BustedPlay

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In progress right now is the UNC/Arkansas game, which is pretty much over (UNC has doubled Arkansas’ score at the half), the Louisville/Oklahoma game, which also can be considered over (Louisville is killing them), and the only game that’s worth watching, the Memphis/MSU game, where Memphis is up eight points with 13 minutes remaning. Here’s scores of the games that went final today.

Siena 72, Villanova 84: Props to Villanova for making the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years, and this year no one really expected it. The ‘Cats shot 53 percent from the field, and held Siena to 35 percent for the game.

Miami 72, Texas 75: If you watched this game, you probably thought the same thing I did: How in the hell is Miami still hanging around? Texas coasted through most the game, went cold in the final four minutes, and before you knew it, there was a ball game to be played. AJ Abrams had 26 points for Texas, and was 6-10 from beyond the arch.

Butler 71, Tennessee 76: It took overtime, and there were moments in the game when UT looked like they were trying to let Butler win, but the Bruce Pearls move on to the next round, where they’ll either play Louisville or Oklahoma; and based on how that game is going right now, probbaly Louisville.

Davidson 74, Georgetown 70: Stephen Curry was quiet most the game, but poured it on in the final 10 minutes, causing arguably the biggest upset thus far in the tournament. Roy Hibbert, in his last collegiate game, fouled out and finished with six points.

San Diego 63, Western Kentucky 72: Hilltoppers to the Final Four!

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Today featured our first upset, even though the King of Selection Sunday picked it right. Yes, I grabbed the Hilltoppers, partially because I’ve never been sold on Drake, and partially because I’m an NCAA 2K8 freak, and they’re very, very good from beyond the arch.

Here’s some finals from earlier, and some other games still in progress.

American 57, Tennessee 72: The score was closer than would indicate here, but take that for what it’s worth: Tennessee, which shoots over 40 percent on the season from beyond the arch, was wide open time and time again, only coming up short. The next time Chris Lofton is 0-5 from deep will probably be in the NBA. Don’t look for it to happen the rest of the tourney; that said, if they don’t play better, Butler will make certain that tourney will be short lived.

Davidson 82, Gonzaga 76: It used to be that the Zags were the sleeper team that everyone picked. Now they’re the team everyone expects to lose. Stephen Curry had 40 points for Davidson, who will meet Georgetown in the next round.

St. Mary’s 64, Miami 78: St. Mary’s held a five point lead at halftime, but were then outscored by twenty in the second half.

Western Kentucky 101, Drake 99: There’s a good chance there won’t be a better game played in this tournament. If you missed it, I’m sorry. And if you missed it, Youtube it. It’ll be there soon.

South Alabama 61, Butler 81: There were a lot of people picking South Alabama, being so close to home, but so much for that: Butler was up by 17 at the half, and never looked back from there.

UMBC 47, Georgetown 66: They didn’t look great, but they won in an ugly fashion that suits GU best.

Austin Peay 54, Texas 74: I wanted a more convincing win from my Final Four team, but a win’s a win.

In Progress:

San Diego 49, Uconn 46: It’s a good game going on right now, and since the tournament has lacked good games, I suggest you flip there while it’s still on. And still close.

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As everyone suspected the moment UNC beat Clemson, the Tar Heels took over the No. 1 overall seed for this year’s tourney. The other three No. 1 seeds were Memphis, Kansas, and UCLA. To see the entire bracket, go here.

Thoughts on each bracket:

-East

  • Carolina’s No. 1, which was the obvious pick. That said, does UT, who was thought to possibly be a No. 1 seed earlier in the day, really deserve to be thrown in the same bracket as UNC and Louisville? It makes for a tough region, and if the Sweet 16 pans out as anticipated, Louisville vs. UT could be a game that reaches 200 combined points.
  • It may be a long shot, but don’t be surprised if Winthrop sneaks past Washington State.
  • Indiana and Arkansas may be one of the best first round games, and Indiana/UNC could quite possibly be the best second round game.

-Midwest

  • After beating Texas, Kansas seemed like the obvious pick. Even as a UT fan, I won’t argue that.
  • Siena will upset Vanderbilt.
  • Georgetown will make the Final Four.
  • It’s crazy, but I think Kansas could lose to Kent State in the second round, doing what Kansas does best, exiting the tournament early.

-South

  • Memphis won’t make the Final Four again. While everyone is bent on them playing the best out of conference schedule, their in conference schedule was terrible; and beyond that, their two best out of conference opponents, Tennessee and Georgetown, were both home games, and they only came away with a W in one of them.
  • Michigan State will make a nice run, but Texas will win a close one in the Elite 8 to represent the region.
  • People love the run Kentucky’s made to close the season, but I don’t see them getting past Marquette in Round 1.

-West

  • To me, this is the easiest region. UCLA should be able to run through it. Duke is overrated, Xavier’s an untested, weak No. 3, and Uconn isn’t quick enough to hang with the Bruins.
  • Don’t be surprised if West Virginia pulls one out against Duke in Round 2. The Blue Devils are fundamentally sound, but they’re not super athletic.

Bubble Watch

Conference Tournaments have been kicked off, and some bubble teams are doing their best to punch their way into the tournament, while others have done their best to punch their way out. Here’s what’s going on.

-Villanova: They lost bad to Georgetown, but still have 20 wins, and if you gave them a win in that very controversial game against Georgetown a few weeks back, they’d have 21. They’re on the outside looking in, but depending on how the rest of the tournaments finish up, they may make it.

-Syracuse: Say hello to the NIT for the second consecutive year.

-West Virginia: They were a bubble team, per se, but they were probably more in than out. After beating UCONN today, you can probably stamp them in, barring a miraculous screw up by the selection committee.

Games to watch:

-Pitt vs. Louisville: If Pitt can win this game, they’re in. If Louisville can win the Big East, they’re a two seed. Both have something at stake.


This is last night’s horrible call, which really overshadowed an otherwise great game. Instead of talking about what a game it was — and what an upset it could’ve potentially been — we’re talking about a terrible call, one of the worst I’ve seen in a long time.

A part of me was happy, though, because the Texas/Kansas game had already started and, really: Would you rather watch Nova/GU or Kansas/Texas?

Final Four’s Early Lines

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I haven’t ventured into betting on March Madness yet because, well, it’s incredibly unpredictable. But with only the best of the best around, it becomes a little easier to sift through the lines and make a solid bet.

-Georgetown/Ohio State (Pick ‘Em): I haven’t liked Georgetown this whole time, only because I think they’re too big and too clumsy. I figured North Carolina would run them out of the gym, but not playing defense in the final six minutes proved to be more prevailing. On the other hand, I feel Ohio State’s been lucky — I thought both Xavier and UT should’ve walked off a winner, but both choked in the final couple of minutes. I think Georgetown’s size is good, but Oden is better. And Georgetown doesn’t have a guard that can hang with Mike Conley, Jr. Take the Buckeyes.

-UCLA/Florida (-3): The only thing you know about the Gators is that they’re going to start slow and finish fast. A lot of people like UCLA to upset, but I have to ask: Is this UCLA team better than the one that made it to the finals last year? And is this Florida team worse? I think the answer to both is a resounding ‘No.’ Which gives me no reason at all to not think the Gators cover the field goal.

Georgetown 58, Syracuse 72: Is Georgetown a fraud? Is Syracuse better than we all thought they were? Whatever the case, Syracuse probably went ahead and clinched themselves an invitation to The Dance. It was their second big win in four days, and they’ve gone from a team who was on the outside looking in, to a team that really controls their own destiny. Barring a total collapse, Syracuse is in.

Kansas 67, Oklahoma 65: They blew a 17 point lead, but something tells me this is just the kind of game the Jayhawks needed. They’ve been killing their opponents, so having a scare at the end of the regular season is probably a good thing. Julian Wright and Mario Chalmers both scored 18 points, helping the Jayhawks win their eighth straight. Not many people have talked about them, but I think they at least deserve some consideration for a one seed.

March Madness Update

Louisville 66, Pitt 53: It was 36-19, Louisville at the half, and Pitt never could fully recover. David Padgett led all Cadinals players with 16 points, in a game that Louisville desperately needed to try and make a case for the tournament (yeah, they have 18 wins, but their resume isn’t very impressive).

West Virginia 53, Georgetown 71: So much for being in the top 25, West Virginia. After climbing in last week with their big win against UCLA, they might have just climbed themselves back out. West Virginia’s leading scorer had ten points, which is never a good sign, especially when the other team has three players who top that total.

Ok. State 54, Texas 83: I watched the first game between these two teams, and I will remember it fondly for quite some time. It was one of the best college basketball games I’d ever seen. Thankfully, I didn’t waste two hours of my life watching the encore. Kevin Durant led Texas in scoring (again) and rebounding (again), and Ok. State was outscored 52-30 in the second half. Mario Bogan did his part, putting in 16 points.

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