NCAA Tournament Open Thread

[tower912]

First one to 50.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Derrick Wilson would look good playing tonight.

[MUEng92]

Virginia on a furious run to possibly score double digits by the 10 minute mark!

[JWags85]

First one to 50.

Dick Bennett in the stands sweating and giddy with pleasure

[MUEng92]

Texas Tech with a 25 point comeback. Check that, a 7 point comeback.

[wadesworld]

I’m loving this game. These teams are great. Love watching UVA. So under control. Never play outside of themselves. Everyone has a role and plays it.

[brewcity77]

I’m loving this game. These teams are great. Love watching UVA. So under control. Never play outside of themselves. Everyone has a role and plays it.

UVa has given Tech trouble because they never get flustered late in the shot clock. This is a really good offensive team for Bennett.

[CountryRoads]

GREAT no call.

[drewm88]

Who's the first Scoop hard-o to complain when Ja's dunk over Joey ends up on One Shining Moment?

[MUEng92]

Who's the first Scoop hard-o to complain when Ja's dunk over Joey ends up on One Shining Moment?

Well now I'm not gonna

[wadesworld]

Great game. UVA’s talent is very underrated. I’d kill for a lead guard who could control the game like any of Guy, Jerome (particularly), and Clark can.

[MU82]

Wait a doggone sec ... UVa was the #1 seed in the tournament last year and lost to a 16? I didn't know that!

The next thing somebody's gonna say is that Otule had a glass eye!

[Silkk the Shaka]

Great game. UVA’s talent is very underrated. I’d kill for a lead guard who could control the game like any of Guy, Jerome (particularly), and Clark can.

Hopefully that's Markus/Koby/Symir next year

[Dr. Blackheart]

Wait a doggone sec ... UVa was the #1 seed in the tournament last year and lost to a 16? I didn't know that!

The next thing somebody's gonna say is that Otule had a glass eye!

#crapshoot

[wadesworld]

My guess is a key part of this national title for UVA was hiding the score of their 20 point loss to a 16 seed. What an embarrassment and one that should be erased from everyone’s minds ASAP.

[MU82]

Several national hoops observers are pointing out that, as great as Beard coached this season and as good as TTech's defense is, they inexplicably left Hunter -- a 40% 3-point shooter and the team's star all season -- wide, wide, wide open at the arc when leading by 3 with 13 seconds to go.

Let Jerome make the layup, for crissakes.

But that's the deal. Beard probably told his kids, "Just don't give up a wide-open 3 to one of their great shooters." But kids are kids, and they sometimes don't follow the coach's instructions and sometimes don't do the right things.

Between that defensive play, and a horrible scud of an unnecessary 3 that Mooney launched in OT, those were two huge plays that killed an otherwise wonderful, well-coached team.

Again, I am NOT saying Beard is anything other than a great coach. I wish we had him, and I wish we had several of the TTech players, too.

[Its DJOver]

https://twitter.com/bhammond/status/1115608732078100481

This is great.

[Pakuni]

Wait a doggone sec ... UVa was the #1 seed in the tournament last year and lost to a 16? I didn't know that!

The next thing somebody's gonna say is that Otule had a glass eye!

Did you know Todd Mayo is OJ Mayo's little brother?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

https://twitter.com/bhammond/status/1115608732078100481

This is great.

That's pretty solid

[MU82]

https://twitter.com/bhammond/status/1115608732078100481

This is great.

Good stuff.

And BTW, almost every Virginia game in the tournament was compelling, filled with big plays and huge moments.

I rather liked the way they controlled the pace and showed patience. Maybe I wouldn't like watching that 30+ times a year (but maybe I wouldn't mind), and if my team played that way and was successful, I would have zero problem with it. It certainly hasn't stopped Bennett from landing some outstanding athletes, either.

My one criticism of Bennett's team last night is that they REALLY took the air out of the ball too early -- like up 6 with 5+ minutes to go -- and ended up launching almost every shot right at the clock. They made a couple but missed a lot more, and it let TTech back in the game. Wojo's boyz fell victim to the same thing a few times this season. I like playing the clock, but not with that much time left.

[brewcity77]

My one criticism of Bennett's team last night is that they REALLY took the air out of the ball too early -- like up 6 with 5+ minutes to go -- and ended up launching almost every shot right at the clock. They made a couple but missed a lot more, and it let TTech back in the game.

That wasn't a last night thing, I felt they did that almost every game. They let Purdue back in with similar tactics & let Auburn back in.

I really enjoyed watching Virginia, in no small part because they were my NC pick, but they gave away leads of 8+ in all 3 of their final games & had to rally with under 15 seconds to play in all 3 games. Based on Pomeroy's win probabilities, the odds they would win all 3 games is 0.04212%.

As improbable as a 1 losing to a 16 was, Virginia winning this title the way they did was vastly more improbable.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

One thing I noticed is that Bennett doesn't use a lot of TOs and let's his players "play through it."  I guess in the end it worked, but I thought he could have called a TO or two last night to stop TT when they were making their run at the end.  He did something similar v. Purdue and Auburn, really only using TOs to stop the clock late.

[Dr. Blackheart]

One thing I noticed is that Bennett doesn't use a lot of TOs and let's his players "play through it."  I guess in the end it worked, but I thought he could have called a TO or two last night to stop TT when they were making their run at the end.  He did something similar v. Purdue and Auburn, really only using TOs to stop the clock late.

So did Beard. When you have great defenses, that allows a coach to bank time outs for late game situationals.

[Loose Cannon]

https://twitter.com/bhammond/status/1115608732078100481

This is great.

Yeah, just great for him being on the receiving end.

[MU82]

That wasn't a last night thing, I felt they did that almost every game. They let Purdue back in with similar tactics & let Auburn back in.

I really enjoyed watching Virginia, in no small part because they were my NC pick, but they gave away leads of 8+ in all 3 of their final games & had to rally with under 15 seconds to play in all 3 games. Based on Pomeroy's win probabilities, the odds they would win all 3 games is 0.04212%.

As improbable as a 1 losing to a 16 was, Virginia winning this title the way they did was vastly more improbable.

Good points.

Given that a 1 had never lost to a 16 ... as in never, ever, ever ... that was pretty darn improbable. But I hear what you're saying.

There is definitely a time to take the air out of the ball, but up 6 with 5+ minutes to play or up 8 with 7 minutes to play doesn't seem like the right time. I know it drives me nuts when Wojo's team does stuff like that.