NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament 2008 Thread

[Kace]

I was gonna call it, "March Madness," or, "The Big Dance," but don't feel like dealin' with the OMG RETARDED LOL crowd. So we'll go with the official sounding one. ;)

2 weeks 'til Selection Sunday and my warped mind has prognosticated the following bracket...

Play-In - Dayton

Alabama State Hornets Vs. Morgan State Bears

East - Charlotte

Washington, DC

2 Louisville Cardinals Vs. 15 UMBC Terriers
7 St. Mary's Gaels Vs. 10 Robert Morris Colonials
3 UConn Huskies Vs. 14 American Eagles
6 Miss State Bulldogs Vs. 11 Rider Broncs

Raleigh

1 North Carolina Tar Heels Vs. 16 Cornell Big Red
8 Texas A&M Aggies Vs. 9 VCU Rams
4 Georgetown Hoyas Vs. 13 Davidson Wildcats
5 Michigan State Spartans Vs. 12 UNC Asheville Bulldogs

South - Houston

Birmingham

1 Memphis Tigers Vs. 16 Alabama State Or Morgan State
8 Indiana Hoosiers Vs. 9 South Alabama Jaguars
4 Kansas Jayhawks Vs. 13 Belmont Bruins
5 Tennessee Volunteers Vs. 12 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Tampa

2 Duke Blue Devils Vs. 15 GA Southern Eagles
7 Cleveland State Vikings Vs. 10 New Mexico Lobos
3 Pittsburgh Panthers Vs. 14 Akron Zips
6 Illinois State Cardinals Vs. 11 Washington State Cougars

Midwest - Detroit

Little Rock

2 Vanderbilt Commodores Vs. 15 APSU Colonels
7 Houston Cougars Vs. 10 Clemson Tigers
3 Texas Longhorns Vs. 14 UAB Blazers
6 Marquette Golden Eagles Vs. 11 Stanford Cardinal

Omaha

1 Wisconsin Badgers Vs. 16 Kent State Golden Flashes
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Vs. 9 Xavier Musketeers
4 Butler Bulldogs Vs. 13 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
5 Drake Bulldogs Vs. 12 UNLV Runnin' Rebels

West - Phoenix

Denver

2 BYU Cougars Vs. 15 Portland State Vikings
7 Baylor Bears Vs. 10 Creighton Blue Jays
3 Boise State Broncos Vs. 14 Wright State Raiders
6 West Virginia Mountaineers Vs. 11 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Anaheim

1 UCLA Bruins Vs. 16 UCSB Gauchos
8 Florida Gators Vs. 9 Miami Hurricanes
4 Gonzaga Bulldogs Vs. 13 IUPUI Panthers
5 Purdue Boilermakers Vs. 12 George Mason Patriots

---

The question is what makes me more of a loser in life? Makn' this list to pass the time on a Sunday or the fact that I knew the nicknames of almost every team listed?

[Wedge]

Vandy as a 2, maybe if all the tournament games were played in memorial gym in Nashville I could buy that, but they have done nothing on the road this year. Tennessee as a 5...Pitt as a 3...Kansas a 4? Wisconsin as a 1 and Purdue (a team that swept wisky) a 5. Gotta say, my bracket would look slightly different.

At this point I don't see much separation between the 1's and 2's and any could swap places depending on how they fair in their respective tournaments. I'll just go with the top 4 seeds and the last 4 in:

1's
UNC
Memphis
Kansas
UT

2's
Duke
Texas
UCLA
Louisville

3's
Georgetown
Xavier
Stanford
Purdue

4's
Wisconsin
Indiana
Notre Dame
Vandy

Last 4 In: UAB, New Mexico, Houston and S. Illinois
First 4 out: Kentucky, Florida, Ohio State and Syracuse

[adam & doctor drew]

BYU a #2 seed?

don't think so.

[Kace]

Hey, it's a constant work in progress. ;)

[Ralphie the buffalo]

Do you just like wasting time?

For instance...the Big 12 is such a logjam after Texas and Kansas that anything you put down is a guess. There are about 6 other teams that could be in contention.It will seriously come down to what happens in the Kansas City tournament to settle who goes and who gets NIT.

I don't even read the website predictions until just before the tournaments when they are halfway jelled.
You are probably right that only 4 teams will come out of the Big 12.

[Kace]

Do you just like wasting time?

No, wasting time involves doing things I don't feel like doing that turn out to be time consuming.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

You are probably right that only 4 teams will come out of the Big 12.

I'm changing that. Five teams will come from the Big 12.
And who the Hell is IUPUI?
Is that a college that was named from random letters drawn from a bowl of alphabet soup?
Give their spot to a deserving team from a major conference.

[Wedge]

And who the Hell is IUPUI?
Is that a college that was named from random letters drawn from a bowl of alphabet soup?
Give their spot to a deserving team from a major conference.

Indiana University/Purdue University of Indianapolis

They are in the Summit league and have been in the tournament quite frequently the last several years. Their conference gets an automatic bid and I think that Kace was just penciling them in as conference champs from that league. You can't just take away automatic bids from the smaller conferences to put in a more "deserving team."


**EDIT** I see Kace has two teams from the Summit league (ORU and IUPUI)....and in that case you have a legit gripe.

[Kace]

Eh, it was just somethin' I was screwin' around with. It's not what I really think'll happen.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

Summit league?
Two bids?
Yeah, maybe to the NIT.

[Kace]

Feel free to post your own version of things. :)

[Ralphie the buffalo]

I have neither the free time or inclination.

[Kace]

But just enough to ***** about mine. :hug:

[Ralphie the buffalo]

That only takes a minute to criticize you and the payoff is large.

Picking brackets is foolish at this point. Picking teams is relevant. Look here and learn.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10639109

[Kace]

That only takes a minute to criticize you...

Which of course, anyone can do. But maybe you're inot that sort of thing. And who said anything about foolishness? I felt like typing up a bracket...I typed one up. No article is gonna be able to successfully counteract that logic.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

I just think trying to project brackets this far away is an exercise in frustration.
Projecting teams, I understand that. And that is pretty dicey.
Placing them in brackets? No way. It is like doing a 30 day forecast for weather.

[Kace]

I just think trying to project brackets this far away is an exercise in frustration.

Actually for me, it's just something to pass the time by 'til the real bracket's announced.

[WalMartNation]

I think you better take a break from your arguing and respect all the Wal Mart shoppers in Boise and Portland who will be buying new HDTV's (the brilliant salespeople will scam them into buying the old ones which don't have digital tuners built in) to watch the Broncos and Vikings make the big dance here in the Northwest. Along with... Washington State, Gonzaga, and possibly Oregon.

The WAC had been a 2-bid league a few times but their RPI is so low that BSU could win the conference title outright and still get left in the dust if they don't win the conf. tourney in Las Cruces next week. Portland State will at least host the Big Sky tourney at the Rose Garden (sources say).

PSU has speed, BSU has some athletic players.. both will most likely be 14 or 15 seeds in the tourny, DON'T be shocked if one of them knocks off a big boy in round one. Just sayin...

Gonzaga.. won't make it past 2nd round (again, like every year since 1999), Oregon... 1-and-done, Washington State... sweet 16 but lose bad after two narrow wins in rounds 1 and 2.

This has been your offical Tourny update for the Northwest!
By the way, no way in hell the Masters give Wisconsin a #1 seed... that team has been good for 7 years in a row and the best they ever get is like a 4. Not that they don't deserve higher, but anytime they're playing great it's because "The Big Ten is down this year again." Go Bucky!

[Hard_reign2004]

Actually for me, it's just something to pass the time by 'til the real bracket's announced.

And if youa re going to do it you have to at least try to keep out your bias..... Some of the teams left out are clearly in at this point...

[Kace]

Bias in favor of or against whom, exactly?

[Hard_reign2004]

Bias in favor of or against whom, exactly?

I knew I was setting myself up for this. Let me get through noon show and will answer in full...

[Kace]

Just realize that no matter what explanation you give will be incorrect as this initial list isn't really based on, "OMG I HATE UR TEAM LOL," and so on.

And it's a work in progress.

[Hard_reign2004]

I was just going to go down the list and focus on teams seeded 5-12 since this is where most of your at large bids will be but you decided not to make this easy. You have 10 seed Robert Morris playing the St Marys Gaels who are seeded 7. Here's a little hint if you ever add up two teams SOS and they are over 200, it isn't going to be a first round NCAA game. I have no problem seeding the Gaels 7. Robert Morris is way too high. their best win is to Boston College ranked number 115 in the rpi. They lost to St. Francis, PA! I understand you feel they are going to win their conference tournament but no way they are seeded higher than 13. Are there worse teams out there yes. But out of the 31 earned bids they are at least in the 20s and behind all of the automatic bids. Will try to post more holes in this shoddy display of a bracket coming up. Just going to take longer due to inconsistent seeding. No walk in the park...

[Ralphie the buffalo]

And it's a work in progress.

And will be until the REAL brackets are announced.
As far as I am concerned, it is mental masturbation that you are engaged in.

[Kace]

Will try to post more holes in this shoddy display of a bracket coming up. Just going to take longer due to inconsistent seeding. No walk in the park...

As opposed to actually putting forth a better bracket. Granted, mine's just somethin' I made up for fun and all. But who needs fun? This is the internet!!! There is no fun here!!! Kneel!!! Kneel before Zod!

As far as I am concerned, it is mental masturbation that you are engaged in.

If that's the case, then keep jerking me off with your replies. :)

[Kace]

But I guess in the meantime, I'll apologize for not being perfect.

I shall try harder.

[Kace]

And now, a kinder, friendlier, less imaginative, but probably still not good enough bracket for our resident demanders...

Play-In - Dayton

Alabama State Hornets Vs. American Eagles

East - Charlotte

Washington, DC

2 Stanford Cardinal Vs. 15 UMBC Terriers
7 Mississippi State Bulldogs Vs. 10 Texas A&M Aggies
3 Georgetown Hoyas Vs. 14 Rider Broncs
6 Washington State Cougars Vs. 11 Illinois State Cardinals

Raleigh

1 North Carolina Tar Heels Vs. 16 Cornell Big Red
8 St. Mary's Gaels Vs. 9 Baylor Bears
4 Michigan State Spartans Vs. 13 Robert Morris Colonials
5 UConn Huskies Vs. 12 Mississippi Rebels

South - Houston

Birmingham

1 Memphis Tigers Vs. 16 Alabama State Or American
8 Florida Gators Vs. 9 UNLV Runnin' Rebels
4 Indiana Hoosiers Vs. 13 APSU Colonels
5 Clemson Tigers Vs. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Tampa

2 Duke Blue Devils Vs. 15 Morgan State Bears
7 West Virginia Mountaineers Vs. 10 Kansas State Wildcats
3 Texas Longhorns Vs. 14 Belmont Bruins
6 Arizona Wildcats Vs. 11 Southern Ill Salukis

Midwest - Detroit

Little Rock

1 Tennessee Volunteers Vs. 16 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
8 Miami Hurricanes Vs. 9 Southern Cal Trojans
4 Wisconsin Badgers Vs. 13 Boise State Broncos
5 Butler Bulldogs Vs. 12 Kent State Golden Flashes

Omaha

2 Kansas Jayhawks Vs. 15 South Alabama Jaguars
7 Drake Bulldogs Vs. 10 Dayton Flyers
3 Xavier Musketeers Vs. 14 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Vs. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies

West - Phoenix

Denver

2 Louisville Cardinals Vs. 15 Portland State Vikings
7 BYU Cougars Vs. 10 Oklahoma Sooners
3 Purdue Boilermakers Vs. 14 VCU Rams
6 Pittsburgh Panthers Vs. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks

Anaheim

1 UCLA Bruins Vs. 16 CSU Northridge Matadors
8 Gonzaga Bulldogs Vs. 9 Davidson Wildcats
4 Vanderbilt Commodores Vs. 13 UNC Asheville Bulldogs
5 Marquette Golden Eagles Vs. 12 UMass Minutemen

Yay!

[JoinUsForCake]

Be scared! Be very scared!
http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/10/12/PH2007101201528.jpg

[Kace]

I think you scared everyone off, Join. LOL

[Ralphie the buffalo]

Isn't it time for an updated bracket?
We DID have games last night that could influence the seedings.

BWWWAAAHHHAAHHHAAAA

Just had to bump this old horse back up to the top so Kace didn't get a complex

[Wedge]

Play-in game for two bubble teams Sunday. Kentucky-Florida. Loser would have to make considerabe noise in the SEC tournament to get another look. Winner is in.

Kentucky:
RPI: 47
SOS: 12
Conf. Record: 11-4
Overall Record: 17-11
RPI top 50 Record: 4-5

Florida:
RPI: 60
SOS: 89
Conf. Record: 8-7
Overall Record: 21-9
RPI Top 50 Record:1-7

[Kace]

You could very well be right, Wedge. Don't forget the SEC Tournament, either.

Meanwhile...

Just had to bump this old horse back up to the top so Kace didn't get a complex

Complex about what, exactly? Oh, and I'll update the made up bracket when I feel like it. :)

[Sid]

Isn't it time for an updated bracket?
We DID have games last night that could influence the seedings.

BWWWAAAHHHAAHHHAAAA

Just had to bump this old horse back up to the top so Kace didn't get a complex

The possible scenarios for the tournament seedings are always changing. Have you ever looked at ESPN's bracketology? Yes, it means absolutely nothing, but it's fun.

Hey, don't even bother filling out a bracket on Selection Sunday, ok? Whatever you choose is going to be pointless speculation until the games are actually played.

[casterdamus]

Eh, it was just somethin' I was screwin' around with. It's not what I really think'll happen.

The next time you're screwing around you might want to split up the threesome of Memphis, Tennessee and Kansas. Unless the roof caves in on either one of them, they both should be at least #2 seeds.

[Kace]

It wouldn't surprise me to see Tennessee out West.

[JoinUsForCake]

Just a technicality, but didn't the NCAA start officially naming the 4 main brackets after the Regional Final locations? (No more West, Midwest, East, South)

[Kace]

They did for a few years, but they've gone back to East/South/Midwest/West again.

[Kace]

The latest prognostication...and certainly not the last.

Play-In - Dayton

16 Alabama State Hornets Vs. 16 American Eagles

East - Charlotte

Raleigh

1 North Carolina Tar Heels Vs. 16 Cornell Big Red
8 Illinois State Redbirds Vs. 9 Southern Trojans
4 Michigan State Spartans Vs. 13 VCU Rams
5 Stanford Cardinal Vs. 12 UAB Blazers

Washington, DC

2 Duke Blue Devils Vs. 15 UMBC Retrievers
7 Oklahoma Sooners Vs. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks
3 Xavier Musketeers 14 Winthrop Eagles
6 Davidson Wildcats Vs. 11 Kansas State Wildcats

South - Houston

Birmingham

1 Memphis Tigers Vs. 16 Alabama State Or American
8 Arizona Wildcats Vs. 9 Dayton Flyers
4 Louisville Cardinals Vs. 13 Creighton Blue Jays
5 Washington State Cougars Vs. 12 Oregon Ducks

Tampa

2 Georgetown Hoyas Vs. 15 Robert Morris Colonials
7 UNLV Runnin' Rebels Vs. 10 Purdue Boilermakers
3 Texas Longhorns Vs. 14 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
6 Pittsburgh Panters Vs. 11 UMass Minutemen

Midwest - Detroit

Omaha

1 Kansas Jayhawks Vs. 16 Rider Broncs
8 Clemson Tigers Vs. 9 Kent State Golden Flashes
4 Drake Bulldogs Vs. 13 Belmont Bruins
5 UConn Huskies Vs. 12 Texas A&M Aggies

Little Rock

2 Tennessee Volunteers Vs. 15 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
7 St. Mary's Gaels Vs. 10 Syracuse Orange
3 Wisconsin Badgers Vs. 14 South Alabama Jaguars
6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Vs. 11 Miss State Bulldogs

West - Phoenix

Anaheim

1 UCLA Bruins Vs. 16 Morgan State Bears
8 Miami Hurricanes Vs. 9 Baylor Bears
4 Gonzaga Bulldogs Vs. 13 UCSB Gauchos
5 Indiana Hoosiers Vs. 12 Mississippi Rebels

Denver

2 Butler Bulldogs Vs. 15 Portland State Vikings
7 Marquette Golden Eagles Vs. 10 Boise State Broncos
3 Vanderbilt Commodores Vs. 14 APSU Colonels
6 BYU Cougars Vs. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers

[Wedge]

Gotta add Kentucky now. What a turn-around that team had. 7-9 in early January to 18-11 now. Oh, and they lost their best player to injury along the way. With their defense and grind-it-out style, they'll be a tough out in the tourney. Although, it looks like they get seeded in the dreaded 8-9 spot.

[The Thrill]

No George freakin' Mason? :(

[Kace]

The Patriots have played their way into the Big Dance, I'm happy to say. Sadly, they had to bounce UNCW out on the way, but them's the breaks. If I had a stable internet connection I'd probably update this with the new auto bids, but for now, just disregard that up there. LOL

[Ralphie the buffalo]

Has anyone set one of these up for the Medialine community?
I am traveling too much right now and can't do the admin, but would like to play.

http://mayhem.sportsline.com/splash/mayhem/spln/opm?source=MKTG_BPM08_HPS&refcode=BPM08_HPS

[Desert Rat]

There is one Ralphie...

Check on the Open Line Forum page, there is a thread about it.

[McCovey Cove Returns]

Here's a scary thought. UCLA could have been shutout in the 2nd half and they still would have won by 11 points.

[JoinUsForCake]

-BUMP-

C'mon guys we have a Final Four now....

I am sticking with UCLA. How 'bout you?

[Randy Steinman]

If UCLA wins, I can finish as high as 3rd in the MediaLine bracket. :thumbsup:

If North Carolina wins, I'll finish somewhere down around 12th. :doh:

Go Bruins. :cheers:

[Brooklyn]

My Final Four is intact. I have North Carolina beating UCLA in the Final. Here's to hoping I stay perched on top! :cheers:

[Wedge]

All #1 seeds at the final 4...first time ever. I go out of my way every year to make sure I have a few top seeds upset before the final 4. Had Memphis out in the sweet 16 and Kansas out in the Elite 8. However, my final 2 (UNC and UCLA) are still there. With all 4 teams playing at such a high level, it should be one of the best final 4's in years.

[JoinUsForCake]

Even though they've only lost 1 game this season, I continue to be surprised by Memphis... At this point I am not thinking UCLA is such a heavy favorite. This is a great Final Four!

[The Fedora]

wow. that was a HELL of a game.

rock chalk jayhawk. way to not let a bad stretch ruin the game.

[adam & doctor drew]

Rose is ridiculous....the next great NBA point guard.

[Kelvin Hemholtz]

I predict - a good game - with "lower" ratings.

The NCAAs always draw a good number no matter what, BUT - Memphis has a small following at best and Kansas has one of the smaller "national followings" - not on the order of Duke or NC or a bunch of other teams.

Neither one is a Cinderella, so you lose that factor.

So I predict the overnights won't be as high as we could have seen with some other matchups.

[Wedge]

Wasn't the Tennessee/Memphis game the highest rated basketball game ever for ESPN? I won't say the ratings will be lower this year, especially when you had two football schools going at it last year.

[Kace]

Great year for Kansas. They tie for Best I-A Record in Football and win the National Championship in basketball.

[Kelvin Hemholtz]

From Bloomberg By Tim Mullaney

"Last night's 75-68 win by the University of Kansas Jayhawks over the University of Memphis Tigers drew an average 12.1 percent of U.S. TV households, New York-based CBS said today in a statement, citing preliminary figures. Last year's final drew 12.2 percent.

Before last night, ratings for the 64-game tournament were down about 8 percent, said Mike Aresco, CBS Sports senior vice president for programming. He cited the University of Illinois and Ohio State University, which made the finals in 2005 and 2007 respectively, and failed to make the field this year. High- profile teams from Duke University, University of Kentucky and Indiana University got knocked out in the first weekend.

``We've had more blowouts than in previous years,'' Aresco said in an interview. ``It hasn't been the kind of tournament we've been used to.''

[Wedge]

It's funny to see the final market breakdown of the top 10 .

For the ninth year in a row, Louisville ranked as the No. 1 city for March Madness as Louisville had the highest average television rating and share for the run of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

In the 56 top markets where Nielson produces overnight ratings statistics, WLKY-TV averaged a 21.6 rating and 36 share.

Second was Memphis with a 16.9 rating and 26 share.

Markets * Rating/Share
1. Louisville 21.0/36
2. Memphis 16.9/26
3. Charlotte 13.4/24
4. Indianapolis 13.0/24
5. Kansas City 12.1/22
6. Cincinnati 11.9/24
7. Columbus, Ohio 11.7/22
7. Greensboro, N.C 11.7/21
7. Nashville 11.7/20
10. Raleigh-Durham 11.4/20

Despite Louisville, Kentucky or Indiana not being in the final game, Louisville outpaced the nearest market by 10 shares.