ESPN, however, is so fucking ready. (I know they wouldn't be broadcasting it, that won't stop their love for Zion combined with their love for this rivalry)
ESPN, however, is so fucking ready. (I know they wouldn't be broadcasting it, that won't stop their love for Zion combined with their love for this rivalry)
I will actually die if this happens.
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RingoHe/Hima distinct lack of substanceRegistered Userregular
edited March 2019
Somebody should probably make a new thread once the brackets are announced, btw. Only 5 pages left in this one
So I haven't watched much ball this year aside from some early unc games and the unc Duke games. Lord is Zion a beast to watch. Like if Tyler hansboro had ever had any real NBA shot. He big. He stronk. He fast. And he just plain makes smart plays over and over. For his sake I still think he should have stayed sitting, but it's going to be fun watching how far he can go in March madness.
(Still fuck Duke tho)
MSU is better with Tillman than Ward, not that anyone in the press will notice.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
Looking forward to this Kentucky/Tennessee game. We'll what happens on a neutral court with Reid Travis.
I'm hearing different thing about what the game (and the ACC situation) means for Kentucky's seeding and region. I care more about being in the South region (and playing in Louisville) than I do about getting a 1 seed. I'm sort of hoping that Kentucky's in a sweet spot where if they win out, they'll get the 1 seed in the South, but if they lose, they'll drop to a 2 seed, but still end up in the South? Who knows.
Gonzaga will be the #4 seed overall, in the West
Duke will be a #1 with their win over UNC, probably in the East
The winner of Kentucky/Tennessee today, probably in the South
And then one of Michigan State/UNC/Virginia in the Midwest I guess?
Those who aren't picked in for #1s will be the twos along with Michigan, who is pretty locked into a 2 and most people think they'll be sent West.
enlightenedbum on
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
Gonzaga will be the #4 seed overall, in the West
Duke will be a #1 with their win over UNC, probably in the East
The winner of Kentucky/Tennessee today, probably in the South
And then one of Michigan State/UNC/Virginia in the Midwest I guess?
Those who aren't picked in for #1s will be the twos along with Michigan, who is pretty locked into a 2 and most people think they'll be sent West.
Do you think UNC/Virginia's losses are enough to move them below Kentucky in the overall seeding? Because the way it looked a couple weeks ago, it seemed like Kentucky was going to be #4 overall, so they'd get sent to the Midwest while one of the ACC teams got to go to the South region because it's closer for them.
Gonzaga will be the #4 seed overall, in the West
Duke will be a #1 with their win over UNC, probably in the East
The winner of Kentucky/Tennessee today, probably in the South
And then one of Michigan State/UNC/Virginia in the Midwest I guess?
Those who aren't picked in for #1s will be the twos along with Michigan, who is pretty locked into a 2 and most people think they'll be sent West.
Do you think UNC/Virginia's losses are enough to move them below Kentucky in the overall seeding? Because the way it looked a couple weeks ago, it seemed like Kentucky was going to be #4 overall, so they'd get sent to the Midwest while one of the ACC teams got to go to the South region because it's closer for them.
Apparently UVA is still a clear #1 for some reason. So I guess I'm wrong.
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
The CBS Sports and ESPN bracketology guys seem to differ on this, so who really knows.
A dominant win over Tennessee would certainly help things.
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
I will say this for Vitale: he actually pays attention to analytics and knows more about them than 90% of people doing color. If he could stop being the character of Dick Vitale I think he would still be the useful announcer that made him famous.
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
I love dick Vitale. Enthusiasm, actual game knowledge, and he absolutely knows that sports are about spectacle and entertaining people, not some higher meaning. He loves Duke, and he loves basketball even more. I'll take the exciting guy who knows he is biased any day. I'm sad he no longer gets the unc Duke games.
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
FFS ESPN nobody wants to see your cool new camera angles, can we watch the fucking game normally please?
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
So this is the difference Reid Travis makes:
Grant Williams has one field goal, and that came when Travis was on the bench.
Pretty happy to be down only two against a team shooting 77% from the three while only getting 6 minutes from our best player. Second half should be interesting.
Bill Raftery used all the white kid adjectives about a black player. And then compared him to Bobby Hurley, the ur-white kid adjective player. I love Raftery.
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
Hahahaha in the enduring tradition of Kentucky vs Tennessee this season, Kyle Alexander fouls out. He's 3/3 fouling out in UK/UT games this season.
Refs have been fucking up this UK/Tenn game since about the 6 minute mark
Still exciting though!
I was shocked when Travis fouled out, I didn't even realize he had that many fouls.
I don't think it's even benefiting one team or the other, it's just atrocious all around.
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
Well, that sucked.
I hate blaming officiating for losses, but this is such a different game if Washington and Travis aren't in foul trouble. Tennessee can even have Alexander back, I don't care. :P
Hopefully Kentucky still gets a 2 seed in the South.
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RingoHe/Hima distinct lack of substanceRegistered Userregular
Reid Travis fouling out absolutely changed the dynamic of that game
I hate blaming officiating for losses, but this is such a different game if Washington and Travis aren't in foul trouble. Tennessee can even have Alexander back, I don't care. :P
Hopefully Kentucky still gets a 2 seed in the South.
They're definitely a two, where they go depends on how much the committee wants to boost attendance. First round is almost definitely Columbus though.
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
I hate blaming officiating for losses, but this is such a different game if Washington and Travis aren't in foul trouble. Tennessee can even have Alexander back, I don't care. :P
Hopefully Kentucky still gets a 2 seed in the South.
They're definitely a two, where they go depends on how much the committee wants to boost attendance. First round is almost definitely Columbus though.
Oh yeah, I know they'll get a 2 seed, but playing in Louisville vs. Kansas City will likely impact whether I can go to the regional or not.
I mean obviously it's basically home court advantage in Louisville anyway, but Kentucky fans travel really well so I'm less worried about that.
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Hi I'm Vee!Formerly VH; She/Her; Is an E X P E R I E N C ERegistered Userregular
That was a really good game though. I was down on Tennessee for a bit, but I think they'll be a tough out in the tournament.
I don't think they'll be in my Final Four, but I'll probably have them in my Elite Eight, depending on matchups.
To me this feels like there's an enormous gap between the two seeds and the three seeds (except possibly Houston, who I think is really good). But the top eight of Gonzaga, Virginia, Duke, Tennessee, UNC, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Michigan feel really, really strong.
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RingoHe/Hima distinct lack of substanceRegistered Userregular
As an avid ACC fan, it will depend on matchups, but I am most likely not going to have Duke or UVA in the Final Four
UVA just does not seem to have it in March - the had to play out of their minds on offense to beat NC State, and got dominated by Florida State. Their offense is not consistent enough to respond to teams that break their defense
This Duke team is probably Coach K's worst coaching job? Whatever improvements his freshman stars have made this year are undercut because they're tired from playing every available minute and have no bench to back them up. He's got a standout defensive guard (Goldwire) who's been riding the bench all year because he can't score, even though Duke's freshmen are great at scoring. Also he burned Joey Baker's redshirt and hasn't played him since. This may be Duke's best ever recruiting class, and I think Coach K is getting about 60% out of his team's potential.
The keys to beating this Duke team are simple, if not easy.
1) Don't guard Tre Jones and Zion Williamson on the perimeter. Just don't. Pack the lane so neither of them can drive, and dare them to hit jumpshots.
2) Keep Reddish and Barrett under 40 points combined. Run Reddish off the line, force either of them into double teams, draw charges. They're both great talents, but they still play like freshmen.
3) Run your offense directly at Zion. Zion is a gravity well on defense, the ball just seems to come to him - take that strength and make it his weakness. Get Zion in foul trouble because Zion is this Duke team's motor. Without him they are just not that potent. Sure he's gonna make scoring inside hard, but the point is to open up the game when he's not in there. You've got to make Zion sit. This is made easier because RJ Barrett is a lackluster defender who will let his man go if he thinks Zion will take care of it.
So, Ringo - how did Duke beat Carolina last night if they're such a simple egg to crack?
Goldwire. Goldwire, Goldwire, Goldwire.
First, there's just not enough tape on Goldwire and Vrankovich to know what the hell those two are going to do on the court, much less both at the same time. Were they spectacular? No, they're bench guys. But they're bench guys with no scouting report on them and that threw off UNC enough to tighten things back up.
Second, Goldwire put Cam Johnson on lockdown. That's freaking amazing. Duke had a lineup out there with Tre Jones hounding Coby White, Goldwire denying Cam Johnson touches, and Zion eating Luke Maye's lunch. That left Kenny Williams and Garrison Brooks/Nassir Little out there to create offense for UNC, which was way out of everyone's comfort zone.
Third, it was a one point rivalry game where one team was trying to win 3 times in a row :tell_me_more:
So yeah, if Coach K realizes what he has in Goldwire, you can throw my scouting report out the window, because you just might not be able to score on that defense, and Duke will thrive on points from turnovers. That team is a Final Four team. This four frosh and a big man team? Not even Elite Eight.
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There is no team in America that I am afraid of playing. Doesn't mean we'll cut down the nets, but as a fan that's a wonderful feeling.
Good game by the Fighting Zion's. Maybe we'll meet again in Minneapolis
My heart is not ready. America is not ready.
ESPN, however, is so fucking ready. (I know they wouldn't be broadcasting it, that won't stop their love for Zion combined with their love for this rivalry)
I will actually die if this happens.
(that started 6 years ago, holy cow)
(Still fuck Duke tho)
I'm hearing different thing about what the game (and the ACC situation) means for Kentucky's seeding and region. I care more about being in the South region (and playing in Louisville) than I do about getting a 1 seed. I'm sort of hoping that Kentucky's in a sweet spot where if they win out, they'll get the 1 seed in the South, but if they lose, they'll drop to a 2 seed, but still end up in the South? Who knows.
Gonzaga will be the #4 seed overall, in the West
Duke will be a #1 with their win over UNC, probably in the East
The winner of Kentucky/Tennessee today, probably in the South
And then one of Michigan State/UNC/Virginia in the Midwest I guess?
Those who aren't picked in for #1s will be the twos along with Michigan, who is pretty locked into a 2 and most people think they'll be sent West.
Do you think UNC/Virginia's losses are enough to move them below Kentucky in the overall seeding? Because the way it looked a couple weeks ago, it seemed like Kentucky was going to be #4 overall, so they'd get sent to the Midwest while one of the ACC teams got to go to the South region because it's closer for them.
Apparently UVA is still a clear #1 for some reason. So I guess I'm wrong.
A dominant win over Tennessee would certainly help things.
When is he going to retire?
I will say this for Vitale: he actually pays attention to analytics and knows more about them than 90% of people doing color. If he could stop being the character of Dick Vitale I think he would still be the useful announcer that made him famous.
Grant Williams has one field goal, and that came when Travis was on the bench.
Pretty happy to be down only two against a team shooting 77% from the three while only getting 6 minutes from our best player. Second half should be interesting.
He also has 9 points and 6 assists at the half as Michigan is cruising.
How are you playing Minnesota in the semifinals?
Edit: Oh shit, they beat Purdue?
Gophers inexplicably shot like 50% from three yesterday and Carson Edwards was bad Carson Edwards.
Still exciting though!
(lots of UK Surrender Cobras right now)
I was shocked when Travis fouled out, I didn't even realize he had that many fouls.
I don't think it's even benefiting one team or the other, it's just atrocious all around.
I hate blaming officiating for losses, but this is such a different game if Washington and Travis aren't in foul trouble. Tennessee can even have Alexander back, I don't care. :P
Hopefully Kentucky still gets a 2 seed in the South.
They're definitely a two, where they go depends on how much the committee wants to boost attendance. First round is almost definitely Columbus though.
Oh yeah, I know they'll get a 2 seed, but playing in Louisville vs. Kansas City will likely impact whether I can go to the regional or not.
I mean obviously it's basically home court advantage in Louisville anyway, but Kentucky fans travel really well so I'm less worried about that.
I don't think they'll be in my Final Four, but I'll probably have them in my Elite Eight, depending on matchups.
UVA just does not seem to have it in March - the had to play out of their minds on offense to beat NC State, and got dominated by Florida State. Their offense is not consistent enough to respond to teams that break their defense
This Duke team is probably Coach K's worst coaching job? Whatever improvements his freshman stars have made this year are undercut because they're tired from playing every available minute and have no bench to back them up. He's got a standout defensive guard (Goldwire) who's been riding the bench all year because he can't score, even though Duke's freshmen are great at scoring. Also he burned Joey Baker's redshirt and hasn't played him since. This may be Duke's best ever recruiting class, and I think Coach K is getting about 60% out of his team's potential.
The keys to beating this Duke team are simple, if not easy.
1) Don't guard Tre Jones and Zion Williamson on the perimeter. Just don't. Pack the lane so neither of them can drive, and dare them to hit jumpshots.
2) Keep Reddish and Barrett under 40 points combined. Run Reddish off the line, force either of them into double teams, draw charges. They're both great talents, but they still play like freshmen.
3) Run your offense directly at Zion. Zion is a gravity well on defense, the ball just seems to come to him - take that strength and make it his weakness. Get Zion in foul trouble because Zion is this Duke team's motor. Without him they are just not that potent. Sure he's gonna make scoring inside hard, but the point is to open up the game when he's not in there. You've got to make Zion sit. This is made easier because RJ Barrett is a lackluster defender who will let his man go if he thinks Zion will take care of it.
So, Ringo - how did Duke beat Carolina last night if they're such a simple egg to crack?
Goldwire. Goldwire, Goldwire, Goldwire.
First, there's just not enough tape on Goldwire and Vrankovich to know what the hell those two are going to do on the court, much less both at the same time. Were they spectacular? No, they're bench guys. But they're bench guys with no scouting report on them and that threw off UNC enough to tighten things back up.
Second, Goldwire put Cam Johnson on lockdown. That's freaking amazing. Duke had a lineup out there with Tre Jones hounding Coby White, Goldwire denying Cam Johnson touches, and Zion eating Luke Maye's lunch. That left Kenny Williams and Garrison Brooks/Nassir Little out there to create offense for UNC, which was way out of everyone's comfort zone.
Third, it was a one point rivalry game where one team was trying to win 3 times in a row :tell_me_more:
So yeah, if Coach K realizes what he has in Goldwire, you can throw my scouting report out the window, because you just might not be able to score on that defense, and Duke will thrive on points from turnovers. That team is a Final Four team. This four frosh and a big man team? Not even Elite Eight.
Reminder that FSU actually has good relations with the Floridian Seminole tribe, though it's still just business
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/florida-states-unusual-bond-with-seminole-tribe-puts-mascot-debate-in-a-different-light/2014/12/29/5386841a-8eea-11e4-ba53-a477d66580ed_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8ecf639f5467