Posts tagged march madness

Wow. NCAA actually gets it right.

May 4th

Posted by Bruce in Stuff I Like

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So. I will admit. I kinda lost it when the ncaa started talking about making march madness a massive madness inviting everyone and their brother by doubling the size of the tournament.

But. In the end common sense won out over the almighty dollar.

Yes. The NCAA tournament will expand next season (as long as the Board of Directors approves the recommendation laid forth by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee next Thursday).

Yet. The good news is March Madness will only add a trio of teams. Okay. This is huge. This is what I would call a victory for all the March Madness lovers out there (me included).

“There’s no expectation that further conversation takes place related to the field anytime in the near future,” NCAA senior vice president Greg Shaheen said. (awesome once again)

Hey. This is no guarantee some school out there will go wacky on us and start lobbying the NCCAA to quadruple the field and maybe include some high school teams or something but it does look like it will be a 64+1+3 (now) tournament.

Maybe it was me (in my stupefied scared mindset) but a 96 team tournament looked like a done deal beginning in 2011 (although NCAA interim president Jim Isch maintained that there “was no decision ever to go to 96″).

Yikes. Just imagine if the field were at 96 this past season. A mediocre North Carolina team would have been a virtual lock, some decrepit Pac-10 teams would have been included and some Canadian team would have been asked to play.
But the NCAA finally got this one right.

“Why mess with something that is very good the way it is? It’s perfect the way it is. Why do we have to reinvent the wheel?” the Army coach was quoted. Boy. Those military guys are pretty smart.

This decision was awesome. There was no need for a full blown expansion. And other than maybe returning to the 64-team format this was a great decision.

The bottom line here is that the integrity of March Madness (and the tournament) hasn’t been compromised, the 1st and 2nd round games will still create that upset buzz (and, admittedly, this whole play-in thing may actually improve the odds of an early round upset if say they add in someone like a Dayton – who won the NIT – or some major league conference mid team who could crank up a big game … but not a sustained one) and, lastly, the regular season will still mean something.

The new format hasn’t been determined but will be discussed at a couple of future meetings. There could be four play-in games instead of just one. Maybe it would be eight bubble teams battling it out for a shot at a 12-seed (I do like that idea). Anyway. Way to go NCAA.

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april madness 1

Apr 4th

Posted by Bruce in Stuff I Like

2 comments

a recap of the semifinals. Oh. I almost didn’t watch because The Outlaw Josey Wales was on another channel but I figured what the heck.

how cool

How cool would it be to play horse with the president of the United States? (pretty cool) I have been fortunate enough to be in the same room on two different occasions with two different presidents and whether you voted for them or not it is pretty intimidating (awe inspiring) to be in the same room. So. Try to make a shot with a president ragging on you? (and all those secret service guys eyeing you)  Okay. I would be willing to bet George Washington had a shitty jump shot but Obama has some game. He was correct that Clark Kellogg gave him a couple of misses in the middle and I loved when the president said “hey, I have had some other things on my mind” but it would be very cool to play horse with the president. And I think it was kinda cool he won (although it was POTUS – president of the united states instead of HORSE).

Butler on to final.

I will say upfront I didn’t care who won this game. I will also say there was nothing about the style of this game I liked. It just isn’t the kind f basketball game I prefer. It was plodding. Ugly.  And bruising. I did think Michigan state was going to pull it out of only because maybe midway through the second half they were down by 5 and it seemed like they hadn’t made a shot in an hour, hadn’t got a call yet in the game, turned it over every other time they touched it and acted like when they did get to the free throw line that they were blindfolded. Boy. I thought butler played a smart game. Boy. I don’t think Michigan State didn’t get a call the entire game (and half their team had 4 fouls) and I did think Tom Izzo’s head was going t explode a couple of times begging for a call. But. Butler in the finals is pretty cool. Plus. A couple of their players look older than their coach which has to count for something.

De’ Shaun and Huggins.

I was impressed with De’shaun Butler when he won some award for being a great player and his scholastics and his community work and how he handled the questions and discussion. A well spoken young man.  Any kid who stays in school for four years and is that good a player and does that much good deserves a lot of credit these days when players half as good as him leave after one or two years. Then. When he hurt his knee (which you don’t like to see happen to anyone), Bob Huggins (who I have already noted I am not fond of) stepped up. I may reconsider. When he came out on the floor and hugged his player on the floor and tried to console his player. Well. I don’t know. I don’t know that I have ever seen a top level coach get on his knees and cradle one of his players on the court.  It was touching. It made me remember why coaches never leave the college ranks for the pros.

Duke to finals.

Well. This game was a lot prettier to watch then the first one. That’s for sure. I think even before Butler went down with an injury you could feel that West Virginia wasn’t going to be able to find a way back from the hole they were in. Duke has won ugly all tournament long. Not today. Today was one of those days that showcases what it looks like when Duke is looking good. For all the poor shooting in the first game Duke made up for it all in spades the way they shot in their game. Whether you like Duke or not they were a pretty team to watch today. I am mostly pleased to have watched it and they don’t have a JJ Redick or a Christian Laettner type player to hate.

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NCAA finals final

Apr 3rd

Posted by Bruce in Stuff I Like

2 comments


What a great NCCA tournament this year. It may be the best one I can remember. Close games. Upsets early. And I am really glad I didn’t play a pool this year. I would have sucked (more so than usual). Anyway. Thoughts as we head toward the finals.

Not the 4 best teams. So what.

There is no way anyone can tell me the best teams are in the final four. Even though Duke was a 1 seed I am still not sure they were one of the top 4 teams. Although after West Virginia won the Big Least conference they could have argued for being in top 4. But you know what? Who cares. The final four has a little of everything. The true best teams just had bad days against the wrong teams. It happens. But all four of these teams were in the preseason top 10 so they are good teams. And this is what the March Madness is all about. This is why people watch. People get excited. People throw things at TVs and yell and swear and drink oodles of beer. I wouldn’t change a thing.

(with that)

Expanding the field. (someone shoot me now)

Money. This is all about money. And it drives me nuts. The NCAA owns both March Madness and the NIT. Why can’t they just leave it all alone? I watched the NIT finals. Both teams were okay. Just okay. Was it cool they were in the finals of the NIT? Absolutely. The NIT is a great consolation tournament. And frankly it gives some not-so-great teams an opportunity to extend a good season and play for something worthwhile. I sure didn’t see a shitload of empty seats when I turned on one of the NIT games (oh, they do know how to schedule the tournament for success … smart planning). So. If they expand the tournament and UNC and Dayton (the NIT finalists) get in the NCAA tournament …  then what? Maybe they win their first game against another mediocre team. And then they play a good team and get the shit kicked out of them. All the time they could have been hacking their way to an NIT final. I don’t get it. I don’t like it. They are screwing up two good things and creating one bad thing.

Injuries.

Ok. Remember when Ty Lawson of UNC got hurt last year? UNC sucked. When they got him back? They kicked everyone’s ass. Won the NCAA.

So. Two of the final four teams lost their point guards (and one is an all American) and they still found a way to win. Awesome. I honestly cannot remember an NCAA tournament more strewn with injuries than this one. And with the way I love college basketball I hate when it happens. Even late in a season (like Purdue’s Hummel). It hurt me and I don’t even like Purdue. Or Michigan State. Or West Virginia. But I still hate it. They work so hard and college is fleeting at best (ok. at best 4 years). But. I think it is an incredible testament to West Virginia and Michigan State that they lose an integral player to their team and still has found a way to win. And while I do believe Izzo and Huggins are two of the best coaches in the game it is the other kids on the team who figure out how to get it done without that teammate. Awesome. Once again. That is what college basketball is all about.

My Picks.

Well. I am a wimp. I don’t want to pick anyone. Mainly because I believe any one of the four remaining could win it. I do tend to believe West Virginia is the toughest and roughest of the four remaining. And if they got Michigan State in the finals it would be better than an Ultimate Fight match (I think they may actually bring in an extra ref if that game occurs). But Puke. They have won the ugliest games of the tournament of any team. But a win is a win. They may just figure out a way to get the ugliest title in their history.

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March Madness Part 2

Mar 20th

Posted by Bruce in Stuff I Like

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I love college sports. And this time of the year is awesome. It’s not just the basketball tournament but also the NFL draft and spring break (oops. different post). It’s the time of the year when we have mock drafts, mock brackets and mockingbirds.

My pool got thrown a loop when I picked Tim Tebow to beat New Mexico State but other than that things are rocking along. Here are some things I am lovin’ about this year’s March madness:

Freaks of nature

Taylor Mays. Height: 6’3″, weight: 230 lbs., 40 yard dash: 4.43 (4.24 unofficial was one of the highlights of the combine), Bench Reps of 225 pounds: 24

I am not sure I need to say anything more other than maybe don’t let him get a 40 yard head of steam before he runs into you.

Bruce Campbell. Height: 6’6″, weight: 314 lbs., 40 yard dash: 4.85, Bench Reps of 225 pounds: 34

Look. This 314 lb guy who looked like he didn’t have an ounce of fat on his 6’6” frame ran a fucking 4.85 40. Oh. And he benched a tremendous 34 reps of 225 pounds. No matter how drunk you are I recommend not picking a fight with him if he asks to dance with your date.

The Big East

One of the things I love about the tournament is it becomes conference put up or shut up time. For years we have always heard “ACC is the best tournament” and it seems every other year their middle tier teams get crushed too early in the tournament. This year it looks like it’s the Big East conference’s turn. Doesn’t mean their top teams won’t end up in the final four just that maybe the rest of their teams weren’t as good as we thought. Oh. And maybe the Pac10 teams weren’t as bad as everyone thought.

The state of New Mexico

Whoda thunk New Mexico had two universities let alone two basketball teams worthy of making the NCAA tournament (and winning).  The only thing I know about New Mexico teams are one is the Lobos (which is an awesome nickname), one of them must play in Albuquerque (the only city I know in New Mexico) and I love that city and Geronimo had an awesome crossover move but couldn’t keep his grades up and lost his eligibility. I also love the fact one of the teams figured out how to beat Montana who cheated by having two huge rock trolls (Lord of the Rings reference) who trundled up and down the court bashing everyone out of the way and missing layups.

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow this. Tim Tebow that. He shouldn’t even be drafted in the first 3 rounds (despite the fact he is a first round media story every frickin day). But. The NFL draft is so tough to predict because there are just way too many stupid teams in the league. I guarantee two things. 1. Someone will be stupid enough to draft him in the first 2 rounds. 2. That same someone will look 2 years from now at someone they passed on they should have picked playing in the Pro Bowl.

Bob Huggins

I don’t know Bob Huggins personally but for some reason I haven’t really liked him. His style of coaching or his attitude or maybe just how he handles himself when he actually has an opportunity to talk. Anyway. The guy can coach. Doesn’t matter where he is and what kind of team he has he figures out how to coach them to win. And he makes his teams tough. That I appreciate.

Baseball

The University of Texas is the favorite to capture the 2010 College World Series. Look.  Their pitching staff had a team ERA of 2.95 last year. That is good enough for Cy Young consideration. And this is college baseball. And this is the ENTIRE staff ERA.  They have a bunch of other players but that is gonna make them tough to beat.

A look at the current poll:

  1. Texas
  2. LSU
  3. Virginia
  4. Cal. St. Fullerton
  5. Arizona St.

Oh. Just in case you weren’t paying attention. Something to note. The ACC. 6 teams in top 16. Doesn’t seem that long ago the west coast had a stranglehold on college baseball. No more.

Lastly. Two names for you. South Dakota State and Dallas Baptist. They are predicted to be in the college baseball 64 team tournament. Awesome. Where else would that happen?

The West Coast

Finally. Finally I have found the true benefit of moving to the West Coast. An extra 2 to 3 hours of NCAA tournament. 9 a.m. and there is a game on. Awesome.

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