*Competition* 2008 NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament

[OumaFan]

Picks?

I got Memphis and UNC

Not like I'd be shocked if either game went the other way though. I like the underdogs but can't deny this is a good Final Four, anything could happen.

I'm gonna hold out on making a final pick till after I see this one. I would not have picked Memphis before cause of their shooting, free throw and threes, but they were hella impressive against MSU and Texas.

[amat]

Both games are going to be good. I'm very interested in this UCLA - Memphis game. This is the first time in 3 years that I haven't picked Memphis to go to the Final and now they might do it. I do have them in the final 4 though. My final 4 is almost perfect with the exception of Georgetown, I had them beating Kansas, didn't foresee Davidson beating Georgetown of all teams.

UCLA is for certain the more well rounded team but in college a good backcourt is always better then a good frontcourt. Kevin Love is an animal but he's got to get the ball in order to be effective and in all these close games down the stretch for UCLA, they've gotten away from Love and let Collison and Westbrook handle the ball. That's not all bad because Collison is one of the better point guards in the country but he turns the ball over a lot and Rose and Douglas-Roberts can take advantage of that.

Still, I have a feeling as cocky as Callapari is that he's going to task Dozier with Love and as good as Dozier has been with Memphis having no true center, don't think he can match up with Love and not have Love run all over him.

Very excited about this one. This is the best time of year for sports, the NBA West is about as stacked as one conference has ever been in the entire history of basketball, the NHL has a great race in the East with Ovechkhin tearing it up and possibly facing Crosby in the 1st round of their playoffs and of course the final 4 leave the start of baseball a mere afterthought.

[RP33]

i have the biggest smile on my face as the kansas/unc score is currently 25-10 in favor of kansas..
THIS IS SO GREAT

i hope they pull this off!

[amat]

Wow 40-12. And NC came all the way back. Didn't even realize the UCLA - Memphis game was on until after I made that post. I was right, Westbrook and Collison tried to hijack the game and it cost UCLA. M'ba and Love were non factors in the second half.

[El Kabong]

Well UNC is fucked....Kansas just played out their asses

[RP33]

Wow 40-12. And NC came all the way back. Didn't even realize the UCLA - Memphis game was on until after I made that post. I was right, Westbrook and Collison tried to hijack the game and it cost UCLA. M'ba and Love were non factors in the second half.

they were covering love HARDCORE.. it was impossible to get it inside to them, so i don't blame collison or westbrook in THAT fashion..

but i DO blame them for CONTINUING TO FUCKING DRIVE and trying to score on the inside.. if they took some perimeter shots, EVEN IF THEY MISSED, UCLA OWNED the boards #1, and #2 when they actually started to hit shots from the outside, then it would force their defenders to play up on them, leaving Love single covered by Dorsey or whoever was in at the time, giving him a better chance to get the ball.. i swear to christ some coaches are so fucking overrated in college basketball.. I've helped coach middle school teams, and i could've said that to a disciplined UCLA team and you would've seen results right away.. they needed to spread the floor.. every time they penetrated they would clog the middle leaving love/m'ba no advantage to get a rebound..

with that said, after watching Memphis completely own Texas, i had a strong feeling they would've taken UCLA with their guard play.. I think they'll have a harder time with Kansas cause their guards are bigger, but i still think they'll be fine and win it all..

[amat]

Indeed, Memphis definitely had the faster feet and the longer arms on the inside, you're not going to be able to drive and kick against them and that's what UCLA kept trying.


Anyways, I'm glad it shook out this way. I would have been disappointed if it had been either UNC/Memphis or UCLA/Kansas. Maybe not so much UCLA/Kansas but I won't get tied up into that.

The defense for Memphis was too much for North Carolina and that is essentially where the game was lost. Aside from a good run in the middle, that 28 points was pretty close to insurmountable. It was the 2-3 zone. Memphis had faster feet inside early and while Hansbrough is a great positional player, he was overwhelmed by 3 sets of faster feet and longer arms inside. It was to much, there were a lot of loose balls in the middle of the paint for this very reason and Kansas just ran away with it. Then the game began to speed up a little more and instead of going out of the set offense, North Carolina ran the court and that and a few really good plays by Green off the bench got them back in the game. That couldn't be sustained.

This game versus Memphis they aren't going to match up in a 2-3 so we'll see them tested there. Davidson gave Kansas' backcourt hell so it'll be interesting to see what Memphis does. Memphis meanwhile, isn't going to win on the size of their backcourt like they did today. The two teams have very similar physical builds and that is going to make for a good game. Both teams' strength is in their back court but neither team is a perimeter team. Hopefully the refs let them play because both teams are always cutting to the basket in the lanes. Dorsey isn't going to have an assignment like Kevin Love where he plays against a conventional center, neither of these teams have a true center.

Should be interesting, I would think Memphis, Derrick Rose really seems to have put them over the top, and with defensive attention now split in the backcourt, Douglas-Roberts is having himself a tremendous season. They've been close the last couple years, they certainly appear to be the team of destiny, they have been ON FIRE this season and most people passed over their 1 loss season and attributed it to C-USA but now, they've just run through the tournament. Quite a season, if they pull this out I think you have to compare this Memphis teams to the great teams of all time.

Back to UCLA, wow, 3 straight final fours and no titles to show for it. Collison might aswell change his name to Kelly, as in Jim Kelly.

If UCLA was to win, Westbrook is best to pass the ball and not try to make everything happen himself. That, above everything in this stretch of UCLA games where they really have to fight for the win, they've gotten away from M'ba (I won't try to spell the rest) and Love until the stretch where they could come up big. This game, that point never came and the long arms of Memphis were able to cut off the passing lanes and thus cut off the ball supply to Kevin Love. They looked totally confused without their big man able to play point guard from the post because that's what he did in the Pac 10 all year. Props to Joey Dorsey, what a full circle he has come. He was huge today, played the game of the year against one of the players of the year in Love.

[CutMeMick]

Memphis will win it.

[OumaFan]

I tend to think so too

Rose and Douglas-Roberts are virtually unguardable, if they get anything from their inside guys its just a bonus.

Nobody talks about their defense, they play very good defense.

I'm thinking Rose for number 1 pick. Beasley's very good but its not like he's a Shaq or even Greg Oden, he's a 6'10 power forward.

[RP33]

I tend to think so too

Rose and Douglas-Roberts are virtually unguardable, if they get anything from their inside guys its just a bonus.

Nobody talks about their defense, they play very good defense.

I'm thinking Rose for number 1 pick. Beasley's very good but its not like he's a Shaq or even Greg Oden, he's a 6'10 power forward.

Rose #1?? nah.. Beasley will go #1 still, and i think the Heat plan on taking him without a doubt.. Beasley was NBA ready from day 1, Rose has gotten better as the season progressed.. his confidence soared in the tourney, he really didn't play this way every game of the regular season..

if he declared for the draft he'd def be a top pick but i think Miami is sold on Beasley..

[OumaFan]

I think Rose might have more upside than Beasley. If its the Heat no doubt they need an inside guy so I'd be shocked if they didn't pick Beasley. Could depend on the team and what their needs are.

Anyway I thought it was over with two minutes left, good for Kansas and yes John Calipari shooting free throws is a big deal.