The NCAA first-round returns are in, and this was -- without standard Shanoffian hyperbole or instant hysteria:
Worst. First Round. Ever.
No upsets. I steadfastly refuse to count 9-over-8 as an "upset," so we're left with two in the entire Tournament first round:
VCU over Duke, which will only grow in legend given its upset novelty.
Winthrop over Notre Dame, which nearly half of America saw coming, hardly qualifying it as a classic "upset."
No fantastic finishes. How pathetic (and/or symbolic) is it that VCU-Duke has to pull double-duty as both "best/only upset" and "best/only fantastic finish?" (Maybe VA Tech over Illinois on a 12-0 game-ending run, but that was less fantastic than ugly.)
This year's theme so far? Lame, predictable results.
And that is the worst possible thing to happen to the Tournament.
I guess it's testimony to the Tournament's history and legacy of upsets and wild finishes that a Tournament without them seems so... worthless.
I'm sure that as rounds go by and results (hopefully) offer upsets and great finishes, we'll forget about this first round. First rounds are rarely remembered anyway -- except for their upsets and wild finishes.
Which is precisely why this first round -- for all of our lamentations Friday night and Saturday morning -- is so forgettable.
How's your bracket look?
Tournament Challenge: I'm in the 72nd percentile of the Daily Quickie Readers group. But I lost one Sweet 16 team (Creighton) and one Elite Eight team (Georgia Tech). This was NOT the year to take a flier on a few underdogs going long.
National Bracket: The collective wisdom of all fans' picks is outperforming 72 percent of all individual brackets. But here's something interesting: The two outright upsets that were predicted on the National Bracket -- Gonzaga and Georgia Tech -- didn't happen. Seems like the "collective wisdom" couldn't foresee that the first round would suck so badly.
See yesterday's Quickie post below for my picks and previews for today's games. Let's just say this: We BETTER get some upsets and/or fanstastic finishes.
Please.
-- D.S.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
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18 comments:
Creighton lost, my boring strategy of picking all the favourites is working (cept for Winthrop).
30-2 on my Jays64 team so far.
i'm somehow tied for fifth place in the quickie group, and really pissed that VA Tech's 12-0 run cost me a 16-0 day yesterday. Seeing as how that happened in Columbus, where I live, makes it all the more ironic. Let me just say if I run into any Illionis people they gonna get some words.
my 3 brackets: 15% tile, 15% tile, 40% tile.
missing 1 S16 team in 2, 2 in the third.
I'm rolling.
Usually picking 30% upsets turns out to be a good thing. this year...not so much.
the kid who is leading my school bracket is the kid who went chalk, but we all promised not o pay him if he wins because it is not cool to do that.
and my bracket i lost 1 s16 and no e8 or f4s
Somehow I messed up and my Heroin Sheik entry never made it into this group which is good because im like in last place. The one in the quickie readers group is much better. I have all but one sweet 16 team still in and all my elite eights. Why did I think LBS would make it to the sweet 16. Man the gators looked strong last night. Hell other than Arkansas all the SEC teams looked pretty good. I think the gators were playing opossum all year long and are now showing how good they are. I love Jackson States' trash talking about the gators especially after watching them get destroyed in all aspects of the game.
B10 looked good as well. Even Wisconsin, that was a good comeback from an 18pt hole.
If the Illini had held on vs VT, lotta people would be eating crow. *cough*simmons*cough*
If I could,I'd pay millions just to have Gus Johnson calling my basketball games.
Go BC.
For Gus's sake, I hope the second round is more exciting. Maybe Xavier can give OSU a game...
Ohio State up 29-25 at the Half.
Well, I'm in the 84th percentile so far. Only lost 1 sweet 16 team (G-Tech, why do I listen to Dan?).
Maybe overlooked in the first round is this: The committee did a really good job seeding teams. Like Jason said, mid-majors are getting higher seeds finally so those "upsets" no longer are.
All in all, yeah, it looks like round 2 and on will be super.
By the way, its halftime of OSU/X and I'm smelling upset....
In March of 2007, it was announced that James Brown would take over Gus Johnson's duties for the regional semifinals and finals in the 2007 NCAA tournament. Johnson still serves as a play-by-play announcer for first and second-round action.
Hm. So when Ohio State loses, will Oden come back to try again for a title?
Or will he be so disgusted at how refs screw him on calls (mostly lack of) that he'll go pro? If you're going to get fucked by refs every night, at least earn a few million bucks while doing it.
Xavier up 59-58, should be a great finish!
OT baby!! Tourney boring now anyone? GO Ohio State! No Oden though so could be tough!
wow! What a shot to tie it. I was rooting for the upset, but at least my bracket is a little safer since I have OSU in the final.
78-71 Ohio State wins!
My brackets are still alive!!
In 2000, only two teams seeded below eight won in the first round (#10 Gonzaga and #11 Pepperdine) and in the end, it was a wild Final Four with a #1 seed, a #5 seed and two #8 seeds (though the #1 seed, Michigan State won).
You all may still have a bracket left but I'm in last place in the daily quickie pool. I'm not even close. Aaaaaaahhhhhh
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