Stomp The Lunatic

Really very impressed with how calmly Duke slowly built a lead against a very talented Michigan State team and then hold off any late rallies from the Spartans.  They totally dominated the second half in a very physical game.  Would have expected that to play in the Spartans favor – but the Blue Devils handled it very well.

So, that just leaves us with the Florida / FGCU game.  After an amazing start, it looks like the clock is getting ready to strike midnight on Cinderella.  I am going to hope the Eagles come up with a rally in the last 6 minutes but it is not looking good.

Hope you allow me to break from basketball for a moment as I just was thinking back to a very important moment in my life.  10 years ago, I found myself sitting at a Starbucks Coffee shop waiting for a blind date that had been set up by mutual friends.  I met this wonderful woman named Elizabeth Yost, shared a very nice dinner at Pasta Luna, and then went out for an after-dinner drink at the Capital Ale House.  She was beautiful, funny and we had so much in common.  And while it was a perfect evening, at the time I didn’t realize how perfect it truly was.

Ten years after that perfect evening, and my life has changed in ways I never could have imagined.   I was extremely lucky to marry that beautiful, funny woman.  We were extremely lucky to have such great friends who cared enough about us to make sure that we met each other.  And we have been blessed with two incredible children, Charlie and Katie.

In a funny twist, one of the reasons our friends told us they thought we would hit it off was because both of us ran a college basketball pool for our companies – and so obviously, we would be able to at least enjoy and share stories about that.   🙂

I am very lucky for such great family and friends.  And thank you, Elizabeth, for making these the happiest 10 years of my life.  I love you more than any words could ever express.

 

 

Down 2 points with 9 seconds as Elijah Johnson sprints down the floor.  He uses the screen to get what appears to be an open lane straight to the basket.  And then Elijah Johnson throws a wild pass out all the way back to the three point line where Naadir Thorpe has to chase the pass down and throw up a wild three-point shot which misses.  It looked like Johnson went from a relatively open lay-up to tie the game and traded it so Kansas could ridiculously low percentage shot to win.

And the comeback is complete.  Trey Burke and Mitch McGary will their Michigan Wolverines back into this game.  Down 11 points with 3:47 left in the game – after being down double digits for the majority of the game, the Wolverines come all the way back on Burke’s heroics to tie the game in regulation and McGary’s rebounding and scoring in OT to make their way to the Elite 8.

Amazing finish by the Wolverines!!!!!!!!!  Go Big 10!!!!!!!!!!  Really excited about the Duke – Michigan State game.  Expect this one to be a classic!

I was totally sure as the Wolverines let the clock role down without fouling at 1 minute was going to be their undoing.  Figured they would not have enough time.  But Kansas didn’t score with 40 seconds.   And after some back and forth scoring, Elijah Johnson missed a FT and the stage is set.

And as Trey Burke shoots the ball with 4 seconds left from 30 feet out, I shouted at the TV – “really, that’s the best shot you could have come up!!!!”  And then of course, the ball went in to tie the game.

Shows what I know.  After watching a few Big 10 games, I should have known – any shot that has Trey Burke putting it up is a good shot.  And we get to watch a fun overtime.

There we go – that’s more like it.

Elizabeth and I had tickets to see Les Miserables – which by the way was fantastic. But while we were enjoying a great performance at the Landmark theater, the Lunatic’s pick to win it all was giving a very poor performance in Washington DC.

Got to see a little of the second half – Syracuse’s suffocating zone just confused and frustrated Indiana. Probably didn’t help that Zeller looked like he was having a horrible game.

Syracuse did everything right and dominated the Hoosiers to make the Elite 8. And the Lunatic’s pick in a tie for 4th will now likely slip off the board.

Expert Analysis on the Sweet 16 games – as only the Lunatic website can bring you.  And yes – the colors are the favorite colors of our “experts”

Miami FL vs Marquette

• Crazed Lunatic – Miami FL – Miami has a really veteran team that doesn’t seem to get rattled by anything.  And believe that Marquette has used up all their magic just to get to the Sweet 16.
  
• Mrs. Lunatic – Go Marquette – got to go for the Jesuit schools (after what happened to Gonzaga and Georgetown, one of them has to be on the right side) – just a reminder that the new Pope is a Jesuit.
• Charlie – Marquette – have to take the Golden Eagles over Hurricanes.  Hurricanes are too scary.
• Katie – Miami FL – It remains a mystery of why

Ohio State vs Arizona

• Crazed Lunatic – Ohio State – the Big 10 has been really dominant in the tournament so far.  And the Buckeyes are only going to have confidence that they were able to win against Iowa State without their best performance.
• Mrs. Lunatic – Arizona – Got to go with what is basically the home team
• Charlie – Ohio State – my Grandma went to Ohio State – go Buckeyes!
• Katie – St. Mary’s – that is my pre-school.  they have a very strong program.  (Editor’s note: yes – my three year old picked St. Mary’s for this game – since that is not a possibility, we will go to Vegas Odds and pick Ohio State).

Indiana vs. Syracuse

• Crazed Lunatic – Indiana – I thought they were the best team going into the tournament.  Feel like I can’t go against them now.  Besides – my logic of all the teams I pick lose has to work eventually – right….
• Mrs. Lunatic – Syracuse – you just can’t root for Indiana.
• Charlie – Syracuse – my mommy’s favorite color is Orange.  Syracuse’s name is the Orange.  My mommy is the best – so obviously so is Syracuse.
• Katie – Cuse.  Are we almost done with this – I would like to watch Peppa Pig.

Wichita State vs. LaSalle

• Crazed Lunatic – LaSalle – I just don’t know enough about either of these teams.  Was really impressed with LaSalle’s guards in the last game.  And I don’t think Wichita State can shoot lights out like they did against Gonzaga.
• Mrs. Lunatic – LaSalle – I think LaSalle is a neater name – and obviously have to root for the 13 seed
• Charlie – LaSalle – when asked why, got the response “I Don’t Know”
• Katie – Sal – I can’t even pronounce the other teams name

Louisville vs. Oregon

• Crazed Lunatic – Louisville – they just look amazingly good right now.  Don’t think Oregon will be able to keep up to Louisville’s pressure defense.  Turnovers will eventually do in the Ducks.
• Mrs. Lunatic – Oregon – I just don’t like Louisville.  I typically don’t pick schools from indiana, Kentucky or Florida.  You just have to have principles.
• Charlie – Louisville – their mascot is the Cardinal which is red – that is my favorite color.
• Katie – Louieil – they were the first team you said so I will pick them

Kansas vs. Michigan

• Crazed Lunatic – Kansas – I think Michigan’s blowout win against VCU was more of a matchup nightmare than the Wolverines being dominant.  I think that Kansas will give Michigan difficulty in the paint – which is very similar to the Big 10 teams that gave the Wolverines trouble.
• Mrs. Lunatic – Kansas – I guess – I don’t really care for either team.
• Charlie – Michigan – they are Wolverines – they would tear apart a Jayhawk.
• Katie – Michigan – seriously, isn’t it time for Peppa Pig yet?

Duke vs. Michigan State

• Crazed Lunatic – Michigan State – I have just learned not to bet against Tom Izzo in March.  Duke has more talent – but the passion that the Spartans play with is going to be an intangible that leads them to victory.
• Mrs. Lunatic – Duke – always root for teams from Carolina. 
• Charlie – Duke – my Grandpa did his PostDoc at Duke.  Not as good as picking North Carolina – who has a cool fight song – but still better than Michigan State.
• Katie – Duke – favorite by Vegas Odds and a school my Grandpa is affiliated with – how can you go wrong with that.

Florida vs. Florida Gulf Coast

• Crazed Lunatic – Florida – I really want the Eagles to win.  That would be the better story.  But if I have to pick who I think will win, I think Florida is going to have too much firepower.
• Mrs. Lunatic – Florida Gulf Coast – Go Eagles – I can make an exception for my Florida rule for a 15 seed – not to mention what can I do, they are both from Florida.
• Charlie – Florida Gulf Coast – Go Eagles!!!!!
• Katie – Eagles!!!!

Who do you have to win it all?

• Crazed Lunatic – Indiana – I am tempted to go with Ohio State because I think their road to the Final Four might be the easiest.  Or of course, Louisville – they looked incredibly good in the first weekend.  But I will stubbornly stick with my initial pick to win.   Might need to hedge my second chance pick – but my analysis said the Hoosiers will win.
• Mrs. Lunatic – Florida Gulf Coast – how awesome would that be.  GO EAGLES!!!!
• Charlie – Ohio State – have to go with the school that Grandma went to.
• Katie – Duke – have to go with the school Grandpa went to.

Charlie and Katie: Can we have an ice pop or cookies before going to bed????

Mrs. Lunatic: Sure, I guess – you did a good job of picking teams.

 

As I said, expert analysis and commentary that you can’t get anywhere else.

I know that I don’t know the whole story with these.  And the media seems supportive of the recent firings of Ben Howland from UCLA and Tubby Smith from Minnesota – so maybe there is more than meets the eye here.  But unless there is something behind the scenes going on, I just don’t get it.

Ben Howland led the Bruins to 3 straight Final Fours.  He has a losing season after losing two players early.  Then, followed with a season including an NCAA tourney win, a 19 win season where they missed the tourney, and this season where they won the Pac 12 and then got eliminated early when their 2nd best scorer got hurt and couldn’t play.  I get the fact that this is UCLA – supposedly one of the best jobs in the college ranks.  Some reports say that he alienated the Southern California AAU teams hurting recruiting.   I realize that his last four seasons might not have been the best, but they were still 91-52.  If something else is going on behind the scenes, then sure – you are UCLA, you can probably get someone equally good.  But I don’t think you fire a coach who has gone 230-105 with 3 Final Four appearances after he has just won the conference regular season title because he isn’t winning enough.

Tubby Smith’s numbers haven’t been as great as Howland’s.  However, Tubby Smith also isn’t coaching at UCLA – Minnesota isn’t this glamorous place to go and play college basketball.  In the 8 seasons before Smith took over, the Gophers had been to 1 NCAA tournament and 4 NITs.  In the 6 seasons that Smith led, the Gophers went to 3 NCAA tournaments, 2 NITs, and never had an overall losing record.   You could point to his 46-62 Big 10 record,  But that was better than the previous regime who went 47-81.  His reward for winning the school’s first NCAA Tournament game in 16 years (23 years if you go to a win that wasn’t retroactively taken back due to NCAA sanctions for academic scandal) – that’s right, he was fired for that.

Sure, there were things that might give you pause.  Smith’s teams tended to fade in February.  Howland had 2 of 4 years where he missed the tournament – which is unheard of at UCLA.  But neither was fired after one of the bad years.  Howland was fired after a Pac 12 championship, and Smith was fired after what arguably was the school’s most successful season in 16 years.

I can see the lime-light of UCLA getting another top coach – but not sure which one will be willing to be held to the unattainable standard of NCAA Tournament success every single year.  And I don’t know who in their right mind would go to Minnesota – where it is tough to recruit, have old facilities, and just cut loose a coach who was competing each year to make the tourney.

But I do know – assuming that both still want to coach – there should be a lot of teams out there who will be really happy that Howland and Smith are available to take their coaching vacancy.  Tubby Smith has 511 wins and has taken 4 different schools to the NCAA Tournament, including winning the championship at Kentucky.  Ben Howland has 398 wins and has taken 3 different schools to the NCAA Tournament – including 3 Final Fours.   Schools could do a lot of worse than this.

Congratulations to Miami FL and Duke for winning the late games tonight.  The Miami FL – Illinois game had some drama.  Shane Larkin gave the Hurricanes the lead with a very impressive step-back three pointer.  And then, when Illinois tried to answer and missed, the rebound was knocked out of bounds by the Hurricanes.  But the referee missed it and gave the ball to Miami.  At this point, the shot clock would be off so Illinois had to foul.  The Hurricanes made their FTs and made their way to the Sweet 16.  Duke just shut down the potent Creighton offense to have what looked like a relatively easy victory to advance.

At this point, the Lunatic is shocked.  That is because, in a rare sequence of events, something unheard of is happening.  After two rounds, only 3 people are stomping the Lunatic!!!!  Congratulations to our second round leaders, Steve Glass and Tonya Cole – who have taken the lead with 490 points.  Adam Davis is just 10 points behind as well as the Upset Pool leader with 224 upset points.  Then, the Lunatic is tied along with Bill Yost, Stacy Dooms, Mark Walsh, Rusty Ahles, Jason Frank, Andrew Sadow, Cheryl Hinton and Pete Schmitke just 20 points behind.

In the Upset Pool, Rick Flynn is just trailing Adam by 9 upset points in second place – followed closely by Mark Horgan (12 behind the leader), Rohit Kapoor (15 behind), and Andrew Sadow (16 behind).

Don’t worry – the Lunatic stuck his loyalty to the Big 10.  That typically breaks down at some point in the tournament.  So, there is still plenty of basketball left to complete your goal of STOMPING THE LUNATIC!!!!

And for those of you who feel like all is lost because you picked Gonzaga, Georgetown, New Mexico, Kansas State or St. Louis to win the tournament, all hope is not lost.  The Second Chance Pool is ready just for you – just log-in to the site and you will be able to enter the second chance bracket.  It is a clean slate – a chance to start anew.

OK – they are not as glamorous as the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.   But #13 La Salle has made their way to the Sweet 16 by their 2 point victory over Ole Miss.  With time winding down, Tyrone Garland makes a tremendous drive to the basket and hit the layup to give the Explorers the win.

Although I will say that it was rather strange that Ole Miss didn’t call a time-out.  They had one remaining – why not set up a last play for the 2.5 seconds.  It probably wouldn’t have mattered since they had to travel the entire court, but the Rebels looked confused on what to do – and they ended up with a horrible last ditch effort to win the game.

Still, if it wasn’t for the amazing story about the Eagles – the #13 seed Explorers would be the Cinderella story.  By the way, it is an interesting side note that the Explorers have now made it 2 of 3 years that a team from the first four games made it to the Sweet 16.  All of us remember the other team that did that continued all the way to the Final Four – Richmond’s own VCU Rams.

Congratulations to the La Salle Explorers!!!!!!

We now officially have our Cinderella – because after knocking off #2 Georgetown, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles decided that they were not done.  And after being down by 1 point at half-time to San Diego State, the Eagles came out and blitzed the #7 Aztecs – including some more fun dunks at the end of the game when it was clear things were out of reach.

You might wonder how historic this is – Florida Gulf Coast, in their first ever NCAA Tournament, has become the first 15 seed in the entire history of the tournament to ever make it to the Sweet 16.

You might not know who Sherwood Brown, Bernard Thompson, Brett Comer, Chase Fieler, and Eric McKnight are now.  But I guarantee you that many will be learning the names of the Florida Gulf Coast starters over the next few days.  I am sure that one important person has taken notice – Billy Donovan, the head coach of #3 seed Florida.  The Gators will be the next team hoping that they do not become a part of the Eagles run at history.

But take it from the Miami FL Hurricanes (who lost to the Eagles in November), the Georgetown Hoyas, and now the San Diego State Aztecs.   These Eagles really can soar with the best of them.