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March Madness Thread

Time to get this thread going again.

With two 1-seeds and two 2-seeds going this evening, quite a few brackets should still be okay, even if the path to get here is a bit strange.

On the face of it, Houston would seem to have a "home" court (playing in San Antonio) advantage over Arizona. However, I also know that Texas sports rivalries run pretty deep ... perhaps the Wildcats might pick up some fans whose attitude is "anybody but Houston." Sound familiar?
 
zengriz said:
…gonzaga got their hands full…

… 8-) …
Click to expand...
And then some. :(

So another 1-seed bites the dust. And I have no great confidence that Arizona can go into Houston's back yard (essentially) and win. That would be another 1-seed gone, leaving just Kansas.
 
IdaGriz01 said:
zengriz said:
…duke got their hands full…

… 8-) …
Click to expand...
Arizona in the same boat (sinking). :o

Crazy night!
Click to expand...
And ... sunk.

With Arizona gone, only one 1-seed remains in the tournament. And Kansas plays Providence this afternoon around 5:30 pm. Providence has had it comparatively soft since their lost to Creighton in the conference tournament. Still, the way things have gone, an upset cannot be ruled out.

FWIW: The last time no 1-seed made it into the final four was back in 2011. Here's an interesting article about that: https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/ncaa/article259763495.html
 
...teams like gonzaga/arizona will always go down hard...
...to soft..to entitled..to coddled..every is thing given to them...
...arkansas..houston..the teams have to claw..fight for everyting the get...
...grew up with steel backboards wire nets tough like nails digging..scratching...

... 8-) ...
 
Peacocks hanging with Purdue ... tied (57-57) with 2:43 left in the game.

Providence has closed in on Kansas ... now down only a point with about 9 min left.
 
IdaGriz01 said:
Peacocks hanging with Purdue ... tied (57-57) with 2:43 left in the game.

Providence has closed in on Kansas ... now down only a point with about 9 min left.
Click to expand...
Well, Cinderella produced a midnight reprieve ... the carriage did not turn into a pumpkin. Peacocks 67, Boilers 64 ... and into the Elite Eight.

Nine bids to the Big Ten, and not one made it to the Elite eight.

Kansas still leading, but not by much.
 
First entry into the Final Four at least followed the numbers, with Villanova bouncing Houston, the one survivor from the American (ACC).

Looking at the Elite Eight is interesting in several ways. First of all, although the Big Ten was awarded 9 bids, not one of them made it this far. The Big-12, Big East, and SEC all got 6 bids, but only one each made it into the Elite Eight. The Atlantic Coast (ACC) received five bids, and three are still playing. Duke is favored over Arkansas ... which makes sense because the team seems to be on a mission to give Coach K one final championship. North Carolina seems to have peaked at the right time, so they could end the Peacock's Cinderella run. If Miami (FL) were to upset 1-seed Kansas (rather unlikely, IMO, but still possible), the Final Four would feature three ACC teams ... and Villanova.

The next twenty hours or so should be fascinating.
 
…kansas in a jam…
…kansas fits with the entitled group…
…kansas runs into street fighters looking for respect…

… 8-) …
 
zengriz said:
…kansas in a jam…
…kansas fits with the entitled group…
…kansas runs into street fighters looking for respect…

… 8-) …
Click to expand...
Kansas down by 6 at the half, but came out hot to take a 7 point lead. 'Cane have gone over two minutes without scoring ... need to get their mojo back.
 
IdaGriz01 said:
Kansas down by 6 at the half, but came out hot to take a 7 point lead. 'Cane have gone over two minutes without scoring ... need to get their mojo back.
Click to expand...
Miami mojo went south somewhere. Kansas now playing like a 1-seed ... they lead by 18 points with just over 4 min to go.
 
Ouch!

Saint Peter's Cinderella train derailed ... down 38-19 at the half. Whether it's good UNC defense or just fatigue catching up with them, the Peacocks couldn't hit the ocean from the back of a boat. They shot just 1 of 11 on threes, with a field goal rate of 7 of 31 (22.6%).

Not saying they can't turn it around, but it's gonna be tough.
 
After all the fireworks along the way, we end up with "the usual suspects" for the Final Four: Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and Villanova. That's a 1-seed, two 2-seeds, and an 8-seed. And it was clear early on that the all-season numbers misled the committee into assigning such a low seed to UNC. They needed to pay more attention to recent results.
 
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