Tourney Picks Day 1

This entry will simply be about the college hoops tourney, my picks for day one....tourney starts in less than 90 minutes (I will get to how I think Syracuse got hosed for the suits at the end):

Florida vs. BYU
I don't think Florida even deserves to be in this tournament, and think that BYU is long overdue to break their team curse of not getting out of the first round in like the last 9 years.

Old Dominion vs. Notre Dame
I'm picking Notre Dame, but I would not be shocked, not even remotely if ODU wins this one by 10. I'd like to see the Irish show up and play great, even if it's just so I can scream at my TV and homer Digger Phelps just one more time. Side note to Digger, his name is Luke Harangody, not 'Gody. ESPN pays you to be an analyst, not a freaking booster for a program.

Robert Morris vs. Villanova
Villanova is about to run Robert Morris off the court. There, I said it.

Murray State vs. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is Charmin soft, and Murray St. can run. I like the upset pick (seed-wise, not talent).

North Texas vs. Kansas State
I thought North Texas was a fake team from 'Unnecessary Roughness"? Whatever the case, they have no shot against KSU.

Sam Houston State vs. Baylor
I like Baylor, I like the story we're all going to hear-well, not the whole part about one teammate killing another in cold blood, but how head coach Scott Drew has built a very good program, and a clean one at that, in such a short period of time. It's weird what can happen when you let a coach do his thing and don't get in the way (do you hear me CU football?).

St. Mary's vs. Richmond
While Dick Tarrant is no longer coaching the Spiders of Richmond, his mark is still there, and as fun as St. Mary's may be to watch, I've seen Richmond play twice, and they just hang around and outplay you. Richmond it is.

UTEP vs. Butler
I know Butler has a lot of older, more seasoned players, but I like UTEP in the upset. They seem more physical and not as easy to rattle.

Northern Iowa vs. UNLV
I'm taking UNI in this one. I think they're just better by a smidge in every category, and UNLV likes to play a switching man-to-man defense that can get lost in the wash. It'll happen today and the Runnin' Rebs get sent home.

E. Tennessee St. vs. Kentucky
Thanks ETSU for showing up, but please have your bags packed and keep the bus running, because you have no shot once the ball goes up against UK.

Washington vs. Marquette
I've heard plenty of people take UW in an upset, it's a trendy pick, but not one I'm going to make. And the reason is simple-the Pac 10 sucked this year, and being the 2nd team in from that conference as opposed to the Big East that got in 8 teams should just tell you who is more tested. I'm taking Al's old team, Marquette.

Ohio vs. Georgetown
Nation, meet Greg Monroe, Center for Georgetown. Greg, the Nation. As much as it pains me to state this, and you know it does, Georgetown has a lot going for it heading into this tournament. And they have a big man, a scorer, a very good point guard, and another guy that can hit the ope 3. Georgetown can make a run. I'm now going to vomit.

Lehigh vs. Kansas
Lehigh, say hi to the guys from E. Tennessee St.

Wake Forest vs. Texas
In every bracket I've filled out I have Wake Forest winning. You know what that means don't you? It means Texas is going to whoop them and everyone will be talking about how talented the 'Horns are until Saturday.

Montana vs. New Mexico
hey everyone, it's about that time for Steve Alford, head coach at New Mexico, to get his push into the national spotlight for a higher paying, more exposed coaching gig.....beginning now

San Diego State vs. Tennessee
I've got the Volunteers in this one, but I'm not sold on them. They're just a bit off, but that can happen when you kick 4 guys off your team in the midseason.

Enjoy the games!

Oh, and why do I think Syracuse got hosed for the suits? Simple-the NCAA wants more big money from the piggy bank that is CBS. Duke is beloved by suits, so they get the 3rd #1 seed and the easily winnable South region. And as such, more TV exposure for the one team that starts like 4 white guys. Syracuse gets the 4th #1 seed and gets to go out West. Why is this crap? Simple, really. Syracuse had the better overall record, was 4 games better on the road, won it's regular season conference title by 2 games, Duke split the regular season title with 4th seeded Maryland, and the Big East was the best conference. So Syracuse loses in the quarterfinals of their conference tourney and that is the supposed reason. They lost their last two games. Whoop-di-damn-doo. 4 losses all stinking year. Of their 3 conference losses, 2 were at home and 1 was on the road to a Louisville team that was shutting down their building and had the ghosts of teams past in attendance. I'm not making excuses, but I'm not happy at all with the reasoning by the committee because it's crap. Syracuse has to play Vermont tomorrow night, and there is history there. I hate Vermont. So, Fuck Vermont, the only good thing that comes out of that state is Maple Syrup, and the stuff from Canada is way better, so I only get my syrup from Canada. Yes, that's how much I hate Vermont. If the label says 'Made in Vermont', I don't buy it. I buy the stuff with a Maple Leaf and 'Made in Canada' on it. And that is how I support my squad.