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.