Have you ever been so consumed by soccer for the final 5 months that you just’re woefully behind on what’s been occurring on the earth of males’s school basketball? Would you want to vary that so that you sound like you already know what you’re speaking about as soon as March Insanity rolls round in a month?
As soon as once more, we right here at SB Nation have you ever, the diehard soccer fan who’s lastly prepared to begin listening to school hoops now that the Tremendous Bowl is over, coated.
Let’s hear your questions.
So who’s good?
Straight to the purpose. All proper. I prefer it.
The only reply at this level is “just about everybody within the SEC.” The conf—-
Imma cease you proper there. We’re talkin’ basketball right here. Dribblin’. Dunkin’. Houston floppy nook seal halfcourt units.
We will get again to the SEC convo in like seven months.
I utterly perceive your confusion.
The very fact of the matter is that the SEC isn’t simply the very best convention in school basketball proper now, there are some who imagine it’s the very best convention within the sport’s trendy historical past.
4 of the highest 5 groups within the present AP high 25 ballot are from the SEC. The league’s 16 groups gained an unbelievable 88.9 % of their non-conference video games. That’s the very best out of convention file that any league has put collectively this century.
There may be loads of chatter that the SEC might set a brand new file for many groups from one convention to make an NCAA match (at the moment 11 from the Huge East in 2011), and a few rising chatter that it might develop into the primary convention ever to say all 4 No. 1 seeds within the Huge Dance.
I don’t actually do numbers.
This 12 months’s SEC may be very, excellent.
Dope. So who’s the very best workforce from the SEC?
The timing truly couldn’t be extra good for the reply to this query.
Auburn is the No. 1 ranked workforce within the AP high 25 ballot, and Alabama is the No. 1 workforce within the coaches high 25 ballot. The 2 rivals will sq. off in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, and the winner would be the undisputed No. 1 workforce within the sport for the second.
Hey, keep in mind the ‘Kick Six’?
I do.
That was superior.
It was.
Is Duke good? I wager Duke’s good.
Duke is nice.
The Blue Devils are at the moment the one non-SEC workforce ranked within the high 5. They beat Auburn again in December and are a glowing 13-1 within the ACC proper now. Jon Scheyer’s workforce is unquestionably on the brief listing for groups that would win the nationwide championship.
Have they gained all of it since Zion left?
Effectively, no, however Zion’s workforce didn’t truly w—
There any Zion-type gamers this 12 months?
Really, sure.
Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg is at the moment the favourite to win just about each nationwide Participant of the 12 months award, and can be a near-lock to be the No. 1 choose on this June’s NBA Draft.
Yeah, I believe I’ve heard of him. Does he dunk?
He dunks.
So who’re the opposite guys which are speculated to be future NBA stars?
It’s truly form of wild, however in a number of mock drafts, the second and third picks are two freshmen who play for a similar workforce — Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey for Rutgers.
Wow, so how good is Rutgers?
They stink.
How does that make sense?
It doesn’t.
May UConn three-peat?
They may, however this workforce successful all of it could be much more stunning than the final two.
The Huskies are at the moment 17-7 general and 9-4 within the Huge East. They’ve a handful of very nice wins, however they haven’t but found the consistency that made them so deadly the final couple of years, particularly on the defensive finish.
I like that coach of theirs. He all the time appears so chill.
That’s Dan Hurley, and he has by no means been chill nor will he ever be chill.
What has he finished this season that hasn’t been chill?
-He went berserk on officers all through the Maui Invitational in November.
-After going 0-3 in mentioned Maui Invitational he claimed UConn would by no means play in one other three-game early season match once more.
-In January he advised an official “don’t flip your again on me, I’m the very best coach within the fucking sport.”
-Simply this week, he received into it with followers after a win over Creighton in Omaha.
That’s positively not chill, however it looks as if it may be good for the game.
It’s unbelievable for the game.
How’s Coach Okay doin’ this 12 months?
He’s retired.
Roy Williams?
Retired.
Jim Boeheim?
Retired
Jay Wright?
Retired.
Tony Bennett?
Retired proper earlier than the beginning of the season.
Rick Pitino?
He’s thriving!
At 72-years-old, Pitino has St. John’s within the midst of its greatest season in 25 years. The Purple Storm is 21-4 general and at the moment sitting atop the Huge East standings with a 12-2 league file.
Bear in mind when he coached at Kentucky?
I do.
Calipari nonetheless there?
He’s not!
Former Kentucky participant Mark Pope is at the moment in his first season as the pinnacle coach of the Wildcats and is having a terrific 12 months. UK has been ranked within the high 15 for a lot of the season and simply had an enormous win over Tennessee this week.
Calipari, in the meantime, is now the pinnacle coach at Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been much less stellar this season, and look like a longshot to make the NCAA match.
Oh man, I wager it was loopy when Coach Cal went again to Kentucky for the primary time.
It was positively a scene.
How badly did the Wildcats smoke Arkansas?
Really, the Razorbacks pulled off an enormous upset inside Rupp Enviornment.
Did Cal do the John Wall Dance?
He didn’t.
I’d have finished the John Wall Dance.
I don’t suppose anybody even is aware of what that is anymore.
Hey, keep in mind when Pitino coached Louisville?
I do.
They nonetheless sizzling rubbish?
The Cardinals are literally within the midst of their greatest season in a very long time due to first-year head coach Pat Kelsey, who has Louisville at 19-6 general and 12-2 within the ACC.
Neat. Hey, keep in mind when Pitino coached Indiana?
No.
They nonetheless sizzling rubbish?
They’re. And head coach Mike Woodson has already introduced that he’ll be stepping down on the finish of the season, making a emptiness at one of many sport’s most storied packages.
Brad Stevens lastly coming house?
Perhaps.
Actually!?
In all probability not.
Another large jobs opening up?
Longtime Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton has introduced that he’ll be stepping down on the finish of the season. Miami head coach Jim Larranaga stepped down in the midst of the season. Virginia will probably be hiring a brand new head coach to exchange Tony Bennett on the finish of the season.
Does no person need to coach within the ACC anymore?
It’s been a ridiculous period of change for the league, little doubt.
Hey, present me some cool dunks.
Michigan State’s Coen Carr dunks all the pieces and is all the time appointment viewing.
Just about everybody on Auburn is excellent at dunking.
Creighton’s Jamiya Neal had a candy poster towards Xavier.
And lastly, how about this filth from Youngstown State’s Ty Harper:
I like these loopy March Insanity upsets. Who’s going to drag off a loopy March Insanity upset?
I can provide you some mid-major groups that seem like legit high 30-50 groups, however so far as making an attempt to forecast the 14, 15 or 16 seed that’s going to drag off a primary spherical stunner this 12 months, that’s a just about not possible activity at this level within the season.
Positive. Simply don’t give me any apparent match locks like Gonzaga.
Really, Gonzaga has struggled just a little bit this season. However sure, each the Zags and perennial WCC rival Saint Mary’s are nonetheless each good groups.
Wanting just a little bit deeper on the mid-major ranks, Drake from the Missouri Val—
Drake? Just like the rapper? Oh my god.
It’s a faculty in Iowa.
Oh I do know, man. It’s simply wild to listen to that title in a school hoops dialog. I really feel like there’s a superb Tremendous Bowl halftime present joke to make right here, however I simply can’t piece it collectively.
So, Drake from the Missouri Valley is 23-2 general and really, excellent.
Yale from the Ivy League, UC Irvine from the Huge West and McNeese State from the Southland are all different mid-majors which are value maintaining a tally of earlier than the calendar flips to March.
Hasn’t it been like a billion years since a Huge Ten workforce gained all of it?
Sure. The final Huge Ten workforce to win the nationwide championship was Michigan State in 2000.
And hasn’t it been even longer since a West Coast workforce gained all of it?
Sure. The final “West Coast” workforce to chop down the nets was Arizona in 1997.
Any Pac-12 groups have a shot to chop down the nets this 12 months?
Effectively …
I don’t know methods to let you know this, however the Pac-12 doesn’t truly exist anymore.
So there’s no extra UCLA?
They’re within the Huge 10 they usually’re fairly good.
No extra Arizona?
They’re within the Huge 12 they usually’re fairly good.
No extra Washington State?
They’re within the West Coast Convention they usually stink.
No extra Houston?
What?
They had been by no means within the Pac-12. They’re within the Huge 12 and they’re extremely good.
Present me some cool buzzer-beaters. I need to actually get into the March mindset.
Let’s do it.
Let’s go the MAAC the place Fairfield lately shocked Marist on this close to full-court heave.
Caleb Love additionally hit this bonkers shot on the buzzer to ship Arizona’s recreation towards Iowa State into extra time. The wildcats finally prevailed.
And lastly, right here’s some MEAC magic from Norfolk State towards North Carolina Central:
Kansas is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly nearly as good as individuals had been anticipating them to be in the beginning of the season.
Gonzaga is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly nearly as good as individuals had been anticipating them to be in the beginning of the season.
Baylor is fairly good, proper?
They’re. Simply not fairly nearly as good as individuals had been anticipating them to be in the beginning of the season.
North Carolina is fairly good, proper?
They don’t seem to be.
Give me your Closing 4.
I don’t actually like to try this earlier than we get the precise bracket.
Why?
It’s a completely pointless train to choose a Closing 4 when a lot of who makes up the Closing 4 relies on match draw. For those who choose 4 groups proper now, two or three of them would possibly find yourself being in the identical area on Choice Sunday.
Effectively I’d avoid Purdue. I all the time overlook what occurs a number of months after March, however the one factor I ALWAYS keep in mind is that Purdue chokes.
They made it to the nationwide championship recreation final 12 months.
Oh yeah.
What if I simply picked 4 soccer colleges as a joke. Like ‘Bama, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee? I really feel like that may be hilarious.
No, that … this was actually the very first thing we talked about.
Individuals at work would snicker.
This has all been an enormous waste of time.
