2025-2026 B1G Basketball Thread

[OrangeAfroMan]

Florida won by 59 points.  

Entertainment?

[MaximumSam]

Florida won by 59 points. 

Entertainment?

Were you not entertained? 

[medinabuckeye1]

Florida won by 59 points. 

Entertainment?

Way upthread I suggested that conferences should only get an auto-bid if they have at least one team in the top-128 of NET.

You might be the only person here to agree but yeah, this is why.

[MaximumSam]

This is now officially the second consecutive NCAAT in which the 13+ seeds went 0-fer. That has never happened before.

Thoughts?

Is it just a random coincidence?

Are the top teams getting better?

Are the bottom teams getting worse?

Always hard to say although very clear that there is more talent in college now, and that coupled with player movement probably means the top teams are a good deal better now than they used to be.

[MaximumSam]

https://twitter.com/BriskerSZN/status/2035186813283840472?s=20

[FearlessF]

Way upthread I suggested that conferences should only get an auto-bid if they have at least one team in the top-128 of NET.

You might be the only person here to agree but yeah, this is why.

I could easily make it a 32 team tourney or 16

[betarhoalphadelta]

This is now officially the second consecutive NCAAT in which the 13+ seeds went 0-fer. That has never happened before.

Thoughts?

Is it just a random coincidence?

Are the top teams getting better?

Are the bottom teams getting worse?

Portal/NIL? 

As soon as these patsy teams have someone identified as actually being pretty good, they get snapped up by a bigger school for a payday?

So it's the top teams getting better and the bottom teams getting worse, yes... Because the top teams poach the best talent from the bottom. 

(But alas it could also be random coincidence.)

[betarhoalphadelta]

Braden Smith got the assists record, and Purdue dispatched Queens in a convincing manner, not close enough to raise my BP. 

Now let's get to the 2nd weekend. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I know we haven't seen @jhetfield99 around here in a while, but he's clearly still alive as he's hosting his annual bracket challenge. My wife and I both in it again.

Good news is out of 193 brackets, my wife is currently in 7th. My best (of 3) brackets is 24th right now, but I still have every team alive to the S16 and beyond.

My wife has 2 of her S16 teams gone and 1 of her E8 teams. But, I hope she wins the whole thing, since she's got Purdue going all the way and that's probably what it would take for her to end up in 1st...

[bayareabadger]

Portal/NIL?

As soon as these patsy teams have someone identified as actually being pretty good, they get snapped up by a bigger school for a payday?

So it's the top teams getting better and the bottom teams getting worse, yes... Because the top teams poach the best talent from the bottom.

(But alas it could also be random coincidence.)

Feels like some chance, some lack of continuity. 

Would be interested how that shifts with conference finish at the lower levels. 

[MaximumSam]

Portal/NIL?

As soon as these patsy teams have someone identified as actually being pretty good, they get snapped up by a bigger school for a payday?

So it's the top teams getting better and the bottom teams getting worse, yes... Because the top teams poach the best talent from the bottom.

(But alas it could also be random coincidence.)

Another reason I saw on Twitter has been the adoption of the NET over RPI, so the seeding is a lot better and less likely to put a crappy team on the three line.

[bayareabadger]

Another reason I saw on Twitter has been the adoption of the NET over RPI, so the seeding is a lot better and less likely to put a crappy team on the three line.

I was gonna say something about that too. You also wonder if it maybe does a better job of sorting up the 12 seeds.

[medinabuckeye1]

I was gonna say something about that too. You also wonder if it maybe does a better job of sorting up the 12 seeds.

Another reason I saw on Twitter has been the adoption of the NET over RPI, so the seeding is a lot better and less likely to put a crappy team on the three line.

This is a testable hypothesis because if there are less underseeded 13+ and less onerseedeed 1-4 then there should be more upsets in the 5/12 to 8/9 games, right? Particularly the 5/12 and 6/11.

[MaximumSam]

This is a testable hypothesis because if there are less underseeded 13+ and less onerseedeed 1-4 then there should be more upsets in the 5/12 to 8/9 games, right? Particularly the 5/12 and 6/11.

Hard to say because of all the other variables that have changed the sport since the NET started. But you would expect more evenly matched games the tighter the seed, and I think this year the 8/9 through 5/12 was 8-8 on each side.