Weekend Picks 02.23.08

Just when you start to get cocky, the NCAA Basketball gods slap you in the face. I took an 0-2 hit Thursday night, as my Ohiotucky teams provided no love. Xavier decided to destroy Duquesne, and Dayton began to climb the stairs of the slide destined for that NIT pool. See my previous blog for details.

So, now sitting at 13-12-2, let's look for some locks on the line. And don't call it a comeback...


Connecticut @ Villanova (-1.0)

The Huskies have been hot, winning 10 in a row since their debacle at Providence. 'Nova has won their past two in grandiose fashion, beating St. John's and West Virginia by 22+, but I cannot envision UConn going out like that. Thabeet and Price will be too much for the Wildcats.

Oklahoma @ Texas (-9.0)

With Longar Longar back from injury, the Sooners have played like a team deserving of an NCAA bid. Add in the Griffin Bros. under the boards, and I can't see the Longhorns win by more than 5.

Tennessee @ Memphis (-6.0)

Let's get some action in on the match-up of the year (at least the regular season) . I'm picking the road-dogs once again. This should be titillating college hoops, as both teams are averaging 80+ points a game and lack defensive moxie. Add up the one vs. two hype, the in-state fight for bragging rights, and the collective bravado of both these big-time coaches, and it equals a buzz-beater attempt at the end to win this game. At least I hope so. Lord knows I'll be sitting on the couch with "No. 1 New York Style Chinese Fast Food" (Fortune Kitchen: Best Chinese Delivery in Denver in the opinion of the Drunken )rophet) till the last shot.

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And let's take a look at this weekend's BracketBusters action. Gotta love this ESPN creation, getting to see the little guys play on the big stage. But first, a semi-quick rant...


I do not understand the assumed disrespect associated with a team labeled as "mid-major". Sticks and stones, bitches. So your school doesn't get million+dollar alumni donations, which buy million+ dollar facilities, and your conference doesn't receive million+ dollar TV contracts. Then you are a mid-major. This is no disgrace; in fact, an institution's fans should be proud that their administrators actually put academics ahead of athletics.

Gonzaga is collectively considered by most talking heads and sports typists to have ascended to the next "level", whatever that means. Arguably, Ohiotucky's own X-men are on the verge of staking their claim as a "non-mid-major", going so far as to decline an award given to guard Drew Lavendar as mid-major player of the week earlier in the season. Don't care, they're mid-majors.

Look, Gonzaga and Xavier have total student enrollments of 6,610 and 6,666 respectively (according to infosource.com), they're Jesuit schools, and they don't have football teams. Sure the Bulldogs have made it to the Dance the last nine seasons, and the Muskies 17 out of the past 22 seasons. Both stats are quite remarkable, but it doesn't matter. They are mid-major programs, the best of the mid-majors. They are much better teams, this year and for the past decade, than most of the BCS schools.

But this is what it comes down to: conference affiliation. If you want to shed this self-perceived perception of injustice, join a power conference. That is exactly what Cincinnati, Louisville, Charlotte, etc. did when they fled to the Big East. The teams in Conference USA were not considered mid-majors when the ranks were stacked with quality opponents. Now, I would venture to debate that Memphis has actually dropped into the mid-major category strictly based on the Tiger's level of competition. It doesn't matter if they are ranked number one and are working on an undefeated season. Where in the rulebook does it state that a mid-major can't be number one and undefeated? And if we are determining a mid-major's status by Tourney appearances, Memphis has only made it five times in the past 11 seasons.

Enough of the rant, let's get to the BracketBuster picks

George Mason @ Ohio (-2.0)

At the moment, the Bobcats are down by 5 after an 8-0 run to start the second half. I took them before the above tirade interrupted by analysis of my prognostications, so I gotta stick with them. I was basically banking on home-court advantage, because I believe these teams are pretty evenly matched.

Marist @ Cleveland St. (-7.0)

I like the Vikes! They've been on a roll as of late, and if they could take out Butler on their home court, I think they smoke the Red Foxes. The Marist squad hasn't been nearly as tested compared to Cleveland St., shown by the 70 point disparity in their SOS, and I believe the home court hype built into this BracketBusters event will carry the Vikings to a big win.

Drake @ Butler (-5.5)

Might as well make a move on the mid-major game of the season. I'm sticking with the Horizon boys at home. Drake has lost two out of three after their amazing run, as teams have started to figure out how to stop their perimeter attack. I'm guessing Butler will have studied the tapes. Their edge on the boards should hence be profoundly evident if they can force the other Bulldogs into tough shots.

Talk to y'all M0nday-A.B.