ZoomSlowik

We'll see. I haven't seen the brackets yet, but I get a feeling the NC State is going to be the team I like the most of the 4-5 seeds. At least one of them seems to make the Final Four every year, and they seem to have all the major components outside of defense, which doesn't always seem to be necessary in the tourney. Edit- Maybe not on the 4-5 seed thing. I still like Georgetown, and Kansas looks decent, and so does Florida. It's all going to depend on the brackets.

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 05:15 PM) If you get a memory card and a cable to connect your computer to the memory card, I think that you can just download updated rosters to your memory card instead of doing all of the tinkering. I think I'm going with that rather than buying a new game. I don't have that connector thingy, and frankly I'm to lazy to go buy one, or buy a memory card with the data already on it. I'd still probably be tinkering with the rosters to get them set up how I want them anyways. Just looking at the orginial ratings, there were a bunch of scrub pitchers that were rated pretty high.

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 11:52 PM) I saw that one from the contendors thread at the bottom of this board right now, thats what interested me as well. Thanks for your thoughts though. Well, the posts were a couple of minutes apart IIRC. I know, you're mad that I didn't include UNC. I'm just not all that impressed with their roster and what they've done. Outside of owning NC State, I just don't see much to get excited about. Give them another year or two and they'll be kicking ass again. I just don't see a team with Wes Miller as a fairly major major contributor having a real shot at the Final Four.

QUOTE(rangercal @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 09:09 PM) Domincan is so deep in hitting they can afford some players withdrawing. Pitching is a little questionable. I still go with DR. Their hitting isn't the same ridiculously strong lineup lineup without Manny and Vlad. It's going to be harder for them to win considering their pitching. Their outfield looks pretty weak now, and they don't have a 3B or a catcher. Plus Soriano isn't as good as he was. Pujols, Ortiz, and Tejada probably can't win it for them.

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 06:15 PM) Zoom, I've noticed you like NC State alot this year. I'm just wondering why. They are the 4th best team in a weak ACC this year. Their leading scorer Cameron Bennerman is averaging only 13.5 ppg, while their defense is the 4th worst in the ACC. Cedric Simmons is very talented in the paint, but he doesn't rebound or score as much as he should, with 12 ppg and only 6.5 rpg, he dissapears too often. UNC has beaten them twice this year by an average margin of 18.5 ppg. Reason 1- There's always at least one team that people don't expect to do well but ends up going pretty far. I didn't feel like putting all chalk in this thread. Reason 2- They seem to be the type of team that often does well in the tournament. They go a legit 7 deep, have 5 guys averaging in double figures, and they are a good outside shooting team. Reason 3- I personally think that considering that he plays less than 30 minutes a game and has taken the 5th most shots on the team Simmons' numbers are impressive. By the way, this is the first time I mentioned them. I just was looking for any kind of team that stands out, and that's what I came up with. I realize that they have issues, but so does everyone else. I also wouldn't say that they're the 4th best team, I'd say they're about even with BC, and UNC hasn't done much better other than head to head. They were also a couple of questionable calls away from beating Duke in Cameron indoor and lost in OT to BC.

Targeting individual players, or even a certain type of player, isn't a very good approach. You simply have no idea who will be available, so you're either going to be disappointed when your target isn't there, or you're going to pass on a better option because of your plan. I don't know exactly who will be available with your first pick, but while Santana is good, there might be better values. He's probably the 7th rated player or so, so if one of the elite hitters (A-Rod, Pujols, Vlad, Tex, Manny, Ortiz) are there you should probably take him. I might even take a solid youngster like Cabrera or Wright over Santana, although that is a preference thing. If you do end up with Santana however, you should probably grab a hitter in the next round. Try to go for lower risk productive players that are still pretty young. If you end up with a hitter, you have more flexibility and can do whatever you want.

It's really hard to say based on all of the guys that are dropping out. There are really only like 5 teams that have any chance, so it's a little easier to figure it out. I don't think the Dominican Republic does it because they're losing a lot of their top players. Without Pedro and probably without Colon, their pitching lacks punch. Their lineup also loses a lot of punch without Manny and Vlad. Puerto Rico has some talent, but probably not enough. Thier pitching is thin, and Delgado, Beltran, and I-Rod are the only imposing hitters. That leaves you with only 3 teams that have a solid shot at winning it: Cuba looks like they have pretty much all of their top players (only major exception is Dayan Viciedo, and he's pretty young). They are definitely a threat. Venezuela has several top notch starters and a couple of good arms out of the pen. Their lineup looks a little light outside of a couple of hitters, but if they make it to the finals they'll be a tough out with Santana and Zambrano on the mound. The US still has a pretty good shot because they have a better draw than most of the other contenders and they still probably have the best pitching staff. To the best of my knowledge they still have Roger, Dontrelle, and Peavy, plus some solid bullpen guys with Lidge, Nathan, Shields, Street and Timlin. Their outfield is only ok, but their infield gives them enough punch to have a pretty good lineup too. I'm going to go with the US because as of right now they have the deepest team and don't really have to play any major competition until the semis. I'll have to drop them a bit if another big name or two drops out.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 04:50 PM) Teams who won't win it all: Kansas George Washington Gonzaga West Virginia Memphis LSU The only one I remotely disagree with on that list is Memphis. They need a lot of things to go right for them, but I can see it. If they can avoid turning it over too much and get the ball inside more instead of settling for 3's, there aren't a whole lot of teams I see stopping them. Those are genuine concerns though, so who knows. I also like GW, but I don't think they can beat most of the other top seeds.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 12:38 AM) Darrel Mitchell is pretty damn good and Temple is decent, they also have Tasmin as a wing and then obviously Big Baby and Thomas down low. They're a pretty solid defensive team and a damn good rebounding team. I really love LSU and obviously expect them to make a long run. As for Texas even though Gibson hasn't played well as of late, I expect him to get back on track, I like Gibson a lot. Paulino is pretty decent though he's not a true pg imo, the one thing he does do well is take care of the ball which will be vital come tourny time. We'll obviously see though, I can't wait. Two weeks from tomorrow. I think they can make a run, but I don't think they're going to the Final Four. Yes, Darrel Mitchell is solid, but the other Mitchell is more of an inside oriented SF, and they don't have a real PG. Perimeter shooting isn't exactly an area of strength, so I think someone with a strong backcourt can beat them as long as they have at least someone inside. Another issue is Thomas. I know he missed the last game, by I'm not sure why (I always have a hell of a time getting injury info). That really hurts if he is out for an extended period of time because they aren't very deep. As for Texas, I'm really starting to sour on them. They've lost a few games they really shouldn't have, and they got killed in 3 of them. They are really big, really athletic, and really talented, but I think the lack of a true PG that can consistently get the ball to Tucker and Aldridge will hurt. If they had someone like Marcus Williams that was a pass-first PG that could find those guys in the right spots, they'd be pretty hard to stop. Gibson can definitely hurt some teams, but if his shot isn't falling, that's a major problem. One of their major problems has been strong shooting performances by the other team, so matchups against OSU, NC State or a rematch with Nova, Tennessee, or West Virginia could end poorly. They really need to dominate on the boards to make up for that typically, and they haven't always done that. Obviously everything is conjecture until the brackets come out though. Who knows, maybe Texas or LSU get a soft bracket and make a run.

Everyone is signed up. Remember, the draft is Wed, March 15th at 8:00 PM CST.

I'm really mad about the whole liscensing thing that prevents EA Sports from making MVP 2006. I pulled out MVP 2005, and it's a really good game that I am still having a lot of fun with. I'm trying to tinker with the rosters a bit, but that's obviously a tedious process.

I like Gay, but I don't see us playing him and Deng at the same time. I personally doubt that either can play SG or PF. One of them would probably have to be trade bait if that was how things fell.

I just can't buy Texas or LSU. Their guard play leaves a lot to be desired. Kentucky is definitely not doing it. They haven't played well all year, I don't see them starting now. I can sort of see BC, but they're going to have to shoot pretty well. Before you guys give me crap, I said NC State because they are deep and shoot well from behind the arc. Those are the types of teams that seem to do well in the tourney. Plus, they have enough size to hold their own.

I was fairly impressed with NU tonight. Their other players besides Vedran and Hachad actually did some damage tonight. Moore hit some big shots, Cote hit a couple, and Seacat and Williams actually made some plays. They did turn it over a lot though. OSU looked like crap in the second half. They weren't getting the ball to Dials enough even though he was killing NU inside. The biggest detriment for them was Sylvester. He was absolutely brutal. I don't know why Thad didn't pull him after a couple of shots, especially since Harris seemed to be playing well. I can't blame him for a couple of the 3's, but he took two brutal pull-ups and kept shooting even though he was way off. On top of that, he kept getting the ball well outside the arc and couldn't make any kind of plays. He offered nothing, and yet he was still on the court screwing up their offense.

UConn, Nova, OSU, Memphis As a bonus, I'll include my other 4 for the elite 8: GW, Kansas, NC State, Georgetown

The only team in the Big Ten I really give any real shot is OSU. The problem is that the Big Ten teams aren't very accomplished outside of their home stadiums and can't score consistently enough to keep up with better teams. Good defense helps, but you're typically going to have at least one team put up a good total against you in your bracket, and you need to be able to counteract that. Here's my list of teams that have any kind of shot at making the Final Four (this will change based on the brackets): Big East- UConn, Villanova, Pitt, West Virginia, Georgetown ACC- Duke, BC, NC State SEC- Florida, Tennessee, LSU Big Ten- OSU, Illinois, Michigan (they have to be healthy) Big 12- Texas, Kansas Pac 10- Washington, Cal (a bit of a stretch, but they are playing fairly well) other- Memphis, Gonzaga, GW

After giving Lou Malnati's another try tonight, that moves into my top 5. It was very solid, reminds me a lot of Uno's/Due's (makes sense, the guy used to work there). The only thing that seemed very different was the sauce.

Witchita State is the only tourney lock that I can see. Missouri State has picked up some good wins of late and probably becomes a lock if they beat UNI. UNI is probably in because of their big out of conference wins over Iowa and Bucknell, but they could be in trouble if they lose. They really haven't been playing well of late. SIU also hasn't been playing all that well. I don't think they can afford a loss. Creighton also is in danger. They've got 3 probables and a good shot at 4. 5 looks like a longshot, but who knows until some of these other auto-bids get figured out.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Mar 1, 2006 -> 11:20 AM) They have some issues, but I'm going to pick Texas. 'Nova's too small. UConn's got too many streaky players. Duke has speed issues (plus, some smart coach will put a Brian Randle-like guy on Redick and that'll be the end of that) Memphis is too young. This is going to be a fun year...no clear cut overwhelming teams. The Big Ten usually shows well in the tourney. They'll lose a couple of teams, but I could see one of the teams making it to the Final Four. They are coming from arguably the best conference where really only one team is a pushover (Purdue), and they really aren't that much of a pushover. I can't wait. And neither can Vegas...they are going to make A LOT of money off of the losers this year. I disagree on a lot of your asessments, probably most on Texas. I can't see them beating good teams later in the bracket. They have virtually no depth and Daniel Gibson is not playing all that well. He has been very streaky the whole year and usually takes too many shots. Their advantage in the front court is nulified by their vulnerability in the backcourt. Any team with strong guard play or a front line that can hold their own against them should knock them out. UConn's players aren't as streaky as you'd think. Rudy Gay has been playing very well for quite some time. He hasn't had what I would call a bad game in some time. Marcus Williams also has helped solidify the team with his playmaking. His scoring is a little streaky, but he makes up for it with his passing. Armstrong also gives them pretty consistent play. The rest of their guys do have some issues, but those 3 give them a very solid foundation combined with several other talented players. The only guy I would call very streaky is Brown. Anderson is usually pretty solid, and Boone's only real problem seems to be foul trouble. Villanova has gotten by with their smaller lineup all year. Unless they play someone with similarly dangerous guards that also has a stronger frontcourt, it shouldn't be an issue. They probably won't face a team like that until the Final Four. Memphis is young, but they are extremely athletic, maybe more so than anyone but UConn. They wouldn't be the first young team to win it all. The bigger concern is probably their heavy reliance on the perimeter shot. I have more faith in them than others because of Washington and Carney, and Williams isn't your average freshman. The only Big Ten team I see with any chance at the Final Four is OSU, and they have to shoot better than they have of late. I agree with you on Duke though, I've said that in this thread already.

If a league that was struggling to survive like the NHL could go on strike for a year and come back somewhat alive, then it can definitely happen with a financial juggernaut like the NFL.

The friggin' Tigers?! The two 1-year wonders in Tampa Bay?! Come on!

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 11:54 PM) No Duke? I hate them as much as anybody, but they've gotta be right up there as one of the favorites. I really don't think they will win 6 in a row on a neutral floor, with refs that should be less favorable than normal. They would have lost about 3 more games if not for the favorable calls that they get at home, and they needed a half court prayer to bail them out against another non-tourney team. They rely on Redick and Williams very heavily. One bad game from either of them and they are done. This is especially a concern since Redick seems to be wearing out recently. In his last two games he's shot 5-21 and 3-10, with only free throws propping up his totals. Considering he'll probably get fewer favorable calls and his performance in the tournament the last few years, I can't really consider them a strong favorite to make the Final Four.

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 11:44 PM) Can you please let us dream? Sorry, I can't let that happen. They just aren't a very good team. Vukusic and Hachad are their only legit Big Ten players at this point in their career. Everyone else can only do it in spurts, which come rather infrequently. Plus, they already used up their two solid games against stronger competition this year.

UConn definitely should be the odds-on-favorite. They don't have any major weaknesses that I can see. I really only see two other teams that stand out as potential national champs: Villanova and Memphis. Those are the only other two teams that I've been impressed with. I know that Nova could have a tough time because of their size and that Memphis is a little young, but everyone else has some bigger flaws.

Come on guys, there's no way that NU is going to beat OSU. I'm an NU fan and I can't see it happening. Dials is going to kill us inside, and we allow far too many open perimeter shots. NU was lucky to be as close as they were last time. OSU probably isn't going to miss 20 three pointers again.