Running 2023-24 NCAA Basketball Thread

I find it hilarious that Rick Pitino is badmouthing the committee for leaving his team out mere weeks after badmouthing his own team. It's so, so, good.

 

First two times Milwaukee (then coached by Bruce Pearl) made the tournament, it had potential matchups with Illinois.

2003 - Milwaukee lost to Notre Dame when the winner rimmed out at the buzzer… would’ve met Illinois in 2nd round.

2005 - Milwaukee made it to the Sweet 16 … and faced Illinois, at Allstate in Chicago. Loudest game from start to finish I’ve attended.

 

Sometimes the story is better than the seeding.

But you need that seeding to make the story.

 

When you have that many teams, they aren't play-in games anymore. It's just the first round.

 

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler to face his half-brother, Armoni Zeigler, a freshman guard at St. Peter's.

 

Gotta take advantage of those rare moments the program isn't on probation ...

 

Mark Whicker had a fun note in his A-to-Z column:


Mason Forbes
F is for Mason Forbes of St. Mary’s, whose sister McKenzie was the MVP of the Pac-12 tournament for victorious (and top-seeded) USC. Both were at Harvard, together, for one year. Mason’s dad Sterling was a Lakers draft pick, from Pepperdine, and grandfather Sterling Sr. was a Harlem Globetrotter.

 

Talk about random familial matchup.

 

Armoni averaged 19 minutes per game but only had 12 minutes total in three conference tournament games.

Hope they get on the court at the same time.

 

Only a pandemic stopped the most predictable matchup of all-time in 2020...Villanova vs. Hofstra.

 

Isn't that the plot of about 70 different bad sports movies?