Officially On The Tennessee Volunteer Bandwagon

• Azubuike24

  

  Here's to hoping the Volunteers continue their run and cut down the nets.
  
  I wouldn't mind seeing WVU, Butler or Baylor win it all either though.
  
  WVU with Huggins would be a great story.
  Butler as a mid-major would be amazing for the sport.
  Baylor after where that program was a decade ago would be amazing.
  
  If Bruce Pearl and the Vols were to cut down the nets, it would be a story for the ages after what happened on New Year's Day.
• mattinctown

  The question is: who is the favorite to win it all now that Kentucky is out???? If Duke doesn't win it, would love to see Butler win it.
• Azubuike24

  

  Honestly, I have no clue.
  
  I've rationalized the 6 teams left, and it will be a underdog story no matter who wins.
  
  I'd love to see one of the non-traditional powers win it though, sorry Duke or MSU.
• ts1227

  

  For the OSU fans: a Tennessee win would look really good.
  
  Ohio State will have lost to 3 of the 4 Final Four teams (Butler, West Virginia, Tennessee) this year should UT win the game.
  
  Makes those losses a little easier to swallow.
  
  
  
  From a non-OSU fan standpoint, it is nice to see in that stat that OSU actually played more than 1 tough non-conference game (Butler AND WVU, this used to never happen). There's still some weak stuff on the schedule but they do play more big name teams than they used to, even 5 years ago. It would still be nice to see them replace some of the Alcorn States and Lipscombs with some of the better MAC schools (Kent, Akron, Ohio) to both bring in some gate and still most likely get a win that looks a little bit better than the damn near D2 schools.
• DeyDurkie5

  

  ccrunner609 wrote: Duke/MSU would be a great Final

  Not for casual fans of the game...Butler in there would be huge for the ratings
• TheMightyGators

  I'd love to see the little guy Butler win it all.
• krambman

  

  mattinctown wrote: The question is: who is the favorite to win it all now that Kentucky is out???? If Duke doesn't win it, would love to see Butler win it.

  I think Duke as a 1 seed is probably the favorite, but if Baylor wins tomorrow then West Virginia will be the heavy favorite to win it all.
• Mulva

  

  I love Bruce Pearl, but I hate Tennessee's team. I hate Scott Drew (the guys whole personality just comes across as fraudulent), but I love Baylor's team. If only they could trade places.
  
  As it stands, I'll definitely be pulling for Butler.
• gerb131

  

  The only team I can't bandwagon is Tenn. Having lived in and still have family in Alabama you don't like Tenn they are neck and neck with Auburn for teams I despise.
  Going to go with the Big 10 team MSU and then Baylor and then Butler.
• reclegend22

  

  Az, let's be serious. It will not be an underdog story if Duke wins.
• reclegend22

  

  With that said, I would love to see Butler win if Duke doesn't.
• NOL fan

  ts1227 wrote: For the OSU fans: a Tennessee win would look really good.
  
  Ohio State will have lost to 3 of the 4 Final Four teams (Butler, West Virginia, Tennessee) this year should UT win the game.

  if Tenn wins: OSU was 0-3 vs final four teams
  if MSU wins: OSU was 1-2 vs final four teams
• Azubuike24

  

  reclegend22 wrote: Az, let's be serious. It will not be an underdog story if Duke wins.

  Given the knock on Duke and what most people expected of them compared to the other big boys, it will be.
  
  Now I think Duke is the overwhelming favorite at this point, but even if they are, if you told people before the season that your last 6 left would be these 6, I bet people would be surprised.
• hoops23

  

  I'm pulling for Butler the rest of the way.. If not Butler then WVU... I've always been a fan of Huggy Bear.
• Azubuike24

  

  Agree. Butler, West Virginia, Baylor and Tennessee. If that is the Final Four, I can honestly watch it and enjoy the games. Any of those winners would be alright by me.
  
  A historical Final Four it would be to say the least.
  
  North Carolina, Connecticut, Indiana, Arizona, UCLA all miss the tournament.
  Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse all #1 seeds and get eliminated.
  Ohio State, Kansas State, Georgetown, Villanova all popular Final Four picks not there.
  
  It would be quite a sight IMO.
• hoops23

  

  Just something about Butler. As I mentioned on their game thread, I LOVE watching them play. Not the tallest or most athletic (though they do have a couple of nice athletes) but they play the game the right way. Their offense is beautiful when it's clicking.
  
  Defensively? They BARELY make mistakes.
  
  Plus playing in their hometown? Indiana deserves some good basketball since the Pacers and Hoosiers have sucked recently.. I'm pulling for Butler the hardest.
• Azubuike24

  

  For pure college basketball fans like myself, Butler winning would be amazing for the sport.
  
  Huge upsets like Northern Iowa over Kansas are great, and George Mason to the Final Four was an incredible site, but Butler winning a national title would be, well, iconic.
  
  Serious, it would be an amazing moment for the sport. Similar to if a non-BCS school were to win a national title.
• 2kool4skool

  

  Baylor is my choice. It would be a really cool story if they won the national title after what happened there 7 years ago. Scott Drew took on as bad a situation as you could dream up, struggled badly at first, but stuck with it(and the university stuck by him) that deserves to be rewarded.
• reclegend22

  

  I'd probably tear up if Butler won the Final Four. I want Duke to win the whole thing obviously, but anything the Blue Devils accomplish from here on out is icing on the cake for me. (When I say anything from here on out that translates as anything past the Final Four. I want this damn Final Four so bad I can fucking taste it, to paraphrase Petey Bell.)
  
  When I was growing up, I watched Hoosiers with my cousin the night before all of our basketball games. That was the first movie I ever received as a gift, on my birthday when I was probably five or six. Jimmy Chitwood. Shooter. Strap. Ollie. Rade. Cletus. Hickory. Southbend Central. Ithaca. My practices aren't designed for your enjoyment. This is your team. I'll personally hide-strap your ass to a pine rail and send you up the Monon Line. Coach, I'll make it.
  
  These kids are just brilliant to watch. Hayward reminds me of a willowy Larry Bird out there, shooting baskets against the battered oak of a 1951 Indiana barn. The cliches are boundless. If Duke absolutely cannot reach the title game, I will become a Bulldog until the conclusion of this wild, wild dance.
  
  Welcome to Indiana basketball.
• Laley23

  

  reclegend22 wrote:
  
  Welcome to Indiana basketball.

  You said it right there. Nothing compares to the history of Indiana basketball. Simply incredible. I am so pumped to see Butler in the Final Four. It is a team that ACTUALLY has a shot at winning the whole thing. George Mason a few years ago was a great story, but had no shot once they got to the FF. Butler can win this thing!!!!!
• reclegend22

  

  I love basketball in the state of North Carolina -- if I could live anywhere else now, that's where I'd want to be -- but when I was a kid, I can distinctly remember saying to my mother, "I should have been born in Indiana." That's how much I loved the game and, even at a young age, knew what Indiana was about. This Butler run will hopefully remind today's younger generation.
  
  It is the basketball capital of the world. Plain and simple.
• Laley23

  

  reclegend22 wrote: I love basketball in the state of North Carolina -- if I could live anywhere else now, that's where I'd want to be -- but when I was a kid, I can distinctly remember saying to my mother, "I should have been born in Indiana." That's how much I loved the game and, even at a young age, knew what Indiana was about. This Butler run will hopefully remind today's younger generation.
  
  It is the basketball capital of the world. Plain and simple.

  its really funny. I was adopted and have lived in Toledo my whole life (sans my 4 years at IU) and I swear the reason I love Indiana and basketball in general is because I was born in Ft. Wayne. My dad lived in the Fort growing up and LIVED Indiana HS basketball. He got to play in some of the storied games. I am so jealous. He went on to play in college and I was stuck playing HS ball in Toledo. I cant imagine what it was like growing up in Indiana and seeing what HS basketball is like.
  
  I am fortunate enough to have lived there for four years and be able to go watch some of the HS games. The fundamentals and talent level throughout the state is matched by none, and frankly....it isnt even close. The players in Indiana are just so much smarter than other states and just know what to do. I swear you can look at any midwestern school and find an Indiana influence on the court.
• Laley23

  

  BTW, and a COMPLETE side note. But Greg Oden, Armon Bassett, Jordan Crawford, and Ben Allen are all in Bloomington tonight at one of the bars. I miss the days of seeing them all there. Usually I run into Oden, Jared Jeffries, and Sean May as they are all close friends. But this tourney seems to have established the others...
• reclegend22

  

  Laley wrote:its really funny. I was adopted and have lived in Toledo my whole life (sans my 4 years at IU) and I swear the reason I love Indiana and basketball in general is because I was born in Ft. Wayne. My dad lived in the Fort growing up and LIVED Indiana HS basketball. He got to play in some of the storied games. I am so jealous. He went on to play in college and I was stuck playing HS ball in Toledo. I cant imagine what it was like growing up in Indiana and seeing what HS basketball is like.

  That's really cool. And, same here, I would have killed to have grown up around the one-class tournament in Indiana and all the fanfare and hoopla that surrounded it. Pretty special.
  
  I can only imagine the basketball royalty that will be walking the streets of Indy next weekend. The Final Four always seems at home when in the Hoosier State. The only thing that could make it better is if the Hoosier Dome was still standing.
• hoops23

  

  I have an uncle who was really good friends with Scott May during HS, and the fact that a player of his caliber came from and graduated from Sandusky really got me into the history of his career and achievements.
  
  Not only that, but watching Hoosiers and seeing some other high school basketball games in Indiana, it really gives you a deep appreciation for the game.
  
  I also agree with Rec about the love of basketball in North Carolina. During my time there is when I really fell in love with the UNC program. Not only because my sister was housed at UNC hospital for her liver transplants, but I really met some special people there and got to take in some games. I simply fell in love with UNC basketball after that.
  
  Those two states are like Ohio with football. Though, that's not to say Ohio doesn't have a great appreciation and love for basketball, because it does.. But with Ohio, it's more of a location type of thing.
  
  I love the "midwestern" style of basketball. I think that's one of the reasons I loved the Reggie Miller 30 for 30 documentary. It really gave you a sense of "Midwest" vs New York..
  
  New Yorkers LOVE to claim the state as the "Mecca of basketball", but I think everybody else knows that's simply not true.