For the record, my 4-year-old son Jonah -- who picked a complete bracket entirely on his own this year (proud dad) -- had Syracuse winning the East region. (Meanwhile, 6-year-old Gabe is beating 80 percent of the country, so there's that.)
Syracuse -- which has busted so many brackets in the decade since Carmelo (pound-for-pound, the single most impactful player in college hoops history) led them to a title -- is a great example of a really good team playing exceptionally well at exactly the right time.
Wichita State is a wonderful story -- in a region that was supposedly "busted," the Shockers beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeded teams in the region. For all their close calls the past two weeks, Ohio State was particularly tough. That's earning your way in. There is nothing fluke-ish about Wichita.
Teams seeded in the bottom half of each region almost never make the Final Four -- only three teems seeded higher than Wichita State's 9th have made it (LSU '86, Mason '06 and VCU '11, all 11-seeds). That makes Wichita State's accomplishment all the more special. They are a worthy addition to the exclusive club of Absurdly High Seed Final Four Teams.
Florida is going to beat Michigan, because as good as Michigan's offense is, Florida's defense is better than anything Michigan has seen this season, which includes two losses to Wisconsin and a tough split with Ohio State, both defenses ranked in KenPom's Top 10. For what it's worth, Florida is No. 2, but spent some time at No. 1.
While Michigan's offense falters, Florida's offense -- also ranked in the Top 5 nationally, just like Michigan -- will find Michigan's 45th-ranked defense to be not quite as challenging as, say, Florida Gulf Coast.
It's not that Michigan isn't a really good team -- it's that this match-up particularly favors Florida, including an ideal match-up with Trey Burke (Scottie Wilbekin, one of the Top 3 defensive guards in the country) and Mitch McGary (Patric Young provides the muscle and Erik Murphy's shooting will draw McGary away from the basket).
Louisville will beat Duke, and it won't be close. Duke barely beat Louisville in the non-conference schedule, and that was with UL not having Dieng in the post. Seth Curry -- arguably the best shooter in college basketball -- isn't at his best on a two-day turnaround. And Louisville is playing like a team obsessed with not just making the Final Four, but winning it all.
More:
*Steve Alford to UCLA: Meh. And kind of a jerk. I don't begrudge him leaving for a better job; I begrudge him signing a 10-year extension 10 days ago.
Quick self-indulgent story: A million years ago, I accepted a job offer from SI.com to be an editor. The night before I was supposed to start, ESPN came to me with an awesome role at ESPN Magazine. It was something I probably would have enjoyed even more (in fact, a few years later, my SI.com boss ultimately left to take the ESPN job I was offered.) But I had committed to SI and there was no question I was going to honor that commitment. It's not quite the same -- again, let's put the emphasis here on self-indulgent story -- but the point is that Alford is an asshole, if a very rich one having the last laugh as he takes over a plum (if not Top 5) college hoops coaching role.
*Kevin Kolb to Buffalo: Not quite the missing piece.
*The MLB season starts tonight: World Series title or bust for my Nationals.
-- D.S.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
3/30 (Florida) Quickie
First of all, after Florida's win last night (paired with Duke's win, which I begrudgingly picked), my bracket is in the 96th percentile nationally.
Anyone who has been reading this blog for the last six years knows that, historically, my bracket is anywhere between mediocre and horrible. This is my best performance ever. It basically comes down to this: If Florida wins it all, I'm in great shape. If they lose Sunday to Michigan -- or in the Final Four or title game -- I'm going to plummet.
But I feel pretty good about my pick, and last night's game displayed why: Florida has the best defense in college hoops this year -- start with that, and you will always stay in games. They also have a Top 5 offense, nationally; what that means is that even if they have their worst offensive game of the season (as they did last night, because of nerves or FGCU's defense or whatever), it is enough to pair with the elite defense to scratch out a win.
In fact, I was more nervous about a black swan like Florida Gulf Coast than I am about Michigan or the Syracuse-Marquette winner or even Louisville.
In the end, the game was sort of close -- not close close, but nothing I was comfortable with under there was less than a minute remaining in the game. And the first five minutes had me freaking out. But the last 10 minutes of the half -- when Florida stifled FGCU's offense almost entirely (FGCU hurt themselves with turnovers, too) -- I felt like a non-existent offense might not kill them.
And so it's on to the Elite Eight -- for the third straight year -- and Michigan, a team that pulled off one of the greatest comebacks I have seen in the Tournament in years. Michigan's offense is as better than any in the tournament (again, Florida's is Top 5, so hardly a slouch), but Michigan's defense is mediocre; Florida should have a much better time against it than they did against FGCU.
In short: Florida has been through its tournament crucible; Michigan has never seen or played a defense as good as Florida's. The closest proximation -- Michigan State -- yielded a 1-point win in Ann Arbor and a 17-point loss in East Lansing, with Michigan averaging only 54.5 ppg in both, well below its season average. Against Wisconsin's Top 5 defense? Two losses for Michigan, and a 60.5 ppg average.
Against common opponents, don't be fooled by Michigan's 2-0 record against Kansas State and Arkansas, who combined to go 2-1 vs. Florida -- Michigan played K-State in Ann Arbor; Florida played the in Manhattan, Kansas. And Michigan also played Arkansas in Michigan (Arkansas was awful on the road and a completely different team in Fayetteville, where they beat Florida).
The point is that Florida is precisely the kind of team gives Michigan problems. It is unclear that Michigan is the kind of team that gives Florida problems.
Regardless, the stakes for Florida are much higher: In their third straight trip to the Elite Eight, it is break through or bust-- Final Four or failure.
As for the rest of the regionals, I'll take absurdly confident Wichita State over Ohio State (on my bracket, I had Gonzaga over Ohio State) and Syracuse over Marquette (I had Indiana over Marquette) today, then Louisville over Duke (which I had on my bracket) and Florida over Michigan (I had Florida over Kansas). Should be a great four games over the next two days. Enjoy it.
-- D.S.
Anyone who has been reading this blog for the last six years knows that, historically, my bracket is anywhere between mediocre and horrible. This is my best performance ever. It basically comes down to this: If Florida wins it all, I'm in great shape. If they lose Sunday to Michigan -- or in the Final Four or title game -- I'm going to plummet.
But I feel pretty good about my pick, and last night's game displayed why: Florida has the best defense in college hoops this year -- start with that, and you will always stay in games. They also have a Top 5 offense, nationally; what that means is that even if they have their worst offensive game of the season (as they did last night, because of nerves or FGCU's defense or whatever), it is enough to pair with the elite defense to scratch out a win.
In fact, I was more nervous about a black swan like Florida Gulf Coast than I am about Michigan or the Syracuse-Marquette winner or even Louisville.
In the end, the game was sort of close -- not close close, but nothing I was comfortable with under there was less than a minute remaining in the game. And the first five minutes had me freaking out. But the last 10 minutes of the half -- when Florida stifled FGCU's offense almost entirely (FGCU hurt themselves with turnovers, too) -- I felt like a non-existent offense might not kill them.
And so it's on to the Elite Eight -- for the third straight year -- and Michigan, a team that pulled off one of the greatest comebacks I have seen in the Tournament in years. Michigan's offense is as better than any in the tournament (again, Florida's is Top 5, so hardly a slouch), but Michigan's defense is mediocre; Florida should have a much better time against it than they did against FGCU.
In short: Florida has been through its tournament crucible; Michigan has never seen or played a defense as good as Florida's. The closest proximation -- Michigan State -- yielded a 1-point win in Ann Arbor and a 17-point loss in East Lansing, with Michigan averaging only 54.5 ppg in both, well below its season average. Against Wisconsin's Top 5 defense? Two losses for Michigan, and a 60.5 ppg average.
Against common opponents, don't be fooled by Michigan's 2-0 record against Kansas State and Arkansas, who combined to go 2-1 vs. Florida -- Michigan played K-State in Ann Arbor; Florida played the in Manhattan, Kansas. And Michigan also played Arkansas in Michigan (Arkansas was awful on the road and a completely different team in Fayetteville, where they beat Florida).
The point is that Florida is precisely the kind of team gives Michigan problems. It is unclear that Michigan is the kind of team that gives Florida problems.
Regardless, the stakes for Florida are much higher: In their third straight trip to the Elite Eight, it is break through or bust-- Final Four or failure.
As for the rest of the regionals, I'll take absurdly confident Wichita State over Ohio State (on my bracket, I had Gonzaga over Ohio State) and Syracuse over Marquette (I had Indiana over Marquette) today, then Louisville over Duke (which I had on my bracket) and Florida over Michigan (I had Florida over Kansas). Should be a great four games over the next two days. Enjoy it.
-- D.S.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
03/28 (Sweet 16) Quickie
It's a good set of games tonight, but in today's USA TODAY Sports column, I'm focused on expectations.
For Indiana, if they lose tonight, the season is a failure. It's harsh, but true. It doesn't take away from Tom Crean's rebuilding job, but they are past the point of "happy to be good again!" and squarely in the "this team can/should win a title" zone. The same goes for Louisville -- maybe even more, which makes a Louisville-Indiana title game so interesting. One team will crap out, guaranteed.
As you roll down the field, expectations change: Because college hoops has this quirky thing where being a national semifinalist is nearly as meaningful as winning it all, simply making the Final Four is the expectation for the other 1-seed Kansas, the 2-seeds Ohio State and Duke, the 3-seeds Michigan State and Florida and the 4-seed Michigan.
Florida is a unique case: Because they made the Elite Eight the past two years, it's "Final Four or fail" for them, even if their seed doesn't quite justify that expectation. For Michigan State, it's the remarkable Izzo streak of every four-year player getting to at least one Final Four. For Michigan, it is simply that they are unlikely to have a team this talented in the near future. Again, that makes a Florida-Michigan regional final absolutely amazing, as it does for Michigan State-Duke.
Miami is an odd case: By seed, it should be "Final Four or bust." But because the program is so nouveau riche -- literally, this season -- you get the sense that getting to the Elite Eight will still be considered pretty good, albeit disappointing for those who thought this team was good enough to get to the Final Four.
As for the rest, it's pretty much all gravy. Oh, Arizona fans can/should be ticked if they don't get to the Elite Eight, but there isn't a huge shame in losing to a strong 2-seed.
Wichita State-LaSalle is fascinating: One of those teams is going to the Elite Eight -- bringing with it a puncher's chance at making the Final Four and earning college hoops immortality that would come with it. Both teams have to be saying to themselves: Why not us? In that case, losing tonight will be hugely disappointing to the loser, even if making the Sweet 16 at all should be cause for celebration.
Give the column a read -- this tension between "win or failure" and "just happy to be here" is a long-standing fascination of mine. Tons more in the column, too. Enjoy the games tonight.
-- D.S.
For Indiana, if they lose tonight, the season is a failure. It's harsh, but true. It doesn't take away from Tom Crean's rebuilding job, but they are past the point of "happy to be good again!" and squarely in the "this team can/should win a title" zone. The same goes for Louisville -- maybe even more, which makes a Louisville-Indiana title game so interesting. One team will crap out, guaranteed.
As you roll down the field, expectations change: Because college hoops has this quirky thing where being a national semifinalist is nearly as meaningful as winning it all, simply making the Final Four is the expectation for the other 1-seed Kansas, the 2-seeds Ohio State and Duke, the 3-seeds Michigan State and Florida and the 4-seed Michigan.
Florida is a unique case: Because they made the Elite Eight the past two years, it's "Final Four or fail" for them, even if their seed doesn't quite justify that expectation. For Michigan State, it's the remarkable Izzo streak of every four-year player getting to at least one Final Four. For Michigan, it is simply that they are unlikely to have a team this talented in the near future. Again, that makes a Florida-Michigan regional final absolutely amazing, as it does for Michigan State-Duke.
Miami is an odd case: By seed, it should be "Final Four or bust." But because the program is so nouveau riche -- literally, this season -- you get the sense that getting to the Elite Eight will still be considered pretty good, albeit disappointing for those who thought this team was good enough to get to the Final Four.
As for the rest, it's pretty much all gravy. Oh, Arizona fans can/should be ticked if they don't get to the Elite Eight, but there isn't a huge shame in losing to a strong 2-seed.
Wichita State-LaSalle is fascinating: One of those teams is going to the Elite Eight -- bringing with it a puncher's chance at making the Final Four and earning college hoops immortality that would come with it. Both teams have to be saying to themselves: Why not us? In that case, losing tonight will be hugely disappointing to the loser, even if making the Sweet 16 at all should be cause for celebration.
Give the column a read -- this tension between "win or failure" and "just happy to be here" is a long-standing fascination of mine. Tons more in the column, too. Enjoy the games tonight.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
3/27 (US Soccer) Quickie
It's funny -- I just got an email ripping me for this morning's USA TODAY Sports column that led with a celebration of the US's huge tie with Mexico last night.
Make no mistake: I am only a casual soccer fan. But the point of the take was that in a month dominated by "survive and advance" and "win or go home," it was refreshing to be reminded that we can enjoy thrilling sports and have the result be... a tie.
In this case, the old adage "a tie is as good as a win" (is that an old adage? maybe I'm thinking of "a walk is as good as a hit") really makes sense -- particularly in that stadium for this US team.
There is a ton of other great stuff in the column today: Brittney Griner! Dirk! Florida Gulf Coast! (Obviously!) And an amazing moment starring Mr. T!
Please give it a look. We're into week 2 on this experiment, and I'd like to know what you think.
Tons of Sweet 16 goodness coming tomorrow.
-- D.S.
Make no mistake: I am only a casual soccer fan. But the point of the take was that in a month dominated by "survive and advance" and "win or go home," it was refreshing to be reminded that we can enjoy thrilling sports and have the result be... a tie.
In this case, the old adage "a tie is as good as a win" (is that an old adage? maybe I'm thinking of "a walk is as good as a hit") really makes sense -- particularly in that stadium for this US team.
There is a ton of other great stuff in the column today: Brittney Griner! Dirk! Florida Gulf Coast! (Obviously!) And an amazing moment starring Mr. T!
Please give it a look. We're into week 2 on this experiment, and I'd like to know what you think.
Tons of Sweet 16 goodness coming tomorrow.
-- D.S.
Monday, March 25, 2013
03/25 (FGCU!) Quickie
Is Florida Gulf Coast the greatest Cinderella in NCAA Tournament history?
It is hard to measure up to NC State '83 or Villanova '85 (both champs) or George Mason 2006 (which made it to the Final Four).
But I would argue that even if they lose to Florida on Friday night, FGCU is in the conversation for Greatest Cinderella Ever, because of their unique confluence of factors.
Start with the unprecedented: They are the first 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16.
They play a highly telegenic style. They have amazing backstories. The program has no history except for this. They don't come from a major (or even mid-major) conference. They are a GIF industry unto themselves.
And there is no reason to believe that it will stop now.
If you asked me heading into the Tournament if there was a team that I thought would beat Florida, I'd say no -- after all, it's why I picked Florida to win it all.
But that didn't account for the "black swan" scenario -- the entirely unforeseen competitor that is a mix of moxie, motivation, method and manpower.
At this point, I am extremely nervous that Florida will lose to FGCU -- even with five days for Billy Donovan to prepare, even with the idea of "regression to the mean," even with Florida's history of smashing Cinderella's slipper (they beat George Mason in the Final Four in '06).
All I know is that what FGCU is doing is unprecedented (way beyond the 15-seed stuff), and that alone qualifies them for NCAA tournament immortality.
Check out the USATODAY.com column here.
-- D.S.
It is hard to measure up to NC State '83 or Villanova '85 (both champs) or George Mason 2006 (which made it to the Final Four).
But I would argue that even if they lose to Florida on Friday night, FGCU is in the conversation for Greatest Cinderella Ever, because of their unique confluence of factors.
Start with the unprecedented: They are the first 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16.
They play a highly telegenic style. They have amazing backstories. The program has no history except for this. They don't come from a major (or even mid-major) conference. They are a GIF industry unto themselves.
And there is no reason to believe that it will stop now.
If you asked me heading into the Tournament if there was a team that I thought would beat Florida, I'd say no -- after all, it's why I picked Florida to win it all.
But that didn't account for the "black swan" scenario -- the entirely unforeseen competitor that is a mix of moxie, motivation, method and manpower.
At this point, I am extremely nervous that Florida will lose to FGCU -- even with five days for Billy Donovan to prepare, even with the idea of "regression to the mean," even with Florida's history of smashing Cinderella's slipper (they beat George Mason in the Final Four in '06).
All I know is that what FGCU is doing is unprecedented (way beyond the 15-seed stuff), and that alone qualifies them for NCAA tournament immortality.
Check out the USATODAY.com column here.
-- D.S.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
3/24 (Wichita State!) Quickie
There is always this moment of hindsight -- when my bracket basically implodes -- when I wonder "What was I thinking?"
Saturday night, that was when Gonzaga -- a team I picked to go to the Final Four -- lost to Wichita State. The Shockers totally earned it, out-playing the top seed in the game's final minutes.
Why did I buy Gonzaga? Why did I ignore their decade of underachievement in the tournament? Why did I buy into this year as different?
In retrospect, my strategy in that region should have been "Anyone BUT Gonzaga."
And so it will be Wichita State playing the winner of Ole Miss and LaSalle for the right to play the winner of Arizona and (presumably) Ohio State to go to the Final Four. Amazing.
It was an awesome night for the NCAA Tournament. A 1-seed losing in the first weekend is big enough, but the Butler-Marquette slugfest -- ousting the Bulldogs -- was an instant classic.
Speaking of shockers (sorry), it was jaw-dropping to see Brad Stevens' team execute so poorly down the stretch. Credit Marquette -- I can't help but think that the buzzer-beating loss to Butler in the preseason gave Marquette that extra edge they needed to push through to the finish.
Meanwhile, I also lost Saint Louis. Oregon is very good. It finally dawned on me that folks griping about Oregon being "under-seeded" had it entirely backwards.
Being under-seeded is a huge advantage. Sure, you start with a 5, but presuming you get past that -- as 12-seeds tend to -- you are playing a 4, rather than a 1- or 2- or 3-seed, which you would if you got seeded "accurately."
And so instead of playing Louisville (and presumptively losing) or playing Duke (and presumptively losing) or playing Michigan State (and presumptively losing), Oregon draws Saint Louis -- a scrappy team of extraordinarily hard workers totally ill-equipped to keep pace with the Ducks' athleticism.
Oregon is in the Sweet 16 BECAUSE they were under-seeded, not DESPITE being under-seeded.
Somehow, my bracket is hovering near the 70th percentile. (I picked Marquette over Butler, but lots of people did, too.) But that ranking will change with every round Gonzaga isn't advancing toward the Final Four I predicted for them -- and shouldn't have.
Among the stronger feelings engendered by the tournament -- "Shoulda." It is frustrating, but helps contribute to what makes it so great.
In the end, I'll trade my mediocre bracket for thrilling nights like this every time.
-- D.S.
Saturday night, that was when Gonzaga -- a team I picked to go to the Final Four -- lost to Wichita State. The Shockers totally earned it, out-playing the top seed in the game's final minutes.
Why did I buy Gonzaga? Why did I ignore their decade of underachievement in the tournament? Why did I buy into this year as different?
In retrospect, my strategy in that region should have been "Anyone BUT Gonzaga."
And so it will be Wichita State playing the winner of Ole Miss and LaSalle for the right to play the winner of Arizona and (presumably) Ohio State to go to the Final Four. Amazing.
It was an awesome night for the NCAA Tournament. A 1-seed losing in the first weekend is big enough, but the Butler-Marquette slugfest -- ousting the Bulldogs -- was an instant classic.
Speaking of shockers (sorry), it was jaw-dropping to see Brad Stevens' team execute so poorly down the stretch. Credit Marquette -- I can't help but think that the buzzer-beating loss to Butler in the preseason gave Marquette that extra edge they needed to push through to the finish.
Meanwhile, I also lost Saint Louis. Oregon is very good. It finally dawned on me that folks griping about Oregon being "under-seeded" had it entirely backwards.
Being under-seeded is a huge advantage. Sure, you start with a 5, but presuming you get past that -- as 12-seeds tend to -- you are playing a 4, rather than a 1- or 2- or 3-seed, which you would if you got seeded "accurately."
And so instead of playing Louisville (and presumptively losing) or playing Duke (and presumptively losing) or playing Michigan State (and presumptively losing), Oregon draws Saint Louis -- a scrappy team of extraordinarily hard workers totally ill-equipped to keep pace with the Ducks' athleticism.
Oregon is in the Sweet 16 BECAUSE they were under-seeded, not DESPITE being under-seeded.
Somehow, my bracket is hovering near the 70th percentile. (I picked Marquette over Butler, but lots of people did, too.) But that ranking will change with every round Gonzaga isn't advancing toward the Final Four I predicted for them -- and shouldn't have.
Among the stronger feelings engendered by the tournament -- "Shoulda." It is frustrating, but helps contribute to what makes it so great.
In the end, I'll trade my mediocre bracket for thrilling nights like this every time.
-- D.S.
Friday, March 22, 2013
3/23 (FGCU!) Quickie
The names are immortal in college hoops history:
Richmond. Santa Clara. Coppin State.
Hampton. Norfolk State. Lehich.
The six 15-seeds that have knocked off a 2-seed, the most exciting and meaningful result possible in the NCAA Tournament (until a 16 eventually beats a 1).
Add to the pantheon: Florida Gulf Coast.
It wasn't close. It wasn't a grinder. It wasn't a nail-biter.
This was FGCU punching Georgetown in the mouth, then continuing to smack them around for the rest of the game (despite the Hoyas' final futile flurry). FGCU earned it all the way, the better team.
(That alley-oop near the end? Ridiculous.)
The Round of 32 is sizing up with a couple of teams that you have to be rooting for, because they deserve the spotlight that comes with being in the Sweet 16:
Ole Miss. VCU. Florida Gulf Coast.
When they play San Diego State on Sunday, FGCU should come in as confident of being a Sweet 16 team as anyone in the field.
More than that, they join arguably the most elite fraternity in college hoops -- the 15-seeds who beat 2-seeds. The name "Florida Gulf Coast" will live in college hoops history and with fans energized by what happened on Friday night.
More:
*My bracket: I'm in the 58th percentile nationally. I went 21-11 in my Round of 64 picks, but lost only two Sweet 16 teams (Wisconsin and Georgetown). Along with the "National Bracket," I am tied for 62nd in the DQR group. Mrs. Quickie is tied for 19th. My two boys -- who picked their own brackets this year -- are tied for 93rd.
*Today's games:
VCU-Michigan is the first (and best) game of the day.
Butler-Marquette is the second-most intriguing.
Give Wichita State a puncher's chance against 1-seed Gonzaga.
12-seeds Oregon and Cal don't feel like Cinderellas if they win.
The only real Cinderella today is Harvard.
-- D.S.
Richmond. Santa Clara. Coppin State.
Hampton. Norfolk State. Lehich.
The six 15-seeds that have knocked off a 2-seed, the most exciting and meaningful result possible in the NCAA Tournament (until a 16 eventually beats a 1).
Add to the pantheon: Florida Gulf Coast.
It wasn't close. It wasn't a grinder. It wasn't a nail-biter.
This was FGCU punching Georgetown in the mouth, then continuing to smack them around for the rest of the game (despite the Hoyas' final futile flurry). FGCU earned it all the way, the better team.
(That alley-oop near the end? Ridiculous.)
The Round of 32 is sizing up with a couple of teams that you have to be rooting for, because they deserve the spotlight that comes with being in the Sweet 16:
Ole Miss. VCU. Florida Gulf Coast.
When they play San Diego State on Sunday, FGCU should come in as confident of being a Sweet 16 team as anyone in the field.
More than that, they join arguably the most elite fraternity in college hoops -- the 15-seeds who beat 2-seeds. The name "Florida Gulf Coast" will live in college hoops history and with fans energized by what happened on Friday night.
More:
*My bracket: I'm in the 58th percentile nationally. I went 21-11 in my Round of 64 picks, but lost only two Sweet 16 teams (Wisconsin and Georgetown). Along with the "National Bracket," I am tied for 62nd in the DQR group. Mrs. Quickie is tied for 19th. My two boys -- who picked their own brackets this year -- are tied for 93rd.
*Today's games:
VCU-Michigan is the first (and best) game of the day.
Butler-Marquette is the second-most intriguing.
Give Wichita State a puncher's chance against 1-seed Gonzaga.
12-seeds Oregon and Cal don't feel like Cinderellas if they win.
The only real Cinderella today is Harvard.
-- D.S.
03/22 (Harvard) Quickie
Harvard: Wow.
The essential tension of the NCAA Tournament is between "Wow, do I want to see an upset!" and "Wow, do I want my bracket to be right!"
Two sides of that yesterday, which I lead today's Morning Win with:
Davidson: How could you not want to see a 14-over-3 upset? Argh! Well, what if you have Marquette to the Elite Eight, like I do? And so I'm resigned to Marquette losing, then jubilant when they break Davidson's heart. It felt horrible, but only until I looked at my bracket.
Harvard: How could you not want to see a 14-over-3 upset? Agreed! Especially if you think New Mexico was going to lose in the next round anyway, like I do? So it is virtually costless for me if the Lobos don't win, relative to the excitement of seeing Harvard pull off one of the most stunning first-round upsets in NCAA Tournament history?*
* - Let's unpack that for a second. First of all, nothing beats a 15-over-2. There have been six of those in history - they are sacrosanct. Next up is the 14-over-3 - there have been 16 of those heading into yesterday. In the column today, I ranked the Top 5 14-over-3s and put Harvard over New Mexico at No. 3, behind '86 Cleveland State over Indiana, which was the climax of "Season on the Brink," and '05's Bucknell over Kansas, because... it was Bucknell over Kansas. So even if you count the 20-some 13-over-4s, that puts Harvard '12 in the Top 20, which ain't bad.
Otherwise, yesterday was notable for Southern hanging with Gonzaga until the finish (which, for a 16-seed, offers about as much March immortality as you can get -- consider that people still remember 16-seed Western Carolina nearly beating 1-seed Purdue in 1996); the two Pac-12 12-seeds KO'ing 5-seeds (a fairly amazing "eff you" to the Selection Committee); and the vicious blowouts, including Syracuse, VCU... and Wichita State just clobbering Pitt.
Today's best? Wisconsin versus Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss is the most intriguing game of the day, at the start of the slate, and UCLA-Minnesota -- by far the most popular upset pick of the first round -- which is the final game of the night and only worth staying up for to see if the wisdom of the crowds (and pundits) is right.
How's your bracket? I went 11-5, and I suspect that most people were right around the 10-/11-/12-win mark. The bigger question is how damaging were your losses? Did you have New Mexico going to the Sweet 16? How about UNLV? The National Bracket went 11-5. President Obama went 10-6. My 4-year-old son, who picked his own bracket this year, went 12-4 to lead the family pool standings.
Enjoy the day and weekend! No Morning Win on USATODAY.com over the weekend, so check back here for shallow, quick-hit goodness!
-- D.S.
The essential tension of the NCAA Tournament is between "Wow, do I want to see an upset!" and "Wow, do I want my bracket to be right!"
Two sides of that yesterday, which I lead today's Morning Win with:
Davidson: How could you not want to see a 14-over-3 upset? Argh! Well, what if you have Marquette to the Elite Eight, like I do? And so I'm resigned to Marquette losing, then jubilant when they break Davidson's heart. It felt horrible, but only until I looked at my bracket.
Harvard: How could you not want to see a 14-over-3 upset? Agreed! Especially if you think New Mexico was going to lose in the next round anyway, like I do? So it is virtually costless for me if the Lobos don't win, relative to the excitement of seeing Harvard pull off one of the most stunning first-round upsets in NCAA Tournament history?*
* - Let's unpack that for a second. First of all, nothing beats a 15-over-2. There have been six of those in history - they are sacrosanct. Next up is the 14-over-3 - there have been 16 of those heading into yesterday. In the column today, I ranked the Top 5 14-over-3s and put Harvard over New Mexico at No. 3, behind '86 Cleveland State over Indiana, which was the climax of "Season on the Brink," and '05's Bucknell over Kansas, because... it was Bucknell over Kansas. So even if you count the 20-some 13-over-4s, that puts Harvard '12 in the Top 20, which ain't bad.
Otherwise, yesterday was notable for Southern hanging with Gonzaga until the finish (which, for a 16-seed, offers about as much March immortality as you can get -- consider that people still remember 16-seed Western Carolina nearly beating 1-seed Purdue in 1996); the two Pac-12 12-seeds KO'ing 5-seeds (a fairly amazing "eff you" to the Selection Committee); and the vicious blowouts, including Syracuse, VCU... and Wichita State just clobbering Pitt.
Today's best? Wisconsin versus Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss is the most intriguing game of the day, at the start of the slate, and UCLA-Minnesota -- by far the most popular upset pick of the first round -- which is the final game of the night and only worth staying up for to see if the wisdom of the crowds (and pundits) is right.
How's your bracket? I went 11-5, and I suspect that most people were right around the 10-/11-/12-win mark. The bigger question is how damaging were your losses? Did you have New Mexico going to the Sweet 16? How about UNLV? The National Bracket went 11-5. President Obama went 10-6. My 4-year-old son, who picked his own bracket this year, went 12-4 to lead the family pool standings.
Enjoy the day and weekend! No Morning Win on USATODAY.com over the weekend, so check back here for shallow, quick-hit goodness!
-- D.S.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
03/21 (First Thursday) Quickie
Last chance to join the Daily Quickie Readers group of the Tournament Challenge -- you can be a part of multiple groups at the same time. Join in!
****
Best day of the sports year? Best day of the sports year.
That's the lead of today's (new!) Morning Win column on USATODAY.com.
The epicenter is the 8 games this afternoon -- watching at night is fun, but watching during the workday, with everyone you know invested in the outcomes (despite not having a deep-seated fan-love of any of the teams) is special.
Here's a little clip from the column, because it's a Quickie tradition:
12:15 (CBS): 3 Michigan State vs. 14 Valpo (Auburn Hills, Mich. - Midwest)
Pick against Tom Izzo in the first round? Yeah, right.
12:40 (truTV): 6 Butler vs. 11 Bucknell (Lexington, Ky. - East)
Against any other 6, Bucknell would be the upset pick.
1:40 (TBS): 8 Pittsburgh vs. 9 Wichita State (Salt Lake City - West)
The classic 8-9 dilemma: Does it even matter?
2:10 (TNT): 4 Saint Louis vs. 13 NM State (San Jose - Midwest)
Billikens are the best team you’ve never watched.
2:45 (CBS) 6 Memphis vs. 11 Saint Mary's (Auburn Hills - Midwest)
Only upset of the day, thanks to Gaels’ running start in First Four.
3:10 (truTV) 3 Marquette vs. 14 Davidson (Lexington - East)
Upset special? It’s a sneaky-trendy pick, but Marquette too tough.
4:10 (TBS) 1 Gonzaga vs. 16 Southern (Salt Lake City - West)
Zags need a tune-up after long layoff.
4:40 (TNT) 5 Oklahoma State vs. 12 Oregon (San Jose - Midwest)
Is Cowboys PG Marcus Smart the Tourney’s top NBA prospect?
Most people's Round of 64 is chalky. (9-over-8 doesn't count.) My entire night slate is chalk (except for 9 Mizzou over 8 Colorado State, which I could have gone either way on, given the Rams' superlative offensive-rebounding skills. This afternoon is about Saint Mary's using the springboard of the First Four to catch Memphis flat-footed and pull off the only upset of the day. (Or so I'm picking.)
Meanwhile: Of the Heat's 24 straight wins, last night's was the most impressive -- down 27 in the 3rd, they still won... The pushback on the NFL's new rules around lowering the head is a pretty good indicator of the institutional issues that caused the brain-injury epidemic in the first place... I'm bummed for my LIU-Brooklyn team that lost in the play-in, but hard not to feel good for James Madison. (BTW: Those LIU uniforms have to be among the 5 coolest in the Tournament field.)
Anyway, check out today's column (and please try to share it around!) and get your bracket into the Daily Quickie Readers group.
Enjoy the day!
-- D.S.
****
Best day of the sports year? Best day of the sports year.
That's the lead of today's (new!) Morning Win column on USATODAY.com.
The epicenter is the 8 games this afternoon -- watching at night is fun, but watching during the workday, with everyone you know invested in the outcomes (despite not having a deep-seated fan-love of any of the teams) is special.
Here's a little clip from the column, because it's a Quickie tradition:
12:15 (CBS): 3 Michigan State vs. 14 Valpo (Auburn Hills, Mich. - Midwest)
Pick against Tom Izzo in the first round? Yeah, right.
12:40 (truTV): 6 Butler vs. 11 Bucknell (Lexington, Ky. - East)
Against any other 6, Bucknell would be the upset pick.
1:40 (TBS): 8 Pittsburgh vs. 9 Wichita State (Salt Lake City - West)
The classic 8-9 dilemma: Does it even matter?
2:10 (TNT): 4 Saint Louis vs. 13 NM State (San Jose - Midwest)
Billikens are the best team you’ve never watched.
2:45 (CBS) 6 Memphis vs. 11 Saint Mary's (Auburn Hills - Midwest)
Only upset of the day, thanks to Gaels’ running start in First Four.
3:10 (truTV) 3 Marquette vs. 14 Davidson (Lexington - East)
Upset special? It’s a sneaky-trendy pick, but Marquette too tough.
4:10 (TBS) 1 Gonzaga vs. 16 Southern (Salt Lake City - West)
Zags need a tune-up after long layoff.
4:40 (TNT) 5 Oklahoma State vs. 12 Oregon (San Jose - Midwest)
Is Cowboys PG Marcus Smart the Tourney’s top NBA prospect?
Most people's Round of 64 is chalky. (9-over-8 doesn't count.) My entire night slate is chalk (except for 9 Mizzou over 8 Colorado State, which I could have gone either way on, given the Rams' superlative offensive-rebounding skills. This afternoon is about Saint Mary's using the springboard of the First Four to catch Memphis flat-footed and pull off the only upset of the day. (Or so I'm picking.)
Meanwhile: Of the Heat's 24 straight wins, last night's was the most impressive -- down 27 in the 3rd, they still won... The pushback on the NFL's new rules around lowering the head is a pretty good indicator of the institutional issues that caused the brain-injury epidemic in the first place... I'm bummed for my LIU-Brooklyn team that lost in the play-in, but hard not to feel good for James Madison. (BTW: Those LIU uniforms have to be among the 5 coolest in the Tournament field.)
Anyway, check out today's column (and please try to share it around!) and get your bracket into the Daily Quickie Readers group.
Enjoy the day!
-- D.S.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
3/20 (Bobby Mo!) Quickie
Be sure to join in the Daily Quickie Readers pool of the Tournament Challenge. (Or maybe it should be called "Morning Winners.")
Today's Morning Win column on USATODAY.com leads off with Robert Morris' awesome upset of Kentucky last night. It is very possible that will be the most exciting result of the month, entirely understanding that the NCAA Tournament doesn't really start until tomorrow.
It's great for Robert Morris. It's great for the (largely irrelevant) NIT. It's great for people who revel in schadenfreude about Kentucky.
Let's be clear: In November, I picked Kentucky to repeat as champs -- so either I am the worst or best person to talk about this. But my big reason was the Calipari "system," a clever arbitrage of the NBA's age limitations.
Calipari promises elite recruits three things: (1) NBA development. (2) Playing time. (3) A chance to compete for a national title.
Clearly, (3) totally fell apart this year. Next up is (2), which also falls apart in the event that this year's highly touted freshmen stick around next year, when even more highly touted freshmen show up. Something's gotta give, because they all expect 30 minutes per game.
Here's betting that Cal runs off the current frosh -- the new guys coming in next year are way better and, again, his system is predicated on "one-and-done," not (as I write in the column) "one-and-one-more."
A few more pieces of extra commentary:
*The near-universal pick of Louisville to win the title by sports pundits is baffling to me. This isn't Kentucky '12; didn't we just finish a season where every day was a new example of "Parity!"
*I don't expect everyone to follow my lead and pick Florida -- but it's pretty validating that the leading prognosticator from last year (Harvard's John Ezekowitz) has Florida winning it all (and my same Final Four: Florida, Louisville, Indiana, Gonzaga) and basically my same bracket. If I am going to fail this year, I'm taking down the reigning King of the Bracket with me.
*Good for NC A&T. Really good for Saint Mary's -- makes the pick of Play-In Game Winner over Memphis that much easier.
*LIU is near and dear to me: My grandfather taught journalism there for 15 years and their awesome '97/'98 team surged just as I moved to Brooklyn. Here's to a huge win, then taking down Indiana.
*As for my picks this year, I'm chalky, with the following exceptions:
Round of 64: Minnesota over UCLA and Saint Mary's over Memphis and Colorado over Illinois. (I also have a few 9-over-8s, but that doesn't count.)
Round of 32: Arizona over New Mexico, Wisconsin over Kansas State, VCU over Michigan. (At this point, 5-over-4 hardly counts.)
Round of 16: Florida over Georgetown, Marquette over Miami. (At this point, 3-over-2 hardly counts.)
Round of 8: Florida over Kansas.
Final Four: Florida over Indiana.
Title game: Florida over Louisville.
Be sure to join in the Daily Quickie Readers pool of the Tournament Challenge. (Or maybe it should be called "Morning Winners.")
-- D.S.
Today's Morning Win column on USATODAY.com leads off with Robert Morris' awesome upset of Kentucky last night. It is very possible that will be the most exciting result of the month, entirely understanding that the NCAA Tournament doesn't really start until tomorrow.
It's great for Robert Morris. It's great for the (largely irrelevant) NIT. It's great for people who revel in schadenfreude about Kentucky.
Let's be clear: In November, I picked Kentucky to repeat as champs -- so either I am the worst or best person to talk about this. But my big reason was the Calipari "system," a clever arbitrage of the NBA's age limitations.
Calipari promises elite recruits three things: (1) NBA development. (2) Playing time. (3) A chance to compete for a national title.
Clearly, (3) totally fell apart this year. Next up is (2), which also falls apart in the event that this year's highly touted freshmen stick around next year, when even more highly touted freshmen show up. Something's gotta give, because they all expect 30 minutes per game.
Here's betting that Cal runs off the current frosh -- the new guys coming in next year are way better and, again, his system is predicated on "one-and-done," not (as I write in the column) "one-and-one-more."
A few more pieces of extra commentary:
*The near-universal pick of Louisville to win the title by sports pundits is baffling to me. This isn't Kentucky '12; didn't we just finish a season where every day was a new example of "Parity!"
*I don't expect everyone to follow my lead and pick Florida -- but it's pretty validating that the leading prognosticator from last year (Harvard's John Ezekowitz) has Florida winning it all (and my same Final Four: Florida, Louisville, Indiana, Gonzaga) and basically my same bracket. If I am going to fail this year, I'm taking down the reigning King of the Bracket with me.
*Good for NC A&T. Really good for Saint Mary's -- makes the pick of Play-In Game Winner over Memphis that much easier.
*LIU is near and dear to me: My grandfather taught journalism there for 15 years and their awesome '97/'98 team surged just as I moved to Brooklyn. Here's to a huge win, then taking down Indiana.
*As for my picks this year, I'm chalky, with the following exceptions:
Round of 64: Minnesota over UCLA and Saint Mary's over Memphis and Colorado over Illinois. (I also have a few 9-over-8s, but that doesn't count.)
Round of 32: Arizona over New Mexico, Wisconsin over Kansas State, VCU over Michigan. (At this point, 5-over-4 hardly counts.)
Round of 16: Florida over Georgetown, Marquette over Miami. (At this point, 3-over-2 hardly counts.)
Round of 8: Florida over Kansas.
Final Four: Florida over Indiana.
Title game: Florida over Louisville.
Be sure to join in the Daily Quickie Readers pool of the Tournament Challenge. (Or maybe it should be called "Morning Winners.")
-- D.S.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
3/19 (Wait, Wait... What's THIS?) Quickie
Wait a second... what's this?
Yes, I'm dabbling at being back in the morning game -- thanks to my pals and colleagues at USA TODAY Sports for the indulgence, patience and support.
So what will you find today? The easiest thing would have been to go big with Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn. The better thing is to talk about the self-doubt we all feel about our bracket when we hit the unofficial halfway point between Selection Sunday and tip-off on Thursday.
But there's more: Love for the First Four, love for the Heat hitting 23 straight wins and -- yes -- a brief item on Tiger and Lindsey.
I think you'll like it. It's zippy (I hope you would expect nothing less) and it is tricked out by my editor Mike Foss with all sorts of photo and GIFfy goodness.
So please check it out and pass it around to your friends and colleagues. Let's see if we've got something here.
-- D.S.
Yes, I'm dabbling at being back in the morning game -- thanks to my pals and colleagues at USA TODAY Sports for the indulgence, patience and support.
So what will you find today? The easiest thing would have been to go big with Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn. The better thing is to talk about the self-doubt we all feel about our bracket when we hit the unofficial halfway point between Selection Sunday and tip-off on Thursday.
But there's more: Love for the First Four, love for the Heat hitting 23 straight wins and -- yes -- a brief item on Tiger and Lindsey.
I think you'll like it. It's zippy (I hope you would expect nothing less) and it is tricked out by my editor Mike Foss with all sorts of photo and GIFfy goodness.
So please check it out and pass it around to your friends and colleagues. Let's see if we've got something here.
-- D.S.
Monday, March 18, 2013
3/18 (Bracket!) Quickie
Add your bracket to the Daily Quickie Readers group!
(You can join as many groups as you want.)
Final Four picks, in order of confidence:
*Louisville (over Duke)
*Florida (over Kansas)
*Indiana (over Marquette)
*Gonzaga (over Ohio State)
I am picking Florida over Louisville in the title game, which is high-risk/high-reward, given that everyone seems to be picking Louisville to win it all (and if not Louisville, then Indiana). It is also totally foolish, given that I am personally rooting for Florida to win it all -- it's like I'm forgetting everything I know about the Quickie jinx.
Yes, I am concerned about picking Gonzaga to the Final Four. There is a certain contrarianism to picking the Zags, given that they are the only 1-seed not to make it to the Final Four on the "national bracket" aggregate of all fans' picks -- a rarity over the past decade. I can understand the impulse to take Ohio State -- the Buckeyes' defense is among the best in the field and Gonzaga has potentially been softened up by playing a cupcake conference schedule.
There is a mind trick about getting behind a (or "the") hot team and getting burned, but this year's Gonzaga team feels closer to a traditional big-conference power than others in years past. (Speaking of which, how many people would be taking Saint Louis to the Elite Eight -- if not Final Four -- if they weren't in Louisville's region? I know I would be.)
There are a handful of specific picks that nag me, in an otherwise chalky bracket: Taking Kansas over VCU... taking Marquette over Butler... taking Duke over Michigan State... and the biggie: Taking Gonzaga over Wisconsin, which underscores how messy my West is: Gonzaga over the two Big Ten Tournament finalists, in addition to going long on Sean Miller and Arizona (taking the 'Cats over New Mexico and into the Sweet 16).
Meanwhile: Happy birthday, Mrs. Quickie -- whose mid-March birthday is right in line with her enthusiasm for the NCAA Tournament.
One more time: Join the Daily Quickie Readers group of the Tournament Challenge.
-- D.S.
(You can join as many groups as you want.)
Final Four picks, in order of confidence:
*Louisville (over Duke)
*Florida (over Kansas)
*Indiana (over Marquette)
*Gonzaga (over Ohio State)
I am picking Florida over Louisville in the title game, which is high-risk/high-reward, given that everyone seems to be picking Louisville to win it all (and if not Louisville, then Indiana). It is also totally foolish, given that I am personally rooting for Florida to win it all -- it's like I'm forgetting everything I know about the Quickie jinx.
Yes, I am concerned about picking Gonzaga to the Final Four. There is a certain contrarianism to picking the Zags, given that they are the only 1-seed not to make it to the Final Four on the "national bracket" aggregate of all fans' picks -- a rarity over the past decade. I can understand the impulse to take Ohio State -- the Buckeyes' defense is among the best in the field and Gonzaga has potentially been softened up by playing a cupcake conference schedule.
There is a mind trick about getting behind a (or "the") hot team and getting burned, but this year's Gonzaga team feels closer to a traditional big-conference power than others in years past. (Speaking of which, how many people would be taking Saint Louis to the Elite Eight -- if not Final Four -- if they weren't in Louisville's region? I know I would be.)
There are a handful of specific picks that nag me, in an otherwise chalky bracket: Taking Kansas over VCU... taking Marquette over Butler... taking Duke over Michigan State... and the biggie: Taking Gonzaga over Wisconsin, which underscores how messy my West is: Gonzaga over the two Big Ten Tournament finalists, in addition to going long on Sean Miller and Arizona (taking the 'Cats over New Mexico and into the Sweet 16).
Meanwhile: Happy birthday, Mrs. Quickie -- whose mid-March birthday is right in line with her enthusiasm for the NCAA Tournament.
One more time: Join the Daily Quickie Readers group of the Tournament Challenge.
-- D.S.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
3/17 (Selection Sunday) Quickie
Join the Daily Quickie Readers group of the Tournament Challenge.
Best sports day of the year? Today is on the short list, if only for that sliver of an hour tonight when Greg Gumbel reads the pairings on the 2013 NCAA Tournament bracket.
I have a tradition going back decades where I scrawl them all down by hand as he says them, then immediately afterward pick the bracket all the way through -- the crushing self-doubt, changes (and change-backs) come later in the night, through Monday morning.
Regardless, there is a day of hoops left. Of the eight teams playing today, 7 are tournament locks and one (Ole Miss) has probably done enough to get itself one of the final at-large bids, even if it doesn't beat Florida for the SEC automatic bid. Today isn't about "must-win" as much as "must-see."
If you want to do well in your pool, there is one game you must watch: Saint Louis vs. VCU. It doesn't matter who wins -- but you must pay attention to how they play. Both teams are strong contenders to make runs to the Sweet 16... possibly the Elite Eight and even the Final Four. Of all of the non-"power" conference teams, these two are the most likely to crash the Final Four. (1-seed Gonzaga doesn't count, because it is... well... a 1-seed; New Mexico is a Sweet 16 team, but I wonder about their offense when they meet elite defensive teams in the second weekend.)
Of the other three games, Miami is fascinating -- nouveau riche on the scene. There are always a few that pull 2- and 3-seeds and flame out in the first weekend. Is Miami one of them?
Ohio State is a Final Four contender (as is Wisconsin, if they can find the offense). Florida is a Final Four contender (and I'm thrilled if experts want to keep sleeping on them -- what I'm looking for with Florida is where they are sent, not seeded).
But even as a Florida fan, the game I'm paying attention to today is the Atlantic 10 title game in Brooklyn between the bruising Billikens and VCU's "Havoc."
More:
*Louisville wins Big East: Also on the short list of Final Four contenders. Great defense, more than good enough offense.
*Kansas wins Big 12: See Louisville. Great D, good enough on offense.
*Indiana loses: Everything you need to know about the uncertainty at the top of college hoops this season is captured by the fact that Indiana and Duke both lost before getting to their conference finals and are still locks as 1-seeds. The bracket is as wide-open this year as it wasn't last year.
Fire up the KenPom.com and get ready for tonight.
-- D.S.
Best sports day of the year? Today is on the short list, if only for that sliver of an hour tonight when Greg Gumbel reads the pairings on the 2013 NCAA Tournament bracket.
I have a tradition going back decades where I scrawl them all down by hand as he says them, then immediately afterward pick the bracket all the way through -- the crushing self-doubt, changes (and change-backs) come later in the night, through Monday morning.
Regardless, there is a day of hoops left. Of the eight teams playing today, 7 are tournament locks and one (Ole Miss) has probably done enough to get itself one of the final at-large bids, even if it doesn't beat Florida for the SEC automatic bid. Today isn't about "must-win" as much as "must-see."
If you want to do well in your pool, there is one game you must watch: Saint Louis vs. VCU. It doesn't matter who wins -- but you must pay attention to how they play. Both teams are strong contenders to make runs to the Sweet 16... possibly the Elite Eight and even the Final Four. Of all of the non-"power" conference teams, these two are the most likely to crash the Final Four. (1-seed Gonzaga doesn't count, because it is... well... a 1-seed; New Mexico is a Sweet 16 team, but I wonder about their offense when they meet elite defensive teams in the second weekend.)
Of the other three games, Miami is fascinating -- nouveau riche on the scene. There are always a few that pull 2- and 3-seeds and flame out in the first weekend. Is Miami one of them?
Ohio State is a Final Four contender (as is Wisconsin, if they can find the offense). Florida is a Final Four contender (and I'm thrilled if experts want to keep sleeping on them -- what I'm looking for with Florida is where they are sent, not seeded).
But even as a Florida fan, the game I'm paying attention to today is the Atlantic 10 title game in Brooklyn between the bruising Billikens and VCU's "Havoc."
More:
*Louisville wins Big East: Also on the short list of Final Four contenders. Great defense, more than good enough offense.
*Kansas wins Big 12: See Louisville. Great D, good enough on offense.
*Indiana loses: Everything you need to know about the uncertainty at the top of college hoops this season is captured by the fact that Indiana and Duke both lost before getting to their conference finals and are still locks as 1-seeds. The bracket is as wide-open this year as it wasn't last year.
Fire up the KenPom.com and get ready for tonight.
-- D.S.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
3/16 (Selection Sunday Eve) Quickie
Today's big winner: Maryland
Every once in a while, conference tournaments matter in a way that has nothing to do with the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland is not going to the NCAA Tournament -- maybe if they beat UNC today and make an improbable run to the ACC title game, they are part of the "First Four" in Dayton.
Duke is out of the ACC Tournament in the quarterfinals -- and yet this season is so shallow at the top that there is seemingly no way they lose their 1-seed status (another reminder the conference tournaments are largely vestigial).
And yet the mediocre Terps beating high-flying Duke yesterday was the highlight of Maryland's season -- and the two-year-old Mark Turgeon Era. It is the kind of win that fans relish not just for the year, but for years.
You could make the same argument for Syracuse -- the Orange are going to the NCAA Tournament. So is Georgetown. And so the win is entirely about pride, bragging rights... having the last word in one of college hoops' best (if soon-to-be-former) rivalries.
As both games wound down simultaneously -- and fans were hammering the "last channel" button on the remote or picture-in-picture function to flip between them -- it was the no-stakes portion of conference-championship week at its high-stakes best.
More:
*Today: So many win-or-go-home automatic NCAA Tournament invites on the line, teams whose names you will know like the back of your bracket notes by Monday morning -- New Mexico State versus Texas-Arlington, Pacific versus UC-Irvine, Montana versus Weber State, Stephen F. Austin versus Northwestern State, Chicago State versus Houston Baptist, Morgan State versus NC A&T, Prairie View A&M versus Southern, Albany versus Vermont.
*There are some intriguing finals: Akron could still get an at-large if they lose the MAC final to Ohio, but they don't want to chance it. UNLV probably doesn't get in without upsetting New Mexico in the Mountain West final. Similarly, Southern Miss is must-win versus Memphis, which is in regardless. Oregon and UCLA are both in, regardless. Kansas and Kansas State are obviously both in, making this about in-state bragging rights (and Kansas getting a 1-seed if they win). Syracuse and Louisville are both in, too; if the Cardinals win, they stake a claim for a 1-seed. (Speaking of 1-seed contenders, Michigan State needs to knock off Ohio State in the B10 finals if they want to stay in contention for a 1-seed, which is on the table.)
*What about Kentucky? I think they are out. It's not like they kept it close versus Vandy. They got blown out and looked terrible in the process. Last weekend's supposedly season-saving win over Florida? Just not enough. I suspect that the NCAA and Selection Committee will conspire to push the profile of the typically ignored "First Four" by slotting Kentucky in that game against a notable fringe mid-major.
*My most intriguing bracket-previewing game of the day? Butler versus St. Louis in the Atlantic 10 semifinals -- both are tournament locks, but both have the moxie to make deep runs. This is a good litmus test, if not for them, then for your confusion over the bracket.
Enjoy the day!
-- D.S.
Every once in a while, conference tournaments matter in a way that has nothing to do with the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland is not going to the NCAA Tournament -- maybe if they beat UNC today and make an improbable run to the ACC title game, they are part of the "First Four" in Dayton.
Duke is out of the ACC Tournament in the quarterfinals -- and yet this season is so shallow at the top that there is seemingly no way they lose their 1-seed status (another reminder the conference tournaments are largely vestigial).
And yet the mediocre Terps beating high-flying Duke yesterday was the highlight of Maryland's season -- and the two-year-old Mark Turgeon Era. It is the kind of win that fans relish not just for the year, but for years.
You could make the same argument for Syracuse -- the Orange are going to the NCAA Tournament. So is Georgetown. And so the win is entirely about pride, bragging rights... having the last word in one of college hoops' best (if soon-to-be-former) rivalries.
As both games wound down simultaneously -- and fans were hammering the "last channel" button on the remote or picture-in-picture function to flip between them -- it was the no-stakes portion of conference-championship week at its high-stakes best.
More:
*Today: So many win-or-go-home automatic NCAA Tournament invites on the line, teams whose names you will know like the back of your bracket notes by Monday morning -- New Mexico State versus Texas-Arlington, Pacific versus UC-Irvine, Montana versus Weber State, Stephen F. Austin versus Northwestern State, Chicago State versus Houston Baptist, Morgan State versus NC A&T, Prairie View A&M versus Southern, Albany versus Vermont.
*There are some intriguing finals: Akron could still get an at-large if they lose the MAC final to Ohio, but they don't want to chance it. UNLV probably doesn't get in without upsetting New Mexico in the Mountain West final. Similarly, Southern Miss is must-win versus Memphis, which is in regardless. Oregon and UCLA are both in, regardless. Kansas and Kansas State are obviously both in, making this about in-state bragging rights (and Kansas getting a 1-seed if they win). Syracuse and Louisville are both in, too; if the Cardinals win, they stake a claim for a 1-seed. (Speaking of 1-seed contenders, Michigan State needs to knock off Ohio State in the B10 finals if they want to stay in contention for a 1-seed, which is on the table.)
*What about Kentucky? I think they are out. It's not like they kept it close versus Vandy. They got blown out and looked terrible in the process. Last weekend's supposedly season-saving win over Florida? Just not enough. I suspect that the NCAA and Selection Committee will conspire to push the profile of the typically ignored "First Four" by slotting Kentucky in that game against a notable fringe mid-major.
*My most intriguing bracket-previewing game of the day? Butler versus St. Louis in the Atlantic 10 semifinals -- both are tournament locks, but both have the moxie to make deep runs. This is a good litmus test, if not for them, then for your confusion over the bracket.
Enjoy the day!
-- D.S.
Friday, March 15, 2013
3/15 (Selection Mania) Quickie
It's that time again: Join the "Daily Quickie Readers" group of ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge.
(Wow, I was just thinking about 2006, when we had more than 10,000 people in the group and it was something like the 3rd-largest non-team-related group in the world. That was also the year that Mrs. Quickie finished in the Top 10 overall, which was crazy.)
Forget the hyper-nostalgia for the Big East: The craziest ending you will get was in the Atlantic 10 pre-quarterfinal in Brooklyn between Charlotte and Richmond. Richmond was leading by three with just 4.7 seconds to play. Then, a wild series:
A 1-and-1 for Charlotte begat a tech on a Richmond player begat a Charlotte lead begat Richmond "fouling" a Charlotte player heaving a half-court "shot" -- another three shots. Then a bunch of technical fouls called on Richmond.
Voila: A seven-point Charlotte win -- a 10-point swing in 5 seconds, which rivals anything Reggie Miller ever did a few miles away at Madison Square Garden.
You hate to see that happen and you feel for Richmond fans. But if ever there was a "that's what makes March so great" bit of freakiness, that's the one.
What to look forward to today:
*Two days 'til Selection Sunday: The half-hour of the bracket reveal is the best 30 minutes of the sports year. Everything is all possibilities and gut-feelings and second-guessing. And that's just your bracket, let alone all of the analysis of the bracket by all of the hoops pundits.
*Sub-.500 Utah has reached the semis of the Pac-12. The game is at 11:30 ET tonight vs. Oregon. I feel for the teams on the Bubble, but how can you not be rooting for Utah to continue the run?
*Big East semis: Syracuse-Georgetown (because of course) and Louisville-Notre Dame (who played those many many OTs the last time they met). All are in the Tournament; this is for pride.
*Kentucky on the hot seat: They play Vandy in the SEC quarters. A loss here to the sub-.500 'Dores would put UK back on the edge of the Bubble, at the mercy of teams like... Utah (ironically, the team Kentucky beat for the title in '98).
*The Mountain West semis: San Diego State vs. New Mexico, UNLV vs. Colorado State. Four bracket-worthy teams likely playing for three spots (with UNM and Colorado State likely already claiming two).
*All the crazy adidas uniforms: I get it -- people in the media hate them. But they are having their intended reaction: We are talking about them. (Hard not to love Notre Dame's highlight-green uniforms from last night, but then again, I wear highlight-neon shoes in my weekly old man basketball league.)
More:
*Steven Jackson to the Falcons: Great fit for both.
*Ed Reed to the Texans? Would be great influence.
*Greg Jennings to Vikings? Harvin replacement?
*Geno Smith wows at Pro Day: Going No. 2 to Jags?
*Kobe: Hawks insist they weren't trying to hurt him.
(Still should have been a foul, which is Kobe's issue.)
*WBC: Does the DR care more than Team USA?
*Nadal: He's back! (beating Fed will inspire that reax).
Join the Tournament Challenge group. Get ready for Selection Sunday.
-- D.S.
(Wow, I was just thinking about 2006, when we had more than 10,000 people in the group and it was something like the 3rd-largest non-team-related group in the world. That was also the year that Mrs. Quickie finished in the Top 10 overall, which was crazy.)
Forget the hyper-nostalgia for the Big East: The craziest ending you will get was in the Atlantic 10 pre-quarterfinal in Brooklyn between Charlotte and Richmond. Richmond was leading by three with just 4.7 seconds to play. Then, a wild series:
A 1-and-1 for Charlotte begat a tech on a Richmond player begat a Charlotte lead begat Richmond "fouling" a Charlotte player heaving a half-court "shot" -- another three shots. Then a bunch of technical fouls called on Richmond.
Voila: A seven-point Charlotte win -- a 10-point swing in 5 seconds, which rivals anything Reggie Miller ever did a few miles away at Madison Square Garden.
You hate to see that happen and you feel for Richmond fans. But if ever there was a "that's what makes March so great" bit of freakiness, that's the one.
What to look forward to today:
*Two days 'til Selection Sunday: The half-hour of the bracket reveal is the best 30 minutes of the sports year. Everything is all possibilities and gut-feelings and second-guessing. And that's just your bracket, let alone all of the analysis of the bracket by all of the hoops pundits.
*Sub-.500 Utah has reached the semis of the Pac-12. The game is at 11:30 ET tonight vs. Oregon. I feel for the teams on the Bubble, but how can you not be rooting for Utah to continue the run?
*Big East semis: Syracuse-Georgetown (because of course) and Louisville-Notre Dame (who played those many many OTs the last time they met). All are in the Tournament; this is for pride.
*Kentucky on the hot seat: They play Vandy in the SEC quarters. A loss here to the sub-.500 'Dores would put UK back on the edge of the Bubble, at the mercy of teams like... Utah (ironically, the team Kentucky beat for the title in '98).
*The Mountain West semis: San Diego State vs. New Mexico, UNLV vs. Colorado State. Four bracket-worthy teams likely playing for three spots (with UNM and Colorado State likely already claiming two).
*All the crazy adidas uniforms: I get it -- people in the media hate them. But they are having their intended reaction: We are talking about them. (Hard not to love Notre Dame's highlight-green uniforms from last night, but then again, I wear highlight-neon shoes in my weekly old man basketball league.)
More:
*Steven Jackson to the Falcons: Great fit for both.
*Ed Reed to the Texans? Would be great influence.
*Greg Jennings to Vikings? Harvin replacement?
*Geno Smith wows at Pro Day: Going No. 2 to Jags?
*Kobe: Hawks insist they weren't trying to hurt him.
(Still should have been a foul, which is Kobe's issue.)
*WBC: Does the DR care more than Team USA?
*Nadal: He's back! (beating Fed will inspire that reax).
Join the Tournament Challenge group. Get ready for Selection Sunday.
-- D.S.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
3/14 (Ugh, No Internet) Quickie
Internet service got bonked, so tapping this out on my phone, which ain't ideal. Nevertheless...
*Big East quarterfinals: The quintessential Big East moment - bloated with nostalgia, brash, gluttonous, likely overrated.
(And vastly overrated in the grand scheme of "But how many of these 6-8 teams actually make the Final Four, let alone win a national title?" Steel yourself for yelps of "1985!" which is all well and good but nearly 20 years old, and I say that as both a yelper and someone who thinks the '85 Final Four was more important than any in history, including the over-exposed Bird-Magic '79 edition. So, yes, I am both conflicted and self-loathing.)
Regardless, it IS a quadruple-header of college basketball featuring a half-dozen "big-t" Tournament teams. Meanwhile, the Big Ten is asking what the fuss is about....
*Welker to Broncos: Of course. The "Ray Allen from the Celtics to the Heat" of NFL deals.
*Amendola to Pats: Makes the Welker "of course" above look like the surprise move of the year.
*RBs on move: In order of effectiveness for the acquiring team - (1) Bush/Lions, (2) Greene/Titans, (3) Mendenhall/Cards (unless Arizona gets itself a good QB).
Caveat: Steven Jackson signing with the Packers would trump all of those.
*Kobe hurts ankle: Ankle hurts Laker playoff run. (Yes, should've been a foul.)
*Carmelo returns to Denver: Unlike Dwight Howard in Orlando, Melo couldn't actually win, which is the sweetest of all comebacks to bitter fans.
*Heat win 20th straight: Can excellence be boring? We are reduced to "Well, at least the Sixers made it interesting."
*Jeter tries SS: Proof ain't in March.
*Pope x Sports: Apparently a huge fan of Argentina's San Lorenzo club. Presumably, he has a string rooting interest in next year's World Cup.
*Is today the final day of Northwester's Carmody Era.
- DS
*Big East quarterfinals: The quintessential Big East moment - bloated with nostalgia, brash, gluttonous, likely overrated.
(And vastly overrated in the grand scheme of "But how many of these 6-8 teams actually make the Final Four, let alone win a national title?" Steel yourself for yelps of "1985!" which is all well and good but nearly 20 years old, and I say that as both a yelper and someone who thinks the '85 Final Four was more important than any in history, including the over-exposed Bird-Magic '79 edition. So, yes, I am both conflicted and self-loathing.)
Regardless, it IS a quadruple-header of college basketball featuring a half-dozen "big-t" Tournament teams. Meanwhile, the Big Ten is asking what the fuss is about....
*Welker to Broncos: Of course. The "Ray Allen from the Celtics to the Heat" of NFL deals.
*Amendola to Pats: Makes the Welker "of course" above look like the surprise move of the year.
*RBs on move: In order of effectiveness for the acquiring team - (1) Bush/Lions, (2) Greene/Titans, (3) Mendenhall/Cards (unless Arizona gets itself a good QB).
Caveat: Steven Jackson signing with the Packers would trump all of those.
*Kobe hurts ankle: Ankle hurts Laker playoff run. (Yes, should've been a foul.)
*Carmelo returns to Denver: Unlike Dwight Howard in Orlando, Melo couldn't actually win, which is the sweetest of all comebacks to bitter fans.
*Heat win 20th straight: Can excellence be boring? We are reduced to "Well, at least the Sixers made it interesting."
*Jeter tries SS: Proof ain't in March.
*Pope x Sports: Apparently a huge fan of Argentina's San Lorenzo club. Presumably, he has a string rooting interest in next year's World Cup.
*Is today the final day of Northwester's Carmody Era.
- DS
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
3/13 (Wednesday) Quickie
Today's big winner: Dwight Howard.
He went back to Orlando for the first time since he left town. The fans were all over him. The Magic were hacking him.
And Howard put on arguably the best regular-season performance of his career: 39 points (including 39 foul shots!) and 16 rebounds, leading the Lakers to yet another must-win as they surge into playoff position.
This is the Howard that the Lakers wanted (needed!), that Kobe obsesses about and that shuts up all of the folks who had been taking pot-shots at him throughout LA's mediocre season.
And yet! Howard is nothing if not mercurial. It would be something to see if he has indeed turned a corner -- maybe last night's game will psychologically free him from everything and put him in video-game mode for the rest of the season (a prerequisite if the Lakers want to do anything interesting).
It is hard not to think "We'll see...." But then you watch what he did last night, and it's like: Oh wow.
If you think the NBA is better for having a competitive and fiesty Lakers team, last night was one of the biggest and best wins of the season.
That is thanks to Howard taking all that the fans and the opposing players could throw at him and proving himself the bigger (way bigger) person for it.
More of today's winners:
*Long Island-Brooklyn, Valpo, South Dakota State: All won their way into the NCAA Tournament. For LIU, it's their third straight trip... for Valpo, it will always inspire memories of Bryce Drew beating Ole Miss (one of my Top 3 favorite NCAA Tournament moments ever)... with South Dakota State, it's about how far their star Nate Wolters (27 pts last night) can carry them.
*NFL Free Agency Mania:
-Mike Wallace to Miami: It was a must-have for the Fins.
-Paul Kruger to Cleveland: Bold move new management needed.
-Martellus Bennett to Chicago: A Bears TE who won't drop the ball.
*Reggie Bush: Who wants him? The Lions clearly do -- and everyone seems to think he would be a great fit with Stafford and Megatron. He will shop himself around (it's Reggie Bush, after all), but here's betting that he ends up circling back with Detroit, a huge change of pace from Miami.
*Chip Kelly: No player captured the Eagles' sad "dream team" aspirations from two years ago like Nnamdi Asomugha. It's not his fault -- he was just intended to be the centerpiece. It didn't work out, and the team cut him yesterday, the most symbolic move they could make to signal the end of the Reid Era and the fresh start with Kelly. (More than symbolic, it saves them some cash.)
*Ryan Nassib: Could the former Syracuse QB become this year's Ryan Tannehill in the NFL Draft? His old college coach Doug Marrone, who now runs the Bills, just cut Buffalo's incumbent starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, leaving the Bills without a QB. Sure, they could be eyeing Geno Smith in the draft, but there is no guarantee Smith drops to the back of the Top 10, when Buffalo is picking. And the trade market (Nick Foles) and free agent market (who knows?) are seemingly thin.
*Notre Dame women's hoops: A week after gutting out a win over UConn to take the Big East regular-season title, they pull it off again in the Big East tournament title game. The East's top dog ain't the Huskies anymore. (Well, at least for now.)
*Miami Heat: 19 straight wins. Let's review the major themes of the streak: They are toying with the league... a repeat NBA championship is an inevitability (the only question is how many losses they take en route to 16 postseason wins)... it's OK that the NBA playoffs have no drama, because this team seems to be THAT good.
*Barcelona: Remember yesterday's previews of the Barca-Milan game, in which all the experts were trying to make sense of how fall Barca had fallen en route to being bounced from the Champions League? That was cute.
Down 0-2 in aggregate to AC Milan in the Champions League round of 16, Barca overwhelmed in the second game 4-0, including 2 goals by the brilliant Lionel Messi. And, once again, we are left wondering what would happen if other sports counted playoff series in terms of aggregate score.
*Today's must-see/must-follow college hoops: Lafayette and Bucknell play for the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament... the (sort of last) Big East Tournament heats up, with "Last Four In"-ish Villanova in a must-win versus St. John's... Your sneaky-good game of the day is Boise State versus San Diego State in the Mountain West quarterfinals; both teams have the potential to go on a run and win the conference tournament (or even make it to the tournament finals and put themselves squarely in the "Last Four In" conversation).
-- D.S.
He went back to Orlando for the first time since he left town. The fans were all over him. The Magic were hacking him.
And Howard put on arguably the best regular-season performance of his career: 39 points (including 39 foul shots!) and 16 rebounds, leading the Lakers to yet another must-win as they surge into playoff position.
This is the Howard that the Lakers wanted (needed!), that Kobe obsesses about and that shuts up all of the folks who had been taking pot-shots at him throughout LA's mediocre season.
And yet! Howard is nothing if not mercurial. It would be something to see if he has indeed turned a corner -- maybe last night's game will psychologically free him from everything and put him in video-game mode for the rest of the season (a prerequisite if the Lakers want to do anything interesting).
It is hard not to think "We'll see...." But then you watch what he did last night, and it's like: Oh wow.
If you think the NBA is better for having a competitive and fiesty Lakers team, last night was one of the biggest and best wins of the season.
That is thanks to Howard taking all that the fans and the opposing players could throw at him and proving himself the bigger (way bigger) person for it.
More of today's winners:
*Long Island-Brooklyn, Valpo, South Dakota State: All won their way into the NCAA Tournament. For LIU, it's their third straight trip... for Valpo, it will always inspire memories of Bryce Drew beating Ole Miss (one of my Top 3 favorite NCAA Tournament moments ever)... with South Dakota State, it's about how far their star Nate Wolters (27 pts last night) can carry them.
*NFL Free Agency Mania:
-Mike Wallace to Miami: It was a must-have for the Fins.
-Paul Kruger to Cleveland: Bold move new management needed.
-Martellus Bennett to Chicago: A Bears TE who won't drop the ball.
*Reggie Bush: Who wants him? The Lions clearly do -- and everyone seems to think he would be a great fit with Stafford and Megatron. He will shop himself around (it's Reggie Bush, after all), but here's betting that he ends up circling back with Detroit, a huge change of pace from Miami.
*Chip Kelly: No player captured the Eagles' sad "dream team" aspirations from two years ago like Nnamdi Asomugha. It's not his fault -- he was just intended to be the centerpiece. It didn't work out, and the team cut him yesterday, the most symbolic move they could make to signal the end of the Reid Era and the fresh start with Kelly. (More than symbolic, it saves them some cash.)
*Ryan Nassib: Could the former Syracuse QB become this year's Ryan Tannehill in the NFL Draft? His old college coach Doug Marrone, who now runs the Bills, just cut Buffalo's incumbent starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, leaving the Bills without a QB. Sure, they could be eyeing Geno Smith in the draft, but there is no guarantee Smith drops to the back of the Top 10, when Buffalo is picking. And the trade market (Nick Foles) and free agent market (who knows?) are seemingly thin.
*Notre Dame women's hoops: A week after gutting out a win over UConn to take the Big East regular-season title, they pull it off again in the Big East tournament title game. The East's top dog ain't the Huskies anymore. (Well, at least for now.)
*Miami Heat: 19 straight wins. Let's review the major themes of the streak: They are toying with the league... a repeat NBA championship is an inevitability (the only question is how many losses they take en route to 16 postseason wins)... it's OK that the NBA playoffs have no drama, because this team seems to be THAT good.
*Barcelona: Remember yesterday's previews of the Barca-Milan game, in which all the experts were trying to make sense of how fall Barca had fallen en route to being bounced from the Champions League? That was cute.
Down 0-2 in aggregate to AC Milan in the Champions League round of 16, Barca overwhelmed in the second game 4-0, including 2 goals by the brilliant Lionel Messi. And, once again, we are left wondering what would happen if other sports counted playoff series in terms of aggregate score.
*Today's must-see/must-follow college hoops: Lafayette and Bucknell play for the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament... the (sort of last) Big East Tournament heats up, with "Last Four In"-ish Villanova in a must-win versus St. John's... Your sneaky-good game of the day is Boise State versus San Diego State in the Mountain West quarterfinals; both teams have the potential to go on a run and win the conference tournament (or even make it to the tournament finals and put themselves squarely in the "Last Four In" conversation).
-- D.S.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
3/12 (Tuesday) Quickie
The best rivalry in sports right now is 49ers-Seahawks.
*They play in the same division.
*They are the top two teams in the NFC.
*Their coaches hate each other, going back to college.
*They are geographically proximate.
*It's the NFL, and the NFL is king.
*Both teams continue to make bold moves.
Yesterday was a collision course -- as close as you'll get to the two teams battling it out with each other on the field:
The Seahawks traded a 1st-round pick for the Vikings' dynamic (and disgruntled) playmaker Percy Harvin (my second-favorite NFL player behind a certain Jets back-up QB). It was a big bet on one of the league's biggest talents, but if -- if -- Harvin is healthy, there isn't a better QB-RB-WR combination in the NFL than Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Harvin.
The 49ers used a 6th-round pick to give Baltimore at least something for WR Anquan Boldin, star of the Super Bowl and an incredible complement to the 49ers' existing offense, which centers around Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. It was a deft move by the smartest franchise in the NFL, if not all of sports.
The two teams will play twice in 2013 in the regular season and -- in part thanks to yesterday's moves -- once in the playoffs for the right to go to the Super Bowl. You don't have to like either team (or notice the distinctly West Coast geography or methodology) to appreciate that they represent Best Sports Rivalry 2.0.
Follow-up: So what rivalries round out the "Right Now" Top 5?
(2) Alabama-LSU
(3) Ravens-Patriots
(4) Nationals-Phillies
(5) Indiana vs. the Big Ten
More of today's winners:
*Gonzaga is in the NCAA Tournament, zipping toward a 1-seed that they are good enough to deserve, despite their flimsy schedule strength.
*James Madison is back in the tournament for the first time since the early-90s... Tourney regulars Western Kentucky, Davidson and Iona are back in, too.
*Today's must-see game: Mount St. Mary's vs. LIU-Brooklyn (one of my favorites) for the Northeast title and auto-bid into the Tournament. Two other bids on the line: The Summit (North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State, which at the very least sounds kind of awesome) and the Horizon (Wright State vs. Valpo). For all six teams involved, this is it -- win and in, lose and there is no consolation.
*San Antonio Spurs: Beat the Thunder, handily, and missing Tony Parker wasn't a problem. There has been a presumption that OKC vanquished San Antonio from true "West contender" status and that it was a glide path for the Thunder back to the NBA Finals. But what makes the Spurs so fascinating is that they refuse to be bumped from the discussion, and last night's win is more evidence that OKC will again have a massive challenge if it wants to hurdle the West's old standard-bearer to earn the right to get demolished by the Heat in the Finals.
*Steve Hutchinson is retiring from the NFL, and most experts see him as a borderline Hall of Famer. Remember when his jumping from the Seahawks (where he paved the road for Shaun Alexander) to the Vikings was a huge deal, because the Vikings put a novel "poison pill" in his contract offer that kept Seattle from keeping him? (It's irony that Seattle yoinked a star from Minnesota yesterday.)
*Darrelle Revis: Is he about to be traded? I'm with Peter King -- how can you trade for him (presumably a lot of good draft picks) let alone give him the new deal he wants without seeing how he plays following his injury and recovery?
*David Garrard: He has signed with the Jets and it's just a matter of time before he out-performs Mark Sanchez, which to Garrard must feel like a delightfully low bar that makes competing in Miami last season with Matt Moore and Ryan Tannehill look like competing with Rodgers and Brady. The obvious follow-up question, of course, is BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR TEBOW?
*The Big East: Begins its final tournament as something resembling the Big East you care (cared?) about. The Catholic 7 will keep the spirit of it going next year and beyond, but there is something about the mix of Syracuse and UConn (two fan bases that always pack Madison Square Garden) with the smaller basketball-only schools that will be missed.
*Manny Ramirez: Signs with a team in Taiwan. The ignominious end to his MLB career is up there with the ultimately ignominious end to Barry Bonds' MLB career. I would have liked to see both finish swinging at MLB pitches before retiring.
*Tom Crean: Apologizes for post-game outburst with Michigan. Don't apologize, Coach: Own it!
*Madden: Who is going to win the spot on this year's Madden video-game cover? I think it will be RGIII in a rout, but the introduction of old-school players is a wild card -- who doesn't want to see Barry Sanders on the Madden cover?
*Today's big non-winner: Adrian Peterson, who is more than a little ticked that the Vikings got rid of the player most likely to keep defenses from stacking everyone in the box against him (not to mention making Minnesota a viable playoff contender).
*Plus: Kyrie Irving, out 3-4 weeks with a shoulder sprain. If there is anything that will limit Irving's sky-high potential, it is his penchant for getting injured.
*And: Mike Vick, who canceled his book tour because of threats he was getting. He may be back in the NFL and he may be contrite, but there is a group of people out there who don't/won't/can't forget. Threats are never the way to go -- they would make more of a statement by peacefully (but loudly) demonstrating wherever he shows up.
*Anyone else still thinking about the DeAndre Jordan-Brandon Knight posterization?
-- D.S.
*They play in the same division.
*They are the top two teams in the NFC.
*Their coaches hate each other, going back to college.
*They are geographically proximate.
*It's the NFL, and the NFL is king.
*Both teams continue to make bold moves.
Yesterday was a collision course -- as close as you'll get to the two teams battling it out with each other on the field:
The Seahawks traded a 1st-round pick for the Vikings' dynamic (and disgruntled) playmaker Percy Harvin (my second-favorite NFL player behind a certain Jets back-up QB). It was a big bet on one of the league's biggest talents, but if -- if -- Harvin is healthy, there isn't a better QB-RB-WR combination in the NFL than Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Harvin.
The 49ers used a 6th-round pick to give Baltimore at least something for WR Anquan Boldin, star of the Super Bowl and an incredible complement to the 49ers' existing offense, which centers around Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. It was a deft move by the smartest franchise in the NFL, if not all of sports.
The two teams will play twice in 2013 in the regular season and -- in part thanks to yesterday's moves -- once in the playoffs for the right to go to the Super Bowl. You don't have to like either team (or notice the distinctly West Coast geography or methodology) to appreciate that they represent Best Sports Rivalry 2.0.
Follow-up: So what rivalries round out the "Right Now" Top 5?
(2) Alabama-LSU
(3) Ravens-Patriots
(4) Nationals-Phillies
(5) Indiana vs. the Big Ten
More of today's winners:
*Gonzaga is in the NCAA Tournament, zipping toward a 1-seed that they are good enough to deserve, despite their flimsy schedule strength.
*James Madison is back in the tournament for the first time since the early-90s... Tourney regulars Western Kentucky, Davidson and Iona are back in, too.
*Today's must-see game: Mount St. Mary's vs. LIU-Brooklyn (one of my favorites) for the Northeast title and auto-bid into the Tournament. Two other bids on the line: The Summit (North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State, which at the very least sounds kind of awesome) and the Horizon (Wright State vs. Valpo). For all six teams involved, this is it -- win and in, lose and there is no consolation.
*San Antonio Spurs: Beat the Thunder, handily, and missing Tony Parker wasn't a problem. There has been a presumption that OKC vanquished San Antonio from true "West contender" status and that it was a glide path for the Thunder back to the NBA Finals. But what makes the Spurs so fascinating is that they refuse to be bumped from the discussion, and last night's win is more evidence that OKC will again have a massive challenge if it wants to hurdle the West's old standard-bearer to earn the right to get demolished by the Heat in the Finals.
*Steve Hutchinson is retiring from the NFL, and most experts see him as a borderline Hall of Famer. Remember when his jumping from the Seahawks (where he paved the road for Shaun Alexander) to the Vikings was a huge deal, because the Vikings put a novel "poison pill" in his contract offer that kept Seattle from keeping him? (It's irony that Seattle yoinked a star from Minnesota yesterday.)
*Darrelle Revis: Is he about to be traded? I'm with Peter King -- how can you trade for him (presumably a lot of good draft picks) let alone give him the new deal he wants without seeing how he plays following his injury and recovery?
*David Garrard: He has signed with the Jets and it's just a matter of time before he out-performs Mark Sanchez, which to Garrard must feel like a delightfully low bar that makes competing in Miami last season with Matt Moore and Ryan Tannehill look like competing with Rodgers and Brady. The obvious follow-up question, of course, is BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR TEBOW?
*The Big East: Begins its final tournament as something resembling the Big East you care (cared?) about. The Catholic 7 will keep the spirit of it going next year and beyond, but there is something about the mix of Syracuse and UConn (two fan bases that always pack Madison Square Garden) with the smaller basketball-only schools that will be missed.
*Manny Ramirez: Signs with a team in Taiwan. The ignominious end to his MLB career is up there with the ultimately ignominious end to Barry Bonds' MLB career. I would have liked to see both finish swinging at MLB pitches before retiring.
*Tom Crean: Apologizes for post-game outburst with Michigan. Don't apologize, Coach: Own it!
*Madden: Who is going to win the spot on this year's Madden video-game cover? I think it will be RGIII in a rout, but the introduction of old-school players is a wild card -- who doesn't want to see Barry Sanders on the Madden cover?
*Today's big non-winner: Adrian Peterson, who is more than a little ticked that the Vikings got rid of the player most likely to keep defenses from stacking everyone in the box against him (not to mention making Minnesota a viable playoff contender).
*Plus: Kyrie Irving, out 3-4 weeks with a shoulder sprain. If there is anything that will limit Irving's sky-high potential, it is his penchant for getting injured.
*And: Mike Vick, who canceled his book tour because of threats he was getting. He may be back in the NFL and he may be contrite, but there is a group of people out there who don't/won't/can't forget. Threats are never the way to go -- they would make more of a statement by peacefully (but loudly) demonstrating wherever he shows up.
*Anyone else still thinking about the DeAndre Jordan-Brandon Knight posterization?
-- D.S.
Monday, March 11, 2013
3/11 (Monday) Quickie
The play of the weekend -- and the NBA's play of the year -- was the Clippers' DeAndre Jordan posterizing the Pistons' Brandon Knight. First of all, watch it here:
OK, a few things:
*We need to retire the word "posterized" because it won't happen in a more textbook sense than here.
*Brandon Knight may do many productive things in his NBA career, but this is the moment he will be remembered for. (That he stays on the ground juuust a bit too long afterward did him no favors.)
*Why did Knight even try to challenge that lob dunk?
*The camera cut to the kids courtside freaking out is my favorite 3 seconds of video this year.
*The cut to Blake Griffin freaking out isn't bad either.
*The Clippers aren't going to win the NBA title this year. They aren't going to win the West and they probably won't even make it through the conference semifinals. And yet...
This is of a piece with the second most-incredible play of the NBA season -- Jamal Crawford's between-the-legs alley-oop to Blake Griffin, which happened only last week. The gist is this:
If you watch the NBA to see who wins the championship, you're doing it wrong. If you watch the NBA to follow your favorite team, your rooting interest is sincere (I say that as a lifelong Bullets/Wizards fan), but you're doing it wrong.
We watch the NBA for the truly jaw-dropping moments -- like Jordan (who will never again have to worry about sharing a name with that "other" Jordan) over Knight.
UPDATE: Good for Knight that he took to Twitter and displayed a ton of humor about the situation: "It wasn't in the scouting reports that the clippers threw lobs lol" (He might not fully understand the indelibility of the moment, but whether he does or not, good on him for acknowledging it.)
More weekend winners:
*Liberty: As of right now, the best NCAA Tournament story. 15-20 for the season, 6-10 in the conference. But they won four straight in the Big South Conference tournament (including yesterday's title-game win over 1-seed Charleston Southern) and now they are in the NCAA Tournament.
I don't care that they will be stuck in the "First Four" play-in game -- they are in the NCAA Tournament and they validate everything that is awesome about the conference-tournament system (and sort of validate my long-standing theory that we'd be better off getting rid of the conference tournaments and letting every team in an open-to-all mega-tournament.)
*Tiger Woods: ESPN's Scott Van Pelt has had the best reaction to this whole "Is Tiger back?" thing. Here's a representative tweet: "Context: Rory got red hot won 5/19 starts & got to # 1. Tiger now has won 5/19. Luke Donald, # 3 in world, has 5 total...in 237 PGA starts"
I would say that among other things, the win mostly heightens everyone's anticipation for what Tiger can/might/must do at The Masters next month.
*Tom Crean: Walks into Michigan's Crisler Arena and walks out with the first outright Big Ten title for Indiana since '93, barking at a Michigan assistant who was part of the pre-Crean Indiana debacle on his way out. ("You know what you did!" becomes part of Indiana lore.)
A couple of caveats on Indiana's win, which all but secures a No. 1 seed for the Hoosiers, presuming they make it to at least the Big Ten Tournament semifinals:
(1) A team that makes its foul shots beats them.
(2) That was a flagrant foul at the end and Michigan should have gotten both the free throws and the ball, which would have likely changed the game's outcome.
(3) That was Michigan's best defensive performance of the season (and it still wasn't enough).
(4) While appreciating the specific emotional trigger that got him riled up, Tom Crean seems pretty high-strung to navigate his team to six straight wins in the NCAA Tournament.
*Creighton: Fends off Wichita State to become the Mo Valley's automatic rep in the NCAA Tournament. They will be a popular Sweet 16 pick, but the Jays' defense is still a huge question. (Top 10 offense, according to Ken Pom, but by far the worst-rated D -- 77th -- among the Top 16 teams.)
*Miami Heat: That is 18 wins in a row. But the real value of this particular win was the symbolism: Any thought you had that the Pacers might be the team to challenge Miami in the East playoffs should be obliterated like Indiana was by the Heat on Sunday. Again, let's go with my soon-to-be-trademarked phrasing: This season is a "Heat Accompli." (re: here.)
*Dwight Howard: Is he manipulative? Or just flaky? Or just desperate to be loved? I'll say some combination of the last two. The big thing is that the Lakers can't make the playoffs without him stepping up his game (as he did yesterday).
*Matt Kenseth: Three cheers for early-fortysomethings.
*Team USA: Advances to the WBC second round. (Yes, I know you are wildly interested.)
*Cullen Jenkins: Gets $8M and, more importantly, jumps from the Eagles -- who cut him -- to their division rivals in New York, who have a pretty good track record with player personnel decisions.
*Great read: Getting excited for Selection Sunday? Patrick Stevens' daily Bubble Watch is really awesome.
-- D.S.
OK, a few things:
*We need to retire the word "posterized" because it won't happen in a more textbook sense than here.
*Brandon Knight may do many productive things in his NBA career, but this is the moment he will be remembered for. (That he stays on the ground juuust a bit too long afterward did him no favors.)
*Why did Knight even try to challenge that lob dunk?
*The camera cut to the kids courtside freaking out is my favorite 3 seconds of video this year.
*The cut to Blake Griffin freaking out isn't bad either.
*The Clippers aren't going to win the NBA title this year. They aren't going to win the West and they probably won't even make it through the conference semifinals. And yet...
This is of a piece with the second most-incredible play of the NBA season -- Jamal Crawford's between-the-legs alley-oop to Blake Griffin, which happened only last week. The gist is this:
If you watch the NBA to see who wins the championship, you're doing it wrong. If you watch the NBA to follow your favorite team, your rooting interest is sincere (I say that as a lifelong Bullets/Wizards fan), but you're doing it wrong.
We watch the NBA for the truly jaw-dropping moments -- like Jordan (who will never again have to worry about sharing a name with that "other" Jordan) over Knight.
UPDATE: Good for Knight that he took to Twitter and displayed a ton of humor about the situation: "It wasn't in the scouting reports that the clippers threw lobs lol" (He might not fully understand the indelibility of the moment, but whether he does or not, good on him for acknowledging it.)
More weekend winners:
*Liberty: As of right now, the best NCAA Tournament story. 15-20 for the season, 6-10 in the conference. But they won four straight in the Big South Conference tournament (including yesterday's title-game win over 1-seed Charleston Southern) and now they are in the NCAA Tournament.
I don't care that they will be stuck in the "First Four" play-in game -- they are in the NCAA Tournament and they validate everything that is awesome about the conference-tournament system (and sort of validate my long-standing theory that we'd be better off getting rid of the conference tournaments and letting every team in an open-to-all mega-tournament.)
*Tiger Woods: ESPN's Scott Van Pelt has had the best reaction to this whole "Is Tiger back?" thing. Here's a representative tweet: "Context: Rory got red hot won 5/19 starts & got to # 1. Tiger now has won 5/19. Luke Donald, # 3 in world, has 5 total...in 237 PGA starts"
I would say that among other things, the win mostly heightens everyone's anticipation for what Tiger can/might/must do at The Masters next month.
*Tom Crean: Walks into Michigan's Crisler Arena and walks out with the first outright Big Ten title for Indiana since '93, barking at a Michigan assistant who was part of the pre-Crean Indiana debacle on his way out. ("You know what you did!" becomes part of Indiana lore.)
A couple of caveats on Indiana's win, which all but secures a No. 1 seed for the Hoosiers, presuming they make it to at least the Big Ten Tournament semifinals:
(1) A team that makes its foul shots beats them.
(2) That was a flagrant foul at the end and Michigan should have gotten both the free throws and the ball, which would have likely changed the game's outcome.
(3) That was Michigan's best defensive performance of the season (and it still wasn't enough).
(4) While appreciating the specific emotional trigger that got him riled up, Tom Crean seems pretty high-strung to navigate his team to six straight wins in the NCAA Tournament.
*Creighton: Fends off Wichita State to become the Mo Valley's automatic rep in the NCAA Tournament. They will be a popular Sweet 16 pick, but the Jays' defense is still a huge question. (Top 10 offense, according to Ken Pom, but by far the worst-rated D -- 77th -- among the Top 16 teams.)
*Miami Heat: That is 18 wins in a row. But the real value of this particular win was the symbolism: Any thought you had that the Pacers might be the team to challenge Miami in the East playoffs should be obliterated like Indiana was by the Heat on Sunday. Again, let's go with my soon-to-be-trademarked phrasing: This season is a "Heat Accompli." (re: here.)
*Dwight Howard: Is he manipulative? Or just flaky? Or just desperate to be loved? I'll say some combination of the last two. The big thing is that the Lakers can't make the playoffs without him stepping up his game (as he did yesterday).
*Matt Kenseth: Three cheers for early-fortysomethings.
*Team USA: Advances to the WBC second round. (Yes, I know you are wildly interested.)
*Cullen Jenkins: Gets $8M and, more importantly, jumps from the Eagles -- who cut him -- to their division rivals in New York, who have a pretty good track record with player personnel decisions.
*Great read: Getting excited for Selection Sunday? Patrick Stevens' daily Bubble Watch is really awesome.
-- D.S.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
3/10 (Very Sunday) Quickie
Service-y! Don't forget to set your clocks one hour forward.
I should have known that tap-dancing on Kentucky's "First Four Out" status would result in a desperate UK edging my Florida Gators to put themselves back in the proverbial "Last Four In." The final seven minutes of that game (in which Florida didn't score a point) was both maddening as a Florida fan and impressive if you want to see a team playing as hard as it can to avoid an indelibly terrible basketball fate.
Duke throttled UNC: As expected? Duke can lose in the ACC Tournament and still end up with a 1-seed. It would be very (very) interesting if Duke ended up the 1-seed in the South with, say, Florida as a 2-seed, because the Gators present a particularly tough match-up for Duke. (As of now, that ain't gonna happen -- Lunardi has Duke pegged as the 1-seed in the East and Florida bumped off the 2-line.)
Georgetown obliterates Syracuse: In the rivalry's presumptive finale (at least as Big East conference-mates), the Hoyas get the last word, in the process clamping down on the Orange like no team ever has in the Boeheim Era.
I really really want to pick Georgetown to go far in the NCAA Tournament -- and maybe they will, if they can display some of the more-than-Porter offense that they did yesterday to go with that extremely effective D. But I've been bracket-burned by the Hoyas before.
Tournament bids! The Belmont win over Murray State was as exciting as you could hope for. Meanwhile, Florida Gulf Coast may only last the first day, but what a great name. Also: Harvard!
Tiger still up at Doral: He is playing this weekend as well as he has since The Incident. Either he slams the door today and the narrative is something along the lines of "Just wait until Tiger at the Masters!" or he chokes it away and... well, he's not going to choke it away.
NBA: Amare out for 6 weeks. It's the other knee this time. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard is motivated and ready to help Kobe get the Lakers into the playoffs. How can you not be rooting for the Lakers to get in and punch one of the top seeds in the mouth?
NFL Free Agency: Anyone want the game-breaking receiver from the Super Bowl champs? Anquan Boldin cost you and he is probably just a year or two from retirement, but he is available and can clearly make things happen.
Steelers cut James Harrison: In his prime, he was worth the trouble. Unclear where he ends up now. Probably on a desperate loser.
WBC: The US wins...but are you paying attention? (You almost certainly heard about the wild Canada-Mexico brawl.)
Bernard Hopkins: 48 and a boxing champ. Fortysomethings rule!
-- D.S.
I should have known that tap-dancing on Kentucky's "First Four Out" status would result in a desperate UK edging my Florida Gators to put themselves back in the proverbial "Last Four In." The final seven minutes of that game (in which Florida didn't score a point) was both maddening as a Florida fan and impressive if you want to see a team playing as hard as it can to avoid an indelibly terrible basketball fate.
Duke throttled UNC: As expected? Duke can lose in the ACC Tournament and still end up with a 1-seed. It would be very (very) interesting if Duke ended up the 1-seed in the South with, say, Florida as a 2-seed, because the Gators present a particularly tough match-up for Duke. (As of now, that ain't gonna happen -- Lunardi has Duke pegged as the 1-seed in the East and Florida bumped off the 2-line.)
Georgetown obliterates Syracuse: In the rivalry's presumptive finale (at least as Big East conference-mates), the Hoyas get the last word, in the process clamping down on the Orange like no team ever has in the Boeheim Era.
I really really want to pick Georgetown to go far in the NCAA Tournament -- and maybe they will, if they can display some of the more-than-Porter offense that they did yesterday to go with that extremely effective D. But I've been bracket-burned by the Hoyas before.
Tournament bids! The Belmont win over Murray State was as exciting as you could hope for. Meanwhile, Florida Gulf Coast may only last the first day, but what a great name. Also: Harvard!
Tiger still up at Doral: He is playing this weekend as well as he has since The Incident. Either he slams the door today and the narrative is something along the lines of "Just wait until Tiger at the Masters!" or he chokes it away and... well, he's not going to choke it away.
NBA: Amare out for 6 weeks. It's the other knee this time. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard is motivated and ready to help Kobe get the Lakers into the playoffs. How can you not be rooting for the Lakers to get in and punch one of the top seeds in the mouth?
NFL Free Agency: Anyone want the game-breaking receiver from the Super Bowl champs? Anquan Boldin cost you and he is probably just a year or two from retirement, but he is available and can clearly make things happen.
Steelers cut James Harrison: In his prime, he was worth the trouble. Unclear where he ends up now. Probably on a desperate loser.
WBC: The US wins...but are you paying attention? (You almost certainly heard about the wild Canada-Mexico brawl.)
Bernard Hopkins: 48 and a boxing champ. Fortysomethings rule!
-- D.S.
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