ASU needs to rethink their official "horn" gesture...

Lets Hope March Madness Is This Exciting

After only one buzzer beater last year we need more of this in '09.
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3 months from today is Selection Sunday

And now that the packers are out of the playoffs it's time to dedicate both minutes of free time I have every day to NCAA basketball. One more week of Fantasy Football and then it's on.

Is there anything worse?

Then Michigan State playing North Carolina? I watched Florida State vs Northwestern instead.

Class Act all the way

All that mouth-breathing oxygen makes you classy....

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=jn-hansbrough112808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

It's going to be a long year for Hacker.

mixed feelings

Sorry, Bryan. While we enjoyed the poor girl who couldn't afford a shirt she had to go. You might be a dedicated, hard worker but the rest of us degenerates do sometimes visit here during normal business hours.

THERE!

Now the picture is gone....
;-(

The first big upset

I was all stoked for the Tuesday night Kentucky-North Carolina game until I saw this headline this morning:

VMI 111, Kentucky 103

Christ, they can't even beat the Keydets of VMI, what chance do they have against NC.

Crap

I forgot that you all may be using a work account for the blog. My bad, I will refrain from boobies in the future.

Finally

The season has begun. As much as it pains me to say it, the season did not start when Olegk Czyzyxsysz dunked against the Blue Hose. Lets get to what this is really about. Dominic James is on the board, baby!! 2-5, we're shooting 40% on the season, meaning we're 28% above our career shooting percentage of 12%. The Bricklayers Union local 427 is pissed. but, a nice 30 point win over Houston Baptist Southern A&M State Sisters of the Poor.

Go Chickenhawks!!

Ridiculous.

Sportsline has a countdown ticker on their website for the unc-Duke game on February 11th, 2009.   Yes, 90 days away.   Ironically, 02/11/09 is a Wednesday so it won't even be on CBS.   (The super bowl doesn't even get a ticker on their site yet.)  Also missing at this point is a countdown for the 03/08/09 grudge match.  I suppose it is only a matter of time.

On a related note, Roy Williams says Beaker is "extremely doubtful" for their Saturday opener. Hopefully it's not on tv so I don't have to listen to the announcers gush over how courageous he is when he comes in two minutes into the game.  No guys, he's not limping and he's not having a seizure either.  That's how he normally runs. You know what? He is also "extremely gay" but I don't seem to hear anything about that....

Noooooo!!!!!!

Just when you think it can't possibly get any worse, it appears our arch nemesis has been cloned. Either that or I was right and one of these guys is Aaron Rodgers.

One for Hacker, now one on Me

Well, I took a dig at Hacker on the Lute Olson post, here's a snippet from an article on a Duke signee for 2009 named Ryan Kelly. It's almost comical on how big of a tool this guy sounds like.

Off the court and away from the process, Kelly is anything but intense and serious.
Kelly's girlfriend, Lindsay Cowher, daughter of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, is quick to point out that Kelly is "very much in touch with his feminine side."
"Ry is the biggest chick-flick lover that I've ever known," said Lindsay, who is committed to play basketball at Wofford next year. "He likes them even more than I do."
And when "Nights in Rodanthe," a chick-flick lover's dream, opened Sept. 26?
"We had to leave the football game early," she said. "He wanted to be the first one there to see it."
He's not embarrassed about his love of those sappy stories. He parlayed his chivalrous knowledge into a column, teaming up with teammate Brian Rekuc to write a full-page article in the school newspaper listing the top 10 all-time chick flicks.
If you care, "The Notebook" edged out "P.S. I Love You" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" for the top spot, and each movie received a tissue box rating, signifying the number of tears shed while watching the movie.
"I think it was the most-read article in the paper," Kelly said with a proud grin. "My next one will be about 1990s Nickelodeon TV shows. That will be pretty cool."

Lute Olson Update

Nice.....


The ongoing (and never-ending) Lute Olson saga took another turn this week.
And this one is really bizarre.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, Olson's doctor filed a restraining order against Olson's ex-wife, Christine, the same day he announced his retirement. The newspaper reported that the restraining order was filed after Christine Toretti allegedly threatened Olson's doctor verbally and then by -- ready for this? -- placing a bullet-riddled target sheet on his chair in his office.
That's straight-up gangster.
And I really have no idea why this couldn't be a great reality series.

And it starts....

Today begins the journey that we all wait 7 months for. Time for the return of Big Monday, Super Tuesday, ACC Wednesday, and Busch Light Cube Saturday. The NCAA season kicks off today at 3pm with Georgia Southern vs Houston followed by Presbyterian at Duke.

All is well in the world today accept for the election and the missing McRibs. 2 weeks until BW3's open. Until then everybody limit their meals to salads and water.

A couple fearless predictions:

The Big Ten once again underachieves and barely gets 4 bids

The WCC locks up 3 bids by mid-February

Cornell wins their first round game as a 14 seed

A Sweet 16 team will come from one of these conferences:
Horizon
Big South
Atlantic Sun
MAC

Conference USA is no longer dominated by Memphis while Tulsa, UAB and UTEP fight for 2 bids

My Final Four:
North Carolina
Gonzaga
Louisville
Duke (I know, you’re shocked)

2008-2009 Preseason Predictions

2009 Bracketology

**Rules – 31 Auto Conference Bids, 34 At Large Bids, 65 Total

Automatic Bids:
American East – Vermont
ACC – North Carolina
Atlantic Sun – Jacksonville
Atlantic 10 – Xavier
Big East – Notre Dame
Big Sky – Portland State
Big South – Gardner-Webb
Big 10 – Michigan State
Big 12 – Texas
Big West – Cal St-Northridge
Colonial – VCU
Conference USA – Memphis
Horizon – Cleveland State
Ivy League – Cornell
MAAC – Siena
MAC – Miami-Ohio
MEAC – Morgan State
Missouri Valley – Illinois State
Mountain West – UNLV
NorthEast – Mount St. Mary’s
Ohio Valley – Tennessee Mertin
Pac 10 – UCLA
Patriot – American
SEC – Tennessee
Southern – Davidson
Summit – North Dakota State
Southland – Stephen F. Austin
Sun Belt – Middle Tennessee State
SWAC – Alabama State
WAC – Louisiana Tech
West Coast – Gonzaga

Locks (22)
Duke
USC
Arizona State
Alabama
Florida
LSU
Temple
UNC-Charlotte
Purdue
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Creighton
Vanderbilt
Miami
Wake Forest
Connecticut
Louisville
Pittsburgh
Marquette
Syracuse
Georgetown
St. Mary’s

Great Bets (8)
Southern Illinois
San Diego
West Virginia
Washington State
Kentucky
Nevada
BYU
UTEP

Last 4 In (4)
Tulsa
Old Dominion
Clemson
Wright State

First 4 Out (4)
Drake
Mississippi State
St. Joseph’s
Michigan

Also Considered (23)
Belmont
Washington
George Mason
Northeastern
Rutgers
Villanova
UAB
Illinois
UW-Green Bay
Western Michigan
Kent
Eastern Michigan
Mississippi
Utah State
Virginia Tech
Arizona
Georgia Tech
North Carolina State
Dayton
St. Louis
Northwestern
Providence
Cincinnati

Duke games

Hey, I noticed the schedule below. Do you think there's a chance that any of those games will be televised?

Here's a link for you Duke lady lovers....
http://accpoon.blogspot.com/2007/09/in-defense-of-duke-poon.html

September/October Madness?

Here we go. Let's all get together this fall and celebrate the madness that is the US Banking system. Just think, we can have pools, kegs and the pucker tree. Hell, we can even use all of Dachel's tv's. CNN, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox Business. The downside? Rachel having a basement full of people for a second time this year. The upside? No snow yet so hopefully I will not fall on my ass again. The official bracket is below.....

What can brown do for you?

I have no idea why I even checked the blog, but glad I did. That is pretty spooky. Ben is obviously rounding into mid-season form- don't peak too early!! Fine work, young man.

I've noticed something very disturbing...

Duke Schedule

Here's the newly released Duke 2008-2009 basketball schedule:
10/18 - Blue/White Scrimmage10/25 - Virginia Union (Exhibition)11/5 - Lenoir-Rhyne (Exhibition)11/10 - Delaware (2K Sports Classic)11/11 - GA Southern/Presbyterian (2K Sports Classic)11/16 - Rhode Island11/20 - 2K Sports Classic Semi-Finals (MSG)11/21 - 2K Sports Classic Final (MSG)11/23 - Montana11/28 - Duquesne12/2 - @ Purdue12/6 - @ Michigan12/17 - UNC Asheville12/20 - Xavier (Izod Center)12/31 - Loyola, MD1/4 - Virginia Tech1/7 - Davidson1/10 - @ Florida State1/14 - @ Georgia Tech1/17 - Georgetown1/20 - NC State1/24 - Maryland1/28 - @ Wake Forest2/1 - Virginia2/4 - @ Clemson2/7 - Miami, FL2/11 - North Carolina2/15 - @ Boston College2/19 - @ St. John's (MSG)2/22 - Wake Forest2/25 - @ Maryland2/28 - @ Virginia Tech3/3 - Florida State3/8 - @ North Carolina
3/12-15 ACC Tournament in Atlanta

Horse Fight!!!!

Oh God, my second women's basketball post. But trust me, it's worth it. Rick Mahorn is throwing chicks.....

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x67u2r_wnba-final_latino

Proof that God watches March Madness and has had enough.

It's been awhile since anything has been posted but this is worthy.  

http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2008/07/after-34-years-billy-packer-has-called.html

Upcoming Summer Events - It's more than just talk now!

All,
There's been a lot of talk of planning some events over the summer and I thought it would be easier if I put everything into one email for all. Some of you on this list will recognize some of these events from conversation but some of these might be new. Either way, Rachel and I are looking to get a head count for the events so that we can plan accordingly. Please read through and let me know if you are interested in getting together.

Beer (and sigh, Wine) Tasting night - Friday, June 6:
Inspired by the Woodman's Micro-Brew section Rachel and I are hosting a Beer tasting evening. We are asking that that everybody brings (2) six packs of micro brew and a bottle of wine. We will cook some appetizers and spend the night (weather permiting) around the campfire like old times.

Brewer Game - Afternoon tailgating - Saturday, June 14:
Not to be confused with the Guy's day game later in the summer; Rachel wants to get a huge group together to tailgate early for a 6:05 game against the Twins. This is an interleague game so tickets will probably go fast so RSVP as soon as you know. The plan will probably be for us to take care of all the plans and expenses and divvy up the costs that day. We'll be looking to get together around noon and get to the game as soon as the parking lot opens. We'll need somebody to build a washer game (I'm looking at you, Wader)

Brewer Game - Guy's day game - Wednesday, August 6 or August 20:
This game is up in the air as game on the 6th starts at 11:35 while the 20th starts ar 1:05. I am free for either so it's majority rules. Again I will take care of everything and promise to add Miller Lite to the mix. Let me know which date you prefer. I can fit 7 in the minivan so if we get more than that we'll need another driver.

Let me know if you are interested in all or some of these days. I am also posting to the blog for your reference and because I am a dork.

Random anti-unc thoughts

First of all, I would like to thank Brian for his wonderful and brilliant $50 NCAA pool. I was able to ride Kansas to a $275 payday.

Although I admit it hurt to root for them.

Reason #1?

I don't like Kansas.

Reason #2?

Roy Williams.

As you all know I do not like this man. I never have and I never will. Here's why you shouldn't like him either.

This scene from last night's game is too much. And should be proof that everyone should hate this man and his team. (Only from this picture I cannot figure out who the hell is team is.)

Above is Roy, all smiles. Who do you coach? Kansas? unc? I'm so confused.

Now Roy, your team is in fact unc. You left Kansas by choice FIVE years ago to "return home." Not lost on me (and should not be lost on you, either) is that he left Kansas after losing the championship game. I guess Roy just took his ball and went home.

Now flash to some crappy San Antonio hotel room. You just lost the biggest game of your life. You are feeling bad. You are devastated. Just think of Tyler Hansbrough sitting in his hotel room drooling and eating a Baby Ruth while watching the game he spent all year trying to get to. He is sad. (Good.) And then he sees Roy.

All smiles and happy. Like it doesn't matter that his team just lost to the very team he now proudly displays on his chest.

Great way to be there for your team. Great example, Benedict. I guess maybe you thought it was worth it to get some face time on CBS and a halftime interview.

Thank you, Roy. I now know that my dislike for you is not based solely on my love for Duke. It is also based on the fact that you are a piece of crap. Way to be there for your team. A-hole.

One last thing:

I now present to you the ONLY unc fan I have ever, EVER agreed with...

I know this is not earth shattering to anyone that Billy Packer needs to go. The above picture just shows me that apparently Garth Brooks agrees with me.

Our Savior

Olek Czyz

Ht: 6-7 Wt: 235

Scout.com Player Evaluation:
STRENGTHS
Athleticism
Competitiveness
Plays Facing Basket
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Perimeter Shot
Post Play
Native of Poland. Power forward has tons of bounce and determination. Thinks everything should be a dunk. Has some face up capabilities. Needs to round out his offense but has the potential to be considered a big conference player

So much for seeing Duke in Phoenix...

Only 361 days until the 2009 tourney!

Time for StubHub...

Duke is in the West region.  The west regionals are in Phoenix.  I live in Phoenix.  Hmmm.......

64 out of 65

Not bad. I still disagree with Villanova but I can't complain about 64 out of 65.

I do like Duke's draw but they should have been a 3 and Wisconsin should be a 2.

I am absolutely loving Mississippi State to beat Memphis in the second round. Book it baby!

Christmas comes early for Duke!!

Dan and Brian are pleased.....but probably not pleased to see Arizona in the second round. Hacker is already talking. I can hear him. Coach K... eeeehhhhhh.

Ring a ding ding...

"Wait, no I am going to pick VCU. No wait, back to Oregon. Christ, it will probably be Villanova."

May Christ be with you.

Wisconsin....Bend Over...Grab Ankles....

Criticism Sandwich?

I'm guessing it isn't slathered in delicious buffalo sauce?

Butler a #7? No love....

My Final Predictions

Georgia gets in which pops a bubble. I've gone back and forth on my last team in. I've left Illinois State in because I think the MVC deserves two. It wouldn't surprise me if I'm wrong on that one. The last team came down to VCU and Oregon and as much as I would like to pick VCU I don't think the committee will. Wait, no I am going to pick VCU. No wait, back to Oregon. Christ, it will probably be Villanova.

Ok, I'm going with Oregon.

Automatic Bids:
American East – Maryland-BC
ACC – North Carolina
Atlantic Sun – Belmont
Atlantic 10 – Temple
Big East – Pittsburgh
Big Sky – Portland State
Big South – Winthorp
Big 10 – Wisconsin
Big 12 – Kansas
Big West – Cal St-Fullerton
Colonial – George Mason
Conference USA – Memphis
Horizon – Butler
Ivy League – Cornell
MAAC – Siena
MAC – Kent State
MEAC – Coppin State
Missouri Valley – Drake
Mountain West – UNLV
NorthEast – Mount St. Mary’s
Ohio Valley – Austin Peay
Pac 10 – UCLA
Patriot – American
SEC – Georgia
Southern – Davidson
Summit – Oral Roberts
Southland – Tex-Arlington
Sun Belt – Western Kentucky
SWAC – Mississippi Valley State
WAC – Boise State
West Coast – San Diego

Locks (22)
Duke
Clemson
Connecticut
USC
Georgetown
Marquette
Indiana
Michigan State
Texas
Kansas State
Washington State
St. Mary’s
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Mississippi State
Gonzaga
BYU
Notre Dame
Purdue
Stanford
Xavier
Louisville

Great Bets (8)
Miami-Fla
Kentucky
West Virginia
Arizona
Texas A&M
Oklahoma
South Alabama
Baylor

Last 4 In (4)
Arizona
St. Joseph’s
Illinois State
Oregon

First 4 Out (4)
VCU
Massachusetts
Virginia Tech
Arizona State

Also Considered (24)
New Mexico
Mississippi
Ohio State
Villanova
UAB
Florida
Houston
Maryland
Dayton
Syracuse

Seedings
#1 Seeds – Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas
#2 Seeds –Tennessee, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Texas
#3 Seeds – Duke, Stanford, Lousiville, Pittsburgh
#4 Seeds – Clemson, Xavier, Butler, Vanderbilt
#5 Seeds – Notre Dame, Indiana, Connecticut, Drake
#6 Seeds – Washington State, Purdue, Michigan State, Marquette
#7 Seeds – USC, Gonzaga, BYU, Oklahoma
#8 Seeds – UNLV, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Arkansas
#9 Seeds – Mississippi State, Kent State, Davidson, South Alabama
#10 Seeds – Miami-Fla, St. Mary’s, Kansas State, Baylor
#11 Seeds – Arizona, Oregon, Kentucky, St. Joseph’s
#12 Seeds – Temple, Illinois State, Western Kentucky, George Mason
#13 Seeds –Oral Roberts, Cornell, Georgia, Boise State
#14 Seeds – Belmont, Siena, San Diego, Austin Peay
#15 Seeds – Winthorp, UMBC, Cal State-Fullerton, Portland State
#16 Seeds – American, Mount St. Mary’s, Tex-Arlington, Coppin State, Mississippi Valley State

I'm Back

And I've learned the criticism sandwich and how to fill each child's "emotional tank".

Seriously, I'm putting the finishing touches on my seeding. Looks like the Badgers are on their way to a 2 seed.

Chirp.....chirp....chirp....

Well, either Darren Collison has entered the building (the human cricket) or thats the sound of the blog on this critical selection sunday, as our own bracketologist learns how to make kids shag ground balls and lose with pride. So I decided that I should probably log in and address the topic on everyone's mind....how great Tyler Hansbrough is. It is obvious that his ability to suck in all the oxygen in the lane area not only helps him out, but also works to the detriment of other big men. You probably arent aware of this, but if you have Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound, the seventh channel is fully dedicated to the sound of him sucking in air and making the wookie sound when a good play ensues. Truly amazing. Not as amazing as Roy Williams' coaching ability. But still amazing.

Morning Update

A lot of stuff went down yesterday resulting in probably less than 5 bids available at this point. Temple gets in as an automatic bid which means the A-10 is probably a 3 bid league. My last 4 in at this point are Illinois Stat, St. Joseph's, Oregon, and VCU.

Realitically both Illinois State and St. Joseph's should be safe which means the bubble in my mind is down to 2 spots. As of 8am this morning I am giving those spots to Oregon and VCU but reserve the right to change my mind as I am leaning how to properly coach my kids all day long. The other teams that stay in contention are the following in order of most likely:

Arizona State - RPI in the 80's but a lot of big wins
Massachusetts - 10-6 in the A-10, won their last 6.
Virginia Tech - 9-7 in the highest ranked conference, beat Miami and played UNC tough
Ohio State - won two big games last week
Villanova - beat Syracuse, has a solid computer profile. Screwed at Georgetown
Dayton - Superb computer numbers, RPI = 31. Did most of their damage before Chris Wright got hurt and he never came back

In a perfect world my last 2 in would be VCU and UMass but I can't see the commitee taking 4 teams from the A-10. Although they "can't" do it this way I bet Temple getting in knocked UMass out.

I'll be on later with my final seedings and such. 9 more hours to bracket launch!

Minnesota - Indiana Last Night

Great freaking finish, hope the tourney has a few of these.

Today's Bids

Here's a list of today's Bids with notes:

C-USA - Memphis - Tulsa: Should be a blowout. A Tulsa win takes a bid away from the bubble.

American East - Hartford - UMBC: UMBC might, might, be able to keep a game close as at 14 or 15 so let's go with them. Or if Hartford wins we can sit around and talk about the good olde days of Vin Baker.

Big West - Cal-Irvine - Cal St-Fullerton: Got to cheer for the Anteaters

MAC - Arkron - Kent State: If Kent wins this they'll be looking at an 8 or 9 seed. A loss drops them to a 10 or 11 and Akron comes in as a 13. Akron's solid but will probably be beat.

Mountain West - BYU - UNLV: Both are locks and are playing for seeds. BYU might be a dangerous 6 seed

MEAC - Morgan State - Coppin State: 16 seed city baby!

SWAC - Jackson State - Mississippi Valley State - play in game baby!

Southland - Northwestern State - Texas-Arlington: No need to fear the fro this year. Winner of this game plays the winner of the SWAC game in the play in game.

WAC - New Mexico State - Boise State: Here's your 13 seed that takes a 4 seed down to the wire. I'm calling it now. NMst wins this and then plays UConn tough on Thursday. Book It.

Dominic James and More

Final tally for James 3-16, 8 points. I hear the NBA calling.

As for the bubble, it seems to be shrinking. After an early morning feeding and deliberation I've gone ahead and locked in Arizona, South Alabama, and Baylor. What that does is leave 5 bids for the at large. This will shrink if either Tulsa beats Memphis or Arkron beats Kent State in the C-USA and MAC championships.

Of the 5 spots, the safest (probably because it's been so long since they lost) is Illinois State. With that the case my last 4 in and out are the following:

Last 4 in:
St. Joseph's (misht be a lock after beating Xavier)
VCU
Massachusetts
Arizona State

Last 4 out:
Virginia Tech
Temple
Oregon
Ohio State

Virginia Tech and Temple both play today. Temple in the A-10 championship and VaTech against North Carolina. If Temple beats St. Jospeh's they would both get in, probably knocking out UMass. If they loses I think Umass gets the bid. I know the committee is not supposed to look at conference affiliation but I think *wink*wink, they will.
Virginia Tech gets in with a win, but might be able to leap frog Arizona State with a close loss. A blowout and I think they are done.

Hopefully later today I'll have enough time to check out RPI and anchor down the bids.

Things heard tonight

Dominic James is now 0-8 from the field...

Update, now 0-9

Looks like somebody beat me to the blog.

F-ing Piece of Horseshit

It is halftime of the Marquette game. If your name is Bryan Demski, you now have a couple of beers in you. If your name is Dominic James, you are 0-7 with 1 point. Oh yes, 1 point. NBA scouts must be drooling at the prospect of drafting you. Overrated puke, lose your stupid ass knee socks and focus on orange ball going in circular hoop. If I want an undersized point guard, can I at least have Maurice Acker? At least he has 3 points. I cant wait for you to get one of your injuries in the second half.

End Communication.

Big Win

St. Joseph's knocks off Xavier which means the A-10 is at least a two bid conference with a chance of 3 or 4 depending on the Temple-Charlotte game.

Ohio State

Please report to the NIT. Thank you.

Big win by Virginia Tech today. That might be enough to get them in. Depends on how the A-10 games tonight turn out.

Go Colgate

Have you seen Kendall Chones and his beard??

I can't find a good picture on the web.

You'll have to take my word for it or turn on ESPN2 immediately.

He's reason number 1 on why I want them to win.

Friday 1pm

It's Friday at 1pm, do you know where Florida State?

Try the NIT.

Today's Situation

Well, after yesterday's disaster of a day for the bubble there are a couple more games to watch today.

Florida State-North Carolina - For FSU it's win or your done.

Virginia Tech - Miami - VaTech needs this one badly. They probably can't make it in without a win here

Ohio State - Michigan State - With all the losses yesterday OSU migh be able to make it with a win today.

Charlotte - Temple - The winner of this game remains in the at-large market. The loser is done.

St. Joseph's - Xavier - A win for St. Joe's locks them in. A loss probably spells NIT

Also, the Patriot league's final is this afternoon between Colgate and American. Winner get's to get destroyed by a 1 seed on Thursday.

Last 4 in:
Massachusetts
Ohio State
Arizona State
VCU

Last 4 out:
St. Joseph's
Oregon
Virgina Tech
Temple

Early Friday Morning

Let's see what I missed last night after I went to bed:
Oregon - Lost
New Mexico - Lost
Massachusetts - Lost
Mississippi - Lost
Arizona - Lost
Maryland - Lost

The only two bubble teamas that won are UNLV and Texas A&M. Those wins combined with all the other losses move those two to locks.

I haven't figured out the last 4 in and out yet but it's definately looking better for Illinois State now and VCU might have a chance too.

Thursday Evening Update

4, count them 4 non Atlantic 10 bubble teams played this afternoon and all 4 lost. Arizona State, Florida, UAB, and Houston all come up empty and you can cross all of them off. The only one of the 4 that I had in was Arizona State so they move from last 4 in to last 4 out. Replacing them is the regular season Colonial Champion, VCU.

On the positive side of things both Temple and St. Joseph's won to remain in the hunt if any other bubble teams lose. I believe Temple gets Xavier tomorrow and that's the kind of win that can leap frog a couple bubble teams.

It's 9pm now and Oregon is down almost 20 at half. Right now I have them "in" but a loss knocks them out. Next in line to jump in are New Mexico and Mississippi both who play later.

In other games of note, Massachusetts, Arizona, UNLV, Texas A&M, and Maryland are all in action. The first 4 are in as of now but if they lose they can begin sweating.

Investment Opportunities Have Been Set

All-I've set up all of our investment opportunities for March Madness. Hopefully this year's games will be more interesting than last and we won't have to hit the geek dice at 1pm. I'm not saying we can't, I'm just saying...

Anyway, here's the pool's I've put together.

Team Pool:

Same as last year, each envelope costs $1.00 and has 1 team in it. As your team is eliminated so are you. Final Four teams pay out $8.00, Championship Teams payout $10.00 and the winner an additional $12.00.

Point Spread Pool:

Each envelope costs $5.00 and contains 1 team with it's corresponding point spread. All 32 teams for that day are available. The winner of each game, with it's spread, gets $10.00

Player Points Pool:

Each envelope costs $2.00 and contains 2 players, the top scorer from 1 team and the second highest scorer from another team. The points totaled by each player will be added together for your final score. The highest scoring tandem will win $25.00, the second, $18.00, the third, $13.00, and the fourth $8.00.

Final Score Square Pool:

This pool is exactly like the grid pool that most of you have seen for football games. The premise is simple. There are 25 squares which cost $7.00 a piece. Once all squares are sold, numbers will be picked out of a hat to fill in the top and side (each will have 2 numbers a piece). The final score of each game that day will pay out $10.00 except for 1 game (determined that day) which will pay $25.00. i.e. if Duke beats Portland State 77-43 then the square that corresponds to 7 for the higher seed and 3 for the lower seed wins.

I figure this takes into consideration teams, players, spreads, and final scores. I think that's enough right? Just in case, I better make sure the poker table, beer pong table, and geek dice are ready too.

Thursday 2pm

UAB is upset by Tulsa in the Conference USA semi-finals to seal their fate. UAB can be spelled with a N, an I, and a T.

Thursday 1pm

Well, it's Thursday 1pm and I'm at home taking care of 2 kids and a wife with a 103 degree fever. That's not the case of March Madness that we're looking for. And I know what you are all thinking too. Lucky Brian is sitting at home watching basketball but I'll have you know that between the 2 hours of Baby Einstein and Guilding Light I've actually watched less this afternoon then I did yesterday (d'Avis you know what I'm talking about!)

Anyway, the early games produce 0 upsets and Dayton and Villanova are sent the way of Syracuse. Welcome to the no loger considered list. Florida State hangs on to their very slim at-large hopes and advance to play North Carolins tomorrow.

Next update should be later in the afternoon.

Probably Should Have Checked the Schedule

I probably should have checked the schedule before making my statement about updating the blog throughout the day. Not much to blog about yesterday as their really was only 1 bubble game and the rest was full of garbage like Colorado State and East Carolina.

As mentioned yesterday, Syracuse has been removed as well as Rhode Island. Portland State and Mount St. Mary's have been locked in with bid and 15th and 16th seeds respectively.

Today begins the actual bubble madness as the big conference start their tournaments. Hopefully I will be able to blog through the day with updates.

In Memory of Syracuse...

TJ Sorrentine Again.

Goodbye Syracuse

1pm update - Syracuse gets destroyed by Villanova and they are now out. I still believe Villanova needs to beat Georgetown to get in so they are still out. Replacing Syracuse for the time being is Oregon.

In A-10 Dayton blows a 10 point lead but wins in overtime to advance. They need to beat Xavier now to stay in the picture.

For reference here are my last 4 in and out:

Last 4 in:
Arizona State
Illinois State
Ohio State
Oregon

Last 4 out:
VCU
Dayton
Mississippi
New Mexico

I also wouldn't say these teams can relax just yet:
Kentucky
UMass
Texas A&M
South Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas

Bubble Teams, Start Your Engines

Today's a big day as all the major conferences start their tournaments. If possible I will do a running commentary on the games through the day.

As for last night 3 more bids were given out. Western Kentucky, Oral Roberts, and Butler all get in and bubble teams rejoice as Butler's auto bid saves one more at large for everybody else.

Now It Gets Dicey

4 bids were given out last night so let's start with that. Congrats go to Davidson, George Mason, Siena and San Diego. What you say? San Diego? Yep, San Diego takes the WCC bid which is almost locked in for 3 bids now with Gonzaga and St. Mary's virtual locks. That means one less bid for the bubble. On top of that South Alabama lost in the Sun Belt semi-finals. South Alabama is an intriguing case as they have a top 30 RPI and should be a lock. However, remember just a couple years ago when Southwest Missouri State didn't get a bid with a RPI in the low 20's. As for now I'm putting them in making the Sun Belt a two bid conference.
Now the losers for the night. Since the bubble has shrunk by two that will knock out both Mississippi and Dayton and leaves the last 4 in as Arizona State, Illinois State, Ohio State, and Syracuse. None of those 4 should feel safe as they all need to win later this week to hang on.

As for tonight there are 3 bids going.

1. Sun Belt - Western Kentucky against Middle Tennessee State. WK can do some damage in the tournament with scores Courtney Lee so lets cheer for them.

2. Horizon - Cleveland State against Butler. Bubble teams should cheer for Butler but who can resist coming along with the Snorks? Go Snorks on this one.

3. Summit - IUPUI against Oral Roberts. It's fun to say OOOeeePOOOee but when you get a chance for Oral you take it. Go Oral!

Bubble, In

By my calculations there are still 10 bids that are still up in the air. This can shrink if San Diego beats Gonzaga tonight or if any of the other locks lose their tournament. Those 10 spots are currently held by the below list of teams. I'll summarize what they need to do to hang on to that spot.

1. Illinois State - pray that they are not penalized for the slaughter that happened yesterday. Their season is over so there's not much they can do.

2. Kentucky - avoid an embarrassing loss in against the winner of the Mississippi-Georgia game. I think they are probably in even if they lose that game based on their 12-4 conference record

3. Arkansas - luckily got a first round bye but will probably have to play Vanderbilt. Win that and they are a lock. Lose and it's close.

4. Arizona - the 7th seed in the PAC-10 all they need is to beat 0-18 Oregon State. A win there and they are in.

5. Texas A&M - losers of 5 of their last 8 they need to at least beat Iowa State and then a good showing against K-State should be enough.

6. Arizona State - they NEED to beat USC. Their RPI and SOS is awful and unless they get that one I think they are on the outside looking in.

7. Syracuse - a first round matchup against Villanova is an elimination game. Even if they win they might need to beat Georgetown in the second round.

8. Mississippi - as mentioned above they would need to beat Georgia and then it's a possible elimination game against Kentucky. Mississippi needs that game more than Kentucky does.

9. Dayton - two games, it's as simple as that. Beat St. Louis and upset Xavier, which is easier said than done, and they are in. Their second best player who led them to a 13-1 start should be back for the A-10 tourney. For those of you who remember VCU from last year...Dayton is my VCU this year.

10. Ohio State. Simple. Beat Michigan State and they're in. Lose and they'll be leap frogged by a team currently out.

Tomorrow I'll highlight some teams outside looking in.

Regular Season = Over

Well, the regular season came to an end yesterday with a couple teams making a last second push while others acted like Carson and took huge dumps in their pants. Staying in the at-large picture, unfortunately for those of us who like good basketball, was Ohio State who came back and beat Michigan State. With wins over MSU and Purdue this week they squeak back into the picture knocking out New Mexico who didn't even play yesterday. As for the other side of things the ACC continued to beat up on each other as both Maryland and Virginia Tech lost to drop them out of our bracket. The beneficiary of these latest loses appear to be the SEC as Kentucky and Mississippi leapfrog both ACC teams and jump barely into the bracket. By no means are they locks but if the season ended today I think they would be in.

Looking at the mid-majors we've had one major upset as both Bill and Mary beat VCU in the Colonial Semi-Finals to advance to the finals against George Mason. Sounds like a advantage for Bill and Mary as they are playing George 2 on 1. VCU, at this point is now OUT of the bracket as their profile suggests close but no cigar. They'll be watching the conference tournaments later this week hoping one of the teams mentioned above loses their first round game.

The only bid up for grabs yesterday went to Drake who destroyed Illinois State 79-49. Illinois State now falls into the category that UAB was in a couple days ago. Probably in but not a great last showing for the committee. I'm still going to leave them in for now as a 2nd place finish in the MVC should count for something.

As for tonight there are 4 bids up:

1. The WCC final between San Diego and Gonzaga should be interesting as if San Diego wins the WCC should get 3 bids with St. Mary's rounding out the at -large.

2. The Southern finals between Elon and Davidson. Davidson should win this game by 20 points but if not probably should get an at-large

3. The MAAC between Rider and Siena. Meh.

4. The Colonial as mentioned earlier between George Mason and Bill and Mary. George Mason again has a team that can win a game or two so let's go ahead and cheer for them.

Later today I should have time to outline the bubble and who is still not safe. At first glance I would say there are still between 7-10 bids that are not locked up.

3 Bids, Bubble Updates and the Waterboy

3 bids were given out on Saturday, congrats to Winthrop, Belmont, and Austin Peay on punching their tickets although I really wanted to see UNC-Ashville make the Big Dance.

In other action there were as many big bubble wins as their were big bubble loses. On the plus side of things, Arizona State, Arkansas, Dayton, and New Mexico win while UAB (more on them in a minute) and Arizona lose. On the other side of the cutoff Syracuse, Oregon, Mississippi, and Villanova win while Rhode Island, Houston, and St. Joe's lose. Those last three probably need a minimum of a conference tournament final appearence to get a bid and may need to win it for the auto bid.

The team that lost the most ground yesterday as mentioned earlier was UAB. Prior to their game againast Memphis I had them as a Great Bet and didn't think a loss would hurt them that much. However, they got destroyed by 40+ points and that kind of statement might leave a bad taste in the commitee's mouth. At this point I moved them back out, replaced by Maryland, and the semi-final game against Houston is going to be an elimation game for both of them. Even with a win there, a blowout loss to Memphis might keep them on the outside.

Lastly, we all know the Waterboy and their mouthbreathing cohorts beat Duke last night so there's not much to talk about there. I did analyze the situation and I still believe Duke is a #2 seed, barely ahead of Georgetown. I also think a #1 seed is within reach with an ACC conference tournament title. In all that loss didn't hurt much and I can still rationalize with the best of them.

FUCK

Beep....Beep....Beep....

Is that a dump truck backing into my living room? No, its Marquette's dumb ass backing into the tournament in stupendous fashion, losing 2 of their last 3. What the hell was that crap against Syracuse? It was an insult to my TV to even have to display it....I didnt spend money on an HDTV to have it display 60 inches of horseshit for two hours. Unfrozen caveman head coach needs to quit being confused and frightened of coaching his team. Stupid. Beer will make me feel better.

Side note, what was a wack-ass game winning shot in the UCLA game, pulled that one out from the games of HORSE in the driveway.

Good to see...

…our gracious “host” and blogging manager can go into any post and drop random subliminal messages, such as ‘you are no longer invited to my house during March madness’. Just so you know, I am rooting for Duke in this game, so no need to get subliminal on me.

After re-reading it, it’s not all that subliminal, but quite direct…I guess that means I will be crashing your house on the 20^th. I’ll make sure I steal a case of beer.

And Now The Bids Start

8 days before Selection Sunday and now the bids will start rolling in. First, let's touch on Friday's action, which come from the Missouri Valley. Southern Illinois loses in the quarter final to be eliminated from discussion for a Bid. This closes a dissapointing season for the team I picked as a 5 seed prior to the season. Illinois State wins to move to the Semi-Final and in my mind locks a bid. To be safe they should go ahead and beat Northern Iowa to lock themselves in.

On to today where 3 bids will be given out. First at 10:30 am the Big South wraps up when UNC-Ashville plays Winthorp. Both teams are capable of picking off a top seed in the tournament. Should be a good game and if you get a chance check it out on ESPN2 to get a glimpse of Kenny George. In the Atlantic Sun Belmont takes on Jacksonville at 6pm for the title. The winner of this game is looking like a 15/16 seed so not much to talk about it here. Plus Belmont has been destroyed in the tournament the last two years by UCLA and Georgetown. Lastly, the Ohio Valley Valley kicks off at 4pm with 6 seeded Tennessee State taking on the Governors of Austin Peay. Again, were looking at a 15/16 seed here so besides being able to say Governors there's not much to get excited about.

Oh, and there seems to be another game tonight of some importance, I just can't remember what it is.....

Duhhh...

This picture says it all...battle of the mouth breathers.


And Todd is no longer invited to my house for March Madness.

Why you should cheer for UNC-Ashville

I kind of stole this from SI.com but it's the Kenny George highlight from their game against VMI. He sat out the entire game because of his bad knees and came in with 11 seconds left in OT down by 1. After the turnover he was pulled again. 6 seconds of action, 1 game winner.

Easy Like Friday Morning

A strange night in basketball last night as almost all teams projected In the bracket lost. Clemson, Connecticut, Stanford, Xavier, and Boise State all lose but are relatively safe (except for Boise State, more on that later). All of the loses came on the road so it might not even effect their seeding. Winning last night on the plus side of the bubble were UCLA, USC, and Arizona. This should all but sew up a bid for Arizona whose SOS of 1 should lock them in even if they fall to Oregon over the weekend.
Back to Boise State for a moment; their loss leaves them at 12-4 in the WAC with 3 teams at 11-4. Should New Mexico State, Utah State, and Nevada all win this weekend their would be a 4 way tie for first. That should make for an interesting conference tournament.
Lastly, a lot of the conference tournaments have started and we are going to be able to start nailing down the small bids and bubble teams. Make sure you are studying these games so you can predict the 14 seed that's going to win this year.

Thursday aftenoon update

Stupid work getting in the way of my March Madness updates. It's things like this that makes me want to retire.

First off, congratulations to the Florida Gators who have finally lost enough games combined with enough bubble teams winning to knock them out of the Last 4 in. I guess that 15 point second half lead wasn't good enough to stave off Tennessee. Rising up to claim their spot are the Dayton Flyers who have a RPI of 35 and should should get special consideration from the committee since their top player has been out over the last 12 games. Chris Wright is scheduled to be back for the conference tournament so don't be surprised if they go on a run from here on out.

Also, stepping up last night was Temple, who's 10-5 conference record in the A-10 gets them back on the also considered list.

Full Court Inbound Dunk

Yes, it is not college or March Madness related....but try to figure out how many times on a playground and a 9 foot rim you'd have to try to do this to pull it off, and here some high school kid does it in a game:

Wednesday's Thoughts

Again, not a ton of movement last night as most of the teams that were supposed to win, did. New Mexico and Virginia Tech, my last two in, both won to solidiy their prospects. On the other hand Arkansas lost on the road to Mississippi dropping them into the last 4 in. Losers of 5 of their last 7 Arkansas is playing their way out of the tournament. The other big winners from last night are Mississippi and Ohio State who are crawling up from the bottom of the bubble. Both teams need to win their last regular season game this weekend to continue their ascend.

More Past Tournament Memories

We must not focus on football sadness but march madness. It took some time but I made it ryhme. Not lets all go drive a car.

Can't forget this Maryland-UNC Wilmington game from '05.

Black Tuesday

Damn. Damn. Damn.

So does he change his mind come November?

Tuesday's Update

Not much of a change this morning as all the favorites won last night. Texas Tech gets dropped from the also considered list after losing 109-53 to Kansas. West Virginia solidifies their bid by beating Pittsburgh.

Monday Evening Bracktology Update

After all the in and out action through the week, only 4 teams fall out from last Monday to this monday.

Out this week:
Niagara
St. Joe's
Maryland
Ohio State

In this week:
Rider
Illinois State
Virginia Tech
Western Kentucky

Automatic Bids:
American East – Maryland-BC
ACC – Duke
Atlantic Sun – Belmont
Atlantic 10 – Xavier
Big East – Georgetown
Big Sky – Portland State
Big South – Winthorp
Big 10 – Wisconsin
Big 12 – Texas
Big West – Cat St -Northridge
Colonial – VCU
Conference USA – Memphis
Horizon – Butler
Ivy League – Cornell
MAAC – Rider
MAC – Kent State
MEAC – Morgan State
Missouri Valley – Drake
Mountain West – BYU
NorthEast – Robert Morris
Ohio Valley – Austin Peay
Pac 10 – UCLA
Patriot – American
SEC – Tennessee
Southern – Davidson
Summit – Oral Roberts
Southland – Lamar
Sun Belt – South Alabama
SWAC – Alabama State
WAC – Boise State
West Coast - Gonzaga

Locks (22)
North Carolina
Clemson
Connecticut
USC
Pittsburgh
Marquette
Indiana
Michigan State
Kansas
Kansas State
Washington State
St. Mary’s
Vanderbilt
Baylor
Mississippi State
West Virginia
UNLV
Notre Dame
Purdue
Stanford
Miami-Fla
Louisville

Great Bets (8)
Massachusetts
Arkansas
Arizona State
Arizona
Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Illinois State
UAB

Last 4 In (4)
Western Kentucky
Florida
New Mexico
Virginia Tech

First 4 Out (4)
Dayton
Rhode Island
St. Joseph’s
Maryland

Also Considered (24)
Syracuse
Houston
Oregon
Southern Illinois
Kentucky
Ohio State
Texas Tech
Mississippi
Villanova

Seedings
#1 Seeds – Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA, Tennessee
#2 Seeds – Duke, Kansas, Xavier, Texas
#3 Seeds – Georgetown, Stanford, Wisconsin, Louisville
#4 Seeds – Purdue, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Butler
#5 Seeds – Indiana, Vanderbilt, Clemson, Gonzaga
#6 Seeds – Michigan State, Marquette, Washington State, BYU
#7 Seeds – Drake, St. Mary’s, Pittsburgh, Kansas State
#8 Seeds – Miami-Fla, UNLV, USC, Arizona
#9 Seeds – Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Baylor
#10 Seeds – South Alabama, Texas A&M, Arkansas, UAB
#11 Seeds – Davidson, West Virginia, Kent State, Illinois State
#12 Seeds – Arizona State, VCU, New Mexico, Florida
#13 Seeds – Virginia Tech, Western Kentucky, Oral Roberts, Cornell
#14 Seeds – UMBC, Winthorp, Boise State, Rider
#15 Seeds – Belmont, Portland State, Austin Peay, Cal St-Northridge
#16 Seeds – Robert Morris, American, Morgan State, Lamar, Alabama State

Team Spotlight

Mississippi State (20-8)

Not much has been said about Mississippi State this year but they are currently second in the SEC and clinch the 2nd seed in the conference tournament. The Bulldogs started slowly early in the season winning only 5 of their first 10 games which put them in a huge RPI hole. Since then they've gone 15-3 and are now in the 40's for RPI. Mississippi State is led by Jamont Gordon, a guard who averages 17+ points and is complimented by two other guards who rotate between the 1-3 positions. Ben Hanbrough, the only reason to hate this team averges 10+ while Barry Stewert averages 12. Although they run a 3 guard system, they are are not deficient in the post (unlike a team that rhymes with Arqette). Charles Rhodes, a 6-8 forward averages 16 and 7 while 6-9 center Jarvis Vernado averages 8 and 8 to go with his almost 5 blocks per game.
Although they have been playing well lately and their RPI is climbing, unless they win the SEC tournament their ceiling is going to be a 6 seed and more than likely a 7-8. With that seed and the talent they have they have the potential to give a 1 or 2 fits in the second round.

Monday Afternoon's CrapFest

Ugh, Maryland blows a 20 point second half lead to lose at home against Clemson which knocks them out of the bracket for this week. Replacing Maryland is um geez I don't know, some team that will probably lose on Tuesday or Wednesday. Might I say that this is the strangest bubble I can remember as multiple teams keep losing and losing. This is going to play out 1 of 2 ways. Either a bunch of 7th place teams in the BCS conferences are going to back into the field of 65 (Syracuse, Oregon, Maryland, Florida) or the mid-majors' with teams that don't need the automatic bid (Drake, Butler, Kent State, VCU) will lose and limit the bubble to only worthy teams. I'm hoping for the later. Oh and by the way that team that sneaks in today and will lose later this week is Virginia Tech. Go Hokies.

Geek Captain Exposed!!

That's what I thought....Page 1 of Google....what have you losers done to get this blog some exposure?!?!

I think it is pretty obvious that the phrase was coined specifically to induce blog hits at an alarming rate for anyone searching google on the phrase "geek captain." Seriously, page 1 is actually pretty cool...in a geeky kind of way. What made you think to search google for "Geek Captain"?

Geek captain is a takeoff of geek dice. Geek dice, as you will fondly recall, is basically bar dice played with 20 sided dice. Upon indulging in a couple of alcoholic beverages and watching Dominic James single handedly lose the Marquette game in the final minute, it was decided by Hacker, Brian and myself that we could make a variation on "Ship-Captain-Crew". Same concept, use the 20 sided "geek" dice, you need 20-19-18 (instead of 6-5-4) then the sum on the final 2. I think we ended up where you get 5 rolls, and if you roll a 1 its wild. Thus, the phrase "Geek Captain" was coined.

What the hell is Geek Captain?

Well, I guess I am a week behind in my prep work. Care to enlighten me?

Also, I would like to congratulate you on getting this blog on the first page of Google when you search for "geek captain."

Same Story, Different Day

Congratulations to Syracuse and Houston who in a matter of 7 days got in, got dropped, got back in, and then got dropped out again. This time they may not be saved and would need a deep run in their conference tournament to get a bid. Replacing these two, hopefully for good are Illinois State, who beat Southern Illinois to finish second in the Missouri Valley, and Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers get in just because nobody else wants to claim that last spot.
Congratulation to the Wrench Headed Bears of Cornell as they are the first team to clinch a bid in the tournament. I think they'll be seeded 13th and have the talent to at least keep it close against a 4 seed.

Geek Captain

Dammit, I knew I missed something when I got the blank stare on mentioning the website with the 20 sided dice. So, as I meant to say on the blog yesterday, I expect you all to bring your own personal 20 sided dice. You may want to consider this site, you only have 164 variations to choose from, but hopefully you can make it work:



http://www.trollandtoad.com/Supplies-%3Cbr%3E-&-%3Cbr%3E-Dice/1927-483p1n10.html

Side note, if you dont know what Geek Captain is, you are already one week behind on your prep work.

mmmm...blleeeeeehh!!

Prop Bets!!

What fun would it be without a little prop action?

First quote on quote board:

Hacker 2-1

Dachel 3-1

Ben 4-1

Dan 7-1

Field 5-1

Dachel first slurring words by xx:xx on Friday (Thursday is off the board due to suspicious line movement):

Noon 10-1

2 PM 7-1

4 PM 2-1

6 PM 3-2

8 PM 6-1

If it doesnt happen by then, ask if his panties are comfy....

Someone vomits: 45-1 (line moved drastically upon news of no beer from Brandon)

Ben's flight is delayed, causing him to miss the crucial Thursday tip: 25-1

Someone besides Dachel sets a pop-a-shot record (1:30 or less): 15-1

Over/Unders

Number of barrels completed: 4.5

Number of bottles of Pucker finished: 7.5

Number of quotes on quote board by Sunday: 24.5

Number of jokes Hacker tells involving pirates, ducks and bars, and armies: 98.5

Number of new jokes Hacker tells involving pirates, ducks and bars, and armies: 0.5

Number of commercials involving the UPS guy drawing on a whiteboard: 1,788.5

Number of minutes after Thursday tip off before Dachel, Dan, or Ben rips on Tyler Hansborough: 4.5

Number of minutes after Thursday tip off before Hacker says "Coach K! eeeeeehhhh!" 4.5

Friday's Ramblings

And yesterday's trend of bubble teams winning ends with a thud today. Arizona State, St. Joseph's and Arizona all lose at home to slide closer to the cutoff. At this point I think they are all still in but both Arizona State and St. Joseph's are in the last 4 in group. Arizona, who has a 7-8 conference record, is still safe due to their high RPI (20) and SOS (1). If I were them I'd make sure to get at least 2 of the next 3 to be safe.

Maryland wins a tough road game at Wake to solidify their resume while California's home loss removes them from consideration. Wake Forest's loss also moves them to the last considered and need to be perfect from here on out.

A final note about the Atlantic 10 which as of 2 weeks ago looked like a 5 bid league. Check out their conference records...Xavier leads the conference at 12-1 while St. Bonaventure brings up the rear at 1-12. The remaining 12 teams all are between 8-5 and 5-8. With almost zero separation between the in teams, the bubble teams, and the no chance teams it'll be interesting to see what the committee does. Oh, and if you did your math correctly you'll see that Atlantic 10 has 14 teams. Kind of makes the 11 team Big 10 look like pansies.

Title Sponsor?

Five hour energy, Pucker, Delta, Flaming Hot Cheetos....but when it really comes down to it, what are we there for? Barrels and barrels of goodness. Provided by a tactical switch to Busch Light last year. The testimonials don't lie...

Brian: "When we used to drink Miller Lite and I combined that with the fiery cheetos, it was like shitting lava for 4 days straight. Now, with Busch Light, its merely a 4 alarm fire in the morning!"

Bryan and Dan: "Beer is beer, right? Wrong!! Just remember that rank-ass barrel of Leinie's we got from Gary's 2 years ago. That shit was nasty. But we still drank the whole damn thing!!"

Another Sponser!

And the Sponsers keep rolling in. This time we welcome a couple "contributions" from Frito-Lay. This year Frito Lay is proud to offer the following snacks proven to clean out your system in a matter of 3 hours.

Hot Wings and Blue Cheese Doritos
Buffalo Wings and Ranch Doritos
Flaming Hot Cheetos
New* Enchilada Flavor Cheetos

I'm hoping Tums steps up next....

It's a Slow Thursday Morning

Not much change today as all 6 teams that played last night in the last 4 and last 4 out group won. Miami drops from the lock status for losing to Clemson and Cincinnati is no longer considered. 3 weeks from this moment we will be gathering up to start the tournament. Hope everybody is gearing up by practicing their Pop-A-Shot and geek dice games.

Todd and Bryan, I'll have to request that you show up sometime before the tournament to tinker with the Pop-A-Shot game to make sure every basket counts. I will also need a couple people to come over and make sure the tapper and Pucker tree are up to code.

Our Third (Unofficial) Sponsor

I would like to take a moment to give a big "Thank you" to Delta Airlines. While not always a big fan, they have solved a major problem and given me the opportunity to make my better half happy and still attend the anarchy calm, peaceful celebration at the same time.

Here's the issue. My wife's birthday is the 19th. March Madness is the 20th. How to get to Oak Creek without missing either event?

Red eye flights, presented by Delta.

Their quirky yet brilliant schedule will allow me to miss only one minute of her birthday while still allowing me to get to the "Room of TV Wonder" 60 minutes before tipoff.

Just enough time to enjoy a quick shower and a 5 Hour Energy.

Let the games begin. Sorry, Rachel. Just think, 12 months ago this event was "never going to happen again next year."

Wednesday's Thoughts

Hello New Mexico, Goodbye New Mexico. One day after being added to the tourney New Mexico loses at home to BYU and fall out. Ohio State also continues their free fall and are now on the outside looking in. Replacing them, for what I'm sure will only be temporary, is Syracuse and Houston. Remember them? They were added and dropped a couple days ago but with everybody around them losing they come back for more.
The other big news of the night was Tennessee losing to Vanderbilt. The only thing I know about Vanderbilt is that they had a player hit a shot from their knees last tournament. I might have to do research on this year's squad...

Since it was a slow night I thought I would highlight a couple teams in the bracket now that are most likely to fall out and teams that are currently out that will take their place.

Teams most likely to fall out of the bracket:
Houston/UAB - There's no way Conference USA will get 3 teams and if both win out they'll meet in the C-USA semi-final. That will basically be an elimination game for the loser.
Syracuse - their struggles have been well documented. 2 starters out for the season, only 7 deep, 3 freshman. This team is fading and it ain't going to get better.
Florida - see Syracuse. Their young and not as talented. Their record is based on a bunch of creampuffs at the beginning of the season and their RPI in the 60's show it.
Maryland - On shaky ground to begin with they close with 3 road games and a lone home game against Clemson. They'll need to split those 4 and win at least 1 in the ACC tournament to make it.
Arizona State - Their RPI is 73 right now which tells you all you need to know. Their last 4 are against UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Oregon State. 2 wins is a must

Team chopping at the bit to take their spots:
Southern Illinois - the preseason pick to win the Missouri Valley their aggressive non-conference schedule has killed their record, 17-12. However, they are currently tied with Illinois State for second. If they win out and lose in the MVC finals they'll be hard to keep out.
Illinois State - tied with Southern Illinois, their RPI has been floating between 40-45 all year. 13-5 in the regular season and 2 wins in the tournament should be enough. The MVC should end up with 2 bids when all is said and done
Western Kentucky - The second team from the Sun Belt they have closes loses at Tennessee and Gonzaga and their only conference loses are against South Alabama. If they win out and lose in the final again to South Alabama they could be the 65th team this year.
New Mexico - Currently 22-6 their game coming up against UNLV is an elimination game. If they lose that they'll need the auto-bid.
Rhode Island/Dayton - These two are lumped together because they are essentially the same team. Both started out hot and have faded down the stretch due to injuries and a tough conference. If one of them makes a A-10 conference run they can play themselves back in.

Our Second Sponser

It's good to have this unofficial sponser of the past two years on board again. Coming through in the clutch when geek dice and shot and ladders break out, Pucker really comes through. Whether you're looking for a pick me up Pucker Bomb or just lost a game of Pop-A-Shot Pucker does the job. This year we are featuring flavors, Island Blue, Sour Apple, Cheri-Berry, and Berry Fusion. Of course, if you're interested in bringing a bottle they do also offer Peach, Strawberry Passion, Grape, Raspberry, and Watermelon.

Past Tournament Memories

This clip is one of my favorite YouTube clips. It's very graining but it has the highlights from the first 3 rounds of the 2006 tournament. Remember that year and how great it was? Almost half of the first round games went down to the last minute. This clip is about 5 minutes but worth it to remember that year. Hopefully 2008 will be as good as 2006 and not like crappy 2007.

Today's Team Spotlight

Today's team spotlight is on the Ivy League's contribution to the NCAA Tournament, the Cornell Big Red. As you can see from their logo their team should be called the Cornell Wrench Headed Bears (thanks to Dan and Brad for that one) instead of the Big Red. In all seriousness, this team isn't one to sleep on come tourney time. Already 10-0 in the Ivy league they are 2 wins away from clinching a spot.

Cornell has a solid scoring distribution with 7 players averaging at least 7.5 points per game including 7 foot center Jeff Foote, a transfer from St. Bonaventure. Their other two leading scorers are forward, Ryan Wittman, 15.5, and guard, Louis Dale 12.7. Dale also averages almost 5 rebounds and assists per game. This equal scoring distribution across all positions will cause fits for teams that either lack a solid inside presence or capable guards.

Cornell's body of work suggests that they have a chance of being at least a 14 seed and possibly a 13 if other lower conference tournaments produce upsets. Don't forget 10 years ago when 13 ranked Princeton upset UCLA in the first round....

Separated at Birth

I can't take credit for this one.

Monday Evening Bracktology Update

Here's is this week's update. A couple changes as teams continue to play themselves out of the tournament. Who wants to see Ohio State and Florida fall out this week?

Out this week: Rhode Island, Syracuse, Dayton, Western Kentucky
In this week: Massachusetts, UAB, New Mexico, Miami-Fla

Automatic Bids:
American East – Maryland-BC
ACC – Duke
Atlantic Sun – Belmont
Atlantic 10 – Xavier
Big East – Georgetown
Big Sky – Portland State
Big South – Winthorp
Big 10 – Wisconsin
Big 12 – Texas
Big West – Cat St -Northridge
Colonial – VCU
Conference USA – Memphis
Horizon – Butler
Ivy League – Cornell
MAAC – Niagara
MAC – Kent State
MEAC – Morgan State
Missouri Valley – Drake
Mountain West – BYU
NorthEast – Robert Morris
Ohio Valley – Austin Peay
Pac 10 – UCLA
Patriot – American
SEC – Tennessee
Southern – Davidson
Summit – Oral Roberts
Southland – Lamar
Sun Belt – South Alabama
SWAC – Alabama State
WAC – Boise State
West Coast - Gonzaga

Locks (22)
North Carolina
Clemson
Connecticut
USC
Pittsburgh
Marquette
Indiana
Michigan State
Kansas
Kansas State
Washington State
St. Mary’s
Vanderbilt
Miami-Fla
Mississippi State
West Virginia
Arizona
Notre Dame
Purdue
Stanford
Texas A&M
Louisville

Great Bets (8)
UNLV
Arkansas
Arizona State
Massachusetts
Baylor
Oklahoma
Maryland
St. Joseph’s

Last 4 In (4)
Florida
UAB
Ohio State
New Mexico

First 4 Out (4)
Syracuse
Houston
Illinois State
Kentucky

Also Considered (24)
Western Kentucky
Villanova
Southern Illinois
Rhode Island
Oregon
Mississippi
Wake Forest
Dayton
Texas Tech
Virginia Tech
San Diego State
George Mason
Cincinnati
California

Seedings
#1 Sees – Tennessee, Memphis, North Carolina, Duke
#2 Seeds – UCLA, Texas, Stanford, Kansas
#3 Seeds – Georgetown, Xavier, Purdue, Wisconsin
#4 Seeds – Louisville, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Butler
#5 Seeds – Marquette, Indiana, Washington State, Drake
#6 Seeds – Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Clemson
#7 Seeds – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, USC, Texas A&M
#8 Seeds – Arizona, Pittsburgh, Miami-Fla, BYU
#9 Seeds – Arkansas, West Virginia, Mississippi State, Maryland
#10 Seeds – Oklahoma, Arizona State, UNLV, Baylor
#11 Seeds – Massachusetts, South Alabama, St. Joseph’s, Kent State
#12 Seeds – Florida, Ohio State, UAB, Davidson
#13 Seeds – VCU, New Mexico, Oral Roberts, Boise State
#14 Seeds – Winthorp, Cornell, Niagara, Robert Morris
#15 Seeds – Cal-St Northridge, Lamar, Austin Peay, Belmont#16 Seeds – American, Morgan State, Portland State, Maryland-BC, Alabama State

Pac-10? Perhaps the Crap-10

And some analysts think this is the best conference in the country. Oregon continues the trend of losing as soon as they are in the last 4 and thus are banished from the tournament. In addition, South Alabama beat Western Kentucky to claim the auto-bid. Western Kentucky's profile isn't good enough to get an at large so that means there are two open spots. The first goes to Umass which got a huge road win over Rhode Island. Combine that with their 31st ranked RPI just gets them in. The last spot is claimed back by Baylor who did nothing to deserve it but had the highest RPI of the last 4 out. Look for them to lose this weekend now that they are in.

Be sure to check out Winthorp-Davidson on ESPN2 tonight as these are two teams currently winning their conferences and definately can make some noise come March. Davidson probably needs this more since they would be on the bubble if they don't win their conference tournament. Should be a good game.

Another Gambling Proposition

Here's one I thought of. Let me know what you think. It's a 25 square grid, like we do for football pools that pay out each game. The horizontal row would be the higher seed and the vertical row would be lower seed. Each square would cost 7 dollars (I picked 7 dollars for a reason so bear with me) which would amount to 175 dollars total for the pool. Each day there are 16 games so we could either pay out each half 5 dollars or the final score would pay out 10 dollars. This would amount to 160 dollars and we could designant one game worth 25 dollars or put it in a pool for highest score on the pop and shot for 1 minute.

Pro's:
1. Everybody would probably buy at least 1 square and thus be interested in the final of every game (in case the tournament has no last minutes games like last year)
2. We could run it daily

Con's:
1. 7 dollars for a square when most likely everybody will have to buy 2 is stepper than we are planning.
2. It's a lot to keep track of after 37 beers

Either way, let me know your thoughts.

Houston, You Have A Problem

Hello Houston. Goodbye Houston. 1 day in the bracket and they lose. I reiterate my statement yesterday about teams not wanting to make the tournament this year.

Today's biggest mover and shaker is Duke. First of all they fall from a 1 seed to a 2 seed. Secondly, they allow Miami into the tournament replacing the above mentioned Houston Cougars. Thirdly by losing to Wake on Sunday they allow them to move on to the bubble. The ACC which a week ago looked like a 4 bid conference is suddenly at least a 5 bid with the prospects of a 6th.

Tonight's games to keep an eye on:

Rhode Island-Umass, ESPN2, 6pm. If Umass loses this game they will need to probably win out and make the A-10 finals for a bid. Rhode Island would probably fall to a last 4 in with a loss.

Western Kentucky-South Alabama. The battle of the top 2 in the Sun Belt. Both have 13 conference wins and top 50 RPI's. South Bama' has a better chance of an at large bid with an RPI in the 30's. Best case scenario for people who want to see two bids out of the Sun Belt (instead of the PAC-10 getting 8 teams) would be for South Alabama to win this game and then lose to Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt Title game. The scenario would put both teams around 27-6 with top 40 RPIs.

There are also a couple PAC-10 game that will effect the bottom of the bracket. A couple teams here need to win to stay in and a couple more to not fall from a lock to a bubble. I'm looking at you Lute and Bobbie Olson or Kevin O'Neil and Bobbie Olson or Kevin O'Neil and Lute's 22 year old girlfriend.

Oregon at USC
Arizona State at Washington State
Arizona at Washington

Meh.

And yes, I know they lost.

I guess I'd rather see it now instead of a month from now when I hopefully am firmly entrenched in Brian's basement.

God is mad, just so you know. You know how I know? We are having a massive thunderstorm right now. It doesn't storm in the desert in the winter....

The #1 reason I hate the NBA

How you can trade a player who doesn't even play is beyond me. Hell, they could have sent me to New Jersey for $4.3mil. And I'm too short, too fat and never really had any game. But I could have saved them some money. I would have paid for my own airline ticket, hotel AND meals for the next two months.

How the hell did this phone call go, anyway?

Keith: Hello?

Mark Cuban: Hey, Keith. It's Mark.

Keith: What could you possibly want?

Mark: We want you to come down and sign a contract with us.

Keith: No way, I retired. I just forgot to fill out the paperwork.

Mark: Wait, Keith. There's more. We don't want you to play. We are going to trade you to New Jersey. All you have to do is fly there and sit on the bench for two months. You don't even have to play!

Keith: No way, Mr. Cuban. And how did you get my number, I had it changed!

Mark: We'll give you $4.3 mil to do it.

Mark: Keith? Are you still there?

(Sound of phone hitting the floor, door slamming and car peeling out to get to the airport.....)

Wow. This could be the luckiest man in America that's not named Tony Parker.

Separated at birth

You cannot understand just how much I hate this little baby. I turned the NC State game on, unc is up by 20 with 1:30 left. Who do I see dive onto the floor to try to tie up the ball?

Tyler Hansbrough

42 seconds left, up by 16+. Who is pushing the ball down the court instead of running out the clock?

Tyler Hansbrough

And I don't want to hear about how he's just intense and a competitor. Nope, he's an A-hole.

27 seconds left. Now up by 14 they realize that NC State is probably not going to steal the ball and make a quick Rock N' Jock 14 pointer. With no pressure unc stands at center court, running out the clock. So, who has the ball? Who is standing at midcourt looking like a jackass? It's gotta be the point guard, right? After all, who normally runs out the clock? Nope

Tyler Hansbrough.

I know, it's only because I hate unc, right? Maybe. But consider this. I work with a guy who isn't the biggest college basketball fan but he knows he hates Duke. The day after the Duke-unc game he says to me:

"I wanted Duke to lose, but I couldn't root for unc." I asked him why. I don't remember his response exactly, but I know he called Hansbrough something depicted in the second picture above.

Our First Sponser

And by sponser I mean the first thing I bought for March Madness. It was a great deal on Ebay and I figure at the very least we'll all need one on Friday morning. I went with the 24 count box. For those of you who don't know what 5 hour energy is it's like a calorie free Red Bull that really does the job. Check out these testomonials about how great it works:

B. Hacker: "It works great, I was able to drink until 3am on Friday and then pick right back up at 11am on Saturday. Thank you 5 hour energy"

and

B. Dachel: "I was thinking about letting my youngest cry until I took a nap but with 5 hour energy I was able to get up and feed him to fulfill my portion of parental duties."

Separated at Birth

Joey Krabs and Mr. Krabs

I'm a Single Parent Until Sunday!

In a trend that continues, bubble teams seem to want to be out. Last night Baylor lost in overtime to Oklahoma to fall to 5-6 in conference after a 4-0 start. They are now out with Oregon slipping in. This year is shaping up to be a weird as each night it seems teams are playing themselves out of the tournament instead of giving me reason to put them in. The biggest downside to this trend is that because there aren't a ton of mid-majors waiting to get in the final 3-4 spots are going to big name conference teams like Florida, Baylor, Oregon, and Mississippi, that don't even have a winning conference record. A way to block these teams from getting is by having the mid-major conferences that have locks like the Horizon (Butler) and Missouri Valley (Drake) lose in there conference tournament so they get more than one team in. If Wright State and Illinois State win the auto bid, this would shrink the bubble and eliminate these 6th and 7th best teams out of the big conference. I don't know about you but I'd rather see a 12th seeded Wright State play Kansas State then a 12th seeded Oregon.

Beer Is Good...And Stuff!!

Note: I'm new to this blog thingy so I accidentally posted this as a coment on a previous post.

Some random thoughts from B-Rock Smoove:

The season is shaping up nicely. Memphis will probably be out of 95% of peoples brackets before the Sweet 16... and make the final 4. (I just threw up in my mouth a little.) In order to win a tournament game, Arizona will have to make the NIT, or the play-in game. Duke had a tough game Sunday. Fouled out the starting 5. I didn't know Bobby Huggins was coaching the team.

Some great games coming up Wednesday night. Marquette, Duke, the Commies. I'll be over Dachel. Ben, I'll be in AZ on from March 8th - 13th. Going to the wonderful town of Maryvale.

Out.

Tuesday's Winner and Losers

St. Joseph's:
St. Joe's loses at home to LaSalle to fall out of the bracket. They are still in second place in the Atlantic 10 but that conference is losing steam as the year progresses and at this point is probably only going to get 3 bids. With 3 weeks left St. Joe's can play themselves back into the bracket.

Syracuse:
Well, at least they're still in the bracket, if only by a spot or two. This team, I guarantee, plays itself out of the NCAA and into the NIT for the second straight year. Syracuse is another team that looks like the 2007 Duke squad...young, only 7 deep, and tired at the send of all their games. Currently 7-7 in the Big East and 17-10 overall I predict a 8-10 conference records and a early exit in the Big East tournament

Houston:
Thanks to St. Joe's loss, Houston slides into the bracket. I don't know a ton about this team but they are coached by ex-Texas coach, Tom Penders and like to get the ball up and down the court. A potential 12 seeded upset if they can hang in the bracket.

This Year's Theme Song

Thanks to Hacker for this one...

Monday Evening Bracktology Update

Things are starting to clear up in the bracket world this week. The also considered list got trimmed down to 18 teams and it will probably be under 15 by next week. The big movers this week are Western Kentucky, Arizona State, and Maryland which replace George Mason, Virginia Tech, and Mississippi. Mississippi is doing it's been 2006 Clemson impression by going 13-0 out of conference and 3-7 in conference. Without further ado, this week's bracket (of which Lunardi agree on all but 1)

Automatic Bids:
American East – Maryland-BC
ACC – Duke
Atlantic Sun – Belmont
Atlantic 10 – Xavier
Big East – Georgetown
Big Sky – Portland State
Big South – Winthorp
Big 10 – Purdue
Big 12 – Kansas
Big West – UC-Northridge
Colonial – VCU
Conference USA – Memphis
Horizon – Butler
Ivy League – Cornell
MAAC – Siena
MAC – Kent State
MEAC – Norfolk State
Missouri Valley – Drake
Mountain West – BYU
NorthEast – Robert Morris
Ohio Valley – Austin Peay
Pac 10 – UCLA
Patriot – American
SEC – Tennessee
Southern – Davidson
Summit – Oral Roberts
Southland – Lamar
Sun Belt – Western Kentucky
SWAC – Alabama State
WAC – Boise State
West Coast - Gonzaga

Locks (22)
North Carolina
Clemson
Connecticut
USC
Pittsburgh
Marquette
Indiana
Michigan State
Texas
Kansas State
Washington State
St. Mary’s
Vanderbilt
Arkansas
Rhode Island
Arizona
Maryland
Notre Dame
Wisconsin
Stanford
Texas A&M
Louisville

Great Bets (8)
UNLV
Mississippi State
Syracuse
Ohio State
Dayton
West Virginia
Oklahoma
St. Joseph’s

Last 4 In (4)
South Alabama
Florida
Baylor
Arizona State

First 4 Out (4)
Houston
Oregon
Mississippi
UMass

Also Considered (24)
Miami-Fla
George Mason
North Carolina State
California
Illinois State
New Mexico
Kentucky
UAB
Creighton
Seton Hall
San Diego State
Temple
Wake Forest
Ohio
Virginia Tech
Texas Tech
Minnesota
Villanova

Seedings
#1 Sees – Memphis, Tennessee, Duke, North Carolina,
#2 Seeds – Kansas, UCLA, Georgetown, Stanford
#3 Seeds – Texas, Xavier, Connecticut, Butler
#4 Seeds – Purdue, Drake, Washington State, Wisconsin
#5 Seeds – Louisville, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Marquette
#6 Seeds – St. Mary’s, Clemson, Michigan State, Indiana
#7 Seeds – Gonzaga, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, Arizona
#8 Seeds – Vanderbilt, Rhode Island, BYU, Maryland
#9 Seeds – Arkansas, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, USC
#10 Seeds – Syracuse, Dayton, West Virginia, UNLV
#11 Seeds – Ohio State, South Alabama, St. Joseph’s, Arizona State
#12 Seeds – Baylor, Kent State, Florida, Davidson
#13 Seeds – VCU, Western Kentucky, Oral Roberts, Boise State
#14 Seeds – Winthorp, Cornell, Siena, Robert Morris
#15 Seeds – Cal-St Northridge, Lamar, Austin Peay, Belmont
#16 Seeds – American, Norfolk State, Portland State, Maryland-BC, Alabama State

It's not Sour Grapes

But, those officials were horrible. First they give double technicals to dipshit and Zoubek when all Zoubek did was turn to the offical and say, "did you see that". Then the guy runs into Singler and goes to throw a punch and gets nothing. Oh, and how many of the Duke starters fouled out? I'll give you a guess, it;s more than 4. That's right, all 5 Duke starters fouled out and 1 of Wake's too. I'm not saying the officials favored Wake but when you foul out 6 players in a game you're using your whistle too much and ruining the flow of the game.

Well, I'm still pissed but I'll take solice in knowing that a #1 seed will go to the winner of the ACC tournament and my team is still leading the conference by 1 game and the tie breaker.