DP vs. BMack Bracket Update

BMack:

DP:

Right now I am in the lead, but it really comes down to the Kentucky vs. Ohio State game tonight. If Kentucky wins it is almost certain that DP will beat me this year, but if Ohio State wins DP could be in for his 3rd straight loss.

Neither of us are in the running to win the Dueling Couches Bracket Challenge.

Here is a look at the current standings. Sorry I couldn't make it look better, but basically it goes current rank, name, current score, current correct, best possible score, best possible correct, champion they pick, and the final combined score of the championship game, which is used as a tie breaker.

Group Standings
Rank Name Score Correct Best Score Best Correct Champion
1 Bob Longo 51 37 85 44 Ohio St. (159)
2 Damien Iasimone 49 38 59 41 Duke (127)
2 dan ebner 49 37 76 44 San Diego St. (134)
2 John Swenson 49 38 87 46 Kansas (155)
2 Stephanie Fiandaca 49 36 86 44 Kansas (151)
6 Alli BiggerButt 48 36 85 44 Ohio St. (102)
7 Andrew Brecher 47 35 72 40 Ohio St. (126)
7 Darren Kinnaird 47 35 84 43 Ohio St. (162)
7 Elizabeth Hogan 47 35 78 42 Kansas (147)
7 Jamie McGuire 47 34 75 40 Kansas (123)
7 Ken Sheehan 47 35 85 43 Kansas (145)
7 Kyle Mack 47 34 88 43 North Carolina (102)
7 Mike McAnulty 47 36 57 39 Duke (131)
14 Greg Miller 46 33 80 40 Ohio St. (142)
14 Lauren Serra 46 33 84 41 Kansas (140)
14 Pat Ouellette 46 34 84 42 Kansas (142)
17 Jay Glaser 45 33 79 40 Ohio St. (147)
17 Jeff Lester 45 32 82 40 Ohio St. (150)
17 Tomtom Duggan 45 33 83 41 Ohio St. (166)
20 Andrew Tibbetts 44 33 82 41 Kansas (128)
20 Bill Reilly 44 31 78 38 Ohio St. (158)
20 Brian Davis 44 34 78 41 Ohio St. (150)
20 Raymond Juleson 44 33 71 39 Ohio St. (157)
24 Danielle Malone 43 34 63 39 BYU (155)
24 Derek Bernier 43 32 71 38 Kansas (134)
24 josh dixon 43 32 78 40 Kentucky (163)
24 Max Callahan 43 32 77 39 Ohio St. (112)
24 Paolo Scafetta 43 32 84 41 Ohio St. (168)
29 doug gatto 42 30 55 33 Pittsburgh (171)
29 George Layer 42 30 70 36 Ohio St. (121)
29 Robert Uttaro 42 31 79 39 Kansas (159)
29 Scott Beer 42 30 66 35 Florida (140)
33 ash bigdeli 41 30 78 38 Kansas (134)
33 BMack 41 31 82 40 Kansas (133)
33 Brian Bresnahan 41 31 69 37 Ohio St. (145)
33 Justin Gelotte 41 30 57 34 Duke (129)
33 matt lanen 41 29 69 35 Florida (133)
33 rob zeitz 41 31 44 32 Duke (150)
39 bob mantz 40 32 77 40 Ohio St. (128)
39 chris thompson 40 31 77 39 Ohio St. (126)
41 Chris Cook 39 30 63 35 North Carolina (180)
41 Dean Reddington 39 32 49 35 San Diego St. (137)
41 Logan Saito 39 31 66 37 Ohio St. (141)
41 Patrick Henderson 39 30 73 37 Kansas (142)
41 Ross Hockrow 39 31 80 40 Kansas (136)
46 Brian Scanlan 38 29 66 35 Kansas (133)
46 Chris Casavant 38 28 66 34 Kansas (148)
46 Chris Ginty 38 29 69 36 Kansas (142)
46 David Pearce 38 31 75 39 Kentucky (148)
46 Mario Romano 38 28 75 36 Kansas (154)
46 Pat Cunningham 38 28 75 36 Kansas (100)
52 Alli Bigbutt 37 29 57 34 Pittsburgh (153)
52 charlie duncan 37 30 61 35 North Carolina (173)
52 Evan Dickinson 37 29 74 37 Kentucky (136)
52 tim niedzialkoski 37 29 78 38 Connecticut (121)
56 CJ Fleming 36 28 70 35 Kentucky (150)
56 Jason Rush 36 30 60 35 North Carolina (143)
58 anthony healy 34 26 75 35 Ohio St. (149)
59 Chris Holland 0 0 0 0 ()
59 Lauren Murphy 0 0 0 0 ()
59 mickey topham 0 0 0 0 ()

NCAA Recaps

74 UConn, 67 San Diego State University

The refs blew this one for SDSU as they called some bullshit technical on a Kemba Walker flop. Completely changed the momentum in the game and caused SDSU from advancing.

83 Florida, 74 BYU
Jimmer has range but shooting 11-29 and 3 for 15 from beyond the arc didn't help. Total meltdown in overtime.

61 Butler, 54 Wisconsin
Who cares right? I don't like either of these teams.

93 Arizona, 77 Duke
HAHAHAHAHA

Nolan Smith showed his leadership that everyones been clammering about by going 3-14 and Arizona played the game of their lives especially in the 2nd half where they shot 65%. I don't know if you can attribute that to great offense or the lack of defense on Dukes part.

Either way I asked Duke fan and our very own Wilde about his reaction to the game and this is what he had to say:

Nevermind he's busy being gross.

Recap Time: Bob's MSU Pick Was A Little Presumptuous

Morehead's game winner over Louisville, God dammit Pitino


Temple over Penn State


Kentucky over Princeton


Butler over Old Dominion


Nothing to see in that Michigan State/ UCLA game except Kalin Lucas walking his team out of the tournament and out of Michigan State. Whomp Whomp

BMack's Bracket

Yea, I know having Michigan State in the Final Four is fucking ridiculous, but I'm a huge fan of this team, and they really should be a lot better. First time I am not picking Michigan State or UNC winning it all, so maybe DP can finally beat me.

Also join DuelingCouches league to earn a prize and maybe some money.
Password is dc

To Join CLICK HERE

Boston Could Send 3 Teams to Tournament

It's the one month of the year that I actually follow basketball and can't get enough of it. And the city of Boston might send three representatives to the big tournament. BU, Harvard, and BC all have very good chances of earning bids.

BU will host Stony Brook Saturday afternoon at Agganis Arena to determine the America East Championship. The Terriers beat Stony Brook twice this season, boast a 12-4 conference record, have won 10 straight, and haven't lost at home since December. BU haven't made the NCAA tournament since 2002.

Harvard (yes they play in Boston, their court is in Brighton) is in one of the more interesting situations in college basketball. The Ivy League doesn't hold a tournament, and sends its regular season champ to the NCAAs. The Crimson beat 1st place Princeton 79-67 over the weekend. Princeton plays Penn tonight. If Princeton loses, then Harvard wins the Ivy League outright. If Princeton wins, then they and Harvard will meet in a playoff game at a neutral site (Yale). That game would be played on Saturday. Harvard hasn't been in the NCAA tournament since 1946. That tournament featured a field of 8 teams, including NYU and Oklahoma A&M.

By the way, Harvard beat both BU and BC this season.

BC have been popping in and out of the at-large bubble all season. They finished 5th in a lackluster ACC, don't have an overly impressive resume, and if a few upsets occur in the mid-major tournaments, BC might have to do work in the ACC Tournament.

The good news is that BC faces Wake Forest in the opening round of the ACC tourney. They trounced Wake a few days ago, 84-68. But they need to win this game. With losses against Harvard, Yale and URI already marring their schedule, they can't afford to add 8-23 Wake Forest to that list.

After Wake, the Eagles would face Clemson, who they lost to in February. Although it's easier to beat Clemson than it is to beat UNC or Duke. With both teams on the bubble, BC vs. Clemson might essentially be a play-in game into the NCAA tournament. BC last appeared in the NCAAs in 2009.

So come Selection Sunday, there may be three Boston representatives in the 68 team field. Or none.

-The Commodore

PS: Can we retire the phrase "punch their ticket?" It's just so antiquated, overused, and stupid.

Does BC Belong in the Tournament?

Yes. No. Maybe. Most people have them on the bubble, with their blowout win over Virginia Tech temporarily putting them in. But this post isn't about BC, or whether or not they should be in the tournament. To be honest, I don't follow college basketball closely enough to have an informed opinion on that.

This post is about the NCAA Tournament in general, and why it shouldn't expand. BC will help me demonstrate that point. Because they're not very good.

The Eagles occupy the middle of a very top-heavy and shallow ACC. Only 2 ACC teams are ranked. BC's 8-7 conference record is loaded with wins against Virginia and NC State. They did beat Virginia Tech twice, although they also lost to 9th place Miami. Twice.

Before that, they lost to Harvard and Yale. Thankfully, they didn't have to face Princeton, the top Ivy team. Princeton, by the way, only has one loss against Ivy League opponents, compared to BC's two.

BC might not even be the 2nd best team in New England (UConn being the best). They lost to URI, and they barely beat UMass and Providence. Apart from an early season, neutral site win over Texas A&M, they haven't beaten anyone impressive in or out of their conference.

They've got some good players, but no depth. And those good players all go through lengthy cold streaks. They're not awful. They're not great. If they make the tournament, it's not a joke. It's also not an injustice if they don't make it.

Finally, here's my point. If the tournament were expanded to 96 teams, BC would be a lock. They along with a few dozen other painfully mediocre teams. The field would be overly saturated by 10th place teams with .500 conference records.

There are plenty of good arguments to keep the NCAA field close to 64 teams. To me, though, this is the most alarming and convincing. This year, BC has been the quintessential bubble team. What would the bubble teams be like with 96 slots to fill? Wisconsin-Milwaukee? Long Beach State? Maybe NC State with their 15-14 overall and 5-10 conference records. The Wolfpack are 104th in RPI, and 54th strength of schedule. Why not them in the 96 team field?

-The Commodore

Why Kentucky and Kansas Will Never Win Again

Experience wins through and through. Cal and Bill Self can keep chasing the one and dones but their ceiling will always be the Elite 8.

Big h/t to Luke Winn at SI and the guys at Rush the Court

March Madness Awards from The Diesel

After going over Jesus' awards and still carrying some rage from my poor performance in DC's bracket challenge, I thought I'd give my take on this years madness following Jesus' award system.

Best Individual Performance:

I got to go with Omar Samhan from St. Mary's vs. Nova. He was unstoppable. He was like 13-16 I think from the field. DP and I watched this together and couldn't believe how easy it was for him to score, even when they sent 2 guys on him.

Best Team Performance..

I'll go with Northern Iowa over Kansas. Great team defense and clutch shooting leading to the defeat against the best team in the land.

Best Game...

Waaaaay too many to pick from. Jesus pretty much named them all, but another one in the 1st round was the Robert Morris-Villanova game. Awesome game and Robert Morris should've won.

Best team..

I agreee with Jesus. Butler. I guess they are all sophomores and juniors so they should be strong next year.

Best Coach...

Like Izzo a bunch, but I'll go with Brad Stevens. Beat Cuse, Kansas St, Michigan St and almost had Duke. Even in the Duke game, Butler controlled the tempo of the game and somehow even had more rebounds than the Devils who were clearly bigger up front. Also, remember that timeout call when the game was 26-20 Duke? Butler game out gunning and took the lead by one. He's going to get a championship at some point.

MOP..

Even though I hate Duke..props to their big 3 of Smith, Scheyer and Singler. I have to say entering the tournament I had zero respect for the Dukies and their game. I thought they were hands down the weakest number one seed. But after watching their last two games they were for real and the play from their big three was outstanding so I'll give that trio MOPs.

Worst Choke..

How about the Big East as a whole. What the Fuck? I had them doing some serious work in my bracket and by Sunday night after the first weekend I think only West Virginia and Cuse were left standing. Syracuse couldn't make it to the elite eight and Duke owned West Virginia. Just pathetic.

Dog Shit Team..

Villanove. I completely agree. Just pathetic. They should've lost in round one and they got their asses handed to them by St. Mary's in round two. I have no idea what happened to them the last month of the season. They should've been in the NIT with URI. I had them going to the championship. What the hell was I thinking??? I did do weed muffins for the first time about a week before the tournament began. Maybe it was that.

DST Individual..

How about that tall, worthless, piece of garbage from Notre Dame - Luke Harangody. What the hell was all the hype with this guy about? He is awful. He really tore it up against Old Dominion with his stat line of 4 points and 7 rebounds. I mean, when I think of historically great defensive teams, Old Dominion always comes to mind. LEARN TO SHOOT THE BALL WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE YOU"RE TAKING A DUMP!!

That is not a good image. So let me leave you with a nice shot of the cast of Family Matters..



That's better.

Happy Easter!

Jesus...the HIGH RISER!

Hope you all enjoy the holiday weekend with friends and family. Eat, drink and be merry.
I will be back Monday morning with a preview of the title game.
Duke and Butler! I know that no one had that on their bracket!
I will also be handing out the tournament awards.

Final Four 2010

We are down to the Final Four, and what a strange journey it has been. In the end, though, there are two familiar faces in Duke and Michigan State and two unlikelies in West Virginia and Butler (the latter much more so).

How They Got There.

#5 Butler Bulldogs
Butler completed there improbable run to Indianapolis (their home city) with an impressive win over Kansas State. Gordon Hayward, is the real deal and possibly the Great White Hype. He is a tall, 6'9'' point guard with great range and a sneaky good offensive skill set. He was the conference player of the year, and if Butler can pull this thing off, he may just be tournament MVP.
Kansas State looked like shit, and had I heard this stat before the game I would have picked Butler. The last 9 teams to win a tournament game in overtime (K-State beat Xavier in 2OT) have lost in the next round! What?! WOW! They clearly did not have the same energy, especially in the backourt. Pullen and Clemente managed 1 first half field goal, and that was in the final 10 seconds of the half. To put it plainly, they sucked. As much, as they struggled though, Butler looked very good.
Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard seem on a mission and they will be the decided crowd favorite in Indy.


#2 West Virginia Mountaineers
Some people actually picked this team to get here, and I thought they were fucking crazy. I've thought WVU was a good team all year long, but I thought they had too much working against them. In the tournament I always like guard play, and I just wasn't that impressed with Bryant and Mazzulla. However, Mazzulla was magnificent against Kentucky this weekend and fueled their victory with big baskets when they needed them. I also am not a Huggybear fan, and I think for the most part he's been a terrible disappointment in the tournaments. But, nonetheless he's gotten this team to scrap together some huge wins on their march to the final four.
Kentucky was god-awful shooting the ball on Saturday and didn't impress on defense either. They really just didn't show up to play. The one thing I thought would give them trouble in my preview, came to fruition. They could not get the ball in the paint around the long arms of the WVU perimeter. WVU did an excellent job of forcing the pace, and shot the lights out...no 2 pt field goals in the first half. All threes! I doubt they continue that hot shooting in the next round.


#5 Michigan State Spartans
They should just name the trophy after Tom Izzo. The dude is unreal. In the last 12 years, he's gone to the Final Four 50% of the time. No other basketball program can claim that, and yet when we think of top programs we often leave Michigan State out of the conversation. Perhaps, we are too close to the moment to really appreciate what is happening up in East Lansing, MI. Despite not having Kalin Lucas, their best player, the Spartans played a great game and in the end their lock-down D was too much for Tennessee to handle. UT played a tremendous game as well, under Coach Pearl. They were led by a great effort from Brian Williams who was all over the glass and making plays from the paint all day.
Tennessee got a little sloppy and also committed some dumb fouls late in the 2nd half that eventually doomed them. I've heard some people saying that the foul at the end wasn't actually a foul, but that is pretty absurd. They are definitely going to call that...and you have to foul there. You can't give up a lay-up to win the game. Make him earn 'em! J.P. Prince put up one of the more feeble buzzer-beaters I've ever seen at the end. I'm not even sure if reached the free-throw line.
In the end, Izzo is back in the Final Four, and we never should have doubted him anyway.


#1 Duke Blue Devils
Man, I hate Duke. This game was a perfect microcosm of why I hate the Duke Blue Devils. They just get under your skin. Baylor was looking really good, led by some marvellous play from big-man Epke Udoh and guard LaceDarrius Dunn. They had a lead with under 5 to play, but that is when Duke went to work on the offensive glass. I know Baylor was in a zone, but their front court was 6'10'' 7'0'' and 6'10''. It is really pretty inexcusable to be giving up those 2nd chance opportunities. Those opportunities fueled a late surge by Duke, and then Baylor lost their tempers a bit and Acy picked up a technical foul. I thought it was a pretty weak call, but you have to keep your emotions in check, especially against Duke, those snot-nosed spoiled brats that do nothing but irritate you.
Duke still has not shot the ball particularly well, as evidenced by Kyle Singler going 0-10 from the floor. I really would have loved to seen him be the reason they lost yesterday, but apparently God hates me and wants to make me watch Duke in the Final Four. I don't know what is worse, Yankees in WS or Duke in the Final Four.

Anyway, they're here and unfortunately I like their chances. (I'm just saying that because all my predictions have been buptkus.) I would love to see Izzo give it to Krewserweski in the Championship.

The BMack Dynasty Continues

BMack:


DP:


The DP/BMack Bracket battle has been going on for sometime now, yet BMack has brought his winning streak over DP to a half decade. Once again, Michigan State is the team that dragged my bracket to victory. Want to learn how to do a bracket? Don't pick against UNC or Michigan State, and you'll beat DP.

Elite 8 preview

And then there were 8.

The clock finally struck midnight and the carriage has turned back into a pumpkin for Cinderella. Cornell, Northern Iowa and St Mary's all went down in the Sweet 16.
There were more tremendous games in the Sweet 16 as Xavier and Kansas State played one of the best games of the tournament (more on that sort of thing following the tournament) with K-State holding on in 2OT. The Vols knocked off Evan Turner and Ohio State in a great match-up. And Syracuse became the second #1 seed to lose when Butler sent them packing.

The Elite 8 looks to have some great match-ups as well. Saturday features two great games as #2 Kansas State takes on #5 Butler, and #1 Kentucky battles #2 West Virginia.
Sunday will showcase #6 Tennessee against #5 Michigan State and #1 Duke will battle #3 Baylor.
Here's my take on the match-ups and my Final Four preview.

#5 Butler vs #2 Kansas State
Some might call Butler a Cinderella team, and I suppose in some ways they are since they come from a "mid-major" conference. However, despite my railing against them all year they were a top 25 team much of the season and got a #5 seed, so it is hard to call them a Cinderella. They've looked very good so far in this tournament and really impressed in the game against Syracuse. Unlike other mid-major teams in the past who have managed a decent seed this team features some real elite talent. Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard are their three top scorers, and are all pretty good players who stack up well against most teams. On top of that Butler is a small school from Indianapolis. The Final Four this year is being played in...you guessed it, Indianapolis! That would be one heck of a story if they could advance to the next round. However, K-State features arguably the best backcourt in the country which was on full display against Xavier, in Pullen and Clemente.
The two K-State guards should give Butler fits with their quickness and athleticism. In addition to their guards, K-State also has a nice front court. In the first OT against Xavier they went to the post on 7 straight possessions, which shows their versatility. Ultimately, I think K-State will prove too talented and too athletic for Butler to deal with, ruining the great homecoming Final Four story.
Prediction: K-State 76 - Butler 70

#2 West Virginia vs #1 Kentucky
This one should be a fantastic game. The lanky, rangy, athletic Mountaineers against the up and down, run and gun Wildcats led by super frosh John Wall. It will be very interesting to see how he and Bledsoe respond in this game and whether or not they will settle for jumpers when they get in the half-court. They could have problems getting into the paint around those long arms of the WVU perimeter players. On the other hand, they're so quick they could create a lot of reach-in fouls. WVU will definitely try to slow down the pace in this one and dictate tempo in the half-court. Kentucky will try to push any time they get a rebound or a steal, and no one is better at going coast to coast than John Wall. I wasn't sure West Virginia would get out of the last round, but they did. This time I really don't think they're going any further. Kentucky seems to be on a mission to win this whole thing, and I'm not betting against them. Calipari is twice the tourney coach that Huggybear is, not to mention he has the better talent on the floor, even if they are young.
Prediction: Kentucky 81 - West Virginia 72


Sunday Games
#6 Tennessee vs #5 Michigan State
Izzo is at it again, with his Spartans on another great tournament run, despite not having their best player Kalin Lucas. That being said they've only faced on real quality opponent, lucking out and getting 13 seed Northern Iowa in the Sweet 16. I know UNI was playing well, but they don't really match-up against MSU, one of the most talented teams in the country. Tennessee on the other hand does match up, and very well, in my opinion. J.P. Prince and Wayne Chism will give the Spartans fits on defense with their length and athleticism. Prince despite being a forward is their real playmaker and was fantastic against Ohio State. Chism can bump in the post but has some touch and range as well. For the Spartans they will need Durrell Summers to continue to step-up and it would be nice if Raymar Morgan would step up a bit more. He's hit some big shots but hasn't really made a big impact on a game in this tournament. Bottom line, without PG Lucas the Spartans may struggle against a feisty Tennessee team. So far they've been lucky but I think that luck might run out, and Sparty craps out in the Elite 8 while Tennessee dances their way to Indianapolis and their first, and Coach Pearl's first, Final Four. *It should be noted that I consider Izzo the greatest active tournament coach, and while I predict a UT win would not be shocked by an MSU win either.
Prediciton: Tennessee 88 - Michigan State 80 OT


#3 Baylor vs #1 Duke
The Bears look to beat Duke and make their first Final Four appearance, which would be basically a miracle after that program seemed left for dead following the murder scandal of 2003. They are an extremely athletic team and really get after it in their pressure zone defense, forcing turnovers and easy baskets. They made St Mary's and Omar Sahman (the team that beat Villanova) look like a joke in the Sweet 16 with one of the more dominant first half performance of the tournament, holding St Mary's to 17 first half points. I thought it was a girl's score on the ticker. (Baylor's girls team is also fantastic this year) Guards Tweety Carter and LaceDarius (awesome name) Dunn lead the offense and big man Ekpe Udoh (from Oklahoma, not Africa!) is their dominant presence in the post. Hopefully, the big guy will show Zubek and Singler what tough basketball is all about.
For Duke they feature star players and boyfriends (not really) Kyle Singler and John Scheyer as well as Nolan Smith.
Inside Zoubek leads the team in ugly baskets and non-foul calls. Coach K is the whiny, greasy, past his prime coach for the Blue Devils who apparently doesn't know what a "meltdown" means (He started yelling at a reporter in yesterday's press conference for using the word meltdown to describe Duke's recent tourney performances). He and Urban Meyer should really just go get stranded on a deserted island together.
In case you can't tell, this part of the column is completely biased and I hate Duke, and make no apologies for it. This ain't the damn Associated Press. It's dueling couches! In actuality, Coach K is a legend, and runs a damn good program. But...I HATE 'EM! I hope they get waxed by Baylor. If Baylor beats Duke preventing Coach K from another Final Four they will be my new 2nd favorite college basketball team (URI is always #1 in my heart!). Go Bears!
Prediction: Duke 78 - Baylor 75 *fuck!*

Jesus Previews Tonight's Action

The NCAA tournament gets going once again tonight with 4 games and two #1 seeds in action. Let me just take this moment to say how much I hate the delay in games between the 2nd round and the Sweet 16. I know that teams probably need a little rest and some game-planning and some travel and all that jazz, but man this tournament was really cooking after two rounds, and the pause has kind of taken off a little luster for me. Don't get me wrong I'll still be tuned in and glued to the couch, but I hate waiting.
Anyway...here's my preview of the games and who I think will win and why.
Of course, judging from my bracket I don't think that it really matters much what I think. Clearly, my crystal ball has become a bit clouded.

#1 Syracuse vs #5 Butler
Tip at 7:07 EST
I think the Orange roll in this one, despite not having Onuaku. I just haven't seen anything from them yet that would indicate his loss being a huge weakness. Tehy disposed of the Gonzaga Bulldogs like it was no big thing, and I think that tonight will be much of the same. If Syracuse can dictate their style of play, Butler has no chance. Butler wants to slow this game down and keep it in the 60s. Despite their stingy zone, 'Cuse likes to push the rock and get it up and down off TO's and rebounds. Howard for Butler is averaging well below his season output so far in the tourney, and I think that zone will swallow him up.
Prediction SU 82- BU 70


#2 West Virginia vs #11 Washington
Anyone who has U-Dub this far in the bracket is either from Seattle or retarded.
But, they look like they belong, and like they think they deserved a better seed. A team that plays with a little chip on their shoulder can be a dangerous thing in this tournament. West Virginia lost their starting PG in Truck Bryant who suffered a broken foot in practice. I think that will hurt them more than some might figure, because his physical presence might have kept speedster Isaiah Thomas out of the paint for U-Dub. The Mountaineers will turn to Joe Mazzulla to run the point for more minutes than usual, and while they are long and athletic on the perimeter, I don't think they move their feet well enough to keep Washington out of the paint which will also open up looks from three on the kick out.
If West Virginia is going to advance, it is going to take a super effort from DaSean Butler. However, I actually like the Huskies in this one. They've been hot. We'll see if they can keep it up.
Prediction: UW 75 - WVU 73


#2 Kansas State - #6 Xavier
Frank "The Marine" Martin has his boys from Manhattan (Kansas) playing some great ball, and many are picking this team to go all the way to the Final Four. I'm not one of them, but I think they'll prevail in this one. Xavier has looked good to this point as well, but I don't think they have the horses to match up with K-State. The two teams put up almost identical stats, so this is a tough one to pick, but I'll go with the Wildcats. Pullen and Clemente are trying to let people know THEY have the best backcourt in the country. I love guards in the NCAA and the K-State duo is dynamite. On top of that K-State is the #1 rebounding team in the country, lengthy and athletic. That could pose a problem for the smaller Xavier squad.
Prediction: KSU - 84 Xavier 75


#1 Kentucky vs #12 Cornell
OK. We all know what John Wall and company bring to the table. Youth. Energy. Talent. Cockiness. They've looked like the best team in this tournament so far. Their backcourt is explosive and Cousins and Patterson on the inside give them a frontcourt to match up with just about anyone. At any given moment, the Wildcats often have the best five players on the court in blue and white. Coach Cal has done an unbelievable job of implementing his system (pay for the top talent?) in hist first year. He is a greasy used car salesman who coaches a hell of a basketball game.
That being said...I like this Cornell team. A lot. Jay Bilas has predicted the upset of upsets, and while I'm not going to go that far. I will say that I think this could be the best game of the night. Cornell is the best shooting team in the tourney (maybe not stat wise, but they light it up) led by Senior guard, Whitman who is the top scorer in Ivy League history. This kid had multiple D-1 offers and passed to get the top-notch education so that people in an office can someday kiss his ass while he tells them to get back to work, and then does a couple lines between crunching some numbers. You know how those Ivy League types are. That's neither here nor there, however. The point is they stretch the D which opens things up for the big man inside, center Jeff Foote. He is a great college center with touch on the inside and a little range, good rebounder and paint defender. If you recall the two games against Mississippi State this year Kentucky struggled against a team that hoists so many 3s. They got a little out-of-control trying to push off of long rebounds, adn of course MSU made a lot of those 3s too. Look for Cornell to do the same thing. Bledsoe and Wall will have to chase those Cornell guards off the perimeter and let them try to take it in against Patterson and Cousins. Good luck with that! In the end, Kentucky just has too much talent to bet against. Then again, so did Kansas...
Prediction: UK 85 - Cornell 79

Kalin Lucas Is All Done

Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo (aka God) said today there's a "90 percent chance" tests later in the day would confirm Lucas has a torn left Achilles tendon that would keep him off the court for about 5 months. The affect on State is going to be huge. Lucas is 1st on the team in mins, points, and assists. Yet, there is hope...

Kansas is no longer in their way. Even without Lucas I think the Spartans can take down Northern Iowa. After that they will most likely have to play Ohio St, and you know what? I think they can win that game too. After that, yea, they are probably done, but you never know.

You just can't ever count out Tom Izzo.

Sparty to the rescue!

WOW!
#5 Michigan State 85 - #4 Maryland 83
It looked to be Grevais Vasquez's day after sinking a running floater with under 7 seconds to put the Terps ahead by one. That's when Korie Lucious sank a three at the buzzer to give Michigan State the win, in another wildly entertaining game Sunday afternoon. This opening 4 days has been ridiculous. This is why they call it Madness, and this is why many consider this the greatest event in sports. Every game is a Game 7. The last few years haven't been terribly exciting, but 2010 is making up for it.
What a game!
Kalin Lucas went down with an injury, though, possibly an Achilles problem. They may have their hands full with Northern Iowa.

#12 Cornell 87 - #4 Wisconsin 69

Cornell and Northern Iowa postpone the pumpkin for another round at least. The Glass Slipper still fits, as The Big Red take out Wisconsin. Cornell proved to be too much to handle with their inside-outside game and Wisconsin struggled to score for much of the contest. Cornell looks good, and can play at a varied pace which gives opponents a lot of problems. You can't really slow them down, because they're good in the half-court, and they can run and gun with Whitman on the perimeter. They'll play Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Can't wait for that one!

#1 Syracuse 87 - #9 Gonzaga 65
Another 9 down at the hands of a #1. It really seems they don't have much of a chance. Gonzaga was way overmatched in this one and it was really over from the tip. Syracuse showed up in full force for the home crowd in Buffalo. Good. Fuck Gonzaga. I've never really enjoyed them anyway.

#2 West Virginia 68 - #10 Missouri 59
Well, West Virginia and Huggybear proved me wrong for at least one game. I think Clemson would have given them fits, but they pretty much had this game wrapped up from the get-go. West Virginia is very lanky and athletic on the perimeter, which kept Missouri from getting many great looks at 3, something that they did well against Clemson. WVU will face Washington in the next game, which should be an entertaining affair. Go Huskies!

#2 Ohio State 75 - #10 Georgia Tech 66
Ohio State continues to roll, defeating Georgia Tech. Steph must be crying in his vaseline. Ohio State looks strong behind Evan Turner, and will face Tennessee next. This game should be very good, and I expect OSU to have their first real test in a close game so far this tournament.

More updates after the late games. This tourney just won't quit! I LOVE IT!

WHAT THE...??? Nooooooooo!

Well about 80% of America's brackets went bust yesterday, as the Jayhawks, the most popular pick to win it all went and lost to Northern Fucking Iowa yesterday.
Just before making my last post on Saturday I thought to myself that Kansas could very easily find themselves in a let-down game here. Bill Self and the boys had been a little cocky for my taste heading into the tourney, and this is what they got.

Here's a look at the rest of Saturday's action and a look at today's games as well.

#5 Butler 54 - #13 Murray State 52
The Bulldogs keep marching and they face the winner of Syracuse and Gonzaga.

#6 Tennessee 83 - #14 Ohio 68
This one wasn't much of a contest and the carriage turned back into a pumpkin early for Ohio after their miracle win over Georgetown. Not bad though, for a team who finished 9th in their conference. They definitely made the most of their opportunity once they got in.

#3 Baylor 76 - #11 Old Dominion 68
The Golden Bears survive another round and head for the Sweet 16. This is a team I have as a possible Final Four squad, because I think their bracket could open up for them. They present a lot of match-up problems and are very athletic.

#11 Washington 82 - #3 New Mexico 64
The PAC-10 has two teams in the Sweet 16. So far the Big East has none, but Syracuse and Pitt could match them with wins today. Washington has suddenly turned into the team they were supposed to be all year, which is very scary for any team they play. New Mexico was disappointing as a 3 seed, and should never be seeded so high again. Unless, they are truly good and not just a phony win total.

#2 Kansas State 84 - #7 BYU 72
The Stormin' Mormon train came to a halt at the hands of K-State who looks good heading into a match-up with either Xavier or Pitt. Coach Frank Martin is intense and seems more like a drill sergeant than a coach at times. I don't think Glen Baby Davis could have played for him. He would have cried a lot. Go K-State!

#1 Kentucky 90 - #9 Wake Forest 60
True to form, #9 seeds continued their struggles against #1 seeds, even though 8/9 games are about 50/50. #9s hardly ever win their 2nd rd match-up. Kentucky is rolling. They are loose and having fun. We'll see how they respond to their first taste of adversity, which could happen in the Sweet 16. One thing that bothers me though, is what a used car salesman Calipari is. That dude loves talking about himself and being in front of the camera. He's just a little too good at interviews for me. He's always articulate and never has any problems saying how well his team is doing. It's weird because I think I always hate the interviews that seem so canned and rehearsed, but then I get Calipari and I am reminded why I prefer guys like Jim Boeheim or Jim Calhoun. Calipari is just too smooth. Suspicious. But his team is not.

Today's games:
#1 Syracuse - #9 Gonzaga
#2 Ohio State - #10 Georgia Tech
#4 Maryland - #5 Michigan State
#2 West Virginia - #10 Missouri
#3 Wisconsin - #12 Cornell
#3 Pittsburgh - #6 Xavier
#4 Purdue - #5 Texas A&M
#1 Duke - #8 California

Predictions:
Syracuse
Ohio State
Maryland
Missouri
Cornell
Pitt
A&M
Duke

On to the next one (updated)

On to the next round, folks.


The first round was chock full of upsets and buzzer beaters and nail-biter finishes. Honestly, it was probably the best first round I can remember. I can't remember 1991 having 6 double-digit seeds win, but 2010 has 6 double-digit seeds in round 2.

To wrap up last night's action...

#1 Syracuse 79 - #16 Vermont 56
The Orange didn't miss a beat without the big guy and absolutely stomped on the Catamounts, who are clearly not the team that featured Taylor Coppenrath a few years ago.

#8 California 77 - #9 Louisvile 62
The PAC-10 is representing so far. Better than the Big East has, anyway. Washington and Cal both won their opener against opponents that many saw as superior.
Pitino continues his disappointing ways in the tourney, post-Kentucky.

#2 Ohio State 68 - #15 UC Santa Barbara 51
The Gauchos were no match for Evan Turner and the boys, as OSU rolled to a victory.

#4 Maryland - #13 Houston
Grevais Vasquez and the Terp rolled over Houston. I like this team to give Michigan State a game in rd two, possibly even win. MSU was a little beat up against NMSU and didn't look very convincing in their victory. Either way, its a great game between two terriffic tourney coaches in Izzo and Gary Williams. Set the TV timer for that one!

Today's action features:
#2 Villanova 75 vs #10 St Mary's 68 *UPDATED*
The Gaels march on to the Sweet 16 after knocking Villanova out of the tournament. Many had 'Nova in the Elite 8 if not the Final Four, but St Mary's looks to be this year's Cinderella, although BYU, Murray State and Old Dominion might have something to say about that.

More updates later today. I may be drunk, though, so don't expect good spelling!

#13 Murray State vs #5 Butler

#14 Ohio vs #6 Tennessee

#9 Northern Iowa vs #1 Kansas

#3 Baylor vs #11 Old Dominion

#11 Washington vs #3 New Mexico

#7 BYU vs #2 Kansas State

#1 Kentucky vs #9 Wake Forest

MY picks for today's games (not from my bracket):
Villanova
Murray State
Tennessee
Kansas (really looking forward to this game, to see how KU steps up...or not)
Baylor
Washington
BYU
Kentucky

The Ivy League can, indeed! (updated Day 2 action)

#12 Cornell 78 - #5 Temple 65

The upsets continue, and Cornell is the latest double-digit seed to get a victory, upsetting #5 Temple. Jesus called it, and some of you on the comments laughed at me. Who is laughin' now, bitches! That was a bad matchup for Temple, despite what some people thought. Look for Cornell to give Wisconsin (or Wofford) hell in rd 2 as well.
Love the inside-out combo of Foote and Wittman. Dale is a nice steady guard for the Big Red as well. Sweet 16 on the horizon? We shall see.

#2 West Virginia 77 - #14 Morgan State 50
Easy piezy...but the Mountaineers are going down in rd 2 I'm afraid.

#6 Xavier 65 - #11 Minnesota 54
Tubby continues his losing ways in the tourney without Pitino's recruits. Xavier looked good, which helped the A-10 save a little face. I like Xavier to maybe make a little run if they can get by Pitt (presumably).

#4 Purdue and #13 Siena just got under way. Will update that one after the final.
Siena looks to continue the string of 1st round wins they've had the last couple seasons.

*UPDATE #1*
#10 Missouri 86 - #7 Clemson 78
Mizzou held off the Clemson Tigers in what was a very entertaining matc-hup. These two played at a frenetic pace the whole game and it was a very close game until Missouri went on a 15-5 run to give them enough cushion to hold on. If you missed this one, you missed one of the better first round games.

#4 Wisconsin 53 - #13 Wofford 49 (who?)
Wofford is basically a poor man's version of Bo Ryan's Badger squad. They gave the Badgers fits with their defense all day long, and this one was very nearly an upset, as Wofford had a lead late. Then they went without a field goal in almost the final five minutes, and Wisconsin survived the upset scare. I think Cinderella might be running out of glass slippers. If another team lets a low seed sneak up on them, they really have no excuses. These teams came to play this year!

#4 Purdue 72 - #13 Siena 64
The Boilermakers got enough from guys not named Hummel to survive this one, though I don't feel good about their 2nd round game against either Texas A&M or Utah State.

#3 Pitt A LOT - #14 Oakland A LITTLE
This one is not final yet, but the Panthers are rolling up 16 as I write this with a few minutes left. I like this Pitt team to surprise some folks and knock off a beat-up Syracuse.

I like Utah State over A&M but in my bracket I have A&M in the sweet 16. Eeek. I'd say go Aggies, but they're both Aggies. Go A&M!

*UPDATE #2*
#5 Texas A&M - #12 Utah State
A&M wins the battle of the Aggies. Looked pretty good doing so.

#8 Gonzaga - #9 Florida State
The Zags hold on in this one to beat the 'Noles. Had this one pegged. Some people like Gonzaga to be a surprise. They've been too inconsistent for me. They'll most likely face Syracuse next. Not happening.

#10 Georgia Tech - #7 Oklahoma State
Somewhere John Salley is celebrating...along with Steph Marbury who is probably high and eating vaseline. The Jackets led by Derrick Favors 12 points and 9 boards beat the Cowboys. I don't think this was much of an upset. These teams are pretty even.

#1 Duke #16 Ark. Pine Bluff
Duke looked impressive in this in. I was a little nervous they might have to squeak one out, but they whooped up on UAPB pretty bad. I hope they lose their next game. Fuck Duke.

#5 Michigan State - #12 New Mexico State
This game was way too close for comfort. With NMSU leading at many points, but never by a wide margin. Michigan State kept battling and got big shots when they needed them, and a few key stops down the stretch. Jahmar Young, NMSU's best player in this game fouled out with just under a minute left, and that seemed to spell doom for The Aggies. But then the Spartans lost a rebound out of bounds and NMSU nailed a 3 off the following in-bounds pass to make it a one point game with under 30 tics. Raymar Morgan missed the 2nd free-throw, but there was a lane violation on NMSU and made the next one. NMSU got two decent looks but bricked both, giving Michigan State the fortunate victory.


Syracuse vs Vermont, Houston vs Maryland, Louisville vs Cal, Ohio State vs UC Santa Barbara are all on the docket for tonight. If I'm sober when I get home I'll update those. If not, then tomorrow morning.

Bracket = f*cked

WOW! What a goddamn first day! We had FIVE double-digit seeds get a first round victory and a couple others come pretty damn close. Outside of Kansas State, every game was wildly entertaining. I will admit that I didn't see this many upsets coming...obviously. I picked G'town to go down in rd two, but if you picked that one then you were employing the "girlfriend" method of picking or you are a "girlfriend."
Here's a recap of the night's action. (See yesterday's posts for the earlier games).

#1 Kentucky 100 - #16 East Tennessee State 71
Kentucky had no problems in this one. I won't waste much time on it. They look good.

#1Kansas 90 - #16 Lehigh 74
The soon-to-be champs kicked some ass, and look to be well on their way to the title. Obviously, that is a gross over-statement, but you gotta go one at a time. And they handled biz.

#8 UNLV 66 - #9 Northern Iowa 69
Well...for all my pandering and shit talking during the year, this team looks pretty decent. I don't think they have a shot in round 2, but they beat UNLV in an entertaining mathcup. The big guy with the DUI is pretty nice. So is the Middle Eastern guy...Farokhmanesh.

#3 Georgetown 83 - #14 Ohio 97
Well, well, well. I think you can add coach Thompson III to that list of choke-artist coaches now. Just like his old man he falls short more often than not in the tourney. He's a cocky SOB and that rubs off on his guys who are routinely unprepared to play in this tournament. Ohio looked beastly. We'll see if they can keep that momentum going.

#11 San Diego State 59 - #6 Tennessee 62
This game was awesome. I was pulling for SDSU the whole time. I always liked Steve Fischer, and their little guard was a nice player. In the end UT was too much. I had SDSU and G'Town in this section of the bracket. Ouch!

#6 Washington 80 - #11 Marquette 78
The Huskies looked better than I expected coming from the terrible PAC-10. They played well late in the year, and may be peaking at the right time. They have great athleticism and seem to make big shots (At least in this game). I actually had Marquette as my sleeper to the Elite 8. That was dumb, and I regretted it once the brackets locked. Damn. This game was back and forth though, and maybe my favorite game of the day.

#5 Butler 77 - #12 UTEP 59
I really hate Butler. They're the new Gonzaga with all the curly-haried white guys and somewhat athletic black guys not good enough to play in the PAC-10 (until this yr) and they are just not entertaining to me. I really wanted UTEP, and they were a popular pick here, but just didn't have enough.

#3 New Mexico - #14 Montana
The Grizzlies almost pulled out another upset last night. This game looked to be wrapped up for UNM about half way through the 2nd and then after the Wake Forest buzzer beater they went to this game and it was a one-point affair! I don't think my heart could have handled it! Luckily, The Lobos got a couple stops and some big buckets down the stretch. They do not look impressive thus far for a #3.

#8 Texas - #9 Wake Forest
Texas wrapped up the season in fitting fashion - disappointment. An unbelievably talented, yet mismanaged and uninspired roster found themselves in an 8/9 game against the Deacons after being the #1 team in the country at one point, and a popular pick to unseat KU in the Big12. Yet, they fizzled under Rick Barnes amidst some injury issues and poor play. This game was, as well, awesome and went to OT. For most of OT the victory looked like a forgone conclusion for Texas and then everything went to shit. It started with a bad offensive foul (the play not the call) and then some missed free-throws and Damion James fouling out. Ari Stewart hit a late three to make it a one-point game. Gary Johnson of TEX then missed both free-throws and and that's when Ishmael Smith took it coast to coast, put a nasty shake and bake on TExas guard (Bradley?) and nailed the pull-up J with about 1 second left. Texas launched an unsuccessful prayer and Wake Forest walked away victorious!

WHAT A DAY OF ACTION! I've can't remember a opening Thursday being so entertaining. Here's to an awesome Friday, and a little better luck for my bracket. So far only one Elite 8 team out for me.
I think that clearly, without a few of the annual power teams; UCLA, UCONN, UNC, PAC-10 (any), Memphis etc., we're seeing a lot of other teams with the opportunity to get some of these top seeds. And judging from day one, some of them are not taking full advantage.

Nova Benches Reynolds/Fisher

Villanova guards Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher did not start in the NCAA tournament opener against Robert Morris. A team spokesman said coach Jay Wright benched the pair as a "minor teaching point," and they will play in the game.

Listen I love this. Send a message early to these players. DP and I have suggested doing this with the Celtics and even URI. Sometimes a little wake up call is all a team needs. Well now there is no doubt in my mind that Nova is going to the Final 4, and Reynolds is going to go fucking off.