2020-21 College Basketball Discussion and Pick'em Thread

[GeorgiaModerate]

Updated predictions:

Sweet 16
Loyola Chicago over Oregon State
Houston over Syracuse
Baylor over Villanova
Arkansas over Oral Roberts
Michigan over Florida State
Alabama over UCLA
Gonzaga over Creighton
USC over Oregon

Elite 8
Houston over Loyola
Arkansas over Baylor
Alabama over Michigan
Gonzaga over USC

Final 4
Houston over Arkansas
Gonzaga over Alabama

Championship
Gonzaga over Houston

[100% pro-life no matter what]

My "second chance bracket":

Gonzaga over Creighton
USC over Oregon
Michigan over Florida State
Alabama over UCLA
Baylor over Villanova
Arkansas over Oral Roberts
Loyola-Chicago over Oregon State
Syracuse over Houston

Gonzaga over USC
Alabama over Michigan
Baylor over Arkansas
Loyola-Chicago over Syracuse

Gonzaga over Alabama
Baylor over Loyola-Chicago

Gonzaga over Baylor

[Donerail]

Gonzaga over Creighton
USC over Oregon
Michigan over Florida State
UCLA over Alabama
Baylor over Villanova
Arkansas over Oral Roberts
Oregon State over Loyola-Chicago
Houston over Syracuse

USC over Gonzaga
UCLA over Michigan
Arkansas over Baylor
Oregon State over Houston

USC over UCLA
Oregon State over Houston

USC over Oregon State

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1375151759186874372

I'm old enough that I remember Lon Kruger as a (very good) player for Kansas State in the early 1970s.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The NIT semifinals are set with Memphis vs Colorado State and Mississippi State vs Louisiana Tech tomorrow, and the finals on Sunday.  Weirdly, my NIT predictions were perfect in the left (Memphis-CSU) half of the bracket but a complete dumpster fire in the other half.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

I can't wait to see USC v Zags, my busted brackets had either USC or Zags to win the title

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/GaryParrishCBS/status/1375469965277532171

Did not see that one coming.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Porter Moser staying in North Chicago with Chicago North gone? I welcome Shaka to the Big East. Not an elite coach, but the Tier B school with moderate expectations is a good fit for him. Never liked the Woj hire. The four best jobs in the conference now have very iconic coaches that can define it for awhile and three big personalities plus one elite coach at the less prestigious jobs. (If only Xavier could get its house in order. Archie Miller!?)

[GeorgiaModerate]

Porter Moser staying in North Chicago with Chicago North gone? I welcome Shaka to the Big East. Not an elite coach, but the Tier B school with moderate expectations is a good fit for him. Never liked the Woj hire. The four best jobs in the conference now have very iconic coaches that can define it for awhile and three big personalities plus one elite coach at the less prestigious jobs. (If only Xavier could get its house in order. Archie Miller!?)

Archie might end up across town in Cincinnati; it's rumored that UC is on the verge of firing John Brannen, and Archie has been mentioned as a possible replacement.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Porter Moser staying in North Chicago with Chicago North gone? I welcome Shaka to the Big East. Not an elite coach, but the Tier B school with moderate expectations is a good fit for him. Never liked the Woj hire. The four best jobs in the conference now have very iconic coaches that can define it for awhile and three big personalities plus one elite coach at the less prestigious jobs. (If only Xavier could get its house in order. Archie Miller!?)

Archie might end up across town in Cincinnati; it's rumored that UC is on the verge of firing John Brannen, and Archie has been mentioned as a possible replacement.

Good call. I was thinking earlier in the day that Ron Hunter has barely got his feet wet in Tulane but he is from Ohio and there is no doubt about who is the better program despite already being in the same conference. I was hoping he'd get a better opportunity than Tulane. But Archie fits here.

[Drew]

Updated predictions:

Women's:

UConn over Iowa
Baylor over Michigan
Indiana over NC State
Texas A&M over Arizona
South Carolina over GA Tech
Stanford over MO State
Louisville over Oregon
Maryland over Texas

UConn over Baylor
Stanford over Louisville
Texas A&M over Indiana
South Carolina over Maryland

South Carolina over Stanford
UConn over Texas A&M

South Carolina over UConn

Men's:

Loyola over OR State
Baylor over Villanova
Arkansas over Oral Roberts
Houston over Syracuse
Gonzaga over Creighton
Florida St. over Michigan
Alabama over UCLA
Oregon over USC

Houston over Loyola
Alabama over FL State
Gonzaga over Oregon
Baylor over Arkansas

Gonzaga over Alabama
Houston over Baylor

Gonzaga over Houston

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Syracuse, Zags, Loyola and USC

[GeorgiaModerate]

Oregon State leads Loyola 24-16 at the half.  This has been a bit painful to watch, especially after the fast-paced first NIT semifinal (Memphis over Colorado State, 90-67).

[GeorgiaModerate]

Terrific game between Baylor and Villanova so far.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Mid Majors just mess up brackets Syracuse and Loyola and Oral Roberts did nothing to advance today.

Baylor, Zags are going to the title

How in the world did Ohio State and Illinois lose to Oral Roberts and Loyola

[DINGO Joe]

It was a different March Madness, but in NCAA hockey, number one seed North Dakota was behind by 2 goals late in the third period vs Minnesota-Duluth when they pulled their goalie.  They scored twice to force overtime and then they went to 5 overtimes before Duluth finally got the winning goal.  The game went more than six hours.

https://sports.yahoo.com/longest-hockey-game-in-ncaa-tournament-history-sends-minnesota-duluth-to-frozen-four-after-5-o-ts-143732112.html

[GeorgiaModerate]

Memphis, which was clearly the best team in this year's NIT, easily won the championship game over Mississippi State, 77-64.  I suspect there are some NCAA tourney teams that are really glad the Tigers were in the NIT.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Sadly we won't get Bemidji State-Duluth, but we will get Minnesota-Minnesota State who could take on St. Cloud State.

Bemidji spolils the opportunity at the all-Minnesota Forzen Four!

[GeorgiaModerate]

Gonzaga steamrolls Creighton 83-65 in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score would suggest.  Creighton didn't play a bad game, but Gonzaga is just that good.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Memphis, which was clearly the best team in this year's NIT, easily won the championship game over Mississippi State, 77-64.  I suspect there are some NCAA tourney teams that are really glad the Tigers were in the NIT.

I personally thought that they were more deserving of a bid than their conference brethren Wichita State.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Too bad I had Zags winning and my other teams didn't hold up, but that's College

[YE]

I really want two mid majors in the Final Four.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I really want two mid majors in the Final Four.

Was 2011 the last time that happened?  Butler & VCU (then in the Horizon and Colonial, respectively).

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

UCLA is gonna be in there, I want a Cali team to make it, but I know Baylor can beat any team but Zags

[YE]

I really want two mid majors in the Final Four.

Was 2011 the last time that happened?  Butler & VCU (then in the Horizon and Colonial, respectively).

Yes. 2013/14/17/18 are the other Final Fours with mid-majors since then but all had 1.