So it's that time of the year where CBB starts to become the main sports focus. Selection Sunday is a month away. The Big East is as usual extremely overvalued and will drop like flies in the first and second round.

mrford: Looking forward to our rematch in Tallahassee first week of March. We didn't play team defense like we've done to many other teams in Chapel Hill. I think our players got distracted by the banners. Have a sneaking suspicion UNC/FSU rematch will be to decide the #2/#3 seeds in the ACC.

Also the PAC10 is a 1 bid league and the SEC better not get more then 3 :|

I don't know. UNC is a complete different team than when we met last.

Other than the second half at Cameron, they are looking like an elite 8 team at least.

I agree they are looking much better. However our defense is THE best in the country when we play it right and 2nd is a VERY distant 2nd. We held Ohio State AND Duke to 32% shooting and are close to setting the all time NCAA record for field goal % defense. The UNC game was an anomoly, first team to shoot over 50% against us in the last 90 games. I doubt that kind of lightning strikes twice :P I think regardless UNC and FSU are on pace to meet in the 2/3 semifinal game in the ACCT for a third time in some sort of order.

It would be better to discuss womens basket ball. Anyone know what happened to that champion team? The one that news guy called nappy headed? They were awesome and much more fun to watch than the guys.

SEC will get 4, maybe 5. Florida, Kentucky, and Vandy are likely locks at this point. Alabama and Tenn are both bubble teams though it'll take some good wins, which both of them have the opportunity ahead of them for. I'd expect one of them but not the other.

ACC is a bit of a odd mix. Duke and NC, probably FSU. Everything else seems like a crap shoot.

The Big East will get 8 or 9 because HURR HURR BIG EAST and yeah, most of them will vanish shortly after that.

Pac 10 will have the conference winner but damned if I know who. Can't see them earning a 2nd bid but they might get one out of some bizarre sympathy.

Wisky and OSU for the Big 10 + 1 + 1. Minnisota has some good wins but has to finish strong. Same might be said of the Illini and Purdue. I'd guess at two of them making the dance.

I really have seen little of Big 12 - 2 so other then Kansas and Texas I got no idea.

With FSU done for the year maybe BC takes their spot? VT or Clemson for a 4th spot.

I'm predicting like I always do... Illinois in the finals... with another Big 10 team...Peferably Ohio State.

Your signature seems highly appropriate.

Pac-10 should get two bids and the Big East, as noted, is extremely overrated.

hi orkin!

How is FSU done for the year just because Singleton broke his foot? Found out today he had outpatient surgery and it was his 5th metatarsal aka bone connected to his pinky. Heal time is 3 weeks but could be shorter because his his treatment/physique. Basically Singleton will be back for the ACCT/NCAAT.

In the meantime it's not exactly like FSU has a monster schedule to get through between then and now. We have @Wake which we should win even without Singleton. @Maryland which is a tough but winnable game especially if they lose at Va Tech basically eliminating the last remnant of NCAAT hopes they had. Miami at home which we should win. UNC at home which is the one daunting game on our schedule without Singleton and @NC State who is ALMOST as bad as Wake. With those five games FSU could easily be 11-5/12-4 going into the ACCT which would have them safely in the field.

Also hi Notorious ;)

And for the record I will take any Big East team first round in the NCAAT. With the exception of Pitt (who I'm sure is who'll we will end up in the same bracket as just because I said this) I'm confident we can beat any of the Big East teams.

Big East is garbage when it comes time to put up or go home.

That's is just the way it is.

Yes, "found out today". At the time, he was predicted out completely, which probably means an early exit from the ACC tourney.

Keep in mind the selection committee loves trends. A team that crashes and burns in thier last handful of games gets frowned on and often passed over even if their overall record are as good as others they are fighting with spots for.

I'd expect wins over Wake and NC St, both who really are terrible. I'd expect losses to UNC and maybe Maryland. Miami's a bit of a tossup but it's in Tally so the home advantage helps.

I want FSU to make the tournament mind you... my concern is that there are enough other ACC teams at this point - BC, Clemson, VT, Maryland - also fighting for a spot so a dive now would prove too costly.

go st marys!
australia represent

Perhaps, but how many of the teams FSU is competing against have a signature win (Duke) + an okay OOC win vs a team that is probably going to make the tourney in Baylor on a neutral site. Plus FSU beat both BC and Clemson who are looking like the next two in line at the moment. FSU just has a better overall profile then the other teams. I'm banking on beating Wake Saturday, if we beat Maryland on the Wednesday after then FSU is a lock as the 3rd ACC team.

Loosing to Ohio St and Florida is not something anyone can hold against FSU, loosing to Butler and Auburn is though. That's really shaky when it comes to OOC, with only that win over Baylor to balance it out. You're right though, no one else that FSU is fighting with for a spot has a win like theirs over Duke. Hell, the only bigger upset I can even think of would be sub-.500 USC's win over Texas so FSU has one of the best wins in basketball this year.

So yeah, assuming no collapse I think your are right... FSU is in no matter what happens to Singleton.

if UNC grows up before the tourney, i see them going really far. However, they are streaky at best right now. They are relying heavily on their 3 prized freshmen and they have no tourney experience at all. All one had to do is look at the Duke game to see how pressure of a big time game can affect these 3. UNC gave up a massive first half win in the first minute of the second half and never fully recovered.

Every one of these freshmen has shown bright moments in their brief carers. Barnes has proven that he can make late game shots to propel his team towards victory, but where is he in the beginning of these games? He needs to become stable, a lynch pin for this offense. As far as defense goes, we really don't ave to worry too much there. FSU might have a stellar defense, but UNC is so massive down low it is embarrassing other teams in the lane. Henson is a rebound and block MACHINE. it is a joy to watch him play. I only wish he could put on about 30 pounds. He is one lanky mother.

All in all, UNC is recovering from a depressing OOC launch to their season. They were clearly ranked too high at that point. However if they play to their potential for the remainder of the season, i do not see them losing another game, and that includes Duke in the Dean Dome.

Wisky, tOSU and Purdue are locks. Illinois and Minny have slightly more work to do. MSU has a shot if they can finish strong.

No way the #2 RPI conference only gets 3 in. Illinois has 3 home games left (Michigan tonight, then Iowa and Indiana). Winning those 3 gets them to 19 wins and even with losses @tOSU, @Purdue and @MSU, they still have an RPI in the lower 40's and enough top 50 wins to get them in.

Minny has been in a downward spiral with their injuries and MSU is having a 2008(?) UNC year. Very strange for them. Losing Luscious and Allen has decimated their back court.

Also, the SEC is GARRRRRRRRRRRBAGE.

I genuinely think the SEC wont get a single team in the Sweet 16. If they do it will probably only be Florida. The fact that the SEC is in talks of getting 5-6 bids is laughable.

2008 UNC year?

thats the year they dominated and lost in the final 4

2009 they won the national championship, decimating every opponent in the NCAA toruny.

2010 they lost in the championship game of the NIT

MSU is garbage. They are constantly ranked too high and choke EVERY single time the pressure is on

Florida and Kentucky both have the talent level to make the Sweet Sixteen but Kentucky can't win away from home and Florida is neurotic as hell. I still expect 4 bids for the SEC, with Vandy getting one for sure. I think the selection committee will be fooled into giving Alabama or Tennessee one that they haven't at all earned. The only way I can see having a legitimate 5th team is for one of the other teams to win the SEC tournament and get the autobid.

Yep, they sure are. Being the most consistent NCAA program over the past decade indeed makes them garbage. 6 final 4's, pure luck. Always choking in those tourney games.

Sweet Jesus.

Also, there have been several down UNC teams over the past 7 or 8 years. Ended up one of the biggest disappointments in all of NCAA basketball those years. How can you have 8 5* players and only make the NIT? That is insanity.

RaVeS: Past tournament success should NOT get them in this year though. They havent proven that they deserve the invite at all. If they DO get in they should be in the First Four.

In the last 12 years they have 6 final 4 apperances, and only 2 national championchip apperances, with only one national championchip.

That is admirable tht they can easily beat the scrubs and make it to the final 4

it is halarious thatthey choke every time they get to the final four. So yes, they are worthless.

You get 6 legit chances at a national championchip in 12 years and you only get one? Epic fail

that is some epic spin Mr. Ford.

Yeah that is some pretty big spin. You can't say they choke every time when Izzo has actually won a CBB national title. Which IMO is the hardest title to get in sports due to the 65/68 team single elimination format.

They got one, in 2000 after losing in the final four in 1999.

Since then they have been choke artists every time the heat is on


Who can forget the most boring national championchip game of all time in 09 when UNC throttled them.

One of the most absurd sports statements made on this forum. MSU is THE college basketball program of the past 15 years.

WTF are you guys smoking?

The program of the last 15 years? Seriously? Duke and UNC alone have had better decade and a half than MSU

Sure Sure they have a ton of final fours, but wih all those chances I would expect more than one naional championchip.

And you SURE as fluff can't call them the best program of the last 15 years.

I guess it's how you measure success, my measure is national championchips, not final four chokings

Yeah saying MSU is the team of the last 15 years is hyperbole in the opposite direction. UNC and Duke are still #1 and #2 in some order of the past 15 years.

I'd have to disagree on UNC. 3 times this decade they've not made the tournament. They have some real clunker seasons. Michigan State and Duke are 1 and 2.

UNC has 9 final four apperances in the last 20 years

oh wait, they also have 3 national championchips to go along with that

they missed the tourny 3 times in the las 20 years, in the same time mSU has missed 5

are you basing your argument off stats or wishes?

lol if you are gonna debate who is 1-2-3 over the past X years we should first specify what X is. Klown seems to be saying over the past 10 years mrford. How about u debate that, clearly you don't feel confident u can win that argument b/c u resort to stats from the last 20 years...

well, it kind of looks like he said 15 years

but whatever you wish to look at

UNC still has 2 national championships over the last 10 years with 6 final four appearances

MSU has one national championship with 6 final four appearances

Duke has 4 final four appearances with 2 national championships


im sure i could do some math for winning percentages but that's a lot of work

I don't have any wishes, I'm a Dayton Flyers fan, the team that defeated the Tar Heels for the NIT Championship last year.

UNC didnt have a point guard last year, and it murdered out gameplay

either way, just because UNC had one or 2 poor seasons, they still have the exact same number of final four appearances and one more national championship

don't exactly know how MSU is a better program over the last 15 years

fair enough he did say 15. And I agree over any time fram (10,15,20) UNC I would pick as the better overall team.

I think MSU is the best "tournament" team of the past 15 years and this is what you often hear the talking heads say. I'm not gonna back up this with statistics but I bet if you looked at actual wins versus wins predicted by seed, MSU would be a good +15 over expectation over that time frame. That's insane. Kind of hard to call such a team not clutch. In fact getting to the finals and getting blown out against UNC in a way one could spin to argue how clutch they are (in getting to finals game with a clearly inferior team).

Finally as a Maryland fan, I know the Spartans are clutch:( They beat us in the second round last year with a last second three.

PS. fluff duke

well, to be fair UNC was better than every team in the country easily that year. they won every tournament game by 12+

it was an epic, pissed off team

ya thats def true.

Christ, mrford is an idiot. I can find all the stupidity I want on Scout and Rivals forums, I probably don't need any more here.

To be clear: You are stupid, mrford. Really really dumb. For real.

For those that CAN read, I said: "Being the most consistent NCAA program over the past decade indeed makes them garbage." The only program that could even consider rivaling MSU is Duke, but they had WAYYYYYYY too many early flameouts during that time (even after getting WAYYYYYY overseeded) to be more consistent than MSU. QED.

I also never said that MSU should get in, especially just based off of past results.

Who died and made you fluff capitan?

You dissagree with me soyou have to state that I am stupid 17 times?

Your tatics alone show that you have no basis and resort to debating your opponents intelegence.

Consistant does not equal good, and for the most part I wasn't debating with you I was talking to klown.

Now why don't you shut the fluff up and suck my stupid fluff.

Hmm... Florida's won 2 NC's, played for a 3rd, and had a 4th final four appearance in that time. Too many 1st and 2nd round exits to claim much in the way of dominance though.

UF won 2 in a row

that was a class, not a program achievement

From now on, I would like to be referred to as "fluff capitan." That. Is. AWESOME.

Everyone is telling you that you are wrong. That should alert you to your horribly misguided opinion. Apparently, this is not the case. But, yeah, you are wrong. Did Izzo kickfluff your mom at some point or what? Your hate of them is epic (as is your endless stupidity).

In only a few posts, I was able to illicit a response like that. STILL GOT IT, CHRIS!

I don't hate Izzo, I just don't think making the final four and losing every time is a measure of success.

I loathe Calapari though. I think he is the most worthless human on the planet.

The fact that you dissagree with me on basketball apparently makes me stupid is hilarious though. What do you do for a living? Flip burgers?

We need to do some ilegal gambling on a ginormous Earth bracket group this year ;)