without fab we needed to catch a break

[CorduroyG]

and considering our luck you knew we wouldnt. ohio st was the only team in the east i felt was better than us without fab, if they get picked off before elite 8 we're in f4 right now, but of course it dont happen.

look at uconn last year. they get the weakest 2 seed last year in san diego st, then a 5 seed in elite 8, then a 4 seed and 8 seed in f4 lol. we get a 2 seed with 1 seed talent, and who would have been a 1 seed if they beat mich st last game of season, and the type of inside player that would hurt us without fab. with the way they played down the stretch and in tourny theyre definitely the best 2 seed. then if we get by them we get another 2 seed that was a 1 seed heading into their conference tourny, and another dominant inside player that would take advantage of no fab. then we'd get a loaded kentucky team full of lottery picks.

kansas catches 2 breaks. purdue had them beat and they gift wrap the game to them. and no way they beat unc with a healthy marshall. and of course ohio st catches a huge break with no fab. and lville gets a 7 seed in elite 8. even kentuckys 2 seed gets knocked out in 1st round.

one of these years it would be nice to catch a break or 2 in march. we didnt get 1 upset in our bracket, and without fab we needed 1. comparing uconns road in the regionals and f4 last year to ours this year makes me sick.

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[Marsh01]

and considering our luck you knew we wouldnt. ohio st was the only team in the east i felt was better than us without fab, if they get picked off before elite 8 we're in f4 right now, but of course it dont happen.

look at uconn last year. they get the weakest 2 seed last year in san diego st, then a 5 seed in elite 8, then a 4 seed and 8 seed in f4 lol. we get a 2 seed with 1 seed talent, and who would have been a 1 seed if they beat mich st last game of season, and the type of inside player that would hurt us without fab. with the way they played down the stretch and in tourny theyre definitely the best 2 seed. then if we get by them we get another 2 seed that was a 1 seed heading into their conference tourny, and another dominant inside player that would take advantage of no fab. then we'd get a loaded kentucky team full of lottery picks.

kansas catches 2 breaks. purdue had them beat and they gift wrap the game to them. and no way they beat unc with a healthy marshall. and of course ohio st catches a huge break with no fab. and lville gets a 7 seed in elite 8. even kentuckys 2 seed gets knocked out in 1st round.

one of these years it would be nice to catch a break or 2 in march. we didnt get 1 upset in our bracket, and without fab we needed 1. comparing uconns road in the regionals and f4 last year to ours this year makes me sick.

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We caught a lot of breaks. Samuels from KState was declared out prior to our game. I think that was a huge break. We also got Wisconsin as opposed to Vanderbilt. That was also a huge break. Another break was Sullinger getting 2 fouls in the first 6 minutes.

I do agree though that it would be nice to play a double digit seed in the elite 8 or to have something wacky like that happen to us.

 

[kd bart]

Ohio St could've beaten Mich St in the Big 10 Conference Final and the two teams would've traded spots in the brackets.

 

[RichmondCuse]

Bottom line, you need a few breaks to win the NCAA Tournament. I would absolutely say we caught some breaks in 2003. First break was getting to play in Boston then Albany, and also remember we avoided the 2 seed that year and got to play Auburn in the Sweet 16, then we had a fantastic matchup against 1 seed Oklahoma in Elite 8. It takes a lot of luck to win the NCAA Tournament. Some years you're on the good end of that luck, some years you're not.

 

[RF2044]

Bottom line, you need a few breaks to win the NCAA Tournament. I would absolutely say we caught some breaks in 2003. First break was getting to play in Boston then Albany, and also remember we avoided the 2 seed that year and got to play Auburn in the Sweet 16, then we had a fantastic matchup against 1 seed Oklahoma in Elite 8. It takes a lot of luck to win the NCAA Tournament. Some years you're on the good end of that luck, some years you're not.

Agreed. NCAA play is about matchups and a little luck. Sometimes, a little of the latter can carry a team a long way.

 

[kd bart]

Agree. The Tournament is all about matchups and the only matchup in the East Region I feared was with Ohio St.

 

[Brian Orange]

Agree with this post. It seems clear as day now but we should have been rooting for someone to knock off Ohio State all along. We just couldn't match up with them without Fab. I will actually remember us not having Fab as the main reason we lost, not the officials. Fab really 'ed his teammates and of course the fans down the line. I hope we never see him again.

You need a lot of luck to win the NCAA Tournament. Lots of it.

 

[joct]

As strange as this may sound, if we want to talk breaks in my opinion a break would have been if Fab's suspension came earlier. Between the 2 Fab suspensions, the most minutes Christmas had was 8 in the blowout at St Johns. He grew a ton I thought in the games he played in rounds 1 and 2 without looking over his shoulder all the time, but I think that lack of experience defnitely hurt against the top front line talent of Ohio State. Of course no one knew we wouldn't have Fab, so I get that this makes no sense. But showing the progress he did, if some of that progress came earlier I think he was rapidly improving.

 

[CorduroyG]

also ohio st caught another break playing the 6 seed in sweet 16 instead of the 3 seed fsu, a team alot of people had going to final 4.

in 2003 we caught a break in sweet 16, but from elite 8 on we beat a 1 seed, 1 seed, and 2 seed. no breaks there.

 

[BuffOrange]

As mentioned Samuels sitting out for K-St and their other good player getting hurt was a nice break. That game could've gone very differently otherwise.
Baylor was better than Duke anyway so I don't really consider that a break for Kentucky.
Same goes for Ohio St - just because a lot of people picked FSU in the F4 doesn't mean they were that good. If they got a break it was having a road to the regional finals that was no tougher than ours even if everything held to seed - Wiscy/Vandy were just as good as FSU.
We did get the toughest #2 seed though. Almost every high seed had a good, balanced team on both ends of the court. But not Duke & Missouri who both had a defense in the 60s or 70s per Kenpom (OSU's D is #2 and their offense isn't much worse).

 

[djcon57]

Bottom line, you need a few breaks to win the NCAA Tournament. I would absolutely say we caught some breaks in 2003. First break was getting to play in Boston then Albany, and also remember we avoided the 2 seed that year and got to play Auburn in the Sweet 16, then we had a fantastic matchup against 1 seed Oklahoma in Elite 8. It takes a lot of luck to win the NCAA Tournament. Some years you're on the good end of that luck, some years you're not.

yep...I look at us and Louisville this year much like us and Uconn in 2003.

Uconn beat us twice in 2003...and probably beats us again if they somehow get to the Final Four...but they didn't s doesn't matter. We won.

This year LVille will have that Final Four banner, but no doubt we were better team.