Category: March Madness (Page 34 of 56)

      Elite Eight Preview & Picks: Louisville/MSU, UNC/Oklahoma

      March 28, 2009 /

      #2-seed Michigan State vs. #1-seed Louisville
      Tip-Off: 2:20 PM ET
      Sagarin Ratings: Louisville (92.53), Michigan State (88.53)
      Line: Louisville -6.5
      The Spartans exceeded my expectations when they beat Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen, but anytime a team has a great point guard (Big 10 POY Kalin Lucas) and a lot of grit, they have a shot. Tom Izzo’s team isn’t going to give up, which makes the dog an interesting play in this game. There’s no doubt in my mind that Louisville is the better team, but they looked flat against Siena before blowing out Arizona. The Sagarin numbers say that the line is off by 2.5 points, but Raymar Morgan has a broken nose and has to wear a mask for the first time, so I’d stay away from this one. I think Louisville will win, but it might be tight if the Cardinals put it into cruise control too early or if they don’t bring their A-game.

      #2-seed Oklahoma vs. #1-seed North Carolina
      Tip-Off: 5:05 PM
      Sagarin Ratings: UNC (94.64), Oklahoma (89.96)
      Line: North Carolina -7
      The big question heading into the tournament was the health of Ty Lawson’s toe. I think that question was answered with his solid play against LSU and Gonzaga. North Carolina should have enough firepower to beat the Sooners, but seven points is a lot to give a good Oklahoma team. In addition to POY candidate Blake Griffin, Willie Warren is one of the best freshman in the country, and Tony Crocker is capable of stepping up and hitting a bunch of threes. Still, the way the Tar Heels playing, I wouldn’t be comfortable taking the Sooners and the points.

      College Basketball, March Madness

      TSR’s running diary of March Madness: Let’s play in the Sandbox

      March 28, 2009 /

      These March Madness diaries have turned into something of a tour of the sports bars of Orange County. Last Thursday it was Rudy’s in Newport Beach (still my favorite), yesterday it was the Costa Mesa Hooters, and tonight it’s Sandbox, a relatively new sports bar/lounge on Beach Blvd in Huntington Beach. The setup is nice – but no wifi, so this diary is going up in one fell swoop – with a number of HD flatscreens positioned around the restaurant. At night, it turns into more of a lounge/dance club for the well-dressed. Our server’s name is Jessie and she’s looking sharp in her little black dress. We’ll see if I can get a picture of her for you.

      I’m watching the games with LaRusso and his co-worker/buddy Kevin, who is from Foxboro, so he’s a big Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox fan. We got into a minor spat last year over whether or not the Celtics would have beat the Lakers had Andrew Bynum been healthy – he thought a Boston win would have been a sure thing while I thought it would have thrown the series on its ear, but we’re way past that now.

      5:14 PM: Louisville is spanking Arizona (not a huge surprise) and Oklahoma is up eight or ten on Syracuse (a bit of a surprise). I think the Orangemen have a shot at pulling this one out, though it’s not looking particularly good right now.

      5:20 PM: What is the deal with these Howie Long commercials where he mocks anyone who has a truck that’s not a Chevy? This probably brings back memories of high school for Howie. Is there any chance that he wasn’t stuffing freshman in lockers on a regular basis? He reminds me of a meaner “Big John” from “Can’t Buy Me Love.” He was the one who stuck his butt out the window of a house party and farted in the face of a young Seth Green. For those that haven’t seen the flick, it’s one of my favorites from the ’80s — McDreamy plays a McLoser who pays a girl to date him so he can be popular. Hilarity (and surprisingly touching social commentary) ensues. Anyway, I’m waiting for one of these guys in these commercials to tell Howie to go f*ck himself. Do we really need a washed up NFLer mocking a fellow truck owner because it has a convenient “man step” or gets two fewer miles to the gallon? Give me a break.

      Continue reading »

      College Basketball, March Madness

      Kentucky fires Billy Gillispie

      March 27, 2009 /

      I wrote earlier today about Billy Gillispie being in limbo, and now he’s not. He’s just been fired.

      Billy Gillispie is out as coach of Kentucky in his second season at the helm, and the school has called a 4:30 p.m. news conference to announce the change.

      School officials had been quiet about Gillispie’s job status after the Wildcats tumbled through the second half of the season to finish 22-14, tied for the second-most losses in the program’s 106-year history.

      When something like this happens, I wonder if his fate was sealed after the team missed the NCAA tournament or if a NIT championship would have been enough to buy him another season.

      Let the rumor mill begin…Billy Donovan? Rick Pitino?

      You have to think that UK wouldn’t make this move unless they had a plan in place.

      College Basketball, March Madness, Rumors & Gossip

      Elite Eight Preview & Picks: UConn/Mizzou, Pitt/Nova

      March 27, 2009 /

      #3-seed Missouri vs. #1-seed UConn
      Tip-Off: 4:40 PM ET
      Sagarin Ratings: UConn (94.21), Mizzou (91.04)
      Line: UConn -5.5
      Missouri’s strength is their forward duo of Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll, but guard J.T. Tiller scored a season-high 23 points against Memphis. Mizzou got Memphis to play at its pace, but I don’t think that the Tigers are going to find the Huskies as willing to run with them. UConn plays its best defense when Hasheem Thabeet is planted firmly in the lane. They don’t foul (Memphis sent Mizzou to the line 45 times on Thursday) and they are pretty efficient offensively, which one of the flaws of John Calipari’s team. If UConn gets into an up-and-down affair, Thabeet is far more likely to find himself in sitting on the bench in foul trouble. I’d expect UConn to push when they have the advantage but otherwise slow the tempo down. Mizzou’s run has been great, but UConn is playing as well as anyone in the tournament and given the Huskies’ balance of talent, that’s a pretty scary proposition. But 5.5 points is a lot to give the Tigers, who are playing the best basketball of their season right now. I think I’d stay away from this one wager-wise, but UConn is my pick to win it.

      #3-seed Villanova vs. #1-seed Pittsburgh
      Tip-Off: 7:05 PM ET
      Sagarin Ratings: Pittsburgh (91.97), Villanova (89.59)
      Line: Pittsburgh -2
      I picked Pitt to win the whole thing and every game they love to scare the ever-loving crap out of me. Needless to say, I’m not as optimistic about the Panthers making it to the Final Four much less win the whole thing. The one thing that they’re doing better than anyone else this in this tournament is keeping their poise in the clutch. They have three of the best players in the college game in Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields, but they aren’t getting much offensive help from any of their other players. In each of the three tournament games, they’ve kept it in about second or third gear for much of the game before flipping a switch in the waning minutes. This is a dangerous game to be playing, especially against a Villanova squad that looks so good right now. The Wildcats have blown out two pretty good teams (UCLA and Duke) and they beat Pitt by 10 at home in the two teams’ only meeting this season. In that game, Blair was saddled with foul trouble, so Pitt should fare better if he’s able to play his usual minutes. So with the Panthers favored by two, we have a team that isn’t playing very well (but is winning) favored by a bucket over a team that is as hot as a pistol and already won the previous meeting. If I were a betting man and you put a gun to my head, I think I’d take the Wildcats and the points, though if the game is tied or within one with two minutes to play, Pitt probably covers (if that makes any sense). The thing that really worries me about laying any money on Nova is the fact that Panthers have already lost to the Wildcats and they know they have to take them seriously. I’d stay away from this one too. My brain is saying Nova and my gut is saying Pitt, but my pick is Pitt. I think they play better and win a tight one.

      College Basketball, March Madness

      Billy Gillispie in limbo

      March 27, 2009 /

      Despite a internet report that he had been fired, Billy Gillispie is still the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.

      School officials have been quiet about Gillispie’s job status after the Wildcats tumbled through the second half of the season to finish 22-14, tied for the second-most losses in the program’s 106-year history.

      University president Lee Todd said recently Gillispie’s position would be evaluated at the end of the season. Todd attended the loss to Notre Dame but did not respond to requests for comment by The Associated Press on Thursday.

      Athletic director Mitch Barnhart was planning to meet with Gillispie, though the coach said during his radio show Thursday night no meeting had been scheduled.

      In response to an Internet report Gillispie is going to be let go, the University of Kentucky issued the following statement Thursday night: “UK men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie has not been fired. There have been no meetings between Gillispie and UK officials today, and there is no scheduled press conference for tomorrow.”

      When asked after the loss to Notre Dame if he expected to be back, Gillispie said the decision wasn’t up to him.

      “You’re asking the wrong guy,” he said. “All I know is to go to work, recruit, coach and that’s what I did, that’s what I’ve done and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”

      The folks at Kentucky are considering two questions:

      1) How good of a coach is Billy Gillispie?
      2) Can we get anyone better?

      It used to be that a coach would have three or four years to guide a program, but in this day and age when the top players are only stopping at the college level for one or two seasons, the leash seems to be a lot shorter. Two years ago, Kentucky thought so much of Gillispie that they signed him to a seven-year deal. UK fans and boosters are notoriously fickle about their team, but if you feel strongly enough about guy to sign him for seven years, it’s hard to justify letting him go after a 22-win season. Granted, his team lost 14 games this season, but still.

      I’m not a big fan of his after seeing how he treated a sideline reporter that reportedly rebuked his advances, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to understand why a school would fire a guy after two seasons of his seven-year deal. Unless, of course, they’re firing him for being a jerk to sideline reports. Then I understand completely.

      3:31 PM ET Update: It’s official — Gillispie has been fired.

      College Basketball, March Madness, Rumors & Gossip, Women

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