MARCH MADNESS 2014 - NCAA Tourney Thread

• Laley23

  

  I think Ill be rooting for Florida - Wisconsin.
  
  Subject to change, cause I love watching Shabazz.
• vball10set

  SportsAndLady;1598803 wrote:I saw that reps post, vball. Better still give them to me

  Of course, S&L, I'm not ccrunner
• reclegend22

  

  I actually would be pleased with either Wisconsin or UConn winning it all. Kevin Ollie is just a really likable guy and Shabazz Napier seems really deserving (of course, three years ago I felt the exact opposite about Kemba Walker and considered him to be a horrible person lol).
  
  It'll be interesting if Florida cuts down the nets, though, as it would give Billy Donovan his third national title, placing him alongside John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Mike Krzyzewski, Bobby Knight and Jim Calhoun as the only coaches in history to ever do so. What would that ultimately mean for Donovan's legacy? Right now, despite the two titles and three national title game appearances, Donovan is often overlooked from a historical perspective, even by lesser-accomplished coaches like Jim Boeheim or Tom Izzo. I think a third title elevates Donovan into that top ten all-time.
• bases_loaded

  

  With a senior led team exiting does Izzo become the next Cav or Piston coach or stay put?
• reclegend22

  

  With another Donovan title, I'd go, in no particular order, John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Phog Allen, Henry Iba, Dean Smith, Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams and Billy Donovan as the 10 greatest coaches ever.
  
  It's tough, though, because you're leaving out guys like Lute Olson, John Thompson, Jerry Tarkanian, etc. Tarkanian, especially, who won at such a ridiculous rate that it seems impossible to not consider him one of the ten greatest to ever coach (he was 729-201 for a winning percentage of almost .800. Just insane).
• gut

  UConn/Wisc championship would be a lot of fun and completely unexpected.
  
  KY has truly run thru a gauntlet to get here - very rare for a Final Four team to have to work to earn it as much as they did, beating 3 teams that might have been capable of winning it all.
  
  Had the grit to hang around and close out Wichita and Louisville, then that clutch shot to beat Michigan. Very impressive, but I think they'll need to duplicate their effort against Wichita to beat Wisconsin.
• reclegend22

  

  Also Rick Pitino, whom I overlooked. I might place him in my top ten and remove Roy Williams.
• sportswizuhrd

  bases_loaded;1598821 wrote:With a senior led team exiting does Izzo become the next Cav or Piston coach or stay put?

  
  Already talk of him getting looked at by the Pistons brass.
  
  3 Primary reasons why Izzo could leave(according to Drew Sharp)...
  A.One-and-done rule
  B.Rule changes favoring offense movement
  C.Emergence of Michigan
  
  http://www.freep.com/article/20140329/COL08/303290019/Drew-Sharp-One-and-dones-defense-U-M-could-push-Izzo-to-NBA
• gut

  bases_loaded;1598821 wrote:With a senior led team exiting does Izzo become the next Cav or Piston coach or stay put?

  
  Ehhh, he's 59 and has a good thing going at MSU. I'd say consult Calipari or Pitino before making that choice.
  
  At nearly $4M a year, he's already making what most NBA coaches do. He'd make more in the NBA, but how much more and for how long? I think I'd rather stay put, try to get another title and a few more Final Four trips and cement my legacy.
• Laley23

  

  Id take the Pistons job. This season looks like it killed Izzo.
• reclegend22

  

  His legacy at MSU is already in stone, and at his age, unlike Jim Boehiem, Izzo has no shot at claiming the all-time wins record, if something like that is even important to the guy. Another national championship would probably be his biggest motivator, because it would place Izzo in rare company and elevate him into that 10 or 15 greatest ever discussion. But at almost 60 years old, and for many of the reasons listed by others above, maybe he doesn't want to kill himself for something he has been in pursuit of for more than 15 years.
  
  Izzo is already a king in Michigan and if he took the Detroit job and returned the Pistons to glory, it'd be a pretty fitting way to cap his career IMO. Might be a new challenge and allow him to focus on just coaching basketball and not all the extracurricular stuff that is required in college (i.e. the exhausting pressure of recruiting).
• SportsAndLady

  

  Izzo should bounce...that's a perfect job for him
• Laley23

  

  Plus, he wouldnt have to move. I mean, maybe move a bit closer to Auburn Hills, but he wouldnt be losing his friends and all that he has built up at E. Lansing.
• Azubuike24

  

  If Florida wins another title, it's hard to match Donovan, and all BEFORE the age of 50.
  
  The all-time wins record is Donovan's or Self's to win, possibly 2nd depending how long Coach K goes. In 18 years at Florida, Donovan has averaged 25.05 wins per year, has 7 Elite Eights, 4 Final Fours and 2 National Titles. From his national title years on, the last 9 years of his career, he has 258 wins (28.7 per year). He's got a cushy gig at Florida, he recruits top 10 classes every year and most importantly, he gets guys to STAY. If he wants to coach another 21 years, or until he is 70 years old, he's knocking on the door of 1000 wins. If his current pace continues (28.7 wins x 21 years), that puts him at 1053 wins. Now, I'm not saying he wants to do that, but if so, nobody has the legacy he has before the age of 50.
• SportsAndLady

  

  I kinda hope Florida wins so I can stop hating on Donovan lol i like that guy, so it'd be nice to throw praise his way for once.
• Laley23

  

  SportsAndLady;1598845 wrote:I kinda hope Florida wins so I can stop hating on Donovan lol i like that guy, so it'd be nice to throw praise his way for once.

  Wait, why do you hate on him?
• SportsAndLady

  

  Laley23;1598846 wrote:Wait, why do you hate on him?

  Haha really? You've never seen one of "those" debates on here?
• reclegend22

  

  The back-to-back NIT appearances in the late '00s definitely play a role in the somewhat diluted perception of Billy Donovan, but aside from that, he's been remarkable. It's crazy how overlooked he really is. At 48 years old, he's already more accomplished than Tom Izzo and Jim Boehiem, both of whom receive far more adulation in the media, and right there with Rick Pitino and Roy Williams.
• SportsAndLady

  

  I feel Donovan gets too much praise for his 2 titles, when really it was one GREAT recruiting class that earned him those titles. He's been to ONE final four (before this year) outside of that. He's a very good coach but I never put him in my top 5 of coaches when we had those topics on here.
• Laley23

  

  SportsAndLady;1598847 wrote:Haha really? You've never seen one of "those" debates on here?

  Well, I have. Im just saying if you feel that you want to like the guy and a title will completely change your tune, I guess it just came across as odd when I read it lol
• Azubuike24

  

  Not sure if you guys remember, but back in the day (on JJHuddle), I was a huge Donovan basher. From his first Final Four in 2000 to his back to back titles, he and Florida had some epic chokes in the NCAA Tournament. UK rarely had better talent during those times in Tubby's last days, but coaching ability was on display as the Cats owned the Gators. Then, the switch went off and Florida has been the SEC's dominant program since 2006.
  
  2001 (3-seed) - Beaten by 11th seed Temple by 21 in the second round
  2002 (5-seed) - Huge first round choke against Creighton as a 5-seed
  2003 (2-seed) - Crushed by #7 seed Michigan State by 22 points in the second round
  2004 (5-seed) - Manhattan as a 12-seed upset the Gators, by 15. Remember Luis Flores?
  2005 (4-seed) - Ohio U. should've beaten the Gators in Nashville. I was there, and OU really choked. The Gators got worked badly by Villanova in the second round
• Azubuike24

  

  SportsAndLady;1598849 wrote:I feel Donovan gets too much praise for his 2 titles, when really it was one GREAT recruiting class that earned him those titles. He's been to ONE final four (before this year) outside of that. He's a very good coach but I never put him in my top 5 of coaches when we had those topics on here.

  Sometimes, the coach only goes so far. Like you said, you credit those titles to his CLASS. What's that say about him going to three Elite Eights and a Final Four with this current "Senior class", which only includes 1 recruit who was a top 50 player (Patric Young). Now, he did get Kenny Boynton (5-star) for 4 years and Bradley Beal (5-star) for 1 year, but outside of that, he's really developed some guys into solid players. I mean, he got guys like Mareese Speights drafted in the first round and also did a nice job with a guy like Chandler Parsons.
• reclegend22

  

  Speaking of all-time great coaches, Dave Rice interviewed with South Florida over the weekend (probably merely as a bargaining chip to cop the extension and raise UNLV gave him yesterday as a result of the interview). Apparently South Florida was willing to up Rice's salary from around $750,000 to $1.2 million (from what I read).
  
  It got me to wondering whom UNLV might have been able to get. Vegas is a sleeping giant out there in the desert. And with the talent pool in that city at the high school level, the right coach could win not just one but multiple championships there.
• Azubuike24

  

  Shaka Smart's 40-minutes of hell style in Vegas? What about Archie Miller going just up the region from his brother?
• Laley23

  

  I actually gave Donovan a little more credit for the 2 Titles because he had a FF (and title game) to go along with it. Kinda like I give Peyton more credit for only winning 1, cause he has gotten to 2 others. Its tough to do.
  
  Now, it doesnt make him better than others, but it does show that it wasnt a fluke and only a 1 class thing... The chokes seem to be a thing of the past. He seems to have really learned from mistakes to become a much better coach.