2015 NCAA Tournament

[aiw]

Who can beat Kentucky

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/forde-minu ... ncaab.html

Duke.
Why: If anyone has comparable pro-level talent to Kentucky, it’s the Blue Devils. In Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones – and possibly Quinn Cook – Duke could put four future NBA players on the floor and it may be better than any four Wildcats. Mike Krzyzewski has been around the big-game block a time or two as well. As cited above, Duke has been through a tougher schedule to get to this point.

Why not: Definitely at a depth disadvantage. The Blue Devils don’t guard especially well, and that starts with Okafor inside. He sometimes plays in fear of foul trouble, which could leave him susceptible to being manhandled by Towns. And there’s this: if Duke’s primary offensive weapon is Okafor, Kentucky has the bodies (and the fouls) to play hack-a-Jah and make the 51 percent foul shooter beat it from the line.

 

[aiw]

JWill picks State over Villanova

 

[skins]

Reddit is irate over Duke's bracket. I think people have actually killed themselves over this.

 

[TyusStones5]

The Irish can beat UK.

 

[aiw]

Vitale either did or didn't pick Gonzaga to get to the Final Four. I couldn't tell.

 

[TyusStones5]

Vitale either did or didn't pick Gonzaga to get to the Final Four. I couldn't tell.

He did kiss Ashley Judd. She looked like she was trying to squirm far away.

 

[aiw]

He just said that SHE planted that kiss on HIM. Said when he saw her a different day, he kissed her on the cheek.

 

[TyusStones5]

Kentucky has Even odds to cut down the nets. Duke and Wiscy are both 6-1 while Nova is at 8-1. Zona at 15-1 is kind of a surpise. unc is at 25-1.

 

[aiw]

 

[rhfarmer]

Well, KenPom says Duke is the 7th best team in the country and 538 says they are the 6th.

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Duke 1st round game 7pm Friday

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Apparent South region rooting interests for Duke fans:

Thursday early afternoon
14 UAB (121 Kenpom) over 3 Iowa State (13) - to eliminate Iowa State

Thursday late afternoon
11 UCLA (41) over 6 SMU (19) - to eliminate SMU, who is good enough that their immediate elimination is more beneficial to Duke than having a better chance to eliminate Iowa State in the next round, regardless of whether Iowa State has won in the earlier game

Thursday early evening
12 Stephen F. Austin (35) over 5 Utah (8) - to eliminate Utah

Thursday late evening
If Utah has won: 4 Georgetown (22) over 13 Eastern Washington (136) - to increase the chances of eliminating Utah in the next round, who is good enough that their increased chances of elimination outweighs eliminating Georgetown immediately
If Stephen F. Austin has won: 13 Eastern Washington over 4 Georgetown - to eliminate Georgetown

Friday early evening
7 Iowa (24) over 10 Davidson (32) - to increase the chances of eliminating Gonzaga in the next round, since Iowa is not good enough that the value of eliminating them immediately outweighs any increase in chances of eliminating Gonzaga

Friday late evening
15 North Dakota State (151) over 2 Gonzaga (6) - to eliminate Gonzaga
9 St. John's (42 + injury) over 8 San Diego State (27) - to eliminate San Diego State

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Some Vegas lines that would be surprising based solely on seeds:

11 Texas (-1.5) vs. 6 Butler
5 Utah (-6.5) vs. 12 Stephen F. Austin
10 Ohio State (-2.5) vs. 7 VCU
5 West Virginia (-4) vs. 12 Buffalo
4 Maryland (-5) vs. 13 Valparaiso

Utah got screwed.

Buffalo can really do this. They can win a 4-point underdog game. They would only be 4-point underdogs to Maryland in the next round. They can't beat Kentucky, so it's not really in everyone's rooting interests to see Buffalo win some games, but I don't think anyone can compete with Kentucky until the Elite Eight anyway.

Also, North Carolina is favored by 9.5 over Harvard, which isn't a surprise.

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

North Florida is favored by 2.5 over Robert Morris. Wednesday 6:40pm TruTV.

Sagarin has Duke favored by 20 over North Florida, which would be more like 22 given that the game is in Charlotte.

Sagarin is pretty much right on for the North Florida vs. Robert Morris line, so I'd expect Duke by about 22 over North Florida and Duke by about 24 over Robert Morris.

Duke has never lost as a 20+ point favorite during K's tenure.

I made that up. Probably true.

 

[StopThePumpFakesShav]

Vermont has to be the closest call. Va Tech this year was more like 15.

 

[TyusStones5]

Duke 1st round game 7pm Friday

Thank goodness. I won't have to get up early just to watch us lose.

 

[Slap the Floor]

After last season I vowed to never watch the first round game again because if we lose I break something and if we win by anything that isn't double digits I'm highly irritated. With that said, I'll be watching Friday night.

 

[DukeCrow]

This is pretty great.

 

[rome8180]

This is pretty great.

Those were 20 of the best minutes I've ever spent.

 

[aiw]

That show is great, in general