Sunday, March 14, 2010

Note: Check out Pay's final 2010 bracket projections HERE. Impressive work, as always, from the best.

It doesn't take a genius to wonder why so many media experts are targeting Kansas as their pick to not only make the Final Four, but cut down their second pair of nets in three years.

Kansas are loaded. Carl Weathers in Predator-loaded. Then again, things didn't work out perfectly for Action Jackson, did they?

Am I dating myself too much? Probably.

Talk about a movie sorely in need of a reboot.
Credit: Sportige.com

Nevertheless, here are 10 questions I have once viewing the bracket (and having 3-4 hours to digest them).
I hope a few of you (maybe even Pay, hint), will let us have some answers PLEASE.

1) Why are people crying for teams that are snubbed? Jay Bilas summed it up best: none of these teams are contending for a national title. Were any of them truly robbed of a 10, 11, or 12-seed and a (all but too likely) first-weekend exit?
2) Which of these 8/9 NAME-recognition teams should scare the respective 1-seeds the most:
UNLV (Kansas), Gonzaga (Syracuse), Texas (Kentucky), or Louisville (Duke)?
3) Okay, so "who's your 5/12 upset" is soooo last year. I want to know who your 4/13 upset is this year? Now that prediction takes stones.
4) BYU and Cornell are popular sleepers. Ditto for Murray State and Siena. Do YOU have either of those four still playing during the second weekend?

5) Which is more ridiculous: Temple degraded to being a 5-seed or Notre Dame skyrocketing to a 6-seed?
6) You have 1 possession and you're down 1. Who has the ball: John Wall, De'Sean Butler, or Evan Turner? You gotta pick just one.

7) Is Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku's health the biggest factor in this tournament, medically-speaking?

8) Which first round matchup would you most be willing to call out sick from work for? Why?
9) Seriously, what's the blueprint (in 3 steps or less) in which Kansas isn't cutting down the nets?

10) Okay okay. If YOU could sub one team in the field OUT (note: they MUST be an at-large bid) and could place one of the "snubbed" teams in...WHO is it and why?


By the way, in case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard about it yet...check out the latest installment of ESPN's 30 for 30. You know, the one with Reggie Miller and Spike Lee in the promos.



As a Knick fan, it left me riveted, yet far too uneasy with the memories. Psst. That means it was effective storytelling. Such a feeling of unbridled uneasiness is pretty typical for a current apathetic Knick fan (come on LeBron!!!!)

Note: Check out Pay's final 2010 bracket projections HERE. Impressive work, as always, from the best.

6 comments:

Brad Slepetz said...

What kind of person is offended by a Brooklyn Decker picture?

Paymon said...

This kind of person.

Brad Slepetz said...

I don't understand. Was she wearing a swastika or something?

Paymon said...

Negative. If I was not working on a government client site, I'd probably be fine with it. Not to mention, a highly visible cubicle on a government client site.

Paymon said...

Quick hits on the questions ...

1. There's no crying to be had, especially from one Seth Greenberg (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/An-open-letter-to-Virginia-Tech-coach-Seth-Green?urn=ncaab,227885).

2. Louisville and Texas should scare their opponents in Round 2, if either advances

3. At first glance, UTEP over Butler is the most likely. These teams have combined for 1 loss in nearly 40 games. The only 4/13 I'd really consider is Murray State over Vanderbilt.

4. If Cornell can get past Temple, they can defeat Wisconsin. BYU may not be physical enough to advance, but you gotta love Jimmer Fredette.

5. Temple at a 5 and ND as a 6 are both ridiculous. Not much separates 6 and 9, so I'd say Temple (who we had as a 3).

6. Evan Turner. He's my guy.

7. Of the guys who we know are banged up, yes. As you know better than I do, Syracuse establishes its dominance when both Onuaku and Jackson are in the game.

8. ND / ODU and Butler / UTEP fascinate me.

9. Three steps or less on how to beat Kansas
a. Make your shots early
b. Protect the basketball
c. Do not be afraid to attack Aldrich

10. I'd sub out Florida and put in Va Tech. Not because they're better than Illinois or Mississippi State (or Florida), but I'd love to see Fredette versus Delaney. A top 10 offense versus a top 15 defense.

Brad Slepetz said...

Gotcha, Pay.