NFT: The final four - who do you like to go all the way?

They might have a tougher game with Oregon on Saturday before rolling over Gonzaga or SC on Monday. Just my opinion.

In comment 13407551 The_Boss said:

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They might have a tougher game with Oregon on Saturday before rolling over Gonzaga or SC on Monday. Just my opinion.

** title **

They need to make up the blown title last year. Tar! Heels!

But probably the one that I would least like to see happen. Upsets are fun.

We talked about this a bit during the E8 thread - what Oregon has been doing won't work on a team with quality big men. Carolina has three very good big men. Bell's not going to dominate Hicks and Meeks like he did Lucas in the Kansas game. Gonzaga might have finally gotten over the hump of just making the FF, but I still don't think they're the equal of UNC and USC is the "just happy to be there" team for this season.

Get the fuck out of here with that shit. They got outplayed. They were down seven late in the game, made a nice comeback, and had to throw one in from from his ass just to get it tied before Jenkins ended it. They were fortunate just to be in it at the end.
They didn't blow anything, they got outplayed.

In comment 13407574 Crispino said:

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Get the fuck out of here with that shit. They got outplayed. They were down seven late in the game, made a nice comeback, and had to throw one in from from his ass just to get it tied before Jenkins ended it. They were fortunate just to be in it at the end. They didn't blow anything, they got outplayed.

Thank you. As I was driving down to Nova last year for the game, I listened to mad dog radio. I think it was Pete Gillen who was on with the Dog. Said if it was a 7 game series, UNC would win but for one game, Nova was more than capable of winning.

but hard to see anyone but UNC winning it.

and shouldn't have, but Roy's teams have this weird inconsistent focus and sense of urgency. Saw it last night as well. Perhaps it's just college kids being college kids, but godam it's annoying as fook.

No disrespect to Nova, they deserved to win that game.

I'm thinking that Gonzaga might be best equipped to hang with Carolina. They have size and good guard play, but I do thinK UNC is the clear favorite.

In comment 13407574 Crispino said:

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Get the fuck out of here with that shit. They got outplayed. They were down seven late in the game, made a nice comeback, and had to throw one in from from his ass just to get it tied before Jenkins ended it. They were fortunate just to be in it at the end. They didn't blow anything, they got outplayed.

Nonsense. "outplayed" my ass. Villanova won on a buzzer beater, and its well documented how slanted the officiating was throughout the contest. Congrats on the national championship, but anyone impartial recognized that was a great game that could have gone either way. So the "outplayed" comment is just plain stupid and wishful thinking. You're better than that.

We're NC State people but my daughter went to UNC and my SIL (a Cowboy fan) went to USC ... I'm hoping they both get to the finals ... would make next Monday very interesting.

But maybe if UNC wins they can finally finish the 15 yr investigation that has been going on

Gonzaga-UNC title game which would be tremendous.

I think the Zags do it this year.

obviously.

Though I'd love a SC-NC final next Monday night.

Villanova shot 58% for the game. If not for the 28 foot heave to tie after being down 7 late, Jenkins doesn't need the buzzer beater. His winner was a legitimate basketball shot. The heave to tie was the
lucky shot. If you see it any other way you're clueless about basketball.

held by whining UNC fans. There was no narrative anywhere in the media that the officiating was bad. UNC was called for 4 more fouls in the game. That's a small disparity in any game. Ridiculous. Your defense gave up 60% shooting. And that's that. Get over it.

Even if true, if you want to go back and examine the calls in Carolina games over, oh, 50 years or so, I suspect they've gotten a wee bit more than their share of calls.
John Henson, the Olivier of the ACC - ( New Window )

In comment 13407627 Crispino said:

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held by whining UNC fans. There was no narrative anywhere in the media that the officiating was bad. UNC was called for 4 more fouls in the game. That's a small disparity in any game. Ridiculous. Your defense gave up 60% shooting. And that's that. Get over it.

Agree. You want to talk about horeshit officiating that could very well change the outcome of a game, go back to the Nova/UNC game in the Carrier Dome in 2005. UNC went on to win the championship.

Pinson will need to take one of either Dorsey or Brooks out of the game and they will make the rest of the team beat them. I also think the 6 days off will do wonders for Berry's ankles. Would love to see an all-Carolina matchup. Offense vs Defense.

Sidenote, anyone who says anybody "outplayed" the other team in last year's final is just flat out wrong. UNC was up 5 at half. Look at the Game Flow and you will see it was close throughout. Villanova may have been up 7 at a point, but that is still close and in no way classifies as "outplaying" the other team.
Box Score - ( New Window )

I think that would be cool

Word is he might be coming to UVA.

Gonzaga. I think they have the most complete team in CBB. Karnowski is just a beast down low and is a very smart and skilled player, along with collins. Williams and williams-goss are both very good scorers.Their team defense is very good

South Carolina is a very good team as well, so i wouldnt be totally shocked if they upset gonzaga, but if gonzaga is in the championship, i feel they're winning it all

In comment 13407626 Crispino said:

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Villanova shot 58% for the game. If not for the 28 foot heave to tie after being down 7 late, Jenkins doesn't need the buzzer beater. His winner was a legitimate basketball shot. The heave to tie was the lucky shot. If you see it any other way you're clueless about basketball.

LOL, Paige made a great shot the play prior. "Heave"? Anyway, way to focus on one shot over 40 minutes. Nova made some tough shots that night too.

And obviously who cares if they were down 7 late (due to officiating) - ummm.... they came back and tied it. You took basic math courses in school right?

It was a great game that could have been won by either team. "outplayed" is just happy horse shit by someone bitter they got knocked out so earlier this year.

Kentucky made some lucky shots at the end to tie it. UNC still won with 0.3 seconds left on a basketball shot.

Obviously, badly outplayed them.


Do we see now just how fucking stupid you sound?

Box score proves it, so thanks for posting it. The object of the game is to shoot the ball through the basket. Villanova missed 20 shots for the game, while UNC missed 36 shots. That's 58% vs. 42%. UNC outrebounded Villanove by a lot, because they had a huge size advantage and a many of them were offensive rebounds BECAUSE UNC KEPT MISSING THEIR SHOTS. So, by any meaningful measure, Viallanova outplayed UNC, including the most important one.

Anyone think Monk got fouled on that last 3 pointer?

Also I thought Willis killed Kentucky yesterday. Also got lost on defense on the final shot and didn't contest.

Overall I thought it was a great game and a lot of fun to watch. I love the no timeout from Roy at the end.

East Coast bias.

but it's a good group and they should be tested.

I think they matchup quite well with all three remaining teams in the field

Gonzaga beating South Carolina sets up a fantastic final either way

They have as much talent as UNC and the shot blocker inside can negate UNC's size. The fact is they demolished Kansas.

In comment 13407712 Crispino said:

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Box score proves it, so thanks for posting it. The object of the game is to shoot the ball through the basket. Villanova missed 20 shots for the game, while UNC missed 36 shots. That's 58% vs. 42%. UNC outrebounded Villanove by a lot, because they had a huge size advantage and a many of them were offensive rebounds BECAUSE UNC KEPT MISSING THEIR SHOTS. So, by any meaningful measure, Viallanova outplayed UNC, including the most important one.

Again, makes no sense. "by any meaningful measure" - so rebounds arent a meaningful measure?

I'm not sure why you feel your dick is so small on this issue, honestly. Nova won, the end. It's not about 'badly outplaying' anyone - they won a game that could have gone either way at the buzzer. Congrats, doesnt mean any more than that.

Anyone knows in any given year, if you played these tournaments 4 different times, you'd probably end up with 4 different National Champions. It's more of a fan (and Vegas) spectacle than crowning the true best team in America. *Before you get your tits in a frenzy, that applies to this season too when obviously Nova likely beats Wisconsin 7 or 8 times out of 10, but didnt on one given day*

He can't singlehandedly stop both Hicks and Meeks. That was the point we were discussing in the E8 thread - Oregon hasn't faced a team with multiple quality big men, and that's going to be a problem for them.

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In comment 13407856 LCtheINTMachine said:

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They have as much talent as UNC and the shot blocker inside can negate UNC's size. The fact is they demolished Kansas.

Yep.

In comment 13407862 Greg from LI said:

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He can't singlehandedly stop both Hicks and Meeks. That was the point we were discussing in the E8 thread - Oregon hasn't faced a team with multiple quality big men, and that's going to be a problem for them.

Oregon was incredible about Kansas. they also struggled and were lucky to advance against Michigan and Rhode Island.

Of course, if UNC plays like they did against Arkansas they are in trouble too.

Any of these 4 teams remaining can obviously win - that is the nature of the sudden death tournament - but playing the odds, UNC has got be a little relieved they are getting Oregon instead of Kansas. Especially given Roy's history facing Kansas (0-3).

Zags win the title on a buzzer beater..

Hi Mook! :)

In comment 13407611 montanagiant said:

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But maybe if UNC wins they can finally finish the 15 yr investigation that has been going on

Hey, not having to worry about classes on Tuesday is a definite advantage.

It's douchebag fans like you who will have the whole country rooting against Carolina. Entitled fans who think your team couldn't possibly lose a championship if not for some strange occurrence. Never give the other team credit. You guys are as bad as Duke fans. Same company, different department.

but I don't know, you get the bearded guy from Zaga the ball on the low block it's pretty much a given (either by himself or a pass back out for a 3)

In comment 13407923 Crispino said:

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It's douchebag fans like you who will have the whole country rooting against Carolina. Entitled fans who think your team couldn't possibly lose a championship if not for some strange occurrence. Never give the other team credit. You guys are as bad as Duke fans. Same company, different department.

Let it go man. We beat them last year. It's over with. I don't care if we won by 1 or by 20, that banner isn't coming down in the Pavillion. Time to look ahead to 2017-2018 and the new core we need to develop.

I'm predicting a similar sized basketball only Jesuit school reaches the promise land, so Gonzaga it is. Also before anyone brings up Villanova, they're not Jesuits.

To win it all.

2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship - Odds To Win (All Bets Action) 2017-04-01 18:05
Price Price
Gonzaga +140
Bet
North Carolina +150
Bet
Oregon +400
Bet
South Carolina +600

In comment 13408122 Stan in LA said:

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To win it all. 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship - Odds To Win (All Bets Action) 2017-04-01 18:05 Price Price Gonzaga +140 Bet North Carolina +150 Bet Oregon +400 Bet South Carolina +600

Those were the westgate odds right after the game last night I believe.

I think they have moved since then. My site has UNC at +140 and Gonzaga at +180, so does Bovada.

If UNC beats Oregon, they will be favored in the title game.

a large part of that i would think is due to UNC having a perceived much harder semi-final game than Gonzaga (though I love the way the Gamecocks play... and i think 4 of the 5 starters are from outside the US?)

One thing you cant really knock UNC about, with all the upsets in this tournament... they have had to face chalk all the way through so far.... and now an Oregon team that was likely looking at a 1 seed up until Boucher got hurt in the Pac-12 semifinals.

though I agree that they're more likely to lose in the semis than Gonzaga is. But South Carolina really wears you out - they don't have the seeding, but they certainly don't look lucky to be there. No pushover for the Zags.

UNC wins it all if he's effective

In comment 13408216 Mad Mike said:

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though I agree that they're more likely to lose in the semis than Gonzaga is. But South Carolina really wears you out - they don't have the seeding, but they certainly don't look lucky to be there. No pushover for the Zags.

Definitely not a pushover, but all weekend I heard about how good South Carolina's on the ball defense was...and they are, but if you're talking teams with great on the ball defenses, that conversation starts with Gonzaga. South Carolina hasn't played anyone that plays defense like the Zags do.

In comment 13407881 MetsAreBack said:

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In comment 13407862 Greg from LI said: Quote: He can't singlehandedly stop both Hicks and Meeks. That was the point we were discussing in the E8 thread - Oregon hasn't faced a team with multiple quality big men, and that's going to be a problem for them. Oregon was incredible about Kansas. they also struggled and were lucky to advance against Michigan and Rhode Island. Of course, if UNC plays like they did against Arkansas they are in trouble too. Any of these 4 teams remaining can obviously win - that is the nature of the sudden death tournament - but playing the odds, UNC has got be a little relieved they are getting Oregon instead of Kansas. Especially given Roy's history facing Kansas (0-3).

This is how I feel as well. I don't think UNC beats Kansas in the final four.

Oregon is a fun team to watch but I don't think they can hang with UNC. Oregon was definitely on the plus side of variance shooting the ball vs Kansas. I doubt they shoot that well vs UNC. Bell is a beast inside but UNC matches up very well in that aspect.

hasn't done well recently against Kansas in the tournament, so I think that scared everyone who was a UNC fan about playing Kansas.

But one of those games Stillman White was the starting point guard. Now he's the 10th guy on the bench. And that was his freshman year, filling in for Marshall who broke his wrist. They nearly won that damn game and it was essentially a road game, if Marshall plays you have to believe they win. The 2008 national semifinal they just played an awful 20 minutes and damn near dug themselves out of a 26 point hole.

Kansas lack of anything on the interior would have given UNC the edge imo. Landon Lucas wouldn't see 5 minutes of playing time on UNC, yet he was Kansas only big that saw significant time.

and that Kansas has been a top 3 team in the country all year.

They played a terrible game against Oregon. It happens. They looked incredible in rounds 2 and 3, rounds which Oregon conversely barely got out of.

As you said last week... survive and advance.