2024-25 College Basketball Thread

[Batman]

I love the clinical description of a BYU player delivering an elbow to the cojones of a Wisconsin defender as "clearly non-incidental contact to the groin."

 

[Gutter]

I love the clinical description of a BYU player delivering an elbow to the cojones of a Wisconsin defender as "clearly non-incidental contact to the groin."

He's preparing for life as a Republican senator.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

This BYU-Wisconsin game is bonkers.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Didn't love the last possession for Wisconsin, but BYU was really good in a defense-optional contest.

 

[dixiehack]

I love the clinical description of a BYU player delivering an elbow to the cojones of a Wisconsin defender as "clearly non-incidental contact to the groin."

The color guy on the radio described it as "getting hit in his future."

 

[HanSenSE]

WTF Zags?

 

[dixiehack]

Hey UCLA, if you are getting a train run on you this half the least you could do is accumulate more than one foul and make it look like you give half a shirt.

 

[tapintoamerica]

I love the clinical description of a BYU player delivering an elbow to the cojones of a Wisconsin defender as "clearly non-incidental contact to the groin."

One of the greatest euphemisms ever.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Their first-round losses were to:
• A Big 12 team
• The best non-power conference program of the past 25 years
• A 30-win conference champion people who, if it had not gotten an at-large bid, people would have screamed bloody murder over
• The two-time defending national champion
• A perenially good mid-major that was a higher seed
• And in a play-in game where I won't argue that Texas did not deserve to be in the tournament; but still, a play-in game

There's certainly some disappointment there, but I'm not sure I would classify any of those as embarrassing losses. I think if the SEC gets five or six teams through to the Sweet 16 that's a pretty good hit rate.

As I said, the top of the league is top-notch. Eight, maybe nine in, I could easily live with that. But it didn't go 14 deep. Certainly not teams that finished 7-11 and 6-12 in conference.

It's just like football. Alabama and Georgia being great doesn't make Arkansas and Mississippi State good. But that's the perception.

 

[Bubbler]

Lack of Cinderella's in the NCAA Tournament is kind of a reflection of the world. (Colorado State and New Mexico won't count. Mountain West is a good league.)

Cinderella: Hi! I wanted to crash the Sweet 16 and make it interesting!
Powers-that-be: Lady, get your ass back to work. That floor isn't going to shine itself.

 

[dixiehack]

As I said, the top of the league is top-notch. Eight, maybe nine in, I could easily live with that. But it didn't go 14 deep. Certainly not teams that finished 7-11 and 6-12 in conference.

It's just like football. Alabama and Georgia being great doesn't make Arkansas and Mississippi State good. But that's the perception.

No teams finished 7-11 in the SEC. Texas and Oklahoma finished 6-10, and it is certainly reasonable to feel they should have been told no. That leaves you with four other teams (maybe three) you say should not have been in.

Four other teams went 8-10 so I suspect they are next on your hit list, although one of those was Arkansas so you may want to back down on the Hogs. So who is left?

Mississippi State
21-13 record, No. 32 KenPom, seven wins against tournament teams. Best wins: Texas A&M, Memphis, Ole Miss (x2). Bad loss: Butler

Georgia
20-13 record, No. 38 KenPom, seven wins against tournament teams. Best wins: Florida, St. John's, Kentucky. Bad loss: none

Vanderbilt
20-13 record, No. 47 KenPom, six wins against tournament teams. Best wins: Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas A&M. Bad loss: none

 

[Cosmo]

Per usual, the women's tournament is very chalky. Exactly two non-power league teams won first-round games (Richmond, South Dakota State) and the worst seeds to advance were a pair of 10s. Only two games featuring 11 seeds or worse were decided by single digits -- Liberty-Kentucky and Michigan-Iowa State. Interesting that West Virginia, a 6 seed, is a favorite against 3 seed UNC in the second round, considering the Heels are at home.