Well, There's Always Next Year

I just want to start this by telling you, I am a genius. In a manner of speaking.

I predicted at the start of the NCAA Tournament that 2 number 1 seeds, a number 2 seed, and a number 3 seed would advance to the Final 4 in Detroit. Genius, right?

Now to the manner of speaking part. I predicted that Pittsburgh, Louisville(both #1 seeds), Memphis(#2 seed), and Syracuse(#3 seed) would go to the Final 4. North Carolina, UConn(#1 seeds), Michigan St(#2 seed), and Villanova(#3 seed) are the teams headed to Detroit this weekend.

So really, not so much the genius.

The regional semi's and finals were great for this tournament because it was going to much to form in the first 2 rounds for my liking. I know I said last week that it's good for ratings, but that doesn't mean I like it.

Villanova's appearance in the Final 4 brings back memories of the Wildcats upset victory over Georgetown in the NCAA Finals back in 1985. That is still considered one of the biggest upsets in sports.

Common sense tells us North Carolina and Connecticut will play for the NCAA Championship on KTAB on April 6th, but basketball is a funny sport. You should not be surprised if you are watching Michigan State and Villanova on the 6th.

The Final 4 is this Saturday in Detroit. Michigan St. and UConn start the night at 5:07. The 2nd game between North Carolina and Villanova tips at 7:47.

Enjoy the games on KTAB.

Okay Through 2 Rounds

After the 2nd day of the NCAA Tournament on KTAB, I was thinking about throwing my bracket away, but the weekend made me rethink.

I missed 10 games in the 1st round, but I picked it up in the 2nd round. I picked 13 of the 16 games correctly. I am proud of that, and more importantly, I go to the 2nd weekend with all of my Elite 8 teams still alive and kicking. 

Contrary to popular opinion, I am not doing well because I am a genius. The tournament is going pretty much according to form. The lower seed won just 7 times in the 1st 48 games of the Big Dance.  Arizona is the lowest seed at #12. Purdue is next with a 5th seed. Every 1, 2, and 3 seed are in the Sweet 16.

While that may be kind of boring for casual viewers, it works out pretty well for those of us who are trying to pick these games. 

It also works out for the folks at CBS. When the top teams advance, more people watch the tournament. People say they like the underdog, but almost without exception, ratings are higher when the top teams like Louisville, Kansas, North Carolina, and UConn are playing. The top teams are the names you know, they are the teams with more fans, and they are the teams that get better ratings. 

CBS is loving this tournament because they have the big names from the big conferences playing in the Sweet 16. I am loving this tournament because I have a great chance to do well on my bracket. It's a win, win for us. 

We start to knock it down to the Elite 8 on Thursday on KTAB. Enjoy the tournament.

It's Madness

The MADNESS is here. Basketball, basketball, basketball and more basketball.

The 1st weekend of the NCAA tournament is being played in 8 cities around the country. 64 teams started the day with a shot at the national championship. I say that, but that's 1 of the myths of the tournament, not all 64 teams had a legitimate chance to win the tournament. American, Northern Iowa, Binghamton, and the like DON'T have a shot at the championship.
They MIGHT win a game in the tournament, but they are not going to win the whole thing.


That said, it's still fun to watch teams like Akron and Morgan St. take on the teams from the Big 6 conferences to see how they do. Sometimes those teams surprise us. Sometimes, they prove they belong among the top teams in the nation.

Or do they? Are they that good, or are the teams from the Big 6; Big East, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, Pac-10, ACC, and SEC, over-rated? Probably a little of both. Quite often, good or bad, teams get seeds based on their conference or reputation.

I love watching the little guy win games in sports, that's one of the reasons I love the NCAA Tournament. The little guy gets a shot, and they come thru every now and then.

F.Y.I., I picked Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse to go to the Final 4. I picked Louisville to beat Pitt for the title.

Enjoy the tournament. I know I will.

Put the Popcorn Down

It's been awhile since I wrote on my blog, but leave it to the NFL to give me motivation. 

The Dallas Cowboys are releasing Terrell Owens, and I say good. I have been a T.O. apologist for the last 2 years. I believed that his antics were worth the headache since he could produce so well on the field. 

Now, the antics are a distraction and Terrell is old. In the past, T.O. could take a swing pass to the sidelines, make the first guy miss, and get 10 to 20 yards. That is not the case anymore. He can still give you the big play, on occasion, but they are not nearly as common. 

The Cowboys are sending him out the door along with his troublesome ways. I am sure some team will pick Owens up, but he's not the same player. He is older, slower, and weaker. That's a bad combination if you are a receiver in the NFL. 

How I See ACU's Probation

The ACU football and track teams were put on 2-years probation for violations of NCAA rules. The violations range from letting a prospect use a coaches computer for an on-line course to a Sunday morning Bible class, that I am a member of, giving foreign athletes Christmas gifts.

Before you guys start saying, "I knew they were up to something", I want y'all to know that Jared Mosely is not running a renegade program over on Judge Ely Blvd. The Wildcats violations, by the NCAA's own admission, are considered minor, but there were so many of them, the NCAA had to punish the school in some manner. 

EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION. 

The primary problem at ACU in this case is many of the coaches were not as well versed on the rules as they should have been. For example, we were asked by A COACH to bring food and Christmas gifts to the Christmas party mentioned in the NCAA's report. The members of my Bible class were not trying to gain an advantage for the school with these gifts. They were taking care of some kids who couldn't go home for Christmas. 

I believe that in most of the cases mentioned in the report, the coaches weren't trying to cheat, THEY WERE NOT AWARE that what they were doing was against the NCAA rules. This where ACU dropped the ball, and they are working to pick it back up. Coaches are being required to attend rules seminars held by the NCAA. I know, sounds like a hoot, but it's important to do, so the school doesn't have to suffer thru another day like they did on Thursday. 

Bottom line, the ACU track and football teams broke the rules, and they should be punished in some form or fashion. Even though these were minor infractions, they were infractions. We don't want the NCAA to subjective. I believe if you break a rule, you should suffer the consequences. 

Upside for ACU:

1)They were honest. Once the violations were known, the school reported itself to the NCAA.

2)The penalties are not too severe. They give up 2 scholarships for 2 years on the track side and the football team has to take 10 victories off the record from 2007. Really no big deal.

3)The school will now be monitoring the athletics program more closely, and that means that the Athletic Director will be monitoring the individual sports more closely, and in turn, the head coaches will be monitoring themselves and their assistants more closely.  

Quick Points About A-Rod, Tony, and NASCAR

Why is anyone surprised that Alex Rodriquez tested positive for performance enhancing drugs? Really folks. Let's get in the game. A-Rod was one of 104 that tested positive for banned substances back in 2003. He is one of many. No one should be surprised. On average, each team had 3 players that tested positive. This is not a surprise anymore. Players in this era use performance enhancers.

Tony Romo talked to Babe Laufenberg about the Terrell Owens situation. Romo said he expects receivers to complain about not getting enough passes thrown their way, so when T.O. does it, it's no big deal. Really, no big deal. It's a huge deal. T.O. is a locker room breaker. That guy makes enough noise for 20 players combined, and he gets people to follow him. The Cowboys need to get rid of Terrell Owens. He's a malcontent, and he's getting older and easier to cover. 

By the way, if you listen to reports, Tony Romo is part of the problem in Dallas, too. He evidently needs to worry more about his practice habits and less about having fun. 

Finally, I have come to the conclusion that I am a NASCAR fan. This realization kind of snuck up on me this past weekend while I was watching the PRACTICE for the Bud Shootout and the PRACTICE for the Daytona 500. For some reason, I am intrigued by the different drivers personalities, and I like the way the engines go "VRRRRROOOOOMMMM". I still don't know an awful lot about the strategies, and I don't watch races from start to finish. I do, however, enjoy NASCAR. There, I said it. They say admitting you have a problem is half the battle.

SUPER Bowl 43

Now that's what I'm talking about. When the 2 best teams in the NFL get together in the Super Bowl, I want to see the kind of great show the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers put on in Super Bowl 43. I want the Super Bowl to come down to the last 15 minutes of the game, and for the 2nd year in a row, I got exactly what I wanted in the Steelers 27-to-23 victory over the Cardinals.

The Cardinals showed great heart in the final quarter, and they scored 16 points in the first 13 and a half minutes of the 4th quarter to take the lead, 23-to-20. However, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense answered the call. Pittsburgh drove 78 yards in 8 plays to retake the lead 27-to-23 on a Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes touchdown pass for the game winner. Not only was it the game winner, Holmes made a great catch in triple coverage for the score.

The stars came out to play and played a major role in this one:

-Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 256 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes.

-Holmes, the Super Bowl MVP, caught 9 passes for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

-Steelers linebacker and NFL Defensive MVP James Harrison set a Super Bowl record for the longest play with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.

-Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 377 yards and 2 touchdowns.

-Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught 7 passes for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This is what the Super Bowl should look like. A great game that comes down to the last few seconds with all the stars making big plays for their team. The my wife has always said the Super Bowl should be a close game. Well, that's what happened this year in Tampa, and they are beginning to be close more often than not. Super Bowl 43 is the 4th championship game in the last 6 years to be decided in the last minute of the game.

The NFL's championship game is finally becoming a SUPER BOWL.