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March Madness Thread!!!

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trillionaire

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Come one, come all! Root for your team, and talk smack about teams you hate.

Who is going all the way?

Who is over rated???
 

elrohwen

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FI is a huuuge Syracuse fan, so I''ll be rooting for them! They did really really well in the Big East tournament this past weekend, so I think they have a shot of making it pretty far. Their loss against Louisville was kind of sad, but considering the number of overtimes in the past few days, not unexpected.

I will also be rooting for my school (actually, FI and I both went there): Cornell. I know that the Ivy team never ever wins the first game, but that doesn''t mean I''m not proud of them for making it to the tournament
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It''s kind of like letting a high school team play with the big boys, but that''s ok
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I can''t stand Pitt or UConn (funny, I grew up in Pittsburgh and live in CT ... see a trend?) so I will be booing both. I also have a thing against Michigan State.

Tril, who are you rooting for?
 

Lauren8211

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Date: 3/16/2009 11:07:25 AM
Author: elrohwen
FI is a huuuge Syracuse fan, so I''ll be rooting for them! They did really really well in the Big East tournament this past weekend, so I think they have a shot of making it pretty far. Their loss against Louisville was kind of sad, but considering the number of overtimes in the past few days, not unexpected.

I will also be rooting for my school (actually, FI and I both went there): Cornell. I know that the Ivy team never ever wins the first game, but that doesn''t mean I''m not proud of them for making it to the tournament
16.gif
It''s kind of like letting a high school team play with the big boys, but that''s ok
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I can''t stand Pitt or UConn (funny, I grew up in Pittsburgh and live in CT ... see a trend?) so I will be booing both. I also have a thing against Michigan State.

Tril, who are you rooting for?
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I''m all about the MSU Spartans! GO GREEN!
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GoingCrazy29

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Woohoo for this thread!! So proud of my Purdue Boilermakers for winning the Big Ten Tourney! Hope they do well on Thursday in the first round :)
 

elrohwen

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Date: 3/16/2009 11:13:50 AM
Author: elledizzy5


Date: 3/16/2009 11:07:25 AM
Author: elrohwen
FI is a huuuge Syracuse fan, so I'll be rooting for them! They did really really well in the Big East tournament this past weekend, so I think they have a shot of making it pretty far. Their loss against Louisville was kind of sad, but considering the number of overtimes in the past few days, not unexpected.

I will also be rooting for my school (actually, FI and I both went there): Cornell. I know that the Ivy team never ever wins the first game, but that doesn't mean I'm not proud of them for making it to the tournament
16.gif
It's kind of like letting a high school team play with the big boys, but that's ok
2.gif


I can't stand Pitt or UConn (funny, I grew up in Pittsburgh and live in CT ... see a trend?) so I will be booing both. I also have a thing against Michigan State.

Tril, who are you rooting for?
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I'm all about the MSU Spartans! GO GREEN!
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Michigan State better watch it
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(there are not nearly enough emoties involving beat downs)

Go Syracuse!
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bebe

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Date: 3/16/2009 11:07:25 AM
Author: elrohwen
FI is a huuuge Syracuse fan, so I''ll be rooting for them! They did really really well in the Big East tournament this past weekend, so I think they have a shot of making it pretty far. Their loss against Louisville was kind of sad, but considering the number of overtimes in the past few days, not unexpected.

I will also be rooting for my school (actually, FI and I both went there): Cornell. I know that the Ivy team never ever wins the first game, but that doesn''t mean I''m not proud of them for making it to the tournament
16.gif
It''s kind of like letting a high school team play with the big boys, but that''s ok
2.gif


I can''t stand Pitt or UConn (funny, I grew up in Pittsburgh and live in CT ... see a trend?) so I will be booing both. I also have a thing against Michigan State.

Tril, who are you rooting for?
Syracuse plays SFA (who you ask!!) Friday morning. I''ll be watching.

I cannot believe SFA won the Southland Conference.

Go Jacks! I went there ''73-74.
 

elrohwen

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Date: 3/16/2009 1:44:33 PM
Author: bebe

Syracuse plays SFA (who you ask!!) Friday morning. I''ll be watching.

I cannot believe SFA won the Southland Conference.

Go Jacks! I went there ''73-74.
Haha, SFA-what? Never heard of them! I get half days on Fridays, so hopefully I''ll be home in time to watch (even if I have to connect my computer to the tv to do it!)
 

iheartscience

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My alma mater VCU made it through so I''ll be rooting for them! Also Louisville (and any other KY teams) because my fiance is a Kentucky boy!
 

tlh

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M-I-Z















Z-O-U
 

elrohwen

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Tlh, aren''t they playing Cornell on Friday? That should be an easy win for you guys, as much as I will be cheering for my dear Cornell.
 

hoofbeats95

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Oh gosh! I joined the office pool and I know nothing about this! I have no clue how to fill out this bracket. I have one penciled in with the final four being Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburg and N.C. Is that BAD? I never watch basketball - EVER!
 

karee888

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Date: 3/16/2009 11:57:25 AM
Author: GoingCrazy29
Woohoo for this thread!! So proud of my Purdue Boilermakers for winning the Big Ten Tourney! Hope they do well on Thursday in the first round :)



BOILER UP!! When were you at Purdue? I graduated in 2003.

I''m also a big Gonzaga fan, and I love Creighton [go #1 NIT seed! :)], and I also like Marquette and Syracuse. Thank goodness it''s Spring Break, I CANNOT WAIT for the madness to start!!! :)

[I live for March Madness and college football! :razz:]
 

elrohwen

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Hoofbeats, you should just look at what the teams are ranked (aka what seed they are). If they're 1, that means that they're likely to win. You can pick all 1 seeds are your top four teams and do pretty well. When you know something about basketball, it's fun to pick upsets, but you can never go too wrong by picking the best teams to win. I usually pick a few upsets, just for fun (or if it's a team I have some random tie to) but I usually pick the 1 or 2 seeds to go all the way.

ETA: Your final four is fine! Those are all good teams. It's really a cr@p shoot to pick brackets, even for people who know a lot about basketball.
 

hoofbeats95

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Date: 3/16/2009 4:54:39 PM
Author: elrohwen
Hoofbeats, you should just look at what the teams are ranked (aka what seed they are). If they''re 1, that means that they''re likely to win. You can pick all 1 seeds are your top four teams and do pretty well. When you know something about basketball, it''s fun to pick upsets, but you can never go too wrong by picking the best teams to win. I usually pick a few upsets, just for fun (or if it''s a team I have some random tie to) but I usually pick the 1 or 2 seeds to go all the way.

ETA: Your final four is fine! Those are all good teams. It''s really a cr@p shoot to pick brackets, even for people who know a lot about basketball.
How do you know what seed they are? I looked at their season stats on the bracket and kind of based it off of that - unless I liked the state or name. Like Gonzanga - no clue who/where that is, but fun name! Ha ha. I don''t care about winning. Just wanna have fun and hopefully not be knocked out in the first round ;-)
 

trillionaire

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I'm all in for USC, but I am a little worried about them against BC in the first round...
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Will have to wait and see. USC is not the strongest team, but we are scrappy and full of heart. First time winning the PAC-10 conference championship, and I was so excited to be able to watch it with SO on his B-day!
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I'm also a big fan of Maryland, UNC, other pac-10 teams and cinderella underdogs!

HATE: DUKE! TEXAS!!!


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And I am DYING to see Obama's picks! LOL!!!
 

tlh

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Date: 3/16/2009 3:39:32 PM
Author: elrohwen
Tlh, aren''t they playing Cornell on Friday? That should be an easy win for you guys, as much as I will be cheering for my dear Cornell.
I don''t know... maybe?!? I am soo freaking busy this month I am having a hard time following. I am such a terrible fan. But I''ll still do the cheer, even after the season is over! HAHA!
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lovewhitediamonds

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Date: 3/16/2009 11:13:50 AM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 3/16/2009 11:07:25 AM
Author: elrohwen
FI is a huuuge Syracuse fan, so I''ll be rooting for them! They did really really well in the Big East tournament this past weekend, so I think they have a shot of making it pretty far. Their loss against Louisville was kind of sad, but considering the number of overtimes in the past few days, not unexpected.

I will also be rooting for my school (actually, FI and I both went there): Cornell. I know that the Ivy team never ever wins the first game, but that doesn''t mean I''m not proud of them for making it to the tournament
16.gif
It''s kind of like letting a high school team play with the big boys, but that''s ok
2.gif


I can''t stand Pitt or UConn (funny, I grew up in Pittsburgh and live in CT ... see a trend?) so I will be booing both. I also have a thing against Michigan State.

Tril, who are you rooting for?
29.gif
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29.gif
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I''m all about the MSU Spartans! GO GREEN!
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DITTO! GO GREEN!!!!! YAY!
 

LAJennifer

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Date: 3/16/2009 4:19:55 PM
Author: hoofbeats95
Oh gosh! I joined the office pool and I know nothing about this! I have no clue how to fill out this bracket. I have one penciled in with the final four being Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburg and N.C. Is that BAD? I never watch basketball - EVER!

Those are excellent picks. One thing to remember - Pitt is often guilty of penalties that don''t necessarily get called during conference play. However, in tournament situations, they get called on those fouls and good players have to sit the bench. The final game is very likely to be Louisville and NC. West Virginia and Villanova are possible dark horses.
 

elrohwen

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Hoofbeats, check out ESPN:
http://a.espncdn.com/i/ncaa/09mens_bracket.pdf

The number in parentheses right before the team name is the seed. It''s absolutely related to their record (though not entirely), so picking by record is also a good idea. I believe the seeding takes into account how difficult of a season the team played. So if a team plays only easy teams, they might not be a high seed because their good record is a result of easy games. If a team plays very very tough teams and has a decent record, though not spectacular, they can still get a high seed because it''s understood that they worked harder for their record. The lower the number, the better the team (so 1 seeds have the best chance of winning).

People won''t like you if you pick all 1 seeds to go to the final four, because they think it''s taking the easy way out. However, many times that''s what will get you far with your bracket, so don''t be afraid to pick teams based on their seed! Haha. Picking a lot of upsets if you don''t know what you''re doing often ends up with your bracket going down the tubes (I know this because I often do this when I pick brackets and it doesn''t work out well for me).

Oh, one more tip. In each division you''ll see that there is a 5 seed playing a 12 seed in the first round of games. My FI claims that there has been a 5-12 upset (where the 12 seed beats the 5 seed, against the odds) in every single tournament (or almost every tournament). So, it might be a good idea to choose one 5-12 upset for your bracket. However, the 12 seed usually doesn''t go very far after winning that first game. It''s kind of superstitious, but you can look smart among friends by talking about 5-12 upsets
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GoingCrazy29

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Date: 3/16/2009 4:28:08 PM
Author: karee888

Date: 3/16/2009 11:57:25 AM
Author: GoingCrazy29
Woohoo for this thread!! So proud of my Purdue Boilermakers for winning the Big Ten Tourney! Hope they do well on Thursday in the first round :)



BOILER UP!! When were you at Purdue? I graduated in 2003.

I''m also a big Gonzaga fan, and I love Creighton [go #1 NIT seed! :)], and I also like Marquette and Syracuse. Thank goodness it''s Spring Break, I CANNOT WAIT for the madness to start!!! :)

[I live for March Madness and college football! :razz:]
I graduated in 2005! Boiler Up! I hope we play in the tourney like we played against Penn State on Friday- that was INCREDIBLE! Are you still in Indiana? We just moved to PA last week- apparently people here aren''t as in to basketball as we are!
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karee888

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Nope, I''m in grad school now. We still have some family in Indiana, though.

People here are pretty into basketball but it''s not the same!

The tournament was amazing!!! My husband and I were screaming during the OSU game, it was a
 

Smurfysmiles

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I ABSOLUTELY have to root for NDSU!!! I''m from Fargo nd, so that''s my school!
I''m hoping for a cinderella win! :)
 

LAJennifer

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A little tidbit about the Big East and possible Final 4 Teams -

"To figure out what''s really going on in the Big East, one needs to look beyond the standings. Efficiency numbers (which measure the number of points scored or allowed per 100 possessions) are one revealing guide.
Over the past five seasons, every Final Four team has shared two characteristics: a top-25 defensive-efficiency ranking at season''s end and a top-50 offensive ranking. Some 13 teams across the nation meet both of these criteria right now. Which from the Big East? UConn, Villanova and West Virginia."

link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123419802329264179.html


 

elrohwen

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LAJennifer, that''s pretty cool. FI''s going to be impressed that I''ve learned so much about the Big East
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LAJennifer

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Date: 3/17/2009 1:45:53 PM
Author: elrohwen
LAJennifer, that's pretty cool. FI's going to be impressed that I've learned so much about the Big East
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Bracketology is fun - but it really is a crap shoot.

Take West Virginia (6 seed) for instance - Jerry West has them winning 4 games and in the Final 4. Could it happen? Sure - they'll possibly face Kansas in round 2. Kansas is the returning Champion, but they lost 4 starters since last year - they're very different than they were a year ago. Michigan State in the next round is very beatable. Then, WV would potentially face Louisville in the Elite 8. WV has played Louisville twice this season already. Lousiville won both games by a very slim margin - so, what are the statistics that one team would beat a comparable team 3 times in one season? Very slim. BUT, WV could fall in Round 1 to Dayton - Dayton has the skills to win that game if one or two WV players are having an off night.

If you're trying to win a pool - I wouldn't pick any upsets in the first round. One or two might happen, but if you pick the wrong one - it could really screw you in the later rounds.

Last year's Final 4 were all Number 1 seeds - that was extremely rare.

Oh - and I won my pool last year. I had selected Kansas to win it all. Even if Memphis had been the winner - I still would have won my pool (but would have tied with 3 others).
 

elrohwen

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Has anybody done a pick 6 pool? A guy in my office hands one out every year (and I promptly turn it over to FI to pick the teams). It takes more skill and less guessing than brackets (in my opinion) and is pretty fun. I try picking my own teams to see how I do, but I let FI pick officially (I''m not going to bet $5 on my poor basketball knowledge
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)

Most people I know have never seen a pool like this, so I''ll explain. To play you pick 6 teams and you get points every time your teams win a game. Now, point values are divided up by the ranking of the team, so depending on the teams you pick you may earn 1-6 points per game won. I love this pool because it forces you to pick at least an upset or two to win. You could pick all of the highly ranked teams, but with only getting 1-2 points per game won, you''re not going to beat someone who picked a little riskier.

I got second place two years ago and would''ve won if the outcome of the final game had been reversed. Maybe I''ll win it this year!
 

Smurfysmiles

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Date: 3/17/2009 2:32:59 PM
Author: LAJennifer
Date: 3/17/2009 1:45:53 PM

Author: elrohwen

Sure - they''ll possibly face Kansas in round 2. Kansas is the returning Champion, but they lost 4 starters since last year - they''re very different than they were a year ago.


Heck NO!!!! NDSU is gonna tear kansas a new one! People really underestimate them, they have FANTASTIC stats :) Ranked 7th overall right now- not too shabby
 

elrohwen

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Smurfy, you''re funny. I love how people are so gung-ho for their teams
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And I''m sure your team has a better chance of betting Kansas than mine does of beating Missouri! Haha.
 

LAJennifer

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Date: 3/17/2009 3:24:25 PM
Author: Smurfysmiles


Date: 3/17/2009 2:32:59 PM
Author: LAJennifer


Date: 3/17/2009 1:45:53 PM

Author: elrohwen

Sure - they'll possibly face Kansas in round 2. Kansas is the returning Champion, but they lost 4 starters since last year - they're very different than they were a year ago.


Heck NO!!!! NDSU is gonna tear kansas a new one! People really underestimate them, they have FANTASTIC stats :) Ranked 7th overall right now- not too shabby
Smurfy - I would LOVE that!!!

ETA - NDSU is ranked 7th overall what?
 

Smurfysmiles

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it''s times like this i''m glad i''m unemployed so i can stay home and watch the game haha
well actually i have a freelancing job but i can do it from home so i got lucky :)
 
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