March Madness Thread

[Andy]

For the first time probably ever I have no double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16. I'm not sure I feel good about that. I only have one 7 making it that far and none below that.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

My first pass through the bracket revealed that I am a pansy. Only one non-chalk pick in the Sweet 16 . Last year's tournament is scaring me away from upsets.

[Sosa21MVP]

I hate how 3 of the 4 tourney teams from the state of Indiana got stuck in the same regional. Spread 'em around so we can have an all-Indiana Final Four. :pig:

 

:lol:

[Flames24Rulz]

My first pass through the bracket revealed that I am a pansy. Only one non-chalk pick in the Sweet 16 . Last year's tournament is scaring me away from upsets.

 

I have K-State, George Mason, Butler, and (gulp) Mississippi State all in the Sweet 16.

[Duffman]

I am pulling for Drake as they have been my team since Dr. Tom took over (I know that wasnt too long ago) and I am amazed that Keno has this team in the tourny. Beginning of the season I would have been excited for an NIT trip now Drake is a 5 seed in the tournament! I love March and I wish they could have played closer to home (Omaha) but I will be pulling hard from Iowa. I dont want to look ahead but I cant help but see Uconn and UCLA in the future if the Bulldogs win! Go Keno! Go Drake! Go Adam E! Make this season better then it already has been!

[Andy]

My first pass through the bracket revealed that I am a pansy. Only one non-chalk pick in the Sweet 16 . Last year's tournament is scaring me away from upsets.

 

I have K-State, George Mason, Butler, and (gulp) Mississippi State all in the Sweet 16.

You jerk. :wink:

 

Gutsy picks though. I thought for a loooong time about the Butler/Tennessee game before wimping out and taking the Vols.

 

I suppose my biggest 'surprise' pick is Michigan State to the Elite 8.

[Butterscup1679666578]

what seed did Mizzou get?

 

I haven't seen them in the NCAA tourney. I'm thinking they're in the NIT.

 

lol absolutely not.

[Andy]

Do the NSBBers that have Facebooks want to put together an NSBB group again? I was going to create it tonight but I want to make sure all the usual suspects want in.

[imb]

Do the NSBBers that have Facebooks want to put together an NSBB group again? I was going to create it tonight but I want to make sure all the usual suspects want in.

 

for sure

[Yanksfan1523]

what seed did Mizzou get?

 

I haven't seen them in the NCAA tourney. I'm thinking they're in the NIT.

 

 

Mizzou would be hard pressed to make the CBI this season!

[CuseCubFan69]

i'm just glad that UK is finally out of the 8-9 game. i wish UK would have went in the opposite direction in terms of seeding, but hey, i'm just glad that UK is in. i was starting to get nervous.

 

UK matches up ok with Marquette, it's going to be a battle of backcourts, which helps out UK. UM will still be favored, but given how UK played early on and how they finished, it's still a disappointing season and how well Patterson played before he got hurt as well as a strong class, I'm optimistic another year under Gillespie that they are on the right track.

 

We blew out Marquette...oh yeah I forgot, we aren't in the tournament again. I have no idea how Kentucky is in over Syracuse.

[Exile on Waveland]

For the first time probably ever I have no double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16. I'm not sure I feel good about that. I only have one 7 making it that far and none below that.

 

I think I'm going to take Butler over Tennessee and very possibly West Virginia (maybe Arizona?) over Duke. I'm debating Siena over Vandy, but only for one win.

[Derwood]

it's nice to see that the committee is using the old "throw a dart" method of picking teams again this year

[Butterscup1679666578]

what seed did Mizzou get?

 

I haven't seen them in the NCAA tourney. I'm thinking they're in the NIT.

 

 

Mizzou would be hard pressed to make the CBI this season!

 

 

Even so, all the Big 12 teams agreed to not go to the CBI if asked. Field was announced just a bit ago, and no Mizzou. Which means this season is finally over. :yahoo:

[Derwood]

the inaugural CBI field:

 

Tuesday, March 18

Richmond at Virginia - 7 p.m.

Houston at Nevada - 9 p.m.

Brown at Ohio - TBA

Rider at Old Dominion - TBA

 

Wednesday, March 19

Cincinnati at Bradley - 7 p.m.

Valparaiso at Washington - 9 p.m.

Miami (Ohio) at Tulsa - TBA

Utah at UTEP - TBA

[abuck1220]

it's nice to see that the committee is using the old "throw a dart" method of picking teams again this year

 

what teams do you have an issue with?

[Derwood]

it's nice to see that the committee is using the old "throw a dart" method of picking teams again this year

 

what teams do you have an issue with?

 

just seems like they dismissed conf. tourney results in some instances and regular season in others (more in terms of seeding than who was in our out). Tennessee should NOT be in the same regional as UNC. Kansas shouldn't have to potentially play Texas in Houston in the Elite 8. Arizona St. got shafted.

 

also, does anyone else think the play-in game should be between two at-large teams? i think that if you earn an automatic bid to the tourney, you should be in period. or eliminate the play-in game, which is altogether lame to begin with

[abuck1220]

it's nice to see that the committee is using the old "throw a dart" method of picking teams again this year

 

what teams do you have an issue with?

 

just seems like they dismissed conf. tourney results in some instances and regular season in others (more in terms of seeding than who was in our out). Tennessee should NOT be in the same regional as UNC. Kansas shouldn't have to potentially play Texas in Houston in the Elite 8. Arizona St. got shafted.

 

also, does anyone else think the play-in game should be between two at-large teams? i think that if you earn an automatic bid to the tourney, you should be in period. or eliminate the play-in game, which is altogether lame to begin with

 

sounds like you only have a beef about one team not getting in -- arizona state. your original post sounded like you had more issues with the teams that got in/didn't get in more than seeding, where teams were playing, etc.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't understand how people can actually complain about teams getting hosed in this ridiculously oversized tournament. If you can't get into the NCAA tourney, or if you can't get a very high seed, then you didn't have a good enough season, so just shut up already.

[Derwood]

it's nice to see that the committee is using the old "throw a dart" method of picking teams again this year

 

what teams do you have an issue with?

 

just seems like they dismissed conf. tourney results in some instances and regular season in others (more in terms of seeding than who was in our out). Tennessee should NOT be in the same regional as UNC. Kansas shouldn't have to potentially play Texas in Houston in the Elite 8. Arizona St. got shafted.

 

also, does anyone else think the play-in game should be between two at-large teams? i think that if you earn an automatic bid to the tourney, you should be in period. or eliminate the play-in game, which is altogether lame to begin with

 

sounds like you only have a beef about one team not getting in -- arizona state. your original post sounded like you had more issues with the teams that got in/didn't get in more than seeding, where teams were playing, etc.

 

yeah, i'd need to look over it more to point out more stuff. the trouble this year is that a ton of teams could argue that they deserved to be in, but they all lost early in the tourney. i guess I'm more annoyed when the tourney chairman says that team A is in because of their RPI, but then says RPI doesn't matter when they left team B out. that, and be consistent about what matters more, regular season or conference tourney. MSU seeded above Purdue? ASU out in favor of Arizona, who they beat twice in the regular season (and finished higher in the regular season)?

 

i half agreed with Mike&Mike this morning with their notion that college basketball may need a more complex (gulp, BCS-ish) formula for ranking teams

[CuseCubFan69]

I don't understand how people can actually complain about teams getting hosed in this ridiculously oversized tournament. If you can't get into the NCAA tourney, or if you can't get a very high seed, then you didn't have a good enough season, so just shut up already.

 

Personally, I'd like to see the criteria they use to pick the teams. I don't deny it's a tough job and you're right, win the games and you have no problem.

[abuck1220]

I don't understand how people can actually complain about teams getting hosed in this ridiculously oversized tournament. If you can't get into the NCAA tourney, or if you can't get a very high seed, then you didn't have a good enough season, so just shut up already.

 

exactly. hard to feel sorry for a 19-12 team or whatever. and yeah, asu may have been ariz twice, but it's not like asu didn't have a bunch of bad losses.

 

i maybe can understand some of the whining about seeds for teams that just want to win a game or two. but i don't feel sorry for unc having to play in a tough region. i mean, isn't their goal to win the whole thing? then what does it matter if they have to play tennessee to get to the final four? if they're the best, aren't they going to have to beat the second best anyway?

[bukie]

Here's BP's reasoning on some of the "bubble" teams:

 

Kentucky:

Kentucky has popped up a couple of times in e-mails, as the one above, and the loss to Georgia yesterday would seem to hurt their case. Two points carry the day: one, they went 12-4 in conference, and there’s simply no precedent for leaving out a 12-4 BCS team, no matter how lousy their nonconference performance. You can’t not take Kentucky and then take Vanderbilt (10-6, lost in quarters) or Arkansas (9-7).

 

The other reason is this: the committee wants no part of the perception that yesterday’s loss, when Kentucky’s traveling horde was shut out of the relocated and rescheduled game, impacted the Wildcats’ status. It was a unique situation, and one in which a loss has to be somewhat excused. Kentucky will be in.

 

Illinois State:

Illinois State. A good RPI and a second-place finish in the #8 conference are their markers, and they have, in past, meant something to the committee. There’s nothing in the non conference, though—wins over Wright State and Cincinnati are their best ones. They could have used a better BracketBuster game. The 0-5 mark against the RPI top 50—three losses to Drake, plus Kent State and Indiana—really sticks out. They’re on the line, one way or another. HOLD.

 

Arizona:

Arizona: Five top-50 wins and a 16-6 record at full strength, as we’ve heard ad nauseum. A 4-8 mark in their last 12, just one credible win since January, 8-10 and seventh place in conference, as we’ve also heard ad nauseum. They don’t make my field because to me, it’s too much to give away a third of the schedule, and because they lost the last two games at full health against real teams. Winning either would have made a case that they’re a tournament team. With that said, it’s a weak bubble, they have some nonconference pop and will get a subjective bounce. IN.

 

Baylor:

Baylor: A respectable RPI and a top-four finish in a BCS league are good markers. Then again, Baylor went 3-8 against the RPI top 50, and their second-best NC win is either Brown or Winthrop. The loss to Colorado was bad, but is just one of two (at Oklahoma State) that were outside the top 50. HOLD, but they look good right now.

 

Kansas State:

Kansas State: They’re a better team than a profile. Kansas State finished third with a soft schedule in the Big 12, and while they played a strong nonconference schedule, they didn’t win against it—best NC win is a home game over Cal, and after that you’re down to Rider. That’s pretty bad. A 3-6 mark against the RPI top 50 isn’t special. They’re in this discussion because they beat Kansas, and they’re not the only team hanging their hat on one win. IN, because of the subjective bump.

 

Virginia Tech:

Virginia Tech: First of all, Seth Greenberg is wrong. If the argument is that playing a virtual road game against North Carolina and losing late qualifies you for the tournament, then let’s get Maryland in, because they actually beat the Tar Heels at Chapel Hill. Tech is 1-7 against the RPI top 50 and their best nonconference win is over UNC Greensboro. They lost to Penn State, Richmond and Old Dominion. You really can go 9-7 (10-8) in the ACC now and not be worthy. OUT.

 

Syracuse:

Syracuse: Like a number of the BCS schools on this list, Syracuse’s good wins came at home, with a road win at a comparable midlevel team. This is the crux of the argument for giving non-BCS schools a break at this time of year, because the home/road imbalance in college basketball skews our evaluation of these teams. BCS schools get lots of home chances against top teams; everyone else gets a precious few. ‘Cuse went 5-8 away from the Carrier Dome and 3-8 against the top 50, has 13 losses and a 55 RPI. OUT.

 

Oregon:

Oregon: Just 5-10 on the road…but two of the wins were at Arizona and Kansas State, although the Arizona game was one Bayless missed. A 4-9 mark against the RPI top 50 could be seen as good (four wins, a monster total) or bad (nine losses). They finished ahead of Arizona and swept them, exactly the same thing Arizona State did. I’m not sure how you can take Arizona and leave both of these teams out, and if you’re choosing, Oregon is ahead of Arizona State. HOLD.

 

Arizona State:

Arizona State: It’s not just that they have a low RPI. It’s that they have the lowest RPI of any team I can remember being discussed for a spot. They have 10 sub-200 wins, right there with New Mexico and VCU, and four more than any BCS school on the bubble. They went 5-10 over the last half of their season, and they don’t have Arizona’s excuses for that.

 

If you buy the argument that Arizona should get a pass for missing Bayless or Wise, then you have to acknowledge that both of ASU’s wins over Arizona are lacking. Like I said, you can make a case for Arizona or for ASU, but you can’t make one for both. I might argue that they have two wins over tournament teams (calling UA without one of those guys not a tournament team) in 2008. They don’t belong, and if the committee puts them in, it’s a Air Force/Utah State level mistake. OUT.

[Exile on Waveland]

I'm glad he quickly dismissed Virginia Tech. I don't think they should have even been one of the final four teams out. Just because they play in the ACC, came close to UNC and their coach ranted doesn't make them deserving.

[CuseCubFan69]

Bukie,

 

They never left a 10 win conference team out until last year so I don't understand why that would be a thing. If conference play is an influence, why Arizona over Arizona St? It seems to me that they can boot any of these teams out by using examples A-Z. I just don't like the inconsistency of their criteria. Does the RPI count? When does it count? It seems to only count when it's convenient.