[ToTheLeft]

Wow... that's so ignorant man. There's no facts or anything to support what you've said.

Duke, in UK's position, would have played a 16, 9 seed Wake (Hmmm, I think we've had that game played before... 20 point win for Duke in the Regular season), 12 seed Cornell (Could have been a decent game, but I don't think the Big Red could beat Duke. If you want to call this a loss, I can't completely refute it, but I simply don't think Duke would have lost to Cornell), and 2 seed WVU. If Duke beats WVU to make it to the final, then you CANNOT say that...

A) Duke doesn't belong in the Final.
B) Kentucky could have made it in over Duke, since Duke BEAT THE TEAM that UK LOST TO.

If WVU wins, then your point maybe has a tiny little grain of truth. But even still, it's a ridiculous point. I think Baylor gives UK a serious run for their money, they were probably in the top 4 most athletic teams in the tourney and could have kept up with UK easily, even your boy John Wall.

[Th3rd]

WVU played really well, but lets all admit that no matter who it is if you go 3-20whatever from 3PT you will lose every game you play...

if UK hits 5 more 3's this is a different conversation

but we will see what Duke does against WVU

[flamesbball84]

Duke's road wound up being just as tough as the hypothetical road of those teams that lost early.

They'll have beat an 16, 8, 4, 3, and 2 to make the Final. Kansas would have had a much easier road had they not crapped out early, not having to face a 2 or 3 seed. They would have faced a 16, 9, 5, 6, and 5 to make the final. And Duke has the easiest road? Give me a break.

Toughest road, only if you go strictly by the seeding and ignore how weak every seed that Duke played outside of Baylor. You honestly think Purdue was tougher than Butler or Michigan State, or that Cal was better than Cornell or Washington?? Based on your apparent logic, Purdue and Cal is better than the three of them because they were a higher seed than Butler.

Also, the fact that "lower" seeds advanced much further in the other regions only highlights how tough those regions were, not indicating how weak they were. In the midwest you had a 9 and a 6 seed nearly advance to the final four after beating a #1 and a #2. In the west, you have a 5 seed go to the final four, toppling a 1 and a 2 seed on the way. In the East, you had a 12 and an 11 go to the sweet 16, taking down a 3, 4, 5, and 6, in the process. In the south, the #9 seed was a hapless louisville squad who severely underperformed the majority of the season. The 6 seed was Notre Dame who did nothing all season to justify coming anywhere close to a 6 seed. The 5 seed in the south lost to a 4 seed missing it's best player. The 12 seed in the south got worked by an okay Texas A&M squad. The 11 seed in the south narrowly advanced passed arguably the most overseeded team in the entire bracket in notre dame.

[flamesbball84]

If Duke beats WVU to make it to the final, then you CANNOT say that...

A) Duke doesn't belong in the Final.
B) Kentucky could have made it in over Duke, since Duke BEAT THE TEAM that UK LOST TO..

Gimme a break guys, this is proof that we're settling for less than the best. If we wanted to prove we're on the same level as UK, then that's one thing, but don't try to say were on the same level as a #1 seed because we played them closer than they did. not every game is the same. I can prove any team is better than any other by that method. It's just a bad way to compare things.

LU lost to GMU by 4. GMU beat ODU by 16. LU is better than ODU! Wait....

So it's okay to compare games against common opponents when it supports your argument, but not when it would support someone else's argument? Just because Duke beats West VA doesn't mean Duke is better than UK. Not every game is the same you know? I mean you did just say that earlier today. Pick one. Can't have the best of both worlds...

[ToTheLeft]

If Duke beats WVU to make it to the final, then you CANNOT say that...

A) Duke doesn't belong in the Final.
B) Kentucky could have made it in over Duke, since Duke BEAT THE TEAM that UK LOST TO..

Gimme a break guys, this is proof that we're settling for less than the best. If we wanted to prove we're on the same level as UK, then that's one thing, but don't try to say were on the same level as a #1 seed because we played them closer than they did. not every game is the same. I can prove any team is better than any other by that method. It's just a bad way to compare things.

LU lost to GMU by 4. GMU beat ODU by 16. LU is better than ODU! Wait....

So it's okay to compare games against common opponents when it supports your argument, but not when it would support someone else's argument? Just because Duke beats West VA doesn't mean Duke is better than UK. Not every game is the same you know? I mean you did just say that earlier today. Pick one. Can't have the best of both worlds...

Are you serious?

I was comparing their road to the Final Four, not Duke versus UK.

To support the point I was making, the facts I used support my case just fine. If Duke and UK switched spots, Duke would have had to play WVU. If Duke beats WVU, it's safe to say they would have been able to make it through UK's bracket, despite Duke's bracket being so "easy". I am not comparing Duke to UK in terms of "who is better", but the thought that, "If UK was in Duke's bracket, they'd make the Final Four" means a lot less when both teams take the floor against a common opponent in back-to-back and one WINS and the other LOSES. As opposed to both teams losing and seeing who the better loser is.

In the other example, olldflame is trying to say the women's team looks better because they lost by less than some other team did, which is just bogus. And I showed why it is, because we lost to a team, and then ODU lost to the same team by more, which would mean we're a more competitive team. we lost to ODU by 40 on our home floor, which disproves that.

[ToTheLeft]

Duke's road wound up being just as tough as the hypothetical road of those teams that lost early.

They'll have beat an 16, 8, 4, 3, and 2 to make the Final. Kansas would have had a much easier road had they not crapped out early, not having to face a 2 or 3 seed. They would have faced a 16, 9, 5, 6, and 5 to make the final. And Duke has the easiest road? Give me a break.

Toughest road, only if you go strictly by the seeding and ignore how weak every seed that Duke played outside of Baylor. You honestly think Purdue was tougher than Butler or Michigan State, or that Cal was better than Cornell or Washington?? Based on your apparent logic, Purdue and Cal is better than the three of them because they were a higher seed than Butler.

Also, the fact that "lower" seeds advanced much further in the other regions only highlights how tough those regions were, not indicating how weak they were. In the midwest you had a 9 and a 6 seed nearly advance to the final four after beating a #1 and a #2. In the west, you have a 5 seed go to the final four, toppling a 1 and a 2 seed on the way. In the East, you had a 12 and an 11 go to the sweet 16, taking down a 3, 4, 5, and 6, in the process. In the south, the #9 seed was a hapless louisville squad who severely underperformed the majority of the season. The 6 seed was Notre Dame who did nothing all season to justify coming anywhere close to a 6 seed. The 5 seed in the south lost to a 4 seed missing it's best player. The 12 seed in the south got worked by an okay Texas A&M squad. The 11 seed in the south narrowly advanced passed arguably the most overseeded team in the entire bracket in notre dame.

I never said Duke had the toughest road. Stop with this lying and making stuff up, it ruins discussions.

I don't think seeds are everything, but Purdue was a good team, as was A and M. You can dismiss them all you want, doesn't change my opinion. I think Purdue as a 4 without Hummel is better than New Mexico as a 3.

And I don't see how low seeds making the Final Four makes a bracket tough as much as it makes the top teams overrated and choke artists. But I guess that's just a point that everyone can twist to make their point.

[flamesbball84]

And I don't see how low seeds making the Final Four makes a bracket tough as much as it makes the top teams overrated and choke artists. But I guess that's just a point that everyone can twist to make their point.

It shows that those other regions were deeper in quality teams. You know, the argument the Big East always uses to justify them as the best conference every year (last year they were, this year it was the Big 12). Good teams at the top, but the lower teams are pretty good and can beat the top teams on any given night.

Most of the lower seeds, at least the ones that went past the first round, in all the other regions competed or won their games, most notably Washington, Northern Iowa, Tennessee and Michigan State (lower seeded because they did get to the Elite 8 as a 6 and 5 seed), Butler, Xavier, and Cornell. What did the lower seeds do in the Sotuh Region, well ODU beat a 6 seed Notre Dame, who should have been more in the range of 10-12 since they were a bubble before the Big East Tournament, so really not all that impressive of a win. St. Mary's had a good run, taking down mid major Richmond (a matchup that should have never happened in the first round to begin with) and another one of the most overseeded teams in the bracket in Villanova, but then they got steamrolled by one of the only two high quality teams in the region in Baylor. Face it, the lower seeded teams int he South region were generally trash, and the higher seeds outside of Duke and Baylor were solid to average, certainly not as good as teams of equal seeding in otehr regions:

West VA better than Villanova, Baylor was the best 3 seed, could argue Purdue as the best 4 but the fours all kind of sucked, Butler better than A&M, Tennessee and Xavier better than Notre Dame, BYU better than Richmond, Gonzaga better than Cal, Northern Iowa best 9 seed by far, St. Mary's best 10 seed, Washington better than ODU, Cornell better than Utah State, Murray State arguably better than Siena although they get the benefit of the doubt for winning, Ohio better than Sam Houston State, Robert Morris best 15 seed but its tough to say there since the 2 seed they faced was an extremely weak 2 seed, if they face a 2 seed in the other regions its blowout city. So basically, The South has the best 3, arguably 4 (even though no one had an overly strong 4 in my eyes), 10, arguably 13, and 15. Not a world beating region there by any means.

[ToTheLeft]

I'm not saying Duke's region was the best! Stop making it seem like I said that!

I'm just saying it's not "a cake walk". You could only think of one team of the other 3 teams that were better then the respective seed in Duke's bracket. I'd say Duke's bracket was just fine, and they did the best job of the 1 seeds navigating it, aka, they won.

[flames1971]

I'm not saying Duke's region was the best! Stop making it seem like I said that!

I'm just saying it's not "a cake walk". You could only think of one team of the other 3 teams that were better then the respective seed in Duke's bracket. I'd say Duke's bracket was just fine, and they did the best job of the 1 seeds navigating it, aka, they won.

Thanks for supporting the Duke side.

[ToTheLeft]

I'm not saying Duke's region was the best! Stop making it seem like I said that!

I'm just saying it's not "a cake walk". You could only think of one team of the other 3 teams that were better then the respective seed in Duke's bracket. I'd say Duke's bracket was just fine, and they did the best job of the 1 seeds navigating it, aka, they won.

Thanks for supporting the Duke side.

No problem. See guys, it's fun to be nice and friendly?

[LUconn]

Brandon Knight, the two-time national player of the year, is apparently going to be UK bound based on what everyone "in the know" is saying now. Additionally, UK is on the radar of just about every top 50-100 recruit who hasn't signed or committed anywhere. So, basically, UK is going to come away with another top notch class, just no one really has any clue who will be in it and how many, depends a lot on who all declares for the draft. A lot of the top guys seem to be waiting until the late signing period this year to sign on with a school, so there is going to be a lot of action going on with spring recruiting for the 2010 HS class.

no no no, THAT is a recruitment that I've been following closely and the only people saying it's a done deal to UK is Kentucky fans. In the end I think he'll end up there but it's still wide open.

Apparently you haven't been following it very closely - all of the below are non-Kentucky sources, mostly Florida sources actually, saying Knight is UK bound or very likely UK bound

http://www.thestate.com/2010/03/24/1214 ... oking.html
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports ... takes.html
http://www.zagsblog.com/2010/03/23/knig ... s-florida/
http://www.zagsblog.com/2010/03/10/knig ... e-options/
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/c ... 5226.story
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/gatorbyt ... asketball/
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/24/1 ... night.html
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/mar/19 ... urt-depth/
http://florida.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1062935

Doesn't mean who's going to UK for sure, but the "news" keeps coming out more and more nearly every day from non-UK sources that Knight is very likely to end up at UK.

Doron Lamb and Josh Selby are going somewhere together. I think UK will be the only place that will be able to take both of them and start them both. Where would that leave Knight?

[flamesbball84]

Doron Lamb and Josh Selby are going somewhere together. I think UK will be the only place that will be able to take both of them and start them both. Where would that leave Knight?

Kansas could start both of them. Tyshawn Taylor would be the only returning wing player and he wasn't exactly a stud this year by any means. And secondly, just look at what UK has now in the post. Patterson and Cousins started and are going in the lottery for sure, Orton was the backup 5 and is being talked about as a lottery pick, as a backup. Orton knew going into the season that he could likely end up as a backup, Calipari told him that straight up and he still stayed committed to UK. I don't see any reason why one of those three couldn't be a backup and still get their payday in the NBA when the season is done if they are all one and dones. Not likely, but could happen.

[Schfourteenteen]

Liberty could start both of them.

[olldflame]

Butler just beat Michigan State 52-50 and will play for the national championship Monday night.

[LUconn]

So... Butler in the national championship game.


I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall wherever Barry Collier is right now. I know he went to coach his alma mater but, come on. He's got to be crying in a corner right now.

[LUconn]

WVU really guarding the perimeter well

[flamesbball84]

so has the illegal screen rule been stricken from the book for this game? nearly every screen zoubek sets is a moving screen...

EDIT: finally they call one, except on lance thomas.

[JK37]

so has the illegal screen rule been stricken from the book for this game? nearly every screen zoubek sets is a moving screen...

EDIT: finally they call one, except on lance thomas.

I thought same thing. Just more Duke bias!

[TDDance234]

Keep it coming. Excuses excuses.

[LUconn]

That's Zoubek's screen/hipcheck

[flamesbball84]

west VA must believe that letting duke hit wide open 3s for days is the way to win the game. three point defense has been pathetic.

[flamesbball84]

butler looks like he's down for the count. seals that duke W right there. hopefully it's nothing serious and doesn't hurt his NBA draft stock (some places have him as a lottery pick), although as much pain as he is in and not even being able to put any weight on it, i'm guessing it's fairly serious.

[SuperJon]

All the Duke fans making fun of Huggins and Butler is absolutely pathetic. I'm all for cheering for your team, but the stuff I just saw on Facebook and Twitter was the definition of d-----bag.

[ToTheLeft]

If a grown man gives eskimo kisses to another grown man, it needs to be addressed. And tweeting about when your pizza will arrive is just as d-----bag, assuming that people care about your pizza's arrival.

[TDDance234]

butler looks like he's down for the count. seals that duke W right there. hopefully it's nothing serious and doesn't hurt his NBA draft stock (some places have him as a lottery pick), although as much pain as he is in and not even being able to put any weight on it, i'm guessing it's fairly serious.

If it's the outside of his knee -- it's probably the MCL which, while serious, has a fairly short recovery time compared to the ACL.