March Madness

Anyone here gonna watch March Madness?

I have Alabama winning the Mens Tournament and Indiana winning the Womens Tournament in an upset over South Carolina.

« Last edited by Warrior13 on Mar 13th 2023 »

Never been a fan of college ball sadly. NJ isn't a big college sports state so the team most of us root for is Villanova and they're not in it this year. So if I follow at all it'll just be really casual. Can't name a single college player besides the top guys in the draft class.

Rutgers is usually pretty good. Never great, but always a tough game because they actually play defense.

Yeah, I guess Rutgers is the closest thing we have to a hometown team, even though the Philly schools are closer physically to me. I just have a bit of a bias against Rutgers cause the school I went to is like an academic rival to them.

Completely understand. lol

But now I am hoping for a Rutgers/Villanova Final in the NIT Tournament (the one for the teams that just missed March Madness). ;)

That'd be cool to see. I think I'd have to root for Nova there. Still wish Jay Wright had wanted to try his hand in the NBA with the Sixers.

Rutgers already lost. Wow.

If college football was shown in Spain I would probably give it a go. Even if it's just to get an idea of what players to look out for in the NFL draft.

College is so much better than the Pros imo. Cannot explain it.

I've heard other people say that too. From what I see there are too many blowouts by dominant teams. I like games where I sit down at the start and it can go either way.

I don't have any preference for a college team either which doesn't help. When I started watching the NFL I fell in love with the Washington Redskins immediately, everything about the team appealed to me and wanted to see how they got on each week. I just don't have that feeling with college football.

I think the tradition also plays a part, especially when two teams that are not and never going to be an elite. Like, there are 128 Division 1 teams in college football, but only like 8 or so are the usual powerhouses. Leaves a lot of room for competitive matchups. And like you said, I really like to follow players from college to pros.

I feel ya in regards to Washington. I was the same way when in came to the Dolphins back when I was just a kid. Then again, Marino made it easy to be a Phins Fan. He was getting old back when I was kid, but the dude could still fling it.

You have to go into college ball with a different mindset. If you're a fan of a non-power team you know they're never going to win the national championship. But you can appreciate the little things like winning a smaller conference championship or having a random stud show up and get drafted. And in basketball it can be huge if your team makes the NCAA tournament.

Exactly. I just wish more people could realize this. Like when your team is not a title contender and can only get three star recruits, you have to realize what you are. I live in Big 10 territory, and I just shake my head with how some of people have such unrealistic expectations for their teams. Come on, your Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa. You are never going to win the title. Coach does not matter. And now that the playoffs are expanding, the odds are even lowered. No way in hell you rip off four wins in a row against the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Alabama, Georgia, etc. Smh.

Unless you have family in the team or some kind of connection with the area it is hard to get behind a no hope college team that will never win a title. At least the NFL has been geared up so that theoretically everyone eventually has a chance of winning the trophy if they make good decisions and have a bit of luck.

Theoretically is the key word there. We do realize that outside of the Flacco year, there was like a fifteen year stretch were the AFC Super Bowl Team was either led by Big Ben, Brady, or Manning. Yeah, even though any team can with it all, it is usually the same teams over and over.

Yeah, I've definitely gotten into the "don't have to win it all" mindset with certain sports. I've gotten into Formula 1, and there's only like 3 of 10 teams that ever win a race. If you're a fan of other teams /drivers you just have to be happy seeing them improve and make plays for good finishes.

If you want to see parity, look at the MLB, oddly enough. 13 World Series winners over the last 20 year in a sport without a hard salary cap or a floor.

That 15 year stretch is down to having a good quarterback. Flacco and the 2012 Ravens being the exception. Ironically he played well in the Super Bowl earning the MVP. I think we are going to see the same thing happen again with Mahomes, Allen, Burrow and possibly Trevor Lawrence who is now showing signs of eliteness.

Mike: Yeah, the MLB seems always open now. Not sure how when the Dodgers are always like the best team on paper, but I guess it has to do with hitting a baseball being pretty darn hard. lol

Dennis: Yeah, AFC is definitely on track for that to happen again, with Mahomes being the new Brady. lol

The Dodgers are always good because they put the most money into developing prospects and make smart free agent signings. Has only turned into 1 World Series win though.

I saw the New York Yankees play in the old Yankee stadium back in 2001. To be honest with you, I didn't understand what was happening. I ended up walking around the stadium soaking up the history of the place.

Famous boxing matches were held there, including Joe Louis v Max Schmeling, Tony Zale v Rocky Graziano, Sugar Ray Robinson v Gid Gavilan, Rocky Marciano v Ezzard Charles, and Muhammad Ali v Ken Norton to name a few. That place had so much character. Everybody else was too interested in seeing some guy called Derek Jeter.

I went to Los Angeles in 2005 and wanted to see the LA Dodgers, but I was advised by the staff of the hotel I was staying not to go to the game as bad things happen in the area around the stadium after the game when it gets dark. Apparently south LA is a rough place, I didn't think it was too bad to be honest. The place that made me feel uneasy was the Bronx in New York. Gangs of guys literally on every corner staring at you, it was like a scene out of the Warriors getting the train there. Thinking about it now, I wasn't doing myself any favors walking around with an expensive camera around my neck looking like a tourist.