Anyone Out There Not Love UCLA?
College Basketball, Video March 4th. 2008, 12:51pm
Over the weekend, no fewer than seven “analysts” had to have pegged UCLA as their favorite to win the NCAA title next month in San Antonio. Barring a loss to Stanford on Thursday, or a collapse in the Pac-10 tournament, the guess is that UCLA’s going to be the favorite to win the title. (At this point, please allow us to remind you of something: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14.)
Because it’s no fun joining the pack, let’s hear some alternatives. Kansas won by 58 last night against a team that just beat Texas on Saturday. Has Memphis improved its free throw shooting enough to get back in everyone’s good graces? Georgetown, anyone? Louisville is on the verge of becoming UCLA-East. Everyone loves them some Cardinals. It’s sort of funny how everyone cooled on Tennessee so quickly following its loss to Vandy. Us? We’ll take Kansas. Today. Tomorrow? No clue.
I Love LA (You Tube)
63 Responses to “Anyone Out There Not Love UCLA?”
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March 4th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
A little homerish, but I think that if Georgetown would get Hibbert the ball more, they could easily contend for the title this year. They are experienced, play great defense, and have all the tools needed to go all the way.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I want to see UCLA, UNC, Kansas and Memphis in the F4.
And I think UNC wins it.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
im still with memphis
March 4th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I’m going with Michigan State.
For anyone who saw the Kimmel/Affleck video, is Urkel in the gospel choir, standing on the right of McLovin during his solo (about 4.5-5 minutes in)? It’s been driving me crazy.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
UCLA, Memphis, Kansas, Tennessee do not have the stones to win six straight. Although of those four I would say UCLA has the best shot since they finally upgraded their offense to approach their defense.
UNC/UCLA/NO CLUE
March 4th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I have yet to be sold from any team in the Big East.
I want to say Kansas, but until they prove to me that they aren’t choke artists in the tournament I’m not completely sold on them yet either. Really it’s pretty hard not to find something wrong with most teams. That being said, I think right now I am going with UNC, and I hate myself for it.
If Memphis or Tenn could shoot free throws at all it would be hard not to go for them.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Memphis, UCLA, Texas, UCONN. there are no brackets yet, but thats who i would like to see in it
March 4th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I’m unsure why you felt the need to remind us about the Pats/Giants…UCLA is not even going to be remotely as big of a favorite as the Pats were. I grant you that they may be the pick of a majority of the media, but in terms of both Vegas odds and/or level of upset should they use, the 2 are not even in the same stratosphere.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
TBL, it’s funny how you refuse to acknowledge UNC as a national title contender.
I am shocked Washington State didn’t make your list.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
That said…I’m picking UCLA.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Patriots and Bruins have no correlation whatsoever.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
@broseph: I thought the same thing and yes it is.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I still think Duke could be a darkhorse. Their style right now would be interesting in single elimination tourney play.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Texas will beat Kansas once more this year in the Big 12 final and make it two wins against the jayhawks. the 58 point blowout at home against Texas Tech was not impressive to me. Texas Tech played like a high school team last night. yeah they got up to play in state rival texas and beat them, but texas has the jayhawks number
March 4th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
UCLA, Kansas, Tennessee and (don’t laugh) Notre Dame are my Final Four. And I’ll probably end up picking UCLA to win it all. Their only weakness is their half-court offense, which really isn’t all that bad. With tons of experience still left over from the past couple Final Four teams, a suffocating defense, a legit inside presence, the kind of athleticism that can keep up with teams like UNC and Memphis… what’s not to like?
March 4th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
“Kansas won by 58 last night against a team that just beat Texas on Saturday.”
Come on now. We all know transitive property doesn’t work in sports.
Proof? Texas beat Kansas.
Oh, the Longhorns beat UCLA too, and Tennessee.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
UCLA
Texas
Louisville
UCONN
Take it to the bank.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Are we going to have a bracket pool? It sounds like every single one of us have a different idea of who will win it all and so it will be a good one.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
We are and I will set it up if we need someone.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
UCLA has the inside out offensive game [albeit limited with 3 point shots with Rolle on the injured list] and the defensive to zone out anyone who tries to make it rain from the outside. I’m officially on the bandwagon.
UCLA
Tar Heels
Memphis
Georgetown
March 4th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
count me in on that bracket pool, ten bucks a piece to make it interesting. send it all to TBL paypal acct
March 4th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Will the Bracket Champion get a Free Ipod? Or a post deciding once and for all who is hotter? Efron or That Band.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
So happened between the Giants and Patriots?
March 4th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I say we do that bracket so that whoever does better then TBL will get their own post. Everybody’s a winner!
March 4th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
FINAL FOUR UNC UCLA LOUISIVILLE MEMPHIS
March 4th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I’d be in fo sure.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I’m in though I know very little about college B-ball.
UCLA
Duke
Georgetown
Stanford
March 4th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
@Ben60657:
Weren’t you putting together a TBL Madness pool?
March 4th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
jibble- is this a hockey thread..i think ur lost. read the above comments and your question is answered.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
No i am ok, I venture outside the top shelf to talk about hot chicks with the rest of you.
I read the comments everyone is talking about doing a pool. A few weeks ago Ben60657 volunteered to run it, I didn’t know if he’d set something up to register yet. I see everyone saying “we should do a pool” but no one has said “Yes here’s the place to register.”
It may be to early though.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
jibble the only reason i said that is because you said the same exact wise ass remark to me yesterday
March 4th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I hope Dornoch is happy, I haven’t posted first on anything today.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I haven’t seen UCLA play hardly at all, so I can’t really say whether I pick them or not. Based on the team they have had over the past couple of years, it seems the Final four would be very likely though as they really force teams to play their style of ball. It isn’t pretty, but the proof is sort of in the pudding with these guys.
As for the other 3, I have no idea, and I think it is pretty wide open. Even though I’m a UT fan, to be honest I don’t see them making it. Their guard play has dropped off way too much over the past few weeks and thus they are allowing teams to slow them down, and they really can struggle in the half court against a good team. So unless they get that straightened out or just get really hot, it is going to be tough for them. I think they are a contender, but they aren’t peaking at the right time.
I don’t think Memphis will be there at all. Rose is great, Douglas Roberts is good, but I don’t see anything else on that team that is scary. I was really impressed when they beat Georgetown as easily as they did early in the year, but after seeing the UT game they aren’t as good as I thought they were. Plus I don’t think Calipari is all that and might get out-coached.
Kansas can either look amazing or just really pedestrian. Both them and Texas look great on paper, but their recent history in the NCAA’s isn’t that great. On paper, they may be the two best teams to contend for the title. They have all the pieces, it’s just who will show up. And UNC hasn’t impressed me at all since Lawson went down, and then Duke is Duke. Somebody will knock them off on the second weekend.
I don’t see Georgetown anywhere near the title game. Hibbert is wildly unimpressive. He lacks the toughness and aggression you need in a center that big. He’s too passive, and they just haven’t impressed me this year. They really miss Jeff Green.
I don’t know. I think it is very very wide open. Based on what it takes to win come tournament time, I can see why so many are going with UCLA. Other teams like Tennessee, Memphis, etc. have some big deficiencies that can often cost teams in close games (free throws, consistent inside scoring, etc.).
March 4th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
@jibble:
Yes, that was the plan. We can do it either through a site (Yahoo, ESPN, etc.) or through a spreadsheet that I send everyone and compile the results.
The spreadsheet bracket is simple and straightforward, with drop down menus for each game. I have a compiler file that takes all the entries and sorts them through current and possible points in real time as I input game scores.
The compiler also ranks where an all chalk bracket and where a most popular pick bracket would rank. It’s very handy for office pools.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
We should be reminded of Giants-Patriots for the rest of our lives..its good for the soul…oh Yeah..G-Town or UConn win it all.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Ben, what kind of point system?
I did Yahoo last year and it irked me how you could basically get the majority of the first four rounds wrong but if you hit on the Final Four and Final you won.
Not saying that shouldn’t matter, but I think consistency and getting the most correct should be put into account to.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Yes I know… but that was in a hockey thread. I waited until a college basketball one to make my remark
March 4th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
@cbh:
The point system is totally up to us, I can adjust the spreadsheet to weigh each round however we like. In the offices pool I’ve run, it’s typically been 1-2-4-8-12-16 or something similar.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
The teams that make the final four usually can defend well in stretches to get them back into games or steal them at the end. Last years 4 teams all did that in one game to bail themselves out. (G-town against UNC, UCLA against Kansas, Florida against Butler and Purdue, Ohio state against Tennessee). That being said I think Memphis has a good shot because of the way they defend even though I don’t want to see Calipari win anything. So I’ll go.
Memphis, UCLA, Louisville, and Kansas state (just because they have the best player).
March 4th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Gotta ask Ben…can I get that sheet for my office pool?
March 4th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Kansas State has to make it into the tournament first.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
@Sterlin:
Do you know how to use VBA in Excel? If so, you can get it to work. If not, the spreadsheet probably won’t do much for you.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Kansas, Louisville, Duke, Mich St
Mich State will find a way to score in the tourney, Neitzel will do it all himself if need be. And that is when they have lost this year, when they forgot how to score.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Keep sleeping on UNC, their defense is improving. They lost one game with a third string point guard. This is their year.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Excel junkie here…I believe I can
March 4th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
after nailing the final four last year and falling one short of matching lunardi’s moronic bracketology before selection sunday, i can say without a shadow of a doubt that ucla will play stanford this week.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
unc, memphis, ucla, and texas with texas winning it all.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
@Sterlin:
Send an e-mail through TBL and he can connect us.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Ben – Thanks a bunch
March 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
@Sterlin:
No problem. If anyone else wants it, let me know. It’s a simple spreadsheet for the entrants to fill out, but needs fairly significant Excel knowledge to operate the summary spreadsheet.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
@Ben:
jibblescribbits@gmail.com please
March 4th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
@jibble:
Alright, you should have it. I sent along a fairly lengthy description of how it works. If you have a question, let me know.
March 4th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
UCLA is a solid team that has played in a tough conference. I like North Carolina’s chances the best, but UCLA as a #1 seed in the West would be tough to knock off going into the Final Four.
Memphis has incredible athleticism, but their poor free throw shooting makes them a major liability as a pick to win it all.
March 4th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Just a suggestion, but something my friends and I have done in the past is to put a little more wieght on first round upsets. What we usually do is you get the difference in seeds, ie if a you pick a 12 seed over a 5 and they win you get 7 points. It makes it a little more interesting and gets people to think about their picks a little more. Like I said, just a suggestions.
March 4th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Still waiting for a solid, well-reasoned argument about why UNC is the favorite. Sure the argument can be made … just haven’t seen it from a non-Heels fan
March 4th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
For UNC. They have the best player in college basketball in Tyler H. They have a first rate point gaurd and wing. The rest of the team is filled out by two great role players (Green and Ginyard) and two big guys. Most of the key guys shoot free throws well (4 guys over 80%). The biggest knock on them is Defense which seems to have held steady against seemingly better ACC play. They can play multiple styles well, run and gun, halfcourt, and have a coach who can implement them.
What is not to like?
Ha. They have lost to two of the toughest teams the played. 4 lucky wins in conf play. Tyrese Rice also thinks UNC cannot defend.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Ok, not until later… I can’t check e-mail at work
March 4th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Their halfcourt offense is weak. Consists of “chuck up a shot and hope Hansborough gets the putback”. I think they’ll have trouble against teams that can match up athletically against them (Memphis, Texas, Tennessee, Kansas), since that seems to always be their biggest advantage over everyone this year.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
@Ben
If you could send it along to me as well I would appreciate it. evan.rudy@rreef.com
March 4th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
UNC’s biggest weakness: Roy Williams. He’s as stubborn as Dean when it comes to making in game changes, but Dean was a much better master of using subs to control the game flow. Still think they’ve got as good a chance as anyone to win it all…definitely as legit as UCLA (who really hasn’t impressed me that much…solid yes, but dominating enough to be everyone’s pick? I don’t think so)
For people picking Michigan State: LAY OFF THE CRACK. I marked them off my national contender list the second I saw the score “Iowa 43 Michigan State 36″
Georgetown loses in the Sweet 16, if not earlier. I’m not high on any Big East team other than UConn and possibly Louisville.
I can see Duke losing in the second round…but I can also see them easily winning the entire thing. All comes down to how they shoot.
Final Four: UNC, Texas, UCLA, UConn with UNC winning.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
s1 I dont know what you have been watching but this unc team has not be running as much since lawson was hurt and they are not as deep as years past. And when they “chuck” up a shot it usually goes in (ellington, lawson and green all above 47% FG%). They do get a ton of Offensive rebounds Out of the teams you list Kansas would have the best shot at beating UNC cause they play some sick D. Also there is a reason OffReb is one of the four factors. It does help you get more points. The high FT rate helps too.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Urkel followed my wife out of the market here where we live in Malibu. Urkel is a full stalker.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:01 am
sharky that is funny in a odd way