Joe Lunardi Bracketology after beating the Illini; 2/25/2015

I would take a game against Kansas...Bill Self has a way of imploding come tournament time. I truly believe we beat Northwestern, and Penn State with no trouble. I also believe Indiana is going to sit for 6 days waiting for us...and Crean will crap his pants and Iowa will provide an epic meltdown for him in Bloomington. I then believe we can give Wisconsin everything they want...we may not win but I think this firmly plants us in a 6 seed spot. If we could somehow knock off Wisconsin and possibly win the B1G tournament then I really think a 5 seed is possible. I can promise you if we finish the season with consistency...NO ONE wants to play us in the Big Dance.
 
Knight78 said:
Really? They play in a weak conference are are not blowing opponents out of the gym. They would be by far the weakest #1 seed, if they are in fact awarded a #1 seed (they haven't earned it, IMHO).
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I knew the reason I just wanted somebody to say the phrase mid-major. This site has this Napoleon complex with Mid-Majors and I just don't see how all of these college basketball experts can be wrong about the Gonzaga's of the world and a few iowa fans on here be right about mid major's. I tend to lean toward the experts. Call me silly....
 
Fairfax said:
I knew the reason I just wanted somebody to say the phrase mid-major. This site has this Napoleon complex with Mid-Majors and I just don't see how all of these college basketball experts can be wrong about the Gonzaga's of the world and a few iowa fans on here be right about mid major's. I tend to lean toward the experts. Call me silly....
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Every expect I've heard has questioned whether Gonzaga deserves a 1 seed or not.
 
Fairfax said:
I knew the reason I just wanted somebody to say the phrase mid-major. This site has this Napoleon complex with Mid-Majors and I just don't see how all of these college basketball experts can be wrong about the Gonzaga's of the world and a few iowa fans on here be right about mid major's. I tend to lean toward the experts. Call me silly....
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Other than 1999, when they went to the Elite 8 and lost to UCONN, what have they done in the tournament? They've averaged 1 win in the tournament since 1999. He!!, we avg'd one win in the tournament for 13 years under Mr. Davis and that got him run out of town. Since 1999, they've continuously gotten smoked in their losses in the tournament. Half of their losses have been by 15 or more points.

Pretty easy to play in a crappy conference, get a good seed based on something you did 16 years ago, then get smoked year after year in the NCAAs.

Gonzaga is a paper tiger that I'd welcome matching up with in the 2nd round of the NCAA in a heartbeat.
 
Fairfax said:
I knew the reason I just wanted somebody to say the phrase mid-major. This site has this Napoleon complex with Mid-Majors and I just don't see how all of these college basketball experts can be wrong about the Gonzaga's of the world and a few iowa fans on here be right about mid major's. I tend to lean toward the experts. Call me silly....
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You go ahead and listen to your "experts." I will go with history. Here's Gonzaga in the NCAA...Year and Seed.

2014 (8) - Won by 8 then lost by 23
2013 (1) - Won by 6 then lost by 6...came close to being the first 1 seed ever to lose to a 16 seed
2012 (7) - Won by 23 then lost by 7
2011 (11) - Won by 15 then lost by 22
2010 (8) - Won by 7 then lost by 22
2009 (4) - Won by 13 then won by 2 then lost by 21
2008 (7) - Lost by 6
2007 (10) - Lost by 13
2006 (3) - Won by 10 then won by 4 then lost by 2
2005 (3) - Won by 10 then lost by 2
2004 (2) - Won by 27 then lost by 19
2003 (9) - Won by 5 then lost by 1
2002 (6) - Lost by 7

So above are the Zags last 13 NCAA Tournament "runs." They proved to be a top 64 team 3 times. They proved to be a top 32 team 8 times. They proved to be a top 16 team twice. Not once in the last 13 years did they prove to be a top 8 team...deserving of a 1 or 2 seed. They are a mid-major...arguably the best mid-major ever on a year to year basis. But they are still a mid-major and play like one in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Maybe I'll ask Jon about starting a Gonzaga forum.
That way, people that give a Rip about Gonzaga can stop hijacking HAWKEYE threads.

Go Hawks
 
Fairfax said:
I knew the reason I just wanted somebody to say the phrase mid-major. This site has this Napoleon complex with Mid-Majors and I just don't see how all of these college basketball experts can be wrong about the Gonzaga's of the world and a few iowa fans on here be right about mid major's. I tend to lean toward the experts. Call me silly....
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Gonzaga is a MidMajor that would finish 4th in the B1G, 5th in the Big12 and ACC. If you don't play in a good conference, you will never get any respect, that is just the way it is.
 
Fairfax said:
I knew the reason I just wanted somebody to say the phrase mid-major. This site has this Napoleon complex with Mid-Majors and I just don't see how all of these college basketball experts can be wrong about the Gonzaga's of the world and a few iowa fans on here be right about mid major's. I tend to lean toward the experts. Call me silly....
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Why would we call you silly when we much prefer d-bag. You keep pumping mid majors but what is the reality. How many mid majors have won the tournament. What percentage of mid majors make the final four. If you think mid majors are as good as the men's team league's they should be putting 3 out of four teams in the final four. Every few years a mid major makes a nice run and it's a feel good story but you're making UNI out to be a program that has had the success of a North Carolina or Kentucky. Let's see UNI schedule all their occ games against BIG opponents. Let's see you do that and then you can talk.
 
HawkIstate said:
Maybe I'll ask Jon about starting a Gonzaga forum.
That way, people that give a Rip about Gonzaga can stop hijacking HAWKEYE threads.

Go Hawks
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Iowa plays college basketball. Gonzaga plays college basketball. There is a little tournament coming up in 3 weeks. So other teams get discussed.
 
Fairfax said:
I knew the reason I just wanted somebody to say the phrase mid-major. This site has this Napoleon complex with Mid-Majors and I just don't see how all of these college basketball experts can be wrong about the Gonzaga's of the world and a few iowa fans on here be right about mid major's. I tend to lean toward the experts. Call me silly....
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But he didn't say mid-major, he said weak conference. You brought up "mid major", almost as if you have some kind of inferiority complex, why is that. BTW, who are the other "Gonzaga's" of the world? There's always a few mid major teams that make the Tourney, and usually a couple very good ones. That doesn't change the fact that those teams will almost always still be underdogs anything past the 1st/2nd rounds, why? because although they are good teams, they don't play good teams consistently in conference.

Dude, most every Hawk fan i know will probably pull for UNI in the Tourney. what about this don't you understand? We pull for UNI in all but one game a year. But please...continue....you're fun.
 
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docholihawk said:
Why would we call you silly when we much prefer d-bag. You keep pumping mid majors but what is the reality. How many mid majors have won the tournament. What percentage of mid majors make the final four. If you think mid majors are as good as the men's team league's they should be putting 3 out of four teams in the final four. Every few years a mid major makes a nice run and it's a feel good story but you're making UNI out to be a program that has had the success of a North Carolina or Kentucky. Let's see UNI schedule all their occ games against BIG opponents. Let's see you do that and then you can talk.
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Call me a ****** bag all you want. UNI or Wichita State could win the Big 10 this year and it will continue to be that way for years to come.
 
Fairfax said:
Call me a ****** bag all you want. UNI or Wichita State could win the Big 10 this year and it will continue to be that way for years to come.
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Creighton actually took the big boy step, didn't talk about "could". They were a dominent team in the MVC for the previous decade. They were Awesome last year(with POY Dougie fresh)....now...well....

Enjoy your success, UNI and the Shockers are quite good. Both would quite possibly be a top 2-4 team in the B1G this year. Wisc would easily beat them both. Last year the Shockers would have done well in the B1G, maybe even 2nd to 4th. UNI would have been middle of the road.

Let's not get too crazy here. Enjoy being a Very good, nationally ranked team.
 
Fairfax said:
Call me a ****** bag all you want. UNI or Wichita State could win the Big 10 this year and it will continue to be that way for years to come.
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Here's a fun exercise for you. Name UNI's best 3 wins this year, then name Wichita State's best 3 wins this year, then name Iowa's best 3 wins this year. Maybe then you'll wake up.
 
mopkins said:
Here's a fun exercise for you. Name UNI's best 3 wins this year, then name Wichita State's best 3 wins this year, then name Iowa's best 3 wins this year. Maybe then you'll wake up.
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I am an Iowa fan, but UNI kicked our butts on a neutral floor. UNI crushed northwestern , who we lost to. UNI and wichita state are easily upper division teams in the big ten, and i would love to see wisconsin or any other big ten team come to UNI this year. You obviously have not seen them play this year. They have 10 guys who can shoot 3's and actually make them. Depth upfront would be their weakness, but Iowa certainly didn't show much against them. The NCAA tournament is all about match ups. After watching both teams this year, i could see iowa winning 1 game at most, but I could see UNI winning 3. Their defense is much better than iowa's,even without a major shot blocker, and at times iowa's defense is pretty good. As long as iowa state loses, i don't care. It would just be cool to see any iowa team at least get to the sweet 16
 
ryno said:
UNI and wichita state are easily upper division teams in the big ten, and i would love to see wisconsin or any other big ten team come to UNI this year. You obviously have not seen them play this year. They have 10 guys who can shoot 3's and actually make them. Depth upfront would be their weakness, but Iowa certainly didn't show much against them. The NCAA tournament is all about match ups. After watching both teams this year, i could see iowa winning 1 game at most, but I could see UNI winning 3. Their defense is much better than iowa's,even without a major shot blocker, and at times iowa's defense is pretty good. As long as iowa state loses, i don't care. It would just be cool to see any iowa team at least get to the sweet 16
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I disagree with everything above...and I have seen them play multiple times. I just haven't seen them play anyone as good as Indiana, Illinois or Purdue...and those are middle of the pack teams in the Big 10. I think they will win their 1st game in the NCAA Tournament and lose their 2nd game...will have 2 days to prepare rather than weeks. I will be pulling for them. But I think they are somewhere in the top 32 not the top 16.
 
Fairfax said:
Call me a ****** bag all you want. UNI or Wichita State could win the Big 10 this year and it will continue to be that way for years to come.
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HAHAHA, UNI and Wichita St. finish upper middle of the pack in a real conference.

UNI had the exact same team last year and sucked ballz. UNI won't have anywhere as good of year next year as this one. They lose Tuttle, Buss, Singleton, and Mitchell. They lose 53% of their scorning, 53% of their rebounding, 52% of their assists. They will be right back to struggling to make the NIT next year.
 
Hey Dean, come on man, they will have Lohaus, Morgan, Bohannon, so I think they'll be ok.....(roll of the eyes).....:p
 
Again, I am not arguing that UNI is good, they are very good and if I'm being completely honest, they would be a hard win for Iowa even if the Hawks played well (not to mention they did whoop us already). What I am arguing is crazy pants Mcgee stating they could win the B10 this year and would be a contender yearly going forward. Hey, it's all conjecture on my part, but outside of the magic occaisional Cinderella school, smaller conference teams, even the really good ones, are gonna struggle to get past middle of the road in a power 5 conf, outside of the occaisional "magic" year.

Makes for good convo though.
 
ryno said:
I am an Iowa fan, but UNI kicked our butts on a neutral floor. UNI crushed northwestern , who we lost to. UNI and wichita state are easily upper division teams in the big ten, and i would love to see wisconsin or any other big ten team come to UNI this year. You obviously have not seen them play this year. They have 10 guys who can shoot 3's and actually make them. Depth upfront would be their weakness, but Iowa certainly didn't show much against them. The NCAA tournament is all about match ups. After watching both teams this year, i could see iowa winning 1 game at most, but I could see UNI winning 3. Their defense is much better than iowa's,even without a major shot blocker, and at times iowa's defense is pretty good. As long as iowa state loses, i don't care. It would just be cool to see any iowa team at least get to the sweet 16
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I couldn't have said it better. I might add that we don't lose to Northwestern.
 
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