NCAA 1st Round Games for March 18

[jncuse]

With the last 2 games, there are finally less than 100 perfect brackets on ESPN.
Still 65 perfect brackets so far which is hard to imagine.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

Jabari Smith is really good I can't wait to see players like that at Syracuse again. Won't happen until we have a new coach of course.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

Or you could say that was some really really good defense.

I'm an Loyola alum so I'm salty at the moment but Loyola would smoke Syracuse in a head-to-head match-up on neutral court. Oh by the way, there offense is pretty dang good too (not today). Give OSU credit as they got healthy and played solid D. Missed FT's and missed contested lay-ups was the Ramblers doom. I hope they allow the Ivy players that transferred that free year as the Ramblers will get more opportunities in the A-10.

Yeah single elimination is going to bring out the D. Every possession counts in these games. You only see easy buckets when a team gets up by 20.

People don't really realize how physical basketball is because there are no decleater hits NBA players can't take the same approach every possession that a college kid in the NCAA tournament does. Make the NBA a 17 game once per week regular season and its post season single elimination like the NFL and you will get a different game with every layup being closely contested.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

Or you could say that was some really really good defense.

I'm an Loyola alum so I'm salty at the moment but Loyola would smoke Syracuse in a head-to-head match-up on neutral court. Oh by the way, there offense is pretty dang good too (not today). Give OSU credit as they got healthy and played solid D. Missed FT's and missed contested lay-ups was the Ramblers doom. I hope they allow the Ivy players that transferred that free year as the Ramblers will get more opportunities in the A-10.

I think their success last year worked against them this year.

UNC brought their A+ game last night because a year ago they lost to Wisconsin by 30 or 40 in the first round.

If the way bigger more physical team brings it on D for 40 mins they will likely win unless contested threes start dropping at a 50% rate.

 

[MikeSU02]

Or you could say that was some really really good defense.

I'm an Loyola alum so I'm salty at the moment but Loyola would smoke Syracuse in a head-to-head match-up on neutral court. Oh by the way, there offense is pretty dang good too (not today). Give OSU credit as they got healthy and played solid D. Missed FT's and missed contested lay-ups was the Ramblers doom. I hope they allow the Ivy players that transferred that free year as the Ramblers will get more opportunities in the A-10.

All due respect to your team, which I enjoy, but they scored 18 first half points.

18.

That's not attributable to only good defense unless that other team is full of Kawhi Leonard clones. That is bad basketball.

Or, not good enough basketball. I promise you I would say the same thing if Cuse was that in position and have said as much during this year, quite a few times.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

I wonder if Delaware is going to keep this close all game.

Those schools are a little too close for comfort geographically no clue if they play each other OOC often but its like us drawing Siena or Colgate or Bonnies 1st round.

 

[Orangezoo]

Or you could say that was some really really good defense.

I'm an Loyola alum so I'm salty at the moment but Loyola would smoke Syracuse in a head-to-head match-up on neutral court. Oh by the way, there offense is pretty dang good too (not today). Give OSU credit as they got healthy and played solid D. Missed FT's and missed contested lay-ups was the Ramblers doom. I hope they allow the Ivy players that transferred that free year as the Ramblers will get more opportunities in the A-10.

Good lord. Sorry but this isn't the Loyola of the past couple years. Not having a post presence to work through and the same experience on the sidelines makes a big difference. As for head to head.. who knows but the angry we would smoke SU is funny- even this weak version of SU.

 

[MikeSU02]

How many teams that have lost, if they had JB, would have won? Meaning, if they had JB's in-game coaching would have won?

There are some easy ones, like if JB had UK's roster, I would absolutely expect a FF with a doubt. Does Colorado St beat UM?

 

[Orangezoo]

Amazing Delaware gets a freshman like this Davis kid...

 

[Marty McFly]

the refs are in 'Novas pocket.

 

[jncuse]

The Big 3 of the Big12 certainly have looked very good so far (Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech). Of course its only against 14,16,16 seeds... but we have seen some teams struggle a bit in these games and these 3 teams have all been up by 30 and coasted to easy wins.

Arguably the best "Top 3" of any conference.

 

[jncuse]

0-4 ATS so far
2-12 vs the Market on the Stocks that I hold

Other than that good day!

 

[Cusefan0307]

The Big 3 of the Big12 certainly have looked very good so far (Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech). Of course its only against 14,16,16 seeds... but we have seen some teams struggle a bit in these games and these 3 teams have all been up by 30 and coasted to easy wins.

Arguably the best "Top 3" of any conference.

For someone who's won 80% of his games at 2 power 5 schools in 25 years it is quite amazing Bill Self has only been to 2 final fours. It seems like Kansas is probably due for some good tourney luck and watch this be the year as it seems nobody is picking them.

 

[Orangezoo]

For someone who's won 80% of his games at 2 power 5 schools in 25 years it is quite amazing Bill Self has only been to 2 final fours. It seems like Kansas is probably due for some good tourney luck and watch this be the year as it seems nobody is picking them.

Self has a massive ego. You see that carry over in his players a lot and it's bitten them a bunch of times in the tourney.

 

[Orangezoo]

Delaware is toast.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

Wong with all 10 for Miami noone else has come close to scoring.

Mobley is pathetic so embarrassing watching a 7 footger stand outside the 3 point line wanting to jack threes. USC should win this in a blowout they play good D Miami shouldn't be in the dance ACC was just that bad.

 

[jncuse]

6 games today have been duds in terms of entertainment
Villanova teased us like Auburn did earlier for the first 10 minutes then quickly pulled away.
3-14 games are even bigger duds - Purdue+Texas Tech slaughtered the opposition.
7-10 game was offensively challenged basketball.

Can't be too greedy. We were greatly spoiled yesterday evening.

 

[Cusefan0307]

6 games today have been duds in terms of entertainment
Villanova teased us like Auburn did earlier for the first 10 minutes then quickly pulled away.
3-14 games are even bigger duds - Purdue+Texas Tech slaughtered the opposition.
7-10 game was offensively challenged basketball.

Can't be too greedy. We were greatly spoiled yesterday evening.

Hopefully it’s setting us up for a Duke meltdown.

 

[Lord Ashby]

All due respect to your team, which I enjoy, but they scored 18 first half points.

18.

That's not attributable to only good defense unless that other team is full of Kawhi Leonard clones. That is bad basketball.

Or, not good enough basketball. I promise you I would say the same thing if Cuse was that in position and have said as much during this year, quite a few times.

I hear ya. Things get magnified in tournament play. Hell I'm SU alum too and I know how we won are 2nd to last game and in no way is that a reflection on SU as I know that is not how we act or are coached. Oh well, onto the rest of the Madness.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

I’m just reading about how Jax St got in after Bellarmine won the conference tournament but were ineligible because they were moving up from DII. I think that’s a ridiculous rule to ban a team from the NCAA tournament for 4 years if they move up a division. It’s very difficult to move from DII to DI. If a team can somehow win their conference tournament during that time period they should be allowed in the Dance.

If they weren't eligible for the NCAAT then they shouldn't have played in the conf tournament. Like when a school is on probation. It made no sense and wasn't fair to the team that they beat.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

If they weren't eligible for the NCAAT then they shouldn't have played in the conf tournament. Like when a school is on probation. It made no sense and wasn't fair to the team that they beat.

That’s not the point. The point is they shouldn’t have been ineligible. Antiquated NCAA policy

 

[jncuse]

It's a big next few hours for the ACC.

Miami, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech all playing in toss-up games.

I actually picked all the ACC teams above ATS. I actually think they deserved all the low seeds they got, but the seeding system bases things so much on what happened in Nov+Dec (which is fair) but it can't really determine if a conference is improving or not. So my theory is that teams in lesser P5 conferences could be good value for seed, and teams in a +++seed conference could be over-valued.

That's my theory anyway. Has worked so far as the ACC is 2-0.
Also I am 0-5 today ATS or Game Totals, so don't believe anything I say.

 

[Briancuse]

I love raff but I can do without him yelling short or yeesh.when the balls in the air.

 

[jncuse]

If they weren't eligible for the NCAAT then they shouldn't have played in the conf tournament. Like when a school is on probation. It made no sense and wasn't fair to the team that they beat.

I agree and yet more disagree.

I assume when you are saying it wasn't fair to the schools they beat, you are referring to the schools that they beat before Jacksonville St. Because there was nothing unfair for Jacksonville St, or Atlantic Suns teams on the non Bellarmine Half of the Bracket -- it was actually a sweet deal for them. It was really unfair for the schools on the Bellarmine half of the bracket however.

Just because the NCAA has a stupid rule why should the conferences choose to have the same stupid rule and punish a school like Bellarmine.

 

[OrangeXtreme]