Have you ever been so consumed by soccer for the final 5 months that you simply’re woefully behind on what’s been taking place on this planet of males’s faculty basketball? Would you want to vary that so that you sound like what you’re speaking about as soon as March Insanity rolls round in a month?
As soon as once more, we right here at SB Nation have you ever, the diehard soccer fan who’s lastly prepared to start out taking note of faculty hoops now that the Tremendous Bowl is over, lined.
Let’s hear your questions.
So who’s good?
Straight to the purpose. All proper. I prefer it.
The best reply at this level is “just about everybody within the SEC.” The conf—-
Imma cease you proper there. We’re talkin’ basketball right here. Dribblin’. Dunkin’. Houston floppy nook seal halfcourt units.
We will get again to the SEC convo in like seven months.
I fully perceive your confusion.
The actual fact of the matter is that the SEC isn’t simply the most effective convention in faculty basketball proper now, there are some who imagine it’s the most effective convention within the sport’s trendy historical past.
4 of the highest 5 groups within the present AP high 25 ballot are from the SEC. The league’s 16 groups received an unimaginable 88.9 % of their non-conference video games. That’s the most effective out of convention document that any league has put collectively this century.
There’s loads of chatter that the SEC may set a brand new document for many groups from one convention to make an NCAA match (at the moment 11 from the Huge East in 2011), and a few rising chatter that it may change into the primary convention ever to say all 4 No. 1 seeds within the Huge Dance.
I don’t actually do numbers.
This yr’s SEC could be very, excellent.
Dope. So who’s the most effective group from the SEC?
The timing really couldn’t be extra good for the reply to this query.
Auburn is the No. 1 ranked group within the AP high 25 ballot, and Alabama is the No. 1 group within the coaches high 25 ballot. The 2 rivals will sq. off in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, and the winner would be the undisputed No. 1 group within the sport for the second.
Hey, bear in mind the ‘Kick Six’?
I do.
That was superior.
It was.
Is Duke good? I wager Duke’s good.
Duke is sweet.
The Blue Devils are at the moment the one non-SEC group ranked within the high 5. They beat Auburn again in December and are a glowing 13-1 within the ACC proper now. Jon Scheyer’s group is certainly on the brief listing for groups that would win the nationwide championship.
Have they received all of it since Zion left?
Nicely, no, however Zion’s group didn’t really w—
There any Zion-type gamers this yr?
Really, sure.
Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg is at the moment the favourite to win just about each nationwide Participant of the 12 months award, and can be a near-lock to be the No. 1 choose on this June’s NBA Draft.
Yeah, I believe I’ve heard of him. Does he dunk?
He dunks.
So who’re the opposite guys which are imagined to be future NBA stars?
It’s really sort of wild, however in plenty of mock drafts, the second and third picks are two freshmen who play for a similar group — Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey for Rutgers.
Wow, so how good is Rutgers?
They stink.
How does that make sense?
It doesn’t.
May UConn three-peat?
They might, however this group profitable all of it can be much more stunning than the final two.
The Huskies are at the moment 17-7 total and 9-4 within the Huge East. They’ve a handful of very nice wins, however they haven’t but found the consistency that made them so deadly the final couple of years, particularly on the defensive finish.
I really like that coach of theirs. He at all times appears so chill.
That’s Dan Hurley, and he has by no means been chill nor will he ever be chill.
What has he achieved this season that hasn’t been chill?
-He went berserk on officers all through the Maui Invitational in November.
-After going 0-3 in mentioned Maui Invitational he claimed UConn would by no means play in one other three-game early season match once more.
-In January he advised an official “don’t flip your again on me, I’m the most effective coach within the fucking sport.”
-Simply this week, he acquired into it with followers after a win over Creighton in Omaha.
That’s positively not chill, however it looks like it is perhaps good for the game.
It’s unimaginable for the game.
How’s Coach Okay doin’ this yr?
He’s retired.
Roy Williams?
Retired.
Jim Boeheim?
Retired
Jay Wright?
Retired.
Tony Bennett?
Retired proper earlier than the beginning of the season.
Rick Pitino?
He’s thriving!
At 72-years-old, Pitino has St. John’s within the midst of its greatest season in 25 years. The Pink Storm is 21-4 total and at the moment sitting atop the Huge East standings with a 12-2 league document.
Bear in mind when he coached at Kentucky?
I do.
Calipari nonetheless there?
He’s not!
Former Kentucky participant Mark Pope is at the moment in his first season as the pinnacle coach of the Wildcats and is having a terrific yr. UK has been ranked within the high 15 for a lot of the season and simply had a giant win over Tennessee this week.
Calipari, in the meantime, is now the pinnacle coach at Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been much less stellar this season, and seem to be a longshot to make the NCAA match.
Oh man, I wager it was loopy when Coach Cal went again to Kentucky for the primary time.
It was positively a scene.
How badly did the Wildcats smoke Arkansas?
Really, the Razorbacks pulled off an enormous upset inside Rupp Enviornment.
Did Cal do the John Wall Dance?
He didn’t.
I’d have achieved the John Wall Dance.
I don’t suppose anybody even is aware of what that is anymore.
Hey, bear in mind when Pitino coached Louisville?
I do.
They nonetheless scorching rubbish?
The Cardinals are literally within the midst of their greatest season in a very long time because of first-year head coach Pat Kelsey, who has Louisville at 19-6 total and 12-2 within the ACC.
Neat. Hey, bear in mind when Pitino coached Indiana?
No.
They nonetheless scorching rubbish?
They’re. And head coach Mike Woodson has already introduced that he’ll be stepping down on the finish of the season, making a emptiness at one of many sport’s most storied applications.
Brad Stevens lastly coming house?
Possibly.
Actually!?
Most likely not.
Some other huge jobs opening up?
Longtime Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton has introduced that he’ll be stepping down on the finish of the season. Miami head coach Jim Larranaga stepped down in the midst of the season. Virginia will likely be hiring a brand new head coach to interchange Tony Bennett on the finish of the season.
Does no one need to coach within the ACC anymore?
It’s been a ridiculous period of change for the league, little doubt.
Hey, present me some cool dunks.
Michigan State’s Coen Carr dunks every thing and is at all times appointment viewing.
Just about everybody on Auburn is excellent at dunking.
Creighton’s Jamiya Neal had a candy poster towards Xavier.
And lastly, how about this filth from Youngstown State’s Ty Harper:
I like these loopy March Insanity upsets. Who’s going to tug off a loopy March Insanity upset?
I can provide you some mid-major groups that appear like reliable high 30-50 groups, however so far as making an attempt to forecast the 14, 15 or 16 seed that’s going to tug off a primary spherical stunner this yr, that’s a just about inconceivable activity at this level within the season.
Advantageous. Simply don’t give me any apparent match locks like Gonzaga.
Really, Gonzaga has struggled slightly bit this season. However sure, each the Zags and perennial WCC rival Saint Mary’s are nonetheless each good groups.
Trying slightly bit deeper on the mid-major ranks, Drake from the Missouri Val—
Drake? Just like the rapper? Oh my god.
It’s a college in Iowa.
Oh I do know, man. It’s simply wild to listen to that title in a university hoops dialog. I really feel like there’s a superb Tremendous Bowl halftime present joke to make right here, however I simply can’t piece it collectively.
So, Drake from the Missouri Valley is 23-2 total and really, excellent.
Yale from the Ivy League, UC Irvine from the Huge West and McNeese State from the Southland are all different mid-majors which are value keeping track of earlier than the calendar flips to March.
Hasn’t it been like a billion years since a Huge Ten group received all of it?
Sure. The final Huge Ten group to win the nationwide championship was Michigan State in 2000.
And hasn’t it been even longer since a West Coast group received all of it?
Sure. The final “West Coast” group to chop down the nets was Arizona in 1997.
Any Pac-12 groups have a shot to chop down the nets this yr?
Nicely …
I don’t know methods to inform you this, however the Pac-12 doesn’t really exist anymore.
So there’s no extra UCLA?
They’re within the Huge 10 and so they’re fairly good.
No extra Arizona?
They’re within the Huge 12 and so they’re fairly good.
No extra Washington State?
They’re within the West Coast Convention and so they stink.
No extra Houston?
What?
They have been by no means within the Pac-12. They’re within the Huge 12 and they’re extremely good.
Present me some cool buzzer-beaters. I need to actually get into the March mindset.
Let’s do it.
Let’s go the MAAC the place Fairfield lately shocked Marist on this close to full-court heave.
Caleb Love additionally hit this bonkers shot on the buzzer to ship Arizona’s sport towards Iowa State into extra time. The wildcats finally prevailed.
And lastly, right here’s some MEAC magic from Norfolk State towards North Carolina Central:
Kansas is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly pretty much as good as individuals have been anticipating them to be firstly of the season.
Gonzaga is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly pretty much as good as individuals have been anticipating them to be firstly of the season.
Baylor is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly pretty much as good as individuals have been anticipating them to be firstly of the season.
North Carolina is fairly good, proper?
They aren’t.
Give me your Remaining 4.
I don’t actually like to do this earlier than we get the precise bracket.
Why?
It’s a very pointless train to choose a Remaining 4 when a lot of who makes up the Remaining 4 relies on match draw. When you choose 4 groups proper now, two or three of them would possibly find yourself being in the identical area on Choice Sunday.
Nicely I’d steer clear of Purdue. I at all times overlook what occurs a number of months after March, however the one factor I ALWAYS bear in mind is that Purdue chokes.
They made it to the nationwide championship sport final yr.
Oh yeah.
What if I simply picked 4 soccer colleges as a joke. Like ‘Bama, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee? I really feel like that might be hilarious.
No, that … this was actually the very first thing we talked about.
Folks at work would chortle.
This has all been an enormous waste of time.
