Re: College Basketball 2008-2009

[chuckywang]

when does the NIT field get announced?

The selection show is at 9 on ESPNU.

 

I don't get ESPNU :cry:

 

It would normally be on ESPN2 except this is a WBC year.

[Derwood]

it's as good a year as any to just pick the four #1's

 

The odds are good that last year was a much better year to pick the four #1s.

 

Yeah Derwood that doesn't make sense. It never happened until last year, and this year there was so much debate over who would be #1 seeds, probably 6-7 teams had a legitimate claim for a 1 seed. 3 of the #1 seeds are in the same conference, so who knows how good they are against teams from other conferences who play different styles. One of the number 1 seeds lost one of their key players for the year and hasn't looked like the same team since. 3 of the 4 teams have taken turns losing immediately after becoming #1 in the polls. I think 2 of the number 2 seeds, Duke and Oklahoma are more talented than 2 of the number 1 seeds UConn and Louisville. This is actually a really poor year to just pick the four number 1's.

 

I only meant that the rankings were extremely top heavy this year, with the 10-25 teams constantly in flux.

[bukie]

Nobody enters the tournament this year with fewer than 3 losses, the first time that's happened since the 30's.

[XZero771679666304]

Nobody enters the tournament this year with fewer than 3 losses, the first time that's happened since the 30's.

 

IMO, this has been a pretty mediocre year for college basketball. Or rather there has been a lot more parity. There simply aren't any teams you can point to and say are spectacular or a favorite. All the teams in the field are very beatable, and we may see a real free for all. Predicting the results is going to be dicey.

[Flames24Rulz]

Nobody enters the tournament this year with fewer than 3 losses, the first time that's happened since the 30's.

 

IMO, this has been a pretty mediocre year for college basketball. Or rather there has been a lot more parity. There simply aren't any teams you can point to and say are spectacular or a favorite. All the teams in the field are very beatable, and we may see a real free for all. Predicting the results is going to be dicey.

 

The first part of your statement is correct. It's been a very mediocre year for college basketball.

[Sosa21MVP]

western kentucky lost to the university of denver 74-48. we better not lose.

 

They also beat Louisville by 14.

 

and the week before, they lost to murray state by 30. this is a game that illinois should win by a comfortable margin, but stranger things have happened and i'm not too impressed with the illini this year, so whatever.

 

They also went to the Sweet 16 last season. It isn't like you are playing one of the play-in game teams. I'd still take Illinois to win but I think expecting a blowout in a game like this is setting yourself up for disappointment as crazy as the first two days of the tournament can get.

 

Just be happy for whatever kind of win you get. :hello:

[Magnetic Curses]

western kentucky lost to the university of denver 74-48. we better not lose.

 

They also beat Louisville by 14.

 

and the week before, they lost to murray state by 30. this is a game that illinois should win by a comfortable margin, but stranger things have happened and i'm not too impressed with the illini this year, so whatever.

 

They also went to the Sweet 16 last season. It isn't like you are playing one of the play-in game teams. I'd still take Illinois to win but I think expecting a blowout in a game like this is setting yourself up for disappointment as crazy as the first two days of the tournament can get.

 

Just be happy for whatever kind of win you get. :hello:

 

they aren't the same team at all, though.

 

and believe me, i'm not ever setting myself up for disappointment when it comes to any of my sports teams.

[Outshined_One]

First run through, I came up with Michigan State over UNC, with UConn and Nova rounding out the final 4. I also had Cleveland State, Temple, and Cal as upset 2nd weekend teams.

 

I want to pick Villanova to go deep but I think the UCLA game is about as much of a toss-up as you can have in a 3-6.

 

I can't talk myself into picking anything but 1's and 2's. And I hate taking the chalk.

 

And I am strongly considering VCU over UCLA. :oops: I don't think UCLA has a chance against Nova in Philadelphia, especially with Collison playing injured.

 

I picked VCU over your guys. Sorry.

 

I hate picking games where it seems like everyone is picking the upset. Something about that game reeks.

[Flames24Rulz]

First round times are out.

 

Thursday: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/scoreboard?date=20090319

Friday: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/scoreboard?date=20090320

[Flames24Rulz]

First run through, I came up with Michigan State over UNC, with UConn and Nova rounding out the final 4. I also had Cleveland State, Temple, and Cal as upset 2nd weekend teams.

 

I want to pick Villanova to go deep but I think the UCLA game is about as much of a toss-up as you can have in a 3-6.

 

I can't talk myself into picking anything but 1's and 2's. And I hate taking the chalk.

 

And I am strongly considering VCU over UCLA. :oops: I don't think UCLA has a chance against Nova in Philadelphia, especially with Collison playing injured.

 

I picked VCU over your guys. Sorry.

 

I hate picking games where it seems like everyone is picking the upset. Something about that game reeks.

 

Yeah that irks me too. I feel more confident about my Temple pick than I do the VCU one because of that very reason.

[XZero771679666304]

Nobody enters the tournament this year with fewer than 3 losses, the first time that's happened since the 30's.

 

IMO, this has been a pretty mediocre year for college basketball. Or rather there has been a lot more parity. There simply aren't any teams you can point to and say are spectacular or a favorite. All the teams in the field are very beatable, and we may see a real free for all. Predicting the results is going to be dicey.

 

The first part of your statement is correct. It's been a very mediocre year for college basketball.

 

There isn't team in the field that seems head and shoulders above the others. It wouldn't shock me to see anyone lose this year.

[CubbieBum]

My final four:

 

Pitt

UNC

Louisville

Missouri

 

 

I was tempted to pick Villanova to upset Pitt but I truly think Pitt has what it takes to win it all.

[Flames24Rulz]

I'm going to go with UNC, UConn, Wake, and Villanova for my Final Four.

[CubbieBum]

I'm going to go with UNC, UConn, Wake, and Villanova for my Final Four.

 

UCONN isn't the same team due to injuries. I don't see them getting past the sweet sixteen. I think they lose to either Washington or Purdue.

[Andy]

I lack any seeds below 6 (WVU) in the Sweet 16 and any seeds below 4 (Washington) in the Elite 8. This unnerves me.

 

I picked one 12 and 11 apiece (Arizona and Temple).

[Andy]

I'm reminded: Are we going to do an NSBB Facebook bracket group this year as well?

[imb]

I'm reminded: Are we going to do an NSBB Facebook bracket group this year as well?

 

we should

[chuckywang]

What a royal screw job by the committee this year in regards to Creighton. Seriously ... Arizona??

[TruffleShuffle]

What a royal screw job by the committee this year in regards to Creighton. Seriously ... Arizona??

 

yeah people disagree on who got screwed but pretty much everyone agrees that arizona doesn't belong.

[Flames24Rulz]

What a royal screw job by the committee this year in regards to Creighton. Seriously ... Arizona??

 

I think SDSU has the most to complain about. Earlier in the week, Lunardi and others were saying how if they were to beat UNLV in the conference tournament at Vegas, they'd be in. They beat UNLV by 15 then beat BYU in the semis and played Utah all the way to the end yesterday. Their resume looked better than Creighton's and St. Mary's and had better success in their conference tournament (in a tougher conference) than those two teams.

 

Otherwise, I have no quarrels with the selection committee this year.

[Derwood]

I'll do a few bracket contests this year, but I have no good basis for my picks. I didn't see a single minute of UConn, Pitt, Louisville or all of the Pac 10. I pretty much watched B10 games exclusively this year

[gflore34]

Why do I have the feeling that the Committee had a pity party for Arizona and was going to find an in for them?

Arizona could have been 18-13 or 17-14 and still would have gotten an invite, go to **** Arizona basketball.

[bukie]

First go-through on the bracket:

 

First-round upsets: USC over BC, Utah State over Marquette, Wisconsin over Florida State, Arizona over Utah, North Dakota State over Kansas

Second-round upsets: Wisconsin over Xavier, North Dakota State over West Virginia, Clemson over Oklahoma, Ohio State over Louisville

Final Four: MSU, Memphis, Pitt, UNC

FInals: UNC over MSU

[bukie]

Adjusted efficiency margin difference between first-round matchups:

 

Region  Seed Team           Rate Seed Team               Rate    Diff
West       1 Connecticut    0.967  16 Chattanooga        0.383  0.584
South      1 North Carolina 0.967  16 Radford            0.481  0.486
Midwest    1 Louisville     0.966  16 Morehead State     0.491  0.475
East       2 Duke           0.959  15 Binghamton         0.504  0.455
South      2 Oklahoma       0.934  15 Morgan State       0.557  0.377
Midwest    2 Michigan State 0.943  15 Robert Morris      0.614  0.329
East       1 Pittsburgh     0.965  16 ETSU               0.639  0.326
West       2 Memphis        0.981  15 CS Northridge      0.675  0.306
East       4 Xavier         0.915  13 Portland State     0.623  0.292
East       3 Villanova      0.929  14 American           0.657  0.272
West       3 Missouri       0.954  14 Cornell             0.69  0.264
South      4 Gonzaga        0.965  13 Akron              0.723  0.242
South      5 Illinois       0.917  12 Western Kentucky   0.692  0.225
South      3 Syracuse        0.94  14 Stephen F. Austin  0.722  0.218
Midwest    6 West Virginia  0.957  11 Dayton             0.766  0.191
West       5 Purdue         0.941  12 Northern Iowa      0.771   0.17
Midwest    3 Kansas         0.945  14 ND State           0.806  0.139
East       6 UCLA           0.957  11 VCU                0.837   0.12
Midwest    4 Wake Forest    0.928  13 Cleveland State     0.81  0.118
West       4 Washington     0.939  13 Mississippi State  0.827  0.112
West       6 Marquette      0.928  11 Utah State         0.836  0.092
West       8 BYU            0.934   9 Texas A&M           0.85  0.084
South      6 Arizona State  0.945  11 Temple             0.861  0.084
South      7 Clemson        0.927  10 Michigan           0.855  0.072
Midwest    8 Ohio State      0.88   9 Siena              0.812  0.068
West       7 California     0.898  10 Maryland           0.842  0.056
East       7 Texas          0.898  10 Minnesota          0.865  0.033
Midwest    5 Utah           0.907  12 Arizona            0.877   0.03
East       8 Oklahoma State 0.892   9 Tennessee          0.892      0
South      8 LSU            0.864   9 Butler             0.867 -0.003
East       5 Florida State  0.885  12 Wisconsin          0.897 -0.012
Midwest    7 Boston College 0.829  10 USC                0.902 -0.073

 

Basically, the higher the diff margin, the greater the difference in efficiency between the 2 teams. A negative number suggests the lower seed is actually more efficient than the higher seed.

 

What does it all mean?

- Don't expect a 1 or 2 seed to fall, but especially Connecticut.

- Kansas definitely has the toughest 3 seed game, and it's in a location closer to the 14 seed to boot.

- As maligned as Wisconsin and Arizona have been for making the field over more deserving teams (SD State actually was even more efficient than Arizona), they both have favorable matchups. Heck, Wisconsin was more efficient than their opponent, and they're 7 seeds apart.

- Ohio State got the weakest 9 seed, and gets to play in Dayton. If they lose, it'd be a pretty good upset even though it's an 8-9 game.

[dew1679666265]

Adjusted efficiency margin difference between first-round matchups:

 

East       8 Oklahoma State 0.892   9 Tennessee          0.892      0

 

That Tennessee/OK St game is going to be really tough.

 

Of course, the winner will just get demolished by Pitt anyway . . .