Four Days of Madness

Biggie Biggie Biggie, can't you see? Sometimes your words just hypnotize me.

2011-03-25T23:27:00.003-04:00

Kentucky and Ohio State remain close thru the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half, with only 1 point separating the teams. Maybe one team will choose to pull the "Hypnotize" move. Yes, it's bad. But also, awesome. This is what happens in the lower levels of "professional" wrestling. Trust me, it's worth watching.

All locked up.

2011-03-25T22:57:00.002-04:00

Ohio State and Kentucky are all locked up at half time, 30-30. 7 lead changes and 5 ties. Hopefully we'll get a great finish, as the first 2 games were absolute blow outs. Luckily, it's a basketball game, and not a singing competition. We've found another video of the OSU team attempting to sing, this one brought to you by Dallas Lauderdale. Yes, it's bad, but not nearly as a bad as Aaron Craft's attempt at "Party In the USA".

Street Baaaaallin

2011-03-25T22:56:00.005-04:00

Foreign Gus Johnson; also, best finish ever

2011-03-25T22:52:00.002-04:00

This pretty much sums up Derrick Williams' game last night

2011-03-25T22:46:00.002-04:00

Crushing.

2011-03-25T20:33:00.002-04:00

UNC is absolutely destroying Marquette, up 49-18 just minutes into the second half. Harrison Barnes is a beast, proved by this picture:

A brief comment on last night's games

2011-03-25T20:10:00.003-04:00

I don't always agree with Bill Simmons, but his tweet from last night was spot-on.

"New rule: if you killed Allen Iverson in his prime for being a ballhog, you can't be a cheerleader for 2011 Jimmer Fredette."

Hard to argue with that, and I'm a Jimmer fan and an Iverson apologist.

Duke losing makes angels smile

2011-03-25T20:01:00.006-04:00

I'm pretty sure that every time Duke loses a game, an angel earns its wings. I'm just sayin... To celebrate, lets all watch this video and rejoice!

Fact. Buzz Williams has a crazy big head. And, in this picture, appears to have sweet dance moves.

2011-03-25T19:37:00.001-04:00

Friday Night Madness

2011-03-25T19:33:00.002-04:00

Tonight I'm picking Marquette over UNC. Why? Not because I actually think they're better than UNC, but because I've been seeing my roommate, Heater, do this weird thing that the Marquette team does every time they hit a big shot. Seriously, Heater's been doing it for the last 3 months. This is what it looks like, except instead of being Heater, it's Jae Crowder, a 6'7 black guy. Pretty similar to Heater.

Week 2. Strong 2.

2011-03-24T16:25:00.002-04:00

The second weekend of the tournament starts tonight, and features two of the most dynamic players in college basketball this year, Jimmer Fredette of BYU and Kemba Walker of UCONN. Both have the ability to create their own shot, move well off of screens, and are deadly when left alone. Both could easily go for 40+ at any moment. I think the difference in both of their games tonight will be the play of their supporting cast. They both play very balanced teams in Florida (who in recent years has become a staple in college basketball when it comes to balance) and San Diego St who's athleticism could give Kemba and the Huskies problems. I hope for some great games tonight. Unfortunately, I'm off to work. But James will be in shortly to take over, and we'll both be bringing it tomorrow night.

My picks- SDSU, BYU, Butler, Duke

So I put my hands up! They're playing my song!

2011-03-20T22:09:00.003-04:00

Ohio State absolutely destroys George Mason. Jared Sullinger, John Diebler, Aaron Craft and crew look very strong heading into the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, I don't think any of these guys will ever have careers as musicians. Check out this video of them singing Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" Seriously, do it, it's worth it.

This video was made by the OSU athletic department, in an attempt to show the personality of the team. The video was shown during TV timeouts at Ohio State home games. Luckily, the video got released to the Internet world. And Purdue fans found it. When then number 1 Ohio State travelled to West Lafeyette to play Purdue, the Boilermaker fans were ready. Listen closely to the student section serenade player of the year candidate Jared Sullinger as he shoots free throws.

Fact. Bernard James, of Florida State, is 26 years old.

2011-03-20T22:07:00.002-04:00

Screw you old man, GO IRISH!

Fact. Gus Johnson is the best play-by-play announcer in sports.

2011-03-20T22:03:00.002-04:00

And..... We're back.

2011-03-20T21:49:00.003-04:00

Hello blog world. I've been away from the blog, as I went to my first ever NHL hockey game, seeing the Pittsburgh Penguins lose to the New York Rangers 5-2. Regardless, today has already seen the 2 ACC teams, UNC and Duke, advance to the Sweet 16 with narrow victories, winning by 2 and 3 respectively. UNC won despite John Henson making two bone head decisions down the stretch. He has to feel fortunate to not get called for a goal-tending on the last shot of the game. Arizona wins a thriller over Texas, who has to be pissed about a 5 second call while trying to inbound the ball with less than 20 seconds to play. VCU wins their 3rd game of the week, going from play-in game to the Sweet 16, beating USC, Georgetown, and routing Purdue in the process. Impressive.

I don't even know what to say. Or write.

2011-03-19T21:29:00.003-04:00

Crazy end to the Pitt/ Butler game. Crazy. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. More on this later. 1 thought, both fouls that were called were the correct calls. And bizarre, bone-head plays.

Fact. When James is here, the games are dull and boring. When James is at work, they're all awesome.

2011-03-19T20:38:00.002-04:00

I'm sure James will even agree. Case in point: James is at work on Thursday when the 3 of the first 4 games are decided in the last 4 seconds. He comes home from work and Thursday night is boring. Same as last night. When he was here today both games, though close, provide no real drama. Then after eating a few tacos he goes to work, and we're treated to the SDSU double OT win, the Pitt game which looks to be going down to the wire, and Jimmer and the Zags locked up in a shootout.

"It's Peanut Butter And Jimmer Time!" - Heater

2011-03-19T20:13:00.001-04:00

Also, first OT game of the tournament! I think Temple's going to pull off the upset here.

Hot Action.

2011-03-19T19:59:00.003-04:00

Things are really heating up now. SDSU and Temple are separated by 2, 54- 52, with 2 to play, Butler leads 1# seed Pitt by 8 at the half, and Jimmer and Gonzaga are just underway. Here's hoping for some drama! It's March, it's Madness.

Lesley Visser

2011-03-19T19:36:00.004-04:00

Ol' Lesley Visser has been a staple of CBS NCAA tournament coverage and NFL football as a sideline reporter for as long as I can remember. Visser was recently voted #1 Female Sportscaster of all time. During this year's tourney she looks like a hot mess. She's rocking a hairdo that looks like she just got out of bed after a 4 day long bender. She also appears to have

had some plastic surgery. Let's take a look. Lesley in the late 90's:

Here's what she's looking like these days:

On a related note, she was married to Dick Stockton, a legendary CBS sports announcer, for 28 years. Here's a photo of the two of them hooping it up:

Some thoughts.

2011-03-19T18:57:00.002-04:00

It's half time of the SDSU/ Temple game, and I gotta admit, I'm really impressed with the play of San Diego St. I've only seen them play once this year, and didn't know a whole lot about them. They're big, they're athletic, and they're skilled. Basically they're really fun to watch. And they have a guy who wears a long sleeve t-shirt under his jersey. I guess he's cold?! Richmond looks to be pulling away from Morehead St, and advancing to the sweet 16 as a 12 seed.

Taco Time!

2011-03-19T18:47:00.002-04:00

Dinner time in Pittsburgh, and it's a taco party. You can never go wrong with a taco party. And, as always, I ate too many.

Candy. Allison brings over a giant Easter basket. I think we now have all bases covered when it comes to snacks.

2011-03-19T16:03:00.002-04:00

Go Team! Nice Jerseys.

2011-03-19T15:51:00.002-04:00

UCLA and Florida are bringing us an exciting up and down game, with Florida up 2, 35-33 at the half. While Florida is winning in the score department, I'm pretty sure UCLA is always winning in the hottest cheerleaders competition. Known for their notoriously scantily clad outfits, they've done it once again with some nice jerseys this year.

Since this is a cheerleader post, it seems like the appropriate time to drop this gem from the Memphis cheer squad. It's a shame they lost last night, because it would have been great to see them celebrate like this again. And how does she not break her neck doing that?

Snacks.

2011-03-19T14:52:00.001-04:00

Kentucky heads to the Sweet 16

2011-03-19T14:39:00.004-04:00

Solid start to the third day of the tourney, if a bit anticlimactic given the way that game was shaping up. UK's freshman were clutch down the stretch: from the 2-minute mark on, Brandon Knight and Terrance Jones alone went 10 for 12 from the line. That's impressive for anyone in a pressure situation, but even more so for two freshman on their first trip to the tourney.

Maybe even more impressive are these two stats: WVU was held scoreless for the first 7 minutes in the 2nd half, and scored only 2 field goals in the final seven and half minutes.

That means we get no more hook shots from Deniz Kilicli, WVU's own Turkish Tornado/Istan-Bull. Oh well, there's always next year.

Mystery Science Theater

2011-03-19T13:50:00.004-04:00

As we've mentioned numerous times, we have a 2 tv, multi-laptop setup, which was ideal for the Thursday/Friday games when multiple games were being played. Due to the fact that only 1 game is currently on, that allows us the opportunity to watch something other than basketball for the first time in days. What are we watching? You guessed it, Bruce Lee's "Way of the Dragon." And since the sound is on for the basketball, the audio-less movie allows for some classic commentary in a Mystery Science Theater style from James, Heater, and Byler. Yes, it's hilarious. But maybe you have to be here to understand. And yes, that's Chuck Norris in the photo.

Fact. Casey Mitchell (WVU) has a really, really bad haircut. Also, a tattoo of a basketball with "Casey" in the middle.

2011-03-19T13:46:00.002-04:00

It's time to Cowboy up!

2011-03-19T13:08:00.002-04:00

Heater's picks of the day: "I have nothing to say." Well, thanks for the insight, Heater. We'll check back in with you later. Here's a picture of Heater back when he set the standard for cool.

Friendship.

2011-03-19T12:53:00.003-04:00

Turns out coach Bob Huggins (WVU) and John Calipari (UK) are good friends. I'm sure they have a great time trading dirty recruiting stories and tips on how to be general skeezballs.

On a related note, we wanted the blog world to know that we are still friends, despite rumors of tension due to lack of blogging. It's all good in Pittsburgh.

Technology!

2011-03-19T12:36:00.001-04:00

Our tournament setup currently includes two flat screens, three computers, and 4-5 smartphones. And one newspaper.

Daily Picks

2011-03-19T12:19:00.009-04:00

Kentucky over WVU- In a battle of two of the most annoying coaches in college B-ball, Kentucky's youth wins out over WVU.

Florida over UCLA- As said before, Billy Donovan wins tournament games

Morehead St over Richmond- Who doesn't love Morehead?

SDSU over Temple- Still waiting for Wade to give us the inside scoop on the Aztecs.

Pitt over Butler- Can't wait to see the battle down low between Gary McGhee (Predator) and Matt Howard (Ex Mustache).

Gonzaga over BYU- Upset city!?! Jimmer time is over. Though I expect him to go down fighting, expecting him to drop 40.

Kansas St over Wisco- Fear the beard.

UCONN over Cinnci- Kemba and the Huskies look to roll over the Bearcats.

Quick early notes

2011-03-19T12:19:00.007-04:00

I'm guessing WVU/Kentucky might be the game of the day. As I read earlier, Huggins is 8-1 against Kentucky in his career. And Kentucky? They struggled to beat the Ivy League Champions. As for the other games, I'm highlighting a Gonzaga win over BYU, and Kansas State over Wisconsin. I'm picking KSU because if I don't, I'm afraid Frank Martin will find me. The picture of Frank below looks scarily similar to Shorty when he realized I hadn't posted anything Thursday evening.

Don't Worry.

2011-03-19T12:05:00.002-04:00

Hello Blog world. I'm back, and ready to bring you a full day of quality blogging material. The last two nights I've been at work, which for some reason has killed the blog. It appears as though James has forgotten how to blog. Maybe he'll start today. I think he will. He's sitting right next to me. Don't worry, we're all good, and ready to deliver. Why? Because we love hoops. That, and we'll be eating tacos today. All day long.

Lunch.

2011-03-18T15:36:00.002-04:00

Today for lunch Heater made Brats with peppers, onions, and sauerkraut. Delicious.

Young? Old?

2011-03-18T15:04:00.002-04:00

Memphis and Arizona are underway in a matchup of two young coaches. Xavier coach Sean Miller is 42, while Memphis coach Josh Pastner is 33. Yup, 33. He was in college when we were in college. Does that make him young, or us old? You decide.

"It's time to curb stomp the Zips" - Heater

2011-03-18T14:53:00.001-04:00

A little harsh, but I fully agree. 39-30 Irish at the first tv timeout of the 2nd half.

Fanboys.

2011-03-18T14:16:00.003-04:00

Since I'm peppering the blog with Irish related posts, I figured now was the best time to revisit one of my favorite moments from the blog. James created this fantastic image of me and Luke Harangody celebrating an NIT victory. As you can see, we're both quite pumped up.

Go Irish. Beat Zips.

2011-03-18T14:03:00.001-04:00

We're fired up.

Fact. Ben Hansbrough (Psycho B) and Tyler Hansbrough (Psycho T) are brothers.

2011-03-18T13:55:00.003-04:00

Skylar McBee

2011-03-18T13:23:00.003-04:00

One of our best friends from high school, Brad Schrock, has a brother in law that plays basketball for the University of Tennessee. He plays about 12 minutes a game, and is part of a rotation that plays 10-11 guys regularly. He had a shining moment last year against then #1 Kansas, when 4 Vols were suspended due to drugs and guns, hitting a huge 3 late in the game to seal a upset over the Jayhawks.

In November Skylar and the Vols traveled to Pittsburgh to play Pitt. Heater and Lucas got a chance to go to the game with Brad and Skylar's brother Chase. Even though Skylar had to endure "Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber" chants from the Oakland Zoo (the Pitt student section), the Vols upset Pitt and looked like a sure Final Four team that day. And Heater and Lucas got to meet Bruce Pearl. They've had their struggles this year, but have the talent and depth to make a run. But they have to get by Michigan first, as they're down 4 at half.

Our inside info led us to this gem. One of Skylar's teammates, Renaldo Woolridge (Orlando Woolridge's son) is also a rapper on the side. "Swiperboy", as he's known, wrote a song about his team last year. Check it here:

"Those guys look like a bunch of Mennonites" - Lucas Miller

2011-03-18T13:22:00.001-04:00

In reference to the white guys on Michigan.

Daily 2 Picks

2011-03-18T13:13:00.002-04:00

Shorty- Texas, Tennessee, IRISH, George Mason, Duke, Arizona, Texas A&M, THE Ohio St, UNC, Marquette, Washington, Syracuse, Kansas, Purdue, Illinois, and VCU.

Heater- Texas, Tennessee, Irish, George Mason, Duke, Arizona, Texas A &M, Ohio St, UNC, Marquette, Washington, Syracuse, Kansas, Purdue, UNLV, Georgetown.

Lucas- Texas, Michigan, Irish, George Mason, Duke, Arizona, Texas A &M, Ohio St, UNC, Xavier, Washington, Syracuse, Kansas, Purdue, UNLV, Gtown.

One more note from Day 1

2011-03-18T09:44:00.003-04:00

Despite perfect weather in the 60s yesterday, the basketball-obsessed crew in our house didn't make it outside much. With the new staggered start times, basketball continues uninterrupted for 12 straight hours, keeping us from feeling bad enough to leave the house during the usual hour-long evening news break. Other than two meat-grilling sessions yesterday, apparently Heater and Lucas made it outside exactly once. What for, you ask? To enjoy a beer from the safety of our porch, with a laptop beside them streaming the current game action. Well played boys, well played. There's a Miller High Life commercial in there somewhere.

Day 2

2011-03-18T09:21:00.006-04:00

After three consecutive days of working into the evening, I'm hoping for a 12pm quitting time today to help facilitate a 12-hour gorge-fest of college hoops. The Oakland/Texas, Nova/George Mason, VCU/Georgetown, and Arizona/Memphis games should be interesting, but if the first day of the tourney teaches me anything on an annual basis, it's that I know nothing about college basketball.

My upset special for the day is Oakland over Texas. They've played a tough non-conference schedule and have wins over Tennessee and lost by one to Michigan State. Maybe not the best resume, but they've got a potent inside-out combo in Keith Benson and Reggie Hamilton that can score points: they've gone over 100 five times this year. And Rick Barnes? In 12 NCAA appearances, his team has exited in the 1st or 2nd round 7 times. Then again, he also has 12 straight appearances...but maybe I'm just hoping for an interesting game and potential upset by a team that shares my high school mascot: the Grizzly. This guy is serious. Serious about basketball.

A disappointing finish

2011-03-18T09:02:00.009-04:00

After all the excitement of the afternoon session (or so I'm told--I was working all afternoon), the evening session was a big disappointment. That early momentum rarely carries into the afternoon, but this was ridiculous. I got home in record time after work, only to be treated to six hours of blow-out basketball. The average margin of victory says it all: 14.5 points. If it weren't for UCLA's brutal free-throw shooting down the stretch, none of the games would've been worth watching in the last few minutes.

Speaking of the UCLA/Michigan State game, there was some hideous shoe selection by a few players in that game. Whatever happened to the good old days, when teams like the Fab Five debuted shoes like these. I still remember the first time they wore those. I didn't even know shoes that cool existed. And yes, I would still buy those if they went on sale tomorrow at Foot Locker. Most of us that grew playing sports are probably bigger shoe nerds than we let on--I know I am. The highlight of my sporting career was (sadly) often getting the season's new shoes. I usually had to supplement the restricted amount my parents would throw down in order to get the cooler, more expensive shoes, but it was worth it.

WOW.

2011-03-17T16:12:00.002-04:00

3 out of the first 4 games decided in the last 4 seconds. Now that is a hell of a start. And we've loved every second of it. Unfortunately I have to sign off for the night. Work calls, and I'll be dealing with drunk fools out celebrating St. Patrick's Day for the next 10 hours. And it's nice out. And there are hoops on. Ugh. But don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow. Go Irish.

Have no fear. JAMES will be getting home from work shortly, and will pick up the slack for the rest of the night. Hopefully the games will be as good tonight as the afternoon session has been. Go James.

Fact. The first day of the tournament is always the first nice Spring day of the year.

2011-03-17T16:07:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty sure that the first day of the tournament the last 5 years have also coincided with the first nice day of the Spring. And it's happened again. Today in Pittsburgh it's 61 and sunny out. And we've been inside watching the hoops.

Morehead State!!!

2011-03-17T15:55:00.003-04:00

Morehead State pulls off the first shocker of the tourney, coming out victorious in Battle of Kentucky. Demonte Harpers' 3 with just seconds left gives Morehead the lead, and then Louisville runs a horrible play to get off the last shot, which is blocked (or fouled??) by Kenneth Faried. Speaking of Kentucky, they're up just 1 on on Princeton at half, while PSU and TEmple are also separated by 58-57 with 3 to go. What a start to the first day of the tournament!

Fact. Gary McGhee is the Predator

2011-03-17T15:39:00.003-04:00

Though intimidating, the Predator has shown weakness to perimeter defense (see Kemba Walker's ankle breaker last week) and 50% free throw shooting.

"50% from the line isn't bad for an alien!" -Heater

"Any time you have a battle of in-state teams, you can throw out the records, because pride is on the line" - Heater

2011-03-17T15:34:00.003-04:00

Battle: Kentucky and Battle: Pennsylvania are both very tight games down the stretch. Heater sums up why.

Dislocated Shoulders

2011-03-17T15:23:00.002-04:00

Jeff Brooks of Penn State looks to have dislocated his shoulder while making a great block. Sounds like he's re-aggravated a pre-existing shoulder injury, and appears to be in a lot of pain. I've never felt that pain, but I know somebody who has. Scooter. One time in college, during "Swimming" class, several of us headed to the hot tub to relax while Scooter decided to do one last dive off of the diving board. Scoot nailed what was surely a perfect dive, but when he surfaced he was screaming in pain. Turns out he had re-dislocated his shoulder diving into the water, and was painfully treading water with one arm. He looked like a wounded animal flapping and splashing around. It was hilarious. Luckily we were there to save him.

This is how we do it

2011-03-17T15:00:00.003-04:00

4 games. 2 42' flat screens, 2 "laptizzles"*. 1 high five.

* Lucas Miller

Matt Howard!!!!

2011-03-17T14:50:00.003-04:00

Matt Howard provides the tournament's first buzzer beater in only its 2nd game! A great followup by the always crafty Howard. Heater thinks that Howard looks like Andy Samberg.

The Mustache.

2011-03-17T14:18:00.002-04:00

Butler and ODU are slugging it out in a hard fought matchup. And as always, Butler big man Matt Howard is in foul trouble. He couldn't stay out of foul trouble during last years tournament run, and it looks like he can't today. At least last year he had a dirty mustache. But I'm not one to judge, as I once rocked a 'stache for the month of November.

Pepper

2011-03-17T13:51:00.002-04:00

West Virginia's run at the end of the 1st half continues thru the beginning of the 2nd half, as they try to pull away from a Clemson team that is surely feeling the fatigue. Every time I've watched WVU this year and I've seen Dalton Pepper play, I can't help but think about my favorite character, Harlan Pepper, from the mockumentary "Best in Show". Here Harlan Pepper talks to us about nuts.

GRILLZ.

2011-03-17T13:34:00.004-04:00

A great start

2011-03-17T13:23:00.003-04:00

WVU and Clemson are all tied up at half time, 40-40, and ODU/Butler are separated by 2 with 2 minutes to play. I really feel like Clemson is kind of getting dicked around, given the fact that they had to play late Tuesday night in the play-in game, in Dayton, Ohio, and then turn around and fly to Tampa to play the opening game of the tournament. You'd think the scheduling genius' at the NCAA would have thought things out and had them play in the evening, but no. It's March. And it's Madness. And WVU coach Bob Huggins always wears a windbreaker with dress pants on the sideline. Normal? No.

Daily Picks

2011-03-17T12:05:00.004-04:00

Keeping up with the last 2 years, we'll be bringing you our daily picks. And joining us will be Jason "Ain't got shit to do" Heater and Lucas "Master of the Flame" Miller. Here are mine:

Clemson over WVU- Suck it Huggins.

ODU over Butler- Last years Cinderellas dance is short this year.

Louisville over Morehead St.- Pitino wins "Battle: Kentucky"

Penn St over Temple- Taylor Battle leads PSU in "Battle: Pennsylvania"

Kentucky over Princeton- Princeton can't channel the power of Pete Carill

Pitt over UNC -Asheville- Panthers "Roooooaaaaar"

Richmond over Vanderbilt- Spiders- "Get rid of " Vandy

San Diego St over N Colorado- Maybe Wade can tell us how awesome the Aztecs are.

Florida over UCSB- Billy Donovan wins tournament games.

BYU over Wofford- It's Jimmer time!

UCONN over Bucknell- It's Kemba time??!!

Belmont over Wisconsin- Wisco scored 33 points in their last game. 33. In 40 minutes.

Michigan St over UCLA- Spartans look to make a run despite a disgusting regular season.

Gonzaga over St. Johns- I've loved the Zags ever since Axel Dench.

Mizzou over Cincinnati- Bearcats can't handle Mizzou's 40 minutes of hell. Love the press.

Kansas St over Utah St- Fear the Beard.

James: WVU, ODU, Louisville, UK, Pitt, SDSU, Florida, BYU, UCONN, Wisconsin, UCLA, ST. Johns, Cincinnati, Utah St.

Heater: WVU, ODU, Louisville, UK, Pitt, SDSU, Florida, BYU, UCONN, Wisconsin, Michigan St, St Johns, Mizzou, Utah St.

Lucas: Clemson, ODU, Louisville, UK, Pitt, SDSU, Florida, BYU, UCONN, Belmont, UCLA, Gonzaga, Mizzou, Utah St.

The ball is tipped....

2011-03-17T11:54:00.002-04:00

It's almost here. Tip time for WVU/ Clemson is less than 20 minutes away. 4 days of madness is about to begin. And last minute preparations are being taken care of. 2nd TV is hooked up, living room is re-arranged, grill is being fired up. Yes, that's right, we're grilling. Hoop time is here!!! Basketball!

Daily picks coming soon.

Aaaaaaand..... WE'RE BACK!!

2011-03-15T20:06:00.006-04:00

That's right. It's March, which means it's time for Four Days of Madness to return. And we're back, and better than ever. After a year of Pennsyltucky separating us, James and I are now together again, ready to give you up-to-date game analysis, insight, and breakdown. And don't worry, there will be pictures of what we're eating and drinking. And probably Salma Hayek's boobs. And as the field this year has expanded to 68 teams, we're also looking to expand. How so? This year, we look to actually blog through the whole tournament. Disappointingly, we have failed the last 2 years to blog past the 2nd weekend of the tournament. This year, we aim to make it the whole way through.

Tonight begins the first of two nights of play in games. Game 1 features UNC-Asheville vs Arkansas-Little Rock. The winner of this game quickly turns into "David", as they then have to play "Goliath", 1# seeded Pittsburgh Panthers (and home of this years blog) on Thursday.

Speaking of Goliath, watching UNC- Asheville makes me wish that Kenny George was still around. Why? Because the dude was a giant! 7'8 and 360 pounds! And really, really slow. But hey, he could dunk without jumping, which is something I will never, ever, be able to do.

Omar Samhan, new media darling

2010-03-20T13:25:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure there's much more in life that this broadcast team loves more than Omar Samhan, the big center for St. Mary's. He's already been mentioned approximately 37 times, with phrases such as "understanding the lines on the floor," and "exceptional intellectual involvement" used to describe his game. After picking up his 2nd foul on a dubious charge call with 11 minutes to go in the first half, the crew was devastated. Wish they'd been as incredulous on Thursday, when Nova was gifted a win thanks to a 5-minute stretch of brutal officiating.

Favorite color commentary so far: "He's unselfish too," said in anticipation of Samhan passing out of a double-team in the post. Instead, he waited for the double to leave and drained a turnaround jumper.

Villanova's in trouble...

One Shining Moment? and NCAA Player draft

2010-03-20T12:52:00.006-04:00

It's 12:55 on the third day of the tournament, and CBS is already playing a full One Shining Moment montage from clips over the past few years. Is this allowed?!? That montage is a sacred final exclamation point for the tourney, one always shown at the bitter end of the broadcast, after all the final interviews, trophy presentation, even after the credits have rolled. And now we get a full version on the first weekend?!? Not sure how I feel about it. Kinda feels like eating ice cream for breakfast.

--------

For those of you that got involved in the player draft, here are the updated stats courtesy of League Commish Heater. Total points are followed by number of players still alive in the tourney. I'll post a more detailed break-down later.

James...146..7
Nick....121..5
Rhodes..118..7
Lucas...118..4
Wes.....113..8
Btown...108..6
Heater..100..5
Wade.....76..7

The bracket is back! (and Day 3 Picks)

2010-03-20T12:25:00.003-04:00

Giant wall bracket? Check. Without access to huge large-format plotters, this year we cobbled together a stack of 11x17s to create this beast of a bracket. It's in color, looks pretty solid, and the paper is thick enough that the Sharpie shouldn't bleed onto the wall behind it (we hope). A big assist goes to the crew at Ideamill for making our dream come true--thanks!

Lucas and I came storming back into contention with near-perfect picks yesterday. Lucas went 14-2 on the day, and my only miss came in the Oklahoma State/GTech game. After two days of picks, it's a 3-way tie: Shorty, Lucas and I are all sitting at 24-8. An epic battle in the making.

As always, leave your picks in the comments section, and feel free to jump in even if you haven't made any picks yet. My picks: Nova, Tennessee, Baylor, KSU, UK, KU, and to make things interesting, Washington and Murray State.

A follow up.

2010-03-19T23:52:00.002-04:00

Last night we were pissed at CBS's coverage. We talked about it here. Kate was fired up and sent an email to CBS3- Philadelphia. Here's what she said-

"Why on earth would you show the end of the Lehigh Kansas game when the Wake Texas and SDSU and Tenn games are so so close and IMPORTANT to the rest of tournament? It is just irresponsible. So poorly done. Seriously. POORLY DONE. Looking forward to your contract being up. Hopefully you'll do better tomorrow night."

Today, CBS responded.

'Lehigh is considered to be a HOME market team for us- which means we were required to show the majority of their game including their ending just like we would for Temple and Villanova. There are certain rules like this that CBS is required to follow. Hope that helps explain it for you. "

Clarity.

Fact.

2010-03-19T23:44:00.001-04:00

Mayonnaise + Sriracha + Tater Tots= Kick Ass Snack.

Pictures soon.

Watching Syracuse play makes me miss this guy. But not really.

2010-03-19T22:17:00.002-04:00

Also- More Keiton Page

2010-03-19T20:30:00.001-04:00

I didn't come up with this. But its damn good. Keiton Page is Ollie from Hoosiers.

Fact.

2010-03-19T20:29:00.003-04:00

Keiton Page, of Oklahoma St, is still 12 years old. But, it should be noted that he averaged 44.4 points per game his senior year in high school. Wow. Impressive for a dude who hasn't hit puberty.

Jay Bilas is a moron

2010-03-19T16:00:00.002-04:00

While tuning in to the Missouri/ Clemson game I was reminded of a blog rant that I went on last year. If you remember, Jay Bilas loved the defensive minded Missouri team, who's famed "Fastest 40 minutes in basketball" stye of pressing defense helped Mizzou upset #2 Memphis and make a run into the elite 8. He was particularly in love with JT Tiller, the Big 12 Defensive player of the year, constantly remarking on how JT had "New York City Toughness", and how his time growing up in NYC hardened him for college basketball. Seriously, he probably said this at least 10 times during the game. Why am I bringing it up now? Here's why: Turns out JT Tiller is from Marietta, Georgia. Born and raised. Nice work Jay Bilas.

Pitt and their early struggles

2010-03-19T15:35:00.003-04:00

Pitt's struggling a bit, but that shouldn't be big news for anyone who's watched them in the tourney the past few years. Seven turnover in 12 minutes isn't going to get it done, but I expect them to settle down and take the lead by half. Last year, 16-seed Eastern Tennessee State gave them all they could handle, as did Oklahoma State and Xavier in the next few rounds. The Nova game...well...I'm still not ready to talk about that one.

USA! USA! (completely unrelated to the tourney)

2010-03-19T15:13:00.003-04:00

After being out 7 weeks with a knee injury, our boy Clint Dempsey is back in the mix at Fulham. Why is this important? Because he's one of the few legitimate goal-scorers the USMNT has, and the World Cup is right around the corner. Why do I mention this now? Because just the other day, Fulham (Dempsey's EPL team) fought back from a 4-1 (aggregate) deficit in a Europa League 2nd leg match against Juventus, with Dempsey scoring the winner in the 82nd minute. Not sure what all those words mean? Just watch the goal, it's a thing of beauty.

Fulham has played their matches at Craven Cottage since 1896; the "cottage" used to be a hunting lodge, and has a history that goes back over 300 years. Just thought I'd mention it.

Big Red!

2010-03-19T14:41:00.003-04:00

First games of the day are finished, and while not as thrilling as yesterday, it still gave us the first 5-12 upset of the tournament. Cornell, repping the Ivy (a league that hasn't won an ncaa game since 1998), dominated 5-seed Temple with a balanced inside-outside game and some classic senior leadership. When you shoot over 56% from the floor, 40% from 3, and almost 79% from the line, you have to like your chances. I didn't realize Ryan Wittman's dad was the NBA's Timberwolves coach...that's a pretty good pedigree. This team looks great--their upcoming matchup with Wisconsin should be a fun one to watch.

Now we've got Pitt coming up, as well as a Sienna and Purdue game that's already pretty interesting. Sienna has had success in each of the last two tournaments, including last year's OT win against OSU, prompting this reaction as captured on last year's blog. We'll see if they can become tourney darlings for the third year in a row. Hopefully Pitt takes care of business and doesn't play to the level of their competition, as usual.

Go Pitt!

This might be a stretch

2010-03-19T12:47:00.003-04:00

I've got a theory here. It might be ridiculous. But I also might be on to something. Theory: If you are named head coach of the Temple Owls, you slowly start to actually become an Owl. Crazy? Maybe. But let's look at long time Temple coach John Chaney. By the time he was done, he was practically an Owl. And now current head coach Fran Dunphy? He's well on his way.

Best Day 1 Ever, and Day 2 Picks

2010-03-19T09:24:00.002-04:00

That was hands down the best first day of the tournament. Ever. Of the 16 games, 9 were decided by 5 points or less (3 of which went to over time), and we had the tourney's first buzzer-beater. We also had an epic hose-job, with the officiating crew inexplicably gifting Nova a game they didn't deserve to win. Seven lower seeds won, including an 11, 13, and 14 seed. As of last year, 12-seeds won their first-round games 33% of the time; we'll see if this holds true for this year, as three of the four 5/12 matchups are today. I say Cornell pulls off the upset this year.

Speaking of picks, here are the current standings. Not a good showing by yours truly:
Shorty: 13-3
Heater: 12-4
Lucas: 10-6
James: 9-7

Post your Day 2 picks in the comment section. My picks:
Okla. St, MSU, OSU, Xavier, Pitt, Maryland, Zags, Cuse, WVU, Cornell, Wisconsin, Purdue, A&M, Cal, Dook, and Missou

More Overtime!

2010-03-19T00:12:00.002-04:00

Texas and Wake Forest are headed to overtime. Between this game and the tight finish in the Tennessee- San Diego St game I think I can officially say that this is one of the best, if not best days ever in the history of the tournament.

CBS Blows

2010-03-18T23:59:00.003-04:00

CBS is dropping the ball. Here in Philadelphia, we're still watching Kansas and Lehigh exchange baskets despite a 16 point KU lead, while Wake and Texas are seperated by 1 point with 1:30 to go and Tennessee and SDSU are involved in a 3 point game under 2. Ridiculous. Thank God for the internet.

Wait-

2010-03-18T23:35:00.002-04:00

Brady Morningstar of Kansas is 24? And playing college basketball?

Goshen!

2010-03-18T23:21:00.004-04:00

#16 Lehigh is giving #1 Kansas all they can handle. And a big reason for that is the play by standout freshmen CJ McCollum, who at 18.9 points per game was the leading freshmen scorer in the whole country. Why am I telling you this? Because they just mentioned on air that he's the younger brother or Erick McCollum, who played for Goshen College and was the conference MVP. Score one for the Maple Leafs. Only downside to this story is that they pronounced it "Gawshen." Boo.

Big thanks to Heater for the heads up on this one.

Here's a video of Erick McCollum that was #5 on the SportsCenter top 10 in January-

A new word

2010-03-18T21:55:00.002-04:00

Stick-to-it-ness. Yup, thats what it means when you follow your own shot, get the rebound, miss again, grab the board, and then finally finish. I like it. Thanks CBS announcers.

Must be the hair?

2010-03-18T21:43:00.003-04:00

This Marquette/ Washington game is turning into a real doozy. I can't help but be distracted by the hairstyles of Marquette. Apparently, as an act of team unity, the entire team and staff went to a barber and got their numbers and a pattern shaved into their head.

My View of the Madness

2010-03-18T21:30:00.002-04:00

O-H-I-O

2010-03-18T21:22:00.003-04:00

The beating that Ohio is putting on Gtown is really impressive. What's even crazier is that they were 7-9 in their conference, the MAC, and had to win 4 straight games in their conference tourney just to get in. They're playing amazing right now.

Also, the Northern Iowa/ UNLV game has turned into another nailbiter. Farokhmanesh drills a 30 foot 3 pointer with 4 seconds to go do seal the deal. I'm sure he'll never forget that.

Dinner Time.

2010-03-18T20:05:00.003-04:00

Dinner with a West Philly touch. Gojjo, a local Ethiopian bar/restaurant put their own touch on Philly's signature sandwich. Add berber spice, the spice found in a majority of Ethiopian dishes to a cheesesteak. The result? Awesometown. Pictured above is Ethiopian Chicken Cheesesteak with a side of collards. Bam!

Quick Question-

2010-03-18T19:58:00.003-04:00

Hey Indiana Hoosier Fans-

Does it piss you off seeing Armon Bassett tear it up for Ohio, after fleeing IU in the wake of Sampson debacle?

Love, Shorty

Evening Session- Night 1

2010-03-18T19:03:00.004-04:00

What a start to the tournament. Let's hope for more of this tonight. In our Pick'em pool, Heater and I went 7/8, and James and Lucas both went 4/8. Here's my picks for the remaining games of the day: UNI, KU, Gtown, UK, Texas, Tennesee, Washington, and New Mexico.

Off to get some food. More on that soon.

Bill Raftery continues to amaze me

2010-03-18T17:06:00.003-04:00

Bill Raftery just told the viewing audience that a man who wears a multi-colored mouth piece is a man who is confident in himself. Interesting.

Wow!

2010-03-18T16:43:00.002-04:00

First buzzer beater of the tournament- Murray St!!!! Well done boys, you deserved it. Murray? Present.

Lunch. And Snacks.

2010-03-18T16:06:00.009-04:00

Chicken Queso burrito from Qdoba, side of guac (they were out of steak)

Pre-Easter Easter basket courtesy of the A-Train. Highlights include Cadbury mini-eggs, two types of Jelly Bellys, and sour patch kids. It's been a big hit so far this afternoon.

Lucas and I have yet to change out of sweatpants, and I think Scooter and his jeans are jealous.

Crazy

2010-03-18T15:52:00.002-04:00

The games continue to be close, with Murray St. still holding a decent lead over Vandy. KSU seems to be struggling a bit with North Texas. Maybe we'll get lucky and Denis' Clemente will try one of these shots in the game-

Sam Houston State

2010-03-18T15:20:00.004-04:00

There is a guy on Sam Houston State wearing goggles. As in swimming goggles, not rec specs.

EDIT: They actually call him "Goggles" Clavell. I guess it works, he's got 17 of Sam Houston's 28 so far.

"He stroked it admirably." Nice color commentary, Vern.

2010-03-18T15:04:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure we had three games this good in the entire first round last year.

What an effort by RMU. The finish was disappointing, even though a Nova loss would've destroyed my bracket. The officiating in the last few minutes of regulation was suspect at best. OT wasn't much better, particularly the jump ball fiasco. In regular time, Scottie Reynolds was the main beneficiary, shooting like 8 free throws in the last few minutes, which helps when you're 1-14 from the floor (at the time). At the end of regulation, fouls were 26-16 in favor of Nova. I'm just sayin'...

Jimmer was the hero in BYU's 2OT win, scoring 37 and hitting two crucial 3s in the second OT. He could've been a goat, after that bad turnover at the end of regulation that gave Florida a chance to win, but instead bouces back for the performance of the day...so far.

Great effort, Bobby Morris. And at the same time, thanks for saving my bracket, Nova.

Well Shit.

2010-03-18T14:20:00.003-04:00

ND goes down. A long scoring drought in the 2nd half costs the Irish the game. Its insane to think that the Irish have been better in the last 4 weeks when Luke Harangody, without question one of the best players in the history of Notre Dame, is on the bench. Sad, but true.

What a start!

2010-03-18T14:17:00.003-04:00

This is a ridiculous start to the tournament. Irish lose by 1, Florida and BYU look to be headed to OT, and Bob Morris is still up on Nova by 4. Let's hope that this quality of games continues for the rest of the weekend.

Robert Morris comes to play!

2010-03-18T13:18:00.004-04:00

First half of the opening games are in the bag: ND has a 2-possession lead, BYU (led by Jimmer Fredette, whose season high is 49) is up two, and Robert Morris is setting the stage for an early upset bid against Nova.

Scooter reported that RMU's coach was on sports radio this morning, saying he likes how they match up...we had a good laugh about that. After seeing their aggressive, organized defense put on an impressive show in the first half, he may have a point. I still expect Nova to win it, but I'll be pulling for the hometown underdogs from Moon Township.

2010-03-18T12:40:00.002-04:00

First session of games has begun. I've got Nova on the tv, Irish on the computer. I had a brief glimpse of the Florida game, which made me (slightly) miss the days of Joakim Noah. Especially these amazing dance moves.

I've Got Skillz.

2010-03-18T11:52:00.002-04:00

Makin' Picks

2010-03-18T11:40:00.002-04:00

This year, we're going to attempt to demonstrate our basketball IQ's by picking the winners of each round of games. It will be fun. And maybe humbling. Feel free to contribute your picks, we'll post them and keep an ongoing tally. Here are my picks for the opening session-

BYU over Florida- Mormons dominate
Villanova over Bob Morris- Cats return much of last years Final Four squad
Notre Dame over ODU- New look Irish poised for a deep run
Murray St over Vandy- Upset City! Murray, present.
KSU over North Texas- Fear the Beard. I'll get back to that later.
Baylor over Sam Houston- Tweety and LaceDarius roll.
St Mary's over Richmond- St Mary's- "Austrailian for College Basketball. (Short, B. 2010)
Butler over UTEP- Fundamental hoops FTW.

Bracket Time

2010-03-18T09:29:00.001-04:00

Last year I had access to $10,000 plotters that could print anything up to 36" in width by dozens of feet long. This year my printing options are limited to an old Epson inkjet that can barely handle 8.5x11. Needless to say, there won't be any 12-square foot bracket on our all this year. But I still made a bracket, and if you have access to large-format printers, I'd recommend printing this out and putting it up on the wall--it was a big hit at our place last year.

2 hours, 40 minutes....

The calm before the storm.

2010-03-18T08:58:00.005-04:00

In these last few hours before it all begins, people everywhere are scrambling to complete their brackets. Filling out a bracket is without a doubt one of my favorite parts of March Madness. It's also one of the most frustrating. Regardless of how many games I've watched from mid November until now, I always find myself completely lost and confused when it comes to picking a winner. "Which 12 will beat a 5? " and all that nonsense just messes with my head. And it shows. I haven't won a bracket pool in years. Does it stop me? Hell no.

If you're lost and unsure of who to pick to win it all, you can always take the advice of good ol' Barack Obama. Last year he predicted North Carolina to win it all, and they did. This year, he's calling Kansas. Here's a picture of the Barack O'Balla.