NCAA Basketball Tournament Thread

[therealworldschampion 0]

Good thing John Chaney isn't coaching this game, he would've killed someone over all these screens...

[Guest Smues]

Not alot of interest in this game I see.

I completely forgot this game was tonight until right now.

 

 

 

...and no I still have no interest in watching it.

[strummer 0]

and Roy Williams gets his championship

[iggymcfly 0]

God damn it. I really hate Carolina. I still think Illinois was the better team, but no one big enough to guard May could stay out of foul trouble, and they missed a bunch of open shots that could have gotten the job done at the end.

 

It actually kind of reminds me of the Duke/UConn game last year, where the team that everyone had been hyping all year long caught all the breaks en route to victory. I have to admit, one of the things that pisses me off the most is having Dick Vitale be right with his national title pick every damn year. Just once, I want the team he picks to win it all to just go out in the first round.

[CanadianChris 0]

So within one calendar year, Phil Mickelson, the Boston Red Sox, and Roy Williams win championships.

 

Who's the new poster boy for choking when it matters most?

[Precious Roy 0]

Well, congrats go out to Roy Williams and the UNC players. I had no rooting interest at all in this game, but poor Roy would have probably had a nervous breakdown if they gave that away

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Who's the new poster boy for choking when it matters most?

 

[CanadianChris 0]

Ah yes. Perfect.

[Guest TheDon]

Greg Norman?? Ooo Bruiser beat me to it. Cant top the 2002 World Series in terms of choking.

[Guest Shadow]

So within one calendar year, Phil Mickelson, the Boston Red Sox, and Roy Williams win championships.

 

Who's the new poster boy for choking when it matters most?

Yankees.

[Richard 0]

[SilverPhoenix 0]

And what we have we learned people?

 

1 Loss Teams going into this tournament will more than likely go out with 2 losses.

 

1999: Dook

2004: Stanford and St. Joseph's

2005: Illinois

 

Lets see what happens to the Fighting Illini next year. Hell, lets see what happens to the Big 10 next year.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

God, I hope so.

[Richard 0]

and of course

[Vern Gagne 0]

Greg Norman?? Ooo Bruiser beat me to it. Cant top the 2002 World Series in terms of choking.

Greg Norman does have two British Open championships. He's in the same category has Tony LaRussa.

 

Too bad Illinois was horrible in the first half. They wouldn't of had to comeback from 15 down.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Thank you UNC for gaining me 200 dollars in pool winnings...

[Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20]

May > Bogut.

 

If May wanted to leave today, he'd be my #1 pick.

 

People forget, May puts up excellent numbers in a tough conference. Utah is in the Mountain West. NO competition at all.

[ISportsFan 0]

What we learned tonight was that Carolina playing at near their best beat Illinois playing at nearly their worst. Illinois has not missed that many open shots all season, but I have to give Carolina a ton of credit for finally utilizing their biggest strength (May) by giving him the ball nearly every possession when it really counted.

 

Carolina definitely has better talent; for instance, the three that Felton hit with two guys in his face is amazing. But, Illinois constantly got people open with screens and had open shots nearly every possession. Unfortunately for us, the shots did not fall like they had during the previous 38 games in the season.

 

Hats off to Carolina for winning, but they are still as hatable as ever. McCants is the biggest pussy in the tournament, as evidenced by the complete lack of hustle in nearly every situation when the ball is rolling on the floor. He refuses to dive after the ball (see: Michigan State game). He's very talented, but I can't stand him and it just bugs me that he will get a ring.

 

I contend that in a best-of series, Illinois wins. However, that's not what the tournament is about -- you have to bring your "A" game six games in a row, and Illinois didn't do it tonight.

 

Next: Carolina reloads with 5 new McDonald's All-Americans and Illinois will probably go to the middle of the Big Ten after likely losing Williams to the draft and definitely losing Head, Powell, and Ingram to graduation. Hopefully this season will eventually pay recruiting dividends, but I am not holding my breath.

 

Another thing to keep in mind: Bruce Weber was constantly considered the weak link out of the four coaches in the Final Four, but he called some great plays near the end of the game to get nearly unlimited open looks at the basket. Unfortunately, they didn't fall. But, his coaching job, especially in getting a 15 point comeback against the Tar Heels working, should not go unnoticed.

 

Jason

[strummer 0]

Who's the new poster boy for choking when it matters most?

 

Dusty did win a championship as a player, with the 81 Dodgers

[Damaramu 0]

Well that was a good job by UNC.

I had no emotional stake in this game so I wasn't that into it.

[SilverPhoenix 0]

And since we are on it. The buring questions.

 

Who is the preseason no. 1 next year?

What conference will stand above the others? What conference will improve? What conference will implode/downgraded?

[iggymcfly 0]

And since we are on it. The buring questions.

 

Who is the preseason no. 1 next year?

What conference will stand above the others? What conference will improve? What conference will implode/downgraded?

Ah, fuck that. It's time for the NBA and MLB now. After we're done breaking down the games from this year, I think we're ready to forget about college hoops until next October.

[Damaramu 0]

And since we are on it. The buring questions.

 

Who is the preseason no. 1 next year?

What conference will stand above the others? What conference will improve? What conference will implode/downgraded?

Preseason #1 might just be UNC.

I think the Big East will stand above all else.

The Big Ten will probably be much improved.

The Big XII is seriously going to downgrade since OSU and Kansas were senior-laden and have lost all that talent. OU and Texas will run away with the conference.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Another thing to keep in mind: Bruce Weber was constantly considered the weak link out of the four coaches in the Final Four, but he called some great plays near the end of the game to get nearly unlimited open looks at the basket.

Yeah he did

 

They were called Illegal Screens

[ISportsFan 0]

Another thing to keep in mind: Bruce Weber was constantly considered the weak link out of the four coaches in the Final Four, but he called some great plays near the end of the game to get nearly unlimited open looks at the basket.

Yeah he did

 

They were called Illegal Screens

If they aren't calling it, then keep on doing it. Remember, Augustine played less than 10 minutes and picked up 5 cheap fouls. Sean May illegally used his size to score in the post on numerous occasions (specifically the possession where he caught the ball at the block, physically bullied Powell to the rim and scored). Those are not legal either, but it happened. Sure, it happens in every game where there's a post presence, but it is illegal to displace a player from his legally gained position (which Powell had). No ref ever calls that as an offensive foul, but it happens all the time. May does that, and lowers his shoulder to gain space in the post, almost every time he touches the ball.

 

Complaining about illegal screens is fine; some were illegal. But the same thing has to be said about the other end. May was clearly dominant tonight and Illinois had nobody to stop him. But, he used illegal moves to do it. Should May be considered a horrible player? No. Illegal screens happen all the time and they are rarely called, especially in college basketball. Weber deserves credit for designing the plays to get people open. The shots didn't fall.

 

Carolina deserves credit for winning a national championship, no doubt. While I hate them, they deserve all the accolades for beating a team tonight they might not have beaten on another night; however, I like the fact that it's do-or-die, and tonight Carolina did and Illinois died.

 

Jason

[nogoodnick 0]

Louisville will be in the Big East next year as well as Cincinatti. I would assume they will be one of the top conferences if not the best. The ACC will also be strong even with the defections of some big time players in the NBA. The Big Ten could go either way depending on how Illinois hadles losing some stars and how Michian State improves. I really dont know what to say about the Bi 12 and Pac 10. Kansas,OK State, Washington and Arizona lose some big time players. Oklahoma should be good. And when was the last time an SEC team made the final 4? Was it Florida in 2000?

 

In other news it looks like my UNC is Gonna Blow It bracket won the TSM Pick Em' Challenge.

[Matt Young 0]

Kansas, along with Duke, has been one of my most hated teams for years, so I don't like Roy Williams. However, I do respect him and UNC's basketball team, and they definitely earned their win tonight.

 

I'm incredibly disappointed in the outcome of the game. We were so close. So close.

 

The game meant a lot to me since I lived a short distance from Champaign for 20 years, traveling there often, and I have a cousin who's an Illini cheerleader. Illinois finally made it to the title game, and I truly believed that they would win. If it wasn't for that first half and far too many missed 3's, they probably would have come out on top.

 

Still, I can't be too disappointed... They made their first ever title game, and finished 37-2 with those 2 losses coming by a combined 6 points. They tied the NCAA wins record for a season.

 

Congratulations to both UNC and my Fighting Illini on a spectacular 2005 season.

[Slayer 0]

I fell asleep halfway through the first half because I just didn't care, though it was nice to wake up this morning hearing that Roy Williams had won, because now all the local KU fans are going to have shitfits on the local sports show this morning

[Crimson Platypus 0]

It's funny, I have been saying it all year (not on this board, to friends) but it stands to reason that if you base your game on three point shots sooner or later you are going to lose because of it. Down the stretch Illinois shot themselves out of the game. People have posted that Weber called some good plays to get people open, and while yes, people were open, I contend that he should have recognized that the threes were not falling and that they should have tried to get some closer shots. Ingram was doing a good job scoring, and Deron Williams got some nice looks with dribble penetration. I think that Weber outcoached himself and that's why Illinois lost.

 

By the way, I really hope that I don't have to listen to people talk about how great a coach Roy Williams is. Yay, you won the championship with 4 future NBA players on your roster. Great coaching there buddy. Oh, I know!! Lets try giving the ball to Sean "Unstoppable" May down the stretch. Wait.. did Williams even recruit these guys? I can't remember off the top of my head how long he's been there? Same thing goes for Weber, those guys are all Bill Self guys, let's see how these two do next year. I know UNC will be good, recruiting there is like UofM football, the school's name alone gets you in the door.

 

Anyway, I'm not really this bitter, I'm actually proud of MSU and the job Izzo has done, it would be nice for him/them to get a bit more recognition for a great season. I can't wait for next year as, as long as Ager/Brown both come back I think that MSU will actually be better. Marquise Grey redshirted this year, and he is supposed to be a stud, Davis will be back, Neitzel will have had a year of experience, and there are a couple of big bodies on the bench that both redshirted in Goran Suton (local boy, not sure how/if he will contribute) and Idong Ibok (or is it Ibok Idong? a guy who is 6'11 with a ridiculous wingspan but not much basketball experience). The best part? No more Chris "Choker" Hill stinking up the court. No more Tim "Useless" Bograkos getting minutes that should go to someone with actual basketball skills.

[syxx2001 0]

It was a good game cause I have always been a UNC fan. They produce alot of good product. But I dont think in a best of 7 Illinois would win. They have the better team and coaching but UNC has the better talent.