NCAA Hoops 2025-26 Season Thread: MARCH SADNESS FOR DUKE
Looks like UK is getting out of the gate with a win against vaunted Nicholls State. This on the heels of a pre-season lo
Beautiful St. Johns. I bet them big moneyline, too big to watch it, then got chicken and hedged some taking the points. Both sides winners. I never used to watch when I bet big, can't take the heat I guess. Anyway, sweeper! Sweet. Had I watched the game and known the halftime score, I would have hedged further on Kansas moneyline +300 or whatever it was, so I saved that by not watching. Didn't see any of it, just now watched the final play replay.
Pretty perfect all around if I don't lose the ticket. Ha. You know, it all felt different ... the bet. I realized that for the first time in my life in decades of betting, I actually walked up to the counter at a sports book and placed a bet with cash over the counter. For decades it was on the phone, then it was runners, then it was online.
The play on St. Johns was this: Rick Pitino will not lose in the round of 32 two years in a row in brutal fashion. The whole season is about revenge for that heartbreak, and he is a coach who is way odds on to make such things happen. So ... no points laid, the moneyline. Pitino to win.
Florida kind of dirty this game
Expertly done Bill Self
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom
cancel the tournament
Can we please execute Steve Lappas? I can not stand to listen to him and his ridiculous NY accent anymore on broadcasts.
Golden bites the dust. The dude is heading for trouble, scandal, fired, blackballed, etc. ... eventually to make a comeback somewhere else ala the others. The dude is a punk, and maybe a freak.
In the UK game, when Pope got a technical, Golden laughed and clapped, mocking and trolling Pope. That is slightly aberrant coaching behavior on the sideline. Showed his arse. In the next game they got blown out by Vandy, the next game they set the modern record for margin of victory in an NCAA tourney game (maybe laughing and mocking the opposition all along?), then the next game they got eliminated as a big favorite. Horrible performance since the UK game, two out of three losses.
They did super peak over the last month of the regular season, and cooling off was a high probability. Dude is a great strategist and motivator, but he's a punk ... punky in the way of being a troll and getting off on it. That's hardly repeat title material. I said before the tourney I didn't trust him and stay off his team. Weird stuff. His pressers are candid and triple sharp, but where there is a bunch of smoke there is usually fire.
I mean, they drew Iowa in the second round as a one seed. GG
I thought the timeout he called to let Iowa draw up the gamewinner was bad
when you can call a timeout to help your opponent, you gotta do it.
Sometimes when I play a chess game and my opponent is low on time, I make a move and don't press the clock so they aren't rushed.
I bet Calipari wishes he called a TO in 2017 after Malik hit the game tying 3. But we were so good at inbounding and running, he didn't even have time to think about it.
I don't think the outcome would have been different. Iowa had a TO, and I'm guessing they call it if Golden doesn't. Then Golden calls his own TO to set up his offensive play after the Iowa game winning 3, where Iowa called their last TO to set up their own D. Both TOs would have likely still been used, just in reverse order.
There goes Hubert.
We'll always have whatever year that was where they did well and memories of players who did not live up to their potential otherwise.
Saint John's will beat Duke.
F
Rick Pitino has said he wants to beat Duke on a buzzer-beater to return the favor, and I'm all for it. Wait, what year is this?
He's played Duke many times since the Laettner shot, including in the NCAA Tournament.
Seems like if you got guards who can handle the press st John's should be easy.
Does Duke?!?! I know that one guy is injured.
He's played Duke many times since the Laettner shot, including in the NCAA Tournament.
Ah, I see. Interesting that he is bringing it up.
