The Official 2006 NCAA Tournament thread

[Swaggs]

WVU is handling Northwestern State, 41-19 at halftime. Mountaineers made a half-court three at the buzzer.

[Abe Sargent]

Damn WVU with a massive 3 at the end of the half from behind halfcourt.


-Anxiety

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Radii

Well... nice start to the 2nd half for George Mason.

No kidding! I know its not what you want to see, but they're looking really nice right now!

[Radii]

George Mason is shooting 82% in the 2nd half so far. Normally I'd say that there's no way they can keep up that pace, but they are executing well and seemingly half their shots are layups, so if Carolina's defense doesn't improve, they may keep a 70%+ pace the rest of this half

[RPI-Fan]

This GMU/UNC game looks headed for a great finish!

[Easy Mac]

6 points with 52 seconds!!!!

[Swaggs]

Is UNC the last remaining Final Four team from last season?

I think it was MSU (out), Illinois (out), Louisville (didn't make it), and UNC, but not positive.

[JeeberD]

Huge three for UNC, keeps them right in the thick of it...

[RPI-Fan]

What a DUMB shot by the UNC guy.... and it goes in!

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Is UNC the last remaining Final Four team from last season?

I think it was MSU (out), Illinois (out), Louisville (didn't make it), and UNC, but not positive.

FF last year was Illinois (out), MSU (out), Utah (never in), and UNC (possibly out).

[st.cronin]

wow

None of the close games yesterday were as compelling (to me) as this GW-UNC game.

[JeeberD]

Are you sure? I thought that Utah lost to kentucky last year...

[st.cronin]

omg

[Swaggs]

I know Louisville was one, b/c they beat WVU in the Elite 8.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

FF last year was Illinois (out), MSU (out), Utah (never in), and UNC (possibly out).

Wrong again, bud...

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Are you sure? I thought that Utah lost to kentucky last year...

Nope I'm not at all sure.

[RPI-Fan]

Oh man what a shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Radii]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

What a DUMB shot by the UNC guy.... and it goes in!

Miller is an incredible spot up shooter, if he catches and is open, he can shoot it from anywhere.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

I'm thinking a completely different intercollegiate athletic association. Like a complete rival to the NCAA, which to me is run like a cartel.

I don't ask this a patronizing way, I'm just curious, if the NCAA weren't run like a "cartel", how much more success do you think the Mid-majors would have (with their smaller alumni bases, lack of basketball tradition). What would be "acceptable" - winning championships, having 8 teams in the NCAAs? I always thought the smaller schools already had pretty incredible presence in college basketball, considering their inherent limitations - if anything, it seems they're over-represented, when you compare them with the size and financial clout of the big schools.

[ThunderingHERD]

Noel should have just fouled that fat guy.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Is UNC the last remaining Final Four team from last season?

I think it was MSU (out), Illinois (out), Louisville (didn't make it), and UNC, but not positive.

correct.

[JeeberD]

Turn out the lights...

[Radii]

Why in the world did they wait so long to foul!!??

[st.cronin]

wow that kid is happy and confident

[Radii]

Good game GMU.

[LoneStarGirl]

Damn, One of my elite 8 teams are finally out.

[Swaggs]

GMU really played well.

I hate to see UNC go.

[Young Drachma]

Who could've predicted that epic battle between George Mason & Wichita State to get into the Elite 8?

[Radii]

No one has shut down Hansbrough like that all season long. Very, very impressive. There were a two key posessions with about 5 minutes left where UNC played *tough* defense for 30 seconds then GMU hit long 3s with 2 or 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Those kept GMU ahead when UNC was scoring most every posession. I thought that was really a huge stretch where UNC could have gone ahead by 3 or 4 points but instead was still trailing by 2 with ~4 minutes left.

[LoneStarGirl]

The white boys are going in for Memphis! I have never seen them play, what a treat.

[JeeberD]

Man, Sparks for UK looks like he's 30 years old...

[st.cronin]

Not a good year to have the #1 pick in the nba draft. There's nobody who really seems worth it.

[RPI-Fan]

Northwestern State starting to make a run @ WVU it looks like! Down 9 w/ 6 to play.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Northwestern State played a hell of a second half. The final margin was 14, but the Demons put a scare into West Virginia and could have easily finished only 7 or 8 points back. The two small Louisiana schools (Northwestern State and Southern) put on some very impressive performances this year. I'm really glad to see that. Maybe UNO will do the same for me next year.

[timmynausea]

WVU makes the sweet 16 for the second year in a row, and the third time in my life.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by timmynausea

WVU makes the sweet 16 for the second year in a row, and the third time in my life.

Me too. Hard to believe (but not really) that Beilein, in just four years, has accomphished way more than Gale Catlett did in like twenty years. Hope we can keep him around until he retires.

[hoopsguy]

I've heard Beilein's name mentioned around a bunch of jobs. Anyone have a feel for if he is going to be on the move after this year? Mizzou, Indiana (or Iowa, if Alford ends up there) would seem like a couple of programs that might take a run at him ...

[hoopsguy]

Ohio State down 13 at the break to Georgetown, who looks terrific so far today.

[Buccaneer]

It's always a happy day (regardless of whatever else bas been happening in the tournament) to see UK out. One of my few sports highlights I anticipate every year.

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Me too. Hard to believe (but not really) that Beilein, in just four years, has accomphished way more than Gale Catlett did in like twenty years. Hope he'll come back to live here fter he retires from Missouri.

Fixed it for ya.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

I've heard Beilein's name mentioned around a bunch of jobs. Anyone have a feel for if he is going to be on the move after this year? Mizzou, Indiana (or Iowa, if Alford ends up there) would seem like a couple of programs that might take a run at him ...

I think he stays. Syracuse, if Boeheim ever leaves, is the one job I think he would take if it presented itself. I see Mizzou and Iowa as lateral moves. Indiana concerns me.

WVU has a few good things going for it over the current open jobs:

First, his buyout is $3M, which would be pretty costly for Indiana or Mizzou, considering they have buyouts on their ex-coaches and would have to pony up for a significant raise for Beilein to consider leaving.

Second, he is an East Coast guy (from NY, went to a small college in WV) and has spent his entire career coaching career on the East Coast.

Third, even though he was relatively unknown before his WVU success, he is not a young guy (he is in his early 50s). When he came in, he replaced a 20-year coach (Gale Catlett) who retired in midseason and had totally lost control of the team. Our Colloseum had an asbestos problem the year before he came, so the team spent the entire year on the road and that caused the program's fan and ticket-base to drop dramatically. During his first two seasons, all but a handful of the Catlett-recruited players were either kicked off the team, transferred out, or were ruled inelgibile. With all the problems he and this team have dealt with, his turning the team's fortunes around so quickly have earned him the kind of job security that would be difficult to earn at a place like Mizzou, Indiana, or Iowa (WVU has not fired a football or basketball coach since the late 70s).

I feel pretty good about our chances of keeping him, but I will be sweating it out if one of those schools decides to go hogwild to overpay for him.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

Fixed it for ya.

Is he being talked about as a top choice there?

I don't see Mizzou being attractive to him, unless they pay out the butt.

Missouri probably has more historical prestige, but right now I don't really see it as a step up from WVU when you consider the current strength of the Big East and the success Beilein has accomplished here. With the way the school handled the Quin Snyder ousting and Beilein being largely unfamilar with the recruiting base that Mizzou draws from, I think it would have to be an amazing financial package to get him out of the comfort zone he has at WVU right now.

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by bsak16

I totally agree with you that it is really great to see these teams beat the big boys. For the most part I root for the smallers schools such as Bucknell or Bradley to win and I understand they are at a big disadvantage when it comes to revenue and facilities which makes their success even better. I would just be interested in seeing how they would do playing a full season in one of those "big" conferences. They might do really good but I think there is a difference between winning a game or two in the tourney and being in the top half of a "big" conference after playing everyone twice.

In an ideal world, that would be great. I'd like to see it too. But unfortunately it's not going to happen.

So we're left with the current system is opinion. I didn't watch a lot of college basketball this year -- certainly not as much as Billy Packer. But I feel with absolute certainty that I watched more MVC games than he did -- and I don't think he watched a single one. There is no way that someone who knows as much about college basketball as Billy Packer could watch the game between Missouri State and Wichita State a few weeks ago and not realize those two teams could play with anybody on any given day. Packer and a few other talking heads really bashed the MVC last weekend, and I'm glad that the criteria they established for success has been crushed -- Packer and Nantz clearly came armed for battle against the MVC, since I know for a fact they didn't research how many tourney games the MVC had won during the last five years on the fly.

I give props to the few talking heads who gave the MVC their do -- I think Doug Gottlieb and Jay Bilas were two of the best in recognizing the conference, and I think it was clear that those two guys actually watched some conference games.

I think it's great that either WSU or George Mason will be in the Elite Eight. It's a great story. I think Bradley will have their hands full with Memphis, but I'm not counting them out after the way they've played the last few weeks.

[miami_fan]

The Hoyas are up by 11 on the Buckeyes

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Is he being talked about as a top choice there?

I don't see Mizzou being attractive to him, unless they pay out the butt.

Missouri probably has more historical prestige, but right now I don't really see it as a step up from WVU when you consider the current strength of the Big East and the success Beilein has accomplished here. With the way the school handled the Quin Snyder ousting and Beilein being largely unfamilar with the recruiting base that Mizzou draws from, I think it would have to be an amazing financial package to get him out of the comfort zone he has at WVU right now.

Yeah, he's rumored to be among the top five candidates, along with Tom Crean, Mike Anderson, John Calipari and Billy Gillispie. Sources have been telling the media that money is no object -- boosters are lined up willing to buy out ay contract they need to get who they want, and they are willing to beat Snyder's contract in terms of value. I've heard Beilein makes about $700k per year -- Missouri is apparently willing to go up to $1.5 million for their guy.

There are some horrible rumors that some "influential boosters" -- which usually means a Wal-Mart heir -- is pushing Bob Huggins. If Paige Laurie's dad has got a hard-on for Huggins, he might kill a deal for another coach, although Missouri fortunately has some other boosters who will write checks.

There are plusses and minusses to the Missouri job. On the one hand, the cupboard is pretty bare with weak talent. There are a couple of nice players and a couple of nice recruits committed, but it looks like any new coach might need to keep Melvin Watkins on staff for a year to hold the team together. On the other hand, Missouri has some of the best facilities in the country with the new arena and the training facilities. Gillespie and Kelvin Sampson have both talked about how great the Missouri facilities are right now, and how much that means to coaches.

[MylesKnight]

"Big Ten, here are your jackets. See ya."

The Number One Ranked Conference in the RPI at the end of the regular season is H-I-S-T-O-R-Y!

[LoneStarGirl]

I am loving this Arizona Villanova game. Arizona will just not go away.

[Karlifornia]

COME ON ZONA!!!! Villanova up a point.

[Karlifornia]

Radenovic is like Arizona's version of Josh Boone. Just a complete head case sometimes.

[miami_fan]

Congrats to John T. III and the Hoyas. Very happy to see that team having success.