WHAT WE GOT…
WHAT WE GOT
By The Fillerbuster
The Cast 032618
This is totally off the cuff. Just some quick notes on the Final Four. 30 minutes door to door.
The tourney is designed for imperfection. That is what makes it an imperfect and a perfect system all in one. We root for the Cinderellas. We root for the blue bloods. We root for the good stories. We root for our team. The tourney doesn’t care. Not one bit. It is all about surviving and advancing six consecutive games against surprise foes.
So, what did we end up with?
MICHIGAN: Eat my words, I did. I don’t trust the hot team heading into the tourney. I don’t trust the one with a PG who shoots 51% from the FT line. I don’t trust a team that has seasoned Gonzaga and UNC in their region. And they DID advance past Houston on a semi-prayer. But, here we are. If this was the NBA, Michigan would be the Raptors or Celtics. They survived the weaker side of the draw and the blue bloods are on the other side. AND, they advanced with Mo Wagner hitting nothing from outside in their last game. But, they have what it takes no matter HOW they got there. They have height, they have snipers, they have a seasoned coach who has been there, and they have athleticism. Do I love this team? No. But, they are the most flawed team either. They need two more games. That is it, no matter what I say about them. I am just glad for once the rest of the world outside of Michigan will NOT be rooting for them.
LOYOLA-CHICAGO: Thanks for the money, Sister Jean. I was tired of losing against Loyola-Chicago, so I bet on Sister Jean’s troops in the last one and that paid off. They are not the most adorable Cinderella the tourney has ever seen. VCU had excitement. George Mason had massive flaws and a lovable coach and was going THROUGH ALL the giants and blue bloods. But, it is still a great story and they are the underdogs. They are the Cinderella. But, they are like a stuffed animal that is a cow. It is still cute and something a kid would like just because it is a stuffed animal, but there are many, many stuffed animals a kid would rather have. Semi-adorable. You can’t be totally adorable when you have already WON the whole thing, decades ago or not. Moving on. But, I said this before and I will say it again. After watching every single game of this tourney, I admit that they are GOOD. They have free throw shooting, snipers, a freshman big man always looking for his teammates cutting, OK depth, and a defense that will line up with anyone. They are the poor man’s Nova, as most people would take Custer and Richardson as their guards…except Nova. They are SOLID. And they get the worst of the blue bloods left. That is an advantage also. They might not WIN against Michigan, but I probably will take the points or money line and root for them until the end.
VILLANOVA: Boring. Robotic. Good. They have size, snipers, depth, ball handling, characters, stretch big men, and a coach and players that have been there AND won it. What do you say about them? They allow you to play close for a bit, and then put their foot on your throat as they slowly get hot. And, it is also true that you can beat them by turning them over and hitting your outside shots. WVU was the one team they have faced programmed for that, but they fell short. Texas Tech is another example of a good defensive team with no snipers that eventually NEEDED snipers. Those teams don’t typically make the promised land. Good draw? Sure. Good team. Yes, and then some. No close games and they beat who was in front of them. With Gonzaga, UVA, Arizona, and other teams that could match up with them out, I find it very hard to bet against them.
KANSAS: Wow, does Azubuike make a difference. Part of me would have LOVED for him to match up against Ayton in the final game like the college version of the Ewing vs. Hakeem NBA Finals, but we are past that. Here is what I find interesting. IF there was a team he could stay out of foul trouble against, Nova might be it, with all of their stretch big men shooters. Less inside fouls. And Graham is the GUY who can lead them to the promised land. They have shooters too. Their depth scares me, but I was also the guy who thought their depth would have already sent them home. So, now they are two games away from a title. IN the same city Bill Self won his first one. Karma? Good tidings? Maybe, but they need to survive the buzzsaw that is Nova. So, I will also go on record saying that Nova will win this game, but I won’t be surprised if KU wins and will be taking the points and rooting for them the whole time. Mykhailiuk is quickly becoming my favorite player these days. And he has HOPS along with deadeye shooting. And with Malik Newman joining the star parade at KU in this tourney suddenly, they can be downright scary when they get in a groove. De Sousa is a serviceable backup for Udoka.
So, who do I predict?
The odds say Nova and Michigan, and that would be the best game for the masses. Two blue bloods with the best team and hottest team.
I will root for KU and Loyola and think both have a fighter’s chance.
Who do I THINK? I smell something in the water on the right side. I think if Bill Self only had two days to prepare for Nova, he wouldn’t stand a chance. I think having the full week of prep will give him a plan. And he has the horses to do it in 40 minutes as opposed to a best of seven.
KU vs. Michigan in the final. KU will take it.
But GO Loyola-Chicago…
MOVIES:
Unsane: The movie is one hour of brilliance and 40 minutes of realizing their great movie idea had no resolution, so I felt like they winged it. But, getting locked up in a facility as an allegedly sane person IS a semi-fresh idea. Don’t waste time at the theater. Rent it.
I, Tonya: I was impressed with the acting, impressed with the fluid plot movement, and impressed with the skate scenes as far as realism. I was somewhat weirded out by the people in the interview flashbacks talking to the camera. Good movie though. I always nitpick everything.
Justice League: Glad they made Aquaman a badass (although he didn’t do anything except fight-no fish), big names doing a decent job, and I will always have problems with bringing a comic book to the screen in a serious attempt as opposed to keeping it light. I am glad they cracked on Batman having no actual abilities, and didn’t know we were making Superman SUCH a badass that the world can’t survive without him. Watchable.
Links that save you time on the internet of things:
And THAT is what I got…
That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed or are at least more informed. I will write another focus article over the weekend. Will I blog again? That is a CLOWN question, bro. Peace.