Hey how bout the weak ass Big Ten?? 2 in the Final Four!!!!!

[FloridaGators]

Anyway, if you want me to say congratulations on three Big 10 teams in the Elite 8, then fine. But Wisconsin's path could not have gotten any easier.

How much of an accomplishment is it that two of the teams who got to the Elite 8 did what they were supposed to do? Illinois and Wisconsin were favorites in all of their games.

Michigan State has been favored in two out of their three games. The Big 10 got a lucky draw, period, where out of 9 basketball games they were favored in 8 of them.

Wisconsin is the perfect example. You know they got a lucky draw. Bucknell beats Kansas once out of ten times. Kansas' frontcourt with Wayne Simien would beat up a weak Wisconsin frontcourt, which is full of outside shooters like Mike Wilkinson, guys that don't want to bang.

Clearly my point is that it would be much more of an accomplishment if the Big 10 had knocked off a few higher seeded teams.

We can talk if the Big 10 gets more than one team in the Final Four, which is what it is all about.

News flash: Wisconsin has NO chance against UNC and Michigan State has a SLIGHT chance to beat Kentucky.

Illinois beats Arizona, as they are supposed to, but that is after all, what they are supposed to do.

Man you just keep sounding more and more uneducated about college basketball and this tournament with every post.

Since when did being a favorite mean a sure win in the Big Dance?

News flash: The reason people love March Madness so much is the fact any team in the tourny can go out and knock off a so called favorite. There is no such thing as an easy win. Did you pick Wisconsin to make it to the elite 8 in your bracket? How about Michigan State? If not you've made my point.

You really should let this go man. I don't know if your bitter about a lost bet or no women showed up to your TOGA/Pizza party, but your making no sense.

How am I not making sense? Did the Big 10 have an easy road or not. Just answer that question. It was an easy road. Period.

Wisconsin and Michigan State got much easier draws than they thought they would get.

The Big 10 getting one team in the final four, which is what they will get, is equal in accomplishment to the ACC.

But if you take the team's and match them up, top to bottom, the Big East and the ACC dominate the Big 10.

[Jackdog]

How am I not making sense? Did the Big 10 have an easy road or not. Just answer that question. It was an easy road. Period.

Wisconsin and Michigan State got much easier draws than they thought they would get.

The Big 10 getting one team in the final four, which is what they will get, is equal in accomplishment to the ACC.

But if you take the team's and match them up, top to bottom, the Big East and the ACC dominate the Big 10.

No I don't think any team has an easy road in this tournament. And I could give a $hit less how the Big Ten matches up with the Big East and ACC in the regular season. It's all about March Madness right now,and the Big Ten has 3 teams in the Elite 8. So I give them props for that.

Do you think Duke and BC are sitting at home now thinking about their regular season acomplisments? Get real man. What do you think Coach K would do if he could swap his ACC Tournament Championship win for a spot in the elite 8?

This is a far as I am going with you on this. You have no clue.

[dbdynsty25]

Do you think Duke and BC are sitting at home now thinking about their regular season acomplisments?

I'm sure Parker is...

[ScoopBrady]

Gators,
The Big Ten did NOT have an easy road. What the f#$k are you smoking man? What are they teaching you at that college of yours? Is Kazuya one of your professors? There's no such thing as an easy road in the tournament. Take, for instance, the Illini playing UWM. UWM played some great basketball to get to the Sweet 16. Any team that makes it to the Sweet 16 as a lower seed had to have beaten somebody to get there. You label them mid-majors as though that's a terrible thing. Some pretty big teams fell to mid-majors this year, they're not as bad you think. You make them out to be a team of junior high girls.

[Jackdog]

Do you think Duke and BC are sitting at home now thinking about their regular season acomplisments?

I'm sure Parker is...

He'll be back. Right now he's sitting in a corner of his basement apt sucking his thumb looking at his Doug Flutie bobblehead chanting "Defense" "Defense".

[Jackdog]

Gators,
The Big Ten did NOT have an easy road. What the f#$k are you smoking man? What are they teaching you at that college of yours? Is Kazuya one of your professors? There's no such thing as an easy road in the tournament. Take, for instance, the Illini playing UWM. UWM played some great basketball to get to the Sweet 16. Any team that makes it to the Sweet 16 as a lower seed had to have beaten somebody to get there. You label them mid-majors as though that's a terrible thing. Some pretty big teams fell to mid-majors this year, they're not as bad you think. You make them out to be a team of junior high girls.

Great points Todd. Good luck getting Gators to understand them.

[kevinpars]

You could argue that some of the teams that lost would have had pretty easy roads if they had just won.

And I just don't buy the idea that Kentucky is going to beat Michigan State going away. Michigan State is a well coached team that is peaking at the right time of year. Hey, Tubby is a great coach, but I don't think that Tom Izzo gets anywhere near enough credit. He did go to 3 final fours in a row and won one of them.

If I was a betting man, my money would be on State to beat Kentucky.

[Jackdog]

You could argue that some of the teams that lost would have had pretty easy roads if they had just won.

And I just don't buy the idea that Kentucky is going to beat Michigan State going away. Michigan State is a well coached team that is peaking at the right time of year. Hey, Tubby is a great coach, but I don't think that Tom Izzo gets anywhere near enough credit. He did go to 3 final fours in a row and won one of them.

If I was a betting man, my money would be on State to beat Kentucky.

You make a good point. Izzo's coaching skills are often overlooked. His teams always play under control. I hope your right on your pick over the Cats.

[FloridaGators]

Gators,
The Big Ten did NOT have an easy road. What the f#$k are you smoking man? What are they teaching you at that college of yours? Is Kazuya one of your professors? There's no such thing as an easy road in the tournament. Take, for instance, the Illini playing UWM. UWM played some great basketball to get to the Sweet 16. Any team that makes it to the Sweet 16 as a lower seed had to have beaten somebody to get there. You label them mid-majors as though that's a terrible thing. Some pretty big teams fell to mid-majors this year, they're not as bad you think. You make them out to be a team of junior high girls.

Answer me this, Scoop...

Would it be more difficult for Wisconsin to go through Northern Iowa, Kansas, and UConn than it would be Northern Iowa, Bucknell, and NC State? Kansas played an awful game against a Patriot league school that had NEVER captured a tournament win.

Would Michigan State had more trouble with Syracuse's veteran team with their famed 2-3 zone, compared with Vermont? Sure they would have. Michigan State is a good free throw shooting team but they don't shoot tremendously from the outside. Maurice Ager is a nice player but Chris Hill and Alan Anderson are bad three point shooters (Anderson had a ridiculous night last night, hitting three straight threes (witness: Michigan State playing one of their best games in years).

Would Illinois had a harder time dealing with the INSIDE PRESENCE of Craig Smith and Jared Dudley compared with a running, pressing team, with lesser guards in U-Dud Mil? Illinois is a perimeter team with a suspect frontcourt. Boston College would have been a bad matchup.

The Big 10 had the EASIEST road it could get. Wisconsin has no inside game to speak of. They have big guys that like to pull up from 15 feet and pop, running the Bo Ryan offense. Simien on the low blocks would have a field day, like Sean May will.

Luckily they ran into Bucknell, who I have seen play in person, that likes to get the ball to Chris McNaughton, who is a Foreign player that likes to play finesse ball on the interior. He's not a banger. And Pat Flannery's main offense is still the outside shot with Kevin Bettencourt, Charles Lee, and the other guys off the bench.

It's all about matchups and the Big 10 lucked out.

[Dave]

Yes, yes, yes, yes Gators. We get it.

Would IU have made the NCAA tournament if Smith doesn't go pro? Yes.

You can hypothetical all day long. Fact is, Kansas lost to Bucknell. Has Michigan State or Wisconsin had a loss as embarrassing as that? No.

Would Wake still be in the tournament if WVU lost in the first round? Maybe.

[XXXIV]

Do you think Duke and BC are sitting at home now thinking about their regular season acomplisments?

I'm sure Parker is...

He'll be back. Right now he's sitting in a corner of his basement apt sucking his thumb looking at his Doug Flutie bobblehead chanting "Defense" "Defense".

Funny s*** JD..........

and Sf_z I love your new avator

[bdoughty]

FG you completly lost me on your first rant. I was holding the Big 10 is weak torch long before the tourney. They came through and have 3 teams in the Elite 8. Seriously it is simply time to give them some credit no matter how they got there.

You keep throwing out "matchups" but if "matchups" was the only key to winning in the tourney how do you explain all the upsets? How do you explain UMW getting to the sweet 16? I think most any basketball analyst in America would have considered Bucknell to be an easy "matchup" for Kansas. Kansas had an "easy road" and "favorable matchup" and they could not get past Bucknell. Upsets happen, it's what makes March Madness so great.

Syracuse should have beaten Vermont yet they failed to. If that famed 2-3 zone of theirs was so great then they should have beaten Vermont, even with the poor shooting. Heck they even got an extra 5 minutes in OT to win and could not. They lost because they shot like crap from the 3-point line. No "matchup" in the world can change that.

It is the same reason OU lost to Utah. OU had the big boys inside to handle Bogut. Yet all of sudden OU started clanking 3's and Bogut was passing the ball like a teller, less ugly Larry Bird. OU had a favorable "matchup" but going 2-19 behind the 3-point arc did them in.

You can throw out all the if, and's or but's you want but that does not change the end results. The Big 10 teams played the teams who won.

[FloridaGators]

I have two main points that people are not understanding,

1. The Elite 8 means nothing to me, the Final Four is special. Getting two teams or more would really open my eyes.

2. Teams like Wisconsin and Michigan State have only one nice win between them to get to the Final Four, I would have respected them more had they defeated Syracuse, Kansas, and UConn between them.

Illinois was supposed to be there and not the surprise. The only surprise is how Wisconsin and Michigan State still have life.

[bdoughty]

1. The Elite 8 means nothing to me, the Final Four is special. Getting two teams or more would really open my eyes.

Ah that makes sense. Winning 3 games in the tourney means nothing but winning 4 games in the tourney is special.

2. Teams like Wisconsin and Michigan State have only one nice win between them to get to the Final Four, I would have respected them more had they defeated Syracuse, Kansas, and UConn between them.

It's not Wisconsins and MSU's fault that those other teams got upset. Hopefully one day you will grow to understand such simple logic. You can't play an opponent that does not exist.

[HipE]

Regardless of OT, that was maybe the most amazing final 3 minutes comeback I have ever seen

[Dave]

What a couple of great f*cking comebacks tonight.

But Illinois did ONLY beat a 3 seed, not a 2 seed!

[FloridaGators]

What a couple of great f*cking comebacks tonight.

But Illinois did ONLY beat a 3 seed, not a 2 seed!

Stop it already, they at least beat a Top 10 basketball team, something that Wisconsin hasn't come near in the tournament. Actually I'm not sure if they've beaten a top 25 basketball team yet.

[F308GTB]

Regardless of OT, that was maybe the most amazing final 3 minutes comeback I have ever seen

Impressive that they came back to win despite some lousy decisions near the end - there was no reason they had to start chucking 3s. Only dug them into a deeper hole. Great comeback and game. Good basketball day.

[HipE]

How the hell did they win that game? Unbelievable!!!

[FloridaGators]

BDoughty,

Getting to the Final Four is what people remember and how you measure a conference. Your fourth win might actually be the win that makes your team beat a legitimate team, in Wisconsin's case.

If you put Wisconsin on a floor and asked them to play Northern Iowa, Bucknell and NC State and they swept the series, would you be impressed?

What about Michigan State defeating Old Dominion, Vermont, and Duke? The Duke game sure, but the others?

Same with Illinois, the supposed best team in America's, victories over Fairleigh Dickinson, Nevada, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Before the Elite 8 the Big 10 had ONE stand out victory.

[Sully]

BDoughty,

Getting to the Final Four is what people remember and how you measure a conference. Your fourth win might actually be the win that makes your team beat a legitimate team, in Wisconsin's case.

If you put Wisconsin on a floor and asked them to play Northern Iowa, Bucknell and NC State and they swept the series, would you be impressed?

What about Michigan State defeating Old Dominion, Vermont, and Duke? The Duke game sure, but the others?

Same with Illinois, the supposed best team in America's, victories over Fairleigh Dickinson, Nevada, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Before the Elite 8 the Big 10 had ONE stand out victory.

How about North Carolina defeating Oakland, Iowa St., and Villanova?
How about Kentucky beating Eastern Kentucky, Cincy, and Utah?

IMO, Michigan St.'s path has been much more difficult because they knocked off Duke.

[ScoopBrady]

Gators you just don't get it. In the tournament it doesn't matter who you've played it matters if you won or not. Ask Syracuse, Boston College, or Kansas about some of these 'alleged' easy-win teams you're talking about. The deeper you get into the tournament the more impressive it is no matter who you played to get there. At some point who you played had to have beaten some team that you would consider worthy. The fact that no other conference has 3 teams remaining speaks volumes. Just give it up already. Your logic would dictate that we shouldn't be impressed with any Super Bowl champion, NBA Champion, or Stanley Cup champion that finished with the best record since they all had the easiest roads to the championship. Wins are wins and there are no Little Sisters of the Blind playing in the NCAA tournament.

[Brando70]

How the hell did they win that game? Unbelievable!!!

Bill Murray inspired them

Hell of a game. Watched it my brother-in-law who's an Illini alum. He's on cloud nine.

I will be the first to admit the bottom half of the B10 was very poor this year, but the top 3 teams were very tough and played good out-of- conference schedules, especially Illinois.

[Inuyasha]

BDoughty,

Getting to the Final Four is what people remember and how you measure a conference. Your fourth win might actually be the win that makes your team beat a legitimate team, in Wisconsin's case.

If you put Wisconsin on a floor and asked them to play Northern Iowa, Bucknell and NC State and they swept the series, would you be impressed?

What about Michigan State defeating Old Dominion, Vermont, and Duke? The Duke game sure, but the others?

Same with Illinois, the supposed best team in America's, victories over Fairleigh Dickinson, Nevada, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Before the Elite 8 the Big 10 had ONE stand out victory.

You know why they call it a tournament right? It's not like these schools were scheduled like in the regular season. They get to be in a position to play these schools based on what they did in the regular season.