Other Teams You’re Rooting For in the 2023 NCAA Tournament

[RayIsTheGOAT]

I’m curious what other teams y’all like from this season and are rooting for in the tournament secondarily to the Huskies.

Some teams I like-

UVM- Fun New England team to root for, my brother’s alma mater.
Houston- Nice to see the old AAC foe still killing it.
Yale (hope they get there)- home state.

Marquette- I honestly have no ill will towards them (only when we’re playing them). They deserve a lot of props for the season they’ve had so far. Shaka has had an outstanding year. They didn’t get enough respect after the regular season. Now I think they’re being taken very seriously nationally. It’s funny because it would be a totally different narrative had the ball bounced a different way against St. John’s on Thursday.

I also have a soft spot for the Iona Rick Pitinos. Just a fun story to see one of the all-time greats, and an old rival, coaching an MAAC team.

Penn State- It’s fun to see Micah Shrewsbury have success at a place that is generally hard to have basketball success at. You could see how much it means to him, he was almost in tears after advancing in the Big 10 tourney the other day.

PC can go pound sand as far as I’m concerned.

 

[gsmooth]

I’m curious what other teams y’all like from this season and are rooting for in the tournament secondarily to the Huskies.

Some teams I like-

UVM- Fun New England team to root for, my brother’s alma mater.
Houston- Nice to see the old AAC foe still killing it.
Yale (hope they get there)- home state.

Marquette- I honestly have no ill will towards them (only when we’re playing them). They deserve a lot of props for the season they’ve had so far. Shaka has had an outstanding year. They didn’t get enough respect after the regular season. Now I think they’re being taken very seriously nationally. It’s funny because it would be a totally different narrative had the ball bounced a different way against St. John’s on Thursday.

I also have a soft spot for the Iona Rick Pitinos. Just a fun story to see one of the all-time greats, and an old rival, coaching an MAAC team.

Penn State- It’s fun to see Micah Shrewsbury have success at a place that is generally hard to have basketball success at. You could see how much it means to him, he was almost in tears after advancing in the Big 10 tourney the other day.

PC can go pound sand as far as I’m concerned.

I have always respected the job Kelvin Sampson has done in Houston. I also like that he revitalized Josh Carlton. I normally root for BE teams against non-BE teams in the NCAAT, but I was pulling for Houston last year against Nova.

I also pull for Connecticut teams in the NCAAT, but Yale to my dismay lost to Princeton.

I like Marquette and Shaka Smart and really respect that team even though I lament the fact if UConn makes their FTs better and 1-2 good looks, it might have been UConn cutting down the nets at MSG.

I could pull for Iona because they are a close to NYC and I have friends from New Rochelle. Also, Taliek Brown is an assistant coach there and he is a part of the UConn family. Interesting thought is that Taliek will most likely follow Rick to St. John's. Of course I am assuming Rick to St. John's is a done deal and I might be in for a surprise.

Penn State - I know nothing about them except that their coach is in high consideration for the Georgetown job and that their win over IU helped UConn.

As for Providence, I will pull for them. They are in the BE and I always pull for the BE teams against non-BE teams. However, PC fans, and Nova fans really hate us and most wouldn't reciprocate (not talking about Friar J, he is cool). If you look at my past posts I always say "UConn has to do this to win.." or whatever and I never use the pronoun "we" as I separate myself from the team. But when I say PC fans and Nova fans hate us, I mean they hate UConn and their fans as they think UConn fans are obnoxious. In Villanova SB Nation, they were quite a few comments saying "ABC" meaning "Anyone But Connecticut" was their rooting interest to win the BET and reveled in Marquette beating UConn.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Whoever covers for me. Whoever I bet on. Got a few futures bets, including us.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Also Jalen Gaffney and the FAU Owls!! Can’t sleep on them.

 

[rip7774]

Oral Roberts, Abmas still there and several of the role players from that magical run plus a new impact guard.

Any Big East
Any non P5

Wish UNC-Wilmington had made it they have a lot of guards that remind me of the Calhoun type quick, tenacious vs the slower ones Hurley seems to prefer.

FAU looks real good, good for Gaff. Love UAB but they were way better all year.

Iona looks pretty good to my eyes, obv don’t love Pitino tho.

Furman has 3 studs, 2 that came back to propel them to the tourney but I doubt they can win. SoCon usually tough.

 

[shizzle787]

1. UConn
2. Other Big East teams
3. Any Cinderella
4. Anyone playing Duke, UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, or Indiana

 

[Tenspro2002]

Gambling interests aside:

Marquette, Gonzaga, Northwestern, Xavier I suppose, maybe Creighton, Vermont, St. Mary's, and whoever's playing Dook, Kentucky, Alabama, Kansas, and Auburn

 

[StllH8L8ner]

1. UConn
2. Not Duke

 

[Goldenflash]

Kent State…..class of ‘81

 

[auror]

Marquette, Xavier, and Creighton
FAU, Oral Roberts, Iona

Probably one of Baylor or Kansas St, haven't decided which yet.

 

[gtcam]

I like Houston but when they get in foul trouble they start playing defense like UConn with their hands but K Sampson is a great coach and gets the most out of non 4* and 5* players- player development
I like Marquette and Shaka. Man he gets his kids in good places on the court
Rooting for Texas this season for their interim coach
UVM is easy to root for
Everyone who plays Duke Xavier PC Memphis Kansas UCLA UNC Nova Purdue

 

[ucp990411]

UConn
University of Connecticut
Connecticut
Huskies
1999, 2004,2011,2014 national champions
I don’t give a rat’s butt about anyone else

 

[wheelerdog]

I root for all the Big East teams

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Oral Roberts, Abmas still there and several of the role players from that magical run plus a new impact guard.

Any Big East
Any non P5

Wish UNC-Wilmington had made it they have a lot of guards that remind me of the Calhoun type quick, tenacious vs the slower ones Hurley seems to prefer.

FAU looks real good, good for Gaff. Love UAB but they were way better all year.

Iona looks pretty good to my eyes, obv don’t love Pitino tho.

Furman has 3 studs, 2 that came back to propel them to the tourney but I doubt they can win. SoCon usually tough.

Speaking of FAU, haven't seen cliffspliffy rambling in a bit

 

[ctchamps]

All BE teams. Strong conference result is money UConn shares plus helps recruiting.
Anyone who plays Duke, Kentucky and Alabama.
Definitely FAU.
Any non P5 teams.
Furman. My brother likes the coach. Went to several games because he lived near the campus. Did a @BigErnMcCracken and was escorted from the arena because he was obnoxious trying to get the home fans to root for their team louder. He upped BigErn in that he now has a lifetime ban from Furman. But still rooting for them because of the coach.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You already know.
1. UConn
2. Kansas
3. K-State
4. Vermont
5. Big East teams

We do get tournament shares if Big East teams win.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Gonzaga every year. The fact that they have yet to win one always painfully reminds how hard winning one actually is. It's depressing

 

[rip7774]

Oh yeah the K State PG is from NYC and Kemba was his guy growing up. You can see things in his game that mimic him. So K state a bit too tho I never root for p5.

 

[kobe]

Teams from mid and low major leagues like Iona, Kent State, Oral Roberts, Connecticut, Marquette, etc

Whoever is playing Xavier/UCLA

 

[REB1094]

Love this question. In no order -

• Rutgers - the first university I got admitted to, and lots of friends went there
• Maryland - fiancee went there
• Penn State - good friend of mine is a rabid Penn State fan

Now the ones I'm picking for basketball reasons instead of personal reasons -

• Marquette, Xavier, Creighton, Providence - rep the conference
• FAU - Jalen Gaffney
• Painful to say, but Duke. I'm a fan of chaos and a deep Duke run in the first year without Coach K would be funny
• Memphis - always liked battling with them in the AAC, they're a fun team who seem to have pulled it together under Penny
• Princeton - who wouldn't love an Ivy League upset?

 

[Ratso]

memphis - penny & the drums

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Might be scratching Iona off that list. I don’t know. Changed my mind.

 

[auror]

Marquette, Xavier, and Creighton
FAU, Oral Roberts, Iona

Probably one of Baylor or Kansas St, haven't decided which yet.

Iona now dead to me.

 

[jdb50]

I hope Marquette makes the Final 4 and we are there saying Hi. Going all in for the Friars over Kentucky and Creighton and Xavier should make some noise.

 

[White Dwarf]

College of Charleston. 12 seed

30 win season and a half dozen grad student transfers on the team. Easy 5-12 upset pick.