Who do you want to win this years Final Four?
Currently it is Sunday night and I know most of you are settling down and mentally preparing yourself for the new week, so here is a nice snowflake thread for you. Rank the teams in order that you desire to win the National Championship, feel free to explain why.
My order
1) Virginia. Simply because their win would affect Michigan the least. Seriously, the only memory I have of Michigan competing against Virginia was Lloyd Carr's first game were Michigan made (at the time) their biggest comeback in program history.
2) Texas Tech. I know they beat Michigan but I cannot pull for Michigan State over anyone. I struggled but secretly hoped that Duke would dispatch Sparty. Duke failed but let's hope Texas Tech doesn't. Tech has a strong team that wouldn't surprise us at least if they won next Monday.
3) Auburn. I am not a fan of cheaters. Bruce Pearl is a cheater.
4) Michigan State. Please God don't let us deal with insufferable Spartan fans for the entire year. I don't mind if the B1G's national championship drought extends in this case.
Anyone but Michigan State.
- Texas Tech dispatches MSU with a final score of TT 55 MSU 14
- Duke is out ... ?
- Kentucky is exposed for paying players by the FBI on Tuesday
- UVA's head coach is caught in a Memphis brothel asking for more playing time.
- Charles Barkley's head explodes on national TV, yet again ... can we see his whiffed tee shot before every Auburn TV timeout ?
On the last play, Cassius traveled at least four times. Took five/four steps every dribble. I don’t know why you’re allowed to do it because you’re trying to get away from people. It’s a lot easier to avoid someone when not dribbling. I’m splitting hairs here but he travels a lot on his gathers and they were showing the replay of him running around and it was just so blatant.
March 31st, 2019 at 10:00 PM ^
I've watched a lot of college basketball the past 3 or so years and have just about given up on travel no-calls. The other thing I've noticed, and it's certainly not limited to Winston, is that the refs almost adapt to various players' playing style and just don't call stuff. I swear if you went back and watched all of MSU's games this year you will find that Winston swings his free arm out to push away a defender on almost every trip up the floor. I'm not talking about hand checking but literally full extension of the arm to push people back. I heard the announcers today say something along the lines of "he operates within the legal limits". Um, no, he's just not getting called for stuff that almost no one else gets away with. Another example is Zion - the other night he swings his arm around and clocks a guy and no call. The announcers chuckle ' "that's just a big man playing this game". Um, no, that's someone who just committed a foul.
The other one that I've given up on that so many players are guilty of - carrying/palming the ball - just lazy play. I can attest that this does get called in high school games.
No sour grapes here - I would have been shocked if the refs started calling stuff that players have been doing all year, so I wasn't expecting it. I will say that I would have loved to have played any of our 3 games against MSU with that type of officiating. While I'm sure there were some missed calls on both sides in this game (always is), I thought they let them play without letting things get out of hand.
March 31st, 2019 at 10:55 PM ^
I'm not sure what you mean by this. A player is aloud to take an unlimited amount of steps if he is still dribbling the ball. For example, if a player has a high dribble but never picks up or palms the ball, he could take 10 steps between dribble and it's not a travel.
March 31st, 2019 at 11:21 PM ^
I’m not sure what YOU mean by this
March 31st, 2019 at 11:26 PM ^
Well, you claimed Winston travelled because he took 4-5 steps in-between every dribble. That's not a travel.
Yeah, at that point it's a double dribble.
Anyone but Spurty
Anyone but MSU. The MSU trolls are out in full force. I cannot take it. I am going to go hide in a hole and pretend it is 1989 when life was good.
The thought of watching Midget boy cutting down the nets, crying, and playing the victim next Monday night makes me get diarrhea.
For good measure he will probably wear the teal ribbon for next weekend. Also, if they pan the crowd and show Big John Engler I might just puke as well.
March 31st, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
We are NOT out in full force. Respectfully: I might be the only one.
Mods delete this troll ^^^^
Oh Boner.
Larry Nassar supporters in full force. How quick they forget...
The fact that you think people who are your friends and neighbors were anything other than horrified and devastated by the Nassar story — and go to the length of describing them as “supporters” — speaks volumes about you as a person.
Larry Nassar and the football players that raped the girl in the bathroom are “Spartans” just like you. The fact that you run around in green and white T-shirt’s and act like you are a prestigious and moral university is what’s disturbing. If the NCAA had any balls, Dantonio and Izzo would both be selling used cars if not in prison. Back to a Sparty board with you and all your pals with amnesia.
Remember your rapey kicker and his “I’ll rape you again if you don’t shut up” accomplice, Taylor Lewan? The kicker who Brady Hoke finally, quietly benched two years later and claimed had family issues? (Lewan: too valuable to suffer any consequences).
Are you saying you’re equally culpable? Your whole school is?
Texas Tech vs. Auburn would a game I would want to see.
March 31st, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
Texas Tech. 2nd choice Virginia. Those are the best outcomes for Michigan imo.
March 31st, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
Anyone but Sparty, who can--yeah, you guessed it!--kiss my ass.
March 31st, 2019 at 10:16 PM ^
March 31st, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
We are not your rival!
March 31st, 2019 at 10:31 PM ^
Can't stand the ACC bias in basketball, and SEC neoconfederates in any sport. Wouldn't bother me if Texas Tech won it, but the moment they do, the national conversation would be about the primacy of defense, Yaklich is gone, and Michigan's edge in defense will be eroded.
I get that those living and working in immediate proximity to obnoxious State fans is a personal issue for some, but I don't live in the state. The success of Duke and North Carolina (and NC State to a lesser extent) don't reflect negatively on each other, they enhance the standing of the other. It's not a zero sum game. They're in the FF this year, and worse, they beat us three times in a month. Nothing to do but get it back next year. In the long run, we shall prevail.
While any B1G team (other than Michigan) winning an NC might sting and might even adversely affect a recruiting battle or two locally, nationally and over the long term it would improve the perception of the B1G, and that would reflect positively on and benefit Michigan. That will help when it comes to rankings and tournament seeding, as well as national recruiting. That's especially important when the last two months of the season (in basketball and football) are almost exclusively in-conference games.
I hate this argument in football and basketball. Michigan does not need the big ten to look good. Only teams like Illinois or Purdue benefit from things like that. State winning a championship is nothing but negative for Michigan.
March 31st, 2019 at 10:42 PM ^
Texas Tech please
March 31st, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
My big memory of Virginia is Glenn Rice smoking them out of the building. It was glorious!
Texas Tech. They beat us and I would like to see them smother the shit out of state. Virginia next. ACC bias aside, they aren't part of the ACC oligarchy so I don't hear it from their fans here in N.C. I hate the SEC but not as much as MSU so Auburn next. The worst case, of course, is State winning. That will suck ass
March 31st, 2019 at 11:12 PM ^
Texas Tech certainly looked more impressive against us than did MSU in any of their 3 wins against us.
Michigan State has played really well this year and deserves to be in Final 4. But their win over Duke was not as big of an upset as I would have thought back. Duke, and the ACC overall, did not look good in the tournament.
Funny thing to me is that Tillman is way better than Ward, yet Izzo was playing Ward more until he got injured. Something similar with Langford, who is apparently not as good as whomever replaced him. But Tillman is so much better than Ward it was kind of painful to see Ward out there against Duke. Tillman held his own against Zion Williamson.
March 31st, 2019 at 11:57 PM ^
Exactly, Duke no big deal
You could see glimpses of how much better Tillman was towards the end of last year and I thought at the time - man, he has a good chance of being really good. I've been thinking for a while now that I don't see how Ward sees very many minutes next year. I almost think that he has gotten called for more fouls when he plays with Tillman as the refs can see what an athletic big guy can do without clobbering people.
I would venture to speculate that MSU doesn't get this far if Ward didn't get injured.
You're right about Tillman. Ward is a better post scorer for sure, but Tillman is a better defender and rebounder, and he's better for ball movement. I wouldn't say Henry is clearly better than Langford. Langford was the only guy besides Winston who could create his own shot off the dribble and hit the 3 consistently. He was a 40% 3-point shooter scoring 15+ points a game. He wasn't as good of a defender as Henry has become, but he wasn't bad. I think we still would have made the Final Four with Langford starting and Henry coming off the bench.
Tl;dr basically Tillman is better than Ward but Langford's advantage on offense is greater than Henry's advantage on defense
March 31st, 2019 at 10:59 PM ^
I’ve had this feeling since the start of the tournament MSU was going to win it. I hope Texas Tech shuts them down. I will never root for MSU.
March 31st, 2019 at 11:16 PM ^
I’m torn in my support for the fighting Chucks, but I hate their cheating POS of a coach, Pearl.
TT — nope. Texas still sucks.
Virginia — meh
MSU — never. Izzo make Pearl look clean, and izzo is better at it.
March 31st, 2019 at 11:25 PM ^
my prediction is that texas tech knocks off sparty; too many TOs for winston and enough 3s from the tech guards. VA knocks off Auburn. that leaves Tech and VA in a D battle. Flip a coin. I think it's Tech's year. their lottery pick does just enough to bring home the title.
March 31st, 2019 at 11:41 PM ^
Cosign this.
Stopped caring once there were no more implications for Michigan, and with Texas Tech being the last team we played, go all the way TT.
Not sure about VA Auburn, though, every game is close now, I'd go with Auburn
#WreckEm
Texas tech duh. Surprised Sparty won, i mean i guess they are pretty good.
But i think Texas tech is really good.
Vomit
No reason to be picky here.
Anyone but Sparty.
I should want MSU to win , love the players but cannot stand the coach , how ever they BEAT us 3 bloody times this year , so give them credit , their point guard is tremendous , so lets hope for a Auburn win, yea right !
Not MSU
Texas Tech, UVA and then Auburn.
I can't believe that i spent 2+ hours rooting for Duke and they lost to State. I feel so dirty.
Does Izzo need to be physically restrained from assaulting his players in every game, or is it just the ones that I've watched this year?
I will be rooting for Sparty because my oldest daughter is an alum and because everyone I root for fails miserably in big games. I have a large sample size on the last point and I only normally root for Michigan.
Apparently on this board that means your daughter supports sexual assault. Too bad some of our fans get so caught up in fandom that it seems acceptable to make such libelous statements. Msu should burn on the nassar scandal, but for me, bootstrapping that onto the bball program or students/alumni is pathetic, even though we know they all got a horrible education and deliver pizzas.
Same order that was posted. Sharty at the bottom, because their whole school is dirty as hell. Tantrum Tommy has already been proven to hide transgressions that happen in his program. At any other school, his ass would've been canned.
1. Texas Tech
2. Auburn
3. Virginia - Fuck Dick Bennett
4. MSU
The B10 needs it , Go Sparty
1. texas tech - i think they beat msu. makes us look the best imo.
2. virginia - boring team but not hate-worthy.
3. msu - at least izzo doesn't cheat??? beilein respects him. i like his players at least, just not him.
4. auburn - i like watching barkley but i can't cheer for a proven cheater in pearl.
TTU defense is ridiculous, i dont think i have seen a better one?
If Italiano is on, with that d, they are really really freaking good
I would, but can’t support a university that supports sexual assault like Sparty
1. Texas tech
2. UVA
3. Auburn
4. MSU
The office this morning has sucked, full of MSU grads high fiving and having too loud of conversations about the win.