UConn 12-1 in final four and beyond is gross
2009 UNC faded a buzz saw

UConn was like those Texas tech teams combined with Villanova or something.

faded a buzz saw he said

Yep. Drake's Final Four experience, lost to UCLA in the semis. Back in those days, they had a third-place game, in which Drake beat UNC.

NCAA Tournament records:

Most points:

184 Glenn Rice (1989, Michigan)
177 Zach Edey (2024, Purdue)
177 Bill Bradley (1965, Princeton)
167 Elvin Hayes (1968, Houston)
163 Danny Manning (1988, Kansas)
160 Jerry West (1959, West Virginia)

Most rebounds:

102 Tom Gola (1954, La Salle)
97 Elvin Hayes (1968, Houston)
96 Tom Gola (1955, La Salle)
95 Bill Russell (1956, San Francisco)
93 Artis Gilmore (1970, Jacksonville)
91 Elgin Baylor (1958, Seattle)
90 Sam Lacey (1970, New Mexico State)
87 Zach Edey (2024, Purdue)

I don't know why, but the NCAA keeps a stat for most rebounds after 1973. Obviously, Edey #1.

Field goals:

75 Glenn Rice (1989, Michigan)
70 Elvin Hayes (1968, Houston)
69 Danny Manning (1988, Kansas)
68 Austin Carr (1970, Notre Dame)
66 Zach Edey (2024, Purdue)
66 Johnny Dawkins (1986, Duke)

Free throw (makes):

55 Bob Camey (1954, Bradley)
49 Christian Laettner (1991, Duke)
49 Don Schlundt (1953, Indiana)]
47 Bill Bradley (1965, Princeton)
46 Jerry West (1959, West Virginia)
45 Zach Edey (2024, Purdue)

Free throw (attempts):

71 Jerry West (1959, West Virginia)
70 Bob Camey (1954, Bradley)
66 Zach Edey (2024, Purdue)
63 Don Schlundt (1953, Indiana)
62 Wilt Chamberlain (1957, Kansas)
62 Len Chappell (1962, Wake Forest)

besides Edey, there isn't a single player on those lists more than three years after the 3-point line was introduced. basketball has exclusively turned into a 3-point shooting and defend contest.

purdue was the #1 three-point shooting team in the country this year (by percent). but they hardly attempted or made any last night, which was the difference in the game

That's just crazy talk. Unless Hurley dies or goes to the NBA, he'll get more. I'm definitely taking Hurley in a coach v. coach first to natty vs. any other coach.

There isn't really any basis for the comment either.

Maybe if UConn had a generational team, that they're unlikely to get again, and won with that squad B2B, I could maaaybe see the argument, but that's far from the case.

Hurley took a 4-seed, who's supposed to be good, but not elite, and completely destroyed the competition.

He lost a ton of guys off that squad, runs it back with a different team, and completely destroyed the competition.

He doesn't even need elite guys to do it either. Castle is the only top 40 player, HS or portal, that he's gotten.

Finally, just based on the eye test, UConn looks so ****ing well coached, it's nuts to think he won't get another if he stays 10+ more years.

Yeah he was totally out of left field on that one. Playing Blake Griffin (NPOTY) and Draymond Green in Sparty's back yard in route to the title is far from fading a buzz saw. LSU was loaded with athletes. UNC covered every spread with ease during that run, and the LSU game was with Lawson on a bum ankle.

Props to Uconn though. I always liked them under Calhoun for destroying dook in the F4 and preventing them from getting a few natty's (Redick especially).

To be clear, this wasn't a choice that Purdue made though

I still feel so bad for Shead and Houston

Would've been fun to watch a team that averages like 6' 4" in height battle Purdue and/or Uconn

They are absolutely sunrunning college basketball.

I was obviously kidding/referencing UConn run good but that schedule is charmin soft.

Yeah I thought Purdue may have just shot long range 3s but even those weren't open.

Poor 2015 Wisconsin played the toughest schedule of all time

Buzz saw they might have faded was Jerome Dyson going out with season-ending knee injury in Feb when they were #1.

UConn undoubtedly one of the best teams ever in cbb this year, but they’ve been on the positive side of variance in the last 25 years. And that’s not a knock against them, just a fact. You need luck to win any tournament, basketball, poker, whatever. That being said, I’m sick of them.

Taking Drew for the UK job now. Some don't want it, some have baggage. Drew built a title from scratch. That's special. No baggage and he seems more available. I'm always wrong on coaches. It would have been so special if Cal went to UofL and Pitino came back to UK. Those two hoops mercenaries have been vying with each other egomaniacally for years, would have been byoooteeeful.

Portal is on fire today.

It is amazing. I like my Jokic analogy that he plays like an AI trained him to hoop. The UConn whole team plays like that. But it says here they will find out that it is nowhere near as easy as they made it look, and he'll be hard pressed to get another one in the next 10 years. You get some nowhere near seasons and plenty of close call but no cigar seasons. They all do. They've already had the super hot sun run. That ain't continuing. The four seasons he had before the last two also count, not just the last two. Sometimes you get something special going on with a team, waxes Pitino, but that doesn't just auto reproduce itself. In fact it rarely does. And you don't get to just auto win 90+ % of your Final Four games like UConn has been doing. I'm under 1.5 titles for him from here on out.

I meant this as there is legit suspicion that he really can't. And I see why.

Damn I see we lost Trimble. That sucks. Either RJ is coming back or it was pick or choose between him and Ian Jackson. Some team is going to be really lucky to have him.

I hate the transfer portal. Signing a scholarship and playing for a school means nothing anymore. None of the players fault for playing by the rules and NIL money but I don’t like it.

Totally with you. I hate the portal. I hate that we still have COVID seniors too but it's whatever.

I can still remember a guy like Theo Pinson staying at UNC and developing into a good player. If he played in today's landscape, he'd probably be transferring elsewhere like Trimble though because that's just what the sport has become.

charmin soft he said



not saying much here

similar posts could be made ad infinitum about pratically every season in every team sport

Pretty close, the women's final averaged 18.7mil viewers. Men's final roughly 4mil lower at 14.8mil which was only slightly more than the Iowa - UConn women's semifinal.