The tournament is finally just a few hours away – less than 12 as I write this. That means that we are less than 12 hours away from the two best days there are in sports. I can’t wait. As we get ready for the big day(s) here are a few thoughts I have on my mind:
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Tag: College Basketball
College basketball is brilliant, and it gets better and better every week as the season progresses. This is shaping up to be a great weekend. Here’s a look at five games I will be paying particular attention to:
The New Year certainly saw the face of college basketball change quickly and fairly drastically.
The AP top-10 in week seven looked like this:
If you have read this blog or any time at all then you know that I bleed Maize and Blue. If you have eyes, you also know that this has been a very, very ugly time to be a Michigan fan. After years of underwhelming futility and disappointment at the end of the Lloyd Carr era, the football team redefined just how bad a season can be in Ann Arbor this year. I am certain that things will get better, but that assertion is more than just a small test of my faith. Same basic story in basketball – Tommy Amaker led us to bland underachievement, then the world imploded last year in the first season under a new coach from West Virginia. We have had many glory days in both sports, but they seem just a distant, practically impossible memory now. Us Michigan fans deserve a break, so you can forgive my gloating now as I say this – Michigan may be the greatest basketball team in the history of the sport!!!
Wow, is this ever a terrible Monday night game. If someone paid me to come up with something nice to say about these teams or this game I would have to give the money back. With one exception – Steve Slaton has had a very good game, and that’s becoming a trend for him. The biggest problem is that we are getting exactly the same game that it looked like we would get. I just wish the league would do something about these terrible Monday night matchups – like cancel them.
I am not a happy guy right now. See, I like Louisville. A lot. That means my faith is being truly tested. The third ranked Cardinals were playing their third game, and it shouldn’t have been a contest. They were playing Western Kentucky – a team that hadn’t beaten a top three team in 41 years – and they were favored by 19.5. In the end it wasn’t a contest, but the wrong team ran away with it. It was tied at the half, but Western Kentucky came out strong early on in the second half and never looked back. Ultimately, they won by 14 in a game that went under the total by 17 points. The result is disturbing, but beyond that it raises some key issues when it comes to handicapping Louisville:
There is absolutely nothing wrong with watching college football on a Friday morning. In fact, I could get used to it. Neither the West Virginia – Pittsburgh nor the Nebraska – Colorado games were classics, but they were both entertaining and a good way to spend a day. I had Colorado to cover so I was pleased, but I am disappointed for them that they didn’t become bowl eligible. The Nebraska wins that I don’t have to worry about watching the Gator Bowl – the Huskers against an ACC team is not a recipe for a good game.
I am a fan of most sports, and particularly fond of several, but in my world the two college sports are king. College football is the perfection of fall, and winter is far more palatable thanks to college basketball. I like the NBA, too, but college ball is just so much better. I was just thinking about tonight’s games, and it got me thinking about why I like the sport so much. Here are ten reasons:
If you have a pulse then you have probably already fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket, and you probably will fill out several more before Thursday. I’m not pretending that I have all the answers, but I’m also not that moron in every pool who makes the painfully stupid picks, either. I don’t win every pool by any means, but I’m usually fairly competitive. I’m not suggesting for a second that I am a genius or a guru. I just follow a few rules to avoid making dumbs mistakes. Here are 10 tips for a winning March Madness bracket. It’s not my fault if you win, but you can send me a cut of the winnings if you do.
Continue reading “10 Tips for a Winning March Madness Bracket”
It’s been an exciting couple of days in the world of college hoops. There have been a million things worth paying attention to. Here are 20 to start:
1. The Georgia Dome is obviously cursed. I blame Bobby Petrino.
2. Either the Georgia or Kentucky players are going to sleep well tonight. I wonder when the last time they played twice in a day was.
3. Seeing those two teams play in an empty arena is creepy.
4. Purdue should be ashamed of themselves.
5. So should Indiana. That was a crazy last second shot by Minnesota, though.
6. Minnesota vs. Illinois?!? Didn’t see that one coming.
7. I’m embarrassed to be a Michigan fan right now. That game against Wisconsin was disgusting. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I could have shot as well as they did. And I can’t really shoot.
8. Memphis would have got more out of a scrimmage than they did by playing Tulsa.
9. UCLA vs. USC was a classic. Both teams are poised to do some damage. I am incredibly impressed by how O.J. Mayo has played down the stretch.
10. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute left the game in the first half with an injury. He’ll reportedly be fine, but he’ll miss the game today. That’s a bit scary.
11. The Jayhawks played as badly as a team can play in the first half against Nebraska. They woke up and crushed them in the second half, but the no-show makes me a bit uneasy.
12. Either West Virginia isn’t as good as they have looked recently or Georgetown is playing great.
13. Michael Beasley is truly incredible. I wish we could have seen what he could have done on a team with some depth. He’d make it more fun to be a Miami Heat ticket holder in a hurry.
14. The hatchets are falling already – Providence and Rice have axed their coaches.
15. Xavier lost. I like the team a lot, but I am far from thrilled with their play down the stretch.
16. I find it hard to believe that there are still teams out there that have never played in the tournament, but there are at least three first-timers this year. It’s always fun to see how excited those teams and their fans are for the first five minutes of the game before they are down by 15.
17. Only three more days until the play-in game. Can you feel the excitement? No concept is more ridiculous or in need of a merciful death than that stupid game.
18. Tennessee did not play like a number one against SC. It is impressive how Lofton puts that team on his back when they are in trouble, though.
19. Vanderbilt is a bad joke. I will be very hard pressed not to bet against them in the first round.
20. Spectacular game by Wayne Ellington against Florida State. The Tar Heels are in form.
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