The best time of the year has arrived. The NCAA men's basketball conference tournaments are underway and the NCAA tournament is only a couple weeks away. And yet, the enormous shadow of an FBI investigation is looming large over the basketball landscape.
Use this thread to discuss college basketball until the end of the season.
Who you got Sly?
I don't believe there is a real standout favorite this year. Virginia seems like th last few years they choke when given the spotlight. Villanova's offense might not hold up. Kansas came on strong late after an iffy start, but the Big 12 sort of fell off late, especially Oklahoma. Michigan State struggled multiple times against a Michigan team that isn't expected to make a deep run, but I think they are my pick. Duke and North Carolina have both had bad losses. Cincinnati lost to every good team they played. Xavier and Gonzaga were both the best of lesser conferences. Purdue's three game skid a short while back causes me worries in a tournament.
I know the brackets will not be released until 1 week from today, but who has everyone got to win it all?
If you're not watching Lipscomb vs. Florida Gulf Coast, you need to turn it on now (ESPN). FGCU was down 32 points at one point, but only 10 now and have all the momentum. Crazy game.
Make that down 8 with a FT coming.
I honestly don't know, there hasn't really been a runaway team this year. Duke has a lot of the essential elements for a deep run and have the best coach in basketball history. Virginia has been as close to dominant as any team all year.Originally Posted by Yaz
I actually haven't watched much basketball, so I'm not sure I'm very qualified to make a pick. I think a lot of it will come down to tournament pairings.
Coach K, greatest coach of all-time? I'm not saying you're wrong, but isn't that a bit of a stretch? What about John Wooden or Adolph Rupp?
Not a stretch at all. Coach K has more NCAA titles than Rupp and didn't earn most of them during a mostly "whites only" era of basketball. He has the most wins in NCAA Division 1 history. And he's also won championships across a wide variety of eras. When Coach K went to his first Final Four, the Internet as we know it (World Wide Web) didn't even exist. His first championship was in '91, his latest in 2015. He's adapted his coaching style, both on offense and defense as the game has changed. He's also won on the International stage, during a time when America wasn't clearly the best in the world any longer.
Also, the game is just different today. You have 1 and done players, a 3 pt line, you have Twitter, 24/7 news cycles, a definitive international influence, full college scholarships being awarded on ESPN, every game on TV...it's just a much different game than it was when John Wooden or Rupp were coaching.
He is the greatest coach of all time and when you start to view accomplishments in context, it really isn't that debatable.
Got it. Sorry, I just hate Duke.
Why is that?
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