Tag: march madness

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And Then There Were Two

From the Final Four to the Final Two. With only one #1 Seed left in the March Madness tournament, the Louisville Cardinals will contend against the 4 Seed Michigan Wolverines on Monday night for the 2012-2013 Men’s Basketball Championship. And what a Final it should be.

In the first game of the evening, #9 Wichita St. gave Louisville all they could handle. With a one point lead at the half, Wichita St. jumped out to a 12-point lead with 13-minutes to go, leading 47-35. Louisville tried to slow the Shockers by trying the half-court press but to no avail. Each time, Wichita St. broke the press and scored with jump shots and easy layups  After seeing his first stringers struggling to get a rhythm, Coach Rick Pitino called on his bench to initiate some energy to their flat offensive team. That move proved to be the boost the Cardinals needed.

George Mason transfer Luke Hanson scored 13 points in 12-minutes to help lift Louisville from its shooting slump and provided them with the jump starting motivation needed to overcome what would have been a ‘Shocker’ of an upset. With Kevin Ware – whose season ended last week with the terrible compound fracture to his right leg in the game against Duke – barely able to look on at times on the sidelines, the Louisville Cardinals advanced to the Grand Finale, scheduled for Monday night. They held off Wichita St., 72-68 with clutch free throws in the waning seconds and now move on against the winner of the second game of the night, #4 Seed, Michigan Wolverines.

The Michigan Wolverines and #4 Seed Syracuse Orange was yet another epic game between two feisty and tenacious teams where the Wolverines jumped out to a 36-25 halftime lead. Mitch McGary didn’t lead the Wolverines in scoring but his contributions were gigantic because it helped Michigan overcome a stubborn Syracuse Orange defense by a 61-56.

McGary had just scored 10 points, but pulled down 12 rebounds and dished out a team-best six assists. He’d made shots from the high post and the block. He’s averaging 16 points and 11.6 rebounds a game during the NCAA tournament, and that includes an impressive stat line (25 points, 14 boards) against one of the nation’s best frontcourt player in Jeff Withey at Kansas. Tim Hardaway, Jr. added 13 points in the Wolverines victory. Syracuse was led by C. J. Fair’s 22 points but it wasn’t enough as the Michigan Wolverines punched their ticket for the Final dance of the Season against the Louisville Cardinals.

So the question was posted after the games ended. Can Louisville’s defense stifle the offensive threats of Tim Hardaway Jr., Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary?

Well, if the sons of their famous father’s Tim Hardaway and Glenn Robinson can get an early jump on Louisville and McGary has another good night as he did against the Orange, this game could swing in the favor of the Wolverine’s. They look pretty good at times but I still think the Louisville Cardinals are #1 for a reason. This will definitely be a great finish to one of the best March Madness title runs to date.

And with that said, I won’t crown them champions just yet but, it is the #1 Louisville Cardinals that are favored. I’m going with the Favored.

Oops, I guess I just crowned them Champions!

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On To The Fantastic Final Four!

The March Madness 2013 has come down to this – The Final Four. Yes, the Final Four teams remaining from the great race that began with 68-teams on March 19th. Sixty four teams began the quest, the dream, the hustle plays, the blocked shots, big 3-pointers to win and advance and alas, the heartaches and heartbreaks. What a tournament it has been leading up to the Grand Finale which starts off with the Final Four teams on April 6th.

  • Representing the Midwest is #1 Seed Louisville Cardinals who survived by defeating #2 Duke Blue Devils on Sunday after a gruesome injury to starting Louisville point guard Kevin Ware who broke his leg in the first half.
  • Representing the West Region is #9 Wichita St. Shockers that pulled a ‘Shocker’ of a win over #2 Ohio St.
  • Representing the South Region is #4 Michigan Wolverines who upset 1 Seed Kansas Jayhawks on Friday and 3 Seed Florida on Sunday.
  • Representing the East Region is #4 Syracuse who knocked off 3 Seed Marquette on Saturday as well.

Wichita St. comes in as the highest seeded team into the Final Four as a 9 Seed and the Louisville Cardinals are the lone survivor as a 1 Seed with Kansas going down in an overtime thriller against a surging #4, Michigan Wolverines.

There have been many games and teams that have caught the eye and the imagination of all March Madness folklore. Probably the most entertaining, loose and highest seed ever to make it into the Sweet 16 was 15 Seed Florida Gulf Coast University who lost to the Florida Gators on Friday. After much hoopla, the ‘Dunk City’ Crew just didn’t have it on Friday evening. FGCU was thumped by 12 and it really was much worse than that but the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast should hold their heads high for they are now on the Map of the college basketball world. LaSalle is another team that went deep into the tournament, eventually losing to #9 Wichita St. which has a Final Four matchup with #1 Louisville.

With the tournament coming down to the wire, how did your brackets fair? I bombed but I’m not alone for sure. With a lowly 34 out of 60 correct (34-26), I had selected many games that, on paper, should have gone the other way. But, now that we’re in the Finale, it begins afresh. On April 6th, I have #1 Louisville overwhelming #9 Wichita St and the two #4’s of Michigan and Syracuse is difficult to pick but I’m believing Michigan can keep the ‘Big Mo’ going to lead to a Louisville vs Michigan final on the evening of April 8th. This will be, if my prediction is correct, Michigan’s first final appearance in 20 years, the last being when the ‘Fab 5’ were dominating the college ranks with Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson.

This should be a one of the greatest Final Four’s of All Times with the Championship game being equally heart pounding. So no matter what your bracket looks like, excitement and anticipation fills the air.

I’m Ready for the Grand Finale! Are You?

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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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