Pick your NCAA Basketball team.....

[Rich Riddle]

I moved to Kentucky but am married to a woman who loves UK. I like Kentucky as a place quite a bit, so for whatever reason guess they are my team this year, reluctantly. What about you folks?

[Michael Weber]

Would be hard to vote against KY winning it all. They beat my state team twice by a pretty wide margin (that would be Arkansas). A very talented team of McDonald's All Americans. Not sure the "one and done" thing is good for college basketball. That topic has been beaten to death.

[Bill Clifton]

From the western part of the state - Go Cats!

Cheer for who you like but stay tuned - I believe going undefeated for a season which in Kentucky's case would make them 40 -0 is like winning a triple crown - been done before, not done recently and may never be done again.

Cherish watching.

[Marty Gulseth]

Well,

Given that they are the local team (although another from just down the road also made it in), and that I am about 97.5% of the way to being an alumnus..

GO ZAGS!

Regards, Marty

[Matt Day]

I'm supporting my alma mater and underdog The University of Virginia. How can you not root for the team that works hard, plays defense, and isn't just one super star, or a team of superstars in one other case.

Go Hoos!

[BOB OLINGER]

IOWA STATE all the way!!

[Phil Thien]

Is it just me or is college basketball (at this level) pretty evenly matched for the first 38 minutes of the game, with the final outcome pretty much the result of lucky breaks in the last 1-2 minutes?

Oh, and Wisconsin.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Oh, and Wisconsin.

They are very good, Phil - no question about that from this Spartan.

I have reached the conclusion that the B1G teams have a hard time - not impossible, but hard - in the upper tier. The bruising, crash-and-smash defenses that are a hallmark of Bo, Izzo, Crean, and Thad seem to struggle against the styles of other parts of the country - think of all those tall, lean, and frighteningly fast players on the Arizona team. No team like them in the Big Ten.......... I think there is a good chance of seeing that matchup in the West.

[Paul McGaha]

I think Kentucky.

[Rich Riddle]

Well,

Given that they are the local team (although another from just down the road also made it in), and that I am about 97.5% of the way to being an alumnus..

GO ZAGS!

Regards, Marty

Who are the Zags?

[Jay Runde]

Gonzaga...

[Brad Swanson]

They are very good, Phil - no question about that from this Spartan. I have reached the conclusion that the B1G teams have a hard time - not impossible, but hard - in the upper tier. The bruising, crash-and-smash defenses that are a hallmark of Bo, Izzo, Crean, and Thad seem to struggle against the styles of other parts of the country - think of all those tall, lean, and frighteningly fast players on the Arizona team. No team like them in the Big Ten.......... I think there is a good chance of seeing that matchup in the West.

Saw that match-up last year, Kent. Bucky came-out on top. Aside from KY, this year is wide open IMHO, that coming from a huge U.W. fan. I kept official stats for the the Badgers for 7 years while I was in grad school.

[Jesse Busenitz]

Rock Chalk! Need I say more? OK so we might not be that great this year but we'll have a great team next year.

[Rick Moyer]

Who are the Zags?
Not knowing that disqualifies you from starting a NCAA basketball thread. This thread should now be locked. :D

I don't have a dog in the hunt so I am rooting for the story, which would be Kentucky going undefeated. I think there may be a few teams that can beat them, but I suspect KY will reign supreme this year.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

No dog in the fight.

I do have a Zags' story to tell. A few years ago our flight from Spokane to Denver got cancelled due to a mechanical problem. The airline did reroute us to Denver via San Francisco on another flight. It was full capacity and we shared the plane with the Gonzaga basketball team. My wife and I were surrounded by them....shared a row with a couple players. What a nice bunch of young men! It was refreshing.

[Rich Riddle]

Rock Chalk! Need I say more? OK so we might not be that great this year but we'll have a great team next year.
I grew up in Kansas and actually worked for KU for a time. Lawrence and Yellow Sub during games is an interesting place. Good luck.

[Bryan Rocker]

I grew up and lived in Lawrence until I entered the USAF at 21 and to this day my house is full of KU stuff no matter where I lived even in Buckeye territory......

Rock Chalk all the way!!!!! Oh yea and I am a KC Chiefs Fan, I even display the KC stuff when then stink ;)

[Kent A Bathurst]

Well, now............

UAB and Georgia State.

Who out there has a bracket that is not already busted? :D :D

Those were two TERRIFIC games to watch. And then Bucky v Shaka - another thriller. Hole. Lee. Cow. :eek:

Brian T: You got your underwear changed by now, I assume? :p Their monster fouling out was a great gift............

[Phil Thien]

Well, now............

UAB and Georgia State.

Who out there has a bracket that is not already busted? :D :D

Those were two TERRIFIC games to watch. And then Bucky v Shaka - another thriller. Hole. Lee. Cow. :eek:

Brian T: You got your underwear changed by now, I assume? :p Their monster fouling out was a great gift............

Well the news indicates that something like 95%+ of the brackets were already knocked-out.

[Phil Thien]

Never has a sixteen seed beat a one seed.

Go Badgers.

[Ole Anderson]

I'm a Michigan State alum, so I have to go with Izzo's Spartans.

[Rick Moyer]

I've got Baylor and Iowa State in the finals.

[Phil Thien]

Well the Arkansas/NC game should be pretty interesting for me tonight.

So-far, so-good.

[Michael Weber]

Well the Arkansas/NC game should be pretty interesting for me tonight.

So-far, so-good.
Phil, do you have a dog in this fight or just like an interesting matchup? Hoping the Razorbacks prevail.

[Phil Thien]

Phil, do you have a dog in this fight or just like an interesting matchup? Hoping the Razorbacks prevail.

My home-state favorites, the Badgers, will at least make it to the final four.

[julian abram]

Mike & I are Razorback fans but you would have to be from Mars not to pick Kentucky to win it all. I can think of some NBA teams that would struggle against Kentucky.

[Kent A Bathurst]

....... you would have to be from Mars not to pick Kentucky to win it all.....

Fortunately, there are 3 or 4 other teams that apparently have rosters full of Martians. I'll give KY their due - no doubt about that - but...........in the back of my mind there is this nagging "on any given night, any given team can......" and - - AZ.

[Rick Moyer]

Mike & I are Razorback fans but you would have to be from Mars not to pick Kentucky to win it all. I can think of some NBA teams that would struggle against Kentucky.
Ill take the NBA team if it would happen. Let me know your wager.:)

[Kent A Bathurst]

Ill take the NBA team other than the Knicks if it would happen. Let me know your wager.:)

Rick - fixed your post for you.

No charge.


:D

[Prashun Patel]

This is very well put.

[Rich Riddle]

Has anyone lost his team and had to select another dog in the fight?

[Rick Moyer]

Rick - fixed your post for you.

No charge.


:D
Ha, yeah. I'll stand by my statement though that there's no way an NBA team is losing to Kentucky, even the Knicks.

[Phil Thien]

Well the Arkansas/NC game should be pretty interesting for me tonight.

So-far, so-good.

That was a fun game to watch.

[Kent A Bathurst]

2 years in a row, my Spartans stopped the Wahoos.

Looks like we've got their number, eh?

[Bryan Rocker]

Not yet, KU is still in the tournament, however my brackets are hosed. The funny thing is my emotional bracket is fairing better than my more deliberate thinking one LOLOL!

[Kent A Bathurst]

Bryan - - I have a lot of connections to KS..........I always root for the Kansas teams.

Entire family - from grandparents on down through my generation - born in KS, and raised there to some age. A number of the next gen born there too, and a couple are running the farm that's been in the family since late 1800's.

One nimrod from my gen just started a 10 - 12 bit in the Federal Pen, for stealing all the $$ from his dementia-suffering Mom's - one of my aunts- estate, leaving her destitute. The rest of us never liked him anyway - his current home is in El Dorado Correctional Facility - hope they move him to the hard-time rock-breaking prison. So - there is a weird KS connection.

Both parents went to K-State, but the 'Cats are not in it.

Close friend and fellow college student of LOML is a long-time prof @ KU. I'm a Big Ten guy, and Self is from there.

Then - A wonderful woman - known in these parts when she was alive - as The World's Best Aunt lived in Wichita for many years - visited her often.

I have a K-State tee shirt. A Jayhawks tee-shirt. And a Shockers tee-shirt.

And - I have a problem. Too many ties, too many conflicts. I would never - normally - root against the Jayhawks, but I have a strong tendency toward the underdogs in the tourney, all things being equal.

I think, respectfully, that I am gonna end up falling on the side of the Shockers in this game............especially since KU has refused to schedule them for 20+ years. KU is saying "it is just another tourney game". Shocker players are saying "time to get some respect from Lawrence".

It is a tough call. I hope it is a great game - and I won't be sad regardless of the winner and the loser. I don't have kids playing on both sides - but I've kind of got family ghosts there - so either way I am good.

Net-net: I am anxious to see a great Rock-Chalk v. Shockers game. I will root for good plays on both sides. I hope to see one more good play by made the Shockers than the Jayhawks.

[Rich Riddle]

Sorry to all you KU fans that Kansas bit the dust. At least they fell to another Kansas team.

[Bryan Rocker]

You know KU and Wichita should be on the regular schedule......great game, the Shockers will represent Kansas well in the rest of the tourney....Wonder why they never joined the Big 12.......

[Kent A Bathurst]

You know KU and Wichita should be on the regular schedule......great game, the Shockers will represent Kansas well in the rest of the tourney....Wonder why they never joined the Big 12.......


Big 12 would never have them. They were a mid-major until 10 years ago +/-, and have progressed only in roundball.

What have you heard lately about Shockers football? Nada. They dropped the sport in the mid-80's, that's why.

[Marty Gulseth]

Gonzaga University - yet another team of Bulldogs.

Regards, Marty

[Myk Rian]

Need I say more?

309943

[Kent A Bathurst]

Need I say more?

309943


Nope. I'm good with that, Myk.

[Larry Browning]

Big 12 would never have them. They were a mid-major until 10 years ago +/-, and have progressed only in roundball.

What have you heard lately about Shockers football? Nada. They dropped the sport in the mid-80's, that's why.

They used to have a great baseball team, going to the CWS on a regular basis. I'm thinking they still do, but haven't been following that close lately, so I don't really know.

[Phil Thien]

The Wisconsin/NC game was fun. NC absolutely had great rhythm until about the last six minutes.

And then Bucky dropped the hammer.

The Michigan State game tomorrow should be interesting.

I'm apparently not allowed to watch any more tonight. No Xavier/Arizona game for me. Other people in this house need to watch some news program???

Edit to add: I've explained that the winner (Xavier/Arizona) plays the Badgers, so I'm being allowed to watch.

[Rich Riddle]

Looks like Kentucky came to play ball tonight.

[Kent A Bathurst]

The Wisconsin/NC game was fun. NC absolutely had great rhythm until about the last six minutes.

And then Bucky dropped the hammer.

The Michigan State game tomorrow should be interesting.

I'm apparently not allowed to watch any more tonight. No Xavier/Arizona game for me. Other people in this house need to watch some news program???

Edit to add: I've explained that the winner (Xavier/Arizona) plays the Badgers, so I'm being allowed to watch.

Phil - you are aware that ESPN.com has links to watch them all online, right? Unless you aren't allowed to choose the TV channel, nor leave the TV room, and have restricted internet hours. You do something to get grounded, bud?

In which case, I got nuttin. :D


PS - you beat us in OT in the B1G champ game, after we were up by 11 in regulation, then went for an 0-11 OT score. I'm thinking the Spartans want blood in any rematch..............

[Kent A Bathurst]

Looks like Kentucky came to play ball tonight.

No foolin - I left that game at 19-54, and HUggins just sitting there looking shell shocked.

[Phil Thien]

Phil - you are aware that ESPN.com has links to watch them all online, right? Unless you aren't allowed to choose the TV channel, nor leave the TV room, and have restricted internet hours. You do something to get grounded, bud?

In which case, I got nuttin. :D


PS - you beat us in OT in the B1G champ game, after we were up by 11 in regulation, then went for an 0-11 OT score. I'm thinking the Spartans want blood in any rematch..............

I've tried watching online and it was sub-par. The TV is much better, IMHO. But I was ready to use the notebook to watch the game and the tablet to do to my work, if necessary.

I'm too focused on Wisconsin vs. Arizona to even contemplate a rematch with the Spartans. I'm preparing myself for the crazy stuff to start. That is why they call it madness, I think.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Go Green !!

[Ole Anderson]

Great game with MSU over Oklahoma! Go Green!!!:D

[Phil Thien]

Badgers into the final four.

Fingers are crossed but it is uphill from here.

[julian abram]

Fortunately, there are 3 or 4 other teams that apparently have rosters full of Martians. I'll give KY their due - no doubt about that - but...........in the back of my mind there is this nagging "on any given night, any given team can......" and - - AZ.
Hmm, don't believe any Martians showed up for AZ tonight.

[julian abram]

Ok, I humbly admit Kentucky pulled a rabbit out of the hat tonight. ND is a great team and could have easily won it. On to the final four!

[Kent A Bathurst]

Ok, I humbly admit Kentucky pulled a rabbit out of the hat tonight. ND is a great team and could have easily won it. On to the final four!

Hey - all you said was :


... you would have to be from Mars not to pick Kentucky to win it all....

ND certainly did not have them picked. I guess the Martians are disguised as Irish this year. Probably to blend in at the St Patrick's Day parties, eh? :D

[Rich Riddle]

That Notre Dame game certainly ended close to say the least.

[julian abram]

Hey - all you said was :



ND certainly did not have them picked. I guess the Martians are disguised as Irish this year. Probably to blend in at the St Patrick's Day parties, eh? :D

Yes, fully agree, Martians did show up in ND uniforms and could of/ should of easily sent Kentucky home.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Yes, fully agree, Martians did show up in ND uniforms and could of/ should of easily sent Kentucky home.

Someone on NPR this morning said something like: Yeah, well, ND becomes just one more team that almost beat them..........

[Kent A Bathurst]

Go Green..........

Gotta respect Coach Few and Gonzaga, but I'd like to see Duke win.

We haven't beaten them in, like, for-freakin'-ever. Lost to them in the 3d round in Indy 2 years ago. Izzo is 1-6 lifetime against Coach K.

I wants a rematch - climb up over the backs of the legends - Kruger, Ricky P, Coach K, Calipari.

I am ready to take on the big guns, now. Talk is cheap, of course, no guarantees.......but lets take the hard road.

Go State !!!!

[Robert Payne]

Sorry to say it, but Coach Izzo is going to be 1-7 against Coach K after next weekend. The Blue Devils played well this afternoon against the Zags and will be up against another team in Blue after beating the guys in Green. Red is not a good color except for the upstart NC Wolfpack but then they lost to Louisville. Duke will be the only team to beat UK this year.

[Ole Anderson]

My team, MSU, is still in it after another great game, but with all #1 seeds, it is going to be a tough battle from here on.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Sorry to say it, but Coach Izzo is going to be 1-7 against Coach K after next weekend. The Blue Devils played well this afternoon against the Zags and will be up against another team in Blue after beating the guys in Green. Red is not a good color except for the upstart NC Wolfpack but then they lost to Louisville. Duke will be the only team to beat UK this year.


Talk is cheap, Dukie. ;) You wanna throw down, I'm more than cool with that.............

Another school of thought says we will never know how Duke would have fared v Calipari in the 2015 Kentucky Invitational. Along those lines................

PM me if you are more than the typical economy-class Duke hot air, and you have high-quality hand-tools you'd be willing to potentially........a-hem......... "trade". LN/LV-class stuff, or equivalent. Rumor has it that, contrary to conventional wisdom, there actually are a few Dukies who shop at stores other than HF - it is conceivable you are one of the few. :D :D

BTW - Opening line is Duke giving 5.

Put up, or.................... :p

[Kent A Bathurst]

My team, MSU, is still in it after another great game, but with all #1 seeds, it is going to be a tough battle from here on.

Ole - my friend............

C'mon, now. We have beaten a 2, beaten a 3, and now beaten a 4.

So all we gotta do is beat a #1 so we hit for the cycle. How hard is that?

[Kent A Bathurst]

OK - sorry to be such a "homer", but...... in the words of the immortal Popeye - I yam what I yam, and tha's all what I yam"

Consider these tidbits about Izzo:

He's the only coach in history to reach 3 Final Fours as 5 seed or lower.

Spartans are 20-4 in the second game of an NCAA Tournament weekend under Izzo.

Izzo's Spartans are 13-9 in the NCAA tournament whey they are the lower seed. Those 13 wins are the most all-time..

Izzo's Spartans have trailed at halftime in five Elite Eight games. They've come back and won four of them.

Speaking of which, that win Sunday vs. Louisville? That snapped Louisville's 94-game win streak when leading by 6+ points at halftime. Ninety-four.

[Phil Thien]

Kent, what do you think about Wisconsin v. Kentucky?

[Kent A Bathurst]

Kent, what do you think about Wisconsin v. Kentucky?

Phil - after the dismantling of WVa - I thought all was lost.

Then - the Irish - A lot of that was KY did not play their signature defense, but ND gets credit for their game plan. So - maybe there is hope.

I have always liked Wisconsin and Bo Ryan - tough, hard-nosed, grind it out - classic B1G team. Had a lot of very serious battles with them v State through the years, but they have my respect and admiration, other than games v MSU. Even Izzo admits that his relationship with Bo has grown more appreciative in the past 5 years - those 2 dudes did not get along one damn bit, earlier in their careers.

I want them to win that game. I REALLY want them to win that game.

That is the heart speaking. The head says .............. arrrrgh ............

I'll tell you this much, though - if Kaminsky plays lights-out, and Dekker plays like he did in the last game, then - they got a shot - they got a legit shot - at taking down the King. Dekker raining in threes from everywhere in that zip code, and Kaminsky making inside spin moves that embarrass at least 2 defenders each time. But - as always - if you go after the King, be sure to kill him, not wound him.

You want me to make the call? Phil - I cannot - I simply dunno - I am torn - I can see how Badgers can take them down, but I can't see it clearly -


BTW - somewhere - si.com? - I saw a clip of Dekker 3 years ago, leading his team to their first-ever state championship. He won that game at the buzzer with the same shot he made at the end of the AZ game..... The. Exact. Same. Three Point. Shot.

That is spooky. Kid's got game - serious game.

[Phil Thien]

Well at least we're the underdog going in. Really looking forward to the game.

[Rich Riddle]

Well at least we're the underdog going in. Really looking forward to the game.
I read a quote from the coach that last year's game left a bad taste in his mouth. He's out for revenge.

[Robert Payne]

Michigan State put up a good effort, but Duke's talent and intensity prevailed. A 20 point win is a real victory for Coach K and the Blue Devils!

[Rich Riddle]

Now onto see who prevails in the second game. If Big Blue wins SWMBO will be a happy girl.

[Shawn Pixley]

I was rooting for Whatsamatta U. But I can't find when they play...

[Rich Riddle]

Wow, there were likely some shell-shocked Wildcat fans part way through that first half.

[Rich Riddle]

Looks like this is another game going down to the wire. Tied at sixty.

[Jebediah Eckert]

Wisconsin, wow. The state couldn't catch a break in Seattle to go to th SuperBowl, good for them.

[Phil Thien]

Awesome game.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Skip Bayless said the Championship game wouldn't not be good since Kentucky was out of it.


Really Skip.....if it was any closer, there would be massive heart attacks across this country!

Me thinks he's starting believe the garbage he spews every morning with Stephen Smith!

[Robert Payne]

The Blue Devils are the National Champions -- what a fantastic game by goth teams -- a true classic! Great play by Kaminsky, but the Duke guards were more than the Badgers could handle. Hats off to all the teams that made this a great March Madness tournament!

[Phil Thien]

It was an exciting game. I really wish the outcome had been different for all my truly die-hard Wisconsin friends. Though I do know a guy that picked-up $500 because he bet on the Devils. So he is likely pretty happy.

I do think a certain Blue Devil's fingertips were the last thing to touch that ball. But I can also understand how the officials couldn't change the call based on the court-side replay, as I struggled sitting in a darkened room with (likely) better coverage than they had.

So that is how the ball bounces.

I haven't watched any post-game coverage. I sure hope my Badgers were more gracious than Kentucky in accepting their loss.

[Prashun Patel]

Those Duke guards were gritty. They deserved that win.

[Jason Roehl]

All through the tournament, that was some of the worst officiating I've seen. One-sided in way too many games, and they're letting it get far too physical. I've played cleaner street ball. The court-side play reviews kill the flow of the game (and they STILL blew some obvious calls--get those refs a bigger screen, for heaven's sake).

But, far and away, one thing that needs to happen is that the Hack-a-Shaq strategy at the end of a game needs to stop. Call them intentional fouls like they are. Letting the team that's down by a few put the other team on the line, only to still lose 99% of the time, just drags out the inevitable and turns the last 2 minutes into a half-hour snoozefest.

[Phil Thien]

But, far and away, one thing that needs to happen is that the Hack-a-Shaq strategy at the end of a game needs to stop. Call them intentional fouls like they are. Letting the team that's down by a few put the other team on the line, only to still lose 99% of the time, just drags out the inevitable and turns the last 2 minutes into a half-hour snoozefest.

I agree with that. In my case, it was literally a snoozefest because I went to bed.

The problem with close games is the officiating often dictates the outcome, fairly or not.