well i guess I called it. Getting bored with this pattern of building teams to a #1 or #2 seed and losing in the 2nd round. Thought we had the better team, but Columbus St's backcourt was very strong, and I guess our defensive ratings didn't matter. Kudos to them for getting the upset - they definitely shot the lights out. 

Very surprised at that result BBunch.  Very surprised.

sorry for the jinx bbunch. I'd like to think I got a really good team (player) this season. I picked you and Lander because you two are 2 of my 3 losses. My other loss was to Hillsdale who got upset as well. Now if I can get someone to upset Lander, I'm gold!

we had an advantage at pretty much every position, better IQ's, and better bench....and gameplanned for them, and lost by 11. This game is starting to make very little sense to me. I'm a gentleman about it when we lose reasonably, but that was a pretty unreasonable loss. We lost 2nd round as a #1 seed last season as well. 

The randomness of the game is getting to me. I'm becoming less invested in it. It seems silly to build one of the best teams in terms of talent and IQ just to keep losing early in the NT to teams with lesser ratings across the board. 

I guess I've won titles with much lesser squads, so maybe it all evens out in the end. 

Posted by hackerhog on 8/17/2014 1:21:00 PM (view original):
Holy crap. Scroll through the last minute of OT of Valdosta St's game. Down 10 with 45 sec left and won.

I mentioned in my coaches corner that it was the craziest comeback I've ever had in HD. Won on a halfcourt shot by my center with 1 PE. Just crazy.

I think one of the most confusing things about upsets is understanding why it happened.... I think we mostly assume it's just the random nature of the game/program. But I wish there could be some feedback to explain "ok that team only had a 2% chance to win" - heck I'd feel better then knowing that I did all I could. I realize they don't want to reveal the 'hidden codes' so to speak - but I wonder if they couldn't do something....

Early in my Limestone career I had at least one number 1 seed that lost in round 1 or 2... and it was very frustrating since I also thought I had pulled all the right strings.

Anyhow, I understand your frustration bbunch... I just wonder if there isn't some way HD could provide feedback to explain some of these upsets.

@bbunch. you're more than welcome to share your gameplan with me on C-Bus St... to know what not to do. 

Bbunch/brianxavier,

I feel the same way, as I managed to "guide" us to 10 losses this season (and can't wait to be disappointed next season). I know we had flaws on the defensive end, but I thought the matchup against Johnson C Smith was manageable. Triying to figure out if I need to critique the way I do things or figure out what works for the likes of the people that beat me. Or chalk it up to the RNG.

C-Bus St just keeps winning. I really thought I had played and beaten two teams better than them earlier in the NT. But C-Bus got up on me and held the lead all the way. We got the deficit to one in final 4 minutes, but just couldn't get over the hump.

Of the last 6 teams still playing (including PIT finals teams), 4 are from the Peach Belt.

C-Bus is amazing in that they only have 4 upperclassmen too. they are defying all odds to make it this far. I think their luck will run out here in the final four - but hats off to an exciting run for their coach.

I cant help but to be nervous for the matchup with Cbus St tonight. On paper it looks like we have several advantages but it has also appeared that way for several of the great teams they have knocked out already on their trip to the Final 4. This is gonna be a fun game and now when the 3 month old wakes up for a bottle in the middle of the night Ive got a real excuse to get up and check the play by play!

Posted by muskies85 on 8/20/2014 10:54:00 PM (view original):
I cant help but to be nervous for the matchup with Cbus St tonight. On paper it looks like we have several advantages but it has also appeared that way for several of the great teams they have knocked out already on their trip to the Final 4. This is gonna be a fun game and now when the 3 month old wakes up for a bottle in the middle of the night Ive got a real excuse to get up and check the play by play!

congrats to you, muskies. He did a really good job getting that team to the final 4, and running into a team on that kind of a cinderella run can be scary. good luck in the title game. 

I said it once already this season and I'll say it again. This season 73 Lander team was the best team I've seen in Iba D2 since I've been coaching. Hats off to getbearded for pulling off the national championship under the duress of such high expectations. In season 60, I had the best team, but got upset in the final by a Longwood team that was on a terrific run and really a year away. congrats getbearded. Just because you're the best team on paper doesn't mean you'll win. You still got to coach them. 

My only regret is that I didn't get to play him in the NT like I did last year. This year would have been the championship. I really thought I had the 2nd best team but fell victim to the terrific Cinderella run of Cbus St. That was the other story of this NT.

I also want to post on this thread for posterity sake. Michael Lewis will be remembered as one of the best players in Harding's storied history. It took two pretty dog gone good PGs (Oleg Zausch from Lander and Russell Jackson from C-Bus) to knock him out of the NT in the Elite 8 his final 2 years.  In Harding's record books Lewis is:

• 1st in Steals with 233 (4th all time in Iba D2)
• 2nd in Pts with 1784
• 8th in Assists with 429
• 22nd in FT shooting with 76.5%

Nationally he was NPOY, NDPOY, and 2-time All-American.

In my opinion he's still 2nd to my Wesley Ellis who starred for me from 34-38 and took me to two NT championship games (one starting as a Frosh) and ended up being drafted in the 1st round by the Philadelphia 76'ers with the 28th overall pick. But I digress.

Fun year.

Posted by hackerhog on 8/22/2014 12:00:00 PM (view original):
I said it once already this season and I'll say it again. This season 73 Lander team was the best team I've seen in Iba D2 since I've been coaching. Hats off to getbearded for pulling off the national championship under the duress of such high expectations. In season 60, I had the best team, but got upset in the final by a Longwood team that was on a terrific run and really a year away. congrats getbearded. Just because you're the best team on paper doesn't mean you'll win. You still got to coach them. 

My only regret is that I didn't get to play him in the NT like I did last year. This year would have been the championship. I really thought I had the 2nd best team but fell victim to the terrific Cinderella run of Cbus St. That was the other story of this NT.

I also want to post on this thread for posterity sake. Michael Lewis will be remembered as one of the best players in Harding's storied history. It took two pretty dog gone good PGs (Oleg Zausch from Lander and Russell Jackson from C-Bus) to knock him out of the NT in the Elite 8 his final 2 years.  In Harding's record books Lewis is:

• 1st in Steals with 233 (4th all time in Iba D2)
• 2nd in Pts with 1784
• 8th in Assists with 429
• 22nd in FT shooting with 76.5%

Nationally he was NPOY, NDPOY, and 2-time All-American.

In my opinion he's still 2nd to my Wesley Ellis who starred for me from 34-38 and took me to two NT championship games (one starting as a Frosh) and ended up being drafted in the 1st round by the Philadelphia 76'ers with the 28th overall pick. But I digress.

Fun year.

I love these types of posts, hacker. It's always heartening to see other coaches that have those players that they'll always remember. Michael Lewis was a stud.