It's the most wonderful time of the year, baby!

[scaeagles]

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament selection Sunday is tomorrow, and there has already been some simply incredible basketball being played in conference tournaments. Major upsets taking place in the Big East and Pac 10, and while I won't go into details of many, I am wondering if anyone else watched the epic and historic Syracuse victory over UConn in 6 (!) OTs on Thursday.

In the history of NCAA basketball, there has only ever been one game that went to 7 OTs, and that was played in 1981, and the only other two 6 OT games were played in 1953 and 1955. Amazingly, Syracuse had to play another overtime game the next night (and they won).

If the stuff going on in the conference tournaments is any indication of the NCAA tourney, it will be fantastic. I think there are between 10-12 teams with a legit shot of winning it all, the most I can ever recall.

UConn, Pitt, Louisville, Memphis, UNC, Duke, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Wake Forest, and Kansas I think all have a legit shot of taking it.

[Moonliner]

Can I kindly request that you post your brackets when you finish them?

I would like to do better in the office pool this year.

Thanks.

[scaeagles]

I would do that, but I'm out of town Sunday through Thursday with no access to a computer. I'll be home in time to watch the evening games, but I'm not going to be able to help you out.

Of course, please understand I haven't won the pool I run in about a decade.

[Moonliner]

I would do that, but I'm out of town Sunday through Thursday with no access to a computer. I'll be home in time to watch the evening games, but I'm not going to be able to help you out.

Of course, please understand I haven't won the pool I run in about a decade.

Damn. Ok I guess it's back to my old standard method. Average the digits in the schools lat+long and take one with the higher number.

At least it's fun seeing the other players try and figure out my "system" (berfore the first round of games where I go down in flames)

[cirquelover]

The husband has been watching but I've paid no attention. I'm sure I'll hear about it tomorrow and it sounds like the rest of the week, lucky me! Not a big sports fan myself but I go to games, sometimes, because he enjoys them.

[lashbear]

Basketwhat now?

[scaeagles]

The rest of the week? Umm, try the next 3 weeks! Not to ruin your day or anything, but you have a play in game Wednesday, 16 games Thursday, 16 games Friday, 8 games Sat, 8 games Sun, 4 games following Thurs, 4 games following Fri, 2 games following Sat, 2 games following Sun, then the final 4 the weekend after that.

Woo-freakin'-hoo, baby!

[scaeagles]

Damn. Ok I guess it's back to my old standard method. Average the digits in the schools lat+long and take one with the higher number.

At least it's fun seeing the other players try and figure out my "system" (berfore the first round of games where I go down in flames)

In 1996 when Arizona won, my sister won the pool I run because she picked it alphabetically. Never know what's gonna work.

[Alex]

Scanning channels this morning I saw a camera shot of a the selection committee meeting room with four people in it staring at laptops and a big giant countdown clock (added by the network, not in the room) showing it was 29 hours, 43 minutes, and 27 seconds (or something like that) until the selections would be announced.

Comforted that American sport had finally produced something even more stupid for TV than the coverage of the NFL draft or even the combine (or putting little league baseball on national TV) I quickly moved on and let that be my sole interaction with college basketball this year.

But I pick Portland State University to win it all.

[wendybeth]

I'm banned *from saying anything about a local team from a Jesuit University that usually makes the playoffs, but so long as I don't refer to them or watch any of their games they stand a chance of doing well. Needless to say, I will (or won't) be rooting for whoever they may be.




* The general consensus is that anytime I show an interest in a team, they lose.

[scaeagles]

Comforted that American sport had finally produced something even more stupid for TV than the coverage of the NFL draft or even the combine (or putting little league baseball on national TV) I quickly moved on and let that be my sole interaction with college basketball this year.


Sacrilege!

[lashbear]

Basketty-thingy? I assume it's some kind of game?

[3894]

My kid Cleo and her school were honored today at the Milwaukee Bucks game halftime. She nominated her high school for an excellence award, which it won.

[Alex]

Sacrilege!

To be clear, that which I am uber-lame is not the game itself it is the live-camera coverage of a room half full of people staring at lap top screens.

College basketball itself is merely in the third lowest quintile of sports. Not a great position but better than collegiate gymnastics and automobile racing.