Winthrop-WSU Comment Thread

Tell me you aren't checking out the 'guns' on those Cougars...

Comments are open. Right now it's 16-15 WSU with 7 mins. left in the first half.

[Update: 29-29 at the half! Excitement excitement!]

[Second Update: Well it was down to the wire, but WSU squeaked out the win. Or at least that's what I assume - I flipped over to watch Duke get lucky as Belmont threw the ball away in the closing seconds.]

Obama's Bracket

Obama's campaign has released his bracket. He's picking UNC all the way.

More important, Obama's going with Winthrop! I may have to reassess my high opinion of him. (Click on the image, Raskin, to see a larger version.)

Winthrop - The Giant Killer

Here is some information off of the ESPN site on Giant Killers:

Washington State (4) vs. Winthrop (13)The GK Take: Winthrop lacks the punch of the group that beat Notre Dame last year. While they scored a perfect nine then, they only earn five points this time. The Eagles' 7.4 ppg scoring margin and .99/1 A/TO ratio are minor flaws, but they've got a low winning percentage (.667) and have won only a single game by five points or less (or in OT) all season.The Human Touch: Something tells us Winthrop is the pick here, but it's probably because Washington State is just plain boring to watch. Still, the Cougs are experienced (they start three juniors and two seniors) and tough defensively—and they actually score more per game (67.1) than do Randy Peele's slow-poke Eagles (65.6).

I have put my picture up to add authority to my posts. Thomas says that if you see me in a suit that you will take my messages much more seriously. I was also jealous of Maggie Lou who has her picture up.

Finally, I am adding one more picture to show that I am eligible to be a President's Scholar at Georgia Tech.

Maggie and Franklin's Picks

For those of you filling out last minute brackets looking for insight from some precocious prognosticators, here is a behind the scenes look at Maggie and Franklin's selection process. (They made these last night in the car on the way home from a long day of visiting new schools and a play day with some George Mason history faculty kids.)



Franklin liked Indiana, because he knew that Aunt Mook would want them to win. (She lives in India. India, Indiana, what's the difference?) They will go to the Final Four and loose to the Bears (UCLA)
Franklin also picked American, for seemingly patriotic reason. (There may be no other reasons to pick a 15 seed over Aunt Leslie's gunning Volunteers.)
Siena also earned Franklin's favor. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact that he met a very cute 5-year-old named Siena at one of the kindergartens he visited. She is the daughter of one of my colleagues and took an instant shine to Franklin.
Gonzaga was a shoe-in for the Final Four. Must be because it is so close to Gonzalo, one of Franklin's friends at school.
Franklin placed second as a two year old, so even if he matches his age again, he's still fourth.



Maggie Lou, it turns out, was even cagier. She had urged Franklin to pick Clemson because Hillary Clinton (Clinton, Clemson, sounds the same? Both have been divisive in South Carolina) is her candidate for President. After she had gotten through most of her bracket, however, she admitted that she had watched the Clemson-Duke game with Bibi Croom and Granpa Sandy. "Clemson was goooood," she said. That must be why they're playing Memphis for the national championship.
Maggie is also a Connecticut girl, born and (so far) raised, so she couldn't leave the Huskies out in the cold. And there is a certain logic to her picks. If Mississippi Valley State (a 15 seed) does knock off UCLA (1) and Texas A&M (9)), I agree that Connecticut could take them.
She also showed some love for George Mason, one of the few campuses besides Yale's that she has been on more than once. She'll dance the Patriots all the way to the Final Four (again, although she did not point out the GMU has more Final Four appearances than Duke in the last two years.)
Like Franklin two years ago, she matched her age (five) with her finishing (fifth), and she'd like to do better than seventh this year.

Brackets, Webcast, Schedule

See new poll! Don't forget to make a bracket! See link on upper right. Group name (McDowHoops) and password (Clarkson's hometown written with no space). If your entry doesn't say PPR is 1680, then you haven't filled it out right, I think. Games can be watched online (free and legal) here: http://ncaasports.com/mmod/?source=mktg_mmod08_vip2_lvhp&refcode=mmod08_vip2_lvhp Schedule 12:20 PM ET No. 14 Georgia at No. 3 Xavier 12:25 PM ET No. 16 Portland State at No. 1 Kansas 12:30 PM ET No. 12 Temple at No. 5 Michigan State 2:30 PM ET No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Marquette 2:50 PM ET No. 11 Baylor at No. 6 Purdue 2:55 PM ET No. 9 Kent State at No. 8 UNLV 3:00 PM ET No. 13 Oral Roberts at No. 4 Pittsburgh 5:00 PM ET No. 14 Cornell at No. 3 Stanford 7:10 PM ET No. 11 Kansas State at No. 6 USC 7:10 PM ET No. 15 Belmont at No. 2 Duke 7:20 PM ET No. 13 Winthrop at No. 4 Washington State 7:25 PM ET No. 9 Texas A&M at No. 8 Brigham Young 9:40 PM ET No. 14 Cal State Fullerton at No. 3 Wisconsin 9:40 PM ET No. 10 Arizona at No. 7 West Virginia 9:50 PM ET No. 12 George Mason at No. 5 Notre Dame 9:55 PM ET No. 16 Mississippi Valley State at No. 1 UCLA

"They Like What They See"

The Washington State Cougars, everybody. Next off-season maybe they should work on their shooting.

Mook's Day!

Here's what you get when you search for basketball and birthday on YouTube. Happy birthday Mary Croom!

Nobody Told Me BC was Out...

I filled in my bracket this morning in an effort to legitimize my smacktalk. This was my most un-inspired year. No one mentioned that Boston College didn't make it in... And since BC people NEVER NEVER NEVER pull for Notre Dame, I had to give my vote to Georgetown. And after Pier's pressure, I picked Winthrop over WS. But that put Winthrop against Mason. With Dodie at Mason (and my hoops knowledge so low I didn't even realize MY team wasn't in the tourny), well it was Mason. It all seemed to go downhill from there.

Best of luck to people who follow hoops. In this cyberworld, I hope to pull up a chair next to Todd Keithley and just enjoy the show.

Mook

in the Game

By popular demand I have decided to get in the game. Will is giving a course in blogging for dummies. This is my tutorial. The good stuff will come later.

IB Blogging

Will,
Maggie is no better than I am at posting to this blog. Let me know how
this works.
Clarkson

Go Cougs!

Now we can talk some smack. Go Cougars! Go Pac-10! I hear Winthrop can't shoot a free throw to save their lives.

Testing loyalties

After touting the likability of the Washington State Cougars, and after Todd sent us those nice pics of eastern Washington... I certainly wasn't expecting this: NCAA EAST, FIRST ROUND WASHINGTON ST. (4) vs. WINTHROP (13) Well, all of a sudden I like those Cougars a good deal less - as I assume any self-respecting member of McDowHoops must. Go Eagles! PS: Note new poll!

Clemson defeats Duke in ACC tourney

Has anyone checked on Will in the last 18 hours? Does ANYONE root for Clemson around here? 3 reasons to root for them: 1. They are a Carolina team, after all. 2. They are underdogs. 3. They wear orange. So, folks, what's not to like about Clemson?

Where Amazing Happens

You've probably been wondering: how does one talk smack to Todd Keithley? Does he even follow sports? Wasn't he in the competition for skinniest thighs in college? Well, tonight I highlight a less well-known team on the McDowHoops radar: the Washington State Cougars. They are on the other side of the state from where Todd grew up, I believe, but I know he is a devoted Pac-10 fan and State of Washington loyalist. UW is no good this year, so Washington's only state university representative in the Big Dance will be the Cougars. So this is the team to pin on Todd. One problem: as it happens, they are a likable team. (Which kills me, because I hate the Pac-10.) Here's some footage from their recent victory over the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-10 tourney. They managed to win despite playing at a very slow speed. I suspect they'll have to pick it up a notch against Stanford tonight, but they'll make the NCAAs regardless. Dramatic, no? But tell me I wasn't the only one at the end thinking: "Washington State... Where Amazing(ly little) Happens"

Blog

Howdo,

Just turned in my Kant paper, and am ready to get my smack talking going for this weekend.

I may be of Generation X, but its my sister who know's all about the technology.  I was wondering how I can start my own posts.

Thanks

Catfish

(Think the blog's a great idea to do the smack talk)

For Leslie... Nice job Vols

U o' South Carolina v. U Tenn

Click title to follow the scores. With 11:44 to go, Good Guys 59; Rocky Toppers 60 With 7:08 remaining: Hens 71; Hounds 75 - Come-on Cocky. I'd like bragging rights in the house this weekend. With 0:44 remaining: Men 85, boys 84 - Coach Odom - Don't retire yet!! Dad - I hope your watching. FOUL!!!! You gotta call that Mr. Ref. 1.1 secs to go. Down 2. Can they make it? Bummer!

President's Scholars are a bunch of drunks

... Or at least they should be, if you take the Georgia Tech fight song seriously. They won't make the tourney this year (it's hard to play well with a whiskey flask in your shorts), so I had to get this in before the tourney begins. It's a helluva weird fight song. Boolah boolah!

Winthrop, Do You Have What It Takes?

If the Winthrop Eagles are looking for a little inspiration, they needn't look very far. It's all about challenging yourself, teamwork, leadership, and making the most of opportunities. Who knows something about that? "We only select the highest quality candidates available." Now that's a high standard.

Syr-onara: 'Nova 83- 'Cuse 63

Villanova advances in Big East Tourney

The only thing assured from this game is that, for a second consecutive season, Syracuse will not be playing in the N.C.A.A. tournament. The Orange (19-13) looked every bit the young and inconsistent team that’s fluctuated between brilliant and baffling at different times this season.

-NYTimes

Comment Section Now Open

Some among you have complained that "Comments on this blog are restricted to team members." The benevolent administrators have listened. The Comments section is now open to all. You will still need to get access (by emailing me) to start new posts (for non-bloggers, this is a post). One way to post without signing up is to send an email to the blog. See Dodie's original email for that address, or again, email me. Remember to sign emails, since they will appear as coming from me. Will PS - 5 bonus points on your bracket for identifying who is in picture to the left and best describing why she is crying.

GMU Highlights

Dodie's new team (GMU) had a nice win to enter the NCAAs. Click on the post title for highlights. Jeff should be happy: George Washington was a mason, so rooting for GMU is almost like rooting for GW. Right, Jeff?

McDowHoops 2008: Get out your Windex and start polishing your slippers

Friends, Family, and Bracketologists of All Ages,

It's time for McDow Hoops 2008.

This is a bracket challenge that will most appeal to McDows and those who love them.  In years past, participants have received a certain amount of bracket-focused discussion emails.  Some have called it smack, some have called it spam.

This year, management has decided to use a blog to contain this conversation and make participation more appealing to those who do not like getting 15-20 emails a day about an obscure second round game.  That blog is called sMaCkDOWn: The Audacity of Hoops, and you can find it here: http://mcdowhoops.blogspot.com/

Even with this change, however, this bracket challenge is not for everyone.  You may want to take the following quiz to test your suitability:

1.  In recent years, which of the following strategies has guaranteed a winner in the McDowHoops bracket:
A) A basketball version of Billy Beane's Moneyball
B) Evaluating the appeal of each mascot to a two year old
C) A "Southern Fried Strategy," that chooses the geographically/culturally more southern of any matchup
D) Presbyterian predestination

Answer: C.  (If you answered B, and followed the strategy, you would have only placed second.)

2.   Why do McDows like Thanksgiving:

A)  The weather in Rock Hill is beautiful that time of year.
B)  It offers many their only chance to jog each year.
C)  When everyone is full, no one minds hearing the same stories each year
D)  No mashed potatoes. 

Answer: All answers are valid.

3.  Which McDow story involves Clarkson doing something outrageous in college that he now denies:

A) No. 17 (Goldfish)
B) No. 41 (Jailkeep)
C) No. 80 (Crabshells)
D) All of the above

Answer: D, though he is more likely to deny these if Thomas tells them.

4.  What is Chuckie Stew?

A)  An ill-advised product placement crossover from Campbell's Soup and Universal Studios
B)  A very cool junior at Roanoke College
C)  What John McCain made from Mike Huckabee's celebrity bodyguard
D)  A slang name for vomit

Answer: B.

5. Why fill out a bracket?

A)  It's March and you need an excuse to talk smack
B)  I like to have a dog in the fight when Jeff or Lauren's teams implode
C)  It's more fun than Todd's Oscar Pool
D)  Will told me to.

Answer: all answers are valid.

Scoring:
If you have made it this far, your persistence in reading nonsense suggests you may have a real future in McDowHoops.

If, however, you are still wondering if this bracket is right for you, you may want to consider the following email.  It was sent (with no apologies to Seuss) last year regarding an octofinal round game in the NIT (not, ahem, a tournament for which anyone on the list filled out a bracket).   

-----[name withheld to protect the ignorant],
Can you smack talk when they stink?
Can you smack talk when they sink?
Yes, you can smack talk when they've sunk.  You can smack talk when they're skunks. 
You can smack talk down by thirty. You can smack down when they are dirty.
But we do not like them ------ you are. We bet you cuss them in the car.
No one really likes to lose not even them from Syracuse.  

All right, if you have read this far and still want to take part, you can’t say that we did not warn you.

How to register:

1.  Go to the ESPN Tourney Challenge Site: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage

2.  Sign in or open a new account

 3.  Join the group mcdowhoops.  The password is rockhill 

4.  Fill out your bracket before March 20.  The field will be announced this Sunday, and the games start March 20, a week from Thursday.

5.  If you feel the need to submit a second bracket, it must follow an arbitrary rule consistently (see Southern Fried Strategy, above) and the title should reflect this.

How to talk/read smack:

1.  Go to the site sMaCkDOWn: The Audacity of Hoops (aka http://mcdowhoops.blogspot.com/)

2.  Comment or read as you wish.  Please sign comments with at least initials so that you can get credit for your cleverness.  If you would like to be one of the group administrators so that you can create new posts, let Will know and he will add you.  (This may involve opening a Blogger account.)

3.  If you are too lazy to go to the internet to post, you can also post directly from email by getting the address from Will.  The subject of your email will be the subject of the post, and the body will be the body.  Again, please indicate authorship.  (Posts sent via email will by default appear as posted by Will, so don’t let him steal your lines.

4.  And if you would like to get the blog updates right in your browser, subscribe to the feeds by pressing the little orange box to the right of the web address.  This will allow you to bookmark the site and give you a live pulldown of everyone witticisms.

If you run into trouble or need any help figuring any of these things out, please contact Will, Piers, or me.

May Cinderella drop her shoe at your ball,
Dodie

 
P.S.  please feel free to forward to those who might be left off the list above (I know I don't have Charlie's new email)

P.P.S.  Please, please, do not respond to the whole list.  If you want to say something about it, post it to the blog.

Perhaps GW needs to return to old methods...

Where is Grandmaster Kim when GW needs him?

Winthrop's big win

A riveting 3 minute review of Winthrop's championship win over UNC-Asheville. I think it was put together by a severely depressed UNC-Asheville student.

Let the Eagles Soar!

Click on title for inspiring video.