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After a little time to reflect, how does everyone feel about the tourney roads the 6 participating Big East schools drew?

I'll start with Seton Hall saying that overall, it's slightly disappointing but hard to say its much less than what they earned:

Seed - disappointing - was expecting a 7 and now needing to go through a 1 seed to reach the sweet 16 put a quick damper on expectations.

1st round opponent - NC State - Fine. Obviously very dangerous as they have several big scalps this year (Duke, UNC, Arizona), but they also have several awful losses. It's not going to be an easy game, but winnable.

Potential 2nd round opponent - Kansas - After landing on the 8 line, drawing Kansas as our 1 may be close to a best case scenario. With 7 losses, they Jayhawks look like one of the more vulnerable top 2 seeds. That said, they're still a 1 seed for a reason.

Location - Disaster. Wichita, KS is difficult and expensive to get to, and nowhere near my list of cities I have a particular desire to travel to.

Providence drew a 10 seed vs Texas A&M, which has the reputation of being a talented team that has trouble maintaining its focus. They got off to a great start (11-1) to the season with wins over West Virginia, Buffalo, and @USC. But they struggled through their SEC schedule, losing twice to LSU and to Mississippi State at home. They were eliminated in their first game in the SEC tournament, their 4th loss in their last 7 games. In contrast, Providence ended their season with a great run through the BE tournament, going 4-2 down the stretch with their only losses to top 3 Villanova in OT and @Xavier, whom they turned around and beat in the BET.

Texas A&M had the better season on paper and should be favored. But their best stretch was early in the season and they struggled late. Providence battled injuries through an up and down season but finished strong with freshmen emerging into key roles. I’m hoping that their toughness will allow them to pull an upset over what is probably a more talented TA&M team. I’m looking forward to a battle.

Nova - The East region is easier than the BET path

Hall2012. Just get your gear and tickets for Omaha. The hall should beat KU, even in Wichita. KU sucks and have deficiencies up front...gimpy and weak bigs.
My mouse picked an all BE final Four (CBS, Bluejay Banter group) The Hall is gonna shine.

FF - Creighton, X, Nova, The Hall It's like that damn mouse was a Ouija board or had a mind of its' own.

I like the Jays draw. K State, then UVA. K St is like a warmup for Virginia. I think the Jays guards prevail over both.

gtmoBlue wrote:Hall2012. Just get your gear and tickets for Omaha. The hall should beat KU, even in Wichita. KU sucks and have deficiencies up front...gimpy and weak bigs.
My mouse picked an all BE final Four (CBS, Bluejay Banter group) The Hall is gonna shine.

FF - Creighton, X, Nova, The Hall It's like that damn mouse was a Ouija board or had a mind of its' own.

I like the Jays draw. K State, then UVA. K St is like a warmup for Virginia. I think the Jays guards prevail over both.

I'll have some of that blue kool-aid you're drinking.

Never change, gtmo.

gtmoBlue wrote:Hall2012. Just get your gear and tickets for Omaha. The hall should beat KU, even in Wichita. KU sucks and have deficiencies up front...gimpy and weak bigs.
My mouse picked an all BE final Four (CBS, Bluejay Banter group) The Hall is gonna shine.

FF - Creighton, X, Nova, The Hall It's like that damn mouse was a Ouija board or had a mind of its' own.

I like the Jays draw. K State, then UVA. K St is like a warmup for Virginia. I think the Jays guards prevail over both.

From your mouse to God's ears!

I'm actually more worried about NC State than Kansas. I feel like our guys are under quite a bit of pressure to get that first NCAA Tournament win and the Wolfpack play a pressing style that the Pirates don't have much experience against and could struggle with due to the lack of a true point guard. If they reach the round of 32, ours seniors could be playing with house money at that point and be very dangerous for the Jayhawks.

The only consistent thing about NC St is their inconsistencies. Cake.

I have UK vs X and Nova vs Auburn in the FF with Nova over UK for the championship. One more BE/SEC challenge for old times sake. To me Auburn is the S. Carolina of this year.

novahoops11 wrote:

kayako wrote:Nova - The East region is easier than the BET path

Not if Buzz Williams and my Hokies have anything to say about it...