First of all did you see the UCONN ‘CUSE game last night? I didn’t I turned on my radio heard about it and realized, I need to check this out. Absolutely insane; Just google it or go to espn.com you can’t miss it. Fantastic! [MF - Yahoo article here]
Also I have had a bunch of people asking me, how are you enjoying March Madness without ESPN tv? Well yes I have missed some good Big East and ACC games. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Pac-10 tournament on CSN. Plus a lot of the big games are about to switch to CBS.
Friday
While I was searching over the NCAA schedule I came across a nice little tracker on the top of espn.com college basketball scoreboard;
53 College tournament games yesterday; now there are 38 games today!!!!!! Now I know it only shows 2 games for Saturday, that’s because the games have not been set yet.
Anyways yes I am in full blown March Madness Mode!
Minnesota vs (6) Michigan St. 12 ET ESPN
This could be a really good game or it could be a blowout. The reason I circled this game is that with Minnesota beating Northwestern yesterday (Sorry Fodor) experts feel that they should qualify for the field of 65. Getting a win over MSU would all but secure the bid. MSU has an outside chance at a #1 seed in the tournament, especially with Pitt and UConn going down early in the Big East tournament. If Michigan St can avoid their fate they could get that number 1 seed.
Who I want to win: Michigan State
Who I think will win: Michigan State
Virginia Tech vs (1) North Carolina 12 ET ESPN2
This could be another game that could be close or be a blowout. These two teams always seem to have good games when they face off. We can also see if the revolving door of number 1 ranking continues. [Lawson isn't playing, by the way.]
Who I want to win: UNC
Who I think will win: UNC
Bulls at 76ers: 8:30 ET CSN
Bulls are again virtually tied for the 8th seed. They need every win they can get and this is a possibility for them. 76ers are the 7th seed. So either team wins gains an important game up on the other. The Bulls have been more up and down then any team I have seen in the NBA. Can Vinny find something else to relax them, cause clearly, bowling didn’t work.
Who I want to win: Bulls
Who I think will win: 76ers
Baylor vs Texas 7 ET ESPN360
As I child of two Valparaiso alumni and a cousin of a current Valpo student, and a fiancé to a former Valpo resident, Valpo basketball is pretty close to my heart. Scott Drew, former Valpo coach and son of current and legendary Valpo coach Homer Drew, is current coach at Baylor and watching what he has done there to transform the school has been unbelievable. When he first took over, Baylor was unable to play out of conference games. I hope he continues to grow the program. They are coming off the upset of Kansas and maybe they can keep the Big XII run going by beating Texas. Texas has been very up and down this year so it should be a good game.
Who I want to win: Baylor
Who it think will win: Texas
Blue Jackets at Blackhawks: 8:30 ET CSN+
The Blackhawks have been on a little bit of a slide as late. Can the big shootout win from Wednesday help propel this team back to a win streak. Khabibulin is making his return appearance. He will probably be a little rusty, so let’s hope he shakes that rust off pretty quick. Columbus needs this win to help secure their spot and to gain secure their spot and to gain spots in the playoffs.
Who I want to win: Blackhawks
Who I think will win: Blackhawks
West Virginia vs (20) Syracuse: 9 ET ESPN
Both teams have been ranked number 1 in the country at some point! This will be their third meeting as they fight for a number 1 seed in the tournament! Pitt, UCONN in the Big East Tournament, NEXT!
Errr wait. Ugghh I mean West Virginia vs Syracuse. Not the dream match up I think the Big East was hoping for but it still should be an exciting game. I love watching Devin “IU called me too much, so now I play for WVU” Ebanks play. I also want to see how Syracuse plays after their 6 OT game.
Who I want to win: West Virginia
Who I think will win: West Virginia
Saturday
I went a little long winded on Friday since I do not know who is playing in these games.
C-USA Championship Game: 12:30 ET CBS
Memphis' insane conference winning streak will most likely still be going strong. I would like the theater if they lost though.
Who I want to win: To see Memphis streaks end.
Who I think will win: Memphis
Big Ten, ACC and SEC Semifinals: Approx 2:30ET-6ET CBS ESPN ESPN2
I will be flipping between all these games. I will probably watch more of Big Ten and ACC then SEC, but whatever games are most exciting is what I’ll be watching.
Big XII Championship: 6 ET ESPN
Watching 40 minutes of hell is a treat. I hope Mizzou makes it this far. As stated before you know I’ll be tuning in if Baylor makes it.
Who I want to win: Baylor
Who I think will win: Missouri
Pac-10 Championship: 6 ET CBS
I find 3 of the final four teams enjoyable to watch so it should be a good final to watch. The winner of the LA showdown (USC vs UCLA) will have “home” court advantage.
Who I want to win: Washington
Who I think will win: Washington
Big East Championship: 9 ET ESPN
The tournament started Tuesday with Depaul winning it’s first Big East game of the year. We already know two of the top teams are out. Who is going to win the one of toughest conference tournaments? Should be good
Who I want to win: West Virginia
Who I think will win: Louisville
Sunday
SEC Championship: 1 ET CBS
Will there be a team out of nowhere like UGA last year? That was a fantastic tournament with the tornado and the half empty Georgia Tech gym only allowing friends and family in. I will be happy if this year’s final is half as good as last years.
Who I want to win: Alabama or South Carolina
Who I think will win: Tennessee
ACC Championship: 1 ET ESPN
Tobacco road showdown? A surprise team coming out of nowhere? FSU basketball finally taking the next step? All these are possibilities. The ACC is very top.
Who I want to win: Boston College
Who I think will win: UNC
Big Ten Championship: 3:30 ET CBS
I do love how there is one championship game that comes so close to the selection show. I would just like to see what happens in the war room if somebody like Iowa or Indiana made the final. They have almost no time between the final buzzer and the final brackets.
Who I want to win: INDIANA!!! I know I know. Michigan State
Who I think will win: Purdue.
NCAA Selection Show: 6 ET ESPN
Cue the music!!!!!! (Dunt dunt dunt dunt da da da) This is the single greatest non-sports sporting event of the year. Who’s in, who’s out. Who’s got the number 1s. How fast can I fill out my brackets! Just the BEST TIME OF THE YEAR!!!!!!
Check out the site tomorrow for a statistical breakdown of how you pick your bracket.
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