...when UNC went on to win it all.
The only other time a conference has seen eight or more entrants get bounced before the S16 was the Big East in 2011 when they sent 11 and only two made it to the second weekend. One of them was UConn, who also ended up winning it all.
More fun tidbits: the 84ppg M's averaging crushes the last two tourneys (under 66ppg avg) when Michigan struggled to replicate strong regular season shooting/scoring in the Dance. This team is loose and scoring consistently, with so many ways to get buckets. Sunday they'll meet an FSU team that scored 13 pts in the first 14 min vs Colorado. Yes, they can D, and 29th in D-efficiency is strong, but not as strong as M's #9 defensive ranking. Sound a defender as Livers is, Johns/Williams is looking more and more like a wash on that end.
Don't really care which opponent Michigan gets in the E8, should they dispatch with FSU as I am steadily getting more confident they will. UCLA should be the easier out, but losing to them would sting in a way losing to the Tide wouldn't. Just want to advance, but would be cool to get to the F4 facing the 4 toughest-possible seeds on the way.
Go Blue!
EDIT: Just remembered another kind nugget: if it's possible for the media to represent a team as more destined to win it all than Gonzaga this year, it would have to be Kentucky 2015. Who lost to 1-seeded Wisconsin. In the F4. How many more parallels can there be??
Don't get me wrong, would love to have a shot at paying back the Ducks (beginning with 2003 football I think), but the Zags got games from WVU and BYU, and beat Iowa by half as many as Michigan did (means very little, I know haha). If they have an off-night they can get rolled, and they'll be feeling a ton of pressure in the last weekend, if they're still around....
The only other time a conference has seen eight or more entrants get bounced before the S16 was the Big East in 2011 when they sent 11 and only two made it to the second weekend. One of them was UConn, who also ended up winning it all.
More fun tidbits: the 84ppg M's averaging crushes the last two tourneys (under 66ppg avg) when Michigan struggled to replicate strong regular season shooting/scoring in the Dance. This team is loose and scoring consistently, with so many ways to get buckets. Sunday they'll meet an FSU team that scored 13 pts in the first 14 min vs Colorado. Yes, they can D, and 29th in D-efficiency is strong, but not as strong as M's #9 defensive ranking. Sound a defender as Livers is, Johns/Williams is looking more and more like a wash on that end.
Don't really care which opponent Michigan gets in the E8, should they dispatch with FSU as I am steadily getting more confident they will. UCLA should be the easier out, but losing to them would sting in a way losing to the Tide wouldn't. Just want to advance, but would be cool to get to the F4 facing the 4 toughest-possible seeds on the way.
Go Blue!
EDIT: Just remembered another kind nugget: if it's possible for the media to represent a team as more destined to win it all than Gonzaga this year, it would have to be Kentucky 2015. Who lost to 1-seeded Wisconsin. In the F4. How many more parallels can there be??
Don't get me wrong, would love to have a shot at paying back the Ducks (beginning with 2003 football I think), but the Zags got games from WVU and BYU, and beat Iowa by half as many as Michigan did (means very little, I know haha). If they have an off-night they can get rolled, and they'll be feeling a ton of pressure in the last weekend, if they're still around....
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