What did I miss?

Sorry fans, thatguysports went on a brief hiatus. I think I blacked out for a full week.

What did I miss?

I think the Final Four was meant to end. Can somebody let me know what powerhouse from the Big-10 won? I'm sure the top conference in the land must have had a winner in some sport this year.


What's going on with the NBA? The Celtics obviously keep losing right? I mean there's no way they'd string together a .500 record to make sure they don't sniff Greg Oden in any manner, right?

The Bears traded Lance Briggs by now I'm sure. The last I heard, the Redskins were ready to mortgage their draft and trade them the 6th pick in a loaded draft. I'm sure they took that deal. No way they'd hold on to a guy who legitimately doesn't want to play for them. Especially with that sweet of a trade offer on the table.


Anything else I miss??

Farewell to the ACC

What a weekend in college hoops. What a day yesterday for games.

Kudos to Georgetown. MAJOR kudos. They beat 8 guys yesterday. Between the 5 they were playing in white and Carolina blue, and the 3 they were playing in black and white stripes.

34 fouls shots to 18. And anybody who watched that game yesterday knew that the physicality of the game was the same for both sides. Just an embarrassing example of officiating.

That said, is Roy Williams able to look himself in the mirror today? I can't figure out if he just thought his team was supremely talented compared to Georgetown, or if he thought that they'd just stop the bleeding themselves, but to the best of my observation yesterday, he just watched the game slip away.


The ACC has to be the biggest disappointment in collegiate athletics this year.

CBS is Idiotic

I first heard about this on barstoolsports and I had to see for myself. There's no way that it was true, and there's no way that CBS consciously decided to do this. But in reality, there is and they did.

Gus Johnson isn't announcing any basketball games this weekend.

Here's who is.

What's the over-under on how many times Jay Bilas has to correct a drooling Dick Enberg on a player's name? I have 7 in the early game and 17 in the night-cap. Enberg has to be a 5 pm dinner, 7:30 pm sleep guy.

I have him calling Southern Illinois "the Illini" by the 2nd TV timeout. I have him calling Brandon Rush Brendan Roy by the 2nd half, and there's a good chance Jay Bilas kills himself in between games.

Its amazing to me how stupid television networks are.


I realize there's no way to rid ourselves of Billy Packer the miserable grandparent, but I was really hoping the senile one (Enberg) would be put to pasture.

Wow.

March Madness: Reaction to the First Two Rounds

Some are calling the first weekend of the NCAA tournament boring. Here at thatguysports, we're not quite as outraged. The weekend went a lot like we thought it would.

There seemed to be quite a difference between the top 4-6 seeds in a bracket and the bottom seeds in the bracket. More-so than ever.

No 5/12 upsets. No 14/3 upsets. 2 6/11 upsets (both very "popular" upset picks). Even the 10/7 games went the way of the seeding.

Now the fun starts in my opinion. Look at today's games - many spreads under 5 points. Here is where the cream will rise to the top.


Some knee-jerk reactions to the weekend:

- Tough tournament for the ACC. Many had Georgia Tech as an upset but they didn't last day 1. Maryland doesn't get to the sweet 16 either, and Va Tech takes the pipe as well. What an overrated conference.

- Great tournament for the SEC so far. Vanderbilt with an upset to get into the Sweet 16, beating a very good, "hot" Pac-10 team in Washington State. Tennessee overwhelming Virginia. Florida surviving a scare. 3 teams in the Sweet-16.

- Kudos to Butler who came under fire for not winning their own conference tournament. Clearly their schedule throughout the year and winning the pre-season NIT helped them tremendously en route to their Sweet 16 birth.

- Ohio State should become the independent and Notre Dame should join the Big-10 instead of the Big-East as an "also-ran" with the rest of the losers. Every major sport is Ohio State and everybody else.

- Looks like I was wrong about the Pac-10. 3 teams in the Sweet-16 if the USC score holds up. Solid showing thus-far.

- Does Billy Packer talk to everybody as if he's permanently annoyed, or just during times that he broadcasts games. I feel like he announces as if he's a perpetually annoyed senior citizen. Wait, I think he actually is that. Can't CBS make Raftery their #1 color guy? He just called a horrendous travel call by the officials in the Nevada game with a very dry "Where?"

- How does Gus Johnson not become CBS's #2 play-by-play guy for every sport? Take over for Dick Enberg and his senility in football PLEASE.

- Its nice to watch a series of games on CBS and not hear Randy Cross or any sort of "Cross Talk."

- Right now I'm hanging in there on my bracket pool. Riding Kansas for all I can, Texas A&M and Georgetown are my keys. Florida is almost a lock for everybody - G'Town and KU are fairly split. A&M is a 2nd top choice out of that bracket.

Need Nevada to pull off an upset right now - that would be HUGE.

More to sometime on Monday, but for now this is it.

Picks Picks Picks!!!

If there's anything we're good at here at thatguysports its the early college postseason. Nobody was better than thatguysports during the pre-real bowl game period, and we're going to do our best to kill it this Thursday.

So here goes, all games for Thursday, broken down and analyzed. And failing that, we'll flip a coin or just bet against the team we hate.

Davidson (13) vs Maryland (4) -7

I can't figure this Maryland team out. They suck at the beginning of the season, get hot near the end and then lose to Miami in the ACC tournament. Davidson, a mid-major obviously trying to make a statement here. I don't think they do.

The pick: Maryland -7

Texas Tech (10) vs. Boston College (7) -3

Gene Wojciechowski wrote a great piece about watching the selection show in Las Vegas after spending the day with them. This is what he repeatedly said about Texas Tech and Boston College:

"I'm shocked they got in," when Texas Tech is named a No. 10 seed. …
"[Boston College] and Texas Tech -- both of those teams are so weak," said Coach
of the first-round matchup.

Ringing endorsement huh? BC at least wasn't a "I'm shocked they got in" scenario.

The pick: BC -3

Stanford (11) vs Louisville (6) -5

I think the Pac-10 is one of the most overrated conferences in the land, and I think the Big East doesn't get enough respect. Go to covers.com trends for this game and you'll see that Stanford sucks as a dog, and Louisville is solid as a favorite. That's good enough for me.

The pick: Louisville -5

Oral Roberts (14) vs. Washington State (3) -6.5

Wazzou isn't really an offensive machine, winning most of their games because of their defense. That to me says that 6.5 is too much to give to a team that beat Kansas outright earlier this season.

The pick: Oral Roberts +6.5 (In reality I just wanted to type "Oral" again)

Butler (5) vs. Old Dominion (12) +1

Arguably the hottest topic in the first round. ODU vs Butler. The public opinion I'm reading is very pro-ODU. At that point, and with that issue, I think I'm leaning the other way.

The pick: Butler -1.

Belmont (15) vs. Georgetown (2) -16.5

Hoya Paranoia is back. Belmont defends the 3 very well but the Hoyas are just physically dominant at almost every position. You don't need to throw up from behind the arc when you have this much of an advantage physically. Look for Belmont to hang for 5 min, but its not going to last.

The pick: Georgetown -16.5

Penn (14) vs Texas A&M (3) -13.5

Its tough picking against what seems to be an always semi-competitive Ivy League, but A&M has the defense to stymie Penn, and the explosiveness in Acie Law to score in bunches.

The pick: A&M -13.5

George Washington (11) vs Vanderbilt (6) -3.5

Vandy beat Florida which is impressive, however less so when you look at the fact that at one point Florida put the season in cruise control and let down their guard for a bit. GW can defend, Vandy is hit or miss offensively.

I say they miss.

GW +3.5 is the pick here.

Duke (6) vs. Virginia Commonwealth (11) +6.5

People think VCU will be overlooked by some in this match up, and its quite possible that they will be nationally. But as much as it kills me to say, Duke typically doesn't overlook teams. I think Duke wins this one easily. Lay the number.

The pick: Duke -6.5

Central Conn. St vs. Ohio State -21.5

Ohio State can blow you out, and Central Connecticut State is ripe to get blown out.
This one hits 30.

The pick: OSU -21.5

Michigan State (9) vs. Marquette (8) +1.5

The Big 10 is overrated and Marquette is a phenomenally coached team that still played well without arguably their best player.

Marquette +1.5

Weber State (15) vs. UCLA (2) -19

Weber State was actually a good team against the spread this year (17-7). That says something this time of year. I think UCLA is playing with a chip on their shoulder after a disappointing end to their season. Unfortunately for them, I think UCLA is looking ahead to the 2nd round, if not the sweet 16 already.

Weber State keeps it close in the first half, and loses by 16.

The pick: Weber State +19

BYU (8) vs. Xavier (9) -1.5

Xavier seems to always win their first round game. I don't see them winning by 1.

The pick: Xavier -1.5

Wright State (14) vs. Pitt (3) -10

I don't have a ton of analysis for this one. Call it a hunch. Dashaun Wood does enough to keep Wright State closer than the number.

The pick: Wright State -10

Eastern Kentucky (16) vs. UNC (1) -26

I actually think its going to be difficult for the Tar Heels to keep it close even with emptying the bench. UNC covers this one.

The pick: UNC -26


Gonzaga (10) vs. Indiana (7) -1.5

IU has enough to cover the number against a Gonzaga team that is still being viewed as if they're anything close to the solid team they were in the past. That's not the case though.

IU -1.5



Good luck to all.

The Real Bracketology: How to Run a Successful March Madness Pool

Trust me when I tell you this....Running your March Madness pool can be one of the classic examples of "No good deed goes unpunished." That is, if you don't run it correctly. Follow my rules and guidance, and you'll be in the clear.

Lesson 1: Know your Audience

You want to re-create slamming your head against a brick wall? Try to explain to a 50-60 year old how to create a Yahoo or CBS Sportsline ID, find a private password protected league, and join it. Then make it worse by trying to teach him how to pick his teams, and make damn sure he doesn't forget to hit "Submit" (Multiple the frustration by 100 if you're talking about a FEMALE in this situation).

The moral of the story, know you audience and make it easier for the toughest entrants to deal with. Let the young population bitch rather than alienate the older generation. Participation is key for these, and you don't want to drive people away.

Young population? CBS/Yahoo/other Internet pool is a-ok.


Lesson 2: Don't require a PhD to determine points

a.k.a. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Escalate points by round (I feel as though they have to be doubled, but that's just me) but 1 point per right answer regardless of round is not the way to go.

Other possibilities:
"Upset pool:" 1 point per correct answer, bonus points for the difference between the seeds for an upset. 12 seed beats the 5 seed, 7 bonus points.

"Takeover pool:" 16 or 32 entrants, 2 or 4 teams, if the losing team covers the spread, the loser takes over the winning team. Winning team wins and covers, that player moves on. Its enjoyable to make fun of the person who has the 1 seed when the 1 seed beats the 16 seed by 30, but the spread was 30.5.

"Auction:" This is a wonderful pool for a bar. Promote the shit out of it, get people to show up, and auction off teams. You'll see some #1 seeds go for upwards of $500. Pay off something for each win to give a 10 seed some value, and have at it. Great way to watch the tournament.

"Fantasy Basketball:" Draft a team, 5 players, 10 players, whatever you want. Standard scoring system, and there you go.

Lesson 3: No such thing as too much information

Communicate, communicate, communicate. Give standings as often as possible, and invest a little time in telling people who has what team from the Sweet 16 on. Trust me, you'll do the work eventually, so why not do it when you're sitting down watching games a few beers deep.

Make sure to tell the pool what your picks are ahead of time. If/when you win, it'll be less questionable.

Lesson 4: Be a prick collecting money

Because if you don't, you'll be paying the winner out of your own pocket.


And there you have it. Do it well, and you'll be the hit of your office. Screw it up, and you're all done.

March Madness: How to Fix the System

One of my 10 (up from the prior # of 9) readers brought up the idea of this ridiculous "play-in game," and why are legitimate tournament qualifiers playing against each other rather than at-large bids. It got me thinking.

Here's how you fix the idea of teams getting "snubbed" year in and year out.

For the most part, you're talking about 4-5 teams that have legitimate gripes. This year, I'll give you Florida State, Syracuse, West Virginia, K-State, and Drexel. Last year you had Maryland, Notre Dame, Indiana, and Miami of Ohio. Don't give me the crap that Appalachian State got hosed this year. That's crap.

Anyway, why only have one play-in game? And why have it be the winner gets a 16 seed and becomes fodder for the #1 team?


Who would be opposed to this:

Florida State vs. Texas Tech - winner is the 10 seed to play Boston College

Syracuse vs. Old Dominion - winner is the 12 seed to play Butler.

West Virginia vs. Arkansas - winner is the 12 to play USC.

You get my point.

Why not take the bottom 8 teams, and have 4 play-in games. Or the bottom 7 and have 3 play-in games.

Go to Dayton on Tuesday, and make them worth something. 4 games on the first Tuesday just like normal NCAA sites on Thursday and Friday.

Obviously its not going to happen - its just makes too much friggin sense.

March Madness: Keys to the 2007 Men's NCAA Tournament

Thatguysports had a fairly decent NCAA Bowl Season if you ignore the mid point of the season (which I obviously am) so stick with me and I'll teach you how to win your NCAA March Madness pool.

I'll try to channel horrendous color commentator Randy Cross for a little thatguysportsblog version of Cross-Talk.

1. Avoid the ACC.

I know some of my 7 readers truly think the ACC walks on water, but I'm here to tell you that you should view the ACC this tournament season as the Big-10 during football. Over rated. Avoid them and you'll be in much better shape in this year's tournament than those that believe in the blatantly average mid-Atlantics (Maryland, UVA, Va Tech.)

2. Ride the Big-12.

Its entirely possible that 3/8 of the Elite 8 is from the Big-12. Nobody would be surprised if 3/4 of the Final Four is from the Big-12.

3. Forget about George Mason.

I'm here to tell you that there will be no George Mason this year. George Mason can't even be George Mason. No mid-major this year will threaten the Final Four. The parody that the country is seeing is not on the elite level. You hear far more discussion this year about mediocre teams that got left out than seedings for the teams that made it. Because this year there' s a clear-cut iron to the tournament. And the parody that you see, is at the "also-ran" level.

4. Get lucky.

If my calculations are correct, you're going to win your tournament pool this year by "guessing right" when it comes down to the Elite 8. I think there will be a lot of similar brackets from the 3rd round and on.

5. Remember that the Big-10 is extremely overrated.

In everything that it does.

6. The Big-East can't score.

Almost every team in the Big East would fall under the category of "can struggle scoring" at times. That is KILLER for the NCAA tournament. Granted the 6 fouls vs 5 fouls issue is long gone, but the style of play is the same. Oh and for along the same lines, please see: Ten, The Big.

So there you have it. 6 keys to your tournament.

You can thank me later.

Look for my complete brackets on Thursday.