Tournament Time is Here! March 15, 2012
Posted by Matt in NCAA Tournament.Tags: basketball, Final Four, Kentucky Wildcats, NCAA Tournament, predictions
add a comment
If the NCAA Tournament isn’t the most wonderful time of the sports year, it’s near the top.
What’s not to like? You’ve got 68 teams from all corners of the country, from the small, vaguely familiar universities to the longtime juggernauts, battling it out in a winner-take-all tournament to see who will be crowned champion of the year. Where else can you find these levels of elation and crushing disappointment, of excitement and drama?
Granted, the absence of my team, the Arkansas Razorbacks, dampens things a bit, but given that we haven’t been a factor in the tournament since the mid-90’s anyway, it’s no big surprise.
I’ve filled out my bracket and entered our office pool, my perennial donation to enrich someone else for their good luck, but despite the fact that I pick too many upsets and always lose, it’s still a fun time.
My first round upsets include:
New Mexico St (13) over Indiana (4)
Long Beach St (12) over New Mexico (5)
Ohio (13) over Michigan (4)
Belmont (14) over Georgetown (3)
NC St. (11) over San Diego St. (6)
My Final Four:
Kentucky
Missouri
Ohio St.
North Carolina
Championship
Kentucky over Ohio St.
I do tend to go upset-heavy, which always spells doom for me in the office pool, but makes for fun watching. A few possible upsets I thought hard about, but ultimately declined include:
Baylor (3) over Kentucky (1)in the Elite Eight
Memphis (8) over Michigan St. (1) in the 2nd round
Kansas St. (8) over Syracuse (1) in the 2nd round
VCU (12) over Wichita St (5) in the 1st round
What do you think?
40 Minutes of Hell, The Return March 23, 2011
Posted by Matt in basketball, Razorbacks.Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, basketball, Mike Anderson, Nolan Richardson
2 comments
Once upon a time, basketball was king in my home state of Arkansas. We cheered on the May-Day-Big O combination to the Final Four and Corliss-Scotty Thurman squad to a National Title (and another title game berth). But, since those glory days, Razorback basketball has fallen on hard times and season after season of mediocrity have taken their toll on the Hog faithful. Today, though, things are again looking up for the hog-snouted fans across this great nation.
According to ESPN, former Arkansas assistant coach and current Missouri head coach Mike Anderson is likely to accept an offer from the state’s flagship university and make a triumphant coaching return to the northwest corner of the Natural State. I for one couldn’t be happier. Bringing back Anderson (along with a little help from Nolan Richardson) will be the best thing the school can do to reenergize the fan base.
I wonder if they need another assistant coach? I heard UCA has someone that might be perfect for the job.
In the meantime, let’s relive the glory days…
I Miss Nolan March 11, 2010
Posted by Matt in basketball, Razorbacks.Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, basketball, Nolan Richardson, nostalgia
2 comments
With post-season college basketball starting this week, I can’t help but reminisce a bit about how things used to be back in the days when my Arkansas Razorbacks were a relevant force in the roundball world. I know that seems hard to believe today, but for a brief period of time during my formative teenage years, from 1990-1995, the Hogs were one of the preeminent programs in the NCAA, one of the true elites. Over that six year span, they went to four Elite Eights, three Final Fours, and won a National Championship. We got to watch some of the best players in the game in the May-Day combination, the Big O, “Big Nasty” Corliss Williamson, and the great Scotty Thurman. We got to pay witness to Nolan Richardson’s “40 Minutes of Hell” defense that tore apart the opposition. It was a great, great time to be among the Hog faithful and I truly miss caring about basketball.
Today I picked up the book “40 Minutes of Hell: The Extraordinary Life of Nolan Richardson” from the library and, though I have yet to turn a page, I’m already feeling a little nostalgic.
Say It Ain’t So, Cal! March 30, 2009
Posted by Matt in basketball, Memphis.Tags: basketball, coach, John Calipari, Kentucky Wildcats, Memphis Tigers, NCAA
2 comments
Our local Memphis paper, the Commerical Appeal, reports today that Tiger coach John Calipari has been given permission to speak with officials at the university of Kentucky about their open head coaching position. Calipari is the winningest coach in Memphis history with a record of 253-68 since taking the reins in 2000, he’s won 5 conference championships and advanced to the national championship game in 2008. His recruiting class for next year has been ranked as one of the, if not the, best in the country.
In Memphis, Cal is a highly venerated leader who has led the team nearly to the very pinnacle of success and has turned the program into a perennial national powerhouse. His departure would be a terrible blow to the team and to a city that needs all of the bright spots it can get.
Kentucky and the SEC, though, offer a challenge and a level of exposure that a second rate conference like Conference USA just cannot compete with. The Wildcats are a storied program with a history matched by few others in the nation.
And, who knows, maybe he really has a thing for his cousin…
A Little Wisdom for Your Tournament Picks March 18, 2009
Posted by Matt in basketball.Tags: basketball, Elite Eight, Final Four, March Madness, NCAA Tournament, picks
add a comment
So, I’ve finally filled out my NCAA Tournament bracket and at some point today I will enter it into the online pools that I am a part of. Over the past few years I’ve gone heavy on upsets, with the hope that I may be the one to pick the next Davidson or George Mason, but my prognostications of underdog dominance have been of little value and I generally finish somewhere in the middle of the pack among my peers.
I’m not exactly sure what has changed this year, but when I completed my picks this morning, it became apparent that the favorites, for once, were ruling with their tyrannical, highly seeded grip. Now, that does not mean that upsets are absent, but only that they are minimal in this annual iteration of bracketology.
Without further ado, my Elite Eight:
Louisville
West Virginia
Connecticut
Memphis
Pittsburgh
Villanova
North Carolina
Oklahoma
My Final Four:
Louisville
Memphis
Pittsburgh
North Carolina
Ending with North Carolina’s defeating Louisville for the Championship.
As you could probably guess, my only real upset is picking sixth-seeded West Virginia to beat both Kansas and Michigan State. There are a few minor ones early in the brackets – USC over Boston College, Maryland over Cal, Minnesota over Texas, Western Kentucky over Illinois, and Temple over Arizona State – but nothing that is too far out of the ordinary.
What about you? Who is in your final four? Who are you picking for upsets?
Cheering On the Red Knights! February 27, 2009
Posted by Matt in basketball.Tags: basketball, Bishop Byrne, high school, Memphis, state championship
2 comments
I just wanted to take a moment to give a big Words of Wisdom shout-out to my good friend Chance, the assistant coach for the Bishop Byrne Lady Red Knights high school basket ball team. This evening they will face off against local rival Lausanne (the defending champs) for the Division 2-A State Championship in Nashville. I wish we could be there, but I’ll be cheering them on from here in Memphis and checking the score as I can.
Let’s Go Lady Red Knights!
So Close… April 8, 2008
Posted by Matt in basketball, Memphis.Tags: basketball, Memphis Tigers, NCAA Tournament
2 comments
But we are still proud of our Memphis Tigers and the great season they had. Though we thought the free throw-missing demon had been fully exorcised, alas, its curse arose again at the end of regulation, leaving us emptyhanded.
Congratulations Memphis Tigers! Despite the loss, you have given those of us in the Memphis area something to be proud of.
One Game Left… April 5, 2008
Posted by Matt in basketball, Memphis.Tags: basketball, Memphis Tigers, NCAA Tournament
3 comments
How about our Memphis Tigers laying it on UCLA today? While I was incredibly happy to see them win, I have to admit that my bracket actually had them losing in the Sweet Sixteen to Pittsburgh and UCLA winning the championship…
Oh, well. Go Tigers! Let’s put it on those Jayhawks Monday night!
The Madness is Upon Us – pt.5 March 19, 2008
Posted by Matt in basketball, random.Tags: basketball, fight, NCAA Tournament, nonsense
2 comments
So, your final four picks are ready. According to the Words of Wisdom blog your last combatants will be:
The Winthrop Eagles vs. CSU-Fullerton Titans
Miami Hurricanes vs. Miss Valley St. Delta Devils
You can see how we got to this point here:
East Bracket
Midwest Bracket
South Bracket
West Bracket
Who do you think should win?
The Madness is Upon Us – pt.4 March 19, 2008
Posted by Matt in Uncategorized.Tags: basketball, fight, NCAA Tournament, nonsense
add a comment
I haven’t done a great job this year of keeping up with NCAA basketball, but, regardless of my lack of knowledge, I always feel compelled to fill out one of those paper brackets and track my poorly-thought-out predictions over the next few weeks, hoping for some crazed miracle to occur and my choices turn out to be correct. I filled out one bracket with real picks, based on their Yahoo team capsules, their current rankings, and what I can generally remember about their basketball teams (which usually dates back at least 10 years), but, for my requisite NCAA blog post, I think I’ll do something a little bit different…
Who would win in a fight?
Sure, we can all choose a team to win based on talent or coaching, but have you ever thought about what would happen if the mascots were to face each other, one-on-one, in deadly combat?
Breaking Down the West
Round 1:
UCLA Bruins vs. Mississippi Valley St. Delta Devils
Normally I wouldn’t choose against an animal as powerful as a bear, but how could one defeat a celestial being of pure evil? The Delta Devil could just burn him alive with hellfire and brimstone.
Winner: Miss. Valley St.
BYU Cougars vs. Texas A&M Aggies
We know a cougar is a nasty little cat found in the wild, but what is an Aggie? The best I can decipher is that it must have something to do with Agriculture (A&M), so perhaps it means a farmer? If he doesn’t have a tractor to run over the critter, I’ll take the cougar.
Winner: BYU
Drake Bulldogs vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
We know that to be a Mountaineer it takes a special kind of person – someone with special equipment for climbing the most difficult precipice and the muscular strength to pull their own body weight. A hilltopper is little more than someone who is able to walk up a slightly elevated incline. Take the bulldog.
Winner: Drake
UConn Huskies vs. San Diego Toreros
Huskies are stout dogs who could normally take out any man, but a Torero has trained for this kind of encounter with a beast, and he carries a sword.
Winner: San Diego
Purdue Boilermakers vs. Baylor Bears
So, a boilermaker is a person who works with steel to make boilers. A bear is a large, ferocious creature with incredible strength and powerful jaws.
Winner: Baylor
Xavier Musketeers vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Well, since the musketeers are obviously carrying a firearm, albeit one that is clumsy to load and prone to backfiring, I’d take them to gun down this bulldog.
Winner: Xavier
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Arizona Wildcats
As mentioned earlier, mountaineers are highly trained, very strong people who carry picks and climbing axes. The Wildcat may charge, but one good swing of the pick would end the fight in a heartbeat.
Winner: West Virginia
Duke Blue Devils vs. Belmont Bruins
Living in the Memphis area, we know a little bit about the blues and how life can get you down. In my estimation a blue devil is just – a minion of Satan that is in a deep, dark hole of depression. A bruin is a bear. So, while the little devil is crying away his sorrows in despair, he gets mauled by the bear.
Winner: Belmont
Round 2:
Miss. Valley St. Delta Devils vs. Cougars
Seriously? A cougar against a being from the bowels of hell?
Winner: Miss Valley St.
Drake Bulldogs vs. San Diego Toreros
A Torero has a cape, a sword, and says cool things like, “Ole’!” Of course he can take out a bulldog.
Winner: San Diego
Baylor Bears vs. Xavier Musketeers
The Musketeer may have a firearm, but its not a particulary great one. We can even give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he hits the bear with the first shot. Of course, that just angers the bear more and while he is reloading the bear tears him into small bite-size pieces.
Winner: Baylor Bears
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Belmont Bruins
The mountaineer may lay a good lick on the bruin with his pick, but this is a bear.
Winner: Belmont Bruins
Sweet 16:
Miss. Valley St. Delta Devils vs. San Diego Toreros
There is no sword that can hold back a being of pure evil.
Winner: Miss. Valley St.
Baylor Bears vs. Belmont Bruins
With this bear-on-bear violence going on and the two combatants tearing each other to pieces in what looks as though it will be a draw with no survivors, the Delta Devil suddenly appears and engulfs the entire ring in flame leaving behind nothing but a small pile of ash.
Draw
The Mississippi Valley St. Delta Devils advance to the Final Four
