NCAA Basketball Thread 2024-2025
Quick OP here just to get us up and running
Things to watch for this year:
1. Can UConn 3-peat? Hurley won back to back championships with Clingan, Tristen Newton, and company. Can he make it a third with only one returning starter?
2. Who will be this years national player of the year? Zach Edey was the best player I've seen play college basketball in my lifetime. People throw the term generational talent around alot and Edey was truly a generational talent winning back to back national player of the year awards. But, now he's gone. So who can win the award?
- the 5th year guards in Mark Sears(Alabama) and RJ Davis(UNC) are a good spot to start. Both elite shooters and engines of an offense, they should lead two really good teams.
- the 5th year centers in Hunter Dickinson(Kansas) and Ryan Kallbrenner(Creighton) are also viable options. They'll be the anchors to what should be two really good teams.
- The phenoms: Cooper Flagg(Duke), Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper(Rutgers), VJ Edgecombe(Baylor), and Tre Johnson(Texas) lead a loaded freshman class.
3. Who are the contenders?
Spoiler
Lettuce college basketball
Indiana was -3000 on FanDuel to make it when it hit 6pm. Thought it may have leaked but apparently not.
My friend is convinced St John’s is going All The Way.
They had a high WAB!
The 4 1-seeds are a clear cut above. They're all around +35 to +38 in Kenpom. For reference, last year's UConn team is considered one of the most dominant tourney winners ever and they were +36 after winning 6 straight in the tournament.
The committee clearly wanted some spice in their 2nd round matchups giving them an underseeded Louisville, a top 10 Power Rating team in Gonzaga, and a 2-time defending national champion in UConn as 8 seeds, but the 1 seeds are all exceptional this year.
Only question mark is health. Broome hasn't been fully healthy for 2 months, Flagg and J'Wan Roberts are both dealing with rolled ankles right now so their health is a bit uncertain.
any power rankings that have Gonzaga in the top 10 are deeply flawed, they suck this year.
I really like Wisconsin. Good on both ends. Kept Michigan off the glass
Here what I got for injuries, feel free to add/edit if you have any inside info.
Kentucky: Jaxson Robinson out for tournament; Lamont Butler dealing with shoulder but cleared for 1st Round
Iowa State: Keshon Gilbert out for tournament; Tamin Lipsey cleared
Memphis: Tyrese Hunter questionable, seems closer to doubtful, CSU the rare 12 seed to be favored over a 5
Missouri: Mark Mitchell cleared
Houston: J'Wan Roberts says hes playing
Duke: Cooper Flagg says hes playing; Maliq Brown not ruled out yet but sounds doubtful for at least the first 2 rounds
Alabama: Grant Nelson coach says highly questionable for Friday, hopeful for Sunday
Clemson: Dillon Hunter out for tournament, the shittier of the Hunter Bros he avg 5 points a game
Texas Tech: Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams both questionable cant find much on either
Arkansas: Boogie Fland hogs top scorer expected to return after 15 game absence, however 2nd leader scorer Adou Thiero sounds doubtful for first weekend.
Louisville: Reyne Smith sharp shooting white guy expected to return for 1st Round after missing ACC tourney with an ankle sprain
Baylor: Langston Love expected to play Round 1
Nah. I see them as an interesting threat and gonna make noise, but my 42/1 bet on them pre-season is all about hedging if they get close. I have them pegged as a team that can get close but can't win it. Why? Pitino is a hard way kind of coach. Try, try and try again getting very close even at UK and UofL, premier programs, before getting there. That's my view of it. Hope it's wrong.
Pitino winning it at his third school would be slightly epic. And he doesn't really have time for the 10 year or 15 year program nowadays, so maybe, maybe??? But his pattern is more strong early splash, getting close, fading back a bit, strong second push, getting close but out, then winning it. Though he may coach to 80 and repeat the pattern, maybe even replacing UConn as the beast of the east with a near dynasty type run.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler, RIP, said if you cracked his head open there would be a big boxing glove in there, "It's all I am." If you cracked Pitino's open, it's a basketball. Definitely popcorn stuff, Pitino.
This is just such a top heavy bracket.
There's usually one or two 1-seeds that have a good resume but below a +30 AdjEM on Kenpom. This year all 4 1 seeds are +35 or better.
I'd be really surprised this year if the champion was anybody but the 1-seeds or Tennessee or Alabama.
On the one hand st Johns have a few characteristics of teams that get upset early. On the other hand they have the greatest x and o coach of all time?
This first four game between these two low major scrubs has been pretty good
Pretty amazing career arc for Darian DeVries: 6 years at Drake, 1 year at West Virginia, boom you're the head basketball coach at INDIANA.
Guy hasnt won a tournament game or ever finished top 50 KenPom but yeah BOOM welcome to Indiana.
What a game and finish.
That was a crazy ending. Very thankful it didn’t go to OT lol.
Couldn't have had a better game for a 16/16 opener.
LFG
from Dayton to San Antonio!!
Spoiler
i kid. i kid
These teams are stone cold ****ing garbage.
