We’re in!!!!!

[MichaelM]

Reading comprehension not one of your strengths? The article and Tweets are written by known sports columnists with a few more connections to the committee than any on this board have.

I can keep going with Dan Dakich and Jay Bilas if you'd like?

Sports columnists try to generate controversy. It's boring to read a someone who just states the obvious fact that Oklahoma had too good of a resume to leave out.

Anyway, good to have another active poster on the board!

 

[TulsaWorld]

Sorry for flooding posts here today, but tis the season I guess. Latest from Eric Bailey...

NORMAN – Lon Kruger’s attention immediately drifted to Ole Miss in the hours after Sunday’s NCAA Tournament pairings were released.

There’s not much familiarity between the schools – they’ve only played three times despite playing a century of college basketball – but by Friday’s 11:40 a.m. tip in Columbia, South Carolina, it’s a good bet that both will be well prepared.

“They play good basketball, like (Ole Miss coach) Kermit Davis’ teams always do,” Kruger said during a Monday conference call. “They are sound on both ends, they are attacking and mix the defenses up a little bit.”

 

[WichitaSooner]

Sorry for flooding posts here today, but tis the season I guess. Latest from Eric Bailey...

No apologies needed, keep 'em coming!

 

[BCSooners]

Sorry for flooding posts here today, but tis the season I guess. Latest from Eric Bailey...

Love reading the stuff

 

[Ghost of Gar Heard]

Everything is political and about money at least in part. If anyone thinks OU made the tournament last year without Trae's popularity being discussed in some form or fashion they are fooling themselves.

All things being equal, team A has a player like Trae and team B does not, who do you think gets the benefit of the doubt? The bottom line is getting eyeballs on the TV.

The committee does their best every year to make the tournament the best competition AND story they can. How many times have we seen a matchup between a former coach of Directional U now playing his former team in the tournament? The committee still puts Duke and Kentucky in a possible high drama position if both teams regular seasons have warranted it.

There is no doubt Trae was the elephant in the room last year.

Because just look how Indiana made it this year with their long pedigree & 2 outstanding, highlight-reel freshmen.

 

[paboomersooner1]

Because just look how Indiana made it this year with their long pedigree & 2 outstanding, highlight-reel freshmen.

And they are...? ESPN had a nightly "Trae Tracker" on their crawl. No comparison.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sou...cgRi&ust=1553087651012066&cshid=1553001247209

“I swear to God, Trae Young was going to get into the NCAA Tournament no matter what,” Dakich said. “[ESPN] pumped [Young] up so hard. … You can’t tell me that inside a committee room like, ‘look, this guy really sells tickets. He’s been the face of college basketball. We can’t leave him out.'”
Dakich wasn’t the only analyst to discredit Oklahoma’s NCAA bid.

ESPN College GameDay panelist Jay Bilas was also critical of the selection committee’s decision.

Via 247Sports.com’s Brad Crawford:


“We probably should’ve known Oklahoma was going to get in,” Bilas said during ESPN’s NCAA Tournament reaction show. “The (selection) committee had them 16th in their reveal, which is crazy town. The committee revealed they thought more highly of Oklahoma than anyone who was watching (the games).

“They weren’t close to the 16th best team when it was all said and done. It’s almost unjustifiable.”

 

[WichitaSooner]

And they are...? ESPN had a nightly "Trae Tracker" on their crawl. No comparison.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sou...cgRi&ust=1553087651012066&cshid=1553001247209

“I swear to God, Trae Young was going to get into the NCAA Tournament no matter what,” Dakich said. “[ESPN] pumped [Young] up so hard. … You can’t tell me that inside a committee room like, ‘look, this guy really sells tickets. He’s been the face of college basketball. We can’t leave him out.'”
Dakich wasn’t the only analyst to discredit Oklahoma’s NCAA bid.

ESPN College GameDay panelist Jay Bilas was also critical of the selection committee’s decision.

Via 247Sports.com’s Brad Crawford:


“We probably should’ve known Oklahoma was going to get in,” Bilas said during ESPN’s NCAA Tournament reaction show. “The (selection) committee had them 16th in their reveal, which is crazy town. The committee revealed they thought more highly of Oklahoma than anyone who was watching (the games).

“They weren’t close to the 16th best team when it was all said and done. It’s almost unjustifiable.”

You do realize that there are literally hundreds of college basketball analysts, right? And that any number of us can find articles in which many analysts completely disagree with these two? Also, these guys are game analysts, not bracket experts. So while I absolutely trust them break down on court stuff, I'll trust the guys who analyze the committee and brackets for a living when it comes to this stuff. To a man, they will tell you that all of these conspiracy theories are absolute crap. Someone tweeted Jerry Palm last week saying that they expected such and such a team to make it because it would increase revenue. His response was simple: how on Earth does one team making the tournament affect the bottom line? Think about what you are saying for a second. The ads have been bought long before Selection Sunday.

I suggest you look up any of the dozens of articles written by media members who have been given full access to the mock bracket process.

Also, you do realize ESPN doesn't broadcast the tournament, right? So I don't think their Trae graphics weighed much on the mind of the committee or CBS.

 

[TulsaWorld]

Pre-tourney trivia: Who are the four players in this photo?

If you know the answer, you might enjoy this 2002 Final Four season gallery.

Answers in caption here

 

[oudna]

Selvey and McGhee in the middle

 

[skyvue]

And let's break it down in purely practical terms: Not much was expected of OU in the tourney last year (to say the least), so if the committee did go against their stated policies in shoe-horning OU into the field, what was their motivation?

The chances of OU getting past even the second round were very slim. So when exactly would this spike in viewership occur? Rounds 1 and 2 are when interest in the tourney is at its peak. That's when most of the upsets occur and it's when more casual fans and non-fans are watching.

Can we imagine any viewer saying to him/herself, "I was going to skip Round 1 of the tourney this year, but Trae Young and the Sooners are facing off against Rhode Island in the 12:15 game. I think maybe I'll tune in, after all"?

A true fan is watching Round 1, period. And if they opt to watch OU/RI, they're choosing it over another game. That's not a boost in viewership, it's a shuffling of existing viewership. A casual fan is in much the same boat -- Round 1 is when they are most likely to watch. They might have chosen our game because of Trae, but if OU wasn't in the field, they would have been watching some other game.

A non-fan probably takes part in a pool at the office every year and watches the first round or two until his/her bracket falls to pieces and then moves on. But it's the buzz around the tourney and the longshot hopes of winning a few bucks that motivates him/her to watch. A non-fan couldn't have told you last March who the heck Trae Young was; s/he is just watching because it's the thing to do and again, if s/he wasn't watching OU/RI, s/he would have been watching some other game.

 

[Sooner04]

Michael Cano, Daryan Selvy, Aaron McGhee, Richard Ainooson

What do I win?

It's shocking how maroon our red had become back then. Nike fixed it the next year once we became "Elite" after the Final Four run.

 

[TulsaWorld]

What do I win?

It's shocking how maroon our red had become back then. Nike fixed it the next year once we became "Elite" after the Final Four run.

I was just posting it for fun (and to show how different the uniforms looked less than 20 years ago), but if you all had fun with that I can post more trivia as we dive into our archives leading up to the tournament.

Our latest pre-tourney coverage is on retiring trainer Alex Brown...

On Friday, the Sooners open NCAA Tournament play with a first-round game against Mississippi in Columbia. Brown — who has more NCAA Tournament experience than anyone involved with the basketball program — will cherish every minute of this postseason ride.

After 32 years, Brown will retire when OU’s season is complete. Friday will mark the 52nd time he has been on the bench for an NCAA Tournament game. He has been to three Final Fours and 21 previous NCAA Tournaments. He has only missed five games over three-plus decades of work.

Who knew in 1980 that Brown would spend nearly four decades in the state of Oklahoma? His career began at East Central University in Ada for seven years before shifting to OU in 1987. He never intended to stay at OU, but the 63-year-old has bled crimson for a long time.

“He’s just a terrific guy and an extremely good caregiver and very sincere with the players,” OU coach Lon Kruger said. “He’s only motivated by their well-being and getting them back on the floor in a healthy way. … He’s served Oklahoma at the highest level for 32-plus years. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Would you like another trivia question?

Who is the Sooners player pictured above? Just kidding.

This is one of our file photos from 1985, when Tulsa's Mabee Center (at ORU's campus) hosted the opening rounds. So, here's the real trivia question:

Which two teams did OU beat in those opening Tulsa rounds in a 1985 postseason that eventually led to the Elite Eight?

Your answer is here

 

[paboomersooner1]

You do realize that there are literally hundreds of college basketball analysts, right? And that any number of us can find articles in which many analysts completely disagree with these two? Also, these guys are game analysts, not bracket experts. So while I absolutely trust them break down on court stuff, I'll trust the guys who analyze the committee and brackets for a living when it comes to this stuff. To a man, they will tell you that all of these conspiracy theories are absolute crap. Someone tweeted Jerry Palm last week saying that they expected such and such a team to make it because it would increase revenue. His response was simple: how on Earth does one team making the tournament affect the bottom line? Think about what you are saying for a second. The ads have been bought long before Selection Sunday.

I suggest you look up any of the dozens of articles written by media members who have been given full access to the mock bracket process.

Also, you do realize ESPN doesn't broadcast the tournament, right? So I don't think their Trae graphics weighed much on the mind of the committee or CBS.

What I have been stating is not hard to understand or believe. Agree to disagree.

 

[NMSooner'80]

I was just posting it for fun (and to show how different the uniforms looked less than 20 years ago), but if you all had fun with that I can post more trivia as we dive into our archives leading up to the tournament.

Our latest pre-tourney coverage is on retiring trainer Alex Brown...



Would you like another trivia question?

Who is the Sooners player pictured above? Just kidding.

This is one of our file photos from 1985, when Tulsa's Mabee Center (at ORU's campus) hosted the opening rounds. So, here's the real trivia question:

Which two teams did OU beat in those opening Tulsa rounds in a 1985 postseason that eventually led to the Elite Eight?

Your answer is here

OU beat North Carolina A&T and then Illinois State. Neither was a raging blowout, though.

 

[TulsaWorld]

OU beat North Carolina A&T and then Illinois State. Neither was a raging blowout, though.

It still must have been fun to watch at an in-state site, though. When Tulsa's BOK Center got the first/second round bids, I was hopeful that an in-state team would have a good enough season one of these times to get to play in front of Oklahoma fans. At least OU got OKC during the 2016 Final Four run

Today's pre-tournament feature is on Miles Reynolds...

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Miles Reynolds had never played on a winning college basketball team until this season.

Oklahoma’s graduate transfer was on two losing teams at Saint Louis and, after looking for a brighter future at Pacific, still faced a wide gulf after another sub-.500 season in his personal chase for the NCAA Tournament.

Reynolds won’t ask for forgiveness for the smile still on his face or for the way he leaped into Jamuni McNeace’s arms shortly after OU was announced in this year’s 68-team field.

“It meant everything,” Reynolds said Tuesday after practice. “It was the No. 1 reason why I committed to come to OU last spring. We were working so hard towards that goal.

“It’s kind of expected here at OU. But me, coming from other programs that haven’t gotten the chance to make the Big Dance, it meant a lot. I put a lot of work in these past three or four years. Getting the opportunity to finish it out in the Big Dance and hopefully make a big run in it would be everything that I dreamed of and everything I’ve worked for.”

Also, the Tulsa World ran All-NCAA tourney team features on our four in-state teams this week, as well as a "catching up with..." feature on a former player. Today, it was OU's turn, and Eric Bailey caught up with Hollis Price...

Hollis Price will turn 40 years old this year.

How can that be? It seems like only yesterday when the fiery Oklahoma point guard was leading the Sooners to 20-win seasons and a Final Four run for coach Kelvin Sampson.

These days, Price still is side-by-side with his college coach at the University of Houston. Price is the basketball program’s director of player development, which means he serves as a liaison between coaches and players.

“It’s easy for me to push the button with these guys and try to see what we can get out of them,” Price said last week. “I’ve been in their shoes. I know exactly what Coach is thinking from a player’s standpoint. Now, being on his staff, I know what he expects from a coach’s standpoint.”

Here's a link to our All-NCAA tournament OU team. Lots of fun old photos from our archives and Associated Press' archives in there.

 

[BoulderSooner]

good stuff thank you

 

[SoonerTraveler]

Thank you Tulsa!

 

[paboomersooner1]

You do realize that there are literally hundreds of college basketball analysts, right? And that any number of us can find articles in which many analysts completely disagree with these two? Also, these guys are game analysts, not bracket experts. So while I absolutely trust them break down on court stuff, I'll trust the guys who analyze the committee and brackets for a living when it comes to this stuff. To a man, they will tell you that all of these conspiracy theories are absolute crap. Someone tweeted Jerry Palm last week saying that they expected such and such a team to make it because it would increase revenue. His response was simple: how on Earth does one team making the tournament affect the bottom line? Think about what you are saying for a second. The ads have been bought long before Selection Sunday.

I suggest you look up any of the dozens of articles written by media members who have been given full access to the mock bracket process.

Also, you do realize ESPN doesn't broadcast the tournament, right? So I don't think their Trae graphics weighed much on the mind of the committee or CBS.

I'm sure you can find many analysts that disagree with these two. I can also find multiple "pollologists" over the decades from Timbuktu and other far off places that awarded Alabama a football natty that their school and fans claim as legitimate. I picked Bilas and Dakich for their access, knowledge and reputation. They are also well respected by most. I think they have had conversations with past and present committee members. Also, they work with Lunardi for goodness sake. I think they've spoken.

Of course the ads have been bought prior to Selection Sunday. The advertising price points are set according to past years performance. That's why they keep track of ratings. Specifically to adjust the rates according to the market and numbers of eyes on the TV.

The tournament isn't on ESPN?! So I have been watching The NIT all these years thinking it was the NCAA'S?! Penn State is not the reigning national champs?

I think the committee and CBS were well aware of Trae Young's popularity and how much ESPN was pumping him up throughout the year. Trae was must see TV as much as college basketball can be must see TV in January and February. Again, if several of the last teams considered are equal or very close to being equal, its not far fetched to believe a transcendent player may give a team an edge over others.

What I am suggesting is not the JFK assassination (Wichita) or the moon landing. It's really not that far out of the realm of possibility.

It's actually a pointless argument. It can't be proven one way or the other unless a current or former member would confirm and even then some would believe and some would not.

 

[TINY]

I'm sure you can find many analysts that disagree with these two. I can also find multiple "pollologists" over the decades from Timbuktu and other far off places that awarded Alabama a football natty that their school and fans claim as legitimate. I picked Bilas and Dakich for their access, knowledge and reputation. They are also well respected by most. I think they have had conversations with past and present committee members. Also, they work with Lunardi for goodness sake. I think they've spoken.

Of course the ads have been bought prior to Selection Sunday. The advertising price points are set according to past years performance. That's why they keep track of ratings. Specifically to adjust the rates according to the market and numbers of eyes on the TV.

The tournament isn't on ESPN?! So I have been watching The NIT all these years thinking it was the NCAA'S?! Penn State is not the reigning national champs?

I think the committee and CBS were well aware of Trae Young's popularity and how much ESPN was pumping him up throughout the year. Trae was must see TV as much as college basketball can be must see TV in January and February. Again, if several of the last teams considered are equal or very close to being equal, its not far fetched to believe a transcendent player may give a team an edge over others.

It's actually a pointless argument. It can't be proven one way or the other unless a current or former member would confirm and even then some would believe and some would not.

If we are to believe dakich and bilas and ou made it because of Trae and the increased ratings, then why did they not put him/ou in the play-in game? That would have been a great opportunity to get 2 games of Trae for the price of 1.

 

[TulsaWorld]

Thank you for all of the kind words in this thread. Here's our preview headlines from today, with excerpts of each...

OU in NCAA 2019: Sooners banking on NCAA Tournament experience against Ole Miss

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The NCAA Tournament road was a speedway for a young Rashard Odomes.

As a freshman, the Oklahoma guard joined his teammates in a Final Four run. By no means was the path easy, but postseason success became an expectation.

Since that special 2015-16 season, the Sooners haven’t celebrated a March Madness victory.

Odomes’ career has been “full of ups and downs,” he said Thursday. “My first year, we had so much team success and our second year we didn’t have so much. It’s the last year for this group of seniors and we want to go out the right way.

“We want to make a run.”

OU in NCAA 2019: Storyline, key matchup to watch and players to watch

Early confidence needed: Despite the excitement surrounding their inclusions into the NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma and Ole Miss are limping into March Madness. OU has lost eight of its past 12 games, and the Rebels have dropped five of their past seven. The team that finds confidence early Friday could carry that into a second-round matchup against either top-seeded Virginia or Gardner-Webb.

Key matchup

Oklahoma’s Kristian Doolittle versus Ole Miss’ Bruce Stevens: The forwards aren’t super-tall (Doolittle is 6-foot-7 and Stevens is 6-8), but both are depended upon to be an inside presence. Doolittle is the Big 12’s most improved player and has scored in double figures in 10 straight games, Stevens has averaged 10.8 points over the past five games and is the Rebels’ second-leading rebounder.

OU in NCAA 2019 notebook: Jamuni McNeace shrugging off ankle injury, doesn't want 'any excuses'

Oklahoma’s Jamuni McNeace went full speed Thursday during the open practice at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

The senior center has battled a right ankle injury all season and aggravated it during a March 13 loss to West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament.

“I’m just going to say it is 10 out of 10 so I don’t have any excuses,” McNeace said the day before the Sooners take on Ole Miss in a South Regional game. “It’s sore, but I’m not going to let it bother me or affect me. When you get going in a game, you really don’t feel any pain.”

Good luck in today's game!