March Madness 2024

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 minutes ago, RedStickBrew said:

Well said. The NCAA tournament is one of the best sporting events of the year. I love seeing the Ivy or HBCU teams get a chance to compete in the championship tournament. Just great drama and entertainment 

If NIL & transfer portal stuff ever leads to the NCAA considering moving to a format where you have the top 75 or 100 schools in a separate classification, the folks doing the considering need to be locked in a room, tied to a chair & forced to watch a loop of UMBC vs Virginia, Fairleigh Dickinson-Purdue, and some of the 2-15 upsets until they get their mind right.

I don't think it'll ever come to that. But when you have a bureaucracy, sometimes you just can't assume common sense.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

UConn is the undisputed overall #1 seed. You can't make a viable argument for anyone else.

Agree.

[LouisEly]

Who had the Mountain West getting more teams in than the ACC or the Big East?

[RedStickBrew]

44 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

Who had the Mountain West getting more teams in than the ACC or the Big East?

Big East teams getting left out was definitely a bit of a shocker to me. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

Big shout out to Grambling for reaching their first D1 tourney. Their head coach is a Milwaukee native, and he has three Milw kids on the roster. And even a chance to win a first four game vs Montana State, before having four of their post players disqualified on fouls in their next game.

[RedStickBrew]

31 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Big shout out to Grambling for reaching their first D1 tourney. Their head coach is a Milwaukee native, and he has three Milw kids on the roster. And even a chance to win a first four game vs Montana State, before having four of their post players disqualified on fouls in their next game.

Grambling State is down here in my neighborhood, about 3 hours north of me to be exact. They were supposed to play in Madison this season but that game got cancelled. It would be great for them to get a W and a reason I like the play-in games that were added. 

[MrTPlush]

I like me some upsets and some cinderellas....but I hope it isn't like last year. I personally didn't care for 4+ seed Final Four that featured a bunch of schools people didn't care about. All fun and games until upsets peg FAU and SDSU against each other...a game any other time of year you would be lucky to find on ESPN+, let alone national TV.

[AKCheesehead]

15 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

Grambling State is down here in my neighborhood, about 3 hours north of me to be exact. They were supposed to play in Madison this season but that game got cancelled. It would be great for them to get a W and a reason I like the play-in games that were added. 

Last season. I was in town and Dad and I were going to go to that one. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

44 minutes ago, AKCheesehead said:

Last season. I was in town and Dad and I were going to go to that one. 

That was a real scramble situation. IIRC, after Grambling couldn't get here Gard tried to get UWM to come over & fill in but it was close to the holidays & much of their team had already scattered.

[patrickgpe]

6 hours ago, MrTPlush said:

I like me some upsets and some cinderellas....but I hope it isn't like last year. I personally didn't care for 4+ seed Final Four that featured a bunch of schools people didn't care about. All fun and games until upsets peg FAU and SDSU against each other...a game any other time of year you would be lucky to find on ESPN+, let alone national TV.

 I agree. I love watching David vs Goliaths on the first weekend, but then I want to see the elite teams battle at the end. Its fun to have  a St. Peters make a deep run, but I agree you don't want to see two AQ only  conferences play in the 2nd or 3rd weekend. 

[AKCheesehead]

2 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

That was a real scramble situation. IIRC, after Grambling couldn't get here Gard tried to get UWM to come over & fill in but it was close to the holidays & much of their team had already scattered.

And the thing of it was, the storm that was anticipated ended up not really amounting to much of anything whatsoever, at least in Madison.  So I was a little frustrated by it. I recall northern WI got absolutely dumped on from that one though. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, AKCheesehead said:

And the thing of it was, the storm that was anticipated ended up not really amounting to much of anything whatsoever, at least in Madison.  So I was a little frustrated by it. I recall northern WI got absolutely dumped on from that one though. 

Right. As I remember it now, Grambling didn't show due to concerns about getting HOME afterward, not getting in.

Shoulda just scheduled Edgewood College.

[RedStickBrew]

Virginia is brutal. They have 19 points with less than 15 minutes left in the game

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, RedStickBrew said:

Virginia is brutal. They have 19 points with less than 15 minutes left in the game

The Bennetts know more about the game than we'll ever understand, but something about Dick & Tonys' teams--when they struggle offensively, man, it just becomes an epidemic throughout the entire roster. Yet one has a natty, the other a most unlikely Final Four. Tonight you could just see the confidence leaking out of them once they fell behind by double digits. And I wouldn't think the portal is a development that'll be kind to UVA going forward.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Speaking of the portal & UVA, here we have a kid Andrew Rohde who went to school just up the road from where we used to live (Brookfield Central) & accepted a scholly from St Thomas (MN), a brand-new D-1 program. He had a nice freshman year up there so---of course---he needed to tap the "big time". Was rumored a possibility for UW but wound up at Virginia. On the season he went for about 4.5 PPG, shot under 30% from the floor & about 26% from 3pt range. Also made less than half his FTs. Now, maybe he'll settle in & get better, but who doesn't think there's a strong chance he'll find himself victim of the latest portal pickup? If so, does he get "Creaned"? Be happy on the bench? Go back to St Thomas as the PTBNL for himself?

I guess this is what the athletes wanted, but there's a downside to the nomadic nature of the whole thing IMO.

[HarryDoyle]

4 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

The Bennetts know more about the game than we'll ever understand, but something about Dick & Tonys' teams--when they struggle offensively, man, it just becomes an epidemic throughout the entire roster. Yet one has a natty, the other a most unlikely Final Four. Tonight you could just see the confidence leaking out of them once they fell behind by double digits. And I wouldn't think the portal is a development that'll be kind to UVA going forward.

One of them also has a first round loss as a #1 seed.

[RedStickBrew]

7 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Speaking of the portal & UVA, here we have a kid Andrew Rohde who went to school just up the road from where we used to live (Brookfield Central) & accepted a scholly from St Thomas (MN), a brand-new D-1 program. He had a nice freshman year up there so---of course---he needed to tap the "big time". Was rumored a possibility for UW but wound up at Virginia. On the season he went for about 4.5 PPG, shot under 30% from the floor & about 26% from 3pt range. Also made less than half his FTs. Now, maybe he'll settle in & get better, but who doesn't think there's a strong chance he'll find himself victim of the latest portal pickup? If so, does he get "Creaned"? Be happy on the bench? Go back to St Thomas as the PTBNL for himself?

I guess this is what the athletes wanted, but there's a downside to the nomadic nature of the whole thing IMO.

In general I’m fine with the portal. But it is a mix of good and bad for sure. Right now I’m irritated that it is open for basketball during postseason tournament time taking attention off the game. I don’t recall the numbers for basketball but in football only something like 50% of players find a home once they enter.

Rohde is a good example to highlight how things don’t always work out perfectly. 

[RedStickBrew]

8 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

The Bennetts know more about the game than we'll ever understand, but something about Dick & Tonys' teams--when they struggle offensively, man, it just becomes an epidemic throughout the entire roster. Yet one has a natty, the other a most unlikely Final Four. Tonight you could just see the confidence leaking out of them once they fell behind by double digits. And I wouldn't think the portal is a development that'll be kind to UVA going forward.

The Bennetts are good ball coaches. I’ll always be grateful to have that 2000 run to recall fondly. The thing I never understood about the offense they run is all the screening action to get an open jump shot. It just seems inefficient. Last night it seemed like VA missed a ton of 15-18 foot jump shots. Modern basketball is more about the three and getting to the rim

[patrickgpe]

I had a good idea last night. First of all nobody wants to watch Howard vs Wagner on a Tuesday night in Canton. Also if you win your conference tournament I fell like you should play in the real tournament and get a chance to take on Goliath. 

So make the first 4, true playin games. Last 8 at large bids duke it out. Its more compelling to see the larger schools and this will limit the complaining a little. At least 4 more schools that didn't do enough during the season gets  chance to be in.

I also would be open to expanding the play-in to 16 and have doubleheaders Tuesday and Wednesday. It could basically replace the NIT and make for some compelling TV. 

[patrickgpe]

calling my shot.

Final 4: UCONN, Arizona, Houston, and Creighton

UCONN beats Creighton to cut down the nets again.  

McNeese is my Cinderella that makes it to the Elite 8. 

[RedStickBrew]

1 hour ago, patrickgpe said:

calling my shot.

Final 4: UCONN, Arizona, Houston, and Creighton

UCONN beats Creighton to cut down the nets again.  

McNeese is my Cinderella that makes it to the Elite 8. 

No Marquette?  
 

I’m going crazy this year, I just don’t believe in the 1 seeds and there is little difference in the 2-4 seeds. I think at least one 7 seed or higher has made a final four in several of the last tournaments.

FF- Auburn, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin- because I have too

I have Auburn over Texas in the championship. 
 

Samford or McNeese are Sweet 16 Cinderella’s for me.

Drake is my dark horse for elite 8 run

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

The Bennetts are good ball coaches. I’ll always be grateful to have that 2000 run to recall fondly. The thing I never understood about the offense they run is all the screening action to get an open jump shot. It just seems inefficient. Last night it seemed like VA missed a ton of 15-18 foot jump shots. Modern basketball is more about the three and getting to the rim

I wonder if that's due to them seldom having a 6-9 or better guy that could really get things done offensively in the paint. Not sure about Tonys' teams, but Dick had......Paul Grant? Then Andy Kowske a bit later, but he was around 6-7.

And I think all the screening Dick did was necessary b/c he didn't have options as far as people that could get to the rim or create. Wasn't for lack of trying, I remember after he first took over he recruited Mateen Cleaves very hard. And he signed Latrell Fleming, who could score in a variety of ways. Fleming was diagnosed with a heart condition his freshman year & never made it on the court.

Tony adapted better. Or, maybe he was just able to get some better athletes.

[RedStickBrew]

44 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I wonder if that's due to them seldom having a 6-9 or better guy that could really get things done offensively in the paint. Not sure about Tonys' teams, but Dick had......Paul Grant? Then Andy Kowske a bit later, but he was around 6-7.

And I think all the screening Dick did was necessary b/c he didn't have options as far as people that could get to the rim or create. Wasn't for lack of trying, I remember after he first took over he recruited Mateen Cleaves very hard. And he signed Latrell Fleming, who could score in a variety of ways. Fleming was diagnosed with a heart condition his freshman year & never made it on the court.

Tony adapted better. Or, maybe he was just able to get some better athletes.

Tony had a couple NBA caliber players on his title team and a good supporting cast as I recall

[patrickgpe]

2 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

No Marquette?  
 

I’m going crazy this year, I just don’t believe in the 1 seeds and there is little difference in the 2-4 seeds. I think at least one 7 seed or higher has made a final four in several of the last tournaments.

FF- Auburn, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin- because I have too

I have Auburn over Texas in the championship. 
 

Samford or McNeese are Sweet 16 Cinderella’s for me.

Drake is my dark horse for elite 8 run

Im worried about the Kentucky game for Marquette. Marquette is going to have a tough time stopping them and I’m concerned they can’t keep scoring pace with them, but stranger things have happened. 

[RedStickBrew]

8 minutes ago, patrickgpe said:

Im worried about the Kentucky game for Marquette. Marquette is going to have a tough time stopping them and I’m concerned they can’t keep scoring pace with them, but stranger things have happened. 

I live in SEC territory and have watched Kentucky a few times this year. They have some really good players but don’t seem to gel well as a team. They also don’t play great D. I think Kolek will pick them apart honestly. Of course anything can happen in a one and done environment but I’ll be rooting for them