Friday: ACC takes tournament floor
I’M ASSUMING NOBODY GOT HIS OR HER BRACKET TOTALLY SHREDDED YESTERDAY, given that none of the grand titans fell. The biggest upset was Harvard (a 10.5-point underdog) over New Mexico, but not sure how many around here were putting great faith in New Mexico to advance deep into the tournament. Maybe I’m wrong.
The story of Thursday was the close calls. Gonzaga escaped a scare from Southern, which was vying to become the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1. No. 13 Davidson probably should have beaten No. 3 Marquette — we mentioned that fishy Vegas line of 3.5 the other day — but the Golden Eagles rallied from nine points down to win it 59-58.
Cal over UNLV was a mild upset, as was Wichita State over Pitt, Colorado State over Missouri and Oregon over Oklahoma State. None of those Vegas spreads was greater than 4.5 points, though.
Ryan Kelly and the Blue Devils get the tourney action started today at 12:15 against Albany.
ANOTHER 16-PACK OF GAMES TODAY, starting with Duke-Albany at 12:15 p.m. All four ACC teams that made the tournament are in action. N.C. State plays Temple at 1:40, Miami plays Pacific at 2:10 and UNC plays Villanova at 7:20. I’ve got Swofford’s crowd winning all four of these matchups — they’re all favored to do so by at least 4 points — but we’ll see.
JMU-Indiana (4:10 p.m., TBS) and W. Kentucky-Kansas (9:50 p.m., TNT) are the two 16 vs. 1 matchups — the only chances that something really historic could happen today. Hope we at least see a few buzzer beaters today.
Colin Cowherd argues on behalf of UVa.
OTHER NEWS & NOTES
-Doughty has a story on the 1984 Virginia coaching staff, which included the likes of Jim Larranaga, Terry Holland and Seth Greenberg — a quintet that has 2,035 career wins.
-Colin Cowherd defending UVa? Believe it.
-Andy breaks down the Hokies’ linebacking corps as spring practice nears.
-Former tennis star Jennifer Capriati faces stalking and battery charges.
-Sorry, Ralph. The Dodgers’ fears are indeed realized as Hanley Ramirez will miss two months.
-Mark Prior, who hasn’t pitched since 2006, is attempting a comeback.
-Harlon Hill, the first MVP in NFL history, dies at age 80.
-The Nuggets — yes, Nuggets — win their 14th in a row.
READER COMMENTS O’ THE DAY
-Good stuff as always, gang. Got a little heated at times, but there was also some levity and some good perspective.
From Desert Hokie: I suspect that most of the views shared on this blog have the clarity of one’s view atop a galloping horse. My Iran reference was that while this blog is interesting, entertaining, and informative, it is about college sports; not about the very real and troubling issues of our time. A lot of folks shoot from the hip here, that’s the fun of it. If they are wrong, they’re wrong, but it doesn’t make them liars or stupid.
From Ralph: I was already tired of of that commercial with the guy talking to the four little kids and now it`s on all four channels.
From crooked road: I’ll just go ahead and address this, because that’s what I do – Jay Leno needs to be fired, effective Saturday. Let him flame hot & hard tomorrow, then slice his throat. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Broadcast reruns for 60 days, then bring in Jimmy Fallon. JF can manage the turnaround. Just do it.
From Rick H: This [time of the sports calendar] is better than Christmas, because you don’t have to deal with family, and clean up a lot of wrapping paper for gifts that people will take and exchange.
From HokieAl: Here’s a follow-up to the gas tank question from yesterday. In all newer model cars, there is either a triangle or small arrow near your gas gauge. It points to the side of your car where the gas cap is.
NAME THAT TUNE
One for the Baby Boomer crowd today:
Hello there, female
My, my, but you do look swell
Could you please walk
A little slower
I wonder if you know
That you’re putting on a show
Could you please walk
A little closer…
March 22, 2013 - 8:51 AM
Those Albany Albanians will really get after ya…
AMc, what’s the line on Miami over the Pacifists?
Anyone ever notice that the word pacifist has ‘FIST’ in it? Wonder if that makes them – the Pacificians – feel bad?
If UNC has to face this tonight, best of luck to them…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx-EFpTFSt8
Davidson had a Golden Eagle in the hand, and poor defense let it get away.
I wouldn’t want to be a #5 seed today, given both lost yesterday, but then again, that happens every year, or as they said in one of the games last night, 26 years out of 29, a #12 has beaten a #5.
The biggest disappointment was Davidson’s collapse in the last 90 seconds of that game. Not only did they have Marquette beat, they had them beaten badly, until they couldn’t defend the 3, and Marquette pulled a couple out of their backsides, and Davidson just generally lost it.
Cal’s win was just lucky. I know he’s a good coach, but I don’t get Mike Montgomery’s strategy of not putting anybody in the lane to rebound free throws at the end of the game. They nearly lost that game because of missed free throws, and he had nobody in lane to rebound, pulled everybody out, during the last two or three minutes. He concedes a miss.
The most amazing thing of the day/night . . . . the fact I could watch 4 games at a time, on truTV, TBS, TNT, CBS – and miraculously have all four of them hit media timeouts at the same time. It happened a half dozen times, at least. It was so frustrating to see that AT&T guy talking to those little kids every time I flipped channels.
Hey Rick H, watching the NCAA tourney is like having an island made of candy, where all the sand is sugar.
crooked, you get the post of the day, and it isn’t even 10 AM! My sides hurt right now, I’m laughing so hard.
On the near miss against Gonzaga, in a possible #16 upset of a #1 – if you really want to want to watch a good game, get on on YouTube and watch the 1989 game between ETSU and Oklahoma. The whole game is out there, minus commercials..Until it happens, that’s as close as it will get.
That ETSU team was young, very young, a bunch of freshmen and sophomores, for the most part. I was living/working in Johnson City at the time, and our office literally shut down, as the whole town did, when that game starting turning the way it looked like it might.
Miami is a 13-point favorite over the Fist-throwers, CR.
I blew up one of my 4 brackets with New Mexico. I didn’t feel good about Gonzaga at all, and felt that Ohio State was beatable…so I advanced the Lobos to the Final Four in one of them. Dumb. It went against my better judgement to never advance a team from a minor conference past the first weekend unless they are in a truly favorable bracket with favorable potential 2nd/3rd round matchups.
I was struggling to stay awake last night watching Michigan take down South Dakota State and finally decided to turn on Netflix and watch Sherlock Holmes.
To be honest, the tournament just make me as excited as going to the bingo hall. Sure, somebody might win and yell, “BINGO!” but be honest, have there ever been fisticuffs at a Bingo hall because of a suspected caller?
UNC have their hands full. Villanova likes to play small and fast. That may not bode well for my Tar Heels. If they stink it up defensively, well, old Roy is gonna have to spend the offseason wondering why.
I had Harvard. New Mexico never gets by the first round. Harvard has more intercollegate athletes than any other university. More than Notre Dame, USC, or Texas. How do they do it? Money, of course! I also had Davidson. Giveth and taketh away!
I’m a Girl Warcher- Okaysions-
Oh, yeah, and on the Colin Coward link, he’s the biggest ass and hypocrit in the world, well . . . . maybe he shares the crown with Skip Bayless
He’s like Joe Lunardi, he changes his mind more often than he changes his underwear. I don’t recall him defendding VT when they had the same resume, in prior years, that UVA did this year. His little UVA rant a few years ago (the brie eating one) was humorous, I’ll give him credit for that, but he is not somebody to be taken serious.
Desert Hokie scores on the song and the pick. Nicely done.
OK, gang, which game(s) are you watching most closely today? Any results you sorely need to make a move in your pool?
I need the Canes not to get socked by the Fists today. Just realized how chalky my bracket is this year.
The irony of Harvards win is that the Ivy League does not award athletic scholarships. The athletes financial aid is based on the same criteria as the other students. So props to them, real student athletes. Haven’t checked the brackets today but anybody playing Temple is always in for a fight at tournament time.
No particular game today makes or breaks my brackets…but I really need to get Louisville, Indiana, and Florida to advance to the Final Four to have a chance. I can win my free lunch with 2 of those 3, and perhaps just 1 if it’s Louisville or Indiana…but if for whatever reason they all flop out this weekend or in the Thursday/Friday games next week…I’m done.
#12 RH, I had forgotten about that. For years, hoos hated Cowherd because of this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RidU6ILUQNE
And then the slapfast that ensued here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zKxcXfKYgY
I have to thank him for making me laugh at the truth of his rant at that time. Of course, he follows the breeze…
Harvard! Tsk tsk…
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/03/22/cheating-scandal-kills-4-harvard-quiz-bowl-championships
Aaron…I failed to look at the photo of the gas tank…but that looks like a Ford Escape XLS or XLT…somewhere in the 2001-2005 model years.
How do I know this? My wife drives a 2003 Ford Escape XLS with running boards in the same metallic true blue paint as the one in the photo…
It’s better to be fast and to not be bitten by a werewolf. Fact.
So now I`ve got to look at this guy on the blog too? Oh well, better then a picture of Ramirez holding up his bandaged thumb. Flash forward to opening day and there`s Gordon at shortstop, I guess. Speaking of commercials, how about this. A guy wondering around the back of his car with the fuel nozzel in his hand. Cut to two guys playing guitars “What`s more exasperating then not knowing where your fuel spout is?” “Paying two much for car insurance?” Nods of agreement . I, ,too, need for Miami to not pull a New Mexico today or any day before the final four, for that matter.
Sorry, Ralph!
Man they keep showing the replay of the St. Mary’s game. Am I the only one who thinks that last second shot is going in every time they show the replay even though I know it’s not?
Rick H., I think that Montgomery got his strategy for not having free throw rebounders at the end of games from Greenberg. He routinely did that at VT despite having players who never consistently hit free throws when they were really needed.
I live right around the corner from St. Mary’s College and take my dog there every afternoon to play frisbee on the rugby field. I try to make most of their home games and they are always exciting. Their facility reminds me of my old high school gym, small with wooden bleachers. The students sit on one side of the court and the fans on the other. The place absolutely rocks and the bleachers do sway. They always give Gonzaga a fit when they play here. I was hoping that last shot would go in, but it didn’t.
I don’t think Randy Bennet will be here much longer as he is a great coach and motivator.
The song is “I’m a Girl Watcher” by the O’Kaysions. Yes. I’m a boomer!
I had New Mexico in my Final Four. And I should have picked Harvard.
Years ago, I went to college & grad school at Penn and was in the band. I attended over 150 Ivy league basketball games over a 6-year span, and went with Penn to 2 NCAA tournament games. Last night, Harvard got the ‘Ivy Dream Scenario” —- they were matched up against a smallish, athletic team that had arguably overachieved this year. Further, UNM was a West coast team that almost certainly underestimated Harvard, and was not familiar with Ivy-style play and tempo. And most importantly, Harvard’s 3-point shots kept falling.
In my experiences with Penn, we got matched up againt Antonio McDyess’ Alabama squad in 1995 — our nightmare was a match-up against a team that was simply bigger & stronger than us —- and we got crushed as McDyess scored 30+ points. Then in 1999 we had to play a Florida team led by Mike Miller — again, got crushed. And in 2000 we had to play a huge Illinois team.
Last night, Harvard lived the dream. I’m more than a bit jealous today, and my bracket is crushed in the process.
NC State looks to finish the year like they started: by underachieving for the talent level they have on their roster.
I’d like to register a rant against all of the “expert commentators” who keep ripping Marshall Henderson of Ole Miss. Henderson is wild — one of the commentators over the weekend described coaching him as “riding a bull for 8 seconds”, and it seems appropriate. But I find his exuberance and flamboyance on the court to be incredibly refreshing. He’s honestly excited to be playing in the tournament, and he’s having a lot of fun. And every time he does something good, we have to hear ___(insert studio commentator name here)___ say “I wish he’d act like he’s been there before” or something similar. Why do all players have to be emotionless robots on the court?
There is nothing wrong with showing emtion while playing off the flow of the game but a lot of times Henderson’s antics are cocky and disrespectful in nature. Does he receive some harsh treatment from opposing fans? Absolutely, and it’s not necessarily right that they do (especially when a Missouri student held up a sign “For a good time call Henderson’s sister #xxx-xxxx). I think his arrogance rubs people the wrong way, like how he mentioned he was going to try and get “paid” this tournament. He had 19 points today but played a very subpar game where he started out shooting 2-17, I think, and 6-21 overall. Some very poor numbers from a guy that just chucks up nearly 11 3-point attempts a game while only making around 30%. Give him credit though, he is a competitor and wants to win which is great, I’m all for that. I guess personally, I would rather he show his excitement for the game while being respectful of it at the same time.
RP, because those commentators are soul-sucking leech who have forgotten what it is like being a college kid being in the dance.
Here’s why Fallon wins…
http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/drew-barrymore-precious-home-video-baby-olive-185746786.html?vp=1
Amazing what happens when you invite someone from outside the bubble into the family!
Had LaSalle, but also had NC Sate. I hadn’t seen Gonzaga this year, and couldn’t understand what all the hoopla was about. Saw that 7 footer run the court like Dr J, and I get it now. They will be tough.
Another commercial that`s starting to wear on me is the one with the guy and girl on their first date drinking a beer and talking about facial hair. You know the one where his friends are hitting on her friends. Actually, the ad is okay, I guess; but, i really want to know why the guy can`t go back to Cleveland again. .Ever been to the Flats in Cleveland? There`s a Hooters there which seemed kind of ironic to me.
My West bracket is pretty much destroyed at the moment…but the rest of mine are in semi-decent shape, except I had UNLV as a Sweet Sixteen team.
The Wolfpack are the epitome of underachievers. Picked to win the conference and they finish 5th. ACC#5 is suppose to beat the A10 #4. I’ll give that conference credit though; they’re undefeated in the tournament so far. It’s easy to see so many mistakes in seeding the committee made. Montana had a SOS of 303 and lost to Davidson, but got seeded ahead at 13. How Bucknell got an 11 seed after the Patriot Champion from last year, Lehigh, was seeded 15 baffles me.
Did anybody notice the banner hanging in the Dayton arena. “Dayton 1967 Final Four?” The team they beat to get there? Virginia Tech. Perry, Combs, Ware ,Tolley are the players I remember from that team.
I can’t remember who said it on ESPN radio today, but they said you could take the top 4-5 A10 teams, put the players in Duke, UNC, Kansas, etc uniforms…and think they really were those teams. They have some stout programs for hoops.
BTW…anyone have Georgetown making a deep run? It’s not looking good for the Hoyas…wow.
John Thompson III’s Georgetown, with the exception of 2007 when they made it to the Final Four with the help of a really good draw, haven’t really had much success in the tournament. Had em going out in the next round, but this doesn’t surprise me. FGCU is battled tested. Beat Miami and lost to three other tournament teams.
Florida Gulf Coast University have pulled the biggest upset in awhile. Wow.
UNC survives Villanova, but their interior defense are starting to drive me crazy.
I’m watching Iowa State/Notre Dame right now. One observation: those highlighter colors need to be banned. They are burning into my retinas. But, I will give the Cyclones this, they are giving the Irish fits. They have been clogging the paint with extra defender all night long, frustrating the Irish bigs, and forcing turnovers. At some point, the Irish are going to have to start hitting pull-up jumpers to stretch the Cyclones’ defense. The Cyclones’ defense are collapsing on the ball inside the paint. Not a good way to win the game if they don’t recognize it.
For the ESPN new guy on the BB staff, a reminder-
I May have missed some but a follow up of the many Seth ran off the BB program at VT-He states he misses his team but hope he keeps up with the runaways also-
Marquie Cooke – Dismissed?/Transfer, Colorado State
Winton Witherspoon – Transfer, GW (Nigel Muson – Transfer, UDC
Hank Thorns – Transfer, TCU (averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 assists in his senior year ’11-’12)
Manny Atkins – Transfer, Georgia State (14 pts. 6 rebounds this year)
Ben Boggs – Transfer, Valpo (20 mins, 6 points)
Tyrone “Lil’ Wayne” Garland – Transfer, LaSalle (12 pts, 2 assists, 1 steal this year –
Dorrian Finney-Smith – Transfer, Florida (redshirting)
Woops,,I forgot both Curry’s but they never got a chance to leave the program.
#41 M3, James Johnson coached the 2012/3 Hokies to a 13-19 record, last place in the ACC.
If Miami breaks the Lakers’ record, and the Nuggets break their record, does anyone then say the Nuggets are a team for the ages?
Haven’t kept up with the blog the last couple of days. CR, what did Leno do to earn your venom. I very rarely watched talk shows so haven’t seen him in a long time. I did get to see him live about 12 years at Harrah’s and he was great. Did about an hour and a half and I was tired from laughing at the end.
Would love to see the Nuggets go all the way, including beating the Heat in the finals. Even though I’m not a Tar Heel fan, have always liked and admired George Karl. The guys been througha lot, needs something good to happen to him. The Nuggets seem to be a real team, no one big star.
#44 540, everything’s been publicized. Or at least everything that needs to be, has been publicized. Karma is a viper.
Did anyone read the lead story in today’s roanoke times sports about “the ACC player of the year” Shane Larkin being the leader of Miami’s team in the tournament. Really? Written by Stephen Hawkins from AP. Does the Times not check facts before printing stories? Sure, Larkin is a great player, but someone needs to apologize to Erick Green of Virginia Tech- THE REAL ACC player of the year
steve — Yeah, somebody should have added that he was voted player of the year by the coaches, with Green getting the media award.
#46 steve, I’d guess the folks in Miami would hold the opposite view. Both players can make the claim, and both fan bases can shriek over it. Erick Green has a trophy somewhere, so I doubt he is too worried about it. The same could be said about Shane Larkin.
Yeah, my appologies. I never heard of the coaches award before. I see online that this was the first year. Guess I didn’t see it in the paper earlier this week. Whoops
I would bet that Green could care less — Larkin is still playing, and that’s the real prize.
#42 CR, so what’s your beef? Are you on the Seth G bandwagon?? Does his commentary and apperances on espn now make him now a rock star??
His coaching record and accumen anywhere he’s been resembles rats fleeing from a sinking ship.
167–117, at VT and 66-71 vs ACC @ VT. Nine seasons, 1 NCAA and 5 NITS.
.
Two other NCAA appearances total both with Long Beach State and none with South Fla.
Gberg is like a Bob Uecker, Rodney Dangerfield, and just an unlucky coach.
Always lost the close meaningful games.
Bet his next coaching gig will be in the Northeast soon. Too big an ego to play fourth fiddle on the espn playground.
And yes CR, VT 13-19 this year, we all know that but thanks for reminding.
We all know who to blame for that!