First Four Thursday

[Hey Adrien!]

Great game, but I felt sick watching AG miss those forced threes.

All in all, a very good year for him and a huge component and leader that helped the team quickly transition from a really rough summer. Hat tip to him. Also, major respect to Issac Brown for righting the ship after the Marshall debacle.

If/when the AAC dissolves, would love to see Wichita State rejoin the MVC. Drake and Wichita State are made to play each other 2 or 3 times a year.

 

[AntG168]

I mean, an 11 losing in overtime and a 10 losing to a 7 aren't that big a deal. They're expected results. If a 1 goes down this weekend too, so be it. That happens sometimes.

No, all season theyve been billed as the far superior conference to everybody. It should show itself, and it won't because they weren't

 

[billybud]

In all of the wins...the team with the better record won the game.

 

[tzznandrew]

No, all season theyve been billed as the far superior conference to everybody. It should show itself, and it won't because they weren't

I mean, the best conference of all time was the Big East in 2011 and it fell on its face in the NCAAs. Single elimination is what it is.

 

[AntG168]

I mean, the best conference of all time was the Big East in 2011 and it fell on its face in the NCAAs. Single elimination is what it is.

They flopped

 

[Zissou]

I mean, the best conference of all time was the Big East in 2011 and it fell on its face in the NCAAs. Single elimination is what it is.

Single elimination is a great format. A champion has to win 6 in a row. If I remember correctly a Big East team won it all that year. Not exactly falling on its face.

 

[tzznandrew]

Single elimination is a great format. A champion has to win 6 in a row. If I remember correctly a Big East team won it all that year. Not exactly falling on its face.

I love single elimination. Didn't stop people from savaging the conference even after UConn won. If Illinois wins the whole thing and they're the only team in the E8, everyone on this board will call the conference's performance terrible.

 

[tzznandrew]

They flopped

Does that mean that wasn't the greatest conference ever?

 

[superjohn]

I mean, the best conference of all time was the Big East in 2011 and it fell on its face in the NCAAs. Single elimination is what it is.

I hear you but it's still nuts the 9th place team in the Big East won the National Championship.

 

[AntG168]

Does that mean that wasn't the greatest conference ever?

Possibly. Though that conference had a much greater sample size. I get upsets happen, but i don't know if you can lay claim to the best conference if all your teams flame out in the tournament. UConn winning the title that year gives that claim some relevance

 

[superjohn]

I love single elimination. Didn't stop people from savaging the conference even after UConn won. If Illinois wins the whole thing and they're the only team in the E8, everyone on this board will call the conference's performance terrible.

I would call it the Big 10's first national championship in 2 decades.

 

[tzznandrew]

I would call it the Big 10's first national championship in 2 decades.

It's true but ultimately not that telling. They've been in how many title games, with how many different teams? In how many Final Fours.

We both are high on the B12, but that conference is a friggin' Mario Chalmers' 3 from not having a title since 1987. The B10 has had excellent performances as a conference in the NCAAs.

 

[tzznandrew]

I hear you but it's still nuts the 9th place team in the Big East won the National Championship.

I agree. It was the best conference, probably ever. I'll hear a conversation about the 2009 version of it as well as the 1986 version.

I love the NCAAT, and we obviously judge a team's individual season on it, but I don't know if a conference can be judged the same way.

Caveat here: I don't think this year's Big Ten is as great as everyone says it is. I just don't think we should read too deeply inot some teams flaming out—as top teams do every single year from every single conference.

 

[HuskyHawk]

In all of the wins...the team with the better record won the game.

Except where a team was obviously strong, that's what I looked at in brackets. I'm not impressed with teams that go 15-10 or whatever, no matter who they played. There is a reasonable chance that Winthrop takes out Villanova. They don't look like a 12 to me.

 

[superjohn]

It's true but ultimately not that telling. They've been in how many title games, with how many different teams? In how many Final Fours.

We both are high on the B12, but that conference is a friggin' Mario Chalmers' 3 from not having a title since 1987. The B10 has had excellent performances as a conference in the NCAAs.

I give the Big 12 a slight edge over Big 10 this season but I'm not a fan of either conference. In my lifetime the Big 12 is Kansas, the Big 10 is the Buffalo Bills, and the ACC and Big East have run college basketball.

 

[Tenspro2002]

It's really remarkable, if you look at the last 30 years of college basketball, championships by conference are:

ACC - 11 (4 teams)
Big East - 8 (4 teams) [I'm including UConn in 2014]
SEC - 6 (3 teams)
PAC-12 - 2 (2 teams)
B1G - 1 (1 team)
Big 12 - 1 (1 team)

The B1G and Big 12 have a number of Final Fours, championship appearances, but they do not win titles.

In fact, the PAC-12, B1G, and Big 12 have a combined 1 title in the last 19 years.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I give the Big 12 a slight edge over Big 10 this season but I'm not a fan of either conference. In my lifetime the Big 12 is Kansas, the Big 10 is the Buffalo Bills, and the ACC and Big East have run college basketball.

You're young. I watched some great Anthony Peeler teams at Mizzou when they were Big 8/12. Fred Hoiberg Iowa State teams, and even the Royce team we played. OU has had great teams. OSU has had great teams. This Baylor, TT being good is certainly new though.

I think the Big 12 is a bit stronger than Big Ten this year, but it's close. I think Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State and Iowa are strong. I'm not convinced Purdue is even close to a 4 seed.

 

[tzznandrew]

It's really remarkable, if you look at the last 30 years of college basketball, championships by conference are:

ACC - 11 (4 teams)
Big East - 8 (4 teams) [I'm including UConn in 2014]
SEC - 6 (3 teams)
PAC-12 - 2 (2 teams)
B1G - 1 (1 team)
Big 12 - 1 (1 team)

The B1G and Big 12 have a number of Final Fours, championship appearances, but they do not win titles.

In fact, the PAC-12, B1G, and Big 12 have a combined 1 title in the last 19 years.

Yeah, if you start after the last B10 title, count UConn's toward the Big East, and calculate like this (simple, but escalating at the two big hurdles:

E8 = 1
FF = 3
Title Game = 4
Title = 6

The conferences rank out at:

1. ACC (155 points)
2. Big East (132)
3. Big 10 (91)
4. SEC (85)
5. B12 (78)
6. P12 (41)

If you go back one more year they widen the gap with the SEC (110 to 93). They're pretty clearly the third best conference (probably the second given the current iteration of the Big East), but it's pretty crazy they haven't been able to win a title with their depth.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Norfolk St-App St: flicked on it, shockingly pitiful quality from both teams, watched to the end purely for the p|ss poor play, one team or the other had to fail to lose. Zags' practice players may have a day vs Norfolk State

 

[tzznandrew]

Norfolk St-App St: flicked on it, shockingly pitiful quality from both teams, watched to the end purely for the p|ss poor play, one team or the other had to fail to lose. Zags' practice players may have a day vs Norfolk State

I mean, of course. These were the play-in 16 seeds. They were necessarily going to be be absolutely terrible.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Yeah, if you start after the last B10 title, count UConn's toward the Big East, and calculate like this (simple, but escalating at the two big hurdles:

E8 = 1
FF = 3
Title Game = 4
Title = 6

The conferences rank out at:

1. ACC (155 points)
2. Big East (132)
3. Big 10 (91)
4. SEC (85)
5. B12 (78)
6. P12 (41)

If you go back one more year they widen the gap with the SEC (110 to 93). They're pretty clearly the third best conference (probably the second given the current iteration of the Big East), but it's pretty crazy they haven't been able to win a title with their depth.

The Big Ten has clearly been a player, they just never close the deal.

Now the Pac-12 on the other hand. woof.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I mean, of course. These were the play-in 16 seeds. They were necessarily going to be be absolutely terrible.

Au contraire, the quality Norfolk State and App State displayed fell far below most play-in 16 seeds. "albsolutely terrible" would be an immensely generous description.