Tag: March Madness 2013

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Bracket Busted and Disgusted!

Well, it’s officially over…for me that is. My March Madness 2013 Brackets are as ugly as ugly can be. I’m sitting on 32 out of 48 correct or 32 and 16. The key culprits for my demise – #15 Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and #13 LaSalle. FGCU is playing some of the best basketball in the tournament and is the lowest seed to ever advance to the Sweet 16. Oh, yeah, I had them advancing for sure! Out of the South, #15 FGCU began its first round by beating #2 Georgetown which is what totally demolished my Brackets. From there, they’ve won against another underdog of sorts, #7 San Diego St. which had eliminated #10 Oklahoma in their first round game.

LaSalle, in it’s own right, has beaten some pretty good teams too. And to think, LaSalle had a ‘Play-In’ game just to get into the Big Dance and look at them now. In the first round, they beat #4 Kansas St. to advance to the second round where they won against #12 Mississippi that had knocked of 5 Seed Wisconsin.

And in Sunday’s games, my UNC Tarheels had a Great first half. I sure wish that’s all they had to play because they came out in the second half flatter than a pancake and laid the proverbial egg. With a halftime score of 30-21, North Carolina gave up 49 second half points to #1 Seed Kansas while only scoring 28 themselves and losing 70-58. An ugly finish to the year but on a bright note; Coach Roy Williams won game #700 in their victory over 9 Seed Villanova. Not a National Title by any means but a victory of sorts. Oh, and 2 Seed Duke is still alive. (Who Cares).

Other upsets were #9 Wichita St. beating #1 Gonzaga and #10 Iowa St. sending #7 Notre Dame packing early in the West Region.

Now, on to the Sweet 16 and there are some great match-ups upcoming.

  • #1 Louisville vs #12 Oregon in the Midwest
  • #2 Duke vs #3 Michigan St., Midwest
  • #9 Wichita St vs #13 LaSalle in the West
  • #2 Ohio St. vs #6 Arizona, West
  • #1 Kansas vs #4 Michigan in the South
  • #3 Florida vs #15 Florida Gulf Coast Uni. (FGCU), South
  • #1 Indiana vs #4 Syracuse in the East
  • #2 Miami vs #3 Marquette

As you can see, there are still three #1’s still in it, three #2’s and three 3’s still fighting to advance deeper into the tournament. The lower seeds consist of a #15, underdog extraordinaire, Florida Gulf Coast University, a 13 Seed, LaSalle and a 12th Seed which is Oregon. This has turned out to be exactly what I gathered early on – non-traditionally unpredictable – but hasn’t it been a Great tournament thus far? I think so.

And if you’re like me, you had the right picks. It’s just the teams you selected didn’t live up to Your expectations. Hey, that’s not Your fault. You Made the Right picks. Next year, the teams you select just have to play better. J

At any rate, my Championship teams are still alive, #1 Louisville in the Midwest and #2 Miami in the East. Looking forward to this weekend already!

 

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March Madness – ‘Brackets Busted’

I Love March Madness 2013! It’s just as I predicted, unpredictable.

What I didn’t predict was some early upsets. Did anyone have #2 Seed New Mexico losing to #14 Seed Harvard (President Obama’s Alma Mater) in the West Region showdown? I know I didn’t. Or how about in the East Region with #12 Seed California beating #5 Seed UNLV. Uh, nope, didn’t have that one either. I also chose the Pitt Panthers from the West, Missouri and Oklahoma St. from the Midwest. Not a bad start, thank you very much.

Thus far in the opening round, I had a modest 11 of 16 games correct but guess what, I’m leading our President by one game. So far, President Obama is 10 for 16. According to the Bracketologist, the teams the President selected that are going home early are;

  • Midwest: 5-seed Oklahoma State and 9-seed Missouri
  • West: 8-seed Pittsburgh and 11-seed Belmont
  • East: 5-seed UNLV

According to a USA Today article, 75% of the country is outpacing the President this year in their guesses, uh, selections (sorry prognosticators).

As I had stated in an earlier blog, the parity and non-dominating teams should make this one of the most fun tournaments of ‘Madness’ to watch. This weekend be no different with more upsets and ‘Bracket-Busters’ to come. Sure, #1 Seed Louisville destroyed N.C. A&T 79-48 in their opener in the Midwest Region, but #1 Seed Gonzaga in the West barely surpassed #16 Seed Southern University, 64-58.

And these college kids are laying it on the line and leaving everything on the court. Some real heartbreaking, post-game interviews with some teams and players have gotten very emotional, as we saw with one star athlete point guard, Tray Woodall for the Pitt Panther’s who had a dismal shooting night (1-12) from the floor in a first round lost to #9 Seed Wichita St. He cried throughout the entire interview, apologizing to both his teammates and his school for his performance. Even the play-in game with N.C. A&T escaping Liberty University on the Wednesday night opener was a nail-biting missed lay up by the Liberty point guard in the final seconds of the game. He, too was dismayed

Yes, many great moments have already occurred in this year’s edition of March Madness. The ‘Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat’ has taken place in just a few short games…and we’re only ¼ of the way home.

Hold on Tight March Madness Fans and Enjoy the Ride. It’s going to be a Wild one.

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Sports

The Madness Is Upon Us – College Basketball Style

Yes! It’s Here! March Madness 2013 – the Superbowl of College Basketball, will begin Thursday, March 21st, 2013 with 68-teams focusing on the biggest prize in the college ranks, that of National Champion!

To be fair, there are several ‘Play-In’ games of smaller schools to actually get the opportunity to play against the #1 seeded teams in each region. Oh BOY, if you’re the smaller school that wins the ‘Play-In’ game. But the elation of that win turns into a sudden dose of reality once they step into the arena of BIG TIME Basketball against powerhouse #1 seeds like Indiana out of the East Region, Kansas from the South, Louisville representing the Midwest and, yes, the Cinderella Darling of previous National Championship runs, Gonzaga University out of the great state of Washington – with a student body enrollment of just over 7,800 – solidifying the #1 seed from the West.

Just looking at the brackets this year brings about intrigue and anxiety, depending on who you’re pulling for. I’m a North Carolina Tarheels fan and they’re an 8 seed. They’ve been a staple in the Big Dance for years and have 5-National Titles which includes 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005 and the last in 2009.  They won’t win a 6th this year. (Sorry ‘Heels Fans). This is the first time I can recall UNC not having a ‘true’ big man in the middle. It will be tough to advance without one, especially if they win against #9, Villanova, they get #1 Kansas. Goodnight.

Also coming out of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) are N.C. State, another 8 seed in the East, Miami, a 2 seed also in the East who, arguably, should be a 1 after winning the ACC tournament and perennial tournament participant, Duke University (BOOO!), a 2 seed in the Midwest Region.

Another first, at least in my opinion, there’s not a clear favorite to win this year’s coveted trophy. That is unless you’re a #1 seeded fan. Indiana, Kansas, Louisville and Gonzaga have all been ranked #1 this season, only to suffer loses immediately after becoming #1. I know some will say, that’s just the regular season and this is when the season begins. True in both, but in years past, the dominating teams like Duke or Georgetown or North Carolina or Kentucky  – which didn’t even make it in this year –  or Michigan or Michigan St., just to name a few, were teams that ran the table during the regular season in most instances, won their conference championship and/or were regular season champs. It just doesn’t seem like the teams have that same dominance this year. And because of that, this tournament is Wide Open.

Outside of North Carolina being the clear favorite, I’ve never been so excited about March Madness. Why you ask? Because of how evenly matched these teams are, it will be hard to discern which region has the clear advantage or which team has an easier track to the Final Four. All the #1 seeds will make it deep into the tourney but they also have uphill battles with some teams that are poised to send them home before the Final Four.

Let’s take a quick look at some possible bumps in the road in each region:

  •  Louisville, the overall #1 seed in the Midwest may play #9, Missouri in the 2nd round and if Duke makes it through, Wow, what a great game to see who makes it through the Elite 8.
  • Gonzaga, out of the West, has #2 seed Ohio State possibly in an Elite 8 match-up  but they may have a tougher time trying to get past a tough Sweet 16 possibility with  #4 Kansas State. And, there’s a hungry, 29-5, #3 seed, New Mexico team sitting out there as well.
  • In the South, Kansas has some match-up problems of their own with a possible tango with #4 Michigan, in a must-see Sweet 16 nightmarish challenge. Within the same region, Florida and Georgetown may do the dance to advance to the Elite 8.
  • Finally, the East #1 seed, Indiana definitely won’t have a cake-walk with Syracuse, a struggling #4 seed in their bracket. Miami, a 2 seed, is playing some great ball at the moment and has all the momentum going into this tournament. They too, are in the East and have a chance to advance to the Final Four.

Again, just looking at the brackets this year, survival early will be the name of this year’s Madness. Upsets have happened early before but I don’t see any of the #1 seeds getting bounced early this year. However, I don’t think all of the #1’s will make it through to the Final ‘Soirée’ either.

 My Final Four are: Ohio State, Kansas, Miami and Louisville

 Finalist will be: Ohio State vs. Miami

 National Champions: Miami Hurricanes

 I’m no Prognosticator by any means but my picks feel solid. It’s all up for debate which is why we fill these crazy brackets out every year. It’s Always fun, Always Crazy and It’s Always Madness Baby! Thanks Dick Vitale J

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