CarrieMpls said:

The championship game will be played on April 5, in the evening.

DevotedPuppy said:

Thanks!

I also saw Mars is on the thread, so he'd probably know.

DevotedPuppy said:

I was really hoping for a Duke-Kentucky game.....with Duke losing, of course. That would've kinda ruined my hopes of a Final 4 without any 1 or 2 seeds though. lol

What the HELL!!

AnckSuNamun said:

West Virginia will beat Duke.

uPtoWnNY said:

You do have to overcome CBS and the NCAA ensuring that dook would be a tv draw in the final four by giving them a ridiculously easy bracket and some helpful officiating.

We shall see. I would like to see it. It has been a VERY long time for West Virginia.

But this year more than ever it is anyone's game. Hell we might see Butler and Duke play!

KatSkrizzle said:

Shaky call aside, Baylor still could have won that game if they rebounded the damn ball.

uPtoWnNY said:

fingers crossed. lol

Looks like the 96-team tournament will happen. Bad move by the NCAA, imo.

Duke! The W. Virginia player, Shawn Butler, just f*cked up his knee while driving to the basket and does Duke even get a foul against them? Of course not.

uPtoWnNY said:

Why do you think it would be a bad move. I think it would make it allot more competitive.

shorttrini said:

Why water down the tournament? It kills the regular season and the conference tournaments. Make no mistake, it's nothing but money grab by the greedy, hypocritical NCAA suits. And fans(along with NCAA shills like Dick Vitale) have the nerve to trash players for leaving early for NBA riches. What a fucking joke.

uPtoWnNY said:

We'll see how it all pans out. I agree with Vitale for trashing those players that forgo their education for a chance to go to the pros. Not everyone is a Lebron or a Kobe. Get that degree, then the money.

shorttrini said:

Fuck Dick Vitale x100000. I wish he'd lose his voice permanently. I'm so sick of his jive.

Who the fuck is he to tell these kids(many from poor/working class backgrounds) not to take the loot - what American turns down money? March Madness generates millions - everyone gets paid off this tournament(including network suits, coaches, and kiss-asses like Vitale) except the cats doing the actual work. If a young man feels he's ready for the pros, that's HIS decision, and more power to him. You can get the degree later, get paid(like everyone else).

"If a kid wants to make me rich, he'll stay in school. If he wants to take care care of himself and his family, he'll go pro"(John Calipari). That's college sports in a nutshell.

uPtoWnNY said:

While all that is well and good, as I have said before, not everyone has the talent of a Lebron or Kobe. Vitale, is talking the truth, have something to fall back on, basketball is not forever. Allot of these players are imature and cannot handle the rigors of pro ball, one player that comes to mind is Jeremy Tyler. He made headlines last year when he decided to skip his senoir year in HS to go to Israel to play ball, only recently leave the team and come home. Yes, this is HS, but college is not much different. Stay in school, get that degree and then play.

What the NBA & NFL should do is have real minor league systems for cats who don't want to go to college. That way they can play ball, learn their craft and get paid. But they view the NCAA as a free minor league system, so they like the status quo. And everyone goes along with the hypocrisy and the lie that these young men are 'student-athletes', when in reality, many are hired mercenaries. The classes some of these dudes take, and the graduation rates are a joke. Big-time college basketball/football stopped being 'amateur' once the TV loot started pouring in. Now it's no different than any cold-blooded American business. One day I hope these young men wake up and realize they're being pimped.

uPtoWnNY said:

You are right. My brother in laws college buddy is an attorney that represents a lot of these ncaa school asst coaches. He said that kansas and iowa game cost him 100,000. He was working with an asst coach at kansas, but now since they lost, no deal.

But look at it like this, most rookies that go pro do leave too early and end up injured and don't play up to the expectations. Pro ball is nothing like college and i think a lot of these kids dont realize that. Many go pro and then dropped in 3 years after they do it. Then have to go back to school and sell real estate, insurance, etc (I've known quite a few).

KatSkrizzle said:

This is exactly my point. Allot of these college players have no idea what it is to play in the pros, some get injured and end up end up in doing just as you said. These kids, and their parents, need to wake up and smell the coffee.

shorttrini said:

It's because a lot of these kids don't have solid guidance at home. Or they smell themselves too much and don't listen. A lot of these ball players have family that is looking for the check just as much. It's such a hustle. And even pro ballers go borke after they retire. Keeping up the lifestyle. Shame, we are such a materialistic society.

KatSkrizzle said:

But they're over 18, so advise them on the risks involved, and let them make their own decision. That's life. 18-20 year olds can drive and go off to war, but we're telling them they can't play a friggin' game???? If THEY feel they're ready, let them pursue their dream(and deal with the consequences) like the rest of us.

No one makes a fuss over tennis and golf prodigies turning pro at a young age, so why the big deal over basketball? Football is different because of its physical nature. A 19-year-old is not ready for the pounding of the NFL. You need at least three years of seasoning in college.