Game Thread: Sweet 16 Thread

[Ickey Shuffle]

It makes me kinda want Uconn to just give up football and go to the BE.

Not like the football program will ever win the NC anyway.

Kinda surprised Uconn still has football as an activity lol.

 

[The Q]

Kinda surprised Uconn still has football as an activity lol.

LOL.

Damn.

I really really want to dislike you.

But shit that's funny.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

help is on the way.....
Wichita State move to AAC growing more likely, ESPN report says

Good- they'll have (less) excuses to give when they lose in the tournament going forward.

In all seriousness, a conference with WSU, Uconn, Cincy, and SMU at the top is somewhat intriguing.

 

[Jordan23]

If he declares I'll be he's a late lotto pick after workouts. He might be the best big in this class.

Also UNC's Bradley is really impressive off the bench. I'd love to see guys like Meeks to get 2 quick fouls so I can see more of him.

Even Maye is more of a threat than him. Maye can actually shoot the 3 ball decent. If they played him more and spread the court, that would draw defenders out and open the lane more for Jackson and Berry.

 

[Hitman Hart]

Good- they'll have (less) excuses to give when they lose in the tournament going forward.

In all seriousness, a conference with WSU, Uconn, Cincy, and SMU at the top is somewhat intriguing.

Agreed. WSU to the AAC is good for college basketball.

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

Nigel Hayes trashes ‘dirty’ New York ahead of Wisconsin - Florida

I am shocked and offended

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

pray for wisconsin ......

Did you pull their fire alarm at the hotel last night?

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

(1) GONZAGA vs. (4) WEST VIRGINIA
(11) XAIVER vs. (2) ARIZONA

(1) KANSAS vs. (4) PURDUE
(3) OREGON vs. (7) MICHIGAN

Damn...I suck. Let's see if I can at least hit .500 on tonight's games

 

[purguy12]

Arizona chokes again. Still shocked about that game.

 

[Vitamike]

Still shocked about that game.

Me too, after Kansas it seemed like the most solid pick of the other 7!

I guess, we'll see tonight.

 

[Ickey Shuffle]

Yes. Please. Wichita State is more than welcome to the AAC.

Maybe more top-notch mid major schools can join.

 

[The Q]

Yes. Please. Wichita State is more than welcome to the AAC.

Maybe more top-notch mid major schools can join.

They gonna raid the A-10?

VCU, Rhody and.....

I doubt any BE teams would jump shit, so the A-10 is probably the best option.

Unless Boise St is willing to join for football there's really no point to adding them either.

 

[CatsTopPac]

I'm not trying to start an argument, but couldn't you say the same thing then about Miller and Arizona? I think it's absurd to suggest Miller and Arizona won't make a FF simply because they have never been there and therefore you should never predict them to be make it there. Zona is going to be loaded next season, which is why I bring this point up.

Eric, I understand that you are not trying to start an argument but you have to know by now that I don't just think that simply because a team has never been to a FF that I can't predict them to going in. You have to know by now that's not the reason I couldn't pick GU going in. We've gone around and around far too much for you to believe that. That's not what I wrote (even in the bold you highlighted), and that's not what I believe.

 

[Deep Creek]

The reason I thought this was Few's best Gonzaga team is that the two best NBA prospects didn't even start(Collins and Tillie) that's the kind of depth that not even a lot of power programs have. And NWG is the best pure PG they've had under Few IMO.

They also have very experienced guards this year with that trio of transfers.

 

[ericd7633]

Eric, I understand that you are not trying to start an argument but you have to know by now that I don't just think that simply because a team has never been to a FF that I can't predict them to going in. You have to know by now that's not the reason I couldn't pick GU going in. We've gone around and around far too much for you to believe that. That's not what I wrote (even in the bold you highlighted), and that's not what I believe.

I understand the reasons you didn't predict Gonzaga to make the FF. I was just wondering how that translated over to a team that you cheer for, who has similar reasons as to why there could be some reservations in picking them to go to a FF.

 

[ericd7633]

They also have very experienced guards this year with that trio of transfers.

Correct, which is what I stated in that final sentence about NWG. He's the most important player on their team, even if he isn't the most talented or best NBA prospect. Mathews was a perfect fit at the wing as well. Scary thing is if NGW and Collins return I think they'll be even better next year.

 

[CatsTopPac]

I understand the reasons you didn't predict Gonzaga to make the FF. I was just wondering how that translated over to a team that you cheer for, who has similar reasons as to why there could be some reservations in picking them to go to a FF.

I think that the reasons Miller hasn't been to a FF are because he has had some cohesion and chemistry problems (either from leadership issues, injuries, a ton of freshmen, or just a lot of moving parts), a lack of FF/EE competition at the top of the Pac in some years, and his inability to break a strong zone. Now, I could throw in there Wisky getting hot from 3 or Kemba Walker going apeshit on us, but those aren't things going in that I can predict getting in the way.

So let me address these one by one.

1) Cohesion, leadership, egos, injuries, and settling into roles are always difficult to impossible to predict. I can only say that it hurts when it's not there and it helps when it is. We'll have to see how it goes next year. I'm guessing that PJC will be the leader next year but I don't know. Our only senior is Allen but he is our leader. I also think that Lauri, Trier, and Kobi leave. I think that we should have the talent, but the freshmen and transfers will have to buy in, we need to stay healthy to gel, we'll need a strong leader, and a go-to.

2) I think that the Pac should be pretty strong next year with UCLA, USC, and Oregon. I'm hearing some really disappointing rumors that as soon as UCLA is done, Alford is bailing to IU. I hope not. I'm not a particularly big fan of his, but I think he has more than enough in Westwood for him to stay and be happy. If he goes, the Pac will suffer. I have no reason to doubt that Altman will have another strong group, and it looks like USC might be strong (although how strong I don't know). I think that if the Pac is strong, that helps AZ. This season we gained a lot by playing UCLA and Oregon. There are a few years under Miller that I think we had a strong team but we were soft because the Pac was weak. I think (as with GU) that AZ needs to play strong teams to get ready for March. This year was great, and I'm hoping that the Pac can get past being shitty. If the pac is strong, I think we will have the tests and get our weaknesses exposed so that we should be ready as far as playing the competition we need to get ready for March.

3) Miller has been pretty bad against the zone as a coach. With everything he does well, it's a glaring issue. It doesn't cost him much because he usually doesn't face many teams with tough zones. It's not something he has to deal with in the Pac (which is a weakness that the Pac really didn't expose for us). Now that Hopkins is coming in, I think he'll get better at it. I also think that last night it finally dawned on him that his zone offense is shit. He tries to cover for it and make excuses for why he doesn't have to face it, but last night it smacked him in the face. He finally admitted to it in the press conference last night, although everyone in Tucson has known it for years. If he doesn't figure out how to break a zone when he needs to, I have no reason to predict that he will. He's gotten by with shooting over it, or had the talent to try and just try to iso, but it's only a matter of time until he has to face it if he wants to get to and succeed in the final weekend. I just don't think it's reasonable for him to think that he'll always just face man defenses or weak zones. Everyone knows that Miller struggles against the zone. A good zone is going to hurt him. Everyone in Tucson was praying for him to work on the zone this week, and he didn't get it done. Last night it cost him. It's cost him before but not in March. I'm glad he finally admitted it at the press conference, and I think that between that, and Hopkins coming in next year, he will face it. Sucks that it cost us last night, but I have confidence that he will work it out. Will it happen next year? I don't know.

In conclusion, if Miller has the same issues (in general) that cost them getting to the FF in the past, then I don't think it's a good prediction that they will get to the FF. If the the things that have gone against him getting there are not issues, then it's a much better prediction.

As far as AZ being a team I root for, I think it lends to my argument with the fact that it's not like I was splattering the boards all season (or any season) saying that AZ will go to the FF, while shitting on GU. I'm pretty reasonable with where I think AZ is for the most part, although I have been wrong on both ends before. I didn't see AZ as a team going in that I would say is a definite FF contender, although I thought they were close. I was worried about the zone, and I wondered about the freshmen on that stage. I knew very well that if Miller didn't get them to break the zone it would cost us. And it did. Because it's our weakness, I was more worried about playing X after what their zone did against FSU than playing anyone else, just because that matchup with a strong zone is our weakness. My worries about playing in the EE was the youth of our team and depending on freshmen in the EE is a gamble.

I think that those issues that we've faced will have to be resolved for me to predict AZ to the FF next year. We can control all but the competition in the Pac. If the Pac isn't as strong, then we'll need to do to what I expect Few has to which is play so far beyond the competition that we play against ourselves and set the standard so high that we can still recognize our weaknesses even if the other team isn't exposing them, in order to make improvements and develop. But that is extremely difficult that I can't go in saying it will happen. We've needed the competition to do it in the past, so I don't have enough to go from to say it will happen without a strong Pac. Few looks like he is keying in on it and might be able to overcome his weak schedule by doing just that. But I'd have to see it to believe it. He has a really nice path to PHX this season, and the title game. But it seems that Few is learning to play so far beyond the level of his competition because it's burned him in the past. His weakness is his competition not getting him ready that he is skyrocketing the standard of play by his team so that he is playing themselves and not the opponent. It's tough to get kids to buy in that much. It takes years of getting burned by weak competition to see it, and years of trying to play beyond the competition to get to the point where you don't need the other team to point out your mistakes, simply because you can't count on them to do it. If Few becomes a FF caliber coach, that's what he will have changed to do it. Getting much better players certainly helps, but getting them to hold themselves so much more accountable than their competition does sop that they can continue to grow despite playing shit is truly remarkable. That's not something I can predict going in. Not with GU, and not with AZ if the Pac is down.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Good- they'll have (less) excuses to give when they lose in the tournament going forward.

In all seriousness, a conference with WSU, Uconn, Cincy, and SMU at the top is somewhat intriguing.

Plus there's Tulsa who has been solid lately, Houston who has the potential to be good and Tulane because they randomly have a former NBA coach.

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

They gonna raid the A-10?

VCU, Rhody and.....

I doubt any BE teams would jump shit, so the A-10 is probably the best option.

Unless Boise St is willing to join for football there's really no point to adding them either.

We're not joining for football unless the American becomes a money conference, our basketball program is quite ok at the moment at least, we used to suck now we at least make the NIT and sometimes take a loss in the first 4 of the tournament.

Best bets are A-10 teams like VCU and Richmond

Dayton would be a good option but they are probably more looking for a bid to the Big East as the catholic nature of that conference fits Dayton well

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

Damn...I suck. Let's see if I can at least hit .500 on tonight's games

I think I had the same picks as you in the pickem