NCAA Tourney - Men’s BB

Hell, yes! I still have airline vouchers from last year's canceled regional games.

I was already in Vegas for the start of the Pac-12 championship when they canceled the tournament.

Crazy times. Can’t wait to see the flurry of games. Any favorites this year?

Likely Final Four: Gonzaga (hate them!), two Big 10 teams (Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, or Wisconsin) and a fourth from elsewhere. I don't see Baylor going beyond the Sweet Sixteen. Maybe Alabama, UVa, or Villanova?

We'll see how the seeding turns out – who has the easiest path. And how/if COVID affects games. The NCAA announced that between Selection Sunday and the start of the tournament, if a team cannot play due to COVID, they will replace them with the first four out teams. But once tournament play starts, there will be only forfeitures.

Oh yeah.

UVA (reigning champs) to win it all!

North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky might miss the tournament. CBS would hate for that to happen $$$.

Not me. And no.

UCLA is my dark horse! they're bringing short shorts back!

Hmm r8, I think the longer shorts are hotter

From the Pac-12, USC is my darkhorse.

Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Villanova

R3 hit it -- a lot will depend on seeding. Gonzaga will be #1 and draw, in the West, the weakest opponents. Baylor is very good but I doubt they will be in the final four. Michigan is on fire and may take everything. I wouldn't be surprised to see another Big 10 team, like Iowa, Illinois, or Ohio State, in the final four as well. The last slot is up for grabs, but Villanova is the kind of team that can put together a solid streak. Alabama could also get in there, as could Virginia. Then there's always the possibility, given covid and other uncertainties, that we'll have a Cinderella team, like Loyola or, quite possibly, Houston, which might be too good to be considered a Cinderella.

I absolutely would love a good Cinderella story this year

Can’t wait to watch

I'm a Badger so I root for Wisconsin every year

Wisconsin should be surging this year

I use to live for this tourney to start, would take half days off noon to watch the first week, last couple of years I just haven't given a shit. Haven't watched a single game all year and doubt I will watch any of the tourney.

I look forward to this Men's BB and the excitement I may bring to it.

Georgetown looking good this year

What's the schedule this year? I see that the play-in games are Thursday and Round 1 is Friday and Saturday.

Is Round 2 Sunday and Monday?

I have longed for a great basketball team from the University of Alabama for many, MANY years, so I'm excited that we won the SEC championship and a bid fir the NCAA tournament. I just hope we don't blow it. I hate that Primo went out with a knee injury in the SEC semi-finals...

What a great start the March Madness today!! Two 1 point games and then UCLA coming back from 14 down and taking it in OT. Jaquez is a STUD! The Bruins have a hot team.

Yea Jacquez is definitely a stud

I root for the teams which display diversity in their players.

I root for the hot players.

I root for sportsball to die in a grease fire.

I agree r24

Not sure how I feel about the short shorts. I don’t get the trend. I don’t think they look as good

Yea, uniforms look better with longer shorts I think

ACU looking great

R30, actually, Texas looked like shit. ADU shot 30% and still won. Shaka Smart was once the Golden Boy of up and coming coaches. Last night, he looked like he understands he's a lame duck coach and his future will be low Div. 1. CBS said he was just standing in the hallway after the game before having to face his team in the locker room.

Agreed r31

Hooray for Loyola!

Love Loyola

I live in Ohio and was happy to see Ohio State lose and Ohio University win. Me and my matrix say Baylor for the win.

I plan to watch my grass grow that day. I have my priorities in order.

I fell in love with this stud Friday. Then i saw nasty tattoos.

I Love March Madness..all those hot ,sweaty, sexy basketball mens run up and down the court. So HOTT!! Yes, I cheer for the HOT Basketball players.(while drinking of course). I'm picking Iowa to win it all(and Garza to FUCK me 6 different ways from Sunday). I love athletes!!

Anybody pulling for Anal Roberts?

I am that Jurgens Estonian is dude is gorgeous and huge

I’m furiously adding cute players to my Instagram!

Actually I love the tattoos

R41, any favorites?

Definitely pulling for Oral Roberts

Or Anal Masons

Never heard of Anal Masons.

R43 Garza is a pile of hotness, but Iowa’s Joe Wieskamp is adorable. Johnny Juzang UCLA is intriguing. His father is Vietnamese and his mother Haïtian. Buddy Boeheim Syracuse is cute as hell, and he is always smiling.

Juzang is very unique and beautiful. Buddy seems like a nice guy but doesn’t strike me as remarkable

Joe (Drama Queen) Weiskamp looks like a nose with eyes.

Sorry to see Iowa go......I hate coaches who have their sons on their teams. Even if the kids are good, it is just too much for me. There has never been a coach from elementary school to college level who is not delusional about his son's talent on the court/field.

From Patrick Knight......on and on.....before and after.

Oh and I'm turned off by the lesbian play by play announcers. Having them do tip ins was enough.

I found his Instagram bitches

R38, what do you drink while watching?

UCLA emerging as a very good team at exactly the right moment. Scoring leader is the lovely Juzang and on defense the solid Latino hearthrob Jaime Jaquez.

Haha. Jaquez is hardly a heartthrob. He’s a talented basketball player, with nice legs.

Luka Garza’s legs are horrifying. Not a follicle of hair anywhere.

R54 He's cute as a button.

I agree with r54

R55 How old is that pic?

This is current.

R57 He's a sophomore now. Other pic was as an entering freshman. His goatee is even longer now than this pic. I think it makes him look like a dashing young gentleman. He's an interesting player. Not a lot of offense, so not a lot of notice, but he'll play in the NBA.

Loyola #5 is very handsome

"Luka Garza’s legs are horrifying. Not a follicle of hair anywhere."

HS basketball coaches used to say that when a kid started getting hair on his legs, that was a sign that he had pretty much stopped growing in height. Hairless legs meant that the kid was going to get taller, since he had not stopped growing.

Odd that the next games are not until Saturday

R61 Standard March Madness schedule - the break between the round of 32 and the Sweet Sixteen.

Damn. I wish some were playing now

Yea Saturday will be a big day

At this point, who do you think will win it all? I want any team but Gonzaga to win. Michigan would be best, but I'll take any others that aren't named Gonzaga.

I will taker any team other than a Big Ten team. The league was the most arrogant one before the tournament.

My bracket is a mess, but crossing fingers for Michigan!

Villanova

Games back on

Did someone say BB? 😈

a chance to see Loyola cutie Braden Norris.

Nice ass on Norris.

Eh that guy’s not really that cute

R72, is it still virginal?

Pac-12 guy here. I'm rooting for Oregon St, UCLA, and USC (over fellow Pac-12 Oregon).

I’m still rooting for Loyola

I wish Braden would have a wardrobe malfunction.

R73 Like Robbie Benson, eh? Should be cute, but there is zombie alien genetics or something... the sugar is too sweet.

Oregon State kicked ass. I hope they get to the final four.

"[R72], is it still virginal?"

Judge for yourself.

My bracket is busted

Ahem.... Go Bruins!

After all these stunning upsets, and three lower seeded PAC-12 teams in the Elite Eight, I will be sad if the Final Four ends up with three #1 seeds and one #2.

I love the Bruins!

R83 Ok, Bruins are the DL fav for the tournament. Fuck USC.

Fuck the Bruins.

R85 University of Second Choice

Go Beavers!

^^The only time the phrase “Go beavers” will ever be written on DL.

If Oregon St. wins, they become the new DL fave. UCLA will likely have to beat 3 #1 seeds to win, which would be the greatest story in sports.

I think Houston would be an even bigger story than UCLA if they won it all.

R91 They are a #2 seed... why would it be a bigger story than UCLA as a #11 seed (with the "restored to previous glory" subplot etc.)?

Well, hopefully tonight the Zags will crush USC, (even tho I hate the Zags I've seen 'em and they are IT.) And Michigan will bounce UCLA out of the tournament and back to LA too. Sorry, I'm from the Midwest and the Pac 12 teams are always around to crush us, all thru my childhood the Big 10 team would go out to the rose bowl and get bounced by some Pac 12 team. This is why we can't have nice things, I thought to myself.

You mean the Big Ten, which sent 9 teams to the NCAA tournament, only to see the league humiliated and exposed as a fraud, including Illinois and THE Ohio State University? That Big Ten?

UCLA had to play a game to even get into the tourney and all the pundits are saying UCLA has already lost. If they even beat Michigan today, which is unlikely, it becomes huge for ESPN.

I really thought that UNC-G was going all the way!

UConn women got in when Baylor didn't get a foul call. Imagine what would happen to ESPN if UConn and Paige didn't make the Final Four.

I hope the referee who collapsed is ok.

He seemed ok as they rolled him off.

I hate USC... but I really hate Timme for Gonzaga. Just a total douche, you can tell.

It looks like it’s going to be three #1s and a #2 in the Final Four.

I'm a Bruin and hate SC as a way of life but I'm rooting for them so we don't have to watch Timme anymore. No chance of that happening as Gonzaga look unbeatable. They will finish the season undefeated and it will be a fantastic achievement. Timme deserves a kick to the groin though.

R100 Ahem... the Bruins have yet to play.

No kidding.

Looks like the Elite 8 is where the magical Pac 12 run ends. Down to UCLA to hold up conference honor. No pressure, just playing the #1 seed, Michigan.

SC looks gassed. Zags making them work hard to stay within 20 points.

Timme from Gonzaga needs a kick in the throat. What a hotdog.

The take-away so far from the Michigan-UCLA game is that both teams are going to be slaughtered by Gonzaga.

R106 The 'Zags sorta look like an NBA team. But I still loathe Timme.

The worst NBA team, if they took the game seriously, would destroy the best college team. The talent and athletic level at the NBA is a huge jump. Having said that, this Gonzaga just look so efficient. I think it's good for college basketball if they do go on to win. They are a team playing basketball all the right ways. I wonder how they would do against the 1990 UNLV team, who weremthe most dominant college team I have ever seen.

R108 Feh. I went to UCLA from 1968 to 1972, then grad school. The most "dominant" college team of all time? Toss-up between Kareem's and Walton's teams.

Yeah, Gonzaga wins by shooting two pointers, what a concept.

I'm a Bruin grad too but Kareem and Walton were before my time. I have no doubt they would meet in the championship game if we had a matchup of all time great college teams. 1990 UNLV is the most dominant team I've seen in my time.

Bye bye overrated Big Ten. Take your arrogance home.

UCLA comes through! what a game!

The final game will be between the blue and red states. Good guys = California or Washington. Bad guys = fucking Texas. What do you want to bet Ted Cruz is in attendance and gets his mug on tv countless times.

So Gonzaga will be favored by 30 points, eh? But don't count the Bruins out... a team of destiny! Not a lot of finesse, but they have a bunch of heart!

Wow, not in a million years did this UCLA look like a Final Four team a month ago. The end of the game was like 2 teams who didn't want to win the game. Nevertheless, an incredible season for UCLA, especially as they lost their best player to injury and a 5 star recruit who opted to play in the G League.

We'll be lucky to stay within 20 points of Gonzaga, but who cares, a FInal Four is wonderful. Hope this is the foundation of another UCLA dynasty.

The best thing about this UCLA is how freaking likeable they are. No player on the team you want to kick in the groin.

No one gives UCLA a chance against Gonzaga which will only intensity in a few days. Bilas and Greenburg are bitter over UCLA's win. Gonzaga wants revenge for the Adam Morrison crying game.

Watching Cronin talk should scare a lot of fan bases. This guy speaks clearly and forcefully and it's obvious he's a leader.

What about Baylor? Do they have a chance?

As long as a team from shithole Texas doesn't win, I'm fine.

Gonzaga/UCLA - Baylor/Houston.......

Should make for some interesting games. I don't like the cunt Houston coach, so I'm okay with any of the other three winning.

Houston's Kelvin Sampson left Indiana a mess with multiple NCAA violations. How he was hired is confounding.

I'm hoping for UCLA and Baylor to win, then UCLA.

Sampson had a show cause against him for 5 years. He hung out at the NBA and returned to college basketball after the five years. Let's face it, university of Houston probably isn't prioritizing their academic reputation. I'm sure Sampson is doing what he always does. Don't be surprised if this final four season is vacated by the ncaa a few years down the road. Both his son and daughter are employed by the university too.

I remember when he was the coach at Washington state. Watching Houston in the tournament, I was stunned to see such an old man as their coach. How time flies.

"No one gives UCLA a chance against Gonzaga which will only intensity in a few days. Bilas and Greenburg are bitter over UCLA's win. Gonzaga wants revenge for the Adam Morrison crying game."

It's not crazy to think UCLA doesn't have much of a chance. Gonzaga is really good.

Michigan forums after the game - there was some bitterness; some "Michigan is the better team, but we sucked tonight." I don't even disagree with that - Michigan was terrible, didn't make any shots, and maybe they'd win 6 or 7 out of 10 v. UCLA. But who cares, it's a single elimination tournament and we all accept that you have to be good on the day in question. Also, UCLA didn't really play good either - it's not like Michigan at its worst lost to UCLA at its best. It was awful Michigan losing to pretty bad UCLA.

It's not just Michigan, it's also Alabama, Cincinnati and even USC. The more fan bases go against UCLA, the better.

You are a UCLA fan, R124?

I have no ties to LA or UCLA (I'm from MN and live in Illinois), but I always liked UCLA. Though, USC has always been my "national" football team - the team I root for when all my immediate teams are out of contention.

This is fantastic run by UCLA not matter if some of the wins are "ugly." Kudos to them.

Lol R120. "I don't like the cunt Houston coach, so I'm okay with any of the other three winning."

I don't mind Kelvin Sampson, but I'm so fucking sick of his redemption story. He was fired from Indiana for NCAA infractions (calling recruits too much or at the wrong time or something) and essentially banned from the college game for years - worked in the NBA until he was eligible to coach college again. Goes to Houston and rebuilds a once proud program. Every story (and there's a lot) that lays out this trajectory notes that he was fired at Indiana for infractions that would now not be a fire-able offense. That's probably true, but they were at the time and he was cited for the same infractions when he was at Oklahoma prior to Indiana.

I can take or leave Sampson, but I do like U Houston. I think because by dad was a fan during their glory years and I remember watching the Phi Slama Jama teams with him. Plus, they don't play in one of the major conferences.

Vegas is giving 14 points to Gonzaga. So yes, ucla is a huge underdog. I only expected 1 or 2 wins from this year's team anyway so losing to Gonzaga in the final four isn't going to be a big deal. Ucla has been great and this team is a respite from the Steve Alford years. I hated his tenure because I never had any confidence Alford would get the most out of his players. In contrast, Cronin has this group of guys over-achieving.

Ucla will likely lose but they may keep the score respectable. They take a lot of time off the clock so they are not going to run up and down the court with Gonzaga. Just by keeping the number of possessions down, Gonzaga will not be scoring 80+ points. It may be more of a scruffy but comprehensive 65 - 52 win.

If course there is always a chance... That's why they play the games. Villanova won against favorites Georgetown in 1985. Duke won against unlv a year after being blown out the championship game in 1990.

Well, although one can correctly call UCLA's wins "ugly", it's partially as a result of the style of Cronin's teams. Relentless, aggressive, stifling defense. It disrupts the other team's usual offense - every point contested. One commentator described UCLA in the tournament as a team of zombies - they just keep coming at you slowly, persistently, you can't kill them, they just keep coming.

And "they can't be killed" is characteristic - every time you think, "well, now it's over" they keep coming back.

Any rational person who knows anything about basketball will agree that Gonzaga should win. And should win easily.

But let's see how they respond to the Bruin's Team of Brothers coming at them relentlessly.

I think the key, R128, is UCLA has to stay with Gonzaga early. USC got behind by a lot early, so even if they got to a point where they adjusted their defense and stopped Gonzaga occasionally, it wasn't enough.

Gonzaga's offense is so efficient and multi-layered that they're going to score - even against good defenses. But, they're own defense isn't great. So a team can either try to score with them - both teams ending with 75+ points, or the other team has to find some defensive strategy that works - at least partially. Again, no one is gonna shut down Gonazaga's offense - but if a team can at least decrease its potency a bit, and play good offense themselves, the game could be a lot more interesting than if Gonzaga gets off to a 15 point lead early and then the other team has to play catchup and run a faster, more desperate offense.

BYU lead Gonzaga by 10 points in the first half of the WCC championship. But that was more a matter of Gonzaga missing shots - which is another factor. As we saw with Michigan, teams can simply be off and miss shots for part of the game.

R129 Agreed. UCLA has only allowed more than 83 points once. Gonzaga has only scored fewer than 83 points twice. Keep it close, and hope for some Zag misses at the end and see what happens.

When I was growing up UCLA was unstoppable (yes, I'm old).....so it's nice to see them back on the national stage in a big way.

I agree with the poster above, Gonzaga has made the game a science this season. BUT every team can have an off night.....

Another Bruin, chiming in.....

I am still in state of shock about this. As someone mentioned upthread, this was completely UNIMAGINABLE 4-6 weeks ago, if you watched the end of UCLA's regular season & conference tournament (let alone the first half of MSU game).

Also: it was truly BIZARRE to find myself rooting for USC on Tuesday night! Might be the first time that's ever happened. That really would been a great "storyline" -- to have UCLA & USC meet in the Final Four as underdogs! Legendary rivals, USC not known as a b-ball school, yada yada yada. But mostly....I just liked our chances against USC a whole LOT better than Gonzaga -- IF we could get past Michigan.

All four teams in the final four being from west of the Mississippi will be horrible for the TV ratings.

I am in complete agreement, R127! If nothing else, this improbable run under Cronin highlights just how truly incompitentent Steve Alford was/is. Alford had FIVE future NBA draftees -- plus two seniors -- on that 2016-17 squad, and they flamed out in the regional semi-finals. Granted, only two of those players -- Lonzo & Aaron Holiday -- are still in the NBA four years later.....but still!

Speaking of Aaron Holiday.....remember when Lonzo arrived at UCLA? Aaron, who had been starting as a Soph, went to the bench because Alford moved his son, Bryce, to the shooting guard position. It still grates my cheese that Bryce Alford is the fifth on the all-time UCLA scoring list. But Aaron got the last laugh, I guess. He's a key-bench player on NBA team, and Bryce Alford is playing for some team in Portugal.

Also.....NBA-all star Zach Lavine on was one Alford's UCLA teams. Got no playting time, because "Bryce"..... Declared for draft after Fresman season

That's true, R133. After Tuesday, commentators doubled down on the West of the Mississippi aspect and even said so much as "what this means for Western basketball in terms of exposure and recruiting.

While all 4 FInal Four teams are west of the Mississippi, only two are "Western." Baylor and Houston are still in the central time zone and not "western." Pair them with other central or eastern time zone teams and the ratings would be fine.

Plus, UCLA while "western" is a marquee name. The ratings may not be as bad as everyone imagines. No, not as good as say Duke, Michigan, Gonzaga, Villanova, but not as bad as a truly al' "western" final four.

Also the games are being played in Indy - in the central time zone, which always helps. It's not like the Final Four is in LA and an 8:07 tipoff is 11:07 on the east coast.

[quote] Also the games are being played in Indy - in the central time zone,

Most of Indiana is in the Eastern Time zone, only a few counties near Chicago and in the southwest part of the state are in the Central Time Zone.

R134 Yep, Alford's teams consistently underperformed. He had some great talent. Although I do remember Zach as a freshman was a very, very raw player. He could jump over the basket, but was out of control sometimes. Bryce was despised by 50% of Bruin Nation for all the apparent reasons, but he could shoot the 3s.

UCLA has always attracted superior talent (Russel Westbrook, a future NBA Hall of Fame player, couldn't start for UCLA before he left for the League?). But in recent decades coaches were adept at underutilizing players, wasting talent, and underperforming. Cronin - I mean this team has talent - maybe two players will have a career in the NBA - but they are clearly overperforming. With these players, Smith coming back, new players coming in, UCLA will win a national championship within 2 years.

R135 I think you're over-estimating regional motivation. Individual schools have followings (Villanova, Notre Dame, the Michigans, Conn.), but Gonzaga and Baylor have been #1 and #2 all year, and folks are relishing that matchup... if Houston wins, than, meh... who wants to see the Zags destroy Houston by 30 pts.

You're totally right, R137; I forgot about that. But that actually helps ratings even more. 8:07 or 8:17 EST tipoff (it's always some weird time) would be 7:07 CST - perfect for settling in for a night of watching, eating and drinking, or 5:07 PST - happy hour. None one has to stay up late to start watching the game.

There's an NCAA men's bareback tourney?

Who knew.

Yes, on OnlyFans. It's not promoted on CBS.

I wonder what Daishen Nix is thinking. He's the five star point guard who skipped UCLA to join the G league. He's getting 300k but it's believed that Johnny Juzang played his way into a first round draft pick and he'll get considerably more than that.

BTW, silver daddy Roy Williams announced his retirement.

For my fellow Bruins.....

A great story about Coach Wooden's favorite coffee shop in Tarzana, and the Go-Fund-Me effort to keep it afloat during the early days of the pandemic. It is more than just a "coffee shop -- and Mick Cronin understands that.

How are the hookups this year? Is it still easy to get hot M2M at March Madness?

R143, though he may envy not experiencing the final 4, I don't know if he regrets his decision overall. How many hs seniors go into jobs with 300k income? He said it was partly a family decision so I'm guessing he's helping them out. G league players can also be drafted and he's still projected to be a low first round pick. I doubt juzang is going to be a high 1st round pick, unless he goes nuclear in the final 4.

As college bb fan, of course I'd prefer to see the best hs players play in the ncaa, especially for ucla. But I think going forward, the best players are going to prefer to get paid, play basketball full time and not have to pretend to be a student - athletes. And they don't have to live under ncaa rules and hypocrisy. With the changes coming, I'll miss the old college vibe, but I can't see how you can continue to tell players it's an amateur venture when there are multi million and billion TV contracts and coaches are making 3 - 8 million every year. Plus, they can capitalize on commercial deals. But players can't? Mick Cronin has been sensational for ucla but no one is paying to see his angry little elf routine on the sidelines.

R146 R143 There is no way of knowing whether Nix would even have played much this year - Campbell has continued to improve and sometime great HS recruits don't produce immediately (others do, of course, and are one-and-dones to the NBA - conceivably proving their worth and increasing their payday more than going directly to the G League).

But amateur college athletics is unsustainable in the current world - see the Supreme Court cases this week on non-paid labor in college. UCLA's own Ed O'Bannon has been a leader in pushing the issue in recent years. Whatever the situation now will be different in five years. HS players like Dix will likely get paid as college Freshman players - but they'll go to schools like Duke who will pay more?

I'm just going to enjoy this year...

I live by UH and wonder if I'll run into Quentin Grimes at the grocery store. I'm sure he would help an eldergay bring his groceries up two flights of stairs. I'd reward him with an iced tea, slightly sweetened with a kiss of agave syrup...and we can talk all afternoon about the fabulous season he had. Go Coogs.

Ooops....I assumed Men’s BB meant Men’s bareback. Moving on

R149 Oh. My. God! You are SO witty!

🙄

Any hot mens left?

They are all babies...

Johnny Juzang is cute. Jaime jacquez has a pornstache.

I think they could improve ratings if the players only wore jerseys and no shorts and jockstraps.

I guess I could handle jockstraps if there was an outcry.

Aww Quentin Grimes is super sweet r148, and super sweet of you to invite him in for a tea

R153, I don’t know, I think the shorts are hot

Tell us more r148

Here we go!

Damn, I hope we're not going to be Houston to Gonzaga.

The Houston-Baylor game is terrible. Baylor playing great and up by 25 at the half

When did players begin putting their hands down their shorts on the court? They look like common vulgarians.

I think it’s fine

It's been a while. More common vulgarity!

Miley Cyrus with a sort of coked out Ginger from Casino look for the performance between games. Honestly not bad, if not spectacular.

Covering Blondie and Stevie Nicks - bold. But, I think she's doing pretty well.

The Stevie Nicks song seemed to be a mashup of Edge of Seventeen and something else, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

And then did Wrecking Ball with the full riff hard rock back-up, nope, no Katy Perry or Dua Lipa shit for her, placing her career in the rock tradition - Queen, Blondie, Stevie Nicks - American Woman - classic hard rock. Credit to her.

Miley hon, I don't know what to say. Is she still pan or is this new look some kind of binary I havent heard of yet?

Donning the old ucla shirt....

Me too, R167!!

Let's do a virtual 8-clap!

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 - U-C-L-A-fight!-fight!-fight!

UCLA so far, good - staying with Gonzaga.

MIley was really good, IMO.

Yeah, have my 20 year old UCLA lucky hoodie on. Worn every game in the tournament.. (washed between games).

We can win this. We really can.

(Also have the pic of my dad out facing the TV - he was at UCLA the year it opened in Westwood.)

Having a hard time believing what I'm seeing. This is why we play the games.

It was so glorious seeing UConn women lose to Arizona. This would be much bigger, obviously.

I know nothing about Gonzaga University other than it's in Spokane and is private/Catholic.

It some sort of Plan B school for West Coast kids who don't get into their higher ranked schools of choice. Or is it just an established local option that draws primarily kids from the region.

I usually root for the small-conference school, but Gonzaga is hardly an underdog - they've been an elite program for a while.

Refs changed the game. Hope they also make bad calls against the Zags.... I hate it when refs are bad and inconsistent and take the game away from the players.

Gays, I see two hot Gonzaga players no one is talking about. Who's the one with the BDF?

No one on Gonzaga is hot... they all are genetic mistakes... and smell like dead bodies.

Number 24 is kinda hot

[quote]UVA (reigning champs) to win it all!

I hate the result, but GREAT game.

There should be no doubts about Cronin now. Not that there were universal doubts, but he has no West Coast ties, no West Coast experience, and was never a head coach at a major-conference school, though Cincy is a pretty major BB program.

Bruins have their man, and he's young.

What a game! That should have been the championship game.

R179 No Seniors on UCLA - and there best player was injured early in the season. If Juzang stays, this is the team that should be favored to win the NC next year.

Great game - but the breaks went the Zags' way. He never meant to bank it, didn't call glass... a lucky shot.

^^ their

Juzang is projected a first round pick. He should go.

If you don't call glass, it doesn't count.

In any case, we're supposed to be cannon fodder and we took Gonzaga to the brink. Very proud of this UCLA team--an incredible over-achievement. So many plays throughout the game where UCLA could have used that one point but it wasn't meant to be. Hate to be on the losing end of a great classic game but oh well.

And a complete apology to Cronin. The process of how we ended up with him was embarrassing. I didn't have anything against him but thought he was going to be another sweet 16 at best guy. Obviously, he's proven all the naysayers wrong. Hopefully he can build on this and this wasn't just lightening in the bottle. Remember Steve Lavin went to the Great 8 in his first year and made his interim position permanent and it was a long sad slide into mediocrity with him. Not going to happen with Cronin because the guy can actually coach whereas Lavin was a high profile cheerleader.

Fuck me, we were so close...Riley was terrific but if one of his multiple misses in the paint had gone in...

I trust Cronin will do the right thing. If he hears from NBA sources that Juzang will be a mid-high first round pick, he needs to back Johnny to go.

I don't think Cronin already knows Juzang is gone and will totally support him. Remember, he also lost three other players including his prize point recruit and he went to the FF.

Just a fantastic game - the best I've seen at any level in a while.

Looks like UCLA is "back" and will at least be in the mix fairly consistently.

Cronin says, "I sit in Coach Wooden's seat, so I have to channel what he would say - that winning is just doing all that you can do, play to your full capacity."

Cronin says, on his own, "I told them to let that shot go. We won."

I’m a bit bummed. I wanted Michigan and UCLA to win! Neither ones did. At least on the ladies side Arizona won! Their game against Stanford tomorrow should be really good.

The guy who shot the game-winner, Suggs, was Mr. football and Mr. basketball in his home state of Minnesota. I have never heard of that happening before! The guy is an amazing athlete!

Yeah, Suggs went to Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis.

Fun fact - rapper Master P. - birth name Percy Miller - moved to Minneapolis so his sons - Hercy and Mercy - could play BB at Minnehaha Academy.

"I trust Cronin will do the right thing. If he hears from NBA sources that Juzang will be a mid-high first round pick, he needs to back Johnny to go."

Most coaches do now - they're realistic and supportive. That high in the draft is a pretty big contract. You don't want to risk injury coming back for another year or having your stock drop.

There are clear instances when players need more time to develop. If draft experts think he'll go fairly high, I bet Cronin gives him his blessing.

I hate Suggs. He and his girlfriend from UConn have been all over there media as PB&J. I wish both of them were booted but now we have to hear more about them.

r193 Girlfriend? Why do i always read about them being BFF's when they are mentioned? Let's be honest she's a lesbian.

R193, I thought the chick from UConn - Paige Bueckers - was just his friend who he's known forever since they're both from metro Minneapolis? And since they're from the same state, know each other, and are both in the Final Four -- that's why they the media is talking about it so much. Typical human interest angle. I never heard they were dating.

Everyone says Baylor and Gonzaga is a meeting of the best two teams but can't see it how it will best this game. This one will go down as a classic.

Friends with a lesbian? Maybe Suggs is same sex attracted?

"Everyone says Baylor and Gonzaga is a meeting of the best two teams but can't see it how it will best this game. This one will go down as a classic."

They probably are the two best teams judging by the entire season. But a best-team matchup doesn't necessarily mean a great game. UCLA-Gonzaga is an all-time classic. Everyone is raving about it.

I tuned into the last minute and a half of the game. I'm not a basketball fan at all, but even I thought that last 90 seconds was amazing.

And that, my friends, is bassetball!!! I loved it.....even though my new boyfriend Cory Kispert was NOT on his game last night! He and Tim-may really need to stop wearing those matching headbands.

I loved the game from start to finish! I can't be sad that Gonzaga won - but I can be sad that UCLA lost.

And that Houston-Baylor game was delicious, especially for the Hoosiers in the audience. That wasn't a game that was Cornpone's Hum-iliation!!!! And it was wonderful to see.

Seriously, does DL have a Hate Kelvin Sampson Troll?

A reminder, again, that UCLA's best player (Chris Smith) and starting center (Jaylen Hill) were out this season. Even if Juzang goes pro and becomes the first Asian American to be drafted in round 1, UCLA will be a top ten team next year.

The thing is, you never know in the tournament. Cronin could be there ten years and have a great coaching career at UCLA and never get this close again. But this will be a game talked about forever...

That's entirely true, R202. A single-elimination tournament is very unforgiving and you have to have some luck. There's a lot of talent spread amongst a lot of schools and any team can have a hot night or an off night -- like Michigan was terrible against UCLA. So championships can be elusive. So, the key is to consistently be in the mix so you at least have a shot. I think UCLA will be very good pretty consistently under Cronin.

UCLA played better and better as the tournament went along. They very nearly lost to an average Michigan State team in the play-in game. All about hitting your stride at the right time.

R202, yep, you just never know with March Madness. I remember Howland's first trip to the FF and UCLA was back in the mix. Then we went back for two more and came up empty. Three straight FFs is a huge achievement but by the third, we felt like the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl. And that was it. Howland never got back and his program went right down the drain. His last season disgraced UCLA because of player misbehavior and he was fired. Sports Illustrated had an in-depth expose on UCLA and there was no way Howland could survive embarrassing one of the best public schools in America. Now he's at MS State and his team lost in the NIT this year.

What does BDF mean?

Big Dick Face

R205 🙄 Really?

What is big dick face?

You're probably trolling, but "big dick face" is simply when a guy's head shape, size and facial features suggest that he has a big dick.

Don't take it too seriously, it's not an exact science.

The women's tournament was highly entertaining as well. Pac-12 proved it was the best conference in the nation. Aari was amazing! Glad they took Uconn and cryin' Page down.

I generally agree, R210. But the final was ugly and sloppy - especially in the second half. The semis were way better quality and I've seen Arizona and Stanford play much better.

Thank you r209 I honestly had no idea what that meant. Which guy had BDF then?

None of the guys, but a lot of the girls on the Arizona team did.....especially the coach.

R213, Stanford Coach TVD is butcher than anyone on DL. Not a huge accomplishment, but you get the drift.

R214 I know she’s butch but I’ve always liked her. She seems like a patient & wise woman. Just an all-around good person.

R211 do you think it’s because everyone is so exhausted by the time they reach the final game?

Not necessarily, R216 - just natural variation in play quality - not every game is going to be the highest level. Plenty of finals are high quality.

Two good teams can make each other look bad with their defense.

What players will you have your eyes on tonight?

That women's finale was horrible. It was ugly. If you're a fan of defense, maybe you might have liked it, but terrible offense from both teams likely put the audiences to sleep, especially after the UCLA/Gonzaga game, which people are still talking about.

Can't stand the thought of the insufferable Timme being a champion, but as a Bruin, I would rather we lost to the champions than having lost to the team that lost to Baylor. I'm also not inclined to root for teams from Texas. My manager is in Texas and he thinks Baylor will win. I already had to put up with him bragging AFTER the fact that he knew Clinton was going to lose to Trump.

Tara VanDerveer has hired just one male assistant coach in 40 years of coaching. And she says she'll never hire another one, too. You go girl!

The National Anthem was lovely.

Are we rooting for the Catholics or the Baptists?

Is Kispert wearing white tights?

[quote]Can't stand the thought of the insufferable Timme being a champion, but as a Bruin, I would rather we lost to the champions than having lost to the team that lost to Baylor

Precisely. Gonzaga is choking so far - that "tarnish" the mythologically good UCLA/Zag game.

Fuck, maybe UCLA didn't play a very good game at all. Zags have no defense and can't rebound.

[quote]The National Anthem was lovely.

Wasn't it, R223? I'm sitting with tears STREAMING down my face. The Dr. who started it off is a dear family friend who was one of my Dad's Boy Scouts and one of my big brother's friends/mentors.

I keep rewinding just for that lovely bit of heaven. Call me MARY, but I just love our national anthem. I don't care whether people stand, kneel, or scratch their asses; that song always makes my heart swell.

Baylor is harassing Gonzaga everywhere. Let's see if they can do it for 40 minutes but they are completely shutting the Zags down. In the meantime, Baylor is slicing them up on offense.

Zags killed UCLA with all the layups and I was exasperated, thinking there was not much UCLA could do about it. Baylor have figured out how to do it though.

Baylor is dominating with a huge 1st half lead.

Timme is getting exposed. The dumbass strokes his mustache after finally making a shot, but his team is points. Celebrating when our team is getting pummeled is pretty sad.

Kispert can't guard anyone.

Timme looks like he can barely get up and down the court. He's already gassed in the first half.

Btw, I know I'm ripping on the Zags, but I'm rooting for them to come back. It just doesn't look possible since Baylor has them beat on every single facet of the game.

Baylor has a player with a mullet.

I can't, in good conscience, root for Baylor.

R234 But the Fu-Manchu on Timme is ok with you?

r234 It's Waco, you have to have a local redneck on the team

Kispert's stock falling, he was projected to go early in the first round. He hasn't had a very good tournament overall and he's getting torched by Baylor.

R237 I'd read about Kispert, his talent, etc. But in the games I've watched him, he's shown nothing.

R238, he showed me his penis.

Timme in the center was weak. Game's not over but Zags - 19 rebounds; Baylor - 38 rebounds.

Sucks to win everything but your last game for the championship but Baylor deserved this.

There is only one reason I am rooting for Baylor — to see that smug, Texan Timme lose.

UCLA, we thank you.

Jalen Suggs left it all on the floor 👏

#NationalChampionship

Christ, wish Gonzaga was this crap on Saturday. UCLA probably wouldn't have beaten Baylor but we wouldn't have gotten blown out. For one thing, UCA doesn't turn the ball over. All credit to Baylor, their defense was swarming and they stopped the Gonzaga layups, something UCLA couldn't do.

Guess Timme's not stroking his mustache anymore. Mark Few has a fantastic program in Gonzaga but people are never going to take their regular season dominance too seriously since their conference is so weak. They'll always be in the tournament but it's like the wolf who cries wolf--their undefeated conference records will always be taken with a grain of salt.

wolf who cries wolf...I think March Madness has finally sunk my brain...

It can't be good when a Final four game is a classic and the championship game is a stinker.

Gonzaga chokes in the end. They always get nervous and can’t seal the deal.

The Baylor player who killed his teammate will be eligible for parole this year. How time flies.

R249, your post prompted me to google the case and shockingly, but on point for college basketball, the Baylor coach at the time, Dave Bliss, was hired to coach another school after a 10 year ban. And the school, of course, is a Christian university in Oklahoma. It's sleazy shit like this that turns me off of college basketball sometimes.

He had several coaching jobs after Baylor! There’s always some school desperate for a big name and wins.

I was work-adjacent to that story when it broke. It was nuts. But let me just say, Baylor athletes were out of control even before that.

Bravo Baylor! I've never been a Gonzaga fan because the CBS announcers have been their biggest cheerleaders for the past 20+ years, and I've never thought they were that great. The same announcers drool over Duke and a few others that I can't stand, but at least those schools have fielded some fantastic teams in their time.

Also, the current Gonzaga team isn't half as good as the IU team that went undefeated in '76. I want a more worthy team to finally match their accomplishment.

Was this the Super Bowl?

For college basketball, yes.

R252 Not a Hoosier fan at all, as all they ever really had was Bobby Knight who was one of the biggest assholes in NCAA history. But, he's right about the over-hype on Gonzaga -- it's as though all the CBS announcers were paid to promote the team. A Cinderella story is fun, maybe, but to cover almost nothing but Gonzaga, and to root openly for them, is too much. There are other teams (besides Duke, the other team CBS relentlessly promotes) in this country that deserve coverage.

For some reason, CBS is down on the Big East and the Pac 12. You'd think that these two leagues hadn't won multiple championships; CBS treats them as though they're runner ups to the Big Ten and the ACC.

R252 I noticed the announcers in the tournament kept jerking off about IU and the incredible feat of finishing undefeated, winning the NC. "Not since that incredible fear..." Etc. etc.

UCLA did it four times. FOUR times. Twice in the 70s. Twice in the 60s.

"Baylor has a player with a mullet. I can't, in good conscience, root for Baylor."

" It's Waco, you have to have a local redneck on the team."

Matt Mayer is from Austin - which doesn't mean he's not a redneck, but chances are better he's just curating a look.

Timme, Garza from Iowa, Cockburn from Illinois -- all standout, excellent college players who probably won't do much in the NBA. They'll all get drafted certainly, but I don't see great and/or long careers in the NBA - though they'd probably have international careers if the flame out in the NBA. Some players' games just aren't made for the level jump from college to the NBA.

Timme was completely exposed by the physical play and athleticism of Baylor players. How the hell is he going to handle it on the NBA level where the physical talent is off the charts? The worst NBA team would kick Baylor's ass into next Sunday. The best players who are big and slow are like Jokic, who is both incredibly skilled and a hulk of a guy. Timme, is soft with has some nice footwork but that's not going to be enough for the NBA. Every year there are players who have great college careers but their games do not translate into the NBA.

R259 Jokic is big, but I don't think anyone would call him slow. Footwork, hands, passing - very "quick" if not fast on the break down the floor.

R260, slow as in the regular up and down and side to side speed. Not athletic. But his his passing, soft touch, BB IQ, are stellar. Marc Gasol in his prime was similar.

Mmmm soft touch

Who all are we watching this year?

Tevin Brown, Murray State

Who's on the DL? Can you hook up with these guys on the tourney?

Hard to say really. I think if people did say, they wouldn’t be DL right?

It appears that some games are being canceled and so it’ll be interesting to see how the season progresses

Tons of games, male and female are canceled. This might be the start of another disastrous FF.

Or an awesome FF, always nice to see new teams in there

Games seem to be starting up again, which is a good thing

Very much so

UAB Jordan Walker

I live Gonzaga this year

Oops, “love” Gonzaga this year

Yea they look good this year

Houston, Reggie Chaney

ACC tourney heating up!

I'm Villanova all the way!

Yea I love Nova as well

Duke laid another egg. Way overrated.

Agree Duke is overrated this year

I think Nova will take it all

Huge upset tonight!

BWAAAH. Bye, bye, Kentucky.

I picked Vanillanofun in my bracket to take it all, because none of my teams even made the tournament this year.

Crazy for Kentucky!

Why would we need to bump a year old thread? Can we not afford a new thread for this year's tournament?

Houston is blazing this year