The Beginning Of The End: Championship Game Follow Up

(How the hell did this happen?)

Due to popular demand (and the guilt I have for never finishing what I start), I'm closing out this blog with 5 columns. This brief recap of the Championship Game and the Tournament in general is the 1st of these final posts. I thank everyone for reading and contributing to this elaborate project. My thoughts and ideas only go so far...it was the encouragement, suggestions, and comments from all of you that really helped take this NCAA Tournament Blog to another level. (Annie...I have no idea what Bill Self was trying to prove with that red/white/blue striped tie. But it wasn't as bad as Roy Williams wearing that gaudy Kansas sticker/button (?) in the stands. What's The Matter With Kansas?!?!? Indeed.)

As for the Championship Game:

I don't take much away from this game. Maybe it's because I didn't have a chance to win money in any of my NCAA pools. Maybe it's because the game represented not only the end of the tournament, but the end of this blog. Maybe it's because a match-up between North Carolina and UCLA would have been a lot more engaging and "sexier". Or maybe it's because the Championship Game of the Final Four is always (on some level) going to be a letdown. We won't make the argument now for which weekend of the tournament is "better", but the first two weekends of March Madness are hands-down the most interesting and captivating weekends of the event. I claim that Thursday and Friday of the first weekend are the best two days in sports for the entire year. The Final Four and Title game can't help not living up to the hype and expectations that are unfairly thrust upon them. March Madness is marketed and publicized as an event that spans weeks. Interest peaks nationally between Selection Sunday and the following Sunday. By that time the teams have been reduced from 65 to 16. After that, the interest just isn't at the initial level. Is there any other sporting event that peaks at the beginning of said event? None that I can think of. This is what the NCAA Tournament has going against it. I'll probably only ever be truly excited about a Championship game for 3 reasons:

1. I have a vested interest in the game. Meaning that I have a pool and/or certain amount of money that I could personally win/lose on the game.
2. My home team, or a team I am personally involved with on some level, is playing in the Championship game. This would include (but not be limited to) Pittsburgh, Iowa, Davidson, and Notre Dame.
3. If the match-up in the Championship game was amazing. I don't mean good...I don't mean great...I mean outstanding. Even though Memphis and Kansas were both #1 seeds...and even though the game ended up being decent...the match-up was not outstanding. There wasn't a lot of star-power and the coaches were trying to overcome hurdles and preconceived notions rather than assert their genius and dominance.

Other than those three reasons...I'll probably never be excited or thrilled about an NCAA Championship game. That doesn't mean that I won't watch. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciated the sport. That doesn't mean that I don't appreciate and give much credit to the winner. And that DEFINITELY doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the structure of the Tournament (see NCAA Football). It simply means that I personally love the first two weekends of March Madness the most. After that...almost anything feels like a let-down.

As for the Championship Game (haven't I done this before?):

Chalmers hit a game-tying three pointer that Kansas never should have been in position to make. Coach Calipari out-dressed Coach Self. Memphis missed some free-throws (surprise). John Calipari was seconds away from winning his first Championship. Bill Self was seconds away from not winning his first Championship. Billy Packer called yet another Championship game (CBS...PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS). We had an overtime title game, but it really didn't feel like it and wasn't very exciting as the entire Memphis squad was exhausted. Kansas won a National Championship without Roy Williams. Bill Self found himself in the unlikely position of cutting the nets down. John Calipari still remains a Clarion University alumni. And...perhaps most perplexing...I missed one shining moment because I was on the phone or cooking or cleaning up something.

So that was that. Good enough game I suppose. They really need to let Gus Johnson call the Final Four next year. I swear...Billy Packer must have some incriminating pictures of someone at CBS. So we may be stuck with him for another 35 years. I must give credit where credit is due. Congrats to the Kansas Jayhawks and Bill Self. I doubted your abilities and you all proved me wrong. I'll have to find other ways of making fun of you and demeaning you next year.

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Predictions For Monday's Championship Game

I'm not sure what the point is in picking this game...but I've "picked" every game since the sweet sixteen on this blog, so I have to follow the bit through until the end. My gut says to go with Memphis, but then I remember that Kansas was up 40-12 on North Carolina at one point on Saturday night. Again, I'm torn. Let's just throw something out there and see what happens.

Memphis over Kansas

• If it came down to the coaches, I would have never thought twice. John Calipari wins this contest hands-down. Graduates of Clarion University will not be denied. Memphis has bounced UCLA, Texas, and Michigan State over their last three games...and thrashed them all pretty well. This is Coach Calipari's time. I have absolutely no confidence in Bill Self. When they showed him on hands and knees in total relief after the win against Davidson, I knew this guy was more lucky than good. Self is already counting the days (and the money he'll get) until he goes back to Oklahoma State to coach his alma mater.
• Kansas has a tendency to turn the ball over and take bad shots. They turned the ball over 19 times against North Carolina and took a bunch of terrible shots against Davidson. The Jayhawks won't be able to get away with either of those things against an athletic Memphis squad that thrives on fast breaks and their transition game.
• Should Memphis win, my friend John's lovely fiancee, Jill, would win my NCAA pool. I also believe that she would win this championship over Chaz. A very intriguing and interesting sequence of events indeed.
• Memphis is still the position to play the (absurd) "nobody believes in us" card. If they win the title, I can't wait for the post-game interviews when the coaches and players all claim that they were never respected all season long. Please...oh please...would just one journalist or announcer point out to the Memphis coaches and players that they had one loss all season long!
• Derrick Rose has been the best point guard throughout this NCAA Tournament. I have ranted and raved that having great guard play is essential to winning the Big Dance. I'm sticking by my (not too radical or insightful) convictions. The Tigers will be your 2008 National Champions.
• Confidence in this pick: 7.6

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Bringing Together Davidson & Holy Cross

From Bill Simmons' mailbag this past week, a question and (sort of) answer that draws a correlation between Davidson & Holy Cross. Phil and Chaz, this blog and this NCAA Tournament has come full-circle.

Q: So, Davidson is a small liberal arts school with an excellent academic reputation that just made the Elite Eight? Oh and they have free laundry, and their trustees paid for everyone to go to the tournament games? Holy Cross has no excuse now, the precedent has been set. We need to get it together. -- Jon, Worcester, Mass.

• Simmons: Don't get me started. Hey, I'm glad you brought up Davidson. More than a few readers asked why I haven't been writing about college basketball as much this year. Here's the answer: As long as the NBA is running on all cylinders -- and really, it hasn't happened in 15 years -- I don't see why anyone would watch college over pro unless they had a favorite college team (which I don't, thanks to Holy Cross fading into obscurity). Of all the guys we watched in the tournament this year, maybe eight of them could step into an NBA rotation right away, and only two of them (Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley) could start for a decent team. Personally, I'd rather watch basketball played passionately at the highest possible level; the NBA hasn't been this good since the watershed 1992-93 season and the competitiveness of its games has just been absolutely remarkable. I remember the days when maybe 10 regular-season games per year would stand out; now we're getting four or five a week, and that's not even an exaggeration.
  With that said ...
  Nothing in sports can match what happened Friday and Sunday: An underdog school (Davidson) with a Jimmy Chitwood-type hero (Stephen Curry) toppling one high seed and coming within one possession of making the Final Four, and if that's not enough, Gus Johnson was announcing both games and ready to have an on-air seizure if Davidson had scored on the final play to beat Kansas. Of all the sports (college or pro), March Madness is the only time when you can hop on a bandwagon and not feel guilty about it -- whether it's Belmont trying to topple Duke, Davidson trying to make the Final Four, or whatever -- and it's the only time when an athlete can completely alter his destiny in the span of 10 days. For example, Curry wasn't even considered a first-round pick before the tournament started; now he'd probably crack the top-15 if he came out (which he won't), and if that's not enough, we'll always remember him as the kid with the gorgeous jumper who did the Chitwood impression.
  Anyway, I'm not down on college hoops this year -- the Davidson run was incredible theater, and we're headed for one of the greatest Final Fours of my lifetime. Just know that, overall, the NBA product was markedly better as a whole this season unless you had a college team you loved.

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Predictions For Saturday's Final Four Games

Only three more games left to predict! Things are very chalky right now...thank goodness you have me here to sort things out. Will there be any rhyme or reason to this? Absolutely not.

North Carolina over Kansas

• It is totally gutless and spineless to pick the number one overall seed to advance to the championship game. Seeing how having "guts" didn't get me anywhere in any of my pools... here you go.
• As much as part of me wants to pick Kansas here, North Carolina has been on a mission filled with ass-kicking and destruction during this tournament. Plus...Kansas has defeated a #16, a #8, a #12, and a #10 seed to reach the Final Four. Not gonna go with the Jayhawks here.
• Bill Self...the jokes have been too frequent. But this blog will miss you. I will miss you. And this tournament will miss you after the game tomorrow.
• Jim Nantz and Billy Packer will rig the game if necessary to sing the praises of Tyler Hansbrough for one more day.
• Kansas cannot defeat two teams from the state of North Carolina in a row. It's impossible. Not going to happen.
• Confidence in this pick: 8.1

Memphis over UCLA

• This pick goes against many things I previously stated in this blog. But with their last two games, John Calipari and his Memphis squad have me convinced.
• The Tigers had a much tougher road to the Final Four than the Bruins and still won their games more decisively and impressively than UCLA. Plus...Memphis can't disappoint and underwhelm every year? Can they?
• Doesn't the team that feels the most "disrespected" always end up winning the big games now? Look at the NY Giants in the Super Bowl & Ohio State in the NIT. The whole "Us against the World" mentality is a good card to play. It's kind of a moronic card to play when a team is 37-1, but what place does logic and reason have here anyway?
• John Calipari is from Western PA and remains the pride of Clarion University. Ben Howland helped Pitt rejuvenate their hoops program. I'm torn here. But I have to pick someone, and I think that in the end, Memphis will be too quick and too athletic.
• Confidence in this pick: 6.3

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March Madness Grab Bag (In April)

Before the college basketball season is over, and before this blog comes to an end, we need to discuss a few things my friends.

• Did every one see former Marquette coach Tom Crean (above) at the press conference where accepted the head coaching position at Indiana? Talk about fake-and-bake. Has anyone over the age of 40 EVER been more shamelessly (fake) tan than Crean? (not including George Hamilton, of course) Check out the photo gallery from the press conference. I believe that Coach Crean actually becomes more tan as the conference goes on. On a related note...I apologize for saying that Jay Wright might fake-and-bake. I have no proof of that. Although I do think he may bronze himself now and then.
• What's creepy about this article on Billy Packer isn't that he's unsure of how many more Final Four's he'll announce with CBS...it's a toss-up between the fact that he approached 123 women (seemingly without reason) and the fact that he asked these 123 women if they would vote for Hillary Clinton. Read that paragraph, then please, read it again. "He randomly approached 123 women recently - without introducing himself". Wow. That's funny and cring-worthy for about 50 reasons. Not the least of which is the idea that it would somehow matter if Billy Packer told a random women that he was, in fact, Billy Packer. MR. PACKER...PLEASE...FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND NOBLE...STOP APPROACHING RANDOM WOMEN AND STOP ANNOUNCING COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAMES!
• I never found a place to work in this editorial about the NCAA Tournament and office pools, so I'm cramming it in here now. Morrissey defends the point I had very early on in this blog that the NCAA Tournament is communal, it's our national get-together. People who normally don't have any involvement with sports or each other, can fill out a bracket and chip in 5 dollars that makes them part of a collective madness. I still say that March Madness is (overall) bigger and more transcendent than the Super Bowl, as more people are personally involved with March Madness (through identifying with a college or university and by filling out a bracket) than are personally involved with the Super Bowl.
• Who would win the Fashionable 4 with these four coaches left in the bracket? Annie...I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this one. After literally minutes of research...here is how I think these coaches would finish with regard to fashion sense and overall style: 1) John Calipari, 2) Roy Williams, 3) Bill Self (could have been #2, but he gets his suits dirty after constantly dropping to the court during close games), 4) Ben Howland (yikes!).
• The Good Guys Don't Always Win, It Was Cool Hanging With The White Lobster, & Stephen Curry going on the Conan O'Brien show.
  

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Final Four Fever via The Onion

I must say...I do enjoy watching the dunking man-children. Thank you, The Onion. (click on this if you can't read it...I just spent 15 minutes trying to make it larger and clearer, but it's not in the cards)

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5 Reasons To Like This Final Four

Rationalize -- ra-tion-al-ize -- v. -- 1) To devise self-satisfying but incorrect reasons for one's thoughts or behaviors. 2) Defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning. 3) The process of blatantly lying while sounding like a complete fool

Rationalization -- ra-tion-al-i-za-tion -- n. -- 1) Lies we tell to make ourselves feel better

It's time to put on a happy face and get excited about this year's Final Four!!! Woo-hoo!!! All four #1 seeds advancing for the first time in history should be good for something...right? The past is the past. All we have now is two games on Saturday and a Championship Game on Monday. Let the rationalizing begin!!!

5 Reasons To Like This Final Four:

1. The four best teams from the regular season made this final four. The four best teams in this tournament made the final four. The four best teams in college basketball made this final four. This should make for some outstanding competition over the weekend. The winner will be the best of the best...the unquestioned King of college hoops. No BCS controversy looming here.
2. The Players: Kevin Love, Darren Collison, Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Brandon Rush, & Mario Chalmers.
3. The Coaches: Will Roy Williams cement his legacy with a second national title? Will John Calipari become known for something other than being the pride of Clarion University? Will Ben Howland make "the leap" into the pantheon of elite college coaches by winning his first title? Will Bill Self class things up and act like he's been there before? (the answer is "no", because he hasn't)
4. No Duke, No Florida, No George Mason. I find this very refreshing.
5. Since everyone's bracket has already been busted, (except for gutless losers who essentially filled out a control bracket) this Final Four can be enjoyed without the anxiety of winning or losing an office pool.

And if you cannot get excited and/or really don't care about the Final Four...there is always Major League Baseball to watch!

(audible coughs and cricket chirping)

March Madness...it's FANTASTIC!!!

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Belmont vs. Duke: A Theatrical Interpretation

As mentioned by Rudi Boyd in the comments section of the 'Top Hats' column, here is what a television station is left to do when they cannot show highlights of a game because the rest of the games haven't finished. Enjoy.

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Lamentation: March 30th, 2008

What am I supposed to do with this blog now? The magical Davidson run is over. Pitt has long been out of the Tournament. My brackets all have gone to shit. And CBS systematically removed Dell Curry from my life. Sure...we have four #1 seeds fighting it out for a national championship, which should lead to some decent basketball, but I just can't motivate myself to get excited over the whole thing. Where is the fun in making fun of announcers or questioning the fortitude of various head coaches now? Maybe it's out there...but I'm thinking that it will be difficult to find. Unless a team I was heavily invested in reached the Final Four, I think there will always be a drop-off in the overall interest in the tournament for me. The most fun and exciting time of the NCAA Tournament will always be those opening 4 days. I think the fact that those four days are so crazy, unique, and special are exactly what make them crazy, unique, and special. The vibe from that opening weekend cannot be recaptured later in the tournament, even if the Final Four was somehow outstanding. On the other hand, I don't want to let this blog end just yet. So there has to be a few columns left in me. I should have the resolve to find a unique perspective on something related to the tournament. After all...Bill Self has (somehow) found himself in the Final Four.

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Davidson: Cherishing Learning & Wearing Top Hats

With an outstanding education comes a suave confidence that the ladies cannot deny. Annie...I now know why you married Phil. Go Wildcats!!!

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Predictions For Sunday's Elite Eight Games

Nothing too impressive about picking two number one seeds to win last night (which they did), but at least I wasn't wrong. With these last two games, the Final Four will be set.

Texas over Memphis

Reasons:

• Never have all four number one seeds reached the Final Four in the history of the NCAA Tournament. And until it happens...it cannot happen...because it has not happened. How insightful is that? Not that Texas is some huge upset, they may have been in line for a number one seed themselves before they lost to Kansas in the Big 12 title game.
• How can I be FOR Rick Barnes and AGAINST western PA's own John Calipari in a game that matters? I'm not really sure...just call it a hunch.
• The game is being played in Houston. Who do you think that favors?
• Memphis has an unfortunate knack for losing in the Elite Eight, having bowed out of the Tournament in this spot the past two years. I don't believe that's because Memphis doesn't have national champion type talent, but I don't think the absurdly soft Conference USA schedule adequately prepares them for crunch time.
• I feel that A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin are well suited to handle the athletic, turnover causing guards of Memphis. Texas defeated UCLA, Tennessee, and Kansas this year...and these two were a huge part of those victories.
• Confidence in this pick: 6.5

Kansas over Davidson

Reasons:

• I'm not listing any reasons as to why I'm making this pick. This is what I think will logically happen. That's not to say that this is what I want to happen. Davidson has been on one helluva ride...and I hope it continues.
• Confidence in this pick: N/A

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Predictions For Saturday's Elite Eight Games

I was a solid 3 of 4 with Friday's Sweet Sixteen picks...including the amazing Davidson pick. Now we're on to the Elite Eight. Let's bang these out so I can get to sleep.

UCLA over Xavier

Reasons:

• Ben Howland may lose sometime during this NCAA Tournament, but he's not going to be denied here.
• Both head coaches have very direct ties to Pitt. I'm going with the coach that helped transform Pitt basketball into the respected program that it is today.
• Kevin Love and that outstanding razor-thin line beard thingy of his.
• PAC 10 over A-10. Every single time. Unless it was something like Oregon State vs. La Salle...then nobody would care.
• Davidson rocked the college basketball universe and made it to the Elite Eight...why the hell couldn't this also be the year that four number 1 seeds reach the Final Four?
• Confidence in this pick: 7.8

What's that Mr. Robert Goulet? You like UCLA in this game too and want to spring past Matt G. in the race for more labels? Then go right ahead!

North Carolina over Louisville

• Have you seen North Carolina play a game in this NCAA Tournament? Seriously? Have you watched what they've done in systematically tearing teams apart? I don't care if Louisville has a "chance", I'd be a fool to go against UNC here.
• How awesome would a North Carolina vs. Davidson Final Four game be? Think about that for a few seconds...let that soak in. (Let it be known that I am NOT jinxing either team by saying this. I'm merely asking the reader to think about something theoretically)
• Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
• What a coaching match-up!!! Dean Smith going against Denny Crum in what will surely be a battle for the ages!!! What's that you say? Crum isn't coaching them anymore and this entire two-post bit about Denny Crum isn't funny? Fair enough.
• HAVE YOU SEEN HOW NORTH CAROLINA HAS PLAYED THROUGHOUT THIS NCAA TOURNAMENT?!?!?
• Confidence in this pick: 9.5

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Davidson Wins! Davidson Wins!

It's really late and I don't believe that I can give the Davidson victory the justice it deserves right now. So for the time being, I will defer to people that actually write about college basketball for a living to praise the Wildcats. Enjoy it Phil & Annie. I might just have to make a completely random trip to Notre Dame to watch the Kansas game with you.

• Charlotte Observer lead story about the Davidson victory over Wisconsin.
• "Since this is March, Davidson is the best story in U.S. sports. The best story just got better." (I know I already linked to this, but read it again)
• Charlotte Observer news & notes on the game - Stephen Curry tied the NCAA record for three-pointers in a season with 158.
• "Nobody's talking about politics at all this week; it's all about Davidson basketball"
• Davidson student's road trip.
• What kind of college is Davidson?
• Davidson College quiz
• Shedding the slipper, Davidson is no Cinderella
• ESPN's Pat Forde on Davidson's win
• ESPN's coverage of Davidson's triumph over Wisconsin
• Oh Canada, Davidson's Canadian presence
• Detroit Free Press on the Davidson win
• Detroit Free Press: How David(son) slayed Goliath
• Bob McKillop Provides Davidson's Inspiration
• CBS sports on Stephen Curry's unreal performance
• Highlights from the Wisconsin game
• Kansas is scared! Curry is a threat!

Davidson vs. Wisconsin Highlights

Davidson vs. Wisconsin Postgame

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Where The Hell Was Dell Curry???

CBS has betrayed me. I'll get to Davidson's amazing run to the Elite Eight soon enough, but right now I'm irate that the technical people at CBS let me down and let me down hard. We're talking about a betrayal of Judas'esque proportions. And it's all because of the absence of one man.

WHERE THE HELL WAS DELL CURRY?!?!?

The father of Davidson superstar Stephen Curry was nowhere to be seen during the broadcast of Davidson's spectacular upset of Wisconsin on Friday night. We've been subjected to countless cut-a-ways of Dell during Davidson's first two games in the NCAA Tournament. Then...for reasons that defy comprehension and DEMAND explanation...there was no Dell Curry face time at all during his son's sweet sixteen triumph. After borderline overexposure, CBS decides to keep the cameras off of Dell during the biggest game of his son's life? I'm not even mad about looking ridiculous on my over/under bet (Who am I kidding...of course I'm mad about this). I'm more disappointed that after living and rejoicing with Mr. & Mrs. Curry over the past couple of weekends, we were denied the opportunity to share in their joy during what had to be one of their proudest moments as parents.

I should end my post there as that was pretty damn heartfelt. But I have to say a few more things. I'm going double-or-nothing and carrying my prediction over to the Elite Eight game against Kansas where I GUARANTEE that there will be 7 or more cut-a-ways to Dell Curry. This MUST happen! I refuse to go one more round with this Davidson team without the pleasure of sharing the highs and lows with the Curry family. I'm too invested at this point. I've mocked how CBS defaulted to Stephen's dad so often during the tournament, but I think I've talked about it so much at this point that I NEED those cut-a-ways in my life! I'm sad and lonely without them!

I thought that there may have been a chance that Mr. and Mrs. Curry (for some reason) were not in attendance Friday night to see their son lead Davidson to victory yet again. This article proves that they were, in fact, at the game. Dell is even quoted in the article.

I'm disheartened by the decision that CBS made to not include Mr. and Mrs. Curry in their broadcast. We get three shots of Lebron James and none of the Curry family? What a freaking abomination.

What a fantastic ride this Davidson team is on right now. What a fantastic ride this Davidson team is taking the nation on right now. What a fantastic time for the Curry family. I hope to see you early and often during the Kansas game Mr. Curry. Go Wildcats!!!

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Predictions For Friday's Sweet Sixteen Games

I picked 3 out of 4 games correctly on Thursday (only missing the Xavier overtime win over West Virginia). Now it's time to do one better and go a perfect 4 of 4 on Friday.

Davidson over Wisconsin

Reasons:

• Has any other team in recent NCAA tournament memory been more of a media darling than this Davidson team? Screw George Mason...what they did was unexpected, but nobody out there, just two years later, can name a single player from that team. Davidson has a superstar and, for whatever reasons, are extremely likable. Maybe that's what happens when a team actually has student-athletes. Plus...the University of Davidson is covering the hotel, bus fare, and tickets for all students who want to road trip to Detroit for Friday's game against Wisconsin. I ask again...has there been a more endearing team in recent NCAA tournament history than Davidson? I think not. This story NEEDS to continue.
• Wisconsin is a pretty good (and boring) team. The problem with the Badgers and Bo Ryan's system is that they are never too far ahead in a game, and they're never too far behind. All that needs to happen for a Davidson upset to happen is for Wisconsin to let the Wildcats stick around, gain confidence, and let the Cinderella wave carry them through.
• Nobody outside of Packer (that's Green Bay, not Billy) country is excited about seeing Wisconsin in the Elite Eight. (actually...Billy Packer hates mid-majors, so he's probably rooting for Wisconsin to move on as well)
• Davidson has the hottest player in the tournament so far wearing their uniform. So that's a good thing. By the way...did you know that Stephen Curry is (former NBA player) Dell Curry's son?
• I want Davidson to win. Good enough reason? Phil and Annie will be rooting for Davidson tonight, and so will I. As I told Phil a few days ago, I'm officially on the Davidson bandwagon. They are my adopted team for as long as they last in this tournament. Go Cats! (Plus...Gus Johnson is calling this game. That's a good omen.)
• Confidence in this pick: 7.5

Stanford over Texas

Reasons:

• I have this sneaky feeling that we're not quite done seeing and hearing about the Lopez twins just quite yet.
• I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't trust Rick Barnes in an important game at all. I'm sorry for any Texas fans out there, you have a very talented team, but I don't have any confidence in your head coach.
• A Stanford vs. UCLA contest in the Final Four would be outstanding. (It would be their 4th meeting this season) Plus, I think Trent Johnson wants to see if the refs would have the guts to give him a double technical in a Final Four game. He's quoted as saying, "Why should my approach change?" So he's obviously saying that Stanford has won every game this tournament that he has been eject from, so why would he mess with success? If the refs actually DID throw him out of a Final Four game, this would prove, without a doubt, all of the conspiracy theories out there about UCLA getting every favorable call (and non-call). We shall call this the 'John Wooden Rule'.
• Texas point guard D.J. Augustin is outstanding. But I'm on-board the Mitch Johnson bandwagon right now and if Johnson could handle the pressure and play of Marquette's guards, I'm thinking he can hold his own against Augustin.
• I've railed against Stanford all season (blog) long. And now they're going to prove me wrong. I can just feel it.
• Confidence in this pick: 6.3

Kansas over Villanova

Reasons:

• Kansas simply has too much talent with Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, and company. The Jayhawks are probably the most athletic and most talented team in this NCAA Tournament. (My apologies to Cornell...you're good too.) (sorry Matt)
• Can a fashionable coach win the NCAA Tournament? I'm not so sure. When was the last time that happened? Jay Wright's greatest strength may turn out to be his greatest weakness. Stay tuned. (sorry Matt)
• If Bill Self can reach the Elite Eight with this Kansas team, I may finally stop giving him a hard time about being a choke artist in the NCAA Tournament. He's good at not being good in March. So I believe that to avoid further ridicule from me, Self and his Kansas squad will be properly motivated to win this game. (sorry Matt)
• The Jayhawks have depth and experience that Villanova cannot come close to matching. Unless Kerry Kittles still has some eligibility left at 'Nova, then they might have a shot. (sorry Matt)
• I picked Kansas to win it all in Tim's pool. So what am I supposed to do here? Have them losing to a #12 seed in the Sweet Sixteen? I think not. (sorry Matt)
• Confidence in this pick: 9.4

Memphis over Michigan State

Reasons:

• I thought about this one for awhile, because I really want to go with Michigan State. You might ask, "Why not just pick Michigan State here? This is a stupid blog that 6 people are reading. So who really cares?" Now that's a very good point and it's well taken. But more than anything, I want to get my pick right. So I'm going with the team that I think will win the game, it's as simple as that. If Michigan State wins, it would make Pitt's loss look much better. I just don't think it's going to happen.
• One reason I don't think it's going to happen - Michigan State is from the Big Ten. Michigan State scored 36 points in a loss to Iowa earlier this year. I cannot pick Michigan State with this kind of information bouncing around in my head.
• What's that John S.? Memphis coach John Calipari is from Western PA and attended the prestigious Clarion University? If that's the case, then I MUST pick Memphis in this game.
• If Memphis loses by 5 points or less, and missed free throws were involved, then we're going to have to hear Calipari defend his team and defend their free throw shooting for another 12 months and I can't deal with that anymore. So my pick here is partially reflecting my prayer that this doesn't happen.
• Memphis is a darn good team. I don't know how many rounds they have to get through before the nation starts to realize this. It's going to take more than Tom Izzo and Michigan State to bring down the Tigers. Speaking of which...remember when Memphis used to be Memphis State and had Anfernee (later to be known as Penny) Hardaway on their team?
• Confidence in this pick: 8.2

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Predictions for Thursday's Sweet Sixteen Games

Being that I'm out of every pool that I entered, I've decided to make some predictions on Thursday's games:

West Virginia over Xavier

Reasons:

• WVU's Joe Alexander can go crazy at times and win a game by himself.
• I cannot doubt Bob Huggins anymore (unless he loses this game).
• I don't believe that Drew Lavender's ankle is completely healthy.
• The Big East MUST have at least two teams reach the Elite Eight.
• If Xavier wins, it would actually help a few of my brackets. Therefore, it's not going to happen.
• Confidence in this pick (out of 10): 7.5

North Carolina over Washington State

Reasons:

• North Carolina will score more than 41 points (Sorry again Notre Dame fans).
• Washington State has never won a big game in their history.
• Even if the game is somehow close, CBS will "fix" the outcome in UNC's favor because the CBS announcers have invested too much time in loving Tyler Hansbrough for their run to end with this game.
• I trust Roy Williams more than I trust.....um.....uhh.....thinking hard over here.....who is Washington State's head coach anyway???
• Things might get intense in Chaz and Liz's place if UNC goes out this early, and I'm praying against that happening.
• Confidence in this pick: 9.7

UCLA over Western Kentucky

Reasons:

• Western Kentucky is about to experience what experts call a "letdown".
• Kevin Love and his amazing outlet passes are not going to be denied.
• I think I've almost recovered from Ben Howland leaving Pitt, and am almost ready to trust him and give him credit as an amazing college basketball coach.
• As we've seen all along, the refs are going to make sure UCLA wins no matter what.
• Western Kentucky beat Drake (the pride of Des Moines Iowa), and now they are going to get what's coming to them.
• Confidence in this pick: 8.8

Louisville over Tennessee

Reasons:

• Denny Crum is still coaching Louisville, right? What's that...Rick Pitino is coaching them now? Didn't he used to coach Kentucky? And the Boston Celtics? Hmmm...interesting...I guess I like Rick Pitino as much as Denny Crum in a big game (unless it was with the Celtics)
• James Lofton may or may not have a serious injury and Tennessee has spent the last three days downplaying that "injury'. We all saw what happened with Tom Brady in the Super Bowl after the Patriots tried to hide his "injury". Not good.
• Big East over SEC. It's as simple as that.
• Unless Bruce Pearl has the guts to wear that bright orange sports coat, Tennessee won't have a chance.
• If Tennessee wins, it would actually help a few of my brackets. Therefore, it's not going to happen.
• Confidence in this pick: 7.9

You heard it here first.

1020 & 8101

Did You Know That Stephen Curry Is Dell Curry's Son?

I forgot the initial guarantee that gave me the idea to make a list of guarantees for the second weekend of the Tournament in the first place!

• I guarantee that CBS will cut away to shots of Dell Curry in the stands at least 9 times during the Davidson vs. Wisconsin game this weekend. I think, "Did you know that Stephen Curry is Dell Curry's son?" insight has surpassed, "Did you know that Duke and North Carolina's campuses are only 8 miles apart?" on my list of infuriating things commentators say to sound informative. I'm putting the Dell Curry cut-away shot over/under at 7.5, I'm obviously taking the over on this one. If anyone else wants to put action on this, I'm completely game.

1020 & 8101

Announcers For The Regional Semifinals & Finals

For the 3 people who care (me being one of those people), here is the list of Thursday and Friday's games, along with the broadcasting duos that will be calling them. (Announcers stay in the same region for Saturday and Sunday's finals)

Thursday:

• Xavier vs. West Virginia (Phoenix, 7:10pm) -- Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• North Carolina vs. Washington St. (Charlotte, 7:27pm) -- Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas
• UCLA vs. Western Kentucky (Phoenix, 9:40pm) -- Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
• Tennessee vs. Louisville (Charlotte, 9:57pm) -- Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas

Friday:

• Wisconsin vs. Davidson (Detroit, 7:10pm) -- Gus Johnson and Len Elmore
• Texas vs. Stanford (Houston, 7:27pm) -- Jim Nantz and Billy Packer
• Kansas vs. Villanova (Detroit, 9:40pm) -- Gus Johnson and Len Elmore
• Memphis vs. Michigan State (Houston, 9:57pm) -- Jim Nantz and Billy Packer

This is great news for fans of Davidson and Villanova. Gus and Len were dealt a bad hand when all of their Denver games where underwhelming last weekend. I'm sensing that Gus has some built up energy that's just dying to get out, and hopefully he'll be able to work some of that out in the games on Thursday. Imagine if the Davidson vs. Wisconsin game is tied with 2 minutes to go! Good times! I like the games that Raftery and Lundquist were given. Bill should have a blast with the Xavier vs. West Virginia contest. And we should take note that Packer wasn't given a game featuring a mid-major. Nantz and Packer get what could be two amazing games, let's hope that Packer doesn't ruin them by talking about how Duke isn't in the tournament anymore, or worse, defending a blatant non-call for the entire game. I like these pairings a lot.

1020 & 8101

Second Weekend Guarantees

It's been too long since I've made any guarantees with regard to the NCAA Tournament. So it seems like as good a time as any to harness my inner Anthony Smith and make some predictions about the Tournament's second weekend. So without further adieu:

• I guarantee that North Carolina does not score 100 points against Washington State. However, the Tar Heels may double the 41 points put up by Notre Dame against the Cougars. Sorry to bring that up again Irish fans. Hey, I have a ND sweatshirt, so I was hurt a little too. I've already been given shit about that loss twice this week while wearing that sweatshirt, so I feel your pain. (Not really.)
• I guarantee that Billy Packer mentions Tyler Hansbrough at least 3 times during his work this upcoming weekend. Packer and Jim Nantz threw a 'Hansbrough Love-Fest' Party last weekend as UNC scored over 100 points in each blowout win. Packer doesn't let his man-crushes (or his outlandish opinions) go very easily.
• I guarantee that the Stanford vs. Texas game is the best game of the weekend. How subjective is that? Very.
• I guarantee that Rick Pitino and Bruce Pearl don't wear their white and orange suits, respectively, during the Louisville vs. Tennessee contest. Even though they most definitely SHOULD!!!
• I guarantee that Jay Wright will be the best dressed coach of the weekend. But watch out for Xavier coach Sean Miller. The former Pitt star is always classy and composed, never looking uncomfortable or out of place in his wardrobe. He's not on Wright's level, but Miller is far above the Burlington Coat Factory (10 suits for $1,500) level that many other college hoops coaches are trapped in. Miller also has a knack for picking a solid tie. This may be due in part to his wife dressing him, but either way, he's the one executing the plays.
• I guarantee that there are more commercials featuring medications for blood pressure, impotence, and swollen prostates during the games this weekend than there will be made free-throws by Memphis against Michigan State.
• I guarantee that Davidson (+5) and Western Kentucky (+12.5) both cover the spread. Bold? Maybe. But even Anthony Smith can't be wrong 100% of the time.

1020 & 8101

Thoughts & Feelings On The Tourney's Opening Weekend

After a rather dull Thursday, the NCAA Tournament did what it does best over the next three days...providing entertainment, excitement, frustration, and disappointment. I was entertained by Bill Raftery and Gus Johnson, excited about Davidson's outstanding performance, frustrated by my brackets, and disappointed about an early end to Pitt's season. Since bullet-points are a crutch used by people who cannot compose paragraphs or organize their thoughts well...here are some thoughts and feelings about the Tourney's opening weekend, in bullet-point form:

• I refused to jump on the Davidson bandwagon before the tournament began, because I believed that wagon was already full after their performance in the tournament last year. In hindsight, I completely over thought this issue. Just because Davidson and Stephen Curry (son of Dell Curry, if you didn't know) were on my radar all season long did not mean that they were on anyone else's radar. Unfortunately, I avoided choosing Davidson as one of my Bracket Busters because in my mind, they were already America's darling team and a sexy first-round upset pick. I will pat myself on the back and point out that I was already on the Davidson train way back in this blog's second post. Coach Bob McKillop deserves some huge props, it's one thing to come up with a game-plan to beat Elon (a notable seed), it's a completely different thing to come up with a game-plan to beat Gonzaga and Georgetown. Well done Bob. Stephen Curry is hands-down the most outstanding player of this tournament so far. On this sport's biggest stage, he has thrived when it mattered most. Curry scored 30 of his 40 points against Gonzaga in the second half, and followed that by scoring 25 of his 30 points against Georgetown in the second half. That's just sick! When was the last time anybody put up 25 against the Hoyas in a half?!? Credit also needs to be given to Jason Richards, Davidson's point guard, who played all 40 minutes against Georgetown, scored 20 points, and had 5 assists with only one turnover against the Hoyas' pressure defense. My friend Phil went to Davidson and is the only reason I knew about this program prior to last season. I told him Sunday night that I've officially hopped aboard the Davidson bandwagon and he gladly welcomed me. There is no reason that this Davidson team cannot beat Wisconsin on Friday. With the lights-out shooting of Stephen Curry and the outstanding point guard play of Jason Richards, anything is possible...if not downright probable.
• I'm becoming more and more obsessed with point-guard play, as I truly believe a college team's success is directly related to the quality of the man that's distributing the ball. With that in mind...the following stat astounded me: Stanford's point guard, Mitch Johnson, had 16 assists and only 1 turnover while playing 44 minutes in the Cardinal's overtime victory against Marquette. He played all but one minute of the game and only had one turnover against the athletic guards of Marquette. I'm in awe of that line. Point guards never get enough of the credit, even though they are the most crucial element to how a team performs and functions. Oh...I forgot to mention that Johnson ran this team to near perfection and kept them composed after head coach, Trent Johnson, was ejected from the game. Perhaps the most unsung performance of the first round. Outstanding game Mitch.
• The fact that four double-digit seeds all won games at the same site (Tampa Bay) seems like a complete statistical anomaly to me. Tim Brando and Mike Gminski had a blast calling those games and everyone in attendance got their money's worth. I was sad to see Drake (the pride of Des Moines, Iowa) get bounced, but their overtime, last second loss to Western Kentucky may go down as the best game of this tournament. #12 Villanova and #12 Western Kentucky move on to the Sweet Sixteen. Thank you Tampa Bay.
• Villanova coach Jay Wright did look quite dapper during the Wildcat's upset victory over #5 Clemson, but how the heck did he not get charged with a technical foul near the end of that game? *(I need to make a correction here - Jay Wright was assessed a technical foul with 2:59 left in the Clemson game. What I meant to question here was that he was not given a 2nd technical foul and ejected from the game. Please see my comment below)* He was out of control and showing up the refs. The officiating needs to be more consistent across the board during the NCAA Tournament. Mild-mannered Stanford coach, Trent Johnson, gets thrown out of a game and Wright doesn't even get one technical? I saw palming get called at least 4 times over the weekend after not seeing it called all season. Various Pitt players were getting mauled at the end of the Michigan State game and not getting whistles after the game had been called tight up to that point. And everyone knows by now that UCLA's Josh Shipp assaulted Texas A&M's Donald Sloan on the potential game-tying basket. All we're asking for is a little consistency. None of this, 'we're putting the whistles away for the final 3 minutes of the game', bullcrap. And don't call palming out of the blue just to make a point. The games should be called the same in November as they are in March.
• After going 7-1 in the first round...the Big East slid a bit and is a combined 10-5 going into the Sweet Sixteen with only 3 teams remaining (Louisville, West Virginia, & Villanova). That's not too bad, but when you figure that the Big Ten has 2 teams in the Sweet Sixteen, 3 doesn't seem like enough. The fact that West Virginia and Villanova made the Sweet Sixteen, I believe says plenty about the depth and overall quality of the Big East.
• I'm terrified that Bill Self (Kansas) and Rick Barnes (Texas) are safely into the Sweet Sixteen and actually appear to be doing a decent job. Is this an omen? Should I sell all my investments now? Is this merely a tease, setting up greater disappointment and heartbreak later? Can these men actually coach and use occasional common sense? Stay Tuned...

1020 & 8101

Thank You Loyal Readers: I'm Back

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is over, and for a brief moment (hardly a shining one), I thought this blog was over too. There is more to life than March Madness. And while I knew this fact before I began the ambitious endeavour buzzing on the screen in front of you, the project (as well as myself) felt as if it had run it's course. This was meant to be an entertaining creative outlet for myself, as well as a distraction.....and after a little more than a month, that's exactly what this feels like, a distraction. My brackets are horrendous, I'm exhausted, and I'm burnt out.

However...there is something to be said for completing what one starts...and for following through on a commitment that one has made. This blog is not going to "make" my life, and it's not going to change the bigger things taking place in and around my universe. But the parallels between this project and my current world are oftentimes scary. If I cannot demonstrate the simplest forms of commitment, character, and resolve with this blog...how could I possibly expect the same from myself with regard to the actual, moment-to-moment existence that is my life? There is nothing noble in running. There is nothing honorable in simply giving up. When our heart and our gut lead us somewhere, there was probably a damn good reason as to why we ended up at that "somewhere" in the first place. Being frustrated, confused, and exhausted should never be permitted to triumph over one's initial desires and ambitions. There is something to being honest. There is something to staying true. There is something to never giving up. There is something to making a commitment. There is something in following through. And there is something to being there for the people that were there for you all along.

It is for these (and many other) reasons that I am going to push forward, continue with, and finish this blog. Thank you my friends and loyal readers. For the random hits this blog has received from places like Honolulu, Berkeley CA, and Arizona, I thank you. For the devoted readers I've had for awhile but didn't even realize, like Brian in Notre Dame and the person who keeps checking out this blog from Oak Park, I thank you. And a very HUGE and heart-felt thanks to all of the loyal friends who have contributed to this blog, shared comments, and have been reading since the beginning: Annie, Phil, Chaz, Liz, Matt G., John S., and Senator Nate...I thank you.

I'm back. We're down to 16 teams. 15 games left to be played. Let's rock and roll!

Mr. Raftery, do you have anything to say in closing?

Bill: "This blog is going to be followed through to completion.....with ALACRITY!!!"

Thank you Bill Raftery, thank you.

1020 & 8101

Thoughts on Thursday's Games

Ignore the fact that the games on Thursday were generally boring and predictable, it was still the opening day of the NCAA Tournament and was therefore, outstanding. I've really sand-bagged this blog the last couple of days and am looking to come back strong on Friday. But before that happens, here are some thoughts on the opening Thursday of the tournament.

• The good news: One of my Bracket Buster teams (UNLV) advanced to the second round. The bad news: UNLV defeated one of my Bracket Buster teams (Kent State) on their way to the second round, and held the Golden Flashes to 10 points in the first half...10 POINTS!!! Thank goodness Kent State played another one of my Bracket Buster teams, because if they had not, I would look even more stupid than I do right now.
• We should all rejoice that the Stanford vs. Cornell game is finally over. I swear...if I heard one more dumpy announcer making one more stupid comment about the average SAT scores of these two teams, I think I was going to shove an icepick into my ear. You're NOT being funny, you're NOT being clever, and you're NOT going to unseat Bill Raftery or Gus Johnson. So just shut up.
• Lots of chalk with the results from today. Lots of chalk. Remember the days when there were two crazy upsets by the dinner break on Thursday? If you think things have been predictable and boring the last two years...wait until next year...when the three-point line is moved back a foot and the major programs are stacked again with another outstanding freshman class. It's going to get harder and harder for these smaller schools to pull off the improbable in March. Man I'm getting sour! I sound like Bob Smizik! Maybe I need a mini-vacation away from this blog.
• I better give my two cents on the Duke/Belmont "thriller". (I hate how any game that is somehow decided in the last half-minute is hyperrbolically labeled a "thriller". There should be higher standards for the use of such strong descriptive words.) Commentators and analysts have been saying that Belmont "lost" this game more than Duke actually "won" it. I must disagree here. The main reason that Belmont was in the game at all in the final minutes was because their coach, Rick Byrd, was smart enough to substitute players at nearly every whistle, keeping Belmont rested and fresh in order to push the tempo and wear Duke down. And last night we saw that Duke (now to be referred to as: Gerald Henderson and 4 exhausted white guys) can be worn down. Where was their depth? How did this team hang with North Carolina? When is Steve Wojokowski going to rip off his assistant coach's suit and sub himself into the game and show these punk kids how it's done? Both Duke and Belmont had numerous opportunities to step up and make shots in the final three minutes. Neither team took control and both looked nervous. It was just a matter of which team was actually going to execute. This was never Belmont's game to "lose" by any stretch of the imagination. They had a 2 point lead and a 1 point lead for a brief period of time in the second half before losing by a point. Belmont played a hell of a game to make it close and interesting, and for that, I give them all the credit. The one mistake I believe that Coach Byrd did make was calling all of those timeouts in the last minute and a half of the game. His team was playing very well by just rolling with the natural flow of the game. Once he started calling timeouts, he messed up the flow and momentum of the game and of his team. He also slowed them down enough to fixate on the moment, to have enough time to breathe and ponder the fact that they COULD, in fact, upset the #2 seed Blue Devils. Once you start thinking in these games, you're done.
• The Big East was well represented in Thursday's games, going a perfect 4-0. Pitt was the standout team from the Conference, defeating Oral Roberts by 19 points. Notre Dame could only beat George Mason by 18. Pity. How great would it be for the Big East to get all 8 teams into the round of 32? And to think...Pitt won this league's tournament. Good stuff.
• Mississippi Valley State got destroyed by UCLA and only managed to score 29 points, the lowest point total by any team in the tournament since the field expanded to 64 (65) teams. This is embarrassing for MVS and embarrassing for the NCAA Selection Committee. The Committee tried to get too cute here and attempted to be nice and they ended up looking like idiots. Mississippi Valley State deserved to play in the "opening round" game on Tuesday against Coppin State, based on their profile. MVS won the SWAC Tournament with a RPI of 228. That's out of 341 schools mind you. Instead, Mount Saint Mary's (winner of the NEC Tournament) played in the "opening round" game on Tuesday with a RPI of 159. That's 69 points higher than Mississippi Valley State!!! What the hell is going on here?!?!? It seems that there is a certain degree of reverse racism going on in this situation. The NCAA knows that it won't look good if the "opening round" game continually features two schools from historically black conferences. The "play-in" game cannot just feature the Conference Champs from the MEAC, SWAC, or Southland Conference every year (is what the Selection Committee is basically saying). This would be embarrassing to the various schools, players, and fans of these programs. What's embarrassing is that the NCAA is so ashamed of the "opening round" game, it's gone to extensive lengths to protect it's own ass from ridicule about the particular game! Don't try to make the play-in game more interesting by not putting the two worst teams in the game. And don't be hypocritical with the selection process involved with choosing the two teams that play in this game. The two worst teams in the Tournament field should be playing in this game. I don't care which conferences these two teams come from, they should be the two worst teams. Don't try to play hero and attempt to protect the integrity of the historically black conferences. Is there more dignity in losing the "opening round" game by two points, or in scoring 29 points in the first round to UCLA? If the NCAA is truly embarrassed with the play in game (which they are), they should make it interesting by pairing the last team into the field with the first team on the outside of the bubble. This way...every single Conference Tournament champion earns the right to play on opening weekend (no matter which Conference they are from), and the play in game suddenly becomes interesting. A lot more people would have watched Villanova play Arizona State play this past Tuesday night than watched Mount Saint Mary's play Coppin State. I want honesty and consistency from you NCAA. You can't save your ass all the time. And you can't make yourself look better by trying to cover other people's asses out of selfishness and self-interest.
• Mississippi Valley State may have scored the fewest points in the history of the modern tournament...but they still scored more points in each half (16 & 13) than Kent State scored in the first half (10) and Winthrop scored in the second half of their game (11).
• Wow...this column was way too negative and way too wordy. I am verbose, for better and for worse. Enjoy the games on Friday.

Pitt vs. Oral Roberts: Running Diary

Ok...I'm done from my little vacation away from this blog. The NCAA Tournament is underway and it's time for me to get back on the horse. All of my brackets have been filled out, and three games are already in the books. I'm feeling better now that it's a more reasonable time of day for me to be awake and people to be alive. I also have a mini-fridge full of bottled water and beer along with some amazing chicken from Sesame Inn, so I'm more than ready to go. I have a new rule for myself this year: Anytime Pitt wins the Big East Tournament as a #7 seed, is picked by Coach Bob Knight to win the National Championship, and plays Oral Roberts in the first round...I just have to keep a running diary of what takes place. Here are some things you should know about Oral Roberts before the action gets underway:

• Oral is almost always a crowd pleaser
• More often than not, Oral comes out on top
• Oral has a knack for getting hot at the right times
• It's almost impossible to overrate Oral
• Oral is good

Whew...after getting that out of my system, let us get to the game.

3:05 pm - Gus Johnson and Len Elmore welcome us to Denver for the Pitt/Oral match-up. I'm so glad to be listening to Johnson doing a Pitt game. Even though Gus shines at the ending of close games, I'm hoping we avoid that scenario this afternoon.

3:38 pm - Sorry for the delay...phone call and food. Pitt is currently on an 18-0 run and has pulled out in front of Oral 28-13. Gilbert Brown has been impressive (on the one dunk, he looked as if he was still elevating as he threw it down) and Levance Fields has, again, been a master at running the point. Pitt has also made 6 of 7 free throws. This is very fun to watch.

3:42 pm - Pitt 34 - Oral 15, Ronald Ramon just made a three point jumper. The kid knocks them down as if they were free throws. Errr...he knocks them down as if they were free throws for a team that shot free throws well.

3:47 pm - Is it possible that Gus could become bored with this game? Is it possible that a game like this allows him to conserve his energy and be absolutely outlandish later in the tournament? Is it possible that I'm jinxing things by talking about this in the first half?

3:49 pm - I'm sorry...but (this) Oral is terrible! Pitt is good...but I've never seen them get such easy chances on offense. Every possession it seems like we're getting an uncontested 13 footer, a wide open three-point shot, or an all too easy lay-up. They have been picking and choosing which shot to take and make every trip down. I can't wait until the second half when Ramon will only shoot NBA-range three-pointers and Sam Young will only shoot fade-aways, just to add a degree of difficulty. This is unreal.

3:52 pm - Pittsburgh 47 - Oral 24 at Halftime. Wow. Coming up...Live Look-Ins!!!

3:55 pm - Kent State has a total...TOTAL of 10 points at halftime against UNLV. I'm sure glad I didn't pick Kent State as a Bracket Buster team. Yep...I'm sure glad of that.

4:08 pm - These 2:30 games are all disasters right now! Pitt is up by 23, UNLV is up by 25, Purdue is up by 19, and Marquette is up by 9. No wonder the ratings have gone down the last couple of years. I need to start drinking to make this more interesting. Bring on the spelling errorz!!!

4:11 pm - Did you know that Len Elmore has a law degree from Harvard? One finds these things out during blow-outs in the Thursday afternoon games.

4:14 pm - Pitt isn't going to show Oral anything new or special here, they want to have a few surprises for teams down the road in the Tournament. I fully expect Jamie Dixon to pull a Milton Berle here in the second half...only putting (pulling) out enough to win.

4:26 pm - I just spent over 10 minutes trying to find a good link about that Milton Berle urban legend and I can't find a good one. When I do, I'll let you know. This is what I'm doing with my day now. And to think that people are out there right now at work using their skills and abilities to build self-esteem and support their families. By the way...Pitt 61 - Oral 37.

4:32 pm - This sad display by Oral Roberts is making me even more angry that they defeated IUPUI in the Summit League Championship game, costing me a valuable Conference Champion pick.

4:35 pm - CBS keeps cutting away to the Marquette vs. Kentucky game during timeouts in an attempt to sell us on the idea that an 8 point game is "competitive" compared to the 20+ point blowouts going on everywhere else right now. People might actually go outside or spend time with family if the games keep going like this.

4:44 pm - Although all of these games suck right now, this is still fun. But Phil...this would be ten times more fun if we could sit around all day and watch these games together while bs'ing, making fun of each others picks, and commenting on various announcers and coaches. Someday we will.

4:50 pm - Marquette beat Kentucky, it was never really close. Levance Fields has 23 points and Pitt is leading by 23. I'm more interested in the Pittsburgh Steelers cutting Cedrick Wilson for allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend at Patrone Mexican Bar and Grill in Wexford, PA. For those who don't know...Wexford is in the north suburbs of Pittsburgh and is about 12 minutes from my house. This north-suburb crime is getting out of hand! Didn't Santonio Holmes do the exact same thing a few years ago? But because it happened out of state and because he was a 1st round draft pick, he's still on the team. Gotta love the Rooney family setting different standards depending on the quality of their players.

4:56 pm - No upsets so far today. Back in the day I remember it almost being the rule that there was a notable upset during the afternoon session of the Thursday NCAA Tourney games. The top teams are just too good. As much as I hate to say it, I'm feeling a lot of chalk over the first two days this year.

4:58 pm - As I expected, Dixon didn't throw anything new at Oral Roberts in the second half. (Oral has actually outscored Pitt in the second half so far, 36-33) He knows that there are scouts from Michigan State and Memphis in the crowd, he's not letting them see anything until they potentially see it for the first time. Smart move. The Pitt lead has "shrunk" to 20, Pitt 80 - Oral 60.

5:05 pm - PITT WINS! PITT WINS! PITT WINS! After unloading his bench and putting in the walk-ons, Pittsburgh defeats Oral Roberts, 82-63. Another outstanding game by the Pitt defense. The only thing Oral had going for them was their three-point shooting, and once Pitt was able to defend that properly and shut them down, Oral didn't have a chance. The coaching staff did a great job preparing for that game, Pitt made it look downright easy. Outstanding game by Levance Fields. Michigan State is next on Saturday. I like this Pitt team's chances. By the way...Pitt was only an 8.5 point favorite here, so they easily covered the spread. I don't know why the hell I didn't put $50 down on this game, my mistake. Well done boys. Now I need a cigarette and a bathroom break.

March Madness Profile #3: Bill Raftery

With the announcing duos for Thursday and Friday's games being released yesterday, it is time to highlight one of the greats...Mr. Bill Raftery. As I've said multiple times throughout this blog, it won't completely be NCAA Tournament time until I hear Raftery announce: "Verne Lundquist, (insert team name) goes MANTAMAN!" His personality, enthusiasm, and style is as much a part of March Madness as brackets and 12 over 5 upsets. I hate to bring Billy Packer into this, but Raftery excels in the areas where Packer sucks. Raftery approaches his job with humility and doesn't see himself as bigger than the game, he has a sense of humor, and he adds to the overall viewing experience. He is able to do these things because first and foremost, Bill Raftery is a fan of college hoops just like us. He is a fan of the sport, fan of the competition, and fan of the pageantry of March Madness. There is a sense of genuineness and authenticity when one hears Raftery calling a game. One gets the feeling that Bill would be doing the same thing if he were watching the game in his living room and there wasn't a microphone in front of him (or a big check involved). The best announcers and announcing duos rise to the top, due in large part to the following three things: 1) Chemistry - The play-by-play guy and the color commentator have to click on some level. If they don't, neither one of them is going to be any good, and the broadcast is going to suffer. This is why good friends and life-long announcing partnerships are usually the best (is this turning into a marriage/relationship column?). Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery are an outstanding duo because they get along so well, allow each other the space to contribute to a broadcast, and have been paired together for so long. Verne's style makes Bill better and Bill's style makes Verne better. It's a perfect combination. 2) Enthusiasm - This is the factor that sets Bill Raftery apart as an individual announcer. He comes across as genuinely excited and enthralled during college basketball games. He's a fan of the game, this is very important. Some announcers speak and act as if it's a struggle for them to be commentating on a particular game for us, the viewing public. This is not a problem for Bill Raftery as he would be as jazzed for a game featuring Utah State as he would be for a UNC/Duke match-up. This enthusiasm is infectious as he can make the viewer care about any game at practically any time. He's happy doing his job. And this translates over the television so well as we should be happy to have the opportunity to listen to him. 3) Individuality - Chemistry and enthusiasm are essential to being a great broadcaster, but they have to be joined with (and maybe, in part, help to create) an announcers overt individuality. Raftery has this in bunches. He was a college basketball coach for more than a decade and has been announcing games for over 23 years. This experience gives him credibility when sharing his unique insights and opinions. Time and experience has only allowed Raftery to expand his ever-growing repertoire of hoops related catch-phrases. Some of my personal favorites:

• "Give it to the big fella!"
• "Send it in, (insert player's name)!"
• "...with the kiss!"
• "With the sweet kiss, off the glass..."
• "With a little dipsy do"
• "Dagger!"
• "Onions!"
• "With disdain to the tin!"
• "Put a little english on it"
• "With the teardrop, that'll make you cry"
• "We got a little nickel-dimer here"
• "With authority!"
• "A Large Edifice!"

There was also this exchange:

• Verne Lundquist: "I hope Dwyane Wade likes cajun cooking!" ... (dramatic 5 second pause) ... Bill Raftery: "JAMBALAYA!" - I actually remember this exchange, I don't think I saw it live but I believe it was played on Sports Center over and over again. (This is a Seinfeld/Newman reference by the way) The long pause followed by Raftery's over-the-top delivery just kills me. I wish this clip was on Youtube, because just thinking about it makes me laugh.

In 2007, Raftery along with his broadcast partner, Verne Lundquist, made a classic exchange after Memphis' Douglas-Roberts made an emphatic jam in Ohio State's regional final victory.
Raftery: "The speed! Done with alacrity! Sitting over there, he was salivating at an opportunity." Lundquist: "I'm still stunned at 'alacrity'." Raftery: "Don't ask me to spell it."

In the clip I'm posting, Raftery uses the word 'alacrity' again. It is a word, it means promptness, eagerness, and willingness. A good SAT word. Bill Raftery is not only entertaining, he is downright educational!

Bill Raftery is beyond hype and shtick. I'm a huge Gus Johnson fan, but Johnson is riding a wave of hype and popularity that is almost Obama'esque. Hype can only go so far and last so long. Let's hope that Johnson can sustain his 'game' and his abilities long past this period of hype. Raftery is not only beyond the hype, he transcends it. He was throwing out catch-phrases when the current crop of Sports Center anchors were in nursery school. Raftery is so steady and so consistent that his name really shouldn't come up when discussing "good" and "bad" college basketball commentators. This is because he practically IS college basketball announcing! There will never be another Bill Raftery. There can't be. He is the archetype. He is the prototype. He is THE college basketball color commentator of the last two generations. Earlier in this blog I commented on how we should be thankful for being able to experience the era when Gus Johnson was in his prime. The exact same should be said for being able to experience Bill Raftery in his prime (he's still there right now, I'll fight anyone on this). Granted, he doesn't have as many quality years left in him as Johnson, but when the day comes to tell my kids about Gus Johnson, I'd be remiss in not mentioning the Legend, Bill Raftery, first. Without Bill Raftery and his unique style, there never would have been a place for Gus Johnson in basketball. When Raftery finally calls it quits and retires the catch-phrases, it will truly be a time for "Onions."

Play-In Game, NIT, & CBI Picks

Very quickly before the games get underway tonight:

Play-In Game:

• I'm picking Mount Saint Mary's to defeat Coppin State in the Play-In game tonight. The University of Dayton has had the privilege of hosting the Play-In game ever since it was introduced in 2001. Every year I get into an argument with someone about whether or not the Play-In game is actually a NCAA Tournament game. OF COURSE IT IS!!! 65 teams make the field, how complicated can this be? The Play-In game is listed on the official bracket. These teams have won their Conference Tournament and therefore have made the NCAA Tournament. There are always "haters" of the Play-In game, and these gripes will probably never go away. I'm not debating the fact that it's a shame that one of these two teams won't be part of the regional festivities on Friday (being interviewed by the national media, rubbing elbows with the famous, getting the opportunity to be blown-out by a #1 seed, etc.). What I am saying is that the Play-In game is completely, definitely, and with out a doubt...part of the NCAA Tournament. Coppin State's run to a conference championship is a fun little story as they are the first 20+ loss team to ever make it in to the NCAA Tournament. I also have history with Coppin State, being present for their historical upset when they defeated #2 South Carolina as a #15 seed in 1997. With all of that being said, I'm going with Mount Saint Mary's here because they are the better team by far and they defeated my Robert Morris squad in the semifinals of the NEC Tournament. I can't have Robert Morris losing to a team that lost to Coppin State. Hail the Play-In game. Thank you good people of Dayton!

NIT:

• I just filled out a NIT bracket and I discovered that there is less rhyme, reason, and logic involved with filling out a NIT bracket than there was filling out a SWAC Tournament bracket. For anyone who cares, this is how I see the NIT playing out:
• Round of 16: #4 California over #1 Ohio State, #3 Dayton over #2 Illinois State, #1 Virginia Tech over #4 VCU, #2 Ole Miss over #6 Charlotte, #1 Arizona State over #4 Southern Illinois, #2 Florida over #3 Creighton, #5 Maryland over #8 Robert Morris, #3 Florida State over #7 Stephen F. Austin
• Round of 8: #3 Dayton over #4 California, #1 Virginia Tech over #2 Ole Miss, #1 Arizona State over #2 Florida, #3 Florida State over #5 Maryland
• Final Four: #1 Virginia Tech over #3 Dayton, #1 Arizona State over #3 Florida State
• NIT Champion: #1 Virginia Tech over #1 Arizona State

CBI (College Basketball Invitational):

• There is yet another postseason tournament in college basketball this year, the CBI. Odds are you haven't heard of this...and even if you have...you probably don't care. And that's a good thing...you shouldn't care. Fans of the colleges and universities that make this tournament shouldn't care. I don't care. But...if there is a bracket involved, I will fill it out. So here are my CBI picks:
• Round of 8: #1 Washington over #3 Nevada, #1 UTEP over #3 Tulsa, #1 Virginia over #4 Rider, #1 Bradly over #3 Ohio
• Final Four: #1 Washington over #1 Virginia, #1 Bradley over #1 UTEP
• CBI Champion: #1 Bradley over #1 Washington

Some more information on the CBI for those who are confused, amazed or interested:

Introducing the CBI:

• What's the CBI? The College Basketball Invitational is a new 16-team tournament that selects teams left over after the NCAA tournament makes its 65 picks and NIT make its 32 picks.
• Who runs it? The Gazelle Group, a company based in Princeton, N.J., that also organizes preseason tournaments.
• What's the reason for the tournament? To give more teams a chance to play in the postseason. The NIT reduced its field from 40 to 32 teams in 2007 and also now must take regular-season conference champs that don't quality for the NCAA tournament. CBI organizers felt that left out some deserving teams who could put on an interesting tournament. They used Washington's situation in 2007 as one of its prime examples, when the Huskies went 19-13 and didn't make the NIT.
• The format? Teams are seeded in groups of four in four geographic regions. Washington is the No. 1 seed in the West Region. Each regional winner advances to the semifinals. There, the teams will be reseeded with the higher seeds hosting. The two semifinal winners will play a best-of-three championship series alternating at home sites, with the higher seed hosting Game 1 and Game 3, if necessary. That means the two finalists could play six games.
• TV coverage: Eleven games will be shown on Fox College Sports.

Dapper Coaches! - We Had This Theory First!!!

Matt and Phil! Check out this column that breaks down the Tournament based on the appearance and fashion sense of the various coaches. Absolutely creepy. I knew we were on to something here. The whole "Best-Dressed Coach" thing really needs to be turned into a column on this blog now. And I have to eat some crow here because I hated on Jay Wright. I've done a little research and fully admit my mistake. This article has Jay Wright and Villanova defeating Bob Huggins and West Virginia in the National Championship. This creates an interesting dilemma Matt as we basically all agree that those two coaches are on different planets with regard to appearance and fashion sense. This blog just gets better every day.