedEx forum in Memphis?? Why is the ACC tourney always in Greensboro when only 4 of the 15 schools are in North Carolina?? I know New York is crazy booked this time of year but how about playing in Boston, Chicago, Indy, Washington, Florida, New York, hell even Mohegan Sun in CT, why should these outlier teams like ND & BC travel to Greensboro every year, why can't the NC schools travel?? I mean UNC fans would travel if the tournament was in Kinshasha, Africa!


----------



## bball2223

HKF said:


> So Louisville is going to lose. They are an easy upset pick come tourney time IMO. Kansas is looking shaky too with all of their attrition.


Agree with both squads as being early upset picks. I don't think either makes it past the first weekend.


----------



## HKF

Watching the Mountain West tournament. This tournament is always enjoyable.


----------



## 29380

San Diego St. vs UNLV should be fun


----------



## Gronehestu

I need Wyoming to hold this lead on Utah St. Auto bid or bust, Pokes!!!


----------



## EpicFailGuy

Now, we can talk about firing Jim Crews in peace. 

Another lay-down quit job last night...the AD has got to realize the team quit on Crews and get rid of the problem.


----------



## bball2223

Indiana not allowing themselves to make the same mistake Illinois did as they are thrashing Northwestern.


----------



## Gronehestu

Fuck yeah Wyoming! On to what should be an excellent semifinal group in the Mountain West

Additionally, fuck Texas. I know they're gonna win the Big 12 tourney just to piss me off lol

And man, I agree @EpicFailGuy - it's one thing to have a horrible season after your whole rotation graduates. It's another thing to show very little improvement, and then noticeably pack it in down the stretch

That speaks to really fundamental problems with a team, and probably the scariest part is that these are all Crews' own recruits who are mailing it in on him. I don't even know what the best solution is, but it's hard to see Crews being any part of it. I feel for you man I just don't know what I'd do if Bucky turned in such a poor season. Here's hoping you get a lot more to smile about next year


----------



## EpicFailGuy

Gronehestu said:


> Fuck yeah Wyoming! On to what should be an excellent semifinal group in the Mountain West
> 
> Additionally, fuck Texas. I know they're gonna win the Big 12 tourney just to piss me off lol
> 
> And man, I agree @EpicFailGuy - it's one thing to have a horrible season after your whole rotation graduates. It's another thing to show very little improvement, and then noticeably pack it in down the stretch
> 
> That speaks to really fundamental problems with a team, and probably the scariest part is that these are all Crews' own recruits who are mailing it in on him. I don't even know what the best solution is, but it's hard to see Crews being any part of it. I feel for you man I just don't know what I'd do if Bucky turned in such a poor season. Here's hoping you get a lot more to smile about next year


Well, your squad has earned a fan this year. I'm rooting for Wisconsin to go real, real far in a few weeks. You still do owe us for Soderberg, but I'll let that go since Crews is worse.


----------



## bball2223

Texas holds on against Iowa State and they are a lock.


----------



## rocketeer

sigh. iowa state wins a game that they didn't lead for a single second.

can't believe that felix actually took that shot. texas has the ball with the last shot and felix throws up a 3 with 6 seconds left on the clock.


----------



## shupioneers1

So after today: ODU is definitely out, and Illinois definitely should be out. I'd take Texas....even though they completely and utterly imploded and had no business losing that game. If the first half is any indication of how the 2nd will play out, the Canes are on their way to a 1 seed in the NIT. And I go back to what I said the other day, why not Murray State?? I know the commuttee doesn't pay attention to margin of victory, but if a team like Illinois who completely no showed in a game they had to win and lost by 20+ gets in over a team that went undefeated in conf and lost by 1 in the tournament final when the opposition knocked down 15 three pointers, than I'm going to have a serious problem. I can live with Texas getting in now over Murray, if OK State beats the Sooners I can live with them over Murray as well, but I CANNOT live with Illinois getting in over the Racers.


----------



## Gronehestu

Finally home from work, thank fuck. I'm about to spark a bowl and watch Colorado St/Fresno and Stanford/Utah, I love this time of year dude

Much more to come as I get caught up on the day's action, so awesome to come in this thread and get all kinds of updates

Immediate edit: yeah dude if Illinois or Texas A&M get in after the way they both shit on themselves today, I give up

2nd edit: Damn, Xavier's punching their ticket with a win over Butler

JJ Avilla is as underrated as any player in America. He's so smart, so positionally sound, so skilled in his steady way. He's like a combination of Boris Diaw and DaJuan Blair. He's got such a great feel on the offensive end

edit again holy shit as soon as I post that stuff about Avilla but he comes down on a dude's ankle after attempting a shot and has to be helped off the court. I hate injuries this late in the year, hope dude is ok


----------



## shupioneers1

Another blind resume, this time between 2 Big 12 teams!
Team A: 18-13 overall, 17-13 vs. division 1 teams (8-10 conference), RPI 45,SOS 19, non con SOS 166, road/neutral 6-8, 5-7 last 12 but 1-6 last 7, 6-8 vs. RPI top 50. Best non con win is #47 Tulsa on a neutral court.
Team B: 20-13 (8-10 conference), RPI 40, SOS 16, non con SOS 80, road/neutral 7-7, 6-6 last 12 but 3-5 last 8, 3-11 vs. RPI top 50. Best non con win is #36 Iowa on a neutral court.

A is OK State a team Lunardi has a 10 seed, B is Texas a team Lunardi has as last 4 win. 

I've been wondering why OK State is as safe as Lunardi makes them seem because I don't see it. The top 50 from the Cowboys is better because they swept Texas (which gave them 2 extra RPI top 50 wins from the Longhorns) while also beat Kansas once (Texas got swept) and swept Baylor (while Texas only beat them once. The non con SOS isn't even close, the last 7 for OK State is beyond brutal (and 2 of those losses were to TCU & Texas Tech!) and Texas has better numbers across the rest of the board including a .500 road/neutral record. So does a season sweep and 3 extra wins against Baylor and Kanas really enough to jump 2 seed lines when they have worse numbers throughout?? If anything, it should be a wash, maybe a slight edge. And in years past (06 between Hofstra and George Mason) the committee has thrown out the head-to-head record when discussing teams. Unlike Mason/Hofstra who played twice the final 11 days of the season (which Hofstra won both, lost @ Mason to finish 2-1) these 2 finished up the season series relatively early as they played Jan 10 & Feb 4, so I doubt the committee remembers much of either 2 Cowboys victories??

OK State is going to be an interesting theory this year. The win/loss % is probably going to be among one of the lowest of teams selected this year but outside of Iowa State, Kansas and maybe Baylor and West Virginia nobody has more top 50 wins this year. On the other hand to go along with the subpar winning percentage, the Cowboys were only 8-11 vs. Big 12 teams this year, yes the #1 rated conference but you have to win some games, and the 1-7 last 8 stick out like a sore thumb. Both will probably be selected by default when the field is so weak, even worse with the SEC $#!tting the bed in Nashville today and tonight, but I wouldn't be confident in either team making the field.


----------



## Gronehestu

Chasson Randle rounding back into form after struggling the last couple weeks and last night. Well, outside of that game-winning 3. 

Stanford leads Utah - had been by as many as 8 a couple minutes ago - 39-34 at the half

Colorado St made like a half dozen 3's in the final 8 minutes of that half, nice job. And that was without Avilla, the sideline reporter was saying that Avilla was able to walk normally on his way to the locker room but was noticeably limping on the way, too. If the Rams don't need to use him in the 2nd half, hopefully they won't. Don't need to mess around with their best player's health this close to the NCAA's. His teammates need to pick him up, and Daniel Bejarano and his guard buddies have been doing just that.

Rams lead 40-22

Ole Miss, Illinois and Texas A&M CAN NOT - REPEAT CAN NOT - GET IN. Holy shit did those teams stink it up today.

Righ now, I feel like Oklahoma St deserves to miss out on a bid too. They probably won't but...jeez. They acted like a team that's a lock, and got spanked by 15 points today. Not good. If you were to tell me that a team could start 10-2, finish 18-13, and yet somehow beat both the #9 and the #16 team during that 2nd half, I'd tell you that you were bullshitting me. What a strange resume for Okie St this year...I hope Richmond wins the A-10 or Wyoming the Mountain West just to steal a bid from a team like Oklahoma St lol


----------



## HKF

My problem with Murray State is Iona and Wisconsin Green Bay are better than them and have better resumes. Yet for some reason the Racers should get in. I am not sure why.


----------



## shupioneers1

Gronehestu said:


> Chasson Randle rounding back into form after struggling the last couple weeks and last night. Well, outside of that game-winning 3.
> 
> Stanford leads Utah - had been by as many as 8 a couple minutes ago - 39-34 at the half
> 
> Colorado St made like a half dozen 3's in the final 8 minutes of that half, nice job. And that was without Avilla, the sideline reporter was saying that Avilla was able to walk normally on his way to the locker room but was noticeably limping on the way, too. If the Rams don't need to use him in the 2nd half, hopefully they won't. Don't need to mess around with their best player's health this close to the NCAA's. His teammates need to pick him up, and Daniel Bejarano and his guard buddies have been doing just that.
> 
> Rams lead 40-22
> 
> Ole Miss, Illinois and Texas A&M CAN NOT - REPEAT CAN NOT - GET IN. Holy shit did those teams stink it up today.
> 
> Righ now, I feel like Oklahoma St deserves to miss out on a bid too. They probably won't but...jeez. They acted like a team that's a lock, and got spanked by 15 points today. Not good. If you were to tell me that a team could start 10-2, finish 18-13, and yet somehow beat both the #9 and the #16 team during that 2nd half, I'd tell you that you were bullshitting me. What a strange resume for Okie St this year...*I hope Richmond wins the A-10 or Wyoming the Mountain West just to steal a bid from a team like Oklahoma St lol*


I'd take Richmond as an at-large before I took OK State as an at-large. Unfortunately, that's just me.


----------



## shupioneers1

Stanford got run over in the 2nd half and is going to end up losing by over 20 after leading by 5 at halftime. This is another team that SHOULD NOT be in the NCAA tourney.


----------



## bball2223

Michigan leading halfway through the first half over Wisconsin.


----------



## bball2223

18-4 run for Wisconsin to end the half. Now leading 31-26.


----------



## bball2223

On Wisconsin! 1 seed dreams still alive.


----------



## bball2223

SMU is going to beat ECU. ECU went the last 7 minutes of the game with just two field goals. Can't do that if you want to upset a top 25 team.


----------



## HKF

Davidson at the buzzer. Hell of a left-handed layup in traffic. LaSalle choked.


----------



## SpiderInThePastaBowl

HKF said:


> Davidson at the buzzer. Hell of a left-handed layup in traffic. LaSalle choked.


Heck of a game. Davidson is going to be a tough out for whoever draws them in the big dance.


----------



## HKF

SpiderInThePastaBowl said:


> Heck of a game. Davidson is going to be a tough out for whoever draws them in the big dance.


Agreed. How McKillop got this team playing this well is remarkable. No size either.


----------



## bball2223

Fran Dunphy going for win 500 against Memphis.


----------



## Gronehestu

bball2223 said:


> 18-4 run for Wisconsin to end the half. Now leading 31-26.


Damn man Michigan always shoots 55-60% on us fuuuuuuuuuuck

I wanna stop playing them lol. Glad we got done with them for the year, jeez

Purdue is an interesting matchup. Those two big guys are a tough cover for Frank, and they can both push Frank around. Purdue is a real good defensive team too, with many scorers. Gotta get it done Bucky, keep moving on!

Damn, VCU managed to knock off Richmond. I wonder if the Spiders will get in, I'd definitely be happy if they do. 

Temple holds on against Memphis, they're probably in the field now right? Congrats to Dunphy on 500 wins, if only he was still rocking that awful droopy mouse on his upper lip lol

Auburn is giving LSU all they can handle. LSU - another middling SEC team that's playing like they're a lock for the tourney. Amazing...it's almost as though the SEC knows it's getting more bids than they deserve because, well, they're the SEC...


----------



## bball2223

CMU currently up by 10. Hope we keep it up for the next 1-3 halves.


----------



## EpicFailGuy

Gronehestu said:


> Damn man Michigan always shoots 55-60% on us fuuuuuuuuuuck
> 
> I wanna stop playing them lol. Glad we got done with them for the year, jeez
> 
> Purdue is an interesting matchup. Those two big guys are a tough cover for Frank, and they can both push Frank around. Purdue is a real good defensive team too, with many scorers. Gotta get it done Bucky, keep moving on!
> 
> Damn, VCU managed to knock off Richmond. I wonder if the Spiders will get in, I'd definitely be happy if they do.
> 
> Temple holds on against Memphis, they're probably in the field now right? Congrats to Dunphy on 500 wins, if only he was still rocking that awful droopy mouse on his upper lip lol
> 
> Auburn is giving LSU all they can handle. LSU - another middling SEC team that's playing like they're a lock for the tourney. Amazing...it's almost as though the SEC knows it's getting more bids than they deserve because, well, they're the SEC...


Some fun points here.

1. Josh Pastner sucks...almost to Jim Crews level.
2. The SEC gets more bids because they have a higher budget for things like that. 
3. At least when SLU had their worst season since Rich Grawer, Mizzou found a way to be even worse.

Go Competent Basketball...wherever you may find it.


----------



## HKF

Just wanted to alert everyone that the Prairie View/Texas Southern game tonight is for the AUTO bid. Southern is ineligible for the tournament, so tomorrow's SWAC championship game is an exhibition. Why they and Alabama State were allowed in the tournament is beyond me but whatever.


----------



## Gronehestu

EpicFailGuy said:


> Some fun points here.
> 
> 3. At least when SLU had their worst season since Rich Grawer, Mizzou found a way to be even worse.
> 
> Go Competent Basketball...wherever you may find it.








lol good stuff man, at least there's something to feel good about!

LSU...oh, LSU...if the SEC gets more than 4 bids I'm gonna be an unhappy fella


----------



## EpicFailGuy

If the A10 steals 4 bids with all the bad breaks this year, they should be pretty happy.

Briante Weber, the Dayton thieves, SLU and St. Joe crapping the bed...


----------



## shupioneers1

Another SEC team $#!ts the bed! I know they won @ WVU, and @ Arkansas and really should have beaten Kentucky but they have some really bad, actually atrocious losses. Mizzou, Miss State, Tennessee (@ home the last week) and now Auburn. How the hell does a team lose to Tennessee and Auburn, but in between beat Arkansas?? They to me look like another team that seems safer then they really should be.


----------



## HKF

Great defensive play at the end of the Dayton-SBU game. The Bonnies guard was in too much of a hurry at the end.


----------



## bball2223

CMU is headed to the MAC title game #FireUpChips


----------



## hobojoe

HKF said:


> Great defensive play at the end of the Dayton-SBU game. The Bonnies guard was in too much of a hurry at the end.


Terrific, clean strip by Pollard to win it.


----------



## shupioneers1

With the way all these bubble teams have completely crapped the bed this week I'm going to be even more pissed if Murray is in the NIT. Yes I know the RPI stinks. Yes, I know the SOS really stinks. Yes, I know the conference is awful. But.....they went 16-0 in conference. They won 24 of 25 to end the year. They lost in conf tournament to a team that finished with 22 wins which is greater then what LSU, A&M, and Ole Miss lost too. They lost by 1 point to a team that made 15 three pointers, meanwhile LSU lost in overtime when they were held witout a field goal for like 10+ minutes, Ole Miss lost fouling a guy taking a 3, 30 feet from the basket on the run, and Texas gave up games final 12 points. Do I think Murray can beat an Ole Miss, LSU, Miami in Dayton?? I'm not sure, but they should be given the chance too.


----------



## HKF

But North Carolina Central went undefeated in the MEAC too. And just lost to Delaware State. Why not them?


----------



## HKF

I am just trying to understand why everyone is banging the gavel for Murray State. I'd rather see Wisconsin Green Bay or Rhode Island before I gave it to the Racers.


----------



## HKF

So Virginia if they lose this game will probably fall to a #2 seed right? I just can't believe in a team that thinks they can go far holding everyone below 45 points per game.


----------



## Gronehestu

Nooooooo Louisiana Tech is gonna lose in the C-USA semi's, once again denying that team an NCAA bid. I feel like they've been one win away each of the last five years damn.

Congrats to Central Michigan! Moving on

I definitely wanna see highlights of that Dayton game - fucking work


----------



## bball2223

Won't be around tomorrow, because I am going to Cleveland to watch the MAC Title Game. Will get some more stuff up later tonight or early tomorrow.


----------



## bball2223

UNC on the verge of another collapse.


----------



## HKF

Good luck to the Chippewas. Anyone but Akron. They're always in the MAC Finals.


----------



## bball2223

UNC holds on. Huge win for the Heels. Virginia is gonna be a 2 now.


----------



## bball2223

When Justin Jackson puts it all together he is going to be scary good.


----------



## shupioneers1

HKF said:


> I am just trying to understand why everyone is banging the gavel for Murray State. I'd rather see Wisconsin Green Bay or Rhode Island before I gave it to the Racers.



It's not everyone it's mostly just me. And yah I think Rhody or Green Bay (especially if Miami sneaks in), or Richmond should be in front of them. I keep bringing up Murray because they are still in bubble discussion, while Rhody and GB have fallen off the radar somehow.

As for NCCU, I'll continue to say this until the day I die: it is so much harder to finish unbeaten through a conference season, then it is to win a conference tournament. I'm not saying you have to take them, but any team that finishes a conference season unbeaten even if they were 0-12 OOC and have a 16-13 record should be discussed.


----------



## HKF

The A-10 tournament has been the best played tournament I've seen this week. I mean all of these teams are so close to one another. It could either be a great tournament for the league or an outright disaster (ala last year saved by Dayton's Elite Eight run).


----------



## Mrs. Thang

Every time I watch Michigan State they are up like 12 point with 5 minutes left and then totally collapse against pressure and at the free throw line. Looks like it's going to be another tight one.


----------



## shupioneers1

I could just be a homer living in CT and all, but I'm really hoping UConn wins the AAC tournament and steals a bid from one of those 3 undeserving SEC teams (Ole Miss, LSU, and A&M). Wyoming winning the Mountain West and the GW/URI winner winning the A-10 to steal the other 2 bids wouldn't be so bad either.


----------



## Gronehestu

*WYOMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Moving on to the Mountain West championship game and I'm pumped! Congrats to Nance, Shyatt and Co: one more win and they earn the dance invitation that they've worked so hard for 

Rhode Island making a statement over a GW team that had been showing signs that they might make a run late

Speaking of statements, tune into the Xavier over G'Town game

Buffalo will meet Central Michigan for the MAC title, congrats to everyone who dislikes Akron lol. Won't be any Roos raining 3's in the NCAA tourney this year. That team was crazy one-dimensional on offense this year.

God damn I hate Tom Izzo...I hope we don't have to face him on Sunday. I also hope we can make it to Sunday lol, don't wanna count my chickens before they've hatched. 

I wouldn't take away a 1 seed from Virginia for losing to North Carolina, but hopefully Wisconsin can win out and force the committee to give us that final #1 seed. Play a bit of defense tomorrow, eh Bucky?

I can't wait for this Colorado St/San Diego St game. Gonna be a great one. Hope Avilla can play after messing up his ankle last night


----------



## UD40

Rhody moves on and will play Dayton tomorrow.

Expect URI to come out and use their depth to their advantage by getting out in the open floor and turning it into a street fight. They have more bodies, and you would think Hurley will use them to bang up and slow down the depleted Dayton squad.

EC & Hassan need to get going early, though and we can't let Sibert get in his zone.

I'm ready!


----------



## shupioneers1

Wyoming beats Boise state in OT, will play for the Mountain West auto bid tomorrow.


----------



## UD40

And I always need to stress this: Despite having 'UD' in my name, I'm NOT a Dayton fan at all. Rhody born, Rhody bred. 100% Keaney blue.


----------



## shupioneers1

Another NIT bubble gets popped as the 1 seed in the Big West falls to #5 Hawaii and will now be in the NIT. I think that's now 8 or 9 automatic bids to the NIT. Not good for teams like Tennessee, U Dub, AZ State.


----------



## HKF

Notre Dame getting jobbed in Greensboro.


----------



## Basel

Duke sucks.


----------



## HKF

Well if Arizona, Wisconsin and Villanova win their conference tournaments. To me, Duke and Virginia are 2 seeds.


----------



## bball2223

This is the best Brey coached team I have ever seen. If he doesn't make it to the second weekend with this team he never will.


----------



## HKF

Notre Dame has beaten Duke twice. They are a firm 3 seed right?


----------



## HKF

bball2223 said:


> This is the best Brey coached team I have ever seen. If he doesn't make it to the second weekend with this team he never will.


Amen! No excuses for Notre Dame not to make a run this time.


----------



## HKF

Texas Southern clinches the auto bid by the way (SWAC).


----------



## Gronehestu

First half between Colorado St and San Diego St went kind of how you might expect a game involving the Aztecs to go lol

SDSU 24, Colorado St 18

Not a lot of made shots, although Dwayne Polee is finally looking healthy and made a couple big 3's. The difference between the teams in that half was SDSU's offensive rebounding and the fact that the Aztecs hit 3 of 6 triples while Colorado St went just 2-10. Neither team doing a whole lot in the paint either, CSU is definitely missing JJ Avilla as an offense-generator in the high post. SDSU is missing foul shots - shocking, right?

Winston Shepard is a maddening players. He's got a stupid amount of physical ability, but he is woefully inefficient and his on-floor IQ often lags behind his gifts. If he ever puts it all together, he could be a freakin superstar.

Utah has a 31-30 lead on Oregon, saw a few minutes of that game from about the 7 minute mark till halftime, and it was mostly sloppy. Bill Walton is doing the broadcast though, so I'll be paying closer attention to that game in the 2nd half lol


----------



## MudFlap

Xavier whips GTown for the third time this year to get to the Big East final vs. 'Nova.


----------



## shupioneers1

HKF said:


> Texas Southern clinches the auto bid by the way (SWAC).



It's stupid to allow teams ineligible for the NCAAs to play in conference tourney. Last year a division 3 team (Centenary) was in the final year of reclassifying from division 1 to division 3 and hence were ineligible for the NCAA but the conference still allowed them to participate in the conference tourney for some odd reason, and they made it all the way to the finals where they ultimately lost anyways, but would've been awkward had they indeed won. So, if Southern University wins, does Texas Southern still cut down the nets, or did they do that tonight??


----------



## Gronehestu

Oregon/Utah is a very entertaining game right now, good back-and-forth action (although they seem to have allowed Utah a made FG despite the shot clock hitting zero with the ball still in dude's hand)

San Diego St keeping out ahead of Colorado St, and all Shepard needed was a little motivation from me lol - he's been on fire in the 2nd half. And when Aqeel Quinn is making 3pt shots, San Diego St's offense really opens up. They desperately need he and Polee to keep making outside shots - and it sure would help if Shrigley could regain his stroke, too


----------



## bball2223

The following conferences will award their Auto-Bids tomorrow:

*America East:* Albany vs. Stony Brook
*ACC:* UNC vs. Notre Dame
*Big 12:* Kansas vs. Iowa State
*Big East:* Villanova vs. Xavier
*Big Sky:* Montana vs. Eastern Washington
*Big West:* Hawaii vs. UC Irvine
*C-USA:* Middle Tennessee State vs. UAB
*Ivy League:* Harvard vs. Yale
*MAC:* Central Michigan vs. Buffalo
*MEAC:* Delaware State vs. Hampton
*Mountain West:* Wyoming vs. San Diego State
*Pac-12:* Arizona vs. Oregon
*Southland:* Stephen F. Austin vs. Sam Houston State
*WAC:* New Mexico State vs. Seattle


----------



## bball2223

Oregon up 64-60 with one minute left.


----------



## bball2223

Santa Barbara and Irvine have a nice game going in Big West semi #2 . Ndiaye (7'6" dude for Irvine) has 4 fouls and that could play a major role in the last 8 minutes and change.


----------



## bball2223

Offensive Foul on Joe Young. Utah ball down 2 with 12.1 seconds to go.


----------



## Gronehestu

Some really key calls going in Utah's favor right now to finish this game

Delon Wright has made the first and has one more FT attempt, 64-63 Oregon with 7 seconds left

San Diego St has finished off Colorado St. Go Wyoming!


----------



## bball2223

Young with the game winner! Oregon to the title game. Unreal finish.


----------



## Gronehestu

Damn Joseph Young with a deep, cold-blooded 3 to win it for Oregon after Wright made both freebies


----------



## bball2223

The following are the Semi Matchups for the respective conference tournaments tomorrow:

*American:*

SMU Vs. Temple
Tulsa vs. UConn

*Atlantic-10:*

Davidson vs. VCU
Rhode Island vs. Dayton

*Big Ten:*

Wisconsin vs. Purdue
Michigan State vs. Maryland

*SEC:*

Kentucky vs. Auburn
Georgia vs. Arkansas

*Sun Belt:*

Georgia State vs. UL-Lafayette
Georgia Southern vs. UL-Monroe


----------



## HKF

"Mighty" Joe Young.


----------



## HKF

Show'em what his mama do, oh wait his name is Mamadou.


----------



## bball2223

I was digging the Tie-Dye shirts that were worn during the broadcast of the Utah/Oregon game. Bill Walton is a national treasure.


----------



## Goose

HKF said:


> Show'em what his mama do, oh wait his name is Mamadou.


Get em blood bath


----------



## bball2223

Santa Barbara up by 1 with a minute left.


----------



## HKF

Smart by Irvine to feed Ndiaye. The issue is, this team is missing so many free throws.


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## HKF

Damn, Irvine couldn't get the rebound.


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## bball2223

Free Basketball. I'm tired, but I'm not complaining.


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## bball2223

Ndiaye!


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## HKF

The Anteaters starting to cook.


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## bball2223

Irvine is cruising right now


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## shupioneers1

bball2223 said:


> Free Basketball. I'm tired, but I'm not complaining.


Exactly! It's March, bring on free basketball. the more OT's the better for me, lol.


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## HKF

This kid Nelson on Irvine is trying to do too much. Look for the big man.


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## HKF

And then Nelson nails a 3. Shut up HKF.


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## bball2223

I would almost take Ndiaye out and do offense/defense substitutions, but the free-throw shooting has been so bad from Irvine you need to keep your best weapon in.


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## bball2223

HKF said:


> And then Nelson nails a 3. Shut up HKF.


:laugh: right on cue. He is a solid guard though, just needs to play within himself.


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## bball2223

Irvine to the Big West finals. Hope they win so we can see Big Mama in the dance.


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## HKF

Gotta admit, it would be fun to see Mamadou and the Anteaters in the tournament upsetting someone. Hawaii is a great story too. Can't lose for the Big West. Either Irvine first appearance ever or Hawaii's first in a long time.


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## bball2223

I think that's all the basketball in the books for today. Excited for the next couple of days of action. See you fellas on Sunday.


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## HKF

Does anyone else find it odd that Georgia's supposedly a tourney lock when they haven't beaten one tournament team? Not a single one.

They lost to: Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Gonzaga, LSU, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina (2) and Auburn. 

I don't think the media is going to talk about Georgia until tomorrow if they lose to Arkansas, but I am trying to figure out why people think they are a lock. Their resume sucks.


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## UD40

bball2223 said:


> Irvine to the Big West finals. Hope they win so we can see Big Mama in the dance.



I think my buddy might have had the call for this one, he does Big West games for ESPN3.

Stuck at work till 3ish and I'm already antsy for URI/Dayton today. I expect a dog fight for certain. As long as URI can keep Sibert in check, and avoid stupid fouls, I like our chances. We need Jared Terrell today along with Jarvis Garret to pick up where he left off yesterday.


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


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## UD40

Dale, I don't know who I want to win the MAC today. I mean, we have a Hurley squaring off with a former PC coach. Sort of makes my decision that much easier...


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


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## bball2223

HKF said:


> Does anyone else find it odd that Georgia's supposedly a tourney lock when they haven't beaten one tournament team? Not a single one.
> 
> They lost to: Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Gonzaga, LSU, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina (2) and Auburn.
> 
> I don't think the media is going to talk about Georgia until tomorrow if they lose to Arkansas, but I am trying to figure out why people think they are a lock. Their resume sucks.


I didn't really get this either. I mean their best win is probably at Ole Miss, and I don't consider the Rebs a tournament team either. 



UD40 said:


> Dale, I don't know who I want to win the MAC today. I mean, we have a Hurley squaring off with a former PC coach. Sort of makes my decision that much easier...
> 
> 
> Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


:nono:

Fire.Up.Chips.


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## bball2223




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## HKF

For some reason I really want to know who the sixteen seeds are this year. With all the upsets, these games are going to be worse than ever. Here's hoping somehow Manhattan gets a 15 seed. They can beat Kansas or Arizona on a neutral floor I think.


----------



## Gronehestu

Damn, Bucky! Dat game-ending run!!!

That game was close throughout, Purdue came in with a tremendous defensive game plan and really clogged things up on Frank inside. 

Really, we only got on track at the end when Hammons had to sit with four fouls

But with that 20 point margin it shows how this team can pounce on a foe and snuff out any rallies. Gotta keep that mentality going forward Bucky!!

On Wisconsin!


----------



## shupioneers1

Hampton wins the MEAC, and with a 16-17 record, their fans can start looking for hotels in Dayton, OH.


----------



## MudFlap

Davidson blown out by 20. So much for the ranking.


----------



## HKF

Maryland being in the Big Ten is just weird. Hope it pays off for them.


----------



## shupioneers1

Poor Yale


----------



## Gronehestu

Wyoming starting out well against SDSU, keep it up!! Rain dem triples, Pokes!


----------



## shupioneers1

Gronehestu said:


> Wyoming starting out well against SDSU, keep it up!! Rain dem triples, Pokes!



Go Pokes! Knock an undeserving SEC team out of the field, and would really like to see Shyatt and Nance get in this year!


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## HKF

Pokes are coming out strong.


----------



## HKF

Rhode Island still in it. 2 point game, 22 seconds left.


----------



## HKF

I get why Steve Fisher doesn't want the MWC tournament on Vegas' home court but this tourney is awesome in the Thomas & Mack.


----------



## UD40

EC went into full blown EC Iso/Hero Ball mode in the 2nd and the offense lost any and all flow. Tough one to take.


----------



## HKF

UConn is literally getting nothing from anyone not named Ryan Boatright. If only Deandre Daniels had stayed.


----------



## shupioneers1

UConn down 7 with less than 7 minutes left. With how they shoot the ball, this is like any other team being down 15 at this point. Not over quite yet, but definitely about to run out of time.


----------



## HKF

Kevin Ollie needs to up his recruiting. No shooting and no guys with muscle.


----------



## HKF

Boatright. ONIONS!


----------



## shupioneers1

Welcome to the NIT Tulsa!


----------



## HKF

Wyoming has fallen apart. 9 minutes into the second half and zero points.


----------



## HKF

Larry Nance getting the friendly bounce. The scoring is pathetic, but SDSU makes defense fun to watch. Josh Adams needs to step up though. He's been practically invisible.


----------



## HKF

Finally Derek Cooke steps up and does something.


----------



## HKF

Wyoming playing for their season. Something special about that.


----------



## HKF

Man, a real team effort from the Pokes in this last 11 minutes. Everyone doing the little things.


----------



## Gronehestu

Congrats to Wyoming, what a finish, great shot by Adams in the corner to take the lead and they held it

So glad for Shyatt, Nance, all those seniors who have had to deal with so much shit the last few years. They deserve to Dance!!

Holy shit man I'm so proud of these guys, this is what March is about. Obstacles and injuries and illness be damned, those Wyoming seniors came together and punched their ticket against a really tough team. What a story, I love it!


----------



## BAMJ6

Kevin Ollie can flat out coach in UConn.

With that said, I do wonder how the committee will look at the defending champions who lost in the tournament title game the next year. The situation they're in now is nothing that's ever happened before.

At least with Florida in 2008, they were a bubble team that had a bad 1st round loss, but also were back to back defending champs

The last time the Huskies were defending champs they were also a bubble like record


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## shupioneers1

There's no discussion needed with UConn, they'll be like a 10 or 11 seed if they win. If they lose they'll be a 2 seed in the NIT. 0% chance they make it with a loss.


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## HKF

Tough break for the Chips and bball, but hats off to Bobby Hurley for getting the Bulls to their first tournament ever.


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## HKF

shupioneers1 said:


> There's no discussion needed with UConn, they'll be like a 10 or 11 seed if they win. If they lose they'll be a 2 seed in the NIT. 0% chance they make it with a loss.


Agreed. And no excuses either. You get a home game with a chance to make the tournament. Practically every team in America would take that scenario.


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## HKF

Best coaching job of Mike Brey's career I'd say. Need to get to at least the Elite Eight though. No excuses.


----------



## BAMJ6

HKF said:


> Best coaching job of Mike Brey's career I'd say. Need to get to at least the Elite Eight though. No excuses.


That's the best post regular season game i've ever seen from ND since I celebrated my 18th birthday watching them make the Sweet 16 in 2003.

Also Mike Brey's birthday


----------



## HKF

Eastern Washington wins the Big Sky. Lead by the nation's leading scorer Tyler Harvey, something tells me that Arizona and Eastern Washington will be meeting in either Seattle or Portland in a 2/15 matchup. And if that's the case, the Wildcats should be very afraid because this team can score with the best of them (3rd in the nation in scoring).

You heard it here first by the way.


----------



## shupioneers1

Montana's loss means that's now 11 auto qualifiers for the NIT with New Mexico State (#1 in WAC) and Georgia State (#1 in Sun Belt) still playing their championship games.

Think it's actually 12. Last year there were 12 as well.


----------



## HKF

Oh and it just dawned on me. Eastern Washington's more likely to be a 13 seed than a 15. Which means teams like Louisville and Oklahoma should be afraid. In fact if it's either I'm going with the upset.


----------



## shupioneers1

HKF said:


> Oh and it just dawned on me. Eastern Washington's more likely to be a 13 seed than a 15. Which means teams like Louisville and Oklahoma should be afraid. In fact if it's either I'm going with the upset.



No matter which team Louisville draws they are my first round upset pick. Team is incredibly overrated, and can't score for $#!t!

Iowa State (they can't keep coming back from 17 point second half deficits can they??), Kansas, Oklahoma & Notre Dame along with the aforementioned Louisville Cardinals are on my short list of potential top 4 seeds unlikely to see the 2nd weekend.


----------



## HKF

Last year we had 7'5 Sim Bhullar, this year we get 7'6 Mamadou Ndiaye. Congrats to the UC Irvine Anteaters, first time making the NCAA tournament.


----------



## shupioneers1

I think I said this last year, but I hate the skyline on the court of Lakefront (??) Arena. I can barely tell where the 3 point line is on the near side of the court because of that ridiculous looking skyline logo. Game is pretty good with Georgia-on-Georgia crime with Southern & State tied at 36.


----------



## UD40

R.J. Hunter will get a chance to show his stuff on the national stage.


----------



## Gronehestu

A-10 title game is getting good, Dayton making a charge


----------



## shupioneers1

State wins 38-36 to win the Sun Belt, and advance to the NCAAs. Ron Hunter, State coach got injured in the celebration embracing his son RJ Hunter.


----------



## UD40

Win, lose or draw, it's clear that VCU is just now getting over the Briante Weber injury hangover. Any team with Treveon Graham on the floor is going to be a team to be weary of.


----------



## shupioneers1

Let's go UConn!! IF Lunardi happens to be right, let's knock Ole Miss out of the tournament, who really has no business being in tournament discussion!


----------



## UD40

Wow, VCU VERY close to the 5 second call.


----------



## shupioneers1

It took us 8 minutes to get our first points yesterday, at least we got a field goal in the first 2:30 today.


----------



## UD40

VCU will cut down the nets in Brooklyn.


----------



## shupioneers1

If Emmanuel Muniday went to SMU instead of China, SMU would be a darkhorse Final 4 candidate this year.


----------



## shupioneers1

UConn can't score for $#!t, defense can only get you so far.


----------



## Mrs. Thang

Brandon Dawson doing a good job on Kaminski so far. Reminds me of how teams used to defend Dirk with smaller mega-athletes just to take away the dribble he would use so well.


----------



## HKF

UConn shot 5-24 in the first half, combined 0-12 from Boatright and Hamilton. Hamilton was a McDonald's All-American? He's been pretty disappointing all year to me.


----------



## shupioneers1

There's 3 guys in dark blue jerseys underneath the basket including Brimah at 7 feet, grab a ****ing rebound!


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## shupioneers1

Boatright hasn't done $#!t anyways (1-11 from the field, 1-8 from 3) but this is about the time he turns it on. Hopefully he isn't too injured.


----------



## HKF

One thing I give UConn credit for is they never give up. It's rare to see their team quit.


----------



## shupioneers1

Rodney Purvis carrying the team today. He has 21, rest of the team has 15 total.


----------



## UD40

Huskies aren't dead yet.


----------



## shupioneers1

We need to cut it to 5 or less by the under 4 media to give ourselves a good chance.


----------



## UD40

Two great games closing out the conference tournament slate.


----------



## HKF

Boatright has a chance to make this a two possession game with a little over 3 minutes left.


----------



## shupioneers1

7 point lead at the under 4 media, I'll take that.


----------



## Mrs. Thang

Branden Dawson was so good early and has just been horrendous down the stretch.


----------



## HKF

You think making the tournament doesn't matter to these teams? Think again.


----------



## UD40

WISC/MSU is INTENSE!


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## shupioneers1

HAVE to score on this possession.


----------



## HKF

That'll do it. UConn to the NIT.


----------



## Mrs. Thang

That should have been an easy OOB call, but wtf is Valentine doing? They've been so careless.


----------



## shupioneers1

Welp, that'll about do it


----------



## HKF

Will the selection show start on time? MSU-Wisconsin still in overtime.


----------



## UD40

HKF said:


> Will the selection show start on time? MSU-Wisconsin still in overtime.


6 pm EST. Usually start announcing around 6:15ish if memory serves.


----------



## shupioneers1

There will now officially be a new champion this year.


----------



## UD40

Wiscy will walk away with a net and a trophy.


----------



## UD40

Wiscy has to get a 1 seed.


----------



## EpicFailGuy

Wisconsin manned up big-time in OT and pitched a shutout in the extra 5. 
@Gronehestu , good luck to your Badgers this week and beyond.


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## HKF

That Tom Izzo guy is one hell of a coach. How did this team fight Wisconsin so well? Wisconsin has a great shot to win it all.


----------



## Mrs. Thang

Michigan State got a rebound up 2 with 20 seconds left and inexplicably threw the ball away up the court. I mentioned it earlier in this thread but they have huge issues closing games. They'll be a popular pick to make a run next week but I can't see them getting out of the first weekend with the way they collapse every game in the last 5 minutes.


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## shupioneers1

I think Wiscy (West), Duke (South), and Villanova (East) grab the last three 1 seed's along with Kentucky (MW).

My last 4 in: Temple, Indiana, LSU, Boise state.
First 4 out: UCLA, Miami (FL), Murray state, Ole Miss.

Lunardi has Ole Miss in Indy out with me the reverse. Ole Miss was complete garbage at the end of the season, and even though Indy wasn't much better, they fared better in conf tourney and the losses were better. Likewise Lunardi has ODU in last 4 out while I've got Murray.


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## shupioneers1

LOL @ Indiana as a 10 seed. Looks like they weren't even on the bubble. I officially have a better record then Lunardi.


----------



## Mrs. Thang

Whichita State and Kansas potential round of 32 game. Awesome.


----------



## shupioneers1

LSU is a 9 seed?? What. The. $#ck??


----------



## shupioneers1

LOL at Dayton as a last team in with an 11 seed and LSU as a friggen 9 seed?? Does the committee know the SEC sucks in basketball and that it isn't football here??


----------



## HKF

Damn, Georgetown gets Eastern Washington in Portland. Bye bye Hoyas.


----------



## shupioneers1

WHAT?? UCLA not only in the field, but not even one of the last 4 in?? WTF??


----------



## shupioneers1

So, with Davidson getting a 10 seed, and Dayton being one of the last 4 teams in, is it safe to assume if VCU lost this afternoon, they would've been left at home?? Certainly looks that way.


----------



## HKF

VCU is a 7. I think they were firmly in the field.


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## shupioneers1

I can't belive the committee gave the SEC 5 bids! This league was Kentucky nand the 13 dwarves! I LSU and Ole Miss have some good wins, but some of the losses were inexcusable! Ole Miss SHOULD NOT be in. 
Temple has the best win of ANY bubble team, how the hell did they get left out?? UCLA not only making the field, but getting a bye is a complete and utter joke! Murray state would've been a better selection! Miami, winning @ Duke is a better choice! I am completely mistifyed by UCLA's selection.


----------



## shupioneers1

I am still completely dumbfounded by UCLA.

A: 20-13 (11-7 conf), RPI 49, SOS 29, road/neutral record 4-12, vs. RPI top 100 5-10, wins over 20 & 27 but both at home, best OOC win vs. #112 Long Beach, 7-5 last 12
B: 20-12 (11-7 conf), RPI 55, SOS 46, road/neutral 11-5, vs. RPI top 100 9-8, best win is #17 Arkanas, best OOC win is #40 Cincinnati, 7-5 last 12
C: 19-13 (13-5 conf), RPI 34, SOS 60, road/neutral 9-8, vs. RPI top 100 8-8; best win is #2 Kansas which happens to be best OOC win as well, 9-3 last 12.
D: 27-6 (26-6 vs. division 1) (13-5 in conf), RPI 29, SOS 118, road/neutral 12-5, vs. RPI top 100 2-3; best win is over #2 6 San Diego State and best OOC win is #61 Georgia State. 9-3 last 12, and had 3 OOC wins against teams in the top 88.

Team D is Colorado State, C is Temple, the 2 teams that were probably left out. Ole Miss is team B who was probably last team in, and team A is UCLA. Outside the SOS, which got bumped playing Kentucky, Gonzaga, and UNC and Oklahoma at a tournament, they are worse in every other category that supposedly mean something, but once again they beat NOBODY!!!!!!!!

Temple doesn't have a very good profile either with the 1 beacon of hope being the Kanas win; the SOS of Colorado state stinks but they won 27 games. Ole Miss won 11 road/neutral games, but went 1-4 in their last 5 games including a home loss to #101 Vandy and #81 South Carolina in the SEC tournament. Honestly, if these were the last 4 teams and you had to pick 1, I could cherry pick the UCLA selection, solely based on the SOS, but I'm completely flabbergasted they received a bye!

I personally would've gone with Colorado state bye, Ole Miss last team in, and UCLA and Temple out because you have to WIN. SOME. GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If your 12 OOC opponents end up finishing 1 through 12 in the RPI, but you lose all 12, should we still select you because you played a challenging schedule?? Hell no!


----------



## bball2223

Just got back from Cleveland, hats off to Buffalo, but the Chips will be back. Looks like I missed some exciting action, but this thread got me caught up quickly. Thanks as always for the thrilling updates fellas.


----------



## Gronehestu

Holy fucking shit dude, I feel as though I used up a couple of lives during that Sparty/Bucky game today. That was a magnificent basketball game, right? Like it's not just because my team was involved, I feel like that's one of the 5 best games played the entire season

I'm not 100% sure on the timing, but it seemed like from about the 5 minute mark in the first half through to the 10ish minute mark of the 2nd half, Michigan St shot about 20 out of 25. Just every shot they put up went in. Fallaways, deep 3's, contested hooks in the paint, everything swished. And they really did exploit the shit out of our interior defense. Tom Izzo and his guys watched our tape from all year before this week, I'm sure of it. They split the court in half and ran us around screen after screen and when they caught us in a switch finally, they'd whip it inside for a clean look at a dunk. 

So I mean, hat's off to Tom Izzo and company. I absolutely loathe them, and it makes me so damn nervous when we play them, because it doesn't matter who Izzo has, he can beat you. His guys will out-work, out-prepare, and out-execute you. Son of a bitch, but they're hard to beat. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, regarding Izzo






I pretty much had to walk away to keep from just exploding with frustrating during that run Sparty went on, but came back when everyone started cheering again. I kept telling our boys to stop shooting so many damn 3's, but they just starting going in and going in and going in

So what do I know, eh? lol

Koenig was huge in this tournament. I really hope Bo doesn't take him out of the starting lineup. Things are just clicking too well right now with that starting 5. Given that Duje is finally regaining his confidence, bringing Jackson off the bench for defense, energy and playmaking is precisely the way Bo is going to get the most out of him. I hope to goodness sake that Bo does the right thing and brings Trae off the bench. 

Nigel Hayes is a bad, bad, BAD man. You prevent him from catching in the post? Fine, he'll shoot a 3 over you. Come up in his grill to prevent the outside shot? He'll put it on the floor with any number of quick and creative drives. Forget to prevent him from establishing post position on the catch altogether? May as well just trot back to your end of the court, cause you just gave up two points. Damn that dude is a talent. 

Gasser is such a quintessential Badger. Heart and hustle. Yes, his foot was out of bounds but guess what? He saved it RIGHT TO Valentine...who promptly gave the ball away. I say it's a wash. 

I love this team so very much. I'm a bit worried about our region, because it's stacked, and there's a bunch of teams in it that have seen us recently and can therefore prepare well for us. 

But this team has championship heart and a ton of ability. I'm very nervous of Traevon Jackson coming in and disrupting the chemistry we have going, because that chemistry is very obviously sensational and Trae has, for all his positive, always been a guy who makes boneheaded plays and frustrates the shit out of Bo. Please, Trae: play it smart, blend in, and be a part of making this the greatest team Wisconsin has ever had. 

So proud of our guys, so excited to see what the next couple of weeks have in store. It's been an incredible, best-ever season so far, and we've achieved virtually every goal we set up to this point. Now comes the truest and fiercest test, and if this is truly to be the greatest team in the history of Wisconsin basketball, only a Final Four repeat and National Championship can suffice. 

Make our dreams real, Badgers

On Wisconsin


----------



## Gronehestu

https://vine.co/v/OVKJ2AvMuhh

https://vine.co/v/OVKugFxQBH9

#justfrankthings


----------



## bball2223

All auto-bids are updated on the first page. Good job as always this week, fellas. See you later this week for the cream of the crop.


----------



## Nimreitz

From this point on I won't be missing another Wisconsin game. From what I've been able to watch recently, this is one hell of a team. Dekker looks to finally be taking some initiative and if he plays to his potential in addition to Kaminsky, Hayes, and Koenig playing to their normal standard, this team could win it all.


----------



## MudFlap

Feel free to start a new thread with this - I ain't no computer genius.


----------

