The #16 Ags go dancing against the #1 Jayhawks at 3:40 pm PDT Friday. The game will be televised live on the TNT network. No 16 seed has ever beaten a 1 seed in NCAA history and, if the Ags were to upset the Jayhawks, there would be an earthquake in Kansas not caused by fracking.
According to 538, predictive statistics show a 1-seed really should have lost by now -- and essentially they have, in the sense that several games were so close that they were decided by luck. There's still tremendous odds against any particular 16-seed making the upset, but it's fair to guess that it will happen at some point. So no reason to feel hopeless (yet).
They've got size. We will not be getting many second chance shots. The Ags need to be on fire with their shooting and control the turnover stats. That's my analysis in three sentences. I like 05's comment though - "we're playing with house money."
Even though we haven't played a team even close to this caliber, our D will be solid. Brynton and Chima need to play well and we'll need contributions all around. Big q for me is how effective Chima will be in the paint. If he can do well inside, it will open up opportunities and an inside-out game. Rebounding will be key but mostly scared of a press from such a lengthy, athletic team. Coach Les will have a game plan and make this team believe in themselves. And who knows? It's March!
just watched the press conference with Lamar, White and Chima.....good solid answers, especially to Scott Marsh's question about 'putting UC Davis sports on the national spotlight'. Should have cut it there....before the Moderator said 'thank you to the student-athletes from Cal-Davis'.
Another Davis oddity. When you click on the hoops picture, it takes you to a sports page with swimming as the header. Then it covers our team, but old news, with a blocked area below that has the update on our first NCAA playoff victory.
The title should reflect the banner season, and the page should be updated with the most current hoops information first. Is it that hard?
still no official watch parties out here in the 'far' east bay. closest ones are Palo Alto and Oakland, and that's a bit far to drive. if anyone is along the I-680 corridor from Dublin to Concord, and have a place to suggest meeting up -> throw it out there, and see who shows up. Else, I'll be back at Beeb's in Livermore.
Outstanding article on Tulsa World by Guerin Emig (?), linked from the ICA twitter account. Covered Picnic Day, the Domes, cows, and our hopes. Highly recommend.
Ailene Voisin writes about Jim Les' upset of Kansas 11 years ago and how the Ags are approaching today's game:
Excerpt: "TULSA, Okla. Jim Les remembers where he was, how he prepped his players, what transpired in the closing minutes, how he felt after his 13th-seeded Bradley Braves shocked No. 4 Kansas in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Auburn Hills, Mich. Defend hard throughout and control the final minutes. His emotions spilling all over the court. He wanted to laugh and cry and scream, and before the party ended, he already was plotting for the next victim: Pittsburgh.
What Les didn’t realize until the late hours this past Wednesday, well after UC Davis slipped past North Carolina Central in the play-in game in Dayton, Ohio, was that the 11-year anniversary of his favorite March Madness moment – as a coach – was only days away. Actually, only one day away."