***Official 2025 NCAA Tournament Thread***

[DSMCy]

Savage lol

 

[alarson]

The issue with Michigan’s seeded is that they went on a serious run of beating Purdue, Maryland and Wisconsin in 3 consecutive days. If that stretch of beating ranked opponents in the season happened they would have saw a major jump but it was in the big ten tourney so it barley moved the needle.

I think the committee has gotten a bit up its own ass the last few years, first by overvaluing the nonconference (which makes less and less sense in this transfer era when teams are more likely to be figuring out how to play together) and then adopting a mantra that conference tournaments shouldnt matter that much and that they're 'just a small fraction of the resume'.

Yeah, mathematically a few conference tournament games may only end up being like 10% of a team's overall schedule. But when you consider quality games, those tournament games are often a much larger chunk of data, and they show it during the time of the year everyone should be nearest to their peak. By indicating that they pretty much have most of the seeding done before most of those late games even happen, it just makes the committee look lazy.

 

[keepngoal]

well my bracket isn't busted. went 12/16 yesterday. Missed on Mich, UCLA, Creighton, and Kansas. All of my S16s are still alive.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

They likely did increase their seeding in the Big 10 tourney. What happened the 2-3 weeks before that? All of it evened out for them.

Nah, they were a 4/5 seed projected entering the big ten tourney and after beating those three teams who would end up being 3,4,4 seeds it’s kinda bs they still ended up as a 5.

 

[cyclones500]

Whenever I see an 8-9 matchup between power conference schools, I think about how much one of my close college friends HATED those. It does have kind of a "regular season middle-of-pack" feel to it.

I probably have more dislike for a mid-major-ish as a 6 vs. power-league 11, although I don't think that's super-common.

 

[isucy86]

Self looks ready for life in Naples

Yea. I wouldn't be surprised whatever happens in the off-season:

1. Self Retires
2. Self Pulls a Calapari and Finds a New Challenge
3. Self Blows Up His Staff
4. Self Blows Up His Roster

 

[NoCreativity]

Nah, they were a 4/5 seed projected entering the big ten tourney and after beating those three teams who would end up being 3,4,4 seeds it’s kinda bs they still ended up as a 5.

They were likely a 6 or 7 entering the BTT. They lost 4 out of 6 to end the regular season and they didn't do much in the non-conference to warrant that high of a seed coming off the regular seaosn. They had a couple solid wins against Wisconsin and UCLA, but besides that they beat up on a bunch of Big 10 teams that didn't make the tournament.

 

[ScottyP]

Once Adams got injured, KU fell apart. It was mentioned on the Let Him Cook podcast earlier in the season that Self had Dickinson on the bench toward the end of games/crunch time. How could you have a player be third team all-American not be trusted by his own head coach at crunch time of games? Dickinson looked like a liability out there (offensively and defensively).

 

[DSMCy]

Yea. I wouldn't be surprised whatever happens in the off-season:

1. Self Retires
2. Self Pulls a Calapari and Finds a New Challenge
3. Self Blows Up His Staff
4. Self Blows Up His Roster

Self to Texas?

 

[CloneLawman]

Self to Texas?

Self to Iowa.

 

[OrangeCarrot]

Yeah, their top teams are all good, not great, and very capable and I think they had more averageish teams clumped together to maybe that help the metrics.

The ACC was wayyyy down there and so far have shown out.

ACC went 0-2 yesterday, Louisville got spanked at home.

 

[madguy30]

ACC went 0-2 yesterday, Louisville got spanked at home.

I should say 'shown why' since that's what I was getting at.

I did think UNC looked sharp Wednesday. They should be good to go after their totally not coincidental three day rest.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

They were likely a 6 or 7 entering the BTT. They lost 4 out of 6 to end the regular season and they didn't do much in the non-conference to warrant that high of a seed coming off the regular seaosn. They had a couple solid wins against Wisconsin and UCLA, but besides that they beat up on a bunch of Big 10 teams that didn't make the tournament.

We can agree to disagree but good luck finding anyone that had them as a 7 seed, never even saw a 6 seed proposed.

Thats kinda my point in why they didn’t move. Not a big deal you draw who you draw but outside of giving amazing ratings for CBS it’s a weird that we don’t count quality wins at the end of the season when it matters but praise them back in November before teams even come together

 

[OrangeCarrot]

I should say 'shown why' since that's what I was getting at.

I did think UNC looked sharp Wednesday. They should be good to go after their totally not coincidental three day rest.

Ah that makes sense, UNC has the talent to make a run, but I like Ole Miss to win.

 

[Frak]

If Self doesn’t have a return to success next year with HD, his seat will get very warm. HD shouldered a lot of the blame these last 2 years. It didn’t help that you also have offensive zeros in Harris and Adams playing starter minutes.

BM could wait a year and maybe have the KU job.

Kind of reminds me a little of Fennelly. You have a high usage center and try to put shooters around him/her. Just my opinion, but I don’t think it works like that. You need multiple players that can create their own shot. You can’t just build around one player. KU had 2-3 players in their starting lineup that were not able to hit outside shots. That is not a good recipe. And their bench was trash outside of Badunga.

 

[madguy30]

Kind of reminds me a little of Fennelly. You have a high usage center and try to put shooters around him/her. Just my opinion, but I don’t think it works like that. You need multiple players that can create their own shot. You can’t just build around one player. KU had 2-3 players in their starting lineup that were not able to hit outside shots. That is not a good recipe. And their bench was trash outside of Badunga.

Didn't Self not have much of a say in his roster?

 

[Frak]

Didn't Self not have much of a say in his roster?

Hadn’t heard that. It would be surprising if someone with the track record of Self would allow outsiders to assemble his roster. If he has donors telling him what to do, I could see him ejecting and going somewhere that he has total autonomy.

 

[heitclone]

Robert Morris right back in it

 

[madguy30]

Hadn’t heard that. It would be surprising if someone with the track record of Self would allow outsiders to assemble his roster. If he has donors telling him what to do, I could see him ejecting and going somewhere that he has total autonomy.

I think it was donors or something. It's weird and with the Adiidas stuff it's not line he doesn't know how to maximize players' abilities.

Usually there's a switch turned in early February where his teams keep the court tilted but they just kind of logged through the whole season. Injuries were a thing but even before that they were less of a concern than other more athletic Big 12 teams imo

 

[Frak]

I think it was donors or something. It's weird and with the Adiidas stuff it's not line he doesn't know how to maximize players' abilities.

Usually there's a switch turned in early February where his teams keep the court tilted but they just kind of logged through the whole season. Injuries were a thing but even before that they were less of a concern than other more athletic Big 12 teams imo

You can get away with having one player that’s a liability from outside. 2-3 is a problem. No one respected Harris or Adams from 3 and Barnes wasn’t any better. Pack it in and stay on Mayo and they’re beat.