The Madness - Campus Edition

Louisville vs. Kentucky.  Ohio State vs. Kansas.  All four have a nice basketball history and really the only "surprise" team is Louisville (they took a page out of UConn's book from last season).

Today, we'll look into some demographics regarding the city in which each school is situated, some school-wide information, and maybe a random factoid or two.

University of LOUISVILLE - Louisville, Kentucky

•  Louisville, KY
• 741,000+ - Population, good for 17th largest city in the country
• 87 - Average # of days below freezing
  
• $39,457 - Median income for a household
• 1875 - Churchill Downs opened

• University of Louisville
• U of L, as it is affectionately known
• 15,125 - # of undergraduate students (4,618 graduate students)
• 1798 - Founded as the first city-owned public university in the United States
• 80% of students are Kentucky residents

University of KENTUCKY - Lexington, Kentucky

• Lexington, KY
• 295,800 - Population
• 987 feet - Elevation
• $39,813 - Median income for a household
• >100, 6 - # of parks and golf courses, respectively

• University of Kentucky
• 1865 - Founded as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky
• 27,209 - Total enrollment
• 19, 21 - # of sororities and fraternities, respectively
• 15 - # of campus libraries

The OHIO STATE University - Columbus, Ohio

• Columbus, OH
• 787,000+ - Population, good for 15th largest city in the country
• 84.9°, 36.5° - Average temperature in July (warmest) and January (coldest)
• 15th - Most literate city in the United States
• $60.1 million - Cost to build the Main St. Bridge, the only inclined arch superstructure in the United States

• The Ohio State University
• 1870 - Founded
• 56,867 - Enrollment
• 31 - # of residence halls on campus
• $1.910 billion - Payroll for all employees

University of KANSAS -  Lawrence, Kansas

• Lawrence, KS
• 87,645 - Population
• 20.7% of population living in poverty
• 111° - Record high temperature, as recorded in 1954
• 2 - Microbreweries within the city limits

• University of Kansas
• 1866 - Officially opened for class
• 29,462 - Total students, 49.2% male
• 70 - # of teams to compete in the National Debate Tournament, most of any school (won 5)
• #1 - Rank, nationally, of KU's Special Education graduate program

Wrap your head around those numbers for a little while - or don't.  Either way, my eyes need a rest.

Kentucky and Ohio State are my picks.

Birthday (& History) Madness - March 29

March 29

Birthdays

He'd be 145 today but Happy Birthday to 511 game winner Cy Young. Dude was a man's man - he had 829 decisions during his 22-year career.  And every year, the "best" pitcher in each league gets an award named after him.  Pretty cool.

Xena, Warrior Princess is 44 today.  Lucy Lawless, the New Zealand born actress still looks better today than she did as Xena - maybe because she was too busy bulking up and kicking ass.

Australian model and former SI Swimsuit cover girl Elle Macpherson is 48 today.  She's also been on television several times on a few different shows, but no one remembers that.  She's also run through two husbands in the 80's and 90's, but hasn't been married since 2005.

History

1974 - Mariner 10 became the first spacecraft to reach Mercury and remains the only one to ever go to Mercury.  It was an unmanned spacecraft.

1996 - The Cleveland Browns chose a new name after leaving the city for Baltimore - and thus the Baltimore Ravens were born.  Kind of ironic, because on March 29, 1984, the Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis.

1971 - A jury in LA recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers.

 

March Madness - Elite 8 (By the Numbers)

Kentucky vs. Baylor.  North Carolina vs. Kansas.  Syracuse vs. Ohio State.  Florida vs. Louisville.

Besides Scott Drew (head coach at Baylor), this group is a who's who of college basketball coaches (Coach K is in a league of his own).

Kentucky BTN

• 35 - Wins
• 90 - PPG in the NCAA Tournament
• 5 - different leading scorers over the past 5 games

Baylor BTN

• 5 - Players averaging over 10 ppg
• 3-5 - record against Top 25 teams this year
• 7 - Players with a first name ending in "y" - 2 Quincy's, Gary, Brady, Cory, Anthony, and Perry

North Carolina BTN

• 82 -PPG, 2nd in NCAA (Iona)
• 2 - Point Guards who've been injured this season (Kendall Marshall, Dexter Strickland)
• 7-2 - Record on neutral court

Kansas BTN

• 4-2 - Record against Top 5 teams this year (4-3 if you count a L to #6 Duke)
• 2 - Players who shoot better than 70% from the FT line
• .485 - FG%, good for 14th in the country

Syracuse BTN

• 30 - Only Big East team with 30 wins this year (UConn was only Big East team with 30 in 2011)
• 9, 10 - Players averaging over 10 minutes per game
• 5 - Wins against ranked teams during the regular season 

Ohio State BTN

• 1 - Only Big Ten team remaining in the NCAA Tournament
• 0 - Jared Sullinger, the Buckeyes leading scorer and rebounder (17.6 ppg, 9.3rpg)
• 5 - Consecutive games holding opponents under 70 points

Florida BTN

• 7 - Lowest seed left in the NCAA Tournament
• 349 - 3-pointers made this season (9.7/game)
• 5 - Players with more than 100 FGM

Louisville BTN

• 5 - Consecutive games holding opponents under 62 points
• 225 - Rank in Field Goal Percentage (.425)
• 1:1 - AST : TO ratio as a team

I hope you enjoyed the numbers.

I like Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State, and Florida.

Why?

• Kentucky - can play any type of game - they'll grind it out or run you out of the gym
• North Carolina - without Marshall, they're vulnerable, but Harrison Barnes will step up, for once
• Ohio State - with no Fab Melo, Syracuse doesn't really have anyone to match-up with Sullinger
• Florida -  the Cardinals lack the offensive punch that Florida has and will need to win the TO battle

Abundance

Abundance

Thanks to Roman May

I am experiencing a period of abundance in life right now. For so long, we’ve been scrimping by, trying to make ends meet as we paid off all of our credit cards and student loans. Every spare penny we had over the last 4 or 5 years has gone toward paying off our debt. Last November, we finally paid our last payment, and were able to declare ourselves debt free. What an amazing feeling! The financial freedom we are experiencing now is so very rewarding. There are luxuries we have chosen to go without while we paid off our debt, that now we are beginning to consider getting. For example, we are looking at various Satellite Dish Deals and seeing which one would best suit our needs. This has been a desire we have had for awhile, and it is so nice to be able to finally, and responsibly, make it a reality. We worked hard for this, and we will enjoy having the luxury even more because of how hard we had to work for it.

In the Woods

If you golf like me, you turn every hole into a par 8 - slicing back and forth from the left side of the fairway to the right rough, over to the left rough, maybe occasionally in the fairway. Srixon makes the perfect yellow golf balls that I need to more easily locate my miserable shots.

A white ball blends in with rocks, litter, and here in the northeast, maybe even a little snow.

Maybe the thing I need is a straight ball but I don't think they've engineered that yet.

In the meantime, maybe I'll take the distance route and opt for some distance golf balls.  I can use all the help I can get.  And it'd be an added bonus if Srixon would make them in yellow. 

Srixon does a good job with golf balls - they've got soft feel golf balls, passion pink golf balls for women (or men), practice golf balls, yellow golf balls - you name it, they make it.

I might even pick up a hat to keep the sun out of my eyes.

Check out the selection of golf balls Srixon offers though, seriously.  You won't be disappointed.

Golf Season

Sure it's winding down with March Madness and baseball season is just beginning to pick up, but with neither of those really dominating my life, there is one thing that'll happen with this awesome weather - GOLF!

I feel like I've had this dream before, but I can't see to find my golf clubs - maybe they got lost in the shuffle of my move to CT.  Regardless, the time is almost here to take weekend golfing to the extreme. 

Cleveland Golf is a pretty big name in the sport.  Just ask Keegan Bradley, winner of the 2011 PGA Championship. 

Anyway, it's a brand name I always see, whether I'm looking for golf putters or drivers.  I tend to stick to the short game seeing how I can't drive the ball all that well, but a good putter makes all the difference in the world.  That Classic Black Platinum 1 Putter is calling my name, and for only $79.99, it's a pretty good deal.  And that's the price from their website directly.  Why spend more money on a putter than "guarantees" all these bells and whistles - just get a sturdy, quality putter and be done with it.

Cleveland Golf does just that - they've got an awesome line of products and it's definitely one I seriously consider every time I shop for golf equipment.

Logo (March) Madness

I told you I'd be back with another March Madness installment - this time, we're going the mascot/logo route.

With 16 teams left - and I think only 3 people who filled out brackets correctly picked all 16 - it'll be easier to get into a little history of each schools nickname and how it came about.

By the way, my bracket it brutal.

South.
Kentucky Wildcats - a Wildcat pouncing behind an interlocking "UK"
Indiana Hoosiers -an interlocking "IU" (sometimes with Indiana as a background)
Baylor Bears -I think it's a black bear raising a paw behind arched "Baylor Bears" text
Xavier Musketeers - a character similar to V from V for Vendetta wearing a blue bib with an "X" on it

West
Michigan State Spartans - a simple spartan helmet
Louisville Cardinals - a Cardinal showing its teeth - cardinals have teeth?
Marquette Golden Eagles - a gold and blue eagle, pretty standard
Florida Gators - an alligator head with an orange oval background, pretty boss

East
Syracuse Orange - his name is Otto and he's an orange, pretty straightforward
Wisconsin Badgers - a mean badger, wearing a collared red and white striped sweater
Cincinnati Beatcats - "Cincinnati Bearcats" in all caps with the "C" resembling a bear paw
Ohio State Buckeyes - "Brutus" wearing a grey and red striped sweater - must be a Big Ten thing

Midwest
North Carolina Tarheels - a footprint with a black tar stain on the heel or a white ram with a jersey on
Ohio Bobcats - "OHIO" in green arched text with a bobcat head in the foreground
NC State Wolfpack - a pugilistic looking wolf wearing a red and black sweater with a sailor cap on
Kansas Jayhawks - a friendly looking bird with giant feet and "KU" on its chest

Seeing how Otto is such a cool name, Syracuse comes in first in my mascot/logo poll. 
Florida has a pretty nice logo too that is known throughout the country. 
If you're looking for something traditional, Indiana is your team.
I guess you'd cheer for Xavier if you liked V for Vendetta.
If you've got a boat, then NC State is your team.
If you like sweaters, you'll love the Big Ten - and Wisconsin and Ohio State.
Cincinnati and Ohio are good looking logos - I'd give the edge to Cinci.
UNC is OK, but I'm pretty sure I never stepped in wet tar with no shoes on.
Michigan State is very barbaric in nature.
Kentucky and Kansas played it safe with their choices.
Louisville went out on a limb trying to prove that Cardinals are mean birds.
Marquette uses hard lines to create its Golden Eagle.
Baylor, although black bears have brown snouts, elected to give theirs a black snout.

Enjoy the games.

The Colors of March Madness, v. 2.0

After going through the field of 64 and determining what each schools primary color was, we will do a Sweet 16 edition.

South

(1) Kentucky (Kentucky Blue) vs. (4) Indiana (Crimson)
(3) Baylor (Green) vs. (10) Xavier (Blue)

West
(1) Michigan State (Green) vs. (4) Louisville (Louisville Red)
(3) Marquette (Gold) vs. (7) Florida (Orange)

Midwest
(1) North Carolina (Carolina Blue) vs. (13) Ohio (Green)
(2) Kansas (KU Blue) vs. (11) NC State (Red)

East
(1) Syracuse (Orange) vs. (4) Wisconsin (Red)
(2) Ohio State (Scarlet) vs. (6) Cincinnati (Red)

We have a sea of red(s) in the Sweet 16 - to the tune of four different "shades" of the color represented by six different teams - Crimson, Louisville Red, Scarlet, and plain old Red.

There are also four shades of blue - Carolina Blue, KU Blue, Kentucky Blue, and Blue.  The only one that is remotely different is Carolina Blue, the others all look the same.

Michigan State, Ohio, and Baylor all have hues of green in their uniforms, although Baylor has been sporting their neon/glow-in-the-dark "green" uniforms lately.

Orange is seen on two schools - both with a rich basketball history - Florida and Syracuse.

Finally, we round out the color wheel with Marquette, sporting their gold duds.  They are the Golden Eagles.

Representation by overall color of the tournament goes like this:

Reds: 6/21 - 28.6% of the schools remain
Blues: 4/14 - 28.6% are left
Yellows/Golds: 1/13 - 7.7% remain
Greens: 3/8 - 37.5% are still alive
Oranges: 2/4 - 50% are still dancing

Reds and Blues are in a dead heat for third.  Not bad for such a big sample size.
Greens take the silver with three of eight left.
Orange, despite being a rare color on the tournament, has half its field left, to take top honors.

Hope this brightened your day a little.

March Madness - Notable Alumni Edition

You may or may not have ever thought about what famous person - actor, athlete, politician, President - has gone to your school.  I'm going to tell you who went where - Sweet 16 Edition.

University of Kentucky

• Ashley Judd, the best looking Wildcats fan around
• Governor of North Carolina Beverly Perdue
• Mitch McConnell, current US Senate Majority Leader

Indiana University

• Straight No Chaser, acapella group that attended IU from 1996-1999
• Scott A. Jones, better known for inventing voicemail systems
• Lee Corso, ESPN college football analyst

Baylor University

• Trey Wingo - ESPN SportsCenter host
• Jim L. Turner - former CEO of Dr. Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group
• H. Bentley Glass - Geneticist and columnist

Xavier University

• John Boehner, Speaker of the House
• Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning
• Charles Geschke, President and co-founder of Adobe Systems

Michigan State University

• Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Hall of Fame basketball player
• Offensive lineman Flozell Adams, just because he has a great name
• Geoffrey Fieger, attorney for Jack Kevorkian

University of Louisville

• Inventor of the first safe intravenous fluid, Donald Baxter
• Arnold Grishwold, developed the first blood bank, emergency room, and ambulance in the US
• First overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft, Pervis Ellison

Marquette University

• Dwyane Wade, NBA player for the Miami Heat
• Thomas R. Callahan II, better known as Tommy Boy
• Co-founder of Texas Instruments, Patrick E. Haggerty

University of Florida

• ESPN beauty Erin Andrews
• Denver Broncos preacher quarterback Tim Tebow
• Kendra Todd, winner of season 3 of The Apprentice

Syracuse University

• "The Express" and first black Heisman Trophy Winner Ernie Davis
• Dick Clark, everyone's favorite personality on New Year's Eve
• Crooner Lou Reed 

University of Wisconsin

• Aviator extraordinaire Charles Lindbergh
• Dick Cheney, former Vice President of the USA under George W. Bush
• Actress who appeared in Working Girl, In & Out, and High Fidelity, Joan Cusack 

University of Cincinnati

• Sex and the City "star" Sarah Jessica Parker
• David Laughridge developed the Nerf Ball for Parker Brothers
• Engineer and builder of the Golden Gate Bridge, Joseph Strauss

Ohio State University 

• Roy Plunkett, the original "Teflon Don", actually invented teflon
• One of the biggest busts in NBA Draft history (because of injury) Greg Oden
• Country music star Dwight Yoakam

University of North Carolina

• Former President of the United States James K. Polk
• #23 Michael Jordan
• Jim Beatty, the first person to run a 4-minute mile indoors  

Ohio University

•  Author of The Color of Money Walter Tevis
• Head Coach of the WV Mountaineer basketball program Bob Huggins
• Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt 

North Carolina State University

• NFL quarterback and often loudmouth Philip Rivers
• Donald Bitzer, father of the plasma television
• Henry H. Shelton, former chairman of the US Armed Forces 

University of Kansas

•  Don Johnson, the guy who made white pants cool and star of the original Miami Vice
•  Criminal Minds actor and tenor vocalist Mandy Patinkin
•  Discoverer or the former planet Pluto, Clyde Tombaugh

Overall, there are some pretty notable alumni from the 16 schools still represented in March Madness.  It'd be a tough call deciding who'll win based on alumni.

I picked Kentucky and I'll stick with Kentucky.

I hope this column enlightened you a little.

Bet On It

March Madness is here so what better time of year to bet on sports than now?

There are 4 games in "Round 1", 32 games in "Round 2", 16 games in "Round 3", 8 games in the Sweet 16, 4 games in the Elite 8, 2 games during the Final Four, and the Championship game.  If my math is correct, that's 67 games you can win on.  (I'm an optimist)

Sports Betting Spot has details on every single sporting event of the day, so if college hoops isn't your thing, they have NHL, NBA, Soccer, Golf - you name it, they'll give you a chance to bet on it.

Give this site a look through and I guarantee you'll find what you're looking for.  If I made some money working - I stay at home with my 11-month old son - I'd go through these guys to spice up my viewing experience.

Good luck and happy betting!

Shaka > Shockers; D1 Baseball

11 of 16 on Day 1 of March Madness.  I'm in 22nd place out of 30 participants in my pool.  It's gonna be an uphill climb.

UNLV, Wichita State, UConn, West Virginia, Long Beach State - thanks for nothing!


I thought the entire time I had Colorado winning in one of my money pools, so I was stoked when they held on for a win against UNLV.  Turns out, I didn't.  Runnin' Rebels sucked up my bracket.

The Shockers of Wichita State screwed me too as I had them advancing to the Sweet 16.  I guess simple math prevailed - Shaka > Shockers.

UConn and West Virginia just put in uninspired efforts in two lopsided losses to Iowa State and Gonzaga, respectively.  Not a great showing for the Big East so far.

The Beach has some freak athletes but the New Mexico Lobos proved too much.  Their momentum from running through the Mountain West Tournament certainly hasn't worn off.


Moving on to the baseball diamond.

Northeast Game of the Day
Albany Great Danes (4-8) at St. John's Red Storm (6-9)

St. John's, I believe, began the season as a Top 25 team.  They've traveled a lot - this will be their second home game.  They've also played some pretty good teams - Liberty, Texas Tech, UNC, Illinois - although they were 0-8 against said teams.  They will figure it out once they get settled in and play some games on Utopia Pkwy. in Queens. 

Albany has won four of its past six after beginning the season 0-6 but are coming off a 5-4 loss to Central Connecticut.  They're scoring just over five runs a game, but the number is skewed - they scored 16 in a W against NY Tech last weekend.  They always have a few arms and will certainly be throwing their ace, Zach Kraham, who is a very good pitcher despite his inflated ERA numbers.

VERDICT:  St. John's 6, Albany 4

The Colors of March Madness

I will go region by region and discuss the colors that will dominate your eyes during the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

I am only going to do the teams that are in the "second round" of games.  I will create another column when we get finished with the games on Sunday.

Primary colors are what I am going to focus on, I can't get into secondary and tertiary colors, it'll be too much for me to handle.  (And we're going to say the color is black only if the only other color for the school is white/cream)

SOUTH

1. Kentucky - Blue
2. Duke - Duke Blue
3. Baylor - Green
4. Indiana - Crimson
5. Wichita State - Yellow
6. University of Nevada, Las Vegas - Scarlet
7. Notre Dame - Gold
8. Iowa State - Red
9. Connecticut - Blue
10. Xavier - Blue
11. Colorado - Gold
12. Virginia Commonwealth - Gold
13. New Mexico State - Crimson
14. South Dakota State - Yellow
15. Lehigh - Brown
16. Western Kentucky - Red

For the South Region, we have 5 Red/Scarlet/Crimson, 5 Yellow/Gold, 4 Blue/Duke Blue, 1 Green, 1 Brown.

Congratulations to Lehigh for having the grossest color in this region.

WEST

1. Michigan State - Green
2. Missouri - Gold
3. Marquette - Gold
4. Louisville - Louisville Red
5. New Mexico - Cherry Red
6. Murray State - Navy
7. Florida - Orange
8. Memphis - Blue
9. Saint Louis - Blue
10. Virginia - Orange
11. Colorado State - Dark Green
12. Long Beach State - Gold
13. Davidson - Red
14. Brigham Young - BYU Blue
15. Norfolk State - Green
16. LIU-Brooklyn - Black

For the West Region, we have 4 Blue/Navy/BYU Blue, 3 Yellow/Gold, 3 Green/Dark Green, 3 Red/Louisville Red/Cherry Red, 2 Orange, 1 Black.

The Golden Eagles and Blackbirds were easy decisions (Marquette and LIU, respectively).  Good for LIU for keeping it simple.

MIDWEST

1. North Carolina - Carolina Blue
2. Kansas -KU Blue
3. Georgetown - Blue
4. Michigan - Maize
5. Temple - Cherry
6. San Diego State - Scarlet
7. Saint Mary's - Red
8. Creighton - Blue
9. Alabama - Crimson
10. Purdue - Old Gold
11. North Carolina State - Red
12. South Florida - Green
13. Ohio - Green
14. Belmont - Red
15. Detroit - Red
16. Vermont - Green

For the Midwest Region, we have 7 Red/Crimson/Cherry/Scarlet, 4 Blue/Carolina Blue/KU Blue, 3 Green, 2 Maize/Old Gold.

Fairly simple as far as team colors go, the Midwest might also be the most balanced region, top to bottom, in the tournament.  Way to "Boiler Up" Purdue, mixing in a bit of shine into this region..

EAST

1. Syracuse - Orange
2. Ohio State - Scarlet
3. Florida State - Garnet
4. Wisconsin - Cardinal
5. Vanderbilt - Gold
6. Cincinnati - Red
7. Gonzaga - Blue
8. Kansas State - Royal Purple
9. Southern Mississippi - Gold
10. West Virginia - Old Gold
11. Texas - Burnt Orange
12. Harvard - Crimson
13. Montana - Copper (often referred to as Maroon)
14. Saint Bonaventure - Brown
15. Loyola (MD) - Green
16. North Carolina - Asheville - Blue

For the East Region, we have 6 Red/Crimson/Copper/Scarlet/Garnet/Cardinal, 3 Gold/Old Gold, 2 Blue, 2 Orange/Burnt Orange, 1 Brown, 1 Green, 1 Royal Purple.

Certainly the most colorful of brackets, the East also sports the only team with "copper" as a color as well as the oldest of colors, "old gold" (Montana and West Virginia, respectively).

For the entire tournament, here's the breakdown (if my math is correct):

• 21 Red/Crimson/Copper/Scarlet/Louisville Red/Cherry Red/Cherry/Garnet/Cardinal
• 14 Blue/Carolina Blue/Duke Blue/BYU Blue/KU Blue
• 13 Yellow/Gold/Old Gold/Maize
• 8 Green/Dark Green
• 4 Orange/Burnt Orange
• 2 Brown
• 1 Royal Purple
• 1 Black

Some fun facts from the breakdown:

• Kansas State is the only school who sports purple jerseys
• Brown has multiple wearers - the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks
• 32 of the 64 teams have their state in the name of their school - Loyola can make a case to be the 33rd
• 5 teams have colors named after their school
• Red has the most varieties of colors - with 9 shades/hues
• I have now officially heard of "royal purple" thanks to Frank Martin and the KSU Wildcats

I am officially dizzy from crunching the numbers and colors.  Thanks to Wikipedia for offering up the official colors of each school listed above.

Off to enjoy the games.

Syracuse is in a tough one with UNC-Asheville - they've up 1.
Marquette is putting up points in bunches, up 49-34 on BYU at the half.
Wisconsin is up large against the Grizzlies of Montana - up 16.
Louisville is up 9 on a feisty Davidson team with a minute to go.
Murray State won already, dammit.
So did K-State - royal purple lives to play another day.

OK, really going now.

MADNESS!!

Meltdown Madness; D1 Baseball

There were two huge collapses last night in the first two games of the "First Four" in Dayton.  The first was bad, the second was historic.

I picked Western Kentucky and Iona to win.  I split.

Western Kentucky fought back from 16 back and finished the game on a 22-5 run to close out the season for Mississippi Valley State, 59-58.  Oh, did I mention they erased a 16-point deficit in the final five minutes? 

Iona, on the other hand, looked like they couldn't be stopped in their game with BYU.  They were up by as many as 25 points in the first half before settling for a 15-point cushion going into the half.  Once the second half started, it looked like a different team out there for the Gaels.  They were playing slow, seemingly trying to take the air out of the ball and kill the clock with long possessions.  That isn't who they are and that isn't what got them here.  BYU took advantage, biting off little chunks of the lead before claiming the 78-72 win.

Moving on to the baseball diamond...

Northeast Game of the Day
Iona (3-10) at Stony Brook (7-5)

Iona is reeling, having lost 6 of their last 7, but are coming off a W against bad Temple squad.  They're struggling to score runs, averaging just under 4 runs per game while their pitching has allowed almost double that.  They did beat Michigan down in Florida but also lost to them three times and were outscored in the series 27-16.

Stony Brook on the other hand is dominating on the mound once again.  They swept through the four-game Colonel Round Robin held by Nicholls State during their first game action, yielding only 9 runs.  East Carolina beat them 1-0, 2-1, and 4-3.  They just got back from the Metrodome, where they split with Minnesota and Kansas.  So they've been playing some pretty good teams and have held their own.

This is a tricky one to call.  Iona underachieves and Stony Brook can't "play down" to them.

VERDICT: Stony Brook 8, Iona 2

NCAA Tournament Hoops Tonight

HOOPS
There are two "First Round" games on the slate tonight for the NCAA Tournament:

• (16) Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils vs. (16) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 6:40 pm.
• The winner plays #1 Kentucky but look at the bright side, whoever wins won a "First Round" game
• WKU is the only team in the field with a losing record (15-18) and first to reach with a losing record in 4 years.  The Hilltoppers have yet to play a ranked team this year and after their loss against South Alabama on February 18th, their record was 9-18.  And they shoot under 40% from the floor, good bad enough for 321st out of 338 D1 schools.
•  MVSU gets outscored by 0.4 points per game yet went 21-12, including 17-1 in SWAC play.  Maybe because they travelled to UNC, Wisconsin, Florida, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Arkansas, Northwestern, Ole Miss, and Iowa State.  Talk about schedule suicide.  You can't say they aren't battle tested.
• (14) Brigham Young Cougars vs. (14) Iona Gaels at 9:10 pm
• The winner plays #3 Marquette
• Iona  plays offense like a chicken without a head and has no problems scoring - they're 1st in the nation in points per game (83.3).  Oh, and they're 1st in the nation is assists per game (19.3).  So to make the case that because they "didn't play anyone" and shouldn't be in the tournament is ridiculous.  They went 6-2 in road games in December ... and went 0-0 in home games in December.  That's right, they spent an entire month playing road games.
• Sure, Jimmer is gone, but BYU can still light it up - 78.2 points per game (21st in the nation) but they play also play some defense now - Jimmer did not.  They lost to Wisconsin, Baylor, and St. Mary's in Provo and really didn't beat a good team on the road (unless you consider Virginia Tech a good road win).

I like Western Kentucky and Iona to advance to the "Second Round".

March Madness - Basketball and Baseball

NCAA March Madness - Basketball Edition
The field of 64 68 was announced on Sunday and I think the committee did a pretty decent job.  The biggest surprises were Iona (although they did deserve it more than a Drexel team that everyone has a hard on for) and South Florida (sure they play in the Big East, but they played no one out of conference and played a soft Big East schedule).  It's no surprise that both are in the "First Four" games today and tomorrow.

Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, and Michigan State are the number one seeds.  Kentucky is the overall number one even though they have one of the most difficult roads to New Orleans.

I have to research a little bit and make my selections.

NCAA March Madness - Baseball Edition
Seeing how I tend to focus on the northeast baseball scene, I will stick with just that.

We'll start with the MAAC, a conference I know a little bit about.

• Niagara, a team that won 8 games all last season, is sitting as the only MAAC school at/above .500 - they're 7-7.
• Manhattan, my ex and defending champion, is 1-11 and riding a 10-game losing streak.  Their pitching will hold up fine once conference starts, but they've got to score runs - they've been blanked five times. 
• Iona and Rider are the only two teams who won their last game - Iona against Temple and Rider against Charleston Southern.
• Conference RPI is 26th.  Last year, they MAAC finished the year with an RPI of 22.
• Niagara, Canisius, and Fairfield are the only three to have a positive run differential this season.
• Marist has only played 8 games but their three wins are over Campbell, Old Dominion, and Coastal Carolina.
• Siena has had their typical early season struggles thanks to it's ridiculous schedule (SOS 48) - Tulane, UCF, Liberty, Lipscomb.
• St. Peter's hasn't really played anyone good either yet is 3-11.

It'll be a dog fight to get into the postseason.  The top four make it to Albany for the tournament.  A huge series occurs right off the bat as Manhattan heads to Marist to open up MAAC play.  Everyone always says it's not how you start but how you finish, but if you start like shit, it makes things a little more difficult down the stretch.

Taking Nolan to get a fresh pair of kicks after he finished up this bottle.  The kid is a walking machine now so it's about that time.

Have a great day.

Where's Lin?; Today in D1 Baseball

Jeremy Lin and his leadership seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur.  After losing 118-105 to the aging Spurs last night, the Knicks are in the midst of a three-game skid. 

Here are Lin's numbers during the current slide:

• 16 ppg - not bad
• 5.3 apg - not great for a point guard
• 3 TO/g - meh
• 3.3 rpg - no big deal, he's a guard

Gone are the days of 8+ assist games.  A 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio seems average in the NBA - for the year, Lin is at 1.71 : 1.  Where, oh where has the Jeremy Lin of old gone?  Maybe he went by way of Tebow - people are figuring out his weaknesses and exploiting them.

On to the baseball diamond.  Thursday tends to be a slow day on the baseball front with most teams travelling and/or preparing for a weekend series with a Friday night opener.  There are a few games on the slate, however.

Northeast Game of the Day
Miami-Ohio (4-7) vs. Sacred Heart (1-6)

I know this isn't truly a "northeast" game but they're one of only three teams from the region in action today - Yale (vs. Bowling Green) and Penn (vs. Western Michigan).  All three games are down in Florida.

Miami-Ohio blew a 3-2 lead in the ninth against the #13 Miami-Florida Hurricanes yesterday, so that should give them some confidence going into today - even though they're riding a four-game losing streak.  The Red Hawks are hitting .278 as a club but have only managed 15 XBH (13 2B, 2 HR).  Two of their three starting pitchers have ERA's over 12.00.  Not exactly a recipe for success.

Sacred Heart had a nice win over Pitt on Tuesday to get them in the W column but dropped their game with the Panthers yesterday, 5-4, despite outhitting Pitt 13-9.  With only seven games under their belt, it's hard to get a real feel for the Pioneers offense - they've got just 7 XBH (5 2B, 2 HR).  The thing that jumps out - besides the 13.41 team ERA - is the .937 fielding percentage.  They're averaging 2 errors per game.  They have to get that cleaned up, especially playing on nice fields out west and down south.

VERDICT:  SHU 11, Miami-Ohio 6

Today in D1 Baseball

Northeast Game of the Day
Albany (0-6) at Fordham (4-7)

My old boss, Kevin Leighton leads the Rams against the Danes. 

Albany dropped it's first three of the year to Miami (FL) before losses to Wofford, USC-Upstate, and Gardner-Webb.  The offense is struggling, scoring only 16 runs through the first 6 games.

Fordham is coming off a 2-2 home weekend against Quinnipiac and Hofstra.  They opened the year at Western Carolina and Campbell and came back from down south 1-5.  They beat Fairfield in a midweek tilt.  There are some questions still with the bullpen and some holes in the lineup, but I know The Leight Show will get them pointed in the right direction.

PREDICTION: Fordham 8, Albany 3

FINAL: Albany 7, Fordham 6 (10 Innings)

Trending on Tuesday

Super Tuesday - The four candidates are vying for 11 states.  I think.  Honestly, Romney is a robot, Newt is a womanizer, Santorum might as well enforce a law where every family should have 5 kids, and Ron Paul needs to be more relevant.

Championship Week - For many mid-major and low-major NCAA basketball teams, this week determintes the fate of their program and whether or not they'll be "dancing" during March Madness.  There are already eight who are in - Loyola (Metro Atlantic), St. Mary's (West Coast), UNC-Asheville (Big South), Davidson (Southern), VCU (Colonial), Belmont (Atlantic Sun), Creighton (Missouri Valley), and Murray State (Ohio Valley).

I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Northwestern Wildcats, who are looking for their first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Today in D1 Baseball

Game of the Day
Vanderbilt (4-7) at Belmont (6-5)

Vanderbilt - The perennial powerhouse is coming off a three-game sweep of URI, who is solid year in, year out.  The record is decieving as the 'Dores were swept at Stanford and at home to Oregon - both are 10-1 with top 25 RPI.  Sprinkle in an L to Louisiana Tech and a W against Oakland and you've got your 4-7 record.  The normally dominant pitching staff is struggling early on, pitching to a 5.53 ERA while the lineup is hitting at a .258 clip with pretty good power numbers (28 of 92 hits are XBH).  This is a good chance for Vandy to gain some momentum heading into a weekend series with San Diego.

Belmont - The Bruins are coming off a 2-1 series win over Butler and have won 4 of their last 5.  It's a lineup that isn't going to scare anyone but they find ways to get on base - 35 BB and 17 HBP.  They're fielding .980 and the staff has only walked 28 in eleven games.  They'll have home field advantage in this one, but it might not be enough to handle an SEC goliath.

Verdict:  Vanderbilt, 9-4

FINAL: Belmont 6, Vanderbilt 5
Upset Alert
#8 Florida State (9-1) at UCF (10-2)

The first road game for the #8 'Noles comes against in-state rival UCF, who is seeing the ball pretty well at the dish (.323 AVG, 25 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR) and reaking havoc on the bases (22 SB).   The Seminoles need to cut down on the walks from their pitchers (43 BB in 88 IP) but that stat can take a back seat when they're averaging over 9 runs a game (9.2).  If they're not careful, they can lose this one.  Oh, and they play the Golden Knights again tomorrow to cap off the midweek two-game set before opening ACC play at Duke.

FINAL: #8 FSU 7, UCF 6
Northeast Game of the Day
Pittsburgh (4-4) at Sacred Heart (0-5)

Pitt Head Coach Joe Jordano is coming off his 403 career win at Pitt, a school record.  The Panthers have a new facility and are on a two game winning streak.  SHU is stuggling on the mound having allowed 75 runs en route to the 0-5 record.  The game is being played in Port Charlotte, FL, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

FINAL: SHU 7, Pittsburgh 6

Rondo'd; NCAA BASEBALL

The Knicks went to Boston hoping to prove themselves ... again.  Jeremy Lin played his college ball not far from TD Garden, but he (and the Knicks) got Rondo'd.  To the tune of 18 points, 20 assists, and 17 rebounds.  You know the only other two players in NBA history to record a triple-double of at least 15-15-15?

Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain.

Oh, and Paul Pierce dumped in 34 to help support Rondo.  Lin had a decent fourth quarter but wound up with more TO's than assists (6:5).

On to something I know a little bit about - college baseball.

SPOTLIGHT

I'll start with the little known New Jersey Tech Highlanders.  At 4-2, my man Mike Cole has these guys headed in the right direction.  Two games over .500 is uncharted waters for the program, but knowing Mike, these guys will stay hungry and keep scrapping.  They've got three very good weekend arms and a lineup that can do some things.  The return of OF'er James D'Aloia, who missed 2011 with a freak accident prior to the first game, will certainly help their chances.  Dude is hitting .500 with two bolts, two doubles, and 11 RBI through the first 6 games. 

They beat down the Hornets of Delaware State on getaway day 18-4 and 4-2, thanks to 23 hits in the first game and a last-inning grand slam in the second.

They head down to Carolina this weekend to take on the Blue Hose of Presbyterian in a three-game set before capping the trip to Wake Forest for a single game.

Keep an eye on the boys in red down in Newark.

Just Another Manic Thursday

Lots to cover today, the first of March.  According to a friend, it's American Red Cross Month, Irish American Heritage Month, National Nutrition Month, and Women's History Month.  Seems like a pretty packed month - no one group really gets the spotlight.

• My Keurig coffee maker shit the bed.  I called earlier today and they told me they already sent me my free replacement, two years ago.  Now call me crazy, but it's now broken twice - neither time being my fault - and they won't do anything but give me a discount on a new one?  Don't get me wrong, the lady who I dealt with was very friendly and helpful, but all I want it my damn coffee to brew and the Keurig coffee maker to work properly for longer than two years.  The first time all the lights began blinking and I couldn't brew anything.  This time because the "descale" light came on and ever since I descaled it, it refuses to brew a cup of coffee.  Needless to say, I am not happy with Keurig right now.  Lucky for them, I'm out of K-Cups and have been using the My K-Cup thing, which can be a pain in the ass.  Looking into a regular coffee maker or another brand that will stand by their product.  It's not like I'm a collector of Keurig coffee systems, I'm not hoarding them.  I'm using the one I've got - or was using - and that's it.  Wwfihfnsdf  sdgb!!!
• In weather related news, it snowed like a bastard here in CT yesterday only to be mostly washed away by rain.  I am not complaining and the snow was a welcome sight - sort of - but it's kind of weird how it could just snow and rain on the same day.  Kind of counterproductive.  It'd be a lot easier just to be sunny out and be done with it.
• In NCAA hoops news, Yahoo!'s Pat Forde reports, per a Sports Illustrated article, that UCLA is a program in shambles.  Ben Howland and his three Final Four appearances are a distant memory.  There seems to be no discipline from Howland and players are not held accountable for their actions.  They've been muddled in mediocrity all season - they're 16-13 and 9-7 in a terrible PAC-12.  They've lost to St. John's, Loyola Marymount, and Middle Tennessee State (by 20; MTSU is 25-5).
• Sadly, they are no longer The Monkees as lead singer Davy Jones passed away yesterday from a heart attack.  Dude was a heartthrob back in the day.
• Nolan just woke up.  Gotta go convince him to go back to sleep for a little longer.