Bulldog Butlers for all

In the battle of the ugly white kids, Butler is triumphant.   Another Final Four run?

How the West Was Lost?

Aztecs lose.  Cougars lose.  Maybe the Arizona boys can counter the revenge of the East.

The Dookie is Eliminated

I'm sure Coach K had nice things to say about Arizona.

Sweet Sixteen Party, the un-MTV Edition

After recovering from the four day b-ball bender from last week (I thought that maybe watching a few hockey games this week would be a certain kind of methadone for my Big Dance heroin.  I forgot, however, that I am MUCH more into the Western Conference playoff fight than any kind of hoops, so I had to slowly add in doses of televised golf to even me out.) we are once again ready to do it again.  Eight teams in action today, featuring some tasty matchups.  We will finally find the answers to these pressing questions:

• Is a Blue Devil stronger than a Wildcat?
• Can the Aztecs reduce the number of teams from The Big No-Show to one, and why is Nate Silver defending The Big No-Show's performance in The Times today?
• Is BYU "America's Team" now?  (If you haven't been reading Deadspin lately because you assumed it was still just an asinine, hypercritical, snark-fest...well, it still is.  But, there are now some real journalism, too.)
• Is this man, who is a cross between Li'l Orphan Annie and Carrot Top, capable of leading the Badgers of Wisconsin to victory over the Bulldog Butlers,

.

And why is he tripping this player,

And can anyone look less like Michael Jordan than this red-headed, Isro sportin', secret Bledsoe Axiom usin', dude from St. Paul?

• And finally, is this the new face of Basketball?

Enjoy the games.  Check back tomorrow for a score update.

Taking out the Magic Eight Ball

Breaking out the spreadsheet again to cure your insomnia.  Here's a quick analysis of who has the best shot left at winning the big prize, a lifetime subscription to MPMN magazine.  From the Sweet Sixteen through the final there are 128 points available.  Looking at who is already eliminated from your brackets we can determine the maximum points each entry could get if the remaining games are all predicted correctly.

Name	Current Total	Max future score
Ben	46	166
Ryan	42	162
Matias	41	161
Devin2	38	158
Devin1	45	157
Johnson	45	157
Healey	44	156
Tony	44	156
Dylann	44	156
TD1	46	154
Cantaloupe 3	36	152
TD2	39	151
Wilson1	37	149
Regan	40	148
Steve A.	36	148
Oordt2	36	148
Cantaloupe2	36	148
Oordt1	38	146
Serena	38	142
Joe	43	139
The Champ	36	136
Wilson2	42	126
Cantaloupe1	38	106
Holla	37	101
TD3	38	70

Obviously, there is a lot of reshuffling from this hypothetical leaderboard compared to the current standings.  Wilson2, TD2, and Joe all suffer immensely from the Big East no-show.  (Rechristening that conference "The Big No-Show" would be appropriate.)

At the top is a different story.  The top four on this list could still earn an impressive 120 points.  They weren't swayed by the allure of The Big No-Show, by and large.

From the How the Mighty Have Fallen Department, we have a Gordon sighting.  The reign of The Champ will be short lived.  One year, in fact.  It would take quite a turnaround for him to jump back up there, but then again, isn't that how he won it last year too?

Then there is TD3.  Thanks to Texas' youngsters blowing it against Arizona, and Purdue running into the buzz saw that is the VCU Rams that bracket is K.I.A.  Barring complete armageddon the rest of the way, 32 more points aren't going to win this.  The Sombrero of Eternal Sadness won't have to travel far from it's current home where it has resided ever since the debacle that was the Fall Classic.

Ten Things I Learned from The Tournament This Weekend, Edward Everett Horton Edition

1. The Big East Conference is overrated (maybe they were just overseeded?), or the Colonial Athletic Association has some really good teams in it (Correction from earlier post: the CAA is now 4-2 in the tournament.  I had forgotten that ODU is in the CAA, also.)

Best hair left in the tournament?

2. He Who Will Not Be Named is a really good basketball player (Someone needs to explain to me how he is not playing at Duke.), or no one should "Do The Jimmer" (That's not a clever innuendo, just a really bad song.)  TJ Fredette meet America.  America meet TJ Fredette.  (Hint: Don't hold your breath waiting for America to call you back, TJ.  She's a fickle, flirtatious lover.)

"Only my mom calls me 'Jimmer'.  Have you heard the song my brother wrote for me?"

3. The Bulldog Bulters are still underrated and also a really good basketball team, or you can't spell Pittsburgh without P.U.

4.  Just calling it the "Second Round" isn't sufficient to get Georgetown to show up for their first game, or the talented VCU men's basketball team (not to be confused with VDU or PCU) is our nation's best kept secret

Is this the last time anyone liked Jeremy Piven?

5.  Rick Pitino looks very sad when he loses, or the Morehead St. (snicker) head coach should be paid more

"No, no one in my family died.  I just lost a basketball game."

6.  Charles Barkley sitting next to Kenny Smith is the definition of a sight gag, or Saint Joseph's head coach, Phil Martelli, is a really good analyst on TV...which probably also means he's a really good basketball coach, too.  (Speaking of sight gags, Martelli does look an awful lot like the love child of Patrick Stewart and Sloth from The Goonies.)

"Sloth and Chunk...friends?  Warp speed.  Engage."

7.  I never want to tune in truTV ever again, or don't look the gift horse of having every game broadcast live on TV and the internet in the mouth

I weep for the future...

8.  Gus Johnson should be allowed to yell, "Finger Roll!" more often, or Jim Nance is the least colorful commentator in the game (CBS let him cover the Final Four, please.)

Gus likes yelling.

9.  Experience is an asset, or several young, highly touted, talented basketball teams wilted under pressure late in games

Interestingly, Reggie Miller is now an analyst with Turner Sports.

10.  Frank Martin is one scary mofo, or sometimes it's better to be feared than loved

(Niccolo Machiavelli) 

Dive into the previous posts (see the Blog Archives on the lower left) to catch up on the goings-on this past weekend.  More posting to come this week as we recover from our weekend hoops overdose.

Sunday's Leaderboard

Quick score update for Sunday's games.

The Leader with 46 points...

Ben!

Way to go rookie.

(Also with 46 points: TD1)

45 points
Devin1
Johnson

44 points
Dylann
Healey
Tony

43 points
Joe

42 points
Ryan
Wilson2

41 points
Matias

40 points
Regan

39 points
TD2

38 points
Cantaloupe1
Devin2
Oordt1
Serena
TD3

37 points
Hollah
Oordt2
Wilson1

And in a four-way tie for the race to wear the Sombrero of Infinite Sadness, with 36 points:
Cantaloupe2
Cantaloupe3
The Champ (How the mighty have fallen)
Steve A.

Awards, and "analysis" from Sunday yet to come, along with plenty of comedy.  Stay tuned.