2021 NCAA Tournament Discussion

[brianstl]

Wow, 

[Bay Area Billiken]

Mick Cronin, you’ve gotta foul there!

SMH.

[RiseOfTheBillikens]

Just now, Bay Area Billiken said:

Mick Cronin, you’ve gotta foul there!

SMH.

Didn't get the chance to. What a game

[billikenbill]

Bama flat out choked in OT. Terrible shot selection, panic set in, Oates didn’t do anything to stop it. 

[Bay Area Billiken]

UCLA won despite losing its leading scorer with quite a few minutes left in regulation. Alabama looked tight, UCLA Cali cool, but almost too laid back, even with Cronin over there barking. Cronin coached a good game, save and except the near fatal gaffe in not fouling at the end of regulation. He didn’t even guard Alabama full court to slow them down, up 3. 
UCLA has good basketball players.

[Bay Area Billiken]

USC is sticking it to Oregon so far.  USC won the earlier meeting in LA by 14. 

[billikenbill]

Calling it now, assuming USC finishes off Oregon, they’re taking down the Zags.

[majerus mojo]

If only this Oregon team still had Okoro

[billikenbill]

Wait, Oregon on a 9-0 run, cuts it to 11 with 6:10 to go.

[thatskablamo]

11 minutes ago, billikenbill said:

Calling it now, assuming USC finishes off Oregon, they’re taking down the Zags.

A UCLA-USC national semi would give all of LA a semi.

[billikenbill]

11-0 run, USC in a 5 min. scoring drought with multiple turnovers.

[billikenbill]

1 minute ago, thatskablamo said:

A UCLA-USC national semi would give all of LA a semi.

Only a semi?

[thatskablamo]

4 minutes ago, billikenbill said:

Only a semi?

Walton took all the blue pills back to Bob Weir’s house. 

[almaman]

18 minutes ago, billikenbill said:

Only a semi?

old town

[mrjoelabs]

What a disappointing weekend. Loyola literally forgot how to shoot 3s and can't crack a zone, and Oral Roberts needed a 3 for about 20 minutes and couldn't hit 1, even got a great look at the end.  Not much left to watch now.  I guess Houston Oregon State might be fun

[Schasz]

Haven't watched a lot of USC so I have not seen if Enfield'a Smoking Hot Wife Ex Model Amanda is attending their games.

[Bay Area Billiken]

‘21 Elite 8 Composition:

Pac-12- 3;

B10, XII, SEC, AAC, WCC- 1 each;

ACC, Big East, A10, MVC, Mountain West- 0.

Pacific Time Zone- 4;

Central Time Zone- 3 (all former Southwest Conference schools);

Eastern Time Zone- 1. 

[thatskablamo]

14 minutes ago, Bay Area Billiken said:

‘21 Elite 8 Composition:

Pac-12- 4;

B10, SEC, AAC, WCC- 1 each;

ACC, Big East, A10, MVC, Mountain West- 0.

Pacific Time Zone- 5;

Central Time Zone- 3 (all former Southwest Conference schools);

Eastern and Mountain Time Zones- 0.

A true ratings bonanza. 

[AGB91]

16 minutes ago, Bay Area Billiken said:

‘21 Elite 8 Composition:

Pac-12- 4;

B10, SEC, AAC, WCC- 1 each;

ACC, Big East, A10, MVC, Mountain West- 0.

Pacific Time Zone- 5;

Central Time Zone- 3 (all former Southwest Conference schools);

Eastern and Mountain Time Zones- 0.

You forgot about Baylor out of the Big 12.

[Bay Area Billiken]

I think this apparent rise of the PAC-12 is more a product of randomness and matchups. One point raised by Jon Wilner, Pac-12 writer for the San Jose Mercury News is the Western teams began practicing later due to the lockdowns. Pac-12 athletes actually petitioned embattled California Governor Gavin Newsom to let them play. Stanford and Santa Clara played some home games at Kaiser Arena in Santa Cruz, home of the Golden State Warriors G-League team because they were locked out of their home Santa Clara County. 
 

Someone said the PAC—12 (in all Pac-12 States) couldn’t start until Newsom permitted it. 
 

One would think the late starts due to lockdowns would hinder, not help. But that does not appear to be the case. 
 

Also I read UCLA’s best player has been in street clothes for 2 1/2 months, which makes this UCLA run even more surprising.

Some pundits are predicting USC will upset Gonzaga.

[Bay Area Billiken]

6 minutes ago, thatskablamo said:

A true ratings bonanza. 

In the Nation’s most populous state, with 2 teams from the #2 media market, it actually probably is a ratings bonanza.

[Bay Area Billiken]

5 minutes ago, AGB91 said:

You forgot about Baylor out of the Big 12.

Edited. Thanks.

[Bay Area Billiken]

It was amusing hearing Bill Raftery attempting to apply his East Coast Jersey shtik to USC, that old LA money private institution of higher learning from South Central. Just don’t try it with the Sons of Westwood.

How about drafting Bill Walton for these Pac-12 games? On a Pac-12 Tourney game on ESPN, Walton provided in depth narration of a beaver 🦫 building a dam, complete with video of a live beaver in action. The split screen showed stampeding buffaloes (Colorado). Walton is paired with AZ Cardinals radio play by play man and Walton straight man, Dave Pasch: “Back to the game.”

[3star_recruit]

Random tournament outcomes after the most random regular season ever.  I'm not sure there's anything we can learn from this tournament that can be carried over into next season.  Does anybody expect Oregon State and UCLA to finish as top 5 teams next year?  I don't.  But they've been two of the most consistent teams in this tournament.

[Bay Area Billiken]

12 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

Random tournament outcomes after the most random regular season ever.  I'm not sure there's anything we can learn from this tournament that can be carried over into next season.  Does anybody expect Oregon State and UCLA to finish as top 5 teams next year?  I don't.  But they've been two of the most consistent teams in this tournament.

UCLA, possibly. That team has basketball players. 
Highly unlikely as to Oregon State. 
 

Jon Wilner of the SJ Mercury News is correct: It is important for the PAC-12 for USC to be good in Football and UCLA to be good in Basketball.