CBS will let us know Saturday...
-jk
We open on Friday at 7:10 p ET. If we are fortunate to win our opener, does anybody know what time we would play on Sunday? I am having trouble deducing the time from the bracket schedules on ESPN, CBS, and elsewhere. I can’t imagine that it would be contingent on matchups.
CBS will let us know Saturday...
-jk
Yes, times will be out late Friday night. As I wrote elsewhere, the best guess for Sunday is the last CBS slot on Sunday, which is 5:00. While there are later slots on tru, TNT and TBS on Sunday, one would assume CBS will grab Duke for their prime time slot - as they did for Friday night.
Potential 2nd round match-up with VCU, good grief. I'll see if my bud JT will post a match-up info here if we play them. He lives VCU ball and used to be team manager for Jeff Capel.
I bought tickets for both days in DC and assume the times won’t be out till the preceding Sunday. Any thoughts on the likely times for the East Regional games or is it totally dependent on matchups for TV?
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
The East Regional Sweet 16 games on Friday will be about 7:15pm and 9:50pm. The Elite 8 games on Sunday are almost always played at 2;20 and 5pm.
You are correct that the time slots in which time the various teams play will not be decided until the preceding Sunday for Sweet 16 and late Fri night for Elite 8.
Coach K on Kyle Singler - "What position does he play? ... He plays winner."
"Duke is never the underdog" - Quinn Cook
So you would rather play Florida State, Kansas State, or Kansas than Virginia Tech or Michigan, Tennessee, or Kentucky rather than Michigan State (assuming they all win their earlier games)? No matter what the rankings say, it looks to me that we got the best matchups possible for our strengths and weaknesses. Maryland in DC? Have you watched any Maryland games this year? Bring it on. These are supposedly the best 68 teams in the country. We are going to have to play good teams at some point. You never know what’s going to happen in single elimination tournaments, but I don’t see any unreasonable matchups in our path.
I will go to fridays games in columbia.
Trying to decide if I pull my kid out of school and miss football practice or just go friday night and take off and try to go to dc also.i think he may enjoy the entire experience.he never been to a NCAA tournament game.
Dude, you're conflating 2s and 4s.
Now I wouldn't want FSU either. as a 4...but Kansas got drubbed by Iowa State this weekend...and yes, I'd rather Michigan than Michigan State as the number 2 by far. And you are also thinking who's "best" without understanding nuances about particular match ups...and this is a tournament about match ups. Virginia Tech will be very confident against us, as opposed to say Wisconsin. We have beaten Michigan State 11 of the last 12 times we played them...I hate to tempt those odds against the law of averages. I'd much rather play Michigan...who by overall seeding SHOULD HAVE BEEN our 2.
These factors are the match up baggage that I would rather not have in the NCAAT. Good or great teams are one thing...but throw in the baggage factor and this is why the tournament is such a crap shoot. For example, playing Maryland in DC? I remind you of playing South Carolina in Greenville. No thanks.
Meh, you gotta beat who you draw. No use in dwelling on it. But my take:
Of the two seeds, all four are quality teams. I want no part of Kentucky (they have been playing at an exceptional level down the stretch). Michigan is probably the most balanced and concern me. Tennessee would be a track meet but Rick Barnes is still Rick Barnes. MSU is, well, an Izzo team so you know they're tough. Not thrilled about a match with MSU but am happy we avoided UK and I don't think this is a bad draw given the alternatives.
Of the three seeds, LSU has the most turmoil and therefore is most likely to implode. All four of these teams are very good, but I think our draw here is not bad.
Of the four seeds, I want no part of FSU again. K.St. and V.Tech both have question marks surrounding injuries and/or reintegrating players coming back from injury. Kansas is not a vintage Jayhawk team but I am never comfortable saying that I want that match-up. So again, four tough teams and I don't think our draw is that bad of the group.
Long/short -- there are some questions in my mind about K.St., V.Tech, and LSU. Other than that, though, I would not be shocked to see any of the 2-4 seeds come through to the Final Four. I think the committee did an excellent job this year, and note that the NIT should really be a fun tournament this year too.
As good a place as any to make observations on our bracket in the East:
Lots of stories in the potential Duke match-ups int he East Region. I think it is hardly accidental. Virginia Tech AND Louisville -- really?
- Crosstown NCCU possible as our first game
- Johnny Dawkins and UCF as our third-round match? Then there is the legend of Tacko Fall. Or, if not --
- VCU - I have nightmares from the 2007 first round upset
- #4 Virginia Tech as our possible regional semis -- with its star Justin Robinson returning to action -- better than its seed? Revenge for our loss in Cassell? Hmmm... Potentially a really tough game
- K vs. Izzo in the regional finals? Or, if not, coach-less LSU and AD Joe Alleva
- Louisville is an outside shot and would be tough to beat again (of course, won't they fold?). Don't mention the Terps -- oops!
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
duke has a story with like 50% of the teams in the tournament, and almost all of the top teams...so it seems hardly out of line. Further, with 7 teams from the ACC, some were bound to be in duke's brakcet...
It's great we can come up with storylines and I enjoy them, but pretending that it's anything more than coincidental is tin-foil-hat territory.
April 1
Duke is the biggest favorite in Vegas since Kentucky in 2015 (and we know what happened then):
Courtesy of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas; as of Monday:
Code:Team Odds Duke 2-1 Virginia 6-1 North Carolina 8-1 Gonzaga 8-1 Kentucky 10-1 Tennessee 12-1 Michigan State 15-1 Michigan 25-1 Texas Tech 25-1 Houston 30-1 Purdue 30-1
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
2-1 for any team seems insane.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013