2019 Selection Sunday

[El_Diablo]

If memory serves Gut had already landed, or was about to land, Adam Boone and considered UNC to be set at the PG position.

Gut supposedly didn't want to recruit over Ed Cota, so he didn't try to pull in an elite PG for the 1999-2000 season. He was targeting someone else for the 2000-2001 season to step in after Cota was gone. I don't remember who it was, but Gut didn't like something about that recruit's family (or there was some other off-court issue that caused him to back away), and then he was left scrambling for Boone.

[flyingdutchdevil]

The one thing about Va Tech and MSU that gives me some confidence is that both of those teams' best players are smallish point guards, and we happen to have one of the most incredible on-the-ball perimeter defenders in the country. With Zion back, I think that somewhat helps mitigate Blackshear, who is legitimately a beast. They are both tough teams, but I like our matchups and our chances.

Yeah...I'm with you.

Of the four 4-seeds, I'd rather play Kansas St over VT, but that's it. Even though Kansas isn't deep and has had tons of players injured/leave the program, they are still coached by a top 5 coach and do have incredible talent. And FSU? We beat them twice and I think they'd want to murder us in a rematch.

With VT, we lost by 5 points on THEIR court. And I think we can all agree that Zion >>>>>>>>> Justin Robinson. Robinson is really good, but Zion is otherworldly.

I also think we'll have Bolden back, which absolutely helps our frontcourt depth.

[BandAlum83]

Don't understand how va tech is the last 4th seed when they have their best player coming back from injury. Arguably one of the top PGs in the nation and an absolute marksman from 3 point land. The trajectory that they were headed down was at least a 2-3 seed before robinson went down.

Thats the only game that worries me right now. We will need to be at our best and hopefully have the motivation of revenge.

Perhaps because we don't know the player he will be when he comes back. Zion's comeback from injury has been highly unusual and otherworldly.

It won't be easy get Justin back and reintegrated even if he is 100%.

Being a Senior, it is, IMHO, as likely that he isn't 100% and doesn't want to spend his last days of college sitting on the bench and watching. We don't know what his injury is, but it's possible that if playing won't make it worse, he could be playing with pain or other limitation.

The committee doesn't know the real status, and VT hasn't been a top 25 team without him down the stretch. In the 12 games Robinson hasn't played, VT is 7-5.

The five losses were to top 20 teams and Clemson. The seven wins included only one vs a Tourney bound team: at home vs. a Zionless Duke. Remember, Duke was 3-3 without Zion.

Otherwise the wins were the 24 point NCSU debacle, GT, Pitt, and Mia x2. Not exactly a murderers row.

VT could very well be overseeded, in reality.

[uh_no]

I'm almost positive he's changed the wording on his degree from Duke to unc.

they can have him.

[MChambers]

Gut supposedly didn't want to recruit over Ed Cota, so he didn't try to pull in an elite PG for the 1999-2000 season. He was targeting someone else for the 2000-2001 season to step in after Cota was gone. I don't remember who it was, but Gut didn't like something about that recruit's family (or there was some other off-court issue that caused him to back away), and then he was left scrambling for Boone.

I thought it was because UNC had Ron Curry?

[Wahoo2000]

I think the hue and cry about Mich St being behind Tenn is a bit overdone.

Tenn had much better non-con than MSU: beat Gonzaga on neutral, played full-strength Kansas tougher on neutral (could well have won in OT if Williams didn't foul out, while MSU was handled fairly easily despite late run by MSU to make score respectable), and beat Louisville on neutral while MSU lost, albeit in road game.

Tenn went 2-1 vs Kentucky vs. MSU 3-0 vs Mich, so slight edge to MSU.

But, I'm not going to write home about the rest of Mich St's wins - Purdue at home and Wisc and Maryland away is really the best they've got,which is good but doesn't blow me away.

Tenn's only other losses are at LSU in OT, at a desperate Auburn by 4 on senior day and then to Auburn in the SEC final today, when it was obvious Tenn had exhausted itself after the holy war w Kentucky yesterday.

On the other side of the ledger, MSU was swept by Indiana and lost to terrible Illinois.

MSU's Quad numbers are propped up by the middle of the Big Ten being better than the middle of the SEC, but I think it's reasonable to conclude Tenn on balance has the better resume - better higher end wins, and none of the bad losses

You know, it used to be that winning a major conference counted for a lot more than just the quality of wins you picked up along the way. I don't think MSU is getting ANY credit for winning BOTH the regular season and conference tourney in the B1G (the #1 conference per KenPom) while Tenn failed to get a piece of the SEC (4th best conference per Kenpom) regular season OR tournament title.

I believe if resumes are even ANYWHERE close that the double titles (compared with ZERO) should carry enough weight to MORE than push MSU ahead of Tenn.*


*Not that I'm complaining about the result as a UVA fan. I definitely prefer the Tenn matchup to another MSU tournament house-of-horrors.

[uh_no]

just want to point out that I'm ecetstic with vt as our four since it means...

the Zion rampage revenge tour is back on!!

[El_Diablo]

I thought it was because UNC had Ron Curry?

That might have actually had something to do with it too, along with Forte. Either way, Gut spurned him, and I remember Williams saying later that it gave him extra motivation against them.

[sagegrouse]

just want to point out that I'm ecstatic with vt as our four since it means...

the Zion rampage revenge tour is back on!!

FIFY, or did you mean aesthetic or ascetic?

[uh_no]

FIFY, or did you mean aesthetic or ascetic?

i meant "sent from Android"

[Dukehk]

just want to point out that I'm ecetstic with vt as our four since it means...

the Zion rampage revenge tour is back on!!

Thats the one upside to the matchup. The guys are so competitive and im sure they will want to run it back against VT.

Then of course, looming in the distance is a rematch with gonzaga. Im sure they will remember how hachimura talked sh*t to RJ after the game, saying how he was better etc.

[Nugget]

You know, it used to be that winning a major conference counted for a lot more than just the quality of wins you picked up along the way. I don't think MSU is getting ANY credit for winning BOTH the regular season and conference tourney in the B1G (the #1 conference per KenPom) while Tenn failed to get a piece of the SEC (4th best conference per Kenpom) regular season OR tournament title.

I believe if resumes are even ANYWHERE close that the double titles (compared with ZERO) should carry enough weight to MORE than push MSU ahead of Tenn.*


*Not that I'm complaining about the result as a UVA fan. I definitely prefer the Tenn matchup to another MSU tournament house-of-horrors.

Very fair point that mine under-sold. Regular season conf. titles did used to be cited as a factor in many seeding decisions. I think it is possible that with more unbalanced conf. schedules the relative regular season conferences finishes may be becoming less important.

[NSDukeFan]

Duke and Auburn I see.

Nevada and Villanova make me wonder if you’ve watched college basketball in the past three months, haha. I’d be shocked if either of those teams see the second weekend.

I thought I remember reading that preseason top 25 lists tend to be as good a predictor of tournament success as end of year rankings? The most talented teams as ranked preseason still have that talent even if they underachieved during the season and can go on a good run.

This is the right perspective IMHO. The winner of the B1G title game should’ve been the top No. 2 seed and gotten their choice of region, which likely would’ve been the South based on location. I’m guessing the Spartans “bad losses” played a role here, and had Michigan won things might’ve been different since they’re resume is more similar to Tennessee when it comes to losses, but with more quality wins.

Honestly though I think it worked out great for us. Yes, MSU is playing well, but without Langford they are probably the least talented No. 2 seed (yes, I’m being a Michigan homer and overlooking their sweep of us, but Cassius just had our number, unfortunately... I still think Michigan has more talent on the court, Winston is just a transcendent college player that Michigan can’t match right now, and it hurts me to say that). We also match up great with the Sparties because they have no one to guard Zion (Tillman might be able to hold his own for a bit, but Ward and Goins are too slow to keep up with him at all) and Tre matches up nice against Winston. Meanwhile Michigan’s defense is so good that I think we’d have a hard time getting separation from the Wolverines, which leaves the door slightly ajar for an unexpected outcome.

Let the talking heads complain. We got a break on the 2 line, and I get to keep my dreamn of Duke and Michigan in the same final four alive. After a crappy afternoon the selection show perked me up

I would feel better about Jones shutting down Winston if you hadn’t mentioned all year about how Simpson was such an amazing defender, as he apparently wasn’t able to slow Winston enough.

[OldPhiKap]

i meant "sent from Android"

“You must spread comments . . . .”

Damn that made me laugh.

[Coballs]

Bilas picking unc to beat us in the championship game reassures me that there is order in the universe.

But on the Golic and Wingo show, Jay picks Duke to win it all! Fast forward to 1:13:30... http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=26296957

So on one ESPN program he picks UNC over Duke but on another he picks Duke over UNC. It's impossible to take this guy seriously.

[devildeac]

But on the Golic and Wingo show, Jay picks Duke to win it all! Fast forward to 1:13:30... http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=26296957

So on one ESPN program he picks UNC over Duke but on another he picks Duke over UNC. It's impossible to take this guy seriously.

Covering all bases. Smartest person in the room.

[yancem]

Heard an interesting question on an espn show tonight: the acc or the field? I know the smart money is always on the field over a specific team but with the acc having 3 1 seeds and the odds tend to favor 1 seeds, is the acc the “safe bet”? I’m not sold on Gonzaga and all of the 4 seeds are solid but would you take them over Duke, UVA and unc? I don’t think I would and the odds of a 3 or lower seed winning aren’t very good.

Discuss.

[gus]

I'm almost positive he's changed the wording on his degree from Duke to unc.

If he did, then he put more effort into getting a Carolina degree than most of their players did these past two decades.

[crimsondevil]

Heard an interesting question on an espn show tonight: the acc or the field? I know the smart money is always on the field over a specific team but with the acc having 3 1 seeds and the odds tend to favor 1 seeds, is the acc the “safe bet”? I’m not sold on Gonzaga and all of the 4 seeds are solid but would you take them over Duke, UVA and unc? I don’t think I would and the odds of a 3 or lower seed winning aren’t very good.

Discuss.

Well, the 538 forecast has duke at 19% to win it all, uva at 17, unc at 9, VT at 2, and FSU at 1, so 48% if you sum them.* Even if those are substantially off, it suggests that’s close enough odds to make it a reasonable question.

* I think it’s debatable whether this is the right way to figure this. Some of the uncertainty may come from not being sure whether the ACC is as strong as predicted.

[KandG]

But on the Golic and Wingo show, Jay picks Duke to win it all! Fast forward to 1:13:30... http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=26296957

So on one ESPN program he picks UNC over Duke but on another he picks Duke over UNC. It's impossible to take this guy seriously.

Honestly, when watching the panel make picks on that Bracketology show, Bilas' pick seemed intentionally tongue in cheek. He said he picked UNC because they had the best hair (Coby White's).

I wouldn't be surprised if Duke was his "real" pick. Though looking at a lot of early media members' picks for the champions, most acknowledge that the Final Eight will be almost all chalk, but there are so many ways to justify one of 4 to 6 teams winning it all.

The Athletic had 18 writers pick their Final Four and eventual champion. 15 of 18 picked Duke to get to the Final Four (the other three picked MSU from the East). Nine of eighteen picked Duke to win it all, four picked Gonzaga, two apiece picked UNC and Virginia, and one picked Kentucky.