[ Day 05-06 – 3/25/23 Saturday ]

Note: Sorry for the lack of a Day 4 update, it got a little crazy, we will skip over the last day of the first weekend and get right into the Sweet Sixteen games of Thursday and Friday.

First, the current scoring with only 7 games left.

Also, let’s get the Women’s update:

General Thoughts on the Sweet Sixteen games:

• The Ringer has a great article on the rash of upsets (LINK). Good read, but long story short, the talent in college basketball is so spread out now, add the open spread offense so dominant at all levels of hoops now, and you have a reduced margin of talent difference combined with a more shooting profile that tends more towards more variance. This leads to more upsets.
• The NIL strategy of Miami (they have one guard on a $400k ‘endorsement’) has paid dividends. What will stop other teams from doing the same thing and just buying players? 
• Side note: No one got the biggest 2nd round upset (#15 Princeton), so it rolls onto the winner.

OK, the Thursday games:

• #3 Gonzaga 79 – #2 UCLA 76
  • Zags were up nine with 2+ minutes to go after launching a furious comeback, while stalling UCLA for long stretches of the second half. 
    
  • A rash of turnovers and missed shots got UCLA back into the game, down 75-73 when at 13 seconds to go, this happened.
    

    This is NOT happening right now!!!!! (2) UCLA TAKES BACK THE LEAD!! 76-75 over (3) Gonzaga late after being down 10 mere minutes ago
    pic.twitter.com/gaQOzP7pWG

    — NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 24, 2023

  • Then, this happened. It was best described on defector.com (get a subscription if you can) as “Julian Strawther’s Lunatic Confidence Gave Gonzaga Their Best Shot“, hard to argue this point. He pulled up from the goddamn parking lot with his SEASON on the line. Straight psychopath behavior.

    STRAWTHER FROM WAY DEEP
    
    GONZAGA HAS THE LEAD 😱#MarchMadness @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/jBYf4gpn4q

    — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023

  • And just like that, the Pac-12 is no more.
• #3 Kansas State 98 – # 7 Michigan St 93 (OT)
  • I love this play so much. Coach and PG FAKE argue in a TIED OVERTIME game under a minute, and THIS is the result.
    

    Kansas State really ran a play with a fake argument to get a go ahead alley oop late 😂 pic.twitter.com/qusVMq4p6c

    — Jackson Didlake (@diidlake) March 24, 2023

    That is, again, crazy person, behavior.
    

    This tournament is beyond drunk….it has alcohol poisoning

    — Matt Martucci (@ToochPXP) March 25, 2023

  •  Instead of empowering a clearly insane gunner, the Spartans went measured and planned, and it went… less well.. – 
    https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx4XNa6g9xckdBNod443xsR7N2TE86OO4h
  • Four pump fakes, and not even a clean look… Perhaps they should have just hoisted a 30 footer…
• #9 Florida Atlantic 62 – #4 Tennessee 55
  • This is FAU’s first Elite Eight trip (it was also their first Sweet Sixteen trip)
  • Tennessee STILL has NEVER (and I mean NEVER) made a Final Four.
• #4 UConn 88 – #8 Arkansas 65
  • Ha ha ha, whatever. At least Musselman didn’t remove his shirt again.

The Friday Games

• #5 San Diego State 71 – #1 Alabama 64
  • The Aztecs called a timeout at 11:31, the Tide had opened up a 9 point lead on a dunk loaded up by Brandon Miller and it was becoming apparent that the story was over for San Diego State.
    
  • We don’t know exactly what was said in that timeout, but a 12-0 Aztec run ensued and we now have our first ever MWC Elite Eight team (UNLV was a Big West team in the 90s).
  • And that ends Alabama’s season as the overall #1 seed is gone, Roll (Home) Tide…
  • Now Brandon Miller can concentrate on his NBA draft stock and/or future criminal indictments. Have to wonder what this means for Nate Oats going forward.
• #5 Miami 89 – #1 Houston 75
  • How do you neat Houston? They are a tough team, that is only any average shooting / athleticism wise, so you have to simply not turn it over, and keep them off the glass.
  • Forcing them to miss 22 3pters, only giving up 11 ORBs, and only committing 6 (!!!) TOs against a top defense, allows a team that is a little quicker to do what they have to do.
  • And, just like that, for the first time since the tourney has been seeded, no #1s made the Elite Eight…
• #6 Creighton 86 – #15 Princeton 75
  • Not a ton here. Princeton runs really nice stuff and has skilled and talented player. But sometimes, you just aren’t big enough, and that does it.
• #2 Texas 83 – #3 Xavier 71
  • Coaching story here. Does Terry get the interim tag taken off. It was rumored that he had to win big to survive, I think the Elite Eight counts…
  • last time Texas went to elite eight, oh, I remember (they lost to Rose’s Memphis team 😉 )
  • Sean Miller (Zona cheating), Kelvin Sampson (Phones at Indiana), and Oats (lol) all went out in the same evening, leading to this thinly (not at all?) veiled tweet.
    

    I suck at NCAA Tournament brackets because I pick coaches I don’t like – coaches who cheat or are really unlikeable or both – to lose. And those guys tend to win. It’s how cockroaches survive: winning.
    
    That said I love this Elite Eight.
    
    Yesterday was Sweet 16 fumigation day.

    — Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) March 25, 2023

    Ok, then!
  • One small note, on TBT, the defending champs (Blue Collar U) have their staff as assistants at Bama, and Bryan Hodgson is off to Arkansas State… So, good for him.

With that, only seven games to go. Enjoy the end of the madness!

[ Day 03b – 3/18/23 Saturday Thoughts]

<< A historic upset, coupled with historically bad calls >>

General Thoughts:

• Record by MultiBid Conference (Through Day 3):
  • SEC: 9-4
  • Big 12: 6-3
  • Big Ten: 5-6 
  • Big East: 4-1
  • ACC: 4-3
  • Pac-12: 3-3
  • West Coast: 2-0
  • AAC: 2-1
  • Mountain West: 2-3
• Conferences:
  • Sweet Sixteen already has a PRONOUNCED SEC / Big 12 flavor.
  • Mandel called it.

    pic.twitter.com/jzQs77XKAj

    — Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) March 19, 2023

Game thoughts:

• #8 Arkansas 72 – #1 Kansas 71
  • Kansas led from the 17 minute mark in the first half to the 10 minute mark in the second half, and was in control casually for a lot of this.
  • Arkansas shot 41% / 20 3p%, but managed 15 offensive rebounds to force the issue and steal a one point win.
  • One wonders if Bill Self being on the bench would have been worth ONE point.
  • And with that, the second one seed doesn’t make the second weekend. And we get shirtless Musselman

    ERIC MUSSELMAN IS SHIRTLESS!!!!! pic.twitter.com/iVmvXYJKma

    — The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 18, 2023

• #15 Princeton 78 – #7 Missouri 63
  • This wasn’t even a close game, the mighty SEC Tigers got WORKED by the IVY Tigers. 
  • An SEC team allowed a IVY team to shoot 12/33 (36%) from 3.
  • An SEC team allowed a IVY team to outrebound them by 14. Read that again FOURTEEN!
    • 16 Offensive rebounds for Princeton. SIX-F***ing-TEEN!!!!!
  • I think this is grounds for throwing Mizzou out of the SEC. They should be demoted to the Missouri Valley or something.
• #2 Texas 71 – #10 Penn State 66
  • Penn State hung around against a team that was physically much more talented, and they did it in modern fashion, shooting 28 threes, but only cashing in 8. In an odd stat, Texas only made 1/13 from deep, but shot an impressive 30/48 (62.5%) from 2. A retro shot chart that would piss off Nate Silver, but it got results.
  • Nuts that Texas doesn’t want to just remove the interim tag from Terry…
  • Now the question, does Penn State keep their coach?

    Micah Shrewsberry, Kevin Keatts and Mike Rhoades all on Georgetown’s list if Cooley turns the Hoyas down, per source. https://t.co/LebwGFSJ7W

    — Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 18, 2023

• #2 UCLA 68 – #7 Northwestern 63
  • Northwestern stayed in this game by grabbing 14 ORebs to allow them 15 more shots.
  • Doesn’t quite do it when you shoot 37% however.
  • There were some real doubts about UCLA’s style of play when they picked up Cronin, but… winning cures all.
• #4 Tennessee 65 – #4 Duke 52
  • In a battle of a team I dislike (Duke) and a team I hate (Tennessee), the wrong crummy team won.
  • Tennessee won the game being more physical, +5 Rbs, +6 TO margin, and Duke shot 6/22 from deep. Adds up to a competitive, but ultimately comfortable, win.
  • Meth sales in NYC go up 300% with the Knoxville fans coming to MSG next weekend.
  • Duke will be fine under Scheyer, he will have them rolling soon. Get the Blue Devils while you can.
• #1 Houston 81 – #9 Auburn 64
  • This game was close until the 7 minute mark (Auburn even had a 10 point lead at the half), but then Houston just closed HARD
    
  • Sasser played 31 minutes, shot 7/14 for 22, and “When Marcus Sasser felt the occasional twinge in his groin, he simply blocked it out. With so much on the line, he was determined to stay on the court for top-seeded Houston.” – If he can continue to go, the Cougars have a real chance to cut down the nets. It’s really his ability to stay healthy in Kansas City next weekend to determine their odds.
  • How did the Cougars shut the water off? “The ninth-seeded Tigers (21-13) were doomed by a stretch of more than 10 1/2 minutes without a field goal and finished just 4 of 24 from the field in the second half.” – JEE-SUS!
  • True Road win for Houston as Auburn’s campus is only two hours from Birmingham…
• #1 Alabama 73 – #8 Maryland 51
  • Continue to be surprised they are playing this well when multiple players on their squad are under murder investigation. Such focus.
• #5 San Diego State 75 – #13 Furman 52
  • The thing about a great first round upset is they often run out of gas. 
  • Gutty bunch of over achievers steals a game by playing over their heads and dies hard in the second round, a tale as old as time.

OK, full slate tonight, including the darlings of FDU  trying to be the first 16 seed to win two main bracket games in NCAA history!

Enjoy the close of the first weekend.

[ Day 03a – 3/18/23 Saturday Scoring]

[ Day 02b – 3/17/23 Friday Thoughts]

<< A historic upset, coupled with historically bad calls >>

General Thoughts:

• Record by MultiBid Conference (Through Day 2):
  • Big 12: 5-2
  • SEC: 6-2
  • Big Ten: 5-3* (includes our story of the day) 
  • ACC: 4-2
  • Pac-12: 2-3
  • Big East: 4-1
  • AAC: 1-1
  • Mountain West: 1-3
  • West Coast: 2-0
• Conferences:
  • SEC shows some real dominance
  • Mountain West continues to suck when it counts…

Game Thoughts:

• History:
  • #16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63 – #1 Purdue 58
    • Biggest upset in NCAA history. Bigger than UMBC / UVA. Why?
      • FDU didn’t even win their CONFERENCE (regular season OR tourney), and only got to dance because they made the final against Merrimack, the actual reg/tourney NEC champ.
      • UMBC came from the American East Conference a team that HAS won NCAA round of 64 games before, this is the NEC’s FIRST Round of 64 (non-First Four) win.
      • FDU had to play in Dayton as a first four, which actually is a bit of an advantage (short drive to Columbus for First Round, already broke a sweat on a neutral court).
      • FDU lost to HARTFORD this year. How bad is that?
        
    • OK, how did they do it, especially since Purdue has the likely NCAA Naismith POY in 7’4″ Zach Edey and the Knights of FDU average out a 6’1″ (one of the shortest teams in NCAA history, harkening back to the 90s Weber State teams with Harold “the Show” Archeneux)?

      Lean into it, go SMALL

      FDU's center is 6-6 Ansley Almonor. Purdue coach Matt Painter said yesterday Zach Edey would NOT guard him, because Almonor shoots a ton of 3's. Sounds like Edey will cover Sean Moore.
      
      Edey: 7-4, 305
      Moore: 6-4, 175

      — Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) March 17, 2023

      If you are familiar with Yasmin, that is the equivalent of her trying to cover me under hoop (!!!)

    • How did they do it? They SWARMED Edey with a backing defender AND a fronting help defender at all times. Great breakdown of how here:

      Film Breakdown
      
      Explaining FDU coach Tobin Anderson’s “Zach Edey Rules” that caused chaos for Purdue and Matt Painter pic.twitter.com/cbUHu4bhpP

      — ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) March 18, 2023

    • Now this only works if the Purdue perimeter players can’t hit threes to loosen it up. Dear reader, they could not. 5/26 from deep with 16 turnovers, dooming the effort of the Boilermakers despite Edey going for 21 on an efficient 11 shots.

      Game footage of Purdue’s guards shooting:

      Purdue’s Guards pic.twitter.com/fmX4IhZ15r

      — MattBeGreat (@mattbegreatyt) March 18, 2023

    • And just like that, we have a massive upset, probably the biggest in NCAA history. 
    • FDU won 4 games last year, is 274 in KenPom today while sporting an adjusted D of #353 in D1 (!!!). Their coach was in DII last year. Amazing story. Hope they keep winning (well at least now I do).
• Fun game that would be a good story if the big one didn’t happen:
  • #6 TCU 72 – #11 Arizona State 70
    • At 9:10 in the second half, ASU broke a 54 all tie to get to hold a lead for 7+ minutes until Damien Baugh (Former Memphis Tiger, 11 pts, team high 8 assists) hit a clutch three to tie it back up at 67. What followed was a truly mad final two minutes with clutch shots and an absolute guts three to tie it back up with 18 seconds to go.

      DJ HORNE (@djhorne0) FOR THE TIE!! (11) Arizona State ties it 70-70 with (6) TCU late
      pic.twitter.com/YnLb7YguUO

      — NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 18, 2023

    • Sets this up, Modified Horns set, with the second horn inbounding. High screen (unused) to free guard cutting to perimeter middle for a clean look to set up a simple high screen/roll. Screener pops high to receive pass and then uses a ball fake to SHOW CONFIDENCE IN A BIG’S HANDLE to get in the lane for an effortless and clean floater.

      JaKobe Coles (@jcoles35) gets the GAME WINNING Floater with 1.5 seconds left and (6) TCU beats (11) Arizona State 72-70 to play (3) Gonzaga on Sunday pic.twitter.com/IbHo8LFzaC

      — NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 18, 2023

    • Just a confident, confident play. Love it. Horned Frogs advance.
• Competitive and fun games where both teams came to play.
  • #3 Xavier 72 – #14 Kennesaw State 67 
    • The ASun champs gave the X everything they wanted. 
  • #5 Miami 63 – #12 Drake 56
    • Drake was up here, and the “team that was bought” (thanks Boeheim, lol) used their veteran experience to sneak out with a win.
  • #7 Michigan St 72 – #10 USC 62
    • Michigan State always defends and rebounds, and they hounded leading scorer Boogie Eliis (former Memphis guard) into a 3/12, 6 point effort.
  • #6 Kentucky 61 – #11 Providence 53
    • Cats win in the first round to give Calipari a break from the mob in Lexington who want him gone (does he look at Texas or the NBA?), but the bigger story is what happens at Providence? Georgetown in objectively a better job, but it’s in conference and he is a Providence, RI NATIVE. Tough choice, but it’s going to be interesting.

      Here’s the latest on Ed Cooley:
      
      – Providence wants to keep him, will do everything it can to do so.
      
      – Georgetown set to offer him a deal for more money (it won’t be a ton more per year).
      
      Sources close to Cooley say he understands higher upside at Georgetown, and tough to…

      — Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 18, 2023

  • #6 Creighton 72 – #11 NC State 63 
    • It’s sort of weird that “Omaha” is the answer to the question “Big East city”, but the Jays have come a long way from the Missouri Valley. Still, shout out to Kevin Keatts with a big rebound year at NC State.
• An odd game:
  • #11 Pitt 59 – #6 Iowa St 41
    • This game was 22-2 at one, leaving the game at a pace to finish 88-8. It was just a nightmare for the cyclones…
      
• Favorites who took care of business with a lack of drama.
  • #5 St Mary’s 63 – #12 VCU 51
    • A10 champs go down to a Randy Bennett team that split the WCC title with Gonzaga. One day the A10 will get back to being a 2-3 bid league (hopefully)
  • #4 Indiana 71 – #13 Kent State 60
    • Former Knicks HC Mike Woodson keeps surprising. A lot of people thought he wouldn’t do well in college (recruiting, non-pro players), but he’s got two NCAA berths and his first win.
  • #3 Kansas State 77 – #14 Montana State 65
    • First year HC continues to win after a great year in the Big 12. Jerome Tang is going places.
  • #4 UConn 87 – #13 Iona 63
    • In what was likely Rick Pitino’s last game at Iona, the team played tough for quite a while, then folded honorably. News is Pitino is already in negotiations to take the St. John’s job. Slick Rick at the Garden? Yes, please.
  • #3 Gonzaga 82 – #14 Grand Canyon 70
    • The Zags beat the only For-Profit Institution in D1, an oddity in any regard.
  • #3 Baylor 74 – UC Santa Barbara 56
    • A win that would make David Koresh proud.
  • #2 Marquette 78 – #15 Vermont 61
    • Shaka Smart has a team, last time he had this kind of speed, he was in Richmond, taking VCU to the Final Four. Havoc for the win?
• The Tim Donaghy Memorial Matchup
  • #9 FAU 66 – #8 Memphis 65
    • OK, I’ll keep my bitching short. And I’ll also acknowledge that Memphis played a roll in their own demise, a fact that has to be admitted to be intellectually honest. 
    • Having said that, FOUR calls (not one, FOUR) really played a role in this loss, and they ALL broke the wrong way.
      • 1st: DeAndre Williams’ 4th foul:
        • This was actually the most blatant and most impactful. The center for FAU clubbed Dre in the head / neck with his elbow and the foul went on MEMPHIS. While Dre actually played 14+ minutes with 4 fouls, it actively affected his game as he couldn’t be as physical as usual. Probably worth a couple of points at least.
        • People’s exhibit A:

          Fourth "foul" call against DeAndre Williams. 3rd was worse. pic.twitter.com/KHMBNpxWQS

          — robbyholt (@robbyholt) March 18, 2023

      • 2nd: The “Shot Clock” snafu
        • So, there is some discussion if they are even supposed to review this, but Lappas on the call said they’re not supposed to. Got 0.6 to shoot, which is conveniently the amount you can catch and shoot.
        • Further, the ball actually looked to be off FAU.
        • Even further, they had to review the shot to retro actively give them a three, after MINUTES of game time.
      • People’s Exhibit ‘B1’:

        • Also the refs reviewing time on the shot clock violation, putting 0.6 back on it and FAU hitting a 3…meanwhile Steve Lappas is saying on the broadcast “that’s a shot clock violation. The refs aren’t allowed to review this.”…yet they reviewed it anyway

          — Jon Roser (@Jon_Roser) March 18, 2023

      • People’s Exhibit ‘B2’: See #3’s hand. If you can review the shot clock, you can review the hand.

        Clearly off of FAU before the non-reviewable shot clock violation was reviewed. Why wasn’t this Memphis’s ball after it was reviewed? @GoodmanHoops @GaryParrishCBS @ChrisVernonShow @barstoolsports @NCAA @DanWolken pic.twitter.com/5lwZVUTI6S

        — call me T-Pain. (@umtigershark) March 18, 2023

    • 3rd: Kendrick Davis landing zone.
      • You have to able to land. Point of emphasis this year. I guess it doesn’t apply to Memphis… Insane, and with this, our best player is playing on one wheel the rest of the way.
      • People’s Exhibit ‘C1’:

        This might’ve been a more egregious miss by the refs than not giving Memphis the timeout in the final seconds.
        
        Kendric Davis blatantly not given room to land, this is a flagrant plus three shots in the NBA. Refs said 🤷🏻‍♂️ here
        
        Bull 💩 https://t.co/d5yVqrleRA

        — Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) March 18, 2023

      • People’s Exhibit ‘C2’: It WAS called to end Charleston’s season, but sure. why would consistency matter?
        • Previously submitted, scroll down to yesterday’s #5 SDSt – #12 Charleston game. It was LESS blatant and no one got hurt, but again, whatever?
    • 4th: The timeout.
      • This has been ground to dust. Davis makes a very bad turnover against pressure (probably since he had one good ankle and his trademark speed was gone due to that), and FAU storms down, but is stripped in the lane, with Jayden falling on it.
      • Videos show the Tigers calling timeout, and honestly, not a single FAU player has TWO hands on the ball at any point it looks like (can’t get a tie up with one hand usually). 
      • People’s Exhibit ‘D’:

        This should’ve been a timeout for Memphis. Not a jump ball.
        
        Tough call to make as a ref though trying to see everything at once. #Memphis #FAU pic.twitter.com/CXmuQnY1n3

        — Hunter Baumgardt (@hunterbonair) March 18, 2023

    • Did we get screwed? Don’t ask me, ask the national basketball media.

      • That’s horrible. Memphis had the timeout before the ball was tied up.

        — Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 18, 2023

      • Yeesh, the entire Memphis team was calling timeout.

        — Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 18, 2023

      • Memphis’ ignored timeout is the most controversial moment of March Madness https://t.co/FzmLWgBonK

        — SB Nation (@SBNation) March 18, 2023

      • That’s a brutal missed timeout by the officials. I’m not even sure FAU ever had shared possession.

        — Brandon Kiley (@BKSportsTalk) March 18, 2023

      • 1. Memphis called TO 2. FAU never grabbed the ball

        — Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) March 18, 2023

      • I had FAU advancing so I’m happy for my bracket and what a clutch shot but man… that is a BRUTAL non call for the time-out for Memphis.

        — Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) March 18, 2023

      • FAU wins by one point after the referees didn't give Memphis a timeout at the end with two players screaming for it. One of the worst ref shows I've ever seen in the tournament. @NCAA happy to cash the checks and leave the kids to rot, though. https://t.co/zcPo6sLxil

        — Will Rubin (@WillCRubin) March 18, 2023

      • The refs pretending they didn’t see TWO Memphis Tigers players calling a timeout, right in front of them, just cost them their season.

        — Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) March 18, 2023

      • Worst officiating moment of the tournament. If Memphis loses they’ll have a very legit gripe

        — Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 18, 2023

I’m not saying that the refs were paid, I am saying if the refs were paid, that is exactly what it would look like. 

Not what I would said.

Would have mentioned DeAndre's fouling FAU's center's elbow with his head, Davis not being allowed to land on a jump shot while injuring his ankle with no stoppage, and reviewing a shot clock on an out of bounds play to add time.

Then invoke tim donaghy.

— Andrew Haner (@AndrewDHaner) March 18, 2023

On that note, I will obviously still enjoy all of March Madness, but I’ll be a little (a lot) bitter for a while. SO ignore my ill temper.

To that note, let’s GO FDU and Princeton!

Enjoy!

[ Day 02a – 3/17/23 Friday Scoring]

<< Scoring Day 2 >>

Thoughts (I have a few) to follow.

• Not at all surprising to see Tom and Chris at the top of the heap, they are solid basketball lifers.
• Champs out? Zona / Purdue / Memphis 🙁
• OK, the big story is obviously the second massive 16 over 1 upset, so enjoy day three of the best weekend in sports!

[ Day 01b – 3/16/23 Thursday Thoughts]

<< NERDS!!!! >>

General Thoughts:

• Record by MultiBid Conference (Day 1 / First Four):
  • Big 12: 2-1
  • SEC: 5-2
  • Big Ten: 3-2 
  • ACC: 2-1
  • Pac-12: 2-1
  • Big East: 0-0
  • AAC: 1-0
  • Mountain West: 1-3
  • West Coast: 0-0
• Conferences:
  • SEC shows some real dominance
  • Mountain West continues to suck when it counts…
• Evergreen thought:
  • Charles Barkley continues to SUCK at this. He has become SUCH a curmudgeon. 
  • Conversely, Jay Wright is SO GOOD at this. I love how he is retiring.
• If you want to pick your bracket well next year, Yasmin found this LINK (hint: vote BIRDS)
• BTW, WordPress is FUCKING up on recent updates, so this one will be LIGHT on graphics…

 Game Thoughts:

• Cinderella, the reasons we watch.
  • #15 Princeton 59 – #2 Arizona 55
    • Arizona HAD this… 
      
    • And they didn’t lead until the VERY END…

      PRINCETON LEADS 😱#MarchMadness @PrincetonMBB pic.twitter.com/fzDGNOB2FC

      — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2023

    • Zona let an Ivy league team out rebound them and force them to 19% from deep. EL – OH – EL
    • First Ivy League NCAA win since 2016…
  • #13 Furman 68 – #4 Virginia 67
    •  History of UVA hoops since 2018 (starting with UMBC)
      

    • Is it (past) time to discuss that Bennett is a really good coach, but playing at a purposely deliberate pace makes your games high variance, so a fast low major can force more possessions?
      
      He coaches as a tactician who suffers from a talent deficit, but he has a premier program.

      — Andrew Haner (@AndrewDHaner) March 16, 2023

       

      Furman wanted to play fast, and the Cavs (as they have under Bennett), did not take advantage of their superior talent.

    • Tough end for Kihei Clark, a truly great guard who ends his career with a totally boneheaded play (and a time out in his pocket).

      FURMAN MY GOODNESS. 🔥🔥🔥
      
      pic.twitter.com/sxyDvMfV2J

      — Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 16, 2023

    •  That’s a tough way for a senior to end his career, so let’s also remember a Clark BULLET that kept their title drive alive in 2019…

      Uva doesn’t win the title 4 years ago without Kehei Clark making a smart pass lmao pic.twitter.com/h6Ipoir2im

      — John (@iam_johnw) March 16, 2023

    • What a weird, weird team in Charlottesville.
• Close, fun games:
  • #5 San Diego State 63 – #12 Charleston 57
    •  The Cougars cut it to 3 and made a huge stop. Frankly, I’m sure this is a foul, but it effectively ended the game.

      foul on Charleston late in the game, wow bad call pic.twitter.com/sj18FZXUPI

      — Ted Buddwell 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) March 16, 2023

    • Without that call, the Mountain West would have been Oh-For-The-Day.
    • Tale old as time however, Cougars tend to find heartbreak in Florida.
  • #8 Maryland 67 – #9 West Virginia 65
    •  You KNEW this game was going to be ugly, and it lived up to every promise of snarls and physicality. 
    • I hope Bob Huggins NEVER retires.
    • TBT note: Wheeling, WV is one of the regions. Seriously, WTF. There is nothing there.
• SEC / Big Ten Challenge:
  • #9 Auburn 83 – #8 Iowa 75
    • Two colorful coaches, both kind of jackasses but amusing. Winner has a real chance against a diminished #1 seed (more on that in a minute).
    • The losing coach, being a dick 😉

      • This Fran McCaffery stare-down 💀 pic.twitter.com/BX5x7jBOv3

        — CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 25, 2023

    • The winning coach:
      • 
    • Sports are funny some times.
  • #10 Penn State 76 – #7 Texas A+M 59
    •  Honestly, not a ton to say here. Penn State is really good.
    • 13/22 from deep with only 8 TOs will win a LOT of games.
  • #8 Arkansas 73 – #9 Illinois 63
    •  I am a Memphis fan, but a UIUC / Illini grad. I can honestly say I really don’t get too worked up over the Illini. It was a fun two years, but it you cut me, I bleed Memphis blue.
    • In related news:

      Illinois is now 18 years removed from appearing in a second weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
      
      (Illinois was a 1 & 4 seed the previous 2 years with R32 exits)
      
      Brad Underwood is now 4-7 in the NCAA Tournament with 0 S16+ Appearances.
      
      h/t @B1GBuckets pic.twitter.com/ZjkgyB3SBw

      — College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 16, 2023

• Elite Academics beat a former Junior College
  • #7 Northwestern 75 – #10 Boise State 67
    •  Northwestern is an elite school, Boise… isn’t…
    • Doug Collins was in the house to watch his son coach NW. Best remembered as Jordan’s coach PRIOR to Phil Jackson.

      "Get the ball to Michael and everybody get the fuck out of the way…"
      
      Doug Collins on "The Shot" after Michael Jordan hit the game-winner over Ehlo pic.twitter.com/XA9AHkpcm9

      — Rob Lopez (@r0bato) April 27, 2020

• Memphis’ rivals play tough games:
  • #4 Tennessee 58 – #13 Louisiana 55
    •  I hate Tennessee, but they played ok here.
    • Still 18 TOs and 25% from deep? Do that again and Duke will whip their ass.
  • #1 Houston 63 – #16 Northern Kentucky 52
    •  OK, it’s time to talk about Marcus Sasser. With Sasser, Houston is a upper tier contender, without him? Uhhhhhh… 
    • The afore mentioned Auburn LIVES to play rough and fast. They will have EVERY shot against Houston if Sasser can’t go…
    • Sasser? Goodman is scared for Saturday…

      Should Houston fans be worried about tomorrow's matchup with Auburn?
      
      "Yes. Really worried. Sasser gets re-injured… I don't know how he plays in this next game" – @GoodmanHoops
      
      Full episode ⬇️⬇️⬇️
      
      🎧 https://t.co/tTf48JhD3X
      🎥 https://t.co/u7W5OYNdIp
      
      POWERED by @BetRivers pic.twitter.com/nd92rlfvfl

      — The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 17, 2023

• We’ll always have the memories of 2021:
  • #5 Duke 74 – #12 Oral Roberts 51
    •  That’s a shitty way for Max Abmas to go out (12pts on 4/15 shooting), so let’s remember the Sweet 16 run instead.

      ORAL ROBERTS SWEET 16 🔥🚨 MADNESS! (via @CBSSportsCBB) pic.twitter.com/Ud6ekT8Adn

      — SLAM University (@slam_university) March 22, 2021

    • RIP Max Abmas’s NCAA career, may you destroy in Europe.
    • Jon Scheyer is undefeated in NCAA play. And now they play a team in the Vols that can barely get the meth in their mouth accurately, much less shoot a basketball.
• Just further confirmation that the Mountain West sucks:
  • #7 Missouri 76 – #10 Utah State 65
    •  Happy for Reid!
    • Don’t care otherwise!
• Thanks for playing, you parting gifts are over there:
  • #1 Alabama 96 – #16 Texas A+M CC 75
    •  Easy win, but still a lot going on.
    • First off, a BAD BEAT for those that held Tide +24 (LOL, serious gamblers avert your eyes) – LOL

      🏀 #MarchMadness Day 1 Recap Thread 🏀
      
      Top bad beats 🤦‍♂️❌
      #1 Alabama -23.5 – Texas A&M CC nails the triple in the final seconds to cover the spread 😬
      
      #2 Charleston +5.5 – San Diego State got two meaningless free throws in the final 0.7 seconds of the game to cover 😳 pic.twitter.com/TF0IueImiO

      — Covers (@Covers) March 17, 2023

    •  Two, Star player Brandon Miller has a groin injury (along with Sasser, 2 of the 5 AP All American first team has groin pain). So he might have issues going forward…

      Brandon Miller has a groin injury, Alabama coach Nate Oats said on CBS after his scoreless game in win over TA&M-CC. Hurt it in SEC T. Title game Sunday.

      — Glenn Guilbeau (@LSUBeatTweet) March 16, 2023

    • So, that is an issue on top of his other issue (the other issue being murder)
  • #1 Kansas 96 – #16 Howard 68
    •  Howard had moments in the first half.
  • #2 Texas 81 – #15 Colgate 61
    •  Toothpaste was tight for a while
  • #2 UCLA 86 – #15 UNC Asheville
    •  LOL.

OK, that’s a fun Day 1, let’s see what the Day 2 brings!

[ Day 01a – 3/16/23 Thursday Scoring ONLY]

<< Recaps and Notes to follow, but here is the scoring for Day 1, early Day 2 NOT INCLUDED below >>

Day One Scoring:

• Chris T and Tom B are in the lead, with Molly and Magic Juan trailing.
• Shout out to Juan and Maurice losing their champs on day one. Big accomplishment!

[ Day 0 – 3/16/23 Thursday Part I: INTRO]

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

>>>>>

[ Day 00: Intro ]

 

 

Hello all and welcome to the 2023 Larry Finch NCAA tourney pool.

2022’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!

 

Note: 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. 

• 65% general pot to the winner
• 30% of general pot to 2nd place
• $20 to Women’s bracket 1st place
• $10 to Women’s bracket 2nd place
• $10 each to:
  • Last place (LOL) and 
  • The biggest 2nd round upset (by seed). 
• We’ll hash this out / confirm on our first ‘all aboard’ email.

5. Who is defending? 

 

You’re chasing the defending champ, which is a split between my pop and brother (Dave / Rusty, nepotism!). 

 

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

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

Likely thinking:

• Thursday:
  • My place in Brooklyn (one TV, one projector, one separation anxiety pooch)
• Friday:
  • Repeat of my place OR a quiet bar in Brooklyn (no patience for St. Patty’s Day)
• Saturday: TBD
• Sunday:
  • If MEMPHIS WINS FRIDAY, likely at StoreHouse in Manhattan, 
  • The public Memphis bat signal goes up then 😉

 

>>>>>

 

 

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-2021

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.