MARCH MADNESS! Who you got in your bracket?

[Woochifer]

More tight, exciting games last night. But, I thought that Washington got a major screw job from the refs last night. Seemed like they were doing everything in their power to advance UConn, and Washington didn't help their cause by making some bad plays down the stretch. UConn did just enough to overcome UDub, but that was one of those games that UConn should have lost. So far, they've been very unimpressive in the tournament, even though they're clearly the most complete team. They further lucked out by drawing #11-seeded George Mason for tomorrow's regional final. But, if they play like they've played so far in the tournament, somebody will catch trip them up. Among the contenders on their side of the Final Four bracket, they're looking at a matchup with Villanova or Florida.

The BC/Villanova game was another great nailbiter, but 'Nova's got some great athletes that can take over a game and they came thru down the stretch.

As for my Bruins, I'm actually about to head over to the Oakland Arena for today's regional final! A friend of mine works for one of the NCAA sponsors, so he was able to get an extra ticket for me! No idea how the Bruins will stack up against Memphis, because not only did they have that battle against Gonzaga on Thursday night, but half the team was taking FINAL EXAMS last night! (All the University of California campuses, except for Berkeley, are on a quarter calendar, and this was finals week for the Winter Quarter) Just insane to think about how difficult it must be for them to have all the preparation and chaos of the NCAA tournament stirring, and have to carve out time to study and take exams on the road.

I like that UCLA has already played Memphis this season, and it will be a partisan crowd in Oakland, but I wonder how much the Bruins have left in the tank. But, one win away from the Final Four! That's unbelievable, especially for a team that was picked in the preseason to finish third or fourth in the Pac-10. Anyway, I'm off! Go Bruins!

[daviethek]

I hope UCLA does well in spite of Ben Howland. He is a bit wierd. Whenever he gives radio interviews with his former roost, Pittsburgh, he insists on having 50 Cent playing in the background. Sounds like another victory for Prozac.

Glad I didn't put any long green on the tourney. I would have bet Pitt woud face UCLA until Pitt got caught looking beyond Bradley for what I think was the biggest upset of the tournament.

As far as final exams go, somehow I don't think they look like the ones we took.

[Woochifer]

Well, looks like almost every bracket in America is now officially broken! Three #1 seeds eliminated in the Elite 8, incredible.

But, my Bruins are on their way to Indy for the Final Four! What a moment to see the nets at Oakland Arena come down. Indeed, that was a butt ugly win, but I'll take it over a pretty loss anyday! The shots for neither team were falling, and I can tell that UCLA was gassed by the middle of the first half. They had no lift to their jump shots and looked horrible at the foul line, but they still played great defense and totally threw Memphis off their game. Calipari after the game admitted that he got away from his game plan, and tried to match up with UCLA in a slow down half-court game, but that's exactly what UCLA's defense tries to do.

As it stands, LSU is the match up that I did not want to see. The Bruins cannot match up with them inside, while LSU has the size and quickness to match up with all of our perimeter guys. But, the Bruins have a huge advantage at guard, they play better defense, and they are more disciplined.

And w/ yesterday's games, that George Mason upset is one for the ages. My gawd! UConn was everybody's pick to take it all, yet they played a very uninspired tournament. They had the best talent, but never played up to that level. They needed a huge assist from the refs and numerous mistakes by UDub to win that game, and their lack of heart caught up with them against a clearly inferior opponent. I mean, how does George Mason outrebound UConn despite playing nobody taller than 6'7"?

Looks like a wide open Final Four, with Florida probably playing the best ball heading into next weekend.

[shokhead]

I didnt see anyone on TV giving UCLA any creit at all. After they beat Gonz,it was poor Gonz and then they didnt talk about that game again. Then they beat Memphis it was 2 bad teams and UCLA won and that was it,they went on to gush over the other teams and games. I kinda feel sorry for them,not getting much love from TV at all.

[Woochifer]

I didnt see anyone on TV giving UCLA any creit at all. After they beat Gonz,it was poor Gonz and then they didnt talk about that game again. Then they beat Memphis it was 2 bad teams and UCLA won and that was it,they went on to gush over the other teams and games. I kinda feel sorry for them,not getting much love from TV at all.

Right now, the coverage is all about George Mason, and rightfully so. They just pulled off the biggest upset this deep into the NCAA tournament in over 20 years. That's a huge story.

Personally, I don't mind UCLA getting bumped off the front page, and not getting a lotta love from the national media pundits. They'd been dismissing the Bruins all season long, with a lot of guys not getting on the bandwagon until after UCLA won the Pac-10 tournament. Let the Bruins fly under everybody's radar, and let all those other teams get the hype and the pregame jitters. If UCLA pulls through the Final Four and gets to hoist banner #12 up into the Pauley Pavilion rafters, they'll get all the credit they deserve.

[Woochifer]

AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Less than an hour 'til tipoff!!!!!! I'm so friggin' wound up, why the hell did I just chug down a 32-ouncer of iced tea?????

Anyway, I've already won my office pool. But, at this point, it's not about the 70 bucks, it's all about the 12th banner! It's THAT close, and Florida is beatable.

But, funny things happen in the NCAA tournament, and thus far, the bounces have gone UCLA's way. I was actually scared of the LSU matchup on Saturday, but the Bruins took all the drama out of that game early on and played about as masterful a defensive game as I've seen in years. I'm hoping for an equally inspired showing tonight against the Gators, and keeping my fingers crossed for another celebratory net cutting ceremony. If UCLA plays their game, at this point, I don't think anyone can stop them. But, Florida didn't get this far for nothing. We'll know soon enough!

GO BRUINS!

[shokhead]

Gators are as good on defence and are better scoring.

[Woochifer]

Oh so close, yet so far!

Florida really took it to my Bruins tonight. That was about as one-sided a loss as I've seen UCLA take all season. Florida exposed the interior weaknesses that UCLA had all season long, but managed to work around. Even in the bad losses to Memphis and West Virginia, UCLA still managed to mount a big run to make those games competitive. No such luck tonight. For all the adversity and injures that they had to battle through all season, this is really the first time that they got completely outplayed in every facet of the game. The freshmen played like freshmen for the first time. Disappointing ending to an otherwise thrilling ride.

But, I will add that this Bruin team arrived on the scene a year ahead of schedule, and without all of the pieces in place. As I mentioned at the start of this thread, next year was supposed to be the year that UCLA fields a potentially great team, and that's still the case with probably our best all-around player (Josh Shipp) fully recovered from his season ending hip injury, and all of the freshmen and sophomores that Howland was forced to play this year back next year with a world of experience now under their belt. The next two seasons should have the Bruins perennially fixed into the top 5, and poised for another run at the Final Four.

But, among Bruin teams I've seen, this one is clearly up there with my favorites because they played so far over their heads most of the year, and had to battle through so many injuries. Getting to the championship game was more than I ever expected, and that underdog/overachiever fight with this team was special. Winning a championship with this team would have unbelievably rewarding because this team was not supposed to get anywhere near the Final Four. If this team wins it all next year, it will still be rewarding, but next year's team will be different in that they'll be expected to contend for the championship.

[kexodusc]

Oh so close, yet so far!

Florida really took it to my Bruins tonight. That was about as one-sided a loss as I've seen UCLA take all season. Florida exposed the interior weaknesses that UCLA had all season long, but managed to work around. Even in the bad losses to Memphis and West Virginia, UCLA still managed to mount a big run to make those games competitive. No such luck tonight. For all the adversity and injures that they had to battle through all season, this is really the first time that they got completely outplayed in every facet of the game. The freshmen played like freshmen for the first time. Disappointing ending to an otherwise thrilling ride.

But, I will add that this Bruin team arrived on the scene a year ahead of schedule, and without all of the pieces in place. As I mentioned at the start of this thread, next year was supposed to be the year that UCLA fields a potentially great team, and that's still the case with probably our best all-around player (Josh Shipp) fully recovered from his season ending hip injury, and all of the freshmen and sophomores that Howland was forced to play this year back next year with a world of experience now under their belt. The next two seasons should have the Bruins perennially fixed into the top 5, and poised for another run at the Final Four.

But, among Bruin teams I've seen, this one is clearly up there with my favorites because they played so far over their heads most of the year, and had to battle through so many injuries. Getting to the championship game was more than I ever expected, and that underdog/overachiever fight with this team was special. Winning a championship with this team would have unbelievably rewarding because this team was not supposed to get anywhere near the Final Four. If this team wins it all next year, it will still be rewarding, but next year's team will be different in that they'll be expected to contend for the championship.

Tough one to swallow. Even I was cheering for UCLA...but as you said, these guys are a bit ahead of their time. They'll take a lot from this great run and come back better for it though.

All in all, I thought this years tournament was great. Unfortunately, the final 3 games were rather boring, and the madness had run out. Upsets are fun, but it can make for boring ball in the later rounds. That said, I can't think of a more exciting, surprising, and high-level first 3 rounds, at least not in recent years. This is one of the best tournaments in sports, easily.

[Kam]

Tough one to swallow. Even I was cheering for UCLA...but as you said, these guys are a bit ahead of their time. They'll take a lot from this great run and come back better for it though.

All in all, I thought this years tournament was great. Unfortunately, the final 3 games were rather boring, and the madness had run out. Upsets are fun, but it can make for boring ball in the later rounds. That said, I can't think of a more exciting, surprising, and high-level first 3 rounds, at least not in recent years. This is one of the best tournaments in sports, easily.

now if only we could have december madness in college football... if only.... maybe 'tis a dream our great-grand-children might realize...

[dean_martin]

But, I will add that this Bruin team arrived on the scene a year ahead of schedule, and without all of the pieces in place. As I mentioned at the start of this thread, next year was supposed to be the year that UCLA fields a potentially great team, and that's still the case with probably our best all-around player (Josh Shipp) fully recovered from his season ending hip injury, and all of the freshmen and sophomores that Howland was forced to play this year back next year with a world of experience now under their belt. The next two seasons should have the Bruins perennially fixed into the top 5, and poised for another run at the Final Four.

But, among Bruin teams I've seen, this one is clearly up there with my favorites because they played so far over their heads most of the year, and had to battle through so many injuries. Getting to the championship game was more than I ever expected, and that underdog/overachiever fight with this team was special. Winning a championship with this team would have unbelievably rewarding because this team was not supposed to get anywhere near the Final Four. If this team wins it all next year, it will still be rewarding, but next year's team will be different in that they'll be expected to contend for the championship.

I hope we get to see a pre/early season tournament matchup between UCLA and Florida or LSU next season, even though the games won't mean much except for strength of schedule. I'm not aware of too many cross-sectional rivalries in college b-ball, but the potential is there for one that could last 2 or 3 years.

Heading into the conference schedule, the SEC was characterized as being "down" this year because of the poor win/loss record against big-name opponents early, but at least one commentator noted that the SEC was not down just young. Interestingly, Florida was the one upper-echelon team in the SEC that didn't play anybody outside the league, hence their 17-0 start. (Most of the time the SEC's strength is determined by Kentucky's strength which I think is an outdated measuring stick.) LSU loses only one piece and Florida...well, I think we all know by now that this team can make another run. Bama might make some noise too.

I agree that the first 3 rounds were as exciting as I've seen since probably 1999 when Weber St. with Harold "The Show" Arceneaux beat North Carolina, most of the country became aware of Gonzaga, Wally Sczbrjklmnop...iak led Miami (Ohio) and SW Missouri St. won 2. But only the Zags made it as far as a regional final. (BTW, UConn won it's first that year.)

I can't say much for the semis. In fact, I didn't even care for the Nance/Packer call of the UCLA/LSU game. I switched to the radio broadcast and enjoyed it much more even though the game wasn't competitive. I still can't put my finger on it, but something about those tv guys rubbed me the wrong way.

After we've recovered from our basketball hangover, I guess it's time to either follow the Barry Bonds saga, or get some work done 'til football season.

Oh, wait. Some of us might even watch the NBA Finals.

[GMichael]

I wondered what that pulling sensation down below was (and no Gmichael it was not the snorkel).

Peace

Bernd

Huh? Hey! You leave my snorkel out of your down below. No pulling alowd.

[topspeed]

Sorry about your loss, Wooch. Since my Trojans suck (what else is new?), I wanted to root for a Pac10 team, even if it meant UCLA. However, when my wife found out I was pulling for the Bruins, she actually chastised me!

Is she a keeper or what?

BTW, you'd best hope your underclassmen don't pull a UNC on you and bolt for the NBA. Having the talent to get to the final is one thing, keeping it all together is another thing. Just ask Pete Carroll.