What team is peaking at the right time for March Madness in your opinion?

Illini · Mar 4, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by blue edwards:
you can take those excuses, along with 50 cents and buy a newspaper. a great coach could've gotten more out of those teams.

by the way, if your opponent shoots 65% doesn't that mean your defense blows?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Listen, Bill Self took Tulsa to the Elite Eight the year before he came to Illinois. Going to the Elite Eight, Sweet Sixteen, and then losing on a fluke to a decent team in the second round is more than Illinois fans have a right to ask for. We couldn't even get many coaches to interview for the job after he left. Tom Crean and Mark Few didn't even want to hear about it. I hope you're right, and Weber turns out to be a great coach. But don't say Bill Self is a choker, just because of one game.

wilheim · Mar 4, 2004

Why not go with Oklahoma St. Last 20 starts as favorite and ATS result W or L (home team on left):

3/1/2004 Oklahoma St. 76 Texas 67 W -4 W 145 U
2/28/2004 Baylor 65 Oklahoma St. 72 W 15.5 L
2/24/2004 Missouri 93 Oklahoma St. 92 L 2 L
2/21/2004 Oklahoma St. 87 Nebraska 83 W -12.5 L
2/16/2004 Oklahoma 52 Oklahoma St. 65 W 1.5 W 127.5 U
2/14/2004 Oklahoma St. 91 Baylor 58 W -25 W
2/9/2004 Oklahoma St. 80 Kansas 60 W -4.5 W 142 U
2/7/2004 Iowa St. 67 Oklahoma St. 88 W 2.5 W
2/3/2004 Texas A&M 79 Oklahoma St. 91 W 7.5 W
1/31/2004 Oklahoma St. 70 Texas Tech 66 W -7 L
1/21/2004 Oklahoma St. 71 Colorado 62 W -9.5 L
1/17/2004 Kansas St. 56 Oklahoma St. 57 W 3.5 L
1/14/2004 Oklahoma St. 77 Oklahoma 56 W -5 W 130 O
1/3/2004 Oklahoma St. 89 Smu 54 W -12 W
12/30/2003 Oklahoma St. 65 Samford 50 W -20 L
12/20/2003 Arkansas 58 Oklahoma St. 73 W 3.5 W
11/29/2003 Oklahoma St. 84 Pepperdine 82 W -13.5 L
11/26/2003 Oklahoma St. 82 Colorado St. 49 W -9.5 W
3/21/2003 Oklahoma State 77 Pennsylvania 63 W -2.5 W 125.5 O
3/14/2003 Oklahoma State 58 Missouri 60 L -1 L 133.5 U

Pretty tough schedule.

wil.

Dante · Mar 4, 2004

good info Wil..thanks for pointing that team out

Journeyman · Mar 4, 2004

Eddie Sutton is an underrated coach...he is as good as anyone..

wilheim · Mar 4, 2004

Regarding Ok. St. Not really relevant, but I cannot imagine any team comming into Stillwater and being favored, much less winning. The two Missouri games could have gone either way.

wil.

Fishhead · Mar 4, 2004

I am pulling for Northwestern to win the BIG TEN tournament, now that I know they have NEVER been to the BIG DANCE.

blueedwards · Mar 4, 2004

fish, it could happen. the big ten tourney is the most unpredictable one out there.

Fishhead · Mar 4, 2004

Northwestern just completed their first series-season sweep of IOWA since 1959!

Journeyman · Mar 4, 2004

The Big Ten is horrible overall...compared to where its been.

Fishhead · Mar 4, 2004

To say the least!

Paradigm · Mar 4, 2004

Louisville,now healthy,may make a run.

BuzzRavanaugh · Mar 4, 2004

As a Kansas fan, I was sick the Roy left. But man do I like Self. The problem he faces here is that the fans and the players are a bunch of spoiled pussies. He is already toughened this team up and you can see what he is doing as they should be playing there best ball in the next week.

BTW if this Kansas team was going to be any good Roy wouldn't have gone to NC. He knew what he was leaving behind and also the load of talent he would have. I feel sorry for the UNC fans this year.

JudgeWapner · Mar 4, 2004

Ok St.Dark horse,S Ill.

newton0038 · Mar 4, 2004

Gotta love the UK Wildcats. my personal fav. But I have got to give Memphis some attention as they have been able to put themselves in a good position for the confrence tourny

Railbird · Mar 4, 2004

Powerratings

Stanford 0
Gonzga 5
Connecticut 5
Duke 8
StJoe 9
Ill 9
Ok St 15

blueedwards · Mar 4, 2004

gotta love that left-coast bias rail.

InsideThePylons · Mar 4, 2004

Stanford - Fundamentally Flawless
U Conn - Strong and Powerful
Ga Tech - Very Athletic

WildBill · Mar 4, 2004

To be honest, it looks to me like Stanford is running out of gas. They are finding ways to win, which of course is great, but they have had a number of games they had to absolutely gut it out because of long stretches without scoring. That is tough to do in the pressure cooker of the NCAA. Then again other teams won't have pulled out games like they did in Oregon and Pullman, not to mention the rabbit out of the hat move against Arizona. In some ways I sense they would be a lot better off losing a game before it really counts. Then again there are few teams that have gone completely undefeated, that is the legacy they surely would love to have.

enoughisenough · Mar 4, 2004

after tonights win by stanford i am convinced it is destiny for them to go undefeated. unreal comeback again. Down 6 with under 18 seconds??? and they win by 2??? destiny...

Horseshoe · Mar 4, 2004

Given the amount of gaudy records sported by so many this year, I would say the entire top 12...Stanford, Duke, Gonzo, Ok St, & maybe Texas?(FF held in SA..motivation!).

But would say GT, Memphis, UAB, Vandy, Prov,& NC St of teams that many seem to overlook.

I agree WildBill, Stanford appears too made in The Cardinal & Montgomery mold, than to just tank for sake of a load-lightener, yet should look at previous folds by themselves after charging so hard prior to the Madness(even without being taxed by Conf Tourney).

Also they should look at last decade's unbeaten UNLV & Duke squads failure to win title(whom in defense went far)?