(03-20-2021 09:41 PM)Love and Honor Wrote: OU just has something going for them whenever they make the tourney. I have them making the Sweet 16.
What they have had the last two times they went to the tournament were some fantastic draws. More importantly THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE BOTH TIMES.
Virginia had a ton of issues; wasn't physical, struggled to score over 70 points, 3-point dominant, could not practice for a week due to Covid ... not cleared to play until after midnight Friday .... Even without that OU was good enough to beat Virginia. With all those obstacles, really should have been favored. The key, however, was they should have beaten them, and did as they should have.
How many MAC teams in a comparable position have/would have folded??
2012, however, may be the all-time best MAC draw (Michigan). Half of the MAC that year would have beaten Michigan in the opening round. That teams was devoid of athleticism and had no bench. In Rd 2 OU caught an upset winner Rd 1 like themselves (South Florida) that was good on defense but struggled to score.
Creighton will be a much tougher matchup than S. Florida, but this OU team is better than 2012 IMO so I think it has a solid chance to advance to the Sweet 16...
Another Sweet 16 run for the MAC (Buffalo 2018) would be something to see.
On a strictly Bobcat note ... perhaps they should make sure to finish 5th in the MAC every year (as they did in 2012 and 2021).