Now I know putting together a slate of 64…er 65 (?) teams is a challenge…especially when some important games occur the same afternoon…but shit you give my Iowa Hawkeyes a 7th seed? Cripes it ain’t right.
Ohio State? (we beat 'em in the Big Ten tourney) :5th seed
Indiana? (we beat em in the Big Ten tourney final): 4th seed
Penn State? (we clobbered them by 20 points in the tourney) also a 7th seed
Wisconsin? (They lost early in the tourney) a 6th seed
Yes I knew our team tanked for awhile after losing Luke Recker. But…we have obviously found a way to win games without him…and we put together 4 wins in 4 days to win toughest conference tournament in the country…AND, Recker will probably be back.
Christ, if you had just given us a measly 5 seed…
Any other teams get screwed? Can I get an AMEN people?
You’re right, Iowa should have been better than a 7.
I cannot complain, since my beloved Kentucky moved into a 2 seed after they SPANKED MISSISSIPPI STATE’S ASS today in the SEC Tournament final. The fact that we’re in the same bracket as Duke, however, in the East Region, with the regional final in Philadelphia, proves that the committee has a sick, sick sense of humor.
(For those not in the know–1992, Duke vs. Kentucky, East Regional Final, Philadelphia, widely considered the best college basketball game ever, ending in OT when Grant Hill passed to Christian Laettner who put it up and in in 2.2 seconds, eliciting a collective “FUCK!” from the entire state of Kentucky as Duke went up 104-103. We’re still bitter, especially since Laettner should have been ejected…)
To hell with Iowa and the rest of the Big 10. SEVEN f*****g teams from that league made it. The Big 10 wussies won’t schedule teams from my school’s league, the Mid American Conference, so we only get one team in the tourney.
Central Michigan, the MAC’s regular season champion, deserved to make the tourney but since they lost early in MAC tournament they lost their chance. The swells on the tournament selection committee who pick the teams say, “Central Michigan must not have been that good; look, they got knocked out early in their conference tournement.” Contrast that with the treatment Big 10 teams get; The Big 10 regular season leaders, Michigan State and Illinois, both get upset early in the Big 10 tournament, and the selection committee uses that as evidence that the teams that beat them should get invitations to the NCAA’s, in addition to the invites aleady earmarked for MSU and Illinois.
As far as the NCAA selection committee is concerned, teams with big reputations from famous conferences get to play in a double elimiation tournament; if they lose in their conference tournament they’ll still get another chance. Contrast this with teams from other conferences, like the MAC - if they lose in their conference tournament they go home. That ain’t fair. Moreover, I’d argue that its the teams from the other conferences that make the NCAA’s interesting. Its just more fun to root for David than for Goliath and let’s face it, every team in the Big 10, save for Northwestern, qualifies as a Goliath.
Considering that none of you play on the teams involved, or likely know anyone who does, or could possibly be materially affected by the outcome of the tournament or who gets selected for it, why do you give a frog’s fat arse?
<i>Considering that none of you play on the teams involved, or likely know anyone who does, or could possibly be materially affected by the outcome of the tournament or who gets selected for it, why do you give a frog’s fat arse? </i>
Because, for one, teams that get invited also get, last I checked, $250,000. So that’s a loss of, well, a nice piece of money, for one.
Iowa, after knocking off four teams in four days, and having overall a very good season considering they lost one of their best players, should certainly be higher.
Off-topic for a bit, I’d like to see 68 teams in it . . . four play-in games to invite four other teams, given the strength of the teams who didn’t make it in this year.
Um, because it’s fun? Because basketball is one of the few positive things that pull this state together? Because our first words were “ma-ma”, “da-da”, and “Hello, everybody, this is Cawood Ledford”? Because it’s something my Southern Baptist grandmother, my redneck uncles, my prissy teenage cousins, and I can discuss at length? Because of the energy it creates when fans get together in a living room, a bar, or, by God, Rupp Arena?
Do you really have to be “materially affected” by something to get excited about it? How sad.
People like you piss me off this time of year. No one asked you. Go away.
Dr. J
(PS: In fact, I used to hang out with Saul Smith every now and then back in my undergrad days ('98), so I guess you could say I do know someone on the team. )
I guess I could see Iowa with a slightly higher seed (6), considering some of the other seeds in the tourney (Cincinatti a 5?!), but I don’t think a 7 is unreasonable. I do think you’re putting to much worth on the Big Ten tourney in your analysis though. You’ve got to look at the season as a whole, and not just a few games at the end of it. I also think that the Big Ten as a whole gets a little to much respect and I agree with Patrick M that 7 teams from the confrenece is a bit much. I still give respect to Iowa though, and they looked tough, even without Recker.
The only thing that you said beagledave, that I would really disagre with, is that you assume a win over Creighton. Creighton is a real tough team that could surprise some people. I think the Iowa/Creighton game is a tough one to call, and like I said, I’ve got respect for Iowa as well.
Oh well, at least you guys have your teams in the dance. My team, Marquette, has been absent the past few years, but I’m expecting a triumphant return in 2002. Hopefully they’ll still get an NIT bid this year as well.
It’s entertaining, you jerk. If you had nothing substantive to offer to the discussion, you should have stayed the fuck out of the thread. Really, drive by posters like you make me insane.
[sub]back to the OP…Texas is #6, so I am content![/sub]
DoctorJ, small point, but the team the Cats smoked today was Ole Miss, not Mississippi State. Not to be picky or anything. Congrats on hanging with Saul. I respect his guts and hustle.
My only complaint about the brackets is that, as usual, Duke gets to play at home. Greensboro? What is that, 15 miles from Durham? Every single year, Duke plays the first round in state. What’s up with that? Is Billy Packer on the selection committee now?
Also, how did Georgia get in, but not 'Bama?
Re: the Big Ten. First, how can you take a conference that can’t count seriously? You guys count like King Arthur preparing to throw the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. That’s OK, though. Yep, the Big 'Leven got seven into the tourney. Now we all prepared for the Big Ten’s traditional March Meltdown. Phhhhtt.
…for stepping on Aminu Timberlake when he was already down. Should’ve gotten a technical. Totally.
Doctor J, I got in an argument with somebody about this last night. Glad to see I’m not the only one still smarting a bit about this and worrying about the possible (probable) upcoming match with Duke.
Well, I do, actually. That’s what I get for taking NyQuil during the day.
IIRC, Laettner did get a technical for his little transgression. However, a lot of people felt that knocking a guy to the ground and then stomping on him was sufficient reason to be sent to the showers. (Admittedly, those people are mostly Kentucky fans.)
(As an aside: the “Bracketville” commercial during last year’s tournament with this game on the screen at the drive-in was one of the best things I saw on TV all year. Pitino: “I hate this movie.”)
I actually look forward to playing Duke. I respect the hell out of Coach K. I almost hate to see him get his ass kicked.
A-MEN on a pogo stick. Hell, apparently if you play a tough schedule and lose as often as you win it’s good enough. Nor is it enough to be ranked in the top 25 for almost the entire season. Nor is it enough that you BEAT the team that got in instead of you. 20+ wins in the toughest conference this year (according to the RPI stats) and Bama gets shafted. Damn NCAA.
DrJ, you were right on when Laettner made that stupid stomp. He was and still is an ass. But the man could shoot.
FrankD6, Packer hates Duke. Vitale is the freaky Duke Lover, and he MAY be on the committee. But Duke earned that seed this year, stomping a top five team twice in a week,(Carolina) and beating a legit NCAA three seed (MD) WITHOUT their star center, OK their ONLY center. They are ESPN/USAToday’s Number One this week, and would be APs also.
Snooopy you say Duke sucks. Be specific, please, Laettner sucks as a person, UK lost a heartbreaker, but don’t blame the Duke team of today. I still feel the sting from '86 vs. Louisville when Duke led from the tipoff until the last seconds when Pervis Ellison (IIRC) scored the winning bucket and Johnny Dawkins missed the layup as time expired. 25,000 fans on Duke Main Quad were really quiet. I thought you would enjoy the imagery.
Every time the Final Four rolls around, invariably the topic of what the greatest college basketball games of all time ware is mentioned. So what footage gets rolled out on ESPN and/or whatever network is televising the tournament? Freaking Laettner. That freaking shot. I am reminded anew why I hate Duke.
That said, I can feel great respect for Duke even as I compare the school to Satan, rat poop or whatever disgusting imagery pops in my head. I can admire Coach K for running a clean program even as I root for any and every team the Blue Devils are playing. You know how it is with rivalries.
Thank you – I grew up in Louisville and look back on that title with great joy. But your memory seems a little lax – Milt “The Iceman” Wagner – later to go on to a distinguished career in the CBA (heh) and also to beget a son considered one of the best high schoolers in the nation right now – hit two free throws to put Louisville up by three with seconds left. With no three-point shot in the college game at that point, Duke was helpless to respond.
Dang, I’m gone for 24 hours, and I come back expecting to be flamed by a bunch of Big Ten fans. BUT NOOOOOO! I guess nobody from the Big Ten has the intellectual capacity to hang on the SDMB. Either that, or they don’t have the stones to show their face in the Pit.
Also, It is simply too gratifying for words to read Duke fans admitting that Christian Laettner is pond scum.
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