Anyone feel like talking NCAA's?

What is the biggest upset you are picking in the first round? I am not really impressed with the midmajors this year as opposed to years past, but I think Xavier will give the Zags a run for their money and Kent St over Pitt.

Iona over LSU

I put a lot of money down on them; hopefully i'll cash in.

Iona has been a real popular choice. Seems like all the talk radio shows are picking them as the upset.

Iowa in the final 4. I'm not picking that, but the winner of the Iowa Texas game will represent the Atlanta Bracket.

It's been my experience that the more people say a team is going to be an upset, the less likely they are to do so. When you start saying that someone's going to upset a team, that makes the higher rank team focus more, IMO.

I have Pacific over B.C. as my 4-13, and I've struggled mightily trying to figure out whether my 5-12 should be Utah State over Washington or Texas A&M over Syracuse, but for now I have A&M over Syracuse due to A&M's defense.

I have Iowa in the Final Four too, simply because they are playing some teams who haven't had great performances when faced with solid Defenses (Duke). Texas is my concern with them, but they're a better defense than Texas, and they've played that big ten style ball that always crushes folks in the tourney.

Some of my bigger ones are Marquette in the Elite 8 and San Diego State, Wichita State, and Georgetown in the Sweet 16.

I wouldn't have done that. LSU will kill them inside. Iona's only hope is if Burtt lights them up from outside, and LSU's coach should be fired if they give him any open shots.

Texas is the team that puts the most fear in my (from Iowa's perspective). That said Northwestern State and the winner of SIU/WVU will not be easy tasks. If Iowa plays there style of basketball than I think the Texas game will be a doozy.

If Iowa matches up with Texas its going to come down to Hansen staying out of foul trouble. If he can do that he can help slow down Aldridge's game. Texas has a lot of weapons though.

I think Tyrus Thomas and Glen Davis are a little overrated and i'm hoping their inexperince comes back to bite them on their ass. If not, i'm out a couple hundred bucks, but if they choke i'll have enough drinking money to last me till mid summer.

I hate to say it but I like Kansas as a team no one is talking about. Also unfortunately I think Duke is the team to beat, neither UConn or Nova really impressed me as the teams on top.

The way Duke has played lately, I don't think they're the team to beat at all. Several teams have shut them down simply by playing physical defense on Reddick and letting Williams get in foul trouble. Their other guys aren't good enough to carry the team on their own. They'll probably make a couple rounds, but it'd take some pretty bad showings from their opponents for no one to take them down. And since teams usually focus a lot harder when they see "Duke" on the list next, I think they'll go down. I have them dropping to Iowa in the Elite 8.

And I have Kansas going to the championship game, so on that one, I do agree with you.

I'm very confident Duke will not make the final 4. Texas or Iowa takes em out. I do realize that Duke drubbed Texas early in the season.

I like Duke because of the seniors and the been there done that factor. They have talent, coaching and disipline. This year was hard because lots of the top teams lost late in the year, the only one that really caught fire was Kansas. Texas, Nova, Duke, Memphis, and UConn all lost games late that they should have won.

I disagree with Duke and talent. They have Reddick. Williams is mediocre and gets the benefit of fouls calls. In general Duke is not a deep ball club (Coach K's fault) and I think its going to bite them in the tourney.

The only reason they are where they are is because Reddick is one of the best 20 players in ACC history.

He is better than mediocre JMO.

I don't like him. Everytime he's interviewed he sounds so dumb. He has zero personality and acts as if he has no idea whats going on. He's the same on the court. I don't think he's any better than someone like Brunner or Paul Davis. He may be a better athlete, but the results aren't any better.

Thats right, I'm willing to admit Greg Brunner isn't an amazing athlete. He is the founding member of the Hair Club for Brunner though

Dull, boring, favored by refs or not...18 pts, 10 boards, and 4 swats is pretty damn solid.

Sure Reddick helps a lot, but a threat like Williams down low is what allows JJ to get open in the first place. In reality if Sheldon Williams walked onto the Bulls today, he would already be their second best big man, and by far their best on offense. I think with the emergences of McRoberts and Powlus as freshmen, Duke is in as good of shape as anyone else.

I'm hoping this plays out for IU tonight.

I think IU has something to prove... I am convinced they will make a run in the tourney for Mike Davis.

I disagree. I think he's about a draw with Sweetney. He's a better defender, but Sweets is a much better post scorer. Against NBA caliber big men and without the Duke name on his jersey, I don't think he gets any more than 10 a game for the bulk of his career, and that's assuming he's a full-time starter.

Dogs are barking in the early games today so far...

Whichta State 27-15 over Seton Hall
Wis-Mil 24 OU 17
BC 17 Pacific 12

At the half

WSU 40 SH 24


UWM 33 OU 29 right before the half

BC and Pacific tied at 28 4 minutes to go in the first half...

Shockers keeping the big lead still up by 14 with 14 minutes to go.

BC/Pacific tied at the half, UWM/OU tied with about 18 minutes to go.

UWM is blowing it open against OU now leading 52-41 with 11 minutes to go.

WSU still up 17 against the Hall, now 9 mintues to go.

BC opens up an 8 point lead against Pacific with 14 minutes to go.

Blah, the early games are all turning into routes... the closest game has Pacific within 11 of BC at the under 12 minute timeout, also UWM up 14 over OU with 8 minutes to go, and WSU up 15 with 7 minutes to go.

Now we are talking!

Pacific has cut BCs lead to do with 4 1/2 to go and OU is within 6 with 3 1/2 to go.

Orangemen over the Blue Devils

The Shockers pull the first "upset" of the tourney bouncing Seton Hall 86-66. OU looks to be the next upset training Wisconson-Milwaukee by 9 with 32 seconds to go.

Boston College is holding on to a 4 point lead vs Pacific with 57 seconds left to go.

Pacific had a shot with 3.9 seconds to work the floor and couldn't even get a shot off... We are headed to OT.

Make that double overtime... Damn I love the first weekend of March Madness...

How is the 7th seed beating the 10th seed an upset?

Happily...I've got all 3 games right on my bracket so far.

Damn, Pacific had nothing left for the 2nd OT and loses by 12, only scoring two points in the second OT.

Hence the ".." You can call it that because of the seeding, but not really.

Florida opening it up early on USA leading 14-5 halfway through the first... Tennesee leads by 6 over Winthrop with under 8 to go.

Winthrop giving the overrated Tennessee some fits in the first half, trailing the Vols by only 2.

USA had gotten it close for a while, but Florida is on a run to reopen a 9 point lead with about 3 minutes to go in the first half.

And early on, Montana has a 12-8 lead over Nevada.

This Davis guy on LSU is a beast.

two of my Final Four teams (Florida and UCLA) won by or are winning by at least 25. that's encouraging for me, as well as my picking UW-Milwaukee, Montana, and Alabama in the first round. if Xavier beats Gonzaga...I'd actually be scared that I'm peaking too early in this pool.

I also picked Alabama and Montana. Oklahoma let me down as did Seton Hall. LSU better get their act straight in the 2nd half.

on the first day only Seton Hall, Syracuse, and Xavier let me down. yesterday was not so good for me. George Mason coming through saved my day.

So in the history of the NCAAs has a team ever lost as a #3 seed and then a #4 seed in back to back years? Jesus, I'll be they are looking to hang Bill Self in Lawrence right about now.

i think that bradly will go really far in the NCAA they will go to the sweet 16 and also it is not reallly an upset but i think that Arizona will go to the final four but no farther.

I don't think either is too likely. Bradley is conceivable, but they have to beat a tough Pitt team. They're almost certainly done after that, they just can't keep up with Memphis. As for Zona, there is no way they're making the Final Four. They'd have to beat Nova, BC, and probably Florida. Those are very tough matchups, and it's unlikely they could win those 3 games in a row.

Obviously I was wrong about Bradley. Apparently I seriously underestimated them. They played some solid defense and Bryant was huge. I still don't think they can hang with Memphis.

My brackets are officially decimated. Who has the most of their teams remaining?

Define "most." I can still have respectable bracket. I still have 5 of my 8 Elite 8 teams and 3 of my 4 Final Four. Considering that very few people had George Mason or Wichita State in the Elite 8, that's not all that bad. If I were thinking clearly when I put together my bracket, I wouldn't have had Marquette in the Elite 8 over UCLA either.

I also have 5 of my 8 Elite 8 teams left. All my Final Four teams are still alive though. Bradley and George Mason killed me. The only Sweet 16 matchups I got right were Duke/LSU and Nova/BC.