Then There Were Two

The Final 4 was cut in half on Saturday night, and I'll be the first to admit, I could not have been more wrong about Kansas. I gave the Jayhawks very little respect heading into the tournament, and gave them even less going into Saturday's game against the Tar Heels. Much to my surprise, Kansas proved to be quicker, bigger, stronger, and much better defensively.

With approximately 7 minutes left in the first half, Billy Packer declared the game "over". This rubbed me the wrong way, much like a lot of what comes out of Packer's mouth. However, his assessment held true, even with a Carolina rally narrowing the lead down to 4 midway through the 2nd half.

Hansbrough was held in check, Ty Lawson didn't show up, and UNC shot only 36% from the field.

In the early game, Memphis' guards (Rose and CDR combined for 53 points) outplayed UCLA's duo of Collison and Westbrook. Darren Collison was especially shaky, fouling out with only 2 points, and 5 turnovers (compared to only 4 assists).

What can be taken away from Saturday night's showdowns?

• Memphis is even more athletic than I previously thought. This was evident in the way they blew by the defensive minded Bruins for a number of easy layups.
• Memphis looked sharp at the foul line, hitting 20 for 23 against UCLA.
• Kansas' mauling of the Heels makes Davidson's performance even more impressive.
• While I'm not a huge fan of either Memphis or Kansas, Monday's championship should be fast paced and intense.
• Note to North Carolina: When you reach the Final 4, you need to come ready to play from the opening tip. It's a shame that they wasted this opportunity by coming out so lethargic.
  

Where Are You Now . . . Darius Washington?

Watching the Memphis Tigers destroy Michigan State on Saturday night got me thinking, what in the world happened to Darius Washington? You remember him; the guy who missed two key free throws in the 2005 Conference USA championship game. Well if you pondered this mystery, here is your answer:

Went undrafted in 2006

Signed by PAOK Thessaloniki of Greece on Nov. 2006

Played 18 games in 2007 for the Spurs where he averaged 8.2 minutes per game, 2.9 PPG on 44% shooting, and 1.1 RPG.

Signed by CEZ Basketball Nymburk of Czech Republic in March 2007. Washington was named the MVP of the 2007 Czech All Star game, and his team went on to win the Czech National Championship and the National Cup.

Signed by Aris Thessaloniki of Greece in Jan. 08 and is currently playing in the Euroleague.

Now, the question is: Can Memphis (one of the worst FT shooting teams in the nation) win a national championship, or will a new Darius Washington step up to the line and miss them when they count the most?

Ladies and Gentlemen . . . My New Hero!

Night 1 of the Sweet 16 provided the mild surprise of Louisville dominating Tennessee. But . . . Stephen Curry and Davidson has one upped Pitino's squad. Davidson cruised to a 73-56 win over Wisconsin in the first batch of games Friday night. I now find myself strongly routing for Villanova. Could there be anything better than a 10 vs 12 in the Elite 8? OK, I admit it, I'm a sucker for a Cinderella, but if you're not in love with Stephen Curry (I'm man enough to admit it), I'm questioning your basketball fanhood.

Updated Bracket
NY Times on Davidson Upset

Oh So Sweet 16 Preview

We're down to 16 teams, and North Carolina is still my top choice to win it all.

With 25% of the teams remaining from non-power conferences (Memphis, Davidson, Xavier, Western Kentucky), could we see a surprise national champion this year? Cross Memphis off the list of underdogs (being a #1 seed), and eliminate W. Kentucky (there's just no way), and that leaves us with Davidson and Xavier as dark horse selections. Take into account a possible Elite 8 matchup between 10th seeded Davidson and 12th seeded Villanova, and things could get interesting in San Antonio.

Predictions
(1) UNC over (4) Washington State
(3) Louisville over (2) Tennessee
(1) Kansas over (12) Villanova
(10) Davidson over (3) Wisonsin
(1) Memphis over (5) Michigan State
(3) Stanford over (2) Texas
(1) UCLA over (12) W. Kentucky
(7) West Virginia over (3) Xavier

NCAA Round 2 Recap

The Sweet Sixteen is set, and we have 3 Cinderellas remaining. Could we see #12 Villanova against #10 Davidson in the Elite 8? A guy can dream can't he . . .

I didn't have the guts to pick Davidson, but I did have a hunch. Well, sure enough they pulled out, upsetting Georgetown 74-70. Curry went for 25 in the 2nd half (30 in total), and proved once again why he's the most exciting player in the nation.

I correctly picked Western Kentucky to make the Sweet 16. Sure the rest of my picks suck, but I still feel good about that.

Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy watching Stanford. The Lopez twins are two skilled big men, which is a rarity in today's basketball world. I'm now officially pulling for the Cardinal to reach the Final 4.

Oh, and one final note . . . I can't decide what's a more effective method of torture; waterboarding or watching Wisconsin grind out another ugly win.

NCAA Day 2 Thoughts

Finally . . . some HUGE upsets. San Diego over UConn (didn't see it coming), Western Kentucky over Drake (picked it correctly), and Siena over Tennessee (also picked it correctly) all sparked the beginning of the Cinderella talk.

Villanova busted my bracket by beating Clemson. I had the tigers moving on to the Sweet 16.

Davidson also fits that Cinderella mold. Stephen Curry is absolutely amazing. He had 40 points (30 in the 2nd half), with the defense keying on him the entire game. I'm expecting Davidson/Georgetown to be a great game , and wouldn't be surprised if Davidson pulls it out.

What a treat for the fans in Tampa. All 4 underdogs advanced from the same site for the first time in tournament history.

Congrats to my my Razorbacks, who move on to play #1 seeded North Carolina in the 2nd round on Sunday. North Carolina is the superior team, but that's the great thing about March . . . anything can happen.

Through round 1 I've correctly picked 25 out of 32 games. My Sweet Sixteen is still intact (except for Clemson).

What to watch in Round 2: 13. Siena/12. Villanova (Sun. 12:10), 7.Butler/2.Tennessee (Sun. 2:30), 13.San Diego/12.Western Kentucky (Sun. 2:40), 10.Davidson/2.Georgetown (Sun. 2:50), 9.Arkansas/1.North Carolina (Sun. 5:20)

NCAA Day 1 Thoughts

Belmont was for real. It wasn't a fluke that the Bruins were able to play with Duke. If Belmont would've shot slightly better from behind the arc (which may have happened if there best 3 point shooter, Wicke wasn't in foul trouble) the Blue Devils would be watching at home come Saturday.

Overall, a disappointing day, with no real upsets. Kansas St. over USC and Texas A&M over BYU weren't exactly shockers.

How disappointing was Kent St.? I'll be honest, I didn't know much about the Golden Flashes heading into the Big Dance. All the "experts" had great things to say about them, some even going so far as to predict a possible 2nd round upset over Kansas. Well . . . we all see how that turned out. 10 points in a half is absolutely unbelievable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Xavier/Georgia game. A great back and forth battle, where Xavier showed their poise and experience.

Through day 1 I have 3 incorrect picks: Washington St. over Winthrop, UNLV over Kent St., Texas A&M over BYU

NCAA Tournament Predictions

Round of 32

East
(1) UNC over (9)Arkansas
(5) Notre Dame over (13)Winthrop
(3) Louisville over (11) St. Joe's
(7) Butler over (2) Tennessee

Midwest
(1) Kansas over (9) Kent St.
(5) Clemson over (4) Vandy
(3) Wisconsin over (11) Kansas St.
(2) Georgetown over (10) Davidson

South
(1) Memphis over (8) Miss St.
(4) Pittsburgh over (5) Michigan St.
(6) Marquette over (3) Stanford
(2) Texas over (10) St. Mary's

West
(1) UCLA over (8) BYU
(12) Western Kentucky over (4) UConn
(3) Xavier over (6) Purdue
(2) Duke over (7) West Virginia

Elite 8
(1) UNC over (7) Butler
(2) Georgetown over (1) Kansas
(2) Texas over (1) Memphis
(1) UCLA over (2) Duke

Championship
(1) UNC over (2) Texas
Final Score: 80-70

Daily Bodog Pick

bodog.com Pick of the Day
Friday, March 23
NCAA Basketball: North Carolina over USC
(parlayed w/) Georgetown over Vanderbilt (no spread played for either wager)
7:25 PM ET
9:55 PM ET

Overall Record (3-6)

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Use at your own risk.
You are fully responsible for any wagers made on the advice of these picks.

Bracket Blog - Day 1

Day one has provided two monumental blowouts, and a very limited dose of madness. So far, with four games to go tonight, Duke vs. VCU has been the only "down to the wire" finish. Out of the 12 games thus far, I've picked 10 correctly (which is much better than my usual ratio of success by this point in the tourny).

The day consisted of skipping my night class to watch games, signing my younger brother out of school at 12:00 so that he could watch games, and generally avoiding all of my daily responsibilities (so I could watch games, of course). As for day 2, I'll be glued to the games once again, and I'm expecting a little more drama for Friday's action.

March Madness Predictions

It's time for my tournament predictions. I have to mention this as a disclaimer: I absolutely suck at making picks in the "Big Dance". But you never know, maybe this is my year. And now onto the picks . . .

Sweet 16
Midwest
(1) Florida - Arizona or Purdue will be a dangerous 2nd round matchup
(4) Maryland - Davidson is a tough 1st round draw, if they get by them I see them in the round of 16
(6) Notre Dame - I can see them losing in the 1st round against Winthrop, so this is risky
(2) Wisconsin
West
(1) Kansas
(4) Southern Illinois - This is a team on the edge, they could easily lose either of their first two games
(3) Pittsburgh - It's going to take steady guard play to beat Pitt, Duke and Wright St. don't have it
(10) Gonzaga - Gonzaga is back to being a Cinderella team, time avenge last year's loss to UCLA
East
(1) North Carolina
(4) Texas
(11) George Washington - George Washington kinda sounds like George Mason . . .
(2) Georgetown
South
(1) Ohio State
(5) Tennessee - They need to take care of business against Long Beach St.
(3) Texas A&M
(2) Memphis

Elite 8
(4) Maryland - They've been hot as of late, and can sneak up on Florida
(6) Notre Dame - Wisconsin struggles to score and ND can shoot the lights out, upset special
(1) Kansas
(10) Gonzaga - They'll play focused, and play with discipline; this will be enough to beat Pitt
(1) North Carolina
(2) Georgetown
(1) Ohio State
(2) Memphis - Very tough game against Texas A&M

Final 4
(6) Notre Dame - the dream run ends here
(1) Kansas
(1) North Carolina - They've beaten Ohio State once, they'll beat them again
(1) Ohio State

National Championship
(1) Kansas 68
(1) North Carolina 76 - UNC is viewed as the weakest #1 seed in the field. I say, forget about the mask, UNC wins it all.

Daily Bodog Pick

bodog.com Pick of the Day
Friday, March 9
NBA Basketball: L.A. Lakers (-1.5) @ Philadelphia 76ers
7:05 PM ET

Overall Record Against the Spread (3-5)

This blog post will be home to my bodog.com daily picks. It will be edited daily with an updated pick and record of previous selections.

Picks not endorsed by bodog.com.
Use at your own risk.
You are fully responsible for any wagers made on the advice of these picks.

Daily Bodog Pick

bodog.com Pick of the Day
Wednesday, March 7
NCAA Basketball: Connecticut (+3) vs. Syracuse
2:20 PM ET

Overall Record Against the Spread (3-4)

This blog post will be home to my bodog.com daily picks. It will be edited daily with an updated pick and record of previous selections.

Picks not endorsed by bodog.com.
Use at your own risk.
You are fully responsible for any wagers made on the advice of these picks.