BustedPlay

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As we still wait for that big “upset,” here’s some of the scores that are final and are still going on.

Finals:
-Georgia 61, Xavier 73
-Portland State 61, Kansas 85
-Temple 61, Michigan State 72
-Kentucky 66, Marquette 74
-Kent State 58, UNLV 71
-Oral Roberts 63, Pittsburgh 82
-Baylor 79, Purdue 90
-Cornell 53, Stanford 77

In Progres:

-Kansas State 44, USC 38: If K-State can pull it off, it’ll be the first underdog to actually win a game. In a tournament that’s known for surprises, we haven’t seen many so far on Day One.

-Belmont 52, Duke 56: Normally, I’d be cheering for Belmont as if they were my own team. But I’m not caught up in the West Virginia hype, and I”ve got the Blue Devils in the Elite 8. So let’s hope that upset doesn’t happen here.

-Winthrop 29, Washington State 38: The game was tied at halftime, but WSU has just opened up the half with a 9-0 run, giving them the lead.

-Texas A&M 29, BYU 29: It wouldn’t be an “upset” if BYU won, per se, given that this is an 8 vs. 9, but at this point, any lower seed winning would be nice to see.

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Scores and Updates:

Finals:
-Georgia 61, Xavier 73: It was a close game, a good game, and UGA almost pulled it out.

-Temple 61, Michigan State 72: I’ve got Michigan State in my Elite 8 — almost picked ‘em to the Final Four — so watching the first half as close as it was was kinda scrary.

-Portland State 61, Kansas 85: Like many who fall into the Kansas trap, I picked this team to go to the Finals. We’ll see if they can pull their annual choke-job.

In Progress:
-Kentucky 41, Marquette 48: It’s the only close game going on right now, so it’s the only one I’m watching. Both teams looked sloppy in the first half, but things have picked up a bit.

-Kent State 20, UNLV 45: Ballgame.

-Baylor 27, Purdue 26: See above.

-Oral Roberts 24, Pittsburgh 47: See both. Jeez.

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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.

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It was a convtroversial ending for anyone who watched — there was what seemed to be a pretty blatant charge against a Georgia player, and it went uncalled — but the game is over, nonetheless, and UGA walked out the victor over the Wildcats.

UGA will face Mississippi State tonight, just six short hours after their win today. As a Georgia Tech (and Tennessee) fan, it’s hard for me to actually root for Georgia, but let’s be real: UT vs. UGA is a lot more appealing than anything else; Felton’s squad is just above a high school squad, an though they’ve played great the last couple of days, I can’t see them keeping this kind of pace up against a Top 5 team.

In other College Basketball news, UNC is trailing VT right now by 6 points with 13:00 left in the second half; Wisconsin is down to Michigan State by three in the first half, Texas is up seven at halftime against Oklahoma, and Memphis beat the hell out of Division II Tulsa to win the Conference USA Championship, as if anyone really cares to win the Conference USA Championship.

SEC Tourney Goes A Little Crazy

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I’m certain we’ve all seen this, but last night was Friday, which means today is Saturday, which means I’m off work, which means I sleep in.

So I’m late.

Anyway, due to strong winds/tornado warnings, the Georgia Dome has fallen apart, and has delayed the conclusion of the Georgia/Kentucky game.

The game will now be played at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, home of the Jackets, and the winner will be forced to play two games in a single day. Thankfully for Kentucky, they’re playing Georgia, which is only like playing one-and-a-half games in a single day.

Vols vs Kentucky

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It’s the Tennessee vs. Kentucky game tonight, which is one I’ll be looking forward to. As an avid Georgia Tech and UT fan, I’ve kind of only had fun rooting for one of them this year. Chris Lofton, Vols three point expert, has been struggling this year, but always seems to shine when he plays Big Blue. My prediction: UT by 14, and Lofton puts up 33. Cheers, people, enjoy the night.

Though You’ve Probably Heard By Now, Tubby’s Gone

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I’m a little late today. Had a late night last night, and decided to sleep in a little this morning (afternoon). Anyway, all apologies. That said, I’m about a week late on this news, but figured I’d post it anyway: Tubby Smith has resigned at Kentucky, and will head to Minnesota to coach the Gophers. The deal covers a seven year span, paying Smith $1.8 million a year.

“You always want to be wanted,” Smith told the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader in a story posted on its Web site Thursday night. “You know they have a need.”

Translation: Go to hell, Wildcats. Have fun booing the next schmuck dumb enough to take this dead-end job. I’m not Rick Pitino. The next guy who comes in won’t be Rick Pitino. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Pitino happens to be the guy that happens to coach the team that happens to be our in-state rival. I’m going to Minnesota now, where expectations are a little more reasonable and fans a little less crazy. Good riddance.

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Boston College 60, Georgia Tech 74: Outside of their game with UNC, this was GT’s most complete game of the year (and, like the UNC game, I was there — maybe I’m some sort of good luck charm). Javaris Crittenton played well enough to probably assure his early entry to the NBA, and the rest of the team was right in stride. Thaddeus Young had 10, Jeremis Smith 13 (with two nice alley-oops), Anthony Morrow 11, and our lone senior, Mario West, had 7. Tech fans are probably the only people out there who believe GT can be dangerous in the tournament, and you can count me in that group. They have the right mix of youth and maturity, and if they can get over this fixation they have with playing sloppy on the road, they can make some noise a week-and-a-half from now.

Clemson 75, Virginia Tech 74: This suddenly makes the ACC “teams that were in” list interesting. Zabian Dowdell had 25, but missed a jumper with 19 seconds left that would have given VT the lead. I know they’ve kinda sucked recently, but now Clemson has to be considered as a team to play in March.

Duke 72, UNC 86: The biggest rivalry in all of sports wasn’t much of a rivalry this year. And other than Tyler Hansbrough getting beaten up and bloodied, it really wasn’t that great of a game to watch.

Kentucky 72, Florida 85: I don’t know if this win means Florida’s back on track, but it helps. Kentucky kept it close at moments, but it seemed every time the Gators needed a basket they got one. It was Senior Day in Florida, which only means it was the last game their juniors will ever play there.

Creighton 67, Southern Illinois 61: I hate to sound like the guy who whines and moans about the small teams being ranked so high, but I think this justifies my bitching about the Salukies. And this win by Creighton is going to have a dramatic effect on my bracket: One way or another, the Bluejays always manage a win in March.

Seton Hall 71, Louisville 86: I remember when Louisville was being talked about as a team that had no chance of making the tournament. A month later, they’re in the top 25, and are probably a 5 seed.

Wisconsin 48, Ohio State 49: I’ve commented on it all season, so I figure I’ll harp some more about it now (it’s tough being right: If Wisconsin plays a team that’s solid down low, they’re going to have a hard time beating anybody with their three point shooting. The Badgers were 5-17 from beyond the arch, and Alando Tucker led all Wisonsin players with 12 points. Greg Oden had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. They won and all, but I think Greg Oden needs to get the ball a little more so he takes more than the 8 shots he took in this game.

Houston 64, Memphis 77: Every time I write about this team, it seems they’ve just played another .500 patsy. They play good defense on paper, but I think this might be a high-seeded, early exit come March Madness.

Kentucky 65, Vandy 67: Seems like a long time ago that everyone was getting pumped up about Kentucky’s game with Florida that might catapult them into the top 10 (they lost, of course). Kentucky’s lost four of their last five, and still have to play Georgia and then travel down Florida to finish the season. They lose those two, I’m not sure they’ll get a bid.

Duke 67, St. John’s 50: It’s unfortunate, but it also seems like a long time ago that we were discussing the possibility of Duke not making the Dance. They’ve rattled off four-straight, and Greg Paulus — who just seems really irritating to watch — is finally starting to contribute on offense.

North Carolina 87, Maryland 89: Well, you can go ahead and stamp Maryland as being in the tournament. I’m wondering who’s fallen faster: UNC, Wisconsin or Florida.

Georgia Tech 63, FSU 57: I hate to headline last evening’s games with one of the games that didn’t mean much to anybody who’s not me, but I’m going to anyway. The Yellow Jackets won their fourth straight game, and their first road win since February 2005. Yes, it’s been a while. Javaris Crittenton led the Jackets in scoring — as you probably knew from the not so subtle but very long title — with 29 points, and has flung himself into my exclusive list of Tech Players Whose Asses I’d Slap. Other members of this prestigious group include Chris Bosh, Jarrett Jack, Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott, Will Bynum, Anthony McHenry, The Aussie, I’smail Muhhamad, Matt Harpring, BJ Elder, James Forrest, Malcom Mackey, Brian Oliver, John Barry, Drew Barry, John Salley. . . okay, maybe not exclusive, per se. But extensive, no less.

Texas Tech 77, Texas A&M 75: Texas Tech broke a five game losing streak, and A&M had its five game winning streak snapped when Jarrius Jackson hit a jumper as time expired to help Tech to its second win over the Aggies this year. This win helps Texas Tech out a lot, who was starting to slip off the edge of the NCAA tournament. I feel like a Bob Knight joke should be inserted here, but I’m not near clever enough at the moment.

Virginia Tech 81, UNC 80: That loss Georgia Tech had to VT at home this year is starting to look a little better. Zabian Dowdell is a name you might want to remember, because I have a feeling he’s going to be big in March. The kid is incredibly quick, and led the Hokies to victory with 33 points. Maybe now VT will be taken a little more seriously.

Florida Gulf Coast U 65, Butler 79: I’m not trying to squash the small fish, but c’mon. Butler is the 12th ranked team in the nation? They just beat Florida Gulf Coast U, who, outside of their student body, no one even knew existed.

Kentucky 85, Tennessee 89: Chris Lofton always dreamed of playing for Kentucky, and is now giving Tubby Smith nightmares for not recruiting him. In his three games against the Wildcats, Lofton has averaged 23.6 ppg. I’m starting to think Tubby wouldn’t say “you’re too small” if he still wanted to play there. . .

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