Running NCAA Basketball Thread 2014-15

Buffalo played Wisconsin very tough in Madison back in December.

 

If the NCAA were to get a Duke-Kentucky final, they'd be too busy creaming their pants to make a shady call to the refs.

 

They had Jim Calhoun as the analyst on ESPN's show, and when pressed to predict a Final Four, he had three 1's and a 2. Wow, way to go out on a limb, coach!

 

Welllllll, I parsed my first bracket a few minutes ago, and came up with Kentucky, Arizona, Virginia and Duke. I just don't see a sleeper in there anywhere with the legs to get to Indy.

I think Iowa State KOs Gonzaga, and for some insane reason I have LSU beating Villanova, although I may reconsider that at some point. I can see North Carolina putting out Wisconsin and ND handling Kansas, assuming KU gets past the Wheatshockers, which is no slam dunk, especially if Perry Ellis isn't 100%.

A few first-round upset specials I'm looking at: SF Austin over Utah, Ole Miss over Xavier (after they defeat the Mormons on Tuesday), Davidson over Iowa and Texas over Butler.

 

Go get 'em, Red Ass.

 

I wish the committee would stop playing favorites to some of the top seeds. You can't give a home game to all the 1 seeds, so let's stop this Kentucky-playing-in-Louisville and Duke-in-Charlotte crap. I've never liked this and I never will. The only people that would have been negatively impacted would have been ticket scalpers if Kentucky had to go to Columbus and Duke to Louisville or Jacksonville.

 

The abominable pod system (8 West regional games in Jacksonville) was created specifically to put the top seeds in maximum ticket selling position, but even before the pod, tournament rule one was there shalt be opening round games played in the state of North Carolina and rule two was that Duke or North Carolina or preferably both will be placed there.

 

Kentucky's route is Louisville-Cleveland-Indianapolis. None of those are even an overnight trip for many of their fans.

 

The year Illinois got beat in the title game (2005?) it was the one seed and I think their longest trip was like 200 miles from campus.

 

They played the regional final against Arizona at the United Center and had to come back from like 15 down in the last 10 minutes, too.