So The MV- the U made it out of the first game alive and frankly...great!  I hope that ends your comparison of the 2012-13 U to the none and done Mizzou 2011

Lev, win tonight against a very pedestrian Illinois team and I'll be satisfied.  Win by at least 7 points and I'll even be happy.

 @The MV - the game will be full of streaks. Miami will take a commanding lead but manage to give it up by halftime. It will be close at half. With 10 min left, the U will take it up another gear and win by double digits while shooting lights out from 3 and the line.  75-62 U - Sweet 16 here we come!  See ya in DC 

I don't get it Lev. I ONLY pull for GW basketball. I could care less about Ohio State basketball and can barely name ANY players on their team. To each his own I guess.

herve, I don't know about Lev but I spent four years at GW and seven at Florida.  While I always root for the Colonials when they play the Gators (I've seen the two meet in men's and women's basketball and baseball) and think one's first degree should be one's first allegiance, I've spent seven more years as a student at UF than the average Florida fan so I've got no qualms pulling for them when they aren't playing G-Dub.  

 Ha...Ohio State.  Yes, to each his own Herve.  Aside- love ya buddy.  Looking forward to a fantastic GW team next year ;) 

I got no problems with it either, I just barely have time to cheer for one team and my loyalties are few and far between.

For what its worth,  I only have two teams.  Shockingly, one is still playing in late March and trying to advance to our first Sweet 16 since Rice led us in 2000.  D wasn't born yet and lord only knows it may be another decade or so before we have a national champ caliber team!   Let go U 

I work at a D2 university so I catch most of the men's and women's home games in person since they're free, my daughter seems to like them, and I've taught a few of the kids.  Plus it's hard to get too worked up over D2 so the games are relaxing in a way D1 games aren't.  When it comes to GW and UF I don't live in either DC or Gainesville so I catch at most a quarter of their games on the TV or Internet but mostly follow them in the box scores.  Maybe once a week or less I'll catch part of a game on TV that doesn't involve one of the teams I root for.  So with the three teams I follow I probably put in about the same time into college hoops as your average GW season ticket holder.

 Winners hit FT's to close out tight games.  Winners manage to pull out a victory even though their offense was slowed by excellent D.  

Miami finished the game 9-9 from the line.  Larkin Scott and Brown didn't miss under 2 min - any shot. 

Sweet 16 and DC here we come! 

I'm not going to make an accusation that some NCAA games are fixed, and I certainly would never accuse the University of Miami for partaking in some nefarious activity.  But let's face it, if it ever came out for a fact that some games are fixed, this one is a prime candidate.  First, Miami still won the game while failing to cover the spread, the very definition of what would almost have to happen.  Second, in the first half, the big fat Hurricane had a clear path to the basket for a layup or dunk and then fumbles the ball out of bounds.  They sit his ass down and the cameras show him on the bench laughing away.  My wife comments that he looks like a fun, jolly guy.  I comment that he looks like he's in on it.  In the second half, Paul hits a wide open 3, no Hurricane within a zip code from him.  OK, that happens.  On their very next possession, when Miami defenders now have to be fully aware that Paul can beat them from the outside, an Illinios big sets a pick for Paul.  Now, if you really don't know how to play pick and roll defense, the instinctive play would be for both defenders to gravitate towards the shooter, who just made a 3 on the last possession.  Instead, both cover the big, leaving Paul for another wide open 3 on back-to-back possessions.

To be fair, Miami has proved themselves well past the Missouri team of a year ago.  However, they are either the most overrated team I've seen this season or at least a few Canes enjoyed a nice payday on Sunday night.

The MV, you make a strong case.  Please forward your reflections to the NCAA compliance office and your local FBI office. 

 Interesting that one of the main reasons Miami didnt get a 1 seed is that they lost during the season to Flirida Gulf Coast. 

 @The MV- that was the best piece of fiction I've read in quite some time.  Thank you for that laugh. Imagine we missed a FT at any point during the end game- or Larkin didnt hit that 3?  Imagine if the Illinois 3's didn't go in?  Imagine if Florida lost to FGC for the Elite 8?  Imagine if Uncle Luke took the -7 and we all be rich and #1 son!  Word is Bond.  Bling bling biatch and limo packed with RB and RC fo shizzle.   

U B Rite about one thang- d U is proven they are well past the 2011-2 Missou team! ;) 

DB- best of luck with the superstars from FT Myers 

 I live not too many hours away from Ft. Myers and knowing what I know about the way people drive there I'd put FGCU's odds of even making it to the game on time at way less than 50/50.  Plus that town shuts down at 6:30pm so their players will likely be exhausted by the 10pm start time.

Was the 16 point first half to lull Marquette into a false confidence? 

 Piss poor and pathetic. Sweet 16 and bust. Argh.   Next year in Jerusalem.  

My faith in humanity is restored. Catholics over convicts once again! haha. But Lev I agree ... next year in Jerusalem. Because Miami won't be in the NCAAs when they hand down the penalties.

The wise son asks, "What are the NCAA rules and bylaws that Miami hasn't broken?"

 @DougieFresh- sounds more like something the son who hath no capacity to speak would ask!  D'oh.   Indiana and the Canes going down to board favorites from the Big Eek.   Greeeeaat.  Too bad Miami was plagued by raining bricks!  

 Miami and Gonzaga exposed as every bit the overseeded teams

Just because you lose does not mean you were overdressed.   Miami was a much better team with Reggie Johnson all year.  If the committee knew he was out after two rounds, they would not have seeded them 2nd.  

As for Gonzaga, they earned the one seed.   One bad game doesn't change that. 

Same with Indiana.    Or, to take it further, do you think regular season and tourney champ Creighton was over seeded relative to Wichita St just because Wichita is still playing while credigjton is out?  No, of course not.  

 FQ, you're right that seeding isn't going to be a 1 to 1 predictor of outcome and if it was there would be no need to have a tournament because you could hand out trophy's mid-March.  But seeding is meant to tell you something about who the stronger teams are so if it's consistently way off and only a single 1 seed makes it to the Elite 8 something is wrong.  While it's possible that this year is just an anomoly and the same formula was used as in previous years where there were less suprises, it's worth noting that ESPN's BPI seems at a glance to be faring a bit better this year than the tournament selection committee.  If they can consistently pull this off then the selection committee's formula should be replaced.

Comparing the BPI to the selection committee:

* 3 of BPIs 1-seeds are still in tournament compared to 1 of the selection committee's.

* BPI accurately predicts 5 of 8 teams in Elite 8.  Selection committee accurately predicts 3 of 8 teams in Elite 8.

* Highest seeded team to make it to Elite 8 in BPI would be a 6 seed.  For the NCAA selection committee it would be a 9 seed.

See which formula amongs KenPom, RPI, Sagarin, and BPI would most accurately predict the tournament performance of teams over the last 10 or 20 years and use that formula to replace the selection committee.  Takes the dumb guess work out of it and would put some of those annoying analysts out of a job.