Best weekend of the year if you're a hoops freak...
KU is up in about two hours from now; here's hoping they don't show one minute of that game here in D.C. Any inside dope on Portland State, Ismail?
Upset specials for today: I've got Baylor and George Mason. Can't wait for the KSU-USC battle tonight.
I realize that the conference tourneys don't much matter, but I just have to pick Georgia today (so I guess I'm not on board with Chris' 4 . . .).
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping I can make it to the bus stop in time to get to a tv.
I guess the Portland State coach was at Seattle Pacific, but I have no insight. None. Hey, I just moved here, right?
Where is Ismail lately, anyway?
Is there a prediction on that KSU game, dgl? I think it'll go purple, but I guess we'll see soon enough.
Oh, and please reassure me that superstition is dumb; that this is something to be proud of, rather than something to worry about . . .
The pre- or mid-tourney SI cover has jinxed the 'Hawks before: Pollard in '97, Lafrentz in '98. On the other hand, I think Collison was on it in '02, and we went to the Final 4.
ReplyDeletePlus, this is another of those regional covers; I'm seeing others for G-town and UCLA. Surely not ALL those teams can fall early ... uh, can they?
I've got the Trojans over the 'Cats; superior coaching prevails. Tim Floyd ended Kevin Durant's career early in the tourney last year; now he'll do it to this year's Big 12 frosh phenom.
Up 10 early; that should help shake off any first-round jitters...
ReplyDeleteIf you're like me and can only follow the score online, check out the kusports.com message board game thread. It's a more dramatic way to follow the action:
ReplyDelete"Rush playing like he wants to be in the NBA"
They also pointed out that we currently are shooting 72% fgp.
Can't tell if that was a negative comment re. Rush or not...
ReplyDeleteNow up 23 just before halftime (I'm only following it on the ticker).
PSU stuck around for a while; the margin stayed in single digits longer than I'd have liked. But it looks like we've gone on one of our patented runs (that's right, we patented it).
As the early games wind down, KU maintains a 24-pt. lead but Xavier is locked in hand-to-hand combat, still down 5 to Georgia.
ReplyDeleteThis is good for Yancy, not so good for myself (Xavier was supposed to take down Duke for me), and obviously, catastrophic for Chris.
Well, looks like you all got what you needed from X.
ReplyDeleteI think my bracket can handle the hit, though it would've been great to see the 'Dogs advance.
Why just follow the ticker, though? If you can get online, can't you get to the MMOD page?
That's OK; following it on TV here at the office is distraction enough.
ReplyDeleteKU final is 85-61, w/ 18 from B-Rush and 12-26 shooting from three. Please, basketball gods, let us keep stroking them like that...
Too bad about Georgia. Not sure Xavier looks like Final 4 material, though, Chris.
In tomorrow's NJ, we have Obama's bracket:
ReplyDeleteFinal Four is UNC, UCLA, Pitt (clearly just pandering to PA primary voters here) and yes, Kansas. But he has UNC winning the crown.
No word on Hillary yet. Not to be outdone, I'm sure she'll have Pitt defeating Villanova in the title game.
That's hilarious. Thanks, dgl.
ReplyDeleteSo who wants to scout the Runnin' Rebels?
King Kaufman in Salon:
ReplyDeleteKansas is on a roll. It's a deep, balanced, veteran team. It's just the kind of team that wins the NCAA Tournament. There's only one problem with this team: It's Kansas. Every year, it seems, I fall in love with Kansas, and the Jayhawks go splat in the Tournament. For a while there, they were doing it in the first round. Last year they made it to the Elite 8. I'm taking that to mean they're battle-tested, moving in the right direction and whatever whatever you know homina homina.
It doesn't matter. I know I'm wrong. I know Kansas is going down in ignominious fashion. I don't care. I'm picking them anyway. I don't know why. I'm not even this goofy about my own alma mater.
I guess I see where he's coming from, and it's nice to see KU attract supporters . . .
ReplyDeleteBut in the last six years we have made the final 4 twice and the elite 8 twice. In what world is that ignominy?