The Elite Eight.
#1 UConn vs #3 Missouri, 4:40 PM
#1 Pitt vs #3 Villanova, 7:05 PM
UConn-Missouri should be interesting if for no other reason as to see whether or not the Tigers’ press gives UConn as much trouble as it did Memphis.
UNC eyes on Pitt-Nova as the winner of that game could be waiting in Detroit should the Heels take care of business.
Comments if you have them.
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Let’s go Mizzou!
wow, just looked at UConn’s stats. how is this even possible: they are second in the NCAA in % of shots blocked on defense, yet first in the NCAA in fewest defensive fouls. is there some kind of Dook rule that works in their favor? Thabeet gets special treatment??
Thabeet is exactly why. They funnel the drives to the middle and his presence is usually enough to prevent scores without having to resort to physicality.
That may, in fact, be why Pittsburgh had an advantage over UConn in rugged Big East play that might disappear depending upon the officiating in the NCAA tourney should they play again.
hmmm….my point was that if you have big skilled offensive players you want to take it right at the shotblocker and get him in foul trouble; and yet, it would seem that proposed strategy was impossible for any Big East team (except Pitt) to execute…
I love Missouri’s coach. Nolan’s assistant during the 40 minutes of hell days in Arkansas.
Thabeet stands there with his hands up. How do you get a foul doing that? Any contact would be a charge.
Hansbrough does the same thing, but he is only 6′ 8″.
Thabeet tries to block shots….but yeah, there’s also the statue defense.
I like the way Mizzou is playing this, but they’re missing too many shots to pull the upset.
William, Tyler is actually 6’9.
That is with his shoes on. We all debated this earlier this year. Apparently, Danny has the biggest shoes on the team because he gains an inch and a half, while the other guys are only an inch bigger.
So do they get measured with their shoes on? His profile on tarheelblue.com says he is 6’9.
The NBA apparently does it both ways, on and off. College teams tend to invent whatever height suits their program. Traditionally, teams seem loathe to admit that their center is under 6′ 9″, while at the same time often not wanting to admit that they have a 7 footer.
The reported heights for players like Patrick Ewing, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain have gyrated depending upon who is reporting.
uncgirl – Are you tuned in?
To the game?
Good time to call for the next several hours.
How about in an hour?
Tres Bien!
Nova lost a 10 point lead. Now we shall see who can coach and play!
Wow, How do you handle both Blair and Young? Daunting task.
Here are the pre-draft camp measurements from 2008. You will notice that heights without shoes are 1 to 1.5 inches less than with shoes.
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/?year=2008&sort2=ASC&draft=0&sort
Danny Green without shoes is 6’4.5″ but with shoes he is listed as 6’6″
I would much rather face Pitt.
Nova just threw the game away. How stupid. Bad call as well.
Never mind. They pulled it out.
one HECK of a game!
Down goes Pitt though Nova tried their best to give it away.
I’m sure I’ll catch Hell for this one, but I think that Villanova have peaked and will struggle to maintian their current level of play. Yes, they have steadily improved over the course of this tournament, but they shot like 95% from the FT line to get this W. If they played another game tomorrow, I think they win. But the week layoff really hurts a team like the Wildcats, in that their momentum is stalled, and so you might see why I think they have reached their zenith. I am happy for Coach Wright and their program.
I know that several UNC fans were actually rooting against Nova in the Dook game, so that the ACC could have two teams in the Elite Eight. I was NOT one of them. I don’t live in ACC country and I tend to view Dook more from a national perpsective. The perception is that no matter what Dook does, win or lose, it doesn’t really leave too many people saying, “wow, they really made the ACC look bad.” There is something bigger that happens when Dook loses, and it is a collective “hah! Again!” sort of sentiment. Gone are the days when college hoop fans sighed in relief when Dook went out. Now they just laugh and add insult to injury. Here’s my point-
I favor the 23 point Nova smackdown and Final Four advancement over the thought having watched Dook beat Pitt and saying,”good, we’ve got one ACC team in the Final Four.” Dook are a seperate entity to me, and I rooted hard for Maryland to beat them in 2001, which they did save for some of the worst officiating I have ever seen.
So, congrats to Nova and let’s let the Heels continue to be the flagship program of the ACC.
I agree DeanForever. Especially the last sentence.
I may be WAY off base, but doesn’t now seem like the time for Larry Brown to be suddenly moving on? Hmmm, there’s that coaching job open in Lexington, KY. There would be not greater caoching challege for the man who (like Bill Parcells) likes to build programs into champions.
Any thoughts? I’m sure I’m way off, but it does merit a second thought…maybe?
I am of the mind set that an NBA guy will take over the Wildcats, in that Izzo, Donavon, and Calipari are all off the table.
The turnover and foul by Dixon of Pitt was the turning point. Pitt had just gone up by 4 and ‘Nova didn’t have much working. But then Dixon picks up his dribble at halfcourt in a double team. Then fouls the ‘Nova player from behind.
DF – Bravo on your Villanova take. I had them in my bracket and loved their smack down of dook. I, too, live away from ACC territory and view dook’s demise as a paramount benefit to mankind!I would never consider any dook win as being benefical to the ACC. What has the ACC done for us?
I have Villanova people all around me and it will be an interesting week for me if the Heels win tomorrow.
UNC obviously still has work to do, but in general, you would always rather play the lower seed. That is not to say that teams don’t improve as the season goes on, but I believe that both of these teams were pretty seasoned.
It is not for nothing that these teams play almost forty games and while Villanova may itself be as good as or better than Pitt head to head, that is a different thing from Villanova being better than Pitt with respect to all of the other Division I programs. Even after losing twice now to Villanova, Pitt still has two fewer losses.
Outside of the NCAA tourney, Villanova has no impressive victories and really only one game of any import, which was a loss to Texas by 9 on a neutral court.
Shouldn’t that mean that Duke should have beaten Villanova by 14, instead of losing by 22?
Sagarin still has Pitt one slot above Villanova, as I assume Pomeroy and Greenfield will as well. Certainly, UConn can’t be sorry to see Pitt go out.
I’m focused on tomorrow, but since I’m a fan it’s probably ok for me to conjecture about the next round.
I’d rather see Villanova waiting than Pitt. I don’t think we’d have much of an answer for Blair, so I like our matchup with Villanova. On the same line of thought, I’d rather play Louisville than UCONN because of Thabeet.