Who are you mid February Final Four teams

[beaner]

Pitt

UConn

WVU

Marquette

What Gesh forgot to mention was the rest of his elite 8 was Syracuse, Villanova, Louisville, and Georgetown...

Oh, and his sweet 16 adds Providence, Rutgers, South Florida, De Paul, St Johns, Seton Hall, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati.

[geschinger]

What Gesh forgot to mention was the rest of his elite 8 was Syracuse, Villanova, Louisville, and Georgetown...

Oh, and his sweet 16 adds Providence, Rutgers, South Florida, De Paul, St Johns, Seton Hall, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati.

Heh, you just about nailed it.

Seriously though I do think this is the year for at least two Big East teams in the big dance. I can't predict without seeing brackets but I do think at least two out of the Pitt, UConn, Marquette, Louisville quartet will be playing in Detroit.

[beaner]

Heh, you just about nailed it.

Seriously though I do think this is the year for at least two Big East teams in the big dance. I can't predict without seeing brackets but I do think at least two out of the Pitt, UConn, Marquette, Louisville quartet will be playing in Detroit.

I just don't see Pitt and Marquette, I mentioned my reasons earlier in the thread.

Louisville and UCONN I can definitely make a case for. The brackets will be interesting to say the least.

[YardBirds13]

I hate doing this. Trying to pick Final 4 teams in February is silly, because it really all depends on how the brackets look.

Who are the 4 best teams in the country?

I think Pitt, UNC, and UConn are definitely the 3 best IMO.

After them Louisville, Oklahoma (if Griffin is 100%), Duke, Memphis (who I honestly have only seen play once in the past month and a half, want to watch them agaisnt UAB on Thursday) would be in a battle for the 4th best team.

Also, this is, to me, a year where you could see a couple higher-seeded teams in the Final 4, because although those teams are good, they all have pretty glaring weaknesses.

[Sports Guy]

Why are so many of you overrating Marquette?

I don't think they make it out of the first weekend.

UCONN without Dyson really hurts them...They would have been an easy final 4 pick with him IMO but they don't score enough without him on a consistent basis to win IMO.

[YardBirds13]

Why are so many of you overrating Marquette?

I don't think they make it out of the first weekend.

UCONN without Dyson really hurts them...They would have been an easy final 4 pick with him IMO but they don't score enough without him on a consistent basis to win IMO.[/QUOTE]

I think they miss Dyson more on the defensive end. He was their best perimeter defender, and now they have to rely on a freshman (Walker) or a much less talented player (Austrie) to defend the opponent's best perimeter player. Sure, they miss his scoring, but watching Fields take over the game when they played Pitt made me worry a little bit about their perimeter defense. Still think they are one of the best 3 in the country though.

And I don't know what to make of Marquette. They have had a relatively easy schedule in the Big East so far, lets see how they finish thier last 4 games. Their last 4 are brutal. But as of right now, I am not counting out Marquette. Hayward isn't huge on the inside but he is a solid player, and James, Matthews, and McNeal are about as good as it gets on the outside.

McNeal is an NBA guy IMO.

But again, I choose to wait and see how Marquette does in these last 4 games (especially against UCONN) before I make up my mind on them.

[beaner]

The way the tourney has gone in recent memory, good guard play gets you to the Sweet 16, but not farther unless there is an inside presence. Marquette's guards are in the top 3 in the country, no question. But they have zero inside game. I see them winning a game or two but that's it.

[YardBirds13]

The way the tourney has gone in recent memory, good guard play gets you to the Sweet 16, but not farther unless there is an inside presence. Marquette's guards are in the top 3 in the country, no question. But they have zero inside game. I see them winning a game or two but that's it.

Hayward is no slouch. He can't compete one on one with a guy like Blair or Thabeet, but he is a solid player.

Let's wait and see how Marquette finishes the season with this tough 4 game stretch.

I tend to agree with you that they won't be much more than a Sweet 16 team at best, but I want to see how they do agaisnt some stiff competition first before I write them off.

[waroriole]

I'll go:

UNC

Wake

Pitt

Michigan State

[YardBirds13]

I'll go:

UNC

Wake

Pitt

Michigan State

Unless they are playing the Regionals in Winston-Salem I can't see Wake getting too far into the tournament.

They have really struggled on the road this year.

[waroriole]

Unless they are playing the Regionals in Winston-Salem I can't see Wake getting too far into the tournament.

They have really struggled on the road this year.

They have some very impressive wins this year, including snapping the nation's longest home court winning streak at BYU. They certainly have the capabilities to go all the way.

[beaner]

Hayward is no slouch. He can't compete one on one with a guy like Blair or Thabeet, but he is a solid player.

Let's wait and see how Marquette finishes the season with this tough 4 game stretch.

I tend to agree with you that they won't be much more than a Sweet 16 team at best, but I want to see how they do agaisnt some stiff competition first before I write them off.

Tough break for Marquette tonight, losing James with a broken foot. It's a shame with him being a Senior. Hate to see that.

[Sports Guy]

Unless they are playing the Regionals in Winston-Salem I can't see Wake getting too far into the tournament.

They have really struggled on the road this year.

Wake has 2 lottery picks and another first rounder on their team...They have size and good guard play.

The questions are this:

1) Will their youth catch up to them in the tourney?

2) Can Gaudio do enough good coaching to get them deep into the tourney?

[YardBirds13]

Wake has 2 lottery picks and another first rounder on their team...They have size and good guard play.

The questions are this:

1) Will their youth catch up to them in the tourney?

2) Can Gaudio do enough good coaching to get them deep into the tourney?

I just want to see them play better on the road first. They have lost to Georgia Tech, Miami and NC State on the road in the ACC, and still go to UVA and Maryland.

I know they have lots of NBA picks, but that is not what I look for in a team that can go deep in the tournament.

To me, you have to have:

1- Solid guard play

2- Some sort of interior presence

3- Ability to win on the road

4- Some sort of veteran or senior leadership

I don't think Wake has 3 or 4, and that concerns me a lot. I know Teague, Aminu, and Johnson are great. But they have been pretty mediocre outside of Lawrence Joel this year if you ask me.

They could actually impress me alot by winning at the Comcast Center.