OT: UMBC over virginia, good or bad for college ball?

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I Like on almost every comment here and am grateful for the phone alert that told me to turn on the game starting at 21-21 post-halftime.
UMBC put up 53 points in one half against a coach I admire & like. That was fun, and definitely why I don't do brackets. It's only when the game is on that I decide (or realize) who I'm rooting for.

 

[SubbaBub]

UVa played last night like we've played all year and last year.

 

[Windsorlocks]

Free pizza, well, if your pizza standards are not that refined....

March Madness 2018: UMBC's win earns everyone in U.S. free pizza

 

[Tex-Lager93]

Love the storyline that the parents of Lyles, who stole the show, are both UVa grads, 1985.

 

[Kemba429]

Ill tell you guys what its one of the best things thats happened to me in the past 2 years of watching this sport. Living in Richmond, Virginia for most of my life I have noticed how idiotic pretty much all UVA fans are. They say theyre gonna win the natty every year, defense wins championships, blah blah blah. I will never, ever, shutup about this. Not only are they the first #1 to lose to a #16, they were the #1 going against #68 and they didnt just lose either, they got demolished. God I love it! Ive already bought my UMBC shirt and ready to prance around, showing off my shirt to every UVA fan I know.

 

[storrsroars]

Free pizza, well, if your pizza standards are not that refined....

March Madness 2018: UMBC's win earns everyone in U.S. free pizza

I've never been in a Little Caesar's and have no doubt their pizza is crap, but I'm in as it's their Detroit-style pizza not the round stuff.

Deal is you have to get it between 11:30am-1:00pm on April 2. If you're in line at 1:30 and don't get your order in before 1pm, you don't get free pizza. And the usual "or unless supplies run out" legalese applies. I'm sure Little Caesar's took out insurance for this so they're not going to feel a ton of pain at HQ.

But they will feel pain on the front line, so If I'm working for Little Caesar's, I'm thinking 4/2 might be a grand day for a threatened labor walkout.

Meantime, Tony Bennett should thank his parents for naming him Tony Bennett. That will prevent his name from becoming a national punchline, because nobody wants to insult the other Tony Bennett.

 

[Madmannsucks]

The selection committee seems to change the way they chose teams every year. One year it is all P5....probably see more mid majors next year.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

UVa played last night like we've played all year and last year.

Neither to be snarky nor because I'm a malcontent, I think UVA played better than we have, but I get your point.

 

[scotty0330]

It’s what makes this tournament the best sporting event there is. There were a number of close calls going all the way back to Princeton and Georgetown. The 16 seed finally did it. What no one saw was a blow out.

 

[Milo65]

I think it’s great for sports, bad for the AAC. There are calls for more spots for the little guys. Middle Tennessee State and those teams that couldn’t quite get off the bubble. I fear they will take more of those mid majors at the expense of the American. WS went down early, I doubt they would take less from the Power Conference. We want the American to be at least a 4 or 5 bid conference, I fear it will be a two bid conference.

 

[browndog319]

I picked UVA to win it all. Now I can rip up my bracket and enjoy basketball for basketball's sake. Great work by UMBC!

Weirdly, I did, too, and I’m still in 2nd place in my pool. It doesn’t help that I have them beating Purdue who has the bigger heartbreak of the tourney with Haas going down.

So great to see the final “no one seed will ever fall” rule of picks fall.

 

[GemParty]

Too bad there's no Cinderella in college football. UCF should have been given a shot.

 

[browndog319]

That's what it is all about. I was at Bobby V's Thursday in WLocks and the place was buzzing for URI and the underdogs. When the Jackrabbits from So Dakota State came back you could swear you were at the game as well as every big 3 by URI down the stretch, loud and fun. When the kid hit the 3 for Loyola Chicago it exploded.

That's what it's all about, so absolutely great for the game. Does it sometimes make an easier path for someone not as deserving absolutely but good for them too. Happens.

I was stuck in an airport in Dallas and was watching the Loyola/Miami game. The bar we were waiting in EXPLODED first with the out of bounds off of the Miami dude’s knee and then, again, with that pretty, pretty 3. It’s always fun to be in a place where everyone can get fired up over that.

Also loved their shirts “Created By Culture”.

 

[Travelman6]

I think it is gonna push for a P5 break in hoops. No one likes getting embarrassed

That is what I was getting at. It could be another spark in that eventual break up.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I see it as good. If the P5 conferences split off to avoid these kind of upsets they’ll be unpleasantly surprised when they realize the media dollars and buzz of the tournament are gone. This is why people watch...we don’t watch to see a Syracuse team with a losing conference record play Duke for a 3rd or 4th time

Bennett is now famous

 

[BugsyCT]

I think it’s great for sports, bad for the AAC. There are calls for more spots for the little guys. Middle Tennessee State and those teams that couldn’t quite get off the bubble. I fear they will take more of those mid majors at the expense of the American. WS went down early, I doubt they would take less from the Power Conference. We want the American to be at least a 4 or 5 bid conference, I fear it will be a two bid conference.

There are enough solid basketball schools in the AAC that the league will put 4 or 5 teams in on a regular basis if they just sustain some success (and can win quality OOC games). It's up to UConn and the rest of this league to get better.

 

[champs99and04]

Neither to be snarky nor because I'm a malcontent, I think UVA played better than we have, but I get your point.

You don't think we're capable of losing to UMBC by 20?

Regardless, that's what was so shocking. There's losing and then there is completely forgetting how to play basketball. They were in their own head big time.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Free pizza, well, if your pizza standards are not that refined....

March Madness 2018: UMBC's win earns everyone in U.S. free pizza

If only some place from the pizza thread would have a "we honor competitors' coupons" thing going on.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

You don't think we're capable of losing to UMBC by 20?

Regardless, that's what was so shocking. There's losing and then there is completely forgetting how to play basketball. They were in their own head big time.

Clearly, I didn't write well.

I think UMBC would have beaten UConn by more, though maybe it's just fair to say that the second half was of a piece with several of this year's 20+ point losses.

 

[Jaker]

great for the tourney

 

[SteelCT]

Would you rather have been the 1 seed that got upset by the 16 for the first time in history, or not have made the tourney at all...