One for the Ages!

I don't remember a better game in the finals. Maybe the '82 game when a Georgetown player threw the ball to James Worthy. Tonight they both made great plays. I don't know how to set up the voting, but we should vote on Will's heart rate as that final shot bounced off the rim.
Congratulations to Dodie to prove that graduation rates can count. Next year I am going to have a Southern Fried Grad Rate team. It could beat the Chicken Curse.
Unless you are a Duke fan please join me in the Official Slogan of the South Carolina Gamecocks -- "Wait 'til next year!"
Clarkson
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Honk!! Honk!! Yeah Baby. Honk!

The sounds of Durham tonight. If "Hoosiers" were real and not a movie that last shot is one-quarter inch to the left. Truly a game that either team could have one. But tonight was painted Duke Blue, not Butler Blue. If that coach stays there, Butler will have its night. Burn Baby Burn!!

a great game

I define a great game as any game that keeps me awake after 10:30--and this was a great game.  I cheered for Butler all the way, but I had to admire both teams.  The commentators said before the game that butler needed to keep Duke's scoring below 60 and they sure did come close! I think I heard Will cheering all the way from Durham.  Congratulations Laura Mish!

Next year....

When all else fails, there is always tradition

I have actually only seen about 15 total minutes of the tournament (really, of the entire 2009-2010 basketball season). And I'm not watching the game tonight because I'm (trying) to help Thomas with an Initial Brief of Appellant for an appeals case. While I do prefer what I'm doing to what you guys are doing, I am grateful for all of the on-line chatter to keep me company while I work.

One of the original polls this year was about why people participate in McDow Hoops, with one of the options involving hating Duke and one option being a slave to tradition (paraphrased, a bit). The current poll is about how much you hate Duke. With no actual knowledge about the teams - as evidenced by BOTH of my brackets - I am going to rely on tradition and cheer for Not Duke, which I believe would be Butler.

MC

The Final Game

This has been a great tournament with enough upsets to last a lifetime. The writting has improved as the brackets tank. One gains a little humility as his vast knowledge of the game loses to someone who picks Vermont to the final four because her friend lives there.
There are good reasons to be for either of these schools. My preference for underdogs makes me love Butler. While I could pull against Will's team, I have to be on Laura Mish's side. Therefore, I am pulling for Duke. Don't worry about the Chicken Curse because the Gamecocks hate Duke so much from their ACC days Duke is immune to the curse. Butler is pretty good and could win this thing, but don't count on it. So for Laura Mish, "Go Duke."
Clarkson
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Chatter

At the half and Butler's hanging in there. Predictions?

Get me a barf bag

See post below.

Memories of 1999-2000

Will and Nell's posts have inspired me to weigh in on my allegiances this evening. From mid-1999 to mid-2000, Meredith worked for a Duke-associated nonprofit in Durham, N.C. I visited her about twice a month. We were surrounded by Duke fans (including Will), the team had a lot of memorable players (Battier, Boozer, Dunleavy), and we were invited to numerous parties to watch the games, both regular season and tournament. Will even scored tickets for us one evening, and we sat with him in the grad student section and cheered wildly. As most of you know, I don't really care about basketball at all. And I think that, as a general rule, high-level NCAA sports have exerted a corrupting influence on these supposedly nonprofit colleges. For one thing, it's hard to believe that all of this revenue isn't taxable! It's also hard to believe that these major sporting events have anything to do with the overall collegiate mission. Finally, I wonder what lessons these students learn from their exposure to constant recruiting violations, perks that operate as a kind of under-the-table payment, and "tutors" at certain programs who complete all or most of the players' classwork. Since I don't have any ties to NCAA sports -- other than being the former roommate of an NCAA cheerleader -- I participate in the pool for the fun of the pool itself. Mainly it's fun to hang out with McDows and associates, even if only on line. But part of the fun is rooting for underdogs and rooting against teams like Duke. When all is said and done, after giving it some thought today, I've decided that my fond memories of Duke-rooting in 1999-2000 outweigh the general principles that favor rooting against Duke. Go Duke!

The underdog

I'm pulling for the underdog tonight. That's right, the little engine, the David, the Cinderella. I'm pulling for that one. Who better fits that profile than Laura Mishler. For the non-McDow's, Laura Mish is 6 years old but was born 11 weeks early at 2lbs 3ozs. When it comes to bball, she picked Vermont in the final game because her best friend lives there. and she picked any school from Texas because her aupair was talking about moving to Texas. Those picks didn't work out so well and she hovered in the celler. But now she is on the verge of winning the McDow Hoops Challenge, assuming we all disqualify method brackets. Sorry Dode - you are a Goliath. So I'm pulling for the underdog. All it takes for her to win is a Duke victory. If I must for my daughter, I'll pull for Duke. And when she's asleep and the TV turned up loud, I'll sing a quiet little "Go to Hell Carolina, Go to Hell" just for the fun of it and because this is not March 2009 anymore. Go DUKE. Will PS - If one more person says what a small school Butler is, please remind them that Duke only has 300 more undergrads than Butler does. It's not about the size of your school. [It does help to have a large athletic budget...]

Mandatory Smack

With a bracket that has Butler to take it all, I feel obligated to provide some clever smack talk to all you losers, many who have had no possible points remaining since before the final four.  The difficulty is that the bracket in which I chose teams that I actually thought might win, puts me in that loser category with the rest of you.  It is hard to talk smack when you make choices on a set criterion and not from the heart or the head. Yet I do have one of the last remaining brackets and I reluctantly must brag and point out my obvious superiority.  And I think that I might be wise to do that while I still can!  My only hope is that  this is not the year of the K's---Kansas, Kentucky, Kansas State and Coach K.

 And then, there is always next year.

Nell

With Duke in the final I'm happy...

for Will. But I'm sad for America. I guess that's a wash.

Duke v. Butler!

It's down to the last game Monday night. My wife's Alma Mater (Duke) against the biggest surprise finalist in my memory. And Dodie's grades bracket against Nell's wins bracket and Maggie Lou's bracket trying to hold onto a piece of first place. Good luck!

Duke vs WVU

From the bracket point of view, I've got some insulation. In my two
brackets that are still hanging near the top of the pack, I have Duke
winning the whole she-bang in one of them, and West Virginia taking it
all in the other. Let's see what happens...

Sweet 96

Am I the last guy in the country to hear about this crazy idea -- a 96-team bracket? Article here.

Beginning of Basketball Withdrawl

Every year, just as the azeleas begin to bloom in the south I get that sad, sad feeling. Like a friend going away to school while I'm left at home with nothing to do. There's only three basketball games left in the year. This time two weeks ago, there were four games starting every 2 hours. And my bracket. Two weeks ago I had a bracket. So fresh and young and unblemished. But with the end of basketball, there's always something else exciting and new. Like long email chains that have been passed from computer to computer, picking up grease stains and unwanted pathogens. In honor of what we have to look forward to for six long months, I've posted one such email below. Enjoy. PS - Some of these are cute. And who doesn't like a well crafted insult? "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." - Clarence Darrow "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde "He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright "Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde 'He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.' - Abraham Lincoln A Member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

Mid-Week Pop Quiz

Who do you hate most in the Final Four? Duke, right? Pop quiz time. Why? If you said Dicky V, well he almost makes me hate Duke. You pass. If you said, "I just pook on Dook cause they're Duke," then you need to read this article. Here's the topic sentence: "...most of the reasons people give for hating Duke basketball don't really apply to this year's team." Not the strongest of defenses. But we'll take what we're given. I do hesitate to write all this fearful as I am of the Chicken Curse. But the truth must come out. Speaking of the truth. Did you see this picture from last nights Loser Bracket Semi-finals game? Pop Quiz Question #2: What is this? It's clearly a UNC player helping URI's Lamonte Ulmer tie a loose shoelace with 1.5 seconds left in overtime. In case you didn't see the game, the URI player didn't need his shoe laces tied. Question #3: What's the call when a player forceably tries to tie another man's shoes. Correct answer: Tripping. Last's night call: Game over. UNC "wins". That was the wrong call refs. Full backstory here. Lead graph: " Rhode Island tripped on its chances to advance to the NIT championship game on Tuesday night. But then again, North Carolina, who will instead play Dayton on Thursday, gave the Rams some help."

Ready for the Finals (Exam)

As an A rated blogger, (can I put that on my resume?) I too wonder what grades my absentee colleagues received. Do they all receive F's for their inaction, or were they forcibly dropped? The way I see it, you can only win a bragging rights pool if you are bragging (or slogging). Thus, I put my position, not at number 14, but 8. Sorry for everyone who just got bumped down the ladder, but your fate was at your fingertips.

You may be disappointed in me...

but I'm not above throwing the rest of my office under the bus. TF and Stefany couldn't even manage to sign up. If we're giving inter-office grades, I'm clearly an A+.

 

Erin

 

Possible Points Remaining

While Clarkson recognized the skillful hoopsaying that Laura Mish and I did from the get go, he left Nell out of the race.  If Butler wins the whole thing, so does Nell.  We'll wait and see what happens with Duke and Baylor, but the result will come after my bedtime, so I leave you with this set of rankings.  It is based on our current scores on the ESPN site.  The "possible total" column shows what the person;s score will be if all of their picks are correct. 

ENTRY, OWNER	CHAMPION	PPR	Current        TOTAL	Possible              Total
Grad Rate / Seed, D. McDow	Duke	560	530	1090
L Mishler Picks, L. McDow	Duke	560	450	1010
ToyotaAcceleration, D. McDow	W Virginia	480	540	1020
Most Wins, N. Jenkins	Butler	480	410	890
crawfordb11, L. Crawford	Kansas	240	660	900
Maggie Lou's Quidditch, D. McDow	Syracuse	240	650	890
KelleyR314 1, K. Ragland	Kansas	240	580	820
Southbound Train, G. Raskin	Kansas	240	530	770
Tennessean, L. McDow	Kansas	240	520	760
Abby, A. Norris Turner	Syracuse	240	500	740
Rugby Scrum, D. Rincon	Kansas	240	500	740
Nellie, N. Jenkins	Kansas	240	500	740
Dreamin in Durham, W. McDow	Kansas	240	490	730
MookMcD 1, m. rincon	Georgetown	240	480	720
Luis "El Monstruo" Rincon, D. Rincon	Kansas	240	460	700
meine.gewinner, L. McDow	Ohio St	160	590	750
Big [B]East, P. Turner	Syracuse	160	490	650
Fran Dunphy's Mustache, R. Jaffe	Syracuse	160	440	600
Maggie, M. Gumbinner	Kentucky	80	620	700
Yankee Interloper, G. Raskin	Kansas	80	600	680
The Pied Picker, M. Jenkins	Kentucky	80	600	680
Where's the CBI bracket? , J. Gumbinner	Kansas	80	580	660
expert testimony, E. Fitzpatrick	Kansas	80	560	640
BIG BAD BRIAN 53 1, B. Richards	Kansas	80	550	630
Beaux Beaux JAS 2, J. Sadler	Kansas	80	550	630
High Seed Wins, W. McDow	Kansas	80	540	620
Clarkson McDow 1, C. McDow	Kentucky	80	540	620
GT takes it all, R. McDow	Ga Tech	80	500	580
Obama's Picks, D. McDow	Kansas	0	590	590
Skyhook Keithley, T. Keithley	Kansas	0	590	590
Captain Cuse, P. Turner	Kansas	0	560	560
Lauren's picks, L. McDow	Kansas	0	480	480
Slim Pickins, N. Jenkins	Kentucky	0	470	470
bryzzard 1, B. Harrington	Kentucky	0	470	470
The Chicken Curse Lives, C. McDow	Kentucky	0	450	450
Go Vandy!, S. Igo	Vanderbilt	0	430	430
Bea's picks, J. Gumbinner	Xavier	0	430	430
Devastated in Durham, W. McDow	Kentucky	0	400	400
Ella's picks, J. Gumbinner	Kentucky	0	320	320
Ithaca or bust, B. Harrington	Cornell	0	290	290
It's In the Name, m. rincon	Richmond	0	220	220

More on the Smack Talk Grading

I don't really argue about the actual grade I recieved but the rationale is lame.  Why do I get penalized for Clarkson's failure to recognize my bracket?  The only grade reduction  I deserve is for forgetting to put my name on my paper!  And I suggest that Mary Croom get a few extra points for her technical assistance to a fellow smacker.

Nell 

Smack Grades--more questions

And what about 

Randol...PH (pronounced F)?

And Lauren usually gives us some kind of statistical prediction.  

Erin earned Rookie of the Year last year, but in hindsight maybe she was One and Done.

Also does the bracket "meine.gewinner" belong to Leslie or some other German-speaking member of the family?  If this is a McDowHoops debut, we'd like to hear from her.

Smack Grades - A question

I can't argue with my grade at all. With a few more games to go, I'm assuming that these are like mid-terms. What does it mean for people who didn't even GET graded?

Todd - Started to leave this as a comment - partly in response to your "a largely comment-free year." I think it was largely comment-free as a result of all the encouragement to create new posts.

Smack Grades

It's that time of year when I, rather obnoxiously, hand out smack grades in recognition of everyone's efforts at keeping the McDow Hoops blog entertaining for the free-riders. Clarkson: A+ Blowing the curve, as usual. Dodie: A Several good posts and good quips, especially "Cinderella walking her underdogs." Also, Dodie's posts attracted the most comments in a largely comment-free year. Chuck: A Charles Stuart doesn't let his job interfere with his blogging -- that kind of dedication does not go unnoticed around here. Nell: A- For all the smack she talked, Clarkson still overlooked her potentially winning bracket. Piers: B+ Having a job may have cut down on Piers's smack productivity. Raskin: B+ It's hard to talk smack about the commander in chief, but Greg did not shy away from the challenge. Margaret: B Margaret, it's better to talk smack and lose than to be silent and win. Will: B Would have loved to have heard more from him, but his few posts were highly entertaining. Todd: B Points for starting this weekend's smack rally. In general, though, not my best year. MC: C+ Despite transparent attempts to salvage her grade ("Not having a horse in the race AND having almost no PPR left, there just isn't a whole lot to say from my position."), I cannot give her much more than average. "The underdog ate my homework" does not cut it. Jef... F Where are you this year? There's still time to salvage a poor midterm result.

Go Butler

Clarkson left out one more bracket with a champion pick still in the tourney.  My Most Wins bracket might have omitted because it is too far down on his computer screen to be noticed. I have Butler to take it all and 480 potential points remaining. Go Butler.

The Curse, Kentucky and Graduation

Kentucky, the most talented team in the Big Dance falls because they played at Carolina this year and the Chicken Curse caught up with them. Maggie gives up the top spot to the no longer mysterious Lindsay Crawford. My prediction for the overall winner is Dodie's Grad Rate Entry. He wins if Duke wins it all. If West Virginia wins it all the winner will be Dodie's Toyota celebration. Laura Mishler comes close if Duke wins.
The team to watch is Tennessee. If someone other than Duke or West Virginia wins, we will not have a single bracket name the champion.
Mary Croom, your Its in the name bracket is doing terrible. When we were kids, I had a dog named Duke and could use your method. You may want to change your method or your name for next year. I have no room to talk but that has never stopped me before.
Clarkson
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Tonights Headlines

K.S. and KY KO'd

Goodbye Kentucky

This game right here is why I don't talk smack while I'm winning. Dad may call it the curse of the Chicken, but I think it is the curse of the smack talker.

Maggie

Ella -- the dark horse

Well, I thought I was going to be the comeback kid with my really poor showing the first day and coming up to first, but Ella may be even a better story. She may not have a very good score now, but she is obviously the biggest Tennessee fan. She has Tennessee in the final game and still has 800 points still remaining.

Maggie

Misery loves company from Duke fans

Friends came in last night and I've been AWOL from sMaCkDOWn. Suffice to say that my basketball life has miserable of late. And if we get a Kentucky-Duke final I might just have to go pay homage to some voodoo chicken so I can get a little bit of its magic for next year.

Nothin' to Say

I think the various requests for more smack talk are fully justified. I disagree with Maggie that smack talk is not for winners - how much more fun can it be (though I give her a pass due to the clean up duties from yesterday)??

Not having a horse in the race AND having almost no PPR left, there just isn't a whole lot to say from my position. But I am really enjoying the contributions from the rest of the group.

Mook

It is lonely at the top (and quiet)

Sorry, I have not been talking much lately, but I think it is a little tacky to talk smack when you are winning. In other words, smack talk is for "losahs." So Dad, keep it up. With the chicken curse clearly on your side, you are always free to smack talk. Actually, last night I was too busy making the 4 hour drive to Durham take 6 hours and 15 minutes and cleaning up after two car sick kids along the way for any smack talking.

I think that the real decision on who wins between Pied Picker and me is the winner of the left side bracket into the final game. If Kansas State wins that one, then I'm done for. But, otherwise I think we have the same picks going forward. I think that my only hope is that Xavier tired them out so much on Thursday night that they have trouble making it happen.

Where's M. Gum? And some numbers.

I don't think the grits scared off Raskin. But is the worry of eating
crow keeping Maggie G silent? She won last year and is well
positioned this year, but nary a peep from her or her spouse.

Based on the logic of the bracket, the sum total of the seed numbers
in the elite 8 should be 12. The one seed should play the two seed in
each of the four regions: (1+2) x 4 = 12. For the final four, the
total of the seeds on the logic of bracket seeding shoudl be 4. The
fun of the tournament, however, is that teams don't behave as brackets
do.

As of Thursday afternoon, the lowest possible number for the E8 was
17, and the results could have easily be in the 30s. The highest
possible number was 63. We ended up with a 25, including two five
seeds and a six seed. What are your predictions for the F4 numbers?

Duke Wins

With Duke's win I'm left wondering, did Duke escape the Chicken Curse or is my dad not really pulling for my school? Tough to know for sure. Bu he is fond of saying "Pook on Dook". And as if it weren't enough that I went to grad school there, it seems from previous analysis that if Duke wins, his daughter wins and his granddaughter Laura Mish picked Duke to go all the way. Clarkson, is this enough for you to finally cheer for Duke? Of course, we may be better off if you keep the chicken curse on Baylor by pulling for them. Tough loses for No Iowa and Cornell over the past 24 hours. Not to mention the 1-2 stomach punch that Piers is still reeling from. Sorry about those Buckeyes and especially the Orange guys. We hope you'll regain your typing soon. I hear that finger paralysis is a common symptom of March Sadness. Will PS - I married into an allegiance with Tennessee. It's still hard for me to fully embrace their orange-ness. But way to go UT. Exceeding expectations and leaving open the opportunity for an all-SEC final. As for Leslie, she seems to suffer from the Dan Rambo school of "assume you'll team will lose and you won't be disappointed". Something that might serve So. Car. fans well.

The Birds in the Bush.

In looking at the brackets the remaining possible points are what counts most. Maggie has taken the lead but the Pied Picker has a distinct advantage in PPR. The Yankee Interloper kept the top spot warm but panicked upon hearing that the prize was grits. Obama was heard saying he got health care and that is all he needed to win this year. All the selectors of Kansas are toast. Beaux Beaux has made a move and is in 10th place but Kansas is his undoing.
My bracket which was given up for dead is down at 13 but adding total points to PPR is in 3rd place. My prediction is that if Duke goes to the final four, Maggie wins. If Baylor goes it will be the Pied Picker. Of course we should not discount the power of the Chicken Curse.
There are three smack talking points to be made. First, am I the only one to notice that Randolph disappears with Georgia Tech each year? Second, does Chuck think that fake blog about how tough grades are at Roanoke will keep him in beer money? Third, do we have a rule against naming your bracket the Tennesean and then deserting them once they reach the Sweet Sixteen? Tennessee played a great game. They deserved better from one using their name. Finally, is anyone not pulling for Northern Iowa?
Clarkson
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Roanoke into the Sweet 16

Well, Roanoke College is making news outside of the sports world. My alma mater was recently named one of the top 16 toughest grading schools in the nation. To check how you're affiliate did, here's the link (http://www.gradeinflation.com/sweet162010.html) Just a note, there is another contributor's university in the list.

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Phrase of the year

"I'd like to see Cinderella walking her underdogs." That's why mamas like their kids to go to Yale.
Wow! !!! Double OT if you are asleep you are missing a great game. Xavier is making the A-10 proud.
Clarkson.
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Xavier still alive

Going into the second overtime!

Double OT for Xavier

So I didn't quite get to sleep before Xavier made their run. I'm sure Jeff is out there somewhere routing for the A-10. This is setting up like that Big East conference game last year that went to 7 overtimes. I think Syracuse and UConn played that game. Good morning Dode.

OT for Xavier

That was a good end of regulation. It looks like Kentucky will survive. Cornell made a move but came up short.
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