official NCAA tournament thread

[patrickgpe]

i thought i'd streamline and create a thread where people can make predictions and let the wisconsin thread be there to discuss the badgers. I though we would predict:

1. highest seed to advance to 2nd round

2. highest seed to advance to sweet 16

3. how far marquette will go

4. how far the badgers will go

5. final four.

6. champion.

 

1. 14th seeded cornell

2. 12th seeded temple

3. loose to texas in sweet 16

4. loose to georgetown in elite 8

5. georgetown, north carolina, ucla, texas

6. ucla over north carolina.

 

of course i reserve the right to change this before 11am on thursday as i learn more about the smaller schools that i haven't seen as much of as the big east and big 10 schools.

[razzzorsharp]

1. highest seed to advance to 2nd round-(13) Winthrop

2. highest seed to advance to sweet 16-(11)Kentucky

3. how far marquette will go-Out First Round

4. how far the badgers will go-Out Second Round

5. final four-Tennesse, Memphis, UCLA, Kansas

6. champion-Tennesse over UCLA

[Menotti80]

1. Baylor

2. Baylor

3. Second Round

4. Second Round

5. UNC, Texas, UCLA, Kansas

6. UNC over UCLA

[elbobbo82]

1. St. Joe's, Kansas St. (11)

2. Davidson (10)

3. Marquette loses to Stanford (2nd Rd)

4. Wisconsin loses to UNC (Final Four)

5. UNC, Wisconsin, Memphis, UCLA

6. UNC over Memphis

[homer]

1. Western KY

2. Western KY

3. MU loses to Stanford (2nd rd)

4. UW loses to Kansas (Final 8)

5. UNC, Kansas, UCLA, Texas

6. Kansas over UCLA

[don1481]

1. Georgia (14)

2. Temple (12)

3. Sweet 16. Loses to Texas 87-75.

4. First round KO. Cal St Fullerton 65, Badgers 57.

5. Texas, Kansas, Duke, UNC. I know, an incredibly boring set of picks.

[BoneDaddyKool]

12 seed Villanova

'Nova again

Marquette loses to Stanford in round 2

Badgers lose to Kanasas St. in second round

Final Four - Tennessee, G'Town, Memphis, UCLA

Final - G'Town over UCLA

[fondybrewfan]

Siena (13) wins 2 games\

Georgia (14) wins 1 game

Marquette loses 2nd round

UW loses to GU in Sweet Sixteen

UNC, Georgetown, UCLA, Texas

 

UNC knocks of UCLA to win

 

Other predictions:

 

First top seed to lose - Memphis (Miss St)

Duke sucks - Loses in 2nd round

Michigan State suprises some people

Davidson knocks off Gonzaga

St Joes will make a run

West Virginia could make a nice run

[Oldcity]

So what are some games people are looking forward to? I always like watching how the year's top mid-majors match up against bigger conference schools. This year in particular I am anxious to see how Drake and Davidson play. I've seen a few people take Davidson for the Sweet 16.

 

Some good second round match-ups potentially as well. Pitt-MSU have similar styles. Marquette-Stanford would be pretty contrasting styles, and Xavier-Purdue would be a good game too.

[GoudaBrew]

1. Siena

2. Both Butler and West Virginia - 7 seeds

3. Marquette loses to Stanford in 2nd round

4. Badgers lose to GU in sweet 16 (really wanted to pick Davidson upsetting GU, but couldn't talk myself into it)

5. UNC, Texas, Xavier, Kansas 6. Kansas over Texas - I know I don't like it either, but Texas has home court pretty much the whole tourney

 

Butler vs. South Alabama is the most intriguing first round game to me. Butler is very good and I have them going to the elite 8, but they could just as easy lose to South Alabama in round 1.

[twobrewers]

This year in particular I am anxious to see how Drake and Davidson play.

I watched an amazing amount of Mid-Major basketball this year.

 

Drake can really play. They are solid all around - and have the defense to match it. (Often that prevents the smaller schools from really competing with the big boys) Adam Emmenecker is fantastic. He only averages 8 pt, but is probably the best player in the conference.

 

Davidson has a chance to really do some damage. I love watching this team. They have Dell Curry's kid - Stephen Curry, who can shoot the lights out. However, they got such a bad seed it is a crime. They are the 23 ranked team in the nation! They should have gotten a 6 seed. Marquette is ranked lower (and much more inconsistent) and got a 6th seed. Davidson has won 22 in a row - all by a wide margin. They lost to UNC by 4 and Duke by 6. Their point guard, Jason Richards, makes them go. If Richards and Curry are on - watch out! (I am not sure how they could possibly stop Hibbert from G-Town)

 

Gonzaga is incredibly deep. But the top line talent isn't really there. I watched 11 of their games this year. The problem is they have no real inside game. Heytvelt has been very inconsistent - and prefers playing facing the basket. Austin Day will be a stud someday, but he has work to do. Kuso is muscle inside, but can only dunk. Bouldin & Pargo are really the keys. Pargo has some beautiful spin moves in the lane - but when he is off, the whole team really suffers. (Pargo can take over games at times)

 

I also caught around 5 St. Mary's games. They are going to beat Miami. Patty Mills (point guard) is a freshman from Australia. He is a good one. I watched Diamon Simpson just destroy a few opponents. They also have a big guy (Samhan) who is pretty good at doing the dirty work inside - but has dislocated his shoulder a few times during the season.

[aracko]

1. highest seed to advance to 2nd round - San Diego over UCONN
2. highest seed to advance to sweet 16 - I have Marquette advancing - Good Guard play is the key. My other lowest seed is Drake.
3. how far marquette will go - Sweet 16 before losing to Texas
4. how far the badgers will go - Elite Eight before losing to Kansas.
5. final four. - Carolina, Kansas, Texas UCLA
6. champion. - UCLA

[aracko]

That Memphis miss state game should it happen has the potential to be a real good game. They should be able to hold Memphis most of the game to below average shooting. But this Memphis team is explosive and Miss state is absolutly not. So when Memphis puts together a few of these short burts of points, it had better be later in the game after Miss has established the confidence that they need as well as a small lead. If Memphis can score early this game will be over in abotu 3 minutes.

[aracko]

And if UNC and Tenn end up meeting, this game is going to be a classic. Texas and Memphis should be another amazing game should it happen. UCLA seems to have an absolute cake walk to the final 4 - conspiracy for sure.

[ccbrew]

1. 13-Siena

2. 10-Davidson

3. 1st Round

4. Final Four

5. UNC, UCLA, Texas, UW

6. UNC over UCLA

 

Upset Special that I don't have the courage to actually put in my bracket: 14-Cornell over 3-Stanford

 

Edit: Davidson is a 10-seed.

 

Edit 2: As reflected in my bf.net bracket, I now have Marquette going to the Sweet Sixteen after upsetting Stanford..

 

Edit 3: Not to mention 10-Arizona moving on after beating West Virginia..and in a decision I'll surely regret later, defeating Duke in the 2nd round.

[Glennron]

1. Siena- Vandy is way overrated, just 5-7 on the road with three of them coming against Toledo, Bradley, and DePaul, who is gawd-awful at defending.
2. West Virginia, kind of boring since they're only a 7 but oh well.
3. Marquette loses to Stanford. I really want to pick them past this one, but the guards, James in particular, will have to play really well to win
4. UW loses to Georgetown in Sweet 16.
5. Louisville, Kansas, Texas, UCLA. Another boring one.

6.UCLA over Kansas

 

[bjkrautk]

1. Eleven seed (St. Joe's)

2. Six seed (Purdue)

3. Second round (lose to Stanford)

4. Sweet Sixteen (lose to Georgetown....setting expectations low, as I see this game as a coin-flip)

5. UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA

6. Bruins

[wOOgiE22]

Uh-oh Georgia is already looking to mess up people brackets. Beating Xavier by 9 at the half.

[trwi7]

1. 12 seeds Villanova and Western Kentucky.

2. 12 seed Villanova.

3. 2nd round, losing to Stanford.

4. Sweet 16 losing to Georgetown.

5. UCLA, Stanford, Tennessee, Georgetown.

6. Georgetown.

[patrickgpe]

good thing on the bracket that i actually put money on i took MSU beating Temple. In my real bracket i have South Alabama and Siena in the sweet 16 as Cinderellas. Xavier definitely wore Georgia down in the end, which i expected since they had to play 3 games in 2 days last weekend. So far so good for MU. I'm loving having the games online at work to day.

[homer]

I think Xavier was just better. Georgia hasn't played since Sunday - college aged athletes could probably play a game a day for a week and not get tired.

[wOOgiE22]

Wow talk about futility, Kent St only scores 10 points in the first half

[BuckyTuba]

all higher seeds winning so far except marquette.... in other words, no big surprises so far from the tournament.

[wOOgiE22]

Just as you say that Marquette is going on a nice run to take control.

[RU Rah Rah]

Wow, Kent St. -- just atrocious. 17 turnovers in the first half.