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Friday, March 31, 2017

2017 Final Four: Some Things Could be Finer...

Final Four Picks

 (7) South Carolina Gamecocks (+7) vs (1) Gonzaga Bulldogs

(1) North Carolina Tar Heels (-5) vs (3) Oregon Ducks

So, we're almost done dancin'. And then it will be on to baseball and golf. But first, here are my picks for the Final Four. AKA my last chance at jinxing as many as 3 of the 4 teams still left in the field...

I'm really torn in that Gonzaga/South Carolina game, too. Which is why I'm blatantly hedging and taking the points (though I'll certainly want credit should they pull the upset). I mean, part of me wants to see the Zags finally do what it do. But I really do love me some Frank Martin (that's him up there, presumably when he was still at Kansas St.). And the fact that Frank promised Dan Patrick he'd wear a 'special suit' should his Cocks make the final game? Well, that's what we in the business call 'icing on the proverbial cake' (mmmmm. Proverbial caaaaakes) ...

So, yeah. Give me an all-Carolina Final (winner gets James Taylor & a case of Cheerwine), or let Mark Few and that 47-year-old former strongman he starts at center cut down the nets (who needs a ladder, am I right?). Otherwise...meh, otherwise I'll be moving on to baseball and golf. And putting the second consecutive letdown of an NCAA tournament in my rearview mirror...

Enjoy, my damies! And good luck!


Thursday, March 23, 2017

2017 Sweet 16: Nothin' Bruin...


Freakin' Duke, am I right? Although if having half of my brackets busTed is the price I have to pay for that picture up there of Sad Grayson Allen. Then so be it...

As for the rest of the dance, I'm more than a little underwhelmed. UCLA is great. And watching that region shake out between them, Kentucky, and UNC should make for some good watchin' (don't sleep on Butler). But unless rock fights are your thing (see: Gonzaga, Arizona, West Virginia), then that's pretty much it. And while that's undoubTedly exciting for some, it's slightly more than a little disappointing for me. And I'd imagine I'm not alone in my thinking that this is at least the second straight year that the tournament has failed to meet it's admitTedly lofty bar...

Then again, I'm probably still just bitter because Syracuse didn't make the dance, and now it looks like their basketball program may or may not be falling apart. And besides. I was disinteresTed in last year's Final Four, too. And it turned into one of the best finishes Facebook has ever seen (several of my friends cited the presence of Jesus and/or God). So, there's always that...

But, yeah. Let's go Bruins! It's time to go 'Ball Deep!'. Which just sounds awful and painful and wrong. But could easily be just as fulfilling. I mean, hey. Who am I to judge? After all, I did pick Duke!...

Be good, Teds. And enjoy...


#BAGSMUNMAN

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

2017 NCAA Tournament Cheat Sheet

OK, friends. Here ya go!

1-ROUND WONDER = a team that could pull 1 upset, but probably not 2

SLEEPER = a team with a good chance to significantly outplay their seed

WINNER = WINNER

MIDWEST

1-ROUND WONDER: (13) Vermont

SLEEPERS: (5) Iowa St.; (10) Oklahoma St.; (11) Rhode Island

WINNER: (2) Louisville

WEST

1-ROUND WONDER: (14) Florida Gulf Coast

SLEEPER: (7) St. Mary's

WINNER: (1) Gonzaga

EAST

1-ROUND WONDERS: (13) East Tennessee St.; (14) New Mexico St.

SLEEPER: (8) Wisconsin

WINNER: (2) Duke

SOUTH

1-ROUND WONDER: (12) Middle Tennessee St.

SLEEPER: (10) Wichita St.

WINNER: (3) UCLA...OR maybe (1) UNC

FINAL FOUR

(2) Duke OVER (1) Gonzaga

(3) UCLA OVER (2) Louisville

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

(2) Duke OVER (3) UCLA


I really wanted to take UCLA. Their being a #3 seed and having a transcendent freshman has all the shades of Melo and Cuse in '03. Especially with Cuse having missed this year's cut (it's a sign!). But I just couldn't pull the trigger. I'll have brackets with them winning it all, don't get me wrong. But when push comes to shove, I'm begrudgingly (yet confidently) picking the Dukies to yet again cut down the nets...

And no refunds when UCLA coughs it up in round #1...

Good luck, my damies!


Friday, March 10, 2017

A Prelude to the Whatnot...


2017 NCAA Tournament Preview coming on Wednesday.

So we've got that goin' for us. Which is nice...

Friday, March 03, 2017

College Hoops Top 16 (3/3)

College Hoops Top 16

1. UCLA (27-3) 9

2. Kansas (27-3) 2

3. Kentucky (25-5) 7

4. Gonzaga (29-1) 1

5. North Carolina (25-6) 3

6. Butler (23-6) 14

7. Villanova (27-3) 4

8. Oregon (26-4) 10

9. Florida (24-6) 5

10. Duke (23-7) 8

11. Wichita St. (27-4) NR

12. Louisville (23-7) 6

13. West Virginia (23-7) 11

14. Baylor (24-6) 15

15. Virginia (20-9) NR

16. SMU (26-4) NR

just missed: St. Mary's; Florida St.; Wisconsin; Purdue

dropped: (12) Purdue; (13) Arizona; (16) Cincinnati

What to Watch This Week

3/3
Iowa St. @ West Virginia

3/4
Notre Dame @ Louisville
Miami @ Florida St.
Kansas @ Oklahoma St.
Duke @ North Carolina

3/5
Cincinnati @ UCONN
Minnesota @ Wisconsin