The Official 2025 March Madness Discussion Thread

[HeuperDrive]

Tried telling y'all not to sleep on Houston. Tried telling y'all they were better than they were getting credit for. Tried telling y'all not to count them out versus Duke.

Look who was right. The guy who’s wrong 99% of the time. But I got it this one time, and that's what matters.

But seriously, what a thing to wake up to. Happy we won’t have to hear about Cooper Flagg at Duke ever again (I’ll like him much more once he’s in the NBA), and happy Duke got what they deserved. Screw em. Now, hopefully lighting will strike twice and Florida loses too.

 

[SGMVols]

Well, actually every play mattered.

My point isn't to assign value to events. My point is that no true hoops fan wants to see the game winning points come from a bad foul call 80 feet from the bucket. I feel robbed

Flagg grabbed the guy’s arm with both hands. Foul all day.

 

[n_huffhines]

Flagg grabbed the guy’s arm with both hands. Foul all day.

Omg. 50 fta's a game if that's how you're calling them

 

[omghulkhands]

Wild to me that this Houston team might win it all with their band of of dogs and high level role players and Phi Slamma Jamma couldn’t do it with a top 10 player all-time and another top 100 player all-time

 

[HeuperDrive]

 

[zeppelin128]

Nah. It sucks. Now Florida's gonna win. Can't believe everybody here is so happy.

Cooper Flagg winning it all was the best thing for CBB, the NBA, and team USA. Too bad. And it sucks that it came down to a bad foul call on a rebound being the final points. Just insane.

Well I'll be honest, I didn't watch the game so I don't know what happened. I checked out after Tennessee lost in E8. Plus I was pissy about Vols baseball yesterday, so I was done with all sports last night. Lol

 

[VolsAgainstTheWorld15]

What's bizarre about it? Are you not aware that basketball is a star-driven sport? Are you not aware that the NBA suffers from a college-to-pro disconnect? Are you not aware that the sport is looking for the next great American player?

Im aware of all of things, but thanks for pointing them out. Believe it or not, this forum has plenty of people who are every bit as knowledgeable of the game as you are.

None of that explains why it’s best for college hoops that he be on a national championship winning team. He’s going to be a star at the next level regardless and he played on one of the best teams in the nation. Him winning a national championship isn’t any better for college basketball than any other team winning it all.

 

[SGMVols]

What's bizarre about it? Are you not aware that basketball is a star-driven sport? Are you not aware that the NBA suffers from a college-to-pro disconnect? Are you not aware that the sport is looking for the next great American player?

This is goofy AF

Most people who are not Duke fans are happy Duke lost.

Not everybody who watches college basketball cares about the NBA either.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Im aware of all of things, but thanks for pointing them out. None of that explains why it’s best for college hoops that he be on a national championship winning team. He’s going to be a star at the next level regardless and he played on one of the best teams in the nation. Him winning a national championship isn’t any better for college basketball than any other team winning it all.

I mean...it's discounting how many people hate Duke. There is a very large if not majority of the college basketball fanbase that is celebratng that Duke blew it.

 

[AthensVol2007]

Omg. 50 fta's a game if that's how you're calling them

It was a blatant over the back. I give the refs kudus for calling it like it occurred 3 min into the game and not swallowing the whistle because it’s Duke/Flagg or “not wanting the game decided that way”. If a foul occurs, call it.

 

[VolsAgainstTheWorld15]

I mean...it's discounting how many people hate Duke. There is a very large if not majority of the college basketball fanbase that is celebratng that Duke blew it.

Bingo. Outside of a few media shills and Duke fans, a huge portion of the college basketball fandom hates Duke. Really doesn’t matter a bit who they have on their team. If anything, having a player that the media talks nonstop about increases that hatred.

Ultimately, the best thing for college basketball in the postseason is entertaining games. That’s exactly what the Final Four delivered.

 

[AthensVol2007]

This is goofy AF

Most people who are not Duke fans are happy Duke lost.

Not everybody who watches college basketball cares about the NBA either.

I flew to Chicago last week to watch the Bulls cause a buddy had a box and invited me and my son up. I spent 80% of the game watching the SW16 on the tv in the suite. I knew LeBron, DK and Luka, that’s it between the 2 teams. Just can’t get into the NBA for the life of me but I can sit down and watch any P4 college basketball game from start to finish.

 

[Legion of Doom]

Oh come on now, he was cleared after thorough “investigation”.

He was cleared of Title 9 only. He was not cleared of what he did. CBS just put out article. The victims have lawyers. This is not over.

 

[n_huffhines]

This is goofy AF

Most people who are not Duke fans are happy Duke lost.

Not everybody who watches college basketball cares about the NBA either.

It's not about your satisfaction on Sunday. It's about how many people tune in on Monday night. I can't believe this has to be explained.

 

[HeuperDrive]

It's not about your satisfaction on Sunday. It's about how many people tune in on Monday night. I can't believe this has to be explained.

I mean, I couldn’t really care less about the suits making a few less millions than they would have otherwise lol

If anything, the execs losing money would probably be what’s actually better for the sport

 

[n_huffhines]

I mean, I couldn’t really care less about the suits making a few less millions than they would have otherwise lol

If anything, the execs losing money would probably be what’s actually better for the sport

It's not about suits and $. It's about interest. That is what the $ represents. People rooting for Caitlyn Clark *to lose* were rooting against the outcome that created the most interest.

IDK how old you are, but the NCAA tourney used to mean a million x more to this country. I miss the days when this was more of a shared experience. One of the biggest reasons it fell off is superstars don't win titles anymore.

Edited

 

[volsarelife1]

It's not about your satisfaction on Sunday. It's about how many people tune in on Monday night. I can't believe this has to be explained.

In theory you're ok with your Suns or Jazz never making it the NBA finals. Because less people would tune into those games if either team was in the finals

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

For the second straight season we get knocked out in the elite eight by a team going to the championship game.

It also happened in UT’s first NCAAT appearance in 1967. Dayton lost to UCLA in the championship game.

Edit: that was actually getting knocked out in the Sweet 16. Virginia knocked TN out in the S16 in 1981 and made the FF. There might be more like those.

 

[n_huffhines]

In theory you're ok with your Suns or Jazz never making it the NBA finals. Because less people would tune into those games if either team was in the finals

Nobody is saying root against your team's interest. I'm just saying I care from the perspective that I want CBB to mean more. Bro, I couldn't even keep a work bracket competition going. Gave up after 5 years of half-assed participation. Nobody cared.

 

[99gator]

Tried telling y'all not to sleep on Houston. Tried telling y'all they were better than they were getting credit for. Tried telling y'all not to count them out versus Duke.

Look who was right. The guy who’s wrong 99% of the time. But I got it this one time, and that's what matters.

But seriously, what a thing to wake up to. Happy we won’t have to hear about Cooper Flagg at Duke ever again (I’ll like him much more once he’s in the NBA), and happy Duke got what they deserved. Screw em. Now, hopefully lighting will strike twice and Florida loses too.

I can't speak for anyone else. I picked Duke to win last night. I would pick Florida to win Monday.

For me, that's in no way meant to disrespect Houston. I think Houston is great.

I think, and this is especially true for the broadcasters, when people make a prediction it is taken as if the confidence level behind the pick is 100% without even a thought about the other team having the slightest chance to win. For me, it's not like that at all.

Maybe there were people here yesterday who didn't think Houston had a chance. I don't know.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

I can't speak for anyone else. I picked Duke to win last night. I would pick Florida to win Monday.

For me, that's in no way meant to disrespect Houston. I think Houston is great.

I think, and this is especially true for the broadcasters, when people make a prediction it is taken as if the confidence level behind the pick is 100% without even a thought about the other team having the slightest chance to win. For me, it's not like that at all.

Maybe there were people here yesterday who didn't think Houston had a chance. I don't know.

I always pick on "if both teams play their best games." Like I had us beating Houston. They did play their best game...on both ends, we didn't. If Duke had played their best game for the entire game they would've won, they didn't.

Houston vs Florida...hard to pick against the experience at guard for the Gators, Walter, Richard, Martin are as good of a trio as you can have and to our delight they get to face the only other trio in the country that might be better in Cryer, Sharp and Uzan.

For me the question is how do the bigs for Florida play. Against Auburn only Haugh showed up on both ends.

 

[knoxvol52]

It's not about suits and $. It's about interest. That is what the $ represents. People rooting for Caitlyn Clark *to lose* were rooting against the outcome that created the most interest.

IDK how old you are, but the NCAA tourney used to mean a million x more to this country. I miss the days when this was more of a shared experience. One of the biggest reasons it fell off is superstars don't win titles anymore.

Edited

Crazy that 2012 was the last year a Wooden Award winner was on a National Championship team.

 

[n_huffhines]

Crazy that 2012 was the last year a Wooden Award winner was on a National Championship team.

I wonder how many times this century the #1 pick has been somebody who played in a F4? Oden. Davis. Rose. Did Blake Griffin play in a F4? KAT? Crazy how rare it is.

 

[Volprofch05]

 

[knoxvol52]

I wonder how many times this century the #1 pick has been somebody who played in a F4? Oden. Davis. Rose. Did Blake Griffin play in a F4? KAT? Crazy how rare it is.

Oden
Rose
AD
KAT
Only 4 number overall draft picks to play in final four this Century. Blake lost in EE...