Stomp The Lunatic

I could rant about how the Selection Committee did (to be fair, they did a good job as always). I could make my picks for the Sweet 16. I could rant more about how the referees stole the game from TCU by sitting on their whistles. So many analyses to do, and yet, after going to work, going to Charlie’s JV soccer game, getting and eating dinner, and debating over my blog topic, it is already 10:30 pm on a day the Lunatic could actually get some rest.

Even the Lunatic can do sleep deprivation for a short amount of time before he falls to the basic human need. I will try to catch up tomorrow – get myself into a second wind before the Sweet 16. Not that tomorrow is less busy – Katie has rugby practice so the schedule is about the same. But there is only so much time before the Sweet 16.

Here’s hoping one good night of sleep will reinvigorate the Lunatic!!!! Because there is so much to discuss and so little time

Unlike my picks, some things don’t change – that of course is my bracketology and handicapping.

My bracketology only got 66 of 68 teams right – and while it is some comfort that the two teams I missed on both lost in the playin game – Wyoming and Rutgers, which means that my teams (Texas A&M and Oklahoma) couldn’t have done worse, my main purpose of guessing what the committee will do failed miserably.

I would have scored 321 points on the method used by the Bracket Matrix site, which would have put me in almost dead last. Once again, I do decent in the front of the bracket and the end of the bracket, and do horribly at seeding the middle. Oh well – at least the CBS bracketologist did almost as bad as I did at 326 points. Guess it still proves my point that I can do close to as good as someone paying attention all year. But one of these years, I want to get the seeding right. I will have to remember that they don’t tend to weigh the conference tournament as much as I think they should.

While there is still 30 more bets to make on my handicapping page, I am down $31 imaginary dollars. I am sure that the Lunatic Casino might be willing to make me even by comping me an imaginary dinner at the buffet. Once again, I am doing awesome on the totals, 50/50 on the spreads, and losing most of my locks.

As some of my colleagues know, I love to sing. We could debate about my taste in music. We could debate about my talent – I like to think I am not bad, but I probably sound better after everyone has had a few drinks at a karaoke bar.

I have to tell you how nervous I have been this year. I am sure most of us look at the standings, especially if we are doing well. But I have a unique reason – when I enter the winners into the database, I go to the standings to make sure it is updating correctly. There are normally a few names of past winners that catch my eye, but it is somewhat rare for me to see my own name up there. I guess even the Lunatic gets lucky from time to time.

So you can imagine how giddy I was when at one point that I saw myself in 2nd – as Jack Richter was the only one ahead of me. I tried not to think about it – don’t open up my heart to get broken. But I could feel the hope starting to come.

Then, we all know I would like my Boilers to make the Final Four. So, as Kentucky and Baylor lost and the East Region starts to break down, I get even more hope growing in me. You can imagine how insane I was as Purdue would stretch their lead to double digits against Texas, and then let them come all the way back. I know the heartbreak is likely coming – at the end of the day only 1 of the 16 teams will be truly happy.

But with all this hope growing, this one song has gotten stuck in my head. The artist I probably listen to the most is Taylor Swift – and so just imagine a 48 year old middle aged man singing a Taylor Swift song at the top of his lungs. I am sure Taylor had other things in mind – but the lyrics can be strangely stretched into how I feel.

I can’t decide if it’s a choice

Getting swept away

I hear the sound of my own voice

Asking you to stay

And all we are is skin and bone

Trained to get along

Forever going with the flow

But you’re friction

This slope is treacherous

This path is reckless

This slope is treacherous

I, I, I like it

Two headlights shine through the sleepless night

And I will get you and get you alone

Your name has echoed through my mind

And I just think you should, think you should know

That nothing safe is worth the drive

And I will follow you, follow you home

I’ll follow you, follow you home

This hope is treacherous

This daydream is dangerous

This hope is treacherous

I, I, I LIKE IT!!!!!

After a late and crazy night of college basketball, a crazier thing happened.

There are only 5 people who are beating the Lunatic!!! I must be in a permanent daydream, one that I hope continues to go for two more weeks!!!

But. the Lunatic isn’t the only one who has done great with picking the winners!!!

A huge congratulations goes to Ann Hawkins – because of her great picks, she is currently winning both the Standard Pool at 490 points, and the Upset Pool at 242 points!!!! She also impressively has her final 4 of Duke, Purdue, Villanova and Kansas still playing in the Sweet 16.

She is followed closely in the Standard Pool by Mike Mullins and Rob Nesbitt at 480 points. TJ Acuto and Jimmy Lee are tied for 4th at 470 points. And Harrison Morton, Edward Zhang, Gregg Farber, Scott Grimes, Tanmay Gautam, and Rob Nesbitt join the Lunatic in the tie for 6th just 30 points back.

In the Upset Pool, Ann is followed by Christy Lindvall (just 5 points back), the Crazed Lunatic (19 points back), Gregg Farber (29 points back). Jack Richter and John Howarth finish off the top 5, as they are tied at 209 (33 points back).

If you were like some of us, who had Baylor, Kentucky, Tennessee and Auburn, don’t worry. The second chance pool is here. Just use the login link and it will take you to the second chance entry form. Everyone should get a second chance!!!!

Good luck to everyone next week!!!! And enjoy the Sweet 16!!!!

Ben Mathurin continued leading the Wildcats – including a huge rebound and basket around the one minute mark to take a 3 point lead. TCU had a open three pointer to tie with about 40 seconds, but it was short.

And then I know it is the conventional strategy but I don’t like it. TCU decided to play defense instead of fouling. Arizona took the shot clock down, and Mathurin missed the 3, but Christian Koloko came flying down the lane to grab the rebound and slam it home.

Arizona now had a 5 point lead with 10 seconds left. TCU missed two three-pointers, but it didn’t matter. Time ran out and Arizona wins by 5.

Time for the Lunatic to go to bed!!! We’ll figure out the standings tomorrow! But if this weekend didn’t go well for your picks, the second chance pool is ready to go. Log back in and get another chance to pick the Final Four teams!!!!

I will make sure to get the second chance entry form ready once this game ends but I might have to save my emails and congratulations to the leaders for sometime tomorrow – I simply can’t blog past 1 am into the night.

However, Arizona and TCU are playing a thriller. Bennedict Mathurin made a dunk with about one minute left to cut TCU’s lead to one. TCU’s Damion Baugh missed a jumper off a drive but Eddie Lampkin got the offensive rebound and laid it in to send the lead back to 3. Then, TCU played great defense, but Arizona got the ball to Mathurin with time running out on the shot clock and hit a three pointer to tie the game.

TCU had a chance for the last shot when a fascinating sequence happened. Mike Miles got trapped near half court, and as he tried to get out of trouble and make a drive to the basket, he looks like he gets fouled, falls to the ground, and loses the ball at half court.

Dalen Terry picks up the ball and drives uncontested to the lane. And as he goes up to dunk the ball, the clock hits 0 with the ball still in his hands. Looks like the clock decided – you don’t get to win by fouling and taking the ball. You have to earn it over 5 more minutes. Here we go late into the night.

Trevion Williams scored 22 points leading the Boilers through the night. But Texas just wouldn’t go away, making the Lunatic horrendously nervous. Texas had cut the lead to three points.

And then with about a minute to play, Purdue’s star guard took the ball off the inbounds, dribbled to the center of the court, made a great cross-over dribble to create a little space and drained a three-pointer to give Purdue a 6 point lead. Purdue would hit their free throws from there to win 81-71 and advance to the Sweet 16.

The Lunatic is so happy. The Boilers are in the Sweet 16. Boiler Up!!!!!

The Hurricanes are heading to the Sweet 16. I believe they led from start to finish. But they finished with a 79-61 victory over 2nd seeded Auburn. No one believed in the ACC, but they certainly have played well in the tournament.

With the Miami victory, we are guaranteed to have a double digit seed invading the Elite 8, as the 10th seeded Miami Fl Hurricanes will play the 11th seeded Iowa State Cyclones. One way or another, there’s a storm heading to Chicago and the Midwest Region Finals

The Red Raiders missed 10 of their last 11 shots from the field. But Texas Tech kept managing to get defensive stops against Notre Dame and then would get to the free throw line on offense. With 5 minutes left, they were losing by 1 point.

And yet, despite not scoring from the field, they scored 10 points from the line. With the Irish trying desperately to score down 5, they missed multiple shots, Texas Tech blocks the last shot, taps out the rebound, and passes it up to Kevin McCullar for a celebratory and game-ending dunk. The Red Raiders would win 59-53 and advance.

It was certainly not pretty. The game was extremely physical. I do think it was poorly officiated, but at a certain point, both teams were banging each other around because it wasn’t getting called.

Wisconsin’s point guard Chucky Hepburn injured his ankle in the first half and never returned, eventually showing up on the bench with a walking boot and crutches. And Wisconsin clearly looked lost the rest of the game.

Tonight, Iowa State’s hero was Gabe Kalscheur. He scored 22 of the Cyclones’ 54 points. As Iowa State stretched their lead in the second half, he made a couple nice drives into the lane and drained the jumper. But his biggest plays might have gone lost in the stats sheet, as he batted a couple of offensive rebounds back to his teammates allowing Iowa State to take another 20 seconds off the clock.

I would have to say that Iowa State’s TJ Otzelberger has to be considered the Coach of the Year. This is his first season at Iowa State, and he has taken a program that won 2 games before he showed up to the Sweet 16. I don’t know if this has ever happened or not, but it is just incredible the job he has done.

I have to say that I am horribly nervous. Watching the Big 10 go 0-4 today is not giving me great feelings with my Boilers getting ready to play Texas. The two regular season Big 10 champs, Illinois and Wisconsin, just scored 53 and 48 points in their Sweet 16 games. I sure hope that Purdue can win this game – I really want to see them playing next week.

There is definitely other exciting games going on. Texas Tech is down 1 to the 11 seed Irish. Auburn is down 1 to the 10 seed Hurricanes. But the Lunatic’s attention will be in Milwaukee, hoping above hope that the Boilers can head to the Sweet 16.

But I digress! This post should be all about the amazing Iowa State Cyclones!!!! I know that some of my family is from Ames, Iowa and has always been huge supporters of Iowa State – so I am thrilled that the Cyclones will be heading to my old home of Chicago to the Midwest Region Sweet 16. Go Cyclones!!!!!!