The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament starts four weeks from tomorrow -- how's your team doing?

[fishwax]

Selection Sunday is four weeks from yesterday, and the "play-in game" is four weeks from tomorrow. Unfortunately, my schedule has kept me from following as closely as I would've liked, but I'm trying to catch up now that conference races are heating up and the postseason is just around the corner. :woohoo:

So what's your team and how are they doing this year? Will they make the tournament? What seed will they get, and how far do you think they'll go?

[CatholicEdHead]

1. Golden Gophers and Badgers are in the same spot

with the same Big 10 record. They are at or just below a NCAA 6-8 at large seed. Otherwise they have good chances to make the NIT.

[fishwax]

4. they seem to be going in different directions, though

I remember a couple of weeks ago when Minnesota beat Illinois pretty handily and jumped up into the top 20, but it looks like they've been on a bit of a slide since then.

I caught part of the Wisconsin win over Ohio State on Saturday--they might be coming into form at the right time :)

[rurallib]

32. man oh man the big ten has some great coaches

Been a Tubby fan for a long time - Matta, Bo Ryan(?), Beline, Tom Izzo of course. We are still waiting for Lickliter to catch fire at Iowa (he will). The team I love to watch most is Northwestern coached by Phil Carmody. You play Northwestern and win or lose you have played a game.
I think everybody has a top-notch coach. Even the perpetual doormat Penn State is very respectable.

[Ohio Dem]

64. That was a nice win for them.

My Buckeyes are in pretty decent shape, I think, but I would have loved to pick up an away game there.

Wisconsin just doesn't lose at home, though. They're very tough there.

[SoxFan]

2. One of those years, unfortunately

Arkansas Razorbacks :hurts:

UNO Privateers :banghead:

[fishwax]

7. well, if it weren't for your razorbacks

the Oklahoma Sooners (my team) would be undefeated this year. Boy, they were flying kinda high back then--didn't they beat Texas, too? What the hell happened?

Alas, I haven't seen the Privateers at all this year, but having just checked their schedule and results, I understand your frustration.

[Ptah]

3. Arizona Wildcats are looking good. Just beat UCLA for the seventh win in a row.

Looks good for them to continue the longest current streak for NCAA appearances.



U of A is only two games behind the conference leader, U of W.

[fishwax]

9. saw just a bit of that game

it didn't seem like it was as close as the final score would suggest (84-72).

They're on quite a roll :toast:

I see the Grizzlies are only two games down in the Big Sky Conference, too, though I'm sure they'd need to win the conference tourney to get in. Are you a fan of their basketball team as well as football?

[NewJeffCT]

5. they just got spanked at home by Pitt

They still have a shot to go far in the NCAAs, but they're missing their best perimeter defender for the rest of the year...

[fishwax]

15. yeah, that sucks about Dyson

at least they have a few weeks to adjust before the tournament starts. They've got a couple of tough games left before the season is over, too, though.

[EastTennesseeDem]

6. My alma mater (class of 2012)

Record: 16-8
Conference record: 7-3 (T-1st in division)
RPI: 18
SOS: 3
Top 50 wins: Siena, Georgetown, Marquette, South Carolina, Florida

Looking good! :thumbsup:

[fishwax]

17. a volunteer, eh?

they look to be in good shape. Bracketology projects them as a 6 seed: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology. (I've seen other brackets, though, where they're in the dreaded 8-9 game.)

[EastTennesseeDem]

20. I pray for that 6-11

We've got a lot of tough ones left. One at UK, one at SC, at home against Mississippi State. The guys can just as easily pick up a 3 as they can at 10 or 11.

[underpants]

8. VCU has a shot. UVa will need another miracle like '75

GO TEAM

[fishwax]

18. well, I've got a soft spot for VCU because

they gave the best young coach in the country his start as a head coach:


I somehow haven't seen UVa play at all this year. :shrug:

[underpants]

19. VCU is a steppingstone school

the current coach Anthony Grant held out to finish this season with Maynor which as risky-they had much not coming back

Cappell was a perfect pick by Oklahoma. Right on time and actually early. Cappell's dad was the coach at Old Dominion (Norfolk)

I don't think Grant will hang around too long. When he gets a big program look out-he can recruit with the best of them (in a big program) and he is going to be around for a LONG time.

[KamaAina]

51. I've got a soft spot for 'em because...

...they beat Puke and Coach (R) in the first round two years ago! :bounce:

[Sisaruus]

10. Funny you should ask.

#1 UConn men just lost to Pittsburgh. But our #1 women beat Pittsburgh by 53 points yesterday.

[fishwax]

23. Tough loss tonight, but

an impressive win by the women. No surprise that they're #1, of course. :)

[Sisaruus]

11. Funny you should ask.

#1 UConn men just lost to Pittsburgh. But our #1 women beat Pittsburgh by 53 points yesterday.

[fishwax]

12. The Sooners are in good shape for a #1 seed

Thanks largely to the likely national player of the year, Blake Griffin.

[BlooInBloo]

22. A man playing with boys...

Haven't seen one like him but a few times.

[Bertha Venation]

13. Fear the Turtle? . . .

. . . not too well, I'm afraid. You tell me. I don't follow too closely.

[fishwax]

24. I've heard the coach might be on his way out

Took me by surprise since it wasn't that long ago they won a national title (seven years, I guess), but it looks like they won't make the tournament this year ...

[Bertha Venation]

30. That would be surprising.

He's been their coach forever.

[leftyclimber]

14. Not so swift.

I did my undergrad at the University of Oregon, my postbac at Oregon State (yes, I am a traitor so shaddap fellow Ducks), and am in grad school at West Virginia.

We are all teh suck this year, although WVU did beat Villanova this weekend.

Oh, well.

[fishwax]

25. I think WVU has a good shot at the tourney still

but Oregon and Oregon State have definitely both seen better days :)

[Twillig]

43. But Oregon State has seen worse days

Like last year. Oh fer 18 in conference.

But things are looking up. We've got the Audacity of Hoop going on here with Coach Rob.


And the Ducks are 0-13 in Conference so far. So we've got that going for us. Which is nice.

:toast:

[fishwax]

73. The Audacity of Hoop

:woohoo:

:toast:

[AwakeAtLast]

16. Not really 'my' team

but an Indiana team - Butler - got beat by Loyola.

I really like the NCAA tournament!

[fishwax]

26. but still on top of the Horizon League, I see

"I really like the NCAA tournament!"

It's great fun :toast:

[BlooInBloo]

21. I have no team. Can't wait to watch as many of the games as I possibly can though!

[fishwax]

27. I can't either--and with CBS's online feed I hope to catch 'em all :)

[yellowdogintexas]

76. me too. I love the first week of the Tournament. I always pick two brackets:

one that is more or less based on reality and logical outcomes of the pairings..

and the other one is based on sentiment mostly.

example: if Louisville, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Western Kentucky make the opening round then I will advance them all the way across the brackets, just for fun. If none of them are in the opening round then I will play around to see if I can make a final four that is all from one conference maybe or both teams from the same state or something else that is fun.

Being from Kentucky I am a die hard basketball fan and enthusiastic MarchMadness lover

Heck, I am even a Division II fan. I graduated from the college with the most Div II championships, which of course is also in Kentucky.

[GOPisEvil]

28. Gig 'em!!

We're 18-8, but only 4-7 in conference after tonight's victory over Texas. So, maybe NIT bound. :shrug:

[fishwax]

38. with the win last night, they might still have an outside shot

Even though their league record isn't great, they have a couple of good non-conference wins (LSU and Arizona). The Big 12 probably won't get many teams in this year, but with OU, KU, and MU being locks and Texas now sliding lately, a fourth spot might be up for grabs. Beating Missouri will be tough, but at least it's at home, and all their remaining games are winnable. Probably unlikely, but who knows :)

[tigereye]

29. pretty damn good - after tonight!

Go Pitt! I can't wait for March Madness!

[fishwax]

39. Impressive win

:toast:

[tigereye]

67. wasn't it though?

I was out at drum lessons, and my son taped it for me, but just before i was going to watch it, he blurted out that they won! :rofl:


It was more relaxing watching the end, though, knowing that all would be well. Levance really stepped up at the end, and Blair and Young were amazing!


:hi:

[motely36]

31. We're actually doing pretty well

Beat both Marquette and Xavier.
Losses to Creighton, UMass, and Charlotte.

Should finally get back to the big dance after several years away. :woohoo:

Right now, we are projected as a 9 seed and actually ranked 25 in the AP Poll. Would like to be either a 7 or 10 seed (8 or 9 have to play #1 seed in second round :) )

Just have to wait and see.

[fishwax]

40. Way to go Flyers

:toast:

I'm sure as the season shakes out they could work their way up out of that 8-9 game, especially if they can beat Xavier again on the road. (Of course, they could also work their way down from the 8-9 game, which as you say wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing either :) ... incidentally, Jerry Palm at CBS is projecting they'll wind up an 11 seed: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11233762.)

[Wapsie B]

33. Iowa's in the developmental stage. Funny thing though

it's was that same way when the Boy Wonder (Steve Alford) was there. UNI looks to have a good chance in the Missouri Valley. Difficult to say about them. They could be one of those heartbreaker teams who draw a high seed in the first round and win.

[fishwax]

41. looks like UNI has a few tough games left

On the road against Illinois State and on the road against Sienna, who are leading the MAAC. Should help them get ready for the conference tourney :toast:

Big 10 has been tough this year, but at least Iowa's in the developmental stage instead of the Indiana stage ;)

[Blue_Tires]

34. a mess....Kansas is very young this year

i'm just hoping they get it together and make a strong showing...

[fishwax]

42. they could still win the regular season conference championship if they can

find a way to beat Oklahoma down in Norman next Monday. Tall order, though :)

[crimsonblue]

69. A mess? You must be watching a different team then me.

Kansas is in great shape in the Big 12. They have a very legitimate chance to win their fifth straight conference championship, and have a 4 seed solidly locked up.

[Blue_Tires]

83. true...guess i'm still stinging over the border war loss...

[crimsonblue]

85. true... but the game at Paige Sports Arena is a crap shoot every year.

It always comes down to whether or not KU can make its free throws. This year, we didn't, so we lost to a far inferior team. All it does is fuel the students even more to make the Phog rock at 130dB in the rematch.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

35. Sucky McSuckathon

we'll see what happens with the rest of the ACC schedule.

They play St. John's on Thursday, and then Wake Forest on Sunday (again). Their two next games are away, then Florida State on Mar. 3 and the-ones-who-shan't-be-named on Mar. 8 before the ACC tournament.

I'm so pissed at them right now I'm not going to even say who these blue hellish beings are.

[fishwax]

44. it's been a tough coupla weeks, eh?

Plenty of time for them to get it back together, of course, though it sounds like the schedule won't make it easy ...

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

63. Ugh... the past couple of years, February has just not been

good for them which, looking back on history of late, is not a good omen for March. If only a player named, say, Kyle Singler, and another player named, for instance, Jon Scheyer, actually figured out how to work together as a team instead of letting another player named, just for writing's sake, Gerald Henderson, do all the work and if, and only if, a nearly seven-footer by the totally-made-up name of Brian Zoubek actually did something under the basket such as, say, a layup or a rebound, things may be better.

Of course, all these names are made up; there are no such players, mind you. Some of them appear in some games, while others appear in others, but none together at once, which leads me to believe that they are all in my head.

It must be Danny Green's dancing that has caused my hallucinations

:hide:

[Tyrone Slothrop]

36. Go Illini!

Looking like we'll probably be anywhere from a 3 to a 6 seed depending on how we close out the season.

I'm hoping we can make Sweet 16 this year, but anything can happen in the tourney...

[fishwax]

48. They've been a nice surprise this year

I figured they'd make the tourney this year, but I certainly didn't expect them to come on as they have. Hell, they've even got a shot at a share of the conference title.

The only problem: right now CBS has them projected as a #4 seed in the same bracket where the Sooners are a #1 seed. I'm hoping they wind up in separate brackets so I can still cheer for both :)

[Tyrone Slothrop]

62. I wasn't really sure they would be tourney-bound this year

I'm a pretty die-hard fan and I couldn't even watch the last half of last year's season.

The recruiting class for next year and the year beyond are supposed to be pretty great, but I sort of figured this season would continue their descent into the abyss.

[fishwax]

77. With Purdue beating the Spartans tonight, the Illini are in control for a share of the Big 10 title

:woohoo:

Michigan State is 10-3 and Illinois 9-4, but MSU has to come here for the next to last game of the season, so if Illinois wins out they'll win at least a share of the Big 10 crown. That's outstanding :)

Purdue also is 9-4, but they lost both games to Illinois. Purdue and MSU have to play each other again, too.

[jobycom]

37. Mine has fallen from #7 to outside the Top 25.

I don't notice basketball until the tournament starts, so I have no idea what happened.

[fishwax]

49. Is it Notre Dame?

They took a nosedive once conference play started--I didn't see them at all until the losing streak started, so I can't compare before and after, but I know they lost something like seven in a row at one point.

At first I thought you might mean Texas, but I think they might have been in the top 5 at some point earlier this year. They, too, have had quite a fall from grace ...

[jobycom]

60. It is Texas. I didn't notice them in the Top 5, I guess.

[fishwax]

61. they're in danger of missing the tournament altogether if they don't right the ship

They've got five games left, and three of them (OU at home, Kansas and OSU on the road) will be pretty tough. They could wind up at .500 in the Big 12 if they don't win at least one of those. Definitely a weird year for the Longhorns ...

[SteppingRazor]

45. We're ranked #11 in the AP poll, but...

we gotta play Kansas and Oklahoma our last two games of the season. :scared:

Still, even if we lose both of those, we'll still be in the Madness. Go Mizzou!

[fishwax]

50. I think Mizzou has been the story of the Big 12 this year

I hope Mike Anderson wins conference coach of the year. (A part of me, of course, hopes that Jeff Capel wins it, but what Missouri has done this year has been impressive.)

At least you get Oklahoma at home. As a Sooner fan, I'm a bit worried about that one :)

[SteppingRazor]

54. It's been a great ride so far. We barely beat KU a week ago, so I'm hoping we can do it again.

OU, on the other hand, may be a bit more than we can handle. But, if we can beat KU, we'll likely wind up in second place behind the god-damn Sooners (apologies, but after the last two football seasons, I've developed an unspeakable fear and loathing of all things Sooner)

[crimsonblue]

71. I disagree. Self deserves the Coach of the Year.

He's got a very young squad playing fantastic basketball. Just wait until next Monday, when we slay the Griffin Goliath.

[fishwax]

72. I agree that Self has done a great job this season

we'll just have to see about that prediction, though ;)

[crimsonblue]

70. Correction:

You gotta lose your last two games of the season. You've got no chance in Lawrence.

[SteppingRazor]

86. Bite me, Jayhawk scum.

:hi:

[1gobluedem]

46. Michigan is on the bubble

We got two quality wins by beating UCLA and Duke but we've lost some games we should've won and our road record isn't that great. The next few games are critical.

We have a very fun team to watch, though. They're young still but have some flashes of brilliance.

[fishwax]

53. oddly enough (since I'm in Big 10 country) I haven't seen them play much this year

Right now Joe Lunardi's bracketology has them as the first bubble team not to make it: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology. If they finish the season strong and show well in the tournament, though, I bet they can play their way in :toast:

[Bake]

47. Louisville will definitely be IN

Despite that embarassing loss to Notre Dame last week (which they avenged by drubbing DePaul), the Cards will be in. And they will do well!!!!

I'm hoping for Final Four, but not holding my breath ...

Bake

[fishwax]

55. the big east conference tournament will be fun

Four teams in the top 10 :wow:

Louisville will definitely be a force in the tournament. :toast:

[Bake]

59. I think the Big East will be THE conference tourney to watch.

:hi:

Bake

[KamaAina]

52. Present team? I hope they all get their degrees,

'cause none of them are turning pro. Not even in Italy or wherever. :puke:

Former team? Just choked away the No. 1 spot. :grr:

[fishwax]

57. Your former team has a couple of tough games left, too

The end of the season should prove interesting in the Big East. :)

What's your present team? (Hawaii?)

[KamaAina]

58. Yes, if you use the term "team" loosely

What's your present team? (Hawaii?)

When I got here, they were at least competitive in the WAC. :eyes:

[momto3]

56. Xavier University ( my alma mater)

21-4 this year. It would be nice to see them actually make it to the sweet 16 again.

Go Muskies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fishwax]

74. I haven't seen them much this year, but

I haven't seen them much this year, but I'm not surprised they're doing well again. I had fun watching them last year with former Sooner guard Drew Alexander :)

:toast:

[bigwillq]

65. My team is struggling

but I think we should be able to get in. They're 19-7 right now and play in the best conference in the nation.

My team is Syracuse, and they play in the tough Big East. But they did beat Memphis, Florida and Kansas in their non-conference games so hopefully that'll matter when the selections are made.

[fishwax]

75. I'm sure they'll get in too

Bracketology has them as a 6 seed right now. Looks like they've got five games left, and three are pretty tough--Villanova and UConn at home, Marquette on the road--so they've still got a chance to make a big move.

No doubt about the best conference in the nation. Big East is crazy this year. :toast:

[Bake]

66. Will Duke make the Big Dance?

OF course they will. They could lose 20 games and still get a bid. I think Dick Vitale gets 100 votes or something ... that's the only way I can explain it.

Bake

[Lex]

80. Ha!

:thumbsup:

[crimsonblue]

68. My team is ready to defend its title.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk, bitches!

[gemdem]

78. DAYTON FLYERS -- #25 on the Charts

and #1 in your hearts (okay, #1 in my heart). With a 23-3 record, barring some big meltdown in the last five games or in the A-10 tourney we'll be dancing in March. Here's hoping we're one of those surprise teams that can make a bit of a run. I'd be thrilled if they can make the Sweet 16, but first things first... Beat St. Louis this weekend.

Go Flyers! :woohoo:

[Condem]

81. You an alum, gemdem?

[gemdem]

82. Dayton born and raised

Quite literally grew up on the campus (my mom was the English dept secretary) -- first home was on College Park, grandparents lived on Kiefaber. Graduated in '83. Yup. I'm an alum -- and have followed the Flyers since I could stand. That's getting to be a long time now. LOL!

[Condem]

88. Class of 82, gemdem.

We might know each other. Still in Dayton?

[gemdem]

89. Part of the Dayton "diaspora"

With the offshoring of jobs in my field, I've left Dayton (for the second time) and now live near Indianapolis. That said, Dayton will always be home.

[Condem]

90. Born in Michigan, raised in suburban Philly.

Now call Iowa City truly home. Enjoyed the UD years. Unfortunately, saw Animal House just weeks before my frosh year. Just didn't accomplish what I set out to do. Oh well.

[Lex]

79. My alma mater, UNC Tarheels . . .

We are doing just fine. :thumbsup:

[Drunken Irishman]

84. My Utes should be in unless they somehow fuck it all up.

18-7, but an RPI of 11 with wins over Gonzaga, Ole Miss and LSU.

If they win out, they'll be a sixth seed.

[Mudoria]

87. Looking good so far..

[jus_the_facts]

91. Accordin' to this poll....LSU is now ranked 24th.....

:bounce:

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/division_i1.html

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

92. Providence College is the last team in according to ESPN

I suspect they will lose to someone awful down the stretch. They have problems closing out games, which is a holdover trait from the Tim Welch era.