Have you ever been so consumed by soccer for the final 5 months that you simply’re woefully behind on what’s been occurring on the planet of males’s faculty basketball? Would you want to alter 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 being attentive to faculty hoops now that the Tremendous Bowl is over, coated.
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 are able to get again to the SEC convo in like seven months.
I fully perceive your confusion.
The very fact of the matter is that the SEC isn’t simply the perfect convention in faculty basketball proper now, there are some who consider it’s the perfect convention within the sport’s trendy historical past.
4 of the highest 5 groups within the present AP prime 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 perfect out of convention document that any league has put collectively this century.
There’s loads of chatter that the SEC might set a brand new document for many groups from one convention to make an NCAA event (presently 11 from the Massive East in 2011), and a few rising chatter that it might change into the primary convention ever to assert all 4 No. 1 seeds within the Massive Dance.
I don’t actually do numbers.
This 12 months’s SEC may be very, superb.
Dope. So who’s the perfect staff from the SEC?
The timing truly couldn’t be extra good for the reply to this query.
Auburn is the No. 1 ranked staff within the AP prime 25 ballot, and Alabama is the No. 1 staff within the coaches prime 25 ballot. The 2 rivals will sq. off in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, and the winner would be the undisputed No. 1 staff within the sport for the second.
Hey, bear in mind the ‘Kick Six’?
I do.
That was superior.
It was.
Is Duke good? I guess Duke’s good.
Duke is nice.
The Blue Devils are presently the one non-SEC staff ranked within the prime 5. They beat Auburn again in December and are a glowing 13-1 within the ACC proper now. Jon Scheyer’s staff is certainly on the quick checklist for groups that might win the nationwide championship.
Have they received all of it since Zion left?
Effectively, no, however Zion’s staff didn’t truly w—
There any Zion-type gamers this 12 months?
Really, sure.
Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg is presently the favourite to win just about each nationwide Participant of the Yr award, and can be a near-lock to be the No. 1 decide on this June’s NBA Draft.
Yeah, I feel I’ve heard of him. Does he dunk?
He dunks.
So who’re the opposite guys which might be purported to be future NBA stars?
It’s truly type of wild, however in a variety of mock drafts, the second and third picks are two freshmen who play for a similar staff — 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 staff profitable all of it can be much more stunning than the final two.
The Huskies are presently 17-7 total and 9-4 within the Massive 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 all the time 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 stated Maui Invitational he claimed UConn would by no means play in one other three-game early season event once more.
-In January he instructed an official “don’t flip your again on me, I’m the perfect 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, nevertheless it looks like it could be good for the game.
It’s unimaginable for the game.
How’s Coach Ok doin’ this 12 months?
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 finest season in 25 years. The Pink Storm is 21-4 total and presently sitting atop the Massive 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 presently in his first season as the pinnacle coach of the Wildcats and is having a terrific 12 months. UK has been ranked within the prime 15 for many 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 appear to be a longshot to make the NCAA event.
Oh man, I guess 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 finest 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 packages.
Brad Stevens lastly coming dwelling?
Perhaps.
Actually!?
In all probability not.
Some other large 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 exchange Tony Bennett on the finish of the season.
Does no person need to coach within the ACC anymore?
It’s been a ridiculous period of change for the league, little question.
Hey, present me some cool dunks.
Michigan State’s Coen Carr dunks every little thing and is all the time appointment viewing.
Just about everybody on Auburn is superb at dunking.
Creighton’s Jamiya Neal had a candy poster in opposition to 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 may give you some mid-major groups that appear like authentic prime 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 12 months, that’s a nearly unattainable activity at this level within the season.
High-quality. Simply don’t give me any apparent event 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.
Wanting slightly bit deeper on the mid-major ranks, Drake from the Missouri Val—
Drake? Just like the rapper? Oh my god.
It’s a faculty in Iowa.
Oh I do know, man. It’s simply wild to listen to that identify in a university hoops dialog. I really feel like there’s an excellent 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, superb.
Yale from the Ivy League, UC Irvine from the Massive West and McNeese State from the Southland are all different mid-majors which might be value keeping track of earlier than the calendar flips to March.
Hasn’t it been like a billion years since a Massive Ten staff received all of it?
Sure. The final Massive Ten staff to win the nationwide championship was Michigan State in 2000.
And hasn’t it been even longer since a West Coast staff received all of it?
Sure. The final “West Coast” staff to chop down the nets was Arizona in 1997.
Any Pac-12 groups have a shot to chop down the nets this 12 months?
Effectively …
I don’t know the way to inform you this, however the Pac-12 doesn’t truly exist anymore.
So there’s no extra UCLA?
They’re within the Massive 10 and so they’re fairly good.
No extra Arizona?
They’re within the Massive 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 had been by no means within the Pac-12. They’re within the Massive 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 not too long ago surprised Marist on this close to full-court heave.
Caleb Love additionally hit this bonkers shot on the buzzer to ship Arizona’s sport in opposition to Iowa State into time beyond regulation. The wildcats finally prevailed.
And lastly, right here’s some MEAC magic from Norfolk State in opposition to North Carolina Central:
Kansas is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly pretty much as good as folks had been anticipating them to be in the beginning of the season.
Gonzaga is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly pretty much as good as folks had been anticipating them to be in the beginning of the season.
Baylor is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly pretty much as good as folks had been anticipating them to be in the beginning of the season.
North Carolina is fairly good, proper?
They don’t seem to be.
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 select a Remaining 4 when a lot of who makes up the Remaining 4 relies on event draw. When you decide 4 groups proper now, two or three of them may find yourself being in the identical area on Choice Sunday.
Effectively I’d avoid Purdue. I all the time overlook what occurs a couple 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 12 months.
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.
Individuals at work would snicker.
This has all been an enormous waste of time.
