NCAA MBB Tournament 2025

[Jojogunne]

I never thought I'd see the day when two former NCAA champions (and one runner-up) have to play in the First Four. These should be mid-major games:

https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/bracket

[Mikey77]

Okay, North Carolina and SD St. Who else?

[Wags]

I never thought I'd see the day when two former NCAA champions (and one runner-up) have to play in the First Four. These should be mid-major games:

https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/bracket

They shouldn't necessarily be mid-major games.

The 16 seeds (that are always mid-majors) shouldn't be playing in these games. They already earned their ways into the tournament as AQs and shouldn't have to do so again. They should simply be placed among the field of 64.

The other seeds in the First Four could involve mid-majors or power conference teams. It depends which teams are among the last at-larges selected. But those last eight bubble teams should decide that on the court, not in the committee room. That's what the First Four should have been designed for, exclusively. It was a dumb mistake from the start (which they've yet to correct) to do that only halfway (half bubble teams, half AQs). And, I'm actually surprised they have done it that way since they're all about ratings and money. Why would they not want to have four games like UNC/SD State and Xavier/Texas instead of only those two games along with two games like American/Mt. St. Mary's and Alabama State/St. Francis?

And, it shouldn't be called First Four (based on the number of games) when the Final Four is based on the number of teams. Call it the Early Eight or something. The NCAA has always had this all wrong from the start, from how they label it, and especially who plays in it.

[Wags]

Okay, North Carolina and SD St. Who else?

Just them (I think he meant one former NCAA champ).

But it's also far from the first time we've seen former NCAA champs or runners-up play in the First Four, or have seen them play in that the same year:

2014 - NC State
2016 - Michigan
2018 - UCLA, Syracuse
2021 - UCLA vs. Michigan State
2022 - Indiana
2024 - Virginia

[Wags]

Good thread on the step-by-step reverse engineering detailing how the final tournament bracket was put together:

https://x.com/Bauertology/status/1901502792331907344

[Jojogunne]

Okay, North Carolina and SD St. Who else?

You got me, Mikey.

I thought Texas won an NCAA MBB tournament, but I guess I was wrong. The Longhorns won the 1933 Premo-Porretta Power Poll national championship, several years before the NIT and NCAAT were created.

If I were Texas (a power school if there ever was one), I would be embarrassed to be playing in the First Four.

[Jojogunne]

Players are being paid between $3.5 million and $4.0 million to play for St. John's this year, much of it from the vitaminwater guy, Mike Repole:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/nyre ... =url-share

[Wags]

If I were Texas (a power school if there ever was one), I would be embarrassed to be playing in the First Four.

I'm sure they're a lot happier than Indiana and West Virginia right now.

The First Four doesn't have a bad stigma for bubble teams, whether mid-major or power conference team. It's what they do with it. VCU and UCLA went to the Final Four and Syracuse, Tennessee, and LaSalle to the Sweet 16 from the First Four.

[HUSID74]

Players are being paid between $3.5 million and $4.0 million to play for St. John's this year, much of it from the vitaminwater guy, Mike Repole:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/nyre ... =url-share

JoJo, the article quotes Pitino as saying their TOTAL NIL budget is betwee $3.5 and $4 million.

Doesn't that mean that's how much the players are getting?

[Mark19th]

Just realized two teams in the NCAA tournament…Norfolk State and Arkansas State… were teams Hofstra beat. Where and why did the season go off the rails for the Pride?


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[HUSID74]

Just realized two teams in the NCAA tournament…Norfolk State and Arkansas State… were teams Hofstra beat. Where and why did the season go off the rails for the Pride?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We also beat UNCW.

[dutchPride86]

After watching Walter Clayton Jr take out Uconn just now, felt compelled to take a look back at our box score from Iona game in 22-23 season. Just wild all the talent that was on those 2 rosters:

Iona: Clayton (1st team all america), Nelly Jr Jospeh (playing in 2nd rd tonight averaging double double for New Mexico), Daniss Jenkins (on a 2way with Pistons), Cruz and Sunday freshman on their bench

Us: Estrada, Thomas, Dubar, Carlos; German and A'mare Marshall off the bench

[Jojogunne]

Don’t forget Anthony Dell’Orso, who transferred from Campbell to Arizona and had some big moments in UA’s win over Oregon tonight.

The Fighting Camels might have won the CAA title had Dell’Orso stayed at Campbell.

[EvanJ]

I am in the 87th percentile on ESPN. In a group with 29 brackets, I am second. I am sixth most likely to win the group, and the only person with above a 50 percent chance at finishing in the top five. I picked Florida to win, so I had to worry while they trailed Connecticut for most of the second half. I also got a game right from Maryland's win over Colorado State at the buzzer.

Thursday has 6 seed BYU vs. 2 seed Alabama, 4 seed Maryland vs. 1 seed Florida, 4 seed Arizona vs. 1 seed Duke, and 10 seed Arkansas vs. 3 seed Texas Tech. Friday has 6 seed Mississippi (Ole Miss) vs. 2 seed Michigan State, 3 seed Kentucky vs. 2 seed Tennessee, 5 seed Michigan vs. 1 seed Auburn, and 4 seed Purdue vs. 1 seed Houston. The SEC got half of its 14 teams, and the power four conferences have all of the remaining teams. The Big 10 has 4, The Big 12 has 4, and the ACC has 1.

[cactus]

After watching Walter Clayton Jr take out Uconn just now, felt compelled to take a look back at our box score from Iona game in 22-23 season. Just wild all the talent that was on those 2 rosters:

Iona: Clayton (1st team all america), Nelly Jr Jospeh (playing in 2nd rd tonight averaging double double for New Mexico), Daniss Jenkins (on a 2way with Pistons), Cruz and Sunday freshman on their bench

Us: Estrada, Thomas, Dubar, Carlos; German and A'mare Marshall off the bench

As expected, the portal and NIL has ravaged mid major basketball. Only one team (mcneese st) won a round of 64 game from a single bid league. No mid majors in sweet 16, only 4 conferences represented (seven from the SEC, four from the Big Ten, four from the Big 12 and one from the ACC)

[Wags]

After watching Walter Clayton Jr take out Uconn just now, felt compelled to take a look back at our box score from Iona game in 22-23 season. Just wild all the talent that was on those 2 rosters:

Iona: Clayton (1st team all america), Nelly Jr Jospeh (playing in 2nd rd tonight averaging double double for New Mexico), Daniss Jenkins (on a 2way with Pistons), Cruz and Sunday freshman on their bench

Us: Estrada, Thomas, Dubar, Carlos; German and A'mare Marshall off the bench

As expected, the portal and NIL has ravaged mid major basketball. Only one team (mcneese st) won a round of 64 game from a single bid league. No mid majors in sweet 16, only 4 conferences represented (seven from the SEC, four from the Big Ten, four from the Big 12 and one from the ACC)

A lot of people have been running with this narrative about the NCAAT and the new landscape, but it's not necessarily true. The thing is, it's too early to tell. Yes, four conferences represented and seven teams from one conference in the Sweet 16 are records, but the tournament as a whole, with the lack of upsets and lack of mid-majors moving on is not necessarily a direct result of the new landscape. It's an assumed conclusion, one that in time, may be proven true. But a tournament like this year happens, on average, about every 6-7 years. The last time was 2017. With no tournament in 2020, a tournament like this year's is basically right on schedule.

There also should have been one mid-major in the Sweet 16, but we have decided that March Madness buzzer beaters are too much fun to enforce NCAA traveling rules.

[cactus]

I don't agree it's too early to tell. There's 3 conferences and Duke in the sweet 16. The SEC is ridiculous. Cinderella runs to the final four are a thing of the past. There's just no way to build a program to do it anymore.

[Wags]

I don't agree it's too early to tell. There's 3 conferences and Duke in the sweet 16. The SEC is ridiculous. Cinderella runs to the final four are a thing of the past. There's just no way to build a program to do it anymore.

This is new ground. We have no idea yet how it may or may not swing the other way or what will be yet. Only two years ago, people were complaining that it was skewed too much toward mids with FAU playing SDSU in the Final Four.

[Wags]

https://x.com/JayBilas/status/1904537420395086318

[Jojogunne]

NIL $$$ for the team manager???

https://www.zagsblog.com/2025/03/22/nil ... amir-khan/