Offical NCAA Tournament thread

[MU82]

Sam's got zero NBA future.  Maybe he gets a Jerel McNeal cup of coffee, but if he's getting abused by MAC players, no NBA coach is going to put him on the floor.
He's a good shooter, but far from elite. The NBA is loaded with better shooters who aren't traffic cones on the other end of the court.

We'll agree to disagree for now, and we'll get to see next fall.

I mean, Markus fits almost the exact description you just offered, and he's been in the NBA all season with an outstanding team. He doesn't hardly play, but he's on the team, getting paid real NBA money. Sam is a similar player, but 8-10 inches taller.

He does have to prove he has NBA range, though.

[GrimmReaper33]

Sam goes 4-16 from the floor and 1-8 from three.  Woof.

[MuggsyB]

Let's not put the cart ahead of the horse.

Yes.  Ohio will have the best player on the floor.  I think Preston is probably among the top 5 players in the country.   That doesn't mean he's a pro or will even be a 1st rounder but there aren't many college guys I would choose ahead of him.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Just a prediction. Like anybody else, I've made bad ones and good ones.

I hope you are right on this prediction.

[Pakuni]

We'll agree to disagree for now, and we'll get to see next fall.

I mean, Markus fits almost the exact description you just offered, and he's been in the NBA all season with an outstanding team. He doesn't hardly play, but he's on the team, getting paid real NBA money. Sam is a similar player, but 8-10 inches taller.

He does have to prove he has NBA range, though.

Sam's not a similar player. Worse shooter.  Slower feet. Less overall athleticism. Struggles to create his own shot.
And the height doesn't really help. It's not like he's a 6'8" guy who's going to match up with guards. He's either got to match up with wings who will be as tall but far more athletic or fours who will bully him around (and are more athletic).
But you're right, time will tell.

[MU82]

Sam goes 4-16 from the floor and 1-8 from three.  Woof.

Yep. Some good players came up very small in the first round, including Sam, Bouknight, Blair, Duane Washington, and so on. It happens, just as some kids we've never heard of become heroes.

[JWags85]

Sam's got zero NBA future.  Maybe he gets a Jerel McNeal cup of coffee, but if he's getting abused by MAC players, no NBA coach is going to put him on the floor.
He's a good shooter, but far from elite. The NBA is loaded with better shooters who aren't traffic cones on the other end of the court.

FWIW, Sam is 1/4 of a percent from being in the top 20 of all time for 3P percentage. He's is absolutely an elite shooter. I'd argue he's a far more complete player than Novak (who shot less than 2% better in his college career from 3).

If Max Strus can make an NBA roster, Sam can.

Will be interesting to see how he measures out. If he ends up close to 6'9, I wouldn't be shocked at all to see him picked in the last 10-15 picks.  I read a draft preview saying James Jones, the GM for the Suns, likes his type of player and he'd makes sense.

Otherwise, Sam and his game is literally crafted for the Euroleague. He'd go right to a Panathikos or Bayern or Olimpia Milano and play big minutes from the jump

[CreightonWarrior]

3 years ago if Creighton would've beat K State they would've had to beat a 16 seed to make their first S16 thanks to UVA blowing it. UVA opening that window again for Creighton in what I'm calling a must win for Mac to start rebuilding momentum after his $hitstorm.

[MU82]

Sam's not a similar player. Worse shooter.  Slower feet. Less overall athleticism. Struggles to create his own shot.
And the height doesn't really help. It's not like he's a 6'8" guy who's going to match up with guards. He's either got to match up with wings who will be as tall but far more athletic or fours who will bully him around (and are more athletic).
But you're right, time will tell.

First, what Wags said.

Second, during his college career, Markus shot .444 overall, .427 from 3 and .882 FT; Sam shot .486, .443, .877. So, statistically at least, Markus wasn't a better college shooter. We don't know yet whether Sam will be a similarly superior NBA shooter, but Markus is at .222, .192 so far.

And I haven't seen Markus play much in the NBA, but I'm guessing he isn't very good at creating his own shot against the 6-7 athletic freaks who are out there on the court with him.

Of course Sam's height will help him. Wherever he plays - NBA, G-League, Europe, wherevs - he will be stationed outside the arc, waiting for kick-out passes. Defenders will close on him. Being 6-8 or 6-9 with long arms definitely will help him get his shot off.

I'm a big Markus fan, so I'm not gonna cut him down to push the case of Sam, who quit on my alma mater. And this already feels like one of those silly Scoop arguments that there actually will be an answer to eventually if we just wait and see.

Oh, and again, what Wags said.

[GooooMarquette]

One great player can change everything.  They nearly beat Illinois.  But you may be right that CU will be favored.  I will say it will be 3pts or less.

Creighton will certainly be favored, but it will probably be a very close game that could go either way.

[GooooMarquette]

FWIW, Sam is 1/4 of a percent from being in the top 20 of all time for 3P percentage. He's is absolutely an elite shooter. I'd argue he's a far more complete player than Novak (who shot less than 2% better in his college career from 3).

If Max Strus can make an NBA roster, Sam can.

Will be interesting to see how he measures out. If he ends up close to 6'9, I wouldn't be shocked at all to see him picked in the last 10-15 picks.  I read a draft preview saying James Jones, the GM for the Suns, likes his type of player and he'd makes sense.

Otherwise, Sam and his game is literally crafted for the Euroleague. He'd go right to a Panathikos or Bayern or Olimpia Milano and play big minutes from the jump

No question he is a great shooter, but having seen Sam and Joey side-by-side, I would be surprised if Sam is even 6'8".

[JWags85]

Yes.  Ohio will have the best player on the floor.  I think Preston is probably among the top 5 players in the country. 

Umm wut? He's very good, but he wasn't even the best PG in the MAC.  And Jalen Suggs, Davion Mitchell, and Ayo Dosunmu are 3 better players at the PG position alone.

[GooooMarquette]

If UCLA beats BYU, does that help our NET?

[fjm]

If UCLA beats BYU, does that help our NET?

Haha. Yep.

[MuggsyB]

Umm wut? He's very good, but he wasn't even the best PG in the MAC.  And Jalen Suggs, Davion Mitchell, and Ayo Dosunmu are 3 better players at the PG position alone.

He makes other guys better with his passing.  He also was easily the best player on the floor vs Illinois.  I think you're discounting his impact.  The other guys you mention play with much better players.

[MuggsyB]

Are you watching this?  Juzang is going bananas for UCLA.

[GooooMarquette]

Are you watching this?  Juzang is going bananas for UCLA.

They are definitely playing better than they did the other night.

[BM1090]

Would be cool if UCLA missed any shots. Not feeling confident in my BYU pick. UCLA shooting lights out and had some lucky rolls but BYU looks a bit overmatched.

[forgetful]

Watching essentially every team play, highlights my biggest complaint about the Wojo era.

Floor spacing. It seemed like we had no idea of the concept...ever. We'd have 2-3 players in the same space sometimes.

Every team in the tournament, has good floor spacing, and when people get out of position, they always flow to the open space to restore proper spacing. That's just good basketball IQ.

Never understood why the MU players seemed to always have such a poor grasp of the concept. I guess, coaching?

[forgetful]

Man, it looks like someone dumped a ton of pre-workout in Abilene Christian's Gatorade. Those guys are seriously amped.

[GooooMarquette]

That was a pretty sick crossover by #10 for Abilene Christian. Too bad the other guy fumbled his pass.

[naginiF]

Man, it looks like someone dumped a ton of pre-workout in Abilene Christian's Gatorade. Those guys are seriously amped.

I think I just saw that they force 20.3 turnovers per game!?! I'm referring to them as Adderall Christian going forward

[NickelDimer]

Anyone who thinks CU has an easy path vs OU is fooling themselves. I can easily see OU advancing.

[MU82]

12 first-half turnovers for Texas against mighty Abilene Christian.

Shaka is Marquette-ready!

[BM1090]

Anyone who thinks CU has an easy path vs OU is fooling themselves. I can easily see OU advancing.

Not "easy". But easier than Virginia. And a step down from UCSB as well.