I updated the Week 1 progress pictures, so you may want to check it out again. Also, I'm toying with the idea of making the pictures thumbnails for easier download. If you have an opinion either way, feel free to let me know at brown@chrispy.net.

More basement updates. This time, I expended the effort to make a nice little web page for it. I may end up redoing the previous links so that looks like a page too, but not right now as I'm tired and there is this giant hole in the ceiling that Debbie really wants me to do something about. I thought about spell casting, but then realized I'm not in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

HOLY COW!!!!! FOUR OUT OF FOUR!!!!! That's right folks, yours truly predicted all the Elite Eight outcomes correctly. Move over Dike Vitale! Time to retire Digger Phelps! Go back to law school Jay Bilas!! I am #1!

Just ignore my 4 of 8 performance in the Sweet Sixteen round, that doesn't matter. I was 100% correct.

Also, please ignore the fact that my wife's 1 bracket is currently outperforming all 5 of mine. In fact, her bracket is in 6th place (out of 203) while my best ranks 20th. Oh well, its next week's outcomes that determine the winner.

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On a complete unrelated note, house work sucks. I don't mean chores like vacuuming or dusting. I, like a fool, thought it would be a good idea to install an attic ladder. Well it took me most of the weekend and I still am not finished. There's something a little disconcerting about cutting through a celing joist. I, of course, was stupid enough to install the ladder such that I had to cut TWO! yeesh! Eventually, this will be nice, but Debbie is not real happy about having a hole in the celing 22.5 inches wide and 54 inches long. I can't imagine why *grin*.

EDITED AT 11:24:53
It's funny, I got the same score of 2 out of 4 for Friday's games, but I don't feel nearly as bad about that one. The reason is why I missed the two games in question. I knew there was going to be an upset tonight, I just didn't know who. I was waffling between Illinois and Xavier pulling off an upset and decided to go with Illinois. If I had gone with Xavier, I would have been 4 of 4. Oh well. Now for Sunday's games:

In the Atlanta Regional, Xavier is playing an awesome game, but from what I saw tonight, Duke is still the team to beat. It will be close and there is a definite possibility of an upset, but I'm going to go with Duke on this one.

In the St Louis Regional, Kansas looked mighty impressive in their slaughter of UAB. Georgia Tech survived Nevada. Despite that, I think GT can take Kansas. They are more athletic and have guards who can handle Kansas.

So ... there you have it. My Final Four consists of GT, Ok State, Duke, and UConn.

EDITED AT 3:29:58
There's a reason I'm not paid to give analysis. I have to admit, getting only 50% of last nights games is a bit troubling. *sigh*

Oh well, time to absolutely bore you, my dear reader once again by giving my Saturday predictions:

In the East Rutherford Regional, the cinderella team St Joe's takes on the favorite Oklahoma State. I have not liked St Joe's for most of the year and have been wrong about them everytime. Well, I'm still gonna pick against them. Oklahoma State will earn a sixth final four berth in Eddie Sutton's career.

In the Phoenix Regional, UConn is still the team to beat. Alabama has played some incredible basketball, but it can't last forever. And with two the best players in the country (Okafor and Gordon) playing against the Tide, I just don't see an upset here.

On an unrelated note, I will have pictures of the progress of the basement up this weekend. Take it is an informative picture or try to interpret it like a peice of modern art, whatever's your fancy.

Well, its now time to bore my readers once again by making some more NCAA predictions.

St Louis Regional

Kansas over UAB: Either this happens or no one gets the St Louis Regional bracket right. Maybe that's good for those who had Kentucky winning this, but not for those of us who had Kansas.
GT over Nevada: Again, picking against the cinderella team, but GT should be able to handle Nevada.

East Rutherford Regional

Wake Forest over St Joe's: Best matchup of the Sweet Sixteen. The marquee matchup of Jameer Nelson versus Chris Paul should prove very exciting
Oklahoma State over Pittsburgh: This matchup will prove to be a classic. Two very tough teams and whoever wins this game will probably take the region.

Atlanta

Illinois over Duke: I'm not real sure about this pick, but with Duhon hurting and Illinois shooting the lights out, I think the Illini have a chance to pull this one out.
Xavier over Texas: No one is playing better than Xavier and I think they still have enough karma to win one more.

Phoenix Regional

Syracuse over Alabama: In this "colorful" (HA!) matchup, the Orangmen continue to defend their national title and will manage to survive the Crimson Tide.
UConn over Vanderbilt: UConn continues what I predict will be a run to the national championship.

Let's see what Thursday and Friday brings, but those are my predictions.

I know of two people who read this blog and neither of them is really interested in basketball. That doesn't mean I'll stop writing about it, I'm just acknowledging that the last few posts were not as enthralling to them as they were to me. That said, I am going to take a respite from basketball for today. I'll get back to it tomrrow when I give my predictions for the Elite Eight.
On another note, construction on our basement has begun. Ummm ... that isn't really an apt description since they aren't digging under our house to create a basement. Its more like the process of having a finished basement has begun. Having just bought a digital camera and having jsut started this blog, why not post the progress here? Here they are. Enjoy!
Picture 1
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Picture 6

Man o Manischewitz!!! What a weekend!!! People across America are tearing their brackets and throwing them out. Upset after upset after upset! This is why college basketball owns March and college football is barely a blip on the sports rader after New Years. So, lets see how my picks went:

St. Louis Regional

UAB over Kentucky: There is not a single person who saw this upset coming. Kentucky was the top overall seed in the tournament and bowed out in the second round. What an amazing game this was!
Nevada over Gonzaga: Yet another cinderella who decided that the clock had not struck midnight just yet. Thanks to this and the previous win, the St. Louis Region is up for grabs. No one is safe and seeding means absolutely nothing. One other note on this, thanks to Nevada, a 10 seed, making the Sweet Sixteen, a 10 seed or higher has made the Sweet Sixteen every year for the past eight years.
Georgia Tech over Boston College: Another nail biter of a game. The one problem I had with Georgia Tech is its inability to not score in the final seconds. Rather than hold onto the ball after a steal, Jarret Jack of GT had to make a dunk to put GT up by 3 with 5.5 seconds left. If he hadn't scored, he could just run around and let time run out. Fortunately, BC couldn't hit a game-tying 3 pointer in the waning seconds, but if they had, Jack should have felt like an idiot.
Kansas over Pacific: The Jayhawks do look strong and should make the Elite Eight if not the Final Four.

East Rutherford Regional

St Joe's over Texas Tech: If someone told you that 2 #1 seeds wouldn't make the Sweet Sixteen, how much would you have bet that St Joe's was one of them. Well, their guard play has been strong and look to continue their march to the Final Four. So much for Billy Packer's analysis.
Oklahoma State over Memphis: Wow! Memphis was never in this game as the Cowboys just manhandled them. Eddie Sutton's team looks awfully good.
Pitt over Wisconsin: As predicted, this game was a war. The final score of 59-55 belies how exciting this game really was.
Wake over Manhattan: Not all cinderella's had a good weekend. Manhattan found out how good Chris Paul really is.

Atlanta Regional

Duke over Seton Hall: Duke rolled and seems to be in command in this region.
Xavier over Mississippi State: Is there any team playing better than the Musketeers right now? Xavier proved to be another bracket buster across the country.
Texas over North Carolina: Is there any team as deep as Texas? All 11 players scored in this one. Their next match-up against Xavier will prove to be very interesting.
Illinois over Cincinnati: For all the talking the Bearcats did before and during the game, it was the Illini who came out fighting. Shooting an unbelievable 60+%. The Bearcats were never in this one. Say what you will, but Bob Huggins is NOT a good coach. He doesn't graduate players, he recruits thugs, and he makes early exits from the tournament. Why he isn't fired yet, I don't know.

Phoenix Regional

Alabama over Stanford: So much for the great Pac-10. Fortunately, I called this one and so was ecstatic about this upset. Stanford, combined with Kentucky's loss, marks the 2nd time since 1985 that 2 #1 seeds did not make the 3rd round. Not a good mark to make.
UConn over Depaul: Maybe the double overtime against Dayton was just too much to recover from for Depaul, but they were never in this one. UConn jumped out to an early lead and stayed there. This bodes well for UConn since they were able to rest Okafor more than they might have expected.
Vanderbilt over NC State: I would like to give Vanderbilt its kudos for winning, but NC State blew this game. Fouling on 2 3 point shots and then a flagrant foul that gave Vanderbilt 2 free throws and possession (which they converted for 3 points). NC State showed its inexperience here, but should be back strong next year barring any major pro defections.
Syracuse over Maryland: Gary Williams couldn't pull out another miracle, but give credit to this spunky Terrapin team. Finding themselves down by double digits again, they managed to claw back into this game and wind up losing by just 2. Not only that, but they gave themselves an opportunity to win on the final shot, but just couldn't pull this one out. Suddenly, those brackets with Syracuse coming out of this Region don't look so far fetched.

Okay, so now that all the first round games are over, lets see how my remaining picks did.
Washington just bot beat by UAB so no points there
Lousiville had a good lead but couldn't hang on against Xavier
Pitt did what it was supposed to do, but didnt win by much over Central Florida.

So, my final tally, 10 out of 16. Not great. Not horrible. Barely respectable.

Now, since I'm here, I might as well predict the remaining 2nd round games. My picks are as follows:

• St Louis Regional
  
  1. Kentucky over UAB: Wildcats hould have no problem here
     
  2. Kansas over Pacific: The Jayhawks looked really good in the win over UIC
     
  3. Georgia Tech over Boston College: Couting my last post, thats 5 ACC teams onto the Sweet Sixteen
     
• East Rutherford Regional
  
  1. Pitt over Wisconsin: Toughest 2nd round matchup considering the lower seed team [WI] is essentially playing a home game in Milwaukee
     
  2. OK State over Memphis: Is this Eddie Sutton's year
     
• Atlanta Regional
  
  1. Cincy over Illinois: Sorry Illini fans, but Cincy looks tough
     
  2. Miss State over Xavier: Another unheralded great team in Mississippi State
     
• Phoenix Regional
  
  1. NC State over Vanderbilt: Yup ... I picked all 6 ACC teams to make the Sweet Sixteen
     

Let's see how the weekend goes!

Well, not all the first round games are finished yet, but let's see how my prognostication went:

The Good
Kentucky pasted Florida A&M
BC beat Utah
GT beat Northern Iowa
Wisconsin edged Richmond
Memphis beat SC
OK State drubbed E Washington
Illinois handled Murray State
Mississippi State beat Monmouth
NC State outlasted La Lafayette

and now:

The Bad
Providence lost to Pacific
UIC is getting embarrassed by Kansas (down by 15 after the 1st half)
East Tennessee State did not have enough to pull off the upset
Neither did Western Michigan

As of this time, my predictions of Pitt, Washington, and Louisville all winning will have to wait, but 9 out of 13 ain't bad.

Now, onto tomorrow's games. Here are my predictions for teams to make the Sweet Sixteen:

• St Louis Regional
  
  1. Gonzaga over Nevada: The clock strikes midnight for Nevada
     
• East Rutherford Regional
  
  1. Wake Forest over Manhattan: Ditto for Manhattan
     
  2. Texas Tech over St Joe's: Bobby Knight, love em or hate em, but he knows how to coach in the tournament
     
• Atlanta Regional
  
  1. Duke over Seton Hall: Dukies should roll in this one
     
  2. North Carolina over Texas : don't think Texas can handle Rashad McCants and the Tar Heels potent offense
     
• Phoenix Regional
  
  1. Alabama over Stanford: predicting yet another #1 seed not to make the Sweet Sixteen
     
  2. Maryland over Syracuse: as long as the Terps have anything left in the tank
     
  3. UConn over Depaul: Even without Okafor, Depaul doesn't stand a chance
     

We'll see how these predictions turn out, but one thing is for sure ... my wife can fill out a bracket a lot better than I can :o

Well, it's that time of the year again. A time when grown men weeping is not considered taboo. When strangers gather together to cheer schools they may have never heard of until now. Its March madness Time!!!
I love this time of year. I love March Madness. If you think about it, this is a truly great marketing achievement. The NCAA claims the entire month of March as its own and no one disputes it. The NBA is boring compared to the games being played over the next several weeks.
The best part about the tournament is the small schools. I went to a small school ... Valparaiso to be precise, which should ring a bell if you are a college basketball fan. In 1998, Valparaiso, a small school of some 3000+ in Northwest Indiana, managed to beat Ole Miss on a last second shot by Bryce Drew. They then went on to beat Florida State before succumbing to Rhode Island in the Sweet Sixteen. But, thanks to this glorious time of year, people around the country know Valparaiso University because of that one play. It is a play that gets shown every year on CBS as one of the truly great moments of the NCAA tournament. This is the one sport where the small schools get put on the same stage as the large. Where the chances of winning are closer than in any other sport. Valparaiso will never gain notoriety as a football power, but as a basketball school, we are a team to be feared. To understand the true power of this parity, look at Gonzaga. This is a small catholic school outside of Spokane, WA. This is a school that, despite its size, has become a basketball power. They have so much clout that Valpo, a 15 seed, is playing Gonzaga right now who is a 2 seed. Without March Madness, no one whould have ever heard of Gonzaga nor would they have cared. That is the greatness of this tournament.

Now, for the other great thing about the NCAA tournament. In this blog, I will do the same thing that millions of people around the country are doing as well. I will perform a bit of prognostication and predict the winners of some games. Rather than try to fill out the entire bracket in this blog, I will predict the winners of tomorrow's games only. Why not do the entire tournament? Because that would be a pain to try to format nicely. So ... without further ado:

Twench's Can't Miss NCAA Winners for Friday

• St Louis Regional
  
  1. Kentucky over Florida A&M (duh)
     
  2. Washington over UAB
     
  3. Providence over University of the Pacific
     
  4. UIC over Kansas (first predicted upset)
     
  5. Boston College over Utah
     
  6. Georgia Tech over Northern Iowa
     
• East Rutherford Regional (was there ever a more stupid name?)
  
  1. Wisconsin over Richmond
     
  2. Pittsburgh over Central Florida
     
  3. Memphis over South Carolina
     
  4. Oklahoma State over E Washington
     
• Atlanta Regional
  
  1. Illinois over Muray State (hard to win with your 2nd best scorer in the slammer)
     
  2. E Tennesee State over Cinncinati (I don't think Bob Huggins is a good tourney coach)
     
  3. Louisville over Xavier (another upset, but only because Louisville has struggled to remain healthy until now)
     
  4. Mississippi State over Monmouth
     
• Phoenix Regional
  
  1. Western Michigan over Vanderbilt
     
  2. NC State over Louisana LaFayette
     

Finally, before I end this post, I will give you my Final Four:
St Louis: Kentucky is my pick, but watch out for Georgia Tech
East Rutherford: Oklahoma State
Atlanta: Duke
Phoenix: UConn if Okafor is healthy, Maryland if not

For today's lesson class, I have a list for you. Specifically, a list detailing the Man's Code. Now, when reading this list, remember these are rules for man-to-man interaction. These rules do not apply to women-to-men interaction since that is an entirely different code.

My wife thinks I am insane. Well ... she always thinks that, but I believe she thinks she has proof. As I mentioned 2 posts ago, I have been downloading a short-lived 2002 sitcom called Greg the Bunny. While watching one particular episode, there is a scene that takes place in the bathroom. Writing a description would not do this scene justice, but I laughed so hard I was in tears. The look on her face said it all.

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The democratic process is a wonderful thing. I love how the primaries are absolutely meaningless now that its down to John Kerry and Dennis the Menace ... er ... I mean Kucinich. Now, I get to look forward to 8 months of name calling, mud slinging, bold-faced lies, half-truths ... and that's just Congress! Nothing like a good ole "You Suck!"/"No! YOU SUCK!" campaign to make one feel proud to be an american
<END SARCASM>