11:06 a.m. I wake up disheveled, however more excited for the day’s events than on my sixth birthday.
12:24 p.m. Last minute picks! I’ll take UNLV over Kent State, Marquette over Kentucky and Temple over Michigan State.
1:18 p.m. Kent State manages a hefty 10 points in the first half of their game against UNLV. Nice.
1:27 p.m. Brandon Rush just needs to stop it right now. He has embarrassed the Vikings of Portland State for long enough.
1:58 p.m. Everybody’s secret upset pick, Georgia, falls to Xavier after blowing a 10-point lead. After a 4-12 conference record, the Bulldogs should be more than proud of what they did in unexpectedly winning the SEC Championship.
5:18 p.m. The Lopez twins of Stanford are sights to be seen, while the starting lineup of Cornell is a sight to be laughed at. Not hard to predict a rout here.
8:04 p.m. So the Winthrop Sweet 16 pick didn’t work out. Actually, it didn’t work by 31 points.
8:34 p.m. Belmont almost upsets Duke! Not hard to believe. Save Henderson and Scheyer, this team is just not good. If you disagree, watch center Brian Zoubek. The Belmont Bruins significantly outplayed the Devils, but failed to secure the victory.
9:00 p.m. I thought this year’s George Mason was George Mason? Nope.
10:43 p.m. I wonder why they bother playing the UCLA-Mississippi Valley State game. Well, the Bruins got to play a team called the Delta Devils. I guess that’s pretty cool.
Friday, March 21
12:26 p.m. Bruce Pearl > Anybody who has ever set foot on the campus of American University.
1:56 p.m. Another popular upset pick, Saint Mary’s, falls to Miami as a result of Jack McClinton’s 38 points. Just say it. McClinton.
5:00 p.m. The University of Connecticut wins the award for worst tournament performance, as they choke against San Diego, and unfortunately lose guard A.J. Price for 6-12 months due to a torn ACL. My bracket is officially garbage.
7:31 p.m. The one seed vs. 16 seed games are amazing to watch, if you like dunk contests. Carolina takes the 39-point win over play-in winner Mount St. Mary’s, and puts up a tournament high 113 points.
8:08 p.m. What’s going on with four-seeds? Siena easily takes care of Vanderbilt, and becomes the first Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference team to make the second round since 2004.
11:16 p.m. Indiana’s season comes to a much needed end. After the Kelvin Sampson recruitment saga, there was no way this team was going anywhere.
11:50 p.m. I just can’t seem to grasp the idea that Villanova is a good team. After seeing them embarrass Syracuse first hand, I should know that guard Scottie Reynolds isn’t kidding around. My surprise Final Four team, Clemson, goes down without much of a fight.
Saturday, March 22
3:56 p.m. Once again, I’d like to just point out how bad Duke is playing. West Virginia’s victory over the Blue Devils has nothing to do with Bob Huggins’ coaching ability. Kyle Singler led Duke with four rebounds, Greg Paulus had an overwhelming two assists, and “scorer” DeMarcus Nelson had an impressive six points on 2 of 11 shooting. See ya in Durham, Coach K.
4:02 p.m. The magic runs out for Beasley and the K-State Wildcats. Wisconsin takes them down by nearly 20, and my favorite coach, Bo Ryan, pads his 10-1 record against lower-seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament.
7:50 p.m. Stanford’s Brook Lopez makes an unbelievable leaner to send the Cardinals to the Sweet 16. It’s too bad his ejected coach, Trent Johnson, watched it from the locker room. As for Robin Lopez, he still has the better hair.
9:49 p.m. Another four-seed, Pitt, falls hard, as it can’t find a remedy for the problem that is Drew Neitzel. The senior guard from Michigan State was apparently unaware of the Panthers’ “toughness” and led the Spartans to the Sweet 16. Bob Knight’s pick to win the national championship is officially eliminated, and every folding chair in the United States goes into hiding.
Sunday, March 23
4:14 p.m. Stephen Curry does it again, scoring 30 against Georgetown, and sending Davidson to the Sweet 16. Why John Thompson doesn’t have 7-2 center Roy Hibbert camp underneath the basket and dunk it every time (on the 6’7” white guy they have guarding him) is beyond me.
6:06 p.m. The vulnerability of Memphis is exposed against Mississippi State, as a 46.9 free-throw percentage is just not going to get it done in the tournament. Maybe that works in C-USA, but it doesn’t here.
7:16 p.m. Wayne Ellington and the Heels steamroll Arkansas as if they were a 16-seed. UNC and Kansas are the only one-seeds that have routed their respective opponents twice, and it looks as if the two will meet in an enticing semifinal match up in San Antonio. But if it were that easy, it wouldn’t be March Madness.