***Men's Final Four Thread***

Clingan is such 'huge dude' name.
A5bTk8R.gif
 
Title game will be very interesting. Clingan is more dynamic, however, can he block Edey’s shot? The release point for Edey is much different than anyone else Clingan blocks. Should be fun, but yes I hope UConn just pounds them and keeps the Big Ten without a title since 2000 again.

Clingan can block anything that isn’t trying to be dunked with authority. He has to be able to touch the top of the backboard.
 
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I’m confused by the flagrant one fouls with contact to the face. Seems like every game I watched this year, it was an automatic flagrant one for any contact to the face. Incidental or not. I actually thought that was a rule change in men’s college basketball. They didn’t seem to call that at the end of the UCONN and Alabama game even after the review.
 
I’m confused by the flagrant one fouls with contact to the face. Seems like every game I watched this year, it was an automatic flagrant one for any contact to the face. Incidental or not. I actually thought that was a rule change in men’s college basketball. They didn’t seem to call that at the end of the UCONN and Alabama game even after the review.
long as contact is deemed to occur from a “basketball move” it’s not a flagrant.
 
Title game will be very interesting. Clingan is more dynamic, however, can he block Edey’s shot? The release point for Edey is much different than anyone else Clingan blocks. Should be fun, but yes I hope UConn just pounds them and keeps the Big Ten without a title since 2000 again.

It’ll be interesting how they call fouls. Edey doesn’t have the footwork to stay with Clingan, but they seemed to be hesitant to call fouls tonight. Will they swallow their whistle when Edey makes contact on Clingan’s shot?
 
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I’m confused by the flagrant one fouls with contact to the face. Seems like every game I watched this year, it was an automatic flagrant one for any contact to the face. Incidental or not. I actually thought that was a rule change in men’s college basketball. They didn’t seem to call that at the end of the UCONN and Alabama game even after the review.

It definitely seems like there's been a shift in the last few weeks of calling less of that, and even when they'd otherwise be forced to call it they lean towards calling a cylinder violation instead.
 
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Hurley is a great coach, but what an a-hole. Can’t stand him. Worse than Fran. Fran can get worse at times, but overall Hurley is WAY worse throughout the game.

So glad to have TJ.
 
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It definitely seems like there's been a shift in the last few weeks of calling less of that, and even when they'd otherwise be forced to call it they lean towards calling a cylinder violation instead.
From what I had seen this year until recently, every instance of contact to the face was minimum flagrant one. I actually thought that was a rule change. Glad that I’m wrong.
 
UConn in their half court offense is a breath of fresh air. Most times all 5 guys are moving & not pick & roll with 2-3 players & the other 3-2 standing there, nor dribble driving in the lane for a shot or to kick out for a 3. Combine this with their talent level & they are lethal.

I don't like 'the two best teams made it' narrative. Houston was easily one of the top 2 or 3 teams this year, but the injury bug hit (Tugler 1st in the regular season, then Shead in the tourney). Think Sampson winning Coach of the Year over Hurley justifies that to some degree, but as I watched NC State play I just wondered how different with Houston's suffocating defense the game would have been. Oh well - no SEC & no Big 10 for me. Go Huskies (blah, just threw up in my throat a little)
 
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Excluding today's games, 3-point shooting in the tournament:


Team3PM3PA3P Pct
Iowa State
24​
50​
48.00%​
South Carolina
11​
24​
45.83%​
Texas A&M
21​
46​
45.65%​
Creighton
36​
79​
45.57%​
Florida
11​
25​
44.00%​
Gonzaga
24​
55​
43.64%​
Montana State
13​
30​
43.33%​
Samford
16​
37​
43.24%​
Wagner
15​
35​
42.86%​
South Dakota State
10​
24​
41.67%​
Alabama
48​
116​
41.38%​
Yale
16​
39​
41.03%​
Michigan State
16​
39​
41.03%​
Oakland
27​
66​
40.91%​
North Carolina
31​
76​
40.79%​
Baylor
22​
54​
40.74%​
Purdue
32​
82​
39.02%​
Wisconsin
8​
21​
38.10%​
Oregon
14​
37​
37.84%​
Kansas
15​
40​
37.50%​
Duke
31​
83​
37.35%​
Utah State
17​
46​
36.96%​
Houston
24​
65​
36.92%​
Morehead State
11​
30​
36.67%​
Tennessee
36​
99​
36.36%​
Colorado
20​
55​
36.36%​
Auburn
7​
20​
35.00%​
UAB
7​
20​
35.00%​
Dayton
15​
43​
34.88%​
North Carolina State
26​
75​
34.67%​
Illinois
34​
99​
34.34%​
San Diego State
23​
67​
34.33%​
Duquesne
12​
35​
34.29%​
Western Kentucky
8​
24​
33.33%​
Brigham Young
8​
24​
33.33%​
Drake
5​
15​
33.33%​
Clemson
29​
89​
32.58%​
Washington State
12​
37​
32.43%​
Kentucky
9​
28​
32.14%​
Arizona
26​
81​
32.10%​
Texas Christian
7​
22​
31.82%​
Grambling State
7​
22​
31.82%​
Nebraska
7​
22​
31.82%​
Nevada
7​
22​
31.82%​
Northwestern
12​
38​
31.58%​
Charleston
10​
33​
30.30%​
Marquette
26​
88​
29.55%​
Howard
7​
24​
29.17%​
Colorado State
11​
38​
28.95%​
Connecticut
25​
89​
28.09%​
St. Mary's
7​
25​
28.00%​
Colgate
5​
18​
27.78%​
James Madison
9​
35​
25.71%​
Vermont
5​
20​
25.00%​
Longwood
3​
13​
23.08%​
McNeese
5​
22​
22.73%​
Texas Tech
7​
31​
22.58%​
Mississippi State
6​
27​
22.22%​
Texas
8​
37​
21.62%​
Akron
6​
28​
21.43%​
Florida Atlantic
5​
27​
18.52%​
Grand Canyon
7​
38​
18.42%​
Long Beach State
3​
17​
17.65%​
Virginia
3​
17​
17.65%​
St. Peter's
4​
24​
16.67%​
Stetson
3​
20​
15.00%​
New Mexico
3​
23​
13.04%​
Boise State
2​
18​
11.11%​
A great season a coming if the boys shoot that for the season.
 
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Connecticut is the 7th overall #1 seed (out of 20) to play in the National Championship Game. Only three overall #1 seeds (2007 Florida, 2012 Kentucky, 2013 Louisville) have won the National Championship.

How many of the 13 didn’t even reach the Final Four?

Examples (please verify) … several of these didn’t get out of the first weekend (I didn’t go back all the way):
2023 Alabama
2022 Gonzaga
2019 Duke
2018 Virginia
2017 Villanova

2010 Kansas
 
Excluding today's games, 3-point shooting in the tournament:


Team3PM3PA3P Pct
Iowa State
24​
50​
48.00%​
South Carolina
11​
24​
45.83%​
Texas A&M
21​
46​
45.65%​
Creighton
36​
79​
45.57%​
Florida
11​
25​
44.00%​
Gonzaga
24​
55​
43.64%​
Montana State
13​
30​
43.33%​
Samford
16​
37​
43.24%​
Wagner
15​
35​
42.86%​
South Dakota State
10​
24​
41.67%​
Alabama
48​
116​
41.38%​
Yale
16​
39​
41.03%​
Michigan State
16​
39​
41.03%​
Oakland
27​
66​
40.91%​
North Carolina
31​
76​
40.79%​
Baylor
22​
54​
40.74%​
Purdue
32​
82​
39.02%​
Wisconsin
8​
21​
38.10%​
Oregon
14​
37​
37.84%​
Kansas
15​
40​
37.50%​
Duke
31​
83​
37.35%​
Utah State
17​
46​
36.96%​
Houston
24​
65​
36.92%​
Morehead State
11​
30​
36.67%​
Tennessee
36​
99​
36.36%​
Colorado
20​
55​
36.36%​
Auburn
7​
20​
35.00%​
UAB
7​
20​
35.00%​
Dayton
15​
43​
34.88%​
North Carolina State
26​
75​
34.67%​
Illinois
34​
99​
34.34%​
San Diego State
23​
67​
34.33%​
Duquesne
12​
35​
34.29%​
Western Kentucky
8​
24​
33.33%​
Brigham Young
8​
24​
33.33%​
Drake
5​
15​
33.33%​
Clemson
29​
89​
32.58%​
Washington State
12​
37​
32.43%​
Kentucky
9​
28​
32.14%​
Arizona
26​
81​
32.10%​
Texas Christian
7​
22​
31.82%​
Grambling State
7​
22​
31.82%​
Nebraska
7​
22​
31.82%​
Nevada
7​
22​
31.82%​
Northwestern
12​
38​
31.58%​
Charleston
10​
33​
30.30%​
Marquette
26​
88​
29.55%​
Howard
7​
24​
29.17%​
Colorado State
11​
38​
28.95%​
Connecticut
25​
89​
28.09%​
St. Mary's
7​
25​
28.00%​
Colgate
5​
18​
27.78%​
James Madison
9​
35​
25.71%​
Vermont
5​
20​
25.00%​
Longwood
3​
13​
23.08%​
McNeese
5​
22​
22.73%​
Texas Tech
7​
31​
22.58%​
Mississippi State
6​
27​
22.22%​
Texas
8​
37​
21.62%​
Akron
6​
28​
21.43%​
Florida Atlantic
5​
27​
18.52%​
Grand Canyon
7​
38​
18.42%​
Long Beach State
3​
17​
17.65%​
Virginia
3​
17​
17.65%​
St. Peter's
4​
24​
16.67%​
Stetson
3​
20​
15.00%​
New Mexico
3​
23​
13.04%​
Boise State
2​
18​
11.11%​
UConn rolling despite not shooting well is humbling
 
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long as contact is deemed to occur from a “basketball move” it’s not a flagrant.
My personal favorite this year was when Watson got elbowed so hard in the face by k-state that he got a concussion, and it was called a foul on Watson.
 
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Iowa State lost to #3 seed Illinois in Boston in the Sweet 16, not to UConn. ISU not making the Final Four this year had nothing to do with their region.
Agree to disagree. It's all about the matchups. The 2 teams I disliked our matchups with the most going into the tournament (before the brackets were even announced) were Illinois and UConn.
 
Agree to disagree. It's all about the matchups. The 2 teams I disliked our matchups with the most were Illinois and UConn.
That's fair.

Iowa State lost to # 3 Illinois.

To win the West, they would have had to beat # 6 Clemson and #4 Alabama.
To win the South, they would have had to beat #11 N.C. State and # 4 Duke.
To win the Midwest, they would have had to beat #3 Creighton and #1 Purdue.

ISU lost to Illinois, not UConn. If Illinois was a bad match-up for ISU, most (if not all) of those other teams would have been too. IMO, Purdue, Duke and Alabama would have been tough for ISU in the Elite 8 (if ISU made it that far).

That being said, if ISU had made it to the Elite 8 and lost to UConn, I would agree with you. I just don't think a team that lost to Illinois @ Boston in the Sweet 16 didn't make the Final Four simply because of the region in which they played.
 
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Agree to disagree. It's all about the matchups. The 2 teams I disliked our matchups with the most going into the tournament (before the brackets were even announced) were Illinois and UConn.

Since we're doing thought experiment ... If we can imagine our Omaha bracket feeding into any of the other 3 regions, with all other details of bracket being identical (and relax the rules to allow being in South w/ Houston) ... here are the Sweet 16 paths:

SOUTH (Dallas):
(11) N.C. State
(4) Duke

MIDWEST (Detroit):
(3) Creighton
(1) Purdue

WEST (Los Angeles)
(6) Clemson
(4) Alabama

I'd be fairly confident ISU reaches Elite 8 in at South or West. In Midwest, Creighton might closer to 50-50, but still like our chances.

For Elite 8, I'd say Alabama's length + ability to drain 3's isn't our most favorable scenario. I wouldn't be scared of Duke ... Purdue, if we don't get into a big hole early, it'd be competitive.
 
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