NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

[cumberlandreds]

The Loyola game was the only regional final I didn't see. I'm glad they won but I expect them to get blasted in the Final Four. If the Michigan team shows up that beat Tex A&M then it will be a bad beating. But if the Michigan team that played the other games then Loyola has a punchers chance against them. If Loyola does win that game then I look for Villanova to beat them bad in the finals.
I have watched Villanova a lot this year. I like the way they play. It's just good solid basketball. I have felt all season they are best team and I haven't seen anything yet to make think otherwise.
Very happy to see Kansas beat Duke. It was anybody but Duke at this point for me. The Kansas/Villanova game should be a good one. Although I think Villanova is a smarter team. Kansas size will give them problems but Kansas size isn't that great either.
I will go with a Villanova/Michigan final. If Michigan is on top of their game that could be a good one. But Villanova should win it all at this point.

[bucksfan2]

The Loyola game was the only regional final I didn't see. I'm glad they won but I expect them to get blasted in the Final Four. If the Michigan team shows up that beat Tex A&M then it will be a bad beating. But if the Michigan team that played the other games then Loyola has a punchers chance against them. If Loyola does win that game then I look for Villanova to beat them bad in the finals.
I have watched Villanova a lot this year. I like the way they play. It's just good solid basketball. I have felt all season they are best team and I haven't seen anything yet to make think otherwise.
Very happy to see Kansas beat Duke. It was anybody but Duke at this point for me. The Kansas/Villanova game should be a good one. Although I think Villanova is a smarter team. Kansas size will give them problems but Kansas size isn't that great either.
I will go with a Villanova/Michigan final. If Michigan is on top of their game that could be a good one. But Villanova should win it all at this point.

Michigan has had a rather easy path to the Final 4, probably one of the easiest that I can remember. Its not to say that they didn't earn it, but I don't they beat UNC, XU, or Gonzaga if they played them. The thing with Michigan, is whey they are shooting well, they are tough to beat, but if they aren't shooting well, anybody can beat them. I think they beat Loyola, pretty handily, but I don't think they beat either Kansas or Nova.

I think whoever wins the Nova v Kansas game will win the title game handily. The only thing that could potentially swing it into a good game is if Loyola or UM go unconscious from 3.

[Boston Red]

I think either Loyola or Michigan could beat Kansas. That team has been pretty wildly inconsistent throughout the year. If Villanova is on (which they really weren't in the Regionals), no one is stopping them.

[WVRed]

I think either Loyola or Michigan could beat Kansas. That team has been pretty wildly inconsistent throughout the year. If Villanova is on (which they really weren't in the Regionals), no one is stopping them.

It’s kinda hard to be “on” against West Virginia’s press. And Texas Tech isn’t a slouch either.

[Boston Red]

It’s kinda hard to be “on” against West Virginia’s press. And Texas Tech isn’t a slouch either.

Villanova was missing a lot of open shots against Texas Tech. Shots they make most of the time.

[WVRed]

Villanova was missing a lot of open shots against Texas Tech. Shots they make most of the time.

Credit to Texas Techs defense. Chris Beard is a Bob Knight disciple.

I still think this is Villanovas to lose but they had to go through two pretty good Big 12 teams to get there.

[Boston Red]

Their defense had something to do with it, but they didn't make Villanova's shooters miss wide open threes.

[Assembly Hall]

Michigan has had a rather easy path to the Final 4, probably one of the easiest that I can remember. Its not to say that they didn't earn it, but I don't they beat UNC, XU, or Gonzaga if they played them. The thing with Michigan, is whey they are shooting well, they are tough to beat, but if they aren't shooting well, anybody can beat them. I think they beat Loyola, pretty handily, but I don't think they beat either Kansas or Nova.

I think whoever wins the Nova v Kansas game will win the title game handily. The only thing that could potentially swing it into a good game is if Loyola or UM go unconscious from 3.

This is a different Michigan team from years past. This Wolverine team plays defense and they play it quite well.

[oregonred]

Fun Fact:

Over the last three years, Kentucky and Duke have had the same finish in the NCAA Tournament (since Duke fully embraced the one and done):

Kentucky:
2016:Second Round
2017:Elite Eight
2018:Sweet 16

Duke:
2016:Sweet 16
2017:Second Round
2018:Elite Eight

Yep it's a crapshoot selling out with one and dones. Duke/Kansas was a great game. Duke didn't play well but still had the game in control with 40seconds left while Coach K saved his two time outs. Duke having to go zone the last half of the year was a strange sight. This Duke team never could play tough defense and get the big stops in big games to gut out wins against top competition

Does Kansas ever have to play an NCAA tourney game before the Final Four more than 250 from home?

Duke always does better in the East region in the tournament especially in NE sites. That's the much more favorable Duke alumni base.

[Boston Red]

Does Kansas ever have to play an NCAA tourney game before the Final Four more than 250 from home?

You have Xavier choking away a 17 point second half lead at MSG against Providence to blame for that one. If Xavier wins that game and plays Villanova in the Big East finals, Xavier is likely the #1 seed in the Midwest instead of Kansas.

[WVRed]

Yep it's a crapshoot selling out with one and dones. Duke/Kansas was a great game. Duke didn't play well but still had the game in control with 40seconds left while Coach K saved his two time outs. Duke having to go zone the last half of the year was a strange sight. This Duke team never could play tough defense and get the big stops in big games to gut out wins against top competition

Does Kansas ever have to play an NCAA tourney game before the Final Four more than 250 from home?

Duke always does better in the East region in the tournament especially in NE sites. That's the much more favorable Duke alumni base.

The NCAA has usually been pretty good about putting top seeds as geographically close to campus as possible in each region. When Duke/UNC, Kentucky, etc are top seeds they usually get a pretty good draw.

[bucksfan2]

The NCAA has usually been pretty good about putting top seeds as geographically close to campus as possible in each region. When Duke/UNC, Kentucky, etc are top seeds they usually get a pretty good draw.

Duke always tends to get a favorable draw. UK it goes back and forth, some years they get hosed, others they get a nice draw.

As a fan I wish they would eliminate the whole pods thing, if you are seeded in the west, go play in the west. If you are in the south, go play in the south. It makes no sense to me to protect a 4 seed who is the last 4 seed in by giving them a favorable first two rounds location, when they are supposed to be a in a region in the opposite side of the country.

[oregonred]

Duke always tends to get a favorable draw. UK it goes back and forth, some years they get hosed, others they get a nice draw.

As a fan I wish they would eliminate the whole pods thing, if you are seeded in the west, go play in the west. If you are in the south, go play in the south. It makes no sense to me to protect a 4 seed who is the last 4 seed in by giving them a favorable first two rounds location, when they are supposed to be a in a region in the opposite side of the country.

Duke doesn't always get a favorable draw. That is a myth. They played a road game at #7 South Carolina last year and this year's was no picnic going though Kansas in Omaha (and almost B1G reg season champ Mich State in the Sweet 16). Duke does best when a #1 seed and placed in the East Coast - Washington DC or higher regional with a more NE alumni base and less ACC Duke envy/hostility. Carolina with a much bigger alumni base benefits immensenly from being close to home in Charlotte or Atlanta. This year Duke losing the #1 East seed (Pittsburgh then Boston) was the path much preferred and needed.

Agree on the pod system. What a joke that #3 and #4 seeds often are protected. Didn't this nonsense all happen when the DC-media complained about three DC-area teams going to Boise in round 1 about 8-10 years ago? As if horse and buggy is the only way to get West of the Mississippi River...

[15fan]

As someone who sat in Philips Arena and watched Loyola carve up K State on Saturday (then raced to a nearby bar to get a seat to watch the FSU-UM game before all of the Loyola fans rolled in to celebrate), Loyola is like watching the Spurs of 5 or 6 years ago minus the inside presence of Tim Duncan. On offense, players and the ball never stop moving. They have guys who can shoot the three as well as get into the paint. They will move the ball for the entire shotclock, forcing the other team to play good team d. Once there's a blown assignment by the opposition's D, Loyola was absolutely lethal in capitalizing. They have enough size and athleticism to get by. And they shoot FTs way better than UM.

Wouldn't surprise me to see Loyola win.

[WVRed]

Duke doesn't always get a favorable draw. That is a myth. They played a road game at #7 South Carolina last year and this year's was no picnic going though Kansas in Omaha (and almost B1G reg season champ Mich State in the Sweet 16). Duke does best when a #1 seed and placed in the East Coast - Washington DC or higher regional with a more NE alumni base and less ACC Duke envy/hostility. Carolina with a much bigger alumni base benefits immensenly from being close to home in Charlotte or Atlanta. This year Duke losing the #1 East seed (Pittsburgh then Boston) was the path much preferred and needed.

Agree on the pod system. What a joke that #3 and #4 seeds often are protected. Didn't this nonsense all happen when the DC-media complained about three DC-area teams going to Boise in round 1 about 8-10 years ago? As if horse and buggy is the only way to get West of the Mississippi River...

Two points:

1. The game was supposed to be played in North Carolina last year but it was moved out of the state by the NCAA over the bathroom bill.

2. Even with the game in Greeneville, Duke should have had no problem making it a home game against South Carolina last year. I understand they have a large bandwagon and graduate base in the northeast, but I’d imagine there’s enough of them who would have 1.traveled to a game in South Carolina and 2.had enough local fans in North Carolina to make up the difference.