2013-14 NCAA College Basketball Thread

[Moser316]

Did I read that there's some rule against teams from the same state playing each other in the first round, or am I making stuff up in my head again. Milwaukee is being projected as a 15 seed and Wisconsin is being projected as a 2... I'd love to think they could clash at the Bradley Center.

That is not part of the seeding procedures. Louisville played Morehead St. in 2009 and 2011 in their opening game.

That said, the committee could think that a Wisconsin vs. Milwaukee game could put the Badgers at a "home court disadvantage" and not place them in the same region.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2013-08-01/committee-changes-bracketing-guidelines-division-i-tournament

That's not really an issue, I'd venture to guess there are a lot more Badger fans in Milwaukee than there are UWM Panthers fans (and I'm a UWM alum). Not to mention the traveling contingency from Madison and parts beyond.

[dfwabel]

Auburn has fired Tony Barbee im kinda surprised here id thought he get one more year at least, but getting hammered by south carolina will make that decision pretty easy

He had a tranfer player indicted for point shaving from a game last season. He was on thing ice from that.

It is still a bad job, but don't be shocked if they make a play for Bruce Pearl as his show-cause penalty ends in August.

[Burkell007]

Auburn has fired Tony Barbee im kinda surprised here id thought he get one more year at least, but getting hammered by south carolina will make that decision pretty easy

He had a tranfer player indicted for point shaving from a game last season. He was on thing ice from that.

It is still a bad job, but don't be shocked if they make a play for Bruce Pearl as his show-cause penalty ends in August.

yea Bruce Pearl will be a hot name for jobs this year.

[hailstateunis]

Auburn has fired Tony Barbee im kinda surprised here id thought he get one more year at least, but getting hammered by south carolina will make that decision pretty easy

He had a tranfer player indicted for point shaving from a game last season. He was on thing ice from that.

It is still a bad job, but don't be shocked if they make a play for Bruce Pearl as his show-cause penalty ends in August.

yea Bruce Pearl will be a hot name for jobs this year.

I'm hearing Rick Stansbury is a likely candidate.

[Burmy]

HOLY ...Seton Hall has upset Villanova...let me be more specific, unranked and unlikely to make it to the postseason unless they win this conference tournament Seton Hall has upset #3 and previous #1 seed favorite Villanova on a buzzer-beater from Sterling Gibbs!

This, my friends, is why they call it March Madness.

[rams80]

Tom Crean's not gone after this season, but I doubt he will survive if next season plays out this way.

[ninersdd]

I think Utah might still be stuck at the slot machines at MGM.

[Raysfan12]

Oh my Lord...The Cards beat Rutgers by 61 (No really, I'm serious)! I don't think there are many teams in the country that are playing better than them outside of Florida and Wichita State.

[illwauk]

Did I read that there's some rule against teams from the same state playing each other in the first round, or am I making stuff up in my head again. Milwaukee is being projected as a 15 seed and Wisconsin is being projected as a 2... I'd love to think they could clash at the Bradley Center.

That is not part of the seeding procedures. Louisville played Morehead St. in 2009 and 2011 in their opening game.

That said, the committee could think that a Wisconsin vs. Milwaukee game could put the Badgers at a "home court disadvantage" and not place them in the same region.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2013-08-01/committee-changes-bracketing-guidelines-division-i-tournament

That's not really an issue, I'd venture to guess there are a lot more Badger fans in Milwaukee than there are UWM Panthers fans (and I'm a UWM alum). Not to mention the traveling contingency from Madison and parts beyond.

Pretty much... Walmart Badgers (people who didn't actually go to UW-Madison, but own a lot of red and white gear) are everywhere in the state; but only people who actually went to UWM (or maybe have a relative who did) are Panthers fans.

And Bruce Pearl would be more than welcome back here... although maybe not as much as he would've been two weeks ago.

[rams80]

It's going to be hilarious when Rutgers beats Indiana next season.

*aims death glares at multiple parties*

[Billy B]

Nice win for Illinois over Indiana to even up the all-time series and keep their very small tournament hope alive. Really hoping Michigan doesn't shoot 75% from three in the first half like they did last week.

[Billy B]

Iowa lost to Northwestern in the late game in the Big Ten Tournament tonight. They've been ranked pretty much the whole season and I think even broke into the top ten at one point, but they have a very mediocre resume when you really look at it. They should still get in, but they did a good job of playing themselves right onto the bubble the past couple weeks.

[Burmy]

Take yesterday's Big East quarterfinal opener...replace MSG with Barclays, Seton Hall with St. Bonaventure, Villanova with St. Louis...and you've got today's Atlantic 10 quarterfinal opener! (Once again, a postseasoon-unlikely hits a buzzer-beater to knock off the #1 seed in the conference tourney)

[Billy B]

Illinois came back from down 13 to take the lead on Michigan with under a minute to go. Jordan Morgan gets one to roll in for Michigan and Illinois misses a buzzer beater from five feet that might've put them into the tournament. Oh well, onto the NIT, but I really can't wait for next season. This is going to be a real good team.

[rams80]

Illinois came back from down 13 to take the lead on Michigan with under a minute to go. Jordan Morgan gets one to roll in for Michigan and Illinois misses a buzzer beater from five feet that might've put them into the tournament. Oh well, onto the NIT, but I really can't wait for next season. This is going to be a real good team.

Are Illinois fans delusional or are they delusional?

Y'alls were autobid or bust, just like Indiana.

/Illinois will implode again next year, just like they do every year. The coaches and AD should be thankful the state's too broke to afford buyouts.

[qwerty]

Ohio St pulls out a win against Nebraska today

[Billy B]

Illinois came back from down 13 to take the lead on Michigan with under a minute to go. Jordan Morgan gets one to roll in for Michigan and Illinois misses a buzzer beater from five feet that might've put them into the tournament. Oh well, onto the NIT, but I really can't wait for next season. This is going to be a real good team.

Are Illinois fans delusional or are they delusional?

Y'alls were autobid or bust, just like Indiana.

/Illinois will implode again next year, just like they do every year. The coaches and AD should be thankful the state's too broke to afford buyouts.

I said that it might have put them in which is true. A lot of people thought a win over Michigan would put them on the bubble. Also, not really sure why the staff would be worried about their job security considering they exceeded expectations last year and finished right where they were expected to this year.

[Burkell007]

Why is Minnesota even in bubble talk? 8-10 in conf and 18-12 overall, with wins agains who????

my last 4 in and matchups:

Dayton vs Green Bay

Stanford vs Southern Miss

i just dont see BYU making it in.

[Seadragon76]

Tomorrow is easily the single biggest day of Championship Week with 14 (!) automatic bids to be handed out throughout the day. Of course, keep an eye on this post for the matchups to come.

America East

#4 Albany Great Danes at #2 Stony Brook Seawolves

Records

ALB: 17-14 (9-7)

USB: 23-9 (13-3)

The road to the America East title saw a huge detour get thrown in it's way when Albany upset Vermont, the top seed, in the semifinals and allowed the Great Danes to go for a back-to-back tourny title performance. The only team standing in the way is Stony Brook, who was in this game two years ago but lost to Vermont. Can the Seawolves surf their way to victory or will the Fighting Scoobies make it two in a row?

Conference USA - El Paso, TX

#2 Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. #1 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Records

TULSA: 20-12 (13-3)

LT: 27-6 (13-3)

The first and final season of the 16 team Conference USA saw a huge pileup at the top with four teams at 13-3 in conference play and two of those teams, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss, were knocked out by the two teams that will meet for the conference championship. The only meeting between the two teams saw Louisiana Tech take the victory in Ruston. Can the Bulldogs make it two in a row on Tulsa or does the Golden Hurricane go out with a bang in their C-USA swan song?

MEAC - Norfolk, VA

#3 Morgan State Bears vs. #1 North Carolina Central Eagles

Records

MOR: 15-15 (11-5)

NCCU: 27-5 (15-1)

There is a sense of total domination being shown by North Carolina Central. The Eagles have only lost once in conference play and five times in all. In fact, this team could be considered one of the best teams in MEAC history. But, being the best means winning the conference tourny and that means beating Morgan State. The Bears managed to be the one team that nearly toppled the Eagles' winning streak with a one point loss in Durham. Can the Bears finish off what they had going or does North Carolina Central go into the Big Dance as the best team in MEAC History?

Big Sky

#2 North Dakota Fighting Sioux at #1 Weber State Wildcats

Records

UND: 17-15 (12-8)

WEB: 18-11 (14-6)

In the Big Sky, things are hard to deal with. For example, none of the teams were flat out great this year. Weber State, the regular season champ (and tournament host) only won 18 games altogether. It's championship game opponent, North Dakota, has won only 17 games. Still, these are the top two seeds in the Big Sky. Which team will win the day and be the best in the Big Sky?

Southland - Katy, TX

#3 Sam Houston State Bearkats vs. #1 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Records

SHSU: 23-9 (13-5)

SFA: 30-2 (18-0)

There might be no hotter team in the nation then Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks are the only other team with 30 wins (the other? Wichita State) and they haven't lost since late November. Seems like a very daunting task for Sam Houston State. Both meetings went to the Lumberjacks, but the Bearkats did manage to make the rematch a closer affair. Can Sam Houston State do the impossible or are we going to see the Lumberjacks' winning streak go to 28?

Mid-American - Cleveland, OH

#2 Toledo Rockets vs. #1 Western Michigan Broncos

Records

TOL: 27-5 (14-4)

WMU: 22-9 (14-4)

Even though the MAC is a two division league, the top two seeds are from the West Division. In fact, the West was much stronger then the East this year. Case in point, three of the four semifinalists were from the West (Toledo, Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan) while Akron was the lone East Division school left. The two finalists split their regular season meetings, so you know the rubber match will be a classic. Which West Division school will be the MAC-k daddy?

American Athletic - Memphis, TN

#4 UConn Huskies vs. #2 Louisville Cardinals

Records

UCONN: 26-7 (12-6)

LOU: 28-5 (15-3)

For all the crap the American got during football season, the league managed to pay it's doubters in spades with a great debut basketball season and a conference final worthy of primetime status on ESPN. UConn and Louisville have been the standard bearers for the new league and the third meeting should be a great game... provided it doesn't turn into a rout like the regular season finale did in Louisville. Which team will be the first to be American Athletic champions?

Big 12 - Kansas City, MO

#7 Baylor Bears vs. #4 Iowa State Cyclones

Records

BAY: 24-10 (9-9)

ISU: 25-7 (11-7)

Sometimes, Cinderella could be the team you least expected to be in that role. Baylor came into the tournament as the 7th seed and needed some help to get into the Big Dance. What they've done instead is take down the two and three seeds in respective fashion. All that remains is an Iowa State team that come in red hot as well, thanks to their win over Kansas. The two teams split their regular season meetings, so which one takes the rubber match in Kansas City?

SWAC - Houston, TX

#8 Prairie View A&M Panthers vs. #2 Texas Southern Tigers

Records

PVAMU: 11-22 (6-12)

TXSO: 18-14 (12-6)

To say that the SWAC is an absolute mess would be an insult to messes worldwide. Still, Prairie View A&M does provide a far greater Cinderella story then Baylor does. The Panthers go on a miracle run that includes a win over the top seed Southern. Texas Southern, on the other hand, took care of business in their games... Oh, and the SWAC does get to avoid the potential embarrassing scenario of seeing a team win the tournament yet see the losing team get the automatic bid because the winner got slapped with APR penalties. Which school comes out of this mess to play in the First Four?

Big East - New York City, NY

#4 Providence Friars vs. #2 Creighton Bluejays

Records

PC: 22-11 (10-8)

CREI: 26-6 (14-4)

The name, the arena and most of the teams are still the same. What has changed is that the Big East is stronger now that what it was a year ago when infighting caused the massive rift. That rift allowed Creighton to join the league and give themselves a chance to rise to the national spotlight. It has worked as the Bluejays are a win away from winning the Big East tournament in their first try. That is, unless Providence can stop them. Does the old school Big East member take the win or does the new blood rise to the occasion at MSG?

WAC - Las Vegas, NV

#5 Idaho Vandals vs. #2 New Mexico State Aggies

Records

ID: 16-17 (7-9)

NMSU: 25-9 (12-4)

Despite all the upheaval the WAC has suffered, it makes sense that the two teams that soldiered on through this entire mess would still be standing in the finals. Idaho, though, is leaving for it's old home, the Big Sky, after this season and would love to take home the automatic bid in it's final game as a WAC member. New Mexico State has been the league's best team despite being in second place. Which of these long standing members will take the title in Sin City?

Mountain West - Las Vegas, NV

#2 New Mexico Lobos vs. #1 San Diego State Aztecs

Records

UNM: 26-6 (15-3)

SDSU: 29-3 (16-2)

The Mountain West has shown flashes of brilliance over the years. This year isn't the case, but it's top two teams are the cream of the crop. The Lobos managed to give one of only three losses to the Aztecs this season, a 14 point loss in Albuquerque. San Diego State paid them back in the regular season finale. Now, it's the rubber match. Which powerhouse will take home the title of 'Master of the Mountain West?'

Pac-12 - Las Vegas, NV

#2 UCLA Bruins vs. #1 Arizona Wildcats

Records

UCLA: 25-8 (12-6)

ARIZ: 30-3 (15-3)

With the win over Colorado, Arizona joined the 30 win club, which is a very exclusive club with only three other members, Stephen F. Austin. Florida and Wichita State. The Wildcats will now face an old rival in UCLA, and these two schools are defined by good basketball. Don't sleep on the Bruins though, they're a good team as well. Which school will hit the jackpot and win the Pac-12?

Big West - Anaheim, CA

#7 Cal Poly Mustangs vs. #5 Cal State Northridge Matadors

Records

CP: 12-19 (6-10)

CSN: 17-17 (7-9)

There is always one tournament a year where chaos reigns supreme and this year, it's the Big West. Two of the top seeds, number two seed UC Santa Barbera and number four seed Hawaii fell in upsets in the first round. Then, the final two high seeds, top seeded UC Irvine and third seed Long Beach State, fell in the semifinals. What remains is a seven seed and a five seed to battle for the league's automatic bid. Which chaos driven team will take the title?

[Billy B]

Why is Minnesota even in bubble talk? 8-10 in conf and 18-12 overall, with wins agains who????

my last 4 in and matchups:

Dayton vs Green Bay

Stanford vs Southern Miss

i just dont see BYU making it in.

Conference record is meaningless. They're right on the bubble right now. They have top 50 wins against Ohio State and Minnesota. Other solid wins against Iowa and Florida State who is also right on the bubble. They also have a top 10 SOS. I'd probably say they're out assuming they don't have a huge comeback against Wisconsin.