2023 NCAA Tournament

[triplec2195]

Also watched the highlights of the Gonzaga UCLA game just an incredible game with an epic ending. IMO I think either one of these teams could win a national championship. Super talented and I thought this was UCLA's year finally.

[Wags]

Just looked over the box score of the MSU game versus Kansas State saw that former NE guard Tyson Walker played 41 minutes and had 16 points 6-16 5 assists and only 3 turnovers. He has played really well for Michigan State. On the other hand our former player Iyiola played 2 minutes for Kansas State no points 1 turnover and 1 foul. He averaged 3.5 points a game playing 11 minutes.

Walker actually played much better in their prior two wins in the tournament, especially in the win over Marquette. He did send the game to OT though with a clutch bucket and then put them up by 3 in OT with a 3-pointer, but it was 8-1, Kansas State to close out OT. Iyiola isn't really part of the rotation. Not sure that was a good move for him to leave Hofstra

When the first game started, it was mostly empty. but then it ended up be a sellout crowd and a great environment for both games.

[Wags]

Also watched the highlights of the Gonzaga UCLA game just an incredible game with an epic ending. IMO I think either one of these teams could win a national championship. Super talented and I thought this was UCLA's year finally.

Still several good teams left that can win it all. Legitimately, I think that includes Alabama, Houston, UConn, Gonzaga, and Texas, in that order.
Kansas State could even be in the mix if Nowell and Johnson both keep playing at a high level with Massoud helping out as he did last night.
I wouldn't count Creighton out either. They were preseason No. 9 and have been playing like it most recently, and they have a great chance to reach the Elite 8.

[triplec2195]

You left out the Cinderella team Wags Princeton. This years St Peters.

[Wags]

You left out the Cinderella team Wags Princeton. This years St Peters.

Intentional omission. Great run for them but had no shot at the title as we saw when Creighton eliminated them. The real Cinderella team is FAU, though they hate being called that.

[triplec2195]

So it will be FAU(9SEED) VS 5 SEED SAN DIEGO STATE who beat COC in their first NCAA tourney game. Miami a 5 seed vs UCONN a 4 seed. UCONN very well may be the favorite to win a national championship. This will be a very interesting Final 4.

[Wags]

So it will be FAU(9SEED) VS 5 SEED SAN DIEGO STATE who beat COC in their first NCAA tourney game. Miami a 5 seed vs UCONN a 4 seed. UCONN very well may be the favorite to win a national championship. This will be a very interesting Final 4.

UConn is definitely the favorite. They're the highest remaining seed but they're also the only team left that was unchallenged in all four of their wins so far.
The other three all could have lost (FAU could have lost all four times, Miami could have lost twice and probably should have lost those, and SDSU could have lost today). UConn is simply a better basketball team than the other three BUT that doesn't mean they'll beat Miami or will win the title, especially in this crazy year. Was at MSG covering the regionals last night and Thursday night. Was so cool to see what FAU did up close. It was surreal like it wasn't really happening. Can only hope that'll be Hofstra someday. But add FAU to the list for the mids, along with George Mason, Butler twice, VCU, Wichita State, and Loyola Chicago. And if you want to go way back to 1979, can include Penn.

Some interesting things with this tourney now:

* First Final Four ever with no 1-3 seeds after the first Elite 8 ever with no 1 seeds.

* This Final Four has the second-highest combined seed total:
2011 - 26: 3 UConn, 4 Kentucky, 8 Butler, 11 VCU
2023 - 23: 4 UConn, 5 SDSU, 5 Miami, 9 FAU
2000 - 22: 1 Michigan State, 5 Florida, 8 UNC, 8 Wisconsin
1980 - 21: 2 Louisville, 5 Iowa, 6 Purdue, 8 UCLA
2006 - 20: 2 UCLA, 3 Florida, 4 LSU, 11 George Mason

* FAU & Miami are same-state schools making their Final Four debuts in the same Final Four. That's only the second time that's happened and the first since La Salle and Penn State in 1954.

* OF COURSE Larranaga takes Miami to the Final four on this EXACT DATE, March 26... 17 years ago today, on 3/26/06, was Mason's Elite 8 win over UConn.

Laettner: 10/10 fg, 10/10 ft in the famous Elite 8 game in Philly when Duke beat Kentucky, 104-103, in his turnaround shot off of the pass from Grant Hill.
* Miami's Jordan Miller today: 7/7 fg, 13/13 ft
That's it, That's the complete list of perfect shooting games in NCAA tourney history.

The way things are going, I am fully ready for the inevitable Florida Atlantic - Miami championship game.

What a wild tournament this year. Still remains the best sporting even on Earth.

[Polito]

SUPER tournament - one of the best in recent memory - a college sports fans dream!

Called UConns return to power 2 years ago, they’re right on schedule. Hurley is a fantastic coach.

JL has proven himself to be one of the best coaches in the game. Has taken TWO programs to their first ever FF. One a true mid major (who’s done nothing since him) and another mid major P5 (Miami basketball is barely a thing in the ACC). THATS top flight coaching.

It’s also NIL - they bought a helluva team. Anyone who still believes that NIL isn’t important or that donating to it to help strengthen a program isn’t key, or their responsibility, or worth it, or whatever other head in the sand excuse is completely foolish. It is a MUST. I implore everyone to consider giving whenever it is it in their means to do so, and yep, every single penny counts.

I’ll also not hear anymore from anyone about how it’s ‘crazy’ to expect HU to do big things. Nah it’s crazy not to. If FAU can do it, if Princeton can make noise, if FDU can do it on D2 players, if every other mid major that does it literally every single year can, then I damn sure expect HU to - and so should all of us.

And if Speedy wants to actually be as good as HU and this board hypes him up to be, then he’ll start making the dance. This once every 20 years BS is unacceptable (not his fault, it’s HUs, just making the point about the program as a whole). And yep that includes 2020 (2000). This wasting of POY talent had to cease. Get this dang program over the hump. CONSISTENTLY.

He’s making progress - 20 wins year 1, NIT and a W year 2, year 3 its NCAAT or bust. And it won’t be easy with CofC. But I’ll have none of the excuses anymore. You either dance or you’re nothing. No one cares about anything else. Nothing else matters. NOTHING. Watching everyone else have their time is getting old.

Hit that portal Speedy, bring in bigs that can play like men, add some 3/4 size, and let’s put this program back on the map.

[cactus]

f larranaga

[triplec2195]

I confess to personally knocking COC losing to SDSU not really knowing what a power house team they're. Never thought in my wildest dreams that they would go to the final 4. Incredible nobody lower then a 4 seed in the final 4 and a 9 seed who with any kind of luck/skill could win a National championship.

[Wags]

Fitting that this kind of Final Four will be played on April Fool's Day.

[triplec2195]

Funny but good point! Who would have guessed these teams maybe UCONN but everyone else.

[EvanJ]

Funny but good point! Who would have guessed these teams maybe UCONN but everyone else.

Here is what percent of brackets on ESPN had each Final Four team making the Final Four:

UConn: 11.5 percent
Miami: 3.5 percent
San Diego State: 2.1 percent
Florida Atlantic: 0.8 percent

ESPN's Fans of Hofstra group has a bracket that predicted a lot of worse seeds and only got 15 of 32 games in Round 1, but it has great potential because it picked Florida Atlantic to win. The other three Final Four teams on that bracket combined to win 1 game. It is in the 15th percentile so far.

[Polito]

This board loves to hate on great coaching lol (jk, I get this one)

But the reality is JL has proven himself to be one of the best coaches in the game in this current era. And frankly now one of the best in history. Would take a guy like that all day long.

Mason will never sniff another FF in our lifetime, heck they'll be lucky to make another NCAAT anytime soon, and the odds are Miami won't get close to another FF either after he's gone. Dudes big time.

That's what we need Speedy to turn out to be - a high major coach in a mid major home.

[Wags]

Strange how things work out: Florida Atlantic trailed in the second half of each one of its 2023 NCAA tourney games before winning to reach the Final Four. In the Final Four, the Owls never trailed in the second half until the final buzzer.

FAU was also 29-0 this season when they didn't get outrebounded (6-4 otherwise). The last board of the game, the defensive rebound that set up Lamont Butler's game-winner, gave SDSU a final 35-34 rebounding edge.