ESPN's 'experts' picks

[pap49cba]

Uconn across the board

LINK

 

[CL82]

...better late than never.

 

[Bestiarius]

Looks like some folks have come up with the answer to, "Why not us?"

 

[RadyLady]

...better late than never.

WHAT A HOOT!! Thanks for the laugh!!

 

[DobbsRover2]

Creme rises to the top, beating out the other pundits no matter what the result tomorrow as he currently has 5 of 6 picks correct from E8 through FF and next best is 4 for all the others except Voepel who only has 3 correct.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Something we will likely never see again. A team beats the reigning champ and overwhelming favorite in the tourney and reaches the NC game after knocking off two other highly ranked teams, and they're facing a team with 4 losses and no league championship titles during the year, but no one is picking the giant-slayer to win. This is a tribute both to the way UConn has played recently and to their spotless record in 7 past NC games.

 

[EricLA]

Easy to pick a winner, harder to pick the score. I'd like to see them do a score prediction thread like we do and see who gets it the closest. I bet BY'ers (who know both teams better than those experts to IMHO), can pick a closer score, and even we often get it WAY wrong!

 

[Vowelguy]

Something we will likely never see again
.... but no one is picking the giant-slayer to win.

Louisville is the women's version of a Cinderella. Cinderellas are never favored; not sure why this surprises anyone.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Louisville is the women's version of a Cinderella. Cinderellas are never favored; not sure why this surprises anyone.

Maybe because they beat Baylor, which only Stanford had done this season and for which Tara's team was handed the top ranking spot at the time. And after you knock off the dominant #1 team in America plus two more seeds at the #2 level, you're not exactly a little 15-seed Cinderella but more like one of her mean-butt sisters. If this was undefeated UConn of 2009 then maybe LVille would still heading for her pumpkin carriage, but I think Cindy maybe has grown up a bit in this tourney. LVille's not the favorite for anyone now, but hell they're going up against a team that one ESPN pundit picked KY to beat in the Elite 8 game. This isn't really a Cindy effect, this is all on UConn.

 

[Vowelguy]

On the men's side, Wichita St beat #1 Gonzaga and #2 Ohio St. Had they also beaten overall #1 Louisville, they would've still been an underdog in the NC game.

Louisville is a #5 seed. They would've been underdog against any of the top 4 from the other side of the draw -- ND, UConn, Duke, or Kentucky.

 

[Phil]

Not only a 5 seed, the first 5 seed ever in the NC game.

 

[Icebear]

Many people thought their 5 seed was at least one line too low.

 

[Vowelguy]

Many people thought their 5 seed was at least one line too low.

At least? Who thought they were a 3 seed?

They were 6-8 against NCAA teams seeded #1-10. Their two best wins were the opening-game victory over a then-young Texas A&M team, and winning at 9-seed Villanova.

 

[Icebear]

At least? Who thought they were a 3 seed?

They were 6-8 against NCAA teams seeded #1-10. Their two best wins were the opening-game victory over a then-young Texas A&M team, and winning at 9-seed Villanova.

I didn't say I agreed.

 

[DobbsRover2]

On the men's side, Wichita St beat #1 Gonzaga and #2 Ohio St. Had they also beaten overall #1 Louisville, they would've still been an underdog in the NC game.

Louisville is a #5 seed. They would've been underdog against any of the top 4 from the other side of the draw -- ND, UConn, Duke, or Kentucky.

Um, well teams do sometime change their status during a tournament. Like all 5 ESPN pundits picked #5 seed over #2 seed Cal in the semi game, so are the Cardinals still Miss Cindy Lou Who-ville or is it recognized that the team is a little different from when the selections were made? Think of that, all five pickers chose Louisville for their game, and you're calling it a little Cinderella? Only 3 of the folks picked UConn, so though Cal is no ND, I'm also thinking that Cindy Lou is indeed now one of her mean sisters maybe tricking gullible viewers into thinking she's some poor dustbin girl. I think the Baylor game kind let the secret out of the bag.

 

[UConnChapette]

Two and a half words:

WE'RE DOOMED!

 

[DobbsRover2]

At least? Who thought they were a 3 seed?

They were 6-8 against NCAA teams seeded #1-10. Their two best wins were the opening-game victory over a then-young Texas A&M team, and winning at 9-seed Villanova.

And again, if say during the season Louisville is maybe ranked 16th in the polls and then suddenly during a week-and-half stretch that brutal Jeff dreamed up for a schedule they have to go play #1 Baylor, and beat them, then #10 UTenn, and beat them, and then #6 Cal, and beat them, but you're still saying they're a little #16 Cinderella and that if they go play #11 UCLA next week you'll still see them as the little underdog that's hanging around that #16 doghouse? Wow, you're one tough customer, and I do hope the AP pollsters are a little more charitable toward a team's accomplishments.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Two and a half words:

WE'RE DOOMED!

Well of course, but please don't bring the Charlie Sheen "Winning" image up that drove the men to their 2011 championship. Give me bad dreams.

 

[arty155]

-Again? Well, all right, all right. Just one more time, Yarders, and then it’s off to bed with you.

.

-Once upon a time, the fickle ESPN Prints Charming hoped he saw a Cinderella!

-But next night, the charm wore off exactly when the clock struck the Hour of Tip-off!

-Poof! No Cinderella! It was merely... a Cardinal! Uh-oh!

-Growling, screaming and then... a few scattered feathers were all that was left, after the Husky feeding frenzy.

-Of course Prints Charming then forgot Cinderella, writing only how the Huskies lived happily ever after. As it should be!

-THE END!

-Now get some sleep! Big frenzy game tomorrow!