March Madness 2022

[Jimmy Chitwood]

in the women’s Tourney, Paige “Buckets” is carrying UConn. she is SO good. she and Caitlin Clark are the two best players in the college game. where are the male version of these types of players?

 

[Phall]

2022 NCAA Tournament: Ranking every starter for the Final Four teams from 1-20

Collin Gillespie
VILLANOVA WILDCATS G
With Justin Moore's Achilles tear confirmed, Gillespie's going to need to be superhero-level good if 'Nova is going to have any shot at taking down Kansas. Thus far in the tourney he's just been good, not great, averaging 13 points and three assists per game while taking a backseat to fellow senior Jermaine Samuels. Gillespie's got the scoring punch to be a difference-maker if necessary, and he's still a near-perfect combo of production + savvy who could tilt a matchup one way or another. 

[QUOTE}Brady Manek
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS F
Larry on the Prairie Brady Manek, a transfer talent from Oklahoma, has been the Tar Heels' leading scorer in this tournament. He's averaging 21.5 points and has twice turned in showings of 26 points or more -- including 26 in a win over No. 1 seed Baylor in the second round. Manek's versatility to shoot it inside and out opens up the floor for UNC's offense, which is humming right now as he hits his stride.
[/QUOTE]

Christian Braun
KANSAS JAYHAWKS G
The rebounding tenacity of both Braun and KU teammate Jalen Wilson is what has allowed the Jayhawks to not only survive, but thrive while playing smaller lineups. Braun grabbing and going in transition is a huge part of KU's offense. So, too, is his outside shooting; he's made only six 3s this tournament but is routinely relied upon as the team's best shooting threat.

Three out of twenty. No "Rooney Rule" to make this series resemble our evolving world, or whatever. Why are there no women in the 20 Final Four starters??

 

[Bucky]

Gillespie has 11pts and is 3/5 from 3! Keeping Nova somewhat in this.

For Kansas, Braun has been held scoreless on 3 attempts, does have 3 assists though. He needs to be more aggressive with his volume of shots.

Lightfoot has 2pts and 4 rebounds off the bench for Kansas. Doing some dirty work.

 

[Bucky]

Gillespie finished with 17pts, 2reb, 2steals.

Braun had all 10pts in 2nd half with 5ast, 3reb, 1blk, 1steal.

 

[Bucky]

I'm going with North Carolina in this one. Mostly because of Manek.

 

[white lightning]

Let's go Tarheels. I think the refs will do all they can to help Coach K make the championship though.

 

[The Hock]

Ha ha ha. So sad to watch poor coach K and his one and done crew sent home.

 

[The Hock]

A somewhat tolerable final. Kansas has a couple of ours and NC has one.

Manek has a nice finesse game that sometimes gets lost when the flying monkey show gets out of hand but he's a factor.

 

[Phall]

Not a spectacular final, but it could be worse. All seven CBS "experts" predict Kansas to win and cover 4.5 points. Here is a CBS Sports breakdown of the positional matchups:

Leaky Black (North Carolina) vs. Christian Braun (Kansas)

Black is like UNC's version of Harris in that he doesn't score a ton but has cemented a role because of his success with the intangibles. He is the Tar Heels' best perimeter defender, which certainly counts for something, and you can always count on him for the hustle plays. But Braun showed with a couple of dagger 3-pointers in the final minutes against Villanova that he's got the swagger and offensive game to be a key factor on a championship stage. So while Black is a solid role player, Braun is an elite role player with the offensive game to be a difference-maker. Braun could become a superstar next season after Agbaji leaves for the NBA, and we may get a preview on Monday. Edge: Kansas

Brady Manek (North Carolina) vs. Jalen Wilson (Kansas)

These players bring vastly different strengths to the table, which makes the matchup a wash. Manek has taken his assassin-like 3-point shooting skill as a stretch power forward to the next level during the NCAA Tournament. He makes heavily contested looks from the corner look like layups. So in terms of outside shooting, he's got the edge on Wilson. But Wilson's versatility and comfort running the floor make up for the perimeter shooting deficiency. Wilson is also enough of an outside threat to keep UNC's defense from sagging, and he's got the chops to beat opponents off the dribble. His overall versatility, especially on defense, stand out. Edge: Even

I would give the edge to Manek here easily.

Remy Martin and Mitch Lightfoot (Kansas) vs. Puff Johnson and Dontrez Styles (UNC)

UNC's starters are referred to as the "iron five" for a reason. The reason is because the Tar Heels don't go deep into their bench. With 6-11 sophomore forward Dawson Garcia away from the team because of family medical concerns, the Tar Heels are particularly lean in the post behind Bacot. Kansas, by contrast, brings one of its best players off the bench in graduate transfer guard Remy Martin. The former Arizona State star played a limited role for KU during the Big 12 slate but is an elite shot-creator and offensive spark for the Jayhawks. With veteran big man Mitch Lightfoot also available to come in and give McCormack a breather under the basket, the Jayhawks have a nice depth advantage in this matchup. Kansas coach Bill Self can go up to 10 deep if he wants. Edge: Kansas

Kansas pros:
two whites in the rotation
Braun will (probably) be back next year
freshman Zach Clemence is on scholarship and will play down the road
white head coach Bill Self is already elite-tier

Kansas cons:
Braun hasn't put up numbers in the tournament, Lightfoot isn't ever a big factor
lots of announcer/media hype for unpronounceable African-named star
school has obviously flouted the now-defunct rules about paying recruits and transfers, no NCAA punishment

UNC pros:
Manek is a key piece for the team and has had impressive tourney stats
underdog as #8 seed

UNC cons:
black "rookie" coach (Hubert Davis) replacing legacy white coach (Roy Williams) will achieve instant hype
no white players on scholarship after Manek leaves next month, defending champs would be all-black
announcer/media hype for ridiculous American black-named players (Leaky, Puff, Dontrez, Remy Martin)
yes, there is a black player named after the cognac that rappers mentioned in their songs 20 years ago
school has also pretty routinely flouted NCAA rules about paying players

I'll probably end up passing on this one. The best case intangible is that Brady Manek makes enough of an impression to sneak into the tail end of the draft this summer.

 

[Justin Eric]

I agree I’m passing on this one.

 

[Bucky]

Cheering on Kansas with Braun and Lightfoot. Hoping Manek shows well for UNC.

 

[Bucky]

Manek has 9pts and 8reb and 4blks!

Braun has 12pts and 11reb!

11 minutes to go. Kansas has cut UNC lead down from 15. Only trailing by 3 currently.

 

[TwentyTwo]

Yes sir Bucky!

And post game on the set Charles Barkley just called "Christian Braun was the Best Player on the floor" ; "he kept them in the game when early 2nd half" making that 31 -10 run
Braun 12 pts / 12 rebs
Manek finished 13 pts 13 rebs 4 blocked shots ( two on Braun)...vicious unintentional elbow he took to the forehead early in the game

Off the bench Lightfoot had nice sky hook (only bucket); got in foul trouble

Game lived up to the up; largest comeback in Championship ..down 15 at the half

 

[northwinds]

Kansas wins it with the biggest comeback in NCAA championship game history…….Braun was the leading rebounder for the Jayhawks and had 12 points……..even Charles Barkley said he was the game MVP. All in all……it could have been worse……

 

[white lightning]

Yes sir Bucky!

And post game on the set Charles Barkley just called "Christian Braun was the Best Player on the floor" ; "he kept them in the game when early 2nd half" making that 31 -10 run
Braun 12 pts / 12 rebs
Manek finished 13 pts 13 rebs 4 blocked shots ( two on Braun)...vicious unintentional elbow he took to the forehead early in the game

Off the bench Lightfoot had nice sky hook (only bucket); got in foul trouble

Game lived up to the up; largest comeback in Championship ..down 15 at the half

Both starters on both teams in the National Championship with Double/Doubles. I'll take it. It wasn't the ideal matchup but with the super bowl win I can live with it. Also
like I said and other posters said our guys played great. I almost married a girl from Kansas. It's just too bad she wasn't the usual sweet midwestern girl. All I will say about that.

 

[Ben Sharp Arrow]

I'm not a huge bball fan much anymore not because of the caste system but the game has gotten so boring and repetitive. Every dunk has been done to death and now more than ever the NBA relies on 3 point shots and spreading the floor for 1 on 1 tries. As I am a Saint Johns fan I won't make any friends here but I did see them take on Kansas last December and I saw Christian Braun just dismantle that " affletic " team. One thing I have not seen mentioned here is this kid can jump out of the gym. Youtube has got 3 or 4 of his poster dunks. A few scouting reviews says he in an above average athlete. That is an understatement as the kid probably has at least a 38 inch vertical. He dismantled the running " redmen " sigh... for 32 points that night. A number of scouting sites have him going in the late first.

 

[The Hock]

Yeah spread the floor for one on one is boring to watch.