Week in Review: Bummer City

Second straight busy week at PHSports.

First off, check out the NEW POLL top right of the page. Vote on!!!!

Picture of the Week: It still leaves a sick feeling in my stomach...

Credit: DailyOrange.com

1) Urban Meyer is a tool. Yeah, we already knew that. But Gator fan has a much tougher task defending his blatantly ridiculous actions this week. For a summary: check it. For my opinion, see the first sentence in this post. Tool.

2) Women's basketball remains boring. No matter how much ESPN wants us to care, women's college basketball is unwatchable and UCONN's streak is as meaningless as any of its kind in recent memory. Don't try and be PC, either. Admit it.

3) Butler and West Virginia advanced to the Final Four on Saturday. Who told you to worry about Kentucky? Oh yeah, ME!!!
A) Nobody could stabilize them on the court as West Virginia dominated the second half with back cuts and a non-scoring point guard SCORING at will. Not to mention them missing countless 3s against WVU in a 73-66 loss Saturday night.
B) John Wall didn't shoot free throws well at all (4-8), ala Derrick Rose in 2008. Yeah, I went there.
C) Patrick Patterson has NO business shooting 3s. Not even 1. So to prove me wrong...he shot 4. And missed all 4. Well predicted, me.

4) Michigan State/Tennessee and Duke/Baylor today for the two remaining Final Four slots. Who told you not to doubt Izzo (going for 6 Final Fours in 12 years)? Oh yeah, ME!!! Who won't have even 1 Final Four team correct from his "Sheet of Integrity"? Oh yeah, ME!!!

5) Go Baylor. Duh.

Video of the Week: Can somebody PLEASE tell Optimus Prime to shutup so I can hear Meyer pretend he's a bad@ss???

Credit: YouTube.com [UFSoftballFan]

I only hope Meyer doesn't threaten to ban PHSports from Gator practices now...

Time to pretend I'm still not bumming...over a game.

Sweet Sixteen: Questions without Answers...yet (Part IV)

Extending to a final (extra day) in which I took a detailed look at each of the four regionals for this weekend's upcoming NCAA Tournament action.

You might hear more from me - or Pay - otherwise; however, I'm going to ride my tournament momentum and address a few issues on the upcoming weekend of regional semi-finals and finals.

Midwest = Mid-day Monday
West = Late Monday

East = Early Tuesday
South = Early Wednesday (aka BELOW)

Darryl Bryant, now out for the remainder of the season after suffering a broken foot, and the Mountaineers got their due yesterday. Added pressure to Joe Mazzulla now, of course.
Credit: WVUMountaineersports.com

South Region:

#1 Duke vs. #4 Purdue

Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Duke QUESTION: Coach K won't let this team underestimate Purdue's talent. Question is, is Duke capable of winning a tightly contested game in this tournament? Fortunately, due to the sad state of their region, the Dookies may not need to have a close game for another weekend. (Sigh)

Duke X-FACTOR: Two early (chippy) fouls on Jorge Guitierrez hurt Cal as Scheyer became more relaxed and comfortable. One of the best in the country at doing it, how does Duke get some of the more talented Boilermakers off of the court and into foul trouble. I'm looking at you Johnson, Moore, and Kramer.

Blue Devil I'm Watching: Alright. I finally am going make a stand. Is this the game where Brian Zoubek overreaches his boundaries? Crash the boards and set screens is all he has to do. Even sans Hummel, can Purdue get the Dookie big man to committ some careless fouls and open up a few and-1s?

Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Purdue QUESTION: Question is, how do Moore and Johnson dominate in the paint without committing ticky-tack fouls? Believe me, I'm not beating a dead drum when I talk about the Dookies and their opponents committing ticky tack fouls. If you disagree, check the tape. Any tape. As for the Boilermaker bigs, both can get foul happy and Duke takes more charges - fair or flop - than anyone in the country (times 9,787). That means the Boilermaker big men might have to give up a layup or two or take a deeper jumper than expected...all in the name of avoiding the nickle-dimer.

Purdue X-FACTOR: They've been doubted about 15 seconds after Hummel went down with the ACL tear. So why should they care what the odds are against them? Duke hasn't beat a legit team in the tournament in years and the Boilermakers made the Sweet Sixteen last year (before bowing out in the West to #1 seed UCONN). This team has nothing to lose. Embrace the suck and shock the world.

Boilermaker I'm Watching: Chris Kramer is all heart. Shane Falco-heart. I just like watching the kid play.

#3 Baylor vs. #10 St. Mary's

Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Baylor QUESTION: They have one thing Villanova had (athleticism) and one they sorely lacked (size and length). So question is, how do they use that to attack Omar Samhan and put the big man - perhaps the star of the first weekend not named Ali (STONES!) on the bench in foul trouble?

Baylor X-FACTOR: Houston. Forget everything else. I've heard about two locations more than any other: BYU in Salt Laker City and Baylor in Houston. Since the Cougars have said bye-bye, I want to see if the Bears gain enough of an advantage - playing in Houston - to be noticed.

Bear I'm Watching: I'd be lying if I told you I'd seen a lot of Baylor this year. In fact, you can count the fingers on one of my hands and divide by two and get the number. Nevertheless, with a name like LaceDarius Dunn, how can your eyes not jump out of the box score. Nearly 20 points a game out of the Big XII ain't too shabby either. It's time to see what the junior can do. All the attention can't go to (Kansas State's) Jacob Pullen, right?

Credit: Yahoo! Sports

St. Mary's QUESTION: Question is, how do you avoid an early letdown in the first game of the second weekend...after a flawless opening tilt? The Gaels are confident, brash, and cocky. Who can blame them? However, we've all see more than our fair share of teams who were the darlings of the opening weekend, only to flame out with crushing 20+-point defeats. The Gaels don't need to start out on fire, but they can't fall behind early. A back-and-forth pace is exatly what this team needs. Sometimes staying on your toes for 40-minutes, isn't such a bad strategy.

St. Mary's X-FACTOR: Watch the game tape of Sam Houston State's defensive scheme against Baylor, as well as the opening 10 minutes of the second half from ODU against the Bears. Now, craft your defensive strategy as such. Both of Baylor's opponents were able to find - if only for a portion of a half - something that worked. Combine that with a more potent offense and a talented big man, and St. Mary's has a shot.

Gael I'm Watching: If you want me to say a name besides Omar Samhan, you haven't been watching this tournament. Come on, you're better than that.

Bracket Banter: Thursday Running Blog

3:00 pm: A few highlights from early afternoon action

* #1-seed Kansas was upset by Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big XII tournament. I was more than a little suspect of the recent media-driven fascination with Kansas "deserving" a shot at a 1-seed. Nevertheless, Kansas will be an odd draw wherever they end up. How do you gauge this team? Unfortunately for the Bears, this doesn't get them in the tournament. However, I do want to invoke one team from last season to remind people how dangerous upsets like this are: Georgia.

Sorry Kansas. But in the words of JoJo, your hopes for a 1 or 2 seed are just "Too Little, Too Late".
By the way, what's up with the robot by the window?
Credit: Clipov.com

* Virginia Tech took out Miami in a very boring 8/9 matchup. Next up: North Carolina. The real question remains the status of Ty Lawson. Judgment call: he plays 15-20 minutes. Question to Pay: If Ty Lawson doesn't play, could that damage the value of a Hokie win? Enough at least to keep them outside of the bubble still?

* #1-seed Louisville jumped up on Providence early and never sweated during a double-digit victory. Will Providence be the "last" Big East team? Not likely. It looks like the conference will get 7 bids this season, not 10 as some predicted earlier this season.

* Villanova is up 34-22 in the first half against Marquette. Clearly the Golden Warriors are going to suffer as much as 2 or 3-seed lines due to loss of Dominic James. It's a shame considering how entertaining the first two matchups were, with a healthy James, between these two teams. Looking at the recent schedule and subsequent performance, you can't really blame the tournament committee if they make that decision. Villanova has a legitimate chance to cut down the nets in MSG. Seriously.

* Arizona and Arizona State are tipping at 12 noon on the "Left Coast". I'll be interested to see whom that affects more. Arizona can't afford a blowout here. Although the skeptic in me believes they'll make the tournament regardless. Any chance the Sun Devils want to make a statement after their bubble was bursted last season???

* Xavier avoided a letdown in the A10 opener. Sorry, but this conference lost my attention after the Musketeer's run to the Elite Eight last season ended.

Plenty to enjoy the rest of the day.
Oh yeah, Donte Green continues to be a bad memory for Cuse fans.

9:45 pm: Checking back in...

In the words of Trik Turner, "You know I'm down even when them odds are against us. It doesn't even matter, nothing else matters." Of course I'll watch the Cuse, win or lose.

Credit: MTV.com

* Georgia Tech upset Clemson. No surprise as the Tigers start 16-0 and finish 7-8. They did sneak up on a few people last season come bracket time though. Not this season, in my opinion.

* BYU got rid of pesky Air Force in the 2nd half.

* Washington continues to roll. They may be the hottest team west of the Mississippi.

* In case you haven't heard, West Virginia toppled #2-seed Pitt in the first real upset of the quarterfinals, 74-60. This proves Bob Huggins has his team playing rock solid basketball AND that Pitt is a legit Final Four contender. Not expending themselves completely this weekend is a good thing. Of course, this does mean no Pitt/UCONN #3.

* Over/under for Thabeet's blocks tonight is 7. He may have a triple double against the hobbled Onuaku and erratic Jackson/Ongenaet.

* James Anderson hit two free throws with 2.3 seconds to go and the Cowboys took out the Sooners 71-70. Blake Griffin and company are a shaky skaky bet in the coming weeks. I just don't trust this team and this coach to make the Final Four, Terminator and all.

* Missouri, in the "driver's seat" for the Big XII championship, draws Texas Tech and Mike Singletary (aka Mr. 29-points-in-a-row) tonight. Could the Big XII potentially have another "Georgia of 2008" on their hands?

Time to pull my hair out to the tune of Jeff Adrien collecting another W against the Orange.
Stanley Robinson is an annoying ass.