Every Single Damn Thing You Need To Get The Juices Flowing For The Most Intriguing Day Of The Year
It's no secret I love this man. This is what the NCAA Tournament is though. It's about mayhem and onions. I don't know why but I always think of Siena's win with Raft screaming onions, double order as the go-to one. You had the upset, you had the double order line, it was perfect. All I did yesterday was make sure whatever game he was on was on the TV with sound. He gets priority in this household. If you don't enjoy a bunch of game winning shots, well I don't know what the hell to tell you.
Schedule
Bracket
We're staring at a potential monster week next week. Now, I'm sure there will 2-3 double digit seeds moving onto the Sweet 16, but right now you're looking at matchups that everyone wants.
3 Best Games Today
1. Gonzaga vs Kansas
2. UNC vs Michigan State
3. Oregon vs Creighton
Five Most Entertaining Players Today
This isn't about the best. Every March there are guys you just start to watch no matter what. We're talking guys that make you glued to the TV. Guys who explode on Twitter. I hate myself for this.
1. Jack Gohlke (Oakland)
2. DJ Burns (NC State)
3. Terrence Shannon (Illinois)
4. Kylan Boswell (Arizona)
5. Max Abmas (Texas)
Five Storylines/Game Previews
1. Why the fuck would I say intriguing?
Okay, so I used the word intriguing here because I truly think it is. I love the second weekend. You get the perfect mix of big time matches, the darlings of the 1st round vs a big name, whatever combo. There's an extra level of nervousness of getting out of the first weekend. Look at who is playing too. We'll touch on some of these teams later but Tennessee and Arizona trying to finally make a run. Illinois trying to finally get out of the first weekend. A game between two double-digit seeds. It's a damn near perfect day of TV watching.
2. Rick Barnes vs the team who dumped him
We know what happened, but basically Texas felt like they hit the ceiling with Rick Barnes, he wasn't getting back to a Final Four and it was time to move on. He goes to Tennessee where he's made them relevant - or at least got them back to Bruce Pearl days. But he needs a run. Tennessee has flamed out fast in the NCAA Tournament under Barnes. Now he has a team made for a run and draws his old team. How can you not be romantic about basketball? Plus you have some awesome guard matchups. Ziegler vs Abmas. Texas gonna have to find a way to beat up Knecht and make him uncomfortable.
3. Jack Gohlke vs DJ Burns and Twitter
Fuck. I hate that I have to write this. I'm not over it guys, alright. I am who I am. But I'm not dumb. I know what people want. The people want Jack Gohlke launching 25 threes vs DJ Burns bodying dudes in the post. It's truly a shame they aren't on the same team, preferably NC State and preferably before this past Thursday. But it's what people want. There I said it. I'm still mad.
4. Izzo and Self doing it again
It seems like any year you say these two guys have shit teams, they figure it out. I still don't love either of these teams. They are flawed - a lot of people are - but they are really flawed. Kansas still doesn't have McCullar and we saw that start to show when Samford went even more nuts with their pressure late in the game. Now you have a Gonzaga team, who, yeah, better than Samford. Gonzaga has a big in Ike who can bother Dickinson, means Kansas needs someone to step up again. They'll throw different looks at Adams and Dickinson. Izzo still seems like he's not sure who the hell to play in the frontcourt. But Hoggard/Walker are good enough to win you games. Plus if you get the Akins from Thursday, it looks like what everyone though they'd be in the preseason. The line is at 4 as I blog this too. No. 1 seeds with that low of a line in this round typically don't fare well.
5. Oh yeah, Iowa State and Washington State are playing
This happens every year during the Round of 32. A game gets lost. That's Washington State and Iowa State. It might be expected to be a gross game, but one of these teams is moving on to the Sweet 16. You also have two coaches who have been linked to a bunch of jobs. Sometimes you see teams just lay duds when that happens. We've seen teams say fuck it, we'll win and keep you here. That's why this game is fascinating. Winner gets Illinois/Duquesne, you think they are scared of that? Nope. Also Myles Rice is a hell of a story.
Picks
8-5 in round 1, +2.6 units
Dayton +9.5
Gonzaga -4.5
UNC -4
Oakland/NC State over 146.5
Texas +6.5