jkerouac Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 One of the most bizarre aspects of life in the U.S. (and there certainly are a lot to choose from) in my opinion is college sports, particularly football and basketball. We encourage our institutions of higher learning to be farm leagues for the major professional sports leagues. Guys who will earn millions as soon as they turn pro, spend 4-5 years with scholarships and (all too frequently) pseudo educations as rewards for playing on colleges' "amateur" teams. The rationale is that they bring in money for non-sports programs by giving alumni teams to root for and brag about. In my opinion, both football and basketball should both just have semi-pro or development leagues (like baseball's minor leagues) and let the pro clubs foot the bill. And let colleges and universities focus on education and academic excellence (now there's a concept.) Having unburdened myself of this rant, I have to admit that the NCAA basketball tournament is the most compelling annual sports dramas in the US. For me it ranks up there with the Tour de France and close to the Olympics and soccer World Cup. So who are your teams? And who do you think is going to win? I had three favorites in this year's tournament. I have degrees from Boston College and Illinois. BC is still alive and faces off against Villanova first, and then would meet the winner of Georgetown/Florida. I think they have a very good shot at making the Final Four for the first time ever. I live in Seattle, so the University of Washington is a hometown favorite. Unfortunately, they booted my second alma mater, Illinois, from the tournament. But I won't hold that against them. They have a tougher challenge facing them in Connecticut. If they can handle UConn, then they ought to make it into the Final Four as well. The other two brackets are tougher for me to call. From the Oakland Regional, the key game is Gonzaga/UCLA. UCLA has the heritage, but Gonzaga has been extremely competitive in the tournament for some years recently. I'd love for them to pick it up a notch and beat UCLA. In the other half of the bracket, Bradley is my underdog choice. They have often had good, feisty basketball teams. I'd love for them to move on. But the Final Four pick for me is either UCLA or Gonzaga. The Atlanta Regional seems like Duke's to lose. I want to like Duke because their school has the strongest academics in the tournament, and I prefer strong academic schools to win over schools whose only claim to fame is sports. On the other hand, Duke is a perennial favorite, and I generally root against perennial favorites. But this bracket has a 1, 2, 4 and 6 seeds, so any one of them could break through to the Final Four. For me this is a wild card regional. So who is going to take all the marbles? As much as I want BC and Washington to go all the way, BC has a better shot because they've played in the ACC and lost to Duke by the slimmest of margins. I would also have no complaints with either Gonzaga or UCLA. But then there is always Duke. If someone can knock Duke off in this week's rounds, then the Final Four could be wide open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzanooo Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 I too from Seattle, if they get by next round, watch out. GO DOGS... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkerouac Posted March 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I too from Seattle, if they get by next round, watch out. GO DOGS... You realize of course that whether UDub or UConn wins, the Huskies will advance in the tournament! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF_Mike Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I too from Seattle, if they get by next round, watch out. GO DOGS... Seattle native here.... GO DAWGS... we need redemption for the heartbreaking 1998 sweet 16 loss to UCONN. The Zags/UCLA matchup on Thursday is a big one as well. I like UCLA, they finished the PAC-10 strong and the Zags are questionable when you can shut down Morrison. Plus the zags don't have their cinderella magic anymore. BC is tough and should have beat Duke in the ACC championship, but I think Villanova could be the strongest team in the tourney. finally, out of Atlanta, I see duke being upset at some point... Expecting to see another couple of strong performances out of Texas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzanooo Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 (edited) You realize of course that whether UDub or UConn wins, the Huskies will advance in the tournament! Edited March 21, 2006 by pizzanooo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAM000 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 ...and the Zags are questionable when you can shut down Morrison. I'd have to disagree. Morrison didn't do much against Indiana and the Zags handled them pretty well. (Then again I'm a bit defensive since I've lived in the Spokane area since '94. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF_Mike Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I'd have to disagree. Morrison didn't do much against Indiana and the Zags handled them pretty well. (Then again I'm a bit defensive since I've lived in the Spokane area since '94. ) Good point there... He also tends to draw a ton of fouls if you shut him down, so you'll get burned at the end of the game. My bracket may say UCLA, but I'll be there on Thursday, and will be yelling for the Zags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I find the betting pools more interesting than the tournament itself. I went to one of those schools where even the atheletes have to be literate (theoretically). I don't follow college basketball but responded to peer pressure and ponyed up the $25 per card this year for the first time in a few years. I have no idea who I picked but I am in second place after the first weekend. But my better story was during my first year at work out of college. Once again, knowing nothing about basketball I was pressured to buy a card. I think it was $50. A guy from the mailroom saw me staring at the bracket trying to figure out who the heck to pick. He wanted to play but didn't have the dough. So I put up the money and he made the picks. We came in second and split a grand. People at that form are still wondering how I won. Lastly, one of my friends is a trader at one of the big investment banks. This year's bracket cost a thousand and the winner picks up something like $50,000. I suspect the P&L for that trading floor is going to be way off this month. They are all trading their positions among themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkerouac Posted March 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 As good -- or bad -- a time as any to update this thread. What a difference a few days make. I started to root for Gonzaga, and they lost by one point after UCLA scored the last nine. BC lost by one point in OT. After leading most of the way, their play softened, but I couldn't help seeing how much Villanova was assisted by dubious calls. I was so [censored] at the end of that game that I decided not to watch the Washington - Connecticut matchup. Good thing. UW lost .... by one point in OT. News reports (and not just the home paper) say the refs had a lot to do with the outcome. See a pattern here? Hint: Take my picks, and put your money on the opponent. (More proof? I was for the Seahawks all the way in the Super Bowl). So when World Cup time comes, I'll be happy to sell you my picks -- so you know which teams to avoid. Back to your regularly scheduled program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF_Mike Posted March 25, 2006 Report Share Posted March 25, 2006 I was so [censored] at the end of that game that I decided not to watch the Washington - Connecticut matchup. Good thing. UW lost .... by one point in OT. News reports (and not just the home paper) say the refs had a lot to do with the outcome. Refs - 2 Seattle Sports in 2006 - 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esmarc Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Well, I'm from L.A., and it hurts to say it, but... Congrats Florida! Esmarc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF_Mike Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Well, I'm from L.A., and it hurts to say it, but... Congrats Florida! Esmarc Man, it seems like a shame to have such a boring championship to cap off one of the most exciting tournaments in the last few years. Congrats to the Gators though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkerouac Posted April 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Actually I thought the game was fairly entertaining. But UCLA did look out-classed. Perhaps if they had gone into a slow-down, high percentage shot offense they might have had a chance. But they simply could not keep up with a faster, more aggressive Florida team. Besides, UCLA had one other big disadvantage --> I was rooting for them. :cc_surrender: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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