Final Four in San Antonio: Four Number One Seeds
April 5, 2008
Four number one seeds.
This is the kind of Final Four tournament pick that people who don’t follow college basketball at all, would make.
Still, my final 2 are still alive, UCLA and UNC.
I had them from the beginning and see no reason to waver now.
So just to make it official, in tonight’s action it will be UCLA over Memphis…
Carolina over Kansas.
Did I mention that in a perfect world Davidson would be here instead of Kansas?
Alas, it is an imperfect world.
Okay, so I really missed the picks!
At least Kansas beat Memphis…
Not Giving up on Davidson Yet
March 30, 2008
I have to say I like their chances over Kansas. The win over Wisconsin was that convincing to me. In the other game today, I think the Longhorns take down Memphis. I have stubbornly been picking against Memphis (that Michigan State pick looked good at the time), and see no reason to stop now. Eventually, I have to get it right!
Sweet 16
March 28, 2008
I had last night’s picks fine but forgot to post them. Here are today’s picks: Davidson in an upset over Wisconsin, Kansas over Villanova, Texas over Stanford, and Michigan State will make Memphis the first number one seed to exit.
A couple of things from last night’s games that are worth noting: Xavier is very good.
Louisville is looking like a semifinalist.
UCLA is very erratic, and UNC looks unstoppable.
At some point I will have to jump off the Davidson bandwagon (but not just yet)…
Picks so far: 41 games picked correctly out of 52 or 78.8% average (later rounds are easier to pick it seems)…
Ultimately it will be: UCLA over Xavier and UNC over Louisville…(neither of these is exactly going out on a limb on my part).
Some upsets and near upsets….
March 23, 2008
Where to begin, so much has happened since Friday morning? Well, the Aggies were eliminated when Donald Sloan’s drive was blocked in the final seconds. Any one of three UCLA players could have stopped it. Bad play call by A&M.
Duke losing to WVU was an easy pick. Still, very satisfying to see them become the first number 2 seed to fall.
But how did Siena beat Vanderbilt and San Diego beat U Conn? Those were two very big surprises. I did not see Clemson losing to Villanova, but my son Jake picked that one…so the last 2 days have made up for Thursday’s lack of upsets. What happens next?
Defense will be the key again today; UNC over Arkansas, Louisville over Oklahoma, Tennessee over Butler, Texas over Miami, Villanova over Siena, and Memphis over Mississippi State in a close game. I will stay with Western Kentucky, now that they have shown their mettle, over San Diego. My upset pick is Davidson over Georgetown (Curry is hard to stop).
I have picked 29 out of 40 right so far. My average is now 72.5%. I need a good day today!
Friday’s Tournament Prediction’s
March 21, 2008
I wonder when we will see a genuine NCAA upset. Could today be the day? Let’s survey the field shall we? My biggest upset picks of the day are Davidson over Gonzaga (10 over a 7) and Saint Mary’s over Miami (also a 10 over a 7)…I would love to see a bigger upset though. Perhaps Boise State over Louisville? Dare we hope?
Pick Comment
Tennessee over American Vols should have been a top seed
Butler over South Alabama Best mid-major left
Oklahoma over Saint Joe’s Boomer Sooner
UNC over MSMU Today’s duh pick
Louisville over Boise State Pitino is the Evil One
Arkansas over Indiana Today’s small upset pick
Davidson over Gonzaga Today’s moderate upset pick
Georgetown over UMBC Hoya Destroyas
Vanderbilt over Siena Rider should have beaten Siena
Clemson over Villanova Clemson should be a higher seed
Saint Mary’s over Miami Aussies prevail for Gaels (upset)
Texas over Austin Peay Hook ‘em Horns
Oregon over Mississippi State Quack Attack in an upset
Memphis over UTA Memphis should not be a 1 seed
Drake over WKU Drake should be called ducks too
Connecticut over San Diego UConn has too many weapons
So who gets their tickets punched to the Sweet 16 Tomorrow?
I will take the following: UCLA over A&M, Washington State over Notre Dame, and Stanford over Marquette. The elite Pac 10 teams will move on, it was the toughest conference this year. I think Duke loses to West Virginia (they were exposed against Belmont–who really should have won); Duke is my big upset pick of the first two rounds.
Michigan State over Pitt (Izzo is good… face it). Xavier over Purdue (experience from last year pays off). And the Kansas teams will continue. K-State over Wisconsin (did I mention I hate the way the badgers play basketball?), and Kansas over UNLV.
A Review of Yesterday’s Action
March 21, 2008
It appears I reached too hard to find a Cinderella yesterday. The “mid-majors” did not open the tourney with much audacity…none really. I did not think Duke would almost lose to Belmont (assisted by the refs losing their whistles in the last 20 seconds)…but that was oh-so-close to making my day. UK fought hard but the lack of depth was telling in the end. USC and BYU let me down. Total games picked right was 11 out of 16…my winning percentage has improved to 69%, from the 60% I scored in the conference tournaments. Hopefully, I can make some incremental improvement with today’s picks.
Today’s Tournament Picks
March 20, 2008
Here are today’s picks. I don’t think Cinderella does much dancing today in the opening round. My biggest upset is Cornell over Stanford (a 14 over a 3), and that would be a good one too. UK over Marquette is my next biggest upset (an 11 over a 6), and I invoke The Jacob Rule here, named after my son Jake, and that rule is; never pick against Kentucky (more on that later). My other minor upset is Kent State over UNLV (a 9 over an 8)…
Pick Comment
Xavier over Georgia Georgia runs out of luck
Kansas over Portland State Rock chalk etc.
Michigan State over Temple Izzo is a tournament coach
Kentucky over Marquette Go Big Blue!
Purdue over Baylor Better talent
Kent State over UNLV Cohesive and experienced
Pittsburgh over ORU Dangerous number 4 seed
Cornell over Stanford Ivy League beats a pseudo-Ivy
Duke over Belmont Duh
USC over K-State PAC 10 is bigger than Big 12
WSU over Winthrop Another dangerous number 4
BYU over A&M Great in the post
Wisconsin over CSFU Would love to see badgers lose…won’t happen here
West Virginia over Arizona Arizona seems flat uninspired
Notre Dame over George Mason Irish learn from past mistakes
UCLA over MVSU Huge duh
Selection Sunday
March 16, 2008
So as we wait for the brackets to come out, let us see how I did in the games I picked this week…I consider them as my scorecard to see if I have any hope this year as a bracketologist. Out of 15 games I picked 9 right. Could have been worse, I guess I will take a 60% score.
Now it is time to sit back and look at who is going in to the East Region. UNC as number one overall pick makes sense, but I am surprised that Tennessee is a 2 pick, and that Louisville is a 3 pick (I thought that they would be a 2). Washington State is a very tough 4 pick. It is hard to belive that there could be a tougher bracket than the East Region.
Oregon and Kentucky both made it in…I am happy about that. Regrettably, Rider did not make it.
Ultimately, it will come down to UCLA versus North Carolina, and UCLA wins it.
March Madness is in the air…and I am ready!
March 9, 2008
The period stretching from the Super Bowl to right about now, is the slowest season for sports fans. We have been in the doldrums: as is widely known, and we all have to suffer through it. But now the Conference Tournaments are under way, many fabulous weeks of hoops entertainment lie ahead, and here are some of the teams that I am pulling for… I want them to be in the NCAA tournament, and to hopefully do some damage once they get there:
Team Why I support them
Oregon Ducks Alma Mater
Kentucky Wildcats Alma Mater and I am Big Blue Nation citizen (see below)
Rider Broncs My son goes there
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks My son went there
UCLA Bruins I almost went to grad school there (made me a nice offer), re. other allegiances (UK, UO) I do like UCLA except when they play one of my other teams (only a true hoops fan could begin to understand such convoluted logic)
Hampton Pirates A friend and colleague went there, and I like the way these guys play
So with a field of 64 teams it is nice to have a few options …Typically, I also pull for the Ivy League Champion, and I will try to support Cornell, but they really do not motivate me all that much. The ducks regrettably, are a bubble team, and may not make it in, although I think the wins against ASU Friday and Arizona Saturday, certainly helped. The larger question is why they have been so erratic…but perhaps they are peaking at the right time.
The only conferences I know enough about to even attempt to formulate a prediction are the SEC, and the PAC 10. Here is my forlorn attempt at (and yes I will not be using intellect when it comes to games involving my teams, that would not be any fun):
SEC Tournament Picks (Atlanta, Georgia)
First Round
Game 1: South Carolina versus LSU…LSU wins (this is a team that has really been coming on)
Game 2: Auburn versus Vanderbilt…Vanderbilt has too much for Auburn to handle and will win easily
Game 3: Florida versus Alabama…Florida wins in a nail biter (the defending champs will remember that they are the defending champs)
Game 4: Georgia versus Mississippi…Ole Miss in a statement game
The Next Picks are built on the first 4 game picks and chances are is I may have miss-picked a couple, but in any case…
Game 5: Tennessee versus LSU…LSU in an upset
Game 6: Vanderbilt versus Arkansas…Razorbacks in an upset
Game 7: Florida versus Mississippi State (champs have a memory loss as Mississippi State wins)
Game 8: Kentucky versus Mississippi…Coach Billy delivers a victory in another cardiac arrest game for UK fans
Game 9: Arkansas versus LSU…I will take the Bayou Bengals
Game 10: Kentucky versus Mississippi State…cats win somehow with 8 players against a well-balanced and really good Mississippi State squad (not sure exactly how)
Championship Game: Kentucky beats LSU in a two possession game (4 to 6 points)
My net of the nets … after watching Billy Gillespie when he was at A&M and now in his first year at UK, he has convinced me that he is a hell of a good tournament coach.
Pac 10 Tournament Picks (Los Angeles, California)
Cal over Washington (probably a close game)
Arizona over Oregon State (yes I know, a really tough pick…since the beavers have yet to win a conference game)
UCLA over Cal (Cal probably will be tired from the UW game)
Oregon over Washington State (of course)
Stanford over Arizona
Super Bowl XLII
February 3, 2008
I think the Giants will cover the 12 point spread, and would not be surprised if they win. I think Eli will play well. I am not picking them to win…just to cover. I am the only person I know (other than my wife), who thinks the game will go this way. Here are how my counselors across the nation see it:
Ben Gibson (New Jersey) New England 35 – New York 17
Jake Gibson (New Mexico) New England covers “big time”
Ike Gibson (Texas) New England 35 – New York 21
Camille Gibson (Texas) New England 30 – New York 27
My Prediction: New England 34 – New York 23
End of Q1: New York 3 New England 0
Giants inability to score a TD will likely bite them in the butt later (probably).
Best commercials were Audi, Bridgestone and Pepsi.
2nd Quarter: NY 3 NE 7 Patriots score way too quickly…did not look that hard!
11:00 to go in the half and Eli throws a pick! Back to the Giants running game? Can Eli recover mentally?
Next Giants drive was inept…went in reverse and nearly fumbled the ball away.
Brady gets sacked twice in a row at the 7:00 mark? Can this be a sign of the apocalypse? The end of the world as we know it?
As expected the Giants go to the running game. 3rd and 4 Manning fumbles on the blitz…flag on the play? 10 yard penalty…replay 3rd down (this is a huge play coming up) 3rd down and 18. Manning is almost intercepted again but time for another punt. Here comes Tom Brady’s 2 minute drill…look out! 30 seconds to go and NE almost is out to midfield. The unthinkable happens as Brady is sacked again and turns the ball over… and that comes to 3 sacks and a half dozen very hard hits. Brady is feeling pressue that he has not felt in a very long time. The half ends with a jump ball and the score still NE 7 NY 3. This Game is looking good as a possible classic. And it looks like everyone is going to be off in terms of total points predicted!
Frankly, it is anybody’s ball game at the half. The NY defense looks exceptionally tough is my main impression from the first half. Now it is time for Tom Petty. Okay, Petty did a great job, but Prince was better in the rain last year.
At half time the top 3 commercials are Dorito’s (big costumed mouse), Bridgestone (squirrels etc), and Pepsi Max (disco).
The second half starts with a New England possession as Brady comes out throwing. In 2 minutes he has them at midfield before being stopped on third down (again…it is starting to look like a pattern). The punt gives the ball to the Giants on their 14. I think we can expect more running plays from NY. But wait, NY may have had too many men on the field? NE has thrown the challenge flag. Haha the Giants blunder costs them the ball…first and 10 NE on the Giant 39 yard line. Holy crap, that was just plain stupid. Faulk gets the 1st down on 3rd and 13…here we go folks. Giants defense has been out there for almost 9 minutes now. But somehow Strahan sacks Brady again! That was a huge play. Patriots go for it on 4th and 13 and miss.
This game continues to amaze me with its’ unpredictable twists. The whole time I’m thinking NY will run they turn around and throw a bomb to Plaxico…who almost catches it. The Patriots turn in a great defensive series. How long before Brady gets into a rhthym? I think the Patriots need to run Mulroney more to counterattack the Giants pass rush which is doing a hell of a job of harassing Brady. Nonetheless, the Giants defense seemed to have been on the field for most of the third quarter. I predict they will have a lapse in the 4th quarter (from sheer fatigue) that will cost them the game. End of Q3 NY 3 NE 7 STILL.
4th quarter starts with NY possession on their own 20. Coke commercial with Stewie and Charlie Brown breaks into second place.
Manning makes a huge pass to the rookie TE Boss for a big gainer and puts NY on NE 30. Holy smokes! Can they get a TD or will it be another Field Goal? And the answer is yes for a TD… at 11:05 left in the 4th quarter NY 10 NE 7. That is a lot of time for Brady to work with against a Giant defense that has to be getting tired…don’t they?
Time for Brady to take it to them…he will only have this chance and maybe one more to do it. But he looks uncharacteriscally anxious. What is up? Is he getting shell-shocked? Possibly. And the Giants stop him again…now they will seriously take the air out of the ball when Eli gets it back.
All NY does is run about 90 seconds off the clock. Not good enough when you are playing against Tom Brady and he has 8 minutes to work in. Sweatshirt the Patriots coach, is working his mojo for all its worth now, as Brady’s passing game starts to click at the 5:45 mark.
Big pass to Welker puts NE on Giants 29…NE can tie it from here with a Field Goal. Moss gets the ball to the NY 19. Giants defense does look slower and tired on this drive, as I had thought they would. This could be it… as NY takes an injury time out with the ball on the NY 7 yard line. In all likelihood the game will at minimum be tied here in a minute (2:45 remains) as we reach 3rd and goal. I would throw the ball to Moss here but what the hell do I know? It is way too obvious right? No it is not! Moss scores the go-ahead TD! It comes down to a huge lapse by the NY defense as I had expected. Now 2:42 is left in the game. Nut cutting time for Eli Manning. Here is his big chance. Chances do not get any bigger. And Plaxico has only caught one pass all night after all of his bragging this week. Interesting.
NY faces a big 3rd down at the 2 minute warning and Manning completes one to Toomer (who has been money all night), but they will go on 4th down in any event. Here we go 4th and inches! Looks like Jacobs got the first down with 1:22 left. This is a huge first down…a critical conversion. Ball is now on NY 37. Manning gets tackled on a scramble and clock continues to run, how about a timeout New York? Finally, Coughlin stops the clock with a TO. Now with 1:15 left at 3rd and 5 Manning should have been sacked but…somehow he completes a bomb to Tyree for a huge first down with 35 seconds left and the ball is now on the New England 24! But Manning gets sacked again and NY uses their final time out (2nd down and 11). Another incompletion makes it 3rd and 11 with 45 seconds left. Smith catches a 12 yarder for a first down and steps out of bounds at the NE 14! Another huge play. Look out! Plaxico Burress splits the coverage and catches what has to be the game winner with 35 seconds left! Plaxico’s second and last reception of the game proves that stats are somewhat irrelevant. Eli Manning makes the most of his big chance. The Monkey officially is removed from his back. Now, he only has to suffer through 35 seconds where he is powerless to influence events.
Only Tom Brady and Joe Montana could pull out a game with 35 seconds left and he could them get into field goal range for sure. Now here is Brady’s ultimate big chance. Brady is sacked. Two big bombs no dice. Here comes the Hail Mary of all Hail Mary’s on 4th and 20. Incomplete. Tom Brady is not Joe Montana it turns out.
The Giants win.
The Giants won. It is a humoungous upset.
Eli Manning and the New York defense have done it. An unbelievable ending to the greatest Super Bowl of all time. What an ending to an incredible football season. I need a drink, Vodka and whatever I can find!
Final Score: New York Giants 17 – New England Patriots 14
Remember, it is not a matter of winning or losing. It is a matter of covering the point spread.
