I didn't see this posted yet. Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology)
Has us as a 3 playing in Omaha. I wouldn't mind this, the 3 seed seems to be our favorite lately and Omaha's the closest regional site to Milwaukee.
The last two years our seed was 2 or 3 worse than Lunardi predicted, which would make us a 5 or 6 this time around. It's fun but pointless to have brackets this early. I can see us anywhere from a 2 to an 8, depending on the breaks. If I had to guess now, I'd say we get a 4 or 5.
I do not believe we are good enough to be a two. Given that we want to be a 3 or 6. Those seeds mean we would get to the Great 8 before playing a one seed. I do not think we can beat a one seed as the top four seeds will be very good. The same with the two best 2 seeds. After that we have a realistic chance of winning any game.
I can't believe we're talking about this before we've even played a conference game. If we go 14-4, sure we could be a #2 seed, if we go 10-8, we could be a 10 seed. Then a 4 or 5 would sound pretty good. Let's just see what happens.
Quote from: WashDCWarrior on December 18, 2007, 03:33:46 PM
I can't believe we're talking about this before we've even played a conference game. If we go 14-4, sure we could be a #2 seed, if we go 10-8, we could be a 10 seed. Then a 4 or 5 would sound pretty good. Let's just see what happens.
Yes because clearly us talking about it will have a negative impact on the team. What are we thinking? By that logic why say a word until the end of the BE Tournament?
One of the main reasons I come to this board is the speculation.
You 'can't beleive' it's being talked about? The first bracketology post was made a game into the season.
Quote from: bilsu on December 18, 2007, 03:25:25 PM
the top four seeds will be very good.
Just like they are every year, and yet at least 3 of them always get beat. ;D
Quote from: bilsu on December 18, 2007, 03:25:25 PM
I do not believe we are good enough to be a two. Given that we want to be a 3 or 6. Those seeds mean we would get to the Great 8 before playing a one seed. I do not think we can beat a one seed as the top four seeds will be very good. The same with the two best 2 seeds. After that we have a realistic chance of winning any game.
I think I remember a 3 seed back in 2003, beating the number one team in the nation...
2003 Kentucky team was way overrated and they did not respect Marquette. This year's North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas and UCLA are better than the 2003 Kentucky team.
Quote from: bilsu on December 18, 2007, 10:24:31 PM
2003 Kentucky team was way overrated and they did not respect Marquette. This year's North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas and UCLA are better than the 2003 Kentucky team.
Are you serious? They came into that game with a 26 game winning streak, going undefeated in the SEC and winning the SEC Tournament, which is definitely not an easy thing to do. They had wins @ #21 Gonzaga, @ #14 UNC, vs. #6 Indiana, vs. #9 ND, @ #13 Alabama, vs. #1 Florida, vs. #22 Georgia, vs. #19 Mississippi State, @ #3 Florida and then beat both Utah and Wisconsin in the tournament. Their overall record for the year, including the loss to Marquette in the tournament, was 32-4. Their only losses were that game, @ Louisville, @ #21 Michigan State, and vs. Virginia. They have at least 3 players who are currently in the NBA in Keith Bogans (who I believe was the SEC Player of the Year that year), Kelenna Azubuike, and Chuck Hayes (who was supposed to be the guy who could shut down Wade...he fouled out with 0 points), to go along with Marquis Estill who DOMINATED Wisconsin the game before and was a BEAST, Erik Daniels, Jules Camara who was 7', and Cliff Hawkins.
Please, tell me how a team that goes undefeated in SEC regular season and tournament play, is 10-1 (going into the game) against ranked opponents, and is riding a 26 game winning streak is overrated, because I'm not quite seeing it.
Also, did they not respect Marquette or did they fear them? After Robert Jackson transferred to Marquette from Mississippi State, an SEC school that Kentucky plays each year, Marquis Estill was quoted saying "I don't remember Robert Jackson." Usually that kind of trash talk is to fire your team up. If Kentucky didn't respect Marquette there would have been no reason for getting fired up. Also, I'm not sure you can not respect a team that is in the Elite 8 and has an All-American in Dwyane Wade on the team.
Quote from: wadesworld on December 19, 2007, 04:15:37 PM
Quote from: bilsu on December 18, 2007, 10:24:31 PM
2003 Kentucky team was way overrated and they did not respect Marquette. This year's North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas and UCLA are better than the 2003 Kentucky team.
Are you serious? They came into that game with a 26 game winning streak, going undefeated in the SEC and winning the SEC Tournament, which is definitely not an easy thing to do. They had wins @ #21 Gonzaga, @ #14 UNC, vs. #6 Indiana, vs. #9 ND, @ #13 Alabama, vs. #1 Florida, vs. #22 Georgia, vs. #19 Mississippi State, @ #3 Florida and then beat both Utah and Wisconsin in the tournament. Their overall record for the year, including the loss to Marquette in the tournament, was 32-4. Their only losses were that game, @ Louisville, @ #21 Michigan State, and vs. Virginia. They have at least 3 players who are currently in the NBA in Keith Bogans (who I believe was the SEC Player of the Year that year), Kelenna Azubuike, and Chuck Hayes (who was supposed to be the guy who could shut down Wade...he fouled out with 0 points), to go along with Marquis Estill who DOMINATED Wisconsin the game before and was a BEAST, Erik Daniels, Jules Camara who was 7', and Cliff Hawkins.
Please, tell me how a team that goes undefeated in SEC regular season and tournament play, is 10-1 (going into the game) against ranked opponents, and is riding a 26 game winning streak is overrated, because I'm not quite seeing it.
Also, did they not respect Marquette or did they fear them? After Robert Jackson transferred to Marquette from Mississippi State, an SEC school that Kentucky plays each year, Marquis Estill was quoted saying "I don't remember Robert Jackson." Usually that kind of trash talk is to fire your team up. If Kentucky didn't respect Marquette there would have been no reason for getting fired up. Also, I'm not sure you can not respect a team that is in the Elite 8 and has an All-American in Dwyane Wade on the team.
This post is spot on except for the last paragraph. It was pretty clear to me that Kentucky simply didn't respect Marquette, and the comment from Estill about Jackson wasn't intended as trash talk -- he literally didn't remember Robert Jackson. The fact that it was a genuine diss and not simply contrived trash talk only served to fire up the King of the Two-Handed Layup even more.
At that point in the tournament there are usually no respect issues
Im really glad someone said something about how good that Kentucky team was because I couldn't believe that statement
You guys ever think that they ran into a team that was unstoppable that day, and just beat them in every facet of the game, with a mad man that tallied a triple double, and still seemed relatively quiet (for a triple double that is) in the game because everyone, i mean everyone, was firing on all cylinders-- is that a run-on?
This is my 100th post, fitting that it is about the best single game I think I will ever see a Marquette basketball team play. They were unbelievable, and I was there, I love Marquette ;D
Quote from: Tribby on December 19, 2007, 04:47:59 PM
This post is spot on except for the last paragraph. It was pretty clear to me that Kentucky simply didn't respect Marquette, and the comment from Estill about Jackson wasn't intended as trash talk -- he literally didn't remember Robert Jackson. The fact that it was a genuine diss and not simply contrived trash talk only served to fire up the King of the Two-Handed Layup even more.
Alright that's fair, I was at the game so I didn't see the live broadcast but I have the tape of the game and the commentators make it seem like Estill was trash talking Jackson, but if he literally didn't remember him and didn't mean it to be trash talk then I take back my statement that it was used to fire up his team...but still I find it hard to believe that Kentucky didn't respect Marquette...it's the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament, any team that makes it that far has to be at least somewhat good. But if Kentucky didn't respect Marquette, well then so be it...their loss Marquette's gain...not that they could've stopped Marquette even if they did respect us if that was the case.
Was Kentucky as good as their ranking? Yes, easily.
Did they not respect MU? No one can say for certain, but let's not forget Tubby is a heck of a coach. They were able to see what MU did in the second half against Pitt, I really doubt they took them lightly.
The thing that made me confident the night before is that Kentucky looked vulnerable for the first time when Bogans went down against UW. They were not as assertive, let alone confident, with him significantly below 100%. They were rattled and didn't know how to respond.
Throw in 20,000 MU fans (which I was lucky enough to be a part of), and a legendary performance from some guy named Wade, and you have an upset.