GYER34-0
- Thread starter cawoodsct
- Start date
Saw this last week
http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2015/03/kentuckys_basketballs_big_blue.html
Duke lost at home by 16 to Miami. Robert Morris and/or North Florida will break one off in them.
2. Louisville
Reason to pick the upset: This is kind of a matchup nightmare for Louisville on offense, a team that has struggled to space the floor all season long. The Cardinals are shooting 30 percent from 3-point range, and have relied upon their ability to finish at the rim in order to score on offense, as they're shooting 66 percent at the bucket this year. That's going to be immensely difficult against the Anteaters, who feature the services of 7-foot-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye.
Coach Russell Turner puts Ndiaye in the center of a 2-3 zone defense. The zone alone makes it tough for teams to get dribble penetration. But even if they do get past that first line of defense, Ndiaye is there waiting for them at the rim, and there is not a better rim protector in the country, period. Despite Ndiaye missing a large portion of the middle of this season, the Anteaters finished 18th in field-goal percentage against at the rim nationally after topping that category last year -- Ndiaye's first season in Irvine. I'm just not sure how the Cardinals are going to get efficient scoring opportunities in this game. That, along with the Anteaters' ability to bomb away from deep, should at least keep them in it the majority of the way.
last time i seen louisvile and anteater in same sintince karen sipher was on trial ahhahahahhaa
-I can actually understand a fan taking this weekend off for clarity, especially for the people that were in Nashville.. The next two weeks are going to be stressful as all get out. Tickets are going to be stupid. The only real bonus is the ease of Louisville and the party down there should be awesome.
-I'm going to work some Thursday then head up to get there around 11:30, check in to hotel and head over to start watching games at a watering hole. Same type of plan for Friday although I may not go in with the game being so late.
-Weather looks pretty solid.
-I love regional games. Not more than Final 4 b/c of all the side show stuff with a F4 but it's much better pure basketball. Tickets are much easier, arenas are still basketball arenas, stakes are SOOOO high, typically really great match-ups.
-I went to Cleveland back in 2000 and it was alright, can't imagine The Flats is the place still. Hopefully like most major cities they have a nice revitalized area around the arena. Hell we managed to have a ton of fun in Newark, New Jerseys so I think we'll be alright. That's shaping up to be a nice little crew. Typically don't get real good crews on those trips. Awesome.
-UL is not going to the Final Four unless the road just opens up in front of them. Defense in the tourney is great but so is scoring.
-I'm picking any team with a Mamadou Ndiaye on it, one of my favorite SEC players of all time.
-I'm going to work some Thursday then head up to get there around 11:30, check in to hotel and head over to start watching games at a watering hole. Same type of plan for Friday although I may not go in with the game being so late.
-Weather looks pretty solid.
-I love regional games. Not more than Final 4 b/c of all the side show stuff with a F4 but it's much better pure basketball. Tickets are much easier, arenas are still basketball arenas, stakes are SOOOO high, typically really great match-ups.
-I went to Cleveland back in 2000 and it was alright, can't imagine The Flats is the place still. Hopefully like most major cities they have a nice revitalized area around the arena. Hell we managed to have a ton of fun in Newark, New Jerseys so I think we'll be alright. That's shaping up to be a nice little crew. Typically don't get real good crews on those trips. Awesome.
-UL is not going to the Final Four unless the road just opens up in front of them. Defense in the tourney is great but so is scoring.
-I'm picking any team with a Mamadou Ndiaye on it, one of my favorite SEC players of all time.
John Calipari's primary concern
"Injury, foul trouble. What is their biggest concern? They're so damn good I'm not sure there's anything you worry about except for them getting on the bus."
My favorite blurb was this:
".....It's not a Picasso on offense, but it's smart. Just dump the puck in the zone, throw it at the goalie, and go get it off the rebound."
A lot of love for Ulis...
Yup. You really need a team that can bang with us defensively, but I'm not sure any of the other contenders besides Arizona offers that. I don't think Duke, Wisconsin, or Gonzaga are nearly physical enough. Virginia might be, but their size is an issue.
"Consider Gonzaga. [Kyle] Wiltjer is a problem for them because he can stretch them. And then they've got [Domantas] Sabonis and [Przemek] Kanowski who can bang with them and make baskets with them down there. Karnowski is so wide and can carve out an angle."
No.
No kidding, I thought this as well. One of the best signs I've seen was when the one who played for Auburn was there. We were playing them on (I think) Super Tuesday, and student had a sign that said
Nobody PACKS YOUR LUNCH like Mamadou.
Gonzaga's best win is over SMU. St. John's or UGA is probably next. I will hang out with the skeptics for now, thanks.
After watching them quite a bit this year, I lean more toward BBdK on Gonzaga this year. They're really good and actually play some D this year. They have good size, good guards and an X Factor in Wiltjer. I like Duke, Virginia, Villanova, Wisconsin and Arizona BETTER, but I think they're a solid 2. I'm glad we drew Kansas instead of them.
What I think may hurt them is the finesse style of their league. The NCAA is athletic and physical (one reason why I think the SEC prepares UK well for March, lots of athletes). Will Gonzaga be ready for that after two months of a different style of play?
What I think may hurt them is the finesse style of their league. The NCAA is athletic and physical (one reason why I think the SEC prepares UK well for March, lots of athletes). Will Gonzaga be ready for that after two months of a different style of play?
So which fella said that Alex Poythress sucked? It wasn't Coach BKH because Norlander doesn't have my phone number. But should that have been published?
Interesting you say that. Nate Silver (the 538 guy) just wrote an article saying basically the same thing, except he refers to the top 6: UK, Arizona, Nova, Duke, Wisconsin, Virginia.
UK has a 41% chance to win it all. Next highest...
Nova: 11%
Wisconsin: 10%
Zona: 9%
Virginia: 8%
Duke: 6%
UK has a 72% chance to make the Final Four. Next highest...
Zona: 46%
Nova: 45%
Wisconsin: 33%
Duke: 32%
Virginia: 29%
This is also good:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/march-madness-predictions-2015/#mens
He gives Louisville a 3.9% chance of making the Final Four, and a less than 1% chance of winning it all. (Still too high.)
The Parity is Over
Well, considering it's been an issue for them for damn near 2 decades now, I'd say the answer is probably "No."
So has Century Cat gave his blessing on this team yet?
He called 2012 pretty early on with all his inner peace mojo.... so I'm curious as to his feelings on this squad?
I think it's time to spill it pops, quite honestly (unless I missed it).
This post was edited on 3/16 3:17 PM by Geese Feeder
He called 2012 pretty early on with all his inner peace mojo.... so I'm curious as to his feelings on this squad?
I think it's time to spill it pops, quite honestly (unless I missed it).
This post was edited on 3/16 3:17 PM by Geese Feeder