NCAA Bracket Predictions: East Region

First up, all of my picks for the East region!

ROUND ONE

(1) North Carolina over (16) Play-In - Obviously.

(9) Arkansas over (8) Indiana - Oh, how the Hoosiers have fallen. They have the talent to win this game and give UNC a scare, but not the heart. Razorbacks have the big men to contend with DJ White.

(5) Notre Dame over (12) George Mason - Not a good matchup for the Patriots. They can't run with the Irish, and I don't think they'll be able to slow the game down.

(4) Washington St. over (13) Winthrop - Tempting to pick Winthrop to win an NCAA game for the 2nd straight year, but I don't think they have the firepower.

(11) St. Joseph's over (6) Oklahoma - Not crazy about this pick, but the Sooners don't have a ton of offensive explosiveness. This will be a low-scoring, ugly game.

(3) Louisville over (14) Boise St. - Boise is a real dangerous 14 seed, but Louisville is just too good. But I think this game will be closer than people expect.

(7) Butler over (10) South Alabama - I really like South Alabama, but Butler is too good. They're a 4 or 5 seed masquerading as a 7 seed.

(2) Tennessee over (15) American - Tennessee will have a much easier go of it than the last time they were a 2 seed.


ROUND TWO

(1) North Carolina over (9) Arkansas - Arkansas does not have the firepower or athleticism to hang with the top-seeded Heels for 40 minutes.

(5) Notre Dame over (4) Washington St. - The Cougars are a great defensive team, but you can beat them by shooting over them. The Irish have the shooters to do it. Kyle McAlarney is a huge key in this game.

(3) Louisville over (11) St. Joseph's - The Cardinal are too deep and versatile for Phil Martelli's team.

(2) Tennessee over (7) Butler - Fascinating potential matchup. I've written many times about how much I love Butler, but it's a tough draw for them. They'll score points against a fairly undisciplined UT defense, but I'm not sure they'll be able to stop the Volunteers.


SWEET 16

(1) North Carolina over (5) Notre Dame - This would be a really high-scoring battle, but too much depth for the Heels. Harangody vs. Hansbrough would be an awesome matchup down low.

(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Louisville - Two teams that I think could give the Heels a scare in the Elite Eight. I like Tennessee a little more in this game... Louisville has a lot of ballhandlers, but not really a true PG to handle the pressure.


ELITE EIGHT

(2) Tennessee over (1) North Carolina - I think the Volunteers have the talent to get to the Fina Four. As they have shown this year, they have the talent to beat anyone, and they won't be intimidated by North Carolina. I like the Vols to edge out North Carolina in a highly entertaining game.

Regional Champion: TENNESSEE

Bracket First Impressions!

Here are my quick first thoughts on the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Bracket, with more to come this week... this is the best time of the sports year!

- Butler a 7 seed? Huh? I absolutely do not understand this seeding in the East region:
6 Oklahoma
7 Butler
8 Indiana

That makes no sense to me.

- Here are the top 4 first round games I am most looking forward to:

5 Drake vs. 12 Western Kentucky - 2 very good Mid-Majors... WKU has the best player (Courtney Lee), but Drake is the better team.
7 Butler vs. 10 South Alabama - Awesome matchup between 2 teams that could give Tennessee fits in round 2. Once again, USA might have the best player (Demetric Bennett), but Butler has the better team.
6 USC vs. 11 Kansas St. - For obvious reasons. Loads and loads of talent on display.
7 Gonzaga vs. 10 Davidson - Again, another great matchup between 2 really good Mids. I have no idea who to pick for this game.

- My top 3 potential 2nd Round matchups:

4 Connecticut vs. 5 Drake - Two different styles. Would be very interesting.
2 Tennessee vs. 7 Butler - There would be lots and lots of 3s fired in this game. This would be so much fun to watch.
4 Vanderbilt vs. 5 Clemson - Two really good teams... Kevin Stallings is an underrated coach.

- And finally, top 3 potential Sweet 16 matchups:

2 Tennessee vs. 3 Louisville - This would be an amazing game between 2 very talented, well-coached teams. I get giddy just thinking about this potential matchup.
2 Duke vs. 3 Xavier - Two efficient, talented clubs.
2 Texas vs. 3 Stanford - I also get giddy thinking about this potential matchup. Two opposite clubs. How would Texas stop Brook Lopez? How would Stanford stop DJ Augustin? Awesome. Please happen!

- On my first time through picking (which is definitely subject to change), I have no 12 seeds winning... hmmm...

- Is it Thursday yet?

- What most caught your eye?

Conference Tournament Preview: Wednesday

Back from Spring Break!

This is the best time of the college basketball season. Conference tournaments are getting in full swing, and then that is obviously followed by the awesomeness of the NCAA Tournament. Some of the major conference tournaments begin Wednesday, so here is just a breakdown of some of the key games that will be taking place.

Atlantic-10 Tournament
(8) Dayton vs. (9) St. Louis - With some of Dayton's non-conference wins (Louisville, Pitt), you have to figure they might still have a slim shot at an at-large if they can beat Xavier in the Quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament. But the way that they've been playing lately, they can't afford to overlook St. Louis in round 1.

(6) Charlotte vs. (11) Rhode Island - Both of these teams have talent, and they can make a run in the A-10 Tourney if they get hot. Rhode Island has been in a freefall since their hot start. Meanwhile, Charlotte is led by streaky scorer Leemire Goldwire.

Big East Tournament
(8) Syracuse vs. (9) Villanova - The loser is essentially eliminated from at-large consideration, while the winner might even still need to beat Georgetown in the Quarterfinals to feel safe. Do-or-die game, and a great way to start off the Big East Tourney.

(5) West Virginia vs. (12) Providence - The Mountaineers have a good conference record, but they haven't really beaten a lot of quality opponents. A loss here might make them sweat a little, though they're probably safe either way.

Pac-10 Tournament
(7) Arizona vs. (10) Oregon St. - This is a must-win game for Arizona, though it shouldn't be a problem against 0-18 Oregon St. The Wildcats might need to win this game and a quarterfinal matchup with Stanford to be safe. If things are clicking, they have the potential to win 4 games in 4 days.

These are the games with the biggest bubble implications... on Thursday, the rest of the big tournaments start up, making that one of the best basketball days of the year! Which game are you most looking forward to seeing?

I Win! College Football Blogger Awards: Best Post

So I won a "College Football Blogger Award" for "Best Analysis: Best Post" for my article on the "Divide Route in the Multiple Smash Concept." I'm also up for an award for "Best Analysis" for the site as a whole, but I likely don't update with enough frequency to pull that one down.

I'm flattered to have won. The site is designed to contribute that kind of analysis with each post, so hopefully I am succeeding in my own slow and incremental way. I'm also happy with my readership: a combination of football professionals and intellectually curious football fans.

In any event, I also wanted to use the opportunity to thank the loose consortium of great college football blogs that have shown me a lot of recent support. A special hat tip too to Dawg Sports, which predicted that I'd win this particular award, and to Peter from Burnt Orange Nation, for whom I did one feature and honestly still owe him more.

To read more about the College Football Awards, check out this index from Every Day Should Be Saturday.

Last, here is a brief, nonexclusive list of some great college football blogs (each made even greater by having supported me in the past).

- Burnt Orange Nation
- Dawg Sports
- MGOBlog
- Sunday Morning Quarterback
- Every Day Should Be Saturday
- Rocky Top Talk
- Double-T Nation

I get interviewed and stuff

Rick from the excellent blog Stiles Points has interviewed me in his "Beers for Bloggers" Series. So check it out! My answers are mostly boring, but you've probably come to expect that from me.

I'll be out of town for a week... yay for spring break! It'll be fun.

Enjoy yourselves, and hopefully I'll come back to some nice FA signings by the Vikings!

Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Base

After ranking the first basemen a few days ago, it's time to move on to 2B!

1. Chase Utley - It shouldn't be any surprise, but Utley is still the cream of the crop when it comes to 2B. He hit .332 last year, which is really good. But really, he does a little bit of everything. He missed 30 games, but he still had 22 HR, over 100 RBI, and over 100 Runs. And he even stole 9 bases just for good measure. He is easily the top fantasy 2B.

2. B.J. Upton - Upton is another guy that cashed in on his enormous talent in 2007. He showed good power, speed, and patience at the plate, which should carry over into the new year. Playing in only 129 games, he had 24 HR and 22 SB. The fact that he has a solid walk rate (and a .386 OBP) will give him plenty of opportunities to get on base and either steal bases or score a lot of runs. The fact that he will only be 23 for most of the year gives him the slight edge over Phillips for the 2nd spot.

3. Brandon Phillips - Phillips finally truly cashed in on all that talent, having a breakout year in 2007. He gives you power and speed from the 2B spot, with a 30-32 year last season. He also scored over 100 runs, and his .288 BA was certainly respectable. He'll turn 27 this summer, meaning he should be right in the middle of his prime.

4. Brian Roberts - He's a stolen base fiend, finishing with 50 of them in 2007. But that doesn't mean he is one-dimensional, as he also brings a solid amount of pop. He hit 12 HR and had 42 2B last year, which is not too shabby for a guy that brings so many SB as well as over 100 runs. An average of .290 is nothing to complain about either.

5. Robinson Cano - He didn't quite hit for .342 like he did in 2006, but he's still a very effective fantasy player. The average was still a very respectable .306, and he displayed solid power with 19 HR and 41 2B. As he's playing in the Yankees lineup, his RBI and R totals will be solid no matter where he bats in the order.

6. Chone Figgins - He might not hit .330 again, but he brings a lot of speed and versatility to the table. He missed over 45 games last year, but still had 41 SB, following up his 52 SB in 2006 and 62 SB in 2005. He doesn't have a lot of power, but he has averaged 8 triples over the past 3 years, which helps. He's also eligible for multiple positions.

7. Howie Kendrick - The guy can rake. As a 24 year-old playing only part of the time, he hit .322 last season, and slugged a very respectable .450. He doesn't take walks and he doesn't hit for a ton of power, but he's a great hitter for average, and should score a lot of runs in a solid Angels offense.

8. Ian Kinsler - Kinsler is a decent option for speed and power at 2B. He finished 2007 with 20 HR and 22 SB. He also showed solid plate discipline, finishing with an OBP of .355. He's a solid option at 2B... there are guys with more upside at this spot, but you could certainly do worse than Ian Kinsler.

9. Rickie Weeks - Many people (myself included) expected a breakout year from Weeks, but due to injuries and such, it never materialized, as he finished with just a .235 AVG. However, some of the peripheral numbers did look good... he took a fair amount of walks, had decent power, and even stole 25 bases. He's got high upside, but has to stay healthy.

10. Placido Polanco - Polanco was excellent last year with a .341 AVG, which allowed him to score over 100 runs. It's unrealistic to expect such high output again, but he will be in a solid lineup that adds Miguel Cabrera. Polanco is another guy that is just a solid option... there are other guys who might have more upside at this spot, but you know what you're getting from Placido Polanco.

Your thoughts? What would you change around?

28 Years Ago Today

This happened.

For my money, the Miracle on Ice is the greatest sporting event to ever happen. By now we've all heard the story, and most of us have seen the movie Miracle, based off the team in which a maverick coach from Minnesota named Herb Brooks picked who he felt was the best team, but not necessarily the best players, and molded them into a gold medal winner.

The Soviets featured such players as Boris Mikhailov, one of the greatest Russian players ever, and Vadislav Tretiak, the best goaltender in the world at the time.

The United States meanwhile, were led by a group of college kids. Some of them were very good, as they would sign with professional teams soon after the 1980 Olympics, but definitely not on par with the Soviets talent wise.

I won't bore you with the details, but we all know Mike Eruzione, the United States captain, scored the game winning goal with exactly 10 minutes left in the game to give the US the win and set the stage for Al Michaels's famous call, and an eventual gold medal, which they earned by defeating Finland.

13 US players played in the NHL. Neal Broten, who won an NCAA title with Minnesota, scored 923 career points in over 1000 NHL games. Mark Johnson is now the women's hockey coach at Wisconsin, and his son plays for the mens team. Eruzione and goalie Jim Craig, two of the stars of the semifinal game, totaled just 30 NHL games between them, all by Craig. Coach Herb Brooks tragically died in a car accident at the age of 66.

Let me preface this next point by saying that I think an Olympic Gold Medal is the best "trophy" to win in sports. If you gave me a choice between a gold medal and a superbowl, I would take a gold medal without hesitation. I usually come down somewhere between disapproving and apathetic when ESPN does dumb stuff like Who's Now, but if the Miracle on Ice doesn't win the Greatest Highlight, people need to hand in their citizenship. While I get tired of the 1972 Dolphins, I will never tire of hearing about the 1980 Olympic team that shocked the world and united a nation.