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Post by epaul on Mar 24, 2023 20:47:35 GMT -5
For the first time ever in NCAA history, there is not a #1 seed in the Elite Eight. All four have now been knocked out. (all four deservedly so)
There is a ton of basketball talent in this country (and overseas), and you only need to find five dandy good players to put a top-flight team on the court, unlike football which takes 22 field a starting team. So, small programs have a chance to roar. Unlike in football.
It is pretty damn hard to find 22 (up to 60) really good football players that can match up with Alabama's 22 (up to 60). Much easier in basketball when you only have to find 5 really good players to match up with Alabama's 5. San Diego State probably will never gather the number of top-flight football players they need to match up with Alabama on the football field, but they only need to get lucky and come up with three or four dandy good ones to whip an Alabama on the B-Ball court. And they just did.
(for some reason, this math never works for the Gophers.)
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Post by TKennedy on Mar 24, 2023 22:35:54 GMT -5
WTFG Creighton!!!
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Mar 24, 2023 22:59:22 GMT -5
When I lived in San Diego, in the 70s through mid 80s, San Diego State was known primarily for being a party school. I’m guessing they are partying tonight.
Mike
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Post by millring on Mar 25, 2023 6:13:31 GMT -5
As I'm watching the games it strikes me that college basketball has undergone an evolution away from structure and fundamentals (very few picture-perfect fundamentally sound jump shots, for example). The games resembles playground ball more than it ever has. Maybe just a phase. Maybe just the games I've watched.
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Post by millring on Mar 25, 2023 6:16:22 GMT -5
Hoosier high school basketball used to hold the high drama of small schools defeating the giants (in large part because of the very math epaul points out -- two strapping kids on a team ... or one fantastic shooter .. could keep a school of 200 in the running with 1,000 student schools). We wanted more winners, so we went with class competition. Maybe that is the better way, but we lost something VERY big.
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Post by Cornflake on Mar 25, 2023 7:27:58 GMT -5
I have to ask my son to stay on top of basketball. My wife went to ASU so we follow it though not that closely. Once ASU was out I was kind of relieved that we'd be spared the traffic. I spent Super Bowl weekend in the hospital. Good timing. It was hard for my wife and kids to visit. If I lived where some of you guys do I'd follow it too but the traffic here has gotten too bad.
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Post by epaul on Mar 25, 2023 8:08:58 GMT -5
It's win and lose.
College hoops have lost something with 'one and done' and the transfer portal.
But, on the other hand, our computers can now take over the tedious parts of songwriting so we can be free to work on the important parts, like presentation and emoting.
Win and lose.
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Post by Marshall on Mar 25, 2023 10:02:33 GMT -5
I think the transfer portal has hurt big school teams. High talent shops around. But as a result there's little team cohesion. But when tournament time rolls around, it's teams that play well together that trump individual talent.
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Mar 25, 2023 10:55:56 GMT -5
Yes, the portal hurts, but especially with NIL. Not only can you transfer, but you can auction your transfer to the highest bidder.
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Post by John B on Mar 25, 2023 11:01:56 GMT -5
I have to ask my son to stay on top of basketball. At first, I thought you were assigning a task to Josh ("your job is to keep me informed regarding March Madness") but then I figured out Josh probably already pays attention to basketball, and he's just your source of info.  |
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Post by Marshall on Mar 25, 2023 14:45:28 GMT -5
I started a Sweet 16 poll with some guys. Only 5 of us in that one. I’m in 1st place. I got 6 of the first 8 games right. I have K St & Gonzaga in the finals with K St taking it all
I like a Sweet 16 poll, because you’ve seen all the teams in the 1st 2 rounds. I do better there. For the 64 team poll, I haven’t seen everybody, and go with home town favorites. They always let me down.
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Post by epaul on Mar 25, 2023 15:45:43 GMT -5
K State is the team I'm pulling for. I love, well, admire, their spunky, little 5'8" point guard from NYC.
Forget spunky... or little... he is just plain damn good. And his name is Markquis Nowell.
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Post by epaul on Mar 25, 2023 15:46:55 GMT -5
(any chance you know him, Howard?)
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Post by Marshall on Mar 25, 2023 21:03:38 GMT -5
Oops
I need Ucon
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Post by epaul on Mar 26, 2023 0:33:21 GMT -5
You got UConn.
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Post by aquaduct on Mar 26, 2023 10:06:54 GMT -5
I've still got Creighton so it's still theoretically possible for me to rise from 29 in the work pool to 14, at least for a nanosecond assuming no other games are played.
But it's been fun so now I've got a strategy for next year.
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Post by John B on Mar 26, 2023 10:18:05 GMT -5
Somehow I have risen to the 6th spot in our pool of 16 at work, even though my top seed went out last week. Apparently my random choices have done well. I have no idea how bracket scoring works.
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Post by epaul on Mar 26, 2023 11:19:49 GMT -5
So far, I am 100%.
But, I just can't get ahead of that cheating furball, Casper, who is also 100%. I expect this will go down to the wire.
(I may have to hide his food bowl. Mess with his focus.)
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