im really looking forward to this game today. Baylor didnt play up to their potential all year until now, and Mizzou has far exceed expectations. This should be one hell of a battle. Im rooting for Baylor just because of how hard Drew has worked at getting that squad to just be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

That's not nice ducky.

It's all in fun, man. I'm still rooting for Baylor though. :D

My gosh- they didn't tweet the whistle every time Hansbrough got the ball and, miracle of miracles, North Carolina lost. I watched part of the VT-UNC game at lunch yesterday and Virginia Tech would have won if not for the horribly biased officiating.

UNC just isn't the same team without Lawson

SI

Florida State knocks off the number 1 team!!! Tyler Tebow will not leave college with a ACC Tourney Title!!!

Congrats on the Seminoles win, Noop

SI

Thanks although I didn't anything but cheer for the team :) hopefully we play Duke and win despite the refs, that would be epic.

Yeah, I was stumbling for the word there- it's not really congrats but something that captures "hey, nice job by the team you cheer for and hope you enjoy it"

SI

Oh okay :D It definately has me grinning now that we have beaten the number 1 team hopefully we have locked up a 3 seed and a trip to Miami so I can watch the games.

Ignoring the Kansas fan whining about the big school getting the calls(dear god man leave that to one of the hundreds of other people here who isn't a fan of one of the top 5 or 6 programs in basketball history), I'm pretty damn pleased to see UNC be in the game at the end two games in a row without Lawson out there. I didn't have any expectations at all this tournament, now all that's left is to root against Duke.

Bump- Mizzou/Baylor has been a fun game to watch so far

SI

Baylor is showing a lot of heart playing their 4th game in 4 days, going up against a tough pressing Missouri team. But it looks like they're running out of gas.

Come on, 'SC. I want to see them get in the tournament. They seem to give teams fits in March (last years Mayo-version notwithstanding)

I agree- I thought Baylor was gassed. But now they're making a push. Down to 5 with a FT forthcoming. Again, this is just a fun game to watch. Well played- tho the shooting isn't the best, but both play pretty good D

Going to be really tough to keep up a high pace against Mizzou with their 4th game in 4 days, tho

SI

It's really too bad Baylor had such a big collapse in the Big 12 season.

Looks like they might be done for good now.

SI

Does winning the Big XII wrap up a 2 for Mizzou?

My napkin sketch of top seeds now:

1s) NCarolina, Memphis, Pitt, Louisville

2s) UConn, Michigan St, Duke, Mizzou

3s) Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Kansas, Washington

4s) UCLA, Gonzaga, Villanova, Syracuse

SI

Hooray! USC wins, and the PAC-10 gets another team in the dance. I'm calling it right now: USC to the Sweet 16.

Didn't someone post some stuff about how the record in the final 10 games doesn't matter as much anymore in selection? I would not be terribly surprised to see OU get a 2 and Mizzou a 3, though I don't think it would be a terrible thing for it to work out as you have posted SI.

Yeah, but did they take a bid from Arizona?

They just might have. I wonder if the committee will feel inclined to continue Arizona's tournament streak.

Well, this pretty much caps the bizareness that is my life. Three years ago I moved from Tallahassee to Lexington, and in that time, UK's football team has beaten FSU head-to-head and greatly improved while FSU continues to regress or stall, and now FSU's basketball team is a lock for the tourney while UK isn't even going to make it.

WTF?

Nor would I- I had it initially OU/MU for both that 2 and 3 spot like I had some wiggle room built into my previous picks. But I decided to put a name to both. Didn't do a ton of research but---



Oh, man, that looked awful in the Syracuse/Louisville game- looked like he just hung onto the rim a second too long and lost all balance...

SI

Anyone know what the music is they keep playing in the bumpers for the Big East Tournament? Orchestra music with a little drumbeat. Got someone bugging me about it, but I've not heard it before. Possibly from a movie I haven't seen or an original written for this occassion.

I think so, too. I've been out all night celebrating with my friend who is also a USC fan.

CSUN-Pacific in overtime now.

These officials are calling too many touch fouls on CSUN. Call at the end of regulation to give pacific a chance to tie was not a foul.

Nice, we hung on to win the Big West Championship.

My preliminary Final Four is:

Louisville, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Gonzaga

I don't know if I'll have the balls to put Gonzaga in my final four for my yahoo brackets, but I honestly think they could do it this year. We can all give our opinions tomorrow after the selection show, but I thought I'd go on record here and now, because I like to sound like a dumbass.

WOOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!!!

BIG 12 | Missouri and Baylor play in Championshiop - Photo Gallery - Kansas City Star

BIG 12 | Missouri and Baylor play in Championshiop - Photo Gallery - Kansas City Star

BIG 12 | Missouri and Baylor play in Championshiop - Photo Gallery - Kansas City Star

If they use the 'body of work' emphasis, MU is a 3 seed. If they reward teams that played well down the stretch, MU is a 2 seed and plays in KC.

I think Kansas will be a 2 seed while Oklahoma and Missouri should be 3 seeds.

This season has been one magical run, I am enjoying every moment of it. We will lock up a three seed after we defeat Duke and the refs today...

Blind Homer

:)

Noop

I think it is possible that Florida State is playing for a three seed today...

hey Noop, If FSU wins today where will they be seeded?

Today I am happy being a blind homer.

:D

Noop

more power to you my friend, enjoy it. :)

In case anyone is curious, here's the compiled seeding positions as of this morning from the various prediction sites.

The Bracket Project's Bracket Matrix

I am now reminded why I don't like basketball anymore and really haven't watched it much over the past 10-15 years. It's hard enough to win a game when the other team is shooting 60%+ from 3-point range; it's damn near impossible when so few calls are being made against that team that even Dick Vitale jumps off Coach K's crotch long enough to comment on it - twice. Ridiculous.

:+1:

yup, I wont go so far as to say the refs are fixing the game, but the committee would love a Duke win so they can justify giving them the highest possible seed.

Fouls at the half:

Duke 11
Florida State 8


Free Throws Taken at the half

Duke 3
Florida State 12

Players with 3 fouls:

Nolan Smith, Duke


I guess the ACC commissioner got ahold of the refs and told them to stop being so obvious about giving the game to duke?

I wonder if there is any way to find out what the odds are of a BE or ACC team winning it all this year vs the field. Any gambling gurus have any idea?

Radii...Duke should have alot more fouls then that because I remember quite a few non calls that could have changed the momentum of the game. Florida State has less fouls because Duke is basically shooting lights out and isn't even driving to the hole.

Duke isn't getting to the line because they aren't driving the hole, like noop said. Most of FSU's fouls are on rebounds and offensive fouls. OTOH, Duke is basically mugging FSU on contested shots and getting away with several obvious fouls. Like I said, Vitale even commented on it twice, so it's definitely obvious.

We can't win when Duke is hitting shots like they are, so I'm not saying the game would be any different. This has basically been FSU's biggest problem all year - way too many wasted possessions that result in TOs or missed shots. It's a rare game where they don't go through a 5+ minute stretch where they don't score. But they usually play very good defense and stay close to better teams - they almost beat UNC and Duke during the regular season, and were tied with 2 minutes to go against Pitt until they pulled away.

Speaking of the unwatchable Big 10, the opening five minutes of the second half of the SEC title game has been right up there. Combined 1 of 14 shooting and six fouls in that stretch.

What a game last night!

Very excited for Mizzou and Mike Anderson!!!

The fix is in.

It's amazing how people always find the conspiracies around the teams that they just happen not to like (or that are playing a team they're rooting for).

It's like lowest, poorest loser reaction to losing, where you're trying to actually take joy away from those who are fans of the winner. "Well, it's just fixed so there".

explains why there are so many Duke conspiricies

Yeah I have no rooting interest for either team and see nothing out of the ordinary happening in the Duke/FSU game.

Tennessee couldn't throw a bowling ball in the ocean & get it wet.

You must not watch a lot of Duke ACC games then... the way Duke is shooting I have no doubt they would have beat Florida State. What I have a problem with is the non calls when State has the ball and the fouls called when they are on defense.

The real problem is basketball is so poorly officiated that it's easy to find these issues, and it's a reason I don't watch very much of it. Putting conspiracy theories aside, how do you have a ref in the ACC tournament staring right at the play from like 6 feet away and calling a jump ball when Hansbrough is fouling the guy? Shouldn't that be a firable offense? But it happens all game long in most basketball games these days and just ruins the watchability of basketball for me.

Like I expected the refs will call fouls when the game is finish to make the stats sheet look right.

I think referees and fans have a different idea of what a foul is sometimes. Obviously, consistency is good, but you can't call a foul every time there's contact, even a lot a contact. So there's always occasions to cry about non-calls, if you want to be a crybaby. (like holding in football)

Coach Ham has to be one dumb dumb for a coach, why didn't he try to establish the inside game against a small Duke team is beyond me. Congrats Duke they won this game with or without the refs.

<3

Some crazy stuff at the end of this MSU-Tennessee game.

How about the sequence here right now with 9 seconds left? Three plays, all turnovers, and clock not starting in order to drag this one out just a bit more?

The clock management at the SEC tournament is getting ridiculous.

9.6 left, inbounds pass off a leg, they review and move it to 9.3
9.3 left, MSU gets the ball & steps OOB, no time runs off.
Still 9.3. left, UT inbounds & turns it over, STILL no time runs off.

They finally reset it to 8.0

Just an absurd mess of a game that UT had no business winning anyway.

A mediocre team beats an underachieving mess of an alleged team, neither of whom will matter one iota in the tournament anyway. A great display of just how bad the SEC is this year, a perfect microcosm of the conference right now.

If there's any justice, this should eliminate any shot for the SEC bubble teams (Auburn, SC, Fla). If four SEC teams make the NCAAs, there should be an investigation. Unfortunately I think it's curtains for St. Mary's now. Next time, stay healthy, Gaels.

No way the SEC should get more than three. I figure St. Mary's was already out, I tend to agree with the consensus of those bracketologies posted earlier, that game probably took out either Creighton or Maryland, maybe San Diego State.

See, I figured they were probably a spot ahead of Creighton. This year's committee seems to be making more noise than usual about injuries -- that's why I figured they might still be in. But this won't help 'em. Partly their fault, though. Getting slaughtered by the Zags in the WCC title game didn't help their cause.

This is my position. Obviously I was rooting for FSU, but I don't care enough about basketball to hate Duke so much that I am looking for conspiracies. I just don't like the inconsistent calls, and when it's an upstart versus the perennial champion and the champ is getting quite a few calls (or non-calls), then it ruins my enjoyment of the game. FSU was going to lose this game either way, considering how well Duke was shooting and FSU's limitations. But they really didn't have a chance with the refereeing in the first half. They needed a consistently called game, and I didn't see that.

You forgot to mention the ugly officiating both ways, which also exemplified the rest of the season. It was perhaps the worst year of SEC basketball officiating ever. SEC refs didn't know how to call Miss St games in particular, I am glad to be done with those crews for the rest of the year.

Louisville the top overall number 1, that is interesting.

Wow, Louisville the overall number one, who would have thought that a week ago

wow. 3 Big East ones

The Big East with 3 number 1 seeds.

Its an irrational dislike, but I love seeing Memphis not getting a top seed.

I would have flipflopped Pitt & UNC as 2 & 3 overall at this point but it really doesn't matter much since they would still matchup in the Final Four regardless.

wow

Arizona gets grandfathered in

Arizona snuck into the tourney.

How did Arizona get in?

Damn I was hoping Florida State would play in Miami.

Louisville will smoke MSU

I think I know what 12-5 upset everyone will pick

This is not an easy bracket that's for sure.

Arizona in = Maryland out?

I like the OSU- Louisville potential matchup and WVU-KU would be a good game also

Man... Dayton w/ the #29 RPI is an 11-seed?

Not a great matchup for WVU there.

I'll be really surprised if MD is out.

Go North Dakota State!

West region coming up, I expect Washington to be the 4 seed there

Before I forget, let me mention how much I fucking hate the "pod" system.

Philadelphia is the 1st & 2nd round site for the West regional = ridiculous

Correct

and there we are.

Man not an easy draw for UW. Miss St. in round one then Purdue. Sheesh

Maryland is in.

Okay, so does Maryland in = Michigan/Minnesota out?

I think Minnesota is out

The west looks tough.

I think AZ and MD in = St. Marys / Creighton out

Ok so maryland is in, but a 10 seed!? How in the hell?

Michigan or Minnesota out and Wisconsin in would be a travesty. Their tough SoS came from laying down to 3 good teams and not beating anyone OOC, and they missed playing Ohio State and Michigan State twice in conference. Minnesota and Michigan both managed to win tough non conference games, and unlike Wisconsin neither has a bad loss.

Yeah, really not pleased at UW's seeding. 2 conference champs in the first 2 days of the tourny.

You can just ignore the whole title of each regional until the sweet 16. It is really for the best, though, in regards to attendance and such.

Terrible.

Texas beats Duke in the second round.