Upset City!

I suppose they are not really major upsets when its 2 and 3 seeds getting wins, but still.

Missouri over Connecticut
- I predicted this in my brackets before the tournament even started...can't turn back now.

Villanova over Pittsburgh
- It seems like Pitt is due to play a full game. Messing around and sucking for the first 35 minutes won't work against 'Nova...this is me predicting that's what happens.

Louisville over Michigan State
- I can't bring myself to pick this 1 seed to go down.

Oklahoma over UNC
- Suck it, Hansbrough.

Elite 8 Picks

Two days in one!

Connecticut over Missouri
- Sure, Missouri looked pretty good in beating Memphis. But the thing is, Memphis isn't very good.

Pittsburgh over Villanova
- Pitt will play like garbage for 35 minutes, then wake up just in time for Levance Fields to hit a rainbow 3-pointer for the win.

Louisville over Michigan State
- Make it three for the Big East.

Syracuse over ...

oh, right.

North Carolina over Oklahoma
- Just because.

Sweet Picks

IT'S CUSE DAY!

Louisville over Arizona
- Big East rules.

Syracuse over Oklahoma
- Screw Blake Griffin.

Kansas over Michigan State
- I have been an epic fail when it comes to disagreeing with Moten in this tournament. That changes today!

UNC over Gonzaga
- What fun would it be for Syracuse to get to the Final Four if they don't even get to beat North Carolina on the way? (It would be perfectly fine, but the Tar Heels are winning this game.)

Sweet 16, Day 2.

Current Standings:

Poetry in Moten: 44-8
K-Gun: 40-12

Louisville over Arizona
- Arizona is clearly more talented than your average 12-seed, but that's not going to cut it here. The Big East roll continues.

Syracuse over Oklahoma
- My brain is is torn over who will actually win this game, so I decided to let my heart do the picking.

Michigan State over Kansas
- My original bracket had Michigan State beating West Virginia in this game. To be honest, now that the opponent is Kansas, I'm tempted to pick against the Spartans, but I'm choosing to honor the original bracket.

North Carolina over Gonzaga
- Eventually, Gonzaga will have its Final Four run. I just don't think they can beat North Carolina.

Sweet 16, Day 1: Predictions.

Records through two rounds:

Poetry in Moten: 40-8
K-Gun: 36-12

The picks:

Connecticut over Purdue
- Because UConn is playing as well as anybody right now (even if the Huskies aren't following all the rules).

Pittsburgh over Xavier
- Because it would be quite foolish of me to pick my National Champion to lose in the Sweet 16.

Missouri over Memphis
- Count me among the people who think Memphis is a tad overrated.

Villanova over Duke
- Easiest pick of the day.

Day 3 Predictions

I'll be posting the predictions for both myself and Poetry in Moten for today.

Records thru 2 days:

Poetry in Moten 24-8
K-Gun 22-10

I had one of the worst days of picking of all time yesterday, it was a pretty horrible experience. Calling the Cleveland State over Wake Forest upset was pretty excellent, though. I think it was okay for Syracuse to lose to them now.

- UCLA v. Villanova
K-Gun Pick: 'Nova
Moten Pick: 'Nova
...I wonder how UCLA feels about playing on Villanova's home court for this game.

- Maryland v. Memphis
K-Gun Pick: Memphis
Moten Pick: Memphis
...and the ACC is down to 2. They've really proven how awesome their conference is with that 3-4 first round record.

- Texas A&M v. Connecticut
K-Gun Pick: UConn
Moten Pick: UConn
...the Big East rolls on!

- Purdue v. Washington
K-Gun Pick: Washington
Moten Pick: Purdue
...finally we disagree on something. This probably means Purdue is going to win, because apparently my picks are the pick of death to these teams.

- LSU v. North Carolina
K-Gun Pick: UNC
Moten Pick: UNC
...but it would be awesome if UNC lost to help clear Syracuse's path to the Final Four.

- Michigan v. Oklahoma
K-Gun Pick: OU
Moten Pick: OU
...see: LSU v. North Carolina; insert "OU" for "UNC"

- Western Kentucky v. Gonzaga
K-Gun Pick: Gonzaga
Moten Pick: Gonzaga
...I have nothing to say about this game.

- Texas v. Duke
K-Gun Pick: Duke
Moten Pick: Duke
...good thing there are only 8 games today, because I have no more commentary to make.

NCAA Tournament Day 2 Predictions.

I'm drinking Mountain Dew LiveWire instead of regular Dew today in honor of the glory that will commence around noon.

Syracuse over Stephen F. Austin
- I couldn't possibly be more nervous about this one.

Tennessee over Oklahoma State
- At first, I was going to give this one to Tennessee because they also wear orange, but so does Oklahoma State. Then I was going to give it to Tennessee because its football coach is insane, but Oklahoma State's football coach is also insane. So in the end, I gave it to Tennessee because Tennessee is a better team.

Marquette over Utah State
- Anyone who picks against a Big East team in Round 1 is a fool.

Kansas over North Dakota State
- People on television seem to love North Dakota State. I'm thinking there's a reason the Bison are seeded 14th.

Arizona State over Temple
- Because Christmas in March is just fucking annoying.

Pittsburgh over East Tennessee State
- This pick is working under the assumption that all of Pitt's players manage to wake up and make their way to the arena today.

West Virginia over Dayton
- See "Marquette over Utah State."

Missouri over Cornell
- I've seen Cornell play in person. The only way the Big Red win is if they shoot 60% from 3-point range.

Utah over Arizona
- Why do I have to keep providing reasoning for these? My fingers are tired of typing.

Louisville over Morehead State
- Because Louisville is good and Morehead State is not.

USC over Boston College
- I have no good reason for this selection other than Boston College is stupid.

Xavier over Portland State
- This is taking fucking forever.

Wake Forest over Cleveland State
- No 400-foot buzzer beaters here.

Siena over Ohio State
- The most shocking part of Siena's upset over fourth-seed Vanderbilt last year? Somehow Vanderbilt got a 4-seed.

Michigan State over Robert Morris
- Michigan State against one dude? Seriously? They're only bringing one guy? Robert and Stephen F. might have a pretty sweet 2-on-2 team, but it's just not going to work here.

Florida State over Wisconsin
- I heard a stat that a Bo Ryan-coached Wisconsin team has never won an NCAA Tournament game against a team seeded eighth or better. That's enough for me.

Day 2. Predicted.

Standings Thru Day 1:

K-Gun 13-3
Poetry in Moten 13-3

We have proven to be equals through one day, but there are still 9 days of tournament basketball left for me to prove that I am better at guessing the outcome of basketball games.

On to predictions...

SYRACUSE over Stephen F. Austin
- One down, 5 to go. Chyeah.

Tennessee over Oklahoma State
- Everything about these teams would suggest that OK St would be the pick, so obviously I would go the other direction.

Utah State over Marquette
- The other 6 Big East teams will be doing fantastic in this tournament. Marquette will not.

Kansas over North Dakota State
- I wonder if ND State will keep it close for most of the game, get people excited, then end up letting the game turn into a blowout late.

Temple over Arizona State
- The Owls scare the shit out of me as a second round opponent for Syracuse.

Pittsburgh over East Tennessee State
- Pittsburgh won't have a problem winning. The real battle will be to escape with all ACLs intact.

West Virginia over Dayton
- There's no way two Big East teams will get upset in the same afternoon.

Missouri over Cornell
- A Cornell win here would be awesome. Well, awesome if I ignore the fact that one of my predicted Final Four teams would already be eliminated.

Utah over Arizona
- Arizona is fully capable of beating many teams in this tournament. That doesn't mean they'll beat any, but still.

Louisville over Morehead State
- Fun fact: Morehead State plays its home games in the Johnson Arena.

Boston College over USC
- My ACC/Big East over non-ACC/Big East in a toss up game theory went 1-1 yesterday. I will be improving that record here.

Xavier over Portland State
- I was tempted to pick an upset here, but decided against it when I didn't have any real reason for it other than just wanting to be tricky.

Cleveland State over Wake Forest
- The only reason for this is because it will make me feel better for Syracuse losing to them in December. It has nothing to do with logic.

Siena over Ohio State
- Two Big Ten teams are already gone. Let's get rid of another one!

Michigan State over Robert Morris
- Two institutions of higher education, three elementary schools, two towns, a number of Navy and Coast Guard ships, and an Inn have all been named after this guy Robert Morris. None of that will help one the University upset Michigan State, but still.

Florida State over Wisconsin
- If I'm right about all my Big Ten picks on this day, four of seven Big Ten teams will be be gone after Round 1. Nice job, Big Ten.

A Better Set of Day 1 NCAA Tournament Picks.

My Big East Tournament predictions were a complete disaster, and I hope these selections are at least slightly less horrible.

LSU over Butler
- To hell with mid-majors.

Memphis over Cal State Northridge
- Fun Fact: Cal State Northridge used to be known as San Fernando Valley State College. Another Fun Fact: California State University of Northridge at San Fernando Valley State College is still no good at basketball.

BYU over Texas A&M
- The statement "to hell with mid-majors" does not apply to mormon schools.

Purdue over Northern Iowa
- I prefer Northern Iowa when it is abbreviated as "No. Iowa." As in, nobody needs Iowa, go away.

North Carolina over Radford
- There's nothing rad about driving a Ford.

Cal over Maryland
- When in doubt, don't pick the team that lost to Morgan State this year.

UConn over Chattanooga
- Fun Fact: In a previous life, I covered Chattanooga's point guard, Keyron Sheard. Great dude, great player, but not great enough to beat the Huskies.

Washington over Mississippi State
- Four signs your conference sucks: A team finishes the regular season with a 9-7 mark in your league. They win the conference tournament. They enter postseason play with 23 wins. And they get a 13 seed.

Texas over Minnesota
- Minnesota's court hovers above the first few rows of seats, like a stage. Sounds fun. Now get the fuck out of the tournament.

Michigan over Clemson
- Clemson's epic collapse, Part 346, continues.

Villanova over American
- Villanova hates America. Deport Scottie Reynolds.

Gonzaga over Akron
- Because I'm still upset at Akron for ruining the dream of two SUNY schools in the same NCAA Tournament.

Duke over Binghamton
- Scrappy white players versus problem players who have been featured for their off-court misdeeds. I'll defy all logic by taking the white players.

Oklahoma over Morgan State
- Because Oklahoma is better than Maryland.

UCLA over VCU
- Because when every talking head on ESPN predicts the upset, you know it's not going to happen.

Illinois over Western Kentucky
- See explanation for "UCLA over VCU."

NCAA Tourney Day 1 Picks

My predictions for today's games, in order of when they are supposed to begin:

LSU over Butler
- As much as I think the SEC sucks, they still have some big name schools there, and LSU just won their regular season title.

Memphis over Cal State Northridge
- I think Memphis is highly overrated, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to think they'll fall to a 15.

BYU over Texas A&M
- I went against this two picks ago, but in general I'm weary about lower seeded BCS schools.

Purdue over Northern Iowa
- Although Northern Iowa does have Jesus on their side...

UNC over Radford
- I hope this game is not on my TV today, I've had about enough of Ty Lawson's toe.

Maryland over California
- Whenever I am faced with a toss up between high majors, I'll usually pick the one that is ACC or Big East affiliated.

UConn over Chattanooga
- I have nothing to say about this game.

Washington over Mississippi State
- You had a nice run, Bulldogs.

Texas over Minnesota
- I'm wondering if I should regret this choice, because it seems like picking Texas is a little too obvious.

Clemson over Michigan
- See: Maryland over California

Villanova over American
- Who else to better handle a scrappy underdog than a scrappy favorite? So scrappy, that 'Nova.

Gonzaga over Akron
- I wonder if Gonzaga will ever make a Final Four. (Doubtful this year.)

Duke over Binghamton
- I can't describe how happy I would be if Duke lost to a 15 seed.

Oklahoma over Morgan State
- Although an OTL feature on Morgan State's coach convinced me they have a chance.

VCU over UCLA
- Mostly because I want the theory that UCLA really sucks to hold true.

Western Kentucky over Illinois
- Probably the most popular 12 over 5. Maybe it's because Western Kentucky beat the best team in the nation. Maybe it's because Illinois scored 33 points in a game this season.

So, How'd I Do?

Sunday afternoon, I posted my final bracket projection. All told, I think the results were fairly decent, especially since the lone criteria I used for seeding was the general knowledge and biases that already existed in my head.

• Correctly projected 64 of the 65 teams in the field (damn you, Arizona!)
• Projected 26 teams on their exact seed lines
• 33 teams were within one seed of the actual bracket
• 5 teams were within two seeds of the actual bracket

I was at my best for the 1 and 16 seeds, correctly projecting eight of the nine teams correctly. The numbers would have been much better, but I fell apart in the 9-13 range.

Selection Sunday is Here (Finally).

Here's my final bracket projection. I'll admit that it's eerily similar to Joe Lunardi's latest, but you'll just have to believe that I wasn't copying him. Great (and/or idiotic) minds think alike.

AUTO BIDS (31): Duke, Binghamton, Cornell, East Tennessee State, Temple, Louisville, Portland State, Radford, Purdue, Missouri, Cal State Northridge, VCU, Memphis, Cleveland State, Siena, Akron, Morgan State, Northern Iowa, Utah, Robert Morris, Morehead State, USC, American, Mississippi State, Chattanooga, Stephen F. Austin, Alabama State, North Dakota State, Western Kentucky, Gonzaga, Utah State.

LOCKS (29): Butler, BYU, LSU, Tennessee, Xavier, Dayton, Washington, UCLA, California, Arizona State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia, Marquette, Michigan State, Illinois, Ohio State.

BUBBLE (5): Michigan, Maryland, Creighton, Wisconsin, Minnesota.

FIRST FOUR OUT: Penn State, Saint Mary's, Arizona, San Diego State.

OTHERS CONSIDERED: Providence, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, New Mexico.

SEEDS:

1: North Carolina, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut

2: Memphis, Duke, Kansas, Michigan State

3: Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Villanova, Missouri

4: Washington, Syracuse, Florida State, Purdue

5: Xavier, UCLA, Gonzaga, Arizona State

6: Illinois, Clemson, West Virginia, Marquette

7: LSU, Tennessee, California, Utah

8: BYU, Ohio State, Butler, Texas

9: Oklahoma State, Boston College, USC, Texas A&M

10: Siena, Dayton, Utah State, Michigan

11: VCU, Creighton, Maryland, Wisconsin

12: Cleveland State, Temple, Minnesota, Mississippi State

13: Northern Iowa, Western Kentucky, North Dakota State, Akron

14: Binghamton, American, Robert Morris, Stephen F. Austin

15: Portland State, Cornell, East Tennessee State, Cal State Northridge

16: Chattanooga, Morgan State, Alabama State, Morehead State, Radford

Projecting the Field (Part II)

Different kind of bracket, but a bracket nonetheless.

Take Two. This time, it's seeded! Hopefully I'll have a chance to update once more before Selection Sunday.

1: North Carolina, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut

2: Memphis, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Kansas

3: Washington, Wake Forest, Duke, Villanova

4: Syracuse, Missouri, Florida State, Xavier

5: Illinois, Purdue, UCLA, Clemson

6: Gonzaga, West Virginia, Marquette, Arizona State

7: Utah, BYU, Cal, LSU

8: Butler, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma State

9: Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Boston College

10: Siena, Penn State, Dayton, Michigan

11: VCU, Creighton, San Diego State, Minnesota

12: Utah State, Cleveland State, New Mexico, Florida

13: Northern Iowa, Western Kentucky, Bowling Green, North Dakota State

14: Binghamton, American, Robert Morris, Portland State

15: Cornell, Stephen F. Austin, East Tennessee State, Cal State Northridge

16: Chattanooga, Morgan State, Alabama State, Morehead State, Radford

Last Few Teams Out: Maryland, Providence, Arizona, Auburn

Other Teams Considered: Rhode Island, Temple, Miami, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, UNLV, USC, South Carolina, Saint Mary's, Davidson

Poetry in Moten's B.E.T. Predictions

Day 1

Cincinnati 66, DePaul 57
- The tournament gets of to a rousing start with this disaster-fest. I'm not sure how it's possible for DePaul to be this bad, but the Blue Demons are epically horrendous.

Georgetown 71, St. John's 60
- Speaking of epically horrendous, hey look, it's Georgetown. Still, the Hoyas probably aren't as bad as their record indicates, and need a little run to ensure a nice, shiny NIT seed.

Notre Dame 94, Rutgers 70
- Rutgers has scored 85 points in its last two games combined. And one of those was a win.

Seton Hall 77, South Florida 75
- Tuesday's slate comes to a close with the most competitive game of the day. I wonder if it was worth it for the four losing teams, or if they'd rather just stay home like past years.

Day 2

Cincinnati 67, Providence 63
- The Friars' bubble goes boom.

Georgetown 80, Marquette 72
- It's madness in the Garden! Marquette continues its freefall, and the Hoyas suddenly have a bit of (false) hope.

Notre Dame 80, West Virginia 65
- Three straight upsets! What's going on?! Is McNamara in the house?! No, he's not. He's busy doing things in Reno.

Syracuse 88, Seton Hall 80
- Finally, all order is restored in the world.

Day 3

Louisville 85, Cincinnati 50
- The Bearcats' run ends in glorious fashion.

Villanova 70, Georgetown 69
- The spawn of Satan defeats Satan himself in this craptacular crapfest.

Pittsburgh 77, Notre Dame 65
- The Irish go cold from the field as the Panthers end Notre Dame's magical leprechaun run.

Connecticut 85, Syracuse 76
- Sure, I'd love to see this one go the other way, but I just don't see it happening. The Orange keep it close for a while before succumbing to the ways of the Thabeet.

Day 4

Louisville 80, Villanova 70
- If the Big East is going to get three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, the Cardinals have to win this game. I say they make it happen, as Edgar Sosa and Scottie Reynolds battle to see who is the more insufferable human being.

Connecticut 72, Pittsburgh 69
- Pitt can't beat UConn three times in one season, can they? Maybe, but the third time will happen in Detroit.

Day 5

Day 5?! Man, this is a long tournament. I'm exhausted just writing about it.

Connecticut 78, Louisville 75
- Just because. The Huskies refuse to allow a Conference USA transfer to win its first Big East Tournament title and tie Georgetown for the most BET championships ever (7).

K-Gun's B.E.T. Predictions

Sadly, Jonny Flynn will not get a similar photo taken of him this weekend.

DAY 1

Cincinnati 65 DePaul 58
- DePaul will have it close late - then remember they are an 0-18 Big East team.

Georgetown 58 St. John's 54
- As hilarious as it would be for Georgetown to go out in the first session of the BET, I can't fathom them losing to St. John's twice in a span of 8 days.

Notre Dame 80 Rutgers 66
- As unimpressive as Notre Dame looks at times, they are fully capable of making a mini-run in the tournament if their stupid players catch fire.

Seton Hall 71 South Florida 63
- I hate that I picked favorites every game on day 1. Oh well.

DAY 2

Providence 69 Cincinnati 58
- Cincinnati sucks. They are only playing on this day because they got to play DePaul on Day 1.

Marquette 85 Georgetown 72
- The Hoyas go out with a whimper.

Notre Dame 77 West Virginia 75
- Do you know who West Virginia defeated away from home in Big East play this season? Georgetown, Rutgers, and South Florida. Impressive list.

Syracuse 93 Seton Hall 82
- The Hall is probably going to keep this game frustratingly close most of the way, because that's how Syracuse rolls.

DAY 3

Louisville 89 Providence 70
- Providence probably needs to keep this game closer if they want to impress the tournament selection committee.

Villanova 88 Marquette 79
- ...although if Marquette wins I CERTAINLY won't complain.

Pitt 90 Notre Dame 69
- PEACE OUT Luke Haranstupid.

UConn 76 Syracuse 68
- My prediction: Syracuse comes out playing out of their minds to get an early double digit lead; UConn chips away and gets the lead down to single digits at halftime; UConn goes on a big run to open the second half and take the lead; battle back and forth for better part of the second half; Syracuse fails to get a stop when needed; UConn gets approximately 10 points late from free throws when Syracuse is forced to play the desperate fouling game. I can't wait to talk myself into spending $60 or more to witness all of this in person.

DAY 4

Villanova 70 Louisville 66
- Nobody benefits more going into the tournament by Louisville gaining the 1-seed than 'Nova.

UConn 65 Pitt 63
- In attempt number three, UConn FINALLY finds a way to slip past Pittsburgh. Early NCAA tourney prediction: these two will play for a fourth time this season in Detroit.

DAY 5

Villanova 82 UConn 78
- I hate myself for predicting this.

Tonight in the Big East

Three Big East games tonight. Let's take a look, shall we?

Seton Hall (15-13, 6-10) at Louisville (23-5, 14-2)
The Pirates currently have a half-game stronghold on 11th place in the Big East, but expect that to evaporate tonight. Louisville needs to win to stay in the hunt for the regular season championship, and expect the Cardinals to get the job done at home.
Prediction: Louisville 85, Seton Hall 70

DePaul (8-21, 0-16) at West Virginia (20-9, 9-7)
A Mountaineer victory moves West Virginia into a sixth-place tie with Syracuse and Providence. A DePaul victory would just be hilarious. I say West Virginia wins, and DePaul saves its first conference win for the regular season finale against Georgetown.
Prediction: West Virginia 77, DePaul 59

Marquette (23-6, 12-4) at Pittsburgh (26-3, 13-3)
The Golden Eagles are reeling, and don't expect it to end at the Petersen Events Center tonight, where Pitt is all but unbeatable. Pitt stays in the hunt for the Big East title.
Prediction: Pitt 73, Marquette 67