Saturday, March 17, 2007
Had me shakin'....
The team I picked to win it all....the Ohio State...had me shakin in my boots (or boat shoes) today. The came from behind to tie and force overtime. The X men only had to make a free throw to seal the game but missed and OSU came down the court and made a huge basket. In OT, OSU took charge and won 78-71. Oh the drama....
Friday, March 16, 2007
Winthrop Representing...
The Winthrop Eagles have their first win in seven tries in the NCAA tournament and it is courtesy of the unclutch free throw shooting styles of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In Spokane, the Eagles are victorious by the score of 74-64. Congrats to the kidz from Rock Thrill. They are the only team from the state of SC to make it to the dance.How far do you think Winthrop will go in the NCAA tourney?
Shocker of Day 1...
Must say I didn't see this upset. I know some people thought it would happen but Duke I thought would win the round 1 game. Duke lost to the mighty VCU by a heartbreaking 79-77 loss. VCU's Eric Maynor hit the game-winning jumper with 1.8 seconds left and a Paulus desperation shot fell just left of the basket at the buzzer.
For the Blue Devils, it marks the program's first NCAA Tournament first round loss since 1996 and breaks a streak of nine consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, which was the longest streak in the NCAA by seven years and the second-longest in NCAA history.
Tis the Eve of St. Pat's Day...
If you're looking to go out of town for St. Patrick's Day weekend, but don't want to drive all the way to Savannah, Columbia may be the perfect final destination for you.
For 25 years the capital city has hosted St. Pat's in 5 Points. Each year the festival grows to include more activities. This year you'll find a a 5K Run and one-mile walk, a Strongman Challenge, regional and national bands like Seven Nations and Corey Smith, a Wachovia Children's Carnival and an abundance of food and drink.
To find information about parking and a schedule of the musical acts on the festival's five stages go here.
For 25 years the capital city has hosted St. Pat's in 5 Points. Each year the festival grows to include more activities. This year you'll find a a 5K Run and one-mile walk, a Strongman Challenge, regional and national bands like Seven Nations and Corey Smith, a Wachovia Children's Carnival and an abundance of food and drink.
To find information about parking and a schedule of the musical acts on the festival's five stages go here.
Going to the Chapel....
and they are going to get married. LOHD is pleased to annouce that David Junker is now offically engaged. He took the plunge and they are looking at having the Wedding later this year.Love to hear some comments on this one...
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Let the Maddness Begin...
In less than one hour the Tourney starts. Before that I want to post MY picks for the tourney. I have filled out two brackets this year one for the "LOHD Pick'm" challenge and I am also invovled in a office pool. Here is the run down and of course let me know your thoughts.
Office Pool Picks
Final Four
-Wisconsin
-Kansas
-Texas
-Texas A&M
Championship Game
I got Kansas winning over Texas A&M
---Before you say "what" you must understand that this office pool puts more weight regarding points towards picking upsets. Another words of you pick the upsets correctly you can win the "loot" without picking the winner. Like I got Creighton beating Memphis in the South. But we will see how it shapes out.
Pick'm Contest Final Four
-Florida
-UCLA
-OSU
-Georgetown
Championship Game
Going with THE Ohio State over UCLA
---My real darkhorse out of this bracket is Oregon to make it to the Final 8 but lose to UF.
Most Experts have some sort of combination of the following teams making it to the finals: UF, OSU, Georgetown, UCLA, A&M, UNC and Kansas. And Most Experts have the championship team either being UNC, UF, Kansas or Georgetown.
So who do you guys got?
Office Pool Picks
Final Four
-Wisconsin
-Kansas
-Texas
-Texas A&M
Championship Game
I got Kansas winning over Texas A&M
---Before you say "what" you must understand that this office pool puts more weight regarding points towards picking upsets. Another words of you pick the upsets correctly you can win the "loot" without picking the winner. Like I got Creighton beating Memphis in the South. But we will see how it shapes out.
Pick'm Contest Final Four
-Florida
-UCLA
-OSU
-Georgetown
Championship Game
Going with THE Ohio State over UCLA
---My real darkhorse out of this bracket is Oregon to make it to the Final 8 but lose to UF.
Most Experts have some sort of combination of the following teams making it to the finals: UF, OSU, Georgetown, UCLA, A&M, UNC and Kansas. And Most Experts have the championship team either being UNC, UF, Kansas or Georgetown.
So who do you guys got?
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Who will win the South?
Who will represent the South Region in the Final 4?
-THE Ohio State
-Memphis
-A&M
-Nevada
-Other
Post below a Comment...
-THE Ohio State
-Memphis
-A&M
-Nevada
-Other
Post below a Comment...
A Poll for the Midwest...
Who will win in the Midwest and make it to Hot lanta?
-Florida
-Wisconsin
-Winthrop
-The Ducks
-Other
Post a Comment Below...
-Florida
-Wisconsin
-Winthrop
-The Ducks
-Other
Post a Comment Below...
East Poll?
Looking at the Dirty South...
South Regional Picks
Who will win: Ohio State will cruise to the regional final but get run into oblivion by a more athletic, deeper Memphis team that can put Joey Dorsey on Greg Oden. Dorsey's no Oden, but he's no slouch. And OSU can't stop Memphis from running.
Dark-horse pick: Nevada has some really nice pieces this season, much more than a year ago when it was Nick Fazekas or bust. Fazekas is still around and still a superstar, but Ramon Sessions and Marcelus Kemp are ferocious as well.
Most likely upset: No. 11-seeded Stanford over sixth-seeded Louisville, and that's no upset. Louisville has all kinds of talent, but they're a bunch of headcases, and the mentally tough Cardinal will give them a lobotomy.
Who will win: Ohio State will cruise to the regional final but get run into oblivion by a more athletic, deeper Memphis team that can put Joey Dorsey on Greg Oden. Dorsey's no Oden, but he's no slouch. And OSU can't stop Memphis from running.
Dark-horse pick: Nevada has some really nice pieces this season, much more than a year ago when it was Nick Fazekas or bust. Fazekas is still around and still a superstar, but Ramon Sessions and Marcelus Kemp are ferocious as well.
Most likely upset: No. 11-seeded Stanford over sixth-seeded Louisville, and that's no upset. Louisville has all kinds of talent, but they're a bunch of headcases, and the mentally tough Cardinal will give them a lobotomy.
Going West...
West Region Look:
Who will win: UCLA. Here's the reward for blowing that No. 1 seed: For the second consecutive year, the Bruins won't have to leave California until they get on the plane to leave for the Final Four. Being close to home helps.
Dark-horse pick: Villanova. Good: There are few teams faster with the ball in their hands. Bad: The tournament is played in the half court, down and dirty. We'll see if 'Nova can adapt after playing in the gritty Big East. Scottie Reynolds is one of those kids who could capture the hearts of the nation. If it wasn't for Kevin Durant and Greg Oden, we'd all be talking about Reynolds. Of course, if it wasn't for Durant and Oden, Danny Ainge would have been fired by now.
Most likely upset: Virginia Commonwealth over Duke. If you've gotten this far, you are not surprised. Rams sophomore guard Eric Maynor will be the most dynamic player on the court. VCU thinks it can be this year's George Mason. It won't be intimidated by Duke.
Who will win: UCLA. Here's the reward for blowing that No. 1 seed: For the second consecutive year, the Bruins won't have to leave California until they get on the plane to leave for the Final Four. Being close to home helps.
Dark-horse pick: Villanova. Good: There are few teams faster with the ball in their hands. Bad: The tournament is played in the half court, down and dirty. We'll see if 'Nova can adapt after playing in the gritty Big East. Scottie Reynolds is one of those kids who could capture the hearts of the nation. If it wasn't for Kevin Durant and Greg Oden, we'd all be talking about Reynolds. Of course, if it wasn't for Durant and Oden, Danny Ainge would have been fired by now.
Most likely upset: Virginia Commonwealth over Duke. If you've gotten this far, you are not surprised. Rams sophomore guard Eric Maynor will be the most dynamic player on the court. VCU thinks it can be this year's George Mason. It won't be intimidated by Duke.
Looking East...
East Region picks
Who will win: Hansbrough will ditch the mask and reassert himself as the best player on the deepest, most talented team in college basketball. UNC wins this thing by outrunning the enormous Hoyas in the region final.
Dark horse pick: Fourth-seeded Texas will have the best player on the court in every game it plays, and if you don't think that matters, ask Syracuse from 2003, when Carmelo Anthony did for the Orange what Durant could do for Texas.
Most likely upset: Seventh-seeded Boston College stumbled late in the season, and by the time you read this sentence, Bob Knight already knew why. BC's struggles will continue in a first-round loss to the 10th-seeded Red Raiders.
Who will win: Hansbrough will ditch the mask and reassert himself as the best player on the deepest, most talented team in college basketball. UNC wins this thing by outrunning the enormous Hoyas in the region final.
Dark horse pick: Fourth-seeded Texas will have the best player on the court in every game it plays, and if you don't think that matters, ask Syracuse from 2003, when Carmelo Anthony did for the Orange what Durant could do for Texas.
Most likely upset: Seventh-seeded Boston College stumbled late in the season, and by the time you read this sentence, Bob Knight already knew why. BC's struggles will continue in a first-round loss to the 10th-seeded Red Raiders.
Midwest Bracket Thoughts...
Midwest Regional picks
Who will win: There's no reason to go with anybody other than Florida.
Dark horse pick: Paul Hewitt has a pro point guard (Javaris Crittenton), a pro wing (Thaddeus Young) and talented players around them. So while Georgia Tech has been inconsistent at best, the truth is the Yellow Jackets own wins over a No. 1 seed (North Carolina) and No. 2 seed (Memphis), meaning they're capable of beating anybody.
Most likely upset: Clearly it's No. 12 Old Dominion over No. 5 Butler, though I'm not even sure it's an upset.
Who will win: There's no reason to go with anybody other than Florida.
Dark horse pick: Paul Hewitt has a pro point guard (Javaris Crittenton), a pro wing (Thaddeus Young) and talented players around them. So while Georgia Tech has been inconsistent at best, the truth is the Yellow Jackets own wins over a No. 1 seed (North Carolina) and No. 2 seed (Memphis), meaning they're capable of beating anybody.
Most likely upset: Clearly it's No. 12 Old Dominion over No. 5 Butler, though I'm not even sure it's an upset.
Monday, March 12, 2007
To think about when filling out your Brackets...
There is no exact science to filling out a bracket. So much ends up being a result of gut feeling, intuition (male or female) and good, old fashioned luck. So what we have here are tips to the novice bracket filler-outter.
1. No No. 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1, so just forget about those games altogether and advance the No. 1s on to the second round.
2. Don't go putting all your No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. They might be the best teams on paper, but since 1979, it has never happened. The closest it ever came was in 1993, when three No. 1s and a No. 2 made it.
3. Pick your upsets carefully. It's inevitable that a No. 12, 13 or 14 seed will win in the first two days, but trying to pick which one is almost impossible. Look for a team that has a veteran starting five. A No. 12 seed with four seniors and one junior will be more likely to reach the Sweet 16 than one that has a bunch of sophomores starting.
4. There is no such thing as "Team X is due." Just because Washington State has never won the NCAA Tournament, it doesn't mean they are going to run through the bracket and win it all.
5. Watch out for injuries. If a team's star has a serious injury, it would be wise to keep that team out of the Final Four. In 2000, Cincinnati didn't have Kenyon Martin but was still awarded a No. 2 seed. The result? The Bearcats lost to Tulsa in the second round.
6. OK, we know you are a big Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fan. You love your Islanders and are excited they are in the NCAA Tournament. That's great. Now, don't be a homer and have the Islanders facing UCLA in the final. Be objective.
7. Don't underestimate the familiarity factor. If two teams already played this year, take a look at what happened between those two teams in the regular season and whether or not they faced off in their conference tournament. It's rare that a team can beat another three times in the same season.
8. Have fun. This is the NCAA Tournament! The greatest sporting event in the history of sports!
And if all that fails, close your eyes and pick a team -- you never know, you might end up with the two that end up squaring off the championship game.
1. No No. 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1, so just forget about those games altogether and advance the No. 1s on to the second round.
2. Don't go putting all your No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. They might be the best teams on paper, but since 1979, it has never happened. The closest it ever came was in 1993, when three No. 1s and a No. 2 made it.
3. Pick your upsets carefully. It's inevitable that a No. 12, 13 or 14 seed will win in the first two days, but trying to pick which one is almost impossible. Look for a team that has a veteran starting five. A No. 12 seed with four seniors and one junior will be more likely to reach the Sweet 16 than one that has a bunch of sophomores starting.
4. There is no such thing as "Team X is due." Just because Washington State has never won the NCAA Tournament, it doesn't mean they are going to run through the bracket and win it all.
5. Watch out for injuries. If a team's star has a serious injury, it would be wise to keep that team out of the Final Four. In 2000, Cincinnati didn't have Kenyon Martin but was still awarded a No. 2 seed. The result? The Bearcats lost to Tulsa in the second round.
6. OK, we know you are a big Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fan. You love your Islanders and are excited they are in the NCAA Tournament. That's great. Now, don't be a homer and have the Islanders facing UCLA in the final. Be objective.
7. Don't underestimate the familiarity factor. If two teams already played this year, take a look at what happened between those two teams in the regular season and whether or not they faced off in their conference tournament. It's rare that a team can beat another three times in the same season.
8. Have fun. This is the NCAA Tournament! The greatest sporting event in the history of sports!
And if all that fails, close your eyes and pick a team -- you never know, you might end up with the two that end up squaring off the championship game.
More Tourney FYIs...
Your best chance to knock off top seeds comes in the Final Four, where they are 19-17. They are 214-26 in the first three rounds.
You have a 1 in 5.7 billion chance of correctly predicting every game in the NCAA Tournament.
69 percent of No. 1 seeds make the Elite 8, but only once has the Final Four had three No. 1 teams.
11 times two No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four
Never have all four No. 1 seeds advanced to college hoops' Mecca.
No. 2 seeds are 80-4 in Round 1, but 55-29 in Round 2
Of the 20 No. 2 seeds in the tournament since 2002, nine have been upset by a No. 7 or 10 seed in Round 2.
You have a 1 in 5.7 billion chance of correctly predicting every game in the NCAA Tournament.
69 percent of No. 1 seeds make the Elite 8, but only once has the Final Four had three No. 1 teams.
11 times two No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four
Never have all four No. 1 seeds advanced to college hoops' Mecca.
No. 2 seeds are 80-4 in Round 1, but 55-29 in Round 2
Of the 20 No. 2 seeds in the tournament since 2002, nine have been upset by a No. 7 or 10 seed in Round 2.
Tourney FYIs...
Since 2002, on average, 9.2 upsets per year (games in which an underdog knocks off a team at least four seeds higher) have occurred.
Two 12-seeds or higher have advanced to the Second Round in 20 of the past 21 years.
No No. 16 team has ever toppled Goliath, although four No. 15 seeds have been giant killers and advanced to the Second Round. Although, Patrick Ewing wakes up in cold sweats over Princeton.
Since 1985, two No. 11 seeds (George Mason and LSU) have advanced to the Final Four, but there has never been a No. 7, 9 or 10 seed make it in that time.
The No. 11 seed is 26-63 in the first round and 11-15 in the second.
The bottom seeds, seeds 13-16, have faired poorly in the tournament, having won a meager six second round games in the past 22 years (1985-2006). Cleveland St. in 1986 and Chattanooga in 1997 are the only 14 seeds that have reached the Sweet 16.
Thoughts to control the March Madness...
As you prepare to fill in the rest of the blanks, here are a few facts to keep in mind.
1. 14 of the past 16 champions have been either a 1- or 2-seed.
2. Since 1979, at least one No. 3 or higher seed has made it to the Final Four.
3. Since 1997, 12 No. 10 seeds have made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
4. Only three times since 1985 have three No. 1 seeds made it to the Final four.
5. Since the inception of the Coach's Poll 15 years ago, the No. 1-ranked team before the start of the postseason has been in the national championship seven times and has won the championship five of those times. Ohio St is currently ranked No. 1.
6. 87 percent of Final Four teams come from the top four seeds.
1. 14 of the past 16 champions have been either a 1- or 2-seed.
2. Since 1979, at least one No. 3 or higher seed has made it to the Final Four.
3. Since 1997, 12 No. 10 seeds have made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
4. Only three times since 1985 have three No. 1 seeds made it to the Final four.
5. Since the inception of the Coach's Poll 15 years ago, the No. 1-ranked team before the start of the postseason has been in the national championship seven times and has won the championship five of those times. Ohio St is currently ranked No. 1.
6. 87 percent of Final Four teams come from the top four seeds.
March Madness is here...
Reminder....LOHD is conducting and sponsoring a College Basketball Pick'em Contest. LOHD has chosen to use Yahoo Fantasy sports for the scoring and so forth. But the winner will get a prize from LOHD. Maybe the top 3 will get a prize but we will get into that later on. First thing you need to do is sign up. Go to http://fantasysports.yahoo.com and sign in or sign up. From there choose to participate in the College Pick'm contest. You guys can follow instructions I hope. But you need the Group ID # which is 53193. Enter that and the password which is -- carolina
Also make your picks by March 15th.
Also make your picks by March 15th.
Poor Tigers...
Clemson started the basketball season 17-0, yet when the time came to play the games that count they were shooting "air balls." Clemson is the first BCS conference team in history to start a season 17-0 and miss the NCAA tournament.BUT
Clemson University's men's basketball team received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Sunday night and will play host to East Tennessee State in a first-round game Wednesday.
The game will start at 6 p.m. at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson (21-10), which is headed to the NIT for the third straight year, harbored NCAA ambitions to the end.
The Tigers started the season 17-0, but finished by losing 10 of their final 14 games, then lost to Florida State last Thursday in the opening round of the ACC Tournament. The Tigers were not one of the seven Atlantic Coast Conference teams named to the 65-team NCAA tournament field.
Clemson is seeded first in the South Regional of the NIT. If the Tigers continue to win, their first three games would be at home.
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