I consider the Opening Round game between Niagara and Florida A&M to be Day Zero.
You've had enough to read about all the doings today, but I'll just lay out the schedule for today, all teams PT. Why PT? Because that's where I am and I'm off work today and that's when I'm watching. Sadly, I'll be back on the job Friday and Saturday too.
In chronological order:
9:20 am (deadline to enter the contest) - #13 Davidson vs #4 Maryland in the Midwest Region in Buffalo. Both schools are easy to find on a map as Maryland is in Maryland and Davidson is in Davidson.
9:25 am - #10 Texas Tech vs #7 Boston College in the East Region in Winston-Salem. I saw Bob Knight in the airport in Toronto once. I did not see Al Skinner in Toronto.
9:30 am - #11 Stanford vs #6 Lousville in the South Region in Lexington. The Cardinal(s) have a combined three national championships and ten Final Four appearances.
11:30 am - #14 Oral Roberts vs #3 Washington State in the East Region in Sacramento. A rare appearance by the Cougars on the national stage.
11:45 am - #15 Belmont vs #2 Georgetown in the East Region in Winston-Salem. Belmont beat Fordham. Fordham beat St. Louis. St. Louis beat Xavier. Xavier beat Villanova. Villanova beat Georgetown once in three tries. QED.
11:50 am - #14 Pennsylvania vs #3 Texas A&M in the South Region in Lexington - The Quakers are the last Ivy League school to make the Final Four back in 1979. They committed a record 150 fouls in six games. Peace-loving Quakers my ass!
11:50 am - #12 Old Dominion vs #5 Butler in the Midwest Region in Buffalo - Is Old Dominion the only school in the tournament that has the name as the official school nickname?
1:40 pm - #11 George Washington vs #6 Vanderbilt in the East Region in Sacramento - This game will be hard to see as most stations go off the air for local news at this time. You have to go over to Buster Olney's house to watch it. Fans in Nashville must look at their TVs at an oblique angle to get the full effect.
4:10 pm - #11 Virginia Commonwealth vs #6 Duke in the West Region in Buffalo - The weird thing is that there is also a Virginia State University and it's in Petersburg, not that far away from VCU in Richmond. Well not that weird when you consider that whole segregation thing.
4:10 pm - #16 Central Connecticut State vs #1 Ohio State in the South Region in Lexington - The folks in New Britain insist you call it "A Central Connecticut State University." Definite articles were outlawed by a town ordinance back in 1794.
4:15 pm - #9 Marquette vs #8 Michigan State in the East Region in Winston-Salem - The only matchup today of two schools that I have visited in person! I know how to live it up on vacations!
4:25 pm - #15 Weber State vs #2 UCLA in the West Region in Sacramento - Mitch Albom is speaking at Weber State on March 28. That should be incentive enough for the Wildcat players to advance to the Sweet 16 so they won't have to be on campus for that. Morris Peterson says he'll be there.
6:30 pm - #14 Wright State vs #3 Pittsburgh in the West Region in Buffalo - The Wright State website can't display campus events on its website because its server had problems adjusting to the early DST. Orville and Wilbur hang their heads in shame.
6:30 pm - #9 Xavier vs #8 Brigham Young in the South Region in Lexington - BYU is making its 22nd appearance in the NCAA tournament and has never made the Final Four. Xavier has made the NCAA tournament 18 times and never made the Final Four.
6:40 pm - #10 Gonzaga vs #7 Indiana in the West Region in Sacramento - By this time, James Brown and Len Elmore will just start making up names of players.
6:40 pm - #16 Eastern Kentucky vs #1 North Carolina in East Region in Winston-Salem - Eastern Kentucky University is in Richmond, Kentucky and tries to trick Virginians into thinking they are in their own state capital. That's always good for some hijinks.
Al Skinner used to live right up the street from me when he coached at URI. Letting Skinner leave was the worst mistake URI has ever made. (True to form, though, they immediately reloaded and shot themselves in the foot again by hiring Jim Harrick to replace Skinner.)
I think it's hilarious that CCSU is still playing while UConn isn't.
oh goodie, one of those special regional "all games are on CBS" things. Seems like such a waste; Viacom doesn't have any cable networks that would show the extra games.
Is anyone else going to be watching via March Madness On Demand online? Just curious. When I first logged in there were about 150K people in line, but it's moving pretty well now.
It's kind of weird to see Darryl Strawberry's son playing in an NCAA tourney game.
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Those 8 vs 9 games are the hardest to pick in the pools (not that I'll get any of the other picks right, but the 8/9 games I labor over longer.) BYU vs Xavier is particularly hard to forecast. Good thing I'm doing two pool sheets!
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Gosh, Virginia sure is well represented in the tourney.
Louisville has not been that good this year until later in the season and they are counting on a lot of inconsistent young players. I thought Stanford would utilize the Lopez twins well.
I know that some commentators thought it was unfair for Louisville to be playing so close to home since they are a 6 seed which will give them a homecourt advantage when they play (already giving them the game) on Saturday against probable No. 3 seed Texas A&M.
My wife taught this kid when he was in 4th grade.
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=57703
At 9 years old he was just about 6 feet tall. My wife is 5" tall, it was an interesting year for her.
Michelle Wie, who I believe is something like 6'1 or 6'2", would always say in interviews that she didn't want to go out on dates in high school with guys shorter than her.
She probably shouldn't have grown up in Hawai'i then.
57
A good friend of mine's daughter is that big at the same age but they expect her to grow even more. I've heard that at basketball camps she is rated the number one girl basketball player for her age group in California but that could just be Parental bragging. I've seen her play and she could probably be a star in basketball, volleyball, or ditch sports and become a model or do all 3.
I was 4'8" when I started junior high. Reaching 5'10" might have been the most remarkable achievement of my life. A lot of time on the rack, let me tell ya.
When I was in 6th grade I think I grew from something like 4'5" to 4'11", finally breaking 5' in 7th grade. Now I'm about 5'6" ish, and I'm not gonna grow anymore.
Yeah, I can't believe I didn't pick Belmont. But I'll take the Belmont win over the bracket win. The ingenuity of company computer users truly shines during March Madness.
Well for 35 minutes, my Davidson pick looked good. They must have 1 out of their last 15 3 point shots. Oh well. It's all about keeping your sweet sixteen teams alive, especially your final 4.
I used to feel Prius superior when I was home watching the games while everyone else was working. Now I'm strapped to a chair forced to watch boxscore updates. AHHHHHHH
9 I don't know what state has the most NCAA teams, but TN--relatively small and not exactly known as a hoops hotbed, tho that may be changing--has 4. Belmont, Memphis, Vandy, UT.
The women one-upped the men....Belmont, Vandy, UT, Middle TN, and Chattanooga.
Some men's national champs have done very well recruiting TN. In recent memory, Kentucky won a title with much help from Ron Mercer and Tony Delk. The current Florida team has Tennesseans Brewer and Humphrey.
No doubt Bruce Pearl is refining his sales pitch to keep more TN prep talent at home.
Thus ends the dispatch from the intrepid--or is that tepid--Griddle TN basketball analyst.
{bows to applause; doesn't quite grasp that the applause is because his dispatch is over}
That Butler-ODU games was on most of the TV where I was watching, man that is among the most ugly games of basketball I have ever seen, and I used to watch a lot of Wisconsin games when they were coached by Dick Bennett.
I guess Sam will be on of the few people who will get to watch the GW-Vandy game. I imagine that CBS will show that in the DC and Nashville markets only.
I can't imagine how much bandwith I'm wasting right now. I'm guessing a lot. God bless planning two weeks of lessons around Thursday and Friday afternoon. Woohoo!
All those poor GW guys, they were really hoping for a sweet sixteen matchup with Georgetown this year. Poor guys. Last year, in an attempt to draw attention to theri goal of a game against Georgetwon a group of GW students invaded a Georgetown game with painted faces and in their school colors. The sad thing is one girl obviously painted her face in the mirror because she had a big "WG" on her face.
I'm skeptical of a family who has three sons who attend four different high schools that are in entirely different portions of the San Fernando Valley.
And Oaks Christian is really in a different valley, but I'm going by Daily News coverage area.
If a guy who was a backup QB his whole career in college can get drafted by one of the NFL's best teams (Matt Cassel by the Patriots), then I think the scouts will indeed find you.
I liked it better when Westlake sucked at football. Now they are one of those schools that recruits kids like Clausen. Wait, that's not true. I always hated my high school.
If you see New Mexico State play, you can watch Martin Iti play. He grew up in Australia, moved to the US, went to SIX high schools, and is now at his second college.
He's a 24-year old junior.
Yeah, like if you guys had any talent you wouldn't be maximizing your chance to succeed, you'd just stay with your local HS who might be coached by some History major who played some HS ball twenty years ago.
185 I have a couple friends who played MLB, college ball, or made it to the minors. None of them switched schools. Deon Thompson got to North Carolina playing basketball at one of the most non-competitive athletic schools in LA County.
I'm not saying you shouldn't find a good program and go there. It's the three kids at three different schools, or the transferring three times for one kid. It's just really shady. But if you're good, I have no problem with picking a good program and going there.
187 If you pick your championship at The Griddle right now, I wouldn't have any problem with adding it in and computing it by hand. It's not like anything has happened to far.
I don't make the rules (obviously), but I would be okay with it.
It's the reverse book year. St. Louis Cardinals squad is the weakest team it has been in years, and the same with the Colts. Both teams win the Championship. Duke will probably make a run this year.
196 Don't sweat it. I'm just the bigger man, that's all.
If you're catching the MSU/Marquette game on the computer, then you just saw a disgusting dislocation. A human being's elbow is not supposed to look like that.
225 Suprisingly, since I've watched zero minutes of college hoops this season, I'm one of the eight, BUT I have Marquette plus two upset predictions (Gonzaga, Xavier - Jesuit thing?) left to go.
If Shimmin entered his pick highest seeds bracket, he'd be 8 for 8 also, right?
They eventually stopped showing the Vandy game to show the Price is Right. You would think they would stick with the UCLA game since it is in Sacramento and it features a CA school. Plus, they stayed with all the other Sacramento games.
Budinger is a an albino monster. The kid can hit jump shots and leap out of the building. And he's translucent, which you just don't find in a lot of players these days.
Yes he is a good shooter and can jump high, but he has bad lateral movement and is an absolute horrid defender. Singler is a better shooter, has better one on one moves, is a better defender, a better rebounder, and has way more intensity and drive. A lot of scouts think Budinger is very soft mentally.
I haven't read any of the comments, but I'd like to report myself to finally get in front my tv and find Figure Skating on ESPN and Men's Tennis on ESPN2.
299- I had both VCU and MSU winning, but I was wrong about Old Dominion and Texas Tech. Go Zags! Not only do I have them advancing in my bracket, but I also want UCLA to beat them again this year.
Dick Vitale talked to the VCU coach the other day and could tell how pumped up his kids were for this game. Dick thinks it's a real testament to the job that said coach has done in that random city. Dick thinks that coach has been long overdue for some credit.
There were time constraints keeping me from staying a long time at Notre Dame or getting there early. My brother had to go to his son's soccer game in the morning, so we got there about 2 hours before kickoff. My connection got me a really good parking permit so we were close to the stadium, so we didn't have much to walk. And we wanted to go home right away because:
1) the game had a less-than-optimal ending.
2) my brother and I wanted to get back to watch the first game of the World Series.
Virginia is beyond beautiful. I imagine it's just as beautiful as when Jefferson designed it. It's changed (of course), but it has a really special feeling.
It's expanded a ton, but I absolutely love the UVA campus. I almost decided to go there over UCLA.
338 You forget I was a military man from 1996-2000. I would have been very comfortable in a suit and tie on campus, and dressed to the nines for football games.
Well, I wouldn't have been comfortable, but I'd have done it...And It would have been a blast. UVA is a special place.
I thought it was tremendously skillful to draw five handchecking fouls in thirty seconds while winning by nine points. Meanwhile, what's the rebounding spread now, 58-4?
BYU better win. I mean, it would be a real shame if a school from the best, toughest, and most honest conference that the Good Lord ever created lost in the opening round. I mean, if BYU lost, I wouldn't be able to face the day.
You know, being the fierce road warriors and all. GO COUGARS!
Once I saw that USC was a 5, I had to make them my 12-seed's upset victim, no matter who that 12 was. I'd rather it be a mid-major than a mediocre SEC team, but go Razorbacks - avenge that football loss last season!
Man, I really wish UCLA would have played a challenging road schedule. It would have made us much more prepared to lose to Xavier (Wow!) in the first round.
Geez, that Midwestern Whoopiecushion Conference is tough.
This stings. This really hurt. Brock couldn't touch me, but this was like pouring molten steel on my eyeballs and trying to get it out with razor wire.
Steve, I'm not giving you a hard time because I realize how much the loss hurts.
Just realize how totally irrelevant your basketball program is, and how much your garbage talk means nothing, and how much you've embarrassed your entire conference, and I'll be happy.
Begrudgingly, I will admit that you have an ace in the hole that can never be removed; as a UCLA undergrad, that 1981 tournament was like molten steel, etc.
11:30 PDT Washington State v. Oral Roberts @ Sacramento
11:50 PDT Butler v. Old Dominion University @ Buffalo, NY
Not sure if it was an oversight or on purpose but for those wondering, here they are.
I think it's hilarious that CCSU is still playing while UConn isn't.
vr, Xei
"running" or "pimping"...?
I had those games in there the first time, I wrote this. They must have gotten deleted when I changed the formatting.
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Those 8 vs 9 games are the hardest to pick in the pools (not that I'll get any of the other picks right, but the 8/9 games I labor over longer.) BYU vs Xavier is particularly hard to forecast. Good thing I'm doing two pool sheets!
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Gosh, Virginia sure is well represented in the tourney.
Well, it's the Cardinal vs. Cardinals battle. I know where Jon Weisman is at this moment.
It is looking like I was wrong.
How can you have dislike for a bird? Man the DT crowd is tough.
After my 20th iteration I caved in and picked Louisville. I'm sure the other games I changed will even the score.
http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=57703
At 9 years old he was just about 6 feet tall. My wife is 5" tall, it was an interesting year for her.
That's not easy on a girl. Two of my nieces have potential to be that tall so fast.
She probably shouldn't have grown up in Hawai'i then.
A good friend of mine's daughter is that big at the same age but they expect her to grow even more. I've heard that at basketball camps she is rated the number one girl basketball player for her age group in California but that could just be Parental bragging. I've seen her play and she could probably be a star in basketball, volleyball, or ditch sports and become a model or do all 3.
Another example of us short guys getting shortchanged.
Give Gary Matthews, Jr. a call. He'll fix you up.
Or pitching.
gosh, why did I pick Bobby Knight in the first round?
You didn't have a chance. Stanford students have to sign a pact that they won't marry anyone who has attended a UC campus.
1) Pick against low seeded PAC-10 teams.
2) Pick against Bobby Knight.
These rules are inviolate.
NM, they messed up and had to change it. Now he just looks like a possible UCLA lean.
Well that was short lived excitement.
They are guessing that is why. He also seems to like Arizona for some reason.
Are you in the group? You can't see the picks unless you're a member.
94308
griddle
Can you imagine if Belmont beats Georgetown in the first round? I think my dad and I will each have to throw away one of our tourney pool sheets.
As I recall, that didn't last.
What'd I miss?!
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Stupid Oral Roberts. I just couldn't bring myself to pick them. Something about schools named after televangelists...
And while ORU leads at halfitme, they scored only 28 points.
Bob might be in Burns at that time, which isn't too far from Bend...
Unless it's for a week. Then it might in the fall.
1) visiting the Oregon Caves
2) visiting the Oregon Dunes
3) visiting a lumber mill
4) visiting a cheese factory
5) visiting the Harry and David plant
And yeah, that's quite an offensive display in that ODU/Butler game. Offensive in one sense.
The women one-upped the men....Belmont, Vandy, UT, Middle TN, and Chattanooga.
Some men's national champs have done very well recruiting TN. In recent memory, Kentucky won a title with much help from Ron Mercer and Tony Delk. The current Florida team has Tennesseans Brewer and Humphrey.
No doubt Bruce Pearl is refining his sales pitch to keep more TN prep talent at home.
Thus ends the dispatch from the intrepid--or is that tepid--Griddle TN basketball analyst.
{bows to applause; doesn't quite grasp that the applause is because his dispatch is over}
I can't imagine how much bandwith I'm wasting right now. I'm guessing a lot. God bless planning two weeks of lessons around Thursday and Friday afternoon. Woohoo!
The hidden game tomorrow should be the Miami-Oregon game in Spokane.
At least the hidden game is a PAC-10 game.
And Wazzu!
The headline is Jimmy Swagger: Most people think Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen is one cocky freshman. Of course, he didn't pick their school.
Go ahead, Steve.
I disliked him when he was a ninth grader.
Likes: Peaches, Frank Robinson, Notre Dame,
Dislikes: Freaks and Geeks, Local Hero, Focaccia bread
And Oaks Christian is really in a different valley, but I'm going by Daily News coverage area.
If you're not from Southern California, consult a map and see how far apart all those places are.
If you're good enough, scouts find you.
I concur.
If a guy who was a backup QB his whole career in college can get drafted by one of the NFL's best teams (Matt Cassel by the Patriots), then I think the scouts will indeed find you.
And they've reaped the wind since.
A lot of elite High School Basketball is almost criminal.
He's a 24-year old junior.
And he's not on BYU.
I'm not saying you shouldn't find a good program and go there. It's the three kids at three different schools, or the transferring three times for one kid. It's just really shady. But if you're good, I have no problem with picking a good program and going there.
I'm guessing that you won't win the contest.
Unless you have a 33 point lead over the next best entry coming into the final.
Get cracking!
I don't make the rules (obviously), but I would be okay with it.
This will only come into play if Steve has a chance to win.
It looks like BYU will have to face Ohio St. after all.
A benevolent Bob.
196 Don't sweat it. I'm just the bigger man, that's all.
I kid, Ninja.
Has anyone else noticed that the CBS technology is "provided by MLB.com?"
Are they the only team that came to play wearing camouflage?
It really is.
0-6 FG
0-2 FT
...and now Marquette has as well. 14-3.
UNLV vs. Georgia Tech
Tennessee vs. Long Beach State
Arizona vs. Purdue
USC vs. Arkansas
Hey, where I have heard that before?
Once the last person gets one wrong, the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers open up a bottle of champagne.
Who?
If Shimmin entered his pick highest seeds bracket, he'd be 8 for 8 also, right?
Yeah, it is chalk so far.
Interesting that someone named "trainwreck" is so interested in injuries ...
You don't get to see Lorenzo Mata switching jerseys. He is now wearing 21!
What does HSBC stand for?
I cheated and looked.
They only spend their money on Bills tickets and merchandise.
Michigan State was not one of them.
And tomorrow should be brutal.
2-4 (See Pac-10 was overrated.)
3-3 (See above)
4-2 (Medium strength conference)
5-1 (Stanford did not belong)
My hunch is 4-2 but 3-3 would not surprise me, 2-4 would surprise me. 5-1 is out of the question.
And just 4 2-pointers.
266 At some point, shouldn't the coach have just had them jack 'em all up from outside?
I really want UCLA to defeat the Dookies on national television. I would help recruiting a ton.
Man does not live by 3-pointers alone.
270
Duke delenda est.
Totally agree.
Never, ever cheer for Duke. I'd like nothing more than to see Duke get eliminated early.
Now the refs are getting involved. Duke is starting to get the calls.
He is still in South Medford, Oregon.
Not.
Egad.
Indiana could give the Bruins a lot of problems in the low blocks. Afflalo and Collison would have to dominate the guard play.
Plus, name the last great red-headed basketball player. Bill Walton?
Singler is blonde by the way.
http://tinyurl.com/2daxgf
Kate Walsh=Bill Walton
And yes, but is this it -- 16 games on today and I get UNC and that's all? Seems wrong.
So she used to dye her hair for Drew Carrey show?
God has many plans for us.
I think UNC may get past the Colonels.
Jesuits and Mormons tied at 32, late in the 1st.
I really should look up the name of VCU's coach.
Baby
The others being: Michigan State, Marquette, Stanford, Georgetown, Penn, Pittsburgh, and, of course, UCLA.
I've only been to five of the schools playing tomorrow: USC, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, and Cal State Long Beach.
Nicest campus of the 14, I visited (but I'll exclude UCLA) was Virginia, followed by Pittsburgh.
Stanford and Notre Dame didn't get full looks since I was just there for football games. It was also 100 degrees when I was at Stanford.
Georgetown has a nice campus too.
The VCU campus is not worth writing home about.
http://tinyurl.com/2t7es8
1) the game had a less-than-optimal ending.
2) my brother and I wanted to get back to watch the first game of the World Series.
It's expanded a ton, but I absolutely love the UVA campus. I almost decided to go there over UCLA.
Almost.
Yahoo sports lists him this way:
Dmitri Young DH Washington Nationals
He's not going to have much of a future as an NL DH!
Well, that ship has sailed.
335
I can picture Greg Brock living in the "Academical Village." The governing body for UVA is the "Board of Visitors."
Charlottesville has a lot more to offer for a history buff than College Park.
Well, I wouldn't have been comfortable, but I'd have done it...And It would have been a blast. UVA is a special place.
I felt so shameful.
lol that is pretty funny.
UVA didn't have any security up at its football stadium (Scott Stadium) and I was able to walk all the way down to the 50-yard line.
I'm e-mailing the prefects as we speak.
I'm tied for last!
Coincidence?
I think not.
You do the math.
You know, being the fierce road warriors and all. GO COUGARS!
Apparently someone else has.
I don't think Ontario gets NCAA coverage...
The last 15-20 years I think.
Nice choke, Cougars.
{giggle}
At least BYU has retaken the lead from Missouri of most NCAA tournament appearances without making the Final Four.
Me neither.
http://games.espn.go.com/tcwomen/frontpage
With those beautiful mountains as a backdrop, BYU ought to have a much prettier campus than they do.
And it never pains me to see a guy named "Ainge" on a losing team.
FOLKS!
Thank you,
The Management
Geez, that Midwestern Whoopiecushion Conference is tough.
{Giggle}
But 1-0 in NIT play!
Class of '87!
When I address you, would you prefer I call you FRE (First Round Exit) or MD (Massive Disappointment).
I could also call you the Road Warriors.
That ain't gonna get it done.
This stings. This really hurt. Brock couldn't touch me, but this was like pouring molten steel on my eyeballs and trying to get it out with razor wire.
I want to give Steve a hard time, but I can't.
{giggle}
Just realize how totally irrelevant your basketball program is, and how much your garbage talk means nothing, and how much you've embarrassed your entire conference, and I'll be happy.
BOOYA
I'm sorry BYU lost. I was really rooting for them.
Begrudgingly, I will admit that you have an ace in the hole that can never be removed; as a UCLA undergrad, that 1981 tournament was like molten steel, etc.
Good news: I went 13-3 today.
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