Day 4: A Retrospective
Louisville 79, Siena 72
Quite the showing for a team that I have winning the entire tournament. Siena plays in the MAAC, a conference which motto is "Talent need not apply here". They were in that game for far too long. Luckily, Terrence Williams took the Cardinals on his back and made sure his college career didn't end at the hands of the Siena Saints. Louisville will take on Arizona next Friday in the Sweet Sixteen.
Link
Pittsburgh 84, Oklahoma State 76
For a number one seed that has played two very uncomfortably close games, Pittsburgh has really showed the mark of a champion. For two straight games they have taken the best shot from their opponents. Both East Tennessee State and Oklahoma State shot terrificly from the field. And that's not to say Pittsburgh wasn't playing tough defensively. The Panthers stepped up when they needed to and played shut down defense.
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Michigan State 74, USC 69
For a 10 seed and a team that only got into the Dance by winning the Pac-10 Tournament, Southern California played great for two straight games. Tim Floyd really did a great job paying off his player's AAU coaches so they could play at USC. It's something to admire in a man.
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Missouri 83, Marquette 79
Even with Dominic James in the lineup, Marquette could not hold on to their lead late and eventually choked away a chance at the Sweet Sixteen. With Marquette's loss, that makes the Big East 11-2 in tournament play. Meanwhile, ACC apologists are amped up for next season.
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Kansas 60, Dayton 43
"Kansas' Cole Aldrich recorded a triple double with 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks as the Jayhawks quietly dismissed of the eleventh seeded Flyers of Dayton." That sounded rather good I think. I feel like a real Associated Press writer. Anyway, I'm not sure what to make of this Kansas team. Is this a type of Bill Self-coached squad prior to 2008 where a huge choke job is in order? Or is this a team from a rejuvenated program post-2008 that has the taste of winning in its mouth? Whatever the case is, Kansas faces Michigan State next Friday.
Link
Syracuse 78, Arizona State 67
Whew! wipes brow. Another one of my Final Four teams survives and advances. Even though Eric Devendorf is an insufferable athlete to watch, I am glad he is on the Orange. Whenever Syracuse is in need of a big three, either he or Andy Rautins spot up and drain it. In this game, Syracuse seemed to hold a ten point lead at all times. They will face Blake Griffin and Oklahoma in the Sweet Sixteen.
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Xavier 60, Wisconsin 49
Although I enjoy Xavier's mascot, The Blue Blob, I do not think that is going to be enough to defeat Pittsburgh in the next round. Xavier plays very forward heavy and does not have a stand out guard to carry them in crunch time. From what we've learned about the tournament since its inception, is that guards win championships. Not awesome mascots.
Link
Arizona 71, Cleveland State 57
Does anyone want to argue that Arizona did not deserve to be in the tournament? Sure you don't want to make mention of St. Mary's, Auburn, or Penn State? No? Okay. It's sad to see Cleveland St. out of the tournament. They really did have an incredible year. From the half court buzzer beater at Syracuse, their Horizon League Championship, or their domination of Wake Forest in the first round, it was fun to have them around. Now its time to head back to the state of Cleveland and do whatever it is they do over there.
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Day 3: A Retrospective
First things first. I would just like to congratulate the Nanuet High School Varsity Girls Basketball Team for winning the Class B state championship in Troy, New York today. It's the greatest accomplishment for the school since that ninth grader figured out who was stealing the teacher's lunches from the lounge. I graduated from Nanuet in 2006. That year the varsity girls lost in the semi-finals of the state championship. I still keep in touch with some of those girls and all of them maintain that it was the best time of their lives. Congratulations Nanuet! You have a memory you will never forget.
Alright, enough with the sissy crap. It's March Madness. A time where the word "productivity" escapes business vernacular all over the country. A time where the word "upset" is a good thing. A time to bitch and moan that the secretary at your job is kicking your ass in the office pool. Today's games were far from March Madness worthy. The only upset was a 5 seed defeating a 4 seed. Oh scandalous!
Purdue 76, Washington 74
Truth be told, this game was far more interesting than I gave it credit for. Purdue took an early lead and held onto it for a majority of the game. Washington came storming back late but failed to prevail in the end. "Failed to Prevail" sounds like a band name. Purdue faces Connecticut in the Sweet Sixteen.
Villanova 89, UCLA 69
Twenty points? Quite the fall from grace for the Bruins. They used to be a staple in the Final Four as recent as last year. They're not really known for their basketball anyway, right?...What?
Oklahoma 73, Michigan 63
I would have loved to see Michigan win this game. It's about time that they get back into the college basketball limelight. The Fab Five controversy set them back a few years. I always feel bad for Ray Jackson and Jimmy King. They're the two players from the Fab Five Freshman that everyone forgets. Well, at least I do. Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard...see, I forgot already.
Connecticut 92, Texas A&M 66
Chalk up another one for the good ol' Big East. This game was over when Thabeet walked out onto the court and bumped his head on the backboard. Texas A&M was done for.
UNC 84, LSU 70
(Deadpan) Terrific. Another win for the Tar Heels. They showed some real hustle. Way to go.
Memphis 89, Maryland 70
Memphis really stepped it up after that near miss at the hands of Cal-State Northridge. Now they can steamroll all the way to the Elite Eight and lose because Calipari refuses to practice free throws. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
Duke 74, Texas 69
I watched that entire game and I am almost positive that Greg Paulus did not play one minute. I'm sure Krzyzewski let him go out on the court during the timeouts with a smaller ball and shoot around for a while.
Gonzaga 83, Western Kentucky 81
Another "Game of the Tournament". Does anyone want to know how frighteningly fast the internet is these days? The game ended about ten minutes ago, and someone has uploaded a video of the last seconds:
Crazy
Day 2: A Retrospective
I am not going to go through every game like I did for yesterday's games because I barely got a chance to watch anything today. I spent the early afternoon plotting and scheming a way to graduate early from college. And I spent the night watching I Love You, Man with a few of my friends. So needless to say, I can't give a proper assessment of the games comings and goings. But from what I've heard via Deadspin and ESPN, today was rather eventful. All those crazy upsets we were looking for yesterday were apparently reserved for today.
I did get a minute or two to watch the Pittsburgh/East Tennessee State game and my heart is still palpitating like a girl just accidentally bumped into me. Much like Memphis yesterday, Pittsburgh kept a no-name school in the game for about thirty-seven of the forty scheduled minutes.
Louisville, Missouri, Kansas, Michigan State, Syracuse, Arizona State, Xavier, Marquette, and Oklahoma State all took care of business.
Wake Forest, a team I have been touting since the brackets came out, was flat-out blitzed by Cleveland State. Nice. Way to make me look good. There goes another team from my Sweet Sixteen. Now Cleveland State will take on Arizona, who upset (not really) Utah , on Sunday.
A few upsets I did pick were, USC over Boston College and Siena over Ohio State. I knew USC was going to win because, like I've said many times before, the ten seeds (other than Texas) were going to dominate. And looky here! They are! I chose Siena over Ohio State due to the fact that Club Trillion is a terrible blog. I would link to it but I don't want to give it more publicity than it already gets.
How about those Wisconsin Badgers beating Florida State? I guess too much was taken out of the Seminoles after their long run to the ACC Tournament Final. And what is with West Virginia? The Big East was 6-0 before the Mountaineers laid an enormous egg against Dayton.
Great games tomorrow (or today. Depending on when you're reading this). Take a look at the matchups:
(6) UCLA vs. (3) Villanova
Take Scottie Reynolds over Darren Collison
(10) Maryland vs. (2) Memphis
This game will be a lot closer than a 10/2 matchup would usually warrant. Plus, my sister picked Maryland, so I have to support her.
(8) LSU vs. (1) UNC
I am calling the upset right now. LSU over UNC.
Eight games tomorrow. Watch them. Enjoy them. Eat well and be merry. Hopefully you're Final Four is still intact.
Day 1: A Retrospective
Gonzaga 77, Akron 64
This game was close for the better part of the first half. The second half belonged to the Bulldogs. Regardless of how Gonzaga fares in the next round, all roads lead to that gritty hustler Tyler Hansbrough and the Tar Heels of North Carolina.
North Carolina 101, Radford 58
Even without the ACC Player of the Year Ty Lawson, North Carolina sends Radford back into total anonymity. According to their wikipedia page, Radford's most notable alumnus is Jayma Mays. She has starred in movies such as Epic Movie and Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I bet even she hasn't heard of her.
Villanova 80, American 67
Whew! Wipes brow. That was a close one. I know plenty of people who have Villanova heading to at least the Elite Eight. Now they play UCLA in the next round.
Michigan 62, Clemson 59
What did I say about Clemson, huh? I am like a soothsayer or something. Well, not really. Anyone with two eyes and a cerebellum could see that the Tigers were overranked and Michigan was going to "fundamental" them to death. With Oklahoma's win, it sets up an underrated matchup that could be the game of the tournament. Michigan v. Oklahoma: Keep your eyes peeled for it.
Texas 76, Minnesota 62
I said this was going to be a tournament for the 10 seeds other than Minnesota. My reasoning? A.J. Abrams. The senior is frighteningly good and could carry Texas all the way to the Elite Eight. Remember, Texas was ranked in the top ten at the beginning of the year. It is only a matter of time before everything comes together.
Washington 71, Mississippi 58
When making my picks, I was musing on maybe having Mississippi St. making it to the Sweet Sixteen. Lo and behold, I did. What was I thinking? Maybe I was just too impressed with their SEC Championship. I guess I didn't take into account that the SEC just isn't good. Whatever the case, Washington is off to play...
Purdue 61, Northern Iowa 56
Purdue v. Washington? A nap is more entertaining. Two teams, a lot of white guys, fundamental defense, sounds like a WNBA game.
Connecticut 103, Chattanooga 47
The big story with this game what that Jim Calhoun had to go to the hospital and wasn't able to coach. He is fine now and he clearly wasn't even needed. Although he had 20 points and 13 rebounds, I still maintain that Hasheem Thabeet is the most overrated player in college basketball. Any game now he will have 4 fouls in the first 2 minutes and cost his team the game.
Maryland 84, California 71
Another mighty seven seed goes down at the hands of a ten. But really, no one had California winning that game. They were clearly overranked and couldn't handle a tested ACC team in Maryland.
Texas A&M 79, BYU 66
Here's another slip up by me. I was convinced that BYU was going to have its vengeance on A&M after A&M defeated in the same matchup last year. I guess not. BYU was out of this game early and are not forced to head home to their child wives.
Memphis 81, CS Northridge 70
In this matchup, Memphis showed exactly why they won't last long in this tournament (Don't hold me to that). With about 8 minutes left in this game, Northridge had a two point lead. And Memphis wanted a #1 seed? Please. Keep an eye out for that Memphis/Maryland game on Saturday. That should be a good one.
LSU 75, Butler 71
I watched college basketball all season.I studied the conferences, the teams, the players, the coaches, and even the fans. I didn't get a gauge on either of these teams. So I picked Butler. They've ruined my bracket a bunch of times in the past. So I thought I'd go with them. LSU faces North Carolina on Saturday.
Duke 86, Binghamton 62
I know a few people who go to Binghamton and I am sure they are heartbroken. This is all they really have. It's so cold and dark up there. I guess it's back to drinking heavily and playing Operation. By the way, continue to watch Gerald Henderson. He is the real deal and will be a special player at the next level.
Oklahoma 82, Morgan St. 54
The Griffin boys showed those pesky Bears who's boss, didn't they? Fun Fact: William C. Rhoden, a terrific sports columnist for the New York Times is an alumus of Morgan State. Maybe he can write about their loss.
UCLA 65, VCU 64
Well, there goes my inexplicable sleeper. They put up a mighty effort, but ultimately fell short to UCLA. This was arguably the best game of the day. The one thing I can say about VCU is that they have the best damn band in the country. Got to give them something.
Western Kentucky 76, Illinois 72
How about that Big Ten?
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
When I woke up this morning I was already in a bad mood because I knew in a few hours I would be driving myself all the way to school for one class and then driving all the way back. However, when I checked my e-mail, I got a message from my professor saying class was cancelled. Hooray! It really shouldn't have come as a suprise though. First of all, it's St. Patrick's Day and like the old adage goes, "Today, everyone is a little bit Irish, except of course for the gays and the Italians". Plus, his name is John Harrington. With that name alone I thought he would have cancelled class today and the class before and after it at the beginning of the semester. But no. He had to leave us all in suspense when he knew damn well he was not going to class today as soon as they marked "St. Patrick's Day" on the 17th of March. My other teacher, and Irishman himself, had the decency to let us know several weeks ago that he was going to be in Ireland drinking heavily on this the most holiest of days.
So now I have the whole day off. I, Sean Brian Fitzgerald, have the whole day off on St. Patrick's Day. Surely I would be doing something unsavory right? Not so much. For a man of my size and culture, I do not drink nearly as much as my heritage dictates. And today I probably will not partake in any alcoholic beverages. I could head on over to the city to join in the festivities down at the parade, but that would require a lot of moving that I am just not prepared to do. So how will I be celebrating the day of St. Patrick chasing the snakes out of Ireland? Probably what all non-Irish people do on this day. Eat corned beef and cabbage. Watch the parade. Wear green. Today I am going to feel like a real poser.
Meeting unsuccessful, Cutler wants to be traded
I'm not sure what my take is on this story. But here are the things we know:
- New coach Josh McDaniels tried to trade Cutler to the Buccaneers in an attempt to sign Matt Cassel from his former team, the New England Patriots.
- Some how, Cutler found out and became very agitated. He stopped showing up for workouts and put his house in Denver up for sale.
- Now this meeting. Apparently, McDaniels didn't apologize to Cutler for trying to trade him and still would if he had the chance.
Nice move Josh. With his first official move, he alienates his quarterback, attempts to trade him, fails, and doesn't apologize. Now, come September, he'll have a D+ quarterback under center for a team that has signed 80% of the available free agents in an attempt to redeem themselves after choking away the AFC West last season. Score another one for the Belichick coaching tree! We're keeping score right? Mangini: Fired (Hired, probably will be fired again). Crennel: Fired. Weis: It's only a matter of time. Daniels: Solid start.
Connecticut women get #1 overall seed
The women's bracket is out! High fives self. It has been argued that this Connecticut women's team could be the greatest team ever. You know what that means? Upset! I will be filling out my women's bracket today, some time between watching Waking Ned Devine and drinking a Black and Tan.
Play-in Game tonight at 7:30
Yay! We're getting closer! This is going to be a great game for many reasons. But one obvious reason is because of the center for Alabama State, Chief Kickingstallionsims. I am not making that name up. He's lean, he's mean, and his ancestors fought at Wounded Knee. He also looks more terrifying than his name.
That's an Irish Soda Bread in case you were wondering.
My Final Four
I know that I stated in the previous post that I fall in love with the Big East too easily when making bracket picks. Well, it seems the love affair will continue. That being said, here is my Final Four and subsequent winner...
Biased? Very. It most likely is not going to happen. But it very well could happen. Why not? Take a closer look at each individual bracket. If the cards fall in the right direction for each team, we could be seeing a mini Big East Tournament held in Detroit on April 4th.
My Winner:
Louisville
Coaches to watch out for:
Jim Calhoun (Connecticut)
Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)
Roy Williams (North Carolina)
Jay Wright (Villanova)
Rick Pitino (Louisville)
Bill Self (Kansas)
John Calipari (Memphis)
Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh)
Bob Huggins (West Virginia)
Dino Gaudio (Wake Forest)
Players to watch out for:
Jonny Flynn (Syracuse)
Terrence Williams (Louisville)
Ty Lawson (North Carolina)
Jeff Teague (Wake Forest)
Tyrell Biggs (Pittsburgh)-Nanuet represent!
Scottie Reynolds (Villanova)
A.J. Slaughter (Western Kentucky)
Kenny Hasbrouck (Siena)
Greatest Mascot:
The Xavier Blue Blob
NCAA Tournament Picks (Sort of)
Every year on Selection Sunday, I sit down on the couch, grab the remote, put on CBS and wait for Greg Gumbel to tell me which teams made it into the tournament and their respective seeds. After the final team is named, I go to my printer and print out five copies of the bracket. Three for me and two for my dad. I just finished my first bracket and I will tell you what, I am not happy with it. I fall in love with the number one seeds too easily. And if this year has taught us anything, NO ONE is a favorite. Right now, excluding the 13, 14, 15, and 16 seeds, it seems as if anyone can win the tournament. Each team has significant flaws and bad losses.
I ended up with Louisville winning it all after the first bracket. It sounds like a reasonable choice, but I hate it. I just know somewhere along the road they will be knocked off by a Wake Forest or even a Kansas. They are a heck of a team and proved that by winning both the Big East regular season championship and Big East Tournament yesterday. But all year, whenever they were on television, I would turn to my dad and say, "They probably have the most talent in the country, but they play so dumb". And it's true, they make awful decisions; bad shot selection, touch fouls, and unnecessary passes. Each number one has their own problems. Pittsburgh turns into an average team when DeJuan Blair gets into foul trouble, North Carolina relies too heavily on Tyler Hansbrough, and Connecticut has not been the same without Jerome Dyson. All that being said, it wouldn't be unreasonable to say that none of the number ones will make the Final Four. That is why I hate my choice in Louisville to win it all. After posing a objective, reasoned argument stating that the higher seeds are clearly not of the same ilk of years past, I end up with the Cardinals to win it. But you know what, I am going to stick with them. My parents and teachers always told me to go with my gut instinct, and that is what I am going to do.
I might toil around with my other picks though. It is difficult to fill out a bracket objectively without having personal feelings get in the way. I am a sucker for the Big East and after making my picks, I realized that six of the eight teams in the Elite Eight were from the Big East. As much as I would like that to happen, the odds are against it.
I love some of the opening round games and I am estatic that the economy is the way it is so I don't have to go to some job on Thursday or Friday. I can watch college basketball for twelve straight hours and only breaking my visual gait to go to the little boys' room. I will be keeping my eye on these opening round games...
(8) Ohio State vs. (9) Siena
I have always thought the Big Ten was overrated and this year was no exception. Although teams like Michigan St. and Purdue perform well in conference, they would be at the bottom half of the ACC or Big East. The committee didn't see it my way though by inviting seven Big Ten teams in the tournament, including Ohio State. The Buckeyes were poised to have a terrific year and were ranked high in the Top 25 at the beginning of the season. But after getting destroyed by West Virginia in December, they started to struggle. Before the Big Ten tournament they were firmly on the bubble and after a great showing where they made the finals, are now an eight seed. But I like Siena in this game. Look for senior guard Kenny Hasbrouck to carry the Saints to another first round victory.
(7) Boston College vs. (10) USC
(7) California vs. (10) Maryland
(7) Clemson vs. (10) Michigan
The way I see it, it is not a year for the seven seeds. If you are looking for upsets, here they are. I base that off the overratedness (word?) of the seven seeds in the tournament (other than Texas). I understand that Boston College beat both UNC and Duke this season, but that is the extent of their key wins and probably the sole reason they made it to the tournament. Remember that double digit loss to Harvard earlier in the season? "Yes, Boston College, I remember and I am calling you out!" They are in for a rude awakening when Taj Gibson and the rest of Southern California run over the Eagles.
Shouldn't Maryland over California be an automatic pick? The Bears had two losses to Oregon State and a loss to Stanford this season. Sure, if I am going to call out Cal for losing to those two teams, I really should call out Maryland for losing to Morgan State in January. But that is besides the point! Maryland has the big game experience coming out of the ACC and Greivis Vasquez who can take over a game on his own.
Why are people constantly sold on Clemson? I remember writing in a post from September how their entire sports program is based off hype. Prior to every football and basketball season, the Clemson Tigers are overhyped with high rankings and the words "National Championship" following their name. This season, like every season, Clemson started out hot and were one of the last undefeated teams left in the country. Like they are every year. Then they ended the season 7-8 with losses to Virginia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Wake Forest. I anticipate a quick exit for the Tigers.
(8) BYU vs. (9) Texas A&M
Isn't BYU an eight seed every, freaking, year? Just something to think about. I like BYU by the way.
Teams to go on a run:
Wake Forest
Why not? At one point in the season they were ranked number one. They have a plethora of talent and have been battle-tested all season in the ACC.
Syracuse:
A lot of "analysts" have been asking if the Orange are going to be burnt out come Thursday after playing for 700 minutes this weekend. I'm not sure if these analysts realize that these are 18-22 year old athletes who will have 5 days off. They have a terrific complement of pure shooters and strength inside. Not to mention a coach who won a National Championship only seven years ago in Jim Boeheim.
Incredibly random team to make a run so I look like a genius when they do:
Virginia Commonwealth University
Only 21 hours until the Women's Bracket is revealed!
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