I too did not predict Michigan over Tennessee, because Michigan had won the prior game.

Now, anything is possible.

Is this where in answer to the question of who picked UM over TN I post a pick of my bracket and brag about being in the top 97.3% in the ESPN bracket pool?  No?  👍 

Thank you Seth for pointing out that Twill can take minutes from Johns. I've been so confused on why Webb keeps talking about reducing Houstan's minutes for Twill.

Twill is best suited at the 4 and Johns literally takes up 8-12 empty minutes per game at the 4. If we want Twill to play more minutes than simply eliminate Johns from the rotation and he'll approach 20 minutes.

Has felt extremely weird that this has been pitted as a Houstan vs Williams debate.

1. Jones + Collins 40

2. Brooks + Jones/Collins 40

3. Houstan 34, Twill 6

4. Diabate 26, Twill 14

5. Dickinson 36, Diabate 4

The SEC has long been a talent over substance basketball conference-even Kentucky has gone too far in this direction. This great game is about employing good talent in ways that exploit your opponent's weaknesses and minimizes their strengths...and do the converse for your team. Here, in the SEC, it is as if coaching is an afterthought-just recruit the kids who are taller and faster and who can jump higher. 

Tonight, the Michigan vs Villanova game is the antithesis of the SEC.

The narrative that Frankie kept Tennessee out of the paint when they were only playing one of the two of Chandler and Zeigler and that things fell apart because he couldn't guard both is completely false.  Jones and Brooks pretty much exclusively guarded Chandler, who was the alpha all game.  The coaches hid Frankie away on Vescovi or Zeigler when he was in.

I suspect the coaches just don't trust Frankie as much in pick and roll situations (which require a bit more savvy than pure on ball defense) and I am surprised they didn't try Frankie more on ball but for whatever reason he was deleveraged all game. I did chart one drive that he did well on Zeigler to turn him away and once that he got beat on a curl (which I would argue was Johns fault as the guy guarding the screener) but the coaches kept him on low usage players.

But as Sam Vecenie pointed out yesterday, it was mostly Hunter messing up pick and rolls that allowed Chandler to do so much damage.  He wasn't beating Eli on isos.  Things fell apart when both guards were in because it meant there weren't two bigs clogging the paint so Tennessee could actually run proper pick and roll.  I charted the whole game and put picture pages up about how their two big lineups limited the guards ability to penetrate.

From a positive perspective, Jones did a surprisingly nice job on Chandler and only allowed one semi-blow-by while mostly beating him to the spot.  The caveat is obviously that Jones was mostly fortunate to play when those two big lineups were in so Moussa was looming as a rim protector to dissuade drives.

It will be interesting to see who Frankie guards tonight, but given that they didn't trust him on Chandler, I suspect he won't guard Gillespie.  It'll be Jones and Brooks, like it was with Chandler.