Figured we should have 1 thread for anything tournament related.

Wyoming and Indiana was a real set back in time. Brutal on offense from both sides. They are physical teams, but neither could shoot a lick and it made it a tough watch.

In the NIT Towson plays tonight against Wake. Wake is an 8 point favorite. Hope that the good Towson shows up and shows well for the CAA.

In the CBI UNCW goes against VMI on Sunday

i'm trying to get interested in this michigan-csu game. can't do it other than hoping michigan gets crushed. a 17-14 team getting an at large is a joke. it seems like there are more mediocre power conference teams getting in...and they're even more mediocre to just bad than they've been in past year.

i miss having multiple philly teams and a competitive caa team in the tournament. it's a shame the city is so far down.

real interest should be in the pa girls high school playoffs. our mechanicsburg wildcats made the 5a semifinal against cardinal o'hara. does anybody know if they have drexel recruits? dunmore has a future dragon and they got upset by jim thorpe last night.

jb's plymouth whitemarsh colonials are in the semis as well. they look like a strong contender to win the whole thing.

Any time a mid like Colorado State has a chance to win, I can get excited. Glad they are playing well too, despite being the underdog. I am glad there is a push from talking heads about not allowing losing conference records in, however I doubt it ever gains traction with the NCAA or the conferences themselves. Everyone knew Michigan would get in, even if undeserving.

SDSU is fun to watch though, so tune in there.

Became a big Medved fan when we were doing our great coach search. They're going to need their outside shooting to hold up and attack any time Dickinson is out because they have no answer for him.

Missed lay up after a steal that leads to an open 3 for Michigan. Gotta play smart to win these games as a mid.

Just couldn't handle the length on either end (killed in paint and at line) and the outside shooting dried up and that's all she wrote.

Mountain west having a disaster. Boise off to a bad start against Memphis, down 13 with a couple to go in the half. Never like to see good mids falling to middling majors who are underperforming (Michigan, Memphis)

Boise St down 19 at half. Oof

For what it is worth, I would much rather us get a chance against a team like Illinois last season, than end up getting that higher seed but paired against an underperforming team that has the talent of a top seed. While playing a team like Michigan or Memphis is notable, as a 6 or 8 seed, thats a tough tough draw, knowing the team you are against has top 10 talent. All that hard work by those teams to get respect then get such bad matchups. Obviously in the end, you have to show up and play your game and show everyone your worth, but doesnt make it less frustrating. (And I dont have any reason to like CSU or Boise specifically, either). St Mary's falls into this same issue later on.

Going way back before someone notes we beat Memphis, Memphis then is nothing like Memphis now.

Well, THIS has been a fun day!!!!

Bruiser's days since leaving Drexel haven't been much better than when he was at Drexel. Seems like every bench he sits on, he makes sure that team performs below expectations.

(03-17-2022 08:54 PM)J.B. Wrote:  Bruiser's days since leaving Drexel haven't been much better than when he was at Drexel. Seems like every bench he sits on, he makes sure that team performs below expectations.

Quite enjoying Jay Bilas' predictions blow up on him. I guess mid-majors really CAN compete with royalty.

i listened to a podcast from last year with bruiser and dwayne killings who played for bruiser at umass and is the head coach a albany now. they were talking about black coaches getting fired too quickly and not getting as much slack as their white counterparts. i'm completely supportive of that...but bruiser made comments that he only had 2 losing seasons and he was let go.

he had a decade and a half to build our program. that was plenty of slack. it doesn't help his colleagues when he's not realistic about it being time to go.

It's also not only that they lost, but the way they lost. The program completely bottomed out. The team was losing to USciences and Alaska-Anchorage, and attendance steadily bled away until it got under the thousand-fan mark, which it has yet to recover from.

Once a program gets to that point, you have to move on. Simple as that.

(03-17-2022 09:28 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  i listened to a podcast from last year with bruiser and dwayne killings who played for bruiser at umass and is the head coach a albany now. they were talking about black coaches getting fired too quickly and not getting as much slack as their white counterparts. i'm completely supportive of that...but bruiser made comments that he only had 2 losing seasons and he was let go.

Too bad. He's probably right in broad strokes, but his last four seasons were pretty bad in total.

I know he's just an assistant now and has to defer to Cal, but I found his body language so odd in last night's game. He was just like lounging on the sideline.

Tough blow for him. Couldnt get us to the NCAA. Went to Indiana and never danced. Now finally makes it at Kentucky and get bounced in round one.

Games were outstanding yesterday. True mid majors went 5-7. I am quite sure the NCAA isnt happy about that success. The good news is Either St Peters or Murray State are guaranteed in the sweet sixteen. This tournament even after 1 day, is showing why the power conferences want a break. They are sick and tired of smaller programs taking money they think is theirs. I am loving watching the success of the smaller guys.

(03-18-2022 11:43 AM)dan10 Wrote:  Tough blow for him. Couldnt get us to the NCAA. Went to Indiana and never danced. Now finally makes it at Kentucky and get bounced in round one.

Games were outstanding yesterday. True mid majors went 5-7. I am quite sure the NCAA isnt happy about that success. The good news is Either St Peters or Murray State are guaranteed in the sweet sixteen. This tournament even after 1 day, is showing why the power conferences want a break. They are sick and tired of smaller programs taking money they think is theirs. I am loving watching the success of the smaller guys.

I just don't see how anything will change with the NCAA Tournament. The money is controlled by the TV Networks, not the Power 5 schools. Having 15-20 mid majors in the tournament makes for good television, at least at the start. Having 64 teams all from 8 or 9 conferences does not.

Personally, I would like to see a split, and a separate mid-major tournament where mid-majors schools would have the opportunity to shoot for a national championship, just like in football. But from a money standpoint, that's not going to maximize revenue for mid majors the way that the current format does.

While everyone is focusing their attention on the Men's NCAA Tournament, let's not forget that the women's tournament is also happening now. And there's an exciting one brewing in South Carolina right now....
At Halftime
South Carolina 44, Howard 4. Yep, not a typo.

Beyond your 6-11 seeds, first round will continue to be much ado about nothing. Womens game is still working on distributing talent. and is decades behind the men. So you will get a first round where 1-2 top 5 seed falls. And of that 1-2 teams, it is doubtful to be a top 4 seed. The top 8 teams in womens wont break a sweat until the regional finals. Just how it is and that lack of disparity in talent currently. But 8 teams that are viable is far better than the 2-3 it has been the previous decade or so.

Painter looks better for Delaware. Doesnt look as soft. Clearly he is motivated. Villanova really struggling on offense. 9 minutes in and 8 points