John Oliver on his HBO show last night really called out the NCAA. It was a well stated opinion that basically the NCAA uses indentured servitude to run their billion dollar enterprise (more even than the NFL). Something is really wrong in the NCAA and so-called "amateur athletics". At least the Olympics finally realized that virtually all of their contenders in the games were being "reimbursed" by their various countries. Now the Olympics permit professional athletes to play. Whether this is really good or bad, I can't say. But it is about time the NCAA came around to a far more just and rational approach to these kids playing various sports.
2
NCAA exploiting the athletes? I'm shocked, just shocked!
The RPI is a joke. KenPom is a much better and more accurate way to seed for the NCAA tournament, as is borne out by any analysis of data.
Duke is a team that could win neither their regular season nor their championship and gets a 1 seed?
Arizona is a team that handily won their regular season and their championship with a perfect record against top 50 teams and gets a number 2 seed? Even Gonzaga deserved a 1 seed over Duke.
Watch a game where any of the top seeds other than Kentucky are 'on' and watch a game where Arizona is 'on'. There is no comparison. Arizona would destroy any of these top three seeds, and is the only team that can credibly take down Kentucky.
Duke has no chance of surviving a bracket with San Diego State, Utah, UCLA, and Gonzaga. They are not Final Four material.
Duke is a team that could win neither their regular season nor their championship and gets a 1 seed?
Arizona is a team that handily won their regular season and their championship with a perfect record against top 50 teams and gets a number 2 seed? Even Gonzaga deserved a 1 seed over Duke.
Watch a game where any of the top seeds other than Kentucky are 'on' and watch a game where Arizona is 'on'. There is no comparison. Arizona would destroy any of these top three seeds, and is the only team that can credibly take down Kentucky.
Duke has no chance of surviving a bracket with San Diego State, Utah, UCLA, and Gonzaga. They are not Final Four material.
I'm guessing Maryland was in disbelief that their current ranking of 8th in the nation and a recent win over Wisconsin translated into a relatively low 4th seed.
2
All year long I've heard how weak the Big 10 is and how strong the SEC is. That would be why Wisconsin isn't that good and Kentucky is unstoppable. Now the selection committee has made its choices. Let's see, SEC 7 teams. Oh, look Big 10 7 teams, too. What could that mean?
I love the tournament too. I simply ignore the facts that the players are not students and the teams have nothing to do with the colleges. Nothing better than the "March Madness" national lottery.
1
Its like ND did not win the ACC tournament.
4
UofA didn't deserve a #1 seed, despite the regular season/tourney championships in the PAC12. Why? They only lost three games, just like Wisconsin, but all three of those losses were to unranked teams, and two were after January 1, which magnifies those losses in the selection committee's eyes. Also, unlike Wisconsin's one godawful loss, to Big Ten cellar-dweller Rutgers, UofA had no injury excuse to fall back on for any of the losses (Frank Kaminsky was out for the Rutgers game). Wisconsins other losses were to Duke (a fellow #1 seed) and Maryland (a #4 seed).
I may be a PAC12 alumna, but the conference was lucky to get four teams in the Tournament. Frankly, UCLA probably shouldn't be there.
I may be a PAC12 alumna, but the conference was lucky to get four teams in the Tournament. Frankly, UCLA probably shouldn't be there.
1
Let's see. From your name "sundevilpeg" I would guess you are an ASU fan and it wouldn't matter if U of A had a perfect season. You would be claiming they and other teams of the PAC12 didn't deserve to be in.
I'm sorry ASU had a horrible season and won't even make it to the NIT. When you win more than a few games, come back and we'll talk
I'm sorry ASU had a horrible season and won't even make it to the NIT. When you win more than a few games, come back and we'll talk
1
Villanova and Wisconsin use the full clock. Nobody know anyone on Kentucky since they are just passing though. Duke is intolerable because they're Duke, though Okafor is definitely worth watching. There will be a lot of methodical basketball. Which is good. Because baseball is around the corner and college ball will make baseball seem fast-paced.
We have actually gotten to know Willie Cauley-Stein pretty well after three years (he's a junior and has played in at least 60+ games over the past two years), the Harrison twins and Dakari Johnson and others after two. I do hope Tyler Ulis--the smallest man on the team--will stay for awhile. Scoring used to be much higher in the Dean Smith days when there was such a thing as a "touch" foul and basketball wasn't a contact sport. Well, except of course, Smith was not noted for teams with lightning speed. Whatever the flaws of the "one and done," I can't say that I regret the time John Wall and Anthony Davis spent playing college ball, or blame them for getting on with it.
The thrill is gone.
Go Duke!
1
Duke will win two games..then come up against Utah. Then y'all can go back home to NC.
Sorry Blue Devils..but the Mormon god is on our side in Utah. (This is known as sarcasm--Hey I even know how to spell Krzyzewski! Just remember that a Catholic School Notre Dame beat y'all badly on Friday night...)
Sorry Blue Devils..but the Mormon god is on our side in Utah. (This is known as sarcasm--Hey I even know how to spell Krzyzewski! Just remember that a Catholic School Notre Dame beat y'all badly on Friday night...)
4
But it did not deter Duke from getting a #1 seed from the committee, did it?
1
Wisconsin Coach BO Ryan Kissing the cut down basket net is the new idiocy as compared to some of these so called champions kissing Metal trophies in tennis, golf and Olympic Medals etc.
1
Rafa Nadal does NOT kiss his tennis trophies--he bites them.
La Coupe des Mousquetaires at Roland Garros has one handle nearly bitten off by Rafa.
La Coupe des Mousquetaires at Roland Garros has one handle nearly bitten off by Rafa.
2
That is how the Spanish men sharpen their teeth. Or may be in Rafa's case he does it to put his mark on the trophy. At least at Roland Garros , he has won it more then any body else. He may just have the right to own it.
Can't wait to see the Duke play again in the Carrier Dome at Syracuse in the East Regional.
1
You're going to have to wait. Duke isn't making it to the second weekend, again.
3
@James,
And if they do, Utah will beat them....Notre Dame had no problem w/ Duke 2 nights ago.
And if they do, Utah will beat them....Notre Dame had no problem w/ Duke 2 nights ago.
4
Utah isn't worth a 5 seed. They will show you this weekend.
The hatred of Duke is national. Folks cite lots of reasons. But the hatred wasn't there when they upset UNLV in the early 90's. It started after that. Duke has always been an outsider in NC. But, for a long time, the 4 Carolina ACC schools were highly competitive. Wake never recovered after Duncan graduated. State saw its best days under Valvano. That left Duke and Carolina. And everybody in NC was a Carolina fine. Lacking a local following, Duke was viewed in NC as the bad guy. That spread to the ACC as the rest of the conference weakened. Once nationally prominent, Duke's players were seen as the opposite of the Fab Five and equally unpopular. A team that was too hoi palloi and took the fun out of the game. That's the highlights of how the anti-Duke thing got going. I've glossed over most of the details. of course.
4
michjas, your data is INCOMPLETE! Did you see the tribute Coack K received from the Tarheel fans????? Coach K is a beloved icon, get it?
Go Duke!
Go Duke!
Slainte : I went to Duke. Dean Smith and Jim Valvano were beloved. No one who worships Bobby Knight is widely beloved. Like Knight, Coach K is brilliant. Like Knight he's unlovable.
3
Hey, hey, hey..now you're getting nasty. I like Duke and I like Coach Krzyzewski...Heck I even know how to spell his name.
They didn't teach y'all how to spell at Duke?
And I also liked Bob Knight. He wrote me a great recommendation letter. Don't tell me who to hate or love. Jimmy V was beloved for one upset at NC State and Dean Smith? Bored us to death with the four corners.
They didn't teach y'all how to spell at Duke?
And I also liked Bob Knight. He wrote me a great recommendation letter. Don't tell me who to hate or love. Jimmy V was beloved for one upset at NC State and Dean Smith? Bored us to death with the four corners.
1
There is no rational explanation for Duke being a #1 seed. They did not place first in the regular ACC season and were eliminated in the semis in the ACC Conference tournament. The problem lies with the selection committee that seems wedded to Duke and Coach K.
15
No sour grapes, Doris. You were not on the selection committee--LOL.
Go Coach K! 1000+ wins!
Don't be a hater...try love.
Go Coach K! 1000+ wins!
Don't be a hater...try love.
They are a top-4 team.
They did beat Wisconsin in Madison. That never happens. They got bonus points for that.
1
Who cares?
8
College basketball fans do. Many of us, obviously, are alums of the schools in the tourney; some of us have taught at them. I've taught at three of the universities in this season's tourney; my loyalty lies with one of them, my alma mater.
We fans overlook the problems inherent in college sports (one can find problems with anything) and focus on the thrill of the competition and the fact that these kids are playing their hearts out. For many of them these games will provide some of the highlights of their life.
We fans overlook the problems inherent in college sports (one can find problems with anything) and focus on the thrill of the competition and the fact that these kids are playing their hearts out. For many of them these games will provide some of the highlights of their life.
6
Who cares? You ask?
The Final Four is the second biggest annual sporting event behind the Super Bowl. So, a few people care.
The Final Four is the second biggest annual sporting event behind the Super Bowl. So, a few people care.
4
Anyone who appreciates basketball anywhere in the world loves the NCAA Basketball tournaments. Minute for minute they are the most exciting athletic events on the planet. If seeing a 15 seed get a number 2 seed on the ropes doesn't get your heart pounding ... Well, you have other issues.
1
Thought I would mention that Rutgers was 31-0 in 1976. Went on to play in the final four. Homecourt was the Barn, the equivalent to a high school gym with a balcony.. Five NBA players and one NBA Coach. Not too shabby!!!! Not taking anything away from Kentucky, wishing them all the best!!!!
1
There are no better descriptive labels in sport than March Madness, Final Four and Sweet 16. I like The Dance, too. Elite 8 is a stretch. Us commoners could make a great contribution to society by re-naming the Elite 8 and coming up with a descriptor for the National Championship game. 32 is transient because it's pared down the next day. But it's critical for our brackets. The same is true of the 8. So naming of them might well reflect their importance to our brackets. This alliteration thing is overdone -- rhymes and clever connections are probably better. For 15 seconds of fame, I'm going to work on this. BTW, I've rejected Great 8. Too pedestrian.
ELITE Eight will be the term used....you might have a lot of time on your hands to think you can outwit Elite Eight!
1
Why no alliterative descriptors after Final Four. How about the Tremendous Two? Or the Omnipotent One?
1
Fifty years ago when Texas Western College under Don Haskins, fielding seven black players defeated the all-white U of Kentucky team led by legendary racist Adolph Rupp in the NCAA finals, will always be basketball's greatest day.
13
Basketball is a sport, not a social movement. Integration was a means to an end. I'd say that end is encapsulated in the life-long rivalry of Bird and Magic. Their NCAA championship game was huge. Their relationship made into a play. In many ways, it's post-racial. That's what I'm talking about.
And another gaper heard from , you know who you are!
A moment of reality for the usual anti Duke claque. Most of the experts predicted a 1 seed for Duke and that's exactly what happened. Try to get over it.
2
All four objective systems (RPI, BPI, Pomeroy, Sagarin) have Duke #6 or #7.
The "experts" predicted a #1 seed for Duke because they know the committee will perpetually overseed them and place them in the weakest region.
The "experts" predicted a #1 seed for Duke because they know the committee will perpetually overseed them and place them in the weakest region.
10
The question isn't really about what Notre Dame didn't get, it's why Duke still received a one seed after failing to win its conference championship, or even reach the finals. By the way, it's clique, not claque. Go to Duke?
3
How does Duke score a #1 seed when they neither won the ACC regular season nor the ACC tournament, getting bounced by a team from Indiana?
6
Oh here we go! Second guesses--"It's all a sham" yada, yada, yada.
This is why I like this tournament over that ridiculous 4 team "playoff" in College football. If they expanded the tournament to 128 teams..people would still be upset. I guess it's a nice break from GOP vs Obama---until Obama fills out his brackets and gets roasted for it.
A BIG surprise down South is that UCLA ended up as the #11 seed vs SMU. And UCLA ( I guess john Wooden's ghost is still a big influence in bracketology.) UCLA was 5-10 vs the top 100 Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) schools. SMU should take them out easily in the first rounds.
Oh this is so-o-o fun!!!!
This is why I like this tournament over that ridiculous 4 team "playoff" in College football. If they expanded the tournament to 128 teams..people would still be upset. I guess it's a nice break from GOP vs Obama---until Obama fills out his brackets and gets roasted for it.
A BIG surprise down South is that UCLA ended up as the #11 seed vs SMU. And UCLA ( I guess john Wooden's ghost is still a big influence in bracketology.) UCLA was 5-10 vs the top 100 Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) schools. SMU should take them out easily in the first rounds.
Oh this is so-o-o fun!!!!
5
Los Angeles and the State of Texas are huge TV markets. Better teams with small markets get the shaft (again! - Wichita State - 29 - 5 - gets a 7th seed this year after being a 1 seed last year!). (O course, they do play in Koch Arena, so maybe politics had something to do with their placement.)
I couldn't believe the head of the selection committee choking out the tale of UCLA's improvement throughout the year, and almost beating AZ, well, 2 out of 3 times. 0-3 against the 'Cats - now that's a great resume. (BTW, Go 'Cats!)
I couldn't believe the head of the selection committee choking out the tale of UCLA's improvement throughout the year, and almost beating AZ, well, 2 out of 3 times. 0-3 against the 'Cats - now that's a great resume. (BTW, Go 'Cats!)
3
UCLA really has no business being in the tournament. Among their myriad losses to unranked teams this season is one to Alabama, which was so bad that they fired their coach. Look as this schedule. THIS is a tournament team? http://www.uclabruins.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30500&SPID=1269...
3
You're wrong. UCLA, when they're on, is a ferocious team. They proved it twice when playing Arizona. We had more trouble with them, twice, than we did with Utah.
I expect UCLA to run to the round of 16 and, if Duke is still around, very possible to the round of 8.
I expect UCLA to run to the round of 16 and, if Duke is still around, very possible to the round of 8.
Yes Raymundo, and Virginia does not...
So, Notre Dame beats Duke 2 out of 3 games this year and wins the ACC but Duke gets a number 1 seed. That makes sense? What a charade.
31
Notre Dame was never in consideration for a #1 seed. Basically it has be be earned over the course of the season, and Notre Dame certainly didn't do that. There were others who arguably ought to have been chosen over Duke, but not the Fighting Irish.
5
Duke had a far more impressive resume.
3
Not only that, but Duke did not win their conference, nor did they win their conference tournament, yet they get both a number one seed AND their first two games on what is essentially a home court.
The NCAA has been lovin' Duke like this for a very long time.
The NCAA has been lovin' Duke like this for a very long time.
So the Arizona Wildcats are ranked #2 in the country, but are not one of the top four seeds. I hope that you folks far away in the East will get the chance to see what a great team the Cats are. And, they have a great coach in Sean Miller.
Go Cats!
Go Cats!
18
No question that among the #1 seeds Villanova has far and away the toughest road to the Final Four and Kentucky the easiest. What a surprise.
1
A small but hearty Tucson mafia here in Maryland seconds you!
5
The Cats are not only a great team but they are fun to watch. I agree that they should have gotten a #1 seed, but they're in the same region as Wisconsin and have a genuine chance to prove the committee wrong.
6
Nice to see the Big East back in the dance with seven teams! Goes to show that you can't keep good basketball programs down, no matter what the economics of the NCAA may be these days.
7
It was truly a shame to see the Big East tradition succumb to the almighty dollar. Another sign that college basketball became too successful for its own good.
Wisconsin!
17
Go Badgers! We love you!
(No Scott Walker - this is Not one of your accomplishments.
Let's keep it that way) :)
(No Scott Walker - this is Not one of your accomplishments.
Let's keep it that way) :)
44
Scott Walker is too busy looking for "a name from the future"--his words--to spare time for the Badgers, who represent the university he despises.
7
I was a huge college basketball junkie, but the constant revelations of corruption, even at places such as UNC, and the silliness of pretending that teams like Kentucky stacked with one and done players who take only the minimum amount of classes in the Fall and then leave, has made me root only for the Cinderella teams.
16
John Wall earned a 3.5 and took calculus. He was just really, really good.
2
That's not happening at Wisconsin.
3
That is very encouraging to hear and he is a great player. In contrast, I am sure Cal or an assistant were aware Derrick Rose's SAT score to get into Memphis was fraudulent, as he had failed the ACT 3 times and the SAT score came from Detroit, an odd plale for a Chicagoan to take the exam. This is not to say that Cal is much worse than the norm.
However, I still preferred the old UK teams of lots of KY, Indiana and WV players.
However, I still preferred the old UK teams of lots of KY, Indiana and WV players.
1
More proof - if it was needed - that Duke is always the "default" pick for the first seed despite not winning either the ACC regular season or the ACC tournament. Coach Mike K is and always will be the darling of the committee which will bend over backwards to make sure he has the best seating possible. Duke is an early elimination and it will be well-deserved.
26
It's probably more to do with television revenues than being the darling of the committee. But yes, that seeding was a travesty, and I say that as a Duke alumnus. In fact, if I were Coach K, I would not be thrilled with the seeding, because his players are bound to know they didn't deserve it and that will affect their play adversely.
10
Their resume explains their no. 1 seed. Obviously. Sorry.
2
Say it ain't so Brute...LOL! You wouldn't be jealous of Coach K and his MILLIONS of $$$$ and fans???
Apparently, Americans enjoy the illusion, the charade, these university sport programs have anything to do with college and academia. Most all the players are at best semi-literate with very low IQ, have no academic ability whatsoever. Everyone knows these programs are simply minor league training camps for professional sports. Eventually, the teams need to be severed from college branding, appropriately renamed as minor league teams. But everyone already knows this..
18
Gasser and Dukan, seniors at Wisconsin, visited my daughter's second grade classroom to read books during "literacy week." Badger football and basketball players visit sick kids in the cancer ward throughout the regular season. (JJ Watt was a regular when he attended.) Most UW players are midwest kids, going to school like any other, but with athletic talent that leads to local celebrity, something many take pride in for good causes.
Maybe it's not the same everywhere, but I think you are unfair to stereotype all scholar athletes based on what you've heard or seen about a few. In fact, the way you've belittled thousands of young men and women and their millions of fans is shamefully arrogant and anti-social.
Maybe it's not the same everywhere, but I think you are unfair to stereotype all scholar athletes based on what you've heard or seen about a few. In fact, the way you've belittled thousands of young men and women and their millions of fans is shamefully arrogant and anti-social.
14
There's something very sad beneath such a lazy assumption as, "Most all the players are at best semi-literate with very low IQ." To say "everyone already knows this" and see it supported with up votes sadly looks like just another angry dismissal of another institution in our uncivil times.
There is surely hypocrisy in the NCAA as exists in many corners of education, capitalism and sports. Cheaters deserve to be weeded out and the system deserves to be made better.
A cynical summary judgment of all these young people however is an uninformed insult to many thousands of admirable athlete scholars in university systems and the work they go on to do.
It's ridiculous to proclaim that being an athlete correlates to mental deficiency. Ninety-nine-plus percent of college athletes don't get a pro career and most all know this will be the case going in. Wisconsin, for example, hasn't seen a regular player leave school early for the pros since 2005 (Devin Harris) and I can't recall one before him who did. Instead, nearly all benefit from their college experience and cherish their institutions and fellow alums.
At the same time, college is most assuredly an environment and training ground for developing any number of professional disciplines and it's true that some or many athletes do pursue college sports in hopes for a pro career. Why should what's true for a law student not be true for a basketball player?
There is surely hypocrisy in the NCAA as exists in many corners of education, capitalism and sports. Cheaters deserve to be weeded out and the system deserves to be made better.
A cynical summary judgment of all these young people however is an uninformed insult to many thousands of admirable athlete scholars in university systems and the work they go on to do.
It's ridiculous to proclaim that being an athlete correlates to mental deficiency. Ninety-nine-plus percent of college athletes don't get a pro career and most all know this will be the case going in. Wisconsin, for example, hasn't seen a regular player leave school early for the pros since 2005 (Devin Harris) and I can't recall one before him who did. Instead, nearly all benefit from their college experience and cherish their institutions and fellow alums.
At the same time, college is most assuredly an environment and training ground for developing any number of professional disciplines and it's true that some or many athletes do pursue college sports in hopes for a pro career. Why should what's true for a law student not be true for a basketball player?
11
The Wisconsin program is very impressive on and off the court! Go Badgers (until we meet in Indy).
My reply to Matt below omitted my qualifier about Indiana "since 1976"
1
It is very difficult to overstate the legacy that is now tantalizingly within Kentucky's grasp. Not only has no NCAA Men's champion finished undefeated since 1976, *zero* have finished with one loss, and only seven(!) have finished with two losses. And only one of those (UK '12) has done it this century. The Wildcats were fortunate to win games v. Ole Miss and at LSU, but the win in College Station against Texas A&M was the one they should have lost above all others and they still found a way, thanks in part to some clutch FT shooting from some unexpected places.
They are the story for the rest of March, win or (likely) lose. Wisconsin looms as potentially a very tricky game, at best. Other teams, say, Duke or Arizona, have an "A" game that can beat UK's "B." UK alums and others who closely follow the 'Cats wonder/fear if the loss of Alex Poythress, who pushed UK's defense to historically great, Georgetown mid-1980s status, will finally be felt later this month or early next. History says UK will not make it, but it's tough to go out on a limb and say who will take them down, unless you really believe in the Badgers. And you're not crazy if you do.
They are the story for the rest of March, win or (likely) lose. Wisconsin looms as potentially a very tricky game, at best. Other teams, say, Duke or Arizona, have an "A" game that can beat UK's "B." UK alums and others who closely follow the 'Cats wonder/fear if the loss of Alex Poythress, who pushed UK's defense to historically great, Georgetown mid-1980s status, will finally be felt later this month or early next. History says UK will not make it, but it's tough to go out on a limb and say who will take them down, unless you really believe in the Badgers. And you're not crazy if you do.
1
Great point. I can't name all the Super Bowl and NCAA basketball winners, but even casual fans can probably tell you the Dolphins and the Indiana Hoosiers are the only undefeated champions in those two sports.
1
Wrong Joe. Indiana was simply the last undefeated team among several, most famously the great UCLA teams.
6
UCLA in the John Wooden era had several undefeated teams..
Don't get me started on the Dolphins....They are a total fluke....They weren't even the 2nd best team of the 1970's....Pittsburgh and Dallas had FAR superior teams.....The 72 Dolphins caught lightening in a bottle....They should have never won the 72 AFC Championship....They executed a fake punt against Pittsburgh which enabled them to win that game....The 1978 Steelers are the greatest team in NFL history (and this is coming from a diehard 49ers fan), even though they lost 2 games that season...
Don't get me started on the Dolphins....They are a total fluke....They weren't even the 2nd best team of the 1970's....Pittsburgh and Dallas had FAR superior teams.....The 72 Dolphins caught lightening in a bottle....They should have never won the 72 AFC Championship....They executed a fake punt against Pittsburgh which enabled them to win that game....The 1978 Steelers are the greatest team in NFL history (and this is coming from a diehard 49ers fan), even though they lost 2 games that season...
I will make the case for Iowa State to be a two seed. It's either them or Kansas. ISU beat KU the last two times they played, including the conference tournament championship in arguably the toughest conference in the country. Yes KU beat more ranked teams than ISU but many of those were very early in the season. That said, not much difference between a two and a three.
1
Rather be a 3 in Duke's bracket than a 2 in Kentucky's. Consider yourself lucky.
5
You have a low-level NBA time as the number 1 seed....even on a bad day they seem to play a cut above...odds makers love these situations.
2
Enjoy Fred Hoiberg while you can, my friend - word in Chicago is that he will be replacing Tom Thibodeau as the coach of the Chicago Bulls at the end of the season.