Azubuike24;1717182 wrote:2014 Connecticut
- Started season ranked #18
- Conference record: 12-6
- Conference standing: 3rd
- Conference tournament: lost in final to regular season conference champs
- Received a 7 seed in the East Region
- Tournament road to get to final four: Beat a 10, 2, 3 and 4 seed (6 point victory)
- Set to play the winner of Kentucky and Wisconsin in the championship if victorious


2015 Michigan State
- Started season ranked #18
- Conference record: 12-6
- Conference standing: 3rd
- Conference tournament: lost in final to regular season conference champs
- Received a 7 seed in the East Region
- Tournament road to get to final four: Beat a 10, 2, 3 and 4 seed (6 point victory)
- Set to play the winner of Kentucky and Wisconsin in the championship if victorious

Those are really amazing similarities. BUT, the big difference is, MSU doesn't have a player like Napier playing from them. Trice is playing well. But still not as good as Napier.

True, but MSU has a future HOF coach and UConn had a very, very young coach.

Will be rooting for Wisconsin, but I want Duke and Kentucky. It would be billed as the greatest championship game of modern time. The hype would be enormous. I wouldn't miss being there for anything else in the world. The atmosphere around Indianapolis would be fucking crazy.

Will be rooting for Wisconsin v MSU.

Feel that it will probably be KY v MSU

MSU has no chance against Kentucky. Duke has a good shot.

Spock;1718121 wrote:MSU has no chance against Kentucky. Duke has a good shot.

It's crazy, because on paper and looking at it player for player, MSU has no shot against any of the other 3. Almost every stat, number, category, ranking, etc...you have Wisconsin, Duke and Kentucky near the top, and MSU further down.

Azubuike24;1718171 wrote:It's crazy, because on paper and looking at it player for player, MSU has no shot against any of the other 3. Almost every stat, number, category, ranking, etc...you have Wisconsin, Duke and Kentucky near the top, and MSU further down.

All about matchups. MSU just does not match up well with UK. Not that many in the country do! But of the 4 teams, that is the worst matchup for them, no question.

Azubuike24;1718171 wrote:It's crazy, because on paper and looking at it player for player, MSU has no shot against any of the other 3. Almost every stat, number, category, ranking, etc...you have Wisconsin, Duke and Kentucky near the top, and MSU further down.

MSU on paper is the worst final four team in history. But they have the best coach in NCAA history so I'm picking them over Duke easily.

I need Sparty to win. Then I will likely have locked up 3 of my pools with a shot at 2 more. Also gives me an outside shot of winning something in the player pickem if Kentucky wins and KAT and Dawson both have good games (4 total, plus Koenig).

I just want MSU to beat Duke because we haven't had a good site meltdown in ages and that happening could drive Rec all the way over the edge.

I am in the money no matter what in our sweet 16 contest...had MSU and duke. Think Duke has a better chance at beating UK thatn MSU so will have to root for them

"If the 68 teams were seeded by graduation rates, they would be a bottom seed. They have the lowest Graduation Success Rate for black men of zero and the third-lowest overall at 40 percent. They were one of 16 teams that should be disqualified for historically graduating less than 50 percent of either black or white players or having an overall rate under 50 percent."

Interesting.

I bet most wouldn't guess that the school fitting the above is Wisconsin. This references players starting classes between 2004-2009.

Azubuike24;1718238 wrote:"If the 68 teams were seeded by graduation rates, they would be a bottom seed. They have the lowest Graduation Success Rate for black men of zero and the third-lowest overall at 40 percent. They were one of 16 teams that should be disqualified for historically graduating less than 50 percent of either black or white players or having an overall rate under 50 percent."

Interesting.

I bet most wouldn't guess that the school fitting the above is Wisconsin. This references players starting classes between 2004-2009.

Wisconsin is probably in the top 5 of the tournament for quality academics and doesn't cheat, ahem, assist players in getting good grades.

It's all irrelevant if their players don't graduate. Now, they have improved since those figures from 2009, but it's eye opening considering what you just stated. Bottom line, their athletes aren't finishing school, which is the main gripe of many other schools.

And we all know the NCAA's academic standards are outdated and not always pertinent to the current teams. The APR references grad rates that are 5 years old.

Azubuike24;1718264 wrote:It's all irrelevant if their players don't graduate. Now, they have improved since those figures from 2009, but it's eye opening considering what you just stated. Bottom line, their athletes aren't finishing school, which is the main gripe of many other schools.

And we all know the NCAA's academic standards are outdated and not always pertinent to the current teams. The APR references grad rates that are 5 years old.

Harder to graduate from a more challenging school, no? This isn't Kentucky where you have students called tutors doing all the work for your one and dones who major in sports leisure studies.

We're talking basketball players here. So, almost guaranteed it's 1 of 2 things. A) they aren't admitted using the same standards, and thus, can't hack it to graduate or B) have no interesting in graduating...AKA, not finishing school to go play pro ball either in the NBA or likely, other countries. Lets not pretend for a second you can't find a skunk major at any school. Duke is notorious for filtering players through their "Sociology" program and Duke is one of the most pretigious schools.

B is what people bash the one-and-done system for and my point was the end result is still the same. Why criticize players wanting to make money and thus, don't get their degree? The point of a degree...eventually earn money.

If Duke makes it on to face UK.....I feel this will be the most non-Duke fans have rooted for Duke maybe back to 1991 or 1992

Ironman92;1718342 wrote:If Duke makes it on to face UK.....I feel this will be the most non-Duke fans have rooted for Duke maybe back to 1991 or 1992

Not sure......back then you had the I Hate Laettner Crowd. I know we all hated Duke big time back then and chose UNLV as the lesser of two evils!
Or did you mean so the rebels wouldnt go undefeated? Back then, as an IU fan, I didnt really pay much attention or take as much pride as them having the last undefeated team.

Yeah, might be about the same number of UK haters as Duke. As a younger kid, I always cheered against them
both. I still do to an extent, but wouldn't mind seeing any of the 4 win this year. All have great players who are fun too cheer for. Except Trey Lyles. Fuck that guy and his father.

It's funny because I've literally not heard a single word from or about Trey Lyles or his father since he committed to UK. Never an article. Never a Tweet. Never even a rumor. For as much drama as it seemed that IU fans brought from his recruitment, it's been dead silent.

Azubuike24;1718360 wrote:It's funny because I've literally not heard a single word from or about Trey Lyles or his father since he committed to UK. Never an article. Never a Tweet. Never even a rumor. For as much drama as it seemed that IU fans brought from his recruitment, it's been dead silent.

Lol I was about to ask Laley if something happened with his recruitment that I just never saw anything about it. Laley you have some kind of inside scoop or just upset that he had committed to IU very early on and then 2 years later decides to go to UK?

There were rumors, which came out when he committed to IU 5 years ago as a freshman in HS that his dad was heavily involved and seaking something. The whole decommitment was fishy. I have heard from coaches in Indiana who were asked by Treys dad to reach out to see what was available to them. Tom Crean "allegedly" pulled his scholarship at this point and Trey de committed at that point because IU was still under the watch of a 3rd party for everything he did (because of the Sampson issues). I've also heard from regular folks that know Treys dad who say it happened and that he was trying at a very young age to pump his son for gifts and that none of this is surprising to them.

Like AZ said, nothing ever came of it. But, I'll choose to belive it is true.

Laettner wasn't that hated until the stomp....and even then the overall Duke hate wasn't nearly as strong as it has become over the years.

Ironman92;1718342 wrote:If Duke makes it on to face UK.....I feel this will be the most non-Duke fans have rooted for Duke maybe back to 1991 or 1992

If it's Duke-UK, I'll just chalk it up to the terrorists winning and hope I can cheer for a team in next year's championship.

Heretic;1718455 wrote:If it's Duke-UK, I'll just chalk it up to the terrorists winning and hope I can cheer for a team in next year's championship.

As will many....but the anti-UK base is gigantic and some of those will be cheering for Duke