That game was the best of the tournament! I hope everyone got to see it. Pittsburgh’s loss really shook up the rankings. I talked to Harv on Fri. and he wasn’t even expecting to be in the Top 10 this year but suddenly, once again, he’s holding the #1 spot. Things can change quickly. We should have two more good games today!

Siena has been providing some exciting games. We’ve seen 8 OT’s in the past 4 days of basketball and as usual, this weekend never fails to bring us excitement! Even though I didn’t pick ‘em, there are several reasons that I would really like to see the Saints beat Louisville this afternoon. First is that Siena is Mark Sigman’s alma mater. Sigman helped me get this pool off the ground in the mid-90’s when we were both just finding our way into computers and the internet. Second, Louisville is good, and likely to win it all but an upset of this caliber would be a huge and exciting game.

Go Saints!

I want to hear what people think will be the most exciting game of the first round? What matchups will most likely provide buzzer-beater potential? Post your thoughts in the comments.

We’ll be watching at Fiddler’s Elbow in the Sugarhouse district of Salt Lake, so if you are in the area, stop by. Looks like snow is rolling in for the weekend making the the March Dilemma (ski or basketball?) that much more complex…

Watching the Big East Final tonight, I realized what really makes a coach great.   Jim Boeheim never shows panic.  Instead, he can consistently take a rag-tag group of average players and cut his way through any tournament.  It’s strange to watch a team that has been mediocre all year suddenly excel, in fact rise above every0ne.  Tonight, Louisville won, and they are good, but Syracuse was the better TEAM.  More unselfish, more forgiving, more relentless, only out of gas…

There’s only so much a coach can do, but Boeheim does it all.  He never yells…unless necessary.  He understands the limitations, weaknesses and talents of his teams, and strings them together like a master conductor.  I know Jonny Flynn got the MVP of this game, but Jim Boeheim deserves the credit.   His ability to rest, relax, fire up and instill trust reflects a god-given talent to bring a team together and inspire them to excel when the time is necessary.

He’s a master tactician, something lacking in the ACC, and he sets a standard in the Big East that has yet to be replicated.

Jim Boeheim will go down in my book as one of the greatest.   I put him on a level above Dean Smith, mike she-chef-ski (yes, I know how to spell it.. but hate to do so - Krzyzewski), Jim Cahoun, Roy Williams, etc…  There are some historical coaches that have done more and won more, but Jim, although not the greatest recruiter, has done more with less, more impressively than most any other coach I’ve seen.

On top of that, the energy in tonight’s Big East Championship was phenomenal.  It was one if the greatest basketball tournaments I’ve ever seen, full of passion and desire.  I can only hope that the National Championship can prove itself worthy.  The Big East has earned a reputation of bowing out, these last few years but by all means have they proven themselves worthy of good entertainment this year.

I can’t wait to be in Madison Square Garden next year….

I can’t remember the last time I saw a game go into 6 overtimes. The buzzer beater at the end of regulation was a buzz-kill but The ‘Cuse pulled out the victory.  I hope you didn’t miss this one.   With both UConn and Pitt out of the Big East tourney, the door is open for Louisville to guarantee them a #1 seed!  More to come tomorrow!

I’ve read two interesting articles this week on Tyler Hansbrough and have to wonder myself why anyone could dislike what is apparently the epitome of a college basketball role model. Both articles provide good perspective and balance, but Tyler deserves all that he has worked so hard to be and stands as a model of desire, effort and results. Take a read:

CBS Article: Hating Hansbrough is strange … understanding why even stranger
Summary Quote:

If your favorite school signed a prospect in November, wouldn’t you hope that prospect would stay four years, earn a degree, keep out of trouble and smash records? Wouldn’t that be the perfect scenario? Of course it would! And really, that’s all Hansbrough has done. But somehow he’s still become the object of hate, for whatever reason.

Yahoo Article: Why fans dislike Tyler Hansbrough: A treatise in one blog post
Summary Quote:

But that really doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. The real reason why people loathe Tyler Hansbrough is much simpler, much less psychological. People dislike Tyler Hansbrough because the media loves him.

If you watch ESPN or even CBS, you know it’s true. Dick Vitale loves him. Digger Phelps loves him. Everyone loves him. It has been dogmatically accepted for about three years that Hansbrough is the best big man in the college game, that he’s one of the best college players of all-time, that he has no flaws in his game and so on. This hyperbole knows no bounds. And of course Vitale is the worst offender; even as his supporters admit that Hansbrough’s game likely isn’t suited for the NBA, Vitale uses broadcast time to dare NBA teams to pass on the player. It’s insane.

I agree with both points of view, but what really matters is what Tyler wants.  He wants to be as good as he possibly can be.  It’s that desire, and the work to achieve it, that seem to have overcome his lack of grace, skill or talent.  He wasn’t born to be a great basketball player..but he has proven that desire plus effort can make you a legend, despite your skill-level!

The latest RPI rankings have been added to the home page.

I’m watching PITT play UCONN and they are looking strong. Their size and speed are making them my #1 pick in the tourney!

Did you see the press conference with Jim Calhoun after the S. Florida game on Sat.?  Now the Connecticut politicians want an apology from Coach Calhoun.  Many are saying that the coach’s response to the questions was irresponsible but I don’t blame Jim for getting defensive when he has a lot to defend.  He’s earned every penny of his salary and consistently made UConn one of the great basketball programs in the country.  He’s proud of his accomplishments.  His salary was negotiated fairly and in better economic times and has nothing to do with the state’s budget woes.  I also honestly believe that we would get better politicians, less pork-barrel and more productivity out of our elected officials if they were paid much more than they are today. They are constantly working to raise money to maintain a lifestyle equal to that of their peers, the lobbyists and businessmen (and college basketball coaches) they deal with on a daily basis.  I suspect this backlash stems from a tiny bit of jealousy….  What do you think (take it from here Sig)?

Baskeball is in full swing and I’m getting ready early for March Madness. Prior to selections, the site is going to focus on the RPI rankings and key matchups as we count down to Selection Sunday on March 15th! I’ll be posting the weekly RPI on the site each Monday night.

Additionally, this year I want to encourage more input and interactivity by using Facebook Connect. If you have a Facebook account, you can use it to login and then post comments on the blog and share in your facebook profile. You can also connect with and make friends with other participants.

For those of you that were here in the mid-90’s, you can remember the spirited interactivity we had on the bulletin boards that served as the precursors to Facebook and social networking! Perhaps we’ll ressurect some old friends like Coach J and Hoop Haven!

The site is going up earlier than normal this year, so please check in, and help spread the word. It’s my favorite month of the year, I’m really excited and I look forward to sharing all the passion with you!