Non-ACC conference tournament discussion

[SCMatt33]

Dayton is throwing away it's chance at beating Xavier. They were up big, but after a furious Xavier comeback, they went down 2 with just over 30 seconds left. Dayton tried to dribble to half court and call a timeout, but Xavier attempted to swat the ball away as the timeout was being granted. The Dayton player holding the ball then attempted to punch (he ended up grazing his arm) the Xavier player going by, earning a T. Xavier made both technical shots, and then got fouled immediately and hit two more to go up 6, pretty much ending the game. Dayton will have to sweat it out now, and I doubt the committee will like how they lost it.

[YourLandlord]

Vermont up on BU by 11 at halftime.

Why you should care:
1) One of the UVM players is from Durham and his dad is a Professor at Duke. This poor player's Mom died this week from cancer. So sad.

2) Wynton Marselis' son also plays for UVM, how cool is that?

Go Cats Go!

[YourLandlord]

And Vermont is in the NCAA!

[Merlindevildog91]

I'm in a Raycom market, on a satellite dish, so no Big Ten game. Is it REALLY 26-4, Minnesota over Purdue?

[CDu]

I'm in a Raycom market, on a satellite dish, so no Big Ten game. Is it REALLY 26-4, Minnesota over Purdue?

28-6 with under 4 to go in the half. That's right - 6 points for Purdue in 16 minutes. They're a much different team without Hummel, because Minnesota isn't very good.

Still, gotta cheer for the Gophers to go ahead and win today so that OSU can't pass us. If Minnesota wins, the committee may just consider the Big-10 final irrelevant for OSU's seeding purposes.

[Merlindevildog91]

I thought without Hummel, Purdue would be in trouble, but I had no idea it would be this bad.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

What a disgusting performance from Purdue in the 1st half. Hummel or no Hummel, they are still a talented team. Etwaun Moore is like 1-13. You are basically playing a home game and you put up a performance like that. That is unacceptable and Im not even a Purdue fan!

[sagegrouse]

By making a bucket at the buzzer. Score: Minnesota 37, Purdue 11.

Anyone care to opine that this performance is not worthy of a #1 seed?

sagegrouse

[WordLife565]

Did I miss it over the last few years or is the Big East using a new tournament format this year? I just saw it, and wow -- with the possible exception of making a tiny bit more money -- is it dumb.

The top 4 teams don't get one bye, meaning one day of extra rest relative to the rest of the teams. The top 4 seeds get TWO byes -- TWO extra days of rest relative to the bottom 8 teams. Teams 5 through 8 get one extra day. So on the first day, which is Tuesday, teams seeded 9-16 play each other. The 4 winners play on Wednesday against teams seeded 5 through 8. The 4 winners of those games then play on Thursday against teams seeded 1 through 4. So teams seeded 9-16 have to win FIVE games in five days to win the thing, while the top 4 seeds only need to win three straight.

This strikes me as so unfair. I understand the byes for top seeds when your tournament has a number of teams not divisible by 8. Then you have to do the byes. But when you have a perfectly symmetrical number like the Big East does (16), to artificially create extra advantage for the top teams by concocting this kind of format, in the hopes of making some bank from the Tuesday gate for S. Florida v. Depaul and Cincinnati v. Rutgers, just stinks.

To me, the top seeds already have major advantages. First, they have the best teams of course. Next, they already have the easiest road. #1 would have matchups, barring upsets, with #16, then #8, then #4 before the finals. #2 would have the next easiest road, etc. Same as in the NCAA's. Fine. Those are two pretty big advantages. Now you have to serve up opponents that are not only inferior to begin with, but also tired? When it isn't necessary to do so? What would be so terrible about a 4 round tournament with the first round being 1 v 16, 2 v 15, 3 v 14, etc. like any normal person would design?

It's kind of the same problem I have with the geographic advantages that the NCAA gives the top teams in the Big Dance. I know, it helps with the gate. But I always have clung to the idea that we should be testing the mettle of the top teams. I'm not saying that, for instance, Kansas should have to play, say, Florida State in a 1 vs. 8 second round game in Jacksonville. Not saying that at all. Too close to their opponent's home floor. But I also don't think they should get to play them in St. Louis. If they're that good (and I mean all the top teams -- indeed all the teams period, not just Kansas of course), make them win 6 games against tournament-worthy teams on truly neutral floors. No obvious advantage to either squad. That's what the champion should have to do.

Just as in this silly Big East thing, the top teams in the NCAA already have the biggest advantages -- those again being the best teams and the easiest paths. Giving them the next best thing to home games in the NCAA tournament is contrary to the spirit of the tournament, or at least the tournament I thought I used to know.

it's necessary in order to accomodate all 16 teams. before last year, ONLY THE TOP 12 got to compete in the conference tournament. Now THAT is unfair.

[Merlindevildog91]

I wonder if the Golden Gopher fans were chanting "double digits" as the teams ran off the floor.

I think it's safe to assume Purdue is no longer in line for a 1 seed.

[papa whiskey]

I stopped worrying about Purdue a while ago. There are still two other teams though.

[CDu]

I wonder if the Golden Gopher fans were chanting "double digits" as the teams ran off the floor.

I think it's safe to assume Purdue is no longer in line for a 1 seed.

Seth Davis and Greg Anthony are talking about them as a 4/5 seed. It really depends on how much the committee penalizes them for the loss of Hummel. Without Hummel, they are probably an upper/mid-tier Big-10 team.

Yes, they have basically no chance at a #1 seed.

[Merlindevildog91]

Wonder if Tubby will go into stall ball for the second half.

Oh, sorry, wrong thread.

[InSpades]

I think Purdue has no shot at a #1 and Ohio State hasn't done themselves any favors to get a #1 with how they've played (miracle last second shot to beat Michigan and 2 OTs vs. Illinois). So I guess that leaves WV and Kansas State?

[CDu]

I think Purdue has no shot at a #1 and Ohio State hasn't done themselves any favors to get a #1 with how they've played (miracle last second shot to beat Michigan and 2 OTs vs. Illinois). So I guess that leaves WV and Kansas State?

I think OSU's shot got hurt by not facing strong enough competition. They were behind us, and they needed to beat at least one of MSU, Purdue, or Wisconsin to have any hope of passing us. That isn't going to happen.

WVU has a good chance to take it with a win tonight, regardless of what we do tomorrow. Kansas State probably has had the best week so far, but they had the most ground to make up. But if they beat Kansas tonight, they've got a strong case as well.

So yes, I think realistically it's down to us, KSU, and WVU. And we may need both to lose to stay ahead of them regardless of what we do tomorrow. Our total resume is still better, but both of those teams have done a lot more against the Top-25 and/or Top-50 than us.

[WiJoe]

NCAA has to make some kind of rule prohibiting anything other than WHITE numbers on BLACK uniforms. What they need to do is OUTLAW black uniforms, but that will never happen.

[DukieInBrasil]

epic collapse of Miss St vs. Kentucky to allow overtime. Up 3 with 5 seconds left and their G fouls Bledsoe, consequently fouling out and eliminating him from the OT, who makes one of 2. Kentucky gets the Oboard and misses the 3 gets the Oboard again and makes the putback with 1 second left to tie the game. Just terrible end of game management by MSU

[Lulu]

Can you imagine the uproar if the officials had made a call like the lane violation in the KY-MSU game that put it into OT? I can't.

[Lulu]

Was there any chance we could have swapped overall seeds with Ky had they lost (rightfully) while we won? I wasn't even considering it, but just crossed my mind.

[Indoor66]

Was there any chance we could have swapped overall seeds with Ky had they lost (rightfully) while we won? I wasn't even considering it, but just crossed my mind.

What does it matter? KY did not lose.