College Basketball 2017-2018 Season (Men and Women)

[JohnBM01]

I know I been behind AnthonyD1993's Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten, but Purdue is pretty baller themselves in the B1G. They really got a good thing going in the B1G. Purdue just to keep the train on the tracks, so to speak. They probably will get into March Madness as will Michigan among the B1G schools.

 

[JohnBM01]

Can you believe today is the 50th anniversary of the first-ever televised basketball game? The game was shown between the UCLA Bruins at the Houston Cougars played at the Houston Astrodome. My beloved Cougars defeated UCLA, ending their 47-game winning streak. Today, my Coogs defeated #7 Wichita State 73-59 here in Houston.


Congratulations to all winners from today's games and tonight's games, men and women's hoops. That even includes Purdue remaining undefeated in Big Ten play in hammering Iowa on the road.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Purdue rained down 20 3 pointers on the Hawkeyes today. At one point, they were 15 of 20 shooting from beyond the arc.

 

[JohnBM01]

One omission I forgot to make in my last post is that because of the government shutdown, the United States Air Force Academy shut down their athletics programs until further notice. So the Air Force Falcons didn't play any games yesterday. I would imagine the government shutdown also impacted the likes of Army and Navy, and maybe even the Coast Guard in NCAA Division 3.

Not sure if this person follows college basketball, but I thought about our Eva as the University of Cincinnati is doing rather well. The 12th-ranked Bearcats of Cincinnati are 17-2 overall and 6-0 in conference. I can't be too nice to Cincy because they play in the same conference as my Houston Cougars (the American Athletic Conference). And in case you're wondering, my 15-4 (5-2 in AAC) Houston Cougars will take on Cincinnati on January 31 in Cincinnati.

Let's stay in the American. At one point the University of Connecticut was one of the most feared programs in all of men's college basketball. Now, they are mostly mediocre. UConn is now 3-3 in conference and 10-9 overall.

Four Big Ten schools are in the Top 25- Purdue (3), Michigan State (9), Ohio State (22), and Michigan (23). B1G coming up big among top 25 teams. You normally would expect a lot of ACC or Big East teams among the Top 25. However, it may be possible the B1G may put in quite a few teams come March. That is even if a good number of at-large schools make the tourney.


That is all. Now go enjoy some more college basketball!

 

[Dolph Drago]

Not sure if this person follows college basketball, but I thought about our Eva as the University of Cincinnati is doing rather well. The 12th-ranked Bearcats of Cincinnati are 17-2 overall and 6-0 in conference. I can't be too nice to Cincy because they play in the same conference as my Houston Cougars (the American Athletic Conference). And in case you're wondering, my 15-4 (5-2 in AAC) Houston Cougars will take on Cincinnati on January 31 in Cincinnati.

They're up to #9 now, with city rival Xavier sitting one spot ahead at #8. I heard on the radio tonight that this is the first time Cincy and Xavier have both been ranked in the top 10 at the same time since the '58-59 season. And just up the road in Columbus, Ohio State is not far behind at #13.

 

[JohnBM01]

It's February. This is a critical month to really state your case to make the Tournament come March. You want to make your biggest statement with this month of games. So I hope your favorite team(s) can do enough to make your case to make the Touanement, granted you don't win your conference tournament.

There were a couple of stunners today as of this post. St. John's defeated #5 Duke at Madison Square Garden, and Oklahoma State defeated #7 Kansas AT Kansas. Kansas usually has sone of the best home court advantages in all of college basketball. Not so much of late. Meanwhile, my Houston Cougars handled business at Central Florida, winning 69-64.


Congratulations to all other winners up to and beyond the time of this post.

 

[Dolph Drago]

I recorded (haven't watched it yet), but Purdue evidently had a scare with Rutgers, winning by only 2. Up to 18 straight wins. Now if only Nova or Virginia would drop one...

 

[JohnBM01]

Do you think Purdue will be a Final Four team this season?

 

[Dolph Drago]

Do you think Purdue will be a Final Four team this season?

It sure looks like they could. But of course, any team I root for always loses in post season play. Bengals, Reds, etc...Even Purdue's strongest season (prior to this one) about 8 years ago, Robbie Hummel naturally tore his ACL in the tournament.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Dang. Just caught the last 2 minutes of the Purdue / Ohio State game. If only Purdue could have rebounded one more time. 1 point loss. Winning streak over. And since Ohio St. still hasn't lost in Big Ten play, they leapfrogged Purdue and are now leading the conference.

 

[JohnBM01]

That was a rough loss for Purdue. However...

DOWN GOES VILLANOVA! and DOWN GOES AUBURN!

The top-ranked Villanova Wildcats fell at home to unranked St. John's. The Red Storm boys from New York City won 79-75 at Villanova to hand the 'Cats a big loss. Now on to that football school in Alabama. Auburn has had a great season, but the Texas A&M Aggies were able to stun the Auburn Tigers with an 82-81 win at Auburn. Two big names fell tonight. I think St. John's pulled the bigger upset. Last year, St. John's lost to teams like the University of the Incarnate Word. This is a HUGE win for sure for the Red Storm.

There is still a lot of season left and plenty more chances to enhance your resumé for March Madness.


Congratulations to all other winners on the night in men's and women's hoops.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Figures Villanova would lose the same night. I'm sure Virginia is feeling pretty good right now. And I was mistaken in my previous post. Ohio St. has lost one Big Ten game, like Purdue. But they still jumped them despite having a worse overall record. The next ranking will be interesting.

 

[JohnBM01]

Tonight, ESPN2 will show Detroit at Oakland. That is a match that will interest our Joey D. Tomorrow will be a match as #3 Purdue is at #4 Michigan State. This one will interest our Dolph Drago for sure.

No matter what match(es) interest you this weekend, be sure to enjoy these games to the fullest!


Good luck to all of your favorite teams.

 

[JohnBM01]

Last night here in Houston, the University of Houston defeated #5 Cincinnati. The Coogs are now 20-5 on the season. Many are predicting this season's NCAA Tournament could be one of the most wide-open tourneys in recent memory. Surely I'd love to see UH return to their former glory, only doing what "Phi Slamma Jamma" couldn't do- win the National Championship.

We're halfway through February, so anything can still happen between now and Selection Sunday.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Purdue's season has come off the rails. 3 straight losses.

 

[JohnBM01]

Well, it's still fairly wide open. Remember that this isn't college football, where you have to seemingly win almost every game to stand the best chance of making the postseason. You can afford to slip up in basketball. Just don't lose with regularity. Purdue is among some of the many schools who [right now] can still get a No. 1 seed come March. I think in the latest projected standings, Virginia has the projected No. 1 overall seed. Still a long ways to go.


For today and tonight, enjoy the games!

 

[JohnBM01]

After trailing by as many as 27 points, #2 Michigan State survived on the road at Northwestern. The Spartans' comeback is the largest comeback win in Big Ten history. So congrats to Sparty on a job well done. It was a 65-60 victory in Evanston, Illinois.


Congratulations to all other winners, including Kentucky defeating Alabama at home.

 

[JohnBM01]

A few musings to share...

* The appeal by Louisville has been denied by the NCAA. So their wins from 2011-2015 as well as the 2013 National Championship have been vacated. Same applies to their 2012 Final Four appearance. This vacating includes 123 wins and 15 NCAA Tournament victories.

* Meanwhile, Oklahoma's fallen off the map, and so has phenom Trae Young. It will be tough for the Sooners to try to get it together at this point. They lost last night at Kansas.

* My beloved Houston Cougars are now a top 25 team. They currently stand at No. 23 in the AP Polls. With wins over Wichita State and Cincinnati among others, the 21-5 Cougars are probably going to have a strong chance of making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over eight years. I think they also made the Top 25 for the first time in 12 years. Key phrase = I think.


The season is wrapping up and Tournament play is approaching. This is the time of year most college basketball fans care the most about the season. Hope your favorite team(s) make the Tournament.

 

[JohnBM01]

This is almost basically the final weekend of regular season basketball for men and women. Next weekend generally sets up all the conference tournaments. So we're setting up the stage for March Madness. I hope all of your favorite teams can close out proper.

 

[JohnBM01]

"Beware the ides of March."

Well, that magical month is here. This is where colleges and universities can really prove themselves. Or... this can be a month that marks the end of the line for most programs. Conference tournaments and such are ongoing to help set up Selection Sunday later this month. Enjoy this month of college basketball!

 

[JohnBM01]

#15 Michigan knocked off #2 Michigan State today in Big Ten tournament play. The Wolverines can be pretty dangerous. Downing Sparty more than once this season will surely help Michigan's cause in a potential entry into the NCAA Tournament.

#?? Purdue did good also, speaking of B1G play. They defeated Penn State.


Amid these musings, congratulations to all other winners in this final weekend of regular season college basketball.


[UPDATE] Unsure of Purdue's Top 25 ranking, so replaced with "??".

 

[Dolph Drago]

Excellent. I'd much rather face Michigan than Michigan State in the championship game.

 

[JohnBM01]

DOWN GOES MISSISSIPPI STATE (women)!

And then there was one. The South Carolina Lady Gamecocks took down the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs leaving Connecticut as the only remaining unbeaten in NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball.


Now on to the men.

We will see AnthonyD1993's Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament after taking down Dolph Drago's Purdue Boilermakers in the B1G conference championship game. Pending a vendetta, I still see Purdue getting in as an at-large. Purdue can be a 4th seed at worst. However, Purdue could even drop down to the dubious #8 vs. #9 seed game. And I really wouldn't be too offended if Purdue drops to that 8 vs. 9.


Congratulations to all other winners from today, including all who won their conference tournaments.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Well, 🤬.

 

[JohnBM01]

In my last post, I mostly discussed Purdue. What about Michigan, though? I kind of see Michigan the same way seed-wise as I do Purdue. Michigan is going to be in the top half of the 1-16 seeding to me. At worst, the Wolverines are maybe a #6 on Selection Sunday. I am unsure as to whether or not Michigan should get a seed #4 or higher, though. When most people think of Michigan, they usually think of the "Fab Five" of the '90s. And most others see Michigan as a football power more than a basketball power. Michigan can be pretty dangerous. So it wouldn't be surprising if Michigan goes Sweet Sixteen or better.

People keep saying there has been no real runaway team this season. So almost anyone can win the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball championship in what has been hailed a wide-open field. We'll of course know what the final tournament will be like come Selection Sunday.

 

[JohnBM01]

Current automatic bids so far as of the time of this post (NCAA D1 Men):

* Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun)
* Radford (Big South)
* Michigan (Big Ten)
* College of Charleston (Colonial)
* Wright State (Horizon League)
* Iona (MAAC)
* Loyola University of Chicago (Missouri Valley)
* Long Island-Brooklyn (Northeast)
* Murray State (Ohio Valley)
* Bucknell (Patriot)
* North Carolina-Greensboro (Southern)
* South Dakota State (Summit)
* Gonzaga (West Coast)

More slots to be filled out, so stay tuned!

 

[JohnBM01]

Today is Selection Sunday. So we'll get to see what teams will make this season's Tournament. Automatic bids will see how their postseason journey will begin. And of course, the various bracket challenges from office pools and such will try to see if they can put together the best bracket.

When the tournament bracket is released, DO NOT wait on me to post any kind of brackets. Just come on in and discuss whatever makes this season's March Madness. Congratulations to all who got in, at least on the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball side.

 

[Jordan]

Happy Selection Sunday, everyone! It's the best time of the year for the best sport (college basketball), and you know what that means...

GTPlanet's Official 2018 Bracket Challenge



You've got four days to get your bracket in — after that, you won't be able to change your picks. Congratulations to your Houston Cougers, @JohnBM01, for reaching the tournament for the first time in 8 years!

 

[JohnBM01]

Alright, GTPlanet! We got the 2017-2018 Men's March Madness set! Here is a look at this season's postseason:


OFFICIAL BRACKET: https://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/basketball-men/d1

No. 1 Seeds
* Virginia (1st Overall)
* Xavier
* Villanova
* Kansas


And now, the Tournament alignment...

FORMAT:
* South Region vs. West Region
* East Region vs. Midwest Region

REGIONAL FINAL SITES:
* SOUTH: Atlanta, GA
* WEST: Los Angeles, CA
* EAST: Boston, MA
* MIDWEST: Omaha, NE


--- THE "FIRST FOUR" ---
Games to be played on March 13 and March 14 in Dayton, OH:

* Long Island-Brooklyn vs. Radford
* Arizona State vs. Syracuse
* St. Bonaventure vs. UCLA
* North Carolina Central vs. Texas Southern


--- SOUTH REGION ---
* Charlotte, NC (Friday and Sunday)
#1 Virginia vs. #16 UMBC
#8 Creighton vs. #9 Kansas State

* Boise, ID (Thursday and Saturday)
#5 Kentucky vs. #12 Davidson
#4 Arizona vs. #13 Buffalo

* Dallas, TX (Thursday and Saturday)
#6 Miami vs. #11 Loyola University of Chicago
#3 Tennessee vs. #14 Wright State

* Nashville, TN (Friday and Sunday)
#7 Nevada vs. #10 Texas
#2 Cincinnati vs. #15 Georgia State


--- WEST REGION ---
* Nashville, TN (Friday and Sunday)
#1 Xavier vs. #16 (North Carolina Central/Texas Southern)
#8 Missouri vs. #9 Florida State

* Boise, ID (Thursday and Saturday)
#5 Ohio State vs. #12 South Dakota State
#4 Gonzaga vs. #13 North Carolina-Greensboro

* Wichita, KS (Thursday and Saturday)
#6 Houston vs. #11 San Diego State
#3 Michigan vs. #14 Montana

* Charlotte, NC (Friday and Sunday)
#7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Providence
#2 North Carolina vs. #15 Lipscomb


--- EAST REGION ---
* Pittsburgh, PA (Thursday and Saturday)
#1 Villanova vs. #16 (Long Island-Brooklyn/Radford)
#8 Virginia Tech vs. #9 Alabama

* San Diego, CA (Friday and Sunday)
#5 West Virginia vs. #12 Murray State
#4 Wichita State vs. #13 Marshall

* Dallas, Texas (Thursday and Saturday)
#6 Florida vs. #11 (St. Bonaventure/UCLA)
#3 Texas Tech vs. #14 Stephen F. Austin State

* Detroit, MI (Friday and Sunday)
#7 Arkansas vs. #10 Butler
#2 Purdue vs. #15 California State-Fullerton


--- MIDWEST REGION ---
* Wichita, KS (Thursday and Saturday)
#1 Kansas vs. #16 Pennsylvania
#8 Seton Hall vs. #9 North Carolina State

* San Diego, CA (Friday and Sunday)
#5 Clemson vs. #12 New Mexico State
#4 Auburn vs. #13 College of Charleston

* Detroit, MI (Friday and Sunday)
#6 TCU vs. #11 (Arizona State/Syracuse)
#3 Michigan State vs. #14 Bucknell

* Pittsburgh, PA (Thursday and Saturday)
#7 Rhode Island vs. #10 Oklahoma
#2 Duke vs. #15 Iona


The Men's Final Four will be held on March 31 in San Antonio, Texas. The National Championship game will be on April 2.


Congratulations to all who made the NCAA Tournament. Good luck to all of your favorite schools.

Oh, and thanks for the love for my Houston Cougars, Jordan! Houston has two possible National Championship contenders with Houston and Texas Southern in this season's tourney. Likewise, congratulations to your Kentucky Wildcats on getting in.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Glad Purdue didn't drop lower than a #2 seed. But I'm calling it now. We'll lose to Butler in the 2nd round.