Running NCAA men's tournament thread 2012

Classic, riviting game. Watched it at my fraternity house. Knowing that only the winner would go to the NCAA tournament gave it an intensity you don't see very often at all anymore.

For all of the problems with the NCAA tournament, opening it up to more than one school per conference was the best thing they ever did. NC State and Maryland were two of the best three teams in the country; Maryland absolutely destroyed everyone in the NIT, back when that tournament had a high-quality field and was played exclusively at MSG.

I also think in 1974, USC lost only two games, both to UCLA, and thus did not get the Pac-8's automatic berth. UCLA lost both games in Oregon but beat the Trojans twice and won the title by tiebreaker.

And two years later, Indiana beats Michigan in the first same-conference NCAA final, to finish as the last undefeated national champion in the last Final Four featuring two unbeaten teams (Rutgers was also perfect until the FF.) That year VMI somehow reached the Elite 8 by eliminating DePaul and Tennessee.

 

Sounds about right.

 

Actually, you are wrong there were five teams this year who averaged more than 85 ppg.

And the game was played differently back then so those stats you site are meaningless. His 1987 team averaged 79 ppg and was not among the top 60 in scoring.

He is a classic example of an old guy who believes everything old is great and everything new is inferior - and his inability to adapt to the way the game evolved is why he went to the Sweet 16 exactly once in his final 15 seasons as a coach.

 

Went three times in last 15 years coaching.
'93-Elite 8
'94- Sweet 16
'05-Sweet 16

 

Five members of Southern Miss pep band kicked out of the band, lose their scholarships and must undergo sensitivity training over "where's your green card?" chant:

http://bit.ly/GB8d7a

 

Holy shit. Examples? Yeah.

 

A colleague and I were discussing this today, and we both agreed that there is something a little skewed about priorities here.

I'm not suggesting that these kids should not be disciplined in some way, but you have football players and basketball players who don't get this kind of discipline for offenses a lot more serious than just uttering an offensive chant for a few seconds on national TV.

Hell, Southern had a football player get arrested with five pounds of weed in his trunk a couple of years ago, and he didn't lose HIS scholarship.

 

Way over the top with this punishment. Lose their scholarship? Come on, that is a bit ridiculous.

 

I'm sorry - once in his final 13 years of coaching.

 

Did anyone roll their eyes a bit when Crean just dressed that kid down Knight-style in the VCU game?

 

I know, right? Go figure.

 

It did for Knight for, what, 30 years or so?