College Hoops!

[Coachmarkos]

To anyone smarter than me: In conferences that are so huge that their Con-Tourneys have so many more games than smaller conferences, why do the Braket-makers pay so much attention to these games?

For Instance: In the MVC there is one champion who wins by record (This year WSU). Then, there is a "Tournament Champion" (This year ISU).

BUT!!! Then there are these conference tourneys that go on and on and frakking on for what- 2 weeks? - after the small con tourneys.

And guess what? The rankings change during these tournaments. Why? It's just inter-conference masturbation, really.

I guess I just don't understand. It's like if the NFL let something besides the record determine playoff seeds (and had a second playoff that had nothing-or everything- to do with seeds).

Back in the day(the 70's I think, not sure when it changed), you had to win your Conference Tournament to make the NCAA field.

Then they opened it up, and they opened it up a bit more (64 teams), and they opened it up a bit more (68 teams).

The Old conferences had like 8-10 teams. (Big 8, Big 10) But with the arrival of the "superconferences" 12, 14 teams... the conference tournaments just don't mean as much anymore. The winner of the tournaments get an "auto-bid" to the filed of 68.

Some conferences don't have them, and their regular season champion gets the "auto-bid" to the tournament. (However, most have them now. It's a money maker for the conference, and they can televise them, and get better exposure.)

For many smaller school conferences, winning your conference tournament is pretty much the only chance you have to make the NCAA's.

[Coachmarkos]

March Madness starts tomorrow!
(well technically the "first four" started last night, with 2 games, and 2 games tonight)

This guy will be in hoops heaven for the next 4 days.

[Bolt-O]

March Madness starts tomorrow!
(well technically the "first four" started last night, with 2 games, and 2 games tonight)

This guy will be in hoops heaven for the next 4 days.

NIT starts tonight with your SDSU vs. CSU, right? Best wishes there, but CSU got screwed out of the NCAA.

[Coachmarkos]

Yep. The Jackrabbits are in for a rough one I'm afraid. CSU is very good, and probably should have been in the NCAA's over UCLA.

[Bolt-O]

I hate to say this, but Boise got screwed by seeding, and by playing their first game at Dayton in what is supposed to be a neutral venue. I heard that they considered the possibility of this happening, but it seemed totally unfair.

[Coachmarkos]

Jackrabbits won by 10 at Colorado State! CSU ends season losing to SDSU and SDSU.
Wow, that was fun to watch! On to Vanderbilt!

[Bolt-O]

Two #3 go down. Wat!

[KarlC]

LOVE the whaaaaaaambulance calls by all the people whose brackets got busted by the upsets in round 1. Go underdogs! (within reason).

Man, WSU barely pulled that one outta their asses. Indiana shot 50% (11/22) on threes - holy crap, that is insane.
So now all the locals who bitched for KU vs. WSU get their wish. Hope it's at least close whoever wins.

[KarlC]

Way to go SDSU! Good luck next round!

[Coachmarkos]

Go Aztecs! Not sure if they can beat Duke, but I'm pulling for them.

[Coachmarkos]

Sweet Sixteen starts tonight!

Witchita State vs Notre Dame
Wisconsin vs North Carolina
West Virgina vs Kentucky
Xavier vs Arizona

Potential for all four to be pretty darn good games.

The x factor will be the officials in the WV vs UK game. West Virgina plays very hard defensively, and they foul. ALOT.
If the refs are "letting them play", I could see the Mountaineers making it interesting.
If the refs are calling fouls tightly, I just don't see WV having the firepower to keep up with the Wildcats.

[UtahBolt]

GO UTES!!!