Adios

This blog will return in March 2009.

In the meantime, check out my new endeavor, Reading Is Optional.

-tS

tS' March Madness Pool - FINAL SCORES!

Wow, what a championship game! This was the most exciting title game since Kansas lost to Syracuse in 2003, 81-78. It was also the first overtime championship since 1997, when Arizona cut down the nets.

Before I get to the final scores, a few final notes on the pool and something to look forward to next year. This year, the pool had 61 brackets entered by 22 individuals, for a total of $61. Next year, I am planning on making the entry fee $5.00. If that would have been the fee this year, the pool would have had $110 in the pot.

Below are the final scores from my 13th annual pool. Congratulations to this year's winners and better luck next year to everyone else (especially me!).

177 (1st) Eric J. #1 Kansas
171 (2nd) Robert S. #5 Kansas
170 (3rd) Eric J. #3 Memphis
165 Donna K. Kansas
165 Jon P. Kansas
163 Austin R. Kansas
160 Sam D. #2 UNC
159 TS #3 Kansas
158 Eric J. #2 UNC
158 Sam D. #3 Memphis
156 Joey W. #8 Lville
156 RGT 3 UNC
156 Krista R. #1 UNC
154 Jeremy N. #1 Memphis
154 Krista R. #2 UCLA
153 TS #8 Kansas
152 TS #7 UNC
152 Bob S. #2 Tenn
151 Bob S. #1 Kansas
148 Joey W. #7 UCLA
148 Mike S. UNC
146 Kathy S. #1 WI
146 Ryan P. UCLA
146 Sam D. #1 UNC
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
139 Joey W. #5 Kansas
136 TS #1 WI
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
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

New Blog

March has come and gone, and after tonight the madness of another NCAA Tournament will be gone as well. The sole purpose of this blog was to provide an outlet for my thoughts on the Tournament. Now that the Tournament is nearly finished, it's time to bid adieu to this blog until next March.

Fight back those tears, America. I have decided to keep on trucking, er, blogging, and have created a new blog - Reading Is Optional. It took me a few hours to decide on the perfect name. But then I found out that it was already taken, so I settled on this one. Bu-dum-ching!

My new blog will have a wider focus and no topics will be beyond my reach (except those topics which I have no knowledge of - my apologies to all of the astrophysicists in my audience). Baseball will certainly be my main interest in the beginning, but I plan on branching out to other topics.

Feel free to check out my new experiment and tell your friends.

National Championship Game

Kansas is a 2-point underdog tonight against Memphis in the national title game, which tips off at 8:21 pm. Much has been made about the idea that Kansas will need to find a way to stop Memphis' offense - but the Jayhawks are actually averaging .5 points more than the Tigers. Also, the Jayhawks recently put up 84 points against tournament favorite UNC, in a game that saw KU lead 40-12 in the first half.

I would be surprised if Kansas is able to jump off to such an outstanding start tonight, especially because Memphis does possess so many scoring threats. But Kansas is not afraid to play games in the 80s and also has a roster full of scoring options. The Jayhawks are also a great three-point shooting team, shooting almost 40% from beyond the arc.

One final consideration to take into account is that the national championship game usually has a little pressure attached to it, and a lot of teams come out of the gates a little tight. If this is the case for Memphis, Kansas will need to take advantage of it to establish the type of pace they want for the game.

My prediction: Kansas 73, Memphis 68

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

tS' March Madness Pool - UPDATE!

Here are the updated scores through last night's games:

138 Joey W. #8 Lville
136 Sam D. #2 UNC
132 Joey W. #7 UCLA
132 RGT 3 UNC
130 Krista R. #2 UCLA
128 Eric J. #1 Kansas
126 TS #6 Texas
126 Joey W. #1 Lville
126 Joey W. #2 Lville
126 Eric J. #3 Memphis
124 Jon P. Kansas
124 Mike S. UNC
124 Sam D. #3 Memphis
124 Krista R. #1 UNC
122 Robert S. #5 Kansas
122 Kathy S. #1 WI
122 Sam D. #1 UNC
120 TS #1 WI
120 Robert S. #3 UCLA
120 Joe H. #2 UNC
120 Ken R. #1 Duke
118 TS #3 Kansas
118 TS #7 UNC
118 Bob S. #1 Kansas
118 Bob S. #2 Tenn
118 Daniel T. UCLA
116 TS #4 UCLA
116 Bob S. #8 Tenn
116 Robert S. #4 UNC
116 Donna K. Kansas
116 Eric J. #2 UNC
116 Connie R. #2 Duke
114 Joey W. #4 Lville
114 Ryan P. UCLA
114 Austin R. Kansas
112 TS #8 Kansas
112 Bob S. #4 UNC
112 Joey W. #6 Pitt
112 Jeremy N. #1 Memphis
110 Bob S. #3 Gtown
110 Steve P. Memphis
110 Ken R. #2 UCLA
106 TS #2 UNC
106 TS #5 Lville
106 Robert S. #1 UCLA
102 Joe H. #3 WI
102 Connie R. #1 UCLA
100 Bob S. #7 WI
100 Robert S. #2 UNC
98 Bob S. #6 UCLA
98 Joey W. #5 Kansas
98 Kathy S. #2 WI
98 Jeremy N. #2 WI
98 Brad S. UNC
92 Bob S. #5 UNC
90 Joey W. #3 UCLA
88 Kathy S. #4 UNC
88 Joe H. #1 UCLA
72 Erin H.* WI
68 Kathy S. #5 UCLA
18 Kathy S. #3* SD

UW's Season Comes to an End

The Badgers struggled offensively and were not able to contain Stephen Curry, and the end result was a deflating 73-56 loss. While the loss was certainly a disappointing end for Badger fans, I'm trying to keep things in perspective - remember that few people picked UW to finish anywhere near the top in the Big Ten, yet the Badgers won the conference title and tournament. It's also good to keep in mind that until Bo Ryan arrived, just getting to the NCAA Tournament was considered to be a great achievement, and now the Badgers have completed back-to-back 30-win seasons.

Here are a few of my observations from tonight's loss:

-The Badgers were never able to establish a post game. They had an advantage inside and were never able to exploit it. Credit some of that to the quick and pesky defense that Davidson played all game. They fell in love with the three-point shot early, but those shots stopped falling when they needed them the most.

-The injury and limited playing time of Trevon Hughes hurt the Badgers. Early in the game he showed an ability to drive to the hoop with ease, which later in the game could have led to easy baskets or assists. Yet one more case to support the idea that point guards are the most important piece for any tournament team.

-Davidson shot lights out, and even when a UW player was there to contest the shot, the shooter was somehow able to make the basket. It was one of those games where it seemed like the other team was getting all the breaks.

Quick Links

A story from the New York Times on Wisconsin basketball.
(Thanks to BS for the link)

A free trip to Detroit for Davidson students.

What's unique about the games in Detroit and Houston this weekend?

What happened to Tennessee?

The Journal Sentinel looks at Bo Ryan's teachings and the even matchup tonight.

tS' March Madness Pool - UPDATE!

Current scores after Thursday's games, plus the champion pick for each bracket:

120 Joey W. #8 Lville
118 Sam D. #2 UNC
114 Joey W. #1 Lville
114 Joey W. #7 UCLA
114 RGT 3 UNC
112 Mike S. UNC
112 Krista R. #2 UCLA
110 Eric J. #1 Kansas
108 TS #6 Texas
108 Robert S. #3 UCLA
108 Joey W. #2 Lville
108 Eric J. #3 Memphis
108 Ken R. #1 Duke
106 TS #3 Kansas
106 TS #7 UNC
106 Bob S. #1 Kansas
106 Jon P. Kansas
106 Sam D. #3 Memphis
106 Krista R. #1 UNC
104 Bob S. #3 Gtown
104 Bob S. #8 Tenn
104 Robert S. #4 UNC
104 Robert S. #5 Kansas
104 Kathy S. #1 WI
104 Sam D. #1 UNC
102 TS #1 WI
102 Joey W. #4 Lville
102 Joe H. #2 UNC
102 Austin R. Kansas
100 TS #8 Kansas
100 Bob S. #2 Tenn
100 Bob S. #4 UNC
100 Robert S. #1 UCLA
100 Joey W. #6 Pitt
100 Daniel T. UCLA
98 TS #4 UCLA
98 Kathy S. #2 WI
98 Donna K. Kansas
98 Eric J. #2 UNC
98 Connie R. #2 Duke
98 Ken R. #2 UCLA
96 Ryan P. UCLA
94 TS #2 UNC
94 TS #5 Lville
94 Jeremy N. #1 Memphis
92 Bob S. #6 UCLA
92 Steve P. Memphis
92 Brad S. UNC
90 Joe H. #3 WI
88 Bob S. #7 WI
88 Robert S. #2 UNC
88 Kathy S. #4 UNC
86 Bob S. #5 UNC
86 Joey W. #5 Kansas
86 Jeremy N. #2 WI
84 Joey W. #3 UCLA
84 Connie R. #1 UCLA
82 Joe H. #1 UCLA
68 Kathy S. #5 UCLA
66 Erin H. WI
18 Kathy S. #3* SD

For The Record

Instead of picking who I think will win (which is obviously a futile exercise), I thought I'd share who I would like to win this weekend. Here are a few matchups I'd like to see later in the Tournament:

1. Final Four - Wisconsin vs. Washington St.

Two similar teams, a wealth of intriguing storylines, and a big "stick-it-to-'em" to all of the college basketball analysts that dump on these two teams.

2. Final Four - Wisconsin vs. Tennessee

Bruce Pearl vs. Bo Ryan, in a matchup of two former UW-Milwaukee head coaches.

3. Final Four - Texas vs. UCLA

I would love to watch the nation's two best point guards play against each other (D.J. Augustin vs. Darren Collison), especially because I missed the game back in December when Texas won by 2 points.

4. National Championship - Wisconsin vs. UCLA

What better way for the Badgers to win their first national title since 1941, than against the fabled program of UCLA? Not to mention the fact that this would be one of the greatest defensive matchups in recent history.

March Madness Continues Tonight

The third round of the Tournament kicks off tonight with four games. Friday will feature four more games, and Saturday and Sunday will both feature two regional finals.

March Madness is such a great time of the year, but there are still some things that I'm not looking forward to in the next few days (more commercials, shots of Stephen Curry's mother on TV, watching all of my brackets get busted). Hopefully all of the things that I am looking forward to will not disappoint:

1. Badgers, Badgers, Badgers

There's a very good chance that UW fans will get to watch the Badgers twice this weekend. They play Davidson on Friday, 6:10 pm, and should the Badgers advance they would meet the winner of Kansas/Villanova on Sunday. The last time UW was playing for a shot at the Final Four was in 2005 (a team featuring someone I recently interviewed). Badger fans are also lucky in that Gus Johnson will be announcing UW's games on TV for CBS.

2. Michael Flowers vs. Stephen Curry

In his four years at UW, Flowers has had the opportunity to guard some of the nation's best guards. He will no doubt be tested once again tomorrow night by Curry, who collected 70 points in Davidson's first two Tournament games. It will be interesting to see how Flowers and the rest of the Badgers do against Curry and how it will impact the result of the game. Even if Curry collects 30 or 40 points, he's going to need help from the rest of his teammates in order for Davidson to advance.

3. Offense vs. Defense

Whether it's fair or not, North Carolina and Washington St. are both teams that have been criticized for being too focused on one aspect of the game. Some analysts have called the defense of UNC uninspiring, and some analysts have said the same about Washington St.'s offense. Even though it's a cliche, this game will be one of tempo. If Washington St. is able to disrupt and disturb the UNC offense this game could be a lot closer than a lot of experts are predicting.

4. Small vs. Big

Texas has been one of my favorite teams to watch this year, and it's mostly because of the stellar backcourt of D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams. Texas depends heavily on the play of these two, while Stanford will depend heavily on the inside game of the Lopez twins. Just like the Marquette/Stanford contest, this is a game that features many unique matchups. Hopefully when Texas and Stanford clash, it will be just as exciting.

5. UCLA

UCLA has not looked as dominant as UNC and Kansas have so far in the Tournament, and came close to an early exit against Texas A&M. It will be interesting to see how they respond against Western Kentucky, the Tournament's real Cinderella (a No. 12 seed). W. Kentucky has nothing to lose at this point, which could be dangerous for UCLA. The best case-scenario for UCLA would be to jump out to an early 20-point lead in the first half, which would allow them, their fans, and everyone who picked them to win it all, to breath a little easier.

6. Watching Memphis Shoot Free Throws

Do you remember a few years ago when Memphis guard Darius Washington missed a free throw to send the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament? That was a truly gut-wrenching scene. This year, Memphis' woes at the free throw line have been more comical. But as the stakes get higher and the opponents get tougher, someone from Memphis' team will likely be in that same situation as Washington was in a few years ago - except with the stakes a tad higher.

7. The Final Four

At the end of the weekend, the Sweet Sixteen will be whittled down to the Final Four. There are so many talented teams still alive right now that won't be playing next weekend, and it will be very interesting to see how it all shakes out. A lot of people think this could be the first year that all #1 seeds advance, but I don't see that happening, especially with the tough road ahead for Memphis. It will also be interesting to see what conferences are represented in the Final Four. I know a lot of people in this area of the country are hoping for two Big Ten teams to advance, which would be a nightmare for a lot of the so-called expert analysts.

Quick Links - Badger Edition

UWBadgers.com has posted a few interesting videos, including some behind-the-scenes stuff.

ESPN1070.com has some audio from interviews with Kirk Penney, Jay Bilas, and Steve Lavin; plus Bo Ryan, Brian Butch, and Michael Flowers from Monday's press conference.

Mark Stewart on Michael Flowers.

ESPN.com has a story on UW.

Finally, if you haven't seen Bo Ryan's "soulja boy" yet, here that is; plus an old favorite.

tS' March Madness Pool

Wondering how many people picked San Diego to win the National Championship? Well, it was one. Wondering how many people picked all of the other teams? If yes, then you're in luck. If not, then check out my interview with Sharif Chambliss!

Champion Picks (teams eliminated are in italics):

UNC – 15
UCLA – 13
Kansas – 9
Wisconsin – 7
Louisville – 5
Memphis – 4
Tennessee – 2
Duke – 2
Texas – 1
Georgetown – 1
Pittsburgh – 1
San Diego – 1

Quick Links

UW playing the role of Goliath.

Mark Stewart looks at Davidson.

Haven't heard about Stephen Curry yet?

Andy Katz examines the 16 teams remaining.

Meet Joey Dorsey from Memphis.

Stewart Mandel also looks at the remaining contenders.

tS' March Madness Pool - UPDATE!

Here are the current scores for my pool:

Sam D. #2 100
TS #6 96
Joey W. #8 96
RGT 3 96
Eric J. #3 96
Ken R. #1 96
TS #7 94
Krista R. #2 94
Robert S. #4 92
Kathy S. #1 92
Kathy S. #2 92
Eric J. #1 92
Robert S. #3 90
Joey W. #1 90
Joey W. #7 90
Joe H. #2 90
TS #3 88
Bob S. #1 88
Bob S. #2 88
Daniel T. 88
Jon P. 88
Mike S. 88
Sam D. #3 88
Krista R. #1 88
Bob S. #3 86
Bob S. #8 86
Donna K. 86
Sam D. #1 86
Connie R. #2 86
TS #1 84
Joey W. #2 84
Joey W. #4 84
Ryan P. 84
TS #2 82
TS #5 82
TS #8 82
Bob S. #4 82
Bob S. #7 82
Robert S. #1 82
Robert S. #2 82
Joey W. #6 82
Jeremy N. #1 82
TS #4 80
Bob S. #6 80
Robert S. #5 80
Steve P. 80
Eric J. #2 80
Brad S. 80
Ken R. #2 80
Joe H. #3 78
Austin R. 78
Kathy S. #4 76
Bob S. #5 74
Joey W. #5 74
Jeremy N. #2 74
Joey W. #3 72
Connie R. #1 72
Joe H. #1 70
Erin H. 66
Kathy S. #5 62
Kathy S. #3* 18

*Indicates a finished bracket

Interview: SHARIF CHAMBLISS

Though he only played one season for the University of Wisconsin, Sharif Chambliss had a tremendous impact on the men’s basketball program. In the 2004-05 season, Chambliss averaged 7.5 points per game, and led the team with 95 assists. The senior team captain, who transferred from Penn State, helped lead the Badgers to a 25-9 overall record, 11-5 in the Big Ten. In the 2005 NCAA Tournament, he and the Badgers came within one game of the Final Four, losing 88-82 to the eventual national champions, North Carolina. Chambliss averaged 9 points in UW’s four tournament games, including a 15-point performance against Northern Iowa in the first round, hitting 5 three-pointers. I recently was able to ask Sharif some questions about the 2005 Tournament and his thoughts on this year’s UW team.

TS: What are your favorite memories from the 2005 NCAA Tournament?

Sharif Chambliss: The whole experience overall was just amazing. Having a chance to end my career the way I wanted, and leaving it all out on the floor was awesome. Also, being able to share it with my family and close friends was more than I could ask for.


TS: From a player’s perspective, what is the Tournament experience like? Is it hectic? Are you able to step back and enjoy it, or is it mostly business as usual?

SC: The Tournament is a lot of fun, but it always seems like you have something going on. Nothing wrong with it at all. We did a lot of media stuff with us being seniors. You are definitely able to enjoy it. You try hard and stay focused, because the goal is not just to get to the Tournament, but to win it all; and that goes game by game.


TS: What do you think are some of the important qualities a team must possess in order to make a run in the Tournament?

SC: I believe obviously you have to great team chemistry, know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and be able to feed positively off of each other. You need great guards and solid big men, and to top all of that off, a great leader that everyone believes in as a coach.


TS: What are your thoughts on this year’s Badger team? How do they compare to the team you played on at UW?

SC: The team this year has defied the media’s odds and a lot of people’s thoughts on them. They go out and win the Big Ten outright, and take the Big Ten Tournament…and now are on their way to the Sweet Sixteen by beating a good Kansas State team, with arguably the most dominate player in Michael Beasley. What more do you want?


TS: A common criticism that a lot of basketball analysts direct at UW teams, is that they play “ugly.” What are your thoughts on this?

SC: If winning is ugly, let me sign up for it! Call it what you want to call it, but I have never played on a team that has won and we call that win ugly.


TS: What makes Bo Ryan such a successful coach? What were the most important lessons you learned from your time at UW?

SC: Coach Ryan is a great communicator and he knows the game of basketball. A lot of his coaching theories are based around the early fundamentals of the game, and keeping the game simple. He is a great leader and coach, but an even better person.


TS: What are you doing now at UWM? Do you think coaching at any level will be in your future?

SC: I am now working at UWM as an Academic Mentor for mainly the men’s basketball team, and would like to start working my way into coaching.


TS: Who do you like in the Tournament this year? What are your Final Four picks? Who do you think will win the championship?

SC: After this first weekend of the Tournament, I like the Badgers obviously, because they are fundamentally solid. They have a LOT of size and guards with tournament experience. I am not quite sure what to think as far as the Final Four is concerned, but I am excited to follow the rest of the Tournament as it goes on.

Exclusive Interview

Tomorrow I will be posting an interview with former UW basketball star Sharif Chambliss, who was kind enough to answer some questions. So be sure to check back tomorrow for his thoughts on the Tournament and this year's Badgers!

SWEETNESS!

So who wants to take a road trip to Detroit?

UW defeats Kansas St. 72-55 to advance to the Sweet 16, and will play the winner of Davidson/Georgetown next Friday in the Motor City.

The Badgers played great team defense - only two Kansas St. players scored more than 4 points. Trevon Hughes shot lights out (8-14), and Greg Stiemsma had a career day offensively to lead the Badgers to the next round.

I'm sure all Badger fans are satisfied with this win, especially with the 17-point margin of victory.

tS' March Madness Pool - UPDATE!

I have the scores for my pool posted below, so check them out and see where you rank.

Last year’s winner, Krista R., posted a score of 186 (highest score possible is 243), and second place went to Zach C. with a score of 183. Krista won $34.00 and Zach collected $15.00. I dubbed last year as the “worst NCAA Tournament of all-time” on my website last year – the Badgers lost in the second round, I hated watching the national championship game between Florida and Ohio State, and for the first time ever, I failed to finish in the top ten in the pool (my best scores were 11th, 12th, and 13th place).

Last year was also the lowest amount of money that had ever been collected for my pool since the very first pool. That was when I was in the sixth grade, and three friends and I each put in a dollar and “drafted” 16 teams. If your team won the national title, you won the big prize (all $4.00!).

This year, the pool has $61.00 in the pot. The payout situation is this:

-Assuming there are no ties, first place will win $50.00, second place will win $10.00, and third place will win $1.00.

-If there is a tie for first place, those brackets will split the whole pot.

-If there is a single first place winner, but a tie for second place, I will draw a name from a hat to determine the second place prize.

If you have any questions, contact me at tssanders@gmail.com.

Here are the scores through the first round:

Robert S. #3 54
Robert S. #4 52
Bob S. #7 50
Joe H. #2 50
Joey W. #6 50
Krista R. #2 50
TS #7 50
Bob S. #1 48
Bob S. #6 48
Connie R. #2 48
Eric J. #1 48
Eric J. #3 48
Joey W. #2 48
Joey W. #4 48
Joey W. #8 48
Jon P. 48
Kathy S. #1 48
Kathy S. #2 48
Kathy S. #4 48
Ken R. #1 48
Krista R. #1 48
Mike S. 48
Robert S. #5 48
Ryan P. 48
Sam D. #2 48
Sam D. #3 48
Steve P. 48
TS #3 48
TS #4 48
TS #6 48
Bob S. #3 46
Bob S. #4 46
Bob S. #8 46
Donna K. 46
Joe H. #3 46
Joey W. #1 46
Joey W. #7 46
Robert S. #1 46
Robert S. #2 46
TS #8 46
Bob S. #2 44
Brad S. 44
Daniel T. 44
Eric J. #2 44
RGT 3 44
TS #1 44
Bob S. #5 42
Jeremy N. #1 42
Jeremy N. #2 42
Joe H. #1 42
Joey W. #5 42
Sam D. #1 42
TS #2 42
TS #5 42
Connie R. #1 40
Joey W. #3 40
Ken R. #2 40
Austin R. 38
Erin H. 38
Kathy S. #5 38
Kathy S. #3 18

March Madness - Second Round, Saturday

For those of you looking for a pool update, I will try to post the scores before the Badger game starts today. Also, for anyone interested in seeing my own picks, I will be scanning my brackets and posting those online. On to the preview of today's action:

Best Matchups

No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 3 Stanford

I'm looking forward to watching this game because of the matchup problems both teams present to each other. Stanford has the Lopez twins, two 7-footers who dominate the post area, while Marquette features a trio of very good guards. It will be interesting to see which team is able to emphasize their strengths and prevail.

No. 5 Michigan St. vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh

Both of these teams are on a roll right now and playing some of their best basketball of the season. Tonight's game will most likely be a very physical contest, and whoever emerges as the winner will have a great shot at potentially upsetting Memphis in the Sweet Sixteen.


My Picks (3-7 overall)

Yesterday was a pretty rough one for picking games, and I went 0-5. I guarantee at least one of these will be right today:

No. 2 Duke beats No. 7 West Virginia
No. 5 Notre Dame beats No. 4 Washington St.
No. 3 Stanford beats No. 6 Marquette
No. 4 Pittsburgh beats No. 5 Michigan St.
No. 1 UCLA beats No. 9 Texas A&M


Quick Links

A preview of today's UW-Kansas St. game.

Michael Hunt discusses issues surrounding Michael Beasley.

A look at Washington St.'s defense.

Friday Recap

What a weird and wild day Friday was! Two No. 12 seeds and two No. 13 seeds advanced, and all four of those teams played their games in Tampa. Two games went into overtime and both produced thrilling results - Western Kentucky over Drake and San Diego over UConn. 32 teams are left standing as we head into the second round.

Best Win

No. 12 Villanova, against No. 5 Clemson

There are a lot of choices for Friday's best win, but Villanova was down by 18 points at one time, and managed to come back despite being undersized and relying on basically two players for offense. Scottie Reynolds showed incredible poise for a sophomore and took his team on his back to carry them to the next round.


Worst Loss

No. 4 Vanderbilt, to No. 13 Siena

The fact that Vanderbilt lost wasn't as shocking as how much they lost by. Siena shot 56.5 % from the field, and hit 22 of 25 free throws to defeat Vanderbilt, 83-62.


Best Individual Performance

Stephen Curry, Davidson

There were a lot of great individual performances to choose from today, but Curry scored 40 points, and hit 8 of the 10 three-pointers he attempted to lead Davidson to the upset of Gonzaga. The only thing that dampened his performance, was having to watch his mom's performance in the stands.


Seth Davis Smugness Watch

5/10

Before the first game started today, Davis confidently announced that 5 upsets would happen: Davidson, Siena, St. Joe's, St. Mary's, and South Alabama. Two of those came true. At the end of the day, it seemed like Davis took credit for predicting all of the day's upsets. Smugness level rising quickly.

March Madness - First Round, Part Two

What a glorious spring morning it is here in southeastern Wisconsin. Nothing better than waking up to a fresh four inches of snow on the ground! Oh well, with 16 more Tournament games on today and tonight, who needs to go anywhere?

Best Matchups

Day: Midwest Region, No. 10 Davidson vs. No. 7 Gonzaga

Remember Gonzaga, that Tournament darling that everyone used to pick to get to at least the Sweet Sixteen? This year, Davidson has become the most popular Cinderella pick, and a lot of people have forgotten that they play a very good Gonzaga team in the first round. This year, Gonzaga went on the road and defeated Virginia Tech, St. Joe's, and UConn. Meanwhile, Davidson has one of the top scoring threats in the Tournament, Stephen Curry, who is averaging 25.1 points per game.

Night: Midwest Region, No. 12 Villanova vs. No. 5 Clemson

Just like USC, a lot of people have picked Clemson as a sleeper team - mostly because of the way Clemson played North Carolina this season. The scary thing about this Clemson team though, is that they are not a good free throw shooting team, and should Villanova keep the game close, that could prove perilous to Clemson. Nova needs a big game from Scottie Reynolds in order to advance.


My Picks (yesterday, 3-2)

No. 7 Gonzaga beats No. 10 Davidson
No. 5 Drake beats No. 12 Western Kentucky
No. 9 Oregon beats No. 8 Mississippi St.
No. 5 Clemson beats No. 12 Villanova
Upset Special: No. 11 St. Joe's beats No. 6 Oklahoma

Day One - Recap

March Madness has begun, but the overall reaction so far has been a mild shrug of the shoulders. Kansas St.'s victory over USC was the biggest upset of the day, though I don't think anyone was heavily favoring the Trojans in that game. The biggest thrill was of course No. 15 Belmont's near upset of No. 2 Duke in the South Region. Hopefully tomorrow's games will provide some more madness.

Best Win

No. 8 UNLV, against No. 9 Kent St.

It didn't take long for UNLV to put away Kent St., and this game was never in doubt. A No.8/No.9 matchup usually produces a close game, but UNLV dominated the entire time, shooting 50% for the game.


Worst Loss

No. 6 USC, to No. 11 Kansas St.

So much for Pac-10 dominance. USC gave up 18 offensive rebounds, committed 24 fouls (two USC players fouled out), and the team shot 42% for the game. USC proved to be greatly over-rated and undeserving of a No. 6 seed.


Best Individual Performance

Josh Akognon, CS Fullerton

If CS Fullerton had one more Josh Akognon on their team, the Badgers would have been in serious trouble. Akognon scored 31 points on 11-for-23 shooting, including 5-for-12 from three-point land - all with one of the nation's best defenders chasing him around all game.


Seth Davis Smugness Level

2/10

One of the best things about so many games being played in these first few days, is that CBS "analyst" Seth Davis gets less camera time. I didn't catch many of his "expert" opinions today, so the Seth Davis Smugness Level is low to start off the Tournament.

March Madness: Day One

March Madness is finally here! The first game tips off in about an hour, so let's get right to my thoughts on day one of the Tournament:

Best Matchups

Day: South Region, No. 11 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Marquette

This was one of the hardest games for me to pick. Both teams were inconsistent in the regular season, and both teams have strong backcourts and weaker frontcourts. Kentucky had a key player go down with an injury about a month ago, and Marquette has Dominic James (who sometimes plays like he's injured). Neither team had an impressive out of conference record (Marquette's best win was against Wisconsin, and Kentucky didn't have a single good pre-conference win).

Night: West Region, No. 10 Arizona vs. No. 7 West Virginia

This was another tough game to pick. I went with Arizona in most of my brackets, because I like their balanced scoring attack. Though I had plenty of reasons not to pick the Wildcats - the turmoil surrounding the coaching situation, their under-.500 record in the Pac-10, and the fact that WV's Joe Alexander has been tearing it up recently. Alexander vs. Arizona's Chase Budinger will be a fun matchup to watch.


My Picks

No. 3 Xavier beats No. 14 Georgia
No. 5 Michigan St. beats No. 12 Temple
No. 6 USC beats No. 11 Kansas St.
No. 3 Wisconsin beats No. 14 CS Fullerton
Upset Special: No. 11 Baylor beats No. 6 Purdue


Quick Links

Mark Stewart looks at today's matchup between the UW and CS Fullerton.

A preview of Marquette's first round game.

The impact of March Madness on the workplace.

Pat Forde looks at the best and worst-case scenarios for all 64 teams.

Less Than 15 Hours...

The first game of the first round of the NCAA Tournament will begin in less than 15 hours (Georgia vs. Xavier tips off at 11:20 am/ct, and Portland St. vs. Kansas and Temple vs. Michigan St. also play tomorrow morning).

Do you have your pool bracket filled out yet?

Starting tomorrow, I'll be posting at least twice daily. Before the games start (or shortly after they start), I'll do a preview of the day's action (best matchups, my picks, etc.). Then at the end of the day, I'll post a recap of the day's events. In those posts, I'll be looking at 4 things: the best win of the day, the worst loss of the day, the best individual performance, and the "Seth Davis Smugness Watch." If you have no idea who Seth Davis is, just watch CBS' coverage and you'll soon find out.

Best Qualities of March Madness

#8 - BS' Annual NIT Pool

For the past 7 years, my younger brother BS has attempted to compete with my annual NCAA Tournament pool with a pool of his own (except his pool is picking NIT games). BS has won the NIT pool for 7 straight years, though that isn't exactly surprising, because he has also been the only participant. When asked about his NIT pool's lack of success over the years, BS responded that "it's only a matter of time before the world realizes how much fun can be had gambling a $1.00 on mediocre basketball games." BS also wanted to make it known that he is an experienced pool manager, organizing a Horizon League pool for the past few years.

Quick Links

Grant Wahl's "Big Bang Theory."

Injury updates on UCLA.

Luke Winn provides more statistics.

In case you need more Bruce Pearl in your life, here's this story.

Andy Katz on the poor performances of referees this year.

A preview of Kentucky vs. Marquette.

Don't know anything about Cal State Fullerton? Click here!

Memphis' head coach isn't worried about his team's poor free throw shooting.

Here are eight players that could make a difference in the first round.

Less than 37 Hours...

Until the first (real) game of the 2008 Tournament. The Big Dance officially kicked off tonight (Mount St. Mary's defeated Coppin St., and now gets the pleasure of meeting UNC Friday night), but the real action starts Thursday morning.

That means you have less than 37 hours to enter my pool! Don't forget that you have the option of filling out a bracket (or 2, or 3) online. Just email me (tssanders@gmail.com), or leave a comment in any of the comment sections on this blog, and I'll send you an invite to the group I've set up on cbssportsline.com.

Best Qualities of March Madness

#9 - Crazy Joey's Story of Being at the Bradley Center for "That One Game"

Over the years, one March Madness story has become a bit of a tradition for me (and probably a bunch of other people who were unfortunate enough to be within hearing distance). That story is the one that Crazy Joey tells about being at a NCAA Tournament game in 1992 at the Bradley Center. I thought tonight I'd share with everyone the absurd ramblings of Crazy Joey.

(As I'm typing this right now, Crazy Joey is talking about going to the circus that same year, where a local radio DJ approached Joey, offering him an autograph, but Joey was crying...Joey ended up getting the autograph and took it to school the next day...holy crap, what a frightening trip through Joey's memories!)

Back to the Tournament game....Joey brings this up every time he sees the highlight, which is frequently included in montages this time of the year. It was the game in the second round of the Midwest Region, when Georgia Tech beat USC 79-78 on a buzzer beater. The game has a memorable "call" from Al McGuire.

In his own words, Crazy Joey:

"I don't remember much, except eating hot dogs, cotton candy..."

"I remember the end of it, seeing the team wearing black - Georgia Tech - hit the game-winning shot."

"I remember the court being really green. And it was snowing out that day. That's it."

Quick Links

Even though all of the polls and rankings are useless now, I found this pretty interesting. You can see how all of the coaches in the USA Today/ESPN poll voted for the entire season. USC's Tim Floyd voted the Badgers as a #10 in the last poll.

Pat Forde looks ahead to the Tournament.

Here's a story on Georgetown's Roy Hibbert.

Luke Winn does some bracket math.

The evolution of Trevon Hughes' game.

Reminder: Pool Entries Due by Thursday, 11 AM

Don't forget that bracket entries for my 13th annual pool are due this Thursday by 11 Am. Why Thursday and not Tuesday night? Because I still refuse to recognize the play-in game as officially part of the Tournament, that's why!

Best Qualities of March Madness

#11 - Your School Making a Run

Nothing makes the NCAA Tournament more exciting, than your school being in the field and making a run toward the Final Four. Wisconsin basketball fans have had a few memorable runs in the past decade. There was the 2000 Wisconsin Badgers, who made an improbable run to the Final Four as a #8 seed. In 2003, Marquette fans were full of joy after Dwayne Wade led the Golden Eagles (or whatever they were called back then) to a Final Four. 2005 saw UWM go to the Sweet Sixteen (not bad for a mid-major), and UW go to the Elite Eight.

Your school in the Big Dance can also be quite the nerve-wracking experience. Personally, watching the Badgers play has become more stressful over the years, as UW has gone from an upstart and upsetter, to being a favorite and upsetee. There's definitely more pressure on the Badgers to win games than ever before, which can sometimes make watching them a less than enjoyable time. On the other hand, it also makes you appreciate the victories even more.

#10 - St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! This holiday always seems to be more enjoyable when there's a full slate of college basketball games to accompany it. I remember one St. Patrick's Day a few years ago, which landed on the first day of the Tournament. Between the festivities of both of the day's events, there was little time for me to study for an Italian exam the next day. Needless to say, but that was the worst grade I ever got in that class.

Quick Links

Gary Parrish gives his observations on the bracket.

Marquette and Kentucky will square off in the first round - in a repeat of the 2003 Elite Eight game.

Andy Katz gets answers from the selection committee.

Numbers don't mean much to the Badgers.

Seth Davis answers some questions on the Tournament.

Game Times

The NCAA has released the start times for the first and second rounds of the Tournament.

Found via Badger Blog.

tS' 13th Annual March Madness Pool!

For anyone that would like to join and can't get me a paper bracket by Thursday morning, I've set up a group on cbssportsline.com. If you'd like to join, either email me (tssanders@gmail.com), or just leave a comment in any of the comment sections on this blog saying you'd like to join. I'll then send you an email invite with the group password.

People who participate through the online group will be in the same pool as all of the normal paper brackets.

Official scoring updates will be made regularly on this blog.

Unfortunately, due to the restrictions of cbssportsline.com, online participants can only make 3 bracket submissions. This year, I've capped the total number of bracket entries at 8 (so if you make 3 online brackets, you can still fill out 5 more brackets (if you can get those to me/a pool manager by Thursday morning).

Each bracket entry is $1.00. Payouts and whether or not there will be a second-place or third-place will be determined based on the total number of entries.

-tS

tS' Weekly Top Five & Quick Thoughts on the Field of 65

Before I get to my final Top Five, here are my quick thoughts on the work done by the selection committee this year:

-Wisconsin should have been a #2 seed. At the very least, they shouldn't have been scheduled for a Thursday game. Winning the Conference Tourney obviously did not help them at all when it came to seeding, except for being placed in the Midwest Region (though I'm not sure how great of an advantage it will be playing in Omaha, especially if they end up playing Kansas St. in the second round). The four #1 seeds all won their conference tournaments. None of the four #2 seeds won their conference tournaments. The Badgers won their conference tournament, and are rewarded with a #3 seed and a Thursday game (which better be at least a night game!).

-The only other problem I had with the seedings, was Pittsburgh as a #4 seed (I thought they deserved a #3 seed), and Xavier as a #3 seed (I thought they could have been a #4).

-The East Region is probably the toughest, but Memphis will also have some potentially tough matchups in the South. They could face Mississippi St., Pittsburgh, and Stanford or Texas.

-Kansas in the Midwest Region seems to have the easiest road to the Elite Eight.

-Arizona St. and Virginia Tech got snubbed. Teams that I wouldn't have had a problem if they missed the cut include Miami, Kentucky, Villanova, St. Mary's, Arizona, and St. Joe's.

Here now is my final Top Five:

5. (tie) Texas - Played really well throughout the Big 12 Tourney, and just came short of another victory over Kansas in the championship game (in what was essentially a home game for the Jayhawks.

(tie) Wisconsin - The Badgers won their conference title outright and then backed it up with a Big Ten Tourney title as well. The comeback victory over Michigan St. was a great display of Coach Ryan's brilliance and his team's ability to execute calmly and efficiently.

4. Memphis - The Tigers finished the season with one loss. They are an experienced bunch, and have made it to the Elite Eight the past two seasons.

3. UCLA - The Bruins keep finding a way to win, even when key players go down with injuries. Three things I like about this team are their toughness on defense, the play of Darren Collison, and the way they don't panic at the end of close games.

2. North Carolina - The Tar Heels looked a little vulnerable in the ACC Tourney. Defense continues to be an issue at times for this team, but UNC still possesses the nation's best player, Tyler Hansbrough.

1. Kansas - Kansas rolled into the Big 12 Tourney Championship game, and then played one of the most impressive games by any team all year. This is an unselfish team with multiple scoring threats and a tenacious defense. They look like a focused team and seem poised to make a deep run in the Tournament.

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

I went 4-1 Friday, and now am at 43-19 entering the last day of games before the Big Dance. Here are today's picks:

Texas Arlington @ Northwestern St. - Northwestern St.
Clemson @ North Carolina - North Carolina
Kansas @ Texas - Kansas
Georgia @ Arkansas - Arkansas
Illinois @ Wisconsin - Wisconsin

Best Qualities of March Madness

#12 - Selection Sunday

For many college hoops fans Selection Sunday is a holiday. There is plenty of buildup to this year's Selection Sunday, and numerous teams across the country are waiting to find out if they will be dancing this year.

Joe Lunardi has his latest predictions on who will get in and who won't.

ESPN.com also has a "bubble watch."

The selection committee still has a lot of work to do. I don't think that there's a consensus as to who will be the four #1 seeds, and teams like Illinois and Georgia have the opportunity to burst some bubbles today.

Update on Trevon Hughes' Condition

According to the Badger Blog at JSOnline, UW point guard Trevon Hughes will be a game-time decision tomorrow against Illinois in the Big Ten Tourney Championship. The Badgers are making their second straight appearance in the championship game, following last year's loss to Ohio St. in the final. UW made a furious comeback today against Michigan St., which was capped by a great steal and layup by Michael Flowers.

I'm not sure how much of an effect winning tomorrow will have on the Badgers' seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Last year they lost in the championship game, but still got a #2 seed, and were placed in the Midwest Region. I would guess they're a lock for a #3 seed, and could potentially gain a #2 depending on how some of the rest of these conference tourney games play out.

Quick Links

So how many people had Illinois vs. Minnesota in the Big Ten Tourney semifinal? If you haven't seen the shot by Blake Hoffarber, be sure to check it out.

The SEC Tourney was delayed last night due to a tornado, and today's games will be played at Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum, which holds slightly over 9,000 people.

Texas A&M's Donald Sloan is playing with a heavy heart.

The Bruins are a focused team according to Andy Katz.

Wondering who some of the country's top coaches think are the teams to beat this March?

Michael Hunt on the Badgers' performance yesterday.

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

Last night I went 2-3, and my overall record rests at 39-18. Here are tonight's picks, which include 5 great semifinal matchups:

St. Joseph's @ Xavier - Xavier
West Virginia @ Georgetown - Georgetown
USC @ UCLA - UCLA
Pittsburgh @ Marquette - Pittsburgh
Washington St. @ Stanford - Stanford

Badgers Beat Wolverines

UW defeated Michigan today, 51-34, to advance to the Big Ten Tourney semis. They will take on either Michigan St. or Ohio St. tomorrow at 12:40 pm, and that game can be seen on CBS.

Quick Links

It's bubble mania!

A lot of people are discussing who's in and who's out at this point. Over at SI.com, Stewart Mandel is keeping a watch on the bubbles of several teams. Luke Winn has started a blog devoted to Tourney coverage. And Arash Markazi doesn't think the Pac-10 is getting the respect it deserves.

Here are two votes for Michael Beasley for player of the year: One from Gary Parrish, and one from Dennis Dodd.

Andy Katz discusses Arizona State's latest controversial loss.

ESPN.com delivers some good tourney coverage and looks ahead to today's action.

Xavier's head coach clarifies some statements made by the team's senior guard.

Billy Donovan is not a happy camper.

Finally, a nice story about Michael Flowers and his family.

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

Here are tonight's picks. My record is now 37-15.

Pittsburgh @ Louisville - Louisville
Marquette @ Notre Dame - Notre Dame
Alabama @ Florida - Florida
Oregon @ Washington St. - Washington St.
Arizona @ Stanford - Stanford

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

Another 4-1 night improves my record to 34-13. Here are today's picks:

Providence @ West Virginia - West Virginia
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh
Seton Hall @ Marquette - Marquette
Rhode Island @ Charlotte - Rhode Island
Cal @ Washington - Washington

Quick Links

Here's a preview of the Atlantic-10 Conference Tourney. Bubble teams will be very interested in the outcome of this one.

Kyle McAlarney has been a big part of Notre Dame's success this year.

The Badger Herald previews UW's chances in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Journal Sentinel gives a good review to the upcoming documentary, "Black Magic."

Finally, two early projections of the tournament field, courtesy of Joe Lunardi and Gary Parrish.

Best Qualities of March Madness

#13 - Buzzer Beaters

I use the term "buzzer beater" perhaps a little more liberally than other people. For most people a true buzzer beater is a game-winning shot that leaves no time on the clock. I would say that any game-winning basket made with less than 3 seconds could be classified as a buzzer beater.

My favorite example from this year would be Michael Flowers' three-pointer at the end of the Texas game. Not only did Flowers make the shot, but he also made the heads-up steal of the inbounds pass and tossed the ball in the air to drain the clock to 00:00.

As for March buzzer beaters, two come to mind: Alando Tucker's three-pointer to beat Iowa in the Big Ten Tourney back in 2005, and Freddie Owens hitting a three-pointer to beat Tulsa and send UW to the Sweet Sixteen in 2003.

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

After going 4-1 again, I'm now at 28-12. Here are tonight's expert picks:

IUPUI @ Oral Roberts - Oral Roberts
Weber St. @ Northern Arizona - Weber St.
Cleveland St. @ Butler - Butler
Middle Tenn. St. @ W. Kentucky - W. Kentucky
Idaho St. @ Portland St. - Portland St.

Quick Badger Links

The Big Ten announced yesterday the conference's top players, and several Badgers made the many lists.

The Journal Sentinel picked Bo Ryan as the state's top coach.

And Michael Flowers as the state's top player.

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

Last night I went 4-1 to improve to 24-11 overall.

Here are tonight's picks:

Rider @ Siena - Siena
William & Mary @ George Mason - George Mason
San Diego @ Gonzaga - Gonzaga
Elon @ Davidson - Davidson
Oakland @ IUPUI - IUPUI

Badger Bits

The Big Ten Champs will play this Friday at 11 am against the winner of Thursday's Iowa/Michigan game. UW's game will be televised on ESPN. Should the Badgers win, they would play Saturday at 12:40 pm (on CBS). The Big Ten Conference Championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 pm (also on CBS). The Big Ten Tourney bracket is here.

Mark Stewart looks ahead to UW's next game.

Be sure to vote for Michael Flowers' game-winner against Texas in the Pontiac Game-Changing Performance Contest.

The latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll has UW at #6 in the country.

Best Qualities of March Madness

#14 - The Revenge Factor

There are lots of teams that will likely use the motivation of revenge in the coming weeks. Wisconsin probably would like another shot at Purdue, Kansas would like to take down Texas, and you know there's plenty of Duke fans that would love to see UNC in the ACC championship game.

Here's a look at "Championship Week."

March 10 (tonight)

Southern Conference Championship Game
Colonial Conference Championship Game
West Coast Conference Championship Game
MAAC Conference Championship Game

March 11

MEAC Conference Tourney Begins
Sun Belt Conference Championship Game
Summit Conference Championship Game
Horizon League Championship Game
WAC Conference Tourney Begins

March 12

Atlantic 10 Conference Tourney Begins
Mountain West Conference Tourney Begins
NEC Conference Championship Game
Big East Conference Tourney Begins
Pac-10 Conference Tourney Begins
Big Sky Conference Championship Game
Big West Conference Tourney Begins
Conference USA Tourney Begins
SWAC Conference Tourney Begins
MAC Conference Tourney Begins

March 13

ACC Tourney Begins
Big 12 Conference Tourney Begins
SEC Tourney Begins
Big Ten Conference Tourney Begins
Southland Conference Tourney Begins

March 14

Patriot Conference Championship Game

March 15

America East Conference Championship Game

tS' Weekly Top Five

#5 - Wisconsin: Call me a homer if you want, but the Badgers just wrapped up the Big Ten conference title all by themselves, by posting a 16-2 league record. UW has lost to only three teams this year - Duke, Marquette, and Purdue. Since their loss to Marquette on December 8th, they are 22-2.

#4 - Memphis: The Tigers went 16-0 in conference play, and are poised to grab a #1 seed in the tournament. Here's a list of teams they beat this season - Richmond, Oklahoma, UConn, USC, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Arizona, and Gonzaga.

#3 - UCLA: I'm not sure if this team is as good as it is lucky. They managed to survive (with a little help from the referees) two close games against Stanford and Cal this past week. I'm anxious to see how they perform in the Pac-10 Tourney later this week.

#2 - Kansas: It was a good week for the Jayhawks, as they picked up two easy conference wins. In the nation, there are only 4 schools that average more points per game than Kansas, and only two with a better field goal shooting percentage. Two matchups every college hoops fan should pray for are a Kansas-Texas rematch in the Big 12 tourney, and a NCAA Tournament matchup between the Jayhawks and the Tar Heels.

#1 - North Carolina: Saturday night's win over Duke made me a believer. I think UNC right now has the best team in the nation - the strongest, the fastest, and the most talented. For most of the second half against Duke, Roy Williams looked like he was out-coached by Coach K. But in the final three minutes, it was the pure athleticism and talent of the Tar Heels that sealed the victory.

Best Qualities of March Madness

#15 - Hoosiers

The greatest basketball film ever (and one of the best sports films of all time) has become a fixture on cable television over the years. If you've never seen it before, you can catch it on ESPN Classic tonight at 7 pm.

Few people probably know that there was a sequel made (and that's probably for the best).

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

Daylight Savings Edition.

Last night I went 2-3, and now my overall record is at 20-10. Here are today's picks:

Illinois St. @ Drake - Drake
Purdue @ Michigan - Michigan
Oklahoma St. @ Texas - Texas
Cincinnati @ UConn - UConn
Santa Clara @ Gonzaga - Gonzaga

Best Qualities of March Madness

#16 - Road Trips

Geography is one of the recurring themes of March Madness. Teams from all over the nation compete, with rosters containing players from all around the globe. The tournament itself does not take place in one location, which gives college hoops fans the opportunity to follow their own team, or watch teams live that they've never seen before.

Photos by Krista Rizzo

Last March I took a road trip to St. Louis with three friends. We saw the Midwest Regional semifinal and final games there -- Florida-Butler, Oregon-UNLV, and Florida-Oregon. We had bought the tickets back in January, hoping to see the Badgers play there; and even though the Badgers didn't make it, the experience was still a fun one.

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

Some very important games are on tap for today and tonight, including Louisville and Georgetown battling for the Big East crown, and of course, UNC at Duke for the ACC title. My record is now 18-7 since I started making these picks. Here are today's:

Louisville @ Georgetown - Louisville
Stanford @ USC - Stanford
California @ UCLA - UCLA
Marquette @ Syracuse - Marquette
UNC @ Duke - UNC

Best Qualities of March Madness

# 17 - Underdogs

Every year there’s at least one team that scores at least one upset victory in the tournament. One of the most recent astonishing runs by an underdog came in 2006, when George Mason knocked off four quality opponents on the way to the Final Four. That year, the Colonials beat Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State, and UConn. George Mason was a #11 seed that year, and only the second #11 seed ever to get to the Final Four (LSU in 1986).

Closer to home (my home at least), I’ll always remember UW-Milwaukee’s run in 2005, when the Panthers, a #12 seed, beat Alabama and Boston College in the first weekend of the tournament. They would go on to lose in the next round to eventual tournament finalist Illinois. The next year, the Panthers got another first round upset victory, this time against Oklahoma. In the second round, they lost to the eventual tournament champions, Florida. UWM might have played better in that second game, if they had a better mascot on the floor that day.

So who’s poised to be this year’s George Mason or UW-Milwaukee? Here are five teams I think could pull off an upset or two this year:

5. VCU

4. Kent State

3. UCSB

2. BYU

1. Davidson

Quick Links

Gary Parrish looks ahead to the hoops action this weekend.

Here is a look at some of the intriguing aspects of the mid-major conference tourneys.

ESPN.com's weekly power rankings have been updated.

Kyle Whelliston reports on a potential Cinderella team.

The Badgers aren't satisfied with just a share of the title.

JSOnline's Jeff Potrykus makes some early predictions.

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

I'm a little late in posting my picks for tonight, so I'll focus mostly on the Pac-1o. Overall record is now at 13-7.

Arizona State @ Oregon - Oregon
Michigan State @ Illinois - Michigan State
Arizona @ Oregon State - Arizona
Cal @ USC - USC
Stanford @ UCLA - UCLA

Quick Links

A few articles worth checking out:

Grant Wahl from SI.com makes the case for Tyler Hansbrough for national player of the year.

Andrew Skwara identifies 3 teams that have the qualities of a champion...and points out what traits other teams are lacking.

Finally, Jeff Goodman from Foxsports.com gives a little love to the Wisconsin Badgers (congrats on another Big Ten Title!)

Best Qualities of March Madness

#18 - Overtime!

This post is partly inspired by tonight's Mississippi St. -Vanderbilt game, which Vandy ended up winning in OT, 86-85. Shan Foster hit a three-pointer with about 3 seconds left in OT to lift the Commodores, and he ended the game with 42 points.

There were 3 other games that went to OT tonight, including Bucknell's 87-86 victory over Navy in triple-OT.

Every NCAA Tournament delivers at least 1 memorable OT game for basketball fans. Here's a look at the last 3 years and some of the better OT games that fans were treated to:

2007

Two historic programs faced off in a regional final last year - Georgetown and North Carolina. The Hoyas prevailed after the extra five minutes of play, 96-84.

2006

Number 11 seed George Mason faced off against number 1 seed UConn in a regional final. GM needed OT to put away UConn, but after the 86-84 win, the Patriots found themselves in a Final Four and the ultimate Cinderella team.

2005

2005 was a particularly good year for OT. Three out of the four regional finals went to OT that year, including Michigan State's double-OT win over Kentucky, 94-88. Louisville beat West Virginia 93-85 in another OT regional final, and Illinois defeated Arizona in a tight 90-89 OT contest.

Games I Would Place One Betting Disc On If I Were a Gambling Man

UW-Milwaukee got upset at home and Purdue lost in overtime last night, which means I went 3-2 with my picks (10-5 overall now). Here are tonight's picks:

Kentucky @ South Carolina - Kentucky
Duke @ Virginia - Duke
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma St. - Oklahoma St.
Tennessee @ Florida - Tennessee
Texas A&M @ Baylor - Baylor

Some Quick Links

Here are a few articles worth exploring:

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Mark Stewart prepares you for Senior Night at the Kohl Center.

Seth Davis from SI.com tries to explain the messy coaching situation out in Arizona.

ESPN's Pat Forde hands out his conference awards (and a few disses too).

Badger Bias

This blog will invariably have a bias toward the Wisconsin Badgers. I’m not going to try to hide it…in fact in the coming weeks I’ll probably be flaunting it.

Badger fans across the nation should be grinning right now, as Ohio State just defeated Purdue in overtime, 80-77. That means that the Boilermakers are now 14-3 in the conference, and that the Badgers (14-2 in the Big Ten) now have an opportunity to win the conference title outright.

UW’s next two games are Penn State at home (tomorrow night, 8 pm), and at Northwestern on Saturday at 2 pm. Neither team should pose a serious threat. Penn State is 6-10 in the Big Ten, and Northwestern had 1 conference win going into tonight’s game against Iowa.

The Badgers have already faced both teams once this season. Back on Jan. 15, UW downed Penn State 80-55, and on Jan. 19 the Badgers beat the Wildcats 62-50.

UW’s last Big Ten title came in the 2002-03 season, when they finished 12-4 in the conference. Fans may remember the final regular season game that year went down to the wire, and Devin Harris hit a free throw to give the Badgers a 60-59 win over Illinois.

Go Big Red!

Games, Tips, and Free Money! Hooray!

There's a website called wagerline.com, and if you register there are free games where you make picks (on NCAA games and other sporting events). Best of all, if you're any good at it, you can actually win money.

One of the games I've been playing is called Survivor, where every night you make a single pick. You have to try to get on a winning streak, and if you get up to 17 consecutive correct picks, you'll win $1000. It's pretty hard, and so far my best streak has been 4.

The website also feature tips on picking games, and shows you statistics of how many people are picking certain teams.