Final Four Stray Observations

Here are a few things I learned/observed from watching this year's Final Four:

-Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts apparently has a short story tattooed on his right arm.

-Nothing makes a pep band lamer than matching Hawaiian shirts.

-The world belongs to Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, and some soccer player no one has heard of.

-UCLA's demise was due mostly to not enough scoring threats - especially on the perimeter. Josh Shipp and Darren Collison combined to go 4-for-18 against Memphis.

-Ben Howland is about to become crowned by the media as "the best coach never to have won a championship."

-There is no other tradition quite like the Masters - and Jim Nantz will defend that idea to the death.

-Roy Williams and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Tie!

-With 10:30 left in the first half of Kansas-UNC, Roy Williams looked dumbfounded, and it wasn't because of the tie he was wearing.

-With 9:30 left in the first half, Kansas freshman Cole Aldrich (who averaged 8 minutes this season), dominated player of the year Tyler Hansbrough for a rebound and then drew a foul. This was the point when I knew that it wasn't UNC's night and that they were going down.

-With 7:32 left before halftime, Billy Packer emphatically announced "this game is over." I don't think I've ever heard an announcer make such a claim so early in a game, especially one as important as a national semifinal.

-Budweiser + "Dude" = Funny. Brilliant. (Sarcasm)

tS' March Madness Pool - UPDATE!

Only one bracket had both Kansas and Memphis in the championship game, and not surprisingly it belongs to our current leader, Eric J. #3. Eric's got this pool wrapped up, as he also holds onto the second spot with Kansas winning it all. Second and third place are still up for grabs, assuming that there are no ties. Here are the current scores:

170 Eric J. #3 Memphis
162 Eric J. #1 Kansas
160 Sam D. #2 UNC
158 Eric J. #2 UNC
158 Sam D. #3 Memphis
156 Robert S. #5 Kansas
156 Joey W. #8 Lville
156 RGT 3 UNC
156 Krista R. #1 UNC
154 Jeremy N. #1 Memphis
154 Krista R. #2 UCLA
152 TS #7 UNC
152 Bob S. #2 Tenn
150 Donna K. Kansas
150 Jon P. Kansas
148 Joey W. #7 UCLA
148 Mike S. UNC
148 Austin R. Kansas
146 Kathy S. #1 WI
146 Ryan P. UCLA
146 Sam D. #1 UNC
144 TS #3 Kansas
144 Robert S. #3 UCLA
144 Steve P. Memphis
144 Daniel T. UCLA
144 Joe H. #2 UNC
142 TS #6 Texas
142 Joey W. #2 Lville
142 Connie R. #2 Duke
140 Robert S. #4 UNC
138 TS #8 Kansas
136 TS #1 WI
136 Bob S. #1 Kansas
134 Joey W. #1 Lville
132 TS #4 UCLA
132 Bob S. #8 Tenn
130 Robert S. #1 UCLA
128 Bob S. #4 UNC
128 Joey W. #6 Pitt
128 Ken R. #1 Duke
126 Ken R. #2 UCLA
124 Joey W. #5 Kansas
122 TS #2 UNC
122 TS #5 Lville
122 Joey W. #4 Lville
122 Jeremy N. #2 WI
118 Bob S. #3 Gtown
118 Bob S. #7 WI
116 Robert S. #2 UNC
114 Joey W. #3 UCLA
114 Brad S. UNC
110 Connie R. #1 UCLA
108 Bob S. #5 UNC
106 Bob S. #6 UCLA
102 Joe H. #3 WI
98 Kathy S. #2 WI
96 Kathy S. #4 UNC
96 Joe H. #1 UCLA
76 Kathy S. #5 UCLA
72 Erin H. WI
18 Kathy S. #3 SD

Final Four

UCLA vs. Memphis, 5:07 pm

Kansas vs. UNC, 7:47 pm

The four remaining teams face a tremendous amount of pressure tonight. Not only are they playing for a spot in the national championship game (Monday night), but they also need to live up to the hype that has been surrounding these matchups.

This is of course the first time that four #1 seeds have reached this stage of the Tournament, and these four teams have arguably been the best four schools throughout the season. It's hard to pick one of these teams to cheer for, as all four of them are deserving of a chance at the national title.

All of my brackets are essentially kaput at this point, so instead of cheering for my picks, I can cheer for which teams I would like to see in the title game - Kansas and UCLA. UNC has recently won a national championship and I'm not a big fan of Memphis' style of play (or their coach). I've really enjoyed watching both Kansas and UCLA play this past season, and appreciate their commitment to teamwork on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

tS' March Madness Pool - UPDATE!

1+1+1+1=Final Four.

All #1 seeds advance to the Final Four for the first time ever, and there has been a lot of shifting at the top of the leader board in my pool. Here are the updated scores:

160 Sam D. #2 UNC
156 RGT 3 UNC
156 Krista R. #1 UNC
154 Krista R. #2 UCLA
152 Eric J. #1 Kansas
150 Eric J. #3 Memphis
148 Joey W. #7 UCLA
148 Eric J. #2 UNC
148 Mike S. UNC
148 Sam D. #3 Memphis
146 Robert S. #5 Kansas
146 Joey W. #8 Lville
146 Kathy S. #1 WI
146 Ryan P. UCLA
146 Sam D. #1 UNC
144 Robert S. #3 UCLA
144 Jeremy N. #1 Memphis
144 Joe H. #2 UNC
142 TS #6 Texas
142 TS #7 UNC
142 Bob S. #2 Tenn
142 Joey W. #2* Lville
140 Robert S. #4 UNC
140 Donna K. Kansas
140 Jon P. Kansas
138 Austin R. Kansas
136 TS #1 WI
134 TS #3 Kansas
134 Joey W. #1 Lville
134 Steve P. Memphis
134 Daniel T. UCLA
132 TS #4 UCLA
132 Bob S. #8 Tenn
132 Connie R. #2 Duke
130 Robert S. #1 UCLA
128 TS #8 Kansas
128 Bob S. #4 UNC
128 Joey W. #6 Pitt
128 Ken R. #1* Duke
126 Bob S. #1 Kansas
126 Ken R. #2 UCLA
122 TS #2 UNC
122 TS #5 Lville
122 Joey W. #4 Lville
122 Jeremy N. #2 WI
118 Bob S. #3* Gtown
116 Robert S. #2 UNC
114 Joey W. #3 UCLA
114 Joey W. #5 Kansas
114 Brad S. UNC
110 Connie R. #1 UCLA
108 Bob S. #5 UNC
108 Bob S. #7 WI
106 Bob S. #6 UCLA
102 Joe H. #3* WI
98 Kathy S. #2* WI
96 Kathy S. #4 UNC
96 Joe H. #1 UCLA
76 Kathy S. #5 UCLA
72 Erin H.* WI
18 Kathy S. #3* SD