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Big CatBig Cat

Tom Izzo is the God of March

Tom Izzo now 16th Sweet 16... His expected wins are 27.6. He has 39 wins... that's an 11.4 difference. The next closest on this chart is Cal with six wins above expected. Tom Izzo very good tournament coach.

Izzo's record of reaching Sweet 16s as a lower seed is statistically unmatched.

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Void
Mar 24, 2025
#14498
Big CatBig Cat

NIL and the transfer portal are ruining March Madness upsets.

The biggest culprit that I've seen being blamed is NIL and Transfer Portal. I think that's actually a fair critique because what has happened with a lot of these smaller conference teams is they take a shot on a guy, he's good for a year, and then he gets plucked in the transfer portal. All the Power five schools are basically picking apart all the smaller schools and taking their best players, and then you don't get upsets.

The 2025 tournament featured very few upsets by mid-majors, supporting his claim, though it's still a subjective critique of the system.
Void
Mar 24, 2025
#14499
MaxMax

The Big East is for basketball while the SEC is for football

Big East is college basketball. SEC's football... when you're watching SEC basketball fans, you know, you're only thinking in the back of your head... they don't care about this. Like they care about football.

This is inherently subjective, though historically SEC schools prioritize football and Big East schools lack FBS football.
Void
Mar 24, 2025
#28039
Big CatBig Cat

The SEC only has two and a half real basketball schools: Kentucky, Florida, and half of Tennessee.

I do agree with this take that the SEC has two and a half basketball schools that I respect. Kentucky, Florida, and half of Tennessee. None of the other—like Auburn's great, Auburn could win the national title—but I don't respect them as a basketball school. That's football. Tennessee is obviously a clear one, I respect their basketball tradition and they do care, but football still is the king there.

The classification of a 'basketball school' is inherently subjective and based on historical tradition versus current success.

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Big CatBig Cat

The Lions will win the NFC North

I think they're gonna be really good. Are the Lions on Crosby watch? ... I think them and maybe the Cowboys might be on Crosby watch. ... I think they probably will win the NFC North.

The 2026 NFC North winner will determine whether this prediction was correct.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Bears could have a top-five offense even if they miss the playoffs

There's a world where the Bears don't make the playoffs, but they're a top-five offense. And our defense is so bad that I can almost—I would be very upset, but I could deal with it.

This resolves when the 2026 regular season ends and Chicago's offensive ranking and playoff status are known.
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Big CatBig Cat

The Jaguars could win the AFC South

I think the Jaguars are not getting any respect or talked about a lot. I think they're gonna be really good this year. They could win the South. I think Trevor Lawrence is gonna keep going forward.

The Jaguars' season and Trevor Lawrence's 2026 performance will determine the prediction.