Men's Sweet Sixteen - Open Comments - Game threads - Thursday
The Sweet Sixteen begins. Watching TNT and/or truTV for "The Dance" this year is officially over.
There are seven "non-chalk" teams remaining and three of them take the floor tonight.
The Spartans (7 seed) play in New York (MSG) against Kansas State (3 seed) - tip off at 6:30 pm EDT - broadcast on TBS.
Arkansas (8 seed) faces UConn (4 seed) in Vegas - tip off at 7:15 pm EDT on CBS.
Those two are followed by:
Florida Atlantic (9 seed) against Tennessee (4 seed) - in New York (MSG) - at approximately 9:00 pm EDT on TBS.
Tonight's final match up - in Vegas has today's only "chalk" pairing - Gonzaga (3 seed) against UCLA (2 seed) at approximately 9:45 pm EDT on CBS.
The seven "non chalk" teams playing in the Sweet Sixteen and their seedings are: San Diego State (5), Miami (5), Creighton (6), MSU (7), Arkansas (8), Florida Atlantic (9), and Princeton (15). I don't think the 5 seeds are that significant - but - one Cinderella will make the Elite Eight - the winner of Creighton vs Princeton which is the late game Friday evening in Louisville.
Enjoy...
Is this the NCAA Tournament Open Thread?
Go 'Cats!
Who knew? Point guards are thing in the tournament.
It really is a absurd year when UM loses so many close games to miss the tourney altogether and on the flip side this MSU team with very little NBA caliber players is going on some unlikely run.
Dammit.
The Angry Inch
Down goes Frasier.!
Nowell is a bad, bad man! What a game, what a performance.
Good for the Cats - fuck Sparty!
Nowell was as good as advertised, what a performance. Nothing to hang our heads about — epic game, tough outcome. #3 ranked recruiting class coming in. Sparty on.
March 23rd, 2023 at 10:17 PM ^
I’m no Sparty expert, but it seems like Izzo doesn’t get 5* performances from his 5* guys. The downside of that is that it’s annoying to have to see supposed lottery picks stick around EL for multiple years.
Senior laden team, favorable whistle all game, and still lose. Only Izzo
What a nice way to start off the weekend…
March 23rd, 2023 at 10:03 PM ^
Two senior starters tonight, I think 3 or 4 total on the roster including Steven Izzo. But go ahead.
Speaking of Steven Izzo. Anyone else notice he was handing out water to all the players during timeouts last night. He looked like Ollie from the movie Hoosiers. He must have gotten demoted to water boy by Papa Elf.
Then he says the Cats just got lucky in his interview after the game. What an insufferable prick.
You hate to see it...
Lololololol
Yay, Kansas State! Fuck Sparty!
Mr. March says the Wildcats were lucky! What a class act.
March 23rd, 2023 at 10:03 PM ^
Always comes up with a excuse after a loss.
Go Blue
March 23rd, 2023 at 10:52 PM ^
Man, UCLA looks like a lot of fun. Don't tell Gary Grant though.
March 24th, 2023 at 12:05 AM ^
The way UCLA has gone cold, I feel like I’m watching a Michigan game.
March 24th, 2023 at 12:22 AM ^
holy ####... stunned at that 3 pointer...looked like a 35 foot heave ho with 7 secs on the clock still...
just when it looked like Gonzaga was on the brink of an epic collapse too
March 24th, 2023 at 12:32 AM ^
Good Lord, my GF calls, and I turn off the Gonzaga-UCLA game with UCLA cruising, just looking unstoppable. Apparently they had no bench, due to injuries, so the question was whether UCLA was going to run out of gas.. and I guess they did.
Half of the Elite Eight is set.. and, on Saturday it will be a 3 vs 9, and a 3 vs 4. The “chalk” would be 1 vs 2.
K State vs FAU
Gonzaga vs UConn
Apparently MSU’s loss was the closest loss in close losses and no other close loss was as close and awesome as MSU made it according to the homer news outlets around Lansing and the Detroit papers that shall remain nameless. I wasn’t aware that no NCAA team had ever lost in OT with a close score before…FFS! Still looking forward to a weekend without having to hear how legendary Izzo and Sparty are in the tournament.
Sparties were all bragging about being a participant in the best game of 2023. Then it turned out to not even be the best game of the night. Such a weird school.
Izzo says KSU was "lucky" after the game. Always good for douchbag quote after the game.
March 24th, 2023 at 10:04 AM ^
75 - not sure what’s more enjoyable - a close Spartan loss in OT, or a blowout loss. Both are good.
Izzo is unquestionably a Hall of Fame Coach. And arguably a top 5 All Time Coach. But he's getting to be more and more like Foreigner or Night Ranger rolling through the summer County Fair circuit on the rented bus.
Living large off the greatest hits from a generation past. Still great hits and MSU fans will sing a long at the top of their lungs. But the recent stuff is the best time to make a bathroom or beer run.
Look at some of the programs they've bowed out to going back to that summer when he took a few weeks trying to angle for the Cavalier's job before "The Decision".
He's still a top game coach but MSU is not the top 5 program they were from 2000 to 2010. Now when they make a tournament run it's a supernova. Rather than expected. Big difference.
And getting out of the first weekend passes for "a run".
March 24th, 2023 at 10:03 AM ^
Top Five all-time… hmmm, not sure if I would agree. Wooden, Dean Smith, Coach K, Rupp… that’s off the top of my head - and, not sure if he’s in that stratosphere. A very good coach.. yes. I don’t think he’s on Mount Rushmore.
March 24th, 2023 at 11:05 AM ^
Agree. Feel like Izzo needs another national title or 2 to get into the Mt. Rushmore conversation.