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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I'm Awake, Will

But were the Orangemen? And what about the lovable nerds at Cornell?
The score looks like a football playoff with two god quarterbacks.

I guess I should feel good that another one seed is down, paving the
way more easily for West Virginia, but I'd like to see Cinderella
walking her underdogs.

The Chicken Curse is Back.

This is the year of upsets and Syracuse is the latest victim. No team was a bigger underdog than the health care bill, and none of the tournament thrilled me more.
When Butler was down 54-50, I thought it was over Piers, being a Gamecock fan, I know how you feel. Well, that is not exactly correct because I would die to have my team in the sweet 16 again. Last time the 'Cocks were there I was in a place called Vietnam. Now that I think of it the underdog won that one as well.
The small conferences are holding their own this year. I think Xavier will hold its own with K-State. My guess is that by losing to the 'Cocks, Kentucky gained some immunity against the chicken curse but the curse can strike when least expected.
Don't look back but my once dead bracket is up to 12. Not quite there with Yankee Interloper, The President, Todd, and Maggie and Jeff but getting respectable.
Did anyone tell Yankee Interloper that the winner gets a year's supply of grits and has to write an essay on how grits changed his or her life?
Cornell needs to do better. Our station switched to K-State- Xavier.
My best to all of you. It is amazing how we mellow as our brackets tank.
Clarkson
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A new curse??

Seems the Chicken Curse has given way to the Curse of Cap'n Cuse. Given the current score of UK and Big Red, it's heading towards a bad night for teams that have fans on this blog. Piers I just hope you won't pull for Duke tomorrow night. I assume that's a pretty safe bet. Now, I'm off to bed before Dodie wakes up. Will

Turner is still in it

Besides Cornell (Abs and I are watching on a laptop, fingers crossed), I can also now root for OSU a bit more. Ack. SU blew it. What a bad game. We can't win when Scoop Jardine (our back-up point guard) is taking the most shots. And all the turnovers! Ack.

Ouch

Piers, I can't really compare our situations since you are a true fan and I, in a nod to Raskin, could have named my bracket "Basketball Interloper." You are Captain 'Cuse, whereas I have never claimed to be Lieutenant Husk. But it was tough to see both of our teams go down in flames. It's great to hear from Nell and Charles Stuart. I wanted to blog from a bar as well -- Meredith and I were at a local watering hole for a bit this evening, watching Syracuse and Washington receive their deportation orders. But I couldn't figure out how to post from my BlackBerry. Well, life goes on, Piers. Now is the time for everyone to start rooting for the Ivy League.

Ex-Cuse Syracuse

Sorry Piers

 

Nell

I'm With those Two

Its a slow night at the bar (where I'm working) so there's time to post: Bracket be Damned, C'mon Washington!

T-Bone You're Not Alone

But it does seem like McDows have (for various reasons) disappeared. So: what should we talk about? I think the 'Cuse couldn't have played much worse in the first half, so I'm optimistic, but watching with one hand over my eyes.

Halftime Report

It is a sad, sad state of affairs when I am the only one following college hoops while posting on the blog. Where is everybody? This is one heck of a tournament! Piers, I don't know, man. We'll see. As for my home-state team, they are hanging in there just fine.

Xaviering their best for the sweet sixteen...

... I hope anyway. First Syracuse has to beat Butler. But if we make it to the Elite Eight, then with Syracuse still weakened without their starting center, I'd love to see KSU get knocked out here. But, if I had to pick one team for the Chicken Cursers to focus their energy on, I'd of course have to pick Kentucky. Go Big Red!

The Line

Vegas odds as of this morning: Syracuse by 6 West Virginia by 4 Kansas State by 4.5 Kentucky by 8.5 Anyone have any contrary predictions? Obviously I'd love to see the Huskies do well. There's a great profile of the Cornell team's messy house, here. Reminded me of the aluminum pan full of baked ziti that someone (who shall remain nameless but might be on this blog) stuck to the wall of our sophomore dorm room. Anyone who dwells on the tenuous link between college and NCAA basketball has got to be rooting for Cornell. (Cousins: "We’re here to play basketball. It’s not a spelling bee.") Go Huskies!

Former Kentucky Starter Rides the Bench at Cornell (True Story)

Cornell (12 seed, Ivy) plays Kentucky (1 seed, SEC) Thursday.  One person has played for both teams.  Mark Coury started 29 games at Kentucky when he was a sophomore.  Since he transferred to Cornell, he is an important contributor, but he does not start.  The New York Times has a profile of him you can reach by clicking through the best stat shot of the piece:

The difference between the programs could not be more vast. Cornell (29-4) has played in seven N.C.A.A. tournament games. Kentucky (34-2) has won seven national championships. Cornell spends less than $1 million on its men's basketball budget. Kentucky allocates $8.6 million.

I didn't want to have to go there, but ...

if I were in charge of the United States, I probably would have gotten Healthcare Reform passed 2.9% faster than Obama. - Y.I.

The Long Week

Well, with no news as important as March Madness to entertain us until Thursday, we have no choice but to turn to the Smack-blog (or slogging, as it will be known as in the near future). Here are my predictions for people talking about their past predictions: 1. Greg will flaunt his position as the true 1st Bracket. 2. Lauren will return from the edges of civilization and work some sort of statistical magic predicting the winner of the pool. This will undoubtedly be someone who has chosen Kentucky for the win. 3. Dodie and Piers will continue their word play despite the lack of fresh headline material. 4. Everyone who had Kansas to go all the way will quietly resent people who chose Kentucky (this group also includes Randolph, who's loyal but foolhardy bracket had Tech). 5. People will realize Piers "My Blood Runs Orange" Turner did not, in fact, pick the boys from Upstate to go all the way. And powered by this knowledge, people will begin slogging Piers. Questions for the Coming Week: How does the Chicken Curse apply to Cornell, for whom all of the ex-Kansans will now supporting against Kentucky? Will "Farukmaneshed" become a household (or even blog-hold) word?

North Iowa

An amusing comment from a different NCAA pool: "Until the POWs are freed, we should not let North Iowa compete on the world stage."