NCAA Tournament Redux -

The Madness begins tomorrow, and you can come here for all your last minute bracket needs.

My bracket is a mix of "chalk" and upsets.  Has there been any term that has been overused by the experts more than "chalk".  For the uninformed, chalk simply means that the higher seed will win out against the lower seed.  Jay Bilas says chalk about 43 times an interview.  Anyways, my Final Four features North Carolina and Pittsburgh on one side, and Washington and Michigan State on the other side.  Pittsburgh will meet State in the finals, and Pittsburgh will punish State like a skinny white guy in Oz.  Some upsets that I like are Utah State, Arizona (Sweet 16), Cleveland State, Wisconsin, and Western Kentucky.  I am sure I will be wrong on at leat 63% of my picks, and there will be one game that will really shock everyone.  One thing is for sure, beers and boneless will be flowing at BW3's all day leading up to Michigan's 7:10 game against Clemson.  I'm not sure where I stand on this one, as I can see Michigan just being happy to be there.  Clemson is hungry to get Oliver Purnell his first win in the NCAA Tourney.

One of the biggest swings that I look at is the health of Ty Lawson.  Lawson himself has said that his injured toe is not getting any better, and if he is not healthy than UNC is just not the same team.  My Final Four prediction rests largely on the shoulders of his health.  On top of questionable health, UNC has a very difficult road that could see them go through Butler, Gonzaga, and then Syracuse or Oklahoma.

My predictions on an All-Tourney Team are as follows:

G - Lavance El-Amin errr Fields - Pitt

G - Kalin Lucas - Michigan State

F - Jon Brockman - Washington

F - Tyler Hansborough - North Carolina

C - DeJuan Blair - Pitt

NFL Won't Change OT Rules

The NFL has voted to again not change the overtime rules, dropping the ball for another year.  There is something wrong when a game is played for 60 minutes and it is decided in overtime when one team does not even get a possession.  The rule is flawed, but they are refusing to admit that there is something wrong with their game.  Sure, it makes each possession count that much more in overtime, but it makes a field goal kicker the most valuable player on a team.  Any time Martin Gramatica has more impact than Peyton Manning, something is wrong.  

WBC

The USA World Baseball Classic Team made a dramatic come from behind victory over Puerto Rico to make the semi-finals.  David Wright's double drove home 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, sending the dirty Puerto Ricans back to their little island.  The highlight aired on Sportscenter last night while I was at the bar drinking green beer for St. Patty's Day, and when Wright's double landed in the outfield a rousing "USA-USA-USA-USA" chant that had random people slapping hands and giving back slaps about a baseball game in March.  I'll admit, the WBC had lost it's luster when the USA-Venezuala game was not even televised.  This last game has renewed my interest.  At least until the US gets smoked by the Fidel Castro All-Stars.

Get Back Guys

Keep on the lookout for the Get Back Guys in your NCAA Tournament games!  To recap, the original post from the old blog site....

The “Get Back” Guy.

You’ve all seen this guy.  He hovers on any bench throughout college basketball.  Mostly, he is seen during the NCAA tournament, but sometimes he will make appearances in conference tournaments.

I always try to forgive the GBG, but then I realize how asinine he looks.  Does he really think his teammates will just sprint out onto the court during play?  If any player ever did that, their video game awareness rating would have to be a 6.  They would only garner a 6 because they realize that something important just happened in the game.  Truthfully, there are no 6’s on college basketball benches.  In fact, I would argue that the guys on the bench know more about basketball than most of the players on the court.  These are the guys that go through 5 years (counting red shirt) as a walk on to get a foot in the door in the coaching circuit.  Coaches’ sons, 6′4″ white kids who were post players in high school,  or scrawny kids that shoot the lights out at the Rec, but cannot cut it on the big stage.  Translated, these are not guys that are just going to sprint out on the court after a made basket with time left on the clock.  So STOP HOLDING THEM BACK, GBG!  Celebrate with the rest of your teammates in a normal manner.  Stop looking like you are trying to give the players two seats down from you HJ’s, and jump up and down like you just beat Kansas in the 3/14 match up on day one of the Tourney.

That's all for today.  Enjoy your NCAA Tournament tomorrow and keep on the lookout for the GBG's! Also, never run the toss sweep.

Coach Deuce