March Madness 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball (HTF Pick'em Challenge, too) (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

If Duke loses to Baylor tomorrow, this will be the first year I've ever missed getting at least one of the final four teams right.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Duke, with the "easiest" road to the Final Four, makes good and gets there. blech!

I think WVU is the team to beat in the Final Four this season.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

Duke, with the "easiest" road to the Final Four, makes good and gets there. blech!

I've heard the idiot Steve Lavin on ESPN crowing about Duke having the easiest bracket, but he never backed it up with any facts whatsoever. It's a crock. Duke was the only #1 seed that had to face chalk all the way through their bracket. They played the #8 seed, the #4 seed, and the #3 seed in their bracket. Not one lesser seed unless you think Villanova was actually better than Baylor. I don't believe that and thought Baylor should have been the #2 in that region anyhow. Regardless, I completely disagree that Duke was in the easiest region.

Love my Blue Devils, like I have for nearly 30 years now (way before they started making Final Fours on a regular basis - so I'm not a bandwagon fan). I like their chances over WVU and think they match up pretty well with either Butler or MSU. But nothing will come easy and any of the four teams left can win in Indy this coming weekend.

Gary "Go Duke!" O.

 

[Patrick Sun]

But doesn't by virtue of Duke being the only #1 to get to the final four mean that they had the easiest bracket?

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

I got 3 out of 4 right on the final four. Still in the lead!
Pretty risky having Butler go all the way, but so far the basketball gods have been on my side...

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Nobody had an easy bracket. All four teams played their best when it mattered most and accomplished quite a lot over four wins to make it where they are today. The dumbest argument in college basketball every year at this time is saying that a team "lucked out" because they did not have to play one highly seeded team or another.

Similarly, nobody is saying Maryland, Northern Iowa, or Tennessee "lucked out" because Michigan State was playing without their best player (injured Point Guard Kalin Lucas). Yet people claim that Duke was lucky that Purdue was playing without Robbie Hummel.

The NCAA Tournament is about putting up or shutting up, and the surest sign of success next to the scoreboard is how many asterisks fans and professional commentators are trying to apply to your victories. Nobody bothers applying those asterisks when you lose. [/url]

But doesn't by virtue of Duke being the only #1 to get to the final four mean that they had the easiest bracket?

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

But doesn't by virtue of Duke being the only #1 to get to the final four mean that they had the easiest bracket?

One could also argue that of all the #1 seeds, Duke must have been the most deserving.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Originally Posted by Jason Charlton ">[/url]


One could also argue that of all the #1 seeds, Duke must have been the most deserving.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but they made it to The Final Four without ever having to face a top seed. Frauds!

 

[Patrick Sun]

Ken Pomeroy had this to say about Duke before the tourney started - perceived to have to easiest road to the final four:

http://ww.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=998

And these are now his odds for the final four:

http://ww.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1043

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

So, remember when we all agreed to each send the winner $50? Anyone?
This is the best I have ever done in this thing, regardless of whether Duke or Butler wins.

 

[Sumnernor]

I don't know. That was for March Madness - now its April!

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

I'm kicking myself for not using this same bracket in a paid pool that I was in. I would have easily won, and first prize was nearly $1,300! Then again, the reason I took a lot of risks in this HTF pool was that it was free.