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March Madness Friday

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Off Topic
Posted on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 12:45:47 PM EST
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I'm off to a roaring start in the tourney, hitting on most of my upset picks with my brackets intact (Mich. State, Villanova, Syracuse, Memphis.)

How are you doing in your March Madness pools?

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    March Madness Friday | 81 comments (81 topical)

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    Favorite game of yesterday (5.00 / 2) (#26)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:43:11 PM EST
    12th seeded Western Kentucky beats 5th seeded Illinois!

    It was salve for the American loss to Villanova

    More favorite underdog upsets (none / 0) (#73)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 12:18:59 AM EST
    Wake Forest relatively creamed by Cleveland State.  Wisconsin beats Florida State.

    I am particularly fond of underdog upsets this time, because my 13th seeded Lady Griz are matched with 4th seeded Pitt tomorrow.  We can do it too!

    Game at 5:00pm PT tomorrow on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com.

    Parent

    I have Citigroup meeting Bank of America (5.00 / 2) (#30)
    by steviez314 on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:50:32 PM EST
    in the Finals, but I had to spot BofA $39 Billion.

    Watch out for (none / 0) (#47)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:04:10 PM EST
    the sleeper - AIG to come from behind and walk away with not only the championship trophy, but the bonus money paid to the coach.

    Parent
    Did Bernanke really say (none / 0) (#52)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:33:31 PM EST
    government must "monitor" bonuses?

    Parent
    Go East Tennessee! (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 03:53:15 PM EST
    I'd love to see Pitt eat it today.  #16 should not be giving #1 a run for its money!

    Go on, admit it. (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by scribe on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 03:59:14 PM EST
    This is where you want to be to watch the games.

    I'm just following the NIT... (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by jeffinalabama on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:02:40 PM EST
    what can I say?

    Go Auburn, Florida, and in the NCAA go Carolina! (oh, and any SEC team)

    Portland State is playing (5.00 / 1) (#61)
    by caseyOR on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 06:34:34 PM EST
    Xavier right this very minute. Go, Vikings!

    I don't know anything about Xavier; most people I've talked to don't think Portland State has a chance. But I have hope.

    I don't see how anyone can brag (none / 0) (#1)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 12:53:21 PM EST
    about their brackets w/o posting the actual brackets!

    I posted my first round picks (none / 0) (#2)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 12:56:52 PM EST
    and my Final 4.

    Believe me, you'll know how I did.

    Parent

    I don't doubt that for a moment. (none / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 12:57:51 PM EST
    I just thought "bracketology" required actual brackets.

    Parent
    Still perfect... (none / 0) (#4)
    by Steve M on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 12:58:10 PM EST
    Rooting for Utah State, Tennessee, Kansas in the early games.

    Braggart (none / 0) (#5)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:03:13 PM EST
    I've lost 3, but still in 3rd in the family pool, and I can catch them this afternoon with a win by Tennessee and a win by Wisconsin.

    Parent
    Please advise. Should (none / 0) (#6)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:04:46 PM EST
    I bet the farm on Michigan over Oklahoma?

    Parent
    Only if... (none / 0) (#9)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:11:31 PM EST
    ...you've got the cash to lose.  Sentimental bets never seem to work out well.  

    OU has one of the best big men in the country and if Michigan can't find a way to stop him, its going to be a loooong day for maize and blue.

    Parent

    Got it. I'll be at San Francisco Giants/ (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:12:35 PM EST
    Padres spring training game anyhow.  

    Parent
    Lucky you! n/t (none / 0) (#11)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:14:22 PM EST


    Parent
    It is soooo hard to keep the economy (none / 0) (#42)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 03:53:15 PM EST
    going singlehandedly.

    Parent
    I would not (none / 0) (#12)
    by Steve M on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:18:39 PM EST
    Michigan is young and inexperienced.  They have some impressive talent - so you never know what they might be capable of - but relying on an inexperienced team in the tourney is a recipe for heartbreak.

    Parent
    Bring back the A-11 (none / 0) (#8)
    by scribe on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:06:08 PM EST
    like in this comment, and let's get over this basketball thing.

    This basketball will never last - flash in the pan....

    I'm still bemused (none / 0) (#13)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:19:53 PM EST
    by getting my degrees at Midwest schools, two of which are my picks -- but I guess neither is known, nor is the NCAA, for mastery of geography.  

    One is in the East bracket, and one is in the West bracket . . . although the one in the East is located well west of the one in the West.  

    I was trying to explain this to an Aussie coming here, who considered college here but got her degree in geography there.  And for that, she decided, she is grateful.

    Back in the day (none / 0) (#16)
    by Steve M on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:27:16 PM EST
    when travel was more burdensome, teams were always assigned to the local region.  Originally you had an East and West Region, and later it became 4 regions.  No one had to travel very far, except for the team that actually won the region and had to go to Kansas City for the championship game or Final Four.

    So if the best two teams were Duke and North Carolina, they couldn't play in the finals, they'd always have to play each other in the regional finals.  (Mind you, that couldn't have happened anyway, because only one team from each conference made the tournament in those days.)

    Now that travel is easier, the selection committee has the luxury of assigning teams to play all the way across the country in an effort to balance the regions in terms of difficulty.  So UCLA can be in the East and Maryland can be in the West, as they are this year.  Getting to stay close to home is either a reward for the very best teams or else sheer luck.

    Parent

    And BYU (none / 0) (#24)
    by jbindc on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:36:43 PM EST
    can't play on Sundays.

    Parent
    And when they seed the brackets (none / 0) (#35)
    by scribe on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 02:26:44 PM EST
    even though it looks like there are 4 brackets of 16 (plus a play-in team), there is really one bracket of 65, seeded so that 64 and 65 play in, #1 overall gets be the #1 in its regional bracket of 16 and to play the winner of 64-65, #2 gets to be #1 in its regional bracket of 16 and play #63 overall, #3 gets to be #1 in its regional bracket of 16 and play #62 overall, #4 gets to be #1 in its regional bracket of 16 and play #61 overall, and so on.

    Kinda evens out the seeding even more.

    Parent

    Oh, I know all the reasons (none / 0) (#44)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 03:59:02 PM EST
    so I said I was bemused by it, not confused by it.

    But thanks for the review, so I can try to explain it to the Aussie.  History, not geography. :-)

    Parent

    Did you really have to choose (none / 0) (#50)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:31:11 PM EST
    the word "bemused"?  <snk>

    Parent
    I like the word -- (none / 0) (#59)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 05:14:45 PM EST
    why is it a problem?!

    Parent
    oculus is being snarky. Bemused is BTD's (5.00 / 1) (#78)
    by Teresa on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 02:45:04 AM EST
    new friend/stalker/agitator.

    Parent
    D'oh! I've read those posts, (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by jeffinalabama on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 10:08:24 AM EST
    I made no connection. I guess I need some smart pills, lol.

    Parent
    Can't go there. (none / 0) (#60)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 05:51:48 PM EST


    Parent
    Odd. (none / 0) (#64)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 10:16:14 PM EST
    There 'tis.

    Parent
    Hint: (none / 0) (#71)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 11:59:02 PM EST
    try "bemused" in search function.

    Parent
    Ah, now I get it (none / 0) (#85)
    by Cream City on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 11:40:25 AM EST
    -- you mean under comments, i.e., a certain commenter.  Having heeded the warning to ignore said commenter, your comment went right past me.

    Parent
    Utah State! (none / 0) (#15)
    by Steve M on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:21:11 PM EST
    The Aggies take their first lead over sixth-seeded Marquette with 5 minutes left in the game!  Go upsets!

    If Marquette loses, it's punishment for the administration refusing to consider the awesome nickname "Jumpin' Jesuits" when they renamed the team a few years back.

    Yeh, youbetcha (none / 0) (#17)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:27:34 PM EST
    As an alum, I had a vote, and you can bet that I voted against the dumb Big Yellow Birds name.

    I'm so retro, I wrote in the old name: Hilltoppers.:-)  But I got a lot of lobbying from family and friends to vote for Jumpin' Jevvies.

    Parent

    At least they're not (none / 0) (#37)
    by scribe on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 02:29:50 PM EST
    banana slugs or salukis.

    Or, like someone said about afghan hounds:  Gorgeous and utterly useless.

    Parent

    Funny links -- and for you (none / 0) (#38)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 02:33:57 PM EST
    and Steve M, here's a Jumpin' Jevvie!

    Parent
    How about UCI's Anteaters? (none / 0) (#43)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 03:54:48 PM EST


    Parent
    Can't compete (none / 0) (#48)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:24:34 PM EST
    with the Scottsdale Fighting Articokes

    Parent
    errr (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:25:12 PM EST
    Artichokes (I choked)

    Parent
    Didn't realize you advocated (none / 0) (#55)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:35:49 PM EST
    decriminalization!

    Parent
    Marquette! (none / 0) (#28)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:47:31 PM EST
    Sorry, Steve. :-)

    Parent
    I am partial to Marquette (none / 0) (#31)
    by Steve M on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:57:54 PM EST
    My best friend is an alum.  I actually went to an alumni event with her a few years back, I thought it was a nice campus.  So I wish them all the success.

    Parent
    Aw, that's nice (none / 0) (#34)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 02:10:37 PM EST
    and yes, so is the campus now -- after a considerable and costly investment.  Downtown as it is, it used to feel far more urban and far less friendly before the closing of the internal streets and the cleanup of the city's main street straight through it.  But even then, the campus still was far too sprawled out -- until the Dahmer days.  Then MU got hit hard and hit to hit its endowment even harder to buy up land closer to campus for dorms, clean it out and build it up, etc. . . .

    Several buildings may be new since you were there, especially the new Student Union and the new Al McGuire Arena.  But you and others here may be more interested in the building that is going up now: a new law school building that is going to be quite state-of-the-art, and it's beautifully located for local firms using the law library, too.  The location is what is left of the hill that made them the Hilltoppers -- or what was left of it, and now it's not a hill but a hole as the foundation is being poured. . . .

    Parent

    The best (none / 0) (#39)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 02:36:18 PM EST
    of Marquette basketball was always their uniforms even more so than the basketball team. If they last four games you may see four different uniforms. My favorite was the "tucked out" uniform with the Charlie Brown stripes from long long ago.

    Parent
    I see a movie script in there (none / 0) (#51)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:32:35 PM EST
    somewhere.  Married male, almost father of two, claims best friend is female.

    Parent
    Actually (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by Steve M on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:38:33 PM EST
    for a while she lived together with my wife and I, before we were married!  But I've already said too much.

    Parent
    Best Friend (none / 0) (#54)
    by CoralGables on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:34:15 PM EST
    played by Julia Roberts?

    Parent
    Some close games right now (none / 0) (#18)
    by magster on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:28:24 PM EST
    North Dakota even playing Kansas close, although Kansas looks like they'll hang on.
    No doubt... (5.00 / 2) (#20)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:30:42 PM EST
    ...a certain TL poster is sitting on the edge of her seat screaming at the TV for Tennessee to pull it out.

    Parent
    Yes dangit even though I knew we would (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by Teresa on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 10:09:34 PM EST
    lose. A guard-oriented team will always beat this one. Why didn't Tyler drive to the basket instead of shooting a three? I would have taken a two for the tie.

    Parent
    Oh man... (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 10:17:11 PM EST
    ...that had to be a stomach-churner for you to watch!  Tyler had a pretty good look at that shot--just wasn't meant to be.  

    Was Coach wearing his day-glow orange sports coat again?  He needs to burn that thing if he was!

    On the bright side, it's almost time for Spring football...  

    Parent

    No, no orange coat. (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by Teresa on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 10:58:18 PM EST
    I'm excited for football! We probably won't be too good but we just got the #1 ranked player in the country this week.

    I still think Tyler was supposed to pass it off. He is so hard on himself, I couldn't listen to our post game show. Josh Tabb shoots 44% from the 3 and no one ever guards him. I would have had let him bring it up.

    Now, I'm rooting for LSU, Michigan State for the baby, and Western Ky. And maybe Wake. I'm rooting for Wisconsin right now because people dogged them so bad.

    Parent

    Teresa, too bad about the Vols (5.00 / 1) (#70)
    by caseyOR on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 11:31:18 PM EST
    It was a good game. Portland State lost to Xavier. So, no more Oregon teams in the race to the Final Four. The evil Memphis continues on, though.

    So, I'm thinking I'll root for Michigan State because I grew up in the Big 10 and SteveM is a nice guy; Wake because you're right, they get no respect; Gonzaga because they are the Northwest's perennial small school favorite.

    I think the soon-to-be-born baby has picked Villanova to win it all.  (SteveM, do I have that right?). So, I'll be following them, too.

    And, just let me reassure you-- I will never cheer for Memphis, even if they play Duke. Not ever.

    Parent

    That's the FedEx Tigers casey! (none / 0) (#74)
    by Teresa on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 02:29:13 AM EST
    I'm pulling for about the same as you. I have to pull for LSU, too, though. I like Gonzaga too. They beat us twice this year! Great coach who seems happy where he is.

    Parent
    Shoot casey. Wake lost. lol (none / 0) (#79)
    by Teresa on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 03:41:42 AM EST
    I don't know how I missed that upset.

    Parent
    I'm down to... (5.00 / 1) (#72)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 12:02:40 AM EST
    ...my back-up sentimental regional teams--Washington and Maryland.  And the Hilltoppers as my feel-good team since North Dakota State and Northern Iowa lost.  

    I used to just love going to the Spring game. It was one big celebration of Spring party. Always a welcome thing after a cold, hard Iowa Winter. Doesn't look like they're going to have one this year as they're changing out the turf from natural to synthetic turf.  Hope it makes our guys a little quicker!

    Parent

    I've watched some late night games (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by Teresa on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 02:37:29 AM EST
    this year from the Pac 10 and I like Washington too. There are a lot of teams that I could be happy with winning. Just not Memphis :)

    Yes - go Western KY. I love 5 seed games. I would rather be a 6 or 7 than a 5.

    I think the Vol spring game is on Fox Sports so I'll be watching. My back is hurting and I just can't make the walk up those hills to the stadium. Our new coach has pi**ed off every other SEC coach so this could be interesting! Plus we play UCLA and he and Norm Chow are big enemies. I'm not sure why...I need to read up on that one.

    Parent

    How does someone who lives in CO and (none / 0) (#77)
    by Teresa on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 02:41:17 AM EST
    is from Iowa (I thought) have back-up sentimental favorites on opposite sides of the country?

    Parent
    Pretty simple really. (5.00 / 1) (#81)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 09:18:10 AM EST
    Mom was born and raised in Baltimore (moved to Iowa when she got married).  And being a Polack, my extended family is seemingly half of the population of Maryland.  

    Everyone in my immediate family, except for my brother in MN, now reside in the Seattle area.  

    Parent

    I kid you not-the Wisconsin player shot (none / 0) (#67)
    by Teresa on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 11:02:45 PM EST
    and just as the ball left his hand, they switched us to Siena/OhSt. Has CBS never heard of a split screen? I guess it's overtime?

    Parent
    Wasn't that awful? But WHEE (5.00 / 1) (#69)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 11:24:13 PM EST
    . . . both of my almae mater won today.  Fun times on Water Street AND State Street tonight. :-)

    Parent
    I couldn't beleive they did that! I will have (none / 0) (#75)
    by Teresa on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 02:31:36 AM EST
    the games up on my computer if it happens again. Two overtimes at the same time and both the teams I pulled for won! Maybe my jinx days are over :)

    Good luck the rest of the way. I hope they don't have to play each other!

    Parent

    We could believe it in my town (none / 0) (#82)
    by Cream City on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 10:03:45 AM EST
    where, as noted here last week, local cable did the same thing at the end of the Marquette game -- to run one of those allegedly random emergency alerts that somehow never randomly run during commercials.  (The apologists here for that snafu could not address, of course, why it doesn't happen during commercials.)

    So we now are going to live-stream the last quarter of the Wisconsin and Marquette games on a laptop  next to the tv, just in case the idjits do it again.

    Parent

    The curse of the 5 seed. (none / 0) (#68)
    by Teresa on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 11:17:40 PM EST


    Parent
    And OK State says to you "AND ONE" (none / 0) (#22)
    by magster on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:32:06 PM EST
    I don't care who wins....

    Parent
    Lots of (none / 0) (#23)
    by eric on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:35:11 PM EST
    NDSU fans here in Minneapolis.

    Parent
    13 of 16 (none / 0) (#21)
    by eric on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:31:40 PM EST
    but I had to pick my home team, Minnesota, even though I really had my doubts.  Butler and Illinois were the other two misses.

    Aw! (none / 0) (#27)
    by Steve M on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:44:01 PM EST
    We wuz robbed, I tell ya.  Guess you can't win them all.

    Bwwaaah. (none / 0) (#29)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:49:13 PM EST
    But yeh, that second half was quite a switch.  Reading the live blog on the online Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gave me the heebie jeebies about the Jumpin' Jevvies.  

    Btw, free throws won it (none / 0) (#32)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 01:58:15 PM EST
    for Marquette, 19 of 24 at the line.

    That, of course, is not a good sign.  But fans get to carpe diem, as they say at Marquette (where every syllabus includes at least some Latin:-).

    cx: stats fixed at 19 of 23 (none / 0) (#33)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 02:05:37 PM EST
    from the line overall for MU -- and 11 of 14 in the final three and a half minutes or so.  

    Best news is that high scorer Hayward and a couple of others might get some attention from the NBA, which has been focused on McNeal -- who was not at his best today.  

    Oh, and . . . take that, Tom Crean.

    Parent

    Failed from the start (none / 0) (#36)
    by andgarden on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 02:27:25 PM EST
    Because I didn't do one! I'm clueless about college basketball.

    Amtrak does NOT have wifi, but I do have ATT's spotty 3G on my iPhone.

    Call VP's office and request (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:34:06 PM EST
    upgrade.

    Parent
    You are looking at this the (none / 0) (#57)
    by oculus on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:38:34 PM EST
    wrong way.  You and I are winners.  Just look at all the extra time we have.

    Parent
    Oh, I'll find some other way (5.00 / 1) (#58)
    by andgarden on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 04:49:29 PM EST
    to waste it. . .

    Parent
    Bruce Pearl made my day (none / 0) (#40)
    by Cream City on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 02:37:19 PM EST
    because we won't have to see him again this year.

    Ugh.

    BTD, your Gators (none / 0) (#62)
    by indy in sc on Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 06:56:11 PM EST
    are manhandling my Canes in the NIT tonight.  At the half, it's not looking good for my team.

    My NCAA tourney brackets are o.k., but not great 20 of 24 so far.

    FSU - We Hardly Knew Ye (none / 0) (#80)
    by john horse on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 07:24:01 AM EST
    Out in round 1.  Heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin.
    They left us too early.

    Heckuva team. Thought they had it (none / 0) (#83)
    by Cream City on Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 10:05:37 AM EST
    and would have deserved it.  And I say that as a Marquette fan.  

    Parent
    March Madness Friday | 81 comments (81 topical)

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