All Work No Play Makes Master Bates a Winner

For years Master Bates has been sending me his bracket just under (and sometimes just after) the deadline for our 3-man family battle royale bracket challenge. Unbeknownst to him, I have been entering him into ESPN every year. And while everyone else picks a different name depending on what's happening that season, he remains, for once and for always, the Overworked Accountants.
In this topsy-turvy year Master Bates prevailed, defeating his nephew Juju who picked the lower number seed in virtually every game.
The biggest story however was yours truly who was the only person to pick North Carolina to win it all. I would have been the easy winner had that miracle shot not gone in and UNC had prevailed in OT.
But it would have been a hollow victory, because that was not my real bracket. It was the bracket I filled out right after the brackets were revealed, with little or not thought at all. My real bracket is way down at the bottom, 14th of 16. I would have been the first to admit it wasn't my real picks, but we have always treated this tournament challenge, the way Chicagoans treat their elections: "Vote early and often."
But it was not to be, so Master Bates is the winner, once again proving that you need to watch college basketball, or to even knowingly enter, to win.

2015: Nat
2014: Billy
2013: TON
2012: Reissberg
2011: Mrs. Poop
2010: Vacated (I forgot to keep accurate records)
2009: Mrs. Poop
2008: Pa Beers
2007: Michael

That One Will Be Replayed Forever

After Northern Iowa's amazing buzzer-beater from halfcourt beat Texas, Nails and I were talking about the greatest buzzer-beaters in tournament history.

We discussed some amazing early-round shots, like Bryce Drew vs. Mississippi, but decided that for the best ever the stakes needed to be higher.
NC State's Lorenzo Charles won the title with a buzzer beat in 1983, but it was a weird dunk, putback type of thing.
So we decided the best might be Christian Laettner vs. Kentucky.
Until tonight!

The first 2395 seconds of this game were fun and well-played. Some of those moments would have been memorable and remarkable, were it not for what happened in the final 5 seconds.

First Marcus Paige (who got his team to this point with an amazing steal under the basket, which I still don't understand how he was able to pull off) nailed an amazing off-balance, double-pump, closely-guarded 3, to tie it.



But Villanova was able to remain calm and execute a perfect play, Ryan Arcidiacono, with a dribble up the court and the dish to Kris Jenkins, who calmly stepped into the shot and nailed the game-winner as time expired.



It's hard to criticize because Villanova just made the perfect play, and because the game was tied so UNC had to defend the paint too, but I don't think Berry did a good enough job of slowing down Arcidiacono, and I think Isaiah Hicks made a terrible mistake by backing up, giving Jenkins the space he needed to get the shot off.

Normally, I reject the instant-classification of games and players, as I try my best to remember what happened in the past, but there is no doubt, zero doubt, that this is the best ending in the history of the National Championship game.

It Wouldn't Have Mattered

Jim Boeheim was praised for changing his strategy against Virginia, shifting to a press and turning the game around.
He made no such chance against North Carolina, but even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered.

All week leading up to this game, I was hopeful that Boeheim would use a different version of zone, essentially packing it in around UNC's excellent interior players and daring their suspect guards to shoot over the top.
Clearly, that didn't happen in the first half as UNC missed every single 3-pointer (0-11) and made almost every inside shot.
I was begging for him to change their approach and set up Cooney and Gbinije basically at the free throw line, and keep the wings down on the baseline instead of having them jump out to contest.
But when Syracuse finally started to make a run, scoring 10 straight points to turn 57-40 into 57-40, Marcus Paige nailed an open 3.
And every time Syracuse tried to get back in, UNC nailed another one. Missed their first 12, made 4 of the next 5.

They just ran into a better team playing better.
But we will always remember and appreciate the great tournament run they went on.
I hesitate to call it a great season because it was actually so bad they almost didn't even make the tournament. But four great games in a row at the right time is very special.
As are Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije.

And with Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon, I feel a little more optimistic about the remainder of Jim Boeheim's tenure as the head coach.
If only he would continue with the defensive adjustments.

It's Really Real

Just because I was sure that I had fallen asleep on the couch when Syracuse trailed Virginia by 15 points with 9 minutes to go and dreamed what happened next, I decided to go back and watch that final stretch again.

And since Texas A&M's epic comeback against Northern Iowa deserved a breakdown in its own post, this one did as well.

Syracuse score listed first, throughout:

9:47 left: Michael Gbinije hits two free throws. 39-51
9:31: London Perrantes hits deep 3, his 6th of the game, taps his forehead. 39-54

9:17: Trevor Cooney drives, dishes to Tyler Roberson for a dunk. 41-54
8:52: Malcolm Brogdan drives, misses, Tyler Lydon rebounds
8:46: Trevor Cooney drives, gets a layup. 43-54
8:33: Virginia breaks the press, Darius Thompson hits a layup, 43-56
8:23: Malachi Richardson gets fouled, hits 2 free throws, 45-56
8:17: Virgina breaks the press but Anthony Gill travels under the basket
7:56: Richardson drives and hits one over Gill, 47-56
7:50: Gbinije strips Thompson, Thompson falls, takes out Lydon
7:37: Richardson drives & misses, Roberson fouled going for rebounds, makes both free throws 49-56
7:31: Virginia breaks the press, Devon Hall gets easy layup, 49-58
7:13: Richardson hits step-back 3. 52-58
7:05: Perrantes throws bad pass, Richardson knocks it out off Brogdan
6:51: Tyler Lydon hits a 3, 55-58
6:40: Brogdan drives, misses
6:37: Gbinije streaks full-court for layup, 57-58
6:00: Perrantes misses floater
5:50: Richardson knifes through the lane for a layup, 59-58
5:26: Brogdan drives, shot blocked by Lydon
5:18: Perrantes fouled by Roberson
5:00: Perrantes missed 3
4:38: Richardson face up for another 3, dons the 3-goggles, 62-58

3:56: Hall missed shot, Lydon taps rebound to Cooney
3:27: Richardson drives on Brogdan, misses, Roberson taps rebound off the glass, Richardson grabs it, fakes Tobey and goes up for a layup, 64-58

And there you have it. That's what a 6-minute, 25-4 run looks like when you break it down.

And this is what it looks like when you edit it all together in one 3-minute video:



11 possessions (12 if you include the Gbinije free throws) and Syracuse scored every time, missing only one shot.
Over that same span, Virginia made 2 out of 7 shots and turned it over 3 times (the travel, the bad pass, and the strip steal)

Now let's get back to Boeheim. He absolutely deserves a ton of credit for pushing the envelope and going into the zone. But (and it's not just me saying this, Charles Barkley said the same thing) you have to imagine they could have won more games over the years had he been as willing to abandon his game plan and try something different.

Also, the players play. Yes, he surely coached them to drive to the basket, but he couldn't have coached them to hit those 3s. The players did that. And they needed every single one of those plays to win this game and make the Final Four, where it may require more coaching strategy, and more incredible play to beat North Carolina and eventually take home the title.

It's So Crazy I Feel Like It's Not Real

I admit it. I gave up. And this wasn't one of my half-hearted, prepare-for-the-worst give ups, this was the real-deal, game's-over, start-dealing-with-the-hurt give up. There were 9 and a half minutes left. The Orange had gotten behind by 16 points. Then they cut it to 8.
Virginia hit 3 3-pointers and it was back to 15.
And I'm pretty sure everyone reading this had pretty much the same thoughts.
But not Chase. I told him it was over, hoping that if we started mourning early, the grieving process wouldn't result in tears when the stone-cold truth finally set in.
Chase said "it's never over til it's over." And even more importantly, he believed it.
It's great to be 8.

I'm still in shock over what transpired over the next 10 minutes and I promise to watch that stretch again and have a more detailed, thoughtful, basketball analysis of one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

But for now I just want to speak from the heart.

I have always given Coach Boeheim a tough time for mostly 3 things but they all changed tonight:

1) His prickliness. He's a grumpy old curmudgeon. Sometimes it's cute and acceptable, other times it's rude and condescending. Tonight, even though he barely cracked a smile he said he's never been prouder of a group than he was of this team.

2) His tournament record. Yes, it's good, and he's now going to his 5th Final Four, but with all the great teams, 1 title seems too few, especially considering all the upsets (Navy, Richmond, Vermont, Texas A&M, Marquette, Dayton) all double-digit seeds that knocked off superior Orange teams. And until tonight, the Orange had never pulled off a major, shocking upset in the tournament.

3) His strategy. He plays 2-3 until the cows come home and if you can beat it, well then, he'll shake your hand and offer kind wishes for luck in the next round. Tonight he changed, he adjusted. He saw that when given time Virginia was picking apart the zone and nailing 3-pointers from the place now known as Curryland. But he made an adjustment, threw something at them that they weren't expecting and it helped them win the game.

As I tried to rationalize with an 8-year-old I explained that Syracuse would have to score nearly every time they had the ball.
And wouldn't you know it, they pretty much did, scoring on 12 straight possessions that turned a 54-39 deficit into a 64-58 lead.

Malachi Richardson provided the spark offensively, nailing 3s, and even more importantly driving to the basket and getting fouled. You were impressed when a freshman named Gerry McNamara scored 18 points in the first half of a tournament game (yes, I know it was the Final), how about a freshman scoring 21 in the second half, when every single one was crucial.

And even more amazingly perhaps, Tyler Lydon, helped seal the victory with his defense (5 more blocks, 2 down the stretch) and his rebounding.

He also made a 3-pointer with one shoe, though that part may have been forgotten with all the other much more improbable things that occurred later.

And as always it was the senior duo of Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije who led this team back by always making plays and finally closing out on shooters. They don't just lead emotionally, the lead with their play and their effort. They deserve all the adulation they received from the Orange fans in Chicago.

And speaking of adoring fans, they had a pretty good party near campus, 500 kids, at least, turning up on Walnut.

But that wasn't all they were celebrating.

The Syracuse Orange women's basketball team also made the Final Four. Suffering no letdown after their big upset of #1-seed South Carolina, pounding the Tennessee Lady Vols, who while good, ain't what they used to be.

Alexis Peterson had another great game, this time scoring 29 points to go along with 6 assists on 11-20 shooting (3 of 4 from deep).

And always bringing the emotion and energy we have come to expect from her.

And of course, keeping true my adage about the women's tournament: win or lose, everyone on both teams cries after the game.

And then leading the team in a rousing rendition of "what up squad?"

The other big star was Brianna Butler who had been in a shooting slump until she nailed 4 of 10 3-pointers against South Carolina and then 6 of 15 against Tennessee, including 2 in 30 seconds in the 4th quarter that turned a 4-point lead into a 10-point lead from which the Orange never looked back.

They're going to need all the 3s from Butler, Peterson, Maggie Morrison and everyone else to have any prayer against UConn in the National Championship game. But the Orange do have a winnable game coming up against Washington, another surprise regional winner, coming from the 7 seed to knock off Stanford (which had vanquished Notre Dame) to earn its spot in the Final Four.

These two teams met in a preseason tournament and the Orange won by 4, but had a much bigger lead before holding on.

But that's an issue for another time, for tonight we will celebrate and try to hold on to the feeling of the best day in the history of Syracuse sports. The day the men's and women's teams overcame great odds and tough opponents to make it to the Final Four.

What A (Bria or Briana) Day!

Today has the potential to be a monumental day in Syracuse basketball history.
By the end of the day, we could have not one, but two teams in the Final Four!
At 3:30pm the women play followed by the men at 6.
Entering the women's tournament it seemed like a 3-team race. UConn would likely win, Notre Dame and South Carolina had a chance. Both those teams lost only one game all season, to UConn.
But Friday night, not only did #4 Syracuse knock off South Carolina, but Stanford beat Notre Dame.
In both those regions the 7-seed beat the 2 and the 3, setting up 4 vs. 7 in both regionals for a date in the National Semifinals.
Syracuse's 7th-seeded opponent however is Tennessee. The second-best program in women's college basketball history.
But this is not the Tennessee teams you may remember under Pat Summitt.
This is the highest seed the Lady Vols have ever gotten. Syracuse lost to them once already this season, 57-55 in Tennessee.

A brief aside about why I like women's basketball: Yes, I prefer men's. But the games are close enough to still be basketball and different enough to still be interesting.

The skill level in men's is obviously higher. But the women play a more wide open game (because they're smaller, they cover less floor space), they pass more and because they don't shoot 3s as well (Syracuse has 3 players shooting 31% or higher on at least 145 attempts), they don't just stand there jacking them up.

But my favorite difference is the emotion. The players aren't in college trying to kill time before they go pro. In the NCAA Tournament, win or lose every player on both teams cries.

And Syracuse fans get one extra reason to enjoy the game: Alexis Peterson.
A pound guard who relentlessly pushes the ball, plays tough defense, shoots 3s and most importantly, makes her free throws, 86% on 29 attempts in the tournament.
And as for the aforementioned emotion -- she's got that too.

The men will also be trying to reverse an earlier defeat against conference rival Virginia. In fact, it's not much of a rivalry, Virginia has beaten Syracuse all 3 times they played since the Orange entered the ACC.

The narrative (that I don't quite believe in) is that non-conference teams can't figure out the 2-3 zone, but conference foes know just what to do. But as the great Pete Bell said "it's know what you do, god damn it, it's how you do it." If SU aggressively doubles the post, and still gets back out on shooters, it's more difficult for teams to beat the zone. If the opponent makes their 3s, contested or otherwise, then the zone is beat.

I don't have high hopes for their chances against Virginia but for a team that wasn't even supposed to be here, it's been a great tournament run, no matter how it ends.

And we can also remember the senior seasons of Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije fondly.

But both these teams have surprised us before, maybe they have more in store.

Tournament Thoughts: #10 Syracuse vs. #11 Gonzaga

What an awful start for the Orange.

Gonzaga is made to attack the zone. They have good big men who can pass, and good outside shooters. And in the case of Wiltjer, both.

SU getting their hands on everything but can't grab a loose ball.

It's such a joke that SU's defense is so good and that teams can't figure it out. It's not that revolutionary, and it's not like no one else plays it. And you know exactly what you're getting. It's not that hard to figure out, you just have to have the right personnel to attack it. And Gonzaga does.

SU weathered the early storm, but they're not just at a disadvantage on defense, on offense they're also having trouble with Gonzaga's size, every inside shot is contested.

After that early barrage by Gonzaga, Syracuse has to be pleased only trailing by 1 at the half.

Combined halftime points in Syracuse's 3 tournament games: 58 (30-28), 58 (31-27) and now 57 (29-28).

Frank Howard is playing the game of his life. He made a 3-pointer. Only his second all season.

Wiltjer is just unbelievable. He will not miss.

Reggie Miller can't add. When Gonzaga had 41 points he said Wiltjer has 23, Sabonis has 8 and everyone else has 5.

Gonzaga went through four stretches in this game, they were attacking the zone inside out and nailing threes, then they stopped, played one-on-one and missed everything. Then they went back to getting it to Sabonis and he dominated and they almost put the game away. But then they went cold again. And on those last two possessions, in 20 seconds, they never got it in to Sabonis.

That call was terrible. It was a great steal by Cooney and the referee was not in position to see it. He was 25 feet away behind the play. He cannot be expected to see the 1/4-inch piece of floor between Cooney's sneaker and the line. That's why they have replay. For them to rule it wasn't indisputable evidence was bullshit. At that point it was karmic justice that we find another way to hold on to that 1-point lead.

Beautiful block by Lydon to save the game.

Two great steals by Cooney. Also couldn't have won without those.

One adjustment Boeheim did make was encouraging the guys to drive to the basket. Richardson and Gbinije made some key plays by driving it to the hole.

Wiltjer and Sabonis were freaking awesome. No one else on their team did anything. And I felt like they still weren't making enough effort to get those two guys the ball.

Amazing victory in continuing what has been an amazing tournament run.

Tournament Thoughts: Sweet 16 Friday

#1 Virginia vs. #4 Iowa State

So many games in this tournament have just been huge blowouts right from the very start and never really had much suspense.

Virginia scored 29 points in the first ten minutes. That used to be a nice total for them for the entire first half.

One way to close a big lead is to start bombing 3s and make a few. That's what Iowa State did mostly thanks to Niang.

Malcolm Brogdan is a fine player but I would take Niang over him any day.

That fourth foul on Niang was total bullshit. Just a tiny bump. He wasn't even denying him the spot, he was total in retreat.

An Iowa State cheerleader got drilled in the face by a kicked ball. She went down on her side and they had to stop the game and escort her to the locker room. She seemed ok, poor thing was even trying to shake her pom-poms as she walked off. But tears were coming down her cheeks.



Huge win for Virginia. Two straight disappointing second round exits in a row and now they are in the Elite 8 with a great chance to make the Final Four.

#6 Notre Dame vs. #7 Wisconsin

If we're looking for a team to suffer a letdown or keep the momentum going after a dramatic win, I'm not such which team to pick. Both teams used dramatic in the last round to win at the last second.

These two teams scored fewer points combined that Virginia did in the first half.

Ethan Happ is the cousins of Blue Jays pitcher JA Happ.

Let's remember that the Badgers started this season with Bo Ryan as their head coach before he abruptly resigned in December. Ryan says he wanted to resign in June, but assistant coach Greg Gard, whom he wanted to bequeath the job, was not able to take over because his father was gravely ill. Gard's father died in October and Gard was promoted to head coach after Ryan's resignation. But a lot of people are now suggesting Ryan was forced out, or chose to quit as word of his extra-marital affair became public.

Both teams really turned it up in the second half, making some shots and scoring some points.

What a finish! The Irish looked dead after Vitto Brown nailed that 3. But Nigel Hayes got stripped, so did Bronson Koenig and that's how it ends. Amazing, two steals in 20 seconds by Demetrius Jackson.

#1 North Carolina vs. #5 Indiana

They did a pregame feature on Yogi Ferrell's sisters. I guess those t-shirts paid off.

I've said it before, and many others have as well: if Marcus Paige makes his 3s, North Carolina wins the whole thing. His fourth one tied him with Michael Jordan for 12th on North Carolina's all-time scoring list.

Carolina just has too much size and too much talent. I expect them to win it all.

Tournament Thoughts: Sweet 16 Thursday

#2 Villanova vs. #3 Miami

Villanova was probably the most dominant team throughout the first two rounds, and they came out like a house of fire in this game, taking a 29-14 lead. But Miami scored the next 12 points, and we do have a ballgame.

I'm sure everyone knows it by now but since I point out every other son of well-known offspring, I should mention that Jalen Brunson is the son of former Knicks guard and Temple star Rick Brunson. They have a complicated history though.

Miami shot the lights out but didn't play a lick of defense and Villanova buried them, never letting them get close in the second half.

So the expected Villanova collapse hasn't happened. And they look pretty damn good.

#2 Oklahoma vs 3 Texas A&M

These games tonight are in the side of the bracket that held to form. It's tomorrow night when things get funky.

I'm not as convinced as everyone else about the pro potential of Buddy Hield but I certainly like him as a college player.

I soured on Oklahoma before the tournament after reading that they rely on 3-pointers for an unusually large portion of their points. History has said teams like that are often unable to 4 or 6 games against tough competition without going through one cold night. Well, they've made it through three games so far.

Funny how people talk about shit like momentum and destiny, and yet they never say that shit when Northern Iowa hits a miracle shot and loses the next game. And Texas A&M has the most ridiculous comeback ever, and loses the next game.

Shame on Ryan Spangler's parents for not naming him Egon.

#1 Oregon vs. #4 Duke

Oregon has a clear plan to attack Duke inside where they are thin.

Speaking of thin, I love Brandon Ingram, and apparently so do many NBA scouts, but he needs to get bigger and stronger. He's like paper on defense.

Is it just me or are foul shooters 100% after a lane violation?

I love Allie LaForce, because she's hot and I like to think I helped discover her by writing about her in this space more than 3 years. But she asks the dumbest, most trite questions. She asked every single player she interviewed "what makes this group so special?"

The same problem that has undone Duke in years when they have been knocked out early, cost them again in this game. They just don't have guys that can play and are willing to play tough physical defense.

I actually picked Duke as my surprise Final Four team so all my brackets are officially busted. But at least know I can go back to hating these whiny little bitches again.

#1 Kansas vs. #5 Maryland

I know everyone says how important guard play is, if so I do not like Kansas's Frank Mason III. He makes some stupid mistakes, and isn't the distributor a point guard needs to be.

Also we're very angry at the Ellises for naming their kid Perry Ellis. But I'm not sure if Perry Ellis was a famous designer back when their son was born 35 years ago.

I do like Ellis as a player though. He has a jump shot for a big man. He plays good disciplined defense.

Another blowout win for the Jayhawks. But Villanova's been killing people too. Should be a good match-up.

Not a single good game this evening. Let's hope for better tomorrow. Though I wouldn't mind if Syracuse beat Gonzaga by 25.

Tournament Thoughts: A Few Things on My Mind

With all I've written over the past four days, what else could there to be say?

Well...

The Pac-12 was clearly overrated. Ok, so sample sizes are a thing and anything can happen in just a few games in one tournament, but...
Here's what we thought before the tournament: #2 rated conference, all but 1 team in the top 102, 7 tournament teams, all rated 51 or higher
Here's what we know now, six of their teams are out, 5 lost in the first round and only Oregon holds the flag.

On the other hand, you have the ACC, which started with 10% of the teams, and now has 38% of the teams remaining. 12-1 record so far, with only Pitt losing.
And the ACC was 3rd rated conference during the regular season. But at this point the ACC is still alive to have 4 teams in the Final Four and with UNC & Notre Dame as well as Virginia and Syracuse sharing a bracket, it could have 2 teams locked up by Friday.

I didn't comment on the poor Dayton fan who was crying during his team's loss to Syracuse. But if I had, I would have said "sorry. Not sorry."



And it's unlike me to let a good smartass remark pass without acknowledgement, but Taurean Prince's snarky response to a reporter's question came from a place of anger and hurt, making it less funny that had he been obnoxious just for sport.



I usually get annoyed during the tournaments, because watching 48 games over 4 days (saw at least part of 46, significant parts of 30+) you can get fed up with the commercials that are played repeatedly. But I really like the Charles Barkley, Spike Lee, Sam Jackson road trip.



I'm actually surprised Charles is willing to play such a fool in these spots, as last year with "In the Annapolis."

I also like this BMW commercial about superstitions. "Rabbit's foot? I've got four."



But instead of a cute live bunny, it looks like he is holding a dead rabbit.

Fantastic Finish

The amazing game between Texas A&M and Northern Iowa was so memorable it deserves its own post. Oh my God What a finish. Some huge mistakes by UNI.
Let's break it all down:
69-57, 44 seconds left: Gilder gets a putback to cut the lead to ten.
69-59, 30 seconds left: After a steal of a wild pass, Texas A&M gets a layup.
69-61, 25 seconds: Jesperson falling out of bounds spikes it into the ground, A&M grabs it easy layup.
69-63, 21 seconds: Lohaus nowhere to inbound throws it right out of bounds. A&M inbounds, House catches, nails a 3.
69-66, 19 seconds: Jesperson long pass to Carlson for a dunk. Why didn't he pull it out, time is more important than points.
71-66, 17 seconds: Caruso drives all the way for the scoop and the foul. Jesperson the hero on Friday maybe the goat. Why foul a guy with a 5 point lead and 12 seconds. Don't even defend, just get away. Caruso makes the free throw.
71-69, 11 seconds: Washpun gets stuck in the corner, trapped, but instead of just flinging it somewhere he spikes it right off the floor, right to Gilder who grabs it and lays it in to tie the game.
71-71, 1.9 seconds: The same girls from A&M who were crying tears of sadness, are now crying tears of joy.

Here's what they looked like with 30 seconds left:

And here's what they looked like with 2 seconds left:

And here's the moving pictures version of their celebration:



And we're going to overtime!

Jesperson wanted to be the hero, to atone for his mistakes. And Wyatt Lohaus with the ONIONS!!!!
I can't believe that was the plan, to dribble for 25 seconds and let Lohaus shoot a 3, but it went in. His first field goal of the game.
He really did want to be the hero, why take a half-court shot with four seconds left? The decision-making by Northern Iowa is very questionable.
And we're going to double overtime.
I don't want to say they were defeated mentally here, because they fought back in the first overtime. Maybe they were a bit physically tired. But all game they were nailing 3s and in the second OT, they were just missing everything.
But I don't understand why every possession late in the second OT was just Morgan, not a single pass. There was plenty of time.
Great game, memorable game, but the Panthers will never forgive themselves for the ridiculous mistakes they made allowing this game to slip through their fingers.

Tournament Thoughts: #10 Syracuse vs. #15 Middle Tennessee

Let's Go Orange!

Michael Gbinije drinks pickle juice? And grape pedialyte? I actually read something about the company marketing pedialyte to adults as a hangover cure.

I liked Reggie Upshaw more when he had the Kid N Play haircut.

DaJuan Coleman: foul machine. Not even a minute in and Boeheim yanks him.

When Franklin Howard has the ball in his hands something bad is bound to happen. I actually thought he was going to make a shot, before he committed an offensive foul.

When Cooney gets hot he is tough to stop. And there were a couple possessions where he threatened a deep shot and was able to pass and get an open lane for a driver.

Huge swing on that waved off 3-pointer, it was close but waving it off was the right call.

Can't give Roberson the ball. He's basically had it twice and committed offensive fouls both times. If he gets in foul trouble and has to come out of the game SU won't get a single rebound.

1 for 7 from the line in the first half. Typical Syracuse. But that is not going to get it done if they want to make the Sweet 16.

31-27 at the half. It was 30-28 vs. Dayton before Syracuse came out line a house on fire.

As much as I tend not to say it, Syracuse does do a good job defending the 3, percetage-wise. But if they are lazy closing out on shooters, that's when they get open shots and pick apart the zone.

You knew that Middle Tennessee wouldn't be able to keep up their level of play and shooting accuracy they had against Michigan State, probably a once in a lifetime performance for that team. But Syracuse played great defense, other than a few lapses, and got the ball inside and worked the offense, and came out with another big second half run.

I've also been critical of Tyler Lydon's ability to play the middle of the zone. But he has stepped up the aggressive, two strong blocked shots in a short sequence. He's almost too aggressive. He almost killed Tyler Roberson with overaggressive pursuit of a rebound.

Great victory. It often happens that a team no one thinks should be gets a win, a favorable draw and then they are shoving it up everyone's ass in the Sweet 16. And they have a great chance to advance to the Elite 8 though Gonzaga with Wiltjer and Sabonis will be a tall task. Literally.

Let's Go Orange!

Tournament Thoughts: Second Round Saturday

#3 Miami vs. #11 Wichita State

Wichita State's stifling defense doesn't have a chance to set up when they can't hit a shot and keep turning it over.

Is it less shocking that Wichita State only had 6 points in 12 minutes or that they had given up 27?

First half shooting percentages, 23% for Wichita State and 60% for Miami.

Angel Rodriguez is out-VanVleeting VanVleet.

When you hear the name Shaq Morris do you think of Jack Morris or Zack Morris? I think your answer to this question says a lot about you as a person.

There are 3 stages to a comeback this big: 1) cut the lead in half, you need to go on a run at some point to make it at least seem possible, and mentally put it in your head that you can win and theirs that they can lose. 2) you have to get it down to one possession, give yourself some chances to make a shot or get a steal and be within striking distance. And then the hardest part often times 3) you need to take the lead at some point otherwise the other team is still dictating how the game will be played, especially in the final possessions of a game, the team with the lead has a huge advantage, even if it's only one point.

Baker did briefly give them the lead at 43-42 but Miami immediately took it back and held it, forcing Wichita State into at times frantic offense.

One of my least favorite things in basketball is when a player on a fast break tries to take it himself instead of passing to an open teammate.

But Miami was able to hang out and knock out a very popular pick to go to the Sweet 16 and perhaps beyond.

#4 Duke vs. #12 Yale

If seeds were based on highest tuition, these to schools would have been #1 seeds, along with Notre Dame and USC. All above $65,000 per year.

My hatred of Duke is not based on class or race like most people's, mine is mostly due to the couple assholes they have, and their success. Since the team is having a down year, and because Syracuse beat them, and because I was able to choose them for the Final Four as a sleeper, I am rooting for them. I also like their style of play. Lots of guys who can dribble and shoot. They look for teammates and they knock down shots. Fun to watch.

Amazing comeback by Yale. They did the same thing every time and attacked the basket. Either got baskets or got offensive rebounds. Plumlee is the only guy Duke can rely on for interior defense. And their Yale's disrupted Duke's offense. They stopped driving and dishing and played too much 1-on-1.

But Duke was able to pull it off and advance to the Sweet 16.

#4 Kentucky vs. #5 Indiana

This is probably one of the games people were most looking forward to in the first weekend. Two of basketballs bluebloods.

Yogi Ferrell's sisters changed their shirts. Today the say "Yogi's a bear to have as a brother" and "I can beat Yogi in 1-on-1."

Jamal Murray's 20.1 points per game were the most on a Calipari-coached team since DaJuan Wagner 14 years ago. I know it's hard to score 20 in college but it's amazing that with all those great players he's had during that span none ever did it. Shows that with all that talent, no one got enough play time or utilization to score that much.

Kentucky got rattled and started to make some bad decisions and take some rushed shots.

I have never seen so many offensive fouls called. And most of them because of that little push off with the forearm.

Patrick Thomas knocking down the free throws and earnings the "ONIONS!"

Indiana just played a better more disciplined game. Common against Calipari teams, all talent, no discipline.

#4 Iowa State vs. #12 Little Rock

Little Rock was hanging in until Niang went nuts.

14-2 run to end the first half by Iowa State but Little Rock came out with some fight couldn't keep pace. Easy win for Iowa State. They are a serious contender to come out of the annual upset regional, this year it being the Midwest.

#1 Virginia vs. #9 Butler Virginia has not one but two candidates for Mrs. Poop's All-Hair team:
London Perrantes

and Anthony Gill

Virginia's big men Gill and Tomey were just too much for Butler. They made 14 of their first 16 field goals in the second half, mostly because it was all layups and close in shots.

Valiant effort by Butler but a strong hold by Virginia. Maybe this is the year they don't fold. We know they won't be losing to Michigan State.

#1 Kansas vs. #9 Connecticut

Perry Ellis a 22-year-old senior, Wayne Selden is a 21-year-old junior. Rarely does a program the caliber of Kansas actually keep two good players this deep into their careers.

UConn led 5-2 and then allowed a 16-0 run. After cutting the lead back to 5 at 21-16, Kansas went on a 19-0 run. 44-24 halftime score isn't that dissimilar to Duke and Yale, but Yale made a run to get it close.

UConn made a run too, but just couldn't get close enough to threaten. Impressive victory for Kansas.

#3 Utah vs. #11 Gonzaga

In case you missed my pre-tournament preview, Utah was rated much lower in efficiency ratings than their seed would have you believe. 28th overall as compared to a top 12 implied ranking by seeding. About the only area they were really highly rated by kenpom was luck. That's why I picked Gonzaga to win two games (emboldening my to pick Fresno State, which didn't work out).

I also loved the HBO reality series on Gonzaga "The March to Madness." But that assistant coach is such a dick.

Sabonis against this monster Austrian (Jakob Poeltl) is quite the match-up.

This Steve Lappas-Andrew Catalon announce team is definitely underrated. They'd be a 12 over a 5 in the announcer bracket.

Gonzaga got incredibly hot from 3, but they do a good job of working inside out with Wiltjer and Sabonis both of whom can pass.

Gonzaga and UConn share a name, Huskies, and their uniform colors are similar as well.

What an impressive win for the Zags. Mrs. Poop used to pick them every year but now she's sick of them.

With a matchup against either Syracuse or Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga has a pretty good shot at the Elite 8 and I wouldn't hate their chances against Virginia or Iowa State either.

#1 North Carolina vs. #9 Providence

Bentil and Dunn play that 2-man game like Butch and Neon.

UNC just has so many good players. If Marcus Page hits shots from the outside UNC will win it all.

Scary team. I am really like UNC & Kansas right now.

The ACC is 10-1 so far. 4 teams already in the Sweet 16 and the two who play tomorrow (Notre Dame and Syracuse) play the lowest remaining seeds (Stephen F Austin & Middle Tennessee).

Tournament Thoughts: Late Friday

#7 Wisconsin vs. #10 Pittsburgh

Great start by Pitt. Wisconsin couldn't buy a bucket.

Cute little Wisconsin fan screaming her head off.

Every time the announcers said "Vitto Brown" I heard "Nino Brown."

Probably the worst-played game of the first round so far. Should have been able to predict a game like this. Both teams traditionally have plodding, physical teams.

Pitt just doesn't have the shooters are scorers to go to late in games when they absolutely need a basket.

Robinson ran into his own man! He missed his last ten shots of the game. Brutal way to go out for Pitt.

#3 West Virginia vs. #14 Stephen F. Austin I always love to see Devin Williams. His hair and his goggles are old school to me, remind me of a simpler era in corrective eyewear.

It used to be that teams that pulled off a major upset just slowed the ball down and tried to limit possessions to decrease the impact of the talent disadvantage.
But now it seems that the smaller school teams may actually have a shooting and dribbling advantage. They aren't scared to run and they aren't scared to press, and they aren't scared to jack early 3s.
In fact that is quite often the winning formula.

West Virginia turned the ball over 22 times. SFA only 7.

Tyler Walkup made 19 of 20 free throws. That's a player Billy could love. If he played in New York they would call him "Three Story."

Two years ago Stephen F Austin beat VCU in a 12-5 upset, now they've pulled off an even bigger shocker.

Clide Geffrard is the closest thing I've seen all tournament to a member of Mrs. Poop's All-Hair team.

#3 Texas A&M vs. #14 Green Bay

Impressive run by Texas A&M to put Green Bay away. Didn't hurt that Green Bay went ice cold.

But Texas A&M has a lot of athletic size. Most of us were looking for a team to come out of that region. It could be the Aggies. #1 Oregon vs. #16 Holy Cross

Total domination. Oregon not even tested.

#2 Xavier vs. #15 Weber State

The Pitt band is being paid $15 each to wear Weber State shirts and pose as the Weber State band since their band didn't make it. And they even learned the school fight song.

Xavier still has Miles Davis. But they don't have Matt Stainbrook. He is playing in Europe where Miles is known as Kilometers.
They do have Matt's brother, Tim, but he never plays.
They don't have Miles's brother Sammy. Yes, Miles Davis and Sammy Davis.

Big win for Xavier the least respected of the top seeds.

#6 Texas vs. #11 Northern Iowa Texas has Prince Ibeh, pronouced EE-bay. eBay gets $10,000 in free advertising every time he grabs a rebound.

UNI's Wyatt Lohaus is the song of former NBA center Brad Lohaus, but he is nearly a foot shorter.

Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!

And you have the best game of the tournament ladies and gentlemen!
Both teams played well, almost would have liked to see five more minutes of this game.
But we will never forget that heave by Paul Jesperson. He Steph Curry'ed it. Amazing!

#6 Notre Dame vs. #11 Michigan

Michigan came out shooting hotter than a pistol. 7 of 14 from 3 in the first half.

Huge mistake by Notre Dame's Bonzie Colson, grabbing an offensive rebound with 41 seconds left and trying for the putback, off-balance, with two guys on him, instead of holding and kicking back out. Lack of game situation awareness. With a 3-point lead that late you don't need to score.

It didn't come back to bite them though. Great game by both teams, some impressive shooting, great passing, very entertaining game, but the 6 seed held this time.

#8 St. Joseph's vs. #9 Cincinnati

The Hawk will never die.

Kenyon Martin in the crowd.

Another good close game between evenly matched teams. Lots of driving, dishing and 3-point shooting.

Another amazing finish, but a little anticlimactic. It was still in his hand when the game ended. If he'd just flipped it up, it would have been an overtime. <.br>

Tournament Thoughts: Early Friday

#2 Villanova vs. #15 UNC-Asheville

Villanova playing like the top seed the purport to be. Asheville actually made some 3s and kept it close but then Nova buried them.

#7 Oregon State vs. #10 VCU

I've been waiting for this game. Because Oregon State has Gary Payton II and Stevie Thompson Jr.
And Stephen Thompson Sr., the former Syracuse star, is an assistant coach for the Beavers.

Gary Payton keeps a watchful eye from further away though, as a proud father and alumnus.

It looked like VCU was going to run away with this but then Oregon went on a 10-0 run in about two minutes to actually take the lead.

But then VCU forced some turnovers and made some 3s to put the game away.

Mo Allie-Cox is a monster. 6-foot-6, 260 el bees. If he were 3 or 4 inches taller he'd be a great NBA power forward in the Charles Oakley mold.

The Little Glove does look like a heck of a player though.

#4 California vs. #13 Hawaii

Crazy story about Cal assistant Yann Hufnagel who was fired this week for allegedly sexually harassing a reporter. She claims he wanted her to fuck him in exchange for access to the program and accurate information. She says he even gave her false stories as retribution once she rebuffed his advances. He basically admits he wanted to sleep with her but thought she was into him to and didn't harass her or retaliate.

California also has the son of a former NBA player.

Kameron Rooks in the son of former Dallas Mavericks center, Sean Rooks. I had so many of his Upper Deck rookie card.

Cal made a run but Hawaii would not go away. They kept forcing turnovers and Cal couldn't make shots.

The first real upset of the tournament so far.

#2 Michigan State vs. #15 Middle Tennessee

15-2 Middle Tennessee lead! What? Never would have predicted that. And even after Michigan State gathered themselves and got some baskets, the Blue Raiders kept playing.

Michigan State just incredibly sloppy with the ball and lazy on defense. They undermined their own runs with bad defense.

Every time Michigan State cut the lead Middle Tennessee came right back. Tremendous poise not rushing to shoot, but also not getting bad shots.

Amazing! This has to be the biggest upset in tournament history. All the other #2s that lost (Syracuse, Arizona, Iowa State, South Carolina, Georgetown) were not as big a favorite to make the Final Four and win it all than this Michigan State team was.

Tom Izzo is still a great coach, but this is a major blemish on his record.

How do you allow 90 points to a #15 seed? Wow!

This is great for Syracuse, increases their chances to win by about 100% or more, but this is really bad for my brackets. I don't think I had any without Michigan State in the Final Four and in most of them I had State winning it all.

#7 Iowa vs. #10 Temple

Definitely the right call on that controversial out of bounds play, went off the Temple player's leg.

Terrible late game execution by Iowa. They had so many empty possessions, missed free throws and then the dumbest foul in the history of the world. I wouldn't mind fouling a guy with the ball on the floor in a 3-point game, but once he shoots you get out of the way.

I love that play for a last-second shot. Drive hard to the basket get a shot up and crash for the rebound. Definitely got the shot off in the time but Woodbury definitely could have been called for a push in the back.

What a way to end a classic matchup of coaches named Fran.

#2 Oklahoma vs. #15 Cal State Bakersfield

There can't be two 15 over 2 seed upsets can there?

Oklahoma shut that down with a big run midway through the second half.

#5 Maryland vs. #12 South Dakota State

Maryland didn't want to be another a 5-12 victim.

Maryland is just one of those teams, lots of talent, don't always play well, but could be dangerous.

Great comeback by the Jackrabbits, but unfortunate that they couldn't even get a shot off with a chance to tie the game.

Tournament Thoughts: Syracuse vs. Dayton

First two shots are missed 3s by Cooney and Gbinije. Syracuse has no inside scoring, but they can't just settle for 3s. They need to drive and dish.

DaJuan Coleman can't catch a pass or make a layup. And he's often out of position defensively. The team might be better off without him next year.

The nets were too long? Who even makes extra long nets? For what purpose? And I see why that is less than optimal, but why would they have a major impact? A major distraction for shooters?

Billy wanted you all to see this:



Syracuse must make shots to win this game, or any game. They started off 1 for 9 and the 1 was a putback by Roberson. It took nearly 10 minutes to make a shot from beyond 2 feet.

Syracuse should not make this game a 3-point shooting contest because it's much easier to get open shots against this zone than Dayton's man defense.

Franklin Howard is now 1 for 16 on 3-point attempts this season.

Malachi Richardson was the best player in the first half. He kept the team in it when no one could make a shot.

Huge shot by Gbinije to give SU a 10-point lead with 15 minutes left.

Huge run of 3s to give SU a 26-5 start to the second half.

Interesting decision to leave Richardson in with 3 fouls and 16 minutes. The other option is Frank Howard who can't shoot, do I don't necessarily disagree with the decision. He ended up playing 8 more minutes before picking up his 4th, another dumb one, but he played a pick part of that huge SU run.

We entered the part of the game where Syracuse implements what I call the Jim Boeheim Memorial No Points Offense. Lots of teams do it, they try to bleed the clock, which is strategically sound, but they do it too well and end up getting bad shots. There has to be a balance between using time and still getting good shots.

Great game for Richardson, 21 points when he fouled out. Tyler Lydon was second with 14 points.

And Roberson was critical with 18 rebounds. One short of Derrick Coleman's school record for a tournament game, which game in the 1987 title game against Indiana.

Those three guys will all be back next year. Maybe there is hope for the future.

Two things I don't often get to say about Syracuse. They outrebounded their opponent by 20.
And they shot 87% from the line (20-23) while their opponent was 44% (9-19).

Huge victory to at least partially validate their inclusion to the tournament. But that's not important. What matters is beating Michigan State.

Final Score:
Syracuse 70 Dayton 51

Otto feels like break dancing

Tournament Thoughts: Late Thursday

#3 Miami vs. #14 Buffalo

Miami vs. Buffalo, reminds me of the AFC East.

Miami point guard Angel Rodriguez played for Kansas State in 2012 as a freshman in the tournament against Syracuse.

Buffalo just would not quit. Blake Hamilton with a big 3. Ian Eagle made a "Hamilton" joke at one point. I feel like most of the country has no fuckin clue what he was talking about.

But Miami eventually shut it down and won easily.

#1 North Carolina vs #16 Florida Gulf Coast

Some fools said that if a 1 is ever going to lose to a 16, this could be the time. I didn't think it was possible but FGCU certainly held their own.

UNC just has too much talent, especially up front to get upset by a 16.

#5 Indiana vs. #12 Chattanooga

I love Yogi Ferrell as a player. A great distributor.

His sister isn't as enamored with him as I am.
Her shirt said "Yogi isn't famous, he's my annoying brother."

#3 Utah #14 Fresno State

This was my upset special of the first round. 12-5s are so common they no longer count.

I always love seeing Larry Krystowiak roaming the sidelines for Utah.

Huge sequence that referees may have blown costing Fresno St. two points. With the score 47-40 Utah's Brandon Taylor is dribbling, loses his footing. Fresno State has the ball in frontcourt for an easy layup. Right before they lay it in they blew the whistle for a flagrant on Taylor who had grabbed the leg of a Bulldog while flat on his back. I think they're supposed to let the play conclude in that case, not sure of that rule however. But instead of the basket, 2 shots and the ball, they just got 2 shots and they ball, and missed one free throw.

Utah started the game leading 31-16. Fresno State came back with a 32-16 spurt to take a one-point lead.

But then Utah sealed it with a 20-5 run.

#6 Arizona vs. #11 Wichita St.

Wichita State is the best defensive team in the country. They play stifling D and on offense they give the ball to VanVleet and he dribbles around until he finds an open 3-point shooter. That's their game.

Sean Miller completely soaked through his shirt. Does this happen every game? Or is it particularly hot in there?

Arizona goes scoreless for 10 minutes, but trails by "only" 10. Nails 2 3-pointers and gets right back in the game.

Sean Miller got a warning about staying in the coach's box. I have complained about this for years. A rule that is NEVER enforced.

A lot of times conventional wisdom is wrong, especially on these NCAA tournament upsets. But this one looked a little too obvious. Poor Arizona. They didn't get screwed though, just unlucky. I do think Wichita State deserve some preferential treatment because of early-season injuries, but they weren't terribly underseeded, maybe a line or two. The committee cannot consider the past success of a program when seeding. And should not.

But this is only the beginning, a lot of people have them going a lot further, beating Miami and then maybe Villanova or the winner of Iowa vs Temple.

#4 Kentucky vs. #13 Stony Brook

This is not the Kentucky team many people thought they were picking. Pedigree means nothing when the entire team leaves for the pros every year. Tyler Ulis and Skal Labissiere are fine players but they are not Anthony Davis or Karl-Anthony Towns.
I picked them for the Final Four as a UNC alternative on one bracket, but I am little confidence in that pick.



#8 USC vs. #9 Providence

I hope everyone remembers USC coach Andy Enfield from his incredible run in the tournament with Florida Gulf Coast.

And his wife, Amanda Marcum Enfield, the former Maxim model.

Lewis Johnson drinking beet juice, hilarious!

Every time Providence needed a basket Kris Dunn was there. But he got in foul trouble and wasn't prudent enough with his aggressiveness, picking up a 4th with 7 minutes to go. Bur he nailed at least 3 3s when they needed them.

Wow, what a finish! USC just couldn't put them away, missed free throws, failure to grab loose balls. And then how do you let a guy slip under like that? Amazing play drawn up by Ed Cooley.

We're going to hear a lot of excuses about this Seton Hall loss: the altitude, yes Whitehead was sucking wind but Gonzaga (and all the other teams in Denver) are dealing with it too
fatigue after winning the Big East tournament, mostly bullshit, every team plays conference tournaments. It was 5 days ago
officiating, probably the most relevant, because it was uneven at times and the big men Seton Hall needed to defense Sabonnis and Wiltjer were in constant foul trouble

If anything, Seton Hall believed these excuses and felt and looked defeated very early on in this game.

But most likely Seton Hall just played an excellent team that was a bad matchup for them and they had a bad night, especially Whitehead, at the wrong time.

Tournament Thoughts - Early Thursday

#4 Duke vs. #13 UNC-Wilmington:


Duke's Brandon Ingram is 6-foot-9 and only 190 el bees. That is not a lot of el bees for someone that tall.

Speaking of el bees I wonder if Sports anchor at WECT (in Wilmington) John Smist is at this game.

It's a shame that Grayson Allen acted like such a dick, he really is a fine player.

Hard to say this about a Coach K team but Duke often looks disorganized on defense. Like they don't know where to be or aren't giving the effort needed to get there quickly. When Duke has been upset teams didn't slow the game down on them (Lehigh scored 75 in 2012, Mercer scored 78 in 2014).

They have a lot of similar sized athletes, but many of them overlap or completely lack a position.

I don't put too much stock in the motivational abilities of a fiery halftime speech, but Duke certainly came out playing tougher defense than they had in the first half.

Chase Jeter is the name of the child Mrs. Poop would have had if she had married her first choice.

UNCW on the other hand came out a little too aggressive. Their big man CJ Gettys fouled out with 10 minutes left, putting Duke in the bonus.

Great job by the Seahawks as they continued to make shots and put the pressure on Duke. But Duke responded, and when they were able to break they press they got a bunch of easy baskets because UNCW's rim protector had fouled out.
Tons of fouls called on both sides. The refs called it tight, which will surely be controversial, especially on some of the block/charges that were questionable.
#8 Texas Tech vs. #9 Butler: Good game between two good teams. Exactly what an 8-9 game should be.

Tech got an early lead. Butler fought back. When Butler made 3s, they had the advantage, when Tech was going inside they had the advantage. Butler just got hot from the outside late in the game.

Tubby Smith taking his 5th school to the touranemt: Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota and now Texas Tech. He won at least 1 game with the first three, not Minnesota or Texas Tech yet.

#8 Colorado vs. #9 Connecticut:

UConn always seems to have these huge shot blockers who can't do much else. Hasheem Thabeet immediately comes to mind. Hopefully no one wastes the second pick in the NBA Draft on Amida Brimah.

It looked like Colorado was going to run away with it but they started getting sloppy with the ball and over about a minute stretch UConn cut a 9-point lead to 2. In all, it became a 24-7 run over 8 minutes.

And then it was UConn's turn to try to lose the game, but the Buffs ran out of time. I thought there was a missed foul when Colorado stole the ball down by 3, but it wasn't called and UConn stole it right back.

#4 Iowa State vs. #13 Iona
Iona tried to make a game of it but Iowa State just had too much size. And talented big men.

I really think the Cyclones are a sleeper Final Four team.

#5 Baylor vs. #12 Yale

Those heady Ivy Leaguers once again giving fits to a more athletic team from a big conference.

Interesting story surrounding Yale. Jack Montague was kicked off the team after being accused of sexual assault. He says it was consensual and the school is using him as a "whipping boy" to show they are tough on sexual assault cases.

The only thing more pompous than an Ivy League a capella group, except for an Ivy League a capella group called The Whiffenpoofs.

Yale has Trey Phills, the song of Bobby Phills, the former Hornets guard who got killed while racing his car with David Wesley. Trey was only 3.

With 15 minutes left, trailing by 3 Rico Geathers yelled at Taurean Waller-Prince and Prince shoved him.

First major upset. Another for the Ivies! Yale vs. Duke is a pretty intellectual matchup.

#1 Virginia vs. #16 Hampton

Typical 1 vs 16 matchup. The fact the Virginia won in a blowout doesn't say anything either way about what the team will do in the next game and down the road.

Crazy scene with Tony Bennett nearly passing out during the game. He said he was just dehydrated and that seems right. He seemed ok when he returned for the second half.

#1 Kansas vs. #16 Austin Peay

Similar story, nothing to see here, move along.

#5 Purdue vs. #12 Arkansas-Little Rock

What a comeback by Little Rock, amazing shot-making by Josh Hagans. Maybe a little Curry-inspired there, better to take a shot from a few feet farther out than to get closer and be closely guarded.

When people talk about the importance of guard play in the tournament they are referring to what happened at the end of this game. Purdue couldn't get the ball up the court and into their offense.

Terrible job by Little Rock wasting two possessions with a 1-point lead. You have to continue to attack! Every time they got a lead they killed the whole clock on their next possession and got lousy shots. They also committed two fouls with less than a minute left in overtime. You gotta be smarter than that!

He missed them both!

He fell!

Normally to be a great game you want to have good plays at the end of the game, but this was still exciting because of all the great shots that got them to this point.

What a great way to end the opening session.

12 seeds are 8-6 in the last 4 tournaments. And that includes zero upsets last year.

Upsets and Favorites

Before March Madness gets going I thought I would share some thoughts about the bracket, unfortunately all my thoughts seem to be taken by everyone else too. Kansas, UNC and Michigan State: Almost everyone is picking them for the Final Four and so am I.

Villanova and Virgina: Have recently been high seeds and always disappoint.

Oregon and Xavier: Good teams that are being overlooked because of their pedigree, or lack thereof, don't be surprised to see one in the Final Four.

Oklahoma: I really like this team but I am scared off by how much they rely on the 3-point shot. One bad game and you can lose to anyone.

Fourth Final Four team: If I choose Texas A&M I am going with the same four teams as Pres. Obama, which isn't bad politically, but it is bad strategically. So that leaves me with Duke, Baylor and Texas. I like Texas, but their best interior player, Cameron Ridley, is limited in how many minutes he can play. Believe it or not I'm going with Duke.

12 over 5 upsets: I do like Indiana and they suffered an upset on an unlucky shot in the Big Ten tournament. Baylor is playing Yale, and though Ivy teams do have a history of upsets and near-upsets, I don't think Yale has what it takes. That leaves South Dakota State over Maryland, and Arkansas-Little Rock over Purdue, so I am going to pick them both. UALR because they play a slow style that could breed an upset and SDSU because Maryland has a lot of talent but has terribly underachieved.

11 over 6 upsets: I like Texas and Notre Dame to advance, but I am picking against Seton Hall and Arizona. Seton Hall won a difficult conference and faces a Gonzaga team with a couple of good big men in Sabonis and Wiltjer. Arizona just got a tough draw vs. Wichita State. The Shockers got the 11 seed they deserved, maybe underseeded by a little, but they struggled with injuries so they're actually better than they appear. They play great defense (#1 in kenpom's AdjD) and have two great experienced player in Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker. And I actually have both those teams winning two games. Because...

14 over 3 upset: I am picking Fresno State to beat Utah. Utah is a 3-seed but ranked 28th by kenpom. But they were 13th in what the site classifies as luck. Their luck runs out.

13 over upset: Not picking any because they only one I kind of like is Iona vs Iowa State, but talented big men usually help stave off upsets.

10 or 7 over 2 upset: I am picking Iowa to knock off Villanova, setting up a matchup vs Wichita State in the Sweet 16 for the opportunity to play Kansas for a chance to go to the Final Four. You may remember the battle of Kansas from last year, when a big deal was made of the Jayhawks not playing the Shockers. Wichita State got them last year, the result could be different this time but I have Iowa disrupting it.

As for my pick to win it all. I am going with Tom Izzo and Denzel Valentine.

Bracket Breakdown

Two big things are always debated right after the brackets are released:
The best teams to get in -- the #1 seeds -- and the worst teams to get in -- those final at-large berths.

I really have no problem with what they did at the top line, though I can quibble with Virginia over Michigan State, there really isn't much difference between 4 and 5 overall. They'll be able to settle their differences on the court. Michigan State beat UVa in the second round two straight years.

Some people have problems with Oregon, but it goes back to a misunderstanding about the strength of the Pac-12. They have 9 top 50 wins, 10 if you include a victory over #51 USC.

Now we get to the bubble teams. As usual the committee completely effed small conference teams that didn't win their conference tournaments. I like St. Bonaventure. They're in the 7th strongest league and finished 30th in RPI, making them the highest ranked team to get left out. And they have 3 Top 50 wins (St. Joseph's twice & Dayton). But surely they were hurt by losing to Davidson in the conference tournament and losing head-to-head to Syracuse earlier in the year.

A lot of people are also talking about Monmouth. They went 1-1 against the Top 50, beat Notre Dame, lost to Dayton and split against USC #51. And if you are hating on Syracuse for losing to #245 St. John's, how can you advocate for Monmouth, which lost to #222 Canisius, #214 Army & #228 Manhattan. But it would have been nice to see what their bench would have done deep in a close game.

St. Mary's another bubble team, beat Gonzaga twice (and nobody else), but not when it counted, as the Zags earned the WCC berth. And San Diego State, similar story, one big win (California) and a bunch of losses.

Granted Syracuse had a lot more chances against top teams and that's the rub of small conference teams versus the big boys.

But I think Vanderbilt might have an even worse resume than the Orange, 10 spots better in the RPI but only 2-7 against the top 50.

The committee says Tulsa was the last team in, and would have gotten bumped had Memphis earned an automatic bid, but with 4 top 50 wins, I still think they have a better resume than Vanderbilt.

Others are also clowning on Michigan, but at 21-12, 11 of their losses came against top-50 teams.

Overall, I am looking forward to the tournament as always. I don't think there is a clear favorite has there recently has been, but I also don't buy the hype that there are 15-20 teams that can win it all. I'm quite certain the champion is coming off the top 2 lines, but I also think there are upsets that will happen as well.

And March will always be madness.