March 2, 200620 yr I ask this question because I think everyone acknowledges nova and UCONN as the class of the nation, but after that everything gets interesting. I'm going to go with UCONN, nova, duke (even with reddick's history), and I think LSU is my 4th team right now (only 3 losses in the last 2 months... at UCONN, at bama, at Fla) with a dominant big man. Note, the selection of LSU shows that anyone could fit that 4th spot potentially. Of course these all could change when the brackets are released, I'm just hoping to get some discussion going as I would rather not be working on a paper right now.
March 2, 200620 yr UConn, Nova, OSU, Memphis As a bonus, I'll include my other 4 for the elite 8: GW, Kansas, NC State, Georgetown
March 2, 200620 yr QUOTE(THEWOOD @ Mar 1, 2006 -> 10:56 PM) UCONN.....BC....OSU....KENTUCKY Well atleast we all know who won't win their pool.
March 2, 200620 yr SIU, Indiana, Illinois, and someone else. Just trying to make everyone here happy.
March 2, 200620 yr QUOTE(Brian @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 12:05 AM) SIU, Indiana, Illinois, and someone else. Just trying to make everyone here happy. Well atleast we all know who will win their pool.
March 2, 200620 yr I just can't buy Texas or LSU. Their guard play leaves a lot to be desired. Kentucky is definitely not doing it. They haven't played well all year, I don't see them starting now. I can sort of see BC, but they're going to have to shoot pretty well. Before you guys give me crap, I said NC State because they are deep and shoot well from behind the arc. Those are the types of teams that seem to do well in the tourney. Plus, they have enough size to hold their own.
March 2, 200620 yr QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Mar 1, 2006 -> 11:16 PM) I just can't buy Texas or LSU. Their guard play leaves a lot to be desired. Kentucky is definitely not doing it. They haven't played well all year, I don't see them starting now. I can sort of see BC, but they're going to have to shoot pretty well. Before you guys give me crap, I said NC State because they are deep and shoot well from behind the arc. Those are the types of teams that seem to do well in the tourney. Plus, they have enough size to hold their own. Darrel Mitchell is pretty damn good and Temple is decent, they also have Tasmin as a wing and then obviously Big Baby and Thomas down low. They're a pretty solid defensive team and a damn good rebounding team. I really love LSU and obviously expect them to make a long run. As for Texas even though Gibson hasn't played well as of late, I expect him to get back on track, I like Gibson a lot. Paulino is pretty decent though he's not a true pg imo, the one thing he does do well is take care of the ball which will be vital come tourny time. We'll obviously see though, I can't wait. Two weeks from tomorrow.
March 2, 200620 yr QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 12:38 AM) Darrel Mitchell is pretty damn good and Temple is decent, they also have Tasmin as a wing and then obviously Big Baby and Thomas down low. They're a pretty solid defensive team and a damn good rebounding team. I really love LSU and obviously expect them to make a long run. As for Texas even though Gibson hasn't played well as of late, I expect him to get back on track, I like Gibson a lot. Paulino is pretty decent though he's not a true pg imo, the one thing he does do well is take care of the ball which will be vital come tourny time. We'll obviously see though, I can't wait. Two weeks from tomorrow. I think they can make a run, but I don't think they're going to the Final Four. Yes, Darrel Mitchell is solid, but the other Mitchell is more of an inside oriented SF, and they don't have a real PG. Perimeter shooting isn't exactly an area of strength, so I think someone with a strong backcourt can beat them as long as they have at least someone inside. Another issue is Thomas. I know he missed the last game, by I'm not sure why (I always have a hell of a time getting injury info). That really hurts if he is out for an extended period of time because they aren't very deep. As for Texas, I'm really starting to sour on them. They've lost a few games they really shouldn't have, and they got killed in 3 of them. They are really big, really athletic, and really talented, but I think the lack of a true PG that can consistently get the ball to Tucker and Aldridge will hurt. If they had someone like Marcus Williams that was a pass-first PG that could find those guys in the right spots, they'd be pretty hard to stop. Gibson can definitely hurt some teams, but if his shot isn't falling, that's a major problem. One of their major problems has been strong shooting performances by the other team, so matchups against OSU, NC State or a rematch with Nova, Tennessee, or West Virginia could end poorly. They really need to dominate on the boards to make up for that typically, and they haven't always done that. Obviously everything is conjecture until the brackets come out though. Who knows, maybe Texas or LSU get a soft bracket and make a run.
March 2, 200620 yr Zoom, I've noticed you like NC State alot this year. I'm just wondering why. They are the 4th best team in a weak ACC this year. Their leading scorer Cameron Bennerman is averaging only 13.5 ppg, while their defense is the 4th worst in the ACC. Cedric Simmons is very talented in the paint, but he doesn't rebound or score as much as he should, with 12 ppg and only 6.5 rpg, he dissapears too often. UNC has beaten them twice this year by an average margin of 18.5 ppg. As for Texas, I agree, I've never been a big fan of their chances. Just not enough depth. One of the best starting lineups in the nation, but nothing else.
March 2, 200620 yr I'm actually jumping on the LSU wagon. Forget about Texas. Only Uconn has more front-court power. Davis and Thomas are beasts. Darrel Mitchell is one of the more underrated guards.
March 2, 200620 yr QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Mar 1, 2006 -> 11:01 PM) Well atleast we all know who won't win their pool. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Kentucky will be lucky to get past the first round if they even make the tournament at all, but people underestimate Boston College. Watch him win it by picking Boston College in the four, and nobody else doing so..
March 3, 200620 yr Boston College needs the right bracket. They are a very good team, but an athletic team that can run will give them some major issues.
March 3, 200620 yr I'm not a big fan of BC, I think they'll have to get a favorable bracket to get past the first weekend.
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