I come in peace.

[Heelicious]

No, UNC was definitely worthy of a 1. I was referring to IU getting put at a 5 and giving teams (enter UK here) the idea that we are barely a top 20 team. The notion that we have to have an amazing game to beat a top 5 team just isn't true. We just have to play better.

Look, to quote the great Dennis Green, UNC "is who we thought they were." I'm just hoping we don't let you off the hook is all.

YOTHN - fair enough first part of the post, but being from Mpls I am painfully aware of the goofball (nicest term I can think of) Dennis Green. "They are who we thought they were"..... in context means he as coach of the Cards thought the Bears (Heels) were way overrated, overhyped, a facade, a phony, soft, no talent team getting it done with smoke and mirrors, that his team was about to expose..... until they let them off the hook. So can I assume your Hoosiers are about to expose our fraud of a UNC team on Friday, if you don't "let us off the hook?"

I don't mean to make a big deal of it.... that quote just strikes a nerve because it calls our team fraudulent posers. That's all. But from what you've typed, I'm sensing you didn't intend it that way..... that we do deserve the respect of a legit 1 seed.

 

[heelmanwilm]

I think the strength of the acc has become apparent and with that just how good unc is. There are only two teams imo even close to unc and capable of beating us when we play well and thats kansas and virginia. Ind looks like a good team to me but they're not a final four team. i think we win by 12-15 pts.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Opposing fans seem to never really come in peace, but their team often leaves in pieces!

I think trolling is a new form of mental illness!

IU is good and I was very happy to see them humble the mighty Kentuck and their unbeatable genius of a coach. (I would cheer for anyone named Yogi, it's a great nickname and my favorite bear.) He is a very good PG, not better than Dunn and I would never pick him over Paige, and a real problem to guard. The problem is we have three good to great on ball defenders to match up. I expect UNC to win a hard fought battle, but I would not be ashamed to lose to IU.

 

[Heelicious]

I think the strength of the acc has become apparent and with that just how good unc is. There are only two teams imo even close to unc and capable of beating us when we play well and thats kansas and virginia. Ind looks like a good team to me but they're not a final four team. i think we win by 12-15 pts.

I don't know if we will win by 12-15.... but I do think if we bring our "B" game for 40 minutes, we will win and cover.

I thought we played what I'd grade us as a "D" grade against FGCU for first half, and a B for the second half and we still won by about 20 - could've stretched it to more.
Same exact thing for the Prov game, except I'd give us a C for the first half and the first four minutes of the second half, then a B+ the rest of the way. Still could've won by 30 if we didn't call off the dogs.

Point is.... if we put together two solid halves (like we did against Notre Dame or Miami - up in both those games on S16 teams by 40+) - we are very dangerous. I just don't think we've even played a complete game yet. When we do, we are hard to beat.

Even in the games where "experts" say we've played well.... we've had too many unforced TO's, haven't played solid defense, haven't finished solid at the rim, or some combination of these factors - for lengthy stretches of the game. If we can eliminate these mental mistakes, and play an all around solid B grade game or better for 40 minutes, I like our chances.

 

[Harpo Marxist]

the only undeserving 1 seed is Oregon...they were then gifted with the easiest region of opponents. Having said that....I can't find any IU fans who are arguing that UNC is not and should not be a 1 seed. There is some frustrating passion in HoosierNation....Fortunately for you UNC fans...you don't fully understand it..you haven't been there...yet. You got a taste when Doherty was at UNC....but your powers that be didn't tolerate mediocre basketball....We have.

Its been far too long since IU was in the national conversation on a regular basis. That is a very, very sore spot for IU fans. We gave up the catbird seat to MSU in the conference years ago. And , we don't like it. So some of our fans are letting off the steam in silly ways. UNC might as well be the title game...the level of opposition couldn't be greater for IU right now. We're the dogs....and frankly, we usually are against UNC if you look back. We were slight favorites when you came to Bloomington a few years ago...before that....just take a look. UNC was usually favored against us...so that isn't an unfamiliar dynamic against the Heels. What I take from that is that UNC is capable of underperforming, and IU is capable of overachieving. We need one or the other to win. UNC under normal circumstances will win this game.

UNC is definitely favored...but an IU win won't be a stunning upset.

 

[YOTHN]

YOTHN - fair enough first part of the post, but being from Mpls I am painfully aware of the goofball (nicest term I can think of) Dennis Green. "They are who we thought they were"..... in context means he as coach of the Cards thought the Bears (Heels) were way overrated, overhyped, a facade, a phony, soft, no talent team getting it done with smoke and mirrors, that his team was about to expose..... until they let them off the hook. So can I assume your Hoosiers are about to expose our fraud of a UNC team on Friday, if you don't "let us off the hook?"

I don't mean to make a big deal of it.... that quote just strikes a nerve because it calls our team fraudulent posers. That's all. But from what you've typed, I'm sensing you didn't intend it that way..... that we do deserve the respect of a legit 1 seed.

ha Nah, you're giving me too much credit. No conspiracies here, just making a funny quote because in its context alone it makes sense. If you intertwine it into how Denny was specifically using it against a certain opponent and how that opponent was performing, I could see what you mean. Although, I'm fairly certain that took place the year after the Bears won the super bowl and they were a good team while AZ was meh.

To even further clarify, I am saying IU and UNC are on even footing and although I understand the thought that of UNC fans or media giving UNC a nod in talent, it's merely not necessarily true. IU does have the talent to beat a great team (like UNC) just by playing better because IU is also a great team. Meaning there isn't a gap in talent that would require a bad game by UNC and a great game by Indiana to pull out a win. The same would be said for UNC. That's not to say IU is all mighty by any stretch. UNC is the best they've been in the last few years and truly have their eyes on winning a title as they should.

 

[YOTHN]

Well, not quite equal footing, but I see where you were going. Vegas has the line at UNC -6.5, which I think is fair indication that UNC should win the game. However underdogs win games in which they were 6.5 point dogs occasionally, so it's important for UNC to not overlook the Hoosiers.

No it's definitely equal footing. My whole original point was that the 5 seed vs 1 is going to give Vegas and fans alike the thought that there's separation in talent when there truly isn't any. Feel free to fall for it but just ask UK. Vegas gave IU 4pts when UK apparently needed 6. 3 Mickey D's, and two possible lottery picks is an immense amount of talent

 

[DSouthr]

the only undeserving 1 seed is Oregon...they were then gifted with the easiest region of opponents. Having said that....I can't find any IU fans who are arguing that UNC is not and should not be a 1 seed. There is some frustrating passion in HoosierNation....Fortunately for you UNC fans...you don't fully understand it..you haven't been there...yet. You got a taste when Doherty was at UNC....but your powers that be didn't tolerate mediocre basketball....We have.

Its been far too long since IU was in the national conversation on a regular basis. That is a very, very sore spot for IU fans. We gave up the catbird seat to MSU in the conference years ago. And , we don't like it. So some of our fans are letting off the steam in silly ways. UNC might as well be the title game...the level of opposition couldn't be greater for IU right now. We're the dogs....and frankly, we usually are against UNC if you look back. We were slight favorites when you came to Bloomington a few years ago...before that....just take a look. UNC was usually favored against us...so that isn't an unfamiliar dynamic against the Heels. What I take from that is that UNC is capable of underperforming, and IU is capable of overachieving. We need one or the other to win. UNC under normal circumstances will win tderhis game.

UNC is definitely favored...but an IU win won't be a stunning upset.

Well first, don't know that I would say oregon as a 1 seed was wrong, I can understand the selection committee wanting a 1 seed out of the west and Oregon was a decent pick if you feel you have to have a 1 seed from the west. West of the Mississippi there are not a ton of great choices thou Okey may have been the best outside of Kansas west of the mississippi. And of course if the competition in that geographic region is weak then those teams from that area are going to dive an over all weaker bracket.

Harpy, I got to call you in check on one issue, after a brief check in on your IU site I notice that you and many of your IU buds not only do not like UNC being a #1 seed but do not like that we are in this tourney in the first place? Your words do follow you, I stand by mine no mater where I say them, know what I mean. Now I get it, you guys do not want to lose this next game, we don't want to lose it either. I think anyone that has watched both teams play knows that UNC is maybe the last team in this tourney IU wanted to see at any point but most especially this early.

Now that does not mean we can not be beaten, UNC fans have seen games where we just came out not having the intensity level we need to have to play the way this team is capable of playing, we lost several of our games because we took our foot off the accellerator before we should have, see NI, duke, Texas, ND losses right off the top of my head. IMO, the hardest game we have lost this season was against UVa at their place but IMO UVa is one of the 3 best teams in the country, all 3 of those teams are still in this tourney.

So yeah we can be beat but to do so I honestly do believe a lot will have to go wrong for us, meaning we bring our C game and a lot has to go right for you guys. Stuff like that not only happens but has happened several times already in this NCAAT. Many of us, myself included didn't feel we would be playing Ky in this tourney because we felt you guys would beat them so it is not as if we dismiss IU as un-worthy or unable to win this game. I think it will be a great game and I think it should be the friday night featured game rather than the tip off being buried at 10pm just so some west coasters can see it earlier.

There is plenty of respect for IU and its program here, it is not as if we go out of our way to say bad things about IU basketball so I am more than a lil disappointed to see the lack of respect for UNC when I check out what your fans think on your boards.

 

[YOTHN]

To all IU fans who can't seem to read and come here with an agenda: We respect your program and the talent you have on your team this year. You have had a great year. You have some kids who will present problems for our team. I would hope you could objectively say the same. In saying that, are we scared of IU? No. Bottom line, our good beats your good. Our great beats your great. Anything other than that is a toss up. Let's see how it plays out later in the week.

The reason IU fans come over here and suddenly are defensive is because the first thing I read was quotes like these. No one has said anyone "should be scared of IU because IU is more supremely talented." By saying we're JUST as talented, some UNC fans are getting upset and taking that as being rude. The problem is most of the posts I read talking about the game from UNC fans was them stating they're better. That "our good beats your good, our great beats your great". That's the narrative the seeding want's to paint for you but reality states something different which is exactly what I've been trying to say. What it comes across as is arrogance and I would expect you would be defending UNC if you came to IUs fan board where we said our good beats your good, no? It's not Indiana coming over and thumping their chests about our greatness, our play does that on its own. It's us merely saying, if you think you can play a great game alongside of IU and that guarantees a win, you might be surprised. Our great very well could beat your great. The other might end up true as well.

 

[DSouthr]

ha Nah, you're giving me too much credit. No conspiracies here, just making a funny quote because in its context alone it makes sense. If you intertwine it into how Denny was specifically using it against a certain opponent and how that opponent was performing, I could see what you mean. Although, I'm fairly certain that took place the year after the Bears won the super bowl and they were a good team while AZ was meh.

To even further clarify, I am saying IU and UNC are on even footing and although I understand the thought that of UNC fans or media giving UNC a nod in talent, it's merely not necessarily true. IU does have the talent to beat a great team (like UNC) just by playing better because IU is also a great team. Meaning there isn't a gap in talent that would require a bad game by UNC and a great game by Indiana to pull out a win. The same would be said for UNC. That's not to say IU is all mighty by any stretch. UNC is the best they've been in the last few years and truly have their eyes on winning a title as they should.

I am not saying IU can not beat UNC, how anyone could say such a thing after watching this NCAAT would be shocking to me. But I will ABSOLUTELY say that if both teams bring their A games that UNC will not just win but win strong, near or + 20 strong. The is definitly a talent gap, that does not mean we can't lose but it does mean we have to play below the level of intensity we have been playing at for the last several games. That is not arrogance, that is just looking at the talents and depth of both teams, our talent goes way deeper than our starting lineup, we put quality talent on the floor 11 deep and that makes all the difference when our opponents look to run with us.

Your best shot at us is slowing the tempo and making it a half court grind it out affair and you get timely jump shooting because if you run with us we will eventually get your legs tired while we keep coming at you with waves of fresh legs. That is when we go on runs, that is when your guys find foul trouble, that is when a 1-2pt game in a minute becomes a 10-12pt game and grows from there.

 

[YOTHN]

Harpy, I got to call you in check on one issue, after a brief check in on your IU site I notice that you and many of your IU buds not only do not like UNC being a #1 seed but do not like that we are in this tourney in the first place? Your words do follow you, I stand by mine no mater where I say them, know what I mean. Now I get it, you guys do not want to lose this next game, we don't want to lose it either. I think anyone that has watched both teams play knows that UNC is maybe the last team in this tourney IU wanted to see at any point but most especially this early..

I would have to put MSU/Kansas as the top teams we feared. UNC would be 3rd. Virginia and Oregon are really good teams but I wouldn't consider in the top tier. I'd have rather faced those teams than UK.

 

[YOTHN]

I am not saying IU can not beat UNC, how anyone could say such a thing after watching this NCAAT would be shocking to me. But I will ABSOLUTELY say that if both teams bring their A games that UNC will not just win but win strong, near or + 20 strong. The is definitly a talent gap, that does not mean we cna't ;ose but it does mean we have ot play below the level of intensity we have

ha And that my friend is why IU fans are being defensive. Now please tell me how IU fans are being arrogant when you're saying if we both play our best UNC wins by 20+? No IU fan has said anything other than we're equal.

 

[DSouthr]

The reason IU fans come over here and suddenly are defensive is because the first thing I read was quotes like these. No one has said anyone "should be scared of IU because IU is more supremely talented." By saying we're JUST as talented, some UNC fans are getting upset and taking that as being rude. The problem is most of the posts I read talking about the game from UNC fans was them stating they're better. That "our good beats your good, our great beats your great". That's the narrative the seeding want's to paint for you but reality states something different which is exactly what I've been trying to say. What it comes across as is arrogance and I would expect you would be defending UNC if you came to IUs fan board where we said our good beats your good, no? It's not Indiana coming over and thumping their chests about our greatness, our play does that on its own. It's us merely saying, if you think you can play a great game alongside of IU and that guarantees a win, you might be surprised. Our great very welleephas the could beat your great. The other might end up true as well.

So you believe that it is arrogant for UNC fans on their own site to believe that UNC has the more talented and deeper team? So you believe that UNC having the better team is nothing more than a narrative of fantasy spun to in some way down grade your program? No matter that experts and commentators have said this entire season that UNC is the most talented team in t he country, that was some how a fantasy narritive spun back in pre-season by the national sports media to some how dowgrade IU basketball?

And to think some say I spread conspiricy theroys? I promise ya, you getr the conspiricy crown for that one ! LOL

 

[IUBtown]

I am not saying IU can not beat UNC, how anyone could say such a thing after watching this NCAAT would be shocking to me. But I will ABSOLUTELY say that if both teams bring their A games that UNC will not just win but win strong, near or + 20 strong. The is definitly a talent gap, that does not mean we can't lose but it does mean we have to play below the level of intensity we have been playing at for the last several games. That is not arrogance, that is just looking at the talents and depth of both teams, our talent goes way deeper than our starting lineup, we put quality talent on the floor 11 deep and that makes all the difference when our opponents look to run with us.

Your best shot at us is slowing the tempo and making it a half court grind it out affair and you get timely jump shooting because if you run with us we will eventually get your legs tired while we keep coming at you with waves of fresh legs. That is when we go on runs, that is when your guys find foul trouble, that is when a 1-2pt game in a minute becomes a 10-12pt game and grows from there.

No offense but that is absurd. Indiana's A game is knocking 3's down at a large clip. UNCs A game is pounding it inside. 3>2. Don't get me wrong i still think UNC's potential is better than ours, but to think its 20+pts better than our best is laughable at best.

 

[DSouthr]

ha And that my friend is why IU fans are being defensive. Now please tell me how IU fans are being arrogant when you're saying if we both play our best UNC wins by 20+? No IU fan has said anything other than we're equal.

So it isn't arrogant to believe your team is equal to ours but it is arrogant for us to believe that our team has more talent and depth? Notice, I have not claimed your position as arrogant, I consider it just wrong but that is my opinion and you are welcome to your own. But it is not actually arrogant for one fan base to believe their team is more talented and deeper with talent than another, it is just their belief based on watching their own games so closely. Arrogance would be my saying IU has no chance to beat us because we are a far superior team and program with ignorant fans that are nothing but homers. I have have not said that, I don't believe any of our fans have said such a thing, even if that is how you want to spin it. I actually think UNC fans have been very respectful to both your team and your program on our site. I KNOW IU fans have not been nearly as respectful toward our team or program on your IU site.

 

[JimmyinVA]

it will be a close, exciting game. the team that makes the clutch shots at the end will win. case closed.

 

[YOTHN]

The god honest truth is I have not heard one person claim UNC to have the best team in the country. I don't know where that came from. Most (including Vegas) chose Kansas or MSU to win it all so by utilizing the same resources as you do, I don't know where you got that information unless it was UNC media?

To that, no UNC fans can have their opinion, no one is denying that. But at the same time I don't understand how IU fans being surprised and defending themselves that they're much closer than some of you obviously feel like is Indiana thumping their chest or being arrogant. As an Indiana fan it of course looks arrogant but I would expect UNC fans to think the same thing about us if we were on our board stating we should be able to beat UNC.

Not everyone agrees that UNC will win this weekend. I got this article from CBS that shows Indiana with a 53% chance to win? To me that's the favorite, no?

http://www.sportsline.com/insiders/25525811/sportslines-sweet-16-bracket-and-probabilities/

 

[DSouthr]

No offense but that is absurd. Indiana's A game is knocking 3's down at a large clip. UNCs A game is pounding it inside. 3>2. Don't get me wrong i still think UNC's potential is better than ours, but to think its 20+pts better than our best is laughable at best.

While you are laughing, go ask a ND fan if I am wrong...Go ask A providence fan how wrong I am and that was not our A game, that was maybe our B game at most. Our A game is about defense and knocking down jump shots, controlling the boards, and getting out ina wide open running game, when we play that game you do not hit the treys you would need.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see BOTH teams play at the height of their ability because I know what we can do when we play that way, we destroy teams. Don't forget, the ACC still has 6 teams in this tourney and UNC was BOTH the ACC regular season champs but also the ACCT champs, we left no doubt. That is not arrogance, that is belief based on what we have seen our team do to really really good opponents.

 

[IUBtown]

While you are laughing, go ask a ND fan if I am wrong...Go ask A providence fan how wrong I am and that was not our A game, that was maybe our B game at most. Our A game is about defense and knocking down jump shots, controlling the boards, and getting out ina wide open running game, when we play that game you do not hit the treys you would need.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see BOTH teams play at the height of their ability because I know what we can do when we play that way, we destroy teams. Don't forget, the ACC still has 6 teams in this tourney and UNC was BOTH the ACC regular season champs but also the ACCT champs, we left no doubt. That is not arrogance, that is belief based on what we have seen our team do to really really good opponents.

And our A game also includes defense, denying entry passes, post players coming over top for steals, getting out in transition, hitting 3's, getting to the free throw line. Did ND and Providence play their A game? ND avgs 76pts, only scored 47, 17 TO they avg 10, shot 31%FG, 21% from 3....is that their best? We also won our regular season by 2 games. Beat several conference teams by 20+. Hell we had a 26-0pt run @ Michigan. Now its doubtful BOTH teams can play their A game, but if they did it would not be anywhere close to a 20+ pt game. JMHO of course.

 

[DSouthr]

The god honest truth is I have not heard one person claim UNC to have the best team in the country. I don't know where that came from. Most (including Vegas) chose Kansas or MSU to win it all so by utilizing the same resources as you do, I don't know where you got that information unless it was UNC media?

To that, no UNC fans can have their opinion, no one is denying that. But at the same time I don't understand how IU fans being surprised and defending themselves that they're much closer than some of you obviously feel like is Indiana thumping their chest or being arrogant. As an Indiana fan it of course looks arrogant but I would expect UNC fans to think the same thing about us if we were on our board stating we should be able to beat UNC.

Not everyone agrees that UNC will win this weekend. I got this article from CBS that shows Indiana with a 53% chance to win? To me that's the favorite, no?

http://www.sportsline.com/insiders/25525811/sportslines-sweet-16-bracket-and-probabilities/

Then you have not paid attention to commentators all season saying the best team in the country is UNC, you didn't see UNC projected as the #1 team in the country pre-season? Your God's honest truth is you saw none of that? INteresting...

So, Indiana fans can believe what they want and it is not arrogant but UNC fans believing what they believe is arrogant? Excuse me while I express a lack of understanding how that works...Oh, you mean it is only arrogant if we express our beliefs on our own web site? Do you suggest UNC fans are sticking their chest out and down talking IU on YOUR wed sites? I have not seen that, maybe you can provide a link for that?

Who the hell said UNC would win this game, I have not, we will not know who wins this game until after it is played, results so far in this tourney should realize that much. We think we wil win it, we have no idea how our team will play, we have come out with our C game to many times to assume we wil lblown you guys out the gym. You guys were talking about firing your coach earlier this season, you guys lost to Wake freakin Forrest so clearly you do not know what version of your own team will come out any more than we know what version we will get.

The CBS article, wihtout even reading it is wrong, IU does not have a 53% chance of winning that game, you have a 100% CHANCE at winning it, winning it and having a chance at winning it, 2 very different things.

 

[DSouthr]

And our A game also includes defense, denying entry passes, post players coming over top for steals, getting out in transition, hitting 3's, getting to the free throw line. Did ND and Providence play their A game? ND avgs 76pts, only scored 47, 17 TO they avg 10, shot 31%FG, 21% from 3....is that their best? We also won our regular season by 2 games. Beat several conference teams by 20+. Hell we had a 26-0pt run @ Michigan. Now its doubtful BOTH teams can play their A game, but if they did it would not be anywhere close to a 20+ pt game. JMHO of course.

Actually, it is cute to say but both teams can not play their A games, one's game has to be lesser. So I agree on that point, I should have worded that better. What 1 team takes away from the other if they are playing their best game reduces the other team to well below that level.

 

[IUBtown]

Actually, it is cute to say but both teams can not play their A games, one's game has to be lesser. So I agree on that point, I should have worded that better. What 1 team takes away from the other if they are playing their best game reduces the other team to well below that level.

And thats why i see both sides as being optimistic but viewed as arrogant from the other side. IU's strength is 3pt shooting, UNC has had problems defending the 3. UNC's strength is their front court, we have had problems defending the post. Funny thing about these games is the outcome tends to be determined by other factors. Turnovers and 2nd chance pts will be critical IMO.

 

[hardknocks1]

Reading all you IU fans write ups, how did y'all lose a single game with the Greatest PG to ever play the game?

Always gotta be somebody that can't converse/debate without using hyperbole.

 

[Tom79]

No offense but that is absurd. Indiana's A game is knocking 3's down at a large clip. UNCs A game is pounding it inside. 3>2. Don't get me wrong i still think UNC's potential is better than ours, but to think its 20+pts better than our best is laughable at best.

Tell me all that again IUB when we score in 3-4 seconds after your made basket. Or have 50+ points in the paint by the 10 min mark of the second half, or more rebounds, or 18+ assists or 5 guys in double figures...saw your mention of TO's, the Heels are around 10 a game, about the same as the '05 and '09 teams and those two turned out well!
If both teams play their respective "A" games, UNC wins. As it is Vegas seems to think we're about 5.5 better. I think both teams do some things very well and are well coached, so it should be a very good game with the Heels prevailing.

 

[Tom79]

What's a hyper bole?

 

[IUBtown]

Tell me all that again IUB when we score in 3-4 seconds after your made basket. Or have 50+ points in the paint by the 10 min mark of the second half, or more rebounds, or 18+ assists or 5 guys in double figures...saw your mention of TO's, the Heels are around 10 a game, about the same as the '05 and '09 teams and those two turned out well!
If both teams play their respective "A" games, UNC wins. As it is Vegas seems to think we're about 5.5 better. I think both teams do some things very well and are well coached, so it should be a very good game with the Heels prevailing.

What happens when IU is 9-12 in 3s in the 1st half? What happens when we deny the entry pass and force your guys to take outside shots? What happens when we double in the post and limit 2nd chance points? Hypotheticals are fun. I agree that if both play their best UNC wins, they have the better potential. UK was a 3-4pt favorite, we won by 6. Thats why they play the games on the court and not in Vegas. I was merely arguing the point that UNCs best is 20+ pts better than IU's best.

 

[coolwaterunc]

You know, instead of wasting time bickering back and forth about if this, if that, Yogi the Bear is better than Marcus Paige, our jerseys are red, yours are blue, defense, we beat Kentucky, your team sucks, blah blah freaking blah, how about we just watch the game on Friday. Jesus.

 

[Heelicious]

The god honest truth is I have not heard one person claim UNC to have the best team in the country. I don't know where that came from. Most (including Vegas) chose Kansas or MSU to win it all so by utilizing the same resources as you do, I don't know where you got that information unless it was UNC media?

Not everyone agrees that UNC will win this weekend. I got this article from CBS that shows Indiana with a 53% chance to win? To me that's the favorite, no?

http://www.sportsline.com/insiders/25525811/sportslines-sweet-16-bracket-and-probabilities/

I have said several times that Roy and the Heels team and fans certainly respect IU. They will be a very tough opponent. I just don't see us winning by 20. We recently beat a ND team, who some could compare to IU, by 31.

"Who has claimed UNC is the best team in the nation?" Jay Bilas. All year. Unwavering. Again this morning. Granted he'd even say they weren't playing as the best team THE ENTIRE YEAR, but he has said they have the talent, experience, coaching, etc. and drive based on how last year ended, to separate themselves and win it all. IMO, he knows the most about college BB, and doesn't carry biases for any team, unlike many lazy, agenda, or ABC (anybody but Carolina) announcers, who are legion.

AP and Coaches poll had us #1 to start. #3 at the end of year. #2 ranked team is now gone. So we've always been in the conversation as being a legit contender if/when we get our stuff together (ie - now). We haven't been #1 ranked all year, in part because of some losses we had no business losing, but also because we play in the toughest conference by far, with a really tough SOS out of conference - Texas, Maryland, UNI,

Vegas likely had MSU and Kansas with better odds coming into tourney based on how they played recently, but we were next in line in the odds. Part of our longer odds is based on being in a tough region with teams like YOURS, UK (a #1 at beginning of season), Providence, Wisc,, Xavier, etc. Very tough region.

But to say - UNC and IU are equal - I don't mean for this to sound arrogant, but I just don't think the results support that:

You lost to 4 non- tourney teams (including Penn St. and Wake), we lost to ZERO non-tourney teams.

The total of our loss margins is 22. You lost to both Dook and MSU by about that margin in each of those games.

Again, we won the toughest conference in the nation outright AND in the ACC tourney.

We are #1 in BPI, you are #19
We are #5 in RPI, you are #24.

BPI / RPI are objective, stats-and-results based measures, free of any "team favorite" bias.

But I get that they don't play the game on paper, or by comparing ranking or season results. You guys have a good shot against us.

But to say we're about equal, I just don't buy it. At best I'd concede to you that its a push in the backcourt....still if you look at our two starting guards vs. your two, I'd give us a slight edge. Then if you go to the 3-5 positions, starters plus what we bring off the bench, I just think its a mismatch with us having Brice, Hicks, Pinson, and Justin Jackson.

Just my opinion. You sure can beat us. No doubt about that. But I don't think the results or facts bear out that you have equal talent, or results so far this year.

I get that those things have little to do with what happens on Friday.

One other thing - Vegas doesn't base lines on teams' seedings. Its based on what thousands of betters anticipate happening - mostly objective people only interesting in making money. Case in point, I'd be surprised if #4 seed Dook isn't favored, or pickem against #1 seed Oregon.

 

[Hark_The_Sound_2010]

Lol @ the jokers that don't understand what it means to be an underdog and a favorite, and that if one team is favored that is because the consensus is that they'll win the game.

Do favorites win all the time? Hell no. But do they win more often? Yes. By definition it's not "equal footing". It's a 6.5 point spread. That's not like some David vs. Goliath monumental difference that can't be overcome, but it's not a "toss up" either. I don't know if you all aren't giving Vegas their due because you're unhappy with their prediction, or because you just don't understand that there is a ton of money involved in setting lines, and when money is on the line, they make it as accurate as they possibly can. I'll trust Vegas lines where money is on the line, as opposed to some clown analyst who is just trying to draw clicks to his article/show. The moneyline is +200/-240 (taking out the juice is 220) which implies that UNC will win 69% of the time. If they played this game 100 times UNC should win 69 and IU 31. Will this be one of the 69 or one of the 31? Who knows, but the odds are in the favor of the Heels.

 

[Foosier]

I like the conversation here. Apologies for the one IU idiot. I must admit that I haven't watched a ton of UNC this year so I'm making my analysis off what I see here.

If you guys truly don't turn the ball over much it will be a long night for IU if they don't rebound the hell out of the basketball. If we can't turn you over and if we give up a decent number of second chance points we won't have much of a chance. We held UK to 2 second chance points but that was largely because their bigs are/were pansies. IU did get out rebounded by UK which doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

The defensive key for UNC, as many have already mentioned, will be keeping us off the three point line. UK did a pretty good job at that but the percentage was mostly due to us missing many open shots that we usually knock down. IU is due for a good shooting game so this will be the paramount concern for UNC. The other issue will keeping Ferrell out of the lane. I don't know if he's the best point guard in the country, or even this game, but he's good enough that he'll get in the lane if you aren't playing team defense. If you let him do it consistently he'll kill you with good passes and finishing at the rim. He's a surprisingly good finisher for a little guy. We can put 5 shooters on the floor at all times which makes spacing all the more important. Allowing dribble penetration is the second most important factor for UNC at the defensive end.

IU will have to pack the paint and dare UNC's guards to shoot the ball and then rebound like hell if they miss. We've only played 2 teams all season with as much height and interior depth as UNC and we beat them both (at home though). However, we did it in different ways. With Purdue we had Rob Johnson (2 guard who may or may not play, see below) dig when the ball went into the post and recover if it was kicked back out. Purdue doesn't have many shooters so this was a pretty good strategy. Against Maryland we played straight up. Bryant (6'10" freshman, good on the block with several post moves and good feet, decent shooter to 18', average defender) and Stone were both freshmen and both had some good and bad plays, basically neutralizing each other. Fortunately Maryland was going through a tough stretch where Melo couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat and Layman is soft and wouldn't go to the rim so we could just run him off the 3 point line. Troy Williams, who I assume you guys are familiar with (6'7" small forward, great athlete, good finisher, average shooter, has become a decent defender, below average handle and basketball IQ) absolutely ate them up to begin the second half.

You guys are too deep for foul trouble to really affect anything unless one of your guys is playing out of his mind and finds it. We're a little banged up with Johnson (6'4" shooting guard, really good shooter leading the team in 3pt.%, good off the dribble, good defender) "iffy", Hartman (6'7" junior glue guy, good shooter, capable defender, average off the dribble) and Morgan (6'8"ish freshman, good defender, decent shooter to 3 point distance, good IQ guy who can guard several positions) suffering through his 3rd shoulder separation in 3 weeks. We add a few other key bench pieces in OG Anunoby (6'7" freshman, incredible athlete, great defender at all positions (guarded Ulis for stretches and blocked a couple of Murray jumpers), very good basketball IQ), Nick Ziesloft who will start if Johnson can't (6'4" fifth year senior, grad transfer, excellent shooter, has become a decent defender, average ball handler, below average off the dribble, good IQ), and Max Biefeldt (6'9" fifth year senior, grad transfer from Michigan, good shooter from distance and will really stretch one of your bigs, not athletic but crafty in the post, decent defender, good rebounder, a big body).

Looking forward to a good game and by 10 pm I'll be working up a good buzz. Will the post-game drinking be celebratory or for memory loss?--anyone's guess. I think the line is about right. If Johnson can go full tilt it will be huge for IU as he can both shoot and drive whereas Ziesloft can only shoot. I'll come back around on Saturday and say hello win or lose.

P.S. one last thing. You guys have been way more hospitable and rational than UK's fan board. Thanks for that.

 

[TARRRRRHEEEEEELS]

No it's definitely equal footing. My whole original point was that the 5 seed vs 1 is going to give Vegas and fans alike the thought that there's separation in talent when there truly isn't any. Feel free to fall for it but just ask UK. Vegas gave IU 4pts when UK apparently needed 6. 3 Mickey D's, and two possible lottery picks is an immense amount of talent

IU has lottery picks on their team? LMAO.

 

[DSouthr]

What's a hyper bole?

It is a bole that will not settle down, I suspect it has consumed to much sugar or coffee! LOL

Now if ya ask me what a bole is, it is a thing that wil not settle down after consuming to much sugar or coffee! LOL

Sorry, but I had ta ! LOL

 

[Foosier]

IU has lottery picks on their team? LMAO.

Not today, but no doubt OG will be one day, and Bryant has a pretty good chance as well.

 

[DSouthr]

I like the conversation here. Apologies for the one IU idiot. I must admit that I haven't watched a ton of UNC this year so I'm making my analysis off what I see here.

If you guys truly don't turn the ball over much it will be a long night for IU if they don't rebound the hell out of the basketball. If we can't turn you over and if we give up a decent number of second chance points we won't have much of a chance. We held UK to 2 second chance points but that was largely because their bigs are/were pansies. IU did get out rebounded by UK which doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

The defensive key for UNC, as many have already mentioned, will be keeping us off the three point line. UK did a pretty good job at that but the percentage was mostly due to us missing many open shots that we usually knock down. IU is due for a good shooting game so this will be the paramount concern for UNC. The other issue will keeping Ferrell out of the lane. I don't know if he's the best point guard in the country, or even this game, but he's good enough that he'll get in the lane if you aren't playing team defense. If you let him do it consistently he'll kill you with good passes and finishing at the rim. He's a surprisingly good finisher for a little guy. We can put 5 shooters on the floor at all times which makes spacing all the more important. Allowing dribble penetration is the second most important factor for UNC at the defensive end.

IU will have to pack the paint and dare UNC's guards to shoot the ball and then rebound like hell if they miss. We've only played 2 teams all season with as much height and interior depth as UNC and we beat them both (at home though). However, we did it in different ways. With Purdue we had Rob Johnson (2 guard who may or may not play, see below) dig when the ball went into the post and recover if it was kicked back out. Purdue doesn't have many shooters so this was a pretty good strategy. Against Maryland we played straight up. Bryant (6'10" freshman, good on the block with several post moves and good feet, decent shooter to 18', average defender) and Stone were both freshmen and both had some good and bad plays, basically neutralizing each other. Fortunately Maryland was going through a tough stretch where Melo couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat and Layman is soft and wouldn't go to the rim so we could just run him off the 3 point line. Troy Williams, who I assume you guys are familiar with (6'7" small forward, great athlete, good finisher, average shooter, has become a decent defender, below average handle and basketball IQ) absolutely ate them up to begin the second half.

You guys are too deep for foul trouble to really affect anything unless one of your guys is playing out of his mind and finds it. We're a little banged up with Johnson (6'4" shooting guard, really good shooter leading the team in 3pt.%, good off the dribble, good defender) "iffy", Hartman (6'7" junior glue guy, good shooter, capable defender, average off the dribble) and Morgan (6'8"ish freshman, good defender, decent shooter to 3 point distance, good IQ guy who can guard several positions) suffering through his 3rd shoulder separation in 3 weeks. We add a few other key bench pieces in OG Anunoby (6'7" freshman, incredible athlete, great defender at all positions (guarded Ulis for stretches and blocked a couple of Murray jumpers), very good basketball IQ), Nick Ziesloft who will start if Johnson can't (6'4" fifth year senior, grad transfer, excellent shooter, has become a decent defender, average ball handler, below average off the dribble, good IQ), and Max Biefeldt (6'9" fifth year senior, grad transfer from Michigan, good shooter from distance and will really stretch one of your bigs, not athletic but crafty in the post, decent defender, good rebounder, a big body).

Looking forward to a good game and by 10 pm I'll be working up a good buzz. Will the post-game drinking be celebratory or for memory loss?--anyone's guess. I think the line is about right. If Johnson can go full tilt it will be huge for IU as he can both shoot and drive whereas Ziesloft can only shoot. I'll come back around on Saturday and say hello win or lose.

P.S. one last thing. You guys have been way more hospitable and rational than UK's fan board. Thanks for that.

It is posts like this one that I really enjoy coming from fans of other programs. No BS, just a really well thought out response and delivered in excellent and respectful fashion. My KUDOES TO YOU SIR, nothing but respect from this Tar Heel !

Oh, but only 1 minor complaint, I am the guy that writes novels for posts, man ya stealin my schitck! LOL

 

[DSouthr]

Not today, but no doubt OG will be one day, and Bryant has a pretty good chance as well.

I totally agree, Bryant should absolutely be seen as a future lotto selection, we would have loved to have had him on our team! IDK, maybe as he developes the OG guy may as well become a lotto guy like Olipenio (sp forgive) did.

Crean tends, not so unlike Roy, to see his players take a little longer to develope, not the prime destination for one & doners because of that. But when they do develope they tend to be much better players that can transition the the NBA and be productive with lesser learning curves. The one & doner may produce right a way based on crazy talent but understanding how to play the game and having that talent developed takes a while.

 

[Foosier]

It is posts like this one that I really enjoy coming from fans of other programs. No BS, just a really well thought out response and delivered in excellent and respectful fashion. My KUDOES TO YOU SIR, nothing but respect from this Tar Heel !

Oh, but only 1 minor complaint, I am the guy that writes novels for posts, man ya stealin my schitck! LOL

You're obviously a person who understand that it's about quality, not the quantity of posts. I just wanted to put everything into one post so that I didn't have to keep coming back to make different points. I'll keep things short from here on out.

 

[YOTHN]

You keep saying you "respect Indiana". That's a given, every team respects other teams. I respect Davidson and they could somehow upset us if we were to play them this year.......but not likely. I respect North Carolina and I believe they are a top team which is why I put them #3. You agreed that UNC isn't the favorite to win the title by saying you too saw they were number 3 as well. So where was I wrong in saying UNC hasn't been the favorite let alone heavy favorite all season. Pre-season rankings mean absolutely nothing. Joe Lunardi picked Indiana to win it all in the pre-season so does that mean we are the heavy favorites?

Again I will repeat myself. I understand how spreads work. The seeding can alter peoples opinions which then would result in people putting more money towards the perceived favorite which then....say it with me......raises the spread for the perceived heavy favorite. If IU was a 2 seed playing UNC, the line would be considerably closer, so the spread is incredibly influenced by the seeding. Just indirectly. So believe what you want, I'm merely giving you the reasoning why IU fans have been defensive. My whole point was that I hope UNC players think we're good and not great. That works heavily in our favor so by all means, continue as you were.

 

[Foosier]

I totally agree, Bryant should absolutely be seen as a future lotto selection, we would have loved to have had him on our team! IDK, maybe as he developes the OG guy may as well become a lotto guy like Olipenio (sp forgive) did.

Crean tends, not so unlike Roy, to see his players take a little longer to develope, not the prime destination for one & doners because of that. But when they do develope they tend to be much better players that can transition the the NBA and be productive with lesser learning curves. The one & doner may produce right a way based on crazy talent but understanding how to play the game and having that talent developed takes a while.

Based on potential alone OG has a higher ceiling than Bryant in my opinion. He's already getting some analyst talk about being a first rounder and he only plays about 10-12 minutes a game. He reminds me of Nigel Hayes from Wisconsin and his ceiling is probably Kahwi Leonardish.

 

[DSouthr]

You know, instead of wasting time bickering back and forth about if this, if that, Yogi the Bear is better than Marcus Paige, our jerseys are red, yours are blue, defense, we beat Kentucky, your team sucks, blah blah freaking blah, how about we just watch the game on Friday. Jesus.

I am not really bickering or at least it is not my intent to come off as such, just making my case for my side of a discussion where 2 sides do not see things the same way. Isn't that kinda the reason we post, to exchange and discuss?

 

[YOTHN]

IU has lottery picks on their team? LMAO.

I said possible lottery picks. Not sure whats so funny considering we've had 3 lottery picks the last 3 years and UNC has had.......0? Yet here we stand, in the exact same position.