College Basketball Thread

“Uh-oh chili, I know your real name now. I won't report you though. I'll bet you would lose it for life if I did.”

“LOL. As long as money still talks, I guess I will be OK.”

“Tulsa harpooned me.”

“Looks like I blew 2 of the 5-12 matchups. I picked Marquette and Miami. At least Bama squeezed one out. I'm heading out for 3 days in the mtns. Will be on the road most of Monday, but will post my point total going into the Sweet Sixteen after that. If Bama had gotten beat, I was going to repost my lineup with FAU at the top.”

“You got me laughing, dayhiker. FAU all the way! My suspicions tell me that the Tide wasn't going to expend one ounce more of energy on this game than they had to.
Hey, Arc, this is no kidding. I heard on ESPN radio that Nelson and Halton were fighting. That makes me angry if they are just trying to stir up controversy. Sorry about that, I will ask first, next time before I assume.
I had both Missouri, (they played a great game), and Tulsa. We played Tulsa early in the season, and they are a tough team. They could scare Kentucky.
I had OK St beating Kent St, and only gave Kent St ONE POINT! My godliness is besmirched!”

“What a crazy first day! How could anyone have picked all those upsets?

At least none of us made any major gaffes. We all ranked our teams from 64 to 1. Our number one team standing ABSOLUTELY no chance of winning in the first round because we were POSITIVE that this team would be overmatched. We researched the teams and did rigorous analysis of the structural make-up of these teams. We factored in the stress these teams would be under. We knew these teams would bend under pressure. We knew they couldn’t handle the load on their shoulders. These teams lacked the shear strength to compete. These teams would fail in the first round….ooops.

Speaking of loooosers! A friend of mine convinced me to pick Marquette over Tulsa. He was so high on Marquette that he even had them beating Kentucky in the second round. He strongly recommended that I move them up in my rankings. I took his advice. This friend also happens to be my stockbroker. Is anyone else feeling as bummed about my prospects for retirement as I am?”

“That was, without a doubt, the most bizarre first round I have witnessed. Did USC really get beat? Did the Gauchos really take Arizona down to the wire?
It is becoming evident that the talent pool is being spread around in college basketball. It is also clear that there are are some great coaches at these smaller schools. Holy Cross played with a great amount of discipline.
I bet the Gonzaga fans are in shock. No one saw that coming, I'll bet.
Anyway...live to play another day.”

“arc, we must have the same stockbroker.”

“I guess that KU's structural integrity was stressed. The load-bearing components weren't equally sharing the load. We are in need of shoring in some critical areas.”

“Well, on the minor league front, Memphis was impressive in completely destroying UNC-Greensboro. And, the best part was that the beer was cold.”

“Go Cowboys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Congratulations, Chief! I love it when the programs that don't get much national exposure take center stage and make the most of it.
I just wish that Winthrop was a little tougher.”

“Let's kill him now, chili.

Yeah Dunadan, but any MOMENT now they'll come to their senses and go KIP some a$$. Sick structural humor.

KU looked uninspired. I'm hoping that they were just getting the first round jitters out of the way.

Did you hear the sports announcers talk about Kansas' past record in the tournament? I hope the Jayhawks make that record meaningless this year!

Wyoming looked great! Will I hurt your feelings Chief, if I root for my 61 point team in the next game?”

“Yeah arc, we might as well consider it. This could get ugly before it's over.”

“Florida's been like that all year; blow a lead late in the game, make lots of mental mistakes at the end, and lose. Oh well, I've still got hope in the pool.”

“Just got back from a dayhike and saw the Gators lost... Ouch!”

“My condolences, Arc. I'm telling you, they don't call the Missouri Valley the "Valley of Death" for nothing. A side note...as I was listening to the game, the announcers, twice, said that the Florida players had been fighting at practice. What gives?
Chili, I am the #1 fan for Memphis in the NIT. They will get a few tests along the way, though.
Well, KU is having a "closed session" practice as I write this. This means that Roy Williams doesn't want the public to see the torture devices that he is implementing right now. For those who are putting their hopes on the Jayhawks, I am looking for a big game against Stanford. It is true that KU doesn't have the most stellar tournament record. The next game might not even tell us what we want to know about the Jayhawks. If they beat Stanford, it will be the next game that will tell the tale. It looks like it will be Illinois, and they just love to bang, hack, hold, and wrestle. That could be a tough one.”

“good luck to the Jayhawks. arc, at least the Gators made the big dance,,,,we seem to have a shortage of NCAA tournament teams in TN,,,, and yeah, at least I get a couple of home games in March,,,, it could be worse.”

“Gentlemen, WTF?. I am almost 40. I have followed College basketball and the NCAA for a long time. This is a gigantic Charlie Foxtrot.

I almost hate to calculate the maximum amount of points possible against what I am going to post.”

“Alas! The Tide goes down in a Flash. Man, that was a tough game. How many points do I get for a Kent St win? Not very many.
Sorry about that, Dayhiker. Those Flashes came out quick and didn't let up.
The Jayhawks will gladly accept any support that is thrown their way. We had a good game against Stanford. I hope things continue like this.
Missouri still looks powerful.
The Missouri Valley is still undefeated.
See you later, gentlemen.”

“Here is what concerns me. Illinois is starting to look much tougher than just a few games back. Get ready for the Illinois hack attack.
UCLA might be on a roll.
Arizona might be on a roll.
The tournament still looks formidable to this Jayhawk fan.
Sorry, Prowler, about the Bearcats. What a game!”

“Dun, some teams sure picked the right time to peak. It should be an interesting road to the final four.”

“UC :(”

“Man, I couldn't get on this site for two days!

Scandal, Dun. Controversy whips up people's emotions. Most folks think with their emotions. Scandal sells papers and draws attention. The players got hot with each other during a spirited practice. There was no building tension, no deep-seated resentments, and no lasting animosity. The players were embarrassed by the whole media circus surrounding the incident. As is often the case, the media loves to create more controversy than really exists. Don't buy into it, dood.

The fact of the matter is that Florida lacked character this year. They lacked heart and hunger. They played flat and had no killer instinct. Chemistry is just as important as talent. The Gators are one of the most talented teams in the country, and will be again next year, but they had no chemistry.

What a crazy tournament! I do happen to know exactly how many points Dunadan, Dayhiker, Chili, Dunk, and I have. As of this moment it appears to be a two-horse race. But that will probably change with the next round of upsets.”

“Yeah, Arc, it is so different what you read and hear in the "hometown" as opposed to the national media. Some folks are trying to use an off-hand remark by Roy Williams as a reason for Wisconsin fans to boo KU. I believe you, bro. I even told some of my construction friends to refrain from putting too much value on that "fight" at Florida.
It's too bad we couldn't have matched up in the tourney. Is Nelson coming back next year?
Did you hear about the sophomore at NC who is transferring? Things are rough for Matt Doherty. I wish he would have stayed at ND.
I had the Salukis going into the Sweet Sixteen! I had Kent St. biting the dust! This tournament is too strange!
I have my numbers at 2,070. Is that how you guys see it? What are everybody's numbers so far?

Rock Chalk!”

“2103 here. And I am up by one point in the office pool for 640 bucks. If I don't get peeled back any more in the Elite Eight, I might come through for the money.”

“I'm hanging in there with my bracket for $350, but I need help from the basketball gods.”

“don't we all?”

“What's the latest with the NIT? Are my Tigers still clawing their way to the top?”

“dun, we get BYU in the Pyramid tomorrow night, then get the winner of Yale/Tennessee Tech.

If we can't get to the Final Four from here, it will be a long, long off season.”

“Damn, your road is paved with gold, dude. I'll be looking for Memphis in Madison Square Garden.”

“Into the Sweet Sixteen this is how it stands:

Dunadan- 2070
Dayhiker- 2103
Chili- 2103
Dunk- 2146
Arc- 2155

Still rootin' for them Jayhawks, bayyyyybeeeee!”

“Talk about a butt kicking last Saturday! At least I was on the trail and didn't have to see it. Our entire team is returning next year. Hopefully, they learned a valuable lesson late this season. You've gotta finish BABY!

We're all living vicariously through Dunadan now. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!! I yell it like a local now. It's all I have to hold onto!”

“Yep, Dayhiker, the SEC may have been the most balanced league, but they certainly weren't the strongest. Bama, MSU, and Florida were all disappointments.

Dunadan, you have some great picks, and I really want to leave this alone because I'm feelin' bad for you now, but were you a student at Kent St. during the riots? What in the world did you have against them?

ROCK, CHALK, JAYHAWK!”

“Here's the truth behind the one point I assigned Kent St. Contrary to the rumors that I was on Richard Nixon's staff, I have always had a place in my heart for the school.
I made out my bracket and assigned each team accordingly. "Oh ----", I said when I noticed that I had left two teams off of the list. One was Cal. I had to alter my list for them. The other was the Golden Flashes and I thought to myself, "These dudes are going out in the first round anyway, why not just put them at the bottom of the list?" I am racking up my phone bill right now calling the athletic dept. at Kent St and begging them to lose. I told them what was at stake, (TT Deification), and they understood. They promised me they wouldn't win another game. Whew!”

“LOL, Dun! My stockbroker friend also recommended that I move Kent St. up on my list. It wasn't some brainstorm that I came up with. I'm feeling better about my prospects for retirement now thankyouverymuch.”

“Well, it looks like Bobby Huggins is going to West Virginia. I sure hope someone teaches him the frickin’ hymlick maneuver before he gets there or they too will be relegated to a first round choke team. 8( Good riddens ya bum!”

“yeah, good riddence Bobby, we won't miss you in Memphis one little bit”

“Whoa, Nigal. I don't think you are giving Coach Huggins his due. He amassed some great talent in Cincinatti and took them a long way this season. To win the NCAA tournament almost requires the stars to be aligned perfectly. There are a lot of coaches who would love to be in his shoes right now. IMO.
I'm glad to hear your retirement plan is in good hands, Arc.
Isn't Memphis playing tonight? I don't have cable TV, so you will have to keep me informed, Chili.
I appreciate the gang pulling for the Jayhawks. My wife, my brother, and I went to the local Irish pub and watched the Stanford game. The place was packed with a bunch of rowdy KU fans and, as you might imagine, the place was rockin', chalkin', and Jayhawkin'! I was feeling like a Florida football fan when they raced out to a 15-0 lead.
Every game seems scary to me, though. I don't compare Illinois to the other two teams we played so far. I think it should be a hard fought game.
Later, BB fans...”

“just got back from watching the richmond spiders take one on the chin from syracuse. they did better in the NIT than was predicted. syracuse was much stronger than they were.”

“The Spiders. Now that is a great mascot.”

“Goodbye Duke!!!”

“Do I hear taps playing?
You should hear people screaming in Lawrence.”

“well, dun, it's goodbye to the office pool money for me.....but...... GO JAYHAWKS!!!

btw, Memphis continues to look impressive in cruising past BYU..... we just need to put TN Tech away and we are back to the NIT Final Four. It is better than nothing, besides, all of the NIT games for Memphis have been in the pyramid (as will the game Sat) so I have had an "extended" BB season. Thank goodness the NIT allows beer sales during the game.”

“Yahoo! That's what's great about college hoops. No dynasties.

I think I'll rout for So. Illinois tonight. Not because they're that good. I just think 'Saluki' sounds cool.

I was disappointed that Pittsburgh didn’t go further. They were pegged at next to last in the Big East in the pre season.”

“Hey, Chili, do they sell beer at the NIT games?- grin- Go Memphis!
I have never been so happy to see my bracket trashed. But, did anybody not have Duke in the Final Four?
Gotta love them Flashes, even though they are denying me of godhood.
Lets go get Illinois tonight! Rock Chalk Jayhawk, KU!!”

“I was the ONLY one who didn't have them in the Final Four! I did have Bama there, so I guess that doesn't prove too much for my prognostication abilities. Leonards Losers...the Blue Devils. BTW, Mike Davis played his college ball at Bama. He used to have basketball camps in my hometown, 30 minutes from where he grew up. Charles Barkley and many NBA players were regulars at the camps. Great fun for an 8th and 9th grader. I think they quit having them when I went in the 10th. Roll Tide!”

“The Jayhawks survive the battle! They will fight again in this war known as the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois played a tough game, as everyone expected. Not many people expected us to have to rely so heavily on our freshmen. They came through with flying colors.
Next game...Kansas150-Oregon 120.
Rock
Chalk
Jayhawk
K U!”

“Gotta keep this thread near the top so we can re-hash the games. I'm surprised that we don't all work for major newspapers as sports editors.”

“We don't need that stinken Bobby Knight!!!!

GO INDIANA!!!!!

8)”