Please excuse me if I seem a bit agaitated this morning. Aah, forget agitated, flushed with outrage. After what happened in the NFC Championship Game, where the Vikings fell short(AGAIN!!) in New Orleans. The anger is spread out on all fronts, but mostly against Pete Morelli, who pretty much created this generation's "Immaculate Pushoff" when he ruled that a catch in overtime was still good, even when there was evidence that revealed the New Orleans receiver trapped the ball. Two plays later, the Saints won on a field goal and I went to bed feeling angry. But in this business you don't brood over such shenanigans, you brush it off and move on. Which is why there is this week's projected bracket. (Done as always as if the season ended last night).
Final Four Pairings
Midwest(1) vs. West(4)
South(2) vs. East(3)
Midwest Region
@Milwaukee
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Opening Round winner
Opening Round: Central Michigan(Mid-American) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff(Southwestern)
8-Xavier vs. 9-Texas A&M
@San Jose
4-Pittsburgh vs. 13-Northeastern(Colonial)
5-Ohio State vs. 12-Maryland(Atlantic Coast)
@Oklahoma City
2-Texas vs. 15-Texas A&M-Corpus Christi(Southland)
7-New Mexico vs. 10-Mississippi State
@Buffalo
3-West Virginia vs. 14-Morgan State(Mid-Eastern)
6-Florida State vs. 11-Rhode Island
West Region
@ Buffalo
1-Syracuse vs. 16-Maine(America East)
8-Nevada-Las Vegas vs. 9-Siena(Metro Atlantic)
@New Orleans
4-Kansas State vs. 13-Oakland(Summit)
5-Vanderbilt vs. 12-Charlotte
@Milwaukee
2-Michigan State(Big Ten) vs. 15-Lehigh(Patriot)
7-Missouri vs. 10-UAB(Conference USA)
@Spokane
3-Gonzaga(West Coast) vs. 14-Weber State(Big Sky)
6-Northern Iowa(Missouri Valley vs. 11-North Carolina
South Region
@Oklahoma City
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-Arkansas State(Sun Belt)
8-Connecticut vs. 9-California(Pac-10)
@Spokane
4-Wisconsin vs. 13-Louisiana Tech(Western Athletic)
5-Clemson vs. 12-Old Dominion
@Jacksonville
2-Tennessee vs. 15-Coastal Carolina(Big South)
7-Wake Forest vs. 10-Cornell(Ivy)
@Providence
3-Georgetown vs. 14-College of Charleston(Southern)
6-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 11-Oklahoma State
East Region
@Providence
1-Villanova(Big East) vs. 16-Campbell(Atlantic Sun)
8-Georgia Tech vs. 9-Florida
@San Jose
4-Brigham Young(Mountain West) vs. 13-Pacific(Big West)
5-Butler(Horizon) vs. 12-Seton Hall
@Jacksonville
2-Duke vs. 15-Quinnipiac(Northeast)
7-Baylor vs. 10-St. Mary's
@New Orleans
3-Purdue vs. 14-Murray State(Ohio Valley)
6-Mississippi vs. 11-Louisville
Last four in the field: Rhode Island, Charlotte, Seton Hall, Old Dominion
First four left out: Dayton, Wichita State, Virginia Tech, Northwestern
Next four left out: William & Mary, Richmond, Oklahoma, Cincinnati
Also under consideration: Miami(FL), Virginia, George Washington, Notre Dame, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia Commonwealth, Marshall, Memphis, Tulsa, Illinois State, San Diego State, Arizona State, Washington, Alabama, Georgia, Utah State
Moving in: Maine, Maryland, Charlotte, Connecticut, Louisville, Seton Hall, Oklahoma State, Northeastern, Old Dominion, Central Michigan, Quinnipiac, Lehigh, Florida, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Moving out: Vermont, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Richmond, Marquette, Minnesota, William & Mary, Marshall, Buffalo, Long Island, Arizona State, Washington, Lafayette, Jackson State
State of the Bubble, this week
With the State of the Union being held this week, look for it's basketball counterpart, the State of the Bubble to come out over the next 3 days on this blog.
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Wow! You finally pulled your gophers out of the bracket. They didn't deserve to be in last week either. You are supposed to choose teams on merit not whether you are a fan of them. Minnesota beats the mediocre/bad teams and losing to the good teams. That Ohio State win doesn't mean much since Turner was not playing.
ReplyDeleteI actually thought about leaving them out last week, but put them in as somewhat of a hedge bet, thinking they could beat Michigan State at home. Of course the Gophers pulled a come-from-ahead to lose gambit to foil that.
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