NCAA Tournament: Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight Thread

[Joneslab]

Both Virginia and Gonzaga collapsed against Syracuse. Both controlled the game until the very end...and lost.

Tony Bennett's teams cannot play if the game is sped up. Just can't operate in that style, and if they get behind they just don't like to force the issue. There was a minute left and they were still grinding away in their halfcourt offense.

[KevinHall]

Both Virginia and Gonzaga collapsed against Syracuse. Both controlled the game until the very end...and lost.

Tony Bennett's teams cannot play if the game is sped up. Just can't operate in that style, and if they get behind they just don't like to force the issue. There was a minute left and they were still grinding away in their halfcourt offense.

That's the reason I just laugh when people say Bennett should be a candidate at UK sometime in the future. First game like that he lost everyone would turn on him. That style he coaches would never fly at UK. He also loses at least one two games year by a score of something like 71-39. I 'm sure that would go over like a lead balloon too.

[Blue Heaven]

Looks like UNC is poised to take it but i'm pulling for Oklahoma.

[Joneslab]

I'd forgotten this but Oklahoma and Villanova played once this season, back in December.

Oklahoma crushed them. Won by 23. Don't think it will go down like that this time, but if Buddy is shooting the way he has been Oklahoma could win it all. If a guy is out there consistently making 25-footers a team is going to be very tough to beat.

[Lighthouse]

The hint here is UNC is the team to beat and will be the NC. With all that's happened in college basketball this year, that may not be the case. I do think Syracuse is the weakest team in the FF, and that Oklahoma and Nova are very capable of beating anyone. It should be an interesting final four.

[KCKUKFan]

I really hope that Oklahoma (or Villanova) wins.

I won't be able to handle the slime of a UNC/Syracuse championship. Ugh.

[Lighthouse]

I really hope that Oklahoma (or Villanova) wins.

I won't be able to handle the slime of a UNC/Syracuse championship. Ugh.

Now, that's a true statement!!

[KevinHall]

Buddy Hield has the "It" factor. He has "it" whatever it is. That could be enough to get them through this weekend. UNC is the team to beat though. If they have it clicking no one will beat them. No one is giving Syracuse much of chance and maybe they don't. But that zone they use can give anyone trouble. UNC doesn't shoot the ball that well from the outside either. If Paige isn't on his game they could have a tough one. But if UNC gets a big lead early it will be lights out. They won't blow the game like UVA did.

OU/Villanova could be a classic. Nova is a tough, experienced team. They have some size too unlike other years that they bowed out early. OU is the same way. Both teams are very much like each other except for Hield who will probably be the difference in this one.

[Blue Heaven]

UNC is looking good. I know March is all about guards supposedly, but they have a very good low post game. Watching them last night had me wondering where would we be had we had a good front court.

[Matt Dillon]

UNC is looking good. I know March is all about guards supposedly, but they have a very good low post game. Watching them last night had me wondering where would we be had we had a good front court.

In the FF, no doubt about it, in my opinion.

[Joneslab]

Forget a good frontcourt. We just needed a consistent frontcourt player.

Oklahoma is interesting in that they kind of just do the frontcourt-by-committee the way we did. But their defense is much better than ours.

Even with our frontcourt if we could've defended at a high level we could've made a deep run. We just never did become a solid defensive team.

[KCKUKFan]

Forget a good frontcourt. We just needed a consistent frontcourt player.

Oklahoma is interesting in that they kind of just do the frontcourt-by-committee the way we did. But their defense is much better than ours.

Even with our frontcourt if we could've defended at a high level we could've made a deep run. We just never did become a solid defensive team.

Strange for a Calipari group.

I'm not sure why this team didn't click defensively like most of his others. Maybe a combination of things.

[Joneslab]

Strange for a Calipari group.

I'm not sure why this team didn't click defensively like most of his others. Maybe a combination of things.

Definitely a combination I think.

Murray improved but was never a lockdown defender. When Willis entered the lineup things got worse, even though they improved offensively. And our frontcourt tended to foul like crazy.

It didn't help that one of our two best defenders was 5'9".

[TrueblueCATfan]

WOW...So we have 2 cheating programs meeting in the FF on Saturday.......I am pulling for Villanova Wildcats

[Catsrock]

I'd be cool with Nova or Oklahoma as champ. Somebody's gotta win the darn thing and I don't think its going to be the good guys. These would be the lesser evil.