Final Four Thread

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:36 pm

Hope I don't step on anyone's toes...but discuss your thoughts on the games this weekend...

MuchoBulls · Post by **MuchoBulls** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:51 pm

Pulling for Georgetown to win it all, but I think Oden will be a tough matchup for Hibbert.

I'd Like to see UCLA win, but UF is still the team to beat.

Shine · Post by **Shine** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:04 pm

I'm rooting for tO$U for a few reasons. I typically root for the Big 10 to do well outside of a couple select programs, I think that if tO$U does win it all the odds of Conley leaving increase and of course the ever popular I can win money if they win it all rooting interest!!!

FWIW I'm very happy the media in general is giving the game to the Hoyas. They want to focus on the fact that tO$U dodged a bullet in the Xavier game and got down huge to the Vols. I guess they missed that G-town needed a non-call travel shot at the buzzer to get by Vandy and they got down huge to UNC and needed a collapse of historic proportions to advance. The frontcourts are fairly even but I give a HUGE edge in the backcourt to the Buckeyes.

I think the UCLA/UF game will be much more competitive than last years title tilt but I think in the end the frontcourt of the Gators will be just enough to get them back to the title game.

FLW Buckeye · Post by **FLW Buckeye** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:26 pm

Shine wrote:The frontcourts are fairly even but I give a HUGE edge in the backcourt to the Buckeyes.

I think you nailed it. Need Oden and Conley to stay out of foul trouble.

DallasFanatic · Post by **DallasFanatic** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:21 pm

I've been a G-Town fan for 20+ years so I am very happy to see them playing so well this late in the season. I think they have as good a chance as anyone left to win it all. I think Hibbert and Green will step it up big on the defensive side of the ball, and the Hoyas will do what it takes on the offensive side of the ball to win this game. The recipe for success will be to work the ball inside (Hibbert and Green) and get Oden into foul trouble. The Hoyas will also need timely three point shots from Wallace and Co when the lane gets crowded.

All in all, I am pumped for this weekends game. Buckeyes are good, but they are going down. I'm hoping for UCLA to pull it out over Florida. However my bracket has G-Town and Florida in the finals.

Mook · Post by **Mook** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:46 pm

I thought the tournament ended Saturday evening right after UCLA eliminated Kansas......

Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:58 pm

^^^^

I was right there w/ ya. I watched every game this weekend in it's entirety but I dont have a favorite right now. I think all 4 teams could win it. It's a strong Final 4. I am pulling for tOSU but in all honesty as long as Florida doesnt win I will be happy.

I think Georgetown beats tOSU b/c they will get Oden in Foul trouble.

I think UF beats UCLA b/c of their size and b/c Green and Humphrey are playing great.

Degenerate · Post by **Degenerate** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:19 pm

I see Oden getting in early foul trouble when he slaps Hibbert's hand during the player introductions.

L45B · Post by **L45B** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:34 pm

^^ Rack that blast. The officiating in CBB, imo, is a joke. They either need to let the guys play or up it to six fouls. I have a feeling either Oden or Hibbert (or both) will be spending the majority of the game on the bench.

The Seer · Post by **The Seer** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:39 pm

Ohio St. over Georgetown

UCLA over Florida (heart)

Florida over UCLA (wallet)

Mr T · Post by **Mr T** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:27 pm

The Seer wrote: UCLA over Florida (heart)

Florida over UCLA (wallet)

Pussy

Plus where is your final prediction?

Mr T · Post by **Mr T** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:30 pm

Semi:
Georgetown
UCLA

Final:
Georgetown

Mook · Post by **Mook** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 10:14 pm

Since the tourney is apparently still going on I'll pick the following:

Georgetown over Ohio State
Florida over UCLA

Florida over Georgetown

The Seer · Post by **The Seer** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 10:26 pm

Mook wrote:Since the tourney is apparently still going on I'll pick the following:

Georgetown over Ohio State
Florida over UCLA

Florida over Georgetown

is how i'd bet 'em.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:02 am

UCLA beats Ohio St to win the Final 4 championship. Goes on to beat CAL for the national championship.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:30 am

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:UCLA beats Ohio St to win the Final 4 championship. Goes on to beat CAL for the national championship.

and you still finish 14th in the bracket pool. RAKC YOU.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:35 am

What does that have to do with my m2 joke?

Stay in context, fool.

btw - I aimed for dead last like you managed in the Bowl Pick Em, but I think I'm going to come up shy.

L45B · Post by **L45B** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 5:54 am

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:UCLA beats Ohio St to win the Final 4 championship. Goes on to beat CAL for the national championship.

By god, is there enough room in the trophy case in the pink lettuce canyon?

Actually if UCLA beats tOSU, Kal would automatically claim the national championship, having beaten the Bruins in the Pac-10 tourney. And by way of having a better overall team GPA.

Terry in Crapchester · Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:49 am

Out of conference loyalty, I'm rooting for Georgetown. They got hot at just the right time, and are as capable as anyone of winning it all.

And speaking of brackets, after stinking out the joint for the first two rounds, I managed to get three of the Final Four. I'll substitute the team I missed and go with my original picks . . .

Florida over UCLA
Georgetown over Ohio State

Georgetown over Florida

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 5:39 pm

Terry in Crapchester wrote:Out of conference loyalty

Nuh-uh.

No fucking way.

Please tell me Domerfan didn't just talk about "conference loyalty"?

Please tell me that...or I'll be forced to injure my internal organs laughing at the freaking clown.

Doesn't the rest of the sporting world hate the Domers enough already, without them being afucking tools and begging for a pile-on?

Shine · Post by **Shine** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:14 pm

I think the "Oden gets in foul trouble" angle is being greatly overblown. Fact is that Hibbert has proven to be just as foul prone as Oden. Big difference is OSU has more capable reserves to put in than the Hoyas do. Hunter is a stud and his skills get overlooked because of how much attention Oden gets. Sylvester is also a guy that is no world beater but has been through battles as a senior and could get you some quality minutes if needed. Not to mention that OSU is able to get into much more of an up and down game with Oden out of the game and they have way more athletes than G-town does and we saw an up-tempo style kill the Hoyas for 30+ minutes last game. I wouldn't count on OSU missing 23 of 24 shots. Not to mention the unique Princeton style offense G-town runs won't be a surprise to the Buckeyes since they play against that style every year in conference thanks to Northwestern. Granted the Hoyas are running the system with a higher caliber of athlete but the principles of the offense are the same.

For all the talk about OSU struggling in the tourney and Georgetown rolling everyone seems to want to overlook the fact that G-town needed a no-call travel shot at the buzzer to win one game and an offensive collapse of historic proportions to win another one.

indyfrisco · Post by **indyfrisco** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:33 pm

Shine wrote:For all the talk about OSU struggling in the tourney and Georgetown rolling everyone seems to want to overlook the fact that G-town needed a no-call travel shot at the buzzer to win one game and an offensive collapse of historic proportions to win another one.

I gotta say the Tennessee collapse and the Oden foul which should have been intentional is on par with those two situations.

Terry in Crapchester · Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:52 pm

Shine wrote:I think the "Oden gets in foul trouble" angle is being greatly overblown. Fact is that Hibbert has proven to be just as foul prone as Oden. Big difference is OSU has more capable reserves to put in than the Hoyas do.

I'll agree with you in part -- Oden vs. Hibbert is pretty much a wash. What I think everyone is overlooking, however, is Jeff Green. I could be wrong about this, but I don't see tOSU having an answer for him.

Terry in Crapchester · Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:56 pm

Dinsdale wrote:
Terry in Crapchester wrote:Out of conference loyalty

Nuh-uh.

No fucking way.

Please tell me Domerfan didn't just talk about "conference loyalty"?

Please tell me that...or I'll be forced to injure my internal organs laughing at the freaking clown.

Doesn't the rest of the sporting world hate the Domers enough already, without them being afucking tools and begging for a pile-on?

Uhhh, this is basketball, not football. Last time I checked, ND plays in a conference for basketball. Not to mention that most ND fans are very happy with the current situation (ND remaining independent in football and a Big East member in basketball and most olympic sports) and appreciative of the fact that the Big East understands that our football and basketball teams were -- are -- in different situations relative to the benefits of conference membership.

Besides, dude, I was in college during the 80's. One of the great college hoops debates of that time was "which conference is best: ACC, Big East or Big Ten?" Even though ND was independent at the time, and therefore didn't really have a horse in that race, it being a sports question and all, and a bunch of sports-obsessed guys living in an all-male dorm and all, that debate didn't escape our scrutiny.

ND draws its student body from all over the country, and most of us who participated in that debate pretty much sided with the "home" conference in the area we came from, so it was only natural that I took the Big East. So in a sense, the Big East was my "home" conference even before ND joined in hoops.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:05 pm

Terry in Crapchester wrote:Uhhh, this is basketball, not football. Last time I checked, ND plays in a conference for basketball.

Your defense against misplaced "loyalty" comments is...

to point out that your own freaking school isn't loyal to a conference, either?

Freaking BRILLIANT.

Terry in Crapchester · Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:14 pm

Dinsdale wrote:
Terry in Crapchester wrote:Uhhh, this is basketball, not football. Last time I checked, ND plays in a conference for basketball.

Your defense against misplaced "loyalty" comments is...

to point out that your own freaking school isn't loyal to a conference, either?

No, it's to point out that football and basketball are different.

And it's not as if this is anything new. During the 80's, there were a lot of schools who were independent in football but played in a conference in basketball.

Shine · Post by **Shine** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:44 pm

Terry in Crapchester wrote:
Shine wrote:I think the "Oden gets in foul trouble" angle is being greatly overblown. Fact is that Hibbert has proven to be just as foul prone as Oden. Big difference is OSU has more capable reserves to put in than the Hoyas do.
I'll agree with you in part -- Oden vs. Hibbert is pretty much a wash. What I think everyone is overlooking, however, is Jeff Green. I could be wrong about this, but I don't see tOSU having an answer for him.

I'm not overlooking Green but when JT3 looks at his bench his best frontcourt option is PE2. PE2 has made great strides since leaving IU but he isn't near the player that Hunter is. Hunter would start at most places. Not to mention that I don't think Ivan Harris is getting enough credit. Dude was very highly touted coming out of HS and although he hasn't lived up to the hype he is a very solid player who has the length to possibly bother Green and the outside game to make Green a non-factor on defensive rebounding. I think Harris is a better answer for Green than anyone is expecting.

Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:55 pm

2 months ago I thought tOSU was a year away but they have gelled nicely the past couple of months. I think G-Town wins the game but I am pulling for the Buckeyes. Ron Lewis has been the best player in the Tourney IMO.

The Seer · Post by **The Seer** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:55 am

Jsc810 wrote:The UCLA fans are getting ready for Florida, rack their wytches.

Yup. And billy donovan is Eddie Munster

L45B · Post by **L45B** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:23 am

Terry in Crapchester wrote:What I think everyone is overlooking, however, is Jeff Green. I could be wrong about this, but I don't see tOSU having an answer for him.

Shine wrote:I think Harris is a better answer for Green than anyone is expecting.

Disagree with Terry, partially agree with Shine. David Lighty is our best defender. I think Matta is gonna throw different looks at Green using Harris, Lighty, Hunter & Daquaen Cook. But I expect Lighty to give Green his toughest minutes. Kid plays some really agressive D and has made huge strides on offense in the last two tourney games. We'll see though. I don't expect to shut Green down, just slow him down.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:51 pm

Jsc810 wrote:The UCLA fans are getting ready for Florida, rack their wytches.

RACK these...

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:56 pm

Picks for tonight:
Ohio State 81, Georgetown 78
Florida 68, UCLA 63

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:43 am

A so-so first game...would've thought the nightcap would've been the low-scoring game of the two but this game wasn't played at a really fast pace at all. Georgetown's bench literally did nothing for them...it was all the work of the starting 5. Not a lot of fouls called either although three big names: Oden, Hibbert and Green got up to 4 fouls. Both teams shot okay from the floor...Georgetown actually outshot the Buckeyes 49% to 43.9%.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:40 am

Brewer is fucking lights out.

Fuck Noah though. I hope he blows out a knee and never plays again.

Sky · Post by **Sky** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:45 am

Trixie, your team is a bunch of whiney bitches....every foul or call that doesn't go their way is of monumental importance....nice, retribution on Monday baby.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:13 am

Mikey wrote:Fuck Noah though. I hope he blows out a knee and never plays again.

I'd have to think really hard to come up with a more unlikeable college b-ball player throughout the years than Noah. What a douche.

MuchoBulls · Post by **MuchoBulls** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:32 am

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:I'd have to think really hard to come up with a more unlikeable college b-ball player throughout the years than Noah. What a douche.

Was it his jersey pull, or his Sharapovaesque shriek every time he leaves the floor?

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:38 am

And going apeshit like he's Michael Jordan after making a wide open layup or getting a steal.

T REX · Post by **T REX** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:05 am

I have always said Brewer is the key. He played great defense on Affalo.

One down and one to go.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:24 am

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:
Mikey wrote:Fuck Noah though. I hope he blows out a knee and never plays again.
I'd have to think really hard to come up with a more unlikeable college b-ball player throughout the years than Noah. What a douche.

He makes Mark Madsen and Brian Cardinal likeable...

Noah plays hard but he's a drama queen and it's hard to take a dude seriously with that hair.

Props to the Gators though...kicked ass on the glass and Brewer is a freak. Should be a battle on Monday...