NCAA Tournament 2026

[BM1090]

Seed: Hayseed
Region: State of Depression and Lost HopeTired of hearing about Wisconin all the time and their successes in the Dance. Time for Shaka to build his program to emulate the Rodent Resume

All their success in the dance = no sweet 16s in nine years and losing as the better seed in 4 of their last 5 appearances.

[nyg]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48223799/alabama-aden-holloway-arrested-felony-marijuana-charge

Why??? Just an idiot?  Pound of weed, cash. Guess his NIL wasn't doing it for him. He is/was a pretty good player.

[MUbiz]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48223799/alabama-aden-holloway-arrested-felony-marijuana-charge

Why??? Just an idiot?  Pound of weed, cash. Guess his NIL wasn't doing it for him. He is/was a pretty good player.

Considering Oates did not sit a guy who allegedly brought a gun to a scene that was used to kill someone, I have a strange feeling Holloway will be playing in a few days. 

[WhiteTrash]

Considering Oates did not sit a guy who allegedly brought a gun to a scene that was used to kill someone, I have a strange feeling Holloway will be playing in a few days. 

Holloway not playing would be more surprising than if MU made the Tourney. I predict Bama, Holloway and his agent will crucify the police for this.

[willie warrior]

All their success in the dance = no sweet 16s in nine years and losing as the better seed in 4 of their last 5 appearances.

OK You are right. They just seem to make the Dance every year while this year we are at low major status.

[MU82]

All their success in the dance = no sweet 16s in nine years and losing as the better seed in 4 of their last 5 appearances.

In addition to being joyless, willie is unoriginal - he keeps making essentially the same comment over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

I will be forever grateful that our alma mater denied him entry.

[wisblue]

Yes.  They fked that up.

In what way? It seems like SJ gets a break being assigned to the closest regional with the only possibility of facing UConn coming in the Elite 8 round.

[wisblue]

Guys, St. John's beat nobody in non-conference play and the BE sucked.

SJU was a 5 seed on Bracket Matrix, so they were seeded exactly where they were expected to be.

Exactly. Anyone who knows how the selection process works and what things the selection committee values expected SJU to get a five seed and that is what they deserved.

One simple measure is that they had only five quad one wins, and every team above them and many teams below them had more than that.

[GBPhoenix1993]

I'm not particularly hyped for this tournament without Marquette (or UW-Green Bay) in it. That said, as an alum of a mid-major I typically root for a few of them to surprise.

I was stunned a couple years ago watching James Madison destroy the Badgers. I think Badgers are much better this year and likely can hold off High Point. That said, High Point had 30 wins this year. Even though their schedule is soft, that's a lot of wins and I think they will challenge the Badgers most of the game.

[nyg]

Holloway not playing would be more surprising than if MU made the Tourney. I predict Bama, Holloway and his agent will crucify the police for this.

Be surprised.  Only one that got crucified was Holloway. Having over a pound of weed and other evidence not known, is not for personal use.

Former top 15 recruit and very good player, throws it away.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48226388/alabama-aden-holloway-removed-campus-drug-arrest

[MuggsyB]

In what way? It seems like SJ gets a break being assigned to the closest regional with the only possibility of facing UConn coming in the Elite 8 round.

I guess I'm wrong on this one. 

[brewcity77]

I actually think I'll be rooting for Duke. They aren't as hateable with Scheyer and I think it's kind of cool that Boozer has basically won every state & AAU championship and for some reason isn't the clear first pick in the NBA draft despite being NPOY by a mile and doing nothing but winning.

Teams are going to regret taking Peterson and Dybantsa ahead of him.

[wadesworld]

I actually think I'll be rooting for Duke. They aren't as hateable with Scheyer and I think it's kind of cool that Boozer has basically won every state & AAU championship and for some reason isn't the clear first pick in the NBA draft despite being NPOY by a mile and doing nothing but winning.

Teams are going to regret taking Peterson and Dybantsa ahead of him.

Disagreed. Boozer will be great, but those two are generational talents.

[WhiteTrash]

Be surprised.  Only one that got crucified was Holloway. Having over a pound of weed and other evidence not known, is not for personal use.

Former top 15 recruit and very good player, throws it away.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/48226388/alabama-aden-holloway-removed-campus-drug-arrest

No chance Bama clears him before the weekend?

I get surprised when a SEC school does the right thing. His crime seems less serious than Florida's coach's crimes.

[Viper]

L

The same Weasels played down to 12-20 Oregon's level, lost to Indy and USC, were routed by Ohio State, and lost by 30 to Nebraska. Their defense is not in the top 50 (kenpom), and they live by the 3. An off-shooting game can doom them against anybody.

But sure, if they shoot lights out, they can outgun opponents. Quite a few teams can say similar, though.

I'll believe Gard makes it out of the first weekend with his own recruits as soon as I see it. So far, he is 0-for-his-career.

likely Arkansas in a Saturday game, so not exactly a cream puff if getting past HP. I think they beat HP by 12-15 but lose a tough one to Calipari.

[brewcity77]

Disagreed. Boozer will be great, but those two are generational talents.

They might put up bigger numbers or get more individual accolades, but Boozer will win more. The gap between him and everyone else in impacting winning is wider than the Grand Canyon.

[wadesworld]

They might put up bigger numbers or get more individual accolades, but Boozer will win more. The gap between him and everyone else in impacting winning is wider than the Grand Canyon.

The team around him is also WAY better than Kansas or BYU's teams, and play in WAY easier conferences.

I'd be nervous taking Peterson with his sitting out. I'd take Dynamtsa with no hesitation whatsoever over Boozer.

[MU82]

The team around him is also WAY better than Kansas or BYU's teams, and play in WAY easier conferences.

I'd be nervous taking Peterson with his sitting out. I'd take Dynamtsa with no hesitation whatsoever over Boozer.

I agree with this. Boozer will be a solid pro, maybe even a very good one, and I don't think any NBA team would regret drafting him. But Dybantsa's ceiling is ridiculous. I worry about Peterson; something weird is going on there.

[willie warrior]

They might put up bigger numbers or get more individual accolades, but Boozer will win more. The gap between him and everyone else in impacting winning is wider than the Grand Canyon.

About like the gap between UCONN, St. John's and MU in talent. And quickly several other BEast schools are widening that gap with MU.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Put me down for Boozer.  He's an analytical darling, excelling in every type of offensive action. And his brain is essentially a basketball supercomputer, making Boozer one of the best passing PF prospects I've ever seen.

Many people are downplaying Boozer's upside.  I've seen a lot of comparisons to Kevin Love, even though Boozer has been better than Love at the same stage.  Likewise, Boozer's upside should be seen as surpassing Love.

I feel like this is going to be Luka Doncic all over again.  The NBA overrated athleticism and underrated basketball skill.  Then, in hindsight, everybody talks how obvious it was that Luka was the best prospect.

And I'm convinced that if Larry Bird was a draft prospect today, he'd be viewed the same way as Boozer: a nice player, but "limited upside" that will prevent him from being an MVP.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

About like the gap between UCONN, St. John's and MU in talent. And quickly several other BEast schools are widening that gap with MU.

Several other?  The next best KenPom rated team is Villanova at 33 - the next best was 51 and didn't make the tournament.  If we're 33 next year without a unique injury, I would advocate moving the program in a different direction.

So - no other Big east teams are widening the gap - You dont need to make stuff up to have an opinion.

[willie warrior]

Several other?  The next best KenPom rated team is Villanova at 33 - the next best was 51 and didn't make the tournament.  If we're 33 next year without a unique injury, I would advocate moving the program in a different direction.

So - no other Big east teams are widening the gap - You dont need to make stuff up to have an opinion.

As some examples: DePaul swept us this year, so more correctly they are trending upward while MU has dropped significantly. Xavier and Villanova have moved ahead of us. It seems that your statement agrees that St. Johns and UConn are well ahead of us, but MU is third best...in a down BEast. MU is not third best in the league. A lucky 7 seed in the Beast tourney and a first round bounce. Hell Georgetown has moved ahead of us. But believe what you want. And ignore how MU has slid to this point.

[The Sultan]

As some examples: DePaul swept us this year, so more correctly they are trending upward while MU has dropped significantly. Xavier and Villanova have moved ahead of us. It seems that your statement agrees that St. Johns and UConn are well ahead of us, but MU is third best...in a down BEast. MU is not third best in the league. A lucky 7 seed in the Beast tourney and a first round bounce. Hell Georgetown has moved ahead of us. But believe what you want. And ignore how MU has slid to this point.

There is literally no one ignoring how Marquette has slid to this point.

[MU82]

From Axios:

All the major chatbots were able to fill out an NCAA bracket this year, a sharp contrast from a year ago when AI struggled to decipher who'd match up in later rounds, Axios AI+ co-author Ina Fried writes.

It shows how fast AI moves: What's impossible one year is often a trivial task just months later.

Ina gave the bots the same task as a year ago — look at a PDF bracket and make picks for each matchup.

OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude and Google's Gemini all came up with plausible brackets that included a few upset picks, usually with a rationale to justify the choice.

The picks: Gemini went with Arizona, while ChatGPT and Claude picked Duke.

Upsets: Claude sees Akron beating Texas Tech and BYU defeating March Madness powerhouse Gonzaga, noting a key injury.

ChatGPT predicted St. John's and VCU to play spoilers, while Gemini picked Miami (Ohio) to beat Tennessee.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

As some examples: DePaul swept us this year, so more correctly they are trending upward while MU has dropped significantly. Xavier and Villanova have moved ahead of us. It seems that your statement agrees that St. Johns and UConn are well ahead of us, but MU is third best...in a down BEast. MU is not third best in the league. A lucky 7 seed in the Beast tourney and a first round bounce. Hell Georgetown has moved ahead of us. But believe what you want. And ignore how MU has slid to this point.

What are you even talking about.  The Big East was terrible this year. 

I'm more worried that the Big East fades into obscurity than any those teams permanently leaving us in the dust.  Said a different way if we get to the ex-St Johns/UCONN level its no where near enough - so pointing to the field is not really relevant. 

And yes - St Johns and UCONN were measurably better this year (not really St Johns last three).  Hopefully our change in strategy rights the course.  At least we have that to point to.  If I'm Seton Hall, G-Town or a few other programs, I am questioning what changes to make it better than mediocre.