Is this the best Big Dance ever?

[FargoBison]

So far the tourney has been filled with amazing games, the last few days have been just crazy. Even the 16 seeds played the 1 seeds tough and now with GMU in the final four things are getting crazier. I can't remember a big dance where the games have all been so close, the parity in college hoops just keeps on growing.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

For as long as i can remember, and that's not long, since about '90, this has been the best Tourney ever. The games the last 4 days have been awesome. The George Mason game was the capper. For a school like GMU to reach the Final Four is incredible. The Final 4 has been dominate by the power conferences for the last 25 to 30 years. The only teams from non power conferences to reach the Final 4 have been UNLV and Umass and i don't really consider them mid-majors. This going to be GMU's week, the whole country will be pulling for them. If they reach the title game it might be highest rated game ever. The hoopla around Indy this week is going to be insane.

[griz37]

The talent gap between the big guys & little guys just keeps closing. I have a feeling that each year the selection committees job will just keep getting tougher and because of that the tourney will just keep getting better. This is by the best tourney I can remember! For the 1st time since in quite a while I am actually really excited for the Final 4.

[blackfordpu]

Did I see that right? George Mason beat UConn??!?!?!?!?!?! There goes my bracket!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[FargoBison]

Did I see that right? George Mason beat UConn??!?!?!?!?!?! There goes my bracket!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Don't forget about their wins over Michigan State, Norh Carolina, and Wichita State. The have pretty much destroyed my bracket but I don't care because the run they have been on is amazing to watch. Just think if people like Billy Packer and Jim Nantz ran the show GMU wouldn't even be in the big dance.

[*****]

DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST!!!!

Sweet Sixteen thrillers of UNI over EWU, Cal Poly stunting Montana, TxST's comeback over GaSU, UR stopping HU and Furman edging Nicholls...

Great Eight thrillers of UNI again stopping a top QB at UNH, TxST holding on to beat CP and Furman on the edge again winning at UR...

Final Four thrillers of UNI topping TxST in OT and App St. vexing Furman...

Then the champ game that was decided on a turnover score by App St. beating UNI...

[Gil Dobie]

I enjoyed the Bird/Magic era and when David Thompson and NCST came in and beat Bill Walton and UCLA. The other NCST Championship was great too.

[bobcatfan06]

DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST!!!!

Sweet Sixteen thrillers of UNI over EWU, Cal Poly stunting Montana, TxST's comeback over GaSU, UR stopping HU and Furman edging Nicholls...

Great Eight thrillers of UNI again stopping a top QB at UNH, TxST holding on to beat CP and Furman on the edge again winning at UR...

Final Four thrillers of UNI topping TxST in OT and App St. vexing Furman...

Then the champ game that was decided on a turnover score by App St. beating UNI...

xlolx xlolx :nod: :hurray: :hurray:

[UNH 40]

From what i can remember this has been the best big dance that i have ever seen. Every single game has come down to the wire, even the 1 vs. 16 seeds have been close, and only one was a blow out. It has been tremendous though the heart and effort that players from each team has put forth. I am still pissed that Gonzaga gave up that lead, I felt really bad for Morrison, he diserved a chance to play in the spotlight. I hope he takes another chapter of Larry Birds career to heart and comes back for his senior season.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

From what i can remember this has been the best big dance that i have ever seen. Every single game has come down to the wire, even the 1 vs. 16 seeds have been close, and only one was a blow out. It has been tremendous though the heart and effort that players from each team has put forth. I am still pissed that Gonzaga gave up that lead, I felt really bad for Morrison, he diserved a chance to play in the spotlight. I hope he takes another chapter of Larry Birds career to heart and comes back for his senior season.

I'm still smarting after the Gonzaga loss as well. I've been on the 'Zags bandwagon since '99 when my one teacher in High School told me and couple of my buddy's that they were gonna beat #1 Stanford and make it to atleast the sweet 16. We had never even heard of the school before then but obviously he did. We followed his advice and helped my friend win our pool. Since then i've pulled for them along with Syracuse and was ill at the end of the UCLA game. If they hold on to that lead they're probably playing next Monday night. Hopefully Morrison comes back, the way he was acting at the end it's hard to imagine he wants to end his career in Spokane on that note. The only thing that makes me think he won't is some of Few's quotes regarding Morrison have him talking about Adam in the past tense.

[blackfordpu]

DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST!!!!

Sweet Sixteen thrillers of UNI over EWU, Cal Poly stunting Montana, TxST's comeback over GaSU, UR stopping HU and Furman edging Nicholls...

Great Eight thrillers of UNI again stopping a top QB at UNH, TxST holding on to beat CP and Furman on the edge again winning at UR...

Final Four thrillers of UNI topping TxST in OT and App St. vexing Furman...

Then the champ game that was decided on a turnover score by App St. beating UNI...

You're such a HOMER ralph, and its GREAT!:hurray:

[grizbeer]

I have to agree with Ralph, that was an awesome sweet 16, even being a Montana fan and getting spanked by Cal Poly, there was some great football being played for the championship. The basketball tournament has been great as well, although a little too much ref impact for my taste this weekend. Great final 4 line up though.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

CBS should have put the GMU-Florida game as the second game. That's the game most people will be interested in and deserves the prime-time slot.

[*****]

...The basketball tournament has been great as well, although a little too much ref impact for my taste...Well you know, when they have to play all the games inside on such a small field... in front of small crowds... players wearing shorts... with so many penalties... no marching bands... it's tough on the refs.

[JohnStOnge]

I like it because not a single #1 seed will be in the final four. That, I think, reminds us that when there is a playoff things can turn out a whole lot differently than what experts expect. Every year, the NCAA basketball tournament, I-AA football tournament, etc., reminds us that matching up just the teams thought to be #1 and #2 in a championship game is absurd.

The final four includes #2, #3, #4, and #11 regional seeds. That means that, overall, those teams were considered to have been ranked in the ranges of 5th - 8th, 9th-12th, 13th-16th, and 41st - 44th.

It's a beautiful thing.

[TexasTerror]

Best NCAA tournament ever...

From Bradley and Wichita State's respective runs to quite a few overtime games to close 16/1 games...Northwestern State's thrilling win and this amazing PARTY CRASHER we have in George Mason...my bracket bust with the UConn loss, so now I'm behind GMU!

[*****]

I like it because not a single #1 seed will be in the final four...Another reason why a "sport" where people "dribble" is fun to ridicule.

[JohnStOnge]

The talent gap between the big guys & little guys just keeps closing.

It's interesting because, while I like the fact that the mid majors can compete to some extent, I think one factor in the ability of the "mid majors" to do that is something I don't really favor: The tendency of top college underclassmen to try to go to the NBA. "Small" schools tend to have one advantage in that they have a chance to build experienced teams.

Look at LSU right now. Three of their top six players are freshmen and another is a sophmore. There's only one senior on the roster. The remainder consists of 7 freshmen, 2 sophmores, and three juniors. Barring excessive injury problems, the team that they'd have two years from now would be unbelievable.

But it has no chance to ever happen because there's no way they'll all stay in school.

[JohnStOnge]

CBS should have put the GMU-Florida game as the second game. That's the game most people will be interested in and deserves the prime-time slot.

Don't know if this will be the thinking but UCLA is in Los Angeles and that's an awfully big market. Of course George Mason is in the Washington DC metro area so that helps your cause some.

Another thing is that I think chances are better than even that LSU/UCLA will be a better game. I know George Mason's proven that it has a shot but I think if you're just going with "more probably than not" the likelihood of having Florida blow George Mason out is higher than that of having one of UCLA or LSU blow the other out.

Of course the "Cinderella" angle is all with the George Mason/Florida game.

[TexasTerror]

Don't know if this will be the thinking but UCLA is in Los Angeles and that's an awfully big market. Of course George Mason is in the Washington DC metro area so that helps your cause some.

GMU-Florida (5:05 CST) tips off first with UCLA-LSU second (7:35 CST)...

Smart move with two east coast teams and then a Central/Pacific battle...

Only way it could've been done...

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

GMU-Florida (5:05 CST) tips off first with UCLA-LSU second (7:35 CST)...

Smart move with two east coast teams and then a Central/Pacific battle...

Only way it could've been done...

When UCLA played Oklahoma State in 1995 Final Four that was the first game with Arkansas-North Carolina as the primetime game. The Final Four was played in Seattle that year. Usually the headline game is the prime-time game, Umass-Kentucky '96, Kentucky-Minnesota '97, Florida-UNC 2000, Maryland-Kansas 2002 etc.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

You know what makes GMU's run even more remarkable? That they haven't done it with a hands-down NBA player like an Adam Morrison or Larry Bird. They've done it with a bunch of pretty good hard-working kids.

I think Indiana State was the last "mid-major" to make the Final 4? Is that right?

[wannabegaucho]

Utah was in the WAC when they made the Final Four in 1998. At the time, the WAC had sixteen teams. The Mountain West Conference was soon created.

UNC-Charlotte also made it to the Final Four around the time of Indiana State.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

You know what makes GMU's run even more remarkable? That they haven't done it with a hands-down NBA player like an Adam Morrison or Larry Bird. They've done it with a bunch of pretty good hard-working kids.

I think Indiana State was the last "mid-major" to make the Final 4? Is that right?


Penn also made it to the Final 4 in '79. Some would consider UNLV a mid-major during their run in the late 80's early 90's since they were a member of the Big West i believe. The same thing with Umass's run in '96 but technically that's been wiped out of the record books.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Fair points, but I think even the ones that were mentioned here (UNLV, some Atlantic 10 teams), I don't really consider them "mid-majors" in the strictest sense. UNLV had an enrollment of 27,000 students this year and, like Georgetown, Villanova or some Big East schools, spend a lot of time and money on basketball. Same with UMass, St Joe's, or Temple.

Gonzaga, of course, came really close a bunch of times but were unable to do it - they're a much better example. They're a small school in a "small" conference that may be solely devoted to basketball but don't nearly have the same resources as a Mountain West or Atlantic 10.

IMO, you really do have to go back to 1979 - Larry Bird's Indiana State team and Penn's miracle #9 seeded team with Tony Price - to really find teams that even come close to performing the same feat in making the Final Four.

[89Hen]

Don't forget that George Mason would be a I-AA football school if they ever added football! :hurray:

[ngineer]

Fair points, but I think even the ones that were mentioned here (UNLV, some Atlantic 10 teams), I don't really consider them "mid-majors" in the strictest sense. UNLV had an enrollment of 27,000 students this year and, like Georgetown, Villanova or some Big East schools, spend a lot of time and money on basketball. Same with UMass, St Joe's, or Temple.

Gonzaga, of course, came really close a bunch of times but were unable to do it - they're a much better example. They're a small school in a "small" conference that may be solely devoted to basketball but don't nearly have the same resources as a Mountain West or Atlantic 10.

IMO, you really do have to go back to 1979 - Larry Bird's Indiana State team and Penn's miracle #9 seeded team with Tony Price - to really find teams that even come close to performing the same feat in making the Final Four.

Penn and Indiana State are the last 'mid-major' schools I could think of who reached the Final Four. Go 'little guys'...:)

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

[QUOTE=Lehigh Football Nation]

Gonzaga, of course, came really close a bunch of times but were unable to do it - they're a much better example. They're a small school in a "small" conference that may be solely devoted to basketball but don't nearly have the same resources as a Mountain West or Atlantic 10.

QUOTE]

Gonzaga is in the Top when it comes to program expenditures. They run a top flight program in Spokane. Their recruiting budget equals 85% of the teams in the Pac10. With their lucrative Nike deal and tv money they have a lot more money then Temple. Our athletic budget and funds are pretty pathetic.

[FargoBison]

After that dud of a Final Four I don't think I could call this the best big dance ever. Who would have thought that after all the great games in the earlier rounds would be followed by three straight duds. With all the parity in college basketball maybe next year will be the best big dance ever.

[Cocky]

After that dud of a Final Four I don't think I could call this the best big dance ever. Who would have thought that after all the great games in the earlier rounds would be followed by three straight duds. With all the parity in college basketball maybe next year will be the best big dance ever.

I agree, I didn't make it to halftime of a single game.

[ngineer]

After that dud of a Final Four I don't think I could call this the best big dance ever. Who would have thought that after all the great games in the earlier rounds would be followed by three straight duds. With all the parity in college basketball maybe next year will be the best big dance ever.

So true. What a let down. Who'd figure there would be such great down to the wire, nail biters, leading up to that. Almost like coitus interuptus!:D