2009 Final Four Discussion Thread

[Admin]

Post comments here.

[Boz]

No one's interested. Lock it up!

(sorry, I couldn't resist) ;D

I maintain that this weekend is UNC's to lose.

I don't know that I'll be rooting for anyone though. I hate these two Big East teams too much. I hate the ACC and anything and anyone associated with it. And I've always been a Michigan football fan, so I sure as hell can't root for the Spartans.

Are they doing one of those $100,000 half court shots this year? Maybe I'll root for that kid.

[SFHoya99]

UNC has got to be the favorite, followed closely by UConn. Like the whole year has been.

I can't root for UConn or UNC. I know there's a lot of Villanova hate, but I wasn't a fan in 1985, they are a private, non-DI football school, and we've done fairly well against, so my dislike isn't so bad. But I'm not sure I could take a Villanova national title, so...

...Go Michigan State! I'm a big fan of Izzo and their team seems fairly likeable.

[tpk3]

yeah, UNC has to be favorite b/c people will expect them to beat Nova. I agree with the Tom Izzo love. he is top 5 coach on anyone's list. Rooting for State but i think it will be UNC.

[robbyt]

Regardless of who wins this is a great year for the final 4 imo because there are real teams with real chemistry, it is not dominated by one-and-done players.

[dailey247]

I'd feel a lot better about Sparty if they hadn't gotten waxed on that same floor by the Heels back in December. They were tired and banged up, though. Suton didn't even play. Of the other three teams, I dislike Nova the least by a wide margin. I'll definitely be rooting for them to give Tyler Heartsbrough another Final Four humiliation. Even the little teams in the Big East should abuse an ACC "frontcourt." UConn winning would be a national disastrophy on the scale of the AIG collapse or the Loma Prieta quake.

[Buckets]

ESPN not only expects UNC to beat Nova, they're treating this game like it's 1980 UNC is the USSR. Nova goes out and manhandles Duke, beats Pitt, but they can't be expected to stay on the floor with UNC. They beat up on Oklahoma pretty good, but that was because Oklahoma couldn't hit a wide open three when UNC doubled Blake Griffin. As we know all too well, this is not a recipe for winning basketball games. Nova's hot right now -- I think they pull the upset (Note: this last paragraph was heavily influenced by my hatred for UNC and desire to never see Tyler Hansbrough win anything ever)

On the other side of the bracket, I am really excited for UConn and Michigan State. Suton and Thabeet is going to be a good matchup, provided that the refs don't take over and decide that a national audience would rather see whistles than a great big man matchup. I think Suton could give Thabeet a lot of trouble, he can stretch a defense just like Monroe did against UConn. Lucas and Price is going to be a hell of a matchup, too. In the end, I think UConn is probably going to be too much, but not by a lot.

[Elvado]

Nova can't lose by enough to suit me. That said,it's an even moneybet that win or lose they will have the stench of scandal soon after. See 1971 and 1985.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I want nova to beat Uconn and then one of the other two teams to beat them. I want UNC to never even reach a title game, and I can't ahve nova have more champs than us. I think Calhoun is scum but I wouldn't mind if they won. I'd rather have a BE team win it.

[nashvillehoyas]

Villanova in an upset of NC. UConn cut down the nets (again). Go Big East!

[HealyHoya]

The key for MSU is whether Suton can knock down 3s and perimeter jumpers with consistency. If so, he can draw Thabeet away from the basket. Alternatively, if UConn sends Adrien or Robinson out to guard Suton on the perimeter, MSU can work other mismatches. I'd look for Suton and Kalin Lucas to run some pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop plays. In the end, UConn has too much for MSU to handle between Thabeet, Adrien, Robinson, Price, and Walker.

UNC is clearly the favorite and their best is better than Nova's best so if both teams play well, UNC takes it. I think a key here is Lawson on the defensive end of the court. He's not a good defender (injured) and struggles to contain penetration. If Shootie Reynolds and Corey Fisher can get to the rim consistently, Nova can hang with UNC. Again, in the end, UNC has too much.

UConn-UNC? I'll take the BE over the ACC anytime, anywhere.

[RDF]

UConn led by Bubble Boy and the Rhodes Scholar nominee/walk on Stanley Robinson. Here's an excerpt from Jeff Jacobs article on "Stix" from Hartford Courant:

As this weekend progresses, especially if UConn beats Michigan State and Robinson continues his rise, the nation is going to realize, hey, this star is a walk-on. The nation is going to start assimilating that he worked full time during the fall semester, stacking scrap metal in Willimantic for $17 an hour, to pay the toll for his own road to the Final Four. Sticks saved money and took out loans. And now here he is.

"Yep," Robinson said, "a regular student."

It is a story both heartwarming and head-scratching. FERPA laws assure his privacy, but if we are hearing him correctly, he doesn't have a grade since fall semester 2007. He reaffirmed Thursday that he withdrew from classes last spring. It never was made clear precisely what happened, with Jim Calhoun once calling it an "academic redshirt." It was Calhoun who appealed to the dean on Robinson's behalf to prevent him from failing out.

Again, we ask what happened?

"Personal issues," Robinson said Thursday. "I had to reach my standards as a player for Coach Calhoun. Other than that, it was family issues, stuff like that with my kids. Issues I'd rather not get into."

Yep--it's just some "issues"--and the "issues" that brought him back--Majok and Miles being ineligible.

[FLHoya]

Apr 3, 2009 13:47:02 GMT -5 Buckets said:

Suton and Thabeet is going to be a good matchup, provided that the refs don't take over and decide that a national audience would rather see whistles than a great big man matchup.

Speaking of which, the rumor of the moment on officiating.com has Curtis Shaw working in the National Championship game. Good luck with that. Six of the eight officials who have come up on the rumored list of the moment are affiliated with the Big East--including John Cahill.

[SirSaxa]

Apr 3, 2009 17:37:52 GMT -5 FLHoya said:

Apr 3, 2009 13:47:02 GMT -5 Buckets said:

Suton and Thabeet is going to be a good matchup, provided that the refs don't take over and decide that a national audience would rather see whistles than a great big man matchup.

Speaking of which, the rumor of the moment on officiating.com has Curtis Shaw working in the National Championship game. Good luck with that. Six of the eight officials who have come up on the rumored list of the moment are affiliated with the Big East--including John Cahill.

How on earth do these guys get assigned?
Curtis Shaw? the guy who called the T on JT3 in the regional final for "bench decorum"?

Isn't there some kind of merit system for the big games?

Really, how DOES it work?

[HealyHoya]

It doesn't work. At all.

[FLHoya]

Apr 3, 2009 17:58:58 GMT -5 SirSaxa said:

How on earth do these guys get assigned?
Curtis Shaw? the guy who called the T on JT3 in the regional final for "bench decorum"?

Isn't there some kind of merit system for the big games?

Really, how DOES it work?

96 officials are selected to work the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, based on some combination of merit, experience, and a Ouija board (there's a new assignor this year, and around half a dozen or so refs worked their first tournament). 12 officials at each site. Schedule for first two rounds is pre-set, so you know if you get one or two games.

Those officials are assessed on site and via video, and from the original group, the 36 "best" make it to the Regionals. Each works either a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 game.

From that group, 10 are selected for the Final Four--3 for each game and one alternate that works the table at all three games.

Last year, the head official for the final was Ed Hightower--he didn't make it past the first weekend this year (neither did Jim Burr or Tim Higgins). Also in the final were Ed Corbett and John Cahill. Pat Driscoll of the BE was the FF alternate last year--he's reportedly on the list for a semifinal this year.

You'd be surprised, a lot of the officials Hoyatalk hates are in the FF all the time. John Cahill worked the final in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Curtis Shaw worked a semi the last three years. Ted Valentine had a semi in 2006 and 2007 (ours). Karl Hess had a semi in 2006 and 2008 and the final in 2007.

For the record, the rumored list of the moment:

Final: Curtis Shaw, Tony Greene, Tom O'Neill (of the GU-Davidson crew)

Semis/Alt: Pat Driscoll, Mike Stuart, Les Jones, Scott Thornley, John Cahill, 2 others

[DanMcQ]

I heard a discussion about official assignment in the NCAA tourney on Mike & Mike on ESPN radio this week starring Gottdweeb (I think) and a couple others (may have been Bilas - I can't remember). The point made was that the assignments get made based on grading the officials in early round games for how well they make calls based on the rule book. In other words, the refs have incentive to make MORE calls and the ones that do advance. That is how you end up with Curtis Shaw.

[professorhoya]

Go Fake Rod Strickland! Beat UNC.

[TBird41]

More than anything, I just want to see Hansborough go out with the same look he's had at the end of the last three seasons. I still love thinking about his post Elite 8 press conference where he stared ahead blankly the entire time, didn't react once to questions directed at him and generally looked like he was mentally broken.

[SFHoya99]

From the pre-game:

Tom Izzo, paraphrased closely: When a shot goes up, I want to see everyone hitting someone.

We could learn something from the Spartans and Izzo, I think.