Selection Sunday-NCAA tournament thread

I don't understand what Bodie is trying to get at with his Butler-FGCU question. That people only like mid-majors who slow down the tempo?

 

LaSalle has to be upset. They are the lowest seed to make the sweet 16 since 1999, except for FGCU.

 

I didn't take his question as an intricate comparison of the teams. I thought it was more "Will people fall for this Cinderella as hard as they did for that one?"

 

Yeah, that's probably it. Perhaps related to whether there's now a been-there, done-that feel to mid-majors advancing after George Mason, VCU, and Butler. Although I guess VCU and Butler aren't really mid-majors any more.

 

I think what Florida Gulf Coast has done so far is probably one of the five coolest runs since the tournament went to 64 teams.

I think Villanova in 1985, VCU in 2011, and George Mason in 2006 would be right there as well...

What I love most about these two wins is that they didn't have to win either game Valpo-style with a prayer at the buzzer. They basically kicked the crap out of both teams.

 

If you get technical, UNLV is a mid-major, even though no one considers it one...

 

The hottest spot on the planet for basketball is the Sunshine State: Miami (Heat, Canes) and Florida and Gulf Coast.

 

Why not Butler?

 

Twice

And Pennsylvania back in the day.

 

I honestly think people, blinded by how ugly that UConn game was (Butler led at halftime, by the way), tend to forget how unbelievable that two-year Butler run really was. It was, to my mind, right up there in the competition for the most incredible American sports story of the century to this point.

 

The way college basketball is set up today, I would have no problem opening this tournament up to 96 teams. The top 32, or all conference champions or something like that, getting a first round bye and 64 teams playing in the first round.

 

I agree with Mizzou. The fact FCG plays such an entertaining form of basketball makes its success all the more appealing to fans.