NCAA MARCH MADNESS TOURNAMENT. Right now it appears that Kentucky will receive the overall number one seed. Which guarantees them the easiest path to the final four. Here is where I make many of you mad. Might just as well get it out of the way right now. After careful consideration I predict KENTUCKY will be the first NUMBER ONE seed out. Kentucky is a good team and appears as of now they will go undefeated in regular season. But if you look at their schedule…..WHO have they played. A few teams that may be in the Tournament. But looking at their overall schedule, it has been pretty much of a soft schedule. In other years it could have been a tough schedule. But this year, well it was a disappointment. All teams have these years….maybe. But it may work out for them. While they have pretty much coasting, and other teams have been going toe to toe. They may be the most rested team entering the Tournament. Is it possible for a team with a losing record be in the BIG DANCE? Just ask MEAC Tournament Champion Hampton Pirates. With a 16-17 record. The answer is yes. Can they wear the Glass Slipper? What is a seed? Merely a starting place. Although unlikely, IT is possible for two 16 seeds to meet in the final game. Would lets say Kentucky were to be seeded as a number 16. They would still have to win all games to be CHAMPION ! OKAY. so I was wrong Villanova was first number 1 out. So That makes Kentucky 2nd Number 1 seed out. I called it right the second time!! Kentucky was the second number 1 out. They did play well. But their weak regular season schedule did not prepare them for the stronger teams. It took a last second desperation shot to overcome Notre Dame. But Wisconsin’s tough season made them ready. The behavior of the Kentucky “FANS” back in Kentucky I am sure did not reflect the feelings of the Wildcat Coaches and Players. However their acts do reflect back to them, the University, and The STATE. I still do not understand this type of childish behavior. It does not change the outcome of the game. Maybe “TOO Much ALCOHOL” is an excuse. But that would be all it was. NOT A REASON! Kentucky did make it a lot farther than I expected. Hats off to Kentucky Team for not quitting. Maybe next year (for a change) they will return with experienced players, and not have to rely on Freshmen. Here is to next year Kentucky. Season is over. Congratulations to DUKE. It is hard to say one bad call changes the outcome of a game. However a couple of bad calls and NO CALLS. Can alter a game. In what I saw was DUKE get more than their share the last 3 minutes of the game. I saw them commit charges that were mis -called BLOCKS. I saw Duke throw up there forearms to clear space. I really think the REFS let the game get out of control. Of course You can make the excuse that they were letting the teams play. HOWEVER, the Most Questionable Non Call was with about 2 minutes +/-. It was plenty obvious the Ball went out last touched by DUKE’s Winslow I think. I am not really good with names. But no one can say for sure if that really made a big difference, DOWN by 5. It would have given the BADGERS a chance to score and cut the lead by 2 or 3, (if they scored). This could have changed the momentum, or not. Who can say? But it is over no going back. I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT UNLIKE KENTUCKY, I SAW NO BEHAVIOR ON THE PART OF EITHER TEAMS FANS. (hope I’m not speaking too soon). But Hats off to them for showing maturity. Well THAT IS HOW I SEE IT. Check back for other articles throughout the year. Maybe some Public Service Announcements, or who knows what may strike my fancy. Maybe a few sports articles. but I Just have not been able to get into baseball since the strike which brought about the PED thing when they allowed Mark McGuire to hit those home runs to generate interest in the game. Just like the NBA let MJ get by with making his own rules to create interest in their arena. I can’t really call them sports any more. But will be back with our usual Football coverage. ACTUAL / RESULTS https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-MM-Brackett-Actual.pdf ALL-High-Picks. https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-MM-Bracket-ALL-High-Picks1.pdf UPSETS https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-MM-Brackett-Upsets1.pdf MY PICKS https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-MM-Brackett-My-Picks.pdf Views: 120
Category: NCAA
MARCH MADNESS IS HERE 2014
Finally it is MARCH MADNESS!!!!!. FOR SCORES GO TO UPSET BRACKET Who will be the Number One team this year? Who will be the CINDERELLA team? Could this be the year a 16 seed upsets a number 1 seed? Who will be the most upset minded team? Could we see a one Conference final game. Maybe even a one Conference FINAL FOUR. Will SOMEONE Come Up with a PERFECT PICK SHEET? This year Warren Buffett is offering a $1,000,000,000 (that is one billion dollars) to whoever picks the perfect bracket.Below you will find a link to enter (at least I think it is). https://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/ WOW! Lots of possibilities waiting for us. Maybe your favorite School Will WIN First we have to have our 68 teams. So Knowing you can’t account for the NCAA’s Committee, THEY have an altogether sometimes strange reasoning for their picks. One thing I really don’t like is this. The committee has decided to add 4 teams they would not have included in the original 64. They may take one of these teams to play into a 12 seed spot. They may have 2 of these teams play into the same SET OF 16. The way I see it they should have these teams play in by having them play the 16 seeds. That way you have one play in, in each block of 16. Views: 145
Belated Super Bowl Wrap-up
I know it is rather late. I have been busy doing some consulting work. Then discovered had an issue with connection upon my return. So this will be short and sweet. YES!!! Seattle Seahawks with Russell Wilson WON! I wish we had a better game. With the top OFFENSE Vs. The top DEFENSE : We should have had a GREAT game. However as I predicted the difference was the Defensive effort. The Denver Broncos had that one blunder in the opening seconds of the game, which threw them in a tizzy. Between that awkward start and the smothering defense of the Seahawks, The Broncos could not recover. I do wish we had seen better showings by both Peyton Manning, and Montee Ball. But neither got much chance to show their skills. Seahawks defense all over them and every Bronco. Now the question is will we see key players from both or either team take advantage of their success this year, to enhance their PAYCHECK. Unfortunately the day of loyalty is long past. Few players have it. I think Peyton Manning would have taken a pay cut to stay with the Indianapolis Colts. Just one of the few LOYAL players around. Speaking of Mr. Manning: I think he may have another year in him. The question is this: Is the desire still beating in his heart. Little brother, has the Super Bowl bragging rights, but Peyton has all those records. I suppose we will just have to wait and see how this all unfolds. Congratulations to both teams for the exceptional season they put together That Is How I See It. P.S. I know the Daytona NASCAR race is coming up. But After all these years I could care less. I usually just flip through the channels and catch glimpses of it. Mike Helton and the powers behind him have ruined it for me. But we will be having our MARCH MADNESS posts. Look for them. Views: 109
The Final Four
APRIL 9, 2013 We have come to the conclusion of this year’s installment of MARCH MADNESS. The new Champion is LOUISVILLE! From what I could tell from the bits and pieces i was able wake up and catch it seemed to be a truly good competition. Michigan started out strong. Then Louisville made their charge. Nip and tuck til the end. The game could have gone anyway. But it was Michigan which found itself on the short end in the closing minutes. Which meant they were forced to foul to extend the game. As happens in this situation, more often than not, The team trying to catch up gets beat, and that is what happened here. Per my definition of being beat or losing. I see no loser here. I see a strong team that got BEAT. NO LOSERS. We should have also learned a valuable lesson. Kevin Ware, who proved during the season to be a star player for the Cardinals was unfortunately injured during tournament play, could only supply moral support to his team most of the tournament games. The players rallyed around his injury. But as good as Kevin Ware is, the team from Louisville proved they were not a one man team. Many teams would have been lost without a player of his caliber. But they showed that they could all, every player, be a key member to the team. When I was coaching I always told the boys ‘Be ready. We have no set starting team. It depends on the team we are playing, what skills are needed. Each player has a different set of skills”. As a player I preferred not to start. As this took pressure off me. (Everyone expects more out of starters than subs). I usually sat for the first minute. Then finished the game. Great tournament, many upsets, and the overalll number one seed emerges the victor. Although not as bad as many the celebrating fans tarnished the schools win with their irresponsible after game behavior. That is all I have to say about this. See your newspapers for details. If they dare to put the story in without whitewashing it. PROGRAM NOTE: APRIL 8,2013 As Much as we would love to see the game tonight. We will be unable to BECAUSE of the lateness of the start time. You see we live in the Central Time Zone. However our illustrious state leadership has decided in its INFINITE wisdom we must observe ATLANTIC TIME, They call it Daylight Saving Time. But there is just so much daylight in a 24 hour day. So no one has been able to save any. Putting us TWO hours ahead of the sun. So The game should be on at 7 pm instead of 10 pm. So to all of you lucky people who get to see the game ENJOY. 4 am comes pretty early when you are two hours ahead of the sun. UPDATE APRIL 7, 2013 And then there were TWO. LOUISVILLE, and MICHIGAN. The stage is set..I am looking for a close game. One that will keep all fans on the edge of their seats. As you know I have said Michigan will be the new NCAA Basketball Champion. Good Luck to both teams. I must hope that the end of this game and season is not marred by in inappropriate action by the ones who consider themselves fan, yet take away from the the pride of their teams by rioting and tearing things up. Both teams deserve better. These outlaw demonstrations SUBTRACT. from the dignity of the respected teams. REJOICE IN THEIR FEATS. UPDATE: We nearly had another upset. A well played game by both Witchita St. and Louisville. Now we must see if Michigan can overcome the Syracuse Press. Usually I give a lot of trivia here but this year I won’t. Suffice it to say this has been one heck of a tournament. So many upsets. Made a tournament season worthy of watching. I Still stand by my original conviction that all four final teams should have come from the Big Ten. Regardless of what my old NEMESIS Sir Charles thinks. (which was always a little far out). The Big Ten had its best shot at an ALL FINAL FOUR shootout. Only team that really let me down was WISCONSIN. They truly had the best shot bur as noted they also have the spells of non-concentration, of which they fell victim. Did they get beat by a better team? NO! They LOST because they did not give their all. As I have said before and will say again. You only get BEAT if you give it all you have and and still end up on the short end of the score. But you LOSE if you don’t leave it all on the court. Granted somedays you may not have as much to give as other days. But Wisconsin just completely melted down. I really don’t feel they respected their opponent. ENOUGH. Locally I find we have one person who had 4 of the final 8. And believe it or not has 2 of the final four. Some of you may have done better. I don’t see how. As much as I would like to see another upset. Odds are really against it so as it stands I see Louisville Vs Michigan in the final game with MICHIGAN the Champions. Both teams are really good. But it will come to MENTAL and PHYSICAL Toughness. I think both team are pretty equal in the MENTAL toughness…. But Physical toughness? Again you have to go back to their conferences. Big Ten definitely the most physical Conference in the country. Michigan has proved they have this PHYSICAL toughness throughout the Big Ten season. Scale tips to Michigan. RESULTS FAVORITES MY PICKS WHY? Because…. I really don’t know. Just a glutton for punishment, I guess Views: 119
NCAA MARCH MADNESS BEGINS
Will Duke upset Louisville? Will there be no number one seeds in the final four? Although I am not a Duke fan. and I don’t have a favorite in this game, I kind of would like to see the UPSET. Well I said I look forward to UPSETS (except in my bracketss). But how about this 16 UPSETS 3 number 1’s and 3 number 2’s. This has to be one heck of a bracket busting season. I wonder, if any of you have a perfect bracket now. The least Busted brasket appears to be the Midewest. Let the games begin: Yes folks it is here, and again this year I will be posting a RESULTS BRACKET , IF FAVORED TEAMS WIN, and MY PICKS. Check here to see how the the teams advance, If the favored teams win, and if you can out pick me. GOOD LUCK ! MAY YOUR TEAM WIN ! I am looking forward to many upsets. (I love seeing brackets turned upside down). RESULTS BRACKET FAVORED BRACKET I think we now have 16 upsets. Including 3 number 1 seeds and 3 number 2 seeds. How is your bracket looking. MY PICKS YES !! I know I have an improbable FINAL FOUR. But remember I said earlier I thought these teams would have won ANY CONFERENCE they may have been in. Thus I have this FINAL FOUR. However let me say this ALL have had Multi-minute scoring lapses. So anything can happen. Any of these teams could be CHAMPION. WISCONSIN should have had enough of these through out the season they will not fall into that slump again. (Although they may fall asleep during the game just as they did during the Purdue LOSS. I am hoping they have matured since that game, and that will not happen again). WISCONSIN Looked like the same team that showed up that played Purdue earlier. Very DOWN. What can I say..YOU HAVE TO BRING YOUR GAME. Everytime you set foot on the floor. PRACTICE included. Views: 117
It Is MARCH MADNESS TIME
Finally it is MARCH MADNESS!!!!!. Who will be the Number One team this year? Who will be the CINDERELLA team? Could this be the year a 16 seed upsets a number 1 seed? Who will be the most upset minded team? Could we see a one Conference final game. Maybe even a one Conference FINAL FOUR. Will SOMEONE Come Up with a PERFECT PICK SHEET. WOW! Lots of possibilities waiting for us. Maybe your favorite School Will WIN First we have to have our 68 teams. So Knowing you can’t account for the NCAA’s Comittee, THEY have an altogether sometimes strange reasoning for their picks. One thing I really don’t like is this. The committee has decided to add 4 teams they would not have included in the original 64. They may take one of these teams to play into a 12 seed spot. They may have 2 of these teams play into the same SET OF 16. The way I see it they should have these teams play in by having them play the 16 seeds. That way you have one play in, in each block of 16. But; Going out on a limb. I have selected these 68 teams to play in the NCAA Tournament of 2013. In Alphabetical Order. [table]1st 16, 2nd 16,3rd 16,4th 16 1. Akron, 18. Hampton, 35. Memphis,52. St. Mary’s 2. Arizona, 19. Harvard, 36. Miami,53. San Diego St. 3. Belmont, 20. Illinois, 37. Michigan. ,54. S. Dakota 4. Boise St, 21. Indiana, 38. Michigan St. ,55. Southern 5. Bucknell, 22 Iona, 39. Minnesota. ,56. Stephen F. Austen 6 Butler, 23. Iowa St. , 40. Missouri. .,57. Syracuse 7. California, 24. James Madison.,41.Montana ,58. Temple 8. Cincinnati, 25 Kansas, 42. New Mexico ,59. Tennessee 9. Colorado, 26. Kansas St, 43. N.Carolina,60. UCLA 10. Colorado St., 27. Kentucky, 44. N. Carolina St.,61. UNLV 11. Creighton, 28 LaSalle, 45. Notre Dame,62. Valparaiso 12. Davidson, 29. Liberty, 46. Ohio St.,63. Va. Commonwealth 13. Duke, 30. Long Beach St., 47. Oklahoma, 64. Vermont 14. Florida, 31LIU Brooklyn., 48. Oklahoma St., 65. Villanova 15. Florida Gulf Coast, 32. Louisiana Tech., 49. Oregon,66. W. Kentucky 16. Georgetown, 33. Louisville, 50.Pittbursgh , 67. Witchita St. 17.Gonzaga,34. Marquette,51. St. Louis,68. Wisconsin [/table] Now my Picks for Number one seeds. (which will not happen due to the NCAA’s need to spread the wealth). The most deserving (as I see it) Indiana, Michigan St., Michigan, and Gonzaga. I Know a lot of you will wonder why I have 3 teams from the Big Ten. Simply because, The strength of the Big 10 this year. I think if any of these teams were in ANY other conference they would have been the number one team. That is the way I see it. Join me for our annual Picks un-contest SEE if you can beat me. I once again will have my picks using the upper ranked team, my personal picks, and the actual finishes. Views: 123
Baltimore Ravens Win !!!
Perhaps the L-O-N-G-E-S-T Super Bowl game in History. BALTIMORE’S RAVENS bested the SAN FRANCISCO FORTY-NINER’S by a score of 34-31. Last night Championship was extended by a power outage. I have read some say it was an external feed, and another report that it was snafu inside the arena; an equipment failure. Either way the side line announcers had the burden of filling in unexpected time. Another thing that made it seem longer to me was the half baked,…er time show. I know many of you are Beyonce fans. But I would like to have more entertainment than a bunch of women in their swimsuits jumping around and making noise. I actually switched over to watch bits of a COLUMBO re-run. Now to the game. Yes my Math and my Scientific methods both failed. Therefore I could claim the Ravens win to be a fluke. But that was not the case. In fact it came down to, (as I said), D-E-F-E-N-S-E. Baltimore brought their defense and San Francisco’s was running way late on it’s arrival. I believe both QB’s did an excellent job. I also believe had San Francisco got their defense together before the power failure. They would have won the game. But they didn’t, and they didn’t. The game hinged on the 108 yard return by Ravens’ Jacoby Jones. There is no way that return should have happened. The 49’ers defense left the whole field unprotected. No one stayed back. Just as in a high school game I watched this past season. The kicker rushed down and tackled the receiver 5 yards after the catch. But that was a mistake. Even though he was able to do that. His coach wasted no time in letting him know it was a mistake. The rest of the season he stayed back and saved many potential scores. Flacco was GIFTED the MVP. Yeah, he did a good job. WAS it a better job than Kaepernick. Not in my eyes. The true MVP was the Ravens DEFENSE. But how do you give MVP, (the “P” is singular) to a group. Thus you give it to a single person. Jacoby Jones would be a fair choice, it was his run back that won the game. But that was only one play. The DEFENSE on the other hand was on thier game most all night. So I suppose as the QB is often considered the leader an Spokesman for the team, Flacco would be give MVP, on behalf of the team. After all , as in any T-E-A-M SPORT, one person can not win the game by himself. Congratulations to the BALTIMORE RAVENS. And I want to compliment fans on both sides. I have not seen any reports of rioting or anything. This shows me their fans are (both Baltimore, and San Francisco), are CHAMPIONS too. Hope to see you NFL fans back here again next year. I have time to try to figure what I did wrong this year. I suppose the next big event is NASCAR SEASON. and for some the NBA All-Star game. I don’t care for the All-Star game. Because they don’t really have any BASKETBALL stars. Merely Media Darlings. I will go into my feelings about the NBA at a later time. I may have opinions to share about NASCAR later. Looking forward to NCAA Basketball tournament. will give my picks, updates and OPINION; just like i did last year. For now We close the book on: 2012 FOOTBALL,and the 2013 SUPER BOWL XLVII. One final note some of the commercials were good. Some not. But at least some got more exposure due to the 34 minute delay. My favorite was, again Budweiser, with the CLYDESDALE COLT. Thank you for indulging me. Views: 104
College Campus Basketball Games
Recently it was announced the Rivalry Between INDIANA UNIVERSITY, and their cross river Rival, the UNIVERSITY of KENTUCKY, will cease to be in the upcoming 2012-2013 Season. What? Say it isn’t so. ……But, alas it is. How did this happen? The way I understand it the University of Kentucky,( AKA, know as the minor league of the NBA), in it’s usual fashion of believing Basketball at UK is a business, only, situation. They see $$$$ ,(dollar signs), in this long enduring confrontation. Indiana University doesn’t. Yes folks, it all comes down to money, as so many things do. The University of Kentucky Wildcats, want to move the games from the home gyms, to an off Campus site which seats, more people, thus, more money to line the schools pockets. Indiana University, says, NO!!! The way the Hoosiers, of IU look at it is….This is a SCHOOL team. It should be played on the campuses, to allow all students the opportunity to watch and participate. By moving to an off Campus arena would require those students to drive or by some other means go arrive at the playing site, and thereby limiting overall school participation by those students who cannot travel. As for me I must take the Hurryin Hoosiers side on this. It is a school event and should therefore be played on campus. Yes the extra money would be nice…..but let us not lose sight of the fact. of which has been lost for some time in College, and some cases High School, SPORTS are intended merely to be an extension of the class room. There, believe it or not, are things that can only be learned in a sports setting. BUSINESS,or LEARNING experience? That Is How I See It What Do You Think? Take Our Poll [poll id=’1′] Views: 149
Then There Are TWO
The Final TWO. If I were a betting man I would pick the team that starts with a “K”. And that is my final prediction for tonight’s game.
Down To Four
Down To Four. We started with Seventy Two Teams and now there is only Four. We have seen Sixteen Upsets. (Ironically the same number as in SWEET SIXTEEN). We have but one number One SEED team remaining. U. Kentucky. Two number two seeds, and One fourth seeded team. We have three teams in a conference named “BIG…..”. Odd man out is …….Kentucky, representing the SEC (South Eastern Conference). Their Opponent, Louisville, represents the BIG EAST CONFERENCE. While Ohio St. is appearing under the BIG TEN CONFERENCE. With their opponent, Kansas, is with the BIG TWELVE CONFERENCE. Side note the Big Ten Conference has twelve teams. The Big Twelve Conference has but ten teams. Go Figure. For all intents you could say all four teams are from the midwest. The distance between Kentucky, and Louisville is a mere 77.56 miles. In contrast the difference between Kansas and Ohio St. is 696.8 miles. Now let us see whom according to distance would be the closest to HOME team. Care to guess………..? Which team will have to travel the farthest………….? With Sixteen upsets if you had played your bracket with the upper seed all the way this is what your brackets would look like. To this point. Just a little bit of trivia, I guess, after all who really cares, about these little tidbits. Oh yes. Before I go, here is the answer, to the Home, (closest to New Orleans) would be LOUISVILLE, to travel 706.22 miles. U.Kentucky, will travel 743.97 miles. So we know these two are the closest. Thus giving Louisville, the “HOME COURT” advantage. Which means we now have Kansas, and Ohio State University. Ohio State, will travel 909.4 miles. Kansas a mere 874.12 miles. Thereby giving Kansas the “HOME COURT” advantage. I’ll bet most of you thought Kansas would have the longest trip to New Orleans. Louisville thusly will have “home court advantage” as long as they last in the tournament. Remember the higher seed team is usually billed as the “home team”. That Is How I See It. Views: 187
