March Madness On Demand 2008

Georgetown Chokes

2008-03-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

No disrespect, but it has to be said.....Georgetown just choked away what should have been a victory. There's really no other way to put it. The Hoyas are one of the country's top defensive teams and they just surrendered a 47 point second half to Davidson.

As he's had a habit of doing all season, Roy Hibbert simply disappeared in this one.

6 points and ONE rebound.....ONE rebound?!?!?!

It wasn't all on Hibbert's shoulders though....the Hoyas shot an awful 46% from the foul line (8-17).

Give Davidson some credit, they played a heck of a 2nd half. But I don't think they're a better team than G-Town. The Hoyas flat out GAVE this game away. They didn't run their offense, ignored Hibbert at times, and turned the ball over 18 times....while only forcing 5 Davidson turnovers.

Despite all of that the Hoyas had a 17 point lead in the 2nd half....you can't give up a 17 point second half lead.

We'll see how Hibbert's draft stock goes this offseason. I don't think he's anything more than an NBA role player. In fact, I think he's better in that role. He seemed to struggle at times this season as the "go-to" guy for the Hoyas.

Maybe Hibbert sneaks into the lottery because of his size and skill set....but he's not a surefire lottery pick. Especially if some of the better underclassmen come out.

March Madness Updates From ESPN.com

2008-03-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

Free Throw-Fest Saturday

2008-03-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

It seems to happen every year.....with all the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding March Madness and the teams and players involved the refs the NCAA appoints to officiate these games go and decide that they want some of the spotlight.

What a shame.....despite great efforts by all the players and coaches involved, these 2 early games have been almost UN-watchable due to constant whistles from the officials.

The refs in DC called 48 fouls in the Duke-WVU game.....that's more than a foul a MINUTE.

So far in this K State-Wisconsin game the refs have called 36 fouls in 33 minutes. Wisconsin was int he DOUBLE bonus midway thru the 2nd half.

I haven't seen much of the Xavier-Purdue game but it appears the stripes are letting the PLAYERS decide the game in that one.

This Wisconsin-K State game has been especially putrid. These guys are just LOOKING for an excuse to blow their whistles.

How sad....this tourney should be decided by the PLAYERS, not the guys in the black and white striped shirts.

Hopefully it gets better as the night goes on, because some of these early games have frankly been unwatchable at times.

Tyler Spaz-brough Love-Fest on CBS

2008-03-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Great day of games so far although I don't know if I'm going to be able to stomach Billy Packer and Jim Nantz slobbering over Tyler Hansbrough in this game against MIGHTY Mount Saint Mary's.

I swear to god the 2 of these love-struck puppy dogs just went nuts because Spaz-brough dribbled between his legs.....

He didn't make a great move or anything......just took one regular dribble standing still and then one dribble from his right hand to his left hand BETWEEN HIS LEGS!!!! Maybe if his NBA career doesn't pan out he can become a Harlem Globetrotter!

How amazing....there are 3rd graders out their who do this in their driveway every day. Do Packer and Nantz wet their pants everytime this happens?

You would have thought by their reaction that they were watching the 2nd coming of Pistol Pete. Give me a break....Hansbrough's got 5 points in 10 minutes against 16th seeded Mount Saint Mary's and these two guys are acting like two teenage girls who just saw their favorite American Idol contestant.

I seriously might puke....Carolina is playing the team that won the play-in game, their the #1 seeded team in the tournament....and Nantz and Packer can't stop gushing about how great the Tar Heels are. Man, I can't wait 'til the Tar Heels face a real team and are exposed.

I'll just hang out and wait until they go on a 20 shot miss streak like they did last year against Georgetown right in the middle of the most important game of the season.

Funny none of these gushing announcers who LOVE Hansbrough never ask where "Psycho T" was during that brutal offensive performance. You would think a STAR and National Player of the Year would be able to at least WILL his team to ONE basket in a Regional Final game, right?

That's Carolina's big problem....when they get in a tight game....WHO do they look to for a big basket? Hansbrough? Wayne Ellington? Danny Green?

Hopefully Indiana will play like the REAL Indiana team and we'll at least get to see how the Tar Heels react to playing a REAL team in Round 2.

Gotta get through a tough Arkansas team first though.....

Honestly....not to sound like a Tar Heel "hater" but this team didn't exactly play a tough schedule this year. 4 ACC teams in the tourney.....and it's not like Duke looked all that impressive in their game against Belmont.

So....the Tar Heels split with the Dukies, beat the Canes once and swept Clemson in 3 very close games against the ACC teams that made the tourney. Virginia Tech took them to the buzzer a week ago....

Out of conference the Heels struggled early in the season against Davidson....okay....solid mid-major team, some credit there. The Heels beat BYU, but it was tight all night. Besides that the only decent teams the Heels played were Ohio State and Kentucky.....and they caught both those teams early in the year when they weren't playing very well.

So....OSU, Kentucky, Davidson, BYU and an ACC schedule in a down year for the ACC.

I know everyone is in LOVE with this UNC team.....and I know they went 32-2 but something still doesn't sit right with me about this team. A second look at their schedule now that most of the season has played out makes me question the Heels a little more.....I'm just saying....

Duke-Belmont Thoughts

2008-03-21T02:45:00.000-07:00

This was the best game of the game. The Xavier-UGA game was interesting and Kentucky and Marquette played a close one, but the Bruins near upset of the Dukies was Thursday's most dramatic game.

Duke was extremely lucky to escape with a win....

Belmont is well-coached team that played HARD. I can't remember a team coming out in Round 1 of the tourney and laying it all on the line like Belmont did. Belmont pushed the tempo all night and out-hustled Duke all night long. Coach K couldn't have been happy with some of the efforts he got on Thursday.

Surprisingly enough, Belmont exposed the Blue Devils lack of athleticism. Duke looked like the slower team all night and a couple of Belmont's quick guards gave them fits on both ends of the floor.

I still don't know if it's because Duke isn't athletic or if Belmont's Alex Renfroe (#12) is just that FAST.

Belmont's Alex Renfroe

The guy is a blur with the basketball....before last night I was sure Darren Collison of UCLA was the fastest player in the tournament with the basketball.....but now I'm pretty sure it was Renfroe.

#40 Henry Harris is also lightning quick....when Belmont played Harris and Renfroe in the backcourt together, Duke couldn't handle the speed. Both of these guys are lean, skinny guys who look more like track or marathon runners than basketball players. I couldn't really think of a basketball comparison to either of them.....their athletic ability reminded me of football players like Ted Ginn and DeSean Jackson.....

Belmont made the day for me.....even though they lost they played hard and with passion. The Bruins played their style of basketball even though most would have thought that fast=-paced style might hurt them against Duke.

All is not lost for the Dukies though....I know a lot of people are down on them after their performance Thursday, but West Virginia's win is good news for the Blue Devils. Duke matches up better with WVU. The matchup to watch is at the point where Greg Paulus is going to need to keep Demetris Nichols in front of him....if the Blue Devils want to start playing better defense and limit WVU's open 3-point looks.

Despite their poor showing against Belmont, the Dukies will still be the favorite against WVU on Saturday in what should be an interesting matchup.

Chalk Walks On Thursday....

2008-03-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

Almost an entire day of higher seeds winning on Thursday.....so now every bozo who just picks the higher seeds every year thinks they're a college basketball expert.

A few disappointments on Thursday for me.....Kent State played terribly on offense against UNLV, scoring only 10 points in the first half. This is the 2nd time in a row the Golden Flashes have made the tourney only to come out in round with with an awful 1st half performance.

2 years ago back in 2006 they as a 12 seed they drew Pitt and came out much like they did yesterday against UNLV.....

Arizona was a bit of a disappointment. I really thought this team would come out with a chip on their shoulder and win a few games. It's not that they played terribly though....they just ran into a buzzsaw in West Virginia who shot 51% from the field and made 11 of 19 3-pointers (58%).

Demetris Nichols (4-7 on 3's) and Alex Ruoff (5-7 on 3's) just didn't miss. Tough to beat any team that shoots 58% from behind the arc.

I will say this - any of the experts who said Arizona didn't belong in the tournament were DEAD WRONG. Arizona played well and anyone who thinks their loss to WVU justifies those who said Arizona State deserved a spot in the tourney over them is just plain wrong.

The only real upset was K State's win over USC. Keep an eye on Kansas State.....they have the tourney's best player and a lot of athleticism. It's not far-fetched at all to see them move past Wisconsin into the Round of 16.

Sean Miller Looks Like Jimmy Kimmel....and Temple Stinks

2008-03-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

First off, let's get this out of the way.....Temple is awful. Michigan State is locking them down...the Owls might not even score 50.

Some good news out of the A-10, this experienced Xavier team is making a run.

Not to get too off topic, but has anyone else ever noticed the striking resemblence between Xavier coach Sean Miller and Jimmy Kimmel?

Has anyone ever seen these two in the same place at the same time?

For those of you who don't know - before Miller began his coaching career he played some PG at Pitt and got the assist on the classic "Send it in, Jerome!" backboard shattering dunk by Jerome Lane.

Bill Raftery on the CLASSIC call....

Afternoon Game Thoughts

2008-03-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

Some interesting matchups this afternoon.....I think the Kent State-UNLV game will be a good one. Purdue-Baylor also figures to be competitive.

The most intriguing game could be the Marquette-Kentucky game. Both teams are talented but seem to struggle at times on the offensive end for periods of time. I think Tom Crean's Marquette squad will turn up the defense a notch and walk out with a win.

I think Pitt may get an early challenge from an athletic Oral Roberts team, but will pull away in the second half. Teams like Pitt that come into the tourney riding huge waves are often ripe for an upset. Remember when Syracuse ran through the Big East tourney and then came out and laid an egg against Vermont....???

Well, Pitt finds themselves in an almost identical situation, it will be interesting to see how they handle it.

Those of you looking for an upset....I think Baylor has the best chance to pull one.

Another thing to watch......with some of these games being played in Denver it will be interesting to watch to see if the altitude effects any of these teams, especially in the 2nd half of these games. Just a little something to keep an eye on.

Early Thursday Observations

2008-03-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well, early on it doesn't look so good for the A-10. Xavier is struggling and MSU is giving Temple fits with their defensive pressure.

Temple has some big athletic guards but they just seem to want to stand around the 3 point line and jack up shots. It's obvious the Spartans are making the Owls uncomfortable by getting up and guarding them and making them do something off the dribble.

Temple needs to get aggressive and get to the basket, then the 3's will start to open up. If they don't this game could get ugly. A couple buckets by Ryan Brooks as I write this gets Temple off the schnide.

In the other game, Xavier came out looking confident. They jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead and then CJ Anderson missed a wide open layup and got elbowed in the face afterward. It was extremely EARLY but that missed layup and the loss of Anderson to the bench seemed to kill Xavier's rhythm. The whole first half after that was a struggle. Credit goes to Georgia for extending their defense and making Xavier beat them off going to the basket and not out on the 3 point line.

Temple-MSU just went to half with the Spartans up 9....same exact score as the Xavier-UGA game.

Temple really needs Dionte Christmas and Tyndale to do something on offense. The two combine to average 34 points a game.....right now at half they have 2....

These poor early showings by these A-10 schools doesn't bode well for anyone who picked a St. Joe's upset in their bracket. The A-10 doesn't look very good right now...

March Madness = Slacking at Work?

2008-03-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

From The Boston Globe -

March Madness will squeeze work place productivity

Watch the NCAA Tournament at Work....SHHHH....

2008-03-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the link for March Madness on Demand....a great way to catch the tourney action from work if you weren't smart enough to call off SICK...

NCAA® March Madness® on Demand Homepage

Does Everyone Have the SAME Final Four Picks???

2008-03-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

Geez....everywhere you look everyone and their dog seems to have the same combination of Final Four teams in their tournament pool....especially the mostly gutless "experts" on TV.

So what teams have a chance to "shock the world" and crash the party at the Final 4?

How about Stanford?

14 Feet of Stanford Basketball

Here's a team that finished 26-7 with 3 of their 7 losses coming against UCLA. Stanford has one of the few legit post players in the tournament in Brook Lopez and his twin brother Robin gives them another 7-footer who averages 10 points and almost 6 boards.

The Cardinal get a tricky first round matchup with Cornell from the Ivy League, but get to play in Anaheim. Which means they will also have a bit of a home court advantage in round 2 as well, where they will see either Marquette or Kentucky.

Stanford will likely have to get through Texas....but most fans would hardly deem that an "upset".

On the other side of the bracket is Memphis, a team I feel has been overrated all season long. Yeah, the Tigers played some tough out of conference games but that still doesn't hide the fact that they haven't been tested game after game against tough conference opponents like many of the other teams in the tourney.

One of Memphis' closest games came against a 4th place PAC-10 team, USC. That should tell you what you need to know about the PAC-10.

If you can get Memphis in a halfcourt game, you can take them out of their rhythm....which is why I really think Memphis' draw doesn't bode well for them. They could see a tough Mississippi State team in round 2 and then have to work their way thru either Pitt, Michigan State, or possibly Temple.

Keep an eye on Stanford in the South Bracket....I'll just leave it at that.

Kansas State

Sorry Psycho Spazz....errr.....Tyler Spaz-borough....but Michael Beasley is the best player in this tournament.

Facts are facts - Kansas State sucked coming down the stretch. It's obvious they peaked after they beat Kansas to end that 24 game home losing streak against the Jayhawks. The win and attention they got from it obviously got to their heads and it showed on the court.

KSU is still a dangerous team. Especially after having some time to rest up a bit. Bill Walker has shown some of the talent that made him a top recruit while at North College Hill High School in Cincinnati where he played alongside O.J. Mayo. The two will play against each other in round 1 of the tourney. Don't forget a lot of people thought both Walker and Mayo were going to end up at KSU as a package deal to play for Bob Huggins.

USC is a tough out in round 1, but KSU is battle-tested and has the nation's best player....so anything is possible. The games will also be played in Omaha, Nebraska giving KSU a slight home court edge.

When you look ahead, it's not difficult to see KSU get hot and move thru the bracket. Does anyone doubt Beas(t)ley and KSU can take out the Badgers in round 2?

Georgetown down the road....and then maybe rubber match with Kansas? Wouldn't that be fun?

I'm not saying it will happen....I actually think G-Town will knock off KSU....but I wouldn't be shocked if it did. It wouldn't be the first time a great player carried a team thru the tourney.....perhaps the closest recent comparison to Beasley is Carmelo Anthony who took Syracuse on a title run in his only college season.

Indiana

The Big Ten was down this year and wildly inconsistent but the Hoosiers are still a very dangerous team. Some of their late season losses - blown out by MSU, loss @Penn State, loss to Minnesota in Big Ten tourney - can be looked at as red flags....but perhaps this team was just a little worn out after going through what has been a LONG season on and off the court.

It wasn't that long ago that the Hoosiers were a Top 10 or 15 team....now they're an 8 seed?

I'll tell you what....teams don't like to look ahead, but I'll bet Roy Williams wasn't too happy to see a potential match up with Eric Gordon and DJ White in round 2.

Look around at the brackets - the other 8 seeds are BYU, UNLV, and Mississippi State - hard to argue the Hooisers aren't the most dangerous 8 seed in this field. No offense to the Boilermakers, but they're a 6 seed....who would you rather see in round 2 - a young Purdue squad or Eric Gordon, DJ White, and the rest of the Hoosiers?

Again....it's unlikely the Hoosiers can pull off a Final 4 run, but if I had to pick a TRUE "sleeper" team to make one, the Hoosiers would have to be on that list. They have a ton of talent and maybe just enough of a chip on their shoulder to be dangerous.

Arizona

At first glance, the West bracket looks like the bracket most likely to see some upsets.....besides UCLA, of course.

Arizona is a really talented team that could make a run if they play well. The Wildcats draw a WVU team in Round 1 that is beatable and then likely will see the Dukies in Round 2. My guess is the Dukies will be rooting HARD for Huggy Bear and the Mountaineers to take Arizona out in Round 1.

Arizona poses some serious potential matchup problems for Coach K....the Blue Devils likely want no part of Jerryd Bayless.

The West bracket is wide open so it wouldn't surprise me to see any of the 4 teams from the 6-11(Purdue-Baylor) and 3-14(Xavier-Georgia) games in the Sweet 16. All winnable games for Zona if they were to happen. That would leave a potential show-down with UCLA for a trip to the Final 4. When conference rivals play in the tourney....anything goes.

Once again.....not a likely scenario, and not one I have the balls to predict....but one that wouldn't completely shock me.

There you have it....4 "Cinderella" teams that could make a surprise run to the Final 4 this year.

Zona and Stanford were 2 teams missing star players early on (Bayless and Lopez).....Indiana lost their coach in a scandal......and KSU has the best player in the tournament. Some intriguing teams to check out this March...

Upset Watch - Thursday - Early (Noon) Games

2008-03-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of people are probably going to be looking at the Xavier-Georgia game as a possible early day upset on Thursday. Not me....I like the Musketeers to roll over the Dawgs. Georgia played their butts off to win a spot in the tourney, now they will run into a team with just too much talent. Xavier is a good team...a tournament-tested team as well.

Many of this year's players still have a sour taste in their mouths from last year's classic against Ohio State. Remember...??

Man...just watching that makes me remember how much I love Gus Johnson....and his yelling. I wonder what games Gus is doing tomorrow?

They should let Gus be like the CLOSER in baseball during March Madness. The regular announcer could call the game, but if it got close at the end the guys over at CBS could come into the booth and hand the ball....or in this case mic.....to Gus Johnson.

As for Georgia.....sorry....Xavier will be hungry and focused on their way to a win.

The Upset Watch will be out in Denver, where Michigan State and Temple match up in a classic 5-12 game. Tom Izzo's Spartans were 19-2 at one point this year, but have not looked so hot of late.

This game against Temple will be a test. The Owls have won 7 straight and LOVE to shoot the "3". This Temple teams shoots an average of 21 3-pointers a game.

Dionte Christmas, the Owls leading scorer at 20.2 a game, jacks up more than 8 3's a game.....and still manages to drop in 38% of them.

MSU is going to have to tighten up it's perimeter defense and see if Temple is willing to pass up the 3's and take the ball inside. If they don't the Owls could walk out with a win.

Michigan State has been a "Jekyl and Hyde" team all season....I think it will continue Thursday and I think Temple is going to walk out with a victory and show basketball fans that the A-10 is making a comeback this year.

Little Man Alert : While Drew Neitzel will get all the media attention here, keep an eye on Temple little man Chris Clark - a 5-8 senior who is averaging more than 14 points in his last 4 games....more than double his season average. Clark has given the Owls a spark of late and I think he'll be a factor in this matchup.

I've got the Owls in the upset in my bracket....we'll see what happens.

Just make sure Tom Izzo keeps an eye out for this guy -

Ohio State Misses March Madness....But Lands Terrelle Pryor

2008-03-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well.....what better to cure ailing Ohio State fans depression over having their basketball bubble burst than landing one of the top high school QBs in this year's recruiting class?

Yeah....that big first round NIT victory didn't quite do it for you, did it Buckeye fans?

For more info on Pryor and the incredible hype surrounding him click here to zoom over to ESPN

Still no official word yet on whether or not these photos had anything to do with Pryor's decision....

Mount St. Mary's Wins, Blowout Loss to North Carolina Awaits

2008-03-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Mount St. Mary's beat Coppin State Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio in the NCAA Tournament "play-in" game, 69-60. Oh wait....that's right, according to the NCAA it's not the "play in" game it's the "Opening Round". Yeah...okay.

The "Opening Round".....If that's the case then why does this "Opening Round" of March Madness contain ONLY 2 TEAMS????

Exactly..... It's the play in game. Anyway - Mount St. Mary's won the honor of getting run off the court by North Carolina by shooting an "amazing" 34% from the field against Coppin State. Mighty impressive shooting performance from this year's Northeastern Conference representative.

Okay...the Mountaineers aren't that bad.

They did beat Winthrop earlier this year, and played Oregon kinda close on the road. However, an 81-57 pasting by Oklahoma may be closer to what we see when they match up with Roy Williams' Tar Heels.

This Jeremy Goode kid for Mount St. Mary's can play a bit....he's a little 5-9 point guard who runs their offense and can shoot the 3 a little. I'd personally LOVE to see Mount St. Mary's become the first 16 seed to win a game in the tourney by ending Tyler Spazz-borough's season.....but it's not gonna happen. The ONLY reason Mount St. Mary's is even in this game is because they shot 32 free throws against Coppin State.

Ummmm....something tells me the refs won't be quite as nice when these guys play the Tar Heels....call it a hunch.

I was kind of hoping Coppin State and their 20 losses were going to get the Tar Heels just so I could see what the bookmakers would set the line at...but oh well. At least they don't have to risk being torn from limb-to-limb by Tyler Spaz-borough.....