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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Mar 14, 2014 21:38:56 GMT -5
All praise to 3sus of Nazareth!!! Wallet Inspector good luck against Okie State. I'd much rather get another crack at you guys tomorrow than have to pull off another nail-biter against the Cowboys. It should be a good one, and man, what a brutally punishing season it's been in the Big 12 for everyone in general. Yesterday's KU win was a deeply felt relief given the relatively tough stretch we've endured, but ugh, the news on Embid keeps getting worse. Having him out for (at least) the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament changes our outlook drastically. Our size advantages evaporates, and we become the kind of team where Andrew Wiggins can put up 41 points and we still lose. I do feel bad about Embiid, but we're not giving that win back!!! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2014 15:05:25 GMT -5
It should be a good one, and man, what a brutally punishing season it's been in the Big 12 for everyone in general. Yesterday's KU win was a deeply felt relief given the relatively tough stretch we've endured, but ugh, the news on Embid keeps getting worse. Having him out for (at least) the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament changes our outlook drastically. Our size advantages evaporates, and we become the kind of team where Andrew Wiggins can put up 41 points and we still lose. I do feel bad about Embiid, but we're not giving that win back!!! That first half was one of the most exciting ones I've seen all year. But we've lost 3 of our last 5, while allowing 94 and 92 points in two of those losses, and fans out here are in full-on panic mode. At one point the Jayhawks looked capable of a deep tourney run or even winning it all, but now Kansans are desperately hoping we can survive the first weekend - or even just the first game - long enough to get Embiid back, because without him we clearly have no defensive answers. I don't envy Iowa State though, having to play a Baylor squad that's been playing like a team possessed. They notched themselves into the bubble about a week ago but evidently forgot to click off of Beast Mode. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2014 21:50:19 GMT -5
Providence steals an auto-bid from some at-large hopeful in an impressive win over Creighton. McDermott will be fun to watch in the tourney, but it's good to see the Friars and their weird, Miyazaki-esque mascot dancing.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2014 22:09:31 GMT -5
Damn, do these ISU fans ever travel well. Hard to spot a Waco contingent at the Sprint Center tonight. Congrats on the Cyclones' second Big 12 tournament championship, Superb Owl 🦉. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Mar 15, 2014 22:26:59 GMT -5
Damn, do these ISU fans ever travel well. Hard to spot a Waco contingent at the Sprint Center tonight. Congrats on the Cyclones' second Big 12 tournament championship, Superb Owl 🦉. No one should have been surprised by the steady stream of traffic from Iowa to KC, we travel crazy well. In a year I wasn't expecting a baby any day, I'd have tried to make it down and scalp tickets. That Baylor zone had me worried though. Can't wait to see where this team gets seeded tomorrow. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2014 10:49:07 GMT -5
I thought the tournament committee got a lot right, but what a heartbreaker for SMU and Larry Brown not to make it in. True that SOS was low, but it's still hard to fathom a top 25 team not making the cut.
I don't mind KU's bracket and I'm happy we didn't didn't slide lower than a two seed. People are already talking about a New Mexico rematch, but Eastern Kentucky could certainly give us problems; like ISU, they're a team that lives beyond the arc and we've had problems defending the three point shot. They also come up with a ton of steals and we've had far more than our share of turnover problems this year. It'll be a tough game and I hope we don't look past it.
Wichita State was given no favors in their region but they'll have ample opportunities to silence their critics. Either of their second round matches - against Kentucky or Kansas State - are dripping with intriguing story lines. The #1 seed I really don't envy though is Arizona - having to potentially face an Oklahoma State team playing better than they have all year is a blistering task for the second round.
It's nice to have so much midwest representation (KU, KSU and Wichita State all playing in St Louis this weekend!). And if I may indulge in a predictable bit of schadenfreude, the fact that virtually every team from the midwest other than Missouri made the tourney is about as good as it gets.
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Post by MyNameIsNoneOfYourGoddamnBusin on Mar 17, 2014 11:04:33 GMT -5
Just filled out my official bracket. As someone who only peripherally follows the sport aside from my own alma mater, which isn't even in this year, I was tempted to go with some ridiculous Diane Chambers method of ranking the teams, but I ended up mostly following the seed numbers and put in nothing that would really amount to a significant upset.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Mar 17, 2014 11:47:57 GMT -5
I thought the tournament committee got a lot right, but what a heartbreaker for SMU and Larry Brown not to make it in. True that SOS was low, but it's still hard to fathom a top 25 team not making the cut. I don't mind KU's bracket and I'm happy we didn't didn't slide lower than a two seed. People are already talking about a New Mexico rematch, but Eastern Kentucky could certainly give us problems; like ISU, they're a team that lives beyond the arc and we've had problems defending the three point shot. They also come up with a ton of steals and we've had far more than our share of turnover problems this year. It'll be a tough game and I hope we don't look past it. Wichita State was given no favors in their region but they'll have ample opportunities to silence their critics. Either of their second round matches - against Kentucky or Kansas State - are dripping with intriguing story lines. The #1 seed I really don't envy though is Arizona - having to potentially face an Oklahoma State team playing better than they have all year is a blistering task for the second round. It's nice to have so much midwest representation (KU, KSU and Wichita State all playing in St Louis this weekend!). And if I may indulge in a predictable bit of schadenfreude, the fact that virtually every team from the midwest other than Missouri made the tourney is about as good as it gets. The SMU thing blew me away. I get the argument they made, but that really felt like the committee trying to make a statement about their scheduling preferences, rather than trying to put out the best tournament field. Watch SMU completely flop in the NIT and invalidate that argument.
Would have loved to see ISU snatch a 2-seed, but really I think they got a pretty decent draw. All I really want is for us to break through to the 2nd weekend this year. Anything else would be gravy.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2014 17:07:51 GMT -5
Is there going to be a TI tournament pool? I would start one, but I started one for the AV Club TI last year and it turned out somebody already had, so I don't want to be redundant. Do we have enough people 'round here for one? It's mostly been me and Superb Owl 🦉 talking to each other all year long in this thread, but I presume people are about ready to starting tuning in. |
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Post by ganews on Mar 17, 2014 17:38:06 GMT -5
Is there going to be a TI tournament pool? I would start one, but I started one for the AV Club TI last year and it turned out somebody already had, so I don't want to be redundant. Do we have enough people 'round here for one? It's mostly been me and Superb Owl 🦉 talking to each other all year long in this thread, but I presume people are about ready to starting tuning in. I'm in if you start one. Not that I know what I'm doing, but I already filled one out with my usual gang. |
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Post by Pear on Mar 17, 2014 17:59:22 GMT -5
Is there going to be a TI tournament pool? I would start one, but I started one for the AV Club TI last year and it turned out somebody already had, so I don't want to be redundant. Do we have enough people 'round here for one? It's mostly been me and Superb Owl 🦉 talking to each other all year long in this thread, but I presume people are about ready to starting tuning in. We still have the "AV Club Pick'Em" Group from last year, but I suggest just creating a new one. Go ahead. |
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Post by Pear on Mar 17, 2014 18:08:07 GMT -5
Is there going to be a TI tournament pool? I would start one, but I started one for the AV Club TI last year and it turned out somebody already had, so I don't want to be redundant. Do we have enough people 'round here for one? It's mostly been me and Superb Owl 🦉 talking to each other all year long in this thread, but I presume people are about ready to starting tuning in. We can also spread the word around the AV Club over the next few days, which I can help with. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2014 19:10:38 GMT -5
Is there going to be a TI tournament pool? I would start one, but I started one for the AV Club TI last year and it turned out somebody already had, so I don't want to be redundant. Do we have enough people 'round here for one? It's mostly been me and Superb Owl 🦉 talking to each other all year long in this thread, but I presume people are about ready to starting tuning in. We still have the "AV Club Pick'Em" Group from last year, but I suggest just creating a new one. Go ahead. I'm a bit disconnected from AV these days, but I'm up for just jumping back into last year's AV Club Pick 'Em if somebody has the info to re-join! |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Mar 18, 2014 8:09:13 GMT -5
Who did you all go through last year? I'm already on ESPN for my work pool, but I can fill out a different bracket for Yahoo or somewhere else if that's where you're already at.
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Post by Pear on Mar 18, 2014 12:19:19 GMT -5
Who did you all go through last year? I'm already on ESPN for my work pool, but I can fill out a different bracket for Yahoo or somewhere else if that's where you're already at. ESPN, so you're good. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Mar 18, 2014 12:34:18 GMT -5
Who did you all go through last year? I'm already on ESPN for my work pool, but I can fill out a different bracket for Yahoo or somewhere else if that's where you're already at. ESPN, so you're good. Cool, we're still using the AVC pick 'em group? I'll go sign up. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2014 12:35:56 GMT -5
Is there going to be a TI tournament pool? I would start one, but I started one for the AV Club TI last year and it turned out somebody already had, so I don't want to be redundant. Do we have enough people 'round here for one? It's mostly been me and Superb Owl 🦉 talking to each other all year long in this thread, but I presume people are about ready to starting tuning in. Excuse me, but I have been commenting on this thread since the very beginning. (This thread started three days ago, right?) I blame USC's predictably bad basketball year. The only tournament coverage they'll get is the beginning montage, where they show James Forrest killing our dreams with a buzzer beater in 1992. I'll join your bracket game. I have a soft spot for WAC teams, so I'll be mathematically eliminated Thursday morning! |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Mar 18, 2014 12:40:16 GMT -5
Is there going to be a TI tournament pool? I would start one, but I started one for the AV Club TI last year and it turned out somebody already had, so I don't want to be redundant. Do we have enough people 'round here for one? It's mostly been me and Superb Owl 🦉 talking to each other all year long in this thread, but I presume people are about ready to starting tuning in. Excuse me, but I have been commenting on this thread since the very beginning. (This thread started three days ago, right?) I blame USC's predictably bad basketball year. The only tournament coverage they'll get is the beginning montage, where they show James Forrest killing our dreams with a buzzer beater in 1992. I'll join your bracket game. I have a soft spot for WAC teams, so I'll be mathematically eliminated Thursday morning! I couldn't even tell you who is in the WAC for basketball anymore. |
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Post by Pear on Mar 18, 2014 12:41:47 GMT -5
Cool, we're still using the AVC pick 'em group? I'll go sign up. Hopefully. Not many are rejoining the group, as we only have 7 so far. I also don't remember the password, so I wouldn't know how people who weren't there last year could join this year (unless someone else knows). |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Mar 18, 2014 12:46:27 GMT -5
If someone knows the password, let me know so I can join.
Some year I'd also love to be all sports-hipstery and do an NIT or CBI bracket challenge. |
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Post by ganews on Mar 18, 2014 13:40:48 GMT -5
Is there going to be a TI tournament pool? I would start one, but I started one for the AV Club TI last year and it turned out somebody already had, so I don't want to be redundant. Do we have enough people 'round here for one? It's mostly been me and Superb Owl 🦉 talking to each other all year long in this thread, but I presume people are about ready to starting tuning in. Excuse me, but I have been commenting on this thread since the very beginning. (This thread started three days ago, right?) I blame USC's predictably bad basketball year. The only tournament coverage they'll get is the beginning montage, where they show James Forrest killing our dreams with a buzzer beater in 1992. I'll join your bracket game. I have a soft spot for WAC teams, so I'll be mathematically eliminated Thursday morning! Wiggidy WAC, or just regular-type? |
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Post by Pear on Mar 18, 2014 15:46:29 GMT -5
The password is "avclub2013". Group is "AV Club Pick 'Em". ESPN.
Join, people. We only got 10 right now.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2014 16:12:27 GMT -5
I couldn't even tell you who is in the WAC for basketball anymore. My definition of a WAC team is "any team that has ever been in the WAC, as well as any team that feels like they may have been a member of the WAC". So Tulsa, Arizona State, UNLV, Colorado School of Mines...all part of my WAC. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Mar 18, 2014 16:30:24 GMT -5
I couldn't even tell you who is in the WAC for basketball anymore. My definition of a WAC team is "any team that has ever been in the WAC, as well as any team that feels like they may have been a member of the WAC". So Tulsa, Arizona State, UNLV, Colorado School of Mines...all part of my WAC. Somebody needs to do a history of the WAC 30 for 30. I would definitely watch "Requiem for the WAC". I mean, they were the 1st 16 team "super-conference" and it all it accomplished was ticking off the good teams until they left and the conference gradually crumbling into a joke. That would be enough of a hook in this age of conference realignment, wouldn't it? |
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Post by Dr. Rumak on Mar 18, 2014 18:41:02 GMT -5
The password is "avclub2013". Group is "AV Club Pick 'Em". ESPN. Join, people. We only got 10 right now. OK, I'm in. Just as a note, the actual name is "AV Club Pick'Em", which is important if you are going to cut and paste. |
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Post by maryworthfan47 on Mar 18, 2014 19:02:25 GMT -5
As I said last year, I think this is just an attempt to expose and shame those of us with pre-existing ESPN.com accounts.
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Post by Hawkguy on Mar 19, 2014 15:18:31 GMT -5
Ugh very few things in life cause me as much anxiety as filling out a bracket
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2014 15:37:16 GMT -5
Ugh very few things in life cause me as much anxiety as filling out a bracket Best case scenario? I defy beyond astronomical odds and win $1 billion. Worst case? People from Quicken Loans hound me with sales calls until I suffer a mental break. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2014 20:40:16 GMT -5
I just want to say that I really don't care for college basketball, but the tournament is one of the best things ever. Hopefully the tax bracket will do well, despite the fact I barely watch college bball till the tourney.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2014 20:57:05 GMT -5
Almost time! The most glorious 96 hours of the year! Unless KU loses! In which case it's a living nightmare and a personal hell!
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