South Region: #4 Seed

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Oh my GOSH, well would it have been worse to get knocked out by a 16 seed next week?

[ASUHATER!]

Kentucky can get to the Final Four without playing a 1,2,3 or 4 seed

Son of a Bitch

Hell they could get there potentially by playing a 12, 13, 16 and 11 seeds.

[CalStateTempe]

We should of played better.

We always complain that we are placed in a region thst doesn’t break open. And this season we were placed in said region and we ended up playing like dogshit.

[azcat49]

There might be 15 teams that say, if we had only won the weekend we could be playing for a FF LOL

[FreeSpiritCat]

Has it ever happened before that the 1,2,3, and 4 seeds, in a given region, are gone before the sweet 16?

[azcat49]

To answer your question, no

[midnightx]

Kentucky was largely underwhelming this year, but this region blew wide open for KY to waltz into the final four. It is all about circumstances because KY was not a final four caliber team last week, and now the bracket gives them a path.

[rgdeuce]

Two years in a row we could not have asked for a better path to the final four.

[Dosia]

Well that is what happens when you have players on your team who are relieved that the season is over.

[cpt]

I took my 20th Annual trip to Vegas with my crew for the tournament last week. In the past, when we flamed out early, it affected whether I had a great time. Not this year. This team had no heart and didn't care. I had an epiphany: why should I care about a team that doesn't? Fuck em. And I had a great time after that realization. I don't care if Miller stays or leaves. I don't care what kind of recruiting class he puts together. I don't care about what the team does over the summer. I will only care again when I see that they give a shit again. Maybe.

[BearDown89]

I took my 20th Annual trip to Vegas with my crew for the tournament last week. In the past, when we flamed out early, it affected whether I had a great time. Not this year. This team had no heart and didn't care. I had an epiphany: why should I care about a team that doesn't? Fuck em. And I had a great time after that realization. I don't care if Miller stays or leaves. I don't care what kind of recruiting class he puts together. I don't care about what the team does over the summer. I will only care again when I see that they give a shit again. Maybe.

Had a good time seeing 6 live games at the Boise regional this year, but man do I miss going to Vegas for opening weekend of the Tourney. Did that for about 6 years with the gang and it was always a blast. I'm with you cpt, I'll keep an eye on things but I'm not going to stress about it in the least.

[WildcatStunner]

I took my 20th Annual trip to Vegas with my crew for the tournament last week. In the past, when we flamed out early, it affected whether I had a great time. Not this year. This team had no heart and didn't care. I had an epiphany: why should I care about a team that doesn't? Fuck em. And I had a great time after that realization. I don't care if Miller stays or leaves. I don't care what kind of recruiting class he puts together. I don't care about what the team does over the summer. I will only care again when I see that they give a shit again. Maybe.

Over the last 6 years I have gone to Vegas 4 times for the opening round. The four times I went, we made it to the S16. The two times I didn’t, we had first round exits. I am 95% sure my friends that go every year blame me for the cats loss against Buffalo.

[CalStateTempe]

I took my 20th Annual trip to Vegas with my crew for the tournament last week. In the past, when we flamed out early, it affected whether I had a great time. Not this year. This team had no heart and didn't care. I had an epiphany: why should I care about a team that doesn't? Fuck em. And I had a great time after that realization. I don't care if Miller stays or leaves. I don't care what kind of recruiting class he puts together. I don't care about what the team does over the summer. I will only care again when I see that they give a shit again. Maybe.

Had a good time seeing 6 live games at the Boise regional this year, but man do I miss going to Vegas for opening weekend of the Tourney. Did that for about 6 years with the gang and it was always a blast. I'm with you cpt, I'll keep an eye on things but I'm not going to stress about it in the least.

Family and friends where asking if I was bummed by the “shocking early exit for Arizona”

Nope, the better team won and ours didn’t give a damn so why should I.

Had a great weekend backcountry skiing with my dad which I wouldn’t have done if cats were still playing.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I got over it faster because the Buffalo game made me accept that it was inevitable.

We were getting Buffaloed sooner or later, and it was probably going to be UK if not Buffalo. Losing like that just hastened the inevitable, so at least it was over and I could start moving on.

[EVCat]

THE POSSIBLE SHYAMALANIAN TWIST THAT HURTS US? Everyone zones us. We have seen nothing but 2-3 zones since the beginning of the year. We have figured out how to play against a zone. Ayton is a beast on the boards against a zone. The high low action to beat the zone has worked. We have been patient and gotten first level dribble penetration and done what we need against the zone. Zones are weak, by nature, and we have started to exploit that. NOW, WE WILL PRIMARILY FACE MAN TO MAN. Does the switch to ball pressure on the guards change our ability to get the shot we want? Or set us off for big games from Trier and company? Wouldn’t that be a bitch, though…a team everyone zones gets eliminated by man to man because they have developed a rhythm against the zone?

I felt stronger about this than I stated here. Earlier, I begged to see a zone. My biggest fear was pushing us so far away to start possession that we couldn't match scoring, and if Trier and PJC didn't get off, they wouldn't be as effective defensively. Wichita State, IOW.

Fuck.

I am still trying this re-engagement on for size. But it hurts...it just hurts.

[EVCat]

Had a great weekend backcountry skiing with my dad which I wouldn’t have done if cats were still playing.

I watched Darkest Hour and Dunkirk on my Friday day off, went out with my wife and family for St Patrick's Day...during games...on Saturday, played some sport of my own on Sunday.

I did watch Sniper during the end of our game. I guess I needed to see someone die? Horrible movie...but it worked.

[RiseAndFire]

Found this dramatization of Sean Miller trying to advance past the first round in the easiest bracket of all time with Deandre Ayton and a team of 5* and 4*:


"Players Fault!"

[EVCat]

Found this dramatization of Sean Miller trying to advance past the first round in the easiest bracket of all time with Deandre Ayton and a team of 5* and 4*:


"Players Fault!"

The south was the easiest bracket?

So, if we beat Buffalo...who was next?

Oh...revisionist history. Hindsight. Yes...Virginia was definitely on everyone's radar to lose that first round game. Show us your money line ticket, please.

But what you are saying is Arizona has to win but none of the other top seeds do, and Arizona should have known it was the easiest bracket down the road, still after a scorching hot Kentucky.

So, if Kentucky wins the regional, Arizona's path was the toughest? Based on actual performance...right?

Stick to fetishizing zones...

[Spaceman Spiff]

When you think Rise and Fire can't get worse, he revises history to take the South region from how it was initially viewed (as the hardest region with borderline unfair matchups) to the easiest region ever.

You literally just have to open page 1 of this thread to see how teams were regarded before the upset bug hit. The South region got a lot of national press as being borderline unfair 1-5 in terms of strength. Obviously the lower seeds were also decent too.

[azgreg]

So, Kentucky's path to the Final 4 might be a 12 seed, 13 seed, 9 seed, then a 11 seed. Wow.

[Alieberman]

So, Kentucky's path to the Final 4 might be a 12 seed, 13 seed, 9 seed, then a 11 seed. Wow.

Then #9 Florida St and finally for the National Championship they will play Syracuse.... the last at large team in the field

[U.P. Zona Fan]

If that happens, I want to meet Kentucky's 104 year old nun.

[cats101]

Fuck Calipari, fuck Kentucky, fuck the entire South bracket.

[midnightx]

Kentucky has brought in more 5 star recruits than any other program over the past 9 years under Cal and only has one title to show for it.

[cats101]

I'm pretty sure they've had the #1 recruiting class every year.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Duke had it once or twice.

[atlantakat]

Like we all said on Selection Sunday, the South sets up really well for Loyola and Kansas State.

[Phylek]

It sure would be cool to still have a perfect bracket, but it's tough to weigh the benefits of potentially winning some money vs the certainty of being burned at the stake for being a witch.

[Bordercat]

Give me a team that plays like Loyola all day... solid, smart guards, penetrate and dish.. great ball movement.

... love their style of play.

[TheCat]

Give me a team that plays like Loyola all day... solid, smart guards, penetrate and dish.. great ball movement.

... love their style of play.

Really shows the power of team basketball. No stars just guys playing hard and MOVING without the ball.

[EVCat]

and...the Final Four turns out like it usually does...some chalk (two #1s), a team that isn't a stretch but wasn't seeded here (#3 Michigan) and an outlier (this year, a huge outlier, much like VCU and George Mason before them, an #11 seed).

And we will have a #1 in the final no matter what.

So, a lot of fun, some historic upsets (#16 UMBC over #1 Virginia), one region of chaos (South), and...

...a Final Four like most...just the outlier is a way outlier..