College basketball 2009-10 running thread No. 1

Anthony Johnson with 42 for the Grizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Wayne Tinkle and Co. back in the dance.

 

Blitz, I think at least two of those teams will be in the Big Dance. I'd say Wake still looks OK for an at-large, and I think the Rebs are in if they beat Tennessee on Friday. The Wrecks probably have to win at least two at the ACC Tournament, ditto the Illini, and you may have to start thinking about Cincy as a more viable bubble team the way they've been going lately. They're still a long shot, however.

 

Though it probably will make it, Louisville doesn't deserve to get in with a record that includes a 19-point loss against St. John's, a loss at HOME against Western Carolina and a loss at HOME against Charlotte BY 22. These three black eyes more than negate the two wins against Syracuse.

And here's a perfect example of how the Selection Committee should use the pod system for its intended purpose. It ought to send Montana to the Spokane site so their fans can enjoy the experience of the tournament. It's not going to upset the competitive nature of the site to have a 12 or 13 seed play in front of a few fans; don't make them suffer by shipping them off to Jacksonville or Buffalo.

 

Since Timmy Higgins handed the Ville the first Syr win, Pitino has Higgins to thank, when they get in.
. . . not to mention the fact that the throught of a 96-team tournament in '11, virtually eliminating all the Cinderella romance, is an utter emetic.
The ESPN comment sections should be filled to the brim, the moment
that war atrocity is rubberstamped . . .

 

A 6 seed doesn't deserve to play Villanova in Philly. That's crap. F that S.

 

Ben, to play the NCAA's advocate on this, I could see one silver lining in a larger tourney...

The VCUs and the ODUs and the St. Marys of the world have a stage to show what they can do against the bigger schools in a neutral setting. The more chances the one-bid conferences have to show their merit, the better. Because right now, how often can you get a Syracuse down to Hampton? Hampton can come to the Carrier Dome, but that is not a two-way street.

 

As was discussed on the thread about expanding the tourney, I am absolutely against this idea. There's no need, at all, to reward mediocrity. There are barely enough decent teams now to fill the field, no need to expand it. But, as I said there, I also believe all major sports should scale back to at least 24 teams. Mediocrity rules the day at this point in just about every sport.

 

It was one silver lining. I'm not for it, but I think the gap between the ODUs and the Pittsburghs is not as far as you think. All the kids jumping so quickly to the NBA, I think, has created that.

You want an NCAA Tourney with 24 teams? That would have left out Davidson last year and WVU a few years back. It probably would have left out Villanova, NC State and Kansas with Manning.

 

What makes you think the Committee is going to change the way it does business and treat everyone more equitably? There's not a prayer in hell that a 96-team tournament will change anything; the VCUs and ODUs are still going to be sent to Anaheim to play UCLA, or to Dallas to play Texas, or . . . you get my point.

 

It's a cash cow for the NCAA and the networks -- and a security blanket for
horseshit coaches who can't get it up. Let's invite UConn and North Carolina
this year, for old times' sake. Utter garbage.

 

Screw The Mid-Majors: an NCAA baskets credo, only forever.

 

You're going to be awfully disappointed when you realize there aren't that many mid-majors that are going to get byes this season other than the locks (Gonzaga) and the auto-bids. Because the mid-major players aren't any more worthy (Wichita State, perhaps, but even that's borderline).

Of course, this board will explode in mid-major fury when Sunday comes about. It always does.