Thursday, March 20, 2008

"They f#%k you with coverage areas. That's what it is..."

"...They're f@%kin' you with the coverage areas. They love it when you get the game you don't want to watch. Y'know why, huh? You know why? 'Cause when you get mad -which they know you're gonna do. -they charge you for that pay-per-view package at that high rate or drive you to their website where they can sell even more ad space."

After a long, conflicting day at work, I finally get home. Ready to watch basketball. And relax. I go to the fridge. The thirty-pack is empty, but there a few stray bottles rolling around. We're OK. The early late games are just about to tip. The recliner is free. It's all gonna be just fine.

And, then we turn on CBS. And, things aren't fine. The game that all of America has been salivating over since the field was announced is seemingly not televised in the New York metropolitan area. In the biggest media market in the country the biggest game in the country was not on? That's not true! That's impossible. But soon, my Skywalker-in-Empire disbelief turned to Pesci-in-Lethal-Weapon-4 rage at the situation.

I mean you've got to be kidding. We're stuck watching a down-ish Duke team in a 2/15 that hasn't even been talked up too much? I'm stuck watching this instead of the game that has drawn the NBA fan to the tourney and forced the college ball fan to think about the NBA? We're stuck listening to a D-League announcing team and two teams with nary a true star between them instead of watching the one single shining game that EVERYONE WAS ANTICIPATING? Really?

Yes. And you know why? Because they f&$k you with the coverage areas.

Washington, DC is East of Most Places, Yet...

The WWOD? Preview of Tonight’s Games in the "West" Regional

Since I've embraced the madness and made a self-diagnosis of my condition I figured that I need not be shy about the symptoms of my dementia. And, what shows off the mannerisms of my madness better than to add another tournament preview to the bonfire of unasked and unfounded prognostications? To put my late night ramblings into some context I’ve also included the pick from Vegas, the pick from noted college basketball blog Storming the Floor as well as the teams tapped by noted ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

#2 Duke vs. #15 Belmont
Thursday at 7:10 PM EST in Washington, DC
Vegas: Duke (-21)
Storming the Floor: Duke
Joe Lunardi: Duke
WWOD?: Most everyone's favorite part of the tournament is watching Duke get upset by a mid-major. That VCU game last year and that shot by Eric Maynor with less than two seconds left was the most irrepressibly exciting moment for lots and lots of folks. I can only hope to feel such feelings again this year. And, I think I will. I just don't think it will be tonight.

#7 West Virginia vs. #10 Arizona
Thursday at 9:40 PM EST in Washington, DC
Vegas: West Virginia (-2)
Storming the Floor: Arizona
Joe Lunardi: Arizona
WWOD?: Jeez, these two (along with Louisville and any team coached by Ben Howland) have been my tournament horses in most years. I've blindly picked both at various times with no good reason to do so yet been rewarded all the same. I won my office pool in 2005 based largely on WVU's run to the Regional Final. I've barely seen this Alexander kid (though he was very, very good when I did see him in the Big East tourney) from West Virginia play, and if Lute Olsen were on the sideline I would have picked him and Bayless in a heart beat. It would have been a lock. But, without Olsen and with the location favoring the Mountaineers so much I won't do more than take a flyer in an upset-themed bracket on the Hoopcats. The Big East bias beats out my Lute Olsen predilection. That sounds icky.

East Side Story

The WWOD? Preview of Tonight’s Games in the East Regional

Since I've embraced the madness and made a self-diagnosis of my condition I figured that I need not be shy about the symptoms of my dementia. And, what shows off the mannerisms of my madness better than to add another tournament preview to the bonfire of unasked and unfounded prognostications? To put my late night ramblings into some context I’ve also included the pick from Vegas, the pick from noted college basketball blog Storming the Floor as well as the teams tapped by noted ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

#4 Washington State vs. #13 Winthrop
Thursday at 7:20 PM EST in Denver, CO
Vegas: Washington State (-9.5)
Storming the Floor: Washington State
Joe Lunardi: Washington State
WWOD?: This seems to be one of the trendy upset picks. And, I do love the trendiness. To the detriment of my bracket, mostly. I bet against Washington State once this season and they rocked USC in January. So, I'm afraid to bet against them again even though they are like the PAC-10 version of Big Ten team in my mind and I suspect them for this weird association I've conjured. Still, I'm going to pick them more often than not in this game. Though, I could see them going the way of last year's Wisconsin team. Because to me it is the same exact team. In which case, I'll feel like a jerk who tried to out-think the smarter people who made Winthrop the trendy pick in the first place. And, further down the rabbit hole...

#5 Notre Dame vs. #12 George Mason
Thursday at 9:50 PM EST in Denver, CO
Vegas: Notre Dame (-6.5)
Storming the Floor: Notre Dame
Joe Lunardi: Notre Dame
WWOD?: The thing is, I hate Notre Dame. I think they are consistently the most overrated school in every possible regard. In sports. In academics. In importance in the national consciousness. Only eighty year olds and BCS selection committees care about this school anymore. It's a nostalgia act. In this day and age this is a school for midwesterners and legacies that puts on one heck of a party a few Saturdays in the fall. And, that's it. BUT, somehow I've talked myself into thinking that they can make a run in this tournament. It's that Big East bias I mentioned earlier. I've somehow talked myself into trusting Harangody even though I think he is soft and goofy and one my best buddies (who is a ND grad and as much a homer for them as I'm a hater) told me himself that 'Gody is garbage. Maybe the real reason that I am tapping ND here is that I don't want to live another day hearing someone ask if "this year's George Mason is this year's George Mason." I would rather tear out my eyes and take a trip to South Bend during the Spring Semester than hear that again.

Remember when....

The Games have Started and it's Time to Play America's Favorite Game:

Remember when I said...that the Purdue/Baylor game "feels like the one that busts my bracket. I want to pick Baylor all over the place (and practically have) in spite of the fact that they are the team that just snuck in to the field by the hairs on their chinny-chin-chins."

Remember when I said that? And, then still went and wrote Baylor into most of my brackets? Remember When?

Purdue leads 47-27 at the half.

UPDATE: Purdue lost a point while in the locker room. The score is 47-26. And, the comeback is on.

"...Untouchable Like Elliot Ness"

The WWOD? Preview of Today’s Game in the West Regional

Since I've embraced the madness and made a self-diagnosis of my condition I figured that I need not be shy about the symptoms of my dementia. And, what shows off the mannerisms of my madness better than to add another tournament preview to the bonfire of unasked and unfounded prognostications? To put my late night ramblings into some context I’ve also included the pick from Vegas, the pick from noted college basketball blog Storming the Floor as well as the teams tapped by noted ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

#3 Xavier vs. #14 Georgia
Thursday at 12:20 PM EST in Washington, DC
Vegas: Xavier (-8.5)
Storming the Floor: Xavier
Joe Lunardi: Xavier
WWOD?: Georgia was the darling of early March. It's a great story but they picked the wrong week to use up their magic and voodoo dolls and freak-weather-altering powers. Even if the Bulldogs are playing better than they have all year (not hard) that just means that they're playing better than a team that was second-to-last in the SEC. And, I'm pretty sure that marginally better than that isn't good enough to beat the team that should-have and almost-did knock Ohio State (with Oden and Conley) out of the Dance last year.

#6 Purdue vs. #11 Baylor
Thursday at 2:50 PM EST in Washington, DC
Vegas: Purdue (-3)
Storming the Floor: Baylor
Joe Lunardi: Purdue
WWOD?: Oh, this game. This feels like the one that busts my bracket. I want to pick Baylor all over the place (and practically have) in spite of the fact that they are the team that just snuck in to the field by the hairs on their chinny-chin-chins. But, I don't see this team and this program (which is coming back from that whole players killing one another thing) just being happy to be here. George Mason wasn't just happy to be there in 2006 when they were the last team to sneak in. Hmm... Either way I'm mostly (but not everywhere) going with Baylor because the Bears start juniors while the Boilermakers play freshman. And, Purdue is in the Big Ten, which I do not rate very highly. Ever. And generally without evidence in hand to support my decision.

#8 BYU vs. #9 Texas A&M
Thursday at 7:25 PM EST in Anaheim, CA
Vegas: Texas A&M (-1)
Storming the Floor: BYU
Joe Lunardi: Texas A&M
WWOD?: Another classic 8/9 of teams I've heard of but really don't know anything about. I feel the same way as Vegas since this is a toss-up for me. BYU has a dominant conference season (in a mostly lousy conference) on their side of the ledger while A&M has a tougher schedule behind them. I usually go with the grit one should earn from the tougher schedule but then you can't write off those Mormons because they are sometimes older than Chris Weinke and married with kids and stuff and come at these games with a level of focus and grown-up-ness that compensates somewhat for the talent gap. Like I said, a toss-up.

#1 UCLA vs. #16 Mississippi Valley State
Thursday at 9:55 PM EST in Anaheim, CA (which is where the Los Angeles Angels play...)
Vegas: UCLA (-32)
Storming the Floor: UCLA
Joe Lunardi: UCLA
WWOD?: UCLA. Boatloads of people have this team winning it all. I'm one of them (on most of my brackets). So, thanks for coming out MVS but I'm not even going to take you to cover a 32 point spread. Well, actually I might, depending on how the early games work out and what the feel is on that court in Anaheim when BYU and A&M play.

The Flight Plan For Fly-Over Country

The WWOD? Preview of Today’s Game in the Midwest Regional

Since I've embraced the madness and made a self-diagnosis of my condition I figured that I need not be shy about the symptoms of my dementia. And, what shows off the mannerisms of my madness better than to add another tournament preview to the bonfire of unasked and unfounded prognostications? To put my late night ramblings into some context I’ve also included the pick from Vegas, the pick from noted college basketball blog Storming the Floor as well as the teams tapped by noted ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

#1 Kansas vs. #16 Portland State
Thursday at 12:25 PM EST in Omaha, NE
Vegas Kansas (-22.5)
Storming the Floor: Kansas
Joe Lunardi: Kansas
WWOD?: Bradley. Bucknell. Portland State? I don’t think so. Let’s say it all together now, “No 16 seed has ever beat a 1 seed in the history of the Tournament.” And, though Kansas has a history of flame-outs this time of year they also have history on their side. And, though I’m not entirely sold on this supremely talented but sometimes casual looking team to make it to San Antonio I do not think they could possibly go this early. In their own way, and it’s probably helped by the color scheme, they remind me of the Pistons. They can be so very, very good, perhaps even the very best when they are pressuring you and playing aggressively on offense, but sometimes you get the impression that they just don’t show up mentally.

#8 UNLV vs. # 9 Kent State
Thursday at 2:55 PM EST in Omaha, NE
Vegas: Kent State (-2)
Storming the Floor: UNLV
Joe Lunardi: Kent State
WWOD?: Talk about your classic 8/9 game! Both teams won their conference tournaments. Both teams have been recent tournament experience. Both teams play defense so it’s not contrast in styles. And the higher seed is giving points. I successfully picked UNLV to win two games last year beating Georgia Tech and then upsetting Wisconsin, but I feel like I shouldn’t push my luck with them this year. And though this is one where I will probably go both ways on from bracket to bracket, I feel like the location probably puts Kent State over the top in real life.

#6 USC vs. #11 Kansas State
Thursday at 7:10 PM EST in Omaha, NE
Vegas: USC (-3.5)
Storming the Floor:
Joe Lunardi: USC
WWOD?: And, here is grand-daddy of them all. This is the first round game that everyone is hyped about. It pits two of the best one-and-done freshman from one of the best one-and-done freshmen classes against each other. Mayo vs. Beasley. All the paper-prowess of this game means that it will probably be boring. Right? Since it is March and the unexpected is to be expected. And, if it were boring that means that USC would probably win because for K-State to win Beasley would likely have to go for 30 and 15, which wouldn’t, by definition, be boring to watch. I also saw USC play in person last year at the Meadowlands. They lost to UNC but they were so much better than their opponent. They dominated the first half and played the best team basketball that maybe I’ve ever seen. And, then they came out in the second half and it seemed like someone had slapped a cover over their rim. They missed every shot and then whiffed on every rebound. It was surreal and UNC seized the opportunity to take the game. Still, I remember how good USC looked and I think that swapping out Mayo for Nick Young (now a Wizard) means that they can’t be much worse. If anything, they may be even better this year. And, as much as I loved watching Beasley a month ago and think he is reason enough to take a flyer on K-State, I have a feeling that maybe Mayo uses this game and this tournament to rewrite the story of his one college season, where he was overshadowed by kids who he had overshadowed coming out of high school.

#3 Wisconsin vs. #14 Cal State, Fullerton
Thursday at 9:40 PM EST in Omaha, NE
Vegas: Wisconsin (-11.5)
Storming the Floor: Wisconsin
Joe Lunardi: Wisconsin
WWOD?: The Badgers are another team that I traditionally steer clear of (see last year’s correct pick of UNLV), but this isn’t the time or the place for such behavior. If they were playing baseball in sunny southern California then I would surely take Fullerton. However, they are playing basketball indoors and in the Midwest. Advantage Wisconsin.

The Southern Strategy

The WWOD? Preview of Today’s Game in the South Regional

Since I've embraced the madness and made a self-diagnosis of my condition I figured that I need not be shy about the symptoms of my dementia. And, what shows off the mannerisms of my madness better than to add another tournament preview to the bonfire of unasked and unfounded prognostications? To put my late night ramblings into some context I’ve also included the pick from Vegas, the pick from noted college basketball blog Storming the Floor as well as the teams tapped by noted ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.

#3 Stanford vs. #14 Cornell
Thursday at 5:00 PM EST in Anaheim, CA (which is, like, way closer to Stanford than Cornell)
Vegas: Stanford (-14.5)
Storming the Floor: Stanford
Joe Lunardi: Stanford
WWOD?: This one really pits some of my baseless bracket biases against one another. In one corner is my overriding skepticism of The Cardinal. And, across the squared circle is my feeling that dominant BIGS (of which Stanford has two. And, they are related. And, shared a womb. That's gross. Because they're both HUGE.) are always worth at least one tournament win. You notice that Cornell doesn't actually factor into this debate. The game will likely be the same (although Cornell did go undefeated in the Ivy League, for what it's worth). Maybe I'll reconcile my concerns by picking Stanford on the bracket while hoping that Cornell can cover the point spread. Either way, Ithaca is gorges and the Cornell team will be back there in no time.

#4 Pittsburgh vs. #13 Oral Roberts
Thursday at 3:00 PM EST in Denver, CO
Vegas: Pittsburgh (-8.5)
Storming the Floor: Pittsburgh
Joe Lunardi: Pittsburgh
WWOD?: One of my roommates (err…housemates) fills out his bracket like a PAC-10 coach whereas I traditionally lean toward the Big East on such matters. That’s why I just knew the Panthers were going to beat Duke way back when they played at the Garden and why many of my wild theories for this tournament involve Pitt making some noise. Still, all biases aside, Pitt did beat Duke way back when and they are healthier than they’ve been in a while (Fields is back) and seem to be peaking (they just won the Big East Tournament) at the right time. And, I'm also pretty sure that the only reason any wants to pick Oral Roberts in the first place is because of their name: Oral Roberts. Yeah, I guess "oral" is pretty funny but I'm not going to be swayed by their name until they just go all the way (pun not intended but then kept upon realization) and change it to Blowjob Richards. Then, they get their name in pen on my bracket. And, scribbled on the walls of bathroom stalls across this great nation.

Gamblers: The Big East Champ should probably beat Oral Roberts by 9 points!!!!!

#5 Michigan State vs. #12 Temple
Thursday at 12:30 EST in Denver, CO
Vegas: Michigan State (-7.5)
Storming the Floor: Temple
Joe Lunardi: Michigan State
WWOD?: Yeah, this is a tough one. It will vary from bracket to bracket for me. Normally, I would take Tom Izzo in a heartbeat as another of “my” criteria for this stuff is coaching. And, Izzo knows how to coach ‘em up. However, Izzo screwed me by losing to UNC last year. And, I’ve found myself developing some sort of school-boy crush on Philly hoops in the past month or so. I think those teams are gritty and poised down there. The Big 5 schools look like what NYC hoops are supposed to look like. Maybe it’s Mardy Collins making me unable to write off Temple. Maybe not. Yeah, thinking of Mardy makes me realize that if I had but one bracket (which thankfully I don’t) I would probably go with the Spartans (even though that is pick based on rep rather than reality) and pin my Philly hopes on St. Joes.

#6 Marquette vs. #11 Kentucky
Thursday at 2:30 EST in Anaheim, CA
Vegas: Marquette (-6)
Storming the Floor: Marquette
Joe Lunardi: Marquette
WWOD?: I've yet to fully accept Marquette into my Big East Coast Bias since they're reasonably new here and I don’t like their new-fangled recruiting friendly uniforms so I am not totally confident in picking them. They're getting the nod from me but I'll take a flyer on the Wildcats in some bracket. To us their brutal start seems like it was yesterday whereas to them it probably seems several seasons ago. I would take them over a mid-major here as they're an easy-to-back, blue-blood ‘dog. I wouldn't be shocked if they won this game and even if they beat Stanford (because I'm so skeptical of the Cardinal) in the next round. After all, they are Kentucky.