I'm not wondering about the obvious teams, UNC, UK, or KU. I'm interested in lower seeds. The 14s and 15s we might see on day one. Or the potential 6/11 or 7/10 winners we might see to punch a Sweet 16 ticket.
Montana punched their ticket to the Big Dance tonight. The Grizzlies will probably be in the 14-16 range, but they are the prototypical Cinderella. They can blister the nets from three and defend very, very well. I could see them making life very tough on a top seed.
We won't see them, but Norfolk State could be another dangerous team. They have a legit big in O'Quinn and some solid 3-point shooters. A team like Mizzou could get stung overlooking te Spartans.
Other teams that unnerve me a bit...the size of Arnett Moultrie, Renardo Sidney, and Mississippi State. New Mexico is another...they defend, shoot the three, and are wildly unpredictable. How do you beat UNLV and SDSU back to back, then lose to Colorado State and TCU?
So how about it? Who do you want to avoid that first weekend?
Vanderbilt, Drexel
Quote from: LittleMurs on March 07, 2012, 11:28:06 PMVanderbilt, Drexel
In theory, we shouldn't see Vandy. The SC tries to prevent teams that met in the regular season from playing the first weekend. Of course, that went out the window when they inexplicably had 4 Big East teams vying for 2 Sweet 16 spots last year.
Otherwise, agreed 100% on Vandy.
I know they might not even get in if they don't win their conference tournament, but I want no part of Long Beach State.
Belmont makes me very nervous... that's a team due for an NCAA tournament victory. VCU would be challenging and also agree with Long Beach State... those are three teams that won't beat themselves.
The thing with VCU is they make their living on that press they run. We have very good ball handlers so I dont see that as being a problem. Especially since we run a similar press. I dont want to face Norfolk St just because it is so diffucult to beat the same team 3 times in a season. Other then that any team that has the potential to shot the lights out scares me.
I want no part of Detroit. And they could easily be a 13 or 14 seed, which is terrifying to me. They've got a star capable of taking over a game (McCallum), size (3 guys over 6'9), won 10 of their last 11 games, and only lost to ND in South Bend by 6.
No thank you.
Sounds like we don't want to see any team!
NO MEMPHIS PLEASE
Looking at teams like Detroit with high-major talent, Montana with the Cinderella blueprint, Norfolk State with NBA-caliber talent, and South Dakota State, who already has a high-major road win, I really think there could be a 15/2 or maybe even a 16/1 upset out there. This could be a very interesting first two days of the tournament.
Long Beach St is going to be a tough out. They're long and incredibly athletic (and won't be intimidated by anyone due to their challenging non-conf schedule).
Belmont could pose problems. When was the last time KenPom's 22nd ranked team was a potential 14th seed in the tourney?!?
Actually looked at Bracketology and if Lundari is to be believed, the March 7th edition is pretty good. We have an easy first rounder and then play Murray State or Mississippi State, neither of which bothers me on a neutral court.
The only two teams I don't want to see in the NCAA are Vanderbillt and Wisconsin. Vanderbilt because of what they did to us and the fear that they might do it again and Wisconsin because of the rivalry and because their style of basketball has the potential to drive us crazy.
That said, the way we have been playing the past few weeks, bring anyone on. I'd kinda like to play North Carolina again sometime down the road. It would be a great test to see how far we have come compared to this time last year!
This is also why I'd love to play for a 2 instead of a 3. Give me Lehigh or Loyola MD over Belmont or South Dakota State. There's a noticeable difference between those teams. We've also seen the difference near what will be the higher seeds - we lost last week and still stayed in the top 10 because there was nobody with an argument to jump us. There's still a ton of parity, but every seed you play that is typically just a little worse could help.
I do not want to see Kentucky, but if we are a 2 or 3 seed we will have to win at least three games to play Kentucky. Looking at it that way, I want to see Kentucky.
I know that no matter who we play in our first game (and second and third and fourth and fifth and sixth), I'll be more than a little nervous.
When it comes to MU hoops, I admit to being quite the worrywart.
Quote from: Wade for President on March 08, 2012, 04:52:51 AM
Long Beach St is going to be a tough out. They're long and incredibly athletic (and won't be intimidated by anyone due to their incredible non-conf schedule).
Belmont could pose problems. When was the last time KenPom's 22nd ranked team was a potemtial 14th seed in the tourney?!?
Last year Belmont was #19 in KenPom's ratings, got a 13 seed in they tourney then were promptly smoked by UW-Madison. Belmont makes a living off of crushing 150-250 rated teams. I'm fairly confident MU would roll them.
Quote from: brewcity77 on March 07, 2012, 11:24:32 PM
I'm not wondering about the obvious teams, UNC, UK, or KU. I'm interested in lower seeds. The 14s and 15s we might see on day one. Or the potential 6/11 or 7/10 winners we might see to punch a Sweet 16 ticket.
Montana punched their ticket to the Big Dance tonight. The Grizzlies will probably be in the 14-16 range, but they are the prototypical Cinderella. They can blister the nets from three and defend very, very well. I could see them making life very tough on a top seed.
I'd play Montana in a second. They didn't sub in the second half until the very end, and have a regular six man rotation. We'd run them out of the gym.
And as for Detroit, I think they are athletic...but we are more athletic. And that we would win that one in an up and down game.
It's the teams that run a counter style...Belmont, South Dakota State...that worry me.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on March 08, 2012, 08:08:46 AM
I'd play Montana in a second. They didn't sub in the second half until the very end, and have a regular six man rotation. We'd run them out of the gym.
And as for Detroit, I think they are athletic...but we are more athletic. And that we would win that one in an up and down game.
It's the teams that run a counter style...Belmont, South Dakota State...that worry me.
I would welcome playing Belmont. They're 0-2 vs. top 50, 2-2 vs. 51-100 (home and homes with Marshall and Middle Tennessee), and have three losses to teams rated ~150-200 including a loss at home to #211 Lipscomb. Don't look at their KenPom rating. It would be an absolute bloodbath if we drew them first round. They haven't seen the combination of athleticism and skill we bring to the table since playing at Memphis before Thanksgiving. It would be shock and awe on their sideline. UW blew them out last year in round 1 if you're looking for any indication.
Worst possible draws: Belmont and LBSU. Hopefully they will be in the 13s. Akronm if they end up winning the MAC can be a threat with their big center Zeke Marshall. Montana can be dangerous too. I wouldn't mind playing against Detroit, Davidson or Lehigh.
In '03 as a 3 seed I remember a pretty close game vs Holy Cross in round 1...in fact if not for hero game from Diener(Wade was OFF)...things would have ended much differently that year.
Quote from: MU82 on March 08, 2012, 08:02:59 AM
I know that no matter who we play in our first game (and second and third and fourth and fifth and sixth), I'll be more than a little nervous.
When it comes to MU hoops, I admit to being quite the worrywart.
This
Quote from: mu_eyeballs on March 08, 2012, 08:45:21 AM
In '03 as a 3 seed I remember a pretty close game vs Holy Cross in round 1...in fact if not for hero game from Diener(Wade was OFF)...things would have ended much differently that year.
Thats true, often times those lower profile schools can be very tough. Also, remember barely surviving against Utah State. Having said that, If you want to be a legitimate final four team, you have to go into each game thinking you are going to dominate and win. Playing not to lose rarely works. Can be nerve wracking for fans though.
Quote from: MU82 on March 08, 2012, 08:02:59 AM
I know that no matter who we play in our first game (and second and third and fourth and fifth and sixth), I'll be more than a little nervous.
When it comes to MU hoops, I admit to being quite the worrywart.
Same here. I am always worried we will embarrass ourselves on National TV and I will have to hear about it from everyone (I am a very vocal fan) until next year.