Okay...since our season is over, I figure we might as well talk about the tournament anyway. Here's what I've got:
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- Final Four: Kansas, Oklahoma, Xavier, Virginia
- Championship: Virginia over Kansas
- Big East Fortunes: Xavier to Final Four, Villanova to Elite Eight, Seton Hall to Sweet 16, Providence and Butler to Second Round.
- Notable Upsets: 12-seeds Yale & UALR advance with UALR reaching Sweet 16, 13-seed Stony Brook shocks Kentucky, Play-In Winners Michigan and Wichita State both win 6/11 matchups.
- First 1 to Lose: Oregon, losing to Cincinnati in the Second Round
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So what does everyone else have?
Quote from: brewcity77 on March 14, 2016, 12:53:30 PM
- Big East Fortunes: Xavier to Final Four, Villanova to Elite Eight, Seton Hall to Sweet 16, Providence and Butler to Second Round.
I would be ecstatic with that result. I think that is overly optimistic though.
Final Four: Kansas, Oklahoma, Xavier, Michigan State
Championship: Oklahoma over Michigan State
Big East Fortunes: Xavier to Final Four, Villanova to Sweet 16, Seton Hall to Sweet 16, Providence and Butler to Second Round.
Notable Upsets: 13 Seed Hawaii over Cal, 12 seed Yale over Baylor, 12 seed Arkansas Little Rock over Purdue, 11 Seed Northern Iowa over Texas,
First 1 to Lose: UNC, UVA, and Oregon all go down in the Elite 8 (boring I know)
- Final Four: Kansas, Oklahoma, UNC, Michigan State
- Championship: Kansas over Michigan State
- Big East Fortunes: Xavier to Elite Eight, Nova, Providence and Butler to Second Round, Seton Hall 1-and-done
- Notable Upsets: Chattanooga over Indiana, Temple over Nova (Rd 2)
- First 1 to Lose: UVa vs Purdue, S16
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Kansas vs Indiana for the title....I don't even know if this is possible, because I haven't seen the brackets. :D
Go Jayhawks, go Hoosiers. As long as Purdue, Wisconsin, or Kentucky don't win it and the Big East does well, I'll be happy.
I was all ready to pick against Nova until I saw their road. Their second round will be either an Iowa team that has completely fallen apart or a Temple team that Nova decimated on the road less than a month ago.
I think they at least make the Sweet 16, and have them edging Wichita State before facing Kansas.
Quote from: brewcity77 on March 14, 2016, 01:23:35 PM
I was all ready to pick against Nova until I saw their road. Their second round will be either an Iowa team that has completely fallen apart or a Temple team that Nova decimated on the road less than a month ago.
I think they at least make the Sweet 16, and have them edging Wichita State before facing Kansas.
Wichita State is no where near where it has been. UNI beat them twice. WSU is going to be in trouble next near with the graduation of Van Fleet, Baker and Wessel and the grad guy from Cleveland State.
Quote from: Nukem2 on March 14, 2016, 01:27:37 PM
Wichita State is no where near where it has been. UNI beat them twice. WSU is going to be in trouble next near with the graduation of Van Fleet, Baker and Wessel and the grad guy from Cleveland State.
WSU will definitely collapse next year, but I can see one more Sweet 16. They still have a great defense, and I always put more stock in defensive efficiency than offensive efficiency come March.
I like Oklahoma to take it. BH will carry them to the title.
Final Four: Kansas, Oklahoma, Xavier, Virginia
•Championship: Kansas over Virginia
•Big East Fortunes: Xavier to Final Four, Seton Hall, Providence to Elite 8, Nova and Butler second round
•Notable Upsets: Michigan over ND, Iowa over Villanova, Northern Iowa over Texas, Iona over Iowa State
•First 1 to Lose: UNC to Providence
I'm a Big East homer
Final Four: Kansas, Texas A&M, UNC, Michigan State
Championship: UNC over Kansas
Big East Fortunes: Xavier and Nova to Elite Eight, Seton Hall to the Sweet 16, Butler and Providence win 1 game
Notable Upsets: Iona over Iowa St., UNI over Texas
First 1 to Lose: Oregon/UVa in Elite 8
Final Four: Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, MSU
Championship: Kansas over MSU
Big East Fortunes: Xavier to round of 32 (Bucky, cuz Murphy's law), Villanova to Elite Eight, Seton Hall to Sweet 16, Butler to Sweet 16, Providence to round of 32.
Notable Upsets: SDSU Jackrabbits bounce Stone and MD. Butler over UVA in round 2.
First 1 to Lose: UVA to Butler in the Second Round
Xavier to win it all.
The team I put $10 on at 75:1 in August and who was a Top 10 team at one point this season.
I've consumed a ton of non MU ball these last few weeks.
Oregon and Michigan State are the clear two best teams right now. I absolutely love watching Cal play, they are going to the Sweet Sixteen.
I'm going with the Ducks.
Quote from: MUDish on March 14, 2016, 04:35:47 PM
I've consumed a ton of non MU ball these last few weeks.
Oregon and Michigan State are the clear two best teams right now. I absolutely love watching Cal play, they are going to the Sweet Sixteen.
I'm going with the Ducks.
I see a lot of Cal....they can look really good, but I've also seen them barely beat ASU twice and lost to Stanford. Tough to figure them out. They played great against Virginia. Definitely have the ability to get to the Sweet 16 or later....senior point guards are a good thing.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on March 14, 2016, 05:39:58 PM
I see a lot of Cal....they can look really good, but I've also seen them barely beat ASU twice and lost to Stanford. Tough to figure them out. They played great against Virginia. Definitely have the ability to get to the Sweet 16 or later....senior point guards are a good thing.
Cal is my favorite team to watch. 2 lottery picks starting, Matthews is solid, Wallace is a stud. I cringe when Okoroh gets the ball, but that team has grown in stature over the last 5 weeks. Hawaii is a good a match up for them in the first round as there is. Power rankings like Cal by 10.5, Vegas has it at 7 (opened 6.5).
Oklahoma over Xavier
Xavier, MSU. OK & KU
First 1 seed to go down UNC to PC
Upsets - Fresno over Utah, Michigan over ND, Buffalo over Miami
PC elite 8, X finals, SH S16, Butler 2nd rd, Nova E8
Final Four: Kansas, Oklahoma, WVa, MSU
Championship: MSU over Kansas
Big East Fortunes: Trying to recall.. I forget. I think Xavier 16 or 8.. Villanova to Elite Eight, Seton Hall out early.. Providence and Butler to Second Round.
Notable Upsets: SDSU over Maryland
First 1 to Lose: Oregon, losing to Cincinnati in the Second Round
Quote from: brewcity77 on March 14, 2016, 01:23:35 PM
I was all ready to pick against Nova until I saw their road. Their second round will be either an Iowa team that has completely fallen apart or a Temple team that Nova decimated on the road less than a month ago.
I think they at least make the Sweet 16, and have them edging Wichita State before facing Kansas.
That was funny part.
The cbs crew said things like "I know jay wright isn't psyched about meeting temple" or "I can't wait to see how temple plays against nova"
Idiots didn't even research that a homocide took place 1 month ago
Quote from: MUDish on March 14, 2016, 04:35:47 PM
I've consumed a ton of non MU ball these last few weeks.
Oregon and Michigan State are the clear two best teams right now. I absolutely love watching Cal play, they are going to the Sweet Sixteen.
I'm going with the Ducks.
Funny thing is back in December I decided Oregon was going to be my "sleeper" pick (they were good, but I don't think anybody thought they'd be even close to a 1 seed then). Then they had to blow up and get a 1 seed, so are no longer a sleeper at all.
Why? Well, my sophomore year of college I randomly just bought a pair of Bama shorts and a Phillies hat (each of which I wore like 3 times in my life) because they were cheap and somewhat cool. Months later? Bama wins the football National Championship for the first time under Saban and the Phillies win the World Series. Back at Christmas I bought some Oregon shorts. Obviously they're winning it all.
But having said that, my bracket's pretty chalky. All 1s vs. 2s in the E8. UNC over Kansas in the Championship, OU and MSU the other semifinalists.
Xavier and Nova E8 losses (although in reality I think Xavier loses in the S16, but I made a heart pick there, and wouldn't be shocked by a Nova loss to Iowa in round 2).
Butler and Providence get 1 win. Seton Hall gets 2.
Don't remember what my upset picks were. Had Zona losing to the play in winner and at least 1 other 11 seed winning. Took Chattanooga in a few brackets. Not really sure what other big upsets I had.
Sparty, ai na?
Relatively chalky until the F4.
Nova, X, Oklahoma, Sparty
Sparty over Nova
The other 3 BE teams win their first round and lose the next.
Oregon falls to Baylor, but the other 1's all make it to Elite 8.
Some friends and I set up a Calcutta tournament this year for the first time. It was way fun last night, and I probably won't even fill out a bracket.
Therefore, I've got Michigan State for $72, Texas for $15, and Iowa for $16. :)
Quote from: Henry Sugar on March 15, 2016, 04:06:18 PM
Some friends and I set up a Calcutta tournament this year for the first time. It was way fun last night, and I probably won't even fill out a bracket.
Therefore, I've got Michigan State for $72, Texas for $15, and Iowa for $16. :)
Calcutta's are pretty awesome. Did you set it up online, or in person?
Nobody's got Peay?
Quote from: T-Bone on March 15, 2016, 04:15:03 PM
Calcutta's are pretty awesome. Did you set it up online, or in person?
We did it in person at a local bar. We were able to get 12 guys, and pretty much all of us were doing it for the first time. Ran through all 52 teams (grouping 13-16) in around two hours, which was quicker than I expected.
Highly recommended.
Quote from: Henry Sugar on March 15, 2016, 04:45:03 PM
We did it in person at a local bar. We were able to get 12 guys, and pretty much all of us were doing it for the first time. Ran through all 52 teams (grouping 13-16) in around two hours, which was quicker than I expected.
Highly recommended.
Headed to one right now. You bought MSU (love em) for 72 -what did the other "big boys" (1s, 2s and 3s) go for? Thanks in advance.
Anyone know the website .. it's like a "blind" team matcher. It'd say something like "Team A, good offense, 3pt shooting .. Team B, Good Rebounding, high steals" .. Then you'd pick a team without knowing the real team names .. and it'd create your bracket.
I know the WSJ does a blind bracket thing, but that's not it. Can't find it this year.
Help?
Quote from: Lennys Tap on March 15, 2016, 05:18:30 PM
Headed to one right now. You bought MSU (love em) for 72 -what did the other "big boys" (1s, 2s and 3s) go for? Thanks in advance.
UNC $80, Virginia $80, MSU $72, Kansas $70
Oregon $66, Oklahoma $63, Nova $55, Xavier $47, WVU $46, A&M $46, Kentucky $44, Duke $36
Kentucky and Duke went for more than Utah and Miami. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Quote from: GooooMarquette on March 15, 2016, 04:28:24 PM
Nobody's got Peay?
I do. Have them in the NC after beating Oregon State in the FF.
Headlines for April 3rd - in Clarksville:
"Feeling heavy pressure, Beavers can't hold Peay"
And Corvallis:
"Despite loss, Tinkle all over floor"
North Carolina, Virginia, Oklahoma, Miami
North Carolina vs. Oklahoma
North Carolina- Champ
Quote from: Henry Sugar on March 15, 2016, 05:34:43 PM
UNC $80, Virginia $80, MSU $72, Kansas $70
Oregon $66, Oklahoma $63, Nova $55, Xavier $47, WVU $46, A&M $46, Kentucky $44, Duke $36
Kentucky and Duke went for more than Utah and Miami. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Thanks Henry!
Izzo is due for a Natty. Don't see anyone beating them with a healthy Valentine.
Outside of MU games, haven't watched much college hoops. Attempting to fill out my pool, I felt like the person who chooses based on uniform color or mascots. Hard to get excited about the college game when you live in Golden State Warriors country. Their games are always must-see.
If I have to choose, I guess I'll go with Izzo and the Spartans.
http://www.youtube.com/v/y31_ro84G2I&showsearch=0&rel=0&fs=1&autoplay=0&ap=%2526fmt%3D18
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on March 14, 2016, 05:39:58 PM
I see a lot of Cal....they can look really good, but I've also seen them barely beat ASU twice and lost to Stanford. Tough to figure them out. They played great against Virginia. Definitely have the ability to get to the Sweet 16 or later....senior point guards are a good thing.
Jaylen Brown has played awful the past few games, went 3-17 in the loss to Utah. I feel if he doesn't show up then Hawai'i pulls off the upset. Cal is the biggest wildcard in the tournament to me, they have Final Four talent on their team with Wallace, Brown and Rabb but they could easily lose in the first round because they seem so inconsistent. Had a hard time deciding what I would pick in my bracket.
Final Four: UConn, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Michigan State
Championship: North Carolina over Oklahoma
Big East Fortunes: Nova and Xavier to E8, Seton Hall to S16, Butler and Providence to second round
Notable Upsets: 13 Iona over 4 Iowa State, 13 Hawai'i over 4 California, 11 Northern Iowa over 6 Texas, 12 Yale over 5 Baylor,
First 1 seed to lose Kansas, losing in the second round to UConn (always trust UConn)
Final Four: Kansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, MSU
Championship: MSU over Kansas
Big East Fortunes: Xavier to Elite Eight, Villanova to Sweet 16, Seton Hall to Sweet 16, Providence and Butler to Second Round.
Notable Upsets: Michigan over ND, Wichita St over Zona, Hawaii over CAL, Iona over Iowa St
First 1 to Lose: Oregon, losing to St. Joeseph's in the Second Round
Unfortunately, I think Nova won't get past Miami and I've got Xavier falling to UNC in the elite eight. I was pretty tempted to take Kentucky to the final four but went with UNC. Also, the West Region is a hot mess. I don't feel good about any of those teams.
Remember when Vandy's Luke Kornet was an unsigned senior in April 2013?... and he did work on Kevon?
ME TOO!!!!!! (http://latenighthoops.com/luke-kornet-2013/#.Vui25vkrLIU)
Quote from: ChitownSpaceForRent on March 15, 2016, 06:18:59 PM
Izzo is due for a Natty. Don't see anyone beating them with a healthy Valentine.
Never count out Izzo's teams in March (poor VA) but if WI can go into MSU and win with Valentine healthy they are definitely not invincible.
Piccolo Girl gets happy this year....Villanova wins it over UNC. Oklahoma and Sparty also in the final 4. So many teams could win it or get knocked out early...crazy year. I like Villanova's experience and they will flush the past few years early exits with a strong run so I'm going with them for a national championship as most in my pools have KU, OU, MSU or UNC.
Quote from: Waldo Jeffers on March 16, 2016, 03:35:42 PM
Never count out Izzo's teams in March (poor VA) but if WI can go into MSU and win with Valentine healthy they are definitely not invincible.
Wisconsin didn't do that. They won at home in Valentine's first game back from injury.
My picks are.....
Final Four: Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Kentucky
Championship: Kansas over Michigan State
Big East Fortunes: Xavier and Villanova to Elite Eight, Seton Hall to Sweet 16, Providence and Butler to Second Round.
Notable Upsets: I don't have any 12 seeds or lower winning, and I'm normally heavy on upsets. The bottom of the field really weakened when all the lower seeded teams won their conference tournaments. I think Yale over Baylor is possible. But other than that.....I'd be surprised. I have N. Iowa over Texas. Wichita State could make a run but I have Arizona to the S16, as well as S Hall and Notre Dame. I think Butler could beat Virginia but I'm not picking it. SFA could beat WVU.
Xavier over Villanova for the Championship. Book it.
Quote from: Coleman on March 14, 2016, 12:57:14 PM
I would be ecstatic with that result. I think that is overly optimistic though.
My wife made picks this morning and was even more optimistic. Providence and Butler both to win first games, Seton Hall to the Elite 8, Xavier to the Final Four, and Villanova cutting down the nets in Houston.
I've never wanted her to be right more than in this tournament ;D
Quote from: Da 'Lanche on March 16, 2016, 04:57:27 PM
Piccolo Girl gets happy this year....Villanova wins it over UNC. Oklahoma and Sparty also in the final 4. So many teams could win it or get knocked out early...crazy year. I like Villanova's experience and they will flush the past few years early exits with a strong run so I'm going with them for a national championship as most in my pools have KU, OU, MSU or UNC.
Just have to bump this....I just won every pool I entered. Finished top 99.9 percent of ESPN pool...and I usually suuuuuuck at the tourney picks. Way to go Nova and our big east!!!!
Quote from: Da 'Lanche on April 04, 2016, 10:43:13 PM
Just have to bump this....I just won every pool I entered. Finished top 99.9 percent of ESPN pool...and I usually suuuuuuck at the tourney picks. Way to go Nova and our big east!!!!
Nice job! Hope you made some money on that one.
Quote from: brewcity77 on April 04, 2016, 10:46:39 PM
Nice job! Hope you made some money on that one.
[/quote
The green flows tonight....but that be a rarity. Tourney is a crapshoot. But, I grew up in Wisconsin and now live in KC so the smaller family and friend pools I'm in are heavily big 10 biased or KU. Just really happy for jay wright and Villanova (and a fabulous thrill of a game)
Quote from: Da 'Lanche on April 04, 2016, 10:43:13 PM
Just have to bump this....I just won every pool I entered. Finished top 99.9 percent of ESPN pool...and I usually suuuuuuck at the tourney picks. Way to go Nova and our big east!!!!
Doesn't that put you in the drawing for the grand prize at ESPN? I'm pretty sure they've switched to picking randomly from the top 1%.
I'll toot my own horn to point out I finished 2nd in the Scoop pool on ESPN and was thrilled to have Nova win and take 1st away from me. Especially since that guaranteed me money in another pool!
Quote from: drewm88 on April 04, 2016, 11:04:33 PM
Doesn't that put you in the drawing for the grand prize at ESPN? I'm pretty sure they've switched to picking randomly from the top 1%.
I'll toot my own horn to point out I finished 2nd in the Scoop pool on ESPN and was thrilled to have Nova win and take 1st away from me. Especially since that guaranteed me money in another pool!
It does...but even where I finished I think I was in the top 2800...so many entrants on ESPN. Should have entered the scoop bracket.
Quote from: drewm88 on April 04, 2016, 11:04:33 PM
Doesn't that put you in the drawing for the grand prize at ESPN? I'm pretty sure they've switched to picking randomly from the top 1%.
I'll toot my own horn to point out I finished 2nd in the Scoop pool on ESPN and was thrilled to have Nova win and take 1st away from me. Especially since that guaranteed me money in another pool!
Second to my wife, who entered on the morning of the first day. Filled out a last minute bracket, had 'Nova winning it all, and finished in the 99.1 percentile. Not quite Lanche good, but still not too shabby.