Yes they play AZ but the the person I was responding to indicated that they tend to run into good teams, I was just pointing out that when you get to the Elite Eight, your opponent tends to be pretty good and asking them who of the other top seeds that person would like them playing instead
NCAA tourney open thread
- Thread starter CappyNU
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Genuine congrats to the pumpkin heads. Iowa gave them a dogfight for about 35 minutes and then the superior talent took over. Illinois isn’t as good as Arizona, Michigan, Duke, etc., but they could beat any of them in one game. They’re talented, dynamic, and long.
They’ve got a pro, tons of size at all positions, very skilled, and they’re well coached. Euro pipeline might be cut off now that it’s going to get very expensive to get those players. But they cashed in on it this year. Shocks me that Underwood has never won big ten COY. He’s won a ton of games the last six or seven seasons. They just don’t seem to take a step back despite me expecting them to every season.
The dude has lots of resources and knows how to scout and build rosters. It’s not quite the same as the old ability to recruit, sitting in a living room and convincing an egotistical 17 year old, his mama, and his AAU coach to give him to you for 1-4 years, but it’s the same end result
True, but he got Ayo and Kofi back in the day when it was the old school recruiting. That was pre NIL, pre transfer portal. (At least when they committed.)
He’s probably a top example of a guy who was a good traditional recruiter and then made the transition really well. It’s sort of telling that a lot of the legendary basketball recruiters ten years ago aren’t coaching now or the ones who are have taken a step back. The Calipari formula isn’t quite the meta these days.
It’s too bad Arizona and Michigan can’t play in the title game. They seem like the 2 best teams.
For NU to get to the level of this year's elite eight teams is going to take some doing. Serious recruiting needed. If there is not a major upgrade from this past year, in the next two years, NU will likely remain at the level they are now for quite some time.
Iowa is a realistic goal. More than realistic. It should be the expectation to occur frequently with more upside from there.
It’s all about portal recruiting now. It’s way more impactful than HS recruiting for the top teams.
I’m not sure that’s entirely true. I think it’s a healthy mix for most these teams. The guys playing big minutes last night for IL were a mix of high school recruits and transfers, but most of those transfers seem to be guys in their second year at IL rather than one year rentals. AZ seems to have a mix of high school and portal guys.
I think if a team is overly reliant on portal recruits, it works if they’re multi year guys so you can still build culture and have some experience in the system. If it’s an endless chain of one year rentals, it’s a lot of empty calories.
For all the hype over the Eastern European " pros", if Undie doesn't find an underrecruited Keaton Wagler, the Illini don't get anywhere near the Final Four.
Yeah it was their two star freshmen who really got it done. (Wagler and Mirkovic). Imagine that in the portal era. (Although they did have tons of portal recruits who were g important role players)
Ole Ref *** has really grown on me as a Coach. Michigan pretty much stole his best Freshman last year with their shenanigans of tampering with other teams players, yet he didn’t *****, we went out and got better replacements. Dumb pumpkin head fans were trying to run him out a couple years ago. Undie isn’t even in the team picture for biggest douche Coach. He has calmed down a lot.
Obviously Wagler was a home run recruit for being a three star. Murkovic was another recruiting find, but if he was a 2 star, no one saw him play. They don’t win without Peja’s kid and the two Euro brothers ( transfers) either. They are getting it done.
Major choke job by Duke in the 2nd half. Congrats to UConn for the comeback but Duke’s 2nd half demise will be entrenched in Big Dance lore. I think Duke was the better team and slacked off in the 2nd half. Arizona and Nichigan are the 2 best teams. I wonder if the NCAA final four should be based on reseeding.
Like holy ******* absolute ******* shitballs. Best sporting event on planet earth. Goats and heroes, the duality of humanity, the highest highs and the lowest lows all in 4.8 seconds.
I had turned the game off when Duke was crushing them, but turned it back on when UConn cut it to 4. I can't believe the sequence of events that led to that outcome, holy crap.
What a choke job by Duke. Breaks my heart. I really feel for the Dookies.
LOL. DJ on 97.1 was trolling Bernstein, a Dookie, by playing a funeral dirge this morning. I guess Bernsie has a morning segment on the show.
Wait… if Scheyer gets fired at Duke, wouldn’t CCC become their top target?
That’s the only job he would leave for…
That’s the only job he would leave for…
After all our football losses to them over the past 40 years I say eff em. And I don't care that it is a different sport. Eff em anyway.
Scheyer ain’t getting fired. He’s a really good Coach.Wait… if Scheyer gets fired at Duke, wouldn’t CCC become their top target?
That’s the only job he would leave for…
He didn’t look like one last night.
Duke dominated them early; as much as I dislike Hurley, he dominated Scheyer down the stretch.
The “passing” that led to the turnover which let UConn take the game winning 3 was an absolute nightmare scenario. He got outcoached.
Too bad they could not both lose. Hurley is not likable. But, personally, I still dislike Duke even more.
You mean the guy who is a year removed from winning back to back national championships out coached someone? They’re both very very good coaches. One was better last night.
Scheyer got outcoached by Kelvin Sampson with another LOADED Duke squad last year too.
Have you see how good the Duke players have been in the NBA?
How did they not win the national title?
Did they even have to get it across half court? All the guy had to do was hold the ball, No 5 second in back court. But did have to avoid being tied up depending on the arrow
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The fact that he may have gotten out coached by a two time national champion HC trying to get to the final 4 doesn't mean he is a bad coach, Might mean the other guy is better but a far cry from being able to say he is a bad coachScheyer got outcoached by Kelvin Sampson with another LOADED Duke squad last year too.
Have you see how good the Duke players have been in the NBA?
How did they not win the national title?
Don’t make it that far without being a good coach. Good coaches get good players. Single game eliminations don’t always get the best team winning. You can be a very good coach and lose to another very good coach. NBA performance has no bearing on NCAA production. Duke example KyrieScheyer got outcoached by Kelvin Sampson with another LOADED Duke squad last year too.
Have you see how good the Duke players have been in the NBA?
How did they not win the national title?
Yeah, this is absolutely baffling and I can't imagine the coaches told the kids to do more than inbound the ball and stand still. That was the panicked action of youth right there, absolutely giving the game away after it was already won.
I feel for the kid. He's gonna carry that mistake around with him forever.
edit: on some level this kind of thing will always remind me of the kid who fouled BMac and gave us that first tourney win.
I did not see the game, Was at Health Club and they did not have it Saw that last play stuff (rewinding that far) Seemed that they seemed to think that they had to get it across half court but depending on the time on the clock when they brought it in not sure that they had to, Did not see if there was a time out called before hand.
Don’t be that guy. You were a player Jeff. A lot of people love to blame the Coach when there is a loss. We do it with CCC and Braun after every loss. Fact is most of the time players win games and players lose games. That’s what happened in this game. Scheyer is an excellent Coach and he’ll win a Natty at some point. It took Coach K 16 years to win a Natty. If Scheyer doesn’t win one in the next dozen years come talk to me.Scheyer got outcoached by Kelvin Sampson with another LOADED Duke squad last year too.
Have you see how good the Duke players have been in the NBA?
How did they not win the national title?
He’ll always be haunted by the close losses. Winning doesn't fully eliminate that horrible taste of losing. A lot of highly competitive individuals remember the loses more than the wins.