March Madness

OK, so I'm pretty fired up about this whole March Madness thing. My Jackets did pretty well this weekend. If they can play with the intensity they showed on Sunday against Duke, and perhaps make a few shots, they could probably hang with just about anybody right now. Of course, the problem is that since they had a mediocre January followed by an iffy February, they have received the dreaded #5 seed. They will have to play a scrappy George Washington team, followed (perhaps) by games against contenders like Louisville, Washington, and Wake Forest. It should be good fun either way. I haven't posted much about my Jackets this year, but it's pretty hilarious how they've gone from preseason contender to the "team that people would be scared to face" come tournament time. Well, I'm just glad they made it. And we'll see what transpires from here.
Here are a few other teams I'd be scared to play:

1. Oklahoma. Everybody's been talking about Kansas and Oklahoma St., but Oklahoma put together a decent string of wins at the end of the season.


2. Louisville. They come from a highly underrated conference that doesn't get nearly the attention they deserve. And they got a #4 seed? Come on, these guys are the deal...


3. Arizona. Yes, they kind of got rocked by Washington, but they were the Pac-10 regular season champions, and had some big wins this year.


4. UConn. No, they're not the same team they were last year, but they've got that one intangible element that could get them to the Final 4: they've been there before.


5. Oklahoma St. They survived the tough Big 12 tournament. They, too, have been there before.


6. Pittsburgh. I know they kind of stumbled into the tournament, but they had some big road wins in January. If they can play like that, they could go far.


7. Syracuse. They have something to prove after getting a lower seed than expected.


8. Florida. Did you see the whooping they gave Kentucky yesterday?


9. Any team from North Carolina. Let's face it. Going into last weekend, they comprised three of the top 5. It is quite possible that two of these teams make the Final Four.


10. One word: Illinois.

Comments

[Suzanne]

Jerry, it's nice to know you're not one to hold a grudge - and that you have such a talent for prognostication. You must be doing well with YOUR brackets!

Anyway - I must say I was wrong about being lonely in picking Louisville. A lot of Kentucky fans resent Pitino's "desertion," but they apparently still respect his ability, judging by the picks in the office pool I run.

Also... what a great win for the Cats tonight, eh? Quite uplifting after the last few games.

Finally - Mark, believe it or not I picked Vermont over Syracuse. And Milwaukee over Alabama. (Bucknell over Kansas...no). Those two picks have landed me at the top of the standings, however this is also the bracket in which I have Louisville going to the Final Four. So while you can console yourself for now that at least your 'Jackets are still in it...tomorrow has got to be the end of the road for them. Sorry! :-)

[MarkLee]

So Vermont beat Syracuse. There goes my bracket...

[Jerry]

Suzanne, I don't have anything against Rick Pitino really. He's actually made me a sports legend here at work because I called it early on that he would come to Louisville....way before there was any talk in the media. Everybody called me crazy. (the only reason I said it was to mess with a "the sky is falling" type UK fan that I work with...LOL) I filled out 4 brackets on ESPN.com last night and one of them has UofL in the final four. With that being said, I won't shed a tear if they flame out early....hehe.

[Suzanne]

Jerry, no doubt you like Ga. Tech, but I get the sense that no matter how good Louisville is in any given year, you'll never be able to bring yourself to write their name down on more than a line or two in your brackets. Am I right?

I'm the atypical Kentucky fan who still likes Rick Pitino and doesn't mind at all if Louisville does well (as long as they're not playing us of course!). I'm actually hoping this little streak of nonconformity might be profitable for me this year as my brackets go up against those of the "PITINO IS A TRAITOR!!!!" fanatics. :-)

Let the madness begin!

[Sarah]

Whenever March Madness rolls around I always think of the one Come Together and Worship tour stop I went to, in Winston-Salem. During the show Mac lifted up his sweatshirt to reveal a Wake Forest tee shirt underneath. He had to wear it because y'all were doing brackets that year and he had picked whatever team was playing Wake Forest (I think it was Gonzaga, maybe) to win, because he saw something on ESPN about how they were a dark horse and underrated. You made fun of him, and y'all made a bet about it. Of course, Wake Forest won, so months later, when you were in Winston-Salem, he pulled it out.

Anyway, just a random memory that March Madness makes me think of.

[Jerry]

You are even more dead to me now by mentioning North Carolina fans and Kentucky fans in the same sentence.

all in good fun...hehe

I actually have GT beating Louisville and going on to the elite eight this year.

[MarkLee]

You see why I don't ever post about sports? Every time I do, I get Kentucky and North Carolina fans all worked up. Hmmm, maybe I should post more...
With the exception of Pittsburgh, this list was meant to highlight some teams which have some momentum going into the tournament. I hope your Wildcats fare well.
At least I don't have a bunch of Georgia fans on here talking about the glory days of 1980. (Did I just think that or type that?)

[Jerry]

I was gonna pull for GT until I read #2 and #8. You are dead to me.

GO CATS!!

;-)

[Kara]

I'm not much of a big dance fan myself. But... GO DAWGS AND ZAGS! :D (UW and Gonzaga. Seattle becomes a party town for these two teams.)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002206904_umen14.html

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v444/msscarlet_gomer/2002201964.jpg

[Randall Elrod]

You basketball stud! Wow! I plan to fill my bracket out tomorrow and I have the DirecTV March madness ticket. Let the games begin....

[Suzanne]

Mark, I know it's for analysis' sake, but I'm counting at least 12 teams you're "scared to play" - that's not exactly a ringing endorsement for your team!

;-) Okay, I realize you were talking generalities. And seriously, I'm wishing Ga. Tech well. Seeing any team play Duke to that kind of finish puts some sunshine in my day.

As for the "whooping" my 'Cats got from Florida...yep, I saw it. Florida did look great. In fact, that loss was enough to scare ME a little bit: now the Gators only need 24 more conference championships to catch up to us!

[Wendy]

I was waiting to see if you would talk about basketball...did you see the thread on boards about UNC and Georgia Tech? (http://www.thirdday.com/boards/showthread.php?t=72737)
I thought it was funny....and I admit I was a Georgia Tech fan on Sunday against Duke! :)

This should be very interesting to watch. I wish your team luck (until they play us again!)