ammo posted:My bracket lives.
Mine too!
Epic game.
Great games again, yesterday! The only team left from my bracket is Virginia. I'll be pulling for MSU and Virginia to be in the Championship game.
I already got destroyed in my brackets and my Vegas bet for Gonzaga to win it all is toast. At this point.... Go Virginia!!! Go Tony B.!!!
It's awesome to see Tony B. experience this level of success. It's crazy that maybe around 1988-89, I used to see that guy almost every day at UWGB. I even have a memory of sitting around at a Campus lounge in March 1990 where a few people were sitting around watching the NCAA tournament and Tony was one of those watching. Little did we know that 1 year later he'd be playing in that tournament, and 29 years later, he'd be coaching a team in the Final Four. Pretty amazing stuff for that guy.
First coaching video I ever bought was Dick Bennett's "On the line / up the line; a defensive pressure system", made when he was at Wisconsin - Stevens Point. I based a lot of my defense on his system, which pressured the ball and denied the wing. Fast forward to when he went to UWGB, they made the tourney and were going to be on ESPN. I anxiously awaited seeing the system in action. Watched the game and to my surprise there was no denial of the wings, but rather what is called the "pack line" as we see it today. I wrote Coach Bennett a letter (yes, it was pre-email era) asking why the change. He wrote me back a long detailed explanation for the change in his philosophy, a letter that I still have! I've pulled for first him, & then his son since!
It was amazing what Dick Bennett could do with that Pack line defense. I remember in 2000 watching LSU whip Texas in the round of 32 and thinking how athletic and tough they looked. That same LSU team that looked so good vs. Texas looked like they were kindergartners just learning the game when they faced Dick Bennett's pack line at Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament. It was crazy how certain teams, some of them really talented, just really struggled to deal with it back then.
That 2000 team coached by D. Bennett was probably one of the least physically gifted and least talented Final Four teams ever, but hey, at least they made it. They did get a little bit lucky that 1 seed Arizona wasn't at full strength, but who knows, maybe the Badgers would have found a way to stuff them even if they were.
That is a neat story....and now after 15 years I understand what your user name means.
This Virginia team can score....other versions were too much Dick Bennett to be real contenders. This outfit is a good all around team. TT will give Izzo a battle and Auburn will most likely turn it over too much. I have Va vs State next Monday night.
I have nothing against Virginia, but it's Big Ten for me. Go Sparty.
Gotta love what Izzo has gotten out of his team this year. They just don't make mistakes. Go back and watch the 3 pointer Goins made to put them up, miscommunication by Duke players, Zion thought Jones was going to switch on the down screen & he didn't, that is how Goins came so wide open. This MSU team doesn't make mistakes like that.
I’m hoping Virginia wins it. That program has been so good but has fallen short up to now. Go Cavs.
While I enjoyed Duke losing there is no way I can pull for Izzo and the M$U team any longer. I hope they lose to Tech by 30
when the Badgers are out of the tourney I become a Mich State fan. Izzo's incredible.
Yup, done with The Izz......i’m going to root for Virginia as well.
I can't root for Izzo even if he coaches a Big Ten team I just can't. But I am rooting hard for Bennett because of the Wisconsin connetion.
Go, Virginia! Tough team and they just find a way to win. After last year's embarrassment, it's good to see them on the upswing. And they're the only team I have left on my bracket. 
But I also like Mich St. for their mental toughness. I like the way nothing seems to embarrass them or faze them and the moment is never too big. And that play at the end of the Duke game was a thing of beauty. And before it happened, the announcers were all over Izzo, saying the inbounds play was dumb because all the Duke players were in their offensive end. Dumb announcers.
I've got VA and Mich State. If they make it and VA wins I get some big $$$.
I think Texas Tech will give MSU all they can handle. TT's very aggressive defense may upset MSU's offensive game plan enough to eke out a win. I have tons of respect for Tom Izzo and have as much, or more, respect for Tony Bennett. Virginia is the only team left from my brackets as I had Duke beating MSU. Virginia should be able to beat Auburn and advance to the Championship game. Whatever happens, it will be another great weekend for college hoops this weekend. Love March Madness!
That was an excellent rendition of the National Anthem.
Pakrz posted:That was an excellent rendition of the National Anthem.
Yes, it was!
Thought it was pretty neat....four students from the four remaining teams, and yup did a real nice job on the National Anthem.
Missed it, I was kneeling.
Weeding a flower bed.
I wouldn't be surprised at all if the two underdogs won tonight, Texas Tech and Auburn, anyway I sure hope Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiichigan St. looses.
sparty sucks, izzo sucks
f'um B U C K Y
Pikes Peak posted:Missed it, I was kneeling.
Weeding a flower bed.
I love Spring as well, but not out doing the Spring cleaning thing until tomorrow.
anyone else seeing fouls NOT BEING CALLED??? or is it just me??
anyone else seeing fouls NOT BEING CALLED???
Not until there's one second left....
They missed the double dribble by Jerome before he got fouled at midcoast, but got the foul correct on the shot
How did they miss the double dribble? The ref was right there and you could see it change direction, and even if you missed that, how do you miss the guy losing his dribble and then picking it up again? I picked VA to win it all, but that non-call was a head-shaker. But yes, the foul was definitely a foul and had to be called. Kid has to feel rotten though to cost your team a shot at the championship...
I feel like the officials are keeping this game a little closer than it actually is.
Looks like Cousin's alma mater can't win either.
5 things had to happen for UVA to win yesterday
1. Guy makes the 3 from the corner
2. PG from Auburn misses a FT after making his last 20 in a row
3. Officials miss the double dribble
4. Guy gets fouled on the 3
5. He makes all 3 FTs
Any one of those does not happen & they don't win (or it goes to OT if Auburn makes both FTs)
That is why they call it madness!
TT did a fabulous job of limiting MSU's two most prolific ways to score
1. Transition offense. TT rarely had anyone go after an offensive rebound(they only had 3), instead they sold out to get back on defense
2. Offensive rebounding. TT gave up 8 to MSU (3 below their average)
Watching at home I did not notice the DD, it happened fast, I was looking at the clock and the developing play. When my eyes came back I saw the ball hit off his leg and thought the D tipped it out of his hand. That said the refs have to see that.
The refs blew it but the foul in the corner was the dagger. How many times has that guy heard 'jump up, not at' ?
It was a tough deal for Auburn but there were 39 minutes and 58 seconds where they could have won this game.
FLPACKER posted:They missed the double dribble by Jerome before he got fouled at midcoast, but got the foul correct on the shot
Everyone missed the double dribble except TV ref Sterator. In real time, I think it was too hard to see it.
Yeah, that is a heart-wrenching loss for Auburn. I was rooting for Virginia, but did not mind if either team won. In retrospect, I wish the guy did not foul at the end.
FlPacker, there is one other thing that had to happen for Virginia to win (or at least make it extremely unlikely). It was the Auburn intentional foul just after the double dribble. The guy hoisted a shot from near half court with 1.6s left. If it doesn't drop, it is not a certainty, but very likely Auburn wins. No way he should have been fouled.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech has been playing the best ball of the tournament and I hope they win tomorrow night. I think they are so deserving.
Yes, Auburn had a foul to give & they tried to foul before Jerome double dribbled. And if Auburn had committed one more foul during the second half they would not have fouled. So many things had to come together for UVA to win this game. Great respect for the Auburn players but I would have a hard time taking Bruce Pearl as a championship winning coach. Guy is a publicity whore who has already left one program with violations. Can't believe that he didn't know his what his assistants at Auburn were doing. The guy can coach but I've never cared for his character.
As some announcer pointed out after the game, a guy did swipe the VA player so they missed a foul there as well.
The NCAA tournament is the best sporting event on the planet IMO. There are so many variables that come into play that alter the outcomes of games... mismatches, a hot player, type of defense, missed call, etc. Rarely does the best team in college basketball win. Talent alone just doesn't do it. You gotta be lucky too, as we saw with UVA yesterday.
As an Arizona fan, I've seen joy and plenty of heartbreak. Just last year UA had a ton of talent heading into the tournament, only to get bitchslapped by Buffalo. ****ing Buffalo.
In 1993, Arizona headed into the tournament as a #2 seed and matched up against #15 Santa Clara. Easy win... until they played the game. Santa Clara had some small white kid that came off the bench to run the point. He didn't score much but he made everything go.
Steve Nash went on to have a fairly decent NBA career.