First Four Preview

Oh how I have waited for this day! May the glorious thing we call "March Madness" commence.  This post will be my first of many involving the NCAA Tournament as I cover the action every step of the way.  The best thing about college basketball is that every college basketball team has a mathematical shot at being the National Champion.  That number has now been reduced to 68 teams.  The field traditionally used to be a 64 team field, but the NCAA has decided they want to make even more money, so two years ago they expanded the field to 68 and started what they call the "First Four", which is simply 4 play-in games that take place in Dayton a couple of days before the actual tournament starts.  This will be the third year that the First Four has taken place.

Surprisingly, teams have had success out of the First Four.  Virginia Commonwealth made it all the way to the Final Four in 2011 even though they had to play an extra game in the First Four.  The NCAA Selection Committee (The people that decide who is in and who is out) has been very lenient towards teams from smaller conferences over the last few years when deciding which teams will be the last ones in. The trend held strong this year, as none of the teams selected for the First Four are from a major conference.  Here is my preview of the First Four games of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. (All times Eastern)

(16) North Carolina A&T vs (16) Liberty - Tuesday March 19, 6:40 pm
The First Four has two games that take place between 16 seeds, and two games with teams that are seeded somewhere between 11-14.  Unfortunately for the 16 seeds, these games are preparing them for the slaughterhouse: the winner will go on to face a 1 seed.  In the long history of the NCAA Tournament a 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed.  In the case of these teams, they will go on to face the number 1 overall seed, Louisville. Both of these teams had to win their conference tournament to receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina A&T was a relatively darkhorse team out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).  The MEAC had been dominated all season by Norfolk State and North Carolina Central, but both of those teams lost in the early rounds of the conference tournament   North Carolina A&T defeated Morgan State by 3 to secure this spot.  They finished 19-16 on the season with a 8-8 conference record.
The Liberty Flames have to be one of the best stories of March Madness.  They started out their year by losing the first 8 games they played.  Add in a poor conference season, and they were 12-20 heading into their conference tournament.  But they got hot at the right time, rattled off 5 straight wins, and beat heavy favorite Charleston Southern in the Big South conference championship game to clinch a berth in the tournament.  They have a 15-20 record, and went 6-10 in conference.
Straight Up Pick: North Carolina A&T

(16) LIU Brooklyn vs (16) James Madison - Wednesday March 20, 6:40 pm
The other 16 seed matchup features LIU Brooklyn and James Madison.  The winner of this game will go on to face the 1 seeded Indiana Hoosiers. LIU Brooklyn has one of the best point guards in the country, Jason Brickman.  Brickman is averaging an incredible 8.5 assists per game.  He has led the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds to a 20-13 record, and a victory in the Northeast Conference tournament to secure their NCAA Tournament bid.
The Blackbirds will face the James Madison Dukes from the Colonial Athletic Conference.  James Madison won their conference tournament over favorite Northeastern by 13 points.  They have a 20-14 record on the season.
Straight Up Pick: LIU Brooklyn

(11) Saint Mary's vs (11) Middle Tennessee State - Tuesday March 19, 9:10 pm
The first at-large matchup of the tournament features two 11 seeds that many thought would not even make the tournament.  The winner of this game will move on to face 6 seeded Memphis.  The Saint Mary's Gaels have a 27-6 record on the season, and are led by one of the most dynamic players in the country, point guard Matthew Dellavedova.  They played in the West Coast Conference where they had a 14-2 record, with their only two conference losses coming to Gonzaga, who is a 1 seed in the tournament.
Saint Mary's dynamic back court will have a tough task ahead of them, as they take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. MTSU has a 28-5 record, and went 19-1 in the Sun Belt conference.  They were favored to win their conference tournament and get an auto-bid, but lost in the second round to Florida International.  These two teams have not played the toughest schedules in the nation, and it will be very interesting to see how they are perform, each team coming off of a loss in their most recent game.
Straight Up Pick: Saint Mary's

(13) La Salle vs (13) Boise State - Wednesday March 20, 9:10 pm
The final First Four matchup features two of the best bubble teams in the nation.  The winner of this game will move on to face a tough 4 seed, Kansas State. La Salle had a great year in one of the tougher mid-major conferences, the Atlantic 10.  They ended up with a 21-9 record, but lost their last 2 games of the season.  They do hold quality wins over Butler and VCU this year however.
La Salle will face one of the hottest teams in the NCAA Tournament, the Boise State Broncos.  Boise State, out of the Mountain West Conference (the best non-major conference in the nation), finished with a 21-10 record, including winning 5 of their last 7 games.  Regardless of who wins this game, they are poised for a deep tournament run.
Straight Up Pick: Boise State

This was the First Four preview, and was also the first piece of A LOT of great March Madness content that is still to come.  Look for more previews, sleeper picks, and a hot/cold chart that will help you pick your brackets.  I love March, and I hope you do too.  'Til next time.

Super Bowl Prediction, and a Story From "Down Under".

Imagine the world of sports as a canyon. I'm the bridge that leads you across it.

Several athletes have been making a splash "down under". In the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the finals to win the first major of the year in five sets. The match was the longest championship match in grand slam history at 5:53 minutes long. This was Djokovic's third consecutive final victory when facing Nadal. Nadal beat Roger Federer, and Djokovic beat Andy Murray to reach the final. On the women's side, Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 to take the title. Both Azarenka and Djokovic rose to #1 in their respective World Rankings.

When you think of Australian sports, rugby, soccer, cricket, and tennis come to mind. Not basketball. Matthew Dellavedova strives to change that perception. The 6-4 190lb shooting guard from Maryborough, Australia has led the St. Mary's Gaels to a well deserved #16 ranking, averaging 15.5 points and 6.4 assists per game. The Gaels have won their last 12 games, and are 22-2 overall, leading the West Coast Conference.

For the first week this year, we have some news on the links. This probably coincides with the return of Tiger Woods to action, playing in the Abu Dhabi HSBC World Golf Championship. Tiger finished tied for 3rd, two shots behind champion Robert Rock of England. Tiger went into the final round tied for the lead with Rock, who held his nerve down the stretch, making clutch shots to lock up the victory. On the PGA Tour, the Farmers Insurance Open looked to be all over going into the final hole at Torrey Pines. Kyle Stanley had lead the whole round, and looked to have it in the bag, as he walked down the 18th fairway with a three shot lead. Stanley proceeded to hit a wedge into the water, and three putt to make an 8 on the par 5 18th. This 8 put him in a sudden death playoff with Brandt Snedeker, who didn't think that there was any chance that he would be in a playoff. Snedeker made the most of his opportunity, winning on the second playoff hole with a miraculous up-and-down, while Stanley three putted to hand the victory to Snedeker.

This weekend might be the best sports weekend all year. That's because of the Super Bowl, the greatest football game of the year, is here.  Not only the Super Bowl, but the commercials that come with it. Look for Budweiser to win this year with the ever-popular Clydesdale's. But on to the matchup. Patriots versus Giants in Indianapolis. You can't get much better than this. My prediction: Patriots 31 Giants 24. Tom Brady takes over the game in the 4th quarter, with several key connections to Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker.   Look for the Patriots defense to step up, and for the most part, contain Eli Manning, forcing the Giants to rely on the running game. However the outcome, it will be a phenomenal matchup.

The Super Bowl is here, but sadly that means football is almost gone.  With signing day completed, we will have to rely on basketball for some excitement, and I am sure that it will supply. 'Til next time.