Teams We Want In Our Bracket

[MulletMan]

teams I want in Duke's bracket (somehow)
Cal
Louisville
Arkansas
UNLV

Nice. Although I don't worry about UNLV. We already took care of that.

[A-Tex Devil]

I think my anti-Pac 10 football biases may be bleeding over into basketball, and there are certainly some good teams in the Pac 10 this year. But really, only UCLA seems like a team we wouldn't beat more times than not.

There haven't been a whole lot of good non-conference wins by the non-UCLA teams (there are wins against Wichita State, Georgetown, Memphis and Gonzaga, but not much else), and I just haven't understood why they have all been ranked higher than the top 5 ACC teams all year.

They all play each other, including UCLA, tough, though, so I guess we'll see in the tourney.

[dukie8]

living on the east coast, it is hard to get a feel for how good (or bad) the pac 10 teams are other than ucla (they are very good). arizona has been on tv several times and looks typical arizona -- great individual players, poor team play, great offense and poor defense. if they ever got on the same page, they would be very good. unfortunately for them, they have not been on the same page this year, which explains why they have lost to nearly every good team they have played. i can't see things all of a sudden clicking for them in march and they remind me of the their team from either '04 or '05 with frye who get upset in the first round as an 8 seed.

i would love to see a texas game because something would have to give. durrant has lit everyone up all year long but he hasn't faced a d like ours. his supporting cast is playing A LOT better now, which explains why they are winning the bigger games now. if augustine keeps up his strong play, they are going to be very tough. i wonder how k would deal with him. i agree that the melo comparisons are going to really pick up steam from here on out.

you people are crazy if you want florida in duke's bracket. they have their entire starting 5 back from the defending national champion. i agree that they appear to be sleep-walking at times (a la uconn last year) but if they are clicking, they easily are the best team in the country. if they handle tennessee tonight, all should be well for them. if they don't, then maybe there is something bigger going on. the lsu loss without davis was very bad.

[Buckeye Devil]

From the Big 10-Wisconsin. They are hurting right now with two straight losses and Butch going down. It could be an ugly game though as already alluded to since the Badgers typically play ugly basketball. Why anyone would want to go that God-forsaken state to play that style of ball is beyond me. And let's face it Duke has not always been pretty either this year. I know some of you think OSU, but I do not think it would be good-as one poster already mentioned-quick guards plus depth to spend in spite of the youth.

From the Big East-probably Pitt in the later rounds, but definitely not G'town at any point. 11 in a row before last night at a hungry Syracuse team playing for its tournament life. Marquette has shown itself to be very mortal, but the quickness factor would make them less desirable. The Big East doesn't seem to scary for some reason.

From the Pac 10-not UCLA. Too consistent. Arizona would be acceptable.

From the Big 12-anyone but Kansas and probably not A & M. If Kansas slips to a #2 seed, pity the #1 in that region.

Mids-not Winthrop or Southern Illinois. Both could make the Sweet 16 if the matchups are right.

Others-how about Penn St, Northwestern, and Louisiana Lafayette.

[Clipsfan]

you people are crazy if you want florida in duke's bracket. they have their entire starting 5 back from the defending national champion. i agree that they appear to be sleep-walking at times (a la uconn last year) but if they are clicking, they easily are the best team in the country. if they handle tennessee tonight, all should be well for them. if they don't, then maybe there is something bigger going on. the lsu loss without davis was very bad.

I don't think that any of us really want a single one seed in our bracket, but we're going to be stuck with one. I'm not sure which one I'd prefer to have, although by process of elimination it is probably the one that isn't UCLA (better than we are at our strengths, possibly, and just better overall), Ohio St. (too quick and hard to do much inside against. Oden is a one man zone), and maybe FLA (if they hold on to a one seed). We're used to having slightly easier brackets thanks to being the one seed most years, so this year's bracket is going to look like a tougher road no matter what.

[Dar95]

From observation and a quick review of the stats at kenpom.com, the teams we seem to struggle against are teams that cause turnovers, and teams that can score inside (i.e., don't rely on 3's, which we are particularly effective at preventing).

Here's an inexhaustive list of a few teams that appear to be good at both, which I would like to avoid:
Higher Seeds (possible 2nd/3rd round matchups)
Southern Illinois
Tennessee
Memphis
Louisville

Lower Seeds (possible 1st round matchups)
West Virginia
Toledo
Villanova
Illinois

[3intherafters]

the teams in the top 10 that I see getting bouced quick are Memphis and Texas A&M.

I see Kansas and UCLA choking, too, but they are too loaded for me to predict their demise before the regional finals.

[KyDevilinIL]

Around the country, fans of teams in Duke's position are begging for a tourney matchup with Wisconsin. Can't say I blame anyone, but it really strikes me as a "careful what you wish for" situation. Due only to that national senitment, I now fully expect Wisconsin to go to the Final Four.

I always prefer to avoid teams we have tournament histories with, regardless of their actual basketball eptitude. Nothing would wake up a ragged UK team more than playing Duke in the tournament, for example. A game like that strikes more fear into me than meeting UCLA. And it's not beyond the realm of possibility -- in a 3-6 or 4-5 game -- that it could happen in Round 2.

It's the early-round games that give me the willies most. The regional semifinal is dicey too, but only because of the week of hype. For the most part, after the second round, you're not going to get the teams you wanted or predicted anyway.

[rsvman]

Everybody scares me in the tournament, because it's one-and-done.

Having said that, I think we beat Texas despite Durant, mainly because, IMO, Rick Barnes is probably the worst "big name" coach in the country.

I'm not sure I understand the desire of some people here to play against slow, deliberate teams rather than up-tempo teams. It seems to me that a running team has a lot of problems if you take them out of their running game, which is what Duke's stifling defense often does.

[DankeShane]

Today's Bracketology has us as the #5 vs #12 VCU. How much do you think Coach K would dread having to play Coach Capel in the 1st round!

[tbyers11]

I don't think Coach K would mind much since Jeff Capel is now the coach at Oklahoma

[A-Tex Devil]

I'll be very surprised if A&M bows out early. They've played exactly 2 bad games all year. At home against Texas Tech and against LSU. They can play fast and slow and are extremely well coached. I'm not sure they have what it takes to win it all, but I'll be VERY surprised if they lose to an inferior team. They have been one of the top teams in offensive and defensive efficiency all year.

With respect to that list of teams Kenpom.com says force lots of turnovers and are strong inside, I thought it was interesting and surprising that Tennessee and West Virginia were both on that list. Especially West Virginia since they chuck so many threes. Tennessee relies pretty heavily on Lofton being hot from downtown, too (like we did on JJ last year).

Wintrop is the mid-major and below I hope we avoid. K has a good track record against mid majors, though. When was the last time we lost to one regular season or tourney? Eastern Michigan '96?

[DankeShane]

I don't think Coach K would mind much since Jeff Capel is now the coach at Oklahoma

Don't I feel like a dope now.