No, really.  HELP!  "Duke is done."  "Duke dominance is dead."  These were many of the proclamations made after Duke's first round exit in the NCAA tournament last year.  Last year, Duke lacked depth and did not look like the Duke of old.

But they're not dead. Far from it.  Coach K restocked the shelf and also learned a new system thanks to his experience this summer with team USA.  Duke looks good, they look like the Duke of old.  Depth.  Desire.  Dedication.  Duke.

Now, I know the Duke haters are now vomiting.  I realize why people despise Duke.  In reality, probably because they once ended your favorite team's magical season.  I also fall victim to that, circa 1992. 

Led by senior DeMarcus Nelson and junior Greg Paulus, Duke is currently ranked #3 in both polls.  They were down 45-36 last night to N.C State and then steamrolled the Wolfpack in the second half.  Paulus couldn't miss.  Nelson did a little bit of everything.  Freshman Kyle Singler showed his all around game.  When freshman Nolan Smith gets minutes, he opens eyes.  David McClure, Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer and Lance Thomas are all showing significant improvement. 

Duke travels to UNC Wednesday to renew the best rivalry in college basketball.  If UNC wins, don't bury Duke.  This Duke team could be the first Duke team since 2004 to make the Final Four.  It could be the first Duke team to win a national championship since 2001. 

Duke is not dead.  They are alive and well.  Right now, they're as smart as a pick as any to cut down the nets in San Antonio.

AND NOW,  I PRESENT THE DUKE HATERS:

 

It can't be that time already, can it?  The calendar does not lie, it's time.  It's time to get your hatred for Duke started up once again.  It's time for Billy Packer to kiss some ACC ####.  It's time for #### Vitale to share his enthusiasm for college basketabll with all of us.

Now you're saying, already?  It's only mid-October.  Isn't March Madness in, well, March? It seems I can't sneak that past you, but the Madness is upon us.  Midnight Madness is truly a great event to attend, give it a try sometime.  The Madness is here.

It is hard to believe that during arguably the most packed sporting month of the year, college basketball is back.  I know most people don't pay much attention to this sport until college and pro football are done, but I'm in the mood for some basketball talk.  Plus, if you watch from the begining you will know the freshman phenoms like last year's Kevin Durant and Scottie Reynolds before everyone else.

Here are some of my thoughts, leave me yours.

Eric Gordon is the next big thing out of Indianapolis.  Following Josh McRoberts, Mike Conley and Greg Oden is a lot of work, but this kid will light up the scoreboard for the Indiana Hoosiers.

Do you know who your school's head coach is?  You sure?  Billy Donovan couldn't leave the love of his life in Gatorland.  Wait, yes he could.  Alright Orlando!  Give me Darko, Jameer and Dwight!  On second thought ,( or third or fourth) Billy found he belonged back at the University of Florida.  Is he going to regret this when he sees his young, inexperienced team?  We shall see.

So Tubby is in Minnesota, Billy is in Kentucky, Beilein is in Michigan, and Huggins is at West Virginia.  Got it?  Good.

More questions-Will UConn be back?  What will Ohio State look like without Oden and Conley?  Who is there left to hate at Duke?  Is UCLA the next dynasty?  Will Kansas ever reach their potential under Bill Self?  How much will D.J. Augustine miss Kevin Durant at Texas?  Will Arizona underachieve again?  Will Hansbrough and UNC be the team to beat?

Alright, I can't wait for the tip off classics and the Madness to begin. 

 

 

Few teams ever left this big a mark on college basketball.  The baggy shorts.  The bald heads.  The black socks. The brash attitudes.  There was only one.  The Fab Five.

 

You either loved them or you hated them.  There was no middle ground.  Some say they accomplished so much, others say they accomplished nothing.  Some say they were good for the game, others say they were thugs, hoodlums and gangsters.  If you mention the Fab Five to college basketball fans, they still have just as strong of an opinion as they did 15 years ago.

Now me?  Of course I loved them.  I was a kid growing up who loved the University of Michigan.  These guys made basketball popular in Ann Arbor, which isn't easy.  I loved the fact they didn't back down from anyone.  They sure talked a lot, but they did back it up.

There are 3 facts that will always hang over the Fab Five and their success.  ( I took a low number because these are the most common talked about)

1.  They never won a conference championship, let alone a national championship.  Winning a conference championship is nice, but would you rather finish first in the regular season or first in the post season?  In national championship games the Fab Five went 0-2.  They lost in 1992 to a more experienced and more talented Duke team.  In 1993 they fell short to North Carolina, which leads into number two.

2. Timeout.  Chris Webber will never hear the end of this.  Never.  Webber called a timeout in the last seconds of the game when Michigan had no timeouts left.  They were assessed a technical foul and went on to lose.  The timeout is still signaled to Webber by opposing NBA fans.  This was One Shining Moment to the Fab Five bashers.  Rational thinking basketball fans know that Webber didn't cost Michigan the game.  Yes he made an error when the game was ending.  But did Webber miss every shot?  No.  Did he commit every turnover?  No.  Without Webber the next year, the Fab Five advanced only to the Elite Eight.  Obviously, it was better to have Webber on the team.  Or was it?

3. Where are the banners?  You know where this is going.  The University of Michigan doesn't recognize the Fab Five and neither does the NCAA.  ( I wonder how much money EACH made off of the Fab Five, I digress)  Booster Ed Martin gave a total of $616,000 to Chris Webber, and other basketball players after the Fab Five which were Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor and Louis Bullock.  There are no Final Four banners or national champion runner up banners recognizing the Fab Five in Crisler Arena.  That was the punishment for Webber recieving improper benefits. 

Some will say the Fab Five never existed, becuase there is no proof of what they did.  The proof is the baggy shorts NBA and college teams wear today.  The proof is the sports shows which chronicle everything about the Fab Five.  The proof is of Fab Five merchandise I still own.  The proof is every freshman class that comes in is compared to the Fab Five, including the Thad Five.  ( Buckeyes, come up with your own nicknames that aren't a complete copy of ours, ok....lol)

They existed alright.  What was your take on them?  Did you love them or hate them?  Tell me the truth, I want to know how people felt about the Fab Five.

 

 

 

This Final Four is going to be good.  Or at least it has the potential to be good.  Either way, Saturday can't come soon enough for me. 

You see college basketball is to me what football or baseball is to most people.  It's the reason I love sports.  Nothing beats a great run by a Cinderella team like George Mason last year. Nothing beats a favored team like Florida this year backing up all the hype. Nothing beats the March Madness enviroment.  Nothing beats the way you first look at the bracket and project possible matchups that have history written all over them.

This year we saw Kansas versus Kentucky.  Kansas versus UCLA.  North Carolina versus Michigan State.  North Carolina versus Georgetown.  Indiana versus UCLA.  Those are matchups that people dream about seeing in college basketball.  All those schools have tremendous history and tradition.  And there are more great matchups on the way.

 

I'm that excited

 

 

 

First game we have Ohio State versus Georgetown.  The battle of the big men in Greg Oden versus Roy Hibbert.  The Comeback Columbus Kids versus the Heroic Hoyas .  Future NBA stars besides Oden and Hibbert also include Mike Conley of the Buckeyes and Jeff Green of the Hoyas. 

 

 Indy's finest: Conley and Oden

Both teams were down big in this tournament.  Ohio State looked buried when they found themselves down by 20 to Tennessee in the first half of the regional semifinal.  They looked dead in the water against Xavier in the second round until Ron Lewis nailed a tying three pointer in the closing seconds.  I guess looks can be decieving.  ( Please, no Oden jokes........well ok, just one.) 

Likewise, Georgetown had no walk in the park either.  They were down by as many as 11 in the second half against North Carolina.  Vanderbilt had them in an early 12 point hole in the regional semifinal.  The Hoyas are the team headed to the Final Four though.  The Ewing and Thompson regime reigns again.

 

  Dad's not the only one with game.

Should be a great matchup between Georgetown and Ohio State.  It should be noted that Georgetown knocked Ohio State out of the second round of last year's tournament.  I picked Georgetown to lose in the championship game, but I think the Buckeyes will squeak out a victory.  And then their "reward" is facing the winner of the rematch between UCLA and Florida.

Florida routed UCLA in the title game last year.  Both teams return pretty much their entire teams.  It will be interesting to see which is the bigger motivator.  UCLA has the motivation of trying to get payback for last year's embarrassment.  Florida has the motivation of trying to get 1 game closer to repeating.  Who is going to win?

  No idea man

 

It's a tossup with me too.  UCLA has the tenacious defense.  Aaron Afflalo and Darren Collison seem to be everywhere on offense and defense.  Role players on this team do what is asked of them.  The Bruins desperately want to get revenge on Florida and add their 12th championship the following game.

  You're not going to end my season again, are you shrimp?

Florida is on a mission.  Their core group came back in part to repeat as national champions.  They look flat out unbeatable at times this tournament.  Against Butler it was the bigs of Noah, Horford and Richard who not only scored the points offensively, but stepped out on screens defensively and showed how versatile they can be.  Against Oregon it was the guards who kept hitting killer three point shots to deflate Oregon.  I'm giving the edge to Florida because of their balance offensively and defensively.

They don't like to share those championship trophies in any sport.  Greedy ####s.

I really don't have any preference as to who wins or loses.  I just hope these 2 games lead to a great championship game.  I'll do that prediction later, for now I'm anticipating what could be an epic Final Four.

We're not talking about your SEC rival Georgia.  Or everyone's favorite March Madness  bulldog, Gonzaga.  Or even the Tougaloo College Bulldogs.  (There are WAY too may colleges or universities with a bulldog as the mascot.)  No we're talking about the BUTLER Bulldogs.

( Maybe not the sexiest picture, but it backed up my point.)

I actually picked Florida to win this game in my bracket, but I have to root for Butler in this game for a number of reasons. 

1.  I live in Indianapolis, where Butler University is located.  It's hard not to get caught up in all the hype and excitement that this team has brought ever since they won the preseason NIT in New York City.

2. I love rooting for the underdog.  Kind of fitting that the underDOG is a bullDOG.  This would be reminiscint of Hoosiers.  ( Hoosiers was filmed at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the home gym of Butler) 

3.  I'm getting a little sick of Florida.  Nothing against any of their fans, it just gets old when a certain team wins at everything. ( Of course I would feel different if it were one of MY teams winning, but that's not the case here)

4. Mike Miller.  This is the guy who beat Butler in 2000 on a last second shot in a first round NCAA tournament game between these two schools.  I remember rooting for Butler in that game because they were the underdog.  Maybe if Butler knocks off one current long-haired Gator, Joakim Noah, it will be a little payback against a former long-haired Gator, Mike Miller.  ( Stating the obvious: They both need a haircut!)

 

 I sooooooooooooo look like a girl, but not as bad as this guy

 

Alright I know Florida will probably win, I'm expecting them to.  It would also benefit my bracket if they won.  I just wanted to start some back and forth with Florida fans.  When you're #1, you get people coming at you from all sides.  Good luck Gators, but I wish more luck on the Bulldogs, they might need it!

 

Who knows where this started.  The new sign to hold up in sporting events states" That just happened".  Really?  I missed it.  Thanks for being so informative.  I have fallen into this trap though and will now state things which will happen during the NCAA Tournament.  These I believe they call no-brainers.

• CBS will promote the Masters
• Billy Packer will talk about the ACC when calling a game between 2 non ACC teams
• Jim Nantz will say something corny
• Gus Johnson will get so jacked up when he calls an upset in the first round that you feel like you should have been at the game
• Joakim Noah's dad will be shown cheering in the stands
• CBS will promote Two and A Half Men- the life story of Rick Majerus
• Someone will mention the Chris Webber timeout and I will cry
• Everyone will hope Wisconsin loses early so that we can stop hearing that Kammron Taylor looks like Chris Rock
• Everyone will root against Duke
• As much as I want it to happen, a 16 seed will not upset a 1 seed
• When Kansas beats Niagara Friday, someone will start an article by saying Niagara Falls
• CBS will not be promoting King of Queens ( What happened to that show, it was funny?)
• Jon Scheyer's parents will be worried in the stands
• Someone will laugh when the announcer says #### Roberts
• Even when told 300 times, people will still be confused as to which state Wright State is located in-it's Ohio
• CBS will not be promoting Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
• I will feel a little empty inside when One Shining Moment officially ends the Madness
• If Winthrop blows a lead, an article will start by stating Win-flop
• The Wildcats will win when Kentucky meets Villanova
• John Thompson and Patrick Ewing will be shown looking ominous when in the stands
• One of your Cinderella picks will lose in the first round like they were supposed to
• One of your Final Four picks will lose in the Sweet Sixteen
• I will not be very productive during these 3 weeks
• What did I miss?

Alright, no more excuses.  The brackets, seeds and pairings are set.  I've done two versions of predicting Final Four picks, and this is the finale.  Join the fun!

In my last prediction I had Kansas, Georgetown, Wisconsin and North Carolina.  Kansas was and still is my pick to cut down the nets in Atlanta.  Georgetown and North Carolina are in the same bracket, I'm going with the Hoyas. 

Here is where I threw the chalk away. Quack, quack, quack.  Oregon will upset Florida and advance to the Final Four.  In another head scratcher, I have picked Tennessee to upset Ohio State and then beat Memphis to get to the Final Four.  Tennessee almost beat Ohio State in Columbus earlier this year and Tennessee has gotten better.

I have Wisconsin losing to UNLV in the second round.  Wisconsin just can't score and UNLV has experience.  I don't think North Carolina will get past the phenom Kevin Durant and his fellow Texas Longhorns.

To review, Kansas will meet Oregon and Georgetown will meet Tennessee.  Kansas and Georgetown meet in the final with the Jayhawks prevailing.  Feel free to laugh or insult, this is what makes the Madness so fun.  No one knows what will happen next.  Some other questions and thoughts:

 

Is this the year a #16 seed beats a #1?  Don't laugh, it's going to happen one day. 

Do you fill out different picks or do you go with the same picks in all your betting and office pools?  I'm in 6 different pools right now, and I use the same picks. 

Don't eat too much chalk.  No #1 seeds made the Final Four last year. 

I picked Pitt to go to the Elite Eight.  I'm REALLY nervous about that.

Don't expand the tournament!!!!!!!!  It's fine the way it is.  If you expand the field, the same problems will be there.  Some team is going to get left out and complain.  Too bad, every team had their chance to win there way towards a bid.  It's not the selection committee's fault you lost to teams you were supposed to beat.

ENJOY THE MADNESS!!!!

Did you hear the good news?  Did you?  Someone is looking out for college basketball fans everywhere.  On Sunday, Daylight Savings Time begins....a.k.a. we have to wait one less hour for the brackets to be released!  ( Always remember for changing your clocks-Spring forward, Fall back)  For some reason Daylight Savings Time was moved up to March this year and we don't set back the clocks until Novemeber 4.  Every other year I can remember Daylight Savings Time starts in early April and ends in October. 

 

  YEAH!

Maybe I'm too excited for this, oh well.  I couldn't help but compare Christmas to March Madness and come to the conclusion March Madness is so much better.  5 reasons

1. Presents- Christmas: Can't open presents early and if you could, so what?  Your own presents most of the time now come out of your bank account.  Doesn't make you feel great.  March Madness: Presents opened all the way up to Selection Sunday with conference tournaments and daily bracket changes.  And for those who really have it bad, the NIT. Advantage:  March Madness

2. Travel and Weather- Christmas: Fighting fellow travelers on the road or in the air in the beginning of winter. Puts you in  a hostile mood.  March Madness:  Travel to couch/recliner/tavern/buddies house when spring is begining.  Puts a smile on your face.  Plus NO TRAFFIC!!!!!!!  Advantage:  March Madness

3. Expenses- Christmas: " We spent how much money on who?"  I know you feel my pain.  Christmas helped max out 2 of my credit cards this year, good thing I'm not bitter.  March Madness:  Chump change compared to Christmas.  Making sure cable or satellite bill is paid for duration of tournament is very reasonable.  Make sure remote control has fresh batteries.  Snacks, food and drinks are necessities when trying to watch 4 games at once.  Add that up and it is dirt cheap compared to Christmas.  Advantage: March Madness

4. Wagering- Christmas: " Wonder who gets stuck under the mistletoe with ( insert the one uncle/aunt/cousin/elf/coworker person's name who you wouldn't wish your worst enemy on) this year?   March Madness- Wonder how much cash I can make if THAT team makes a run deep in the tournament?  Advantage: March Madness   Really, have you ever seen anyone WIN when under a mistletoe?  Even if you lose in your wagering on March Madness, it was worth the gamble. Can you really say that with the mistletoe?

5. Political Correctness-  Christmas: You can't say that word.  Remember, Happy Holidays  March Madness:  I've never heard anyone upset with that term. March Unhappiness wouldn't exactly roll off the tongue smoothly.   Advantage: March Madness

Well if I didn't change your mind with those astute observations, Ba Humbug. 

I did a post 2 weeks ago about who everyone was picking to go to the Final Four.  As we have witnessed, a whole lot of things can happen in two weeks.  I did the first post without seedings or brackets and I'm going to keep it that way.  I want you to pick the 4 teams you think can make a run all the way to Atlanta no matter who they play along the way.  ( Obviously if two of my picks are in the same regional bracket, that blows the whole idea.  Let's not think about that.)

My picks were Georgetown, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas A & M.  I picked Kansas to win it all.  I'll stay with that pick, but change one member of my Final Four. 

It's not Georgetown, jump on this bandwagon now before it's too late.

It's not Kansas.  They remind me soooooooo much of Florida last year.  A team that always has talent, but underachieved in March.  That was Florida before last year, this might be a good omen for Kansas.

It's not North Carolina.  They are young, but they have a RIDICULOUS amount of talent.  I'm thinking they put all the talent together and make a huge run.

Process of elimination leads us to Texas A & M.  I like watching them play, and Acie Law is clutch.  ( If you don't believe me, ask Kansas.)  I don't think Law has enough help though.

The fourth team I struggled with.  Does anyone know how good Memphis really is?  Who is this years version of George Mason?   Will the Gators see their repeat dreams come up short like so many have? Can freshman phenom Kevin Durant guide Texas all the way like Carmelo did?  Is Ohio State too young for the pressure? Why do I ask more questions than a 4 year old?

After much hair pulling, debate, and nachos I have picked Wisconsin.  ( Maybe the nachos were a sign)  Call it my Midwest bias.  True they just lost against Ohio State on Sunday.  They won't be thinking about that in March though.  I pick Wisconsin as my fourth team based on depth and experience.

 

WHO YOU GOT?

Well, the much awaited day is here.  Big Ben Wallace returns to the Palace for the first time since signing with the Bulls last off season.  When I first heard the news last summer, I was surprised.  There were rumors circulating that Ben wasn't totally satisfied with his situation in Detroit, but I figured it would be resolved in the end. 

The end occurred when Ben decided he needed to move on to the Bulls.  I can't really blame Ben for going with the highest bidder, can you?  It does hurt as a Pistons fan that Ben went to the Bulls of all teams, but hey things could be worse.  Ben gave Detroit fans 100% every night he wore the Pistons jersey.  And it's not like the Pistons are suffering a lot in his absence.  I'm hoping this restarts the rivalry with Chicago.  Am I the only one thinking this could be the Eastern Conference Finals matchup? 

I'm hoping the Pistons fans give Ben a standing ovation in pre-game introductions.  Show him the appreciation for giving his all every time he took the court.  I believe he represented the organization well.  It was sad to see him go, but let's remember the good times too.

Good times also include Ben letting the afro go.  No cornrows in the game Ben, go afro.

 

I have been known to open my mouth sometimes without thinking.  Some of you may remember a post I did called Diarrhea of the Mouth.  I had boasted about the Big Ten being  a better football conference than the SEC.  When this proved to be wrong, I took my medicine and wrote a post about how the SEC was better.

Sadly, history repeats itself sometimes.  That was a fun back and forth, but my actions recently crossed the line.  Flying Pig and I were to face off in a bracket in Reverand Rhythm's March Madness blogging tournament.  Now FP and I have never had problems and the guy even supports the same teams I do.  With poor taste, bad judgement and no responsible thinking I wrote a poem about his daughter which was untrue and hurtful.    Many a blogger posted that I was wrong and they were 100% right.  I apologized to Pig and took down the post.  Pig took the high road and accepted the apology, which I greatly appreciate.  So to all of those who were offended, I was wrong and feel worse than you can imagine.  I went over the line and have seen the disrespect it showed towards Pig and his family.  It was uncalled for.

 

Let's get back to sports now and end this post with some final thoughts:

 

Something today I heard made me laugh.  If the Daytona 500 is the Super Bowl of racing, is the California race the Pro Bowl?

2 weeks ago I posted a Final Four Prediction post.  My four predicted entrants to the Final Four are playing some great basketball.  Kansas, North Carolina, Georgetown and Texas A & M. I 'm doing a new version Monday and we will see who among us has already changed their picks.

Speaking of brackets, only 2 weeks until Selection Sunday.

Kevin Durant is the best college basketball player in the country. 

Eric Gordon ( headed to Indiana) will be the 2008 version of Kevin Durant. 

 

 

Respect the crane kick!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, Selection Sunday is approaching rapidly. It won't be long until you are debating how many #12 seeds will "upset" #5 seeds. We all think we know the trends and tendencies of March Madness, but we don't. I don't know anyone who has ever filled out a perfect bracket, and I doubt you do either. Last year we had an underrated Florida team cut down the nets. George Mason made an incredible run all the way to the Final Four. Kansas lost in the first round. Tourney favorite UConn was denied by George Mason.

This is why March Madness is my favorite sporting event. You never know what will happen in any given game. Sometimes the favorites advance like they are expected to, but the real fun in March Madness is watching those higher seeds lose to an underdog team. The crowd starts to get behind the underdog, and the intensity begins to grow. I can't wait!

So, who do you have in the Final Four right now? Just remember, not all the favorites advance. I'll give you my picks, tell me who you got.

My sleeper teams: Georgetown and Texas A&M


Final Four teams: Texas A&M, Kansas, Georgetown, North Carolina


Champion: Kansas over North Carolina



( Picks subject to change after games tonight! LOL)