3-24-04 - Monday Drinking
3-23-04- Those 70's Thoughts
3-22-04 - Thoughts of the Fabulous Alex Fay
3-17-04 - Hari is Re-Employed
3-12-04 - Blake's Guest Column
3-11-04 - Rule #10
3-10-04 - The Guy Code
Archives
I know what you are thinking. You are looking at your calendars and wondering, "Did I miss a day"? Isn't today March 24th, or did I somehow sleep through all of Wednesday? Fear not, I am just being uncharacteristically prolific and have run out of dates to use. No worries, I'm sure I'll take a month off soon and get these dates back on schedule.
Most of you know that this is my favorite time of year...if given the choice between Christmas, sex, or the NCAA tournament, I'd sadly choose Door #3. There is no way I could let another week go by without writing about the tourney in this space. Lacking any specific topic that I want to write about, I will instead give my picks for this weekends Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games. Take heed; I don't recommend taking my advice before wagering...I'm only floating around the middle of my tournament pool. If you want gambling advice, call Jen Rigg.
Midwest Regional (I'm not interested in that idiotic change to the Regional names:
Kansas over UAB - First off, I hate this pick. I believe that this is the worst Kansas team in over a decade, one that certainly does not deserve to be playing in the Elite Eight. So far, they have only had to
1) "Dice" - Finley Quaye (w/ Beth Orton)
2) "Right in Time" - The French Kicks
3) "So Much Water" - M. Ward
4) "Car Radio" - Spoon
5) "No Weather" - Stellastarr*
6) "Off You"- The Breeders
7) "Matinee" - Franz Ferdinand
8) "I Know the Pattern" - The Thermals
9) "Step Into My Office, Baby"- Belle & Sebastian
10) "Rhyme Slayers" - Atmosphere
Georgia Tech over Nevada - Nevada has made an impressive run to this point, but I think it ends here. Georgia Tech quickness and versatility should be enough to prevail in what I expect to be a high-scoring, close game.
Final 4 Team - Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are quicker, deeper, and more talented than the Jayhawks. Expect to see them in San Antonio
East Regional:
St. Joseph's over Wake Forest - For me, this is one of the most highly anticipated games of the tournment. It will go a long way to answering a lot of questions: Is St. Joe's for real? Can three ACC teams reach the Final Four? Who's right, Martelli or Packer? You will find the best individual matchup of the tournament in this game, when super senior Jameer Nelson matches up with Chris Paul. Wake Forest is a good shooting team that is tough to be when it is on, but I think the Hawks' defense is underrated. Expect Packer to go home in tears.
Oklahoma State over Pittsburgh - I don't think anybody other than CBS would be unhappy if this was the national championship game. For full disclosure, let me first admit that I picked Oklahoma St. to lose here in both of my brackets. Their play so far in the tournament has made me a convert. Both of these teams play great team ball, excellent defense, and are better than the sum of their parts. I bet Pittsburgh sets the (slower) tempo, but the Cowboys ultimately prove too talented.
Final 4 Team - Oklahoma St. Both teams have superb, veteran backcourts, but I think Joey Graham and Ivan McFarlin will prove to be too athletic for the Hawks to handle up front. Consider this my hedge for picking St Joe's and Pitt as my Final Four teams in my pre-tourney brackets.
South Regional:
Duke over Illinois - If Duke fails to make the Final Four, it will be because they lose this game. Illinois can match Duke's talented backcourt, and neither team is particularly deep, so this game may come down to the play of the Illini bigs. I expect Luol Deng to have a big game since no one from Illinois can match his combination of size and quickness. If Duke gets in foul trouble, though, the Illini has a chance. Certainly a better one than the Texas-Xavier winner.
Xavier over Texas - Over the last couple years, the NCAA tournament has become more and more about individual brilliance and less about team depth. Texas is deep and talented, but I don't think they have anyone as capable of taking a game over as Lionel Chalmers or Romain Sato. Look for Xavier to remain hot in a mild upset.
Final Four Team - Duke. Xavier has made an outstanding late season run, but expect the Blue Devils to end it convincingly here. CBS executives certainly hope so.
West Regional:
Syracuse over Alabama - It is hard to believe, but I think Syracuse would rather played Stanford here. If that were the case, the Orangemen would have the pressure off as the underdog. Instead, they face a quicker Alabama team (a Syracuse weakness) that is playing the role of Big Conference Cinderella. Alabama is good three-point shooting team, but the Syracuse matchup zone is tough on teams that haven't seen it before. I could see this one going either way, but I expect Warrick and McNamara to outplay Kennedy Winston and Antoine Pettway to lead the Orange to a hard fought victory.
UConn over Vanderbilt - Connecticut seems to be rounding into the top form that everyone anticipated from them at the beginning of the season. At this point, UConn and Duke need to be considered the tourney co-favorites. Vanderbilt has been surpassing expectations all season (they were underdogs to 11th seeded Western Michigan in the first round) but I expect the Huskies to be too talented. If Vanderbilt shoots well it could be close, but I wouldn't count on it.
Final Four Team - Syracuse. One thing that the talented favorites in the tournament do not want to run into is a team from its own conference. Syracuse will not be intimidated by UConn's talent, and its zone can neutralize Gordon, Okafor and company. All bets are off if the Orangemen get in foul trouble, but you can't expect me to pick all of the favorites. I can't wait until Thursday...