In a bit of a surprise, Michigan picked up the biggest name in the coaching cycle. I think it was considered a sure thing that FAU coach Dusty Mays would end up at Louisville, but he's a Wolverine now. Both schools face major rebuilding hurdles, but basketball is the prime sport at Louisville. Given Michigan's notorious issues with getting transfers approved through admissions (they weirdly reject credits for a lot of classes that are typically accepted at a lot of other elite academic schools), Louisville might have been easier to deal with. Michigan's AD has been under heavy fire from the fan base, but you have to give him credit for this one.
I don't know really know much about Mays, but hopefully the hype is real and he can make Michigan competitive again.
I almost took a job there about 10 years ago. Lots of money and beautiful country. But the North Idaho nazis were too apparent. Hard "fuck no."
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton MYT
UConn has had simultaneous Men's and Women's championship wins twice in the past...2004 and 2014. If they can pull off a double win again this year, it would be pretty crazy coincidence to have three double wins each ten years apart. The men have a good chance at pulling off their end of the deal, but I'm not sure the women have what it takes this time.
I'm a lifelong Duke fan but I was pulling for NCSU. I've been rooting for State to get back to major rival status for literally decades. Plus I attended NCSU for a year so I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for them. What a run.
I've been stunned by my beloved Wolfpack's March run. I couldn't believe it when they won the ACC tournament (where they won 5 games in a row in 5 days). I am beyond stunned they are now in the final 4. Coach Keats would have absolutely been fired if they hadn't won the ACC tournament. Just a crazy March madness story. It's why the NCAA tourney is awesome.
Black Lives Matter
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common: they don't alter their views to fit the facts; they alter the facts to fit their views." - The 4th Doctor
I got a chance to meet Coach Keatts when he was head coach for UNCW. He was a super nice guy and I really loved his time with the Seahawks. I was really sad to see him go, but we all knew he was destined for greater things than the CAA.
Bama and NC State literally gave it the old college try, but were clearly outmatched. I think it is fairly rare for two #1 seeds to meet in the Final, but here we are.
No. 1 seeds have excelled in the tournament, winning 24 of the last 38 national championships (63.2%), including 12 of the last 16.
There have been 37 No. 1 seeds to reach the championship game in the last 38 years – an average of nearly one per season. Meanwhile, 60 of the 152 Final Four teams (39.5%) have been No. 1 seeds.
That said, No. 1 seeds are not guaranteed success in the NCAA tournament. There was only one Final Four during this period (2008) where all four teams were No. 1 seeds. There were five other instances with three No. 1 seeds making the Final Four.
We lost one of our best players to Kentucky after we got knocked out of the tournament, so I feel a bit smug right now. This was before the Calipari news was announced.
Young kids just chasing what seems to be greener grass…there’s a lesson in there somewhere.
I knew women’s bb had been gaining popularity, but this surprised me:
In a historic moment for college basketball, the women’s national title game has not just captured the nation’s imagination but has also achieved a milestone that will be etched in the annals of sports history. For the first time ever, the viewership for the women’s final eclipsed that of the men’s, signaling a seismic shift in the sports landscape.
Too early to say whether it's a "shift" or just a blip. While I think WBB will continue to enjoy popularity, I suspect it will dip a bit in the post Caitlin Clark years. It'll never happen (and it shouldn't happen), but I wonder what would happen if you put the championship games on against each other on equivalent networks.
Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2024 8:59 am
I knew women’s bb had been gaining popularity, but this surprised me:
In a historic moment for college basketball, the women’s national title game has not just captured the nation’s imagination but has also achieved a milestone that will be etched in the annals of sports history. For the first time ever, the viewership for the women’s final eclipsed that of the men’s, signaling a seismic shift in the sports landscape.
Not knocking the women at all, but I wonder how much the time slot had to do with it. Sunday at 3pm is a hell of a lot easier for me to watch a game than Monday night with a 9:30pm tip off. That's past my bed time.
Stanford's Tara VanDerveer retires: College basketball's all-time wins leader steps away after 38 seasons
VanDerveer won 1,216 games and led Stanford to three national championships
Black Lives definitely Matter Lorini!
Also: There are three ways to not tell the truth: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Stanford's Tara VanDerveer retires: College basketball's all-time wins leader steps away after 38 seasons
VanDerveer won 1,216 games and led Stanford to three national championships
Stanford's Tara VanDerveer retires: College basketball's all-time wins leader steps away after 38 seasons
VanDerveer won 1,216 games and led Stanford to three national championships
Makes sense to me, she's 70!
I think she truly loved coaching this team as well. She probably knew it was just about done, and really seemed to be having fun all season.
Black Lives definitely Matter Lorini!
Also: There are three ways to not tell the truth: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2024 10:32 am
Too early to say whether it's a "shift" or just a blip. While I think WBB will continue to enjoy popularity, I suspect it will dip a bit in the post Caitlin Clark years. It'll never happen (and it shouldn't happen), but I wonder what would happen if you put the championship games on against each other on equivalent networks.