The Swamp

The team one is a little messy but I like the conference one.




The B1G is kinda ridiculous, like the Soviet Bloc.

Wait a second, the ACC is the favorite conference of Alabama?

Brontoburglar wrote:Wait a second, the ACC is the favorite conference of Alabama?

I'm assuming they just used the conference of the region's most referenced team. Since they limited the list of referenced teams to the 68 in the tournament, it will probably show odd results for a state like Alabama (or WV) where the big state school was excluded.

Of people with electricity and Facebook, at least.

Rex wrote:The team one is a little messy but I like the conference one.




The B1G is kinda ridiculous, like the Soviet Bloc.

If they would have included the MAC there would have been some small pockets of resistance. Inexplicably they included the fucking Patriot League, but not the MAC, so there you go.

If a county went for the MAC as a majority, it would have been on the map, no?

Winning tournament games is really fun, I sort of wish they'd started before year 17 of my fandom.

Ryan wrote:If a county went for the MAC as a majority, it would have been on the map, no?

I was thinking that...probably.

The Big Ten looms large in the Midwest, but I would have thought at least a couple of rural counties in Ohio and/or Michigan with MAC schools would have gone for the MAC. Isabella County (where Central Michigan is) has only 70,000 residents, which doesn't include 20,000 undergraduates at CMU. The Facebook methodology might be a little weird though because if it goes by hometown for example, then obviously an exceptionally small number of those potential MAC fans actually grew up in Isabella County.

brian wrote:This is kinda fascinating. Some bizarre stuff in here, like the fact that San Francisco supports Michigan more than any other NCAA Tournament team (yes, including Cal)

That's odd. But, there are a hell of a lot of Michigan transplants in this area (really, in every area of the country, given the diaspora.) All you have to do to see that is go to a Red Wings away game. The San Jose Sharks sell out every game, but when Detroit comes to town you see more opposition sweaters in the stands than is the case for any other team they play (except, maybe Vancouver.)

vern and billy on the mic for the first game of the tournament. nice work, cbs.

ps. your in-game graphics package blows goats.

eta: grammar

Penn State's area likes the ACC. Fitting.

Michican State doing nothing. If Valpo could shoot at all they'd be up by 10.

And now it would be tied.

Rush2112 wrote:Ah yes, stuff that happened when even Howard was young.

Scottie wrote:While you're at it . . . look up "Lobogate".

i remember that. norm ellenberger. hideous fashion taste (lots of loud plaid).

capital one baldwin/barkley ad had so much potential, and so much of it was squandered.

cerrano wrote:capital one baldwin/barkley ad had so much potential, and so much of it was squandered.

The phone one or the hot dog one?

Michigan State now in sync. Valpo still can't make a shot.

normalasian wrote:

cerrano wrote:capital one baldwin/barkley ad had so much potential, and so much of it was squandered.

The phone one or the hot dog one?

Michigan State now in sync. Valpo still can't make a shot.

the one where barkley is calling a pick-up game of 4th graders in the driveway.

Roosevelt Jones is a great basketball name.

Much better than Rotnei Clark.

These are easily the best two teams that have played at Rupp this year.

cerrano wrote:

normalasian wrote:

cerrano wrote:capital one baldwin/barkley ad had so much potential, and so much of it was squandered.

The phone one or the hot dog one?

Michigan State now in sync. Valpo still can't make a shot.

the one where barkley is calling a pick-up game of 4th graders in the driveway.

Wow, there are at least 3 commercials then

That one.
Barkley needs Baldwin to answer his phone (wife calling)
Barkley hides a hot dog under his blazer and ask Baldwin to touch his chest

Glad I didn't pick Valpo.

Is anyone else running a bracket tourney on CBS and is it just having all kinds of technical issues?

Jerloma wrote:Is anyone else running a bracket tourney on CBS and is it just having all kinds of technical issues?

Yes and not that I know of.

Is Brad Stevens not going to move on to a bigger program, unless the Hoosier job opens up?

For the last few years I’ve had two brackets to represent the two sides of every basketball fan – the stat junkie and the emotional basket case (pun not intended). One bracket was the calculated research-driven bracket. I poured over that bracket using data I exhaustively collected: RPI, strength of schedule, points scored and allowed … the Farmer’s Almanac (though it turns out weather doesn’t affect sports played in covered arenas). The other bracket was the emotional side of me, the crazed fan that roots for a team against all odds. I’d pick emotional favorites, teams I thought deserved to be a Cinderella, teams from my home state, etc.

And for the last few years I’ve finished at the very back of the pack in the NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge … with both brackets.

So this year I have only one bracket. I call him Golden Boy!

Golden Boy is different. Golden Boy doesn’t think. Golden Boy just does! Golden Boy is a gut reaction bracket. He is pure. He is instinct. I clicked a team. I moved on. I never looked back. Because Golden Boy doesn’t look back!

I’m closing my office door. I’m cancelling all meetings. Today … it’s just me, March Madness Live … and Golden Boy!

Remember, it’s not slacking if you don’t get caught!

howard wrote:Is Brad Stevens not going to move on to a bigger program, unless the Hoosier job opens up?

Coach K's replacement.

AB_skin_test wrote:

howard wrote:Is Brad Stevens not going to move on to a bigger program, unless the Hoosier job opens up?

Coach K's replacement.

There's a very strong sentiment for that around here. Some people think it might be a contest of whether Roy Williams or Coach K retires first - whoever gets first shot gets Stevens.

I really think that Stevens has proven enough at Butler that he has no reason to move to a mid-level team in a big conference. He can wait and get one of the big jobs with ease (I only consider about 6-8 jobs big jobs). And yeah, UNC would be a good fit as well as Old Roy isn't getting any younger either. I think Self and Crean are entrenched for a long time. I don't think UCLA would be a good fit for his style (see Howland, Ben). I think Cal is here for longer than Roy or Coach K. I could probably see something like Syracuse now that they are in the ACC.

AB_skin_test wrote:For the last few years I’ve had two brackets to represent the two sides of every basketball fan – the stat junkie and the emotional basket case (pun not intended). One bracket was the calculated research-driven bracket. I poured over that bracket using data I exhaustively collected: RPI, strength of schedule, points scored and allowed … the Farmer’s Almanac (though it turns out weather doesn’t affect sports played in covered arenas). The other bracket was the emotional side of me, the crazed fan that roots for a team against all odds. I’d pick emotional favorites, teams I thought deserved to be a Cinderella, teams from my home state, etc.

And for the last few years I’ve finished at the very back of the pack in the NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge … with both brackets.

So this year I have only one bracket. I call him Golden Boy!

Golden Boy is different. Golden Boy doesn’t think. Golden Boy just does! Golden Boy is a gut reaction bracket. He is pure. He is instinct. I clicked a team. I moved on. I never looked back. Because Golden Boy doesn’t look back!

I’m closing my office door. I’m cancelling all meetings. Today … it’s just me, March Madness Live … and Golden Boy!

Remember, it’s not slacking if you don’t get caught!

Boss button?

Yup!

AB_skin_test wrote:I really think that Stevens has proven enough at Butler that he has no reason to move to a mid-level team in a big conference. He can wait and get one of the big jobs with ease (I only consider about 6-8 jobs big jobs). And yeah, UNC would be a good fit as well as Old Roy isn't getting any younger either. I think Self and Crean are entrenched for a long time. I don't think UCLA would be a good fit for his style (see Howland, Ben). I think Cal is here for longer than Roy or Coach K. I could probably see something like Syracuse now that they are in the ACC.

Something to remember is that Stevens is an Indy boy. His family is here. He has built a solid program here. I listen to radio interviews with him all the time. I don't think he is a guy who is going to chase the big money. And I don't think Tom Crean is going anywhere anytime in the near future. I'd put solid money down that Stevens is going to be at Butler for the foreseeable future.

Just .02 from your resident Indy guy on the board.

AB_skin_test wrote:Coach K's replacement.

Man, that just ain't right. Makes sense, but I love Stevens; I don't want to have to hate him.

(I actually liked and rooted for the Gminski--Spanarkel--Banks pre-K Dukies. Beating Notre Dame will earn a place in my heart like that. I'm sure you liked that team, AB. But so much water under that bridge, I don't think Stevens could bring me back.)

BSF21 wrote:

AB_skin_test wrote:I really think that Stevens has proven enough at Butler that he has no reason to move to a mid-level team in a big conference. He can wait and get one of the big jobs with ease (I only consider about 6-8 jobs big jobs). And yeah, UNC would be a good fit as well as Old Roy isn't getting any younger either. I think Self and Crean are entrenched for a long time. I don't think UCLA would be a good fit for his style (see Howland, Ben). I think Cal is here for longer than Roy or Coach K. I could probably see something like Syracuse now that they are in the ACC.

Something to remember is that Stevens is an Indy boy. His family is here. He has built a solid program here. I listen to radio interviews with him all the time. I don't think he is a guy who is going to chase the big money. And I don't think Tom Crean is going anywhere anytime in the near future. I'd put solid money down that Stevens is going to be at Butler for the foreseeable future.

Just .02 from your resident Indy guy on the board.

This is exactly right. Which is why I think he can wait for the big ones. No hurry. But Coach K is 66. Roy is 62, but it seems like an old 62. Boeheim is 68 (but I think Syracuse is a reach).

howard wrote:

AB_skin_test wrote:Coach K's replacement.

Man, that just ain't right. Makes sense, but I love Stevens; I don't want to have to hate him.

(I actually liked and rooted for the Gminski--Spanarkel--Banks pre-K Dukies. Beating Notre Dame will earn a place in my heart like that. I'm sure you liked that team, AB. But so much water under that bridge, I don't think Stevens could bring me back.)

I was 1 year old, but i've seen the tape!

So is papaduff still missing, and if so did BSF21 behead him during the interregnum?

Shirley wrote:

AB_skin_test wrote:

howard wrote:Is Brad Stevens not going to move on to a bigger program, unless the Hoosier job opens up?

Coach K's replacement.

There's a very strong sentiment for that around here. Some people think it might be a contest of whether Roy Williams or Coach K retires first - whoever gets first shot gets Stevens.

And the other gets Shaka Smart.

Interregnum? Damn near killed 'em.

Ok, Bucknell, I get it. I see how you guys roll now. Thought they would fold up with their star Marcula or whatever gone cold.

howard wrote:Ok, Bucknell, I get it. I see how you guys roll now. Thought they would fold up with their star Marcula or whatever gone cold.

Bucknell didn't look like they could hit the ocean with a basketball in the first half, but now they are on quite a run. If they hold on and win, the anointing of Brad Stevens may subside for awhile.

ETA: annnnnd... as soon as I post that, Butler goes on an 8-0 run...

This guy Willman has classic old guy game--he can't miss from that spot.