1. (17) Brigham Young v. Virginia Commonwealth (3:05 P.M. -- TNT)
2. (10) Louisville v. Creighton (11:15 A.M. -- CBS)
3. (14) Michigan v. UC-San Diego (9 P.M. -- TBS)
3. (14) Michigan v. UC-San Diego (9 P.M. -- TBS)
4. Gonzaga v. Georgia (3:35 P.M. -- TBS)
5. Kansas v. Arkansas (6:10 P.M. -- CBS)
6. U.C.L.A. v. Utah St. (8:25 P.M. -- TNT)
7. Missouri v. Drake (6:35 P.M. -- tru TV)
8. (12) Clemson v. McNeese St. (2:15 P.M. -- tru TV)
9. (19) Texas A & M v. Yale (6:25 P.M. -- TBS)
10. Purdue v. High Point (11:40 A.M. -- tru TV)
11. (9) Texas Tech v. UNC-Wilmington (9:10 P.M. -- tru TV)
12. (6) Tennessee v. Wofford (5:50 P.M. -- TNT)
13. (13) Wisconsin v. Montana (12:30 P.M. -- TNT)
14. (5) St. John's v. Neb-Omaha (8:45 P.M. -- CBS)
15. (2) Houston v. SIU-Edwardsville (1 P.M. -- TBS)
16. (4) Auburn v. Alabama St. (1:50 P.M. -- CBS)
One important note: I'm not paying attention to any jinxes this year. Each team is on its own, and I'm going to write about whatever I want.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has picked Duke to win it all. Here are Obama's picks since 2009, with the winner in parentheses:
ReplyDelete2009: N. Carolina (N. Carolina)
2010: Kansas (Duke)
2011: Kansas (Connecticut)
2012: N. Carolina (Kentucky)
2013: Indiana (Louisville)
2014: Michigan St. (Connecticut)
2015: Kentucky (Duke)
2016: Kansas (Villanova)
2017: N. Carolina (N. Carolina)
2018: Michigan St. (Villanova)
2019: Duke (Virginia)
2021: Gonzaga (Baylor)
2022: Gonzaga (Kansas)
2023: Duke (Connecticut)
2024: Connecticut (Connecticut)
Shout out to the Detroit Free Press for keeping track of President Obama's picks.
DeleteLouisville 25 - 40 Creighton (4:15 left in 1st)
ReplyDeletePurdue 13 - 11 High Point (12:42 left in 1st)
With 2 minutes left in the first half, Creighton leads Louisville 47 to 27.
ReplyDeleteLouisville 34 - 49 Creighton (Halftime)
ReplyDeletePurdue 29 - 25 High Point (4:46 left in 1st)
Louisville 50 - 65 Creighton (11:45 left in 2d)
ReplyDeletePurdue 37 - 27 High Point (Halftime)
Wisconsin 9 - 7 Montana (13:19 left in 1st)
Louisville 57 - 71 Creighton (7:52 left in 2d)
ReplyDeletePurdue 43 - 36 High Point (17:05 left in 2d)
Wisconsin 21 - 13 Montana (10:04 left in 1st)
It feels like small schools from the West, such as Montana, are much less likely to pull upsets in the tournament than schools from the South or the East Coast.
DeleteU of L is the first team eliminated:
ReplyDeleteLouisville 75 - 89 Creighton (F)
Purdue 75 - 63 High Point (F)
Wisconsin 85 - 66 Montana (F)
Houston 64 - 31 SIU-Edwardsville (10:05 left in 2d)
Auburn 28 - 24 Alabama St. (5:24 left in 1st)
Clemson 4 - 4 McNeese St. (15:58 left in 1st)
Will Wade (current McNeese coach, possible future NCSU coach) is cooking:
ReplyDeleteHouston 78 - 40 SIU-Edwardsville (F)
Auburn 62 - 45 Alabama St. (10:23 left in 2d)
Clemson 16 - 40 McNeese St. (16:14 left in 2d)
BYU 29 - 26 VCU (3:49 left in 1st)
Gonzaga 13 - 0 Georgia (15:59 left in 1st)
Auburn 83 - 63 Alabama St. (F)
ReplyDeleteClemson 52 - 60 McNeese St. (2:02 left in 2d)
BYU 54 - 39 VCU (14:52 left in 2d)
Gonzaga 48 - 27 Georgia (0:33 left in 1st)
By the way, here were the final standings in the Classic SEC (with Ken Pom rankings):
ReplyDelete2. Florida: 30-4
4. Auburn: 28-5
5. Tennessee: 27-7
6. Alabama: 25-8
16. Kentucky: 22-11
25. Mississippi: 22-11
33. Mississippi St: 21-12
36. Georgia: 20-12
47. Vanderbilt: 20-12
89. Louisiana St: 14-18
Clemson was outscored by 18 points in the first half, and outscored McNeese by 16 points in the second half. So the Tigers are out. Meanwhile, BYU is having a pretty easy time with VCU:
ReplyDeleteClemson 67 - 69 McNeese St (F)
BYU 60 - 50 VCU (9:55 left in 2d)
Gonzaga 48 - 27 Georgia (Halftime)
BYU 80 - 71 VCU (F)
ReplyDeleteHuge disappointment for the Rams, who were never really in this game.
Gonzaga 80 - 56 Georgia (7:15 left in 2d)
Gonzaga is absurdly under-seeded in this tournament. Georgia is another school like Vandy who shouldn't have been in at all.
So far, the McNeese/Clemson game is the only close game that's been played. No madness so far.
ReplyDeleteGonzaga 89 - 68 Georgia (F)
ReplyDeleteTennessee 13 - 8 Wofford (12:20 left in 1st)
Amazingly, Gonzaga has to play Houston in the next round. That's an absurd matchup for the Second Round, but it should be a good game.
In the Kansas/Arkansas game, I'm going with Kansas. I watched many games between Bill Self and Coach Cal, and the winner was almost always the team that had better players -- these guys almost never pull upsets on each other.
ReplyDeleteTennessee 26 - 16 Wofford (6:51 left in 1st)
ReplyDeleteKansas 5 - 11 Arkansas (15:52 left in 1st)
Tennessee 33 - 25 Wofford (1:45 left in 1st)
ReplyDeleteKansas 15 - 16 Arkansas (11:57 left in 1st)
Texas A & M 7 - 5 Yale (15:53 left in 1st)
Tennessee 36 - 27 Wofford (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteKansas 26 - 25 Arkansas (7:30 left in 1st)
Texas A & M 19 - 9 Yale (10:55 left in 1st)
Tennessee 36 - 27 Wofford (Halftime)
ReplyDeleteKansas 40 - 40 Arkansas (2:59 left in 1st)
Texas A & M 29 - 19 Yale (8:00 left in 1st)
I feel like I've already watched this Kansas/Arkansas game about 10 times before.
After coming out flat for three tournaments in a row, Cal has his guys bouncing tonight. This is a great game (although I still think KU will win):
ReplyDeleteTennessee 36 - 27 Wofford (Halftime)
Kansas 44 - 47 Arkansas (Halftime)
Texas A & M 32 - 25 Yale (3:20 left in 1st)
Once again, Arkansas blitzes Kansas to open the half. Great coaching from Cal:
ReplyDeleteTennessee 61 - 48 Wofford (9:50 left in 2d)
Kansas 44 - 54 Arkansas (17:42 left in 2d)
Texas A & M 40 - 29 Yale (Halftime)
Missouri 16 - 22 Drake (4:21 left in 1st)
Tennessee 68 - 55 Wofford (6:02 left in 2d)
ReplyDeleteKansas 47 - 55 Arkansas (15:44 left in 2d)
Texas A & M 40 - 29 Yale (Halftime)
Missouri 18 - 24 Drake (2:28 left in 1st)
As usual, the Jayhawks are clawing their way back into the game. Meanwhile, Mizzou looks like a fraud:
ReplyDeleteTennessee 70 - 57 Wofford (3:48 left in 2d)
Kansas 55 - 59 Arkansas (11:26 left in 2d)
Texas A & M 45 - 35 Yale (17:10 left in 2d)
Missouri 23 - 30 Drake (Halftime)
Going down to the wire between the Jayhawks and the Razorbacks:
ReplyDeleteTennessee 77 - 62 Wofford (F)
Kansas 61 - 62 Arkansas (7:31 left in 2d)
Texas A & M 53 - 42 Yale (12:15 left in 2d)
Missouri 23 - 30 Drake (Halftime)
Arkansas is 5-20 from three-point range.
ReplyDeleteWith 10 minutes left, the Razorbacks were sitting on a 62-55 lead. Since then, they have been outscored 12-2:
ReplyDeleteKansas 67 - 64 Arkansas (3:46 left in 2d)
Texas A & M 58 - 50 Yale (9:29 left in 2d)
Missouri 23 - 30 Drake (19:40 left in 2d)
K.J. Adams of Kansas has to leave with an ankle injury, and suddenly the Razorbacks are on a 7-0 run:
ReplyDeleteKansas 67 - 71 Arkansas (1:43 left in 2d)
Texas A & M 63 - 52 Yale (6:30 left in 2d)
Missouri 28 - 37 Drake (16:14 left in 2d)
Up by six points with only 12 seconds left, Arkansas allows KU to shoot a wide-open three, which (of course) the Jayhawks make:
ReplyDeleteKansas 72 - 75 Arkansas (0:12 left in 2d)
Texas A & M 67 - 55 Yale (4:58 left in 2d)
Missouri 28 - 39 Drake (14:08 left in 2d)
Up 75-72 with 12 seconds left, Arkansas can't get the ball in. So they call time. They have one timeout left.
ReplyDeleteUp 75-72 with 12 seconds left, Arkansas still can't get the ball in. So they call their last timeout.
ReplyDeleteAny UK fan inclined to gloat about Arkansas's issues at the end of the game should be forced to watch the last minute of UK's game with Oklahoma in the SEC Tournament.
ReplyDeleteArkansas finally does that play where one of the other players goes out of bounds, takes the pass from the first guy with the ball, and then he throws the in-bounds pass. It works, and the Razorbacks are going to the line.
ReplyDelete"THIS TIME, A HUG. THIS TIME, A HUG." Coach Cal's Arkansas team comes from behind down the stretch, creating turnover after turnover, and making 17 of 20 free throws. They beat Kansas 79 to 72, and move on to the second round. KU finishes 21-13 in what has to be one of their most disappointing seasons in years.
ReplyDeleteSo it's a bad day for Mitch Barnhart, a bad day for the Kentucky media, and a bad day for Kansas fans. I can live with that.
ReplyDeleteFew moments are more satisfying than when you pull the Kansas pin out of the NCAA Tournament map.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time since 2006 that Kansas was eliminated in the First Round.
ReplyDeleteBarnhart is lucky that Arkansas is likely going to play St. John's in the next round. Otherwise Cal and Pitino would probably both be in the Regional Semifinals.
ReplyDeleteA & M beats Yale, 80 to 71.
ReplyDeleteIn college baseball, the Vandy Boys beat Texas A & M 5-3 and run their Conference record to 2-2.
ReplyDeleteMizzou has clawed back into this game, but they trail Drake 54-51 with 3:16 left.
ReplyDeleteDrake leads 56-51 with 2:47 left.
ReplyDeleteDrake is going to beat Mizzou. They lead 63-55 with just under a minute left. Drake's record will be 31-3. Mizzou will finish with a record of 22-12, and the satisfaction of outlasting Kansas by about an hour.
ReplyDelete