There are some intriguing matchups in the sweet sixteen round. I certainly cannot claim to be any sort of analyst after my dismal bracket performance but I will offer some revised picks here. UNC vs. Washington St. I don't know how you can pick against UNC at this point. Arkansas is not a bad basketball team and North Carolina made them look like Arkansas State. Louisville vs. Tennessee This should be a game to watch with a lot of scoring. I did, however, hear that Lofton is in a boot because of a tweaked ankle suffered in the Butler game. If he can't go, then you have to like Louisville's chances. Otherwise, I think Tennessee wins a high scoring affair late. Kansas vs. Villanova Incredible that Nova is even still in this thing after nearly getting left out from the beginning. Kansas sports one of the most talented teams in America. I'll take the Jayhawks. Wisconsin vs. Davidson Stephen Curry proves that a really hot player can carry you a long ways in a single elimination tourney. I think the Wisconsin D cools him off and brings an end to this Cinderella story. Memphis vs. Michigan St. Memphis just doesn't impress me that much. Sure, they have great athletes and some really good ballplayers but I still don't think they're as good as advertised. They may prove me wrong here but I doubt it and I think Michigan St. proves me right. Stanford vs. Texas I think Texas wins simply because they're the better team. UCLA vs. Western Kentucky Another Cinderella story comes to an end because Kevin Love is an absolute BEAST. Xavier vs. West Virginia I'll take West Virginia here as I think Xavier is a bit overrated. Of course, I think the majority of my picks will be wrong but, hey, that's why they call it March MADNESS. Tom, have you heard anything on the Lofton situation. I heard on a Knoxville radio station this morning that he was probable for the game but still, you have to be a little worried about a Lofton that's not 100%. The threat of him just being there on the perimeter takes a lot of pressure off of the rest of the team.
I think Texas will win as well, but I don't think it's a given. Stanford was screwed out of beating UCLA, or they would have been a higher seed. Those Lopez twins will be tough on the Texas frontline. I think Memphis is the first #1 seed to go down. I also wouldn't be surprised if either Davdison or W.Kentucky moves to the elite 8. Terry
If they don't win, it will likely be due to the fact that they had to dodge sniper fire when they get off the bus. That'll tend to distract you.
Aquila, I went back and reviewed the game. The only time I could detect that the injury could have occurred was late in the first half. It did not appear to affect him getting up and down the court the rest of the game. I believe that he is in a boot to prevent any further injury while walking on uneven ground. The concern is that the walking boot may allow the ankle to stiffen and make the situation worse. As far as Texas goes… here’s to seeing Texas plant the tree through the goal at the end of the game.
Great news for the Vols. As I said the road ahead looks extremely hard even with a healthy Lofton. I am glad at this point that Florida didn't make the tourney because with their lack of attitude and experience the Gators would have almost assuredly made a first round exit and now they are getting it together it seems in the NIT and maybe laying some groundwork for next year. The Vols NCAA schedule just proves UF didn't belong this year because if it seems damned near impossible for Tenn how would it have looked for UF?
Who are you and what have you done with Dave??? :shock: I just hope Tennessee hasn't bitten off more than it can chew! :wink: I have to agree about Florida getting it together. They looked good against ASU last night.
Tom....I think I am always more realistic than prone to hyperbole when it comes to Florida....in BB or FB. The problem is around here is that I am that way about other people's teams as well and sometimes that doesn't sit too well when the truth is painful.
I picked Tennessee to go all the way, but North Carolina is looking really good. I hope Lofton is ready to go full steam.
North Carolina advances easily in the East and Tennessee has totally screwed the pooch. We had Louisville where we wanted them when we were down by 16 with 8:59 left in the first half. :x We were drawing them into an absolutely TRUE sense of security. :shock: Now we have drawn to within 7 at the half and woke them up from their slumber. :? We would have been much better off to wait until the second half to start the come back. :wink:
Tennessee Fans, Very tough loss for the Volunteers last night. You always want your team to continue the run and maybe a national championship, but there are just too many obstacles along the way. Louisville was clearly the better team last night. They have tremendous quickness and a strong bench. If they played two out of three who knows? If its any consolation, I picked Tennessee in my bracket. Don
Thanks Don. Due to an early morning, Cindy and I turned on Tivo and went to bed right after my last post. This was truly a tough loss. Not because of the loss itself, but because of the poor performance. I'm sure that most of it was due to the great Louisville defense. Ball handling was not up to Tennessee standards. Fouls were atrocious. :x Allowing players behind the press to get easy lay ups was unforgivable. :shock: They were playing like they were afraid of losing. :? The heads that were hanging on the bench with about 5 minutes left and only down by single digits was something I have never seen before with a Bruce Pearl coached team. Yes sir… tough loss. Does this make Bruce stay or go if Indiana offers? He still has something to prove at Tennessee. :idea: Maybe it helps us in the long run. :? Am I seeing a light at the end of the tunnel? :? Tell me it’s not a train headed my direction. :x
After reading my post, I realized that it could be interpreted as being critical of the refs. That is farthest thing from the truth. Every foul called was deserved. Some of them were extremely stupid and I was calling them from my easy chair just before the refs.
Can't see it. At this point, with where he's brought the program, it would be a lateral move.....PLUS....Indiana is now a quagmire for a new coach, with players leaving, recruits de-committing, and NCAA sanctions in the future. What a shame for a once-great program. Like I said, can't see it.
Watching this tournament gives me even more respect for the Florida "04ers" who fought their way to back-to-back championships. Winning this thing just isn't an easy proposition.
Tough loss for the Vols, after seeing the Irish play Louisville earlier I thought that they were a definite possibility for the final four. Their pressure defense , a Pitino trademark, is outstanding. Great win though last night though for the X-Men of Xavier. I hope they can take out Louisville and make it too the final four. They were very close last year but lost a very very tough game to Ohio State. Terry
I was, obviously extremely disappointed in the performance of the Big Orange men's basketball team last night. They never seemed to be truly in the game. I feel like they sleep-walked through the SEC and this tournament. I'm not sure what happened but they never played the same since the last game of the regular season. It's very disappointing. I hate to see Lofton and Jajuan Smith go. Heck, I even hate to see Jordan Howell go even though his slump contributed to the problems that derailed this team. Without a third true 3-point threat, I think this team became very ordinary. What great careers for Lofton and Smith! I hate that Lofton ends his career on such a sour note. He never was much of a factor in this tournament. As far as their futures go, I think Lofton cost himself money by returning to Tennessee this year. I'm not sure that he'll get drafted whereas last season I think he gets drafted based upon his incredible performance and shooting. He simply doesn't have the size or versatility to really make it in the NBA, IMO. On top of that, he's not looking like a great shooter either. Jajuan Smith, IMO, has a better shot at sticking in the NBA. He's a clutch shooter and a very good defender. I could be totally wrong as I'm no where near being an NBA scout but these are just my observations. I guess it's time to look to next year, as badly as I hate to admit that. I sincerely hope that Bruce Pearl stays on as I'm sure all Tennessee fans do. He truly has made men's basketball matter at Tennessee. In these somewhat lean years in regard to football, he's given me something to really cheer for and get excited about. Taking Tennessee to back-to-back Sweet Sixteens is an impressive feat. I think some of the analysis is right on about the SEC being down this season but the fact the Vols won it is still a great accomplishment. My gut has always said that he stays but the report that he has told friends that he is on the short list for Indiana does worry me a bit. I tend to agree with Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio and Sid that the move to Indiana would not be a move upward. Staying at Tennessee would be the right career move, IMO. However, the allure of coaching at a traditional powerhouse such as Indiana for a guy with Big 10 roots may be too much to turn down, if offered. I personally think that Pearl can build Tennessee's program into his program similar to Coach K at Duke. That would be quite alluring for me. He's proven he can win at UT and the recruits get better every year seemingly so I think we have a good shot at keeping him. Mike Hamilton, time to ante up again if you're listening. With regard to the team, I'm very optimistic about their chances at success next season although that is largely contingent on Tyler Smith sticking around. He is certainly an NBA prospect but I think he needs to hone his skills a bit. He could benefit greatly from returning as he would seemingly be the focal point of the offense next season. If they can solve the PG situation, I think this team is a 20-25 win team again next season. Losing Smith and Lofton hurts but I personally think they can be replaced. The style of basketball would have to be altered a bit to fit the slashing style of the returning players but I think there is reason to be optimistic.
I'm not a Colin Cowherd fan. He's smart, but I find his style grating and cannot listen to him for more than 5 minutes before I switch to something else. Must be my age. However, if he agrees with me, he can't be all bad. :lol: I was listening to Jay Bilas on sports talk radio this morning. He had some interesting comments. He mentioned the TN bench players hanging their heads with about 4 minutes to go, saying he was surprised to see them so down with so much time left. He said he thought Indiana was a better job than TN, which I don't agree with despite my loyalty to Indiana. He was scathing toward the Indiana AD and called him incompetent, which I strongly agree with. He said the people at ESPN have done a complete 180 on Bob Knight after working with him and experiencing his his off-court demeanor and his "compelling" (his word) commentaries. It was interesting stuff. I like Bilas. I consider him smart, insightful, and easy to listen to.
Speaking of Bob Knight, did anyone see the segment on the tournament preview where Dick Vitale emphatically (no, not Dicky V) stated that Indiana should hire Knight as coach, Digger Phelps as an assistant and himself as recruiting coordinator? Bobby Knight looked as though there were about 3000 places he would rather be at that moment. He basically ignored the whole rant. It was quite hilarious. Also, I have to know, am I the only one that finds Bill Rafferty incredibly annoying? Verne Lundquist isn't that great either, IMO. Maybe I'm just being cynical but I hate when I'm watching a game with those two commentating. They say stupid things and Rafferty's attempts at being colorful are funny in a really annoying way.