2019-2020 College Basketball Thread

Postby **willeyeam** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:03 am

This is true

Postby **RonnieFranchise** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 8:34 pm

Providence Friars, man

Postby **Freddy Rumsen** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:33 pm

It is the way

Postby **Orlando Penguin** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 11:28 pm

Welp, now that my college basketball season came to an end tonite, it's time to really pay attention to what everyone else is doing. It kinda sucks that this is the 2nd-best week of the year with the conference tourneys going on and I'm going to be stuck on a golf course working for a good portion of it but that's the world I live in.

So, someone asked me if I could pick one conference tournament to attend every game of this week and I answered with the Big East. Every one of those games is going to be off-the-charts good. That conference was so competitive throughout the season and with the exception of DePaul and probably shorthanded Georgetown, anyone could win this tournament. Remember that St. John's is playing at home and has the offensive firepower to reel off 4 wins. Providence and Creighton are probably the hottest teams to finish the regular season. Seton Hall and Villanova have the pedigree to put it together on multiple nights. But I'm going to go with Butler and Kamar Baldwin to walk out of MSG with the trophy.

The #2 conference tournament I would choose to attend would be Big Ten for the same competitive reasons as the Big East. For a conference that had teams that couldn't consistently win on the road this season, this could be a fascinating run of upsets. Chalk would say we should see Sparty and the Twerps but I have a suspicion that Wisconsin and Illinois are going to play a big part in deciding who comes out of there with the title.

If you like bubbles, go check out the American. Between Cincinnati, Wichita, Memphis, and Tulsa, you have 4 teams that are probably playing for 1 spot. Oh, and there's UCONN who has been red hot since the beginning of February and they very well could sneak their way into the Tournament with the automatic bid.

ACC? Eh, I get the history but you'll fall asleep watching any game involving Virginia. Florida State, Louisville, and Duke will probably end up winning, though I don't like Louisville all that much. But they're just athletic enough to outrun the competition at a neutral site. SEC could be pretty fiery with teams like Arkansas, Miss State, and Tennessee playing for their NCAA lives. Kentucky should win that tournament but if they run into foul trouble, they're not deep enough to withstand it and a team like Auburn has been athletic enough to run them out of a game. Big 12 should be a Kansas-Baylor final but I'm afraid the traditional ugly Baylor team is rearing its head right on time given their efforts the last couple of weeks. If I'd pick a sleeper there, it would be Oklahoma. They can shoot the ball and get after it on the boards but they are so prone to taking stretches of time off. I wouldn't put much stock in WVU since they don't really have anyone that can shoot it consistently well. But they do bully you in the post and on the boards. Pac-12 could be interesting just in the fact that Bill Walton will be calling games and you never know what you might get there. But that conference is full of one-and-dones when it comes time for the Big Dance. Maybe Oregon can win a first round game but everyone else is so average that I don't put much stock in any of them making noise.

And one last thing -- try to watch a Dayton game. Obi Toppin gets most of the attention because of his high-flying act and rightfully so. But that roster is stacked with talent. They went undefeated at home AND on the road this year (2 losses at neutral sites) and were also undefeated in regulation (both losses in OT, one on a buzzer beater). How far might they be able to go? If they stay healthy and get the right matchups, they could very well be a 1 seed and the only type of team that I can see beating them is a big team that might play a little zone and also has some bruisers in the middle. Curiously, St. Louis played them the toughest all year in their 2 games and a lot of that was because of their defense.

So that's a conference tournament primer. I'd love to spend about 13 hours in front of the TV on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday but alas, I'll have to keep refreshing my phone.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Mon Mar 09, 2020 7:12 am

Welp, now that my college basketball season came to an end tonite, it's time to really pay attention to what everyone else is doing. It kinda sucks that this is the 2nd-best week of the year with the conference tourneys going on and I'm going to be stuck on a golf course working for a good portion of it but that's the world I live in.

So, someone asked me if I could pick one conference tournament to attend every game of this week and I answered with the Big East. Every one of those games is going to be off-the-charts good. That conference was so competitive throughout the season and with the exception of DePaul and probably shorthanded Georgetown, anyone could win this tournament. Remember that St. John's is playing at home and has the offensive firepower to reel off 4 wins. Providence and Creighton are probably the hottest teams to finish the regular season. Seton Hall and Villanova have the pedigree to put it together on multiple nights. But I'm going to go with Butler and Kamar Baldwin to walk out of MSG with the trophy.

The #2 conference tournament I would choose to attend would be Big Ten for the same competitive reasons as the Big East. For a conference that had teams that couldn't consistently win on the road this season, this could be a fascinating run of upsets. Chalk would say we should see Sparty and the Twerps but I have a suspicion that Wisconsin and Illinois are going to play a big part in deciding who comes out of there with the title.

If you like bubbles, go check out the American. Between Cincinnati, Wichita, Memphis, and Tulsa, you have 4 teams that are probably playing for 1 spot. Oh, and there's UCONN who has been red hot since the beginning of February and they very well could sneak their way into the Tournament with the automatic bid.

ACC? Eh, I get the history but you'll fall asleep watching any game involving Virginia. Florida State, Louisville, and Duke will probably end up winning, though I don't like Louisville all that much. But they're just athletic enough to outrun the competition at a neutral site. SEC could be pretty fiery with teams like Arkansas, Miss State, and Tennessee playing for their NCAA lives. Kentucky should win that tournament but if they run into foul trouble, they're not deep enough to withstand it and a team like Auburn has been athletic enough to run them out of a game. Big 12 should be a Kansas-Baylor final but I'm afraid the traditional ugly Baylor team is rearing its head right on time given their efforts the last couple of weeks. If I'd pick a sleeper there, it would be Oklahoma. They can shoot the ball and get after it on the boards but they are so prone to taking stretches of time off. I wouldn't put much stock in WVU since they don't really have anyone that can shoot it consistently well. But they do bully you in the post and on the boards. Pac-12 could be interesting just in the fact that Bill Walton will be calling games and you never know what you might get there. But that conference is full of one-and-dones when it comes time for the Big Dance. Maybe Oregon can win a first round game but everyone else is so average that I don't put much stock in any of them making noise.

And one last thing -- try to watch a Dayton game. Obi Toppin gets most of the attention because of his high-flying act and rightfully so. But that roster is stacked with talent. They went undefeated at home AND on the road this year (2 losses at neutral sites) and were also undefeated in regulation (both losses in OT, one on a buzzer beater). How far might they be able to go? If they stay healthy and get the right matchups, they could very well be a 1 seed and the only type of team that I can see beating them is a big team that might play a little zone and also has some bruisers in the middle. Curiously, St. Louis played them the toughest all year in their 2 games and a lot of that was because of their defense.

So that's a conference tournament primer. I'd love to spend about 13 hours in front of the TV on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday but alas, I'll have to keep refreshing my phone.

I look to forward to this every March--thank you! Dayton is indeed really intriguing.

What a disappointing, lousy end for Penn State. Yeah, they will likely still be in the tournament, but to go from 10-4 to 11-9 in conference play, just awful. I thought they had finally put the frustrating inconsistency behind them.

Postby **Orlando Penguin** » Mon Mar 09, 2020 1:27 pm

You see it with a number of teams when they hit mid-February. They get a bit of the doldrums and they go into a slump. PSU is in it now. So is Baylor. Rutgers was in it but have pulled themselves out a bit. I’d set a gauge on how they look in their conference tournament game(s) before totally writing them off. Admittedly, though, that no-show vs NW was disheartening.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Mon Mar 09, 2020 2:02 pm

With the Indian Wells tennis tournament canceled (BNP Parabas?) could the NCAA tournament be next? Think about it: fans and teams travel all over the country to see/play these games, and mingle with fans and teams from all over the country...in dozens of cities and arenas. Scary.

Postby **RonnieFranchise** » Mon Mar 09, 2020 3:49 pm

Personally I’m looking at airfares and thinking it’s a great time to go see my Friars in the tourney. 50/50 shot tey are going to Tampa, $189 r/t currently. Even Spokane 10k points r/t.

Guess it comes down to- do I believe this is inevitably coming here anyway?

Postby **Freddy Rumsen** » Mon Mar 09, 2020 5:59 pm

It would be asinine if they did.

But I'm a hoaxer....so. YMMV

Postby **willeyeam** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 4:31 pm

Ohio Governor "asked" for sporting events to only be played with players, families and essential personnel.

Ohio events upcoming would include MAC tournament this weekend in Cleveland, First Four in Dayton, along with CBJ games, Cavs games, high school state tournaments.. rough time of year. But the "ask" is quite vague if it isn't a mandate. So we'll see

Postby **willeyeam** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 6:51 pm

MAC tourney will be closed to spectators. Cleveland is hosting first round games in the same building next weekend..

Postby **offsides** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 7:01 pm

And so it starts. Streaming video company stocks might be a good investment for a while.

Postby **offsides** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 7:33 pm

Ivy league athletes not happy about cancellation.

"The hypocrisy of our Ivy League presidents is baffling and alarming. We are disappointed and disheartened that they would discriminate against one sport and allow the others to continue to compete. Other conferences, such as the SEC and Pac - 12, are still scheduled to host their men's basketball championship tournaments. These tournaments are scheduled to start March 11 or later.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... cancelled/

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:51 pm

Dominate victory for Bobby Mo.

Postby **RonnieFranchise** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:13 pm

MAC tourney will be closed to spectators.

Having attended several years ago, this was a very low risk event.

Postby **offsides** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:33 pm

So small cheap tournaments get restricted but big rich ones don't.

Postby **willeyeam** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:45 pm

MAC tourney will be closed to spectators.
Having attended several years ago, this was a very low risk event.

Yeah. I mean it's not a huge crowd but if you get lucky and it's Akron against Kent or OU it's a 10-12k crowd. Otherwise it's 5-6 each day. Better safe than sorry I suppose

Postby **Freddy Rumsen** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:47 pm

More people would die in car wrecks driving to and from than would die from Coronavirus.

Postby **Orlando Penguin** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 10:07 pm

NCAA came out today and said that the First Four in Dayton will go on as is. They have been consulting with various doctors and virologists and they're being told that there isn't a reason to restrict crowds. However, they will acquiesce to what a conference wants to do with their particular tournaments.

Postby **RonnieFranchise** » Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:22 pm

Think I’m going to err on the side of caution but god damn it the Friars are playing great and I have the $ to do it.

That said I came down with the flu on Feb 4 and I’m still coughing from it. I don’t really need to take the risk.

Postby **willeyeam** » Wed Mar 11, 2020 3:50 pm

Ohio's Governor is DeWine btw

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Wed Mar 11, 2020 4:37 pm

Posting it here as well:

Postby **willeyeam** » Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:14 pm

And you guys laughed at Leroy

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:16 pm

And you guys laughed at Leroy

Leroy is always right.

Postby **Orlando Penguin** » Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:38 pm

**** Leroy. And **** society. Guess what? Next up is restaurants and movie theaters. Then it'll be grocery stores and shopping areas. Everyone will be required to stay home and martial law will kick in to ensure everyone abides. So **** stupid. Everyone will now show up at bars to watch games together and they have just as much of a chance to get sick as if they had gone to the arena.