Final Four and National Championship Thread

ifmanis5

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Sep 29, 2007
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Rotten Apple
No more Zion makes me sad
Yeah but no more Duke makes almost everyone happy.

Duke and the Celtics had a similar year- lots of pre-season hype but no discernible offense, young players who didn't improve and a black mark for the also much hyped coach.
 

tims4wins

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Duke and the Celtics had a similar year- lots of pre-season hype but no discernible offense, young players who didn't improve and a black mark for the also much hyped coach.
Agreed on points 1 and 3. On point 2 I thought Barrett and Zion and Tre Jones all improved throughout the course of the year. But Cam Reddish was a huge disappointment for sure.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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MYRTLE BEACH!!!!
I wonder if the NCAA is realizing today how idiotic putting the #1 overall seed in the same region as possibly the strongest #2 seed? That game last night should be coming up this Saturday, or possibly as a final. Now that Z and the ratings that follow are likely diminished, I wonder if there is a mea culpa feeling emanating from those in the room.

What is the point of ranking the overall seeds if you're going to line them up as 1v8, 2v7, etc.?
 

tims4wins

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I wonder if the NCAA is realizing today how idiotic putting the #1 overall seed in the same region as possibly the strongest #2 seed? That game last night should be coming up this Saturday, or possibly as a final. Now that Z and the ratings that follow are likely diminished, I wonder if there is a mea culpa feeling emanating from those in the room.

What is the point of ranking the overall seeds if you're going to line them up as 1v8, 2v7, etc.?
As a Duke fan I'm not going to complain about the bracket - it is supposed to be hard to get to the final four - but I definitely didn't understand this after Michigan State won the B1G tourney, and beat Michigan 3 times this year. To me the S curve should have been:
1) Duke
2) UVA
3) Gonzaga
4) UNC
5) MSU
6) UK
7) Tennessee
8) Michigan

Something like that?
 

CantKeepmedown

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Jul 15, 2005
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Yesterday was the first time in my life I cheered for Duke (a win would have guaranteed me at least 2nd place in a big payout pool) but of course, that didn't work out. Now I need both Mich St and Virginia to lose and I'm not liking my chances on those games either.

Either way, hopefully we'll get games just as good as this weekend was. Those were 4 amazing games.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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MYRTLE BEACH!!!!
As a Duke fan I'm not going to complain about the bracket - it is supposed to be hard to get to the final four - but I definitely didn't understand this after Michigan State won the B1G tourney, and beat Michigan 3 times this year. To me the S curve should have been:
1) Duke
2) UVA
3) Gonzaga
4) UNC
5) MSU
6) UK
7) Tennessee
8) Michigan

Something like that?
Agreed, I heard that MSU may have been the overall 5 seed. But still if that is the case, then having them in the same Duke region made no sense.
 

The Needler

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MSU was the overall #6. Second number 2. And you can’t have every team the one seed possibly faces in its region be the number 4 of that seed.
 

The Needler

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Or, the “best” #1 should just win the game, and not go 0-4 against the spread, suggesting the seeding was off in the first place.
 

tims4wins

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Or, the “best” #1 should just win the game, and not go 0-4 against the spread, suggesting the seeding was off in the first place.
Again, I'm not complaining about Duke's draw. It is supposed to be hard, and Duke simply didn't play very well. We are just pointing out that it was odd that MSU was put in Duke's region.

Had Duke won yesterday, I think MSU would have been right to be bitching about being put in Duke's region, since they are clearly Final Four worthy.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
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I wonder if the NCAA is realizing today how idiotic putting the #1 overall seed in the same region as possibly the strongest #2 seed? That game last night should be coming up this Saturday, or possibly as a final. Now that Z and the ratings that follow are likely diminished, I wonder if there is a mea culpa feeling emanating from those in the room.

What is the point of ranking the overall seeds if you're going to line them up as 1v8, 2v7, etc.?
It was a great move. Eliminating one of those two before the FF
 

The Needler

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Again, I'm not complaining about Duke's draw. It is supposed to be hard, and Duke simply didn't play very well. We are just pointing out that it was odd that MSU was put in Duke's region.

Had Duke won yesterday, I think MSU would have been right to be bitching about being put in Duke's region, since they are clearly Final Four worthy.
And that would be equally as stupid.

There’s nothing odd about it. You can’t match these things up perfectly and still give people the regional advantage they think they’ve earned and otherwise complain about when they don’t get exactly what they want.

Two years ago, Nova was the #1 seed, but they drew Duke, the #7 overall (3rd best #2) seed. They could’ve complained about that had they not lost to the “best” number 8, and Duke not choked to the “second best” #7.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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MYRTLE BEACH!!!!
Or, the “best” #1 should just win the game, and not go 0-4 against the spread, suggesting the seeding was off in the first place.
I could care less about Duke's performance. I was speaking about the ratings angle. We know the NCAA is all about money, just makes no sense that they would pair the one team that would drive ratings, a team they had as #1 overall, against a tough 2 when they had every legitimate reason to put Michigan in that region. It's not rocket science to do what you can within reason so Zion is still playing this weekend. The are the #1 overall seed and they were lined up against the overall 6 or 5. Makes zero sense in a vaccum, makes even less when you count the lost $$'s.
 

WestMassExpat

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If only it was the 1940s. The ESPN article said something like 3,000 people watched it at MSG. It was downright cheeky in tone.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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Early lines:

Virginia -5.5
MSU -3
Updated Consensus lines:

Virginia -6
MSU -2.5

I like Texas Tech as they continue being undervalued. That demolition of a really really good Buffalo team made me a believer. I have a (very) small wager on them winning it all at +1700 following that win. Their formula isn't complicated. They have the #1 defense in the country per several metrics that passes the eye test with two long bigs able to switch and defend anything within 15 feet of the basket. Offensively, it's Culver Culver and more Culver who is reminding me of Carmelo as a freshman leading the Orangemen to a Championship with a similar formula. TT 67, MSU 61

I like Virginia even though I cringe at the thought of laying such a big number with a low total. Auburn must knock down an inordinate number of 3's and force turnovers with their helter skelter style to keep pace with one of the nations best, if not THE best offenses in Virginia. Pace is much more easily controlled by the more deliberate team and shooting rhythm in the first final four game can be challenging as we've seen in the past. I expect the Cavaliers to dictate pace and tempo throughout.
VA 63 AUB 48
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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This reminds me of the UConn Butler final four. Screwed up sightlines and tight rims. These guys can’t zero in on the rim from more than 10 feet out. Basketball in these massive barns sucks.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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With the Avanetti/Nike/Zion news, imagine if Duke was in it tonight and if they'd talk about it.
It would be interesting but I strongly suspect CBS' executives would make sure that they are protecting their clients interests. I would expect crickets on the Avanetti/Nike story.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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Yes, it's been in stadiums forever now and I still hate it. Just isn't the same game played all year long. Wish it was in NBA arena but money talks.

It's also on the raised floor which is a huge injury risk.
It was better when they put the court sideways but for the last ten years or so it has been at the football 50 yard line. Maybe more. Some seem better than others. You’ve got a basket suspended with nothing behind it for 40 to 50 yards and so background is important I think. Glendale seemed ok but Houston is awful, etc.
 

Marciano490

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Nov 4, 2007
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I definitely texted a UVA friend something congratulatory up 10 and jinxed us.