2023 March Madness Thread

EnochRoot · Post by **EnochRoot** » Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:34 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:21 pm After the Mountain West’s recent failures, I’m happy to see them last longer this year than the 40 teams from the SEC and Big 10. Go, Aztecs!

I really think that it's not just the portal that has begun to even things out. That extra year where the better programs lost players to the NBA, and lower-rung teams just got older and stronger (physically) is huge.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 12:00 am

hello friends, wave to me on sunday

EnochRoot · Post by **EnochRoot** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 12:16 am

You're going to the Miami v Texas MW regional championship?

Nice.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 8:26 am

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 12:00 am hello friends, wave to me on sunday

I got a Yahoo alert on my phone last night with your byline on it...

L-Jam3 · Post by **L-Jam3** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:17 am

I just wanted to put out there that the Mrs. and I met up with Brian yesterday during the early games, and like every meeting with fellow Swampers, it was top-notch. If you get out to Vegas and don't spend at least a couple of pints out with Brian you're doing yourself a real disservice. Four stars.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:24 am

Amen. Brian’s awesome.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:33 am

Giff wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:24 am Amen. Brian’s awesome.

We’re seeing Lucero together in a couple weeks.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:34 am

sancarlos wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:33 am
Giff wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:24 am Amen. Brian’s awesome.
We’re seeing Lucero together in a couple weeks.

Can attest specifically that he’s a great hang for that show!

rass · Post by **rass** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 7:33 pm

Dammit.

Hope I can find it in my heart to forgive FAU by next weekend.

Post by **brian** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 8:00 pm

You guys are too nice.

Can’t believe one of Florida Atlantic, Creighton or San Diego State is going to be playing for the title.

Post by **brian** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:17 pm

If Gonzaga can’t get it done this year with all of the blue bloods out by the Elite 8, it’s never gonna happen.

EnochRoot · Post by **EnochRoot** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:54 pm

Gonzaga is having enough trouble with this blue blood.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:29 pm

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:17 am like every meeting with fellow Swampers, it was top-notch.

I've got nothing but kudos for every swamper I've met. Aside from seeing MaxWebster in concert. He was constantly out of tune. 1 star.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Sat Mar 25, 2023 11:51 pm

I did not get my tuition's money worth tonight...

EnochRoot · Post by **EnochRoot** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 12:17 am

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 11:51 pm I did not get my tuition's money worth tonight...

In fairness, Gonzaga didn't have the talent to run with UConn tonight. Yes, they shot for crap tonight, but they're just not as deep and as talented.

Post by **Shirley** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:10 am

Gonzaga's loss eliminated the last team I had in my pools.

I don't know if it's a flaw in me, but there's something I don't like about UConn's odd last couple of decades. I mean, under Calhoun, they were a legit power, good nearly every year. They had those two break-through years where they won titles, fine. I didn't like Calhoun, because I thought he was probably dirty, but I get it. Then, they came out of nowhere to win two more titles. They did it twice!

So four total final fours, and four championships. And they've been largely forgettable all other years since Calhoun left. But yet, they're the favorites to win their second title since then and fifth overall. It's a wild resume.

In the 10 years (9 available tournaments) before this one, post-Calhoun, UConn has made the tournament 4 times and missed it 5 times. In three of those tournaments, they won a grand total of one game. The other year, they won the title, and they'll likely do it again this year.

EnochRoot · Post by **EnochRoot** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 12:11 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:10 am Gonzaga's loss eliminated the last team I had in my pools.

I don't know if it's a flaw in me, but there's something I don't like about UConn's odd last couple of decades. I mean, under Calhoun, they were a legit power, good nearly every year. They had those two break-through years where they won titles, fine. I didn't like Calhoun, because I thought he was probably dirty, but I get it. Then, they came out of nowhere to win two more titles. They did it twice!

So four total final fours, and four championships. And they've been largely forgettable all other years since Calhoun left. But yet, they're the favorites to win their second title since then and fifth overall. It's a wild resume.

In the 10 years (9 available tournaments) before this one, post-Calhoun, UConn has made the tournament 4 times and missed it 5 times. In three of those tournaments, they won a grand total of one game. The other year, they won the title, and they'll likely do it again this year.

In 2014 Ollie won a championship with what was basically Calhoun’s team (Napier).

What didn’t you like about Calhoun? What makes him dirty(ier) than say, a Coach K, Gary Williams or a Tony Bennett? UConn fell off for a couple of reasons. The school prioritized football so it moved to the American Athletic Conference, and soon after Kevin Ollie started fooling around on his wife and wound up divorced. He tanked the program as a result.

Post by **Shirley** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 1:30 pm

What makes Calhoun dirtier than those three? Well, NCAA violations, for one.

It's funny that you included Gary Williams. He was furious over losing Rudy Gay to UConn after Calhoun paid $25K to Gay's AAU coach for a preseason scrimmage. Gay was going to go to Maryland, but switched to UConn after that. I don't think Gary every scheduled UConn again.

Calhoun was long rumored by a lot of coaches to be dirty. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/n ... y/1422572/

Hell of a coach though, I'll give him that.

rass · Post by **rass** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 2:27 pm

It was the accent that did it for me.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:31 pm

Disaster by Creighton. With a 3 second differential between shot clock and game clock, I'm not sure why Creighton fouled for nothing, thus turning the shot clock off.

Then the foul on the last shot...

GoodKarma · Post by **GoodKarma** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:37 pm

I don’t care if it was a foul on the last shot or not…I don’t know why guys on D can’t keep their hands off. You have to know you are risking exactly what happened.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:41 pm

I was glad to hear the announcer say, ”if there’s a foul on the last shot, you have to call the foul.”

NHL referees could learn a lot from that.

Post by **Shirley** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:50 pm

Yeah, but that was a sofffffft foul. Sure, he had his hand on the waist, but contact that light gets ignored all the time.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:53 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:50 pm Yeah, but that was a sofffffft foul. Sure, he had his hand on the waist, but contact that light gets ignored all the time.

there was a tug and it's from behind

rass · Post by **rass** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:58 pm

Was wondering why there was a little slot for the scissors on the ladder and or course they’re special edition sponsored ladders.

Post by **brian** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:59 pm

That’s a tough call but the right one I think. If you’re being pushed while trying to take an open shot (as he was) it’s a foul. I can think of a lot softer fouls you’d see called earlier in a game.

L-Jam3 · Post by **L-Jam3** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 4:09 pm

Weren’t we having this same conversation six or seven weeks ago? If you pull a jersey, that’s a foul whether it’s the first minute of the game or the final shot/play. I think I’d be more angry if I was on offense and it didn’t get called.

If anything, I thought it’s gets drilled into olayers that you don’t foul if it’s the last shot. Make him earn it; if he makes it he makes it.

Post by **Shirley** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 4:27 pm

I agree with calling fouls at the end of the game. I just don't think that's a foul. Certainly not the way they'd called the rest of that game. Creighton only had 5 fouls in the second half until the intentional one just before that.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 4:36 pm

I didn’t really watch much except on my phone some, but Kenny Smith said they were letting that go a lot earlier. If so, bullshit call.

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 4:44 pm

Larry bird is dumfounded did they wipe that off behind the backboard

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 4:48 pm

Hard to imagine a more unnecessary rule than the one that took that Miami shot away. You're in bounds, the ball hit nothing but net, it should count!

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 4:56 pm

Also, Gus Fring taking over Texas seems to have worked out great.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 5:08 pm

Is it harder to take down the Salamancas or to make the Final Four?

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:20 pm

Foul for boxing out. Ok.

EdRomero · Post by **EdRomero** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:25 pm

Giff wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:20 pm Foul for boxing out. Ok.

In the FAU game, an FAU player flopped while being boxed out and stole a call. In the Gonzaga game, a UCONN player fought through a box out causing his face to hit an elbow and got the call, and now this. There's a reason I only watch this shit in March.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:30 pm

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:52 pm

Boca Raton, Miami, San Diego and Connecticut. That’s a full fucking service wealth management firm right there.

EnochRoot · Post by **EnochRoot** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 7:27 pm

EdRomero wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:25 pm
Giff wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:20 pm Foul for boxing out. Ok.
In the FAU game, an FAU player flopped while being boxed out and stole a call. In the Gonzaga game, a UCONN player fought through a box out causing his face to hit an elbow and got the call, and now this. There's a reason I only watch this shit in March.

He cleared out the player's ability to land. That's going to get a call every time. Actually, if he turned around to look at him, it might've been a flagrant.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 7:32 pm

Conversely, a player jumped over the back of a player who was trying to find someone to box out and had zero idea he was there. Textbook over the back. You’re wrong.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Sun Mar 26, 2023 7:34 pm

I mean even the Miami player knew he fouled him for crying out loud.