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3/19/2015
No, I’m not referencing Chinese Astrology, currently in the Year of the
Goat (or Sheep, or Ram, whatever you prefer). Technically, it’s not the
Year of the Tiger either, that was last in 2010 and won’t be back until
2022, but I digress. Of course, I’m referring to college basketball
teams with the nickname “Wildcats”, as three protected (Nos. 1 or 2)
seeds in this year’s NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship
travel by that moniker, and those Wildcats (with apologies to the plucky
No. 10 seeded Davidson Wildcats) have in my estimation the best shot of
cutting down the nets the first Monday of April (in the month of the
Dragon, but again, I digress).
The Question remains: Which Wildcats?
First, there are Villanova’s Wildcats, 32-2, the No. 1 seed in the East,
an experienced squad that has won their last 15 on the trot, capturing
both the Big East regular season and conference tournament championships
in barnstorming fashion. Jay Wright has his best team since his 2009
Final Four squad, balanced, versatile, and eager to atone for last
year’s premature exit to the eventual National Champion Connecticut in
the Round of 32.
Next is Arizona’s Wildcats, 31-3, the No. 2 seed in the West, winning 17
of their last 18 while pulling off the Pac-12 Double (regular season &
tourney) with quite possibly the best starting five in the country.
Certainly they don’t lack for swagger. Arizona came an eyelash away from
the Final Four last season in a 1-point Elite Eight overtime loss to
Wisconsin, a game they might have a chance to avenge with a potential
West Region Elite Eight rematch against the No. 1 seeded Badgers.
Then, there is Kentucky. No. 1 Seed in the Midwest. Undefeated at 34-0.
SEC Champs. Last Year’s NCAA Runner-up. Nine McDonald’s All-Americans.
Ranked No. 1 all year long in almost every possible metric and poll. The
overwhelming favorite, even money (+100) in Las Vegas to win it all.
History just six games away. Will anyone truly get in their way to the
trophy? I am at the very least convinced, that only Kentucky, or a team
that can and would have to beat Kentucky, can win the title this season.
Without further ado, I present my macro-level, last minute,“TL:DR” look
at the NCAA Tournament field. Here is my bracket, a printout of which
will surely be crumpled up in the wastebasket by Saturday night.
Championship Contenders – BracketScience.com’s Peter Tiernan had
developed three Championship Tests based on the common characteristics
of every National Champion since at least 2003; Seeing how last season’s
National Champion Connecticut blew out half of the criteria last year,
maybe Tiernan’s sabbatical this season from his bracketology “hobby” was
well-timed. Last year, I selected five (5) potential champions based
largely on these tests, only one (1) of which even made the Final Four –
Florida, who lost in the National Semifinals to Connecticut. I still
think these tests can be instructive with some fine tuning. Allow me to
provide a quick but data intensive refresher on his three tests and
suggest some tweaks (if not, skip the next three paragraphs, I won’t be
offended):
A. Tiernan’s Eight Criteria Test – Every Champion since 2000 (until last
year):
a. Was a Top 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament;
b. Was a Member of a “power conference” (the high-majors);
c. Had an experienced tournament coach (at least 5 NCAA and 1 Elite
Eight appearance);
d. Either had an All-American player or played in the prior year’s NCAA
Tournament;
e. Scored more than 73 points per game (ppg);
f. Allowed opponents to score less than 73 ppg;
g. Had an average scoring margin greater than 7.0 ppg;
h. Had a Top 75 Strength of Schedule.
B. Tiernan’s Pomeroy Efficiency Rankings Test – Utilizing Ken Pomeroy’s
(“Pomeroy”) historical data on offensive and defensive efficiency
(expressed in points per 100 possessions) since 2003, based on a team’s
comparative rankings of both offense (Champions have an AdjO ranking of
≤ 18th) and defense (AdjD ≤ 49th).
C. Tiernan’s Pomeroy Raw Data Test – Same Pomeroy efficiency data, using
instead the raw numerical outputs of both points scored (Champions score
≥ 112.4 points per 100 possessions) and allowed (≤ 95.4).
Connecticut barely met the Pomeroy Raw Data Test by the time least
year’s NCAAs were finished; AdjO of 112.2 was at the borderline, ranked
39th (well outside the Rankings Test) but AdjD was 91.8, ranking 10th.
They also failed half of Tiernan’s Eight Criteria; a No. 7 seed, Kevin
Ollie no NCAA Tournament head coaching experience (although he was an
assistant on the 2011 National Champion Connecticut), was from a
non-power conference (the newly formed American Athletic Conference, or
AAC) and only scored 71.8 ppg. With historically significant programs
like Connecticut, Memphis, Temple, Houston and Cincinnati, I would
include the AAC among the high major conferences now. However, Strength
of Schedule better captures how competitive a team is than merely their
conference affiliation, as teams have 11-15 games to schedule tougher
competition out of conference, so I would consider scrapping the “power
conference” measure in the future.
I like the Raw Data test most as a filter for the tournament field, a
“first” Championship test to measure and compare performance across all
seasons, while the Rankings test provides confirmation of a team’s
efficiencies relative to the other teams in that particular season.
Applying an alternate Rankings test that conforms with Connecticut’s
AdjO ranking of 39th instead of 18th might be useful in a relative era
of offensive decline. After these efficiency-based filters, the rest of
Tiernan’s Eight Criteria could further separate the field, maybe
de-emphasizing the tournament head coaching experience factor if there
is noteworthy tournament experience as an assistant or player, or the
scoring production measure as long average scoring margin is greater
than 7.0 ppg. I’m also unsure how important being a Top 3 seed is, but
the sample size isn’t large enough to conclude whether last year was
significant or more of an outlier, so I would keep it for now
understanding that the NCAA Tournament Committee has flexibility to move
teams up or down 1-2 seed lines to comply with other scheduling
requirements.
Running this year’s field through the tests detailed above, 12 teams
meet the Raw Data test, nine (9) of those meet the Rankings Test (with
eight others conforming with the “Connecticut Standard” for 17 in
total), and four (4) that passed Tiernan’s Criteria. Only three teams
however meet all three tests: The Wildcats. Yes, Kentucky, Arizona and
Villanova, all Top 12 in Adj O and AdjD and real commonality with the
last 15 National Champions. Three other teams merit consideration from
these tests. Wisconsin falls 1.1 ppg scoring of passing all three tests,
and that didn’t seem to impede Connecticut last year. Duke is the only
other team to pass the Tiernan criteria, has the 3rd most efficient
offense, and misses the Raw Data AdjD by less than 1.0 point per
possession (96.1). North Carolina meets all criteria save for being a
No. 4 seed, which considering the NCAA Committee’s seedline flexibility
as well as North Carolina’s relative high efficiency, is a negligible
miss. These six are the only teams I think can win the title – Kentucky,
and five teams with the most realistic chance of beating them based not
only on the analytics, but on coaching, talent, and size to match:
• Kentucky
• Arizona
• Villanova
• Wisconsin
• Duke
• North Carolina
Darkhorses – Usually a serious deficiency separates Darkhorses from the
Championship Contenders, whether it’s mediocre team defense, a lack of
scoring, or playing a weaker schedule in and/or out of conference. They
also reliably perform in one or two areas at an elite level, allowing
them to compete with anyone. This year’s 10 shaded equine has high level
guard play, is highly efficient offensively or defensively (if not
both), but fails to perform consistently in one key are that hold it
back, whether it’s rebounding, valuing and sharing the ball, causing
turnovers, blocking shots, shooting or defending the 3-pointer, or
hitting free throws. Four teams below listed meet both Pomeroy tests
(Gonzaga, Baylor, Northern Iowa, Utah), three more (Wichita State,
Virginia, Kansas) are as relatively efficient as Connecticut was, one
has the same issue as Wisconsin meeting Tiernan’s Criteria (Oklahoma)
and the other two (Michigan State, Maryland) could play themselves into
meeting the championship tests like Connecticut did last year. Only
Gonzaga has a path clear of Contenders or Darkhorses before the Elite
Eight; We’ll know who has emerged from this pack by Sunday:
• Gonzaga
• Baylor
• Virginia
• Oklahoma
• Northern Iowa
• Utah
• Wichita State
• Kansas
• Michigan State
• Maryland
Potential Sweet 16/Elite 8 Cinderellas – I wish I was creative enough to
find another term for these teams, as the idea of a mid-major/low-major
team that sneaks up on the rest of the field and surprises the watching
public has virtually lost its meaning in the current mediascape amid
heightened TV exposure. Even casual college basketball fans know that
Butler, Wichita State and Virginia Commonwealth are not only genuinely
good teams, but legitimate programs. Nevertheless, here are six (6)
mid-major-ish teams ever-so-slightly flying below the radar, with
coaches (I think everyone knows SMU’s HOF coach Larry Brown, but could
you identify who coaches Davidson or Butler in a lineup? Me neither) or
players you may not be familiar with (such as Wyoming’s Larry Nance Jr.,
Xavier’s Trevon Blueitt, and VCU’s Treveon Graham), but will be before
this weekend ends:
• SMU
• Butler
• Xavier
• VCU
• Davidson
• Wyoming
Underachieving or Underseeded “Stepsisters” Capable of a Deep Run – Last
year’s National Championship game was contended by a Darkhorse
(Connecticut) and a Stepsister (Kentucky), so while most of these teams
will become afterthoughts, chances are one team will be sticking around
the second weekend, the trick being to figure out which one. Another
name for this category is the “Memorial LSU 1986/1987 Underdogs”,
harkening to Dale Brown’s double-digit seeded 1986 (#10) and 1987 (#11)
Tigers that reached the Final Four and Elite Eight in succession. Like
those Bayou Bengals of yore, these eight (8) teams all a.) come from a
high-major conference (like Cinderella’s Stepsisters), b.) have double
digit losses c.) are seeded No. 8 or worse (except for No. 6 seed
Providence), d.) are proven capable of beating or pushing highly ranked
teams to the limit, and e.) despite lacking cohesion or suffering
curious losing stretches or streaks, are very talented and have
difference-makers that can heat up and win games. Maybe LSU reprises the
role they created this year, but I like Texas and Providence to have the
best opportunity to persist, as well as an Ohio State team that meets
all of Tiernan’s Eight Criteria except Seed (No. 10), but would have to
get past Arizona in the Round of 32 to make the second week:
• Texas
• Providence
• Ohio State
• North Carolina State
• Purdue
• Oklahoma State
• LSU
• Ole Miss
Feast or Famine – Typically a high ceiling and low floor, these teams
correspondingly end up in the Nos.3-8 seed range because they are either
“jack of all trades / master of none” teams (Iowa, Georgetown, West
Virginia) or are acutely one-dimensional, prioritizing offense over
defense (Iowa State, Notre Dame, Arkansas, Oregon) or vice versa (San
Diego State). This could be due to several factors, such as an
overreliance on underclassmen, a lack of depth or roster balance due to
injury or attrition, and/or coaching, all increasing the difficulty of
stringing together tournament wins compared to Darkhorses or
Stepsisters. Four (4) of these eight (8) teams are in the South
Regional, as chaos looms before reaching Houston. Five (5) teams also
played in their respective conference tournament finals, with Iowa State
(Big 12) and Notre Dame (ACC) winning, both earning No. 3 seeds and
avoiding more dangerous opponents in their first games unlike the other
six. A win and these teams could work into Darkhorse status, but a
premature exit could also be in the cards:
• Iowa State
• Notre Dame
• Georgetown
• Arkansas
• West Virginia
• Iowa
• San Diego State
• Oregon
Tom Petty Teams (“Freeee …) – Normally, these Free Fallin’ teams are
trending downward due to inconsistency or notable downward shifts in
performance from earlier in the season, (Utah, losing 4 of their last
7), injury, player suspension (St. John’s suspended starting center
Chris Obekpa for two weeks), or dismissal (Louisville, more on them
later). In better days they share much in common with the Stepsisters or
the Feast or Famine teams, except now they’re in a famine:
• Louisville
• Utah
• St. John’s
“I Have No Idea What to Make of This Team” Teams – Every year there’s a
few teams I truly don’t “get”, despite attempts to watch and analyze
them. This year is especially vexing, in that I do understand what these
teams are trying to accomplish, but don’t appreciate why they pursue
these approaches or strategies. Cincinnati has an interim coach since
Mick Cronin left the team for health reasons, so I understand that
obstacle to consistency, but I still can’t make heads or tails of their
overall approach. Indiana and Georgia are teams of talented athletes
overcoached by control freaks, which results in never knowing what they
will do from game to game given the fragile egos of 18-22 year olds.
Living west of the Rockies I’ve seen UCLA play several times, and I
can’t fathom why they are so guard dominant when they have a future
lottery pick in forward Kevon Looney and a serviceable big man rotation
in Tony Parker and Thomas Welsh (I have my theories, let’s just say
nepotism is alive and well in college basketball):
• Cincinnati
• Indiana
• Georgia
• UCLA
Upset Picks That Actually Could Happen – Just as the meaning of
“Cinderella” has lost currency in this era of parity, so has the meaning
of “Upset”. I no longer consider a No. 10 beating a No. 7 to be a real
“upset”, nor a No. 11 seed beating a No. 6, as I believe this is where
parity settles in as major programs with high roster turnover and
inconsistent results run into other programs major and middle who manage
to assemble upperclassmen-laden rosters. Furthermore, everyone by now
knows about the 5/12 games, hears that No. 12 seeds are 8-4 in those
games over the last three tournaments, and sees how trendy those
“upsets” are in pick pools. So the easy advice is to pick at least one
No. 12 seed to win as the percentages favor that result; I like Buffalo
the best of the four, Stephen F. Austin the least due to their matchup
with a highly efficient Utah squad (hence their inclusion in the next
category). More difficult is to assess deeper seeds for opening game
upset potential - if you want double digit seeds that could win more
than one game, see “Cinderellas” and “Stepsisters” above. Last year was
the first in seven years that a No. 13 did not beat a No. 4, but this
year’s group is especially feisty with more forgiving matchups than
usual. Georgia State has two high-major transfers (Ryan Harrow, North
Carolina State via Kentucky, and the irrepressible Kevin Ware, an
inspirational figure in Louisville’s 2013 National Championship run), as
well as the coach’s son R.J. Hunter, who projects as an NBA-level
shooting guard (Stay off that foot coach!). UC Irvine has the tallest
player in college basketball, Mamadou Ndiaye at 7’6”, but the Big West
Champs are no freak show (Top 40 Nationally in 3P%, Defensive
Rebounding, Blocked Shots, and FG% Defense). Wofford is the “Luckiest”
team in the country according to Pomeroy (“Luck” meaning the contrast
between actual results and expectations based on the team’s actual
efficiencies). Eastern Washington beat No. 10 seed Indiana in
Bloomington. No. 15 seed New Mexico State is ranked 89th overall in
Pomeroy, ahead of 16 other teams in the dance, and has an opponent
(Kansas) with an notable penchant for early losses, and has the
frontcourt size to match them (five players between 6’8”-7’3”). I’ll be
advancing at least four of these teams to the next round:
• Buffalo
• Valparaiso
• UC Irvine
• Georgia State
• Wofford
• Eastern Washington
• New Mexico State
Upset Picks That Probably Won’t Happen – A No. 16 seed has never beaten
a No. 1 seed since the tournament field expanded to 64 in 1985, despite
coming close a couple of times, so I’ll include the No. 16 seeds here
only by reference and otherwise dismiss them out of hand. Cutting to the
chase, these double-digit seeds have unfavorable matchups and should
play to their seed (i.e., lose). Nate Silver agrees with this sentiment,
projecting that all the teams below have an 18% or less win probability
for their first game. While picking the correct low-seeded and otherwise
undervalued upstarts is key to winning tourney pools, remember: Just
because a team could beat higher seeded opponents in the Round of 64 or
beyond, doesn’t mean they actually will.
• Stephen F. Austin
• Harvard
• Northeastern
• Albany
• UAB
• Belmont
• North Dakota State
• Texas Southern
And Now … Seven Staunch Archetypal Predictions …
“First Four” Team Most Likely to “VCU” … Dayton. I don’t want to say
“Duh”, but Duh! For one, they played on their home court in the “First
Four”, the UD Arena that has hosted the “First Four” since 2011 (and its
predecessor “play-in” games since 2000). Second, many pundits had Dayton
more comfortably in the field between their Atlantic-10 tourney
runner-up finish and their various metrics (40th in Pomeroy, 32nd RPI),
when by their placement they were firmly on the bubble the entire time.
Third, they went to the Elite Eight last year, and returned two starters
as well as the Flyers’ microwave, my main man Scoochie Smith; We all
need a little more Scoochie in our lives. Fourth, Dayton comes from the
same conference as the original “VCU” … err, Virginia Commonwealth, a
true mid-major Cinderella, much like Dayton was last year. Now granted,
Archie Miller can’t deploy anyone over 6’6”, and they lost half of their
rotation from last year’s tournament darlings between graduation and the
dismissal of their only two returning bigs for their involvement in some
larcenous shenanigans. They still managed to win 25 games, finishing 2nd
in an increasingly rugged Atlantic-10, and they still have Ohio State
transfer Jordan Sibert and his 16.5 ppg leading the way. Brigham Young
could have been mentioned more prominently in this discussion had they
not blown a 17-point lead to Ole Miss last night, and Boise State almost
upset the apple cart last night. But I’m riding with Scoochie.
Juggernaut No One Is Predicting Much For … Kansas. If this seems like a
broken record, then it’s because Kansas was my pick for this last
season. Once again, Kansas lost a talented freshman big, this time Cliff
Alexander due to an NCAA inquiry into his amateur eligibility. Once
again, they lost to Iowa State in the Big 12 Conference Tourney, this
time losing the Final in excruciating fashion as they surrendered a 17
point lead in the second half. Once again they are one of the more
talented teams in the country, but aside from leading scorer Perry
Ellis, most of the remaining 10-man rotation are freshman and sophomore,
which suggests Kansas might be a year away from truly contending for a
National Championship. And, once again, they are slotted to reach the
Elite Eight by their No. 2 seed in the Midwest. Curious altogether, when
one realizes a.) Future Hall of Famer Bill Self still roams the
sidelines, b.) Kansas camped out in the Top 10 of the polls, are 11th
overall in Pomeroy, 9th in Sagarin, and 3rd in the RPI, all while
playing the toughest schedule in the country according to these metrics;
c.) They barely miss all three of the championship tests, and would pass
them if they scored 2 ppg more, thereby raising their scoring average
from 71.2 ppg and margin from 6.5 ppg, as well as an AdjO of 110.8 and
rank of 37th (AdjD is 90.5, good for 7th), and d.) The Jayhawks have
ample cover in the post for Alexander between Ellis, Landon Lucas,
Jamari Traylor, and Hunter Mickelson. Now unlike last year, they don’t
have a transcendent talent like 2014 NBA Draft #1 overall pick Andrew
Wiggins, but they still have a number of future NBA players in Ellis,
Kelly Oubre, Wayne Selden and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Thanks
“copy-and-paste”!). The fact that they are the No. 2 seed in Kentucky’s
region, a team they lost to by 32 in November, would rightly give
everyone but the most ardent of Jayhawks fans pause, except that many
predictions I’ve seen have them losing before that game would even
happen, whether it be to Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, or possibly Wichita
State in the Round of 32, or even No. 15 seed New Mexico State on
Friday. Someone could try to argue for another team here, like Virginia
losing 2 of their last 3 to drop from a potential No. 1 seed, but when
Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight crunches the numbers and says Iowa State
(No. 3 seed South), Utah (No. 5 South), North Carolina (No. 4 West) and
Oklahoma (No. 3 East) all have a better shot than Kansas at reaching the
Final Four, and The Power Rank has Kansas trailing the other No. 2 seeds
Virginia, Gonzaga and Arizona in win probability for the National
Championship by a range of 5.6-10.2%, I rest my case.
This Year’s “Texas Longhorns 2010 Memorial Shambles Team” is … Although
it’s really tempting to pick Texas here – there’s a good case to be made
for them – I’m going to go with Louisville. “Shambles” is a relative
term this year, as no one has really fallen backwards into the
tournament like those Longhorns did five years ago. But Louisville comes
close, comparatively in disarray having lost five (5) of their last 10
after starting the season 19-3, and dismissing their starting point
guard Chris Jones from the team.
This Year’s “Kansas Jayhawk Memorial Round of 32 Upset Departure Team”
is … For all I said above, it could still be Kansas – an eager Wichita
State on the horizon finally getting to play their in-state non rival –
but I will shine the spotlight on Virginia. Last year I suggested both
Wichita State (No. 1 seed losing to Kentucky) and Villanova (No. 2 seed
losing to Connecticut) due to troublesome and unfortunate potential
matchups in the Round of 32 that came to fruition. Well say hello to No.
7 seed Michigan State, the team that sent Virginia packing last year in
the Sweet 16, favored to have a rematch in Charlotte. Another popular
pick is Davidson over Gonzaga should that game occur, while Arizona
would face the Ohio State-VCU survivor in a tricky matchup (especially
if it’s Sean Miller’s mentor Thad Matta and his Buckeyes). Texas could
give Notre Dame all they can handle as well. But no Top 3 seed has a
more obstinate Round of 32 opponent than Virginia, and even President
Obama knows they will need a healthy and reintegrated Justin Anderson to
go far.
Is There a Potential “Butler” or “George Mason” This Year? … YES!
Northern Iowa. I waxed almost poetic about them two weeks ago …
“Northern Iowa is legitimate in every sense of the word. If you don’t
know about him already get acquainted with the Panthers’ All-American
candidate Seth Tuttle, named yesterday as the Missouri Valley Conference
Player of the Year. A slightly-less-wealthy-man’s version of Wisconsin’s
Frank Kaminsky, he can score from anywhere in the half-court or in
transition, and functions as their “point-center”, running the offense
through him and surrounding him with perimeter shooters who can get hot
at a moment’s notice …”
They meet both of the Pomeroy Tests, and as a No. 5 seed, they aren’t
exactly coming out of nowhere. I see Northern Iowa winning their first
two games and setting up a 40-minute war with Villanova in the Sweet 16,
with a fighting chance to repeat the same feat of beating the No. 1 seed
in their region as Butler did in 2010 or George Mason did in 2006. Come
what may after that.
Could Some Middle-Seeded Team Pull a 2014 Connecticut on The Field? …
Probably Not. Looking at the Nos 6-11 seeds, the only teams I see coming
close to the talent and depth of last year’s surprise Champions are
Wichita State, Ohio State and Texas. Wichita State has the same deadly
law firm of Baker Cotton & VanVleet that went to a Final Four in 2013
and was a No. 1 seed last year losing to eventual Finalist Kentucky.
Both Ohio State and Texas have future NBA lottery picks in D’Angelo
Russell and Myles Turner respectively. Wichita State meets the Raw Data
test, while Ohio State and Texas compare similarly to last year’s champs
along the same criteria. All three have coaches that have been to a
Final Four (unlike Kevin Ollie last year). Having said all of that, I’m
convinced the gap between the Contenders and the remaining field is so
large to overcome that I just don’t see anyone else getting past the
bouncers into the VIP lounge.
My Final Four and Champion … After thousands of words, these picks may
follow the chalk, but I think Kentucky’s Wildcats fulfills the prophecy
of an undefeated National Championship and earns redemption for last
year’s team that fell 40 minutes short from glory. Defense matters more
earlier in the tournament, where scheme and effort can slay giants who
don’t defend as they should, while the pendulum shifts later in the
tourney as more offensively capable squads assert their talent under
increasing pressure; Kentucky appears immune to the plagues of effort or
pressure, with the depth and versatility to ride out a player or three
not playing to their potential, and efficiency at both ends of the floor
that has belied the mounting pressure of an undefeated season. I think
Kentucky finds their most formidable threat in Arizona’s Wildcats,
ultimately surviving a Final Four encounter then vanquishing the defiant
Villanova Wildcats in the Final before a quasi-home crowd in
Indianapolis. Filling out the foursome will be a Gonzaga Bulldogs team
that finally breaks through Mark Few’s Sweet 16 glass ceiling, only to
find a room filled with savage felines. A Dog and Cats, living together
in Naptown, Mass hysteria in Big Blue Nation to follow.
- Reydituto
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1/5/2015
My marriage was saved by Wildcat message
boards!
OK, maybe that is a bit dramatic, but Wildcat message boards certainly
made me easier to live with. Prior to finding these boards, my wife had
little patience for my constant, year round monologues over the problems
and the triumphs of Wildcat football and basketball.
Now, don’t get me wrong, she is quite the Wildcat fan herself, but her
interest ends once the game is over. Between games she would rather
watch a show on the mistakes women make when they kill their husbands
than talk Wildcat recruiting or discuss the pros and cons of the 335 odd
stack.
Could my refusal to stop discussing Wildcat sports between games or in
the middle of the off-season have led to my divorce? Maybe, but luckily
I found a release and fellow Wildcat fans who share my passion.
So, Wildcat message boards may have literally saved me half of
everything I own as well as given me the benefits of lifelong love and
companionship.
Why BearDownWildcats?
There are things I could recommend about every Wildcat message board
(except pgu which is a plague upon the community) and the board each fan
decides to spend their time is a very personal choice.
For me, there are 3 primary reasons why I call BearDownWildcats.com
home.
First, I believe free message boards are important for the growth and
health of the fan community. They allow all fans to gather to discuss
the big and little things going on in the program and help to draw in
new fans to continue to grow the community.
I am not trying to knock premium boards. I have been a member of all the
local pay sites at one time or another and think they do a great job of
getting inside information to their members. I just believe by their
nature these sites are exclusive and I believe non-premium information
should be discussed in the open and available to the entire fan base.
Second, I am a visual guy. I firmly believe a picture is worth a
thousand words and there is not another site that makes it easier to
post images or videos to help illuminate the discussion or rally the
troops on game day.
Finally, it is the community. I landed at our former home, goazcats.com,
initially because it was active, primarily focused on talking up Wildcat
sports (instead of overly obsessed with finding new ways to bash ASSu),
and reasonably free of trolls. I stayed because of the other board
members.
The knowledge, expertise and passion of our fan base is second to none.
They have made me smarter on not just Wildcat sports, but medical,
legal, marketing, and IT issues as well as proving that the knowledge of
message board fans is often more accurate than that of the paid
professionals.
Thanks to everyone who built this community and I looked forward to our
continued growth.
Bear Down Wildcats!
Mike - ANGCatFan
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12/19/2014
It’s About Fandom
When I first stumbled onto the GOAZCATS.com community in October 2004,
I’d already been a veteran of multiple other forums, namely ESPN, for
years. I had cut my chops against a national audience, and was ready to
take the forum by storm.
I chose a calculated entrance, wanting to be remembered and celebrated.
Who cares about being carried off the field after a win? I wanted to be
carried onto the field amidst victory.
For several weeks I lurked, viewing conversations, arguments, feuds,
until I finally found my perfect moment. As hated U-Dub troll,
PomPomPizzy, spewed illogical homerism and tired Husky fluff, I entered,
I posted, I conquered, levying the hammer with a definitive epic post,
tearing asunder Pizzy’s entire point. The entrance immediately endeared
me to the Arizona Wildcat Community, and I earned praise from many
posters, including a named shoutout from the site’s lead writer. It was
clear I’d accomplished my goal. Within short order I was swept upon
amongst the hallowed names of the forum greats.
And for what? For espousing an opinion? For decimating a known foe? For
reveling in the Bear Down mantra and pontificating about Wildcat
Basketball greatness?
Yes. Yes. Oh Hell Yes.
Nevermind that my glorious opining has since been proven wrong; that
some 5-9, swag-struttin, pass-oopin Huskies PG who will remain nameless
would never get drafted in the NBA’s 1st Round, let alone have a lengthy
NBA career.
It simply didn’t matter whether the opinion was right or wrong
ultimately.
What mattered was I was clearly was a Wildcat fan.
And that still matters most of all.
It’s About Community
Fast-forward a decade to 2014. With GOAZCATS community a now ruin of her
former glory, with dedicated writers and administrators elsewhere, with
no assurance of a present let alone future, the members of that fandom
and community decided they were not going to be trolled any longer.
We objected to having our voice be relegated to only those we could
type.
We objected to having our power be designated to only that of the button
that began or ended each browsing.
We objected to having our fandom and community being used against us in
a twisted sort of fandom extortion, where for the cost of a monthly
subscription we could keep our precious community so long as it remained
a dying, closed-off forum.
The Mystery Admin made it plenty clear no aid was coming, and nothing we
did would change that.
To that I, and a few hundred of my fandom friends say, “Oh Really?”
So, here, after six months of exile, we have our change.
Here, after six months of vagabond ocular flaps, we have our new domain.
And it’s here, after a decade of memories elsewhere, we have our
opportunity to stand up, to BEAR DOWN, and to make this community
whatever the hell we want it to be.
And it’s about time.
Bear Down Wildcats
JMJ
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