Me personally, I would love to play Minnesota. It would make for a great game and my family would be divided. They have been hot all year like we have and also have a great young team. I believe whatever match-up that will lead to Kansas is probably the best match-up you can get. I am a bit of a NCAAMB novice so if I say something really wrong, it is just my probably wrong opinion.
Currently Joe Lunardi has us playing Minnesota as a 10 seed where the winner would likely play Kentucky
Link Here
Rating: 9 (Minnesota may be the best borderline 8-7 seed out there)
CBS Sports has us playing Michigan State as a 8 seed where the winner would likely play Villanova
Link Here
Rating: 8 (I saw Penn State beat Michigan State, they are not fantastic when threatened. The upside to play Nova is worth it)
USA Today has us playing St. Mary's (???) as a 9th seed where the winner would play Oregon
Link Here
Rating: ? (Who St.Marys?)
Bleacher Report has us playing Whisky as a 10 seed where the winner would play Nova
Link Here
Rating: 9 (This is low for Whisky, They're basically saying Minnesota will win the B10)
Bracketville has us playing VCU as an 8 seed where the winner would play Zaga
Link Here
Rating: 7 (Is Zaga really that good? Have they played anyone?)(Honestly I don't know)
I think we'll definitely get in but just in case...
Comments
Live 1500 ESPN is talking about us right now
http://tunein.com/radio/1500-ESPN-s7968/
EDIT: kinda
St. Mary's is a west coast team, they're in the same conference as Gonzaga (WCC).
Personally, I think out of all those matchups, we wouldn't want to be placed with Minnesota with the winner playing Kentucky. I don't see us having much chance against Kentucky. I'd love to see us with VCU for a Commonwealth Showdown and then after we win get a shot at Zaga, but that's just my 0.02$.
Gonzaga is the 1 seed every 8/9 seed wants to see in their bracket. UNC, Kansas, Villanova, Arizona, or UCLA would shred any other 8/9 seed.
ehhh I wouldn't say that at all. Sure the UNC's/Kansas'/UCLA's names are more intimidating on paper, but gonzaga is a very very good team. Some forget they actually beat Arizona this year
They did beat Arizona...BUT...Arizona had their best player (Trier) suspended and only had 7 bodies available for that game. Arizona is playing much better ball now, the loss to UCLA over the weekend was a pretty big upset as the wildcats have been rolling of late (except for the blowout loss to Oregon a few weeks that might have been their worst game in many seasons). Still an impressive win by Gonzaga. They're a pretty big team, I think it would be a tough matchup for us, but of all the 1 seeds, I'd rather play them than anyone else.
They beat Arizona, Iowa State, Florida, Tennessee, and St Mary's twice. That's a great resume. And winning their other games by 20+ is impressive too. Nobody wants to face them. Kentucky, UVA, anyone out of the Big10 are who everyone wants to play.
Minnesota Anyone?
I'll take Minnesota. They're not that great. Being the tallest midget doesn't make you a giant.
Welp
St. Mary's is also ranked #18/20 respectively and is 26-3 (and 2 of those losses are to GU). The WCC is essentially a slugfest between Gonzaga and St. Mary's year in, year out. Occasionally BYU will make some noise, but it's typically those 2 at the top every year. Rarely get to see WCC teams on TV unless you're a night owl. But if someone isn't aware of who St. Mary's is, then they're really not paying that close attention to college hoops (as a whole)...
Our matchup kryptonite is a team with an elite point guard and lots of size. Usually those teams are pretty good anyways (FSU, UNC) but we don't even have much of a chance when that team isn't very good (see NC State). Wisconsin would crush us. I do think we match up best against Nova. I think most of the other 1 seeds are matchup nightmares. Kansas has possibly the best PG in the country in Frank Mason and has plenty of size to go around.
Kansas would definitely be a nightmare of a matchup for us. We'd have to play lights out on both sides of the ball to win that game. I honestly don't think Wisconsin would crush us, they're in a bit of a "down year" for them. By all means still a good team that would be tough to beat, but I see it as a pretty even matchup.
I think Koenig is an elite guard, Hayes is a big wing/forward. But mainly we have no way of stopping Happ. If Swanigan wasn't having such an amazing year Happ would probably be B1G POY.
Assuming we get in, I just want a good matchup for the first game more so than who we would play in the 2nd round. I just don't want us to be a one and done team after this season.
We match up very well with VCU. This isn't 2013 anymore.
I disagree that we match up well with VCU.
Alie-Cox, Tillman and Hamdy-Mohamed would likely out-rebound us by a wide margin, and they are a much deeper team than us.
We can put out lineups that would test them and stretch their defense, but they are versatile enough to match some of those lineups with some G/F combinations of Lewis, Williams, Doughty, Jenkins, Crowfield and Burgess. Plus Alie-Cox and Tillman are athletic enough to defend our best lineups with LeDay as the nominal 5.
I like a 10 or 7 seed matchup, that way we can play a 2 seed in the second round and we know how those can go for the underdogs
or a 15 seed
Lunardi has us as one of the last 8 teams in right now. I just hope we get to go to the dance.
Yeah what the hell is up with that? We won two games since his last bracket, go down a seed and now are one of the last 4 byes? Something seems fucky
I wondered the same thing. Seems like we might be getting punished for struggling with Clemson. But if that's the case, we should be rewarded for losing a close one at Louisville.
But.... VT moved from Salt Lake City, to Tulsa, and now Indy. Lower Seed but a better location for traveling fans and BBall team.
Unless you're a California Hokie and wouldn't mind Sacramento or SLC!
Lunardi can shove a basketball up his @$$
In the teams that have been thrown in the 7-10 range, which is most likely where we'll be seeded, would love to matchup with: St. Mary's, VCU, Wichita St, or Northwestern. All very beatable, and have not been impressed watching either. I'd really like to avoid Minnesota like the plague.
As of today, we have defeated
threefour teams currently ranked in the RPI 1-50: Michigan, Duke, LOLUVA and Miami.Miami and Wake are both currently in the Top 50, a win against either or both will build/solidify our resume.The timing of this thread makes me nervous....Down goes Miami and the Hokies are going dancing!
Have a chance to make it 5 on Saturday.
I think we play Miami next. That is the only game I am worried about.
checks schedule...MON, FEB 27 / 9 PM Miami
I can confirm this.
Dude I am so over the 9:00 tipoffs.
I know right? I love how the 7pm weeknight games start during my class. So I at least can watch the game instead of being bored to tears. But the 9pm game starts an hour after I get out of class. I have to suffer through class and then wait another hour.
Why are we worrying about who we get to play? Everyone else should be worrying about if they have to play us!
Who ever we play I just hope we have a Foe'rensics to celebrate the occasion
(And if we do play Minnesota I would LOVE to hear your take on it Fifth Fuller)
I believe we play Wake now on Saturday. That is the next game I am worried about.
So what you're saying is that we should worry about going 1-0?
Damn Skippy.