Worst tournament field ever?

This has been the issue surrounding Tom Izzo, and I actually think the opposite of what you said is true. MSU played in Maui against UConn, Washington, then played Duke and Syracuse -- all in a span of two weeks. That's traveling to Hawaii, North Carolina, back to East Lansing, then to New York, then back home. It was killer.

Izzo does that because it readies his team for March, and it shows. But the quandary is that Michigan State almost didn't even make the tournament, and it's because that rough schedule. People in Michigan wonder whether Izzo will continue to do this as teams like Kansas play creampuffs and get No. 1 seeds.

 

Well, let's look at the individual matchups, shall we?

Bobby Hurley vs. Taurean Green

Okay, I'm done. Duke wins.

 

I couldn't care what some beat writers have to say. Some are too afraid to upset sources.

 

But you're forgetting what the argument is. Michigan State is 19-14, one of the teams squarely in Bilas' and Wilbon's group that are "worse" than previous at-large selections. In the past, that record was grounds for automatic disqualification, and no way Izzo would take what he had to know would be a mediocre team (by his standards) through that schedule. The goal would be to finish 25-8 and he would schedule as such. Nowadays, though, Michigan State can play those tough games because Izzo knows he's going to get credit for playing them, win or lose. That scheduling practice creates a lot of losses. A team that was 25-8 in 1995 could reasonably be expected to have at least two or three more losses because of this necessity to impress the selection committee with strength of schedule.

 

Bet that a coach with a one sylable first name or a one sylable first name with a "y" on the end - wins this thing. Nolan Richardson is the only exception since Adolph Rupp.

 

I mean, the SOS is part of it and I honestly think his resume had a lot to do with it. The NCAA is all about the almighty dollar, too, so having a school that travels well like MSU only benefits the higher-ups. Do I agree with it? Not particularly, but today's NCAA is also different than 20 years ago as a TON of more money is being made at the expense of these schools. Having mainstays like Coach K, Calhoun, Izzo, Pitino, Claipari (puke), Roy Williams, etc., only helps bring in viewers.

I do agree that if he knew he had a mediocre team as opposed to what was expected, he wouldn't have had such a crazy schedule in the first month.

 

Who cares? They lost all those games.

Sparty is the leading example of a shit team that should not be in the tournament -- they're being rewarded for what they've done in OTHER years, not this one (during which they have catastrophically and disgracefully underachieved, all due to factors completely under their own control), while other teams who actually had GOOD seasons (in comparisons to expectations) are sent off to the NIT.

 

That's what I said... it's pointless to have a tough schedule in today's CBK. Kansas plays bullshit teams and loses two games all year, then loses in the Sweet 16. But would the NCAA rather have MSU or Colorado? Who knows how they think, but I bet that crosses the committee members' minds.

 

I'm not sure how you say Kansas "plays bullshit teams" ... in addition to a tough Big 12 schedule they took on Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, Cal and Michigan. Four of those games were away from home. That OOC schedule compares very favorably with some of the powerhouses of years gone by when everything in the world was awesome. If anything Kansas' record is more then ever a clear indication that they're damn good; a team that gets a #1 or #2 seed has played a whole lot of tough games and is battle-tested, evidenced by the fact that in the last four years, 13 of 16 Final Four bids have gone to a 1 or a 2.

 

And add that he tossed one of his star players off the team as they struggled, Izzo struggled to get this year's team going in the right direction.

 

If you want to watch no-name players with 1/2 the talent of 10-15 years ago, this is the place.

It still does not mean it won't be exciting, but don't expect Ewing, Jordan, Duncan or Larry Johnson when you turn on the TV.

 

The best tournaments are when only the chalk teams from BCS conferences are still alive in the Sweet 16 and thus idiots can't wax poetic about the "cinderellas" and "little guys" of the world.