NCAA Men's BBall Tourney DAY ONE!

[Damaramu 0]

Whoa....the two top teams in the semi-finals? The way I see it the two top teams are going to meet in the championship. And that's OSU and UConn.

I was thinking about it....and wasn't Stanford and Kentucky ranked 1 and 2 going into the NCAA tourney with OSU following up at 3? Well technically if we still did the polls.....OSU would be default #1.

Anyways.......Xavier almost did it. I was going ape shit for them to win. And while we're on that..........if Duke had trouble with Xavier......they just won't be any match for UConn. UConn is to good for Duke.

And Dick Vitale just shocked me. When they asked what his pick for the Championship game was I was expecting a "DUKE ALL THE WAY BABY! I DON'T GIVE A RATS ASS ABOUT THE REST OF THEM!" but he said UConn vs. OSU. Actually......everyone is predicting UConn vs. OSU.....so get ready for Duke vs. G-Tech in the final!

 

Oh and........I hope we get some announcers that don't blow Duke every chance they get during the Final Four.

[Mole 0]

no teams the favorite?

 

Seems like everyone and their mother was picking UCONN before and DURING the tourny...

Yes, everyone and their Mother has picked UConn to win. And I really hate that.

 

UConn hasn't had any tough games so far, so why are they favored so much? Don't get wrong, I love UConn, but I don't see them as the favorite.

[Guest Choken One]

thats because they have SQUASHED every team in the last month for the most part at least dating back to the BE Tourny...

[Damaramu 0]

Man the idiots in the national media are already claiming "Well Duke and UConn is the REAL national title game! The other game is for runner up!" despite OSU being one of the best.....if not THE best team in the country. I know they're better than Duke. That's why I hope Duke wins and gets squashed by OSU in the final......just to see Dick Vitale's reaction.

"OSU didn't win that game! Duke lost it!"

[Stephen Joseph 0]

Hmmmph, it seems no one is willing to give GaTech some credit here...

Winning without their best player? Stepping up? Already holding wins against U-Conn (neutral court) and Duke (Duke Court)

 

My friends, as a Techie alum I never expected for them to go this far, but at the onset they were picked as the dark horse. You cannot count tech out the way they're coming alive as this tourney progresses

 

It would be SWEET poetic just if Tech and UConn meet in the finale, just so Ed Nelson can SIT on that UConn bench and watch his former team beat his new team...

[Damaramu 0]

Hmmmph, it seems no one is willing to give GaTech some credit here...

Winning without their best player?  Stepping up?  Already holding wins against U-Conn (neutral court) and Duke (Duke Court)

 

My friends, as a Techie alum I never expected for them to go this far, but at the onset they were picked as the dark horse.  You cannot count tech out the way they're coming alive as this tourney progresses

 

It would be SWEET poetic just if Tech and UConn meet in the finale, just so Ed Nelson can SIT on that UConn bench and watch his former team beat his new team...

Yes Tech is no pushover. But i don't think they have the goods to take OSU out in the end. Who by the way took the toughest road of any of the teams in the Final Four.

[Mole 0]

Man the idiots in the national media are already claiming "Well Duke and UConn is the REAL national title game! The other game is for runner up!" despite OSU being one of the best.....if not THE best team in the country. I know they're better than Duke. That's why I hope Duke wins and gets squashed by OSU in the final......just to see Dick Vitale's reaction.

"OSU didn't win that game! Duke lost it!"

Except the fact that Vitale has picked UConn to win, not Duke.

[Guest MikeSC]

You really think OSU can beat UConn? I mean I'm all for OSU but UConn is good. I'll see how they perform against Duke.....or Xavier. Because well Xavier was playing some really good ball. And it's not like Texas was playing like shit either. Xavier beat a good team in Texas. Plus let's not forget the victory they had over St. Joe's in the A-10 Conference tourney. These guys are the real deal I think.

UConn has the constant possible problem of Okafor's back flaring up again. If he can't go 100%, UConn won't beat any of the remaining teams.

-=Mike

[Guest MikeSC]

Hmmmph, it seems no one is willing to give GaTech some credit here...

Winning without their best player? Stepping up? Already holding wins against U-Conn (neutral court) and Duke (Duke Court)

 

My friends, as a Techie alum I never expected for them to go this far, but at the onset they were picked as the dark horse. You cannot count tech out the way they're coming alive as this tourney progresses

 

It would be SWEET poetic just if Tech and UConn meet in the finale, just so Ed Nelson can SIT on that UConn bench and watch his former team beat his new team...

Tech has also had some REAL questionable losses in the regular season (Georgia) that shows a possible lack of consistency.

-=Mike

[Damaramu 0]

Man the idiots in the national media are already claiming "Well Duke and UConn is the REAL national title game! The other game is for runner up!" despite OSU being one of the best.....if not THE best team in the country. I know they're better than Duke. That's why I hope Duke wins and gets squashed by OSU in the final......just to see Dick Vitale's reaction.

"OSU didn't win that game! Duke lost it!"

Except the fact that Vitale has picked UConn to win, not Duke.

Just listen to him. You know he's pulling for Duke. But if he picks Duke he gets called a Duke junkie. Which he does anyways. He's like "I give the slightest edge! SLIGHTEST EDGE! to UConn!" and then the fact that he's one of the idiots saying "Well the Duke/UConn game is the REAL national title game!"

WTF!? This isn't football where you have the BCS and can make that argument! We're actually having a tournament to decide who the best is.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

Hmmmph, it seems no one is willing to give GaTech some credit here...

Winning without their best player?  Stepping up?  Already holding wins against U-Conn (neutral court) and Duke (Duke Court)

 

My friends, as a Techie alum I never expected for them to go this far, but at the onset they were picked as the dark horse.  You cannot count tech out the way they're coming alive as this tourney progresses

 

It would be SWEET poetic just if Tech and UConn meet in the finale, just so Ed Nelson can SIT on that UConn bench and watch his former team beat his new team...

Tech has also had some REAL questionable losses in the regular season (Georgia) that shows a possible lack of consistency.

-=Mike

It's called a young team.

I believe there's... one senior?

 

The season's performance doesn't matter once you're in the tourney. You win, and play on. Was Tech under-rated? No. They deserved a three seed and got it. They also were picked as the dark horse.

 

Has Tech picked off the best teams? Yes

Have they had an easy road to the FF? No, I'd hardly call Boston College and Kansas as pushover.

Have they shown something? They lost best player (Elder, 19 points per game) for the entire weekend, and showed the depth their bench had. If anything, they're more dangerous because of the stepped up game Jack and Schren showed.

 

I really don't like the billing of this weekend as Duke/UConn as the national championship. As far as I see it, Tech's beaten them both away, and Okla had a legitimate claim to a number 1 seed, and was just edged out by St. Joe's.

 

It seems like every march there's a UConn or Duke bandwagon. Bets are hedged because people expect for them to win, so everyone rooting for them cheers

 

They're going to beat themselves up, and UConn is the stronger of the two.

 

But the real challenge will be the winner of the GT/Ok game. Both have got something big to prove. I wouldn't underestimate hunger in the face of cockiness.

[Mole 0]

UConn has the constant possible problem of Okafor's back flaring up again. If he can't go 100%, UConn won't beat any of the remaining teams.

-=Mike

That is what everyone says, but that isn't the whole case. From what I have seen of UConn this year, and I have seen about 2/3 of their games. When Ben Gordon doesn't show up to play, UConn doesn't play very well.

 

During the Big East tourney, when Okafor was hurt, Gordon stepped up and brought the team to victory.

 

ND: Gordon scored 29 pts, Okafor didn't play.

Nova: Gordon scored 29 pts, Okafor didn't play.

Pitt: Gordon scored 23 pts, Okafor plays and scores 11 pts.

 

During the Bama game, Gordon scored 36 pts when Okafor's shoulder was all fucked up.

 

The way I look at it, Gordon is the heart of UConn and when he plays well, they win.

[Guest Redhawk]

Man the idiots in the national media are already claiming "Well Duke and UConn is the REAL national title game! The other game is for runner up!" despite OSU being one of the best.....if not THE best team in the country. I know they're better than Duke. That's why I hope Duke wins and gets squashed by OSU in the final......just to see Dick Vitale's reaction.

"OSU didn't win that game! Duke lost it!"

Except the fact that Vitale has picked UConn to win, not Duke.

Just listen to him. You know he's pulling for Duke. But if he picks Duke he gets called a Duke junkie. Which he does anyways. He's like "I give the slightest edge! SLIGHTEST EDGE! to UConn!" and then the fact that he's one of the idiots saying "Well the Duke/UConn game is the REAL national title game!"

WTF!? This isn't football where you have the BCS and can make that argument! We're actually having a tournament to decide who the best is.

No matter what he says, you can tell Vitale is pro-Duke. And his infatuation with coaches is getting to be real annoying. Every time I see him talk about Duke-UConn, his main theme is "I can't wait to see Coach K and Jim Calhoun going head-to-head!" So you've got Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, JJ Redick, Chris Duhon, etc....and he's most intrigued by the guys wearing suits and ties?

[Guest MikeSC]

Man the idiots in the national media are already claiming "Well Duke and UConn is the REAL national title game! The other game is for runner up!" despite OSU being one of the best.....if not THE best team in the country. I know they're better than Duke. That's why I hope Duke wins and gets squashed by OSU in the final......just to see Dick Vitale's reaction.

"OSU didn't win that game! Duke lost it!"

Except the fact that Vitale has picked UConn to win, not Duke.

Just listen to him. You know he's pulling for Duke. But if he picks Duke he gets called a Duke junkie. Which he does anyways. He's like "I give the slightest edge! SLIGHTEST EDGE! to UConn!" and then the fact that he's one of the idiots saying "Well the Duke/UConn game is the REAL national title game!"

WTF!? This isn't football where you have the BCS and can make that argument! We're actually having a tournament to decide who the best is.

No matter what he says, you can tell Vitale is pro-Duke. And his infatuation with coaches is getting to be real annoying. Every time I see him talk about Duke-UConn, his main theme is "I can't wait to see Coach K and Jim Calhoun going head-to-head!" So you've got Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, JJ Redick, Chris Duhon, etc....and he's most intrigued by the guys wearing suits and ties?

Who cares about the guys who play the games? It's the guys who swear like sailors on the bench who get the crowd going!

-=Mike

...You know, if Coach K coached, say, Clemson, I'm not sure his genius would help them out too much

[Guest Redhawk]

It's mostly recruiting, and at this point, the name DUKE on the front of the jersey recruits most of the kids on its own. Every top HS player knows (if they're even going to college) that Duke is on TV every week and it will get them exposure.

[Gert T 0]

True, but Duke was not winning 3 National Titles in 10 years without Coach K.

[Guest Redhawk]

Or without a roster full of NBA-caliber players.

[Slayer 0]

Holy shit, either everyone is watching the games with great devotion, or no one cares

 

Great game by G-Tech. I was hoping for some Big 12 representation in the champ game, but it wasn't meant to be apparently.

 

Now we have two possible matchups for the final: Either a rematch from the preseason NIT, or an all-ACC title game

[Guest Flyboy]

Georgia Tech is going to the championship game on Monday night.

[Guest Jimbo]

Woo Hoo, let's go Yellow jackets!

 

*does victory dance because the Yellow Jackets won, but also becaus eI won't need to see the Lucas family anymore*

 

Although, if Duke and OK St. had won, my brackets for the tourney woulda been solid and I could very well have won this pool, now it's not looking too good....

 

anyway, LET'S GO DUKE~!

[Sandman9000 0]

With that absolutely pathetic D by Ok St. in the closing seconds of the game, they deserved to lose.

 

You do NOT let a person slip into the lane for a layup with such little time left. If they get past the free throw line, you clobber them to make sure it's not a three point play and you make them earn the points from the free throw line.

 

Just sad at the end from Ok St., who had done a heckuva job in getting back into the game.

[Guest Jimbo]

True Ssndman, but at the end, you just gotta hope he misses the off balance lay up. Lucas did a good job by not trying to foul him and making the situation worse. Fouling Bynum would have almost ensured G'Tech the win.

[Guest OctoberBlood]

With that absolutely pathetic D by Ok St. in the closing seconds of the game, they deserved to lose.

My thoughts exactly.

 

I don't care for either team, but I just cursed at the tv because that was pretty shitty defense from a so called great defensive team (Not saying they aren't, but c'mon).

[Guest OctoberBlood]

Oh, and WTF is with Gumble? Did he eat Al Roakers excess fat or something? Good god.

 

He's still a decent "host" though.

[tpww7 0]

My favorite team is Uconn so I want them to win.

 

But I have Duke winning in my bracket pool and if they win I win money.

 

God damnit.

[Guest Jimbo]

Roy Williams was pissed to be there.

 

Sure his answers were good and informative, but either he is really bad at live tv stuff like that, or he just didn't want to do it. No emotion or enthusiasm, whatsoever.

[Mole 0]

Fuckin eh, this game is going to be awesome. Of course none of my friends like basketball, so I'll be in my room watching it all by myself.

 

One thing that really pisses me off is all of the people who are from CT. It seems just about everyone is watching the game tonight, but how many of them watched games during the regular season?

 

I am sure a few of them did, but most didn't watch any.

 

Damn bandwagon jumpers.

[Damaramu 0]

God dammit.

OSU was my first pick. My second pick is UConn.

Because of the curse of Damaramu I highly expect the National Title game to be Duke/Ga Tech. Mainly b/c anything I want to happen.....doesn't happen.

 

Oh and I feel bad for Sutton. He won't have near the collection of talent next season to get there again.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

for the best teams in the country these guys miss a whole lot of layups

[Mole 0]

There is no way UConn can keep this lead up.

 

Duke is going to have a nasty run anytime soon.