OT: March Madness discussion

[Larz]

7 hours ago, HawkeyeJet said:

This is not basketball and has nothing to do with the nba. I don’t like the nba either.  This is literally not how the game was intended to be played.  Basketball is supposed to be a free flowing, skilled game.  College basketball resembles neither of those things the majority of the time.

Nope. I like defense. You just described the NBA all star game. We just disagree 

[HawkeyeJet]

8 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Isn’t that just the San Diego State style of play, though? 

Yes, but that’s what I mean.  This style of basketball is prevalent in college basketball and it’s abysmal to watch.

[frankiepapa]

I mean how is that team a 4 seed.

Uconn was all over the place this year...definitely should have been maybe a 2 or 3... at one point, there was talk of them going undefeated... and then big east play started... just really a great team to watch... great for Dan hurley...

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[nj meadowlands]

10 hours ago, RutgersJetFan said:

This has gotta be the most dominant run in the history of the tourney.

LOL

[RutgersJetFan]

10 hours ago, HawkeyeJet said:

This game is terrible.  I absolutely love the game of basketball and I cannot f’n stand what the college game has become the past 20 years.  Nothing but offensively limited rock fights where people pretend great defense is being played rather than just calling it what it is, fouling so much the refs can’t call everything.

Legit. Atlantic ran a big feature on this last year. Fouls are way down the last couple years.

[Jetsfan80]

2 hours ago, Larz said:

Nope. I like defense. You just described the NBA all star game. We just disagree 

But the defense isn't all that good either.  That's his point.  It's just bad offense.  Many offenses are built on ball screens with the other 3 guys just standing around.

[Matt39]

UConn went 17-0 non conference and won every game by double digits. Not bad.

[greenwichjetfan]

I take back all of my criticisms of Dan Hurley. He shut me up, and it feels amazing.

[bicketybam]

LOL

Their average margin of victory was 20 points. They beat Gonzaga by 28. Not sure what you are laughing about.

[hotrodcharlie]

2 hours ago, nj meadowlands said:

LOL

agreed. Uconn had an incredibly fortunate break where everyone else fell apart.  Gonzaga as a 3 seed was the highest ranked opponent they had to face and we all know Gonzaga is routinely overrated.

it was a cake walk, did they face 1 future NBA player in the tournament? Maybe Nick Smith at Arkansas but even he was up-and-down as a frosh, idk about his future in the NBA, maybe though.

even their last run to the title in 2014 they at least had to beat Julius Randle, Gary Harris, Finney-Smith, etc. And that was seen as a fluke run. This is dominance though ... "LOL" as you point out

--

 

you dont have to go back that far even to find better runs. 2018 Nova dominated their way through a much harder road. 

College basketball hasn't been the same in quite some time though. I think back even 10 years ago to 2012 watching Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Bradley Beal (Florida), Draymond Green (MSU), Carter-Williams (Syracuse), etc. all in the same tournament. Any one of those teams woulda destroyed 2023 UConn

 

[hotrodcharlie]

1 hour ago, Jetsfan80 said:

But the defense isn't all that good either.  That's his point.  It's just bad offense.  Many offenses are built on ball screens with the other 3 guys just standing around.

It is a result of the transfer portal. Learning a system, coaching up fundamentals, etc. that all takes time and nobody sticks around anymore to learn it. 

It is glorified AAU ball where everyone stands around and jacks up 3s as a showcase to their next stop. 

[Dcat]

I would very much like to thank Mr Hurley and his Huskies for making me a lot of money in their recent 6 games.  A lot.  Double digit wins all the way through baby.  And the best by far was the smack down of the highly overrated Jags, I mean Zags.   UConn's mid season drought was the only reason they weren't seeded where they should have been.  I wish it was always as easy as this. 

This was a rare opportunity people and I told you all that before that Gonzaga game.

[bicketybam]

Lots of salty tears for some reason.

[HawkeyeJet]

21 minutes ago, hotrodcharlie said:

It is a result of the transfer portal. Learning a system, coaching up fundamentals, etc. that all takes time and nobody sticks around anymore to learn it. 

It is glorified AAU ball where everyone stands around and jacks up 3s as a showcase to their next stop. 

The transfer portal is responsible for some of college basketball’s issues, but I don’t think it the style/brand of play is the issue.  Wisconsin, Virginia, Purdue, Mick Cronin Teams, Calvin Sampson Teams, Rick Barnes teams, Jamie Dixon teams and on and on have been doing this for 15-20 years now.  Well before the transfer portal.  The bring the game to a standstill on offense then clutch, hold and foul constantly on defense knowing officials simply will not call all the fouls they should.  I’ve heard it directly out of high level coaches mouths at coaching clinics.  It’s just excruciating to watch, and in my opinion, is a complete disservice to the game.

Ironically enough, Iowa runs the football version of this strategy.  I understand why coaches do it.  I just personally don’t think it’s truly the way the game is supposed to be played.

[RutgersJetFan]

3 minutes ago, HawkeyeJet said:

The transfer portal is responsible for some of college basketball’s issues, but I don’t think it the style/brand of play is the issue.  Wisconsin, Virginia, Purdue, Mick Cronin Teams, Calvin Sampson Teams, Rick Barnes teams, Jamie Dixon teams and on and on have been doing this for 15-20 years now.  Well before the transfer portal.  The bring the game to a standstill on offense then clutch, hold and foul constantly on defense knowing officials simply will not call all the fouls they should.  I’ve heard it directly out of high level coaches mouths at coaching clinics.  It’s just excruciating to watch, and in my opinion, is a complete disservice to the game.

Ironically enough, Iowa runs the football version of this strategy.  I understand why coaches do it.  I just personally don’t think it’s truly the way the game is supposed to be played.

This stuff also started before the portal opened up.

[greenwichjetfan]

23 minutes ago, HawkeyeJet said:

The transfer portal is responsible for some of college basketball’s issues, but I don’t think it the style/brand of play is the issue.  Wisconsin, Virginia, Purdue, Mick Cronin Teams, Calvin Sampson Teams, Rick Barnes teams, Jamie Dixon teams and on and on have been doing this for 15-20 years now.  Well before the transfer portal.  The bring the game to a standstill on offense then clutch, hold and foul constantly on defense knowing officials simply will not call all the fouls they should.  I’ve heard it directly out of high level coaches mouths at coaching clinics.  It’s just excruciating to watch, and in my opinion, is a complete disservice to the game.

Ironically enough, Iowa runs the football version of this strategy.  I understand why coaches do it.  I just personally don’t think it’s truly the way the game is supposed to be played.

So only watch UConn games then. Whether it was Calhoun, Ollie, or now Hurley - our playbooks are always off ball screens, hot potato, find the open shot. We didn't have a single player this year that could take over a game using on-ball screens or iso, and still dominated the tournament. You've spent so much energy in this thread hating the game while the national champs are everything you want. 

[Matt39]

5 minutes ago, greenwichjetfan said:

So only watch UConn games then. Whether it was Calhoun, Ollie, or now Hurley - our playbooks are always off ball screens, hot potato, find the open shot. We didn't have a single player this year that could take over a game using on-ball screens or iso, and still dominated the tournament. You've spent so much energy in this thread hating the game while the national champs are everything you want. 

Tournament was fun. FAU/SDSU had a better rating than last years Nova/Kansas game.

Not overly concerned about bad basketball if it’s fun to watch. What kills the sport the most are the clock stoppages in crunch time.

[greenwichjetfan]

1 hour ago, bicketybam said:

3 hours ago, nj meadowlands said:

LOL

Their average margin of victory was 20 points. They beat Gonzaga by 28. Not sure what you are laughing about.

He's just salty AF and it's ******* delicious. He's been at it for weeks in multiple threads. When Nova won both times, we congratulated him. Speaking of btw, I didn't see him bitching about how easy their 2018 run was. Not having to play any top seeds, blowing through people with clearly superior talent and a first ballot HOF coach. I don't see anyone taking anything away from UNC's run in '09.

These tourneys happen from time to time. It was a great tourney with tons of opportunity for anyone to win. UConn didn't just win against teams that knocked off #1 and #2 seed; they dominated them. Everyone was complaining about how underseeded Gonzaga was going into the tourney, and UConn wiped the floor with them. Give me a break with some of the bullsh*t being thrown around...best of all by folks who's schools couldn't even get into "the worst field of all time".

[greenwichjetfan]

1 minute ago, Matt39 said:

Tournament was fun. FAU/SDSU had a better rating than last years Nova/Kansas game.

Not overly concerned about bad basketball if it’s fun to watch. What kills the sport the most are the clock stoppages in crunch time.

This. Bad basketball is still fun if it's high-level competition or if you're a ball junkie or a fan of the team(s). The worst thing about basketball at any level is the usage of fouls and timeouts. 

[nj meadowlands]

2 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

Not overly concerned about bad basketball if it’s fun to watch. 

The second half of the FAU/SDSU game was absolutely putrid. A buzzer beater couldn't erase that.

[Jetsfan80]

3 minutes ago, greenwichjetfan said:

He's just salty AF and it's ******* delicious. He's been at it for weeks in multiple threads. When Nova won both times, we congratulated him. Speaking of btw, I didn't see him bitching about how easy their 2018 run was. Not having to play any top seeds, blowing through people with clearly superior talent and a first ballot HOF coach. I don't see anyone taking anything away from UNC's run in '09.

These tourneys happen from time to time. It was a great tourney with tons of opportunity for anyone to win. UConn didn't just win against teams that knocked off #1 and #2 seed; they dominated them. Everyone was complaining about how underseeded Gonzaga was going into the tourney, and UConn wiped the floor with them. Give me a break with some of the bullsh*t being thrown around...best of all by folks who's schools couldn't even get into "the worst field of all time".

 

Can't control how weak a field is or who you end up facing, only how you play against them.  UCONN dominated basically every opponent in their path.  I see no good reason to disparage that.

5 titles since 1999.  There isn't a single team in the nation outside of maybe UNC and Duke who wouldn't trade places with that kind of program success in that span.

[nj meadowlands]

4 minutes ago, greenwichjetfan said:

He's just salty AF and it's ******* delicious. He's been at it for weeks in multiple threads. When Nova won both times, we congratulated him. Speaking of btw, I didn't see him bitching about how easy their 2018 run was. Not having to play any top seeds, blowing through people with clearly superior talent and a first ballot HOF coach. I don't see anyone taking anything away from UNC's run in '09.

These tourneys happen from time to time. It was a great tourney with tons of opportunity for anyone to win. UConn didn't just win against teams that knocked off #1 and #2 seed; they dominated them. Everyone was complaining about how underseeded Gonzaga was going into the tourney, and UConn wiped the floor with them. Give me a break with some of the bullsh*t being thrown around...best of all by folks who's schools couldn't even get into "the worst field of all time".

I'm happy for you (even in spite of this silly post), but I still hate UConn, and there's no convincing me that they were the only decent team in a year with a terrible field.

[Jetsfan80]

Just now, nj meadowlands said:

I'm happy for you (even in spite of this silly post), but I still hate UConn, and there's no convincing me that they were the only decent team in a year with a terrible field.

They're not taking the banner away unless Hurley pulled a Pitino of some sort and the NCAA finds out about it down the line.  No asterisk either.

[nj meadowlands]

Just now, Jetsfan80 said:

They're not taking the banner away unless Hurley pulled a Pitino of some sort and the NCAA finds out about it down the line.  No asterisk either.

*

[greenwichjetfan]

1 minute ago, Jetsfan80 said:

 

Can't control how weak a field is or who you end up facing, only how you play against them.  UCONN dominated basically every opponent in their path.  I see no good reason to disparage that.

5 titles since 1999.  There isn't a single team in the nation outside of maybe UNC and Duke who wouldn't trade places with that kind of program success.

I'll also add that it's 5 titles since '99 spanning 3 HCs. That means more to me and UConn nation than maybe it would to others. 

I really didn't think we'd be back here so soon. After Calhoun left, we had nothing on the horizon. Ollie's was considered a fluke by all. This program was sinking very fast. We essentially got kicked out of the Big East. Couldn't recruit. Everyone that would come for a visit would see Calhoun's name on the three trophies and not see him in the building and leave. Hurley came in and rejuvenated it. He was able to secure better classes, implement a great playbook, and had a sense of swag; but after the severe underperformances of the last two years, I was done with him. I thought he was fools gold. I compared him to Herman Edwards in one of these threads. For him to come back with this run....I mean. Unbelievable. 

[Jetsfan80]

Just now, greenwichjetfan said:

I'll also add that it's 5 titles since '99 spanning 3 HCs. That means more to me and UConn nation than maybe it would to others. 

Yep.  Speaks to program health being far more than just one great coach.

Take Duke, for instance.  I get that Duke was a very good program long before Coach K arrived, but they're learning very quickly that life after Coach K could be very lean times.  After all, part of the reason Coach K had so much success was his relationship with the NBA, Team USA, and ability to churn out high picks.  Scheyer seems to be all about a defense-first scheme.  Good luck recruiting around that in this day and age.

[greenwichjetfan]

17 minutes ago, nj meadowlands said:

there's no convincing me that they were the only decent team in a year with a terrible field.

I'm not looking to convince anyone because it doesn't matter, just like it hasn't mattered for any of the other times something similar has happened in the history of the tourney.

[bicketybam]

He's just salty AF and it's ******* delicious. He's been at it for weeks in multiple threads. When Nova won both times, we congratulated him. Speaking of btw, I didn't see him bitching about how easy their 2018 run was. Not having to play any top seeds, blowing through people with clearly superior talent and a first ballot HOF coach. I don't see anyone taking anything away from UNC's run in '09.
These tourneys happen from time to time. It was a great tourney with tons of opportunity for anyone to win. UConn didn't just win against teams that knocked off #1 and #2 seed; they dominated them. Everyone was complaining about how underseeded Gonzaga was going into the tourney, and UConn wiped the floor with them. Give me a break with some of the bullsh*t being thrown around...best of all by folks who's schools couldn't even get into "the worst field of all time".

Villanova was a first round exit from the NIT, lol

[greenwichjetfan]

5 minutes ago, bicketybam said:

Villanova was a first round exit from the NIT, lol

Down years happen when great coaches leave. Wright was a ******* great coach. Gonna be tough on them for a while. UConn went through it too. That's why I can't believe this year's run. I almost feel like it happened too quickly for us. But who knows, maybe we have a Dean Smith, Roy Williams situation on our hands. Calhoun leaves, we flake around for a bit, and then Hurley comes in and brings us back up. Would be fantastic as a fan and alum of UConn. 

[hotrodcharlie]

47 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

They're not taking the banner away unless Hurley pulled a Pitino of some sort and the NCAA finds out about it down the line.  No asterisk either.

Which could happen. The Hurleys are shady

[RutgersJetFan]

1 hour ago, greenwichjetfan said:

He's just salty AF and it's ******* delicious. He's been at it for weeks in multiple threads. When Nova won both times, we congratulated him. Speaking of btw, I didn't see him bitching about how easy their 2018 run was. Not having to play any top seeds, blowing through people with clearly superior talent and a first ballot HOF coach. I don't see anyone taking anything away from UNC's run in '09.

These tourneys happen from time to time. It was a great tourney with tons of opportunity for anyone to win. UConn didn't just win against teams that knocked off #1 and #2 seed; they dominated them. Everyone was complaining about how underseeded Gonzaga was going into the tourney, and UConn wiped the floor with them. Give me a break with some of the bullsh*t being thrown around...best of all by folks who's schools couldn't even get into "the worst field of all time".

I'd also push back on the idea of the field being subpar. If anything the field was deeper this year due to the amount of upperclassmen that stuck around. The difference is this year the talent was so spread out rather than concentrated in just a small handful of teams. Very little difference between the 1 through 5 seeds this year.

[Lith]

2 hours ago, greenwichjetfan said:

I'm not looking to convince anyone because it doesn't matter, just like it hasn't mattered for any of the other times something similar has happened in the history of the tourney.

You won.  Never any reason to apologize for winning.  Only team to line up against an opponent 6 times and go 6-0.  If people wanted you to beat top seeds along the way, those top seed shouldn't have lost.  But they did.  And Uconn didn't.

I have heard the same criticisms of Georgia.  If not for key injuries to WRs playing against us we don't beat Bama last year or OSU this year.  Does not matter.  We won both games and we are the champs.

Congrats and enjoy being on top.  Its nice to get that feeling, even if it doesn't happen for our NFL team.

[HawkeyeJet]

7 hours ago, greenwichjetfan said:

So only watch UConn games then. Whether it was Calhoun, Ollie, or now Hurley - our playbooks are always off ball screens, hot potato, find the open shot. We didn't have a single player this year that could take over a game using on-ball screens or iso, and still dominated the tournament. You've spent so much energy in this thread hating the game while the national champs are everything you want. 

Just to be clear, I do enjoy watching UConn.  My venom is directed at the SD ST of the world.