NCAA Tournament

[bushwacked]

That's the thing, I think Gonzaga is garbage also. They should have got destroyed in that first meeting with St. Marys until Patty Mills got injured. They will get exposed in the second round.

 

Gonzaga has been inconsistent. Playing great early, crappy for a couple weeks, then finishing the season strong. The Zags lead UCONN for the majority of the entire 2nd half, before fouling out 3 starters and losing in OT.

 

Right now I'm thinking about taking Memphis over UConn.

[Flip_Side]

this tells me all need to know............ I am loading up on Memphis - yer nuts

 

Zags are seriously talented and playing their best ball right now and are light years better than St. Mary's - they are gonna be a tough out and i like them to get the sweet 16 at a minimum

 

Memphis made them look silly, and not many teams can say that - Memphis has been playing lights out as well since they got their PG situation settled and Calipari has proven he recruits ridiculous athletes and is on record as saying this team is close to last years, and better defensively.

 

I watched both of their matchups vs St. Marys and can tell you they are NOT that much better if at all than St. Marys. Mills obviously wasn't the same the second go around just coming back from injury. I know Matt Bouldin personally so I tune into quite a bit of Zags basketball. They will be lucky to get past Illinois or W. Kentucky in the 2nd round.

 

As far as Memphis goes of course they have been playing lights out against teams that my AAU team could have handled. They're only real challenge was Tennessee in January and they weren't even playing their best ball at the time.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Flip_Side

[wildcat2334]

I watched both of their matchups vs St. Marys and can tell you they are NOT that much better if at all than St. Marys. Mills obviously wasn't the same the second go around just coming back from injury. I know Matt Bouldin personally so I tune into quite a bit of Zags basketball. They will be lucky to get past Illinois or W. Kentucky in the 2nd round.

 

 

We shall see........

 

Zags are WAY more talented than St. Mary's - Mills can play, other than that they are weak - sorry, there is a reason the Zags are a 4 seed and St. Mary's is not in the tournament - I bet Wazzu beats them tonight

 

I think Ill is a very average club and I wouldn't be surprised if WKU takes them out. Zags have been up and down all year, no question but they are playing really good ball right now and have the talent to compete with anyone - and I think they are sweet 16 bound at least.

[Flip_Side]

We shall see........

 

Zags are WAY more talented than St. Mary's - Mills can play, other than that they are weak - sorry, there is a reason the Zags are a 4 seed and St. Mary's is not in the tournament - I bet Wazzu beats them tonight

 

I think Ill is a very average club and I wouldn't be surprised if WKU takes them out. Zags have been up and down all year, no question but they are playing really good ball right now and have the talent to compete with anyone - and I think they are sweet 16 bound at least.

You're right my man, that Patty Mills stretch killed them and they would have been a lock for the tournament if he was playing. Come on now, you know this. St. Mary's only lost 3 games WITH Mills.

 

I also think Washington State wins by the way, they are a good team.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Flip_Side

[godtomsatan]

Aren't you a Pac10 honk? UCLA is paper thin inside this year. Give me a break.

 

I have UCLA going to the final four in one of my brackets.

[bushwacked]

I watched both of their matchups vs St. Marys and can tell you they are NOT that much better if at all than St. Marys. Mills obviously wasn't the same the second go around just coming back from injury. I know Matt Bouldin personally so I tune into quite a bit of Zags basketball. They will be lucky to get past Illinois or W. Kentucky in the 2nd round.

 

As far as Memphis goes of course they have been playing lights out against teams that my AAU team could have handled. They're only real challenge was Tennessee in January and they weren't even playing their best ball at the time.

 

Ken Pomeroy ratings suck that bad?

 

The consensus opinion on Gonzaga is that they have top tier ability but have underperformed during a 3 week span in the season. Granted, I'm a homer, but the Zags and Memphis aren't crappy teams. Methinks you are throwing stuff out there and hoping it sticks.

Edited March 17, 2009 by bushwacked

[CaP'N GRuNGe]

C'mon guys. Be consistent. How else am I supposed to cheat off here and fill out my office bracket when I don't follow this stuff at all?

[Flip_Side]

Ken Pomeroy ratings suck that bad?

 

The consensus opinion on Gonzaga is that they have top tier ability but have underperformed during a 3 week span in the season. Granted, I'm a homer, but the Zags and Memphis aren't crappy teams. Methinks you are throwing stuff out there and hoping it sticks.

No, not at all. I was a big fan of the Memphis squad of last year and thought they would win the tournament. This team isn't last years team and you will see this.

 

I'm having problems with some of these matchups however, anyone care to offer up some advice?

 

Pittsburgh Vs Florida State- Most people are saying Pitt for sure because of Young, Blair and, Fields but FSU is a vastly underrated team and Alabi, and Douglas could give Pittsburgh fits especially if Blair gets into foul trouble

 

UCLA Vs Duke- Duke is a solid team and coach K will have the boys ready but UCLA isn't shabby and I think they could knock them off.

 

Wake Forest Vs Arizona- Wake should win this game but Arizona scares me for some reason.

 

Kansas Vs Michigan State- Both are solid but I think Kansas pulls this one out.

 

Arizona State Vs 'Cuse- Should be a helluva game. Harden, and Pendergraph could cause some trouble for 'cuse. I'm not sure if Flynn and Devendorf have another run in them to beat a solid ASU club.

[bushwacked]

I have UCLA going to the final four in one of my brackets.

 

I'm looking at UCLA beating Nova in the 2nd round in mine.

[bushwacked]

I also think Washington State wins by the way, they are a good team.

 

Who, by the way, lost to the crappy Zags by 20+, in Pullman.

 

 

[godtomsatan]

I also think Washington State wins by the way, they are a good team.

 

Do we have an NIT bracket?

[bushwacked]

My Cinderella team to play on the second weekend is the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. They get matchups against two schitzo teams, first in Illinois and then a potential against Gonzaga.

 

I previously notched the Hilltoppers for the 12-5 upset.

[bushwacked]

I like W. Virginia going further than a lot of people may suspect.

[Gopher]

MEMPHIS TIGERS

 

I'm going to try to do an analysis on a few teams over the next day and a half... In particular, teams that seem to be in the middle of the most debate... I've said my piece regarding Arizona, for example, but I'm not sure if I'll add any more thoughts on them or not... I'd rather focus on teams that could potentially be Final Four material, at least in some of our minds. I'll start with the Memphis Tigers....

 

It seems like Memphis is a team that everyone either loves or hates (not the team, necessarily, but their chances in this tournament). Memphis' defense is the best in the country, statistically. This is a bit skewed, though, given that it's based on the majority of their schedule being cupcake opponents. The other thing to keep in mind is that they lost three NBA first-round picks from last year's team, so even though they cruised through this year's conference schedule, there is no guarantee that this team is as talented as last year's. In fact, I would go as far as to say that they are not. The biggest difference is that they really have nobody on this team that fills the role of CDR from last year. I think Evans has done a better than adequate job of filling the PG role, while their big guys... Dozier, Taggert, and Henderson-Niles... have more than made up for the loss of Dorsey inside. Antonio Anderson continues to be the consummate role player... double-digit points, nearly five rebounds per game, and leads the team in assists. Add Mack, Kemp, Sallie, and Witherspoon, and this Tigers team has plenty of depth, especially on the perimeter. They just don't have the slasher G/F that Douglas-Roberts was on last year's team. Actually, they do... he just happens to be playing point guard. So, in reality, it might not be CDR that they miss the most, but rather Derrick Rose. Players like Rose only come along about once every decade for a team like Memphis, so it would be silly to assume that he could be replaced easily.

 

Memphis started out 6-3, with the three losses coming against aforementioned Xavier, Georgetown, and Syracuse. Considering that those three opponents could arguably be considered their three toughest opponents prior to beginning conference play, it might appear that this team is nothing more than a top-25 team that benefits from playing in a weak conference that they are able to dominate, year-in and year-out. However, here is the most important note about Memphis... It was after the loss to Syracuse that Tyreke Evans was asked to take over the point guard position. Here are some notes regarding Memphis' performance since the change was made at point guard:

 

- They are 25-0 since the loss to Syracuse... That's right, they haven't lost since Evans began to play PG.

 

- Number of games of the 25 that were won by less than 10 points... five. All five were road games... seven-point wins at UCF and UTEP, a nine-point win at Houston, and two slightly more impressive wins... by one point at Tulsa (second best team in C-USA), and a two-point win at Tennessee.

 

- Number of games of the 25 that were decided by more than 20 points... 12.

 

- Number of games of the 25 that were decided by more than 30 points... 4.

 

The one game that sticks out in everyone's mind is the win at Gonzaga by 18 points... Memphis led by 17 at the half, and had extended it to 26 points midway through the 2nd half, when Gonzaga made a run late to make it look somewhat close (not that 18 points is close, but Memphis made Gonzaga look like a junior varsity team for the first 30 minutes of this game). Prior to the game, all the talk was about how Gonzaga had made the decision to play the game in Spokane at the Arena... the crowd was rocking and the atmosphere was that of an NBA playoff game. Seemingly, everything was in Gonzaga's favor. However, it didn't take more than a few minutes for Memphis to completely take the home crowd out of the game. I think what surprised most people who watched the game was the way the Memphis post players dominated inside. Gonzaga was beat to nearly every rebound, and had virtually no shot at getting second-chance points. Memphis, on the other hand, seemed to get their own rebound on nearly every miss in the first half... It was a clinic on how to out-hustle your opponent to the offensive glass. The Tigers out-rebounded Gonzaga 37-21 overall, and 13-3 offensively.

 

Here are my thoughts on both teams.

 

- Gonzaga simply didn't match up well with the strong interior of Memphis. I think it caught them a bit off-guard, to be honest. Gonzaga basically plays with three perimeter players and two big men, most of the time. The problem that they had with Memphis (and will have again in the tournament, at some point), is that neither of their two big men are strong inside players, for the most part. Josh Heytvelt is a very good player, but appeared to be much more comfortable playing outside. That's great in the West Coast Conference, where there aren't a lot of teams as big as Gonzaga, but it's a problem when you run into teams like Memphis, with ferocious interior rebounders/defenders like Dozier and Taggert. The Bulldogs' other "big" player is Austin Daye... 6'11'' 200-pound freshman, who simply isn't physically strong enough to bang inside with anybody. He's super-talented, but another big whose strengths lie in his offensive game (a lot of which revolves around the perimeter), not the defense and rebounding that Gonzaga needed from him and/or Heytvelt against Memphis.

 

- Memphis lived off of two things in their win over Gonzaga... I already mentioned the offensive boards. The second thing that they did time and time again, was have Tyreke Evans drive the ball to the basket. Even when Gonzaga was able to deny him from getting to the hole, and Evans seemingly threw the ball up, out of control and in desperation, the Memphis big guys were in place to clean up his misses. What caused me to pull my own hair out when watching this game, was the fact that Gonzaga repeatedly allowed Evans to drive to his right, which was obviously the direction that he was most comfortable going. Had they forced him to his left, I think his out-of-control drives would have been far less effective... It was very clear to me that Evans was much less comfortable going to his left... so much so that he did not do so once in the entire first half. I remember this distinctly because, to me, it was such an obvious mistake by Gonzaga not to address it. I think Mark Few is a great coach, but this was one example where he could have made an adjustment on defense... force Evans left, and possibly change the entire landscape of the game. I'm not saying that Gonzaga had anybody who was quick enough to stop Evans' drives, but if you overplay the guy far enough to one side, he's going to have to either go to the other side, shoot, or give up the ball entirely.

 

All in all, I think Gonzaga is a team that probably won't win more than a game or two... There are just too many solid teams in the dance. Sooner or later, they're going to face someone who gives them too much trouble on the inside, similar to what Memphis did. I do like their chances to get by Illinois or WKU, assuming they beat Akron... I'm not that impressed with Illinois, so Gonzaga could very well be favored heavily in the first two rounds. After that, I think they'll have their hands full.

 

As far as Memphis, there is no doubt that this team is playing better and better as the season progresses. There is also no doubt that their conference is the weakest of the top-12 seeded teams (1-3 seeds)... Nobody else in their conference was even in the discussion for an NCAA bid. That said, a lot of people said the same thing last year, and they nearly won it all. This team is just as strong in the front-court (I really like the way Dozier and Taggert have progressed), and deep in the back-court. I don't think they're quite as talented as Rose/CDR, but they're certainly playing VERY well since Evans took over the point. I wouldn't read too much into the Gonzaga game... Even Calipari and the Memphis players admitted that it was probably their best game of the year. I will say this... If there was one region that I thought Memphis had a good shot at advancing to the Final Four from, it would be the one they're in (the West), where I think any of the top five seeds (UConn, Memphis, Missouri, Washington, Purdue) have a solid shot at winning four straight games.

Edited March 18, 2009 by Gopher

[darin3]

Obama has the same final four as I do.

[Vinatieri Is God]

Obama has the same final four as I do.

 

Three #1's and a #2?? Way to go out on a limb.

[wildcat2334]

Three #1's and a #2?? Way to go out on a limb.

 

 

I know- my first thought exactly, but as I fill out brackets I think this year will be similar to last........ there may be a few early upsets but I think there is soild separation between Louisville, Pitt, UNC, UCONN and Memphis......... and the rest of the field,

 

makes it tough not go with the chalk

[billay]

Three #1's and a #2?? Way to go out on a limb.

Didn't all four #1's make it last year?

[Big John]

Didn't all four #1's make it last year?

yes

[Flip_Side]

Who, by the way, lost to the crappy Zags by 20+, in Pullman.

 

 

You're right that was over 3 months ago. St. Mary's took care of business anyway last night..

[bushwacked]

You're right that was over 3 months ago.

 

Then you shouldn't be concerned with the Memphis losses from November and December if you want to be consistent with your rationale.

[Gopher]

I know- my first thought exactly, but as I fill out brackets I think this year will be similar to last........ there may be a few early upsets but I think there is soild separation between Louisville, Pitt, UNC, UCONN and Memphis......... and the rest of the field,

 

makes it tough not go with the chalk

I'm leaning that way as well. There wasn't a lot of movement in the rankings this year, as far as the top 5 were concerned. Pitt, NC, UConn, Memphis, and Oklahoma pretty much controlled the top of the polls all year, with Louisville, Wake, Duke, and Michigan State not far behind. I would be surprised if at least two of the #1's don't make it to the final four... maybe even three. I don't think we'll see all four make it, like last year, but it won't be that far off from that, simply because there is quite a bit of separation between the top tier (top 5-6 teams) and the rest of the top 20-25.

[Pope Flick]

Last year, the Final Four was 4 #1's.

 

This year, that number is ZERO.

[wildcat2334]

Last year, the Final Four was 4 #1's.

 

This year, that number is ZERO.

 

 

 

the CHANCES of that happening are about ZERO

[Flip_Side]

Then you shouldn't be concerned with the Memphis losses from November and December if you want to be consistent with your rationale.

Once again bushwacked you're just beating around the bush. I said take a look at the schedule for Memphis,and that my AAU team could handle some of those teams. Winning all those games means nothing to me that's like the Patriots going undefeated then being exposed in the superbowl.

Edited March 18, 2009 by Flip_Side