This year's tournament

[houstondukie]

I was thinking...there are a lot of truly great teams still playing in this years NCAA tourrnament. I mean, I really have no idea who is going to win it all this yr. There are so many great teams with great players and great coaches, that I think all are capable and deserving to be called champions. We are going to see some great teams go at it tomorrow and next weekend. No matter who wins or loses, we are guaranteed some great games because everyone left is a great team.

Memphis is a beast. Kansas is loaded. Carolina scary. UCLA can be dominant at times. Texas fun to watch. And Davidson has been nothing short of amazing. It's too bad Duke is not playing, and usually I can't bear to watch the rest of the games because I'm so dejected, but there's something about the tournament this year that is special because I can't turn off my T.V.

[nyr484]

I would agree that any team left might win, and this tournament has been great to watch... but I don't think any of these teams is truly "great", at least not compared to great teams of the past. 1999 or 2001 Duke would roll through this year's field without a contest. Players jumping early to the NBA really killed the potential for college teams to be amazing.

[Salag]

Thats why we need David Stern to make sure all players play at least two years of college ball before turning pro. Imagine Texas with Durant? Ohio State with a year older and wiser Oden, Conley and Cook? Carolina with Wright? UW might have been in the NIT with Spencer Hawes...Crittenton and Young still on GT?

[Kdogg]

Thats why we need David Stern to make sure all players play at least two years of college ball before turning pro. Imagine Texas with Durant? Ohio State with a year older and wiser Oden, Conley and Cook? Carolina with Wright? UW might have been in the NIT with Spencer Hawes...Crittenton and Young still on GT?

I'd prefer they use the baseball model. You can either sign out of high school or wait three years. The NBA has a farm system now so this could work.

[riverside6]

I'd prefer they use the baseball model. You can either sign out of high school or wait three years. The NBA has a farm system now so this could work.
I completely agree with this, and if I remember correctly this was something Joe Alleva has stood behind for sometime as well.

[Indoor66]

I'd prefer they use the baseball model. You can either sign out of high school or wait three years. The NBA has a farm system now so this could work.

This makes sense to me. It does away with the ridiculous 1 year rule. A player and/or an NBA team would have to bear the burdon of their decision, not the colleges and universities.

[glutton]

This makes sense to me. It does away with the ridiculous 1 year rule. A player and/or an NBA team would have to bear the burdon of their decision, not the colleges and universities.

I wasn't actually familiar with this rule (since I don't follow baseball), but I think it sounds like a big improvement over the present situation. Sure, college bball would miss out on the odens and durants, etc, but there wouldn't be so many players jumping ship after a year or two. I think one-and-dones hurt the game far more than players going pro straight out of high school.

[ClosetHurleyFan]

I would agree that any team left might win, and this tournament has been great to watch... but I don't think any of these teams is truly "great", at least not compared to great teams of the past. 1999 or 2001 Duke would roll through this year's field without a contest. Players jumping early to the NBA really killed the potential for college teams to be amazing.


roll through memphis, kansas and/or ucla,carolina....without a contest? come on dude......

I am as guilty as anyone for idealizing old teams (carolina 1982, etc..) but to say either team wouldnt have a contest against say this 37-1 memphis team is a bit of a stretch......

dont get me wrong 1999 duke team was great, but dont forget they didnt exactly play through a tough ACC that year, ie, can see that team going undefeated against the early to mid 1990s ACC....

[KandG]

I can't bear to watch the rest of the games because I'm so dejected, but there's something about the tournament this year that is special because I can't turn off my T.V.


Well said. I would actually be watching the tournament pretty steadily if not for the fact that UNC has a very good chance of winning it all, and it is really bumming me out. I've caught bits and pieces of the games, but especially with Carolina, it just bums me out how teams tend to fall to pieces at the end of games against them (some credit goes to the Heels, obviously, but all those unforced turnovers and missed FTs by the Cards were brutal).

With that said, it looks like it's going to be a pretty amazing Final Four, especially if Kansas can beat Davidson....I'll definitely have the TV on next weekend. Memphis has looked really, really good in the tournament, and their game against UCLA is going to be must-watch TV. Likewise for Kansas and Carolina if Kansas can get that far.

Davidson would be a great story if they can beat Kansas, but I think they would be like George Mason once they got to the FF -- just overwhelmed by the talent of Carolina and the overall pressure of the big stage and all the media attention. I'd rather see Kansas get a shot at preventing my nightmare scenario.

[yancem]

roll through memphis, kansas and/or ucla,carolina....without a contest? come on dude......

I am as guilty as anyone for idealizing old teams (carolina 1982, etc..) but to say either team wouldnt have a contest against say this 37-1 memphis team is a bit of a stretch......

dont get me wrong 1999 duke team was great, but dont forget they didnt exactly play through a tough ACC that year, ie, can see that team going undefeated against the early to mid 1990s ACC....

i have mixed feeling about this. On the one hand Memphis, Kansas, UCLA and UNC are very strong teams and it might be a little bit of an over statement to say that Duke '99 or '01 would roll past them. On the other hand as talented as this years UNC squad is, how would you rank them against their '05 group?

Personally, I would take Felton over Lawson, McCants over Ellington, and Jawad Williams over Thompson (although not by near the margin I would have at the beginning of the season). I would call Manuel and Ginyard a wash. This leaves me only taking 1 starter from this years squad (Hansolo) over his '05 counter part (Mays) and even that really isn't a blow out (Mays was a stud in his own right). As for the six man, Green has proven much better than I thought he would be but I still think that I would rather have Marvin Williams (I have to admit that Green is one of my least favorite UNC players so my judgment may be a little biased).

Again as good as the '05 UNC team was, it wasn't considered one of histories greats so if if they have a fairly sizable advantage of the #1 team this year, what does that say about the strength of this years field? I would say that while I don't think that any of this years teams are "great" it is a pretty deep field. The 4 #1 seeds are all well deserving and Texas might be on par. Then you have Duke, Tenn and G'town who all finished the season earlier than expected, but all played some really good basketball at times this year. You also have Stanford and Wisconsin who are/were dangerous on any given night. I'm also not sure anyone wants to play Davidson right now.

Anyway, my .02

[The Slamming Butcher]

I'm buying UNC, Kansas and Memphis. Selling UCLA. A one man band ain't gonna cut it in this Final Four.

[CDu]

i have mixed feeling about this. On the one hand Memphis, Kansas, UCLA and UNC are very strong teams and it might be a little bit of an over statement to say that Duke '99 or '01 would roll past them. On the other hand as talented as this years UNC squad is, how would you rank them against their '05 group?

Personally, I would take Felton over Lawson, McCants over Ellington, and Jawad Williams over Thompson (although not by near the margin I would have at the beginning of the season). I would call Manuel and Ginyard a wash. This leaves me only taking 1 starter from this years squad (Hansolo) over his '05 counter part (Mays) and even that really isn't a blow out (Mays was a stud in his own right). As for the six man, Green has proven much better than I thought he would be but I still think that I would rather have Marvin Williams (I have to admit that Green is one of my least favorite UNC players so my judgment may be a little biased).

Again as good as the '05 UNC team was, it wasn't considered one of histories greats so if if they have a fairly sizable advantage of the #1 team this year, what does that say about the strength of this years field? I would say that while I don't think that any of this years teams are "great" it is a pretty deep field. The 4 #1 seeds are all well deserving and Texas might be on par. Then you have Duke, Tenn and G'town who all finished the season earlier than expected, but all played some really good basketball at times this year. You also have Stanford and Wisconsin who are/were dangerous on any given night. I'm also not sure anyone wants to play Davidson right now.

Anyway, my .02

Agreed. The four teams left are all very good. But none of them are great. The 1999 team should easily handle any of them. The 2001 team should beat them all as well, though it may be closer.

[mgtr]

I'm buying UNC, Kansas and Memphis. Selling UCLA. A one man band ain't gonna cut it in this Final Four.

I'm buying Kansas all the way (I hope, I hope, I hope). I don't want KU to beat UNC, I don't want KU to embarrass UNC, I want KU to humiliate UNC. Well, we all have our dreams!

[freedevil]

Those of you who don't think UNC is a great team - I respectfully disagree, and it pains me to do so. They are playing lights-out right now. They're scoring from everywhere.

[mk76]

I was thinking...there are a lot of truly great teams still playing in this years NCAA tourrnament. I mean, I really have no idea who is going to win it all this yr. There are so many great teams with great players and great coaches, that I think all are capable and deserving to be called champions. We are going to see some great teams go at it tomorrow and next weekend. No matter who wins or loses, we are guaranteed some great games because everyone left is a great team.

Memphis is a beast. Kansas is loaded. Carolina scary. UCLA can be dominant at times. Texas fun to watch. And Davidson has been nothing short of amazing. It's too bad Duke is not playing, and usually I can't bear to watch the rest of the games because I'm so dejected, but there's something about the tournament this year that is special because I can't turn off my T.V.
The final three games should be very entertaining. I see Memphis v. UNC on Monday with the Tigers taking the trophy. They are too deep and too athletic.

[Ignatius07]

Those of you who don't think UNC is a great team - I respectfully disagree, and it pains me to do so. They are playing lights-out right now. They're scoring from everywhere.

I have been wondering lately how history will judge this year's UNC team if they win it all. As you point out, they are playing absolutely amazing basketball right now. It would be fun to watch if it weren't so painful at the same time. I think that if they continue to play as well as they have and do win the championship, pundits might mistakenly think of 08 UNC as one of the best teams of the 00s, when even 05 UNC was better.

This would be a terrific example of the error of recency, because throughout most of the season UNC did not look "great" - they were good to very good, probably hitting a low point when they lost to us. Maryland and we had beaten them, they'd survived multiple scares when they very easily could (should) have lost, and they looked out of sorts. This was both with and without Lawson, mind you. But they certainly are playing well now.

[The Slamming Butcher]

I'm buying UNC, Kansas and Memphis. Selling UCLA. A one man band ain't gonna cut it in this Final Four.

Guess I should have SOLD on the Tarholes too. :D :D :D

[eddiehaskell]

I'm buying Kansas all the way (I hope, I hope, I hope). I don't want KU to beat UNC, I don't want KU to embarrass UNC, I want KU to humiliate UNC. Well, we all have our dreams!Sometimes dreams DO come true. :p

[JStuart]

I'm buying Kansas all the way (I hope, I hope, I hope). I don't want KU to beat UNC, I don't want KU to embarrass UNC, I want KU to humiliate UNC. Well, we all have our dreams!
Your dream came true, and should shut up the tarheel faithful in the triangle for, oh, a day or two...

[devildownunder]

Wish Granted.

[moonpie23]

Those of you who don't think UNC is a great team - I respectfully disagree, and it pains me to do so. They are playing lights-out right now. They're scoring from everywhere.

"lights-out" took on a special meaning against kansas, didn't it...?

[Cameron]

This is a pretty random back from the dead thread.

But good memories. (Although it's a bit disheartening to think "good memories" are of Carolina getting beat in the Final Four after we were gone in the second round:()

[Buckeye Devil]

Right now, I don't think there are two better teams than UCONN and UNC, the two teams I hate the most. Who knows what will happen during the tournament, but if I had to lay what little money I have down today, I would bet the house on the Holes. They have an inside/outside game and a point guard to make it happen. It's depressing.

As for the 1999 team, I find it hard to say that a team that could not beat UCONN in the finals would fair any better against UNC or CONN today. It should have never happened but that is why they play the game. My sleeper team to make some tournament noise: Ohio State.