Offical NCAA Tournament thread

[Billy Hoyle]

Arkansas cuts it to 4 and misses 10 shots in a row. 8 minutes without a FGBall game.

A convicted cheater against a well known cheater in the Final Four matchup. Uggh.

[MikeDeanesDarkGlasses]

Take note of how Baylor had 4 PGs on the floor with a few minutes to go and spread Arkansas out.  Arkansas couldn't do a thing.  Great guard play wins tourney games.  MU needs at least 2 guards.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Well, my bracket is hanging by a thread. If UCLA can upset Michigan, and Gonzaga wins the title I will win my bracket by a single point.

[StillAWarrior]

Well, my bracket is hanging by a thread. If UCLA can upset Michigan, and Gonzaga wins the title I will win my bracket by a single point.

I'm in the lead on mine with two already in the FF and still the potential of all four. The key for me is that Houston has to pull the upset over Baylor. I'm not overly confident in that.

[wadesworld]

I think I will win mine if anyone but Gonzaga wins the title. I thought Gonzaga would win it all, but I didn’t think the rest of my bracket would be good enough to have the best Gonzaga champion bracket so I picked Baylor over Gonzaga in the title, and now I’m sitting in first place as it is.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

I think I will win mine if anyone but Gonzaga wins the title. I thought Gonzaga would win it all, but I didn’t think the rest of my bracket would be good enough to have the best Gonzaga champion bracket so I picked Baylor over Gonzaga in the title, and now I’m sitting in first place as it is.

I went for the best Gonzaga bracket strategy.  I learned my lesson in 2007 when I thought everyone would pick Florida to repeat.  Well, only one person ended up picking Florida and he won our pool easily.

And I actually do have the best Gonzaga bracket in my pool.  But the leader picked UCLA to the Elite 8.  Our scoring system has a seed bonus for the first 3 rounds, so that is almost like picking a champ.

At least I benefitted from that scoring system when Davidson went to the Elite 8 and I won my pool.  Me and the runner up both nailed the title game (Kansas over Memphis) but the Davidson run put me over the top.

As for your bracket, that's not a bad spot to be in.  Gonzaga could lose to any of USC, Michigan, or Baylor.

[StillAWarrior]

I went for the best Gonzaga bracket strategy.  I learned my lesson in 2007 when I thought everyone would pick Florida to repeat.  Well, only one person ended up picking Florida and he won our pool easily.

And I actually do have the best Gonzaga bracket in my pool.  But the leader picked UCLA to the Elite 8.  Our scoring system has a seed bonus for the first 3 rounds, so that is almost like picking a champ.

At least I benefitted from that scoring system when Davidson went to the Elite 8 and I won my pool.  Me and the runner up both nailed the title game (Kansas over Memphis) but the Davidson run put me over the top.

As for your bracket, that's not a bad spot to be in.  Gonzaga could lose to any of USC, Michigan, or Baylor.

Ours doubles the points every round, so if you pick the champion you get 32 points for that single game. I hate that because really no lead is safe; it's virtually impossible to win the pool if you don't pick the champion correctly (assuming that someone else does). I'm all for increasing the value of correct picks each round, but I don't like doubling them each round. Under our scoring system, it's worth more points (63) to pick the eventual champion than it is to pick the FF correctly (60).

[Skatastrophy]

I have USC in the title game. If they run, I win.

[Scoop Snoop]

I have USC in the title game. If they run, I win.

Oh please no. Bill Walton will become totally impossible.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I need Gonzaga to win the title over Houston. Do that and I'm golden in my pool.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Ours doubles the points every round, so if you pick the champion you get 32 points for that single game. I hate that because really no lead is safe; it's virtually impossible to win the pool if you don't pick the champion correctly (assuming that someone else does). I'm all for increasing the value of correct picks each round, but I don't like doubling them each round. Under our scoring system, it's worth more points (63) to pick the eventual champion than it is to pick the FF correctly (60).

Our system:

1x seed
2× seed
4 plus seed
8
16
32

So a 1 seed in the E8 is worth 8 points, but an 11 seed in the E8 is worth 48 points.  If you can nail some early upsets or a deep Cinderella run, you get rewarded.

I'm basically in 2nd thanks to picking USC to the E8, but the leader had both USC and UCLA in the E8, and he had all 1 seeds in the FF, with Illinois over Gonzaga in the title game. If Michigan makes the FF, he clinches.  Or a Gonzaga loss in any round, he clinches.

The only consolation is that 2nd place breaks even and only 1 person has a chance to pass me.  She needs Michigan to either make win the title, or make the title game while Gonzaga loses to USC.  UCLA beating Alabama really hurt my bracket but now I really need them to beat Michigan!  I would clinch 2nd and stay alive for 1st.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Sweet 16, best viewership since 1993.
12% increase from 2019.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Sweet 16, best viewership since 1993.
12% increase from 2019.

You think that's good? It's infinitely better than 2020 viewership.

[muwarrior69]

Sweet 16, best viewership since 1993.
12% increase from 2019.

A lot of big market schools in the sweet 16 has got to help: USC, UCLA, Loyola, Nova, Houston.

[Mr. Nielsen]

A lot of big market schools in the sweet 16 has got to help: USC, UCLA, Loyola, Nova, Houston.

Well, the difference is the stand alone games.

[Uncle Rico]

Sweet 16, best viewership since 1993.
12% increase from 2019.

Yeah, this schedule is staying

[Mr. Nielsen]

Yeah, this schedule is staying

I don't think it will. Saturday thru Tuesday is not fan friendly in filling arena.

I'm also guessing the Elite 8 ratings will be very poor. 10:05ET game last night was brutal.

[StillAWarrior]

I'm also guessing the Elite 8 ratings will be very poor.

I suspect you’re right about that.

[Jockey]

Both the men's and women's regional semifinals garnered high viewership for their respective NCAA Tournament games over the weekend.

On the men's side, the Sweet 16 produced its best performance in 28 years, averaging 12.9 million viewers across CBS and TBS, marking a 12 percent increase from 2019. Throughout the eight games, the average of 6.46 million viewers was an improvement from the 5.74 million viewers that watched two years ago.

The women's games, meanwhile, brought in 1.559 million viewers on ABC for UConn vs. Iowa, while 1.223 million watched Baylor-Michigan. Monday's UConn-Baylor Elite Eight game drew 1.703 million viewers — the most watched game of the women's tournament so far.

[MuggsyB]

Both the men's and women's regional semifinals garnered high viewership for their respective NCAA Tournament games over the weekend.

On the men's side, the Sweet 16 produced its best performance in 28 years, averaging 12.9 million viewers across CBS and TBS, marking a 12 percent increase from 2019. Throughout the eight games, the average of 6.46 million viewers was an improvement from the 5.74 million viewers that watched two years ago.

The women's games, meanwhile, brought in 1.559 million viewers on ABC for UConn vs. Iowa, while 1.223 million watched Baylor-Michigan. Monday's UConn-Baylor Elite Eight game drew 1.703 million viewers — the most watched game of the women's tournament so far.

The women's numbers may be higher than recent NBA games.

[hairy worthen]

Well that didnt look good, yikes

[tower912]

No chest compressions yet.  At least the first time they came back from commercial.

[NickelDimer]

Scary stuff wow. Hoping he’s ok. That was bizarre.

[tower912]

He was sitting up and talking on the stretcher.

[PGsHeroes32]

Gonzaga has taken like 1 jump shot in 7.5 minutes.