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The official NCAA 2005-2006 Basketball thread

LapDawg said:
Sorry GBug...seems like Coach K is starting to catch Steve Lavinitis with all these Sweet 16 exits heh. As usual, however, your boys will be back to contend next year with a good young nucleus that learned a lot about themselves this tourney and should be much improved because of it.
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No excuses, we got beat by an extremely athletic and tough defensive squad. That's what I love about Duke, we don't make excuses. Ever. We conducted ourselves with class in the postgame interviews and admitted it...we just got beat by the better squad on this particular night.

I also have to say that even with JJ having as off a night as he had and LSU playing tremendous defense, we still had our chances. It wasn't pleasant to watch us trying to grind out a win somehow, but if Redick's open 3-pt look had gone down with us up 45-40 I think we would have pulled it out. I also think the game showed that Duke puts up a pretty tenacious D as well...we're not just a high-wire finesse act.

I take those things out of the loss as positives for next season.

I didn't think JJ was acting like a crybaby...I never saw him complain audibly to the zebs, not once. I interpreted his frustration as him knowing the tremendous load he was expected to carry for the team and wanting to pull his weight so badly for them to advance. I do think it caused him to force some things in the lane he shouldn't have tried in the second half and was hoping that Coach K's talk with him on the bench would calm him down, but it didn't work out. Once Shelden drew his 4th with about 8 minutes left though, someone had to try to get it done in light of the fact that nobody else was knocking anything down either.
 
^I only saw J.J.'s facial expression on Sportscenter...but at least he wasn't bitching at the refs like Morrison was.

What really amazed me about the UCLA game was Afflalo and Mbah a Moute playing most of the 2nd half with 4 fouls apiece. Ben did a good job shuffling his guys in and out to preserve them and to not see either foul out was an accomplishment in itself.
 
damn i've been in denial about ohio state.

LapDawg, my man, I will never doubt you again.

I don't know what made me happier, seeing Reddick cry or Morrison pout. I'd say Morrison, just because he is a little bitch. I can't stand seeing him get pumped up, he looks like a kid who took too many rolls and can;t stop his body from fidgeting. And that haircut. God damn that is one ugly looking white trash kid.
And the moustache. Is it or isn't it? It looks like sheet.

Oh well, gotta pull for UCLA and Wichita State, simply because they have the coolest nickname I've ever heard, the Shockers.
 
^^^ your predictions for the final four didnt do to well. ;) hehehe

i didnt make any predictions though, so i shouldnt talk. hehe but i just got done watching the george mason/UCONN game and OMG. being that i dont really get into college basketball until march, i usually tend to favor the upsets cause ya gotta LOVE the spirit involved. therefore, id like to see george mason take it all the way. i suck i know hehe. i only really watch one sport on a regular basis and my team didnt do too well this year. so i dont have a lot to be happy about. :( thats why im gonna ride the wave with GM. :)
 
It's Great * to be * a FLORIDA GATOR

glowbug said:
No excuses, we got beat by an extremely athletic and tough defensive squad. That's what I love about Duke, we don't make excuses. Ever. We conducted ourselves with class in the postgame interviews and admitted it...we just got beat by the better squad on this particular night.
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We....we....we....? Didn't know you played for the Dookies, G'bug? What were you, power forward?

Sigh, I've kept quiet thus far because I didn't feel I had any grounds to say anything. My beloved UF was too young to do much, and the SEC should have been called the SUX this season. I've got big respect for the Big East and the ACC overall, but this weekend brought me quite a few smiling moments.

Big 10...out by the first weekend
Big East and ACC - nobody made it to the final 4 despite a ton of teams getting into the tournament.
and half..yes HALF of the final four coming from the SEC.

I'm not going to brag, as I know it's a lot of 'just win six games in a row' and it depends a lot on matchups, but still....this years nat'l Champ, whomever it is, will NOT be Big East OR ACC....and may even be GMU - how great is that for college basketball?

one last smiling moment - convinced my boss I needed a 'business trip' to Minneapolis this weekend - just got back from watching them kick 'nova and make it to the last weekend of games. GO GATORS :D
 
^well, the ACC was noted for having an off year and only had 4 teams enter the tourney. The Big East, after this weekend, certainly disappointed with 25% of the Sweet 16 and 0% getting into the Final Four. The SEC has fought and clawed its way through with two final four teams, but their fate may end up the same as the Big 10 last year, who had a 50% chance to win it all but came up with zilch. Of course, you know I'll be cheering for the exact, same result TLB. ;) At least I was right enough to call Florida's entry into the Final Four this year, after always picking them to be a quick exit in years past. In the end, it helped me win the BL Tourney Pool heh.

It's pretty funny to me that the Bruins, being the highest seed left, still don't get the national respect just because their last game was fugly. Anyone who can hold a Memphis team that is arguably the most athletic and explosive in the tourney to only 45 points and 30% shooting deserves respect. Maybe if the Bruins didn't stink it up at the charity stripe there'd be some recognition since the game would've effectively been a blowout, but instead they won ugly, but won nonetheless.

If they have to be the Detroit or San Antonio of college basketball this season to win it all, then so be it. I've seen these kids light up the scoreboard before and have great confidence in them to hit the clutch shots when they need them. You don't pull off the 2nd biggest halftime turnaround in NCAA tourney history without clutch factor.

George Mason has stolen the spotlight, and deservedly so. Lost in the madness was that UConn didn't play anything resembling good defense for 4 games, and finally their lack of initiative to defend the perimeter killed them. It should've been the UDub game, but they lucked out in the worst way possible before using up all their magic juice against GM.

Florida looks good...real good...which is why I'm a little worried about them with the pressure starting to really stack up. Being the potential favorite to win it all is tough, so the same goes for LSU. Big Baby Davis has certainly won over hearts with his performances, but the modernIt seems the nation has but both SEC teams as the top 2 favorites, with UCLA being a distant 3rd, or 4th to some, aside from the west coast support. Anyone with no interest will obviously pull for GM...and it'd make a great story to tell if the cinderella dream continues to its ultimate fruition.

Of course, I'll be itching to see that 12th banner added to the mecca of College Basketball accompanied by a wry smile by that lovable living legend known as the Wizard of Westwood back in his home state...

U-C-L-A FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!
 
^yeah it helps that I love March Madness and went to 8 UCLA games this season. ;)
 
Can anyone here argue that George Mason's run is the greatest story in NCAA basketball history?

When it comes down to it, even thou Texas Western's run in the 60's was amazing, they WERE ranked #3 in the country at the time. And people can argue about Nova of the 80's, or Indiana State of the 70's, but Nova comes from a major conference, the Big East, and Indiana State had Bird, so I would have to say this IS the greatest story in college basketball ever.

To be honest, I didn't even think Mason deserved to get in at the beginning of the tourny. Now there are two wins away from the championship. I don't think they will beat Florida, but then again, I don't think anybody thought they would beat, you do remember, 3 teams who have all won a national championship in the last decade.

Go Patriots.
 
TheLoveBandit said:
We....we....we....? Didn't know you played for the Dookies, G'bug? What were you, power forward?

Sigh, I've kept quiet thus far because I didn't feel I had any grounds to say anything. My beloved UF was too young to do much, and the SEC should have been called the SUX this season. I've got big respect for the Big East and the ACC overall, but this weekend brought me quite a few smiling moments.

Big 10...out by the first weekend
Big East and ACC - nobody made it to the final 4 despite a ton of teams getting into the tournament.
and half..yes HALF of the final four coming from the SEC.

I'm not going to brag, as I know it's a lot of 'just win six games in a row' and it depends a lot on matchups, but still....this years nat'l Champ, whomever it is, will NOT be Big East OR ACC....and may even be GMU - how great is that for college basketball?

one last smiling moment - convinced my boss I needed a 'business trip' to Minneapolis this weekend - just got back from watching them kick 'nova and make it to the last weekend of games. GO GATORS :D
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Coach K's philosophy is that everyone who contributes, even the Dookie fans who give their rabid support, is an integral part of Duke's success...he periodically shows up at K-ville outside Cameron Indoor to buy pizzas for the kids camping out there for tickets. I'm paraphrasing here, but I recall him saying, "When you surround yourself with good people and good things happen to them, they happen to you too."

Yes, Coach K is the basketball Buddha, the second coming of Wooden in case you were wondering ;), which might go a little way towards explaining why Duke has 3 rings and 10 FF in the modern hoops era...and just to refresh my memory, how many is it that the Gators have again? ;)

Sure, Calhoun and Pitino have 2, but Calhoun is dirty and Pitino will likely never get there again. 2 of Knight's don't count since they were in the pre-modern era.

Anyways, I digress. Selfishly I always want to see the ACC win the title because I DO think that as a general rule we're the best in the hoops business, but I agree that it's good for the game to see some of the other leagues doing well.

Good luck to your Gators. I'm guessing that they'll end GM's Cinderella run today. :)

Good luck to Jefe's Bruins too. :)
 
holy crap.

I was enjoying UF's trouncing of GMU, but that was somewhat to be expected. Cinderella finally slipped and broke her ankle - another double digit win for the Gators.

Then...then I saw the second game with LSU-UCLA. I am sincerely afeared for UF's chances against UCLA the way the Bruins played that game. I went to sleep with 10 min left because it was obviously not going to have any excitement to it. I'd rate that win as 5% bad play on LSU's part, and about 95% UCLA kicking their ass in every aspect of the game. I don't care who UCLA played last night, they'd have had their ass handed to them.

Has UCLA been this strong all season, or was last night just the best game they've had all year? Regardless, the potential to play that well is a serious statement deserving of respect. The timing of playing that well at this point in the tournament, my lord I am humbled. I'd guess the Bruins are now the favorites, though I haven't checked the line for the final.

I may withdraw the bet I offered to LapDawg for this final game, unless he wants to spot me some serious points ;)
 
Hehe, I'm lovin it. I've been very apathetic toward Bruin sports all year, possibly because I hate the faculty and can't wait to leave, but you gotta love it especially when all the former UCLA greats like Bill Walton show up. As an aside, my mom once hung out with John Wooden for about 3 days as a company liaison for some promotional deal. Cool shit.

But seriously, ESPN should stop covering women's NCAA basketball, and not just the games but even Sportscenter should pull that crap. Who gives a fuck if some behemoth of a chick just barely got the ball over the rim on a pretty spastic dunk? I just wanna eat my pancakes and watch the talking heads explain their way out of selling UCLA short all year long, and then catch some Kobe highlights. But instead I'm getting women's basketball recaps. That's not how I wanna eat my fucking pancakes!
 
The Bruins have picked up their defensive intensity since losing their final game ever played at the LA Sports Arena when they let up and gave USC the win. Really though, it's been since the Gonzaga game that this team has really showed in their play their confidence in believing their defense will win them the championship...and boy, it is ferocious.

One thing to note for anyone who doesn't believe in East Coast Bias...just look at how this tournament was covered and how little respect UCLA was given. Instead of realizing how incredible this team plays defense, starting with the Memphis game, ignorant pundits decided to knock the Bruins for a low-scoring game and write them off as some ugly version of basketball that wouldn't survive against "stronger, more athletic" teams such as LSU or Florida. Well, LSU certainly learned who was the more athletic team, in particular Fat Baby Davis when he was destroyed by Mbah a Moute...who's my pick to be MOP once it's all said and done.

Florida may have the kind of defense that will trouble the Bruins, but they haven't faced anything resembling UCLA's man defense in this tournament so far, and the closest thing to them (Georgetown) had them on the ropes. Georgetown is no replica of the kind of pressure and intensity UCLA brings to the court.

I said it in the other thread, and Saturday night proved it correct...the bigs of UCLA are WAY underrated...and they won't be after this tourney is done.
 
WAAAAHHHHHHH :( :( :(

Somebody please make the pain go away.

Oh, and I'd like to say a hearty "FUCK YOU" to the announcers for kissing Noah's ass the entire game. :X
 
Ouch.

Not exactly the ass-beating I was hoping for heh. I went out to Pauley Pavillion last night and while the mood was good for most of the game, it was more because the fans were just looking for anything to cheer about rather than feel like their team was in the game. I wasn't really joining in on that.

Congrats to TLB and Florida fans who have claimed their first basketball championship...and it could be more if the team stays intact. UCLA simply panicked early when the D didn't hold off Florida from their interior dominance and played right into the Gators' jaws by upping the speed of the game. Instead of staying calm and maintaining their pace, they let Florida dictate it.

Outside of Farmar, the team just didn't play like the team they've been this entire tournament, which had a lot to do with Florida's crisp passing and own impressive teamwork. Bozeman was horrific early, and with Afflalo not taking enough initiative to be a shotmaker in the 1st half the Bruins were quickly in trouble. Luc learned a tough lesson against more experienced inside players and should be better for it come the next year or to. The reserves looked like freshmen and sophomores against the Gators, who resembled more the 'ol UNLV Runnin' Rebels than the youngsters they really are. I guess Noah could be top pick of the draft after this tourney performance.

With the defense laid in ruins as the Bruins made some bad mistakes early and let them hang over their heads, Florida took the confidence they gained quickly and kept building on it. The 2nd half was particularly shocking as most Florida buckets looked like identical slam dunks. It's safe to say the press hasn't been UCLA's strength on D this year.

Luckily, it's good to be realistic about this run for UCLA. They went as far as I picked them to go in my tourney bracket, so I can't be too sad. The future looks incredibly bright and they'll be better in the long run for taking a loss like that. It's great for Howland to get such a young team to that level and to gain a taste for success. I'm confident next year they can get the full taste with the players they'll have.

While every other major program is happy to see the Bruins not pick up no.12... they aren't happy to see UCLA is clearly back on the national scene and will be there for a long, long time with Howland running the show.
 
^ Yeah, you're right. It was nice to see that even in that crowd full of Bruin haters, Howland still commanded a lot of respect. :)
 
Or maybe UCLA found out what it means to play the "East Coast Teams".

One of the teams that ESPN is "biased" towards. lol
 
Well let's see smotpoker, a good few people had Marquette over UCLA, most people had Gonzaga over UCLA, most had Memphis over UCLA, most had LSU over UCLA...

I guess they had to be right at some point, eh? 1 out of 4 or 5 isn't so bad I guess. :D I don't expect someone like you to even understand what east coast bias is.

I should've scolded you for cheering for UCLA, since you are the sports jinx machine. :)
 
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