Tournament Game Thread 3/18

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I have MSU in the championship game...but I'd still love to see Middle Tenn pull off the upset!

Same here.  Ouch!

[tower912]

If you don'f take your opponent seriously, don't play defense or rebound, even an izzo team can lose.  Congratulations to MTSU.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Biggest.  Tournament Upset.  Ever.

Way to go, Middle Tennessee State - wherever you are...

Unreal.

[ChicosBailBonds]

CRAP SHOOT

[Litehouse]

Death, Taxes, and Izzo in March

[Windyplayer]

Death, Taxes, and Izzo in March

Bodes well for the first two.

[Groin_pull]

Death, Taxes, and Izzo in March

Ummmmmm, ya sure???

[ChicosBailBonds]

I have Kansas vs West Virginia in the final, so I'm happy thus far.

[CountryRoads]

CRAP SHOOT

Either that or the big ten just kind of sucks this year.

[Oldgym]

Either that or the big ten just kind of sucks this year.

I'm going with Door #2. F the B1G.

[warriorchick]

That's possibly the worst marketing slogan i've ever seen.

Love to see a B1G #2 seed go down to a #15.  This net thing can't be good for MTSU --- to much time to think about things.

Let me try again:  It's the "whatever" school of Middle Tennessee.  As in, "Where am I going to college?  MTSU, I guess. Whatever."

[ChicosBailBonds]

Either that or the big ten just kind of sucks this year.

Yes, because there is no better way to judge a conference than by one game performances.  That is why the Horizon League was the 2nd best conference in all the land back to back when Butler went to the Finals.   

The NCAA tournament has always been about matchups and if you have an off day, it's all over.  MSU, 10 times they play MTSU, they win 9 times. 

Just for giggles, in the last 25 years these guys have lost in the first round...and more than once

Coach K...four times
Coach Boeheim  four times  (also failed to make the tournament five times in that span)
Coach Izzo....five times
Coach Ryan....three times
Coach Knight ....six times
Coach Pitino....three times
Coach Olson....three times

Etc, etc.

They all also made great runs, but as good as a coach can be, in the end, players play. 

It can happen to anyone. 

[GooooMarquette]

I have Kansas vs West Virginia in the final, so I'm happy thus far.

Still safe here with Oklahoma and X...but I had MSU in the Final Four.

[Coleman]

Yes, because there is no better way to judge a conference than by one game performances.  That is why the Horizon League was the 2nd best conference in all the land back to back when Butler went to the Finals.   

The NCAA tournament has always been about matchups and if you have an off day, it's all over.  MSU, 10 times they play MTSU, they win 9 times. 

Just for giggles, in the last 25 years these guys have lost in the first round...and more than once

Coach K...four times
Coach Boeheim  four times  (also failed to make the tournament five times in that span)
Coach Izzo....five times
Coach Ryan....three times
Coach Knight ....six times
Coach Pitino....three times
Coach Olson....three times

Etc, etc.

They all also made great runs, but as good as a coach can be, in the end, players play. 

It can happen to anyone.

You're not wrong, of course. But it doesn't change the fact that 90% of Americans only watch college basketball during the NCAA tournament. These single games mean a lot for the perception of schools by the wider public.

[ChicosBailBonds]

You're not wrong, of course. But it doesn't change the fact that 90% of Americans only watch college basketball during the NCAA tournament. These single games mean a lot for the perception of schools by the wider public.

Yup, but mostly simpletons who don't know what they are watching, can't explain it, and need to wipe the gravy from their chin in the process.   

I'm just waiting for Lenny to rip on everyone that said it is a crap shoot.  I have him on ignore, so someone will have to quote the wonderful post when it happens.

[UticaBusBarn]

Any high seeds from power conferences losing is good in my book. Especially if Nova/X take care of business. ESPN should have a field day on the PAC 12 but likely won't.

+1

[Aughnanure]

I have Kansas vs West Virginia in the final, so I'm happy thus far.

When was the last time two teams from the same conference played in the championship game?

[forgetful]

Either that or the big ten just kind of sucks this year.

I've said it for a long time.  The Big10 is way way over-rated this year.  People were harping on how much better UW got, compared to our improvement...not comparable.

They were playing in a very over-rated Big10.  Purdue/MSU/Maryland were not these goliaths people assumed they were.  UW just played in a weaker conference.

Individual games are not crapshoots.  Individual games still rate who is best on that day, in that gym.  When several of the league heavyweights all get beat in an individual game (i.e. Purdue/MSU) it strongly suggests the league was over-rated.  If only 1 team lost, maybe its a fluke, but not when all the teams are struggling.

[MarquetteDano]

I've said it for a long time.  The Big10 is way way over-rated this year.  People were harping on how much better UW got, compared to our improvement...not comparable.

They were playing in a very over-rated Big10.  Purdue/MSU/Maryland were not these goliaths people assumed they were.  UW just played in a weaker conference.

Individual games are not crapshoots.  Individual games still rate who is best on that day, in that gym.  When several of the league heavyweights all get beat in an individual game (i.e. Purdue/MSU) it strongly suggests the league was over-rated.  If only 1 team lost, maybe its a fluke, but not when all the teams are struggling.

Agreed.  Individual games are a crap shoot, no doubt.  But the PAC-12 1-5 start is very telling.  They were the upper seed in every one of the games yet went 1-5.  And only one of those was a 8-9 game so they were the clear favorite.

The PAC-12 was overrated this year.

[naginiF]

When was the last time two teams from the same conference played in the championship game?

Total guess - Nova v. G'Town '85.

Am I the only one that has X doing our dirty work for us and beating Bucky Sunday and ND next Fri?

[ChicosBailBonds]

When was the last time two teams from the same conference played in the championship game?

Late 80's...Kansas and Oklahoma...I think

I could have happened in 2013, but Syracuse lost to Michigan.  Could have happened last year, but MSU lost to Duke.

Plenty of times the Final Four has had multiple teams from same conference.  WVU is just a hunch.  KU I'm picking as one of my alma maters, oh and they're good.  But on any given day, anyone can lose.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I've said it for a long time.  The Big10 is way way over-rated this year.  People were harping on how much better UW got, compared to our improvement...not comparable.

They were playing in a very over-rated Big10.  Purdue/MSU/Maryland were not these goliaths people assumed they were.  UW just played in a weaker conference.

Individual games are not crapshoots.  Individual games still rate who is best on that day, in that gym.  When several of the league heavyweights all get beat in an individual game (i.e. Purdue/MSU) it strongly suggests the league was over-rated.  If only 1 team lost, maybe its a fluke, but not when all the teams are struggling.

How was it overrated?  They were ranked the 5th best conference...behind the Big East.  I wouldn't call that overrated. 

[T-Bone]

When was the last time two teams from the same conference played in the championship game?

http://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1

Kansas/OK in 88

[warriorchick]

You're not wrong, of course. But it doesn't change the fact that 90% of Americans only watch college basketball during the NCAA tournament.

Use hyperbole much?

[buckchuckler]

How was it overrated?  They were ranked the 5th best conference...behind the Big East.  I wouldn't call that overrated.

That may be where they are rated by the numbers, but I think the question leads more to the perception of the quality of the league.  Where few would probably have them pegged for 5th.