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Must be NCAA basketball day today. I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I am happy about Michigan's move to hire John Beilein from West Virginia. One of the reasons I have not watched college b-ball except for the NCAA tourney - and even then mostly the Elite Eight or Final Four - is because Michigan hasn't been competitive on an elite level for some time. The eventual debacle that was the Fab Five left me disillusioned and a little bitter.

I don't expect Michigan to win a championship right away, but it would be nice to make the tourney and maybe even the Sweet Sixteen. Beilein's resume indicates he can take struggling teams and raise them to that caliber. It would be fun to watch a competitive Wolverine basketball team. Maybe Ohio State could lose to someone other than Florida in multiple sports? That would bring a smile to my face.

For a more informed discussion check MGoBlog

Well another National Championship, another Ohio State loss to Florida. That has got to sting. Normally I would find some good humor in an OSU loss, but I didn't enjoy last night. Why? Two reasons:

1) I had picked Ohio State to win and a win would have allowed me to win my tourney bracket competition. Instead, I feel back from first place to a middle of the pack 6th place (out of 14). I picked three out of four in the final four and the right championship game, but failed to pick the winner. Apparently, picking the exact winner involves a lot of points.

2) A loss by OSU involves a corresponding win by Florida and means an even greater level of arrogance and braggadocio on the part of Gator fans. This is annoying. I can take Ohio State winning in basketball on occasion, I can't take Florida thinking they rule the earth or something. Oh well, such is life these days.

Next up on the sports schedule is the Masters. Should be fun to watch Tiger chase greatness and the field chase Tiger.

Well, another year another ugly NCAA tourney bracket. With George Mason's upset over Connecticut my bracket destruction is complete. I went 50% on my final four but the two teams I had in the final (Duke and UConn) have now lost. Yes, it is probably the greatest upset in the history of the tournament, but that won't change the fact that I once again failed to compete in the annual bracket fest. I have failed bracketology once again.

Perhaps, I actually watched NCAA basketball during the year I would do a better job picking these things. But then again I am not sure that would have helped me with George Mason. Besides GMU North Carolina and Kansas caused a lot of damage. It seems like those teams either win it all or lose in the first round. Oh well, there is always next year.

In case anyone was wondering, here is how my NCAA Tournament Bracket looks like right now. I have Duke, UCLA, UConn, and Florida in the final four.

This is not written in stone as I have some time to change, but it is fairly set. Keep in mind that I know next to nothing about college basketball and have not watched an entire game in a couple of years!

Ouch! The Illini's dream of a perfect season is over. Of all teams they lost to Ohio State a team with a 19-12 record that was only 8-8 in the Big Ten. But that means nothing as Matt Sylvester hits a three pointer 5.1 seconds left to beat the #1 team in the country. Well, I guess that is something for the Buckeyes to celebrate since they won't be playing in post-season due to NCAA violations.

Well, the NCAA tournament is mrecifully over with the University of Conneticut winning it all over Georgia Tech. In my Yahoo Tournament Pickem contest I finished dead last and slink back to my whole in shame. In my defense, I didn't really have any information to go on and the picks were entitled "Wild Guesses" for a reason. Here is how the standings turned out:

1. Jeff Utech (123)
2. Mark Byron (81)
3. Sardonic Views (71)
4. Bobby A-G (67)
5. Illinigirl(63)
6. Josh Claybourn (62)
7. Me (61)

Yep, Josh beat me out by one point! None of the "No Nothings" had much of a run, other than Mr. Utech, but it was fun while it lasted (at least the first round). Thanks to all who participated. In a soon I will be back to losing at Fantasy Football . . .

Well folks, the final four is upon us and I have failed miserably in my predictions. There was a reason I labeled them Wild Guesses, take a look at my bracket. One measly pick in the final four! What is interesting, however, is how off my picks turned out by region. I missed only one game in the East Rutherford bracket (31 out of a possible 32 points) but did horrible in the St. Louis and Phoenix brackets (8 and 7 points respectively). Stanford and Kentucky losing early provided the crushing blows that knocked me out of this contest early on. This a clear example of why I never put money on my picks. It looks like Dr. Byron is going to take the "no nothings" crown. I will continue to slip farther down the line. My only hope to avoid last place will be if Oklahoma State wins it all. I guess that's who I will be rooting for.

Well folks, it is over before it had barely begun. With Stanford losing to Alabama my championship pick is out. Throw in Gonzaga and Maryland and I am toast. Although I was frighteningly ignorant going into the tourney, how many people picked Stanford to lose this early? They are a number one seed for Pete's sake. What a maddening game.

P.s. It was a bad day for Stanford fans. Celebrity alumni Tiger Woods followed up his two over 74 on Friday with an identical two over 74. Me thinks he is not going to win his fifth in a row at Bay Hill. Well, there's always the Masters . . .

Well, the NCAA tourney is moving on to the next round so lets take a look at where we are. Click here for my bracket.

The St. Louis region kicked my butt. Providence, Washington, and Michigan State all lost to lower seeds. I thought I would pick a slight upset with Utah over BC but that failed too. Phoenix wasn't much better. My Midwestern picks let me down as Southern Illinois, Dayton, and Western Michigan all lost. Thankfully East Rutherford and Atlanta pulled out some wins. Only South Carolina and Air Force let me down in those two brackets. The important thing is that none of my elite eight or final four teams have lost yet. Mark Byron, for example, picked Michigan State to make a run and that will hurt him down the stretch.

We will just have to wait and see what this weekend brings . . .

For those of you interested in March Madness, here is my NCAA Tournament bracket. I have Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Stanford in the final four. I am late in posting this so I have already picked one semi-upset getting Manhattan over Florida right. But Southern Illinois has already lost by a point to Alabama. I had thought the Siloukies might take the Crimson Tide.

In case you were wondering, this was the product of mostly guess work and hunches that might have been indigestion. Please, if you wager using this you do so at your own risk! I just think it is fun to guess. Makes the games more interesting for me.