NCAA Tournament Running Diary Day 2

8:05- Anyone else find it strange that #5 seed Florida State has to go to Boise for the 1st (and possibly 2nd) round? Perhaps it's the NCAA's way of punishing FSU for appealing the academic sanctions.

8:03- Guys like Tyrese Rice may seem like a dime a dozen, but its his ability to score in a hurry that will make him a pro.

8:00- Morehead State and ETSU continue to reinforce the belief that eventually a 16 will beat 1. Hey, there were people who never thought a mid-major would make the Final 4, right?

7:54- The only interesting thing about this BC-USC game is the eternally pissed off look Tim Floyd has.

7:37- Credit to Arziona, they've played with redass to start this one and it's the Utes who look like the last team in.

7:27- Not to sound like a contrarian, but is there a team with more pressure than Arizona to prove its merit? You don't wanna end up looking like Seton Hall did in 2006.

5:23- Good 2nd set, aside from Pitt's near chokejob, not quite as exciting as the 12:00 set. Back in an hour and a half.

5:09- There's the dagger. But don't worry Pitt fans or those with them going deep in the bracket, it's not like the last #1 seed from the Big East that struggled mightily in Round One lost unexpectedly later on.

5:08- For a team that prides itself on being physical and intimidating, Pitt sure looks timid for a 1 seed right now.

5:04- Do you think Truck Bryant ever walks into a club and says "Who wants to get trucked?" or "baby, you just got trucked!" or anything of the like.

5:01- The issue with Dayton has been that instead of being the aggressors (which they've been most of the way), they've now developed a bend don't break mentality.

4:58- Pizza run on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament. What's better than that? Well, nothing printable.

4:21- Pitt still looking lacksadisical into the 2nd half.

4:19- Alex Ruoff picks up a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge 4th foul less than 2 minutes into the 2nd half. This could be the swing stretch for Dayton.

4:17- A questionable foul call against Christmas allows Ian Eagle to gleefully give us a "Christmas gift" blast. What? You expected Temple to play in the tourney and NOT have that happen?

4:13- Dionte Christmas doing what he's done all season. I'm pretty sure if he was in the ACC, he'd be a player of the year candidate, he's in the A-10 so America's just learning about him now.

4:00- In related news, Carrie Underwood can still get it.

3:58- OMIGODIT'STAYLOR!

3:55- Cornell's deliberate style should play right into the hands of the new 40 minutes of hell from Missouri and yet there they are down 4 at half.

3:53- The one thing that makes you think with Pitt is they haven't established themselves yet, they almost seem content to play ETSU's game. First 7-10 minutes of the 2nd half could be telling

3:48- A first for everything in the ETSU-Pitt game: Sam Young bumps into an ETSU guard who then bumps into his teammate who was going for the layup. The first billiards foul in history. ETSU only down 1 with 80 seconds left in the 1st half.

3:43- Bob Huggins was a 2-time academic all-american? That would be like A.C. Green having 6 kids.....with his wife.

3:40- If the Jordan brand ever wants to those fan victim ads for baseball.....they know who to call.

3:25- Dayton's D taking West Virginia out of its game and dictating the tempo. ASU daring Temple to take away the perimeter and the Owls have yet to do so. Still trying to get a feel for the other two mid-afternoon games.

3:11- Fun fact: Dayton did training with the school's ROTC before the season to build strength and unity. Gotta like that in a team, certainly re-affirms my belief in them in a way.

Miami football allegedly did the same thing a few years back. In fact, the Bucs new tight end really got into it.

3:06- You think Sergio Olmos ever gets any pockmark jokes? No one? It's just me?

2:58- I can name the one non-AIG employee who's making money right now: Rockwell.....he's gotta be the happiest guy alive, right?

2:48- Underrated player: Arizona State's Rihards Kuksiks. I've watched this kid since he played at my high school's archrival a few years ago. Great perimeter threat who isn't afraid to slash. Be sure to watch him after James Harden leaves.

2:40- Didn't have a chance to get to this earlier at the end of Kansas-NDSU, but there isn't more a poignant yet sad camera shot than the bench/fans of a mid-major in the last minute when the game has just become out of reach.

2:39- Is it a bad sign to be shocked that someone MAKES a big free throw at the end of a game now?

2:38- Good observation by Bob Wenzel, if Utah State's big goes straight up with that 3, tie game.

2:35- Toss-up: Whose end of game execution was worse? Clemson last night or Tennessee just now? Give me 7 seconds to screw this up.

2:30- We've got a tie game with Bill and Verne locked and loaded. This is as good as it gets right here.

2:26- Kansas by 6, OKST-UT tied, Utah State by 1, all under 3 to play. Here's what we've been waiting for.

2:24- Classic Gus as Cole Aldrich may have just put North Dakota State to sleep.

2:16- Another beauty of March Madness: Picking Kansas and yet hoping North Dakota State shocks the world.

2:14- Buzzer-beater potential in Dayton, unfortunately, it's crunch time for NDSU. They need to reel off 6 or 7 unanswered here to have any shot.

2:09- Thank you for attending, Stephen F. Austin, see you in 9 years.

2:03- Lundquist and Raftery hit on this before, but the committee got this one right with OK State and the Vols. Two evenly-matched teams and you get the sense that this game is going to come down to a crucial mistake in the final minute.

2:01- Anybody else get the feeling that should Obama win the White House pool, he'll have to give all the cash to AIG? Thank you, I'll be here all week.

1:57- Hell, I'll hit the Coke Zero guys for free without a taste test.

1:55- Gus Johnson starting to come alive. Ben Woodside as co-pilot.

1:54- Sherron Collins is going to be an outstanding 6th man someday and I mean that with the utmost respect. Love what he does on the floor.

1:51- Mellencamp? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT MELLENCAMP!

1:49- Marquette and Utah State were slated to play this afternoon, but a JV game took place instead. Good lord.

1:40- Kansas starting to flex its msucle. Cole Aldrich has become much more impressive as the year has gone on. Definitely needs at least one more year of experience however.

The issue for NDSU has been absolutely no support for Ben Woodside. Even Davidson had Richards for the occasional 3-ball last year.

1:38- Tennessee's fatal flaw is starting to rear its head as they're becoming too impatient on the offensive end. 7 seconds or less works in the pros, not in the tourney. Well, not since 1990 anyway.

1:32- Here's a drinking game of sorts for you: Every time you see a commercial for the Country Music Awards, imitate your best 13 year old girl voice and shout "omigod it's taylor!".....just in case you needed to be remind of how insufferable she is.

1:30- Another favorite of mine: The sonic ad with the guy using the clipboard as a distraction.

1:15- Kansas ends the half on a 15-7 run, but NDSU has been able to withstand every Jayhawk charge so far.

1:04- Not a big fan of the drinkability campaign, but the ad where they throw the guy out the window for suggesting cutting Bud Light from the budget is money.

1:02- What do you call 12 guys watching the tournament? Florida.

12:56- Call me cynical, but why do I get the feeling a kid whose last name is Morningstar is probably soft?

12:52- There's something endearing about the intramural-style speed and recklessness of this game.

12:42- In essence a home game for NDSU, the factors I mentioned before AND Gus Johnson is on the call? Smells like an upset to me.

12:37- Boat race developing for Syracuse. OSU's Terrel Harris picks up his 2nd foul, Cowboys go 2-3 zone, let's see if the pace considerably slows.

12:32- Gotta love the end to end track meet developing in this one. Though OSU's Eaton just picked up his 2nd foul so that may put a stop to that.

12:29- In the first 3 minutes of the the OK State-Tennessee game, we've got a "MANTAMAN!" and "a little lingerie on the deck!" from Bill Raftery. March....it's a beautiful thing.

12:23- Props to Cheddar Bob from 8 Mile for overcoming his injuries and mental deficincies to become the senior leader for Syracuse. Not to mention, when did Geraldo become the coach of Stephen F. Austin?

12:10- TV feed starts with Syracuse-Stephen F. Austin, then over to Okie State- Tennessee. Best early game looks like Utah State-Marquette. Upset potential also with North Dakota State against Kansas. Bison have one of the best scorers in the country in Ben Woodside and the defending champs have lost a few games down the stretch that they have no business losing.

12:00 P.M.- Should be a full set today, ended up meeting a friend of mine last night to watch the 2nd set of the night games. Didn't miss too much other than WKU's near meltdown and UCLA beating a group of kids from Florida 2 years too late (look it up). Thank you Ben Howland for nothing.

2009 NCAA Tourmanent Running Diary Day 1

3:20- Off to my baseball gig, should be back in time for the 7 o'clock games. Late.

3:10- Did you know that Brad Greenburg's (Radford's head coach) brother is the head coach at Virginia Tech? Not only that, did you know Tyler Hansbrough plays really hard? They really should mention these things.

3:02- You gotta like the opportunistic defense of Purdue. They could be a problem for any of the 3 teams lurking ahead (I'm assuming UConn wins).

2:51- Quote from Dan Bonner in the early going of the Purdue-Northern Iowa game, "Northern Iowa has almost as many turnovers as they do field goal attempts. That's not a good way to start a game, especially the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament." In related news, Dan also believes the AIG fiasco is not a good start for President Obama's economic turnaround.

2:34- Memphis pulls away, Texas A&M cruises and LSU hangs on thanks to Marcus Thornton. Though I doubt winning a 1st round game is cause to celebrate, let's ask former Tiger Glen Davis...



Maybe I'm Wrong.

2:24- Another old song reference by Tim Brando. Tim, Chris Berman is on line 1.

2:20- Northridge cuts back it to 4 after Memphis goes on a 9-0 blitz. 3:48 to play, but with CSN's perimeter shooting today, this one is far from over.

2:09- Butler/LSU turning into a duel as well. Too bad BYU forgot they were playing at noon.

2:07- Northridge up 6 with 10 minutes to go. Might my retarded King Midas of Sports roll be continuing?

2:01- Northridge feeling it from 3. Where would Memphis be without Roburt Salie? Timeout called with the game tied at 55 and Tim Brando goes with a Sammy Hagar reference. If only Jim Nantz could see him now.

1:57- Northridge beginning to impose its will on Memphis. *gulp*

1:56- My apologies to the Double Stuff Racing League, the Windows Rookies ad takes the lead as worst of the year.

1:53- Northridge takes the lead with 13 minutes to play. Can somebody check and see if T.J. Sorentine is on the Matador staff? This is bad.

1:44- Butler takes its first lead with less than 15 minutes to play behind the excellent play of Shelvin Mack. Memphis up 4, but the KC crowd in favor of Northridge, the upset wheels be movin.

1:41- Antonio Anderson gets a layup for his "first deuce of the afternoon" according to Tim Brando. So much potential here, but I'm gonna walk away to do the same.

1:40- John Lennon's music could solve a murder in a Cold Case episode? Gee, I liked it better when it was called Helter Skelter. So long as they put up a "loosely based on a true story" disclaimer.

1:34- Shelvin Mack carrying Butler as they close the gap to 3. A lot of stupid mistakes by LSU allowing Butler to hang around as they may have found their shooting groove.

1:19- Memphis leading by 3 at half, but they do have that look on their face of "Uhhhhh, shouldn't we be up 25 right now? These guys are supposed to be happy to be here, what's going on?"

1:12- Butler gets a 3 at the buzzer to close it to 6 at half, BYU is continuing Seton Hall-like tank job and Northridge is well within range of Memphis, making those like me who picked the Tigers just a smidge nervous. No, the Vermont-Syracuse flashbacks haven;t started yet.

12:58- Butler claws their way back by slowing it down and getting a couple 3's to fall. BYU found out they've already printed the 2009 NCAA Tournament appearence banner for their gym and have checked out against Texas A&M.

12:54- Despite the word that the Big West was average this year, CS-Northridge is staying with Memphis thanks to two early fouls on Tyreke Evans and Robert Dozier. One 15 or 16 seems to make a game of it every year, we might have it here.

12:52- Matt Howard looks like the annoying kid in school that tried to be friends with everyone and yet nobody liked him.

12:42- None of us agreed to another year of Coke Zero ads. Eeeeesh.

12:34- Uncomfortable moment: Middle-age Clark Kellogg just unleashed a "do work" blast. I'm still squirming.

12:31- Butler looks completely disinterested in playing any sort of defense. SEC speed reigns supreme once again so far.

12:23- LSU in front 9-0 less than 4 minutes in. But at least Butler doesn't look like they've never seen this kind of speed before.

12:21 - Nothing against Clark Kellogg (who's a decent studio guy), but I'd much rather prefer the Lundquist/Raftery tandem being the lead duo.

12:11 - Local game for the time being (March Madness On Demand on standby) is Butler-LSU, two teams that I think got the shaft seeding wise (LSU should be a 7 and Butler is miles better than a 9). Interested to watch LSU's Marcus Thornton.

12:00 P.M.- Orlando news on here now. Apparently today is Casey Anthony's birthday behind bars which leads to the inevitable "Mike, we can asusme there will be no cake or candles?" Somewhere, Nancy Grace is tapdancing.

2009 Tourney Picks

I'll keep short and sweet, list the upsets of the region as well.


Midwest

Dayton will be the tourney darlings here. Just a hunch here, the bottom half of that bracket is very winnable. I don't trust Michigan State (big ten prejudice, in fact I have USC who are big on the momentum right now) and Kansas' youth (Collins and Aldrich aside) could hurt them eventually.

That said I see chalk holding court and Louisville beating the Flyers in Indy to move on to Detroit.

West

Least amount of upsets (one, Utah State) here, as the top 4 seeds should advance.

When we look back on March 29th, we'll re-name the West Regional Final against UConn as Tyreke Evans' Coming-Out Party. Kid's got game out his ass and while Rose certainly had more exposure last season, Evans will get it this month. His explosiveness is incredible. Though I'm not sure what to make from that E:60 story last year about his brothers serving basically as his agents, hopefully I've become too cynical and it's a good thing.

East

Minnesota over Duke is your big upset.

For some reason, I think Minnesota is better than their record and when the 3 stops falling for the dukies, they're a fundamentally sound district runner-up.

The Seminoles have the potential to either be a Final 4 team or get bounced in Round one. They have the senior leader who can put them on their back (Toney Douglas)and if (especially) Solomon Alabi and Ryan Reid step it up, they have the inside presence to match Pitt.

I was very tempted to take VCU to the Sweet 16 and I still would not be shocked if the Rams do just that. Villanova's guard play will guard play will get them to the Elite 8 where Pitt not only gets over the hump, they take a jackhammer to it.

South

I know all 4 of you will call me a Big East homer after this region, but there's not a lot of confidence in this region

A UNC team with a possbily 75% Ty Lawson, doesn't play defense (and missing their best defender, Marcus Ginyard)and the impeccable big game record of Roy Williams? No thanks.

Oklahoma could do damage, but it's up to Willie Warren to keep opposing defenses honest.

Gonzaga? Fear of expectations, they're out.

Illinois? Just not enough fire power.

Arizona State is just good enough to get to the Sweet 16, but poorly coached enough to go no further.

Experienced coaching, plenty of scoring, size and Johnny Flynn playing out of his mind? Checkmate, Orange. (Then again, I said this in 2005. Thank you for nothing, T.J. Sorentine and Taylor Coppenrath).

Semifinals

Memphis over Louisville
Pitt over Syracuse

National Championship

The Tigers erase the bitter memory of Mario Chalmers and pull away 73-67

In the words of Hans Gruber, hit it again....

It's About That Time

I'll attempt to have a running diary the best I can for tomorrow and Friday, I'll likely be out around 3:45 tomorrow, but we can't set off the NCAA Tournament without this: