Tip of the hat to contest leader Monterey Chris, who tabbed 29 of 32 first round winners. Wins in the second round are worth double, so the leader will likely fluctuate throughout the next couple of days. I'm starting the day tied for 94th and ahead of people who just guessed, flipped a coin, or chose teams on the basis of whichever one had a stronger mascot.
Today's agenda, all times are PT, and the second games of the day in each city just have approximate start times.
10:10 am - #9 Xavier vs #1 Ohio State in the South Region in Lexington. In the old days, those of us on the West Coast never got to see the first game of the day on Saturday, but the East Coast people didn't see the last game of the day. But CBS has granted couch potatoes everywhere the chance to have a full day of basketball excess. Except for those of us who have to work today. Like me.
12:20 pm - #5 Butler vs #4 Maryland in the Midwest Region in Buffalo. Butler plays in Hinkle Fieldhouse. Maryland used to play in Cole Field House, but now plays in the Comcast Center which is a much less interesting name. Butler's bulldog mascot is named Blue. Maryland's terrapin mascot is named Testudo. So, I think this game is a tossup.
12:40 pm - #6 Louisville vs #3 Texas A&M in the South Region in Lexington. The Aggies are looking to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1980. The Cardinals are looking to do it for the first time since 2005. Fans of both schools find it a long drought.
2:40 pm - #6 Vanderbilt vs #3 Washington State in the East Region in Sacramento - The Commodores will likely launch up three-pointers by the gross. The Cougars will set lots and lots and lots and lots of screens. Wazzu has never played in the Sweet Sixteen. They were runnersup in 1941, but the tournament just had eight teams then.
2:45 pm - #7 Boston College vs #2 Georgetown in the East Region in Winston-Salem - Two Jesuit schools enter the Octagon. Only one may leave! The other has to stay and contemplate the nature of piety as exemplified by St. Ambrose. That should be 10 pages, not counting the bibiography.
2:50 pm - #11 Virginia Commonwealth vs #3 Pittsburgh in the West Region in Buffalo - The Panthers last made the Final Four the same year Washington State finished second (see above.)
5:10 pm - #7 Indiana vs #2 UCLA in the West Region in Sacramento - The Bruins first played in Sacto in 1948 against an AAU team called the Sacramento Senators. John Wooden never brought his team back to River City, nor did any other UCLA coach until the NCAA sent this year's squad to Cowtown.
5:15 pm - #9 Michigan State vs #1 North Carolina in the East Region in Winston-Salem - The Spartans are the only team that wears green and is playing on St. Patrick's Day.
10:00 a.m. Greg Oden or Brett Tomko, I like to think of it as the return of Vin Scully and two less hours of hearing Jim Nance. "A Tradition Like No Other."
In the old days also, this early game would almost always involve Duke or North Carolina. I would have to check to see the last time this game featured a Big Ten team.
Not that I want to.
I think Kentucky may have played in it a few times.
This is not about brackets. This is about upsets, Goliath going down, the joy of March Madness, and the dream that lurks in the hearts of underdogs everywhere.
While I have Ohio State as my overall winner, Xavier wuz robbed. CBS never mentioned it, but Oden's last foul should have been called an intentional. This would have given the Musketeers the free throws and the ball. Game over in that situation.
This game reminded me some of a past NCAA tourney game when Xavier upset a Georgetown team featuring Mourning and Mutumbo.
I will never understand why you don't foul in that situation, you have a three point lead and seconds to go, why not foul them in the backcourt, even if they make both, there will be just a few seconds left, they could never advance the ball far enough to score again.
I am positive its not something unsportsmanlike but coaches just don't want to do it.
53 I know. Foul the ball up by three. Coaches are terrified of doing it. It's the basketball equivalent of punting on fourth and one from the -40 yard line.
54 You just knew Bob was going to ride that joke into the ground...
That's not an opinion either. That's a fact. It's a funny fact, but it's a fact.
Actually, it's two facts.
The other statement was an opinion presented with the force of conviction as if the person giving it was somehow blessed by God to have perfect hindsight.
During the World Cup, Bob had a short-lived rule regarding the use of profanity in foreign languages. I wouldn't want the Griddle to turn into a Navy drinking hole, but perhaps, should something remarkably good or bad happen, this rule can be reestablished.
I say this as I see the replay of the Ohio State game. "Euphemisms" just doesn't seem to get the job done.
The committee might want to rethink the fairness of putting the Cardinals in Lexington.
I've heard the arguments why this is actually tough on Louisville, but I find them unpersuasive. Plus, the thousands of screaming Cardinals fans tend to make those arguments look pretty dumb.
Now I'm back in my office which is kept at a balmy 55 degrees. The only game I can watch online is BC-Georgetown. The games in Lexington and Sacto are both blacked out.
99 You don't have Florida in your elite 8? I have them winning the whole thing. Of course, I went a pathetic 23-9 in the first round. There's no way I'm winning my pool -Im in 9th place :(.
If somebody had simply picked the higher seed for every game of the tourney, they'd have gone 27-5 in the first round. How typical of a record is that. It seems unusually strong for the favorites.
How many times can I complain about Louisville playing in Lexington? I've only done it once so far, but I plan on doing it more, depending on the outcome of this game.
Is Jay Bilas from Rolling Hills or Rolling Hills Estates? In other words, if you were a kid growing up with Jay Bilas did you have to make an appointment to go visit his house?
116 Ha ha. I thought only the South Bay kids made those distinctions. Well played.
That's like asking if somebody grew up in PV, PV Estates, or RPV. I remember asking my Dad (who grew up in PV Estates) why we never moved up there. He said that commuting was a pain, and that he never wanted to go back to a place where people identified themselves so strongly within a small piece of land like the peninsula. My Dad hates Palos Verdes with the fire of a thousand suns.
119 I do like the 11th hole but other than that, I agree with you.
116 He went to Rolling Hills High School, which became Palos Verdes Pennisula High School, among whose most famous alumni is Pedros Papadakis.
From Jay's owns words:
"No east coast bias here, as I grew up in Southern California and hated the idea that west coast basketball was "soft".
While I grew up in the "mean streets" of Rolling Hills, Calif., and never had to fight for food or shelter, I fought harder than many deprived inner city players for rebounds, and was tougher than many such players, as well.
Basketball isn't a regional sport, nor is success in the game determined by socio-economics."
According Wikipedia.org
Peninsula High School, located at the corner of Hawthorne Boulevard and Silver Spur Road, Peninsula High serves the communities of Rolling Hills Estates, Rolling Hills, Rancho Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Estates.
133 It depends on the sport. Peninsula is very particular about how they poach kids from around the area. Shameless, but very particular. Some from San Pedro, some from Torrance, and some from other places.
And it's changed now that the Sea Kings are back and have become the baseball school between the two. Plus, West Torrance is still around, and they're no slouch on the diamond either.
Oh, and I believe a BC win over Georgetown would really hash things up. I think Georgetown and UCLA are the most popular #2 seeds to make it to the Final Four.
Does anyone know why WSU is listed as playing Chris Matthews. I haven't seen him play much this year. Normally, Rochestie starts at the point and Hopson is the backup.
Man, I've seen way too much Washington State basketball this year.
My closest friend's family is about as Irish Catholic as it gets (if I told you their first names, you guys would laugh...Irish City). I used to roll over to their house every St. Patrick's day for dinner.
Dinner was decent. The evenings, however, were the stuff of legend.
Also, if you roll into Boston on St. Patty's Day wearing a Navy uniform, you'll never have to buy a drink in your life. You may also die of alcohol poisoning.
I have a friend flying back in to LAX at 5, she will be very happy that this game is going into overtime, probably means the UCLA game won't start until 5:30 at the earliest.
166 It's only gotten worse, as trainwreck can attest. When I visited my sister, she told me all about the IV "Walk of Shame" executed by the youngins as they walk home from wherever they happened to fall asleep. I thought she was kidding.
Actually it is not as bad as it once was, because they put a police station in IV. It just seems to have gained more notoriety because of Playboy, Princeton Review, and other publishers rating it high in terms of party schools.
USC played three nonconference games away from the Galen Center.
One at Kansas and two in a tournament in Las Vegas. Which were against two other teams from Kansas. They were 1-2, beating Wichita State while losing KU and K State.
How is it that Bob is having so much trouble watching the games online when so far I have watched games via NCAA On Demand from Hong Kong, Narita (Japan), San Francisco, and now Provo?
I'm doing this with a laptop running Linux. From hotels and airports. Took me only 48 hours to get home, but I finally made it. Amazingly, not one person in an airport or hotel stopped to ask me any scores. All these heathen would rather watch soccer and cricket.
209 There is nothing so frustrating as being in a hotel room, flipping the channels, and finding 3 soccer games and 2 cricket matches on, including one shown on "ESPN", yet no NCAA tournament. The only equivalent I can think of is being manager of the Dodgers and being forced to play Juan Pierre.
207- If it's like last year, you just need to find a free proxy server in Belize (or wherever) to defeat their blackouts. Haven't tried it this year, though.
If I were Indiana's coach, I'd send one of my disposable players in to punch Collison in the snout for that little behind the back garbage. Basketball needs a beanball counterpart.
The proxy server thing does work. It might violate your acceptable use policy at work, so, I take no responsibility for what you do with it. But, I've got the UCLA game streaming via 195.175.37.8 port 8080.
In high school, the powerhouse Catholic school I attended employed a stalling half-court set that was a beauty to watch. Players would cut through the key, handing off the ball every time, time after time ... until they didn't, and someone went in for the score on a defender that was lulled to sleep. Very low scoring games, but highly effective. They won a lot of games that way. Pre-shot-clock era, of course. Man, I'm old.
Since you're team is still playing in the tournament, I don't know how angry you can get. But if it helps, feel free to mention Siena or Gonzaga and we'll be even.
I'll be leaving soon, but I would add that my 8th grade team at De La Salle Elementary School beat Guardian Angel of Pacoima, 57-56, in a game with 6 minute quarters.
I believe my line in that game was 1 minute played, 0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Asts, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 1 foul.
I feel my lack of playing time was the key to victory. It was a big upset win for us.
I believe Monterey Chris will still be the leader at the end of the day with Suffering Bruin and a bunch of others including my brother hot on his heels.
254 Actually, that game falls into the three year rule. If your team wins the National Championship/Super Bowl/World Series, you lose the right to complain for three years. The Princeton game doesn't raise my dander.
I was just shocked that the PK would bring it up. It seemed very un-PK like.
255
I was the statkeeper for the team most of the time. I only played when the game got out of hand or someone got hurt. In this case, our power foward (he was about 5'8") turned his ankle and I (about 6') went in for a free throw. One the miss, I went over the back of the other team. Despite having inside position on the free throw!
The other guy got better really fast. He ended up with something like 15 rebounds in the game.
Guardian Angel was considered unbeatable because they were ... um ... how do I phrase this without sounding racist?
I know Bob mentioned this on another thread, if you ever get a chance to buy one of the Fireside baseball books, buy it because it will become one of your favorite collections in your baseball library.
260
I played on some traveling baseball teams with kids from Rolling Hills. Mostly, I was amazed how oblivious they were about how wealthy their families were.
Not their fault, but it was pretty hilarious. I was the kid from Torrance, and they thought we were poor. We weren't poor.
261 If they were made up of the residents of Pacoima, I know what you are saying since I worked in Pacoima for 2 1/2 years. On the other hand, I could get a cheeseburger, fries and a drink for under $3.00 which wouldn't buy me a tuna fish sandwich in Century City.
265 How funny is that? I used to tell them my Dad grew up in PV Estates, and they'd act like our family was a fall from grace. "From PV to Torrance? What a disaster!" Dad just hated PV and didn't want to go back.
I mean, Southeastern Torrance is not exactly Compton. But the kids thought it was!
Can someone compare Afflalo's stats with those of Aaron Brooks and explain why the former was chosen for "Pac-10 Player of the year" over the latter...?
Not that I really care who wins POY, but after just comparing their stats, Brooks came out ahead virtually across the board. To be fair, though, he also played more minutes.
Monterey Chris is a Golden God, but my word, Suffering Bruin is right there.
I don't know how my pick ended up Notre Dame over Winthrop, but it's costing me. I am a sad panda over that pick (Wha happen? I know I picked the Magenta Cavaliers of Winthrop!).
Bob's brother is hanging tight. This is shaping up to be a make or break Sunday.
I just felt like giving a bracket challenge summary...For no good reason.
I have this to say ... although my picks for this group are terrible, I have four other brackets at Yahoo, and one of them has me in the 92nd percentile.
And yes, my picks for this group really are "terrible".
319 Where have you been? Today was missing 37.9% of Snark. Andrew made the occasional appearance, which boosted it...But where were you? Yeah, you chimed in, you were around, but it just seemed like you had other priorities.
Let me guess: Ooh, I have a wife, I have responsibilities, I was picking out China patterns and drapes and what not.
Nice.
Talk about lowered expectations.
Name...Sidebar...One full year. Amazing.
A tradition like none other.
At least I have audio of this at work. Which means I can actually do work, which is just as well.
Not that I want to.
I think Kentucky may have played in it a few times.
Xavier is not obliging.
Blech.
I almost never root for the top seeds to win.
I think that prize may not be as valuable for me as it is for others.
Not that I'm a big Cougars fan. My office is just really cold.
It tends to work better than passing the ball around the three point line for 30 seconds and jacking up a three.
21 Josh Shipp can't help anybody with that. dribble into corner, get trapped, turn ball over. Rinse. Repeat.
Also, this is really sweet for my bracket.
Thank you.
First to lead by four wins.
It's 1-0 in the NCAA tournament.
I believe three is a sufficient sample.
However, he chose Butler. Second placer jtshoe has Maryland.
The team that is ahead when the combined score hits 100, wins!
However, I believe Xavier was ahead in this at that juncture.
One miss....What a debacle.
This game reminded me some of a past NCAA tourney game when Xavier upset a Georgetown team featuring Mourning and Mutumbo.
I am positive its not something unsportsmanlike but coaches just don't want to do it.
(I'm going to ride that joke into the ground.)
54 You just knew Bob was going to ride that joke into the ground...
In an era without a shot clock or a three-point shot.
That really sucked.
But only if you were a UCLA fan. Everybody else in the country was overjoyed I would imagine.
Ever.
And will remain so.
Nope, not even close.
That's not an opinion either. That's a fact. It's a funny fact, but it's a fact.
Actually, it's two facts.
The other statement was an opinion presented with the force of conviction as if the person giving it was somehow blessed by God to have perfect hindsight.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
I know...that is why I am commenting while I still can.
Facts can be irritating too. For example:
"The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Juan Pierre to a 5-year, 44 million contract"
Gratia!
Of course if he makes the free throw, its a moot point.
59 I must have missed it, is it in the archives?
Hmm...
"Dominus vobiscum"
I say this as I see the replay of the Ohio State game. "Euphemisms" just doesn't seem to get the job done.
What a life of desperation.
I've heard the arguments why this is actually tough on Louisville, but I find them unpersuasive. Plus, the thousands of screaming Cardinals fans tend to make those arguments look pretty dumb.
That's nationwide.
Jay Bilas told me so.
So to sum up my feelings so far...
Ohio St are lucky @#$^&*
He should know better.
These are her starting pitchers:
Johan Santana
Brandon Webb
John Lackey
Matt Cain
Erik Bedard
Derek Lowe
Bartolo Colon
Matt Garza
Chad Billingsley
Homer Bailey
And they actually show real shows?
How luxurious.
O'Douls...?
And we go to the replay...
My Carls Jr does not even have a drive thru.
And they only play real basketball at BYU
Fear the bulldogs.
And you said it couldn't be done.
No.
The Butler did not do it
Louisville did not fight the Law and the Law won.
Please, please resist the urge. I beseech you.
Now I'm back in my office which is kept at a balmy 55 degrees. The only game I can watch online is BC-Georgetown. The games in Lexington and Sacto are both blacked out.
Sometimes it's personal.
I don't know if there is enough evidence to create what an expected winning percentage would be for a higher seed.
That's like asking if somebody grew up in PV, PV Estates, or RPV. I remember asking my Dad (who grew up in PV Estates) why we never moved up there. He said that commuting was a pain, and that he never wanted to go back to a place where people identified themselves so strongly within a small piece of land like the peninsula. My Dad hates Palos Verdes with the fire of a thousand suns.
I merely just hate the Los Verdes GC.
Yes, I've been counting.
lol I was about to ask how many times he has mentioned it.
Wazzu is threatening to make Buster Olney sad.
Yes.
A six seed, 45 minutes from home in the opening two rounds is just indefensible.
116 He went to Rolling Hills High School, which became Palos Verdes Pennisula High School, among whose most famous alumni is Pedros Papadakis.
From Jay's owns words:
"No east coast bias here, as I grew up in Southern California and hated the idea that west coast basketball was "soft".
While I grew up in the "mean streets" of Rolling Hills, Calif., and never had to fight for food or shelter, I fought harder than many deprived inner city players for rebounds, and was tougher than many such players, as well.
Basketball isn't a regional sport, nor is success in the game determined by socio-economics."
According Wikipedia.org
Peninsula High School, located at the corner of Hawthorne Boulevard and Silver Spur Road, Peninsula High serves the communities of Rolling Hills Estates, Rolling Hills, Rancho Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Estates.
He played QB.
They ran the option.
And it's changed now that the Sea Kings are back and have become the baseball school between the two. Plus, West Torrance is still around, and they're no slouch on the diamond either.
A couple of years ago, Texas got a 6 seed and played in Houston or Dallas or somewhere. That was easy pickings that year.
(It's not plagiarism when it's an homage.)
Man, I've seen way too much Washington State basketball this year.
Excuse me, I need to go set a screen.
Similar to Teriyaki Beef Bowl and Chinese Chicken Salad.
Thankfully, that practice has stopped.
I will be wearing a UT sweatshirt though.
Just to be contrary.
Dinner was decent. The evenings, however, were the stuff of legend.
I am looking at you Darren Collison.
They just got insulted constantly.
VandyRAINSDEATHFROMABOVE
I really like Bill Raftery, and the Raftery/Lundquist team. Billy Packer is a clueless hack.
I would expect IV kids to have any respect for anything...Except how many bong rips you can take.
She was not.
That place is biblical in its debauchery.
You and I have really had our brainwaves crossed the last couple days. I'm glad I saw you before commenting this time.
Cannot let that happen.
I feel that it's a brand new ballgame!
You weren't really incorrect.
You are a little too excited about my losses.
Sic Gloria Transit Mundi
One at Kansas and two in a tournament in Las Vegas. Which were against two other teams from Kansas. They were 1-2, beating Wichita State while losing KU and K State.
INVIOLABLE LAW!!
Bob is...And reaping the whirlwind (exaggeration).
1) I have a Mac
2) CBS has weird blackout rules
That makes me happy.
They have "In God We Trust" on the side though.
I will make them another choice of prize for the winner.
They really don't look like coins, but more like glorified Chuck-E-Cheese tokens.
http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~spotter/ncaa/ncaa.cgi
Talk to Isiah Thomas about that.
Not that the two are mutually exclusive.
I see how it is.
Yeah, pretty much.
Just not right now (grrrr)
Look at 233.
20:00 -- Game tips
19:00 -- Collison bricks a three.
15:00 -- UCLA 5, Opponent 4
12:30 -- Random forward has three fouls
10:00 -- UCLA 8, Opponent 7
5:00 -- Ben Howland whines about a blocking call
HT -- UCLA 23, Opponent 19, combined 26% shooting
20:00 - 10:00 -- UCLA goes on 35-0 run.
10:00- 0 - UCLA calls it a night, wins by 5.
It may be some combination. Don't answer the question.
The shot clock era is so overrated.
But they are back to playing 35 seconds on defense.
Halftime score, 3/14/96: UCLA 19, Princeton 18
This is The Griddle, and not DT. And Jon just brought up the Princeton game.
I need a ruling on how angry I can get.
I thought we was friendly, Philosopher King!
I believe my line in that game was 1 minute played, 0-0 FG, 0-0 FT, 0 Reb, 0 Asts, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, 1 foul.
I feel my lack of playing time was the key to victory. It was a big upset win for us.
Hey, it happens.
UCLA basketball fans have no business feeling put upon.
Ever.
I was just shocked that the PK would bring it up. It seemed very un-PK like.
I was the statkeeper for the team most of the time. I only played when the game got out of hand or someone got hurt. In this case, our power foward (he was about 5'8") turned his ankle and I (about 6') went in for a free throw. One the miss, I went over the back of the other team. Despite having inside position on the free throw!
The other guy got better really fast. He ended up with something like 15 rebounds in the game.
Guardian Angel was considered unbeatable because they were ... um ... how do I phrase this without sounding racist?
I played on some traveling baseball teams with kids from Rolling Hills. Mostly, I was amazed how oblivious they were about how wealthy their families were.
Not their fault, but it was pretty hilarious. I was the kid from Torrance, and they thought we were poor. We weren't poor.
That means that little Susie Rolling Hillser who is two weeks old has that much money as do Ma and Pa and Bro and Sis.
Tall.
I'll be watching, but in a social setting!
I mean, Southeastern Torrance is not exactly Compton. But the kids thought it was!
Are you kidding me?
I want to watch UCLA!!
We are just joking, Jon. Well, I think Brock is.
There are probably three times a decade I can give you a hard time. I went for it.
I don't think you should be worried about my devotion to the Philosopher King.
I don't want interesting. I want to see the Bruins play in their road uniforms next weekend.
CBS has it out for me. I blame Clark Kellog.
Oh my poor liver. Waaaa. Waaaa.
Yeah. Cut from UCLA game to show it. They also did this in the first half of UCLA's game against Weber State.
Other than the abuse of the English language, that's a pretty good point. I'd even call it an UNDERSTATEMENT
Wow...James Brown is Yoda.
Somebody get James out to the Degobah System.
Did I mention that MSU has conceded the game?
I just wanted to get to the Elite Eight.
First team to 50 wins
Hit your free throws. I am near your dorm with explosives and nothing to live for.
I await your response.
UCLA won the regular conference title. That is the only reason AA won.
Brooks was good. The team cost him POY.
Grr.
STOP PRE!
I don't know how my pick ended up Notre Dame over Winthrop, but it's costing me. I am a sad panda over that pick (Wha happen? I know I picked the Magenta Cavaliers of Winthrop!).
Bob's brother is hanging tight. This is shaping up to be a make or break Sunday.
I just felt like giving a bracket challenge summary...For no good reason.
Missing Brock, missing the sites... I'm number 2? I'd enjoy it if I were not so very, very inebriated. That UCLA game took much out of me.
I'll check in. Then again, it appears I'm luckier if I don't check in. Before I say goodnight, I want to echo what so many have already said...
I'm only in this for the sidebar trophy!
And yes, my picks for this group really are "terrible".
315 SB showing up makes me a happy panda. SB being productive instead of hanging out at the Toaster does not make me a happy panda.
Two Times Eight is Enough...?
Let me guess: Ooh, I have a wife, I have responsibilities, I was picking out China patterns and drapes and what not.
Disappointing
You probably had family commitments, like D4P. If UCLA would have lost, and the Ninja showed up, I probably would have been banned from The Griddle.
David Mamet would have been overwhelmed by my swears.
And I fully expected you to be in peak form when it happened.
http://tinyurl.com/393pc4
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