Wow, we're already off to a frantic pace. Love it.
Good to see they're letting 'em play ball and not bogging down the game with all kinds of whistles.
Here's how things will break down:
KU wins:
1st - Bill McNary (first two time winner)
2nd - Tom Hengst (great rookie entry)
3rd - Charlie Huber (2nd time in the money)
4th - Stefan Teichert (2nd 4th place finish)
Last - Eric's Wife (enjoy the beer)
Memphis wins:
1st - Bill McNary (first two time winner)
2nd - Tom Hengst (great rookie entry)
3rd - Andy Blum (1st time in the money)
4th - Charlie Huber (2nd time in the money)
Last - Eric's Wife (enjoy the beer)
After paypal fees, etc, the total payout will be $1020, breaking down 600/250/100/50/20. Gripe all you want about last place getting paid near the same as 4th, but it makes things interesting for us chumps at the bottom!
Free basketball!!!! Where we come OT! Can this game get better?
Congrats to KU!
See ya next year.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Semi-Final Saturday
Well, I think Bill has this bad boy locked up. Even with 4 #1 seeds in the final four, it appears that we're still looking at routs. Memphis by 13 and it appears KU may win by 50 at this rate.
From Brigid: nantz said it best - it's like KU has 7 guys out there (I think it was nantz)
So true. The Jayhawks are playing scrubs at this point. That big white guy that just punched UNC's shot into the 20th row isn't even KU's best big white guy.
Yep... that'll do it. The top two and last place spots are locked up. Andy can break into third place, I think, with a Memphis win.
Thanks for playing this year.
From Brigid: nantz said it best - it's like KU has 7 guys out there (I think it was nantz)
So true. The Jayhawks are playing scrubs at this point. That big white guy that just punched UNC's shot into the 20th row isn't even KU's best big white guy.
Yep... that'll do it. The top two and last place spots are locked up. Andy can break into third place, I think, with a Memphis win.
Thanks for playing this year.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Elite 8 Sunday
Sorry I'm a bit late to the game. Took the first part of the afternoon to go to some open houses in Racine. Please, somebody in MD... buy my house!!!
Not a big shocker in Memphis beating up on TX. I think the Longhorn loss may produce our first money winner in Joe Stevenson with what I think will be the last-place bracket. He's at 55 points now, but doesn't have ANY teams left.
Davidson is playing some good ball right now, bu if KU can pick up the pace of the game, I don't think Davidson will be able to keep up... unless Curry gets and stays hot like he has all tourney.
6:04 - Damn, this is a great game. Far and away the best of the last 4 days. Good job scheduling, CBS! Updates as soon. If Davidson cashes in, Steve Halstead is THE ONLY guy to pick 'em. Gutsy call!!! That would vault him to 2nd place with probably the best chance at winning it all.
6:12 - 16.8 seconds to go. Could Davidson prevent an all #1 seeded Final Four?
6:14 - Wow. Great D by KU in the closing seconds. Gotta wonder why when only down by 2 Curry didn't try to penetrate to get 2 points and possibly a foul. Sorry, Steve.
Not a big shocker in Memphis beating up on TX. I think the Longhorn loss may produce our first money winner in Joe Stevenson with what I think will be the last-place bracket. He's at 55 points now, but doesn't have ANY teams left.
Davidson is playing some good ball right now, bu if KU can pick up the pace of the game, I don't think Davidson will be able to keep up... unless Curry gets and stays hot like he has all tourney.
6:04 - Damn, this is a great game. Far and away the best of the last 4 days. Good job scheduling, CBS! Updates as soon. If Davidson cashes in, Steve Halstead is THE ONLY guy to pick 'em. Gutsy call!!! That would vault him to 2nd place with probably the best chance at winning it all.
6:12 - 16.8 seconds to go. Could Davidson prevent an all #1 seeded Final Four?
6:14 - Wow. Great D by KU in the closing seconds. Gotta wonder why when only down by 2 Curry didn't try to penetrate to get 2 points and possibly a foul. Sorry, Steve.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Elite 8 Saturday
UCLA vs Xavier
The first 5 minutes seemed to be all about big time dunks while the next 5 have been all about airballs, bricks and blocks. Pretty sloppy so far.
This is a throw away game. Nobody picked Xavier. There were a few who had the likes of Duke or UConn getting past UCLA, but nobody will be cashing in on the bonus points today.
Texas vs Memphis
39 picked the 'Horns, and 43 had Memphis. Too bad for the rest of you (including me).
The first 5 minutes seemed to be all about big time dunks while the next 5 have been all about airballs, bricks and blocks. Pretty sloppy so far.
This is a throw away game. Nobody picked Xavier. There were a few who had the likes of Duke or UConn getting past UCLA, but nobody will be cashing in on the bonus points today.
Texas vs Memphis
39 picked the 'Horns, and 43 had Memphis. Too bad for the rest of you (including me).
Friday, March 28, 2008
Sweet 16 Friday
20 point games, huh???
I didn't expect Stanford to ever lose by 20, let alone Wisco losing by 20 to a 10 seed! Congrats to Steve Halstead for being the only guy to pick Davidson over the Badgers.
I'm fairly pissed I have to watch more Drew Neitzel instead of the Jayhawks. As much sh** as I talk during the Big 12 season about KU, I always love them come tournament time. Don't know what it is.
Its a tight race at the top and another big upset (KU loss, anyone?) could spell disaster for many of te top contenders. This is why we watch, huh?
9:47 - Halftime of the KU game and nearing half of the Memphis/MSU game. Quite boring. Every time the 'dog makes tries to close the lead, the better team makes its point and widens the lead further. I don't think we're looking at a KU loss like I mentioned an hour ago. Just a couple more 3 point games, continuing the lead of Bill, Tom, Stefan and Tim.
For what its worth, since opening Thursday, my mom (MamaJuice) has been tied with herself. It started down near 98th, but she's been movin' on up lately and is in 77th as of right now. Its comical to see how rankings pan out. We may have our first 2-time winner this year in Bill McNary and I may actually have the honor of getting last place overall. I'm in 103rd right now, out of 107 entries, but have Pitt winning. Sigh. Perhaps, I'll enjoy that case of beer I promised to the loser for myself.
10:56 - So, KU didn't happen in a big way. I'm tempted to call the Memphis/MSU game, but its down to 14 points now. Weirder things have happened. The rankings will be updated shortly, though there shouldn't be any surprises.
11:07 - Less than 2 minutes to go. I'm calling it. I love that Drew Neitzel got shut out and therefore MSU got spanked. As much as I love to see upsets, there are teams and players that I just can't stand. He ranks right up there. Looking at Bill's sheet, he has all the 1 seeds in the Final Four. Any other year, I would have laughed at him. Looks to be a wise decision at this point. Good night and good luck.
I didn't expect Stanford to ever lose by 20, let alone Wisco losing by 20 to a 10 seed! Congrats to Steve Halstead for being the only guy to pick Davidson over the Badgers.
I'm fairly pissed I have to watch more Drew Neitzel instead of the Jayhawks. As much sh** as I talk during the Big 12 season about KU, I always love them come tournament time. Don't know what it is.
Its a tight race at the top and another big upset (KU loss, anyone?) could spell disaster for many of te top contenders. This is why we watch, huh?
9:47 - Halftime of the KU game and nearing half of the Memphis/MSU game. Quite boring. Every time the 'dog makes tries to close the lead, the better team makes its point and widens the lead further. I don't think we're looking at a KU loss like I mentioned an hour ago. Just a couple more 3 point games, continuing the lead of Bill, Tom, Stefan and Tim.
For what its worth, since opening Thursday, my mom (MamaJuice) has been tied with herself. It started down near 98th, but she's been movin' on up lately and is in 77th as of right now. Its comical to see how rankings pan out. We may have our first 2-time winner this year in Bill McNary and I may actually have the honor of getting last place overall. I'm in 103rd right now, out of 107 entries, but have Pitt winning. Sigh. Perhaps, I'll enjoy that case of beer I promised to the loser for myself.
10:56 - So, KU didn't happen in a big way. I'm tempted to call the Memphis/MSU game, but its down to 14 points now. Weirder things have happened. The rankings will be updated shortly, though there shouldn't be any surprises.
11:07 - Less than 2 minutes to go. I'm calling it. I love that Drew Neitzel got shut out and therefore MSU got spanked. As much as I love to see upsets, there are teams and players that I just can't stand. He ranks right up there. Looking at Bill's sheet, he has all the 1 seeds in the Final Four. Any other year, I would have laughed at him. Looks to be a wise decision at this point. Good night and good luck.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sweet 16 Thursday
I'm going out for dinner and drinks, so I don't know how often I'll update the blog tonight. Should be some interesting games, though.
Since you're here, though, I feel I should give you something constructive. Check out these highlights from the Duke vs Belmont game a week ago. I promise you, its worth a watch.
http://www.withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=5346
8:54 - Decent ballgames so far. I said this afternoon to a coworker that UNC would win by 30, but when they only score 67 or so points, a 20 point win is equivalent, right? Maybe that math is a bit beer-influenced. I'm happy to see Huggins out of the game. Would have been better if it were the aforementioned 30 pointer, but I'll deal with an OT win when the Mountaineer's D went to sleep and left a 40+% 3 point shooter wide open at the right corner.
Looking forward to the late games!!!
Since you're here, though, I feel I should give you something constructive. Check out these highlights from the Duke vs Belmont game a week ago. I promise you, its worth a watch.
http://www.withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=5346
8:54 - Decent ballgames so far. I said this afternoon to a coworker that UNC would win by 30, but when they only score 67 or so points, a 20 point win is equivalent, right? Maybe that math is a bit beer-influenced. I'm happy to see Huggins out of the game. Would have been better if it were the aforementioned 30 pointer, but I'll deal with an OT win when the Mountaineer's D went to sleep and left a 40+% 3 point shooter wide open at the right corner.
Looking forward to the late games!!!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
2nd Round Sunday
Sorry for not having any updates available today. Spent easter with the cousins down near Chicago. Big stuff happening today. - G'town goes down, Miami and Butler almost pulled out some upsets and Mississippi St is taking the fight to Memphis.
Updates shortly....
6:28 - So, Memphis just put it away and the other two games are 30 pointers. I'm calling 'em. I'll post the results from the entire day shortly and update them later if for some freak reason, I'm wrong.
Updates shortly....
6:28 - So, Memphis just put it away and the other two games are 30 pointers. I'm calling 'em. I'll post the results from the entire day shortly and update them later if for some freak reason, I'm wrong.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
2nd Round Saturday
Coach K vs Thuggins. Good to see Paulus is up to his usual flopping tricks.
Looks like its a tougher race for last place than it is for the top spot. Lenny Smith is in some tough shape with 3 Elite 8 teams already eliminated. I hope he enjoys the beer money!
WVU's starting to play pretty well. If they can keep it up, only 10 people will pick up the 7 points available for this upset.
Now that I'm actually looking at how things would break down, as much as I hate Huggins, I'd love to see Duke lose. That would really create some separation in the standings!
3:23 - I'm not sure I'm happy that CBS just switched us to the Wisconsin game with only 2 minutes to go in the Duke/WVU game. Ticking down to 1:10. Duke down 11!!!
3:27 - First timeout. Wisconsin is really going to have to do a better job on the boards if they're going to keep up with the Wildcats. Good to see that Duke has resorted to fouling and more importantly that WVU is making the free throws. Don't get confused - I still hate Huggins, but I love upsets!
21.2 seconds left for Duke's March run. I've called it officially. New scores are up.
3:46 - Good to see Wisco's sticking (mostly) to their guns and playing a slow-down kinda game, playing patient ball and letting K-State make their mistakes. I love both of these teams. It'll be fun to watch either one of them beat up on twiggy Hibbert from G'town.
13 have K-State winning this one. 10 points available.
5:15 - K State is starting to play frantic basketball. I think this one could be all wrapped up.
5:17 - 3 for hughes... DAGGER!
6:26 - Purdue's fouling every possession and Xavier is making the freethrows. I'm going to call it. Steal, Xavier. Yep... its over.
Marquette vs Stanford might turn out to be a great game. Looks that way so far.
6:29 - 2 T's for Stanford's coach... damn. Early in the game, too. This really could be interesting.
8:07 - Turns out I was right. Jerel McNeal played lights out. Not quite enough, though.
This Kansas game really shouldn't be as close as it is.
9:01 - I'm not so sure about this Michigan St. stuff. 74 people picked Pitt, but more importantly, I have them winning the whole thing. Not like I really have a chance at the championship, but they have to win to at least keep me interested.
In the other game, only 2 people had A&M winning. Good luck, Steve and... oh, crap... me. I guess these two games are make-or-break for me. Sonofabitch.
10:16 - I hate Drew Neitzel. That is all.
10:30 - Damnit, Pitt. A&M has to help me out now.
10:41 - I'm officially done. I hope that dunk counts.
Congrats to Tom Hengst for picking EVERY GAME today!
Looks like its a tougher race for last place than it is for the top spot. Lenny Smith is in some tough shape with 3 Elite 8 teams already eliminated. I hope he enjoys the beer money!
WVU's starting to play pretty well. If they can keep it up, only 10 people will pick up the 7 points available for this upset.
Now that I'm actually looking at how things would break down, as much as I hate Huggins, I'd love to see Duke lose. That would really create some separation in the standings!
3:23 - I'm not sure I'm happy that CBS just switched us to the Wisconsin game with only 2 minutes to go in the Duke/WVU game. Ticking down to 1:10. Duke down 11!!!
3:27 - First timeout. Wisconsin is really going to have to do a better job on the boards if they're going to keep up with the Wildcats. Good to see that Duke has resorted to fouling and more importantly that WVU is making the free throws. Don't get confused - I still hate Huggins, but I love upsets!
21.2 seconds left for Duke's March run. I've called it officially. New scores are up.
3:46 - Good to see Wisco's sticking (mostly) to their guns and playing a slow-down kinda game, playing patient ball and letting K-State make their mistakes. I love both of these teams. It'll be fun to watch either one of them beat up on twiggy Hibbert from G'town.
13 have K-State winning this one. 10 points available.
5:15 - K State is starting to play frantic basketball. I think this one could be all wrapped up.
5:17 - 3 for hughes... DAGGER!
6:26 - Purdue's fouling every possession and Xavier is making the freethrows. I'm going to call it. Steal, Xavier. Yep... its over.
Marquette vs Stanford might turn out to be a great game. Looks that way so far.
6:29 - 2 T's for Stanford's coach... damn. Early in the game, too. This really could be interesting.
8:07 - Turns out I was right. Jerel McNeal played lights out. Not quite enough, though.
This Kansas game really shouldn't be as close as it is.
9:01 - I'm not so sure about this Michigan St. stuff. 74 people picked Pitt, but more importantly, I have them winning the whole thing. Not like I really have a chance at the championship, but they have to win to at least keep me interested.
In the other game, only 2 people had A&M winning. Good luck, Steve and... oh, crap... me. I guess these two games are make-or-break for me. Sonofabitch.
10:16 - I hate Drew Neitzel. That is all.
10:30 - Damnit, Pitt. A&M has to help me out now.
10:41 - I'm officially done. I hope that dunk counts.
Congrats to Tom Hengst for picking EVERY GAME today!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Session 4
Can you tell I'm getting tired by the lack of posts?
Pick Counts - Arkansas - 51, Louisville - 100, Clemson - 65, Memphis - Everybody
Good last set of games tonight. Nice comeback, Nova.
Pick Counts - Arkansas - 51, Louisville - 100, Clemson - 65, Memphis - Everybody
Good last set of games tonight. Nice comeback, Nova.
Friday Session 2 Open Thread.
Don't know what can top the end of that last game.
2:33 - Interesting that UMBC is hanging around Georgetown. That's a weird little Baltimore vs DC matchup. Might mean extra motivation for UMBC.
4:52 - I've been slow this round. Had to nap and clear 2 feet of snow from the driveway. Not done snowing either. Ugh. I see, though, that San Diego has taken UConn to OT. Good stuff. Only 10 people picked the Toreros. Could be some more shake ups in store.
5:10 - Way to go, Toreros!!!
2:33 - Interesting that UMBC is hanging around Georgetown. That's a weird little Baltimore vs DC matchup. Might mean extra motivation for UMBC.
4:52 - I've been slow this round. Had to nap and clear 2 feet of snow from the driveway. Not done snowing either. Ugh. I see, though, that San Diego has taken UConn to OT. Good stuff. Only 10 people picked the Toreros. Could be some more shake ups in store.
5:10 - Way to go, Toreros!!!
Whiny? Friday Session 1 Open Thread
Yeah, yeah. I'm late to the game. Shaking off a hangover and watching games from the bed.
1:07 - Davidson just took the lead. Nice pass, donkey.
I was really hoping Miami would lose. Don't know why, really. I'm really upset about the Drake game, though there's plenty of time left. Its the white-dude Iowa school combination that does it for me.
1:13 - Pick totals: Drake - 57; only 23 had Miami; Davidson was apparently a fashionable pick with 60 and NOBODY picked American
.
1:20 - Can I whine more about not having DirecTV??? For some reason the CBS feed is out. No other channel. Just CBS. AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH. I hate Dish Network.
1:28 - Apparently Tennessee won. I wouldn't know, though, if it weren't for the internet. Lovely, huh? Next thing, the internet connection will probably go out, too.
1:34 - Thank god for March Madness On Demand. Streaming video rules.
1:38 - Davidson went final. Congrats to Stephen Curry on his 40 points! Big time. I'm calling the Miami game. Up 14 with 8 seconds... yeah. Lets go Drake!!!
1:40 - Just pulled up the Drake game. These guys will chuck 3s from anywhere in the building!!!
1:45 - Finally, the CBS feed came back. Great work, Dish Network. Just in time, too Drake tied it up!!! I NEED them to win. I picked 'em deep into the tournament.
1:49 - Tie ballgame. Extra basketball! I've uploaded scores through the first 3 games so far. Somehow, I jumped up to 11th!
2:06 - Can anyone explain to me why the hell these announcers keep referring to Drake as a cinderella team??? They're a 5 seed playing a 12 seed. They're the favorite, right? Right?
2:08 - W. O. W. Nice game, WKU!!! That'll shake some things up. New scores and thread coming shortly
1:07 - Davidson just took the lead. Nice pass, donkey.
I was really hoping Miami would lose. Don't know why, really. I'm really upset about the Drake game, though there's plenty of time left. Its the white-dude Iowa school combination that does it for me.
1:13 - Pick totals: Drake - 57; only 23 had Miami; Davidson was apparently a fashionable pick with 60 and NOBODY picked American
.
1:20 - Can I whine more about not having DirecTV??? For some reason the CBS feed is out. No other channel. Just CBS. AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH. I hate Dish Network.
1:28 - Apparently Tennessee won. I wouldn't know, though, if it weren't for the internet. Lovely, huh? Next thing, the internet connection will probably go out, too.
1:34 - Thank god for March Madness On Demand. Streaming video rules.
1:38 - Davidson went final. Congrats to Stephen Curry on his 40 points! Big time. I'm calling the Miami game. Up 14 with 8 seconds... yeah. Lets go Drake!!!
1:40 - Just pulled up the Drake game. These guys will chuck 3s from anywhere in the building!!!
1:45 - Finally, the CBS feed came back. Great work, Dish Network. Just in time, too Drake tied it up!!! I NEED them to win. I picked 'em deep into the tournament.
1:49 - Tie ballgame. Extra basketball! I've uploaded scores through the first 3 games so far. Somehow, I jumped up to 11th!
2:06 - Can anyone explain to me why the hell these announcers keep referring to Drake as a cinderella team??? They're a 5 seed playing a 12 seed. They're the favorite, right? Right?
2:08 - W. O. W. Nice game, WKU!!! That'll shake some things up. New scores and thread coming shortly
Not Updated...
So, I had a few beers last night. Can ya blame a guy? I guess so. I missed the A&M/BYU game in the scoring last night. The numbers are right now. Sorry 'bout that.
Now, I'm hunkering down for another day of games. A belly full of pancakes and a winter storm warning in affect for SE Wisconsin, I don't think I'll get too far away from the couch today. May have to make a trip to the beer store, though.
Looking over the remaining games, there don't appear to be too many bigtime upset potential matchups out there. Of course, now that I said that, it'll probably be the most exciting day we've seen in a while, right?
Happy Basketballing!
Now, I'm hunkering down for another day of games. A belly full of pancakes and a winter storm warning in affect for SE Wisconsin, I don't think I'll get too far away from the couch today. May have to make a trip to the beer store, though.
Looking over the remaining games, there don't appear to be too many bigtime upset potential matchups out there. Of course, now that I said that, it'll probably be the most exciting day we've seen in a while, right?
Happy Basketballing!
updated...
Well, the first day is over. A bunch of upsets almost happened, but only a few came to fruition. Tthat's why we watch, right?
Hope you had as good a night as I did.
Cheers!
Hope you had as good a night as I did.
Cheers!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Session 3 - Open Thread
Stanford won. I didn't even see highlights. Didn't even nap. Every time I almost fell asleep, my phone rang or buzzed or something. Yeah, yeah. No sympathy for me. Anyway, the third session has started and I'm pretty happy about the Milwaukee area getting the K-State game. A couple of early, quick, crap fouls on Beasley and he's out. Not good. K-State is a bit bland without him.
6:23 - It'll be interesting to watch a Tim Floyd coached team play against a Big 12 team. Loved the guy when he was in Ames and had stud Marcus Fizer playing well (what has he done lately?). I think he's only successful now, though, since he won the OJ Mayo lottery.
6:42 - KState is keeping it up. For what its worth, only 36 people picked KState. I'm one of 'em. Woohoo!!!
6:48 - Just saw some updates... Duke & Belmont are tight - 90 had Duke. Only 22 have Winthrop and 32 have BYU. Its nice to have some exciting games. Its not nice to not have directv, though. Oh, well. Hopefully we'll have some upsets and shake up the scores a bit!
7:20 - Right, so I have to go pick up my wife @ the airport now. Unfortunately, this may be the last post until later tonight (probably after many of your bedtimes). I'd love to be able to see the results as (hopefully) upsets evolve through the night. For the record, I have K-State, Winthrop and A&M. I'd love to see Duke lose, 'cause I always love to see 'em lose, but I have them into the final four, so.... I'm torn.
If this is indeed my last post for the evening, thanks for playing and CHEERS! I'll drink a beer or 5 for you tonight.
6:23 - It'll be interesting to watch a Tim Floyd coached team play against a Big 12 team. Loved the guy when he was in Ames and had stud Marcus Fizer playing well (what has he done lately?). I think he's only successful now, though, since he won the OJ Mayo lottery.
6:42 - KState is keeping it up. For what its worth, only 36 people picked KState. I'm one of 'em. Woohoo!!!
6:48 - Just saw some updates... Duke & Belmont are tight - 90 had Duke. Only 22 have Winthrop and 32 have BYU. Its nice to have some exciting games. Its not nice to not have directv, though. Oh, well. Hopefully we'll have some upsets and shake up the scores a bit!
7:20 - Right, so I have to go pick up my wife @ the airport now. Unfortunately, this may be the last post until later tonight (probably after many of your bedtimes). I'd love to be able to see the results as (hopefully) upsets evolve through the night. For the record, I have K-State, Winthrop and A&M. I'd love to see Duke lose, 'cause I always love to see 'em lose, but I have them into the final four, so.... I'm torn.
If this is indeed my last post for the evening, thanks for playing and CHEERS! I'll drink a beer or 5 for you tonight.
Updates tonight.
So, I've been able to keep up with updates this afternoon and will into the evening, but I have to pick up my wife @ the airport, then we're probably going out to a bar somewhere to watch games. I'll post an update when I get home.
20? & live blog, 2nd session
Its halftime in 3 or the 4 2nd session games right now and all 3 of them are 20 point games??? I'm kinda glad Wisconsin is restricted to the Marquette/Kentucky game!
2:58 - I really hope Kentucky can pull this out. I really hate Marquette kids. They always seem to take over the cool hole-in-the-wall bars I love so much in Milwaukee.
3:16 - ok, so this isn't so live... more of a stream-of-conscience steaming pile of crap... same as last year, but you can comment. so, comment, damnit!
3:34 - Kentucky's fouling now and its down to free throws. Bad news. I guess Marquette kids are going to pop their collars and get drunk tonight. The rest of the games are still at 20ish point differentials. Is it too early to call 'em? Even with 11 minutes to go in 2 of them?
3:48 - I'm calling the UNLV vs Kent St game. Update shortly.
3:36 - Wait one second now, Warriors... I mean Golden Eagles. UK down 3 and a timeout!
3:41 - Ugh. I think its over for the Wildcats. Nuts.
3:53 - UNLV vs Kent St is pretty much over. Called. Webpage updated. I was really hoping Baylor would pull out some magic since its their first bid in forever. Being an Iowa State/Big 12 guy, I should have known better.
4:02 - I'm calling the other two games. One game left for Session 2. Stanford v Cornell? Yawn. Might take a nap. Stressful job, this, entering all the picks, blogging, napping...
4:32 - Seriously??? We get Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune instead of the Stanford/Cornell game??? Sure, I said it would be a snooze fest, but damn?!?! Wheel of fortune??? Now I remember why I pay for the March Madness package from DirecTV.
2:58 - I really hope Kentucky can pull this out. I really hate Marquette kids. They always seem to take over the cool hole-in-the-wall bars I love so much in Milwaukee.
3:16 - ok, so this isn't so live... more of a stream-of-conscience steaming pile of crap... same as last year, but you can comment. so, comment, damnit!
3:34 - Kentucky's fouling now and its down to free throws. Bad news. I guess Marquette kids are going to pop their collars and get drunk tonight. The rest of the games are still at 20ish point differentials. Is it too early to call 'em? Even with 11 minutes to go in 2 of them?
3:48 - I'm calling the UNLV vs Kent St game. Update shortly.
3:36 - Wait one second now, Warriors... I mean Golden Eagles. UK down 3 and a timeout!
3:41 - Ugh. I think its over for the Wildcats. Nuts.
3:53 - UNLV vs Kent St is pretty much over. Called. Webpage updated. I was really hoping Baylor would pull out some magic since its their first bid in forever. Being an Iowa State/Big 12 guy, I should have known better.
4:02 - I'm calling the other two games. One game left for Session 2. Stanford v Cornell? Yawn. Might take a nap. Stressful job, this, entering all the picks, blogging, napping...
4:32 - Seriously??? We get Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune instead of the Stanford/Cornell game??? Sure, I said it would be a snooze fest, but damn?!?! Wheel of fortune??? Now I remember why I pay for the March Madness package from DirecTV.
Phew...
I think I finally have everything in. There was a scare there for a bit while I seemed to have lost a few brackets, but its all fixed now. 106 entries this year. A lot of regulars, and a handful of new guys. Welcome!
So far, we're doing pretty good. Nobody's 0-fer.
So far, we're doing pretty good. Nobody's 0-fer.
Not enough time
Between work, grad school and entering all your picks, I hadn't even thought about putting together my own bracket until I was driving home this morning. Thankfully, I was able to get a hold of Brigid to talk me through a bracket as I was driving!
I have about 30 brackets in my inbox right now that I haven't yet gotten to, so if the thing isn't updated by the end of the first session, I apologize.
Temple appeared to start strong, but couldn't keep it up. MSU is up at half and I don't think they're going to back down. Unfortunately, this is the only game I have access to right now, since I'm still in the process of relocating for the job and my DirecTV is still in Maryland. Boooooo.
Time to enter brackets... more later.
I have about 30 brackets in my inbox right now that I haven't yet gotten to, so if the thing isn't updated by the end of the first session, I apologize.
Temple appeared to start strong, but couldn't keep it up. MSU is up at half and I don't think they're going to back down. Unfortunately, this is the only game I have access to right now, since I'm still in the process of relocating for the job and my DirecTV is still in Maryland. Boooooo.
Time to enter brackets... more later.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Croikey!!!
Damn! I've gotten 28 brackets just since I left work today. Every year, I forget this thing actually takes a little bit of effort. We're up to 60 so far, with some notable regulars still out there. Don't know if we'll make it to last year's number, but that's ok. Its still fun for everyone.
Rolling In
The brackets are rolling in. So far, I have 32 entries, most of which have paid already. I have a hunch I'm going to get pummeled with these things tomorrow morning as I don't have submissions from many of the regulars.
If you're on the fence and worried about a check not making it in time, go ahead and mail it. If you send me a bracket and I never receive your check, I just won't count your entry. And I'll probably make fun of you.
Good luck this year.
I'll be updating this thing at least at the end of each session tomorrow and Friday, if not running a live-blog kinda thing while the games are in progress.
If you're on the fence and worried about a check not making it in time, go ahead and mail it. If you send me a bracket and I never receive your check, I just won't count your entry. And I'll probably make fun of you.
Good luck this year.
I'll be updating this thing at least at the end of each session tomorrow and Friday, if not running a live-blog kinda thing while the games are in progress.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Brackets are out!
So, the brackets are in your inboxes. Email if you have any questions, though at this point, its pretty well refined and should be pretty easy.
My thoughts on the brackets:
East
I think Tennessee got slighted as the 2 seed in UNC's bracket. Being a Milwaukee kid, I'm a big fan of Bruce Pearl and the way he coaches. George Mason and Winthrop may play some interesting ballgames, too.
South
Memphis is tough, but the way Pitt's been playing lately, I think they're the tops of this regional. Probably helps that I hate Texas. Not just the school - the entire state.
West
Yawn. UCLA may be the best team in the tournament, but I haven't seen much of them, so they don't count, right? Drake will be interesting - I seem to have a soft spot in my heart for the Midwest white-guy teams like these guys, Creighton & Valpo. Not always the best talent, but they play good fundamental ball. Finally, I'm picking Arizona. I hate Bob Thuggins (you see what I did there - clever, right?) more than I hate Texas.
Midwest
Toughest bracket in the tournament. KU, Clemson, USC, K-State, Wisconsin & Georgetown!?! Damn. Since I'm here in Wisconsin now, I've seen a lot of Badger hoops and think, like Tennessee, they got the shaft as a 3 seed. Definitely deserved it more than Texas.
Brackets are due before tipoff on Thursday. Hope to to see you in the pool!
My thoughts on the brackets:
East
I think Tennessee got slighted as the 2 seed in UNC's bracket. Being a Milwaukee kid, I'm a big fan of Bruce Pearl and the way he coaches. George Mason and Winthrop may play some interesting ballgames, too.
South
Memphis is tough, but the way Pitt's been playing lately, I think they're the tops of this regional. Probably helps that I hate Texas. Not just the school - the entire state.
West
Yawn. UCLA may be the best team in the tournament, but I haven't seen much of them, so they don't count, right? Drake will be interesting - I seem to have a soft spot in my heart for the Midwest white-guy teams like these guys, Creighton & Valpo. Not always the best talent, but they play good fundamental ball. Finally, I'm picking Arizona. I hate Bob Thuggins (you see what I did there - clever, right?) more than I hate Texas.
Midwest
Toughest bracket in the tournament. KU, Clemson, USC, K-State, Wisconsin & Georgetown!?! Damn. Since I'm here in Wisconsin now, I've seen a lot of Badger hoops and think, like Tennessee, they got the shaft as a 3 seed. Definitely deserved it more than Texas.
Brackets are due before tipoff on Thursday. Hope to to see you in the pool!
Selection Sunday
In an effort to improve things each year, I'm adding a blog to the game. This way all of you can check in on my updates and comment on games and dig on each other's picks.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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