The morning after a bracket hangover

Remind me to never fill out a bracket again! Watching yesterday’s VCU-Kansas game put me in such a foul mood – pun not intended – that the question I’ve been trying to suppress throughout the tournament finally reared its head: Does my completed bracket, staring at me judgmentally from my desk like in that annoying Geico commercial, diminish the pure enjoyment of March Madness? Increasingly, I think the answer is yes as I silently (and not-so-silently) cursed the anonymous VCU players when they repelled Kansas’ second half comeback. Seriously, could you have named a single one of their players before the tournament or even the team’s mascot (I have an odd propensity to remember these)? Now they’re in the Final Four!

As I was checking the sky for falling Rams (VCU’s mascot apparently which I’ll never forget now!), I berated myself for not picking Gonzaga over St. John’s in the opening round – sentiment is your worst opponent with brackets and fantasy leagues – even though it had no consequence whatsoever. And then there was Florida State which messed up my Southwest region picks almost as much as VCU did! You see- I’m going crazy. Normally, I would whole-heartedly root for the underdog in a tournament like this but VCU and Butler – the other mid-major team – have taken away the joy of rubbing my successful picks in other people’s faces. Unsurprisingly, as I picked UNC to advance, Kentucky is the remaining team going to the Final Four so I’ve decided to tear up my bracket and just enjoy the last weekend of college basketball. Until, that is, another season rolls around and I decide that the UAB Blazers (love their dragon mascot) are the team to beat. You heard it here first!

p.s. Before I get hate mail, I’m not suggesting that VCU didn’t deserve to beat Kansas as they played great defensively. However, Kansas had ample opportunities but were doomed by atrocious shooting – if they had made at least a few of the wide-open 3 pointers or free throws, I wouldn’t be writing this post.

Happy times for Rodney the Ram

The Sweet 16 is set…

and frankly I’m exhausted from watching game after nail-biting game, my bracket in disarray (although my predicted Final Four of UNC, UConn, Florida and Kansas could still materialize). Here are my random thoughts which aren’t the most coherent I’ve ever written but my brain is still trying to comprehend how VCU, a First Four team, has made it into the round of 16.

- From what I gather, I’m not the only college basketball fan having bracket issues right now but I’m still pleased to have picked 10 out of the 16 teams left correctly, the same number as President Obama I might add. By the way, Obama is clearly one of the busiest men in the world but please cut him a little slack – the world didn’t end in the time it took to fill out his bracket with Andy Katz.

- Every season there’s a cinderella team that defies expectations by knocking off one (or more) high seeds. In years past, schools such as NC State, Gonzaga, and Princeton have all worn the glass slipper with the Wolfpack winning the tournament in 1983. Last year, Butler occupied this position going all the way to the title game and, proving they’re no fluke, still continue to be a story in this tournament having just beaten Pitt. Given the wide open field, however, they’re not THE story. Instead I look to VCU, a team playing with a chip on its shoulder, having been forced to play an extra game just to gain admission to the ball. All they’ve done is take out Georgetown and Purdue!

- What on earth has happened to the Big East? As of today, only UConn and Marquette have been left standing! I’m not surprised obviously that all 11 teams haven’t made it, especially as several inter-conference match-ups played out over the weekend.  I am deeply shocked though that Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville went out as quickly as they did. I won’t back away from my assertion that the Big East was the best regular season conference this year but with a one game playoff format, the smaller conferences always have a better chance at sending through their teams.  (Please note that I don’t advocate a BCS system!)

- Of the remaining 3 top seeds left, Kansas has the clearest path to the Final Four as they play 12 seed Richmond next. Assuming they win that game (not a certainty this year!), the winner of 11 seed VCU vs. 10 seed Florida St. awaits. At least I hope this happens because I’ve picked Kansas to win it all and I’d like to say I got that right at least so Rock chalk, Jayhawk!

 

Yikes, I spoke too soon!!

I can’t tell you how bitter I am at the moment as Morehead St., in a monumental upset, beat 4 seed Louisville followed by Temple’s last second win against Penn St. My bracket is officially busted! The good news is that the level of clutch shooting has been phenomenal. How many of these games are going to come down to the last second? I’m thinking quite a few as I’m now on to Princeton vs. Kentucky which is still a tight game going in to the second half.

By the way,  I love watching games Bill Raftery analyzes as his commentary is humorous and passionate without being over the top (yes, I’m talking about you Dick Vitale!) My last random thought is that the officiating has been good – the no call on Louisville’s last possession was correct. After the debacle of the Big East tournament, I hope the referees stay in the background.

 

 

No bracket busters so far

Of course, only 2 games have ended as I write this: West Virginia vs. Clemson and Butler vs. Old Dominion. You need to cut me slack though because being in London, I’m totally at the mercy of ESPN America’s TV schedule. Here are some random thoughts on the just mentioned games.

West Virgina vs. Clemson

Clemson won the much-maligned First Four game over UAB (I still cringe when an announcer refers to today’s games as the second round) but showed they belonged in the tournament as West Virgina couldn’t pull away until the very end, thankfully for my bracket.

My first reaction upon seeing the two teams was a craving for citrus fruit – the battle of yellow vs. orange sneakers! This color clash combined with Bob Huggins’ tracksuit gave the game quite the visual flair. Even my 4 year old daughter was enticed to watch, as she rooted for the yellow team (one of her favorite colors after pink) to win.

West Virginia didn’t hold a lead until the beginning of the second half and I wasn’t impressed by their defense until Pepper stepped up with 3 huge steals in the final minutes of play. I have them losing in the next round to Kentucky (assuming the Wildcats beat Princeton) and I didn’t see anything during their game against Clemson to change my mind.

 

The famous track suit - AP Photo/David Duprey

Old Dominion vs. Butler

 

This game featured last season’s Cinderella team, Butler, which reached the Final Four. The 8 seed vs. 9 seed is always tough to call but I had Butler on the strength of their tournament experience. In a gross injustice, Butler wasn’t allowed to bring their (live) bulldog mascot to the game as a good luck charm but they still managed to overcome the Monarchs (does that nickname refer to Queen Elizabeth?) although just barely.

Overall, there were 10 ties and 21 lead changes until the final 19 seconds of the game when Butler scored on a tip-in of a missed shot with no time remaining. I don’t see them wearing the glass slipper this year as they should lose to Pitt.

 

The aggrieved bulldog AP photo/Michael Conroy

 

 

The most interesting graphic of the day so far is that the field consists of an unprecedented 15 teams with 13+ losses, which should translate into a wide open field.    More updates to come!

My completed bracket as promised

Hopefully you can read the small print. I’ve got Kansas, Florida, UNC and UConn in the Final Four with Kansas emerging as the Champion. I know – I’m surprised too, especially as I don’t have Ohio St. or Duke making it past the Elite 8! This is probably due to my previous bracket failures where I’ve played it safe. Not this year baby

11 Big East teams in NCAA tourney?

That’s what Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s “bracketologist” (apparently he’s got a ridiculously good track record) is predicting. Bracketology – NCAA College Basketball Brackets and Predictions – ESPN. Whether this pans out remains to be seen but I wouldn’t be too upset by this conference over-weighting. Without question, the Big East has the most depth as game in and game out, teams are playing nationally ranked opponents rather than simply bottom feeders. Take a look at the ACC standings for example where, as of today, 7 of the 12 teams have .500 or below .500 overall records.

Let’s take a closer look at this past weekend’s games. Duke, while clearly deserving of their high ranking, lost to Virgina Tech, a decent although not outstanding team. St. John’s, which upset Duke at MSG, (I can’t remember the last time that happened) beat a tough Villanova squad on the road. This win is more impressive given how they handled Villanova’s late comeback, outscoring the Wildcats down the stretch behind Dwight Hardy’s 34 point performance (he should be Big East player of the year by the way). Then, in the other marquee Big East match-up, Louisville squeaked by Pitt, a team which has the best record in the conference. The Big East tournament will decide the NCAA entrants and seedings but I don’t think 11 teams is a stretch although Marquette and West Virginia are definitely on the bubble. This intense competition though will make all of the Big East teams selected tournament ready and I suspect that at least 1 (if not 2) will make the Final Four.

Can’t wait to fill out my bracket!

Dwight Hardy in action. Photo courtesy of ESPN website and Howard Smith/US Presswire