March Madness 2022

Okay, Cornell didn't make it to the NCAA basketball dance. But we had a shot. It's Friday, 2 pm, 14-Yale vs. 3-Purdue for the lone Ivy representative.

Trying to figure who to root for. Yale, sure, for the one game they'll last. Maybe two. Hard to think of Michigan as an underdog, but they were today, down by 7 at the half and won by 12 over Colorado State. [edit add:] Worth rooting for St. Peters (University not Prep, both in Jersey City), 15-seed taking down 2-seed Kentucky, only the 10th time in NCAA history that happened.

Based on wanting Somebody Who Hasn't Won It Before, I'd like to see Gonzaga. Duke, right academics, but sometimes they seem more entitled than Harvard people. Michigan is a good choice with a Cornell link, as a Triple-A farm club for Cornell presidents. I'd also root for Syracuse because what does upstate New York have for it these days besides education and tourism? Except, my bad, Syracuse got knocked out of the ACC tournament by Duke, finished 16-17, and did not make the NCAAs. The only NYS team is Colgate, I believe; Colgate fans would be insufferable if they won the hockey ECACs and survived the first round. As 14-seed, they play 3-seed Wisconsin Friday 9:50 pm (TBS); we beat Colgate 78-68 back in November.

I'm still not sure what a "deep run" is when the tournament is just 3 weekends. I'm guessing getting to the second weekend and, maybe, also winning the round of 16 game.

billhoward
Okay, Cornell didn't make it to the NCAA basketball dance. But we had a shot. It's Friday, 2 pm, 14-Yale vs. 3-Purdue for the lone Ivy representative.

Trying to figure who to root for. Yale, sure, for the one game they'll last. Maybe two. Hard to think of Michigan as an underdog, but they were today, down by 7 at the half and won by 12 over Colorado State.

Based on wanting Somebody Hasn't Won It Before, I'd like to see Gonzaga. Duke, right academics, but sometimes they seem more entitled than Harvard people. Michigan is a good choice with a Cornell link, as a Triple-A farm club for Cornell presidents. I'd also root for Syracuse because what does upstate New York have for it these days besides education and tourism? Except, my bad, Syracuse got knocked out of the ACC tournament by Duke, finished 16-17, and did not make the NCAAs. The only NYS team is Colgate, I believe; Colgate fans would be insufferable if they won the hockey ECACs and survived the first round. As 14-seed, they play 3-seed Wisconsin Friday 9:50 pm (TBS); we beat Colgate 78-68 back in November.

I'm still not sure what a "deep run" is when the tournament is just 3 weekends. I'm guessing getting to the second weekend and, maybe, also winning the round of 16 game.

I will never root for Duke. When their lacrosse team was found not guilty of rape, and Duke petitioned the NCAAs to get the whole team an extra year of eligibility since those fine young men were only involved in a party with strippers and underage drinking. Then they won the National championship the next year with those 6th year seniors.

It must be hard work, being the superior school of the South, where the Northeast splits the work among eight Ivies plus the Little Three plus the Seven Sisters. Sorry, MIT, too.

nshapiro
I will never root for Duke. When their lacrosse team was found not guilty of rape, and Duke petitioned the NCAAs to get the whole team an extra year of eligibility since those fine young men were only involved in a party with strippers and underage drinking. Then they won the National championship the next year with those 6th year seniors.

OTOH, fuck Duke.

OTOH, "those fine young men were only involved in a party with strippers and underage drinking" is silly. That's called a college party if you have the money. Harvard, Stanford, USC, the entire SEC. The only difference is the Duke strippers appeared to be local Durham talent and concomitantly skankier. At least Ivy strippers have degrees.

The scandal was in 2006; Johns Hopkins beat Duke in the 2007 final, after the Blue Devils edged previously undefeated (but fourth-seeded) Cornell in the semifinal. Duke won their first NCAA championship in 2010.

Cripe, we could've done better, Cornell going in Yale's place. Elis down 46-33 to 3-seed Purdue at the half. In comparison, as a 12-seed in 2010, we had Temple by 8 at the half. Yale may find it's easier to donate a building than a comeback. Final, Purdue 78, Yale 56.

2010 1st round  Half    Final  
Cornell	        37	78
Temple	        29	65

The more important Yale game is 12 noon Saturday at Schoellkopf.

billhoward
Cripe, we could've done better, Cornell going in Yale's place. Elis down 46-33 to 3-seed Purdue at the half. In comparison, as a 12-seed in 2010, we had Temple by 8 at the half. Yale may find it's easier to donate a building than a comeback.

2010 1st round  Half    Final  
Cornell	        37	78
Temple	        29	65

The more important Yale game is 12 noon Saturday at Schoellkopf.

Temple and Wisconsin were such good opponents for that team. Much better luck than when we had to play Stanford (with the Lopez twins) or Missouri (way, way too high pace).

Purdue just turned it a lob that ball up on the glass and dominate with size thing.. Cornell would have forced the pace and it would have been determined by how well they were shooting..

ugarte

billhoward
Cripe, we could've done better, Cornell going in Yale's place. Elis down 46-33 to 3-seed Purdue at the half. In comparison, as a 12-seed in 2010, we had Temple by 8 at the half. Yale may find it's easier to donate a building than a comeback.

2010 1st round  Half    Final  
Cornell	        37	78
Temple	        29	65

The more important Yale game is 12 noon Saturday at Schoellkopf.

Temple and Wisconsin were such good opponents for that team. Much better luck than when we had to play Stanford (with the Lopez twins) or Missouri (way, way too high pace).

I would posit that the matchups (while indeed favorable in terms of Temple and Wisconsin's styles) were less important than the fact that we were going to be a challenge for any of the opposing teams in our seeding band. The other 4 and 5 seeds that tournament were, in no particular order, Maryland, Michigan St., Butler, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Purdue. The most successful of those teams, Michigan St. and Butler would have also been favorable stylistic matchups for us. The Kentucky team we lost to had 5 first round picks in that draft, and a level of athleticism in Wall and Cousins (and Bledsoe and Patterson...) that we were not going to be able to match.

semsox
I would posit that the matchups (while indeed favorable in terms of Temple and Wisconsin's styles) were less important than the fact that we were going to be a challenge for any of the opposing teams in our seeding band. The other 4 and 5 seeds that tournament were, in no particular order, Maryland, Michigan St., Butler, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Purdue. The most successful of those teams, Michigan St. and Butler would have also been favorable stylistic matchups for us. The Kentucky team we lost to had 5 first round picks in that draft, and a level of athleticism in Wall and Cousins (and Bledsoe and Patterson...) that we were not going to be able to match.

I don't remember the teams we didn't play from 10 years ago so I'll take your word for it!

As for Kentucky, being up 11-2 was one of the most exciting moments of my life. The stretch after the time out, not so much.

Fuck Duke. Seriously. No idea how anybody can root for them, excepting those that went there.

ugarte
As for Kentucky, being up 11-2 was one of the most exciting moments of my life. The stretch after the time out, not so much.

Truly magical. Just thinking, all Cornell has to do is trade baskets the rest of the way and ... <nope>

It was also nice that Cornell wound up in the bracket playing at the Syracuse dome Saturday 3/27/10 rather than, say, Enron Financial Plaza in Houston, and the NCAA hockey regional was the night before, in Albany (shot down by UNH 6-2). Colgate's ECAC hockey semifinal this year was the same day the basketball team played Wisconsin in Milwaukee and at least the two we offset by 3, 4 hours. Nice job, Colgate, tied at the half, only lost by 67-60.

Watching Iowa State close out Wisconsin to reach the round of sixteen, the last minute of play took about five minutes. Not basketball's finest hour, although it seemed that long. Maybe the sport needs to allows just one full TO per side in the last two minutes, everything else is 30 seconds and no breakaway to a commercial.

billhoward
Watching Iowa State close out Wisconsin to reach the round of sixteen, the last minute of play took about five minutes. Not basketball's finest hour, although it seemed that long. Maybe the sport needs to allows just one full TO per side in the last two minutes, everything else is 30 seconds and no breakaway to a commercial.

Too many timeouts in college basketball. These great games get slowed to a crawl.

Just give the fouled team the option of taking the ball out of bounds in the last two minutes and the foul-and-call-time-out nonsense will end.

Al DeFlorio
Just give the fouled team the option of taking the ball out of bounds in the last two minutes and the foul-and-call-time-out nonsense will end.

Or one shot and possession?

billhoward

Al DeFlorio
Just give the fouled team the option of taking the ball out of bounds in the last two minutes and the foul-and-call-time-out nonsense will end.

Or one shot and possession?

Sure. Anything to deter intentional fouling being used as a winning tactic. The introduction of the three-point shot has exacerbated the situation. Foul and the opponent has to make two shots to get two points. You then can make one shot to get three points.

they tried that years ago with shots or possession and it turned into a foul fest. if teams keep taking it out they will eventually turn it over as the refs wont call a million fouls ie what happened in the baylor/UNC game sat..

better option would be if you commit fouls in the backcourt you get 2 and the ball no matter if its 1-1 that would force teams to play D and once you get to X number of fouls you get 3 because fouling removes teams the chance to shoot 3s if they wanted and that allows teams to foul and gain advantage as well.

upprdeck
they tried that years ago with shots or possession and it turned into a foul fest. if teams keep taking it out they will eventually turn it over as the refs wont call a million fouls ie what happened in the baylor/UNC game sat..

better option would be if you commit fouls in the backcourt you get 2 and the ball no matter if its 1-1 that would force teams to play D and once you get to X number of fouls you get 3 because fouling removes teams the chance to shoot 3s if they wanted and that allows teams to foul and gain advantage as well.

Fine. As long as the fouled team gets the ball. Basketball is a 40 minute game, not 38 minutes followed by a two minute foul shooting contest.

Al DeFlorio
Basketball is a 40 minute game, not 38 minutes followed by a two minute foul shooting contest.

That takes up to 10 minutes.