Wisconsin's forward Jon Leuer...
...looks like Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore. Judge for yourself.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tourney Look Alikes: Wisconsin's Jon Leuer
Thought I'd start something new here, guys. Noticed a striking similarity during Wisconsin's first rounder yesterday.
Wisconsin's forward Jon Leuer...
...looks like Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore. Judge for yourself.
Wisconsin's forward Jon Leuer...
...looks like Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore. Judge for yourself.
Saint Mary's: If The Slipper Fits...
Okay, my bracket is cooked. Omar Samhan, Mickey McConnell, and former Hoosier Ben Allen just took out one of my title game picks in Villanova.
Honestly, it wasn't a pick I felt great about anyway. Between the Big East getting beat down in the NIT and losing high seeds like Georgetown in the first round, I was already nervous by the time Robert Morris almost beat 'Nova on Thursday in one of the early games.
Scottie Reynolds, you picked a really bad time to forget how to shoot.
Oh and by the way, Bill Raftery and Verne Lundqvist really have a thing for this St. Mary's team. How many times can we possibly hear about Omer Samhan's mom buying her ticket for Houston, not the first two rounds in Providence? Also, apparently Mickey McConnell is amazing.
Whatever, I'm just bitter over losing one of my Final Four.
I'm 8-for-8 in one regional (the West) and now pretty much dead in another (South), where I had Louisville vs. Villanova in the Elite Eight. I think I'm rooting for St. Mary's now. Did anybody have this upset? Anybody?
The High Holy Days of Sports
College basketball has, by far, the best postseason of any sport.
And we're proving it again this year.
There's not a whole lot I can say about the first round of the NCAA tournament that hasn't already been said, so I will direct you to Bleacher Report, or CNNSI.com, if you want game breakdowns. Just a couple of notes from me.
1) Jordan Crawford and Armon Bassett scored 60 points between them in the first round, as Xavier and Ohio advanced. Crawford and Bassett could have been IU's starting back court this year. Everybody still on board for rebuilding, because I'm not sure I am. Seriously.
Bill Simmons asked a question in his live coverage of the tourney yesterday. PS - Sports Guy is the ONLY reason to read ESPN. The Question: Would you rather root for a college basketball team that wins all the time but might have ethical concerns, or a team that wins occasionally but is painfully honest?
I know which way Indiana administrators lean. And I gotta say, I disagree.
2) UNC - Mississippi State is on right now, in the NIT. Great game, as UNC leads on the road at The Hump. 36-33 at the half. Why expand the Tourney when the NIT is finally a good product? And no, I don't wanna talk about Northwestern. I don't even wanna think about it.
3) Oregon AD Mike Bellotti just resigned. A week after firing his basketball coach, Ernie Kent, who had been there for over ten years, I think? Anyway, Oregon's athletic program is in some serious trouble between Kent leaving, football players getting arrested and suspended, including your star QB Jeremiah Masoli, and now the head main bails? After one year on the job?
Something stinks here. Why aren't we hearing more about it? Oh, right. Bellotti got hired by ESPN as a commentator. No negative pub on the Worldwide Leader! I assume their ombudsman will jump right on this, and get ignored, just like always.
4) Enough negativity. Today I'm excited to watch Butler-Murray State and Washington-New Mexico, along with another former Hoosier, Ben Allen, playing for St. Mary's.
And we're proving it again this year.
There's not a whole lot I can say about the first round of the NCAA tournament that hasn't already been said, so I will direct you to Bleacher Report, or CNNSI.com, if you want game breakdowns. Just a couple of notes from me.
1) Jordan Crawford and Armon Bassett scored 60 points between them in the first round, as Xavier and Ohio advanced. Crawford and Bassett could have been IU's starting back court this year. Everybody still on board for rebuilding, because I'm not sure I am. Seriously.
Bill Simmons asked a question in his live coverage of the tourney yesterday. PS - Sports Guy is the ONLY reason to read ESPN. The Question: Would you rather root for a college basketball team that wins all the time but might have ethical concerns, or a team that wins occasionally but is painfully honest?
I know which way Indiana administrators lean. And I gotta say, I disagree.
2) UNC - Mississippi State is on right now, in the NIT. Great game, as UNC leads on the road at The Hump. 36-33 at the half. Why expand the Tourney when the NIT is finally a good product? And no, I don't wanna talk about Northwestern. I don't even wanna think about it.
3) Oregon AD Mike Bellotti just resigned. A week after firing his basketball coach, Ernie Kent, who had been there for over ten years, I think? Anyway, Oregon's athletic program is in some serious trouble between Kent leaving, football players getting arrested and suspended, including your star QB Jeremiah Masoli, and now the head main bails? After one year on the job?
Something stinks here. Why aren't we hearing more about it? Oh, right. Bellotti got hired by ESPN as a commentator. No negative pub on the Worldwide Leader! I assume their ombudsman will jump right on this, and get ignored, just like always.
4) Enough negativity. Today I'm excited to watch Butler-Murray State and Washington-New Mexico, along with another former Hoosier, Ben Allen, playing for St. Mary's.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
My Bracket aka I Lost a Sweet 16 Team After the First Game Was Finished
With all this commotion I decided to post my bracket. First things first, my final four: Kansas, Kentucky, Kansas State, and Purdue. My championship: Kansas vs. Kentucky. My Champion: yes Steve I had to go with old blue, Kentucky. Yes, I understand that both teams wear blue, it wasn't really a nickname, more of a saying. I have Kentucky winning 77-73.
Onto some other picks via Steve's template
Biggest Debate:
I didn't know who to pick. I have a gut feeling that Gonzaga was going to beat Syracuse, yet I just couldn't bring myself to do it. My original final four included Pittsburgh but I just couldn't see it. However, with first round games, I didn't have much trouble picking those games. Unlike Steve, I didn't struggle with the Nova vs. Baylor game. Why not? Because like a moron I got caught on a whim and decided Notre Dame was Sweet 16 material. DUMB. Luckily, I couldn't see Notre Dame advancing past Nova so I have Nova going to the elite eight.
Actually, another big debate I had was the crushing feeling that New Mexico was going to take down Kentucky. But, like I said, I had to go with old blue.
Unlike Steve, I'm not going to make a comment about Duke other than I have them going to the sweet 16 and losing to Purdue.
12 over 5
Unlike Steve, I only have one 12 seed defeating a 5 seed. That 12 seed I have going to the sweet 16. Another sentence for suspense. That 5 seed is: Cornell. Probably wrong, but honestly, I have no hope that I'll ever win a tournament. If you can't win a tournament picking Uconn over Georgia Tech, and being the only person to pick that championship game, you probably won't ever win one.
Big Ten Bias
I too have the Big Ten going 5-5 in the first round with two teams making it to the elite eight and one to the final four. Thanks for pointing out how biased I am Steve. Otherwise I would have never known.
No Guts No Glory
I made the following picks:
Murray State (13) over Vanderbilt (4): Who looks like a genius now!
Cornell (12) to the sweet 16
Clemson (7) over West Virginia (2)
Other Games I wanted to pick but didn't have the balls:
Murray State over Butler
Gonzaga over Syracuse
New Mexico over Kentucky
Honestly, I really like Murray State. If I had Murray State in the Sweet 16 versus Gonzaga I would have picked Murray State (13) to make it all the way to the elite eight. For a team that beat really no one all year (although they did have 30 wins) that would be a ballsy pick. Until then, I'll keep on rooting for you!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Derek’s Bracket: AKA The Perfect One
Following up on Steve’s post below, here is a breakdown of my finalized bracket for 2010: (Sidenote: To each his own, but I think that pools should never allow more than one bracket for each person – wouldn’t it seem a little tainted if “Wilson (2)” was the winning bracket? That would deserve an *)
I’ll start with my final four – Ohio State, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Duke will be fighting for the championship in Indianapolis – with Syracuse defeating WVU in the championship. I managed to follow Noffke’s rule of 2 teams from the same conference in the final four with Cuse and WVU, OSU will ride Evan Turner to the final four the way Marquette rode Dwayne Wade in 2003, and Duke gets in by default (what a joke of a region).
Biggest Debate – Syracuse or K State from the West?
The talk of the week so far is that Syracuse’s bad play down the stretch coupled with the injury to Arinze Onuaku will lead to an early exit – I don’t buy it. I think that the Orangeman will get by Vermont and FSU with Onuaku in uniform and glued to the bench. The second weekend he’ll return to the starting line-up and Syracuse will play the zone defense to perfection on their way to the 2010 NCAA championship.
8 1’s in the Sweet Sixteen
That can’t be right, can it? It is. Along with all four number 1 seeds, I also have 11 seeds Minnesota and Washington advancing past the second round. I think Minnesota will use its length to disrupt a streaky Xavier team and then sneak by Pitt in round two on the strength of solid 3 point shooting by Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber. Washington was more of a gut selection because they have two guys in Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas that can go off for 30 on any given night. We’ve seen in the past guys like Steph Curry and Acie Law carry their teams with huge performances in the tourney. Both guys I mentioned are capable of something similar.
Two Seed Trouble
It seems like every year I find myself picking a 1 or 2 seed to bow out early for one reason or another (Note: This usually doesn’t pan out..). This year is no different as I have the Richmond Spiders knocking of Noffke’s South champion Villanova. I can’t say I have seen either team play much in 2010 – call this a hunch play. I did see what Nova did down the stretch and think that they are primed for an upset. I will say that whichever team meets Baylor in round 3 is going to lose anyway.
Other Notable Upsets
The only 12 seed I have advancing past round 1 is Utah State. This is the strongest group of 5 seeds I can recall in awhile – Butler and MSU have too much experience to lose in round 1 and Temple is just too talented to be upset by a Cornell squad I would normally pick to advance without thinking twice. The only other double digit first round upsets I picked are San Diego State over a worn down Tennessee team and Missou over Clemson solely on tourney track record.
Noffke: You Call That a Big Ten Bias? Pshhh
This is something I didn’t notice until running through the bracket now…but I have the Big Ten going 10-0 over the first weekend. Of those 10 wins only 3 would be classified as “upsets” – both of Minny’s wins and the MSU second round win over Maryland – but it is still a noteworthy trend. (Note: You also might throw the two Purdue wins in that category based on their game against Minnesota last weekend sans Hummel, however I have them beating 13 seed Siena and 12 seed Utah State…not exactly murderer’s row).
No Guts No Glory – Part Deux
There are two upsets that I really wanted to include in the bracket but with money on the line decided against.
Northern Iowa over Kansas in Round Two
Kansas seems to be the consensus choice to cut down the nets in 2010 which would make this one of the greatest upsets of all time. The Panthers of Northern Iowa return the core of their tourney team from last year that pushed Purdue to the brink as a 12 seed in the first round. If this match up with Kansas comes to fruition my eyes will be glued to the television.
Louisville vs Notre Dame Regional Final
By all accounts Duke will face a cupcake schedule on their way to the final four this year, which I think makes them a target for an upset. Louisville is a deep team that Rick Pitino will have ready to play in round 2 vs the Dukies. If they get by the Blue Demons I think they are a shoe-in to get to the regional final. Notre Dame, on the other hand, switched up their game plan upon the return of Harangody this month and have really taken off. If they can get by Baylor in round 2 they’ll have a shot at the Final Four as well.
Only a Few Years Early 2012 Tournament Prediction
IU!!!!!
I’ll start with my final four – Ohio State, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Duke will be fighting for the championship in Indianapolis – with Syracuse defeating WVU in the championship. I managed to follow Noffke’s rule of 2 teams from the same conference in the final four with Cuse and WVU, OSU will ride Evan Turner to the final four the way Marquette rode Dwayne Wade in 2003, and Duke gets in by default (what a joke of a region).
Biggest Debate – Syracuse or K State from the West?
The talk of the week so far is that Syracuse’s bad play down the stretch coupled with the injury to Arinze Onuaku will lead to an early exit – I don’t buy it. I think that the Orangeman will get by Vermont and FSU with Onuaku in uniform and glued to the bench. The second weekend he’ll return to the starting line-up and Syracuse will play the zone defense to perfection on their way to the 2010 NCAA championship.
8 1’s in the Sweet Sixteen
That can’t be right, can it? It is. Along with all four number 1 seeds, I also have 11 seeds Minnesota and Washington advancing past the second round. I think Minnesota will use its length to disrupt a streaky Xavier team and then sneak by Pitt in round two on the strength of solid 3 point shooting by Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber. Washington was more of a gut selection because they have two guys in Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas that can go off for 30 on any given night. We’ve seen in the past guys like Steph Curry and Acie Law carry their teams with huge performances in the tourney. Both guys I mentioned are capable of something similar.
Two Seed Trouble
It seems like every year I find myself picking a 1 or 2 seed to bow out early for one reason or another (Note: This usually doesn’t pan out..). This year is no different as I have the Richmond Spiders knocking of Noffke’s South champion Villanova. I can’t say I have seen either team play much in 2010 – call this a hunch play. I did see what Nova did down the stretch and think that they are primed for an upset. I will say that whichever team meets Baylor in round 3 is going to lose anyway.
Other Notable Upsets
The only 12 seed I have advancing past round 1 is Utah State. This is the strongest group of 5 seeds I can recall in awhile – Butler and MSU have too much experience to lose in round 1 and Temple is just too talented to be upset by a Cornell squad I would normally pick to advance without thinking twice. The only other double digit first round upsets I picked are San Diego State over a worn down Tennessee team and Missou over Clemson solely on tourney track record.
Noffke: You Call That a Big Ten Bias? Pshhh
This is something I didn’t notice until running through the bracket now…but I have the Big Ten going 10-0 over the first weekend. Of those 10 wins only 3 would be classified as “upsets” – both of Minny’s wins and the MSU second round win over Maryland – but it is still a noteworthy trend. (Note: You also might throw the two Purdue wins in that category based on their game against Minnesota last weekend sans Hummel, however I have them beating 13 seed Siena and 12 seed Utah State…not exactly murderer’s row).
No Guts No Glory – Part Deux
There are two upsets that I really wanted to include in the bracket but with money on the line decided against.
Northern Iowa over Kansas in Round Two
Kansas seems to be the consensus choice to cut down the nets in 2010 which would make this one of the greatest upsets of all time. The Panthers of Northern Iowa return the core of their tourney team from last year that pushed Purdue to the brink as a 12 seed in the first round. If this match up with Kansas comes to fruition my eyes will be glued to the television.
Louisville vs Notre Dame Regional Final
By all accounts Duke will face a cupcake schedule on their way to the final four this year, which I think makes them a target for an upset. Louisville is a deep team that Rick Pitino will have ready to play in round 2 vs the Dukies. If they get by the Blue Demons I think they are a shoe-in to get to the regional final. Notre Dame, on the other hand, switched up their game plan upon the return of Harangody this month and have really taken off. If they can get by Baylor in round 2 they’ll have a shot at the Final Four as well.
Only a Few Years Early 2012 Tournament Prediction
IU!!!!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tourney Announcers... Announced
The breakdown is here!
For my money, the Verne Lundqvist - Bill Raftery team is #1 overall, while Gus Johnson is the most entertaining guy to have on your TV during a good game.
The Old Men get that 9:55pm San Diego State vs. Tennessee game to wrap up Thursday, as well as another potentially good one in Richmond v. St. Mary's at 3:00.
GuJo, paired with Len Elmore, gets Mizzou vs. Clemson at 2:45 on Friday as well as Florida State vs. Gonzaga at 7:10.
Oh, and UPSET ALERT. He's also calling Vermont vs. Syracuse. A Catamounts run would be an epic way to end Day Two..
Tiger Woods: Attention Whore
My early estimation: New record set for Master's viewership...If only I worked in advertising...gold mine possibilities for Tiger spoofs during this.
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