I got too lazy to print the brackets in readable size for a DawgTalkers' box. So here’s the link to the brackets.

https://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/reg_bracket

A couple notes:

The “First Four”” starts tomorrow.

#16 LIU Brooklyn vs. #16 Radford 6:40 PM
#11 St. Bonaventure vs. #11 UCLA 9:10 PM

Ohio State is a #5 seed and opens March 15th against the always dangerous #12 South Dakota State.

I only counted 4 Big Ten teams.

Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State

What a sucky showing by the Big Ten.

This used to be an annual board event.

I sense group depression.

Here. Feel better?

A 70’s nose and 80’s hair.

Does that really work for you?

Hey the Indians won another preseason game today.

Are you ready Dayton?

The "First Four" (as opposed to Final Four) games kick-off there tonight.

LIU Brooklyn vs. Radford @ 6:40 pm EST

St. Bonaventure vs. UCLA @ 9:10 PM




And talk about David and Goliath:

It's not a sucky showing if all 4 of them advance to the Sweet 16.. which is possible.

It is a down year for the Big 10 for depth so the top of the conference needs to show up... I'd rather have only 4 teams in that advance to the sweet 16, than have 7 teams in and only have 1 or 2 of them advance..

GO BUCKEYES

quote above by DC:



Well...YEAH...

I think the best the Big Ten ever did in the tourney was 3 teams in the Elite 8 in 2014: Michigan, Michigan State & Wisconsin. Of which only Wisconsin advanced to the Final Four.

Well, WAHOO! I hope to see more of them than the Eternal Reds down here. Just horrific how south of Columbus it is all Reds. We have gotten some better coverage in the Springfield paper, but it is just drivel and overkill of Cincy sports and animosity towards The Land.

Good to see the Bonnies beat UCLA. Surprised they were getting +4.5 in this one.

big win BOnnies!

The Atlantic-10 Conference is tough in men's basketball.

Great to see the Bonnies win.

Did you know St. Bonaventure used to be the St. Bonaventure Brown(s) Indians?

If Syracuse wins tonight, pretty nice start for upper NY

Tonight round 2 of the First Four:

#6 Texas Southern vs. #16 North Carolina Central 6:40 PM EST (you listenin’ Mr. Piedmont Plateau water?)

#11 Syracuse vs. #11 Arizona State 9:10 PM



I like the looks of this late game. Not the teams, the mascots.

I want SYR to win, but ASU is scary on offense

Agreed, but super tough road ahead of them.

Some good games today!!

Buckeyes won't hang without stepping up. Please do not allow Chis Webber to call our game.

How biased. He stunk it up pretty good. Obvious somebody believes we are tuned in to see the pile of talking-head experts and a woman explain their opinions to each other. That sure worked horribly for the selection "special" that had horrible ratings.

Arizona got freaking throttled

BUCKEYES WIN 25-8 ON TO GONZAGA SATURDAY

Want to watch a clinic of bad offensive basketball?

Turn on the Virginia UMBC game.

Man, rough match-up this early.

Go umbc!!!!! I had UVA in the eilite 8 but love a huge upset!!!

If this score holds it would be a historic upset. 1st 1 seed to ever go down. 145-0 in history 16 seeds vs 1 seeds.

Just under 10 minutes to go UMBC 47 Virgina 34.

We've had two bracket busters(Marshall and Buffalo) so far but this wouldn't be a bracket buster, it would be a bracket destroyer.

Yesssss.

I would love to see it, I'm a UC fan and would rather face Virginia than UK. But even if Virginia makes the comeback I can't see them beating UK. Provided that UC makes it to the elite 8 anyway, but that's another story.

I have UK beating them in the sweet 16 while most don't in my group, so it wouldn't bother me.

I had the opposite, UVA beating UK in the Sweet 16 and going to the Final Four.

I put UK in my final 4 as much as it pained me, but it is what it is. They always have much success this time of year, even when you least expect it.

j/c...

Absolutely incredible.

Things will never be the same. Death, taxes, and 1 seeds beating 16 seeds. Everything has now changed.

Wow!!

I knew it would happen eventually. Virginia lost their 6th man a few days ago and UMBC caught fire from deep (12/24). Crazy!

The ACC is now 2-4 in the first round with 2 games on-going, which it looks like they will win.. they have lost their conference champion in historic fashion as the only 1 seed to ever lose to a 16 seed.. All but 1 of the teams that lost was the higher seed...

Would the Big 10 look better if Nebraska, Penn State, Indiana, and Maryland had gotten in and lost to lower ranked teams in the first round?

Horrible argument, you're using teams that belonged in versus teams that didn't.

Penn St and Nebraska had legit wins versus legit teams. Indiana and Maryland? Come on man where does that come from? they're terrible and I'm not even a Big 10 fan.

Someone got some explaining to do...

https://twitter.com/littlecaesars/status/974767358584737793

UVA scored 21 points in the first half against freaking UMBC.. UVA had not given up 70 in a game all year, UMBC scored 55 in the second half..
This wasn't about losing the 6th man, this was about getting your ass beat and not being able to adapt..

And the reason UMBC shot such a high percentage was because they were able to break down UVA's defense with the dribble drive and either score or kick and UVA never adjusted. They took a lot of wide-open (practice like) 3 pointers...

Basketball is alive and well in Maryland, it's not my Terps, but whathehell, I now have a team to root for..

I bet they insured themselves, just in case. I also bet that the insurance cost next to nothing, because ... well .... it had never happened.

It's too bad I don't like Little Ceasars.

You'd think a chain called "Little Caesars" would know better than to put out a promotion like that on the Ides of March.

Apparently it's something that plagues ANY team named the Cavaliers.

UMBC had an epic performance. I saw the score at half, thought to myself "I'll at least check it out" ... and kept expecting a UVA run. It never happened. UMBC was a machine. Wow.

By DC above:



Phase I

Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State all advance to field of 32.

Today:


Buckeyes vs. Gonzaga 7:45 pm EST...“rut ro”...





Houston vs. Michigan 9:40 pm



Cougar vs. a Badger?

Take the Badger

I don't see Virginia in the weekend schedule?

Where's Virgina?

Wait..WHAT?...Oh no...

How could my brackets be busted already? Worthless Cavaliers.

What's that sound? Brackets being busted all over the country.

With the parity in College B-ball now, the perfect bracket is impossible to achieve. I mean besides the people that go and graduated from there, who ever heard of UMBC? Now they will always be remembered for the greatest upset in the history of sports!

Virginia's slow style of Basketball finally cost them. Now they will always be remembered as the first #1 seed to lose to a 16. UNFREAKING BELIEVABLE!

Now that we know the impossible can happen, how about the Browns winning the Super Bowl!

Still no excuse to lose to a 16 seed.

GO BUCKEYES BEAT GONZAGA ...

Some are saying Tony Bennett, Virginia's coach, should be fired.

I'm not saying that but some idiots are.

We'll never know what the outcome would have been had the player been healthy, we can only guess. Maybe that guy hits a layup someone else would have missed then makes a defensive stop and a transition 3 with the score tied near the end of the half and that gives the Cavaliers some confidence going into the 2nd half. Who knows. Any little bit helps when you're fighting a pesky no-name school. And if he's truly the guy they bring in for a spark to rest the other guys, that's a key factor.

I'd also wonder where their heads were at knowing he was out for the whole tourney. That couldn't have made them feel very confident to lose such an important guy.

I'm not trying to make an excuse that absolves their epic collapse, just saying, having him could have flipped the outcome.

As for anyone calling for the coaches job, they need to shut up. Stuff happens.

Top 10 NCAA Basketball Upsets
by Jack Jorgensen & Adi Joseph

10. No. 15 Hampton over No. 2 Iowa State in 2001
We all remember the amazing visual of coach Steve Merfeld being lifted up off the court kicking his legs with glee, and for good reason. In what was the first appearance for the Hampton Pirates in the NCAA Tournament in their history, they defeated the No. 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones, 58-57. A 15 seed hadn't knocked off a 2 seed in four years prior to that day, so this moment was certainly due.

9. No. 15 Norfolk State over No. 2 Missouri in 2012
Following that win by Hampton over Iowa State in the No. 10 slot, we would not see another 15-seeded team take out a No. 2 seed until 2012 when the Norfolk State Spartans, champions of the MEAC, narrowly downed the Missouri Tigers, 86-84. If Hampton's win as a No. 15 seed was due given the amount of time since the previous one, then this Norfolk State win was long overdue.

8. No. 15 Coppin State over No. 2 South Carolina in 1997
Prior to 1997, Coppin State had made two trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1990 and 1993, getting trounced by Syracuse and Cincinnati, respectively. But, you know what they say about the third time being a charm. It indeed was this time around, as the Eagles cruised to a 13-point win over 2-seeded South Carolina. After suffering a heartbreaking one-point loss to Texas in the next round, Coppin State would not see the NCAA Tournament until 2008. But this one victory in 1997 is one we all won't soon forget.

7. No. 14 Cleveland State over No. 3 Indiana in 1986
This is the game that ended the "Season on the Brink" -- John Feinstein's famous book about the 1985-86 Hoosiers that delved into Bob Knight's coaching methods in memorable ways. It's also the last NCAA Tournament game that Steve Alford would lose as a player -- the current UCLA coach was the senior star for the 1987 champion Hoosiers the next year. Cleveland State and Arkansas-Little Rock became the first 14 seeds to beat a No. 3 that year, as UALR beat Notre Dame.

6. No. 15 Lehigh over No. 2 Duke in 2012
The second of the infamous No. 15 over No. 2 upsets in 2012, no one believed this Patriot League school could defeat the mighty Duke. It was seemingly impossible. But, led by a pretty popular current Portland Trail Blazer you may know who goes by the name C.J. McCollum, the Mountain Hawks stunned the Blue Devils, 75-70, giving the 2012 NCAA Tournament a true feeling of madness.

5. No. 11 George Mason over No. 1 UConn in 2006
First of all, George Mason probably shouldn't have even been in the field. That needs to be said because the Patriots clearly proved they had the talent to be there. This was the first mid-major double-digit seed -- i.e. a traditional Cinderella -- to make the Final Four, and this was the game that put it there. Mason's Jim Larranaga trod over Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, Mark Turgeon and finally Jim Calhoun, and those Huskies were widely considered the favorite to win the national title.

4. No. 15 Richmond over No. 2 Syracuse in 1991
The first 15-2 upset in NCAA history was more than just a big deal in its day. Syracuse was an absolute power, led by Big East Player of the Year and first-team All-American Billy Owens, and Jim Boeheim was by no means known for early exits. But the Spiders forced the Orange to die on the 3-point line and made history.

3. No. 15 Middle Tennessee over No. 2 Michigan State in 2016
The 2015-16 Michigan State Spartans and coach Tom Izzo were Big Ten tournament champions, and heading into the NCAA Tournament, they were a trendy pick to come away with the national championship when all was said and done. But, those title hopes were dashed and brackets were lit in flames immediately in the first round when Middle Tennessee sent shockwaves throughout the college basketball world with its 90-81 win.

2. No. 8 Villanova over No. 1 Georgetown in 1985
We had a bit of a staff debate over whether this or Virginia deserved to be No. 1. Here's why we opted to "snub" this iconic game: pedigree and margin. Yes, 1985 Georgetown was better than 2018 Virginia and had won the previous year's national championship. But Villanova had played the Hoyas tough twice in the regular season. And Villanova is Villanova. They'd already had Paul Arizin and Howard Porter and other greats. The stakes were huge, but the result was a little more fathomable.

1. No. 16 UMBC over No. 1 Virginia in 2018
After years of waiting to see if the unthinkable could happen, it did on March 16, 2018. Led by a phenomenal performance from Jairus Lyles and his 28 points, the Retrievers etched their names in history forever by sending coach Tony Bennett and the ACC champion Virginia Cavaliers packing much earlier than expected.

I'd probably move Lehigh up and move down Richmond, but I'm getting picky. Not a terrible list though.

villanova looks GOOD

De'Andre Hunter being out is why I had Kentucky beating VA. I Still thought VA could beat a no name 16 seed. Now if UMBC beats Kentucky then they could very well get to the final four!

duke looked incredible today too

"Badger...BADGER?...We dohn neeed no steenkeen Badgers!!!"

I must have Badger on the brain. Say, where is Wisconsin?

Houston vs. Michigan 9:40 pm



Cougar vs. a Wolverine?

Compared to a Wolverine (or a Badger) Cougars are wimps.

The Wolverine wins every time.

Kentucky looks WAY better than a month ago

Sorry Tennessee. That was a decent look for the win too.

It would be nice if the camera operator didn't get a closeup of those kids crying on national TV. Sort of not fair. Show adults, not kids. I'm nitpicking.

nice win Loyola! neat game

Well, coming back from down 15 and then letting it slip away kind of sucks. I really thought we had it there.

It does. Whaddya gonna do? Ohio State isn’t a basketball school.

Proud of my Buckeyes they played hard after falling behind 15-0 ... Holtmann will make them a contender again soon ...

Congrats s zaga... now... go Houston....

I've lost one Final Four team(UVA) one of my Elite 8(Florida) and three others from my predicted Sweet 16. I really know how to pick em /s

Not a Michigan fan, but that was a great finish. Walkoff 3 point shot.

what a finish for Blue

I think so too.

The Buckeyes were picked in the preseason to be Big-Ten bottom feeders this year.

It should be exciting to watch the Buckeyes once Holtmann starts putting his "stamp" on the team. (for instance player recruiting and development)

Can't knock the Cuse in March.

I didn't think they deserved a play-in game, but here they are in the 2nd round battling MSU.

I haven't watched 1 game where the officials are even close to calling a good game either way, how does the NCAA allow some of the bozos the ref ...

Good bye Sparty! The question has to be asked. Is Tom Izzo overrated?

Also, were those television announcers pro Syracuse or what?

Or MSU to underachieve. Anyone remember Middle Tennessee State?

see ya sparty

Another favorite goes down. Texas A&M laid a huge beat down on North Carolina.

Good God, Cincinnati just made me throw up in my mouth.

Probably the toughest loss I've had to swallow as a fan of theirs.

WTF happened there? They were up huge when I was channel surfing so I didn't give it a second thought and switched to UNC getting beat down. Next thing I know, they switched to the final seconds of the Cincy game and they lost.

16-0 run.

X gone .. Cincy gone ... UNC gone

Lots of strange games (not just outcomes, the WAY the outcomes happen)

On the Dan Patrick Show last week, they were talking about filling out brackets, and that the rule of thumb was that your Final Four picks should have their seed numbers add up to no more than 8. Well, with only 2 rounds down, the best you could possibly do now is 10! (Kentucky 5 + Michigan 3 + Nova 1 + Kansas 1)

I heard that too haha

I didn't see the Cincy game.. UNC got stomped, Xavier choked bad. Blew a double digit lead to Florida State because they finished about 3 for 12 from the foul line and turned the ball over about 10 times in the final 6 minutes.. even with that, they got a couple really bad calls against them and still could have won the game.

Nowhere else to put this here, so I'll put it in here. While you guys have been excited about the NCAA Tourney, I've been a moop. Basketball season in Connecticut ended in November as far as I'm concerned.

I'm 32, and I started religiously watching UConn when I was 8. I saw Donyell Marshall (still my favorite college basketball player ever) and I was hooked. I even remember the game, in which we laid a beatdown on Providence (which was a city I even knew of because we past it on our summer vacation every year).

For an 8 year old, Donyell was a god, lol. He was the focal point of the offense, and he loved being it. Never saw a shot or a play that he didn't like. (Turns out he was Big East player of the year in 93-94, my first season watching UConn!)

Anyway, during my time watching the Calhoun era, we missed the tournament very very rarely. 1997, 2001, and 2007. Calhoun is one of the best college coaches ever in my book, and he doesn't get the credit he deserves IMO. Three national titles and 10 Big East Regular Season Championships (nine seasons of which I got to watch). And Kevin Ollie's fourth title, deserves some credit to Calhoun as Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright, DeAndre Daniels, Alex Oriaki, Niels Giffey. They were all Calhoun recruits.

I knew when Ollie came on that I couldn't expect Calhoun. But he really took everything that Jim Calhoun built and turned it into a nose dive. Our offense looked like an NBA offense (lots of one on one isolation) without guys who could be productive that way. Our players stopped developing. Lots of kids were leaving. This season, we weren't even competitive. The arenas that UConn once packed are now empty.

It's truly become an embarassment.

Well, I'm very excited about Hurley. Hopefully he can right this ship. I'm not looking for Jim Calhoun. I understand, we are the state of Connecticut, and we lost in the game of musical chairs that was Conference Re-Allignment (and we lost bad). Just want respectability again.

I knew Ollie would suck too ... him having that run in his first year was fool's gold with Calhoun's kids (and a long shot still)

Hurley will be much better IMO

I hope so. Ollie always had the team playing better at the end of the season. We'd win the AAC Tourney and make it into the NCAA Tourney.

But this year, we got knocked out in the first round.

There just wasn't a college offense. It was like watching a bad NBA Team player the Warriors. Ollie was one of my favorite players too. My parents once gave me a sweatshirt under the Christmas Tree that was from Kevin Ollie. I was young enough to actual believe it was from him. Ollie was a good PG. He was Donyell's PG and then Ray Allen's PG.

But the allure of Kevin slowly faded away as the team progressively seemed to get worse. As I said, players were transferring. They weren't progressing as players. And the team didn't look like a team at all

Kentucky proved harder for a one and done school to win the national championship now than a mid-major school. That is why we are seeing all these upsets.

so, Loyola vs K State and Michigan vs FSU

Just as we predicted

Don't pay to much attention to the seeds. The selection committee doesn't always get it right. Like Loyola Chicago, should they really have been an 11th seed?

With the parity in college B-ball now, the tournament is harder to predict more than ever.

with the mid major teams having guys who play 4 years, gain experience, play together, etc ... and have them face big name schools with "one and done" guys ... anything can happen

In other words, I watch the tournament ... and if I'm Michigan, maybe I'd rather play Kentucky than Loyola, at least it's closer than it ever has been

Loyola Chicago is going to the Final Four! Will not surprise me if they win the whole darn thing now. Has an 11 seed ever won the National Championship before?

I hope for the Nun, they pull it off.

That was an impressive performance by Loyola. I enjoyed that game.

Lowest seed to ever get to the Final Four was an 11-seed ... 4 times. LSU, VCU, George Mason and now Loyola.

Lowest seed to win the tourney is Villanova as an 8 seed.

Was that the Rollie Masimino and Ed Pinkey team?

UK and UC oughta be ashamed of themselves. Easily the best 2 teams in the region.

What an atrocity.

I do not know if they are easily the best teams in that region. The #1 overall in the tournament Virginia was in this region with Arizona and Tennessee. Loyola played the best ball and came out of a region with the 5 teams listed. Cannot take anything away from them.

Good points, and I'm a bit salty still about UC's meltdown.

I just wasn't that impressed with Virginia and Tennessee, In my own opinion going in I thought it would be an elite 8 matchup of UK and UC without a doubt. And yes I'm still a bit salty about it lol.

Wasn't that supposed to be the region of death? People were talking about how Kentucky would have to go through a UVA, Arizona, Cincinnati death-march to make it into the Final Four. Instead, the 11 seed walks away from the carnage.

I thought the Kansas, Duke, Michigan State region was the toughest. Although, Arizona was considered under seeded as a 4 seed when most experts thought they would be a 2.

j/c..

Glad to see FSU inexplicably not foul Michigan, down four, with 11+ seconds left on the clock.

The spread was 4.5 points.

FSU covered.

FSU was REALLY dumb at the end of the game, but that's almost expected with them.

Loyola was really impressive too

Hate to say this , but I am pulling for Michigan to win it all .

Have a pretty good friend/mentor in Deandre Haynes who is in his first year as an assistant for Michigan. Have known Dre since his playing days and was with him when he started his coaching career at Kent St.

It was but the guy that got the rebound was a 90% free throw shooter that had just nailed two clutch free throws in a row. Even if he splits the next pair, it’s a 5-pt lead with 10 seconds left and no timeouts. To your point, there’s still a chance in that scenario, but the odds are heavily in Michigan’s favor (99%?).

I was shaking my head more at the sloppy three they took before that situation. They could have waited for a better three attempt. Instead, he threw up a running, off-balance & partially blocked heave that had no chance of dropping. I almost feel they shouldn’t have been allowed to extend the game after seeing that abysmal effort.

Oh well. Loyola and Michigan. Crazy.

Agreed. Terrible three at the end by FSU. And bad foul before that by FSU also. They went and fouled that same number 22, the one guy on the team who shoots the free throws. That's what frustrated me the most.

But they didn't have a timeout to get organized or anything. Had they only known that everyone else sucks at free throws except 22, and foul anyone else

Yeah, I realize the slim chances that were left with 10 seconds on the clock. I wasn't really calling that "dumb" (although I do think they should have tried to foul) ... the fact that they waited 18 seconds and THEN fouled with 1 minute left was mind boggling. Then the poor 3 point attempt, strange organization, etc.

By the way, Michigan ranks 321 in the country in FT% (yes, although Duncan is 90%). Extending that game may have worked out.

Yeah, I think Petey was saying, Michigan tried inbounding to a lesser shooter but he was defended, so he passed to the wife open 90% shooter. Jeez! Guard the 90% guy and let the other get the ball then foul him.

Oh well, I’m glad a Big10 team made it to the Final 4.

I think they roast Loyola.

Thank you Kansas for taking down the final team in the Axis of Evil.

Duke really are devils in blue, and Grayson Allen really is Damien, son of Lucifer, the anti-christ

All is right in this world

Yep, let them inbound it to the one good free throw shooter you have.. that was smart. Then don't foul him.

Foul him with 10 seconds, even if he makes them both it's a 6 point game... come down and put up a 3, if it goes in it is now a 1 possession game, foul again (hopefully trying to direct the ball to a lesser FT shooter).. if you miss that one, then fine let it run out.

I needed Duke to win to keep my wife alive in our basketball pool. I value cash over pride so I was rooting for Duke...

Could not believe that Grayson Allen was so selfish.. dude was shooting like crap the entire game, so with 12 seconds left in a tie game he gets the ball and it was clear he wasn't giving it up no matter how open somebody was who was actually shooting the ball well. He still almost made it but, because of him, I'm glad they lost.

Shooter's gotta shoot, lol

But in all seriousness DCDawg, your wife made a deal with the Devil (in Blue). She should have known better than to do that.


One thing I know is I never ever support the two figureheads of the North Carolina Athletic Association (UNC and Duke) nor their evil partner Kentucky (with Coach Calimari). Supporting them is like supporting Iraq in the Gulf War. You just don't do it.


EDIT: My wife had Virginia go all the way. So didn't work out for her.

I didn't make a bracket this year because as far as I'm concerned, Men's College Basketball ended in November with the joke of a team the UConn Huskies put on the Court.




But, my lady Huskies will be playing South Carolina Tonight. And ESPN keeps talking about this Aja Wilson from South Carolina. I mean, seriously? Do they really expect Aja Wilson and South Carolina to put up a fight against the freight train that is my UConn Huskies?

Rooster verses a Husky. Rooster might be a pain in the butt, but i'll take the Husky in the fight every day of the week

Interesting that you call out Duke, when you have a pic of UConn under your name. All Duke has ever done is win the right way, UConn can't really say that.

Oh, don't start this one.

How has UConn won the wrong way? I remember one thing, which had to do with making too many text messages a bunch of years ago. And they were to a player that never even played on the team. He was kicked out of the school for beating his girlfriend as a freshman


We were banned from the post-season for academics once. But that's total bs. When UNC makes up its own academic programs for players which are nonsense, but UConn actually held its players somewhat accountable.

The North Carolina Athletic Association would never punish one of their ACC Darlings

-------------------

EDIT: UConn Ladies are crushing South Carolina. Say what you want about how they are for Women's Basketball, these UConn girls can ball.

Crystal Dangerfield PG of UConn is 5 for 5 from beyond the arc. Same arc that Grayson Allen missed all those shots from.

And i'll say, the UConn women are probably better free throw shooters than most of the NCAA Men Players. They know how to ball

They are very good.. but they aren't good for interest in the sport. Maybe, like UCLA in the 60s, their success will have a positive long term impact.. but in the near term, it makes women's basketball less interesting to watch... and not just their games but other games.. let's watch a bunch of other teams battle it out in competitive games to see who wins the honor of being crushed by UConn.. YEAH!!!!

It's not just UConn though, women's basketball just hasn't grown to the point where it has the parity of men's basketball... maybe someday it will.

I think they should constrict the women's tournament back to 32 teams.. I know they never would, but they should... think about this:

In the men's tournament this year, of the 16 games between 1-4 seeds vs 13-16 seeds, the average margin of victory was under 13 points and there were 3 upsets.. the largest margin of victory was 26..

In the women's tournament between those same teams, the average margin of victory was 32, with only 1 game being decided in single digits... no upsets (obviously)... and 7 of them being over 40.. (including UConns 88 point margin of victory)

Yeah, I guess. But as a team, they're great ambassadors to the sport. And role models for young women to live up to. They work their butts off and handle themselves professionally.

But yes. South Carolina, besides Aja Wilson, probably didn't have any player that would start on UConn. Not one.

Most of their starters wouldnt even see much time from the bench. UConn has seven players who are better than any one of hte South Carolina players, not named Wilson.

It's not UConn's fault they are so good though. But I can understand that if you're not from CT, it doesn't generate excitement. They are amazing though.




I'd agree with lowering the size to 32. Or even 16. I've felt the same way about the Men's Tourney too though.

The Men's Tournament waters down regular season play for the schools. That, and the automatic bids shouldn't be decided by these small school's conference tournament either (because their regular season means essentially nothing. They lose their conference tournament, they're pretty much out).

And UConn has benefited big time by all this in their last two titles. Both were times that we got real hot at the end, and bam, we win. Especially our last one (where we were like a 7 or 8 seed), I think we were a 4 seed the year Kemba won.


I just don't like that a team that's lost 3 games all year in a difficult conference, can lose to some 10 seed from a major conference, who manages to get hot at the right time.

Would the same be said if Lebron, Westbrook, Giannis, Embiid, A.Davis and Harden all joined the Warriors this offseason?

Great ambassadors?
Role models?
Work hard?
Handle themselves?

Nope. They'd all get crucified for building such a stacked team to demolish their way to an NBA title every year. Heck, Durrant got crushed for joining GS. Every recruiting season, the same happens for UCONN, right?

Why should anyone care or tune in? IMO, UCONN women's basketball has hurt the growth of the sport more than its helped it.

This is college basketball............ Young women, 18-early 20's.

Not NBA guys branding, etc.


The UConn Women carry themselves very well. What's wrong with saying that? They work very hard to be where they are. They want to play under the best coach in the country, to make them the best basketball players they can be.


You can say that the UConn Women's Team doesn't help Women's College Basketball, but that's not their fault.

The players may be young, but their decision to join UCONN when they could join any other program, is directly their fault. They know what they're doing. They're choosing to build/join the strongest team possible, KNOWING they'll destroy most teams by 30+ points and win 97% of their games. It's not an innocent accident. As if they wake up midway through the season and are surprised they're this good.

Sorry, I'm not buying the "purity" of UCONN women's basketball.

If this happened in cycles, it was UCONN for 2-3 years, then Ohio State, then S.Carolina and so on. Maybe that's okay and good for the sport to have different "super power" teams every few years, but we see this from UCONN almost every year.

I hear their record from 2008 is something like 420-something and 15. And one of the years in there, they lost 5 games. That means in the other years COMBINED, they lost 10 games total, including the tourney. Nobody would give a rats butt about a league if a team won 97% of their games for 10+ years and was an almost shoe-in for the title.

Recruiting advantage
Stacked teams
Blowout wins
Almost a guaranteed title

That's a recipe for apathy and bad ratings. I know they're kids and they work hard, but they could work hard in any other program and make the sport watchable. However, they don't make that decision because it's their decision to all go to UCONN to dominate. They know what they're building every year. Pro or college, doesn't matter, they know the competitive advantage they have and are fine exploiting it. It's not very sportsmen in my opinion. That's why I don't bother watching. It's a boat race.

As I said, I have absolutely no problem with UConn's program, its players, or its coach... and my daughter doesn't play basketball but if she did and UConn recruited her, I would tell her to go...

If you aren't aware, I'm a Maryland fan. For a decade now Marylands women's team has been hovering in and around that "next group" of teams with South Carolina, Stanford, Notre Dame, Baylor, Duke, etc... so I watch some of their games, I keep track of them on-line... but it's just disappointing to realize they really have very little chance.. it just takes some of the entertainment out of for me, especially come tournament time..

It's not an indictment of anything other than my own interest as a fan is diminished... so folks can tell me how what UConn is doing isn't bad for the sport, for me personally it takes a little something out of it. What can I tell you, it just does.

You guys say this is bad for the sport of women's basketball, but how familiar are you guys with professional WNBA players? Many players are broke and can't afford to have an off season, as many continue to play basketball in Russia's league during that time. Two years ago you could see Britney Griner and Diana Tarasi play winter basketball in a small Russian village. The sport is just in a very bad spot. I think they need to do something drastic if they want to build a fan base.

I think your comments are ridiculous. These girls owe the NCAA or viewership nothing.

They go to the best program, to practice with the best, to play with the best, to become the best basketball players they can. They want to become WNBA Players and Olympians (and many of them do, as they continue to bring Gold home for Team USA). If it makes the sport unwatchable for everyone else, so be it. In Connecticut, we take pride in our Women's Basketball Team.

They carry themselves with class. They show good sportsmanship. They play the game the right way. And it's not like they just show up and win. They work very hard to be as good as they are.

A top recruit knows, that when she goes to another school, she will not get to experience what UConn Practices are like. Nor do they get to experience what being coached by Geno Aueremia is like.

It's not like all these women got together one day in just decided to go to UConn. There's a reason they pick UConn. The UConn Huskies help make you the best basketball player you can possibly be. This isn't a Chicken and Egg thing. This is a program that Geno built.



And here's what Obama, who knows them very well said about them in 2016


So there. Endorsed by the President, who knows them very well, as he has met them a bunch of times. And I'm sorry, I'm sure you're a swell guy. But I hold Obama's Endorsement over yours.



And if other teams have a problem with it, they can get better. Simple as that.

In the meantime, my ladies will go ahead and play Notre Dame (who's only lost 3 games this year), and handle them too.

I'm not sure what that has to do with UConn.. other than they get everybody drafted every year...

They are up against a number of different obstacles..

They play in the summer so they don't have to compete with the NBA but that isn't working, people just aren't that focused in the summer.. they casually watch baseball and wait for football season to start..

They are travelling, doing more stuff in the evenings and on weekends, taking vacations.. they just don't have time to invest in the WNBA..

Plus, it isn't even close in level of excitement to the men's game due to the difference in physical athletic ability and I'm not sure there is much you can do about that.

See, I find baseball very boring. I kind of like it on the Radio, otherwise, it's only enjoyable at the Ballpark for me (which I do legitimately enjoy. A quality evening at the ballpark is great).


In the summer, I'll watch the WNBA sometimes. It's really not that bad. I guess I like seeing a lot of the ex-UConn players, but it's fundamentally good basketball.

But I appreciate women's sports. I also think they're very important. It's good for young females in this country to have athletes and stuff to look up to. I've always been a fan of Title 9.


I watch the Team USA Women's Most Everything, a bit of WNBA, a decent amount of UConn Women, and I like the NCAA Softball Tournament lol

I don't mind watching some women's sports but in a busy world with 1000 things going on all the time... when time gets tight that is the first thing to go. It's not something I have any real commitment to and honestly, I'm not sure what they could do to get me committed to it...

It's more about the state of the game. How can one say that it's hurting the sport when it's the only real program in the entire sport that has any real following? The WNBA has such a lower fan turnout. I went to see Elena Delle Donne in Chicago during her incredible season where she posted a PER of 32 and the stadium was dead compared to a UConn game. It's just hard to think that UConn is killing the sport, when we've alienated our players to places like Yekaterinberg Russia during the season.
I think the best thing for the sport would probably be to lower the rim a foot. Basketball is most exciting when the play is above the rim and the girls should look to emulate that. I think there are still only 10 or 15 players who have ever dunked in a WNBA game. Lowering the rim would help the sport a lot imo.

Who's we? I (as well as most of America) have no interest in the WNBA, and I don't feel the least bit guilty for not spending my money on the product. If the market isn't there for your product or skills, it's time to choose another profession. I didn't "alienate" some poor females to Yekawhatever, they chose to go there. They should use that UConn education on a career that will support them.

Which WNBA team do you have season tickets for?

We = American women's basketball fans/casual observers. Maybe they should jump ship and start a career after training 15+ years for a different one.

Considering the closet women's NBA team is a two hour drive away, I do not have season tickets. Same reason I do not have Cavs season tickets. However, my favorite team is the Lynx. What is yours?

They didn't train for a career, they played a sport and got a free college education. You can't force people to be interested in something that they're not. So you don't financially support the WNBA, but you think "we" should feel guilty because these women choose to play in Russia in the off season?

I don't have a favorite team because I have no interest in the league.

Someone who watches the sport both in person and on TV, buys merch and participates in social media engagement doesn't financially support the sport? You're really off the mark today.

Also if you don't support the sport then why are you grouping yourself into a "we" that means fans?

If the interest in their sport is not large enough to pay them what YOU think they should be paid, why do you think they are entitled to more money?

Just as tne nfl, mlb, nba, nhl, nascar, etc etc etc need to live within their means (and some aren't, mind you. And, it will get worse, I believe)....what gives anyone the right to say the WNBA players aren't getting a fair shake?

These are all my posts in this thread. Where did I say that they are entitled to more money? Where did I say that they aren't getting a fair shake? Why would I say that? I'm glad these women are making money. Most of them make under $100k a season here. I'm glad they're making money. My favorite WNBA player of all time has spoken very highly about her time in Russia and now is a Russian citizen. Now, I'm not particularly happy that Russian oligarchs can shield out the American fan base from the game with ease, but I am glad they are getting paid. I did say that this is a problem with the American fan base/game and gave a possible solution to their problems. You guys are having some strange fantasies about me.

You're the one that grouped me into that when you said, "...we've alienated our players to places like Yekaterinberg Russia during the season." It sounded like you were referring to American society in general, which also would answer your question to Arch...and which was the reason I responded to this in the first place.

There you have it.

If the Browns signed every great player available in free agency, went 15-1 or 16-0 for the next 15 years while winning 13 Super Bowls and that trend would look to continue, the sport would start dying. Why should anyone care about the league outside of Cleveland?

As long as you admit it's hurting the sport and you don't care because you like winning and take pride in that, then I guess we're exactly where I said we are, an unwatchable and predictable product because the players are doing that on purpose. Sure, they are allowed to make that decision on their own, but it's stacking the deck and they know it.

If a player is good enough to make it to the WNBA, they can still get there by going to a Big10 or Pac12 school, but they don't. That's my point. You have 1 super team and everyone else. If you don't live in Connecticut, it's a worthless sport.

You said this:

Sorry, if there isn't enough interest in the league for them to make a "decent" living playing basketball.......then deal with having to go to Russia to play in the off season.

If playing basketball for a living is what they choose, then deal with what they choose. That's all I'm saying.

You made it sound like they should be entitled to make enough in a season to make them comfortable, year round.

1st how did I group you into a conversation between DC and I? I think you're flattering yourself quite a bit. 2nd, you asked me to clarify who "we" is



And I told you.



So why are you still grouping yourself in?

No, you're assuming stuff. It's sad.

I don't know about the WNBA.. I just don't think it's ever going to be much more than it is right now. You could lower the rim, that might help a little..

But college basketball I have found fairly entertaining in the past. I don't need high flying dunks to make it enjoyable..

So I don't think what UConn is doing is impacting the WNBA one way or the other because their stable of great players get distributed around the league.... but it's not doing college basketball any favors.

Generally fans like the rise of a dynasty, then they enjoy watching that dynasty dominate for a few years, then they might spend another couple years hating that dynasty and waiting for them to fail... when you're going on almost 20 years now, people have just given up.

I might be dreaming, but I think the UConn women just went down.

Ridiculous game. Notre Dame played their butts off and continued answering everything the Lady Huskies could give them.

I don't think UConn (offensively) played its best game. And I think Notre Dame played a very good game.

And that girl on Notre Dame was incredible. The girl who hit the big shots toward the end of regulation and in overtime. There's only so much you can do.

So hats off to Notre Dame, incredible game.

Last year really hurt because a play before the game winning shot by Miss State was a total bonehead move.

This one, we did everything we could do. Nothing stupid really. And Notre Dame just outplayed my ladies.

We'll see them next year I guess

what a game between Uconn/ND. ND's guard was fabulous and both teams kept going back and forth like boxers. Sucks that one of them had to lose

2nd year in a row that UCONN women couldn't finish the job. Women's and men's tourneys are proving the best team all season doesn't always win the National Championship.

In a one loss and your done tourney anything can happen. Maybe it's better to be the underdog than the powerhouse favorite, who knows?

I have a feeling that Loyola Chicago is going to beat Michigan tonight.

I hope Loyola wins, but Michigan's length at guard is pretty crazy. Their half court defense, ability to match up on the perimeter, AND ability to hit open shots against Loyola's help side defense is a HUGE difference to what they've seen before

I think Michigan wins pretty comfortably

It was a HORRIBLE game for the sport Pete ... ...

Damm ... i enjoyed the hell out of that game ... good basketball ...

I LOVE watching girls college ... fundamentals are your friend ... no thanks to the WNBA ... i love the college game ...

GO IRISH!!!!!!

Loyola is the best shooting team in college basketball. Their guards are quick and can dripple drive also.

Michigan tends to rely on the 3pt shot too much. If there not falling Michigan will be in trouble. Also, they are the worst free throw shooting team left in the tourney.

Loyola with their speed could get Michigan into foul trouble. It wouldn't surprise me if Loyola made it to the championship game.

Michigan guards are meh. They can’t get to the rim at all

Villanova or Kansas will kill either one of these teams, but it would be fun to see Loyola get a shot.

this loyola-michigan game is really good

Whoever the announcer is that just said, “give me that old time religion”, that was so cheesy. I loved it!

Midnight strikes

Pass the pumpkin pie please.

Villanova made that look easy.

Nova literally looked unbeatable last night

Well congrats to my good friend DeAndre Haynes for making it to the championship game in his first year at Michigan.

Not sure how much they have changed their system but we scouted and game planned for Villanova a couple years ago when we played them while at Kent, so it will be interesting to see what Michigans staff comes up with

Michigan matches up way better against Nova than Kansas did ... they just had no answer for the stretch 4/5's that Nova has. Wagner's versatility is a key to this next one.

I still think Nova has the better team (Brunson is WAY better than Simpson .. basically just more experienced)

I'll say Villanova wins by 10-12

The game Monday night will be really fun if the Michigan team that beat Texas A&M shows up and the Villanova team that beat Kansas last night shows up.

Michigan shot 14 or 24 from 3 that night and last night Nova shot 18 of 40 from 3.

Having 3's raining down up and down the court would be really crazy and very fun to watch.

I do not care who wins. Well, I guess I will be rooting for Michigan Zavier Simpson played school ball close to where I live.

finally game time

These announcers are frickin' cheering for Michigan!

this is over