Running NCAA Basketball Thread 2014-15

A week ago Furman was 8-21--now they are one win away from entering the NCAA tournament with a record of 12-21.

 

Rhode Island could probably be added to that list. The Rams lost a nail biter a home to Davidson a week or two ago, but with arguably the best defense in the conference, they're capable of making a run.

 

The team they are now is a 60 RPI.

 

Didn't VCU just get their best player back? That has been a part of why they have faltered in recent weeks, correct?

 

No. I think he's out for the season.

 

So, who's excited about the games they might see at whatever regional you're headed to? I'm going to Louisville and, while it's nice to see a team that could go undefeated, I have little interest in seeing UK throttle a 16 seed — especially in front of 15,000 of their own fans. I'm hoping the committee also gives me Wisconsin on the opening weekend.

 

Zag, as Reacher said, Weber is out for the season. They were without Treveon Graham for a while (certainly their best player post-Weber, maybe their best player even with him) so that might be what you're thinking of.

 

OK, so they at least got one guy back. I knew they had some injury issues.

 

So, will Gonzaga gag or actually make a Final 4?

 

I see neither.

I don't think they make the Final Four but I think they will lose to a better team en route

 

On the sludgeball/pace of play thing...offensive efficiency has actually been pretty good this year. Using the KenPom numbers, it's the fourth-best since 2002. It is the slowest season based on median tempo in that time period, but another big factor is the rules committee throwing away the "freedom of movement" changes they made last year.

13-14 was by far the best offensive efficiency season since KenPom began keeping track, and it's the only year they enforced those rules (no hand-checking, no checking cutters, almost impossible to take a charge). I don't think that's any coincidence, and I think the committee made a huge mistake in reversing those changes. Sure, the games were ugly and had a ton of foul shots, but that's because teams had been hand-checking, bumping cutters and flopping for the past two decades. There's always going to be an adjustment period with changes that significant, but the adjustment would come, and with it the reduction in fouls.

If you want prettier games, it's as easy as re-instituting those rule changes. Scoring will go up significantly, and the freedom of movement will allow for much prettier offense.

 

Depends on the matchups. Just like a couple years ago, when Kelly Olynyk and company had a No. 1 seed, the 2015 Zags are hurt by two things: their horrid conference, which they've played against the past two months, and their guards, who can't hack it defensively against teams with better, quicker backcourts.

Gonzaga should get its first two games in Seattle, so that will help them (probably? hopefully?) get through the first two rounds. Then in the Sweet 16, if they have a hot shooting/fast-paced game like last night against BYU, they have a chance to win.