Official Running NCAA/March Madness thread

Apparently Zion's blown out pair of sneaks is "missing." I'm guessing Nike has them and they've already been shredded in an Oregon landfill. Estimated to fetch up to 250k in auction, I doubt Nike wants them in the open market. Also, do most shoe companies reserve the right to reclaim any and all shoes of players and players of teams they have agreements with?

 

Just a warmup act for "How will we survive the NBA Playoffs without LeBron?"

 

It’s not.

On average, a good team that goes often will be disappointed. That is the expected value. If your team makes it as a nine or better seed, you’re more likely to be disappointed than not.

Izzo is one of the few that outruns that. And he just had two rare disappointments in three years.

 

Hamilton has had one 2 seed and two 3 seeds

Fran has never been seeded higher than 7

Mack was higher than a 6 twice (one 1, one 2)

Brett has been higher than a 5 twice, one 2, one 3

Painter has been higher than a 5 five times. A 2, two 3s, two 4s and for fun two fives.

It’s a bitch to make a Final Four.

 

We won’t survive. He’s the King. We will just need his blessing to play and ESPN, TNT and whoever else wants to live in this Iniverse must mention His name during every game, pre and post game show.

 

I think Texas Tech beats Michigan State and Auburn beats Virginia.
I don't think Texas Tech can run with Auburn.

 

I selfishly need Virginia and Texas Tech to win so I can clinch a pool and just enjoy Monday's title game. Would have to sweat out UVa-Michigan State. Would lose if it's Texas Tech and Auburn.

 

They stopped Gonzaga, which is also an up-tempo outfit. Not sure what would happen there.

 

Auburn to play their 40th game of the season Saturday. If Sparty plays Monday, it will be their 40th game of the season. Duke played 37 games and left 3 on the table. They’ll have at least 3 freshman go in the draft and not finish the semester.
There’s no way to get an education and play D1 basketball. Which makes the scholarship worthless to the players. They are essentially getting room and board, sneakers, sweats and $100 a week.
They should sue for violation FLSA.

 

Legally college athletes are not classified as employees. I think a case went to the Supreme Court concerning eligibility for workers compensation and athletes lost because it was decided that the athlete involved as not an employee.

 

And yet thousands of players at all levels of the NCAA do graduate every year, most in four years. Several seniors on this year's Microville Tech team are already in grad school, all have/will graduate, five made the Pac-12 all-academic team.

Every player has graduated in the women's program, which has made the Sweet 16 or more the past four years (so it has played A LOT of games). The same is true at Stanford, Washington, etc.

Most teams do not play almost 40 games a year. Those that do, like Duke or Kentucky, long ago abandoned the educational aspect of the student/athlete narrative by taking inordinate numbers of one-and-done players. The 900-odd other teams in NCAA basketball do not.

The players you refer to never had any intention whatsoever of including the educational component in their college experience. Those that do, generally can and do succeed.