Two picks that I was especially proud of this year are both going to be put to the test today. The first was that I picked West Virginia to beat Duke, and the second was K State over Wisconsin. The first has just come to pass, and the second has just begun.
So yeah, there's a little gloating going on. But mostly, I hope that this puts an end to the stupid "If they get Alexander in foul trouble" analysis that seems to be the only thing that most talking heads know about WVU.
And we should no longer have to listen to how the ACC is a "power" conference. UNC is still a strong team, but the drop off after them is steeper than it's been in some time. For the record, today the 5th place team in the Big East took down the 2nd place ACC squad. And that's a day after the 3rd place ACC squad lost to a team many said shouldn't make the Tournament, 8th place Villanova. I know memories are short in the sportstainment world (except when it comes to ACC homerism), but I hope that someone remembers this next year when time comes to debate the strength of the pack in the Big East.
And there goes pick #2 down the drain. Wisconsin looked much better on offense than I had expected. But I'll hang my hat on WVU, happily, since I suspect a lack of Duke will mess up many other brackets...
Bad day for me... I had Georgetown in the final four. D'oh.
Yeah, me too. But my other Elite 8 teams are all still alive, so there's that.
"ACC homerism"!! Classic. I've long felt a bias toward the Big East for a lot of reasons. I remember Carlesimo's father arguing for a new conference that would contend with the PAC-10, the then-powerhouse conference. Times have changed, but the play in the Big East is still more exciting, more physical, and arguably truer to to the game than any other conference (with maybe the exception of the Atlantic 10).