NCAA Tournament, Prediction,BBQ and Beverage Thread
Mates,
Let's have a grab-bag of fun tonight, so much going on we can't keep track of it. As I write this the Fighting Illini are down 20-8 to....Chattanooga? Stat line for the Illini is this:
2-12 from the field, 0-4 from 3, 4-10 FT's. Woof!
Some other interesting games tonight are our dear friends from E. Lansing are going to play late vs. Davison, and those swells from Wisconsin are going to play Colgate. You've also got LSU (Coach? We don't need a coach, only a payment planner!) v. ISU as a pretty interesting 6 v. 11 game.
Of course tomorrow we have some big games for Michigan - Men's hoops v. UT UT is still salty about Woodson over Manning for that certain football trophy. The ladies kick off their NCAA tournament at the Crisler Center, that's very cool. And last but not least, we have a hockey game v. Minny, featured on the front page, for the B10 Championship. Wrestling gets a nod here, too, but I'm not going into the details other than to say we've had great coverage from Mgosomething today.
Tonight's questions as we come to the end of winter tomorrow at midnight (or thereabouts):
1. Who are you picking for our games tomorrow, hoops and hockey?
2. Who are your picks tonight, particularly for the B10 teams.
3, What is in your cup and/or on your BBQ this evening?
Spring starts on Sunday, and no better way to close out winter than with a bunch of Michigan victories.
Go Blue and have a great weekend,
XM
At least one win tomorrow. But probably not a clean sweep.
Don't care, they can all lose. Especially Sparty.
All Day IPA. No BBQ, had leftover corned beef dinner from yesterday. Good stuff and still have some left for reubens this weekend.
Let's Go Blue, ALL OF YOU!
Edited to add that includes our lady gymnasts, the wrasslers and the swimmers too. HUGE weekend!
Illinois getting embarrassed early for a second straight year seems too much to hope for, so I would guess that they pull it out here. Alas. Edit: And here they go.
Hockey game is a tossup tomorrow; I'll be there. Objective hockey fan me sometimes goes superstitious and wonders if losing while playing well sets up better for a good tournament run, but rational me knows that there is no such thing, and Michigan fan me will attend the game and get roped into thinking it's the most important thing in the world while I'm there.
I'm not usually optimistic about big games anyway, so consider that the grain of salt you should take this with: I am quite pessimistic about the basketball game tomorrow. A defensively strong team doesn't seem like a great matchup even in upset terms. But we'll see.
SRJK, forgot about you going to that game. please post pics/details if you are so inclined and able. we're counting on you to bring home the championship!
who are you attending with, kids, buddies?
This is the very rare time when I'm not with one of my kids, something I actively prefer not to do, but a man in my church was planning on the trip and included me in the ticket purchase, and we're making a trip to Rochester tomorrow before the game to visit another friend in our church who just had a kidney transplant. It's a busy day. I'll see what I can do about updates--I'd love to have some trophy pictures to include.
I wish are could be like people in the SEC and root for the conference, but fuck that. Illinois is getting away with a lot, I hope they lose.
It really, REALLY sticks in my craw that we’re 0-5 against Illinois since Howard was hired…given how f*cking obnoxious their fans are. I don’t expect this to last but I would certainly enjoy them getting knocked out of the tournament early again.
Fuck those guys.
Based on games and other encounters (personal and professional), here's my ranking of our "rivals" as fans (best first) where I have a decent sample size:
- Tier 1: Northwestern, Notre Dame
- Tier 2: Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue
- Tier 3 (all by itself): Penn State
- Tier 4: Ohio State, Michigan State
I've yet to meet an obnoxious Illinois fan. WH is a very trustworthy poster, so I must have been lucky.
You have been lucky. WH is correct.
How did you find a decent sample size of Northwestern fans? I didn't think such a thing exists except for Julia Louis Dreyfus.
March 18th, 2022 at 10:42 PM ^
NW fans: Many years on the north side of Chicago (and Chicagoland).
Can’t stand Indiana or Illinois bball teams. Staee is obviously the worst but after that its those two. I would say Purdue is least despicable. Maybe along with Minnesota.
March 19th, 2022 at 12:59 AM ^
Obviously it's a matter of subjectivity and by sport. I've met plenty of annoying Illini fans. Northwestern IMO should not be even on this list and Notre Dame definitely should swap with Penn St.
Go Chattanooooga. Fuck Illini.
illinois stat line showing some improvement at the half, even though down 4:
10-23 from the field; 0-5 from 3 (looks alot like us yesterday); 9-17 on FT's
So not the best start to the second half for Illinois! Let’s go Chattanooga!
7-0 run to start the second. how could that happen. full choke city!
1. I'm picking Michigan to win
2. The B1G can flame again. I only care about Michigan
3. Traverse City Whiskey Co.
Since the men's b-ball game starts at 5:15, I'll add this
The 2:56 mark has an angry Roger towards his mic
The 6:04 mark has The Ox and his bass solo
Where is the guy from last night to tell us Illinois doesnt choke in the tournament either?
You rang? Are you still stuck on what "choke" means?
Too many questions for me in one post. So I'll answer the easiest one.
My brackets are blown to smithereens already so fuck Illinois, I hope they get upset right now.
This is UGLY basketball in the Illinois Chattanooga game
Illinoying looks like poo. That is all
Term Oil Smore (Toppling Goliath), barrel aged stout. Have Illini and Iowa St on the TVs. Local IPAs on deck (Iowa, so, meh, they're fine).
Duke bullying Cal St Fullerton
wright st. showing well vs. arizona, down 8.
Lol you don’t say
ChattaNOOOOGA!
Holy fuck, Illinois.
Is this the first good finish of the day?
Curbelo has been brutal for Illini
ISU leading LSU in what would be the most predictable 11-6 upset ever. Except LSU probably upgraded its Xs-and-Os coaching by firing Will Wade, so you never know.
I think ours was more predictable tbh
Didn't feel that way in the first half.
Got to make your free throws!!
the chattanoogs are only 5-12 on their FT's.
That might end up costing them.
Yep.
The Illini are about to choke for the 2nd year in a row, just like Iowa. Michigan is the only team that consistently doesn't embarass the B1G in the tourney.
Come on Chattanooga, gotta make a shot!
Why not call a timeout there?
Who knows? After the last dead ball they had a terrible possession, though, so maybe the coach thought they were better off just playing.
The Illinois Enema Bandits somehow survive and advance
UT-C gags it away. Not an impressive look for Illinois, but they live.
39.6% from the field and a whopping 17.6% from 3.
u-g-l-y, illini don't have no alibi, they ugly!
Lol refs bailed out Illinois big time
Ugh!!!!! Lucky ass Illinois.
Wow. Mocks with a chance to win...damn. So close to more chaos.
Illini win a game they probably shouldn't have.
Only lead for Illini was last 30 seconds.
Wow.
Oh well. Let’s go Davidson and Colgate!!
holy shit, illinois! they suuuucked all game.
led for only 25 seconds.
At least they led for the right 25 seconds. I give them credit for getting out of a big early hole (much as we did), but that was the worst I’ve seen them look in a while. The box score has some rough numbers:
- I don’t know why they let Curbelo shoot from more than 5 feet from the basket. He was 1-7 from the field with 6 turnovers.
- Trent Frazier apparently only kills Michigan, because he was 0-6 from the field (0-5 from 3) with 2 points.
- Illinois, with Kofi Cockburn, got outrebounded by Chattanooga, with the Mocs grabbing a third of their misses and the Illini only getting a quarter of theirs.
- While Illinois got 8 more FT attempts, Chattanooga was able to take 16 (!) more shots from the field. They shot 32% from the field, had one player in double figures, and we’re within a whisker of beating the B1G co-champion.