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NCAA HOOPS THREAD! -- K petitions to get Maui Jim Maui Invitational moved to Transylvania (2 Viewers)
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Hoos First
Footballguy
Entertaining first game.
mr. furley
Footballguy
listening to Reggie Miller call games is to listen to a man who understands that the tools of language are words but he's not quite sure how to use those tools to build
MAC_32
Footballguy
cheese
Footballguy
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
It was a down year for the Big East. I'd be weary of any team from that conference. I think they look better than they actually are because all of the teams were only slightly better than average.
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Capella
Footballguy
Love my Noles but that Vermont game scares me. FSU isn’t always a great shooting team and vermont is going to slow that game to a crawl.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
cheese
Footballguy
I agree, but it sure seems like I’ve hated FSUs draw every year since Leonard Hamilton was a baby and he has made some runs.
cheese
Footballguy
Ya. Sampson is a great in-game Coach and Corey Davis is a borderline all American. I have gotten Iowa St and Kentucky wrong all season though and they have big talent so I have no idea.
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
Boy did my CIT bracket get busted last night. Anyone else have Cornell winning it all?
TobiasFunke
Footballguy
I'll add Texas Tech. Haven't seen them play much but the profile is incredibly appealing. #1 KenPom defense that excels in all aspects (16th best 3 point% against, 7th in block percentage, 37th in steals), also the best 3 seed according to Ken, decent shooting, lots of upperclassmen in the rotation, have a star they can turn to when the going gets tough, and they've been playing well, having won 9 in a row before getting upset by West Virginia in the conference tourney. Also the lack of buzz around them means you'll probably be on your own if you pick them, so if they make a run you'll be the only one getting the points.
The downside is the path, which is brutal likely starting with Buffalo in the second round. But every Final Four path for a seed higher than 2 looks pretty brutal before the tournament starts.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
Over the last month tech's offensive efficiency has to be off the charts. They were 87th on feb. 16th. Now they are 35th.
Thats a heck of a jump. Would love to see the breakdown.
MAC_32
Footballguy
They were going to be my pick if they drew some combo of Virginia, Gonzaga, Michigan St, and Tennessee - but Kentucky and Carolina? Not pulling the trigger.
whoknew
Footballguy
According to Bart Torvik, since Feb 1, they are the #2 team in the country. They have the #8 O and the #5 D.
MI is the #4 team since then - 15 and 4 adjusted O/D.
That's going to be a big S16 game if it happens.
MAC_32
Footballguy
For starters their demolishing of Kansas was immediately after that - probably helped with that metric boost. If they play like that they can beat anyone. But they have a rough matchup with Buffalo - how did West Virginia beat them despite not shooting well? Create turnovers and win the offensive glass. Buffalo is top 20 in both.
TobiasFunke
Footballguy
Any Big XII fans out there who can clue us in?
FWIW they also hung pretty tight with Duke at MSG back in December before Duke pulled away late. Their strategy appears to have been "foul the #### out of Zion until he fouls you back."
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
This is the funny quirk about college scheduling. This could be because the big 12 is absolute trash or it could be that tech is firing on all cylinders.
God i love this time of year.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
Also crushed baylor and ok st. mid february.
Just looked 5 game stretch was 31 over WV, 12 over OK, 28 over OK st., 26 over baylor, and 29 over kansas.
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MAC_32
Footballguy
I'll admit it's part because I want to pave a path for Belmont to the Sweet 16, but if Yale can minimize what LSU does on the offensive glass I like their chances of an upset. Top 50 in assist:turnover ratio, blocks/gm, fewest fouls, fg% def, fg% (6th), and especially d reb/gm (5th).
MAC_32
Footballguy
I only commented on Kansas because it was the only one I watched. And it wasn't that close either.
JShare87
Footballguy
Agree. I like them a lot, but their road is scary. Still thinking about riding with them just to be different.
Rodrigo Duterte
Footballguy
Can someone tell me how Gonzaga matches up against Duke, if that were to happen? I've no idea but would like to take zag while others will surely zig there. Can't believe I said that.
Also looking for a ballpark number on the total points tiebreaker in the final. Hard to do when you don't know who'll be there. Is there a line on that?
Also looking for a ballpark number on the total points tiebreaker in the final. Hard to do when you don't know who'll be there. Is there a line on that?
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Scoresman
Footballguy
They played Duke and beat them in non conference. Duke was at full strength including Zion. Gonzaga was missing their leading scorer from 2018. He is now healthy. I’ll let you decide how they match up based on that.
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
I could be dead wrong (it's happened a few times), but I just don't think the Ivy League is that good this season. As much as I want them to pull off that upset of LSU, I don't think it happens.
Scoresman
Footballguy
The one two and three seeds this year are the best in the kenpom era overall. A lot of analysts are saying their final 4 is pretty chalky as a result.
TobiasFunke
Footballguy
I would be wary of picking a Yale upset. They struggled a lot down the stretch once they locked up their spot in the Ivy League 4 team mini-tournament, and I'm not sure they ever got back to their earlier form. They did find a way to get the job done once they got to the tourney, but they probably got a boost because it was on their home floor (they trailed in the second half in both games against lesser opponents). I liked them a lot more in mid-February than I do now, and I watched them a ton. Also they're an up-tempo team, which is not conducive to upsets.
Of course I also didn't think they were a good upset pick last time they were in the tourney in 2016 and they knocked off Baylor, so what the hell do I know.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
what about Auburn to final 4?
13th in Kenpom, Houston a weak 3, UNC the weakest 1, not sure I totally trust Kentucky
13th in Kenpom, Houston a weak 3, UNC the weakest 1, not sure I totally trust Kentucky
Ramblin Wreck
Footballguy
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401096923
Beat them back in November without Tillie. And Clarke's minutes were limited due to foul trouble.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Oh, I wouldn't bet them with your money. Just that I think they have the team make up (experienced coach and players, tough as nails, star player) that could maybe make a run. I could see them beating Kentucky - not likely, but I could see it. UNC's a (much, IMO) taller task, but not impossible.
I think Tobias probably made a better call with TT.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Here's your "tell us about your team" primer, since Buffalo is actually relevant now, and people rarely have a chance to see them play.
BUFFALO BULLS
31-3 (16-2 MAC) / MAC Champions
Kenpom 22 / NET 15 / Torvik 26 / RPI 9 / AP Poll #15 / Coaches Poll #16
Best win: at Syracuse 71-59 / Worst Loss: at Northern Illinois 77-75
Season review: Entered this season with high hopes, off the back of last season's "best season ever" and returning every core producer except for 1. In week 2, they entered the top 25 for the first time in program history and have been there ever since, shattering all sorts of MAC records in the process. Led by a trio of star seniors, including the best (CJ Massinburg) and second-best (Nick Perkins) players in school history, and a coach (Nate Oats) who is one of the hottest names in the sport right now. As has become the hallmark of Oats' tenure, the Bulls play a fast-paced, uptempo, aggressive offense and are the 5th-highest scoring team in the nation at 85.0 ppg. Their defense has taken a major step forward this year, rising into the Kenpom top 30 heading into the NCAAs. They enter the tournament on a 12-game win streak.
The good: This a senior-laden lineup, with 5 of their 7 main guys as seniors. They've been here before - Massinburg and Perkins have been here 3 times in 4 years, and Oats has been here 4 times in 5. Their aggressive, physical style of play on both ends of the floor wears teams down - as was said earlier, they don't always win the first 35 minutes, but they always win the last 5. Teams are usually not used to playing a team that plays like UB does.
The bad: They're the 212th best 3-point shooting team in the country, yet they're top 10 in most 3s taken per game. Their defensive aggression leads to guards getting into foul trouble. Like most mid-majors, they don't have the towering big men. They're not an awful FT shooting team, but they're not exactly great at it. Their best FT shooters hover in the high 70s/low 80s.
Lineup:
F - Montell McRae (Sr) - 6'10", 198 lb - lanky, long F/C who has blossomed from a depth guy to a solid contributor on both ends of the floor. Won't blow you away and gets outshadowed by Perkins.
G/F - Jeremy Harris (Sr) - 6'7", 185 lb - the 3rd of the Big 3 stars, a slick scorer who can beat you all over the floor offensively. Gained national attention when he repeatedly roasted Deandre Ayton last year. Averages 14.0 ppg, but very streaky. Single-handedly beat Bowling Green in the MAC final, scoring 31.
G - CJ Massinburg (Sr) - 6'3", 194 lb - the GOAT - his jersey will be hanging in the rafters. Leading scorer (18.3 ppg) and 2nd in assists and rebounds. He does it all. In a late-game situation, the ball will be in his hands. One of the best players in the country per Torvik, hovering around guys like RJ Barrett, Myles Powell, Cameron Johnson.
G - Jayvon Graves (So) - 6'3", 193 lb - if Massinburg is the GOAT, Graves is the future. 9.9 ppg and is the superstar waiting in the wings.
G - Davonta Jordan (Jr) - 6'2", 187 lb - solid PG and tremendous on-ball defender ('18 MAC DPOY). Can get to the rim and score a little bit, but mostly just a steady hand running the point. Abysmal FT shooter - 27.3% (!) from the line.
Bench:
F - Nick Perkins - (Sr) - 6'8", 250 lb - don't let the fact that he starts on the bench fool you, he's probably the second best player on the team. SBNation's national 6th man of the year. Big body with NBA 3 range - shoots 38% from 3. Averages 14.3 ppg.
G - Dontay Caruthers (Sr) - 6'1", 191 - 2-time MAC DPOY. Not a huge threat on offense but a bulldog on defense. The quintessential "glue guy". Tends to get into foul trouble. Good clutch FT shooter if necessary.
F - Jeenathan Williams (Fr) - 6'5", 203 lb - first 4* recruit in school history. Good for one boneheaded turnover or airball 3, and one "how the #### did he do that?" amazing play per game.
G - Ronaldo Segu (Fr) - 6'0", 160 lb - the other premier freshman recruit, a superb ball-handler with streetball skills and a giant Instagram following. May play like 5 minutes.
Outlook: Look, it's March. Outside of the real fringe teams, any team you play is going to have a legitimate chance to beat you. This team is more than capable of going down in the first round or winning a few games. If I had to guess, I'd say they have a pretty good shot of winning their opener and then losing a close one to Texas Tech.
BUFFALO BULLS
31-3 (16-2 MAC) / MAC Champions
Kenpom 22 / NET 15 / Torvik 26 / RPI 9 / AP Poll #15 / Coaches Poll #16
Best win: at Syracuse 71-59 / Worst Loss: at Northern Illinois 77-75
Season review: Entered this season with high hopes, off the back of last season's "best season ever" and returning every core producer except for 1. In week 2, they entered the top 25 for the first time in program history and have been there ever since, shattering all sorts of MAC records in the process. Led by a trio of star seniors, including the best (CJ Massinburg) and second-best (Nick Perkins) players in school history, and a coach (Nate Oats) who is one of the hottest names in the sport right now. As has become the hallmark of Oats' tenure, the Bulls play a fast-paced, uptempo, aggressive offense and are the 5th-highest scoring team in the nation at 85.0 ppg. Their defense has taken a major step forward this year, rising into the Kenpom top 30 heading into the NCAAs. They enter the tournament on a 12-game win streak.
The good: This a senior-laden lineup, with 5 of their 7 main guys as seniors. They've been here before - Massinburg and Perkins have been here 3 times in 4 years, and Oats has been here 4 times in 5. Their aggressive, physical style of play on both ends of the floor wears teams down - as was said earlier, they don't always win the first 35 minutes, but they always win the last 5. Teams are usually not used to playing a team that plays like UB does.
The bad: They're the 212th best 3-point shooting team in the country, yet they're top 10 in most 3s taken per game. Their defensive aggression leads to guards getting into foul trouble. Like most mid-majors, they don't have the towering big men. They're not an awful FT shooting team, but they're not exactly great at it. Their best FT shooters hover in the high 70s/low 80s.
Lineup:
F - Montell McRae (Sr) - 6'10", 198 lb - lanky, long F/C who has blossomed from a depth guy to a solid contributor on both ends of the floor. Won't blow you away and gets outshadowed by Perkins.
G/F - Jeremy Harris (Sr) - 6'7", 185 lb - the 3rd of the Big 3 stars, a slick scorer who can beat you all over the floor offensively. Gained national attention when he repeatedly roasted Deandre Ayton last year. Averages 14.0 ppg, but very streaky. Single-handedly beat Bowling Green in the MAC final, scoring 31.
G - CJ Massinburg (Sr) - 6'3", 194 lb - the GOAT - his jersey will be hanging in the rafters. Leading scorer (18.3 ppg) and 2nd in assists and rebounds. He does it all. In a late-game situation, the ball will be in his hands. One of the best players in the country per Torvik, hovering around guys like RJ Barrett, Myles Powell, Cameron Johnson.
G - Jayvon Graves (So) - 6'3", 193 lb - if Massinburg is the GOAT, Graves is the future. 9.9 ppg and is the superstar waiting in the wings.
G - Davonta Jordan (Jr) - 6'2", 187 lb - solid PG and tremendous on-ball defender ('18 MAC DPOY). Can get to the rim and score a little bit, but mostly just a steady hand running the point. Abysmal FT shooter - 27.3% (!) from the line.
Bench:
F - Nick Perkins - (Sr) - 6'8", 250 lb - don't let the fact that he starts on the bench fool you, he's probably the second best player on the team. SBNation's national 6th man of the year. Big body with NBA 3 range - shoots 38% from 3. Averages 14.3 ppg.
G - Dontay Caruthers (Sr) - 6'1", 191 - 2-time MAC DPOY. Not a huge threat on offense but a bulldog on defense. The quintessential "glue guy". Tends to get into foul trouble. Good clutch FT shooter if necessary.
F - Jeenathan Williams (Fr) - 6'5", 203 lb - first 4* recruit in school history. Good for one boneheaded turnover or airball 3, and one "how the #### did he do that?" amazing play per game.
G - Ronaldo Segu (Fr) - 6'0", 160 lb - the other premier freshman recruit, a superb ball-handler with streetball skills and a giant Instagram following. May play like 5 minutes.
Outlook: Look, it's March. Outside of the real fringe teams, any team you play is going to have a legitimate chance to beat you. This team is more than capable of going down in the first round or winning a few games. If I had to guess, I'd say they have a pretty good shot of winning their opener and then losing a close one to Texas Tech.
MAC_32
Footballguy
Of course I'm bias, but I think it'll take an unusual game to get past Michigan - assuming they don't slip up themselves first. Buffalo's offense stems from their defense and Michigan is #1 in the country in turnovers. A cold shooting night will ultimately undo Michigan at some point, but one of those spells against Buffalo may not be the be-all end-all as long as they don't uncharacteristically let you guys loose in transition off defensive rebounds.
I love your matchup with Texas Tech, but as others have pointed out - may not be a hotter sub 2 seed in the tourney.
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Steve Tasker
Footballguy
I think that if both UB and Texas Tech win, it could make for a fun contrast of styles in the next round. The breakneck-pace high-scoring offense against the #1 defense in the country.
Either way, though, I won't count any chickens before they're hatched. UB could easily lose to Arizona State or St. John's, upsets happen all the time, and UB pulled a major one last year. Just happy to be part of the ride and part of the conversation. Go out there and give it your best against the best teams in the country in March, all you can ask for as a mid-major.
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
Did Bobby Hurley leave Buffalo on decent terms? Or would a Arizona State/Buffalo match up be something that would make Buffalo play with something to prove?
And obviously, there will always be a little of that. But is it bad blood?
And obviously, there will always be a little of that. But is it bad blood?
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
There's some sort of backstory that no one really knows, but I would not call it bad blood.
The speculation from the day he came here is that Buffalo was always destined to be a short-term stop for him. After his second season, UB's first conference title, he was a pretty hot name around the country. UB began discussing a contract extension and raise with him, which would have made him the highest-paid coach in the conference. Supposedly, there was some sort of unofficial verbal agreement reached, but nothing finalized or signed. UB, rightly or wrongly, leaked some details of the unofficial agreement. Hurley, testing the waters as he should, interviewed at Depaul around the same time. UB AD Danny White (son of Duke's old AD, hence the Hurley connection - now the AD at UCF) apparently was not happy that Hurley interviewed at Depaul given this unofficial agreement. What happened after that is a giant question mark, but local news speculation is that White froze Hurley out after the Depaul interview and they were never really on the same page in the negotiations after that. Hurley moved on to Arizona State, and UB named his assistant Nate Oats as coach a few days later.
It's a fun quirk to see the old coach, the storyline of the assistant vs. his old boss, whatever but Hurley never trashed UB and I think UB fans have a lot of respect and fond memories for his two brief years here. The media will make it into a bigger deal than it is, if it happens.
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
A couple years back, when Xavier beat Arizona, it was odd because the media made it all seem nice and no bad blood. And Chris Mack was friends with Sean Miller. But all of my friends who I know who were X fans or had friends who were X fans HATED Sean Miller. Like, HAAAAAATED him. I always thought it was strange that in a day and age where the media loves to create as much drama as possible, they didn't touch that one at all.
ffldrew
Footballguy
I'd love to see it - but Kentucky will just crush them. The earlier meeting at Rupp was ugly and ugly early. In the ends the guards are too small and underneath they are really weak. It would take the perfect storm of a million 3's and making nearly every one. What they will have is a ton of optimism as preached by Coach Pearl - he could get these guys to run through a wall right about now.
Steve Tasker
Footballguy
Well, I don't know anything about Xavier, but I suspect there could be a certain sense of betrayal combined with a frustration of not being a "destination program". I think most Buffalo fans are pretty realistic about the state of UB's athletics program. Sure, they've been very good of late, but this is not a blue-blood program. Bobby Hurley is a college basketball legend and NBA vet. He's not gonna settle in for a 20-year stint coaching UB's basketball team.
I do think people will be more sad about losing Nate Oats, when that time comes - whether it's this year or not. He's the kind of guy Buffalo people love - blue collar, hard worker, career underdog. He and his family have embraced the city of Buffalo in a way Hurley never did, and the city embraced him back when his wife was batting cancer. Where I think it'll sting the most is because he's "our guy", someone plucked from relative obscurity who has turned an above-average mid-major into a perennial tournament team. His recruiting has been phenomenal and they're restocked for the future if he stays. This isn't the next Gonzaga, but I think any UB fan can realistically see that there is very serious potential for long-term success here, far more than Hurley ever had. But ultimately, it's not a destination job, and someone's gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
Nova is a 6 point favorite over St. Mary's, but they are only 4 spots apart in kenpom. not saying that kenpom is perfect, but it's usually where i start.
seems to me like St. Mary's has to be a good upset pick, no?
seems to me like St. Mary's has to be a good upset pick, no?
Scoresman
Footballguy
I like everything about the upset except for the fact that its in Nova's backyard and St. Mary's has far to travel.
shadyridr
Footballguy
St Johns has one of the most talented players in the country in Shamorie Ponds and probably the most talent they've had as a team since the Ron Artest/Felipe Lopez years. Unfortunately they have little depth and are HORRIBLY coached by Chris Mullin. They have the talent to make a deep run but ultimately I think coaching rules in the NCAA tournament so I think they will lose tonight.