Final Four Open Thread: Death To UConn?
by CasualHoya on Apr 2, 2011 2:07 PM EDT
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Happier times.
Well well well. Here we are, the 2011 NCAA Tournament Final Four, the last weekend of the college basketball season. Though my blue and gray Tumi suitcase lies empty in my closet and not on the floor of a casual hotel room in Houston, we are nonetheless presented with a couple of very intriguing games this evening.
Games and Picks after The Jump:
First up on the undercard are your Rams of Virginia Commonweath against America's sweethearts, the Butler Bulldogs. Plenty of storylines here: the young 'genius' coaches Brad Stevens and Shaka Smart - will they be coaching their last games for their respective teams? Butler's Matt Howard - will he rise to the occasion and make his tiny village in Indiana proud it bankrupted itself sending his parents to see him play? VCU - can they possibly keep this level of play up? Are the VCU Rams the best team in the country? Will the Pep Band play Rihanna songs?
And then the late game, UConn against Kentucky. Jim Calhoun and John Calipari. Evil against more evil. Big East against SEC. Kemba Walker against the world. One shade of blue against another.
Casual Picks:
Butler -2.5 v. VCU:
The clock strikes twelve for the cinderella Rams, whose lights out shooting from deep takes a hit in the cavernous dome of Reliant Stadium. Butler's discipline, smart basketball and underrated team defense wins out as VCU will be unable to exploit Butler's most glaring weakness - its interior defense (see Macklin, Vernon). Final score: Butler 72 VCU 64.
UConn +2.5 v. Kentucky:
So let me get this straight. I'm getting Kemba Walker and 2.5 points? Kentucky may have top to bottom more talent, but I'll take Kemba and Lamb and bank on UConn's bigs staying out of foul trouble enough to cause the Wildcats some problems. Final score: UConn 83 Kentucky 76. Over under on Ashley Judd shots in the crowd is 2.5, and I'm going OVER. Way over.
As a fan of the Big East I'm inclined to root for UConn to beat Kentucky, reach the Final to shut up all the Big East naysayers, and then lose to either Butler or VCU because that would be awesome. What do you think?
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I don’t want Uconn to get a 3rd title.
I think I would actually prefer Kentucky to win the national title.
1) I don’t want a team like VCU or Butler to have as many national titles as we do.
2) UK already had plenty one more won’t change much
3) 50% chance the title gets vacated within the next year.
According to your math then....
there seems to be no upside to tonight’s outcome. I agree if UK wins under “The Crook” there will probably be an NCAA posse coming to Lexington in about a year. But that will be little solace. Titles vacated don’t really mean much to me. Sure it disgraces the program, but everybody still knows who won.
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
by Cuse Swallows on Apr 2, 2011 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Why are so many people voting for those cheaters up at Uconn. I don’t want to deal with Uconn fans holding 3 titles over our heads.
less of a chance unless they can prove 1 of uconn’s current players should have been ineligible.
by hoyasincebirth on Apr 2, 2011 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions
That's why I don't feel so bad about UK or UConn.
Neither of them will have this Final Four exist after a year or two.
best part of ku winning
is that it never happened
But Dude...
They already have more titles than we do…regardless of tonight’s outcome. Two is better than one. Take solace in the fact that we run a better overall program with very few blemishes than they do. We will get our second some day.
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
by Cuse Swallows on Apr 2, 2011 8:14 PM EDT up reply actions
yes
More than ok. Butler is getting all the calls, terrible.
by iheartgregmonroe on Apr 2, 2011 8:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Ok not really terrible but they do seem very duke-ish.
by iheartgregmonroe on Apr 2, 2011 8:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Is it the pretty boy coach?
Or the fact that they are getting all the calls tonight? I don’t think I can hate Butler man. They seem like a good program. I don’t want VCU though, out of sheer bitterness over losing to them.
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
by Cuse Swallows on Apr 2, 2011 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Well that's it!
Butler is going back-to-back finals. Wonder if they can win it.
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
Really?
Say it isn’t so. I’m white. Do you hate me?
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
by Cuse Swallows on Apr 2, 2011 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
All that hates gonna burn you up!
What movie, my friend?
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
Georgetown lost to VCU in the second round
Casually.
by CasualHoya on Apr 2, 2011 8:22 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Great point!
Although I still call those First Four crap play-in games.
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
Stop fouling VCU!
Concede that you have lost! Prolonging the game doesn’t help.
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
I did enjoy the student sign that said "Where's Duke?"
Always nice to needle them.
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
Stirring the pot...
Between games I’m wondering if you think college players should be paid to play? I watched the “Real Sports” segment this weekend and they had a panel which debated the merits of paying college players in the two major sports, football and basketball.
After seeing the last commerical about “Student-Athletes” and the human highlight reel, I can’t help but think of all the billions of dollars the NCAA and the member universities make over the talent of these athletes, but yet they don’t see a dime of it.
Would it be the right thing to pay players for their talents?
I marched on Leavey to keep the Pub open in the 90's.
Nah
Bilas says to allow the Olympic model, which I agree with.
If you are good enough to earn endorsements, talk show appearances, etc – go ahead and get paid for that. Michael Phelps is an “amateur” athlete who makes a living, why not let these kids do the same?
Outright paying them to play raises all kinds of questions – where does that money come from? Who sets a pay scale? Do all schools have to pay? etc.
"I don't know. I'm making this up as I go."
Agree.
Plus why should someone get paid for going to college? They are already getting a free education – and often (in the case of G’town, Duke, etc) a rather expensive one. If they can make money on endorsements, so be it, but the rules in terms of what the schools can pay for should stay basically the same IMO, otherwise there will be a bigger divide then ever between the Kentuckys and the VCUs of the world.
by BornonthisBandWagon on Apr 2, 2011 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Just did the math
The combined age of the coaches in the VCU-Butler game is still younger than Jim Calhoun.
"I don't know. I'm making this up as I go."
really nervous about this game!
Blip
by JahidiLikesPie on Apr 2, 2011 9:15 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Have some pie
you’ll feel better
by Lord Humongous on Apr 2, 2011 9:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
bourbon is the preferred sedative
Blip
by JahidiLikesPie on Apr 2, 2011 10:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Kemba Walker is good at basketball
Casually.
by CasualHoya on Apr 2, 2011 9:34 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Lamb isn't shabby either
kid knows how to finish
does Kemba enter the draft?
by Lord Humongous on Apr 2, 2011 9:58 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yes
already has enough credits to graduate, honored on senior day
Casually.
by CasualHoya on Apr 2, 2011 10:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
aaannnddd
Two crooks embrace.
I wonder what two sons of satan say to one another?
Blip
by JahidiLikesPie on Apr 2, 2011 11:17 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
'See you in the Hall of Fame?'
Casually.
by CasualHoya on Apr 2, 2011 11:44 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Big East
all day. while the underdog story is great for tv, who really gives a crap about lesser conferences. if i wanted to watch a bunch of no talent assclowns play hard on a nightly basis, i’d go to any of the free live music venues in the village where they charge you 16 dollars a drink to cover the live music.
go uconn, bring it home for the big east and silence the naysayers. even better since you finished in the middle of the pack in the regular season.
by ghostofjoeybrown on Apr 3, 2011 1:57 AM EDT reply actions
Now that it's butler vs. Uconn
I guess I’m going Uconn.
Don’t want Butler to have as many titles as we do that’d just be sad.
Ideal out come.
1) uconn wins.
2) Calhoun retires because he’s on top
3) In addition to kemba going pro Orihaki, Lamb, and Roscoe smith all go pro as well.
4) Roscoe Smith does not get drafted
5) The Uconn title is retroactively vacated
6) Brad Stevens takes the NC State or some other opening.
I have to go Butler
just to put the finishing touch on this most f%*k-up of seasons. Big East is semi-redeemed by having a middle-of-conference record team play in final. Calhoun is denied and retires due to heartbreak and a guilty conscience. Indiana has something they can be happy about (since Peyton Manning is getting old). “White” hoops gets its once in a generation day in the sun which keeps young aspiring b-ballers from choosing to become rappers instead. The world rejoices.
"Joy to the fishies in the deep blue sea..."
Stevens isn't going anywhere
He just signed a 12 year deal. He wants to stay in Indiana, and with the in-state HS talent they have, who can blame him? He’s turned Butler into a national powerhouse a la Gonzaga, but with better results.
Shaka, on the other hand…
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