[ Day 05/06 – 3/27+28/21 Saturday + Sunday RECAP ]

<< We all welcome our new Pac-12 overlords >>

Day Five / Six Scoring:

• Maurice is leading with Rob, the fierce wing, right behind.
• Log jamb behind them.
• The deal is who is your CHAMPION and what is your opinion of the secondary contenders.
  • Maurice has the Hogs, and Rob has the Bears, and most of the rest of us have the Zags.
  • It’s too early to discuss the tight scenarios, but the general vibe is how to divide your Zags voters.
  • Houston? Michigan? Arkansas? Those teams unlock your path.

General Thoughts:

• Survivors by Conference at Elite Eight:
  • THREE:
    • Pac-12 (5 in / 3 left) : 6 USC, 11 UCLA, 12 Oregon State
  • ONE:
    • Big Ten (9 in / 1 left): 1 Michigan
    • Big 12 (7 in / 1 left): 1 Baylor
    • SEC (6 in / 1 left) : 3 Arkansas
    • American (2 in / 1 left) : 2 Houston
    • West Coast (2 in / 1 left) : 1 Gonzaga
  • ZERO:
    • ACC (7 in / 0 left)
    • Big East (4 in / 0 left)
    • Mountain West (2 in / 0 left)
• Conferences:
  • All CONTINUE to Hail our new Pac-12 overlords, with 60% of their teams continuing!
  • B1G / ACC really look awful here, but it was a down year for the ACC, so that is to be expected. No excuses for the Leaders / Legends boners.
  • Perhaps the American should have had a third team…
• Quick NIT note:
  • The team of many on this thread, the Memphis Tigers won their second NIT title.
  • With everyone coming back, they will be the co-favorites with Houston in the AAC next year and a likely Sweet 16 + team, so it’s a nice end to a tough year.
  • Everyone congratulate the Tigers, and if you need a TBT team as a Memphis fan?
    • Eberlein Drive (Matt M’s team) is coached by Cody Toppert, Memphis AC and had Adonis Thomas last season, so there is an option. 
• Quick TBT note:
  • They are announcing locations next week. My podcast partner and I know the regions with a 90% degree of certainty and can say there are 2 medium drives, 1 long drive, and 1 flight from NYC. I might need a photographer / drinking partner for coverage in late July. Inquire via the normal channels. Pay is $0 😉
• Weeknight drinks alert:
  • I’m calling Tuesday night at 7:15p at Munro Pub (5th Ave / 12th) in Park Slope. Feel free to join me.

Game thoughts (I’m on a deadline, so these will be unfortunately much shorter than usual, sorry):

• #12 Oregon St 65 / #8 Loyola Chicago 58
  • Loyola is probably an actually better team, but this is a pace / tempo / possession argument again, but the inverse of the Virginia example. 
  • Loyola is usually less ‘talented’, so their plan is to run a conservative, but efficient offense.
  • But when you play a slow tempo, getting behind is deadly. 
  • And now the question is, does Porter Moser take the DePaul job?
• #3 Arkansas 72 / #15 Oral Roberts 70
  • He had a look:

  • Max Abmas had a shot to win it. 
    
    Pure heartbreak for Oral Roberts. pic.twitter.com/Axm2XUbzjO

    — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 28, 2021

• #11 UCLA 88 / #2 Alabama 78
  • Bruins move on, but this is about as nice a buzzer beater set as you will get…
  • https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/1376346653800730624?s=20

    ALABAMA AT THE BUZZER
    
    Alex Reese sends it into overtime.pic.twitter.com/BhVLAvhiwS

    — Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 29, 2021

• #6 USC 82 / #7 Oregon 68
  • The architect of Dunk City takes the Trojans to the Elite Eight and the only Pac-12 team to lose, lost to… another Pac-12 team.
• Top teams taking care of business:
  • #1 Baylor 62 / #5 Villanova 51
    • Jay Wright always has his guys prepared, but he was a little outgunned.
  • #2 Houston 62 / #11 Syracuse 46
    • I am, apparently, bad luck?
  • #1 Gonzaga 83 / #5 Creighton 65 
    • One sided…
  • #1 Michigan 76 / #4 Florida State 58
    • … beat downs…

And with that, enjoy the end of the madness!

[ Day 03/04 – 3/21/21 Sunday + Monday RECAP ]

<< Oral Roberts, Oregon State, and the double entendre Sweet 16 >>

Day Three / Four Scoring:

• Rob S, a demon on the court and delightful human being off the court, is now in first.
• There is a LOT of variance still however, as Gonzaga / Baylor / Arkansas / Michigan are all NCAA champ picks.
• So don’t give up, this is still anyone’s game.
• Our $10 for the second round upset will be split $5 each to Dave Ackerman and Dai for #12 Oregon State!

General Thoughts:

• Record by Multi-Bid Conference (Day 3-4 / First Four):
  • Big Ten (9 in / 1 left) : 7-8
  • ACC (7 in / 2 left) : 4-5
  • Big 12 (7 in / 1 left) : 6-7
  • SEC (6 in / 2 left) : 6-4
  • Pac-12 (5 in / 4 left) : 8-1-1, 1 NCW COVID -(Oregon)
  • Big East (4 in / 2 left) : 4-2
  • American (2 in / 1 left) : 2-1
  • The Valley (2 in / 1 left) : 3-1
  • Atlantic 10 (2 in / OUT) : 0-1-1, 1 NCL COVID (VCU)
  • West Coast (2 in / 1 left) : 2-1
  • Mountain West (2 in / OUT) : 0-2
• One bid conferences surviving to Sweet 16:
  • Summit (#15 Oral Roberts)
• Conferences:
  • All Hail our new Pac-12 overlords, with a guaranteed Elite Eight slot among their 4 teasm (6 USC / 7 Oregon)
  • Big 12 looked good in the round of 64, but with Texas Tech, Oklahoma St, West Virginia (upset), Kansas (upset) and Oklahoma all leaving, this aged poorly. Baylor carries the rock alone.
  • The B1G also was a disaster in the second round with only Michigan continuing as Illinois (upset), Wisconsin, Rutgers, Maryland, Iowa (upset) all left.
  • ACC / Big East showed up and held their own in the round of 32 with Creighton benefiting from the UVA flub and Nova murdering North Texas

Game thoughts:

• The historic one:
  • #15 Oral Roberts 81 / #7 Florida 78
    • The second #15 seed to make the Sweet 16 (shout out to Dunk City FGCU and point god Brett Comer – current Dayton AC), this team is both likable on it’s merits as a basketball team (nation’s leading scorer Max Abmas, a former 2 star with only four D1 offers) and fairly poorly regarded due to their stringent retrograde conduct policies
    • So, it’s been a interesting situation, where we root for Cinderella, when the admin at Cinderella’s school wouldn’t even let her go to a dance with Prince Charming, but would instead lead to a televangelist extorting his followers for money or he’d die (!)…
    • Leading to this great tweet and attached story.

      I alone can get Oral Roberts University to the Final Four, but my flock can help: https://t.co/Xu1PyXEWnY pic.twitter.com/M6tgn3QNYx

      — Defector (@DefectorMedia) March 22, 2021

    • So, while we all make our peace with rooting for a Max Abmas…

    • We can at least look back on Dunk City, the last #15 to advance this far with an uncomplicated joy (while noting, that team’s coach is STILL alive in THIS tourney). Shout out to Black Magic and Bambi 😉

• The merely amazing upsets:
  • #8 Loyola Chicago 71 / #1 Illinois 58
    • So, as you are all aware, I am a hard core Memphis fan, but they did not offer Architecture as a major until after I was already in attendance at Washington University in StL. It doesn’t matter, I was going to WUSTL, it’s too good a program to pass up.
    • But what some of you may NOT know is I’m an Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MArch 2004 grad, and have some (small) allegiance to the Illini.
    • Having said that, I’ve never really cared that much (undergrad > grad), but I could be roped in to a Illini run, but won’t get worked up over a loss.
    • This game was remarkably strange in that:
      • Illinois has far more talent than the Loyola Ramblers (two All Americans!), were the B1G tourney champs, and are coached by a gent in Brad Underwood who dragged Stephen F Austin to three straight NCAA berths and two wins.
    • Having said that, 101 (!) year old Sister Jean helped senior center (and walking meme) Cameron Krutwig slice up a strangely passive Illini Defense.
    • It’s not a sexy play, but this is the key:

      Thoroughly enjoying the Cameron Krutwig experience. pic.twitter.com/fk4bwST1MV

      — Brandon Simberg (@BrandonSimberg) March 21, 2021

    • Every Set, and I MEAN EVERY FUCKING ONE, involved running Krutwig to the elbow extended, and the Illini NEVER extended the defense to pressure a player who looks like a walking polish sausage. By not forcing the issue with superior athleticism, they allowed Favra from Super Troopers to hit cutters coming off a wind screen to take a handoff or a bounce pass with a full head of steam downhill.

    • Andy Glockner, a great twitter follow, roasted the Illini during the game.

      Look at what Loyola just ran again (DHO coming off a double screen on the wing) vs what Illinois has been running — night and day. Loyola gets their guard downhill in space and gets the shooting foul at the rim.

      — Andy Glockner (@AndyGlockner) March 21, 2021

       

      I'm some bozo on Twitter and five mins into the game, it was clear that Illinois' very basic offensive approach wasn't going to consistent win against this team, and they've just shoved the boulder up the hill repeatedly without substantively changing approach or rotations.

      — Andy Glockner (@AndyGlockner) March 21, 2021

       

  • #11 Syracuse 75 / #3 West Virginia 72
    •  I mean, find the lie in this great write up 😉
      
    • We all know that Rej has some ‘interesting’ views on what the Cuse run 😉
  • #12 Oregon St 80 / #4 Oklahoma St 70
    • Last time they made the sweet 16, actual (almost) 40 year old virgin AC Green was the star forward, even the Gary Payton, the GLOVE, couldn’t get them to the Sweet Sixteen.
    • In an insanely odd end to the game, the Cowboys did NOT give Cade Cunningham the ball and instead…

      In the last three minutes and seven seconds of OKST-ORST, Cade Cunningham’s teammates went 0-6 from the field, and 0-2 from the free throw line.

      — dylan jackson (@HornetsDylan) March 22, 2021

    • So, he gone, in fact people were wondering if he even went back to Stillwater or instead just got on the PJ (Private Jet).
      
  • #7 Oregon 95 / #2 Iowa 80
    • We’ll keep this one short, as the University of Nike survives the second round:

      Oregon blows out Iowa. Dana Altman is a great tournament coach. Fran McCaffery is not. Pac-12 is dominating the first week of the tourney; the Big Ten is embarrassing itself.

      — Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) March 22, 2021

• The competitive games:
  • #2 Houston 63 / #10 Rutgers 60
    •  Close on a 14-2 run, check.
    • Go +10 on the glass to create 9 extra shots (making up for a < 38% shooting night), check.
    • Get 17 out of a clearly hobbled and hurting Jarreau and a team high 22 from AAC POY Quentin Grimes, check.
    • Sometimes, guts are enough. Toughness is enough. Sometimes, you CAN will a win out of thin air and desperation.

      HOUSTON AND-1! 🤯
      
      Cougars take the late lead vs. Rutgers: https://t.co/vfqRAhLFIc pic.twitter.com/XTovcM4Y9T

      — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 22, 2021

  • #3 Arkansas 68 / #6 Texas tech 66
    •  This game was un-surprisingly very close. All the stats were even, as you would expect from the teams involved.
    • But there is no getting around this, you HAVE to make this shot to tie it.

      TEXAS TECH MISSES LAYUP TO TIE THE GAME 🤯
      
      Arkansas advances to the next round pic.twitter.com/TLvDHijNkM

      — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 22, 2021

    • Get you laughs in now, Beard and Tech will be back next year and angry.
• When midnight struck:
  • #5 Villanova 84 / #13 North Texas 61
    • Good Things
  • #5 Creighton 72 / #13 Ohio 58
    • Always Come
  • #11 UCLA 67 / #14 Abilene Christian 47
    • To an End. (But there are memories and stories to tell grandchildren of that One Shining Moment, each of these teams got one).
    • BTW, I’m not ashamed to say, I sort of tear up every time I watch this.
      It’s really my favorite video every year and I’m happy about what that says about me.
• I hate Mario Chalmers:
  • #6 USC 85 (!) / #3 Kansas 51
    • I’m also not ashamed that a large part of me hates Kansas and hopes Mario Chalmers is hit by a car every day for the rest of his life.
    • It’s nice to see the architect of Dunk City survive a little longer.
• A game that probably should have been delayed:
  • #4 Florida St 71 / #5 Colorado 53
    • The hell with the game, this HAS to fucking stop.

      At least 10 people, including a Boulder police officer, were killed in a shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, according to authorities.
      
      A suspect is in custody, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said. https://t.co/jIwqpRmYxL

      — CNN (@CNN) March 23, 2021

    • Wonder why they didn’t seem up to the game? One wonders….

      Colorado's Tad Boyle said he learned about the shooting in Boulder today before the game but didn't know many details. "Win or lose tonight, I just felt an emptiness in my stomach. Another senseless act of violence that we’ve experienced as a country many many times."

      — Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 23, 2021

       

       

    • Can’t play the players and can’t even give the poor bastards a day.
      
• In a tournament of variance, some teams took care of business:
  • #1 Baylor 76 / #9 Wisconsin 63
    •  The University of Dave Bliss rolls on.
  • #1 Gonzaga 87 / #8 Oklahoma 71
    •  You’re down 14, just let it go man.

      Oklahoma’s Elijah Harkless gets a flagrant 1 for a hard foul on Jalen Suggs pic.twitter.com/SiBGxnqOwp

      — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 22, 2021

  • #1 Michigan 86 / #8 LSU 78
    • It probably didn’t matter, but there was an EGREGIOUSLY bad offensive foul call that was a huge swing.

    • That horrid offensive foul call on LSU just blew the game. Instead of a 3 point game it lead to Michigan extending their lead to 8. Good job refs.

      — Conor Levis (@ConorLevis) March 23, 2021

      Michigan probably still wins, but this boner of a call ended it.

  • #2 Alabama 96 / #10 Maryland 77
    •  At least Turgeon can go home and not worry about Juwan Howard beating his ass.

OK, that’s the Day 3/4 write-up, we will chat about the second weekend and perhaps hooking up for outdoor pints 😉

Enjoy your week until we chat again!

[ Day 02 – 3/20/21 Saturday RECAP ]

<< What is a team’s DNA, how much variance does a team want, and does Cinderella benefit from a lack of crowds? >>

Day Two Scoring:

• Matt Mitchell has moved into first and AJ is in trouble as he is the second person to lose his champ.
• Your max total is the important number right now, as every one is bleeding teams.

General Thoughts:

• Record by Multi-Bid Conference (Day 1-2 / First Four):
  • Big Ten (9 in / 6 left) : 6-3
  • ACC (7 in / 2 left) : 2-5
  • Big 12 (7 in / 6 left) : 6-1
  • SEC (6 in / 4 left) : 4-2
  • Pac-12 (5 in / 5 left) : 4-0-1, 1 NCW COVID -(Oregon)
  • Big East (4 in / 2 left) : 2-2
  • American (2 in / 1 left) : 1-1
  • The Valley (2 in / 1 left) : 2-1
  • Atlantic 10 (2 in / OUT) : 0-1-1, 1 NCL COVID (VCU)
  • West Coast (2 in / 1 left) : 1-1
  • Mountain West (2 in / OUT) : 0-2
• Conferences:
  • ACC and Big East are clearly frauds.
  • Big 12 looks really good so far
• Note on coverage, the way Andy Katz laid out the VCU situation on TV was great, Turner Sports bringing him in to help with coverage was great, can’t believe ESPN didn’t keep him. One more bad move by the boys in Bristol…

Game thoughts:

• How much variance can you live with?
  • #13 Ohio 62 / #4 Virginia 58
    • From the email:
      • The Pack Line defense and Mover Blocker Offense are too methodical and by playing to a slow tempo (SLOWEST TEMPO team #357 in D1 as per KenPom) makes all of their games low ceiling / high floor / low variance affairs.
      • Virginia is the premier program in a state that can recruit Virginia Beach / Hampton as well as Baltimore / DC and Richmond. Plus with the ACC contract, this can be a national recruiting program.
      • By not allowing his players to be more free flowing and attacking, Bennett is trading assurance of never losing big and being competitive at all costs with flexing their muscles and putting away teams like Ohio.
    • At what point does this become an issue?
      • UVA will make that trade still, they cut the nets down in 2019 for the only time in team history. Bennett can stay as long as he wants and will come up at every high major that opens in the next decade (Indiana is the current rumor).
      • But, could he be BETTER if he tried to loosen his team up a little. No one wants him to become the second coming of Nolan Richardson, but would it behoove him to try to not finish LAST in pace.
      • When you have the better team, you want more possessions, knowing that the longer the game, the more your dominance will shine through. Why does Virginia seem content to reduce the possessions to the point that they can lose when their opponents luck into some decent looks?

      • LET IT FLY@OhioMBasketball | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/FW2wGXd6iE

        — NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021

• What is in a Team’s DNA?
  • #14 Abilene Christian 53 / #3 Texas 52
    • If UVA suffers from an over commit to an ideology, then I give you the counter argument in one Shaka Dengani Smart.
    • Smart coached the VCU Rams to the Final Four in 2011 (and instructively, hasn’t made the second weekend since) on the back of a suffocating ‘Havoc’ 1-2-1-1 full court Press. It’s a defense that is harder to sell to P5 athletes with a sense of entitlement…
    • With a taste of their own medicine, the committed 23 (!) turnovers for a -12 margin, while giving up 18 (!) offensive rebounds. This disparity allowed for the Wildcats (going to the WAC next year) to hoist 67 shots to the Longhorns 40, covering up a 17% 3 point shooting night.

      THE FINISH 😤@ACU_MBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wjEJrCgNrJ

      — NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021

    • And with that, Abilene goes ‘Horns Down’ and Smart has some uncomfortable questions coming about the viability of his approach at a P5 program.

    • Abilene Christian really threw the horns down after upsetting Texas 😳 pic.twitter.com/1uEV8jfRdz

      — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 21, 2021

• When you fall a little short
  • #5 Creighton 63 / #12 UC Santa Barbara 62
    • When your opponent’s coach was caught doing the racism, you have a chance, so you need to go stronger than this.
    • You’re being covered by a hobbit, go UP and INTO the guy.

      CREIGHTON SURVIVES! 😮
      
      The team (-7) snuck by UC Santa Barbara, earning a 63-62 victory. 🏀 pic.twitter.com/vEQvECTArq

      — FOX Bet (@FOXBet) March 20, 2021

• When a hire doesn’t make sense at the time…
  • #11 UCLA 73 / #6 BYU 62
    • Mick Cronin isn’t lovable, he’s a bald 5’7″ leprechaun with no charism and an unimaginative offense. I can’t imagine a team (sexy, highlight driven UCLA) making a more out of character hire.
    • But, his teams play defense, play HARD, and rebound the fuck out of the ball. They don’t cheat you for effort. Ever.
    • And sometimes, effort is enough, forcing 10 turnovers and gutting out a tough win.
• The elephant in the room
  • #7 Oregon NC advances over #10 VCU (COVID)
    • We’re done with the pandemic, but it’s not done with us. Mask up, stay safe.

      We are heartbroken tonight. Thank you, Ram Nation, for your support during this challenging year. #ThisIsRamNation #LetsGoVCU pic.twitter.com/NRVnoTUlD8

      — VCU Basketball (@VCU_Hoops) March 21, 2021

• The favorites got a work out:
  • #2 Alabama 68 / #15 Iona 55
    • Rick says he’s happy at Iona and done with major programs.
    • No one believes him, right?
  • #4 Florida St 64 / #13 UNC Greensboro 54

    • This man, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton, is 72. HOW DOES HE DO IT??? pic.twitter.com/TCFsneduv1

      — Jonathan Mishory🍦 (@JonathanMishory) March 19, 2021

  • #3 Kansas 93 / #14 Eastern Washington 84
    • There is no justice in the world, just ask Snoop.
    • And this is how you tell the NCAA to buzz off bofa…

      The only thing that could’ve made this Bill Self/Adidas promo more awesome — given the developments of the week — would’ve been Kansas instead using “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” as the music. https://t.co/sYG9uGvOEv

      — Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) September 27, 2019

• You can’t always get what you want
  • #10 Maryland 63 / #7 UConn 54
    • UConn hated playing in the AAC, and we didn’t like them. It’s become a southern, FB based conference, and most of the AAC understands them wanting to go back to their buddies in the Big East.
    • Having said that, they were INSUFFERABLE in their short time as AAC conference mates, talking about how much better they were than their fellow teams.
    • At BB? Actually not really, hadn’t made the NCAAs since 2016 and, while they won the title in 2014, they weren’t a factor in recent years.
    • And at FB, lol. 11-45. 19.6% winning percentage.
      
    • So, good riddance and screw them. Glad they’re gone and I hope they enjoy having an FCS FB program in three years. We would improve in FB by taking a mid level Texas HS team.
  • #8 Oklahoma 72 / #9 Mizzou 68
    • Desperate to leave the Big 12 for years and join the Big Ten, they instead found a home in the SEC, where they normally get pasted on the FB field.
    • Still, Mizzou’s role in the greatest twitter rant of all time is memorable.
      
• Favorites took care of business:
  • #8 LSU 76 / #9 St. Bonaventure 61
    • The Tigers made the Bonnies a Strong Ass Offer to go home.
  • #6 USC 72 / #11 Drake 56
    • Drake hasn’t been owned this hard since Pusha T put out “The Story of Adidon”

      March ends early for Drake. 😕#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5TvCPNnaKN

      — NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 20, 2021

  • #2 Iowa 86 / #15 Grand Canyon 74
    • 
• Favorites that ran their opponents off the floor:
  • #5 Colorado 96 / #12 Georgetown 73
    • I guess the MSG types can go back to not knowing who the man that FUCKING BUILT MSG is.
  • #1 Michigan 82 / #16 Texas Southern 66
    • Shoutout to former Memphis HC Johnny Jones for getting an NCAA win in the first four.
  • #1 Gonzaga A LOT / #16 Norfolk State A LITTLE
    • Instead of being sad here, let’s all remember Kyle O’Quinn wiling the Spartans to their only D1 NCAA win.

Ok, all, enjoy the madness, the Big Ten is already 0-2 today and we have a happy nun 😉

[ Day 01 – 3/19/21 Friday RECAP ]

<< Cinderella comes early to Columbus, OH and with a vengeance… >>

Day One Scoring:

• AJ M is in first, looking pretty solid, with Dave A, Reid, Matt M, Aidan and yours truly trailing.
• Shout out to Dan B – “Haters NY1” for losing his champ first day. Big accomplishment!
• Your max total is the important number right now, for example, how much did the Big Ten explosion crash your total?

General Thoughts:

• Record by Multi-Bid Conference (Day 1 / First Four):
  • Big Ten (9 in / 6 left) : 3-3
  • ACC (7 in / 3 left) : 1-4
  • Big 12 (7 in / 7 left) : 4-0
  • SEC (6 in / 5 left) : 2-1
  • Pac-12 (5 in / 5 left) : 2-0
  • Big East (4 in / 4 left) : 1-0
  • American (2 in / 1 left) : 1-1
  • The Valley (2 in / 2 left) : 2-0
  • Atlantic 10 (2 in / 2 left) : 0-0
  • West Coast (2 in / 2 left) : 0-0
  • Mountain West (2 in / OUT) : 0-2
• Conferences:
  • The ACC had a VERY bad day. No Duke, no more UNC, GT / Clemson / VT, down year.
  • Big Ten still has some teams left, but there is some fraudulent vibes as we not below.
• I am shocked by how bad the TNT crew is, Barkley is getting worse and worse.

Game thoughts:

• Welcome to the party Cinderella:
  • #15 Oral Roberts 75 / #2 Ohio State 72 (OT)
    • How does Cinderella win? Make free throws (14-18), don’t turn it over (6 TOs), get a lights our shooting performance. The box score would look like this.
    • Jim Boeheim would be proud of this minutes distribution. A 6 man rotation, with four players playing 42+ of a possible 45 minutes.
      • They got 59 of their 75 from two players and ground the whole team to dust. Can’t imagine they will be up for the second round, but we didn’t think they’d be up for the first.
    • This Abmas kid is ELECTRIC. The Buckeyes show pretty hard on a high screen and Abmas goes Dame from the logo.

      • Max Abmas showing why he’s the nation’s top scorer vs. Ohio State
        
        — 18 PTS
        — 6-12 shooting
        — 5-6 3PT
        
        No. 15 Oral Roberts leads No. 2 Ohio State at half 👀 pic.twitter.com/VoV37QsljB

        — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 19, 2021

      • Remind you of anyone?
        
    • Btw, if you ever find yourself this angry after a game and feel like messaging a player like this, get help. This is the Buckeyes leading forward, who played his heart out, getting straight poison in his DMs. Fucked up.

      Honestly, what did I do to deserve this? I’m human. pic.twitter.com/djXzhSH0q8

      — E.J. Liddell (@EasyE2432) March 20, 2021

• Cinderella’s junior chaperone at the ball:
  • #13 North Texas 78 / #4 Purdue 69
    • Same Glass Slipper strategy, don’t give up the rock (8 TOs, +3), make FTs (13-15), and shoot efficiently
    • What a nightmare night for the Big Ten, #2 OSU and #4 Purdue out.

      “The Big Ten is the best basketball conference in the country”
      
      Oral Roberts and North Texas: pic.twitter.com/swe8Es4ykc

      — NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) March 20, 2021

    • Led by Conference USA Player of the Year, Javion Hamlet (and his dad!), the Mean Green got their first NCAA win.

      Javion Hamlet was a 2⭐️ recruit coming out of HS. Never let a ranking distract you.
      
      He dropped: 24/12/5 in No. 13 North Texas' upset win over No. 4 Purdue. @slam_university
      
      (via @marchmadness) pic.twitter.com/McehBawqUd

      — SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 20, 2021

    • Oh and where is the young lad from? The 901. Memphis GROWS fast, gutty guards.
• Major Conference double digits that got frisky:
  • #12 Oregon State 70 / #5 Tennessee 56 
    • Congrats on UTk extending their streak of not making the NCAA Final Four. It currently stands at forever.
      
    • Seriously, screw the Vols, lol.
  • #11 Syracuse 78 / #6 San Diego State 62
    • On paper, this was a match made in hell for the Orange. The Aztecs are a good three point shooting team, and the 2-3 zone gives up threes at both the wing and the corner at volume.
    • Then? This:

      SDSU ranked 27th nationally this season shooting 37.5% from three but was only 3/20 from three in the 1st half against Syracuse. Cuse was 7/14. Do with this information what you will. #TrustTheProcess

      — Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) March 20, 2021

    • Syracuse, with a long and storied NCAA history hit their team tournament record number of 3s in a game this game. Seeing a 4 point play is rare, seeing two in a game is nuts, and a sign of how charmed Cuse was (55.6% from 3!) in a game that should have been close, but was not…
    • Buddy went super nova:

      Buddy Boeheim balled out against SDSU 🍿@Cuse_MBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Eu7zvNavIy

      — NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 20, 2021

    • And with that, a date with Huggy Bear awaits on Sunday for the Orange.
• The middle class corporate competition
  • #7 Florida 75 / #10 Virginia Tech 70 (OT)
    • Florida ended up winning, but this is both (a) proof you foul up three (hi Mario Chalmers!) and (b) a cold as hell shot

      VIRGINIA TECH 🎯
      
      Nahiem Alleyne with one of the first cold-blooded shots of March pic.twitter.com/knpM7kb03Z

      — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 19, 2021

  • #10 Rutgers 60 / #7 Clemson 56
    • Tight game, and the last time Rutgers won a game in 1983, this was the #1 song in America:

  • #8 Loyola Chicago 71 / #9 Georgia Tech 60
    • Old friend Josh Pastner (a solid coach much beloved in Memphis, despite him being a poor fit for the Tigers, and a GREAT fit at GT) went into a game without the ACC Player of the Year (!!!) Moses Wright. Take away 17/8 from the Jackets and that was always going to be a tough push.
    • Add to that, the Ramblers are backed by a nun and, like all insane people from Chicago, believe that:
      
    • But, will Porter Moser take the DePaul job? He wouldn’t even have to MOVE.
  • #6 Texas Tech 65 / #11 Utah State 53
    • And THAT is why you work hard to get Mac McClung (team high 16) to transfer from Georgetown to LUBBOCK. Add this shotmaking with the trained killers Coach Beard mass produces and the #3 Hogs might be bacon…

      Mac McClung. Smooth. @TexasTechMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/aLTx4NLR6R

      — NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 19, 2021

  • #5 Villanova 73 / #12 Winthrop 63
    • Lose starting PG to an ACL tear, keep humming along. Jay Wright can beat you with a YMCA team.
• The top seeds that got a light workout
  • #4 Oklahoma St 69 / #13 Liberty 60
    • Liberty is a veteran outfit that put up a hell of a fight, but Cade Cunningham is going #1 in the NBA draft and that is usually enough.
  • #3 Arkansas 85 / #14 Colgate 68

    • Colgate’s first 10 minutes of the half vs. Colgate’s last 10 minutes of the half pic.twitter.com/Qx7mHFwlrw

      — Stadium (@Stadium) March 19, 2021

  • #3 West Virginia 84 / #14 Morehead St 67
    • Bob Huggins gets his 900th win. The lads at Best Virginia say he might coach them in TBT (uhhhh).
    • As a Memphis fan, I always hated him, many due to games like the Steve Logan coast to coast to kill Memphis’ at large hopes in 2002 and his penchant for recruiting players that punch police horses, but age softens us all, and I sort of like the gruff asshole now 😉
• The top seeds that didn’t break a sweat
  • #1 Illinois 78 / #16 Drexel 49
    • Still not as cold as this cat
      
  • #1 Baylor 79 / #16 Hartford 55
    • Shout-out to OG Dave Bliss, a coaching legend at Baylor.
  • #2 Houston 87 / #15 Cleveland St 56
    • 
• A legendary program has a bad day:
  • #9 Wisconsin 85 / #8 North Carolina 62
    • First time ole Roy lost in the first round. Ever. He’s been coaching for 33 years, made 30 NCAAs, won 3 rings, and this is his first round of 64 out. Damn.

And then there were 48 teams, with that, the madness continues… probably now 😉

Now… Where we watching games in Brooklyn that is outside and has multiple TVs?

[ Day 0 – 3/19/19 Friday Part I: INTRO]

Hello all, welcome to the pool.
Let’s start with our house keeping.

>>>>>

[ Day 00: Intro ]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… the NCAA Tournament is coming!

 

 

Hello all and welcome to the 2021 Larry Finch NCAA tourney pool.

2019’s participants / new invites are cc’ed. Feel free to invite any friends you think would be interested, it’s not a closed deal. More the merrier!

1. We will be using the ESPN standard scoring at dedicated group:

Directions to join pool on ESPN:

LINK TO JOIN

Group: LarryFinch_2021
Password: LilPenny_2022_F4

 

Note: Read on how COVID drops apply to the brackets, I have NO IDEA how this is happening, but we will use ESPN’s scoring, no questions asked.

 

Note: NAME YOUR BRACKET YOUR NAME so I’m not guessing who you are!

 

2. The entry fee remains $10.  

• Venmo (@DavidA-Haner) strongly preferred.
• Do NOT under ANY circumstances use Paypal
• As always, the subject should be ‘LF Pool Cleaning Fees’ since gambling is illegal and this isn’t gambling, but some friends helping friends out.

3. Submission of your bracket AND PAYMENT (I’m looking specifically at a few of you damned freeloaders, LOL) is due before the first round of 64 game tip off.

 

Note: ‘First Four’ games will not weigh in the scoring.

4. What’s at stake? Money. The standard breakdown is approximately 65% to the winner, 30% to 2nd, $10 each to last place (LOL) and the biggest 2nd round upset (by seed). We’ll hash this out on first ‘all aboard’ email.5. You’re chasing the defending champ, which is AMAN!

Prior champs include yours truly, Benny T, Chris Z, Ruth G, Ryan, Dai, Amanda, and others I forget 🙁

 

<< Ok, that is the gambling, what about the social aspect? >>

There WILL be an outdoor watch of games at a bar with a TV outside.

I will alert Brooklyn types of that opportunity.

 

>>>>>

 

 

That’s all for now, Make your brackets and we’ll do this.

Same as it ever was.

 

Happy bracketing!
Haner

PS: This is an open pool.  If you’ve got a friend you think would enjoy this, then please forward them this email and put them in touch.  More money to the winner, which is always a good thing…

And a final reminder,

 

1. Last year’s write up is here (scroll to bottom): http://sun-tect.com/temp-larry-finch-pool-2019

2. It’s all about that glass slipper:

• From the ‘Cardiac Pack’ in ’85
  
• To Bryce Drew’s killer shot for Valpo in ’98
  
• All the way to 2013’s #DunkCity Sweet 16:
  

The joy is in the journey.

 

Be well all.