2014 NCAA Tourney Thread

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:27 pm

Play-in games underway.

I have finally stopped loathing these. Maybe because I realize that brackets have largely been unaffected by these games.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:35 pm

Also still marveling over how loaded the Midwest region is.

Post by **brian** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:51 pm

I was going to bet on Albany, but I don't have any money in my account at the local bookie, so I was kicking myself when they were up 21-2 and I've been going back and forth on regretting not betting for the last hour.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:52 pm

brian wrote:I was going to bet on Albany, but I don't have any money in my account at the local bookie, so I was kicking myself when they were up 21-2 and I've been going back and forth on regretting not betting for the last hour.

mount st. marys came off the mat really well. Good game now.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:59 pm

tennbengal wrote:Play-in games underway.

I have finally stopped loathing these. Maybe because I realize that brackets have largely been unaffected by these games.

Except that whole VCU thing. Generally, though, you're right.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:11 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:
tennbengal wrote:Play-in games underway.

I have finally stopped loathing these. Maybe because I realize that brackets have largely been unaffected by these games.
Except that whole VCU thing. Generally, though, you're right.

I didn't mean that. I meant the picking of games for pools is unaffected. When they first went to this years ago, that was my only concern.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Ok. I give up. Where the fuck on my cable system is TruTV? I'll settle for reg definition.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:15 pm

Maybe the mount st marys coach should tell his team to go back to making shots.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:26 pm

The Albany uniforms are an affront to the sport. Or they just ran out of blue fabric.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:27 pm

That mount saint marys kid with the "raining 30 footers" range is making this a highly entertaining game.

Post by **brian** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:43 pm

howard wrote:The Albany uniforms are an affront to the sport. Or they just ran out of blue fabric.

Also, they misspelled "Albany" on them.

I'm heading up to my bookie to reload my app right now. Woulda cashed on the Danes (with some agita).

cerrano · Post by **cerrano** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:06 pm

vandenburg is the very definition of the "big-bottomed tall"

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 5:32 am

Xavier complains about being in the play-in game and then doesn't show up. Always a good look.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:21 am

tennbengal wrote:
AB_skin_test wrote:
tennbengal wrote:Play-in games underway.

I have finally stopped loathing these. Maybe because I realize that brackets have largely been unaffected by these games.
Except that whole VCU thing. Generally, though, you're right.
I didn't mean that. I meant the picking of games for pools is unaffected. When they first went to this years ago, that was my only concern.

Was just messing with you.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:05 am

tennbengal wrote:Xavier complains about being in the play-in game and then doesn't show up. Always a good look.

Especially when they are so close, their fans should have packed the place. Should have been a home game for them.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:19 am

I didn't realize the 7-5 giant made the tournament this year. Nice.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:27 am

DSafetyGuy wrote:
tennbengal wrote:Xavier complains about being in the play-in game and then doesn't show up. Always a good look.
Especially when they are so close, their fans should have packed the place. Should have been a home game for them.

Agreed, really crappy showing from them and the program.

Bensell · Post by **Bensell** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:40 pm

The Albany uniforms were fuckawful.

I got Tennessee going to the Elite Eight in one of my brackets, so I'm sure they will lose tonight.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 1:07 pm

Bensell wrote:The Albany uniforms were fuckawful.

I got Tennessee going to the Elite Eight in one of my brackets, so I'm sure they will lose tonight.

You'll deserve it if so!

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 3:54 pm

It's amazing to me just how many TV analysts are picking Michigan State to win it all. Not that they are a bad choice, but it's not like they dominated the season - at any point. I can see one or two guys picking them, but if you didn't know any better, you'd think they were the clear favorite, like Louisville last year or Kentucky the year before.

Even counting their Big Ten tourney win - impressive as it was - they finished the year 8-7 in their final 15 games.

Post by **brian** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 3:56 pm

Shirley wrote:It's amazing to me just how many TV analysts are picking Michigan State to win it all. Not that they are a bad choice, but it's not like they dominated the season - at any point. I can see one or two guys picking them, but if you didn't know any better, you'd think they were the clear favorite, like Louisville last year or Kentucky the year before.

Even counting their Big Ten tourney win - impressive as it was - they finished the year 8-7 in their final 15 games.

Yeah, they're banking on the fact that they're finally healthy and there's something to that, but they didn't look that great down the stretch in the regular season when they had everyone back anyway. But Izzo's a great tournament coach. That probably plays into it also.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 3:57 pm

Do your blindfold bracket.

Mine ended up with Zona.

howard · Post by **howard** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 4:52 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:Do your blindfold bracket.

Mine ended up with Zona.

My random fill on cbs also ended up zona. I am suspicious. Or I'm gonna bet the farm.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:23 pm

brian wrote:
Shirley wrote:It's amazing to me just how many TV analysts are picking Michigan State to win it all. Not that they are a bad choice, but it's not like they dominated the season - at any point. I can see one or two guys picking them, but if you didn't know any better, you'd think they were the clear favorite, like Louisville last year or Kentucky the year before.

Even counting their Big Ten tourney win - impressive as it was - they finished the year 8-7 in their final 15 games.
Yeah, they're banking on the fact that they're finally healthy and there's something to that, but they didn't look that great down the stretch in the regular season when they had everyone back anyway. But Izzo's a great tournament coach. That probably plays into it also.

Yeah, the Spartans are a reasonable FF choice pretty much every year.

howard · Post by **howard** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:55 pm

Ride high, you Mustangs! The "V" is illuminated on the hillside above campus, signifying a Cal Poly victory. John Madden, Ozzie Smith, Mike Krukow and Weird Al are all pleased. (but y'all are still semi-rural and wish you were Gauchos.)

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 8:05 pm

howard wrote:Ride high, you Mustangs! The "V" is illuminated on the hillside above campus, signifying a Cal Poly victory. John Madden, Ozzie Smith, Mike Krukow and Weird Al are all pleased. (but y'all are still semi-rural and wish you were Gauchos.)

Let's say you played a drinking game, wherein you did a shot of alcohol each time the announcers noted today that Cal Poly has a sub-.500 record. Your players would be the drunkest people in town!

Post by **Sabo** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 8:35 pm

Pretty cool seeing a friend of mine in press row right behind the announcers tonight. He's a budding TV star at this point.

P.S. I despise this Dish Network ad. Whoever approved it needs to be shot.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:03 pm

Sabo wrote:Pretty cool seeing a friend of mine in press row right behind the announcers tonight. He's a budding TV star at this point.

P.S. I despise this Dish Network ad. Whoever approved it needs to be shot.

It's not one of those DirecTV ads, so it's not the worst one they're showing.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 6:14 am

Give me Tennessee and NC State to win their first games in the real tournament now that they have played their way in.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 7:36 am

Giff wrote:
Sabo wrote:Pretty cool seeing a friend of mine in press row right behind the announcers tonight. He's a budding TV star at this point.

P.S. I despise this Dish Network ad. Whoever approved it needs to be shot.
It's not one of those DirecTV ads, so it's not the worst one they're showing.

If it's the damn miniature kangaroo thing, then it's way worse than any directv ad.

Post by **Sabo** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 7:39 am

AB_skin_test wrote:
Giff wrote:
Sabo wrote:Pretty cool seeing a friend of mine in press row right behind the announcers tonight. He's a budding TV star at this point.

P.S. I despise this Dish Network ad. Whoever approved it needs to be shot.
It's not one of those DirecTV ads, so it's not the worst one they're showing.
If it's the damn miniature kangaroo thing, then it's way worse than any directv ad.

Truth. I don't think it would be so bad if they didn't show it during every commercial break. And to be fair, this commercial rates just a tick higher than the one of that Boston family saying "hoppah" repeatedly.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 7:47 am

Sabo wrote:
AB_skin_test wrote:
If it's the damn miniature kangaroo thing, then it's way worse than any directv ad.
Truth. I don't think it would be so bad if they didn't show it during every commercial break. And to be fair, this commercial rates just a tick higher than the one of that Boston family saying "hoppah" repeatedly.

It was pretty clear they didn't really get a lot of interest in advertising for those games because it was definitely the same rotation of commercials.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 8:04 am

AB_skin_test wrote:
Giff wrote:
Sabo wrote:Pretty cool seeing a friend of mine in press row right behind the announcers tonight. He's a budding TV star at this point.

P.S. I despise this Dish Network ad. Whoever approved it needs to be shot.
It's not one of those DirecTV ads, so it's not the worst one they're showing.
If it's the damn miniature kangaroo thing, then it's way worse than any directv ad.

I'm sorry that you're incorrect.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:57 am

'MURICAN

Love it or leave it.

Post by **brian** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:02 pm

Aaron Craft has to be the most overrated player in America, right? He has a horrible shooting percentage, his assist to turnover ratio is middling at best and he consistently takes bad shots. Yet announcers treat him like he's an albino unicorn.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:04 pm

brian wrote:Aaron Craft has to be the most overrated player in America, right? He has a horrible shooting percentage, his assist to turnover ratio is middling at best and he consistently takes bad shots. Yet announcers treat him like he's an albino unicorn.

Grit goes a long way, man.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:04 pm

The game feed is about 30 seconds behing the text updates on the Madness live site. That's real madness.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:28 pm

So at what point in the second half do you really start to think the upset can happen? Is it a sliding scale dependent on seed?

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:38 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:
brian wrote:Aaron Craft has to be the most overrated player in America, right? He has a horrible shooting percentage, his assist to turnover ratio is middling at best and he consistently takes bad shots. Yet announcers treat him like he's an albino unicorn.
Grit goes a long way, man.

Gotta give it up for him, man. He's shown four-foot range today and turned it over five times in about 26 minutes.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:42 pm

This game is Dayton's for the taking. Somehow they refuse to pick it up and place it in their pocket. American had a nice 18 minutes.