March 13, 2005

Quarantined For March Madness

The Tarheels' secret weapon. Will the ruse work?

It's been a while since I've done a sports post, much to the delight of most everyone (my 14-part tribute to the Houston Rockets' Clarence Weatherspoon, done sonnet-style, begins soon). But it's the most magical time of the year, with the best playoff format about to kick off.. the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Here's your 65-team bracket, with current voting on who gets where. If you'd like to see a snapshot of how I filled it out*, check here. The wordy version (upsets bolded):

Chicago Region: Illinois, Texas, UW-Milwaukee, Boston College, Alabama-Birmingham, Arizona, St. Mary's, Oklahoma State // Illinois, Boston College, Arizona, Oklahoma State // Illinois, Oklahoma State // Illinois.

Albuquerque Region: Washington, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, Creighton, Wake Forest // Pittsburgh, Louisville, Gonzaga, Wake Forest // Louisville, Wake Forest // Louisville.

Syracuse Region: (Let's not worry about the play-in game) N. Carolina, Iowa St.New Mexico, Florida, Wisconsin, Kansas, Charlotte, UConn // N. Carolina, New Mexico, Kansas, UConn // N. Carolina, Kansas // N. Carolina.

Austin Region: (Oh great... now this?): Duke, Mississippi St., Michigan St., Syracuse, UT-El Paso, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Kentucky // Duke, Michigan St., Oklahoma, Cincinnati // Michigan St., Oklahoma // Oklahoma.

Final Four: Illinois defeats Louisville 78-69, N. Carolina defeats Oklahoma 69-60. N. Carolina defeats Illinois 81-78... in overtime.

Feel free to steal these to win millions of dollars in whatever pool you're in. Comments are open for your own provincial favorites. I had to have the Longhorns win at least one game in the tournament (sorry Nevada), although I'm not really sure what they're doing in the group of 65 to begin with. NIT and NCAA Women's Tournament** picks later.

UPDATE: I have discovered how to do the perfect Dick Vitale*** impersonation. Imagine you're an aging bloodhound, nearing retirement. On your last trip, you, of all bloodhounds, have picked up the trail of the escaped convict. Now signal your master by howling the word "Duuuuukkkkkeeeee!!!!"

* -- Psyche!
** -- Double Psyche!
*** -- God, that moron is fucking worthless.




Posted by Norbizness at March 13, 2005 12:06 AM
Comments

This is where I embarass myself by whoring for my team: Go Blue Devils!

Posted by: Socraticsilence at March 13, 2005 09:53 PM

If it wasn't for Dick Vitale('s voice), would NBA Jam have been the game it was?

"RAZ-ZLE DAZ-ZLE!"

Posted by: ChrisV82 at March 13, 2005 10:16 PM

Thankfully I root for a school that never threatens to make the tournament so I don't have to worry about provincial bias except for hating Creighton.

That being said, UT will lose to Nevada. Nice St. Mary's pick. I'm leaning that way myself.

Posted by: steve at March 14, 2005 12:20 AM

when lsu, beaten badly by univ. of houston early in the year, can make the tournament easily, you have to wonder what's going on in the so-called majors. the MAC gets hosed again with one pick, punished because a conference also-ran won their tournament.

i admit to being a clark kellogg junkie no matter how much extra sauce he uses - always amazed that a guy like him could come from columbus and ohio state.

Posted by: paperpusher at March 14, 2005 07:54 AM

Vitale's fairly useless, but he's not as bad as douchey mcBlueDevil Jay Bilas. That authoritarian tone of a car dealership regional manager disguises a piss-poor college career that was one step below Alaa Abdelnaby and a small step above Greg Koubek. Oh yeah, and Wake beats Syracuse in the final, cause Roy Williams ain't never winnin' shit.

Posted by: drew at March 14, 2005 09:13 AM

Just because Wake beat Texas in the regular season, you knock Wake out against Louisville?! The bitterness ain't attractive.

And no one is more annoying than Bill Rafferty. Although Billy Packer is pretty bad. Packer hates the ACC, but most of all Wake Forest. I think it's just because they never retired his jersey.

Posted by: Yosef at March 14, 2005 12:06 PM

Re: Dick Vitale . . .

A couple of years ago, I was exiting a convenience store on Siesta Key, FL, when who should drive up but Dick Vitale himself (apparently he lives near there for part of the year, or something). He was driving a new convertible Mercedes, with the top down, and was wearing the standard famous person disguise of sunglasses and a hat.

Of course, he proceeded to blow his cover by using his car's speakerphone to make a call (with the volume turned up to at least 11), which he began by saying, "Hey, Bobby, how are ya? It's Dick Vitaaaaaale!" Then he looked around, like he was trying to gauge the level of Dickie-mania that was sweeping the parking lot after his little announcement.

The funniest part of it all was that nobody within earshot seemed to give a shit.

Posted by: spencer at March 14, 2005 12:41 PM

My alma mater Georgia is no where to be found. Motherfuck they were bad this year. Gone are the days of Jarvis Hayes and beating Kentucky and Florida in the same year.

Anyway, UNC wins it this year, I'm guessing.

Posted by: Kop at March 14, 2005 01:54 PM

Oh yeah, Dick Vitale walked over to the Wake students before the Wake/GaTech game this year to make them happy. They booed him.

Posted by: Yosef at March 14, 2005 03:13 PM

Thanks for posting that pic of Worthy with the goggles. I waited for James buying gas at the self serve Exxon on Franklin Street (Chapel Hill's main drag) as spring semester of 1979 came to a close.

Well, now that I've relived that fleeting moment of glory, back to sorting email attachments for the project file!

Capitalism: it's not just a job, it crushes your sole

Posted by: Stuart at March 15, 2005 10:46 AM