OT: March Madness discussion

[Jetsfan80]

8 minutes ago, Lith said:

Ivy League has a post season tournament now, Ivy Madness.  Top 4 teams from the regular season make it.   I am a Penn grad.  We lost the last game of the regular season against Princeton this year.  Finished 3rd in conference instead of co-champs.  I did not really care because we had another shot in the Tourney.  Lost then too so it did not really matter.

I get why they have tournaments and they have to make it mean something.  Does not mean I have to like it.

Yeah, I remember seeing that they added the conference tourney.  I worded it poorly; I meant that the only league that has EVER opted to give the regular season champ the autobid was the Ivy, and even they caved in to the conference tournament option.

Unless the NCAA starts letting a few more mid-majors in to the dance low/mid-majors will always be scraping for dollars and recognition any way that they can with the 1 bid they get each year.  The NCAA is trying to expand the tournament but we all know that that will only give maybe 2-3 of the top tier mid-major leagues a better shot at multiple bids in any given year.  The rest will go to mediocre P6's as well as borderline major conferences like the A10, Mountain West and CUSA.

The NCAA seems hell bent on having the ACC get nearly all of their teams into the dance, probably because they're scared as hell of leagues like them taking their ball and going home, I.E. forming their own Association.  Every time the committee pushes a seemingly worthy team like, say, Clemson, into the NIT, it only increases the likelihood of that happening.

[Joe W. Namath]

If fau wins this game, is this the best underdog run in ncaa tourney history?  I cant think of a better one.

[Jetsfan80]

15 minutes ago, Joe W. Namath said:

If fau wins this game, is this the best underdog run in ncaa tourney history?  I cant think of a better one.

Tough call.  I'd make a strong case for George Mason's Final 4 run in 2006.  They were an 11-seed, and they knocked off Michigan State, UNC, and UCONN along the way before finally losing to Florida.

In 2011, 11-seeded VCU had to win an extra game to get to the Final 4 because they came out of the play-in round in Dayton.  Their 5 wins were against USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida St and Kansas. 

In that same 2011 tournament, 8-seeded Butler made it the title game.  They defeated Pitt, Wisconsin, Florida and the aforementioned VCU.

Loyola-Chicago's run in 2018 was fun as well but the highest seed they had to knock off was a 3 (Tennessee).  

Making it to the national title game, even in a weaker field, would probably have to give FAU at least a slight edge, however.  That would be the lowest seed to ever get there.  Three 8-seeds have gotten to the title game (Butler, Kentucky in 2014, Villanova in 1985) but never any 9's or below.

[Trotter]

10 minutes ago, Joe W. Namath said:

If fau wins this game, is this the best underdog run in ncaa tourney history?  I cant think of a better one.

Seton hall in the late 80’s comes to mind but I do not remember their seed.

[section314]

11 minutes ago, Joe W. Namath said:

If fau wins this game, is this the best underdog run in ncaa tourney history?  I cant think of a better one.

Villanova 85. Beat NC, Memphis and GTown. Close 

[Joe W. Namath]

1 minute ago, section314 said:

Villanova 85. Beat NC, Memphis and GTown. Close 

Nova played in the best conference in the country.  They were battle tested.  I dont think u can compare what fau is doing to a big east school.

[Jetsfan80]

6 minutes ago, Trotter said:

Seton hall in the late 80’s comes to mind but I do not remember their seed.

They were a 3-seed in the '89 tournament when they reached the national title game.

[Trotter]

10 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

They were a 3-seed in the '89 tournament when they reached the national title game.

Yup looked it up and was suprised they were that low.

Grew up about a mile from the school

[RutgersJetFan]

This is the most nerve wracking horrible game I’ve ever seen. Are the Aztecs even running plays? Dafuq

[Jetsfan80]

1 hour ago, Joe W. Namath said:

If fau wins this game, is this the best underdog run in ncaa tourney history?  I cant think of a better one.

Nothing like the Joe W jinx lmao

[Joe W. Namath]

That shot cost dusty may 150k

[RutgersJetFan]

Dutcher with the Phil Jackson move of not calling the TO. Always loved that call. Don't let your guys get in their own heads and don't give the defense time to get set. That one always seems to work more than it doesn't.

[undertow]

I wouldn't of even known this was on if I didn't see this thread. lol

[section314]

1 hour ago, Joe W. Namath said:

Nova played in the best conference in the country.  They were battle tested.  I dont think u can compare what fau is doing to a big east school.

Nova was an 8 seed. They beat a 5(Maryland)  2 2 ‘s North Carolina and Memphis and 2 1’s  Michigan and Georgetown. No comparison.

[PS17]

59 minutes ago, RutgersJetFan said:

Dutcher with the Phil Jackson move of not calling the TO. Always loved that call. Don't let your guys get in their own heads and don't give the defense time to get set. That one always seems to work more than it doesn't.

Agree. Something needs to be done about these back to back to back to back timeouts in the final minute. It’s absurd. Love sequences like this:

 

[PS17]

Miami has been so good finishing at the rim this whole tournament. UConn’s bigs are dominating defensively and the Canes can’t buy a layup as a result. 

[RutgersJetFan]

2 minutes ago, PS17 said:

Agree. Something needs to be done about these back to back to back to back timeouts in the final minute. It’s absurd. Love sequences like this:

 

One of Jackson's books discussed his belief that they had already practiced all of these situations over and over, so there was no point in disrupting a game to go over what they already knew. Better to just let the rhythm of the game dictate how they execute what they already had exhausted themselves on. The players in turn respond by acting confidently in pressure situations because the coach believes in them. I always loved that.

[nj meadowlands]

UConn is ******* bad

ASTERISK CITY

[Joe W. Namath]

1 hour ago, section314 said:

Nova was an 8 seed. They beat a 5(Maryland)  2 2 ‘s North Carolina and Memphis and 2 1’s  Michigan and Georgetown. No comparison.

Its a moot point now that FAU lost todsy.  George Mason did just as well as this FAU team.  They needed to win the game to have been biggest surprise in ncaa tourney history.

Still a heck of a run by them.

[section314]

1 minute ago, Joe W. Namath said:

Its a moot point now that FAU lost todsy.  George Mason did just as well as this FAU team.  They needed to win the game to have been biggest surprise in ncaa tourney history.

Still a heck of a run by them.

Absolutely. They were the story of this tournament. And deservedly so.

[greenwichjetfan]

5 hours ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Tough call.  I'd make a strong case for George Mason's Final 4 run in 2006.  They were an 11-seed, and they knocked off Michigan State, UNC, and UCONN along the way before finally losing to Florida.

It’s George Mason by a mile. Was nice to get a little bit of revenge on Larranaga tonight, but that is still the toughest year of my basketball fan lifeZ losing to that slapstick team when we were the consensus #1….ugh.

[greenwichjetfan]

3 hours ago, PS17 said:

Miami has been so good finishing at the rim this whole tournament. UConn’s bigs are dominating defensively and the Canes can’t buy a layup as a result. 

Sanogo taking and swishing two 3s in the first 9 points had me close to passing out. 

[PS17]

20 minutes ago, greenwichjetfan said:

Sanogo taking and swishing two 3s in the first 9 points had me close to passing out. 

When he took that first three with that weird ass stroke I was like “is he serious”…okay, swish, cool

Then he pulled up again and nothing but net and I was like “yeah it’s over” ?

[greenwichjetfan]

13 minutes ago, PS17 said:

When he took that first three with that weird ass stroke I was like “is he serious”…okay, swish, cool

Then he pulled up again and nothing but net and I was like “yeah it’s over” ?

I've been following UConn since I was a 8 year old pup in '96, and over the years we've had our share of pretty horrific shooters. To this day, the person that comes to mind the most for me is Hilton Armstrong. Anytime that dude touched the ball, my blood pressure would rise. That's how I felt with Sanogo shooting those two threes. Them going in wasn't cause for celebration, it was a sigh of relief that he didn't airball them. 

[Jetsfan80]

1 hour ago, greenwichjetfan said:

It’s George Mason by a mile. Was nice to get a little bit of revenge on Larranaga tonight, but that is still the toughest year of my basketball fan lifeZ losing to that slapstick team when we were the consensus #1….ugh.

Yep, especially since FAU lost today.  Had they won THEN it would be a good debate.  

[nj meadowlands]

This UConn team is, as the kids would say, so mid. 

[bicketybam]

This UConn team is, as the kids would say, so mid. 

The kids are going to be calling them champs soon.

[faba]

Coached by Hurley a local Jersey guy from Jersey City

[nj meadowlands]

3 hours ago, faba said:

Coached by Hurley a local Jersey guy from Jersey City

A local jackass

[HawkeyeJet]

Let’s go Hawks!!

[Dcat]

17 hours ago, section314 said:

Absolutely. They were the story of this tournament. And deservedly so.

The winning basket, he was a millimeter from taking that shot out of bounds.  And I think it was their only lead in the second half. Unreal. 

[Dcat]

17 hours ago, PS17 said:

Miami has been so good finishing at the rim this whole tournament. UConn’s bigs are dominating defensively and the Canes can’t buy a layup as a result. 

size matters

[T0mShane]

Big shout out to these officials for destroying my passing interest in women’s college basketball. 

[PS17]

44 minutes ago, Dcat said:

size matters

Always has ?

[Beerfish]

Coaching matters, LSU putting up over 100, amazing.