Seems like everybody lost this weekend. Duke, my Wildcats, ... um well, I know my Wildcats lost. This is the reason, though, that I like college ball better than the NBA.
The games mean more. The passion for the game is there. Even when a "great" team plays a "less great" team, the fans care. Florida State is pumped because they beat Duke. Mississippi State is pumped because they beat UK. Two very good teams lost games they should have won on the road, and it happens every week.
The NBA....? I don't really think you'll be seeing the Lakers get beat by the Heat or the Bulls this year, BUT even if they did, the fans wouldn't care as much.
It's fairly easy for many (most?) of us to care about college ball. There are alma maters, schools that friends went to, local teams and cheerleaders that don't have over 100,000 miles on the odometer.
As for the polls? Being ranked # 1 is great for the fans, but it puts a bigger bullseye on a team. For schools like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and their "elite" brethren, each time they play someone, it is that team's biggest game of the year (or at least seems like it), and the #1 tag just adds fuel to the fire of the rivalries. (Everybody's getting their licks in on UNC this year, just like they did to Duke the year that Krzyzewski was out with the back surgery and Kentucky was during the end of the Eddie Sutton/probation era, but UNC will be back, as much as I hate to admit it.) While it's great to say you defended your spot as # 1, the important thing is to get a good seed for the NCAA tourney and then have one six game winning streak.
Question is: How far will Duke fall and who will end up # 1 in two months when everybody has a couple of in-cofference losses?
Yeah,thats true. Every game does matter in college ball and the tournament is more exciting because almost any of the 65 teams have a chance to leave with the title. Even making it to the Final Four is a commendable accomplishment.
Duke of course will have a number one seed in the tournament but I doubt they can repeat when its one and out. They almost lost to Missouri(who I have to admit is a great team) in the second round last year.
Who do you think will be some of the other number one seeds come March?
"We don't need a thinker, we need a doer, someone who will act without considering the consequences" ~Homer Simpson
I heard Kansas was number 1, is this true? My Gators were 2nd and number 1 Duke lost, we should be number 1! AHHH
Seriously though, I don't know if we are as good as Duke, Kansas, Maryland, Kentucky, cause we haven't played anyone yet, but throw us Florida fans a bone here!
I agree with Duke, Florida, Kentucky and either Maryland or Kansas. The only reason I think my Gators will get a one seed is because the conference schedule shouldn't be too hard. Two games against Kentucky, and one against Miss St. and Alabama are really the only challenges. Even if we lose half of those games a three loss season is pretty good.
Florida and Kentucky are the class of the SEC, which is always a tough, competitive conference. Road games are murder, especially. Since Florida is in the east they'll have one game in Vandy and Vandy is always toughest at home. As a UK fan I'm hoping for a split with Florida (each wins on their home court). Tennessee seems to be down, which is a good omen. I don't know much about Georgia this year, but I expect they'll at least be tough at home. And don't forget Arkansas, even when they're down, they're still tough, especially at home. I think the team that wins the SEC will have a record of 13-3 or 12-4. I also think that (as long as they don't crumble) both UK and Florida will be # 1 seeds, or no worse than # 2 seeds.
Yeah,thats true. Every game does matter in college ball and the tournament is more exciting because almost any of the 65 teams have a chance to leave with the title. Even making it to the Final Four is a commendable accomplishment.
I just don't see it. I like when I hear my school won a game, and say "damn" when they lose, but only really get hyped when they play one of their major rivals or when it's the C-USA tourney/NCAA tourney. And really, we know Duke will make the tourney, regardless of this loss. I figure there's about 20 or so who know they'll make it, 100-150 or so who know they won't, and about 70 or so who have a chance depending on their record or maybe winning their conference tourney. To me it's like the NBA, where even if the Bulls win a game, you know they won't make the playoffs, and the Lakers losing one is meaningless, but the games for teams ranked 6-10 in their conferences are all very important.
I feel better about this trade than when I heard about it last week...I think Zach has already fully rebounded from the ACL and will still be awesome. I'll miss Kris but I had no attachment to him.