2020-21 College Basketball Discussion and Pick'em Thread

[NewYorkExpress]

Another look at the #1 seeds (with Illinois/Michigan yet to finish)

1. Gonzaga
2. Michigan (assuming they win tonight)
3. Baylor
4. Houston???

I honestly have no idea who gets the fourth #1 seed at this point. I could see Houston, should they go unbeaten (which means winning the AAC Tournament) getting it, or one of Iowa/Alabama/Ohio State instead.

[NewYorkExpress]

So, so far this year, we have coaching vacancies that have to be filled at Albany, Binghamton, Boston College, Denver, Fordham, IUPUI, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Penn State, Portland, Texas State, UT Martin, UT Rio Grande Valley and UC Riverside.

The Boston College and Penn State openings are particularly interesting, as those are Power Five programs...

[GeorgiaModerate]

Illinois is hammering Michigan at the moment, up 55-34 with a little over 12 minutes left.

[NewYorkExpress]

Illinois is hammering Michigan at the moment, up 55-34 with a little over 12 minutes left.

Give Illinois Michigan's #1 seed. They've earned it.

[RINO Tom]

What UP!  I-L-L!

[GeorgiaModerate]

Boise State and Xavier with bad losses at the wrong time last night.  Lunardi's latest update:

https://twitter.com/ESPNLunardi/status/1366955287144509440

[GeorgiaModerate]

Creighton @ Villanova
UConn @ Seton Hall
VCU @ Dayton
Abilene Christian @ Stephen F. Austin
Louisville @ Virginia Tech
Richmond @ UMass
Missouri @ Florida

The Atlantic 10 moved up their tournament to start this week (although the final is still on March 14).  They may use the now-vacant next week to reschedule some postponed games.

[GeorgiaModerate]

In last night's Horizon League tournament quarterfinal, 8 seed Milwaukee trailed 1 seed Wright State 72-48 with 6:26 left.  They proceeded to outscore Wright State 33-9 to tie it at 81 and force OT, where Milwaukee won 94-92.  What a comeback!

[GeorgiaModerate]

Site change in a pick'em game: Sunday's Houston @ Memphis has been moved to Houston by the conference.  This is a potentially decisive game in the AAC race.  It's the final game for both Houston (13-3) and Memphis (11-3).  Wichita State currently leads at 9-2 with two (theoretically easy) games left. If they win both games, the Shockers win the championship; but if they lose one or both, the Houston-Memphis winner is the champion.

[Orwell]

Illinois is hammering Michigan at the moment, up 55-34 with a little over 12 minutes left.

Give Illinois Michigan's #1 seed. They've earned it.

Michigan should be the #2 1  seed. Make Illinois the #4 1 seed. Illinois has lost to multiple teams Michigan beat, and Michigan is still an elite program.

[NewYorkExpress]

Illinois is hammering Michigan at the moment, up 55-34 with a little over 12 minutes left.

Give Illinois Michigan's #1 seed. They've earned it.

Michigan should be the #2 1  seed. Make Illinois the #4 1 seed. Illinois has lost to multiple teams Michigan beat, and Michigan is still an elite program.

I feel like I've said that I have no idea who that fourth #1 seed should be. (Michigan/Illinois, Iowa, Alabama.).

[GeorgiaModerate]

Lunardi currently has the #1 and #2 seeds in this order:

1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Michigan
4. Illinois

5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. Iowa
8. Houston

On the whole this looks pretty good to me, although one could quibble with the exact ordering.

[NewYorkExpress]

Lunardi currently has the #1 and #2 seeds in this order:

1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Michigan
4. Illinois

5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. Iowa
8. Houston

On the whole this looks pretty good to me, although one could quibble with the exact ordering.

I could make a pretty good argument for all three of Alabama/Ohio State/Iowa to be the fourth  #1 seed in place of Illinois.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Obviously winning the Big East regular season title is my #1 priority in any given season (7 of the last 8 with the only non-winner coasting to a national title! Dynasty!) with the Big East Tournament title and/or Final Four being icing, but losing Collin Gillespie is not worth it. 🙏 Please be well and heal up for next season, champ 🏆 redemption for this super senior. I want to be there for your send off.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Iowa @ Michigan
Saint Peter's @ Iona
Idaho State @ Eastern Washington  This game has been moved to tomorrow.

[RINO Tom]

Lunardi currently has the #1 and #2 seeds in this order:

1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Michigan
4. Illinois

5. Alabama
6. Ohio State
7. Iowa
8. Houston

On the whole this looks pretty good to me, although one could quibble with the exact ordering.

I could make a pretty good argument for all three of Alabama/Ohio State/Iowa to be the fourth  #1 seed in place of Illinois.

Go ahead.  The schedule Illinois, Iowa and OSU play instead of Alabama has to matter for something like this, first of all.  Second of all, Illinois has the most Quad 1 wins in the nation and is #4 in the NET rankings ... that has 1-seed written all over it.  There is no justifiable way to move Iowa above Illinois right now, honestly.  Absolutely no objective argument.  You can take the angle that OSU beat Illinois earlier in the season, but that logic by itself isn't enough to launch them past us at this point (otherwise, we would jump Michigan).  Lastly, the Committee is very open about taking big injuries into account, and they will absolutely consider the fact that Illinois lost its All-American and proceeded to still win three straight, including two road wins at top 25 teams and an absolute thrashing of a ~1-seed~ on its home floor.

[RINO Tom]

ILLINOIS
Record: 19-6
NET Ranking: #4
Quad 1 Wins: 8
Quad 2 Wins: 5
Quad 3/4 Losses: 0
Strength of Schedule: #1

OHIO STATE
Record: 18-7
NET Ranking: #8
Quad 1 Wins: 7
Quad 2 Wins: 5
Quad 3/4 Losses: 0
Strength of Schedule: #6

IOWA
Record: 18-7
NET Ranking: #6
Quad 1 Wins: 6
Quad 2 Wins: 5
Quad 3/4 Losses: 0
Strength of Schedule: #2

ALABAMA
Record: 20-6
NET Ranking: #7
Quad 1 Wins: 7
Quad 2 Wins: 7
Quad 3/4 Losses: 1
Strength of Schedule: #23

All of those teams have wonderful resumes.  However, Alabama is the only one with an officially bad loss, it's the lowest in the NET rankings and its SOS is easily the worst.  I would say it is actually the least deserving, though its wins are impressive (on paper, at least), and that somewhat makes up for it.  Iowa has played itself into a 2-seed at best unless it makes a run to win the BTT, IMO.  OSU has also knocked itself off the 1-seed line, but beating Illinois on Saturday could take our spot.  There is enough basketball left to be played that this can all change, but I would say if the Tournament started today, there is no real metric by which Illinois is not considered clearly more deserving of those other teams of the last 1-seed.  Heck, Alabama's record is only 1/2 game better, playing a much easier schedule.  None of these teams eclipse us on anything, as it stands right now, anyway.

This NCAA Tournament is going to be SO fun, by the way.

[NewYorkExpress]

It's early, but #13 Kansas is down 13-4 against Texas- El Paso, on their home court.

Make that 13-7.

[NewYorkExpress]

Three minutes left in the First Half, and UTEP leads Kansas 28-16, at Kansas.

Kansas was a seventeen point favorite coming into this game, by the way.

[NewYorkExpress]

Kansas survives the upset bid, defeats UTEP 67-62.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Idaho State @ Eastern Washington  (originally scheduled for yesterday)
Old Dominion @ Western Kentucky
Georgia Tech @ Wake Forest
UAB @ North Texas

[YE]

Eastern Washington
Western Kentucky
Georgia Tech
UAB

[GeorgiaModerate]

Rice, which has been not terrible this year, just barely escaped NAIA school Our Lady of the Lake, winning 80-77 at home.  It was in doubt until the final seconds.

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

This NCAA Tournament is going to be SO fun, by the way.

I can't wait to see Ayo Dosunmu (hope he makes it back soon) and Luka Garza tear it up in March. If the Zags cant get it done I think this is the year the Big Ten takes it home

[GeorgiaModerate]

Illinois @ Ohio State
USC @ UCLA
Indiana @ Purdue
Rutgers @ Minnesota
Seton Hall @ St. John's
Oregon @ Oregon State  This game has been moved to Sunday.
Colorado @ Utah
Pittsburgh @ Clemson
Virginia Tech @ NC State
Duke @ North Carolina
Stephen F. Austin @ Sam Houston State

Michigan @ Michigan State
Wisconsin @ Iowa
Memphis @ Houston