Men's NCAA Sweet Sixteen...

[spazdog1]

I know it's a slow time. So let's have a bit of fun. Who do you like for the Elite 8? Who are your favorites to reach the Final 4?

My Elite 8...
North Carolina (the squeaker brought them back to life)
Louisville (they are playing well right now)
Kansas (Villanova is no match)
Wisconsin (it's mid-night for Davidson)
Michigan St. (Memphis free throw woes finally do them in)
Stanford (Trent's ejection against Marquette still pays dividends)
UCLA (My favorite to win it all)
West Virginia (Hillbillies, but they can play basketball)

 

[spazdog1]

Now let's see how well I predicted the Elite 8...
As predicted...
North Carolina
Louisville
Kansas
UCLA

Frankly, these were the easy choices.

Boy, was I wrong...
Davidson over Wisconsin - Davidson's clocks must be set to the Pacific Time Zone. It ain't midnight yet.
Memphis - So far Memphis has made the free throws when they really need them.
Texas - The Longhorns were just too much for the Cardinal
Xavier - Those hillbillies needed to defend the inbound pass better in the waning minutes. That cost them the game.

My Final 4 Picks...
Louisville - They have had their moments, especially taking care of the ball. But, inspite of that, they have been taking it to the competition. N. Carolina, on the otherhand has been on a cake walk. Louisville will not only test them, they will defeat the Tar Heels.

Kansas - It's finally midnight for Davidson. Davidson has had a tremendous run. Kansas is for real and they are playing well. While everybody loves an underdog, Kasas will cruise. Sorry Davidson.

Memphis - I watched a bit of the Texas/Kansas game in the conference tournament and I was not impressed with the Long Horns. Memphis's free throws over the season were horrendous. But, they have huge talent and so far, they've hit their free throws when they needed 'em. Memphis is the only team with 1 loss this season. They seem to find a way.

UCLA - Don't get me wrong, Xavier is not a push over. I think that UCLA has too much depth and too much speed. They have a center that can play point guard, for heaven's sake. To the benefit of Xavier, UCLA has not been playing its best basketball over the past few games. Xavier has a legitimate shot at making it, but not if UCLA brings their "A Game" and plays it for 40 minutes.

There you go. My picks, for what it's worth.

 

[spazdog1]

The Final Four ends up being just as I predicted when the Elite 8 were decided. Now come the hard part... predicting the teams that make it into the finals.

North Carolina vs. Kansas - North Carolina's biggest test was Louisville and Kansas just slips by Davidson. North Carolina has the weapons and one of the best players in the country. Kansas can play with anyone. This wll be a tight game. However, I feel that Kansas's scare with Davidson elevates their focus and their game. I believe that the Jay Hawks defeats the Tar Heels.

UCLA vs. Memphis - I've been suspect of Memphis' inability to hit free throws. But, they've been winning inspite of their free throws. They have tremendous talent and own the best record in D1 college basketball. UCLA also has talent. Many have them as the favorite when the tournament began last week. I like UCLA but I like the fact that Memphis just keeps winning. Say what you will, but I believe that the best conference in college basketball this year is the Pac 10. I hate to pick against the Tigers but I believe that the Bruins will win this matchup.

 

[spazdog1]

I was 50% correct for picking the teams to make the national championship. First, let me say this. Memphis is not from the "Power Conferences." They are in the championship game. Take that Billie Packer and Dick Vitale. Both of those guys are gooey for Big East, and the ACC. They act like the rest of the tournament teams are window dressing. Well the Tigers have lost only once this year - 4 point loss to Texas. I admit, I like them and I am pleasantly surprised that they have exceeded my expectations. They have athletes and they took it to UCLA. The game was 7 to 11 points for the bulk of the second half. Everytime the Bruins made their run, the Tigers answered. I liked UCLA to win it all but I also like the Tigers.

The Jay Hawks are the team that I thought would take out N. Carolina. The Tar Heels will be watching the championship from their homes. I'm not heartbroken about that.

Now the championship...
The Memphis Tigers fly around all over the place. They have been able to win without needing to hit 80% of their foul shots. That just shows how good of a team that they are. They play well as a team and can play high above the rim. The Kansas Jay Hawks can play, too. I think their lives passed in front of their eyes when Davidson took them to the buzzer. That added a little incentive to perform. Tonight, they played well, but they were streaky. In the end, N. Carolina ran out of gas. The question is, can they keep up with Memphis?

Kansas has athletes, too. They will try to stay with the Tigers. But, the Tigers are phenomenal. If you missed that game, you missed a great exhibition of athletes that play very, very well together. At the end of the day Monday, Memphis from C-USA will end up winning the national crown.

 

[isusuperfan]

...And the winner is...I could care less! :mrgreen:

GO BENGALS AND GO BUCKEYES! 2008 NIT CHAMPS!!!

 

[spazdog1]

The winner is Kansas! Free throws did in the Tigers. %$#*! Oh, well. At the beginning of the tournament, I win $20 if Kansas wins (that is if were a so-called office pool. I think they may be illegal, so I wouldn't be involved in one of them).

Oh, Superfan, it is a big deal. Memphis is a team from outside the club. Yes, they had their chance to win the game and thus the national championship. But, it's teams like Memphis that give the ISU, PSU, BSU or any other team from outside the "Power Conferences" their chance in the Dance. I don't know if you listened to the analysis on Selection Sunday how those East Coast sports writers hinted at the possibilities if the Portland States or Mount St. Marys got a pat on the back for a great season and then give their spot to a more deserving, more competitive, bubble team from the "Power Conferences." Just think how the tournament could evolve if the non-Power Conference teams always lost in the first or second rounds. Even though Memphis lost the game, they made a statement for ISU and all of the rest of the little guys. We belong. The conference champions or the conference tournament champions belong in the Dance. Billy Packer and DIck Vitale and all of the others enamored can choke on it.

I, too, am a Bengal fan. I'm also a BSU fan and a fan of the little guys. And Memphis did a yeoman's job of representing the little guys. Thanks, Tigers!

Go Bengals!

 

[spartan]

you're putting memphis in the same category as isu? wish i had some of what you've been smoking

 

[spazdog1]

I'm not smoking anything. One of the greatest moments in ISU sports history was the year the Bengals took down UCLA. Again, the little school taking down the hugely favored Bruins in the tournament. It's these efforts that has kept the small schools in the Dance.

Back to this year... Obviously, ISU is a member of the Big SKy Conference. Memphis is from C-USA. Just so we're on the same page, C-USA has powerhouse teams like Rice (3-27), UTEP, and Tulane. The point that I am attempting to display is that Memphis is NOT from the Atlantic 10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big 10, or the Pac 10. Remember all of the whining that Arizona State didn't make the field. I can't remember the rest of the bubble teams left out. But there were several. Each year, some east biased sports writers feel that there should be concessions on the part of the small conferences to let 8 or 9 teams from the "Power Conferences" into the Dance at the expense of the winners of the smaller conference tournaments. When teams such as Memphis can take down UCLA in the Final 4, they represent all of the other small schools in the smaller, less visible in the national spot light. Memphis lost 2 games all year - one was the championship game. Yet, many people thought that they were overrated and not deserving of their #1 seed. It's the "BCS" of basketball. Memphis legitimatized the opportunities for themselves and the smaller schools in the national tournament.

That's the beauty of the NCAA basketball tournament. At the beginning of the season, any team, ISU included, truly has a shot at the national title in basketball. It's gonna take performances like Davidson, Western Kentucky and Memphis (just to mention a few from this year's tourney) that keeps that dream alive for ISU.

 

[spartan]

????
it doesn't stike me that your 'arguement' makes a bit of sense... but if thats what you believe...okay...

 

[spazdog1]

I admit that I sometimes complicate things more than I should. Here's a quick example of what I am saying, then I'll leave it alone.

In 1987, ISU wins the Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament and receives and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Their record - Conference 5 W 9 L, Overall 15W 16L. I believe that they were a 16 seed and played UNLV, losing 95 - 70. As is the case in most years, there were several notable "bubble" teams that were left our of the NCAA's. At some point before the game with UNLV, I believe it was Dick Vitale that mentioned (paraphrased) that ISU had a tremendous turn around to win their conference tournament and should be congratulated. However, they will be a 16 seed and have little if any chance to advance. Why would they embarass themselves? Instead they should do the right thing and turn down the automatic bid which would give a spot for a "bubble" team that at least has a shot to move into the second round.

Given that this attitude continues today, in order to secure future automatic bids for conference championships, I believe that ISU and other teams from smaller conferences rely on teams such as Memphis to have tournament success. It doesn't hurt that they eventually played for the national title. Otherwise, attitudes like the one in the above example may actually win out. If so, such a move may pre-empt teams like ISU or this year, Mt. St. Mary's and others from participating in the tournament. The success of the underdogs, the little guys, is what makes the NCAA's the great event that it is. My fear is that money and greed will take over. Automatic bids will be a thing of the past. That would be tragic to one of the greatest sporting events in the country.