This has been a good tournament so far, bordering on very good. Most of the teams left are worth rooting for. Uconn and Purdue each start three of our guys and have the best chance to win it all along with coal black Houston. Purdue 3.5 since Edy is half white. Creighton has 4 whites in their top six players. Clemson starts 3 whites and beat coal black Baylor. Marquette has Kolek and a few other whites in their rotation. Tennessee has the great Dalton Knecht. Gonzaga is playing great and starts Gregg and plays a few other gym rats. Almost all of the other teams play at least two whites. Not sure about Iowa State but Momcilovic is one of their best players, as is Domask on Illinois, plus Filipowski on Duke. There's almost no coal black teams left. Next weekend is going to be very watchable.
2024 March Madness
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Freethinker
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@Riggins44 I would agree with your assessment that it has been a good tournament so far. Since we are on the cusp of the next round I figured I could preview the teams / matchups coming up:
#1 UConn vs #5 San Diego St
UConn is the obvious choice here as the start 3 White athletes who are all amongst their top players. Clingan, Spencer and Karaban. San Diego St should be dangerous as a Final 4 team last year but only have one White athlete in the rotation (Heide, a freshman who gets very limited action).
#3 Illinois vs #2 Iowa St
Illinois have a top star in Marcus Domask (a nice transfer up from Southern Illinois) and a key reserve guard Luke Goode. Iowa State only has Milan Momcilovic, but he's really good for a true freshman. Slight edge here to Illinois.
#1 North Carolina vs #4 Alabama
UNC starts former ND guard Cormac Ryan and occasionally uses reserve guard Paxson Wijcik. Alabama starts the very solid Grant Nelson at forward and brings talented freshman reserve Sam Walters off the bench. Sort of a push but I'd favor Bama if I had to choose.
#6 Clemson vs #2 Arizona
Clemson starts 3 White athletes who are all key to their success. PJ Hall is their best player and an athletic big man who can do a little of everything. Schieffelin is a great rebounder and hard nosed glue guy. Girard is a transfer guard from Syracuse who's a good shooter who can score in bunches. Arizona starts the very talented Swedish guard Pelle Larsson. Sadly, beyond him they only give limited minutes to Lithuanian freshman center Krivas. They have another Lithuanian and a Serb if they have to go deeper into the bench. The Tigers scoring another upset would be the best result for us.
#1 Houston vs #4 Duke
Houston does not play White athletes. Duke's star player is sophomore forward Kyle Filipowski. Senior reserve forward Ryan Young is in the rotation. If they have to go deeper, freshman TJ Power gets some burn. Easy choice of Duke here.
#11 NC State vs #2 Marquette
The Wolfpack have got hot at the right time, winning the ACC tourney to get in and now advancing past the first weekend. They start 1 White athlete in senior Stanford transfer guard Michael O'Connell. They also give good minutes to Clemson transfer forward Ben Middlebrooks. Marquette starts star point guard Tyler Kolek who's one of the best in the country. Off the bench, New Zealander Ben Gold provides solid shooting. I prefer Marquette as Kolek is a star and NCST's guys are more role player types.
#1 Purdue vs #5 Gonzaga
Purdue starts 2.5 White athletes who are well known here. Edey, Smith and Loyer. All great players. Off the bench, freshman Camden Heide is a reserve forward who's getting more burn. If they have to go deeper, Ethan Morton, Caleb Furst, Brian Waddell or Will Berg could get the call. The Zags only start 1 White athlete, forward Ben Gregg, who's been playing great lately. Off the bench, Braden Huff and Dusty Stromer are in the short rotation. The Zags are not a terrible choice but Purdue is elite and are one of the most White friendly programs in the country.
#3 Creighton vs #2 Tennessee
The Bluejays are perhaps the best team for our guys as they start 4 White athletes. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of the best big men in the country and has been a rock for 4 years at Creighton. Baylor Scheierman is a 5th year senior (taking advantage of the COVID year) who leads the Jays in scoring and is a great all around player. This is his 2nd year with Creighton after starting off at South Dakota St. Steven Ashworth, a transfer from Utah State, is another veteran senior who provides outside shooting and hustle. Mason Miller is the only underclassmen and fills the role of glue guy at forward. Argentine Francisco Farabello is the first guard off the bench. Isaac Traudt is a freshman big who can spell Kalkbrenner when needed. Tennessee starts Dalton Knecht the SEC Player of the Year. He's a pretty amazing story, transferring up from Northern Colorado to dominate a top conference. Senior Uruyguayan Santiago Vescovi has had a down year but still provides veteran leadership as the starting PG. Off the bench, freshman big JP Estrella occasionally gets called upon. Shame these two matchup here as I'd pull for the Volunteers over most but not one of my favorites in Creighton. Go Jays!
So out of 16 teams, there are 5 that I would strongly support. On the other extreme, Houston and San Diego State are odious. Every other team has one or two good reasons to watch.
#1 UConn vs #5 San Diego St
UConn is the obvious choice here as the start 3 White athletes who are all amongst their top players. Clingan, Spencer and Karaban. San Diego St should be dangerous as a Final 4 team last year but only have one White athlete in the rotation (Heide, a freshman who gets very limited action).
#3 Illinois vs #2 Iowa St
Illinois have a top star in Marcus Domask (a nice transfer up from Southern Illinois) and a key reserve guard Luke Goode. Iowa State only has Milan Momcilovic, but he's really good for a true freshman. Slight edge here to Illinois.
#1 North Carolina vs #4 Alabama
UNC starts former ND guard Cormac Ryan and occasionally uses reserve guard Paxson Wijcik. Alabama starts the very solid Grant Nelson at forward and brings talented freshman reserve Sam Walters off the bench. Sort of a push but I'd favor Bama if I had to choose.
#6 Clemson vs #2 Arizona
Clemson starts 3 White athletes who are all key to their success. PJ Hall is their best player and an athletic big man who can do a little of everything. Schieffelin is a great rebounder and hard nosed glue guy. Girard is a transfer guard from Syracuse who's a good shooter who can score in bunches. Arizona starts the very talented Swedish guard Pelle Larsson. Sadly, beyond him they only give limited minutes to Lithuanian freshman center Krivas. They have another Lithuanian and a Serb if they have to go deeper into the bench. The Tigers scoring another upset would be the best result for us.
#1 Houston vs #4 Duke
Houston does not play White athletes. Duke's star player is sophomore forward Kyle Filipowski. Senior reserve forward Ryan Young is in the rotation. If they have to go deeper, freshman TJ Power gets some burn. Easy choice of Duke here.
#11 NC State vs #2 Marquette
The Wolfpack have got hot at the right time, winning the ACC tourney to get in and now advancing past the first weekend. They start 1 White athlete in senior Stanford transfer guard Michael O'Connell. They also give good minutes to Clemson transfer forward Ben Middlebrooks. Marquette starts star point guard Tyler Kolek who's one of the best in the country. Off the bench, New Zealander Ben Gold provides solid shooting. I prefer Marquette as Kolek is a star and NCST's guys are more role player types.
#1 Purdue vs #5 Gonzaga
Purdue starts 2.5 White athletes who are well known here. Edey, Smith and Loyer. All great players. Off the bench, freshman Camden Heide is a reserve forward who's getting more burn. If they have to go deeper, Ethan Morton, Caleb Furst, Brian Waddell or Will Berg could get the call. The Zags only start 1 White athlete, forward Ben Gregg, who's been playing great lately. Off the bench, Braden Huff and Dusty Stromer are in the short rotation. The Zags are not a terrible choice but Purdue is elite and are one of the most White friendly programs in the country.
#3 Creighton vs #2 Tennessee
The Bluejays are perhaps the best team for our guys as they start 4 White athletes. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of the best big men in the country and has been a rock for 4 years at Creighton. Baylor Scheierman is a 5th year senior (taking advantage of the COVID year) who leads the Jays in scoring and is a great all around player. This is his 2nd year with Creighton after starting off at South Dakota St. Steven Ashworth, a transfer from Utah State, is another veteran senior who provides outside shooting and hustle. Mason Miller is the only underclassmen and fills the role of glue guy at forward. Argentine Francisco Farabello is the first guard off the bench. Isaac Traudt is a freshman big who can spell Kalkbrenner when needed. Tennessee starts Dalton Knecht the SEC Player of the Year. He's a pretty amazing story, transferring up from Northern Colorado to dominate a top conference. Senior Uruyguayan Santiago Vescovi has had a down year but still provides veteran leadership as the starting PG. Off the bench, freshman big JP Estrella occasionally gets called upon. Shame these two matchup here as I'd pull for the Volunteers over most but not one of my favorites in Creighton. Go Jays!
So out of 16 teams, there are 5 that I would strongly support. On the other extreme, Houston and San Diego State are odious. Every other team has one or two good reasons to watch.
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white lightning
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Neither team is shooting good. Hard to watch such awful shooting. Hope the Tigers can pull it out.
Freethinker
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Clemson gets it done at the end!!!
Hall, Schieffelin and Chase Hunter (black) were very impressive and carried the team to the win. Hall with 17 points and 8 boards. “The Chef” with 14 / 7 with 3 assists and 2 steals.
Hall, Schieffelin and Chase Hunter (black) were very impressive and carried the team to the win. Hall with 17 points and 8 boards. “The Chef” with 14 / 7 with 3 assists and 2 steals.
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Clemson pulls it out! Awesome result for our guys.
Freethinker
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Thanks.
In the other game, UConn is looking like a machine. Blowing out a pretty solid and experienced SDST team.
Freethinker
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Cormac Ryan putting on a 1st half shooting clinic. 4 for 5 from downtown. Fast paced high scoring game…
Outstanding write up's & updates!
Alabama's Grant Nelson went off! 24 points ; 12 rebounds 5 Blocked shots .....Reverse Lay ups; 3 pointers etc! Scored 7 consecutive points late in the game..not bad for a No.Dakota State transfer!
UNC Cormac Ryan 17 points
Bama wins 89 - 87
At one time saw 4 whites on the floor earlier ....Not bad for teams like UNC & Alabama!
Alabama's Grant Nelson went off! 24 points ; 12 rebounds 5 Blocked shots .....Reverse Lay ups; 3 pointers etc! Scored 7 consecutive points late in the game..not bad for a No.Dakota State transfer!
UNC Cormac Ryan 17 points
Bama wins 89 - 87
At one time saw 4 whites on the floor earlier ....Not bad for teams like UNC & Alabama!
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Freethinker
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Grant Nelson was definitely the hero in the Alabama upset. A lot of his points came down the stretch in the 2nd half. Impressive how he rose to the occasion when the lights shown brightest.
In the other late game, Illinois also pulled the “upset”. Domask had a quiet game for his standards and Goode hit a clutch 3. Overall I’m happy they prevailed. In fact, all 4 games went the way I wanted. First 4 of the final 8 are two majority White starting lineups and 2 teams with a star White player. Awesome.
In the other late game, Illinois also pulled the “upset”. Domask had a quiet game for his standards and Goode hit a clutch 3. Overall I’m happy they prevailed. In fact, all 4 games went the way I wanted. First 4 of the final 8 are two majority White starting lineups and 2 teams with a star White player. Awesome.
Marquette goes down to NC State. It's too bad Kolek is out, but not a terrible result as O'Connell and Middlebrooks are key contributors for the Wolfpack. Purdue is starting to blow out Gonzaga, which is the more important game for us. Braden Smith has 15 assists and 14 points for the Boilermakers.
white lightning
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Purdue looks so dominant. After halftime it was never close again. B. Smith almost had a triple double.
Sad to see Tyler Kolek's team lose after an amazing performance with 17 points, 3 assists and 10 rebounds.
Creighton and Tennessee will be the game of the night in my opinion. Go Creighton but even if they lose it won't be that bad with
Dalton Knecht just going off game after game!
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white lightning
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Dalton Knecht is one incredible athlete. On the dunk attempt early in the 1st half he took off from so far out and he was going for
yet another poster dunk. The kid has the all around game and incredible athleticism to get it done at any level. He had 24 points
tonight. He makes scoring look effortless!
yet another poster dunk. The kid has the all around game and incredible athleticism to get it done at any level. He had 24 points
tonight. He makes scoring look effortless!
Bucky
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Great result!
Hopefully the Tigers do win. They're looking good so far. Nelson is already in foul trouble.
UConn looked so dominant. Hard to see anyone beating them. A Purdue-UConn final would be the best final match up for our side in a long, long time. An Edy - Clingan match up down low would be epic.