After the UW-USU game ended I watched the rest of the Liberty game. My whole family was in the room and I was doing other things so my attention wasn't great. The game was almost over before I realized that Liberty was coached by none other than Dancin' Richie McKay. That was a blast from the past. I had not thought of that name in a long, long time. Now I hope to see one of these random teams coached by Dale Layer next.
Where's mpfunk at?
One game winning buzzer beater so far in this tournament (only two attempted buzzer beaters total). Only two potential cinderellas left (Liberty and Irvine). Been an unusually drama-free dance so far. The lack of big upsets means the 1 seeds will have to earn their way.
Gonzaga has introduced a new way to win in basketball. You have the one-and-dones like Duke and Kentucky. You have the teams that find success with four year starters (Villanova), and you have the hybrids (UNC). Now, Gonzaga is in the same conversation with those schools, and they are built on transfers and foreigners. Of the 9 players in their regular rotation, 3 are foreign, and 3 are transfers.
We almost had another BIG buzzer beater. So close, twice.Originally Posted by sancho
Duke dodges a bullet. It's a shame they don't have outside shooting. There's no way they can win this tournament without it.
Big calls in the last minute - questionable charge, replay fail, push off on an offensive rebound. Always happy for referees to play their part.
Yeah, good to finally have some drama in the tournament.
Maybe Johnnie Dawkins should get P5 offers.
Sweet 16:
5 ACC teams (Duke, Carolina, UVa, FSU, VaTech)
4 SEC teams (Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU)
3 Big10 teams (MSU, Mich, Purdue)
1 Big 12 team (Texas Tech)
1 Pac 12 team (Oregon)
2 Mid Majors (Houston, Gonzaga)
All of the 1, 2, and 3 seeds (only the second time ever in the modern era of the tournament). Two of the 4 seeds. One 5 seed. Only one double digit seed. Zero cinderellas.
Duke vs VaTech. The Hokies won in the regular season.
Michigan St vs LSU. I love how the media doubted that LSU would be able to play well because of losing their coach.
Gonzaga vs FSU. Zags get revenge for last year. I don't think the noles can keep it close.
Texas Tech vs Michigan. Neither team has really had to break a sweat yet. Seems like a great game.
UVa vs Oregon. Oregon is the poor man's Virginia. Ducks won't be able to score.
Purdue vs Tennessee. I want upsets in tournaments, but when they don't happen, I get lots of these great games.
UNC vs Auburn. Heels or Zags? Which is the most loaded team in the tournament?
Houston vs Kentucky. Always feels weird to say Go Cougars, but here we are.
Last edited by sancho; 03-24-2019 at 09:48 PM.
The NCAA has a March Madness "day in the life" ad that is pretty harmless, but actual pampered athletes are whining about how it fails to convey how hard their lives are. These guys have no idea how good they have it. Scholarships, tutors, travel, free gear, instruction, friendship, fans. I feel like they should watch a day in the life of a single parent community college student with English as a second language.
This game is nuts! I can't remember the last time I saw a shooting display like this one from Cline.
I hadnt thought about it in this way, but this is an amazing stat. What has happened to the Pac 12? If Gonzaga wins Saturday, it will have more than the entire conference. so do several of the mid-major conferences
Jon Wilner Retweeted Jon Wilner
Should add: UCLA didn't so much as make the Elite Eight
Jon Wilner added,
Pac-12 finishes the decade with one Final Four appearance (Oregon '17). UCLA and Arizona need to get the stuff together.
I think SoCal reminded us a few months ago just how weak the Pac-12 has traditionally been in basketball outside of UCLA and Arizona. There just isn't much tradition at any of the other schools. If those two schools are down, the Pac-12 is going to struggle.
Arizona definitely had a few final four worthy teams, but they never quite made it.
Gonzaga is definitely the top dog in the west right now. They are loaded, and they seem to reload with transfers and Euros every offseason.
I am optimistic about the conference in the future because teams are recruiting very well. I hope Utah can wriggle its way into the upper tier of the conference as things get established.
what is depressing is that we are trying to 'wriggle" our way into the top half of a conference that, on the whole, sucks. We really shouldn't have to wriggle; we should be there most every year.
We have more tradition than anyone outside UCLA and Arizona. And the conference has to double the number of teams in the tourney.
I agree, and I'm afraid our window is going to close. We needed to establish ourselves as a top dog while everyone else was down.
All we need is one team to get nationally relevant on a more consistent basis similar to Gonzaga. Really that team should be UCLA most every year given their advantages. Of course it would be nice if Utah could be that kind of program again.
That would be good for UCLA, or whoever it is. But look at the WCC - Gonzaga's success doesn't have a trickle down effect.
The best thing that ever happened to Gonzaga is that Few has stayed. The real question is whether the success is Gonzaga's or Few's. I would be surprised if Gonzaga can sustain it after Few retires/leaves. I bet their experience will be more like ours after Majerus.
Nah, they'll just promote Giacoletti and things will be fine. That dude can coach!
Of course, the first two gigs didn't work out so well but no sweat. You got this Ray!
\
I forgot about that. Their experience could REALLY be like ours after Majerus. Now if they can just get Kerry Rupp on an interim basis from OSU.
I know we're doing #jokes here but I did read something on The Ringer this week about Gonzaga and Few and it said that another guy on their staff is basically "coach-in-waiting." It wasn't Ray or Donnie....somebody named Lewis if I remember correctly.
The staff is Few, Daniels, Tommy Lloyd, and Brian Michaelson. The Google says that Tommy Lloyd is the coach in waiting. Someone should poach him like Mike Hopkins. I think he probably has a long time to wait unless Few takes a job somewhere else.
The question is what's the half life of tradition these days? We had tradition from 1944 through 1998. Wouldn't surprise me if our tradition is gone for high schoolers. We have to start over.
Agreed. We have to start over. But the potential fan base is there. The difference is we have to compete with the jazz and the nba.
Down go the Heels. I think they were the deepest and most talented team in the tournament. Gonzaga now the most loaded. Duke still the most fun (and the best player in the tournament).
Wow, what a choke. VT runs the perfect inbounds play, misses the gimmie, and Duke survives again. MSU vs Duke on Sunday. The only possible match up in this tournament that would be bigger is Duke/Kentukcy.
And we're set:
2 ACC teams (Duke, UVa)
2 SEC (Kentucky, Auburn)
2 Big10 (MSU, Purdue)
1 Big12 (TTech)
1 Mid Major (Gonzaga)
Gonzaga vs TTech (the only two teams in the elite eight that have not yet been challenged)
UVa vs Purdue (if I'm UCLA, I make an offer to the winner)
Duke vs MSU (the bracket was designed to give us this game)
Kentucky vs Auburn (big cats all over the place)
Third game in a row that Gonzaga gets the opposing big man in foul trouble in the first few minutes of the game. Vital for Baylor, the 7'4" guy for FSU, and now Okiase for Texas Tech.
Heck of a game, and I'm happy to see the Zags bow out. I'd be happy to see Duke, TTech, Purdue, UVa, or Auburn win this thing. Just no Kentucky or MSU. Pretty good odds.
This whole season, people have been talking about where Chris Beard will coach next season. With a Final Four at TTech, maybe he just stays? Unless he doesn't like Lubbock, which would be understandable.
Follows Leach to Wazzu?
"Don't apologize; it's not your fault. It's my fault for overestimating your competence."
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