NCAA Tourney Thread

08-09 Basketball62

Here are your matchups. Unlike in year’s past, I don’t think the committee gave Duke and UNC laughably easy draws to the Final Four. The weakest bracket is the West, where UConn and Memphis should dominate.

I don’t like Arizona as an at-large pick, but am really happy that Penn State didn’t make it (pitiful OOC schedule). Nobody who got left out had a great resume, so not too big a deal. Other than that, I don’t see many bad picks or seedings. Although I certainly don’t understand giving BC and Clemson the same seed.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

08-09 Basketball

62 Responses to NCAA Tourney Thread

  1. Wulfpack 03/15/2009 at 5:48 PM #

    From another thread:

    Clemson totally dissed as a #7. Maryland at #10? Wow. Don’t think I agree.
    So the Big 10 gets 7, same as Big East and ACC? No way.

    I really don’t like the ACC’s chances in this thing beyond Carolina. Pitt would inhiliate Duke. Wake would have to face Louisville and I don’t like that match-up either.

    FSU vs. Wisconsin and Clemson vs. Michigan, what is this? Bowl season!
    I like FSU’s chances to see the Sweet 16, but not beyond that.

  2. wufpup76 03/15/2009 at 5:56 PM #

    I’ll copy mine too, Wulf … and speaking of bowls – FSU shredded Wisconsin in a bowl game the other month, so now they can do it in the first round of the NCAA tourny 😉

    Big Ten pulls 7 teams – same as the ACC and the Big East.

    Clemson pulls a 7 seed; Illinois a 5 … Clemson won @ Illinois, btw.

    Especially going for FSU (vs. Wisconsin) and Clemson (vs. Michigan).

    Arizona is the last team in the field … Creighton is out.

    Chattanooga and ETSU are two of the better 16 seeds in recent memory

    Holes have to face another Greenberg (Brad at Radford) … I’m sure Brad and Seth are on the phone as I type …

  3. wufpup76 03/15/2009 at 5:58 PM #

    I hope you guys are watching Espn right now … it’s Bilas vs. Vitale. And Bilas has shushed Vitale twice now.

    I’m actually on Vitale’s side on this one – the little guys vs. the elitist guys.

  4. Wulfpack 03/15/2009 at 6:00 PM #

    I’m with Jay Bilas on this one.

  5. wufpup76 03/15/2009 at 6:03 PM #

    ^I don’t feel St. Mary’s should’ve made it, but in general I don’t think non-power conference teams get enough credit.

  6. wolfonthehill 03/15/2009 at 6:05 PM #

    Three of the “last 7 in” were from the Big 10… one top-4 seed from the Big Ten. One Big Ten team apparently clinched their bid with a win against another mediocre Big Ten team.

    Unfathomable that they got as many as we did…. but at least expected.

    And the Pac-10 getting 6 is equally unfathomable. That’s some BAD basketball out there.

    SEC gets 3? And would’ve been 2 without Mississippi State’s run? W-O-W.

  7. Wulfpack 03/15/2009 at 6:05 PM #

    No, they don’t. But the statistics have shown that the power guys own the tournamen year after year. The Davidson’s and George Mason’s are huge exceptions, and they are to be credited. But all in all, you usually have 2 or 3 small guys left standing after the first weekend, and that just isn’t enough to merit widespread reform.

  8. wufpup76 03/15/2009 at 6:06 PM #

    I’m sorry Coach Knight, I can’t get with a 128 team field.

    If there was one this season, I don’t think State would’ve made it 🙁

  9. Wulfpack 03/15/2009 at 6:08 PM #

    The SEC was HORRIBLE this year, so I have no qualms with that. I don’t agree with Arizona getting in, but all the other Pac 10’s are pretty good, not great.

    The Big 10 is a joke and I am a loss. The fact they got the same amount as the Big East is crazy. The Big East was the best conference I have ever seen this year.

    But again, as the man said, it’s all about “teams”. Right.

  10. wufpup76 03/15/2009 at 6:09 PM #

    Good point Wulf … and I agree all the way around wolfonthehill

    Pac-10 with 6 and Big10 with 7 … they really do have to fill these slots, don’t they?

    Dammit, State – why do you have to stink???!!

  11. wufpup76 03/15/2009 at 6:16 PM #

    I can’t really stand Maryland, but if they get by Cal (which I hope they do) and face Memphis in the second round then I will pull for Maryland almost as hard as I pull for State.

    FSU and Clemson, please don’t let us down against the Big10 in the first round.

    I would actually like Clemson’s chances against Oklahoma if both teams make it past the first round.

  12. ADVENTUROO 03/15/2009 at 6:17 PM #

    Now VT knows the REAL pain of the Incompetance of the REF’s…..or maybe the STING of Roy’s mouth…

    VT WOULD, in my humble opinion, be going to the Dance…if the REF’s had NOT interfered…

    I don’t see how Swofford can tolerate this….all the $$ that the ACC is raking in(try finding out JOHN’s Compensation….if you do, then TELL ME…It is a better guarded secret that Obama’s REAL Relationship with Bill Ayers…but I digress)…

    That Man MUST in the $500K Range…plus the perks….I KNOW that they have their pick of cars to drive…dealers are FALLING all over themselves to provide the Commiss and his staff with Courtesy Cars…

  13. Ed89 03/15/2009 at 6:17 PM #

    There is alot of money in the Big 10. There you go.

    I would put Georgetown or Notre Dame up against the last 2 Big Ten teams, and they weren’t even on the bubble.

  14. waxhaw 03/15/2009 at 6:17 PM #

    I would imagine some of the seeding issues are due to having so many teams from a couple of conferences.

    You wouldn’t want to have 2 ACC teams matching up for a shot at the sweet 16.

  15. wufpup76 03/15/2009 at 6:21 PM #

    ^Probably so waxhaw, but Clemson could’ve been on the 6 line and still been on the same side of the bracket (I actually thought they would draw a 6).

    I do have an issue with Illinois on the 5 line, but your point is well taken.

  16. Ed89 03/15/2009 at 6:21 PM #

    The ACC needs to get 4 to the Sweet Sixteen — pure and simple. As a conference, we need to make a couple of runs in the tourney. I’d love to see 5 ACC and 5 Big East teams in the Sweet Sixteen, and no more than 2 from any other conference. We’ll see. When do the NIT pairings come out. That’s what I’m waiting for.

  17. Ed89 03/15/2009 at 6:27 PM #

    I’m a slow learner. Okay, from now on, it’s swt. 16!

  18. Wulfpack 03/15/2009 at 6:34 PM #

    I just don’t see how you can pu MD at 10 and Clemson at 7. It’s not that close. I know a lot goes into this and there are a lot of moving parts, but if I’m Oliver Purnell tonight, I’m pissed. They are a MUCH better team (as in more than three spots) better than MD.

  19. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/15/2009 at 6:34 PM #

    NIT Selections to be Announced on ESPNU

    Network will carry the selections live

    March 9, 2006

    Indianapolis, IN – The 2006 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) will release its bracket live simultaneously on ESPNU, ESPNNews, http://www.nit.org and http://www.ncaasports.com at approximately 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, 2006. The bracket is attached.

    The NIT, which for the first time will be selected by an at-large committee, will be comprised of a 40-team field from across the country. The selection principles and procedures can be found here. This year also marks the first time in the 69-year history of the NIT that the bracket release will be televised live.

  20. BJD95 03/15/2009 at 6:41 PM #

    I am generally a mid-major proponent, but this year was a bad year for them. They didn’t deserve more bids this year.

  21. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/15/2009 at 6:44 PM #

    Intended to post this-

    NIT FIELD TO BE ANNOUNCED ON ESPNU
    The field for the 2009 National Invitation Tournament will be announced Sunday night, March 15th on ESPNU at 9:00 pm Eastern time. The announcement was made by CM Newton, chair of the NIT Selection Committee. First round action for the NIT, which was founded in 1938, kicks off on March 17 and 18; second round takes place on March 19, 20, 21 and 23, with the quarterfinals tipping on March 24 and 25

  22. Classof89 03/15/2009 at 6:57 PM #

    so according to NITOLOGY, we aren’t even on the NIT bubble…I sure hope we don’t waste money entering the CBI…

    Take hope, fellow fans…its always darkest just before the dawn. Not making the NIT just might push a few more of the powers that be over to the “get rid of Fowler” side of the equation…I have to imagine that equation is getting pretty evenly balanced…

  23. Wulfpack 03/15/2009 at 7:02 PM #

    This is going to be one hell of a great tournament with all of the power conferences well represented minus the SEC.

    How about the Big East with 3 no. 1 seeds? Crazy stuff. I’m liking L’ville in this thing more and more.

  24. RickJ 03/15/2009 at 7:09 PM #

    Clemson has lost 4 out of their last 5 games including a last game loss to Georgia Tech, the worst team in the ACC. A 7th seed sounds about right to me.

  25. BJD95 03/15/2009 at 7:13 PM #

    I don’t have a good feel at all as to who will win or advance. I’m just having that at least one of UConn, Duke and UNC don’t make the Final Four (hoped that UConn would be in one of the blues’ region).

    My pool entries will suck this year.

1 2 3

Leave a Reply