It's that time of year. All you College Basketball lovers have put together your brackets, and by now, you are probably quite upset at how things have gone in terms of points for your standing. As of now, the Sweet 16 is set, and there are quite a few surprises.
Marquette, an 11th seed, defeated both Xavier and Syracuse in the first and second round, respectfully. Except for Syracuse however, the East division has gone according as planned in most people's minds. Ohio State has shown their dominance, and the 2nd seed, North Carolina and the 4th seed, Kentucky, have both made it to the Sweet 16. The same applies for the West division, all of the top seeds except for Texas have made it. Arizona won in a thriller, upsetting Texas by only one point. The number 1 seed, Duke, has not shown the dominance that is expected of it, beating Michigan by a mere 2 points.
The "Madness" has really been present in the Southeast and Southwest brackets though. Hopeful winners of the many pools present throughout the country are very disappointed after the number 1 seed in the Southeast division, Pittsburgh, lost already in the second round! Butler, who defeated the favorite in the Southeast division, will have to beat Wisconsin to advance to the elite 8.
As for the Southwest bracket, I can guarantee there's a lot of red on those CBS brackets nation-wide. Notre Dame, Louisville, and Purdue all lost in the second round. And they were all top-seeds. Kansas, however, the number 1 seed, is still looking fairly strong.
What are your thoughts on March Madness? Do you think it's ridiculous how much people get into it; do you frown upon the gambling and pools?
Based on their play, do you think teams like VCU and Florida State, low seeds, have a chance at the huge title?
Any other Predictions?
10 comments:
This year in March Madness has definitely had its shares of upsets, buzzer beaters, surprises, and real intense games. First off, there were some real interesting results in the second round such as the favored Georgetown losing to the now powerful VCU, Kentucky winning by thisclose against Princeton, and the most shocking, number 4 Lousiville falling to the lower ranked Morehead State. I was most certainly surprsied at the end of the second round, but hey, that's what March Madness is all about! Upsets and madness! When it got to the Third Round, the games got even more intense and they were literally down to the wire. Kentucky, North Carolina, and Arizona showed their determination and skills by overcoming deficits and punching their tickets to the sweet 16. In the Southwest and Southeast however, it's not looking good for a lot of people's brackets. I was completely floored when Purdue, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh all lost to lower ranking seed teams. I must say that the Butler and Pittsburgh game was a classic, nail biter game that ended in march madness fashion with the underdog Butler winning with literally 0.1 seconds left. In the East and West, I'm very happy to see teams like San Diego State, Duke, Ohio State Kentucky, and Arizona going to the sweet 16. Teams like VCU and Flordia State will eventually meet their match during Regionals and end their winstreak. In the end however, I believe that BYU will pull through and win it all. After the way they played against Wofford and Gonzaga, I am confident that they have what it takes to win the Championship. However, I'm still concerned with the seemingly unstoppable force of Ohio State :( Anyway, I love how this year's tournament is surely one that's unforgettable, and I look foward to seeing the games later this week, month, and following month and April.
I think that it's just slightly absurd how passionate some people get over these games, with their complicated "brackets," and obsession with watching the event. I understand the thrill and adrenaline that can be evoked by your favorite team winning, but can someone please explain to me how this feeling persists even after your team is eliminated?
@Dan: It's just exciting for people to watch college basketball teams play at their best for the ultimate prize: the National Championship. Even if the team you picked to win it all has been kicked out, it's still really thrilling to see who comes out #1 and when it comes down to the Elite Eight, the games are just so intense and sometimes even looks like an NBA Finals game.
I think that it's really interesting that President Obama filled out a bracket as well. His predictions for the east and west brackets did really well. He only failed to predict Marquette (he picked Syracuse instead), but his Southwest and Southeast brackets suffered substantially from the upsets of Louisville, Purdue, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Kansas State (which were all top seeds, as posters above me have mentioned). He predicts that the 4 top seeds will reach the final 4 and Kansas will beat Ohio State in the championship. Obama has received some flak for wasting time filling out brackets and following college basketball when he has a country to run and numerous world problems to deal with, but I think it's okay that Obama (and all other people) enjoy this event. I think it's fun that so many people get so excited about this event, and that it leads to many interesting (and sometimes passionate) discussions between people. I don't think it's ridiculous how much some people get into this; it's a good way to enjoy for a little while.
@Josh: Did you really just compare the NCAA tournament to the NBA Finals??? To each his own, I guess.
March Madness >>>>>>>> NBA Finals
@Daniel: I understand your point and I believe you are right in most cases for the die-hards, a la the Cameron Crazies, I mean would many of us have been watching the World Series as intently if the Giants had not been there? Most likely not the thousands of bandwagonners but thats besides the point. The point is that if you are a fan of basketball in its purest form you will continue to watch because some great basketball is being played.
Anyway, in addition to Rashmi's point about President Obama having a bracket, I feel that picking a bracket is just another way for him to connect to the American people and it conveys that he is just like every other American who is passionate about college basketball. March Madness is, in its own way, like a holiday of sorts that brings many people together because of a common passion for sports and competition. If one thinks about it, with the amount of pools and other gambling procedures going on many people are interacting and enjoying the companionship of cheering for, or against in some cases, a certain team. All in all, its a special time of year and a great, dare I say it, American tradition that has endured the test of time and will continue to provide excitement for those who continue to watch it.
By the way, GO BUTLER & DUKE !!!!!!!!!!
I'm not against a sports thread, especially when it incorporates a little politics (Obama being criticized for filling out a bracket? How petty...) or economics. Given the news of the world this week, I look forward to more posts that try to sort through things more relevant to class.
I went to bed early and struggled to stay awake for the 2nd half of the Suns-Lakers game, so I missed all the triple overtime hoopla last night. The Suns took the game to the first overtime on the basis of 2 late game 3 point shots, a classic "2 for 1" in terms of managing the shot clock. Here's a link to my favorite Econ blog analyzing the 2 for 1 play:
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2011/03/endgames-for-basketball-the-2-for-1.html
College fans are fun, and a single elimination tournament has its drama (oh, the betting), but anyone who tells you that the quality of NCAA play is better than the NBA needs to have their head examined. The integration of international players has dramatically improved the quality of play in the NBA -- more defense, more teamwork, and more talent -- and the level of competitiveness has never been higher, with 6 or 8 teams that could credibly win several best of 7 series on their way to a championship. The college game requires following too many teams and too many players that turn over rapidly, and this year there are few emerging stars in the college game. I appreciate some of the great college coaches but I'm mostly waiting for the NCAAs to finish so the real playoffs can begin.
I think BYU is gonna take it all the way! Yeah! I'm going to be honest though, I am sort of bandwagoning BYU's basketball team. I'm more of a fan of BYU's football team because they had players who came from Aragon and are brothers of one of my friends. So when I heard they were doing well in basketball, I started to follow them. Hopefully they do good!
UPDATE AS OF 3/25/11!!!!!!!
WOW! So many upsets and news in just 3 days!!!! First of all, I'm sad that my picked champion BYU fell to the Florida Gators in a disappointing overtime. However, the whole nation was shocked to watch Duke and Ohio State fall to the lower and underdog seeds, Arizona and Kentucky!!!!!! What a recent turn of events!!!! I seriously can't believe Kansas is the only #1 seed to advance to the Elite Eight this year!!!! It's just so weird to not see Duke and Ohio State not advance. In addition, VCU continues to roll through the tournament unstoppable!! Anyway, it should be a great match between Uconn and Arizona along with the North Carolina and Kentucky game. Like I said, this is March Madness, and anything can happen. I'm sure we can expect another upset very soon.
UPDATE As of 3/27/11!!!!!
Even more upsets and turn of events from the last 2 days! First of all, I cannot believe that the last number 1 seed (Kansas) has been erased from the tournament from, who other, than the uncontrollable and powerful VCU!!!! VCU has actually made it to the Final Four along with the underdog Butler, Uconn, and my personal favorite, Kentucky!!! What's interesting about these teams is that besides Uconn, hardly anyone chose those teams to be in the Final Four!!! For sure next week the nation shall expect a matchup that no one will forget.
I know this comment is way past the championship results, but i think everyone needs to hear who has emerged victorious......UCONN! In a well fought and matchup between the underdog Butler and favored Uconn....the Huskies (uconn) came out as champions of the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Kemba Walker led the way with the most points of the game and Butler just didn't have an answer for him. They played well below expectations hitting only 3 for 23 from the field goal!!!! It's really a heartbreaking story to see Butler make it to the Championship match two years in a row and fall short of glory. Oh well, let's see if they can make it next year. As for Uconn, the whole nation congratulates them and we await for more march madness in 2012.
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