Your Final Four Predictions?
- Thread starter dukiejay
- Start date
I see your point for sure. We all know we have the talent, but that has come along with more inconsistency than I can remember from a Duke team. I'm clinging to the hope that they will figure it out and turn those 5-8 minute stretches of bad basketball to 2-3 minute stretches.
And while MSU will beat us one of these days, K still owns Izzo!
I will say, if any team in recent memory has the ability to flip a switch and turn into a machine, I really feel this group is the one.
I can't wait, and as much as I dislike Coach Cal last night he said his team has a brutal road and then said "but why would you want it any other way?".
For now, given past seasons, I'm taking NOTHING for granted. Only Iona exists in this tournament.
I can't wait, and as much as I dislike Coach Cal last night he said his team has a brutal road and then said "but why would you want it any other way?".
For now, given past seasons, I'm taking NOTHING for granted. Only Iona exists in this tournament.
But I’m almost certain we can beat Michigan State. I can’t think of a good team they’ve beat in awhile
Michigan State has only beaten 2 NCAA tournament teams all season, with wins against UNC (neutral court) & Purdue (home). There 4 losses come against Duke (neutral court), Ohio State (away), & Michigan (home & neutral) twice. I’m not sure why the talking heads are so enamored with them.
I don’t see how Nova gets all the love they get! I mean sheesh! They had a good run and won the National Championship a couple of years ago in the most epic fashion ever, and they had a good run to the final four in 09, but come on people! Historically, they are gone by Sweet 16.
Virginia
Michigan
West Virginia
Duke
Duke over UVA 68-64 in the final. No way they beat us again.
OFC
Michigan
West Virginia
Duke
Duke over UVA 68-64 in the final. No way they beat us again.
OFC
Just like Dukiejay, I’ll probably take some heat back home when I say Duke has a very good chance to cut down the nets this year. I have them and Villanova in the NC game. Your zone will be tougher to break then most think. UNC saw it 3 times as well as an inferior copy with Cuse a few times allowing them to work on it and actually solve it for the most part. And we have 2 players who can find the middle regularly and pass/shoot out of it. But for teams not having actually seen that zone and its impressive length it is hard to beat. IF Duke feeds the post repeatedly they will be hard to beat. Thus my choice for the NC. Villanova will be a great test and that game could go either way.
That said, I’ll find my way back to the home board and take my insults.
That said, I’ll find my way back to the home board and take my insults.
Be hard to play Nova in the championship....
Precisely because they don't have a lot of losses and the ones they do are to good teams (all 5 seeds or better). Meanwhile Duke has losses to non-tournament teams such as BC and SJU. The committee valued wins more than losses which is why Duke is a higher seed despite 3 more losses and why UNC is a higher seed despite 6 more losses. I personally disagree and think MSU should be ranked higher than both Duke and UNC.
I was hoping Duke and UNC agreed to switch regions.....
I couldn’t agree more. Could they beat us? Absolutely, but there isn’t really any reason to suggest they would or should. I’ve been trying to figure out why they seem like such a popular pick and other than the ‘Izzo always gets hot in March’ argument I think we match up pretty favorably against them.
People have argued that they “aren’t the team we played in November” but we beat them WITHOUT BAGLEY. That plus our much improved defense and we are very much not the same team they played in November.
We also beat them in a game where Bridges, Jackson and Ward all scored 19 points! Obviously we probably won’t see a 37 point outburst from Grayson again but I don’t really think we would need one with Bagley back and I think the chances of them scoring 81 against us again are slim. Also who do they have at the 5 that can match up with us?
I have also heard a lot about how they match up well with our zone because they have good shooting and a good stretch 4. I think we have proven that good shooting isn’t really the most important ingredient for beating our zone: it’s having great passing and playmaking, especially in the middle of he zone. Michigan State is not a really great passing team and I don’t see them having the Theo Pinson type player to tear us apart in there. Let’s also not forget that UNC, with those players and a chance to see us a week earlier still only scored 74 against us.
I know a lot of people are talking about Michigan state, but we both have to win two games before that would happen. Right now all I’m worried about is Iona.
That is beyond unfortunate, for him, and them. Had them in the title game against Duke. Have Zona beating them now and making it to the title game.
And that UNC played against the zone 4 times in the last month of the season. If you keep seeing it, it becomes easier to beat. We still held them below 40%. Our offense just didn't do anything in the first 10 minutes of both halves
Nova
Duke
Arizona
Gonzaga
Duke over Nova, Arizona over Gonzaga.
Duke beats Arizona 73-66 in a 2001 title rematch. Bagley outplays Ayton.
Duke
Arizona
Gonzaga
Duke over Nova, Arizona over Gonzaga.
Duke beats Arizona 73-66 in a 2001 title rematch. Bagley outplays Ayton.
This is my final 4 on one of the two brackets I filled out for our work pool. I hope we are right!!
that worried me "a little", but what I really think is that they only have this little end of season run they are on because of the weak conference they are in. They lost their final regular season game to Florida, who has 12 losses, and beat Georgia and Alabama in the SEC tourney, both who have 15 losses. And in the title game, they beat Tenn, who lost to that Alabama and Georgia team. I think they are winning no more than one game, if they win that one.....they are only a 5 point favorite against 12 seed Davidson
That is like the potential Duke-MSU matchup: a really great pairing happening way too early in the tournament.
By weak, I was referring to having to beat two 15 loss teams and a team that lost to both of those 15 loss teams. I know a lot of people have a higher opinion of the sec than I do, but Auburn and Tenn was two of their best teams and I do not see them making any serious NCAA tourney runs. i don't think they have a single team that could have finished better than 5th or 6th in the ACC. May be wrong, but that's my opinion. I don't see anyone in the SEC as even a long shot title threat.
The SEC was good (for their standards), but there wasn't a single team as good as Duke, UVA, or UNC in that league. There also wasn't a Pitt in that league.
Basically was a conference full of FSU's and Virginia Tech's.
Basically was a conference full of FSU's and Virginia Tech's.