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  1. This topic is for everyone in the US (or anyone who follows US sports overseas..) that wants to enjoy the NCAA March Madness. Madness begins March 13, 2012, but we are very very close to Selection Sunday.

    What teams are you watching closely right now? Who do you have pegged as going very far in the championship? Anyone you think will be out early, perhaps unexpectedly?

    Brackets can/should be posted here once they come out. Screenshots of your ones on ESPN.com or wherever you fill one out should be fine. Would anybody be interested in starting a U2start group to compete with our brackets??

    Please get the discussion going, especially Brian- who I know is a big fan of Syracuse and they are one of the better teams in the USA right now

    Matt's Early Picks

    Michigan State
    Currently ranked 7th in the nation, I expect Michigan State to dominate the tournament until they hit the Elite 8. Izzo's coaching has led them through an outstanding season and Draymond Green (provided he keeps himself in shape and not hurt) along with Austin Thornton will carry the team through the tournament.

    Syracuse
    The 'Cuse looks unstoppable lately and I really think that 2012 is their year for MM.

    UNC
    North Carolina is bringing back the same powerhouse that brought them to the Elite 8 last year plus a well rounded new group of kids, so expect them to be around for a long time.

    Missouri
    I might pick these guys to win it all. When their momentum is going strong, they are utterly unstoppable, but they're also human- don't forget about their tough loss to Oklahoma State earlier this season. KU also gave them a tight run for their money, but that rematch is coming up tomorrow night, so we'll have another glimpse at that.

    Teams I've already forgotten about

    Duke
    They're gonna go really far. We're all pretty sure of that. But I fucking hate them. So I refuse to accept that they're going to take it all. Duke played most of their harder games early on in the season and actually won most of them, but have since slipped with some interesting losses to teams that, given the March Madness motivation, might make for some serious upsets in a few weeks. Duke's go-to player is a freshman, and while that may be fine for the regular season, it's a recipe for disaster in March. Sure, it works out sometimes, but combined with Duke's uncanny knack for falling way behind in games from time to time, everything spells "upset" to this guy.

    Kentucky
    They're amazing right now. Unstoppable. Probably the best regular season team in the NCAA. But as a friend pointed out in a conversation earlier this week...they play all freshmen. Freshmen who are really great at basketball, but freshmen who lack the experience of a post-season. Expect the team to fall apart around Elite 8 time, perhaps not making the Final 4- though their regular season record would suggest that they deserve it.

    Ohio State
    Hate these guys too, but the real point here is that they play half of the game from the ground. During a regular season game, against a school like Purdue, you might be able to draw fouls and act your way to the win, but they're going to get stomped in the post season. Cockiness gets you nowhere in March, it's all about the net. Aint no net on the floor, boys.
  2. The NCAA tournament is my favorite time of the year. I hope I won't be working too much to miss it.

    When I have more time, I could give my thoughts. But I want to say now that I completely disagree about you assessment of Kentucky. They are the best defensive team in the country. And that is something that doesn't go away very easily. You can have bad shooting nights, but great defenses show up every night, and that will keep them in games when they do shoot poorly. While they do play a good bit of freshman, they have three key players from last year's team that made the Final Four.

    A lot of how well a team does in the tourney has to do with where they are placed. It's too early to pick a final four until I see the actual bracket. But I think they'll end up my winner with my picks.

    Also, Kentucky plays my alma mater tomorrow night in ESPN. We should get killed.
  3. O ya I'm always ready to talk some hoops. Everything I say will likely be very biased in favor of the Orange but at least I'm declaring that up front.

    Another team I think is dangerous that we've so far omitted discussing is Kansas. They have a well balanced team. Good guard play and their big guys are formidable as well. Also like their experience and coaching to help them succeed in March.
  4. And I'd definitely be interested in a u2start bracket pool somewhere if we had enough interest in it.
  5. Originally posted by lestertriplett87:The NCAA tournament is my favorite time of the year. I hope I won't be working too much to miss it.

    When I have more time, I could give my thoughts. But I want to say now that I completely disagree about you assessment of Kentucky. They are the best defensive team in the country. And that is something that doesn't go away very easily. You can have bad shooting nights, but great defenses show up every night, and that will keep them in games when they do shoot poorly. While they do play a good bit of freshman, they have three key players from last year's team that made the Final Four.

    A lot of how well a team does in the tourney has to do with where they are placed. It's too early to pick a final four until I see the actual bracket. But I think they'll end up my winner with my picks.

    Also, Kentucky plays my alma mater tomorrow night in ESPN. We should get killed.

    I definitely agree that Kentucky will most likely be in a Final 4 situation, but I honestly can't see them getting anywhere past that. They're amazing defensively, but I can't see them in a tournament situation keeping that defense up against UNC or Syracuse.

    We'll have to wait and see, like you said, little bit early to predict without a bracket and without the rest of the season under the belt, but that's just an early call from me. You won't see them in the championship game on my bracket.
  6. I'd definitely be interested in a bracket if we get enough people.

    Also, Kentucky already beat UNC.

  7. Talking about the tourney, though. UNC always rocks in March.
  8. Except last year when a Kentucky freshman-led team beat them.

    I'll go ahead and warn you that I hate UNC. I hate Roy Williams, and I hate their team. Yes I like Duke, but I'd hate UNC regardless of how I feel about duke.
  9. Originally posted by lestertriplett87:Except last year when a Kentucky freshman-led team beat them.

    I'll go ahead and warn you that I hate UNC. I hate Roy Williams, and I hate their team. Yes I like Duke, but I'd hate UNC regardless of how I feel about duke.

    Oh this is gonna be funnn

    I don't have a strong opinion towards UNC, I just like their offense this year. Their defense however has been to pretty much play offense in answer to being scored on, though, which isn't great...but I honestly think that Kentucky won't get past whoever they face in the Final 4.
  10. Gonna be honest i really dont see Syracuse being stopped this year in the tournament or the Big East. Only game we lost was without our defensive anchor Fab Melo, with him in there the defense in the zone is just so tenacious I don't forsee anyone being able to put up big points against it in the short timeframe of the tournament.

    Not only that but our depth will allow us to stay fresh over the course of the month. Not many teams can go ten deep but the Cuse can and do every game. Not to mention that we've had many close games this year both high scoring and grind it out defensive efforts like the recent win over Louisville. Anything can obviously happen in March but if you made me pick one team i would choose Syracuse without a doubt.
  11. Definitely my East championship-game pick, Brian.
  12. Originally posted by Doc32:Gonna be honest i really dont see Syracuse being stopped this year in the tournament or the Big East. Only game we lost was without our defensive anchor Fab Melo, with him in there the defense in the zone is just so tenacious I don't forsee anyone being able to put up big points against it in the short timeframe of the tournament.

    Not only that but our depth will allow us to stay fresh over the course of the month. Not many teams can go ten deep but the Cuse can and do every game. Not to mention that we've had many close games this year both high scoring and grind it out defensive efforts like the recent win over Louisville. Anything can obviously happen in March but if you made me pick one team i would choose Syracuse without a doubt.

    Is now the time to mention Syracuse hasn't made it past the Sweet 16 since '03?

    Seriously though, they are outstanding this year, and it wouldn't surprise me if they won it all. They have struggled over the past few years though.

    Another wild card team that might made a deep run is Vandy. They struggled early without their big guy, but I could see them making a Final Four run. They have very good shooters and are fairly deep.
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