Gordio Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 This my favorite sports week of the year, the opening weekend of the greatest sporting event of the year; The NCAA Tournament. With no dominant team this year, it looks like as wide open of a tournament as I could remember. Some of the things the committee did especially with the seeding baffled me. How does Oregon end up as a 12 seed when they beat out UCLA in the Pac 10 Tourney & UCLA ends up with a 6 seed. I think UNC got jobbed getting bracketed in the dreaded 8/9 slot(got to play the 1 seed the next round). I really don't have a problem with some of the teams that were left out(Kentucky/Tenn/Virginia/Maryland). I would rather see some of the mid majors in there to see what they can do. I got Louisville coming out of the Midwest, Gonzaga coming out of the West(this is Few's best team I think he is due to breakthru & finallly get that final 4 appearance), I got Miami coming out of the East(I love their guard play & their average age is like 22/23 years old) & I got Michigan coming out of the South. Not crazy about that pick, but Kansas has been inconsistent all year, Gtown has such a hard time creating offense sometimes & Florida has shown time & time again this year that if you could get those guys in a close game they usually lose. Taking off Thursday & meeting some friends out at Wild Wings & then Friday I have a party over my house. I tap the keg @ 11am sharp & friends(some that I don't see all year) start trickling in shortly after that. I get the deep fryer going throughout the day & then throw some steaks on in the evening before the night games start. It is always a fun time. Really looking forward to this weekend. Anybody else got any special plans for this weekend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I feel good about Florida & Indiana on the right side of the bracket. I'm with you on Michigan over Kansas (who actually lost to Iowa St twice without a banked in 3 and terrible call). But I think Fla losing every close game is more bad luck than anti-clutch. They're the only team in the country top 5 in both offense and defense. The other side is iffy. Toughest decision for me is L'ville-Duke; will probably roll w/ Duke to be different. I'll give them a mulligan for the Maryland debacle, which was their only loss with Ryan Kelly playing. L'ville better hope they don't get an officiating crew that calls fouls tight. Ohio St. reluctantly in the west I guess. Pitt will give Gonzaga all they can handle. With Cuse being the last Thursday game I'll probably just take Friday off and drink heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I'm going to Vegas for March Madness this year. I do pretty good in brackets each year but I've never bet on college basketball. Any tips? BTW, I hear you on Kansas not making it out. I kinda like VCU there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I can never bet against izzo. Have mich state making another final four run. good luck to anyone picking Louisville-- Peyton Siva is the ultimate choker. The toughest one for me is Indiana or Miami in the west. I could see the winner of that game winning the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 What do folks think about the potential UNC/Kansas matchup on Sunday? I know I shouldn't look past Villanova -- they have some great wins this year -- but the Heels seem to be a team that would create all kinds of matchup problems for them and Nova is not big. Heels have nobody to stack up against Withey, but they're playing some confident ball these days and their four guard lineup is giving teams fits. If not for Miami absolutely playing their asses off yesterday, Carolina would have won the ACC tourney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordio Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 I'm going to Vegas for March Madness this year. I do pretty good in brackets each year but I've never bet on college basketball. Any tips? BTW, I hear you on Kansas not making it out. I kinda like VCU there. That is awesome, I always wanted to go to Vegas for the first weekend of the tournament. I usually go super bowl weekend but my friends & I have talked about changing it up one of these years. From what I hear the books are crazy. I would get there early if I was you(like 7:30am or so). We usually end up at the Mirage but this year we hung out at Harrah's sports book. It is small & is not the best but 2 things I like. We got a nice pub table in the back, they were really lenient with the drink tickets & you could walk up to the bar inside the book & order a drink with the drink ticket & not wait for a cocktail waitress to come around every 45 minutes to get a drink. Mirage you can not do that. I like VCU & they create all kinds of matchup problems. That VCU/Michigan 2nd round game should be a good one if it happens. What do folks think about the potential UNC/Kansas matchup on Sunday? I know I shouldn't look past Villanova -- they have some great wins this year -- but the Heels seem to be a team that would create all kinds of matchup problems for them and Nova is not big. Heels have nobody to stack up against Withey, but they're playing some confident ball these days and their four guard lineup is giving teams fits. If not for Miami absolutely playing their asses off yesterday, Carolina would have won the ACC tourney. I think Kansas got a horrible draw with playing UNC/Villanova in the 2nd round. If the heels shoot the ball like they did on Sunday, they could beat Kansas. Hairston was unconscious for most of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Vader Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 This my favorite sports week of the year, the opening weekend of the greatest sporting event of the year; The NCAA Tournament. With no dominant team this year, it looks like as wide open of a tournament as I could remember. Some of the things the committee did especially with the seeding baffled me. How does Oregon end up as a 12 seed when they beat out UCLA in the Pac 10 Tourney & UCLA ends up with a 6 seed. Not only that, Colorado made it in as a 10 seed. This year's tournament will definitely live up to the phrase "March Madness". This season has been very unpredictable and no team is safe. Honestly, do Louisville, Indiana, Gonzaga & Kansas look like they are true #1 seeds? The South is the toughest region and the East is the weakest. My hometown of San Jose is hosting games this year which is great, but I am disappointed that we get two match-ups of 4's Vs. 13's & 5's Vs. 12's. This happened the last time the tourney came here. Oh well at least teams like Syracuse & Oklahoma State will be here so there is some excitement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 That is awesome, I always wanted to go to Vegas for the first weekend of the tournament. I usually go super bowl weekend but my friends & I have talked about changing it up one of these years. From what I hear the books are crazy. I would get there early if I was you(like 7:30am or so). We usually end up at the Mirage but this year we hung out at Harrah's sports book. It is small & is not the best but 2 things I like. We got a nice pub table in the back, they were really lenient with the drink tickets & you could walk up to the bar inside the book & order a drink with the drink ticket & not wait for a cocktail waitress to come around every 45 minutes to get a drink. Mirage you can not do that. I like VCU & they create all kinds of matchup problems. That VCU/Michigan 2nd round game should be a good one if it happens. Nice, I've never been for a big sporting event. We are thinking about doing The PUB @ Monte Carlo on Thursday and Friday. $60 open bar, all you can eat wings/sliders, and they have a betting window setup in the restaurant. Saturday we're going to the Cosmopolitan. For $125 they have an all day open bar, betting window, and seating in their ball room. Not sure on what we're doing Sunday yet. May go check out the Harrah's sportsbook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Not only that, Colorado made it in as a 10 seed. This year's tournament will definitely live up to the phrase "March Madness". This season has been very unpredictable and no team is safe. Honestly, do Louisville, Indiana, Gonzaga & Kansas look like they are true #1 seeds? The South is the toughest region and the East is the weakest. My hometown of San Jose is hosting games this year which is great, but I am disappointed that we get two match-ups of 4's Vs. 13's & 5's Vs. 12's. This happened the last time the tourney came here. Oh well at least teams like Syracuse & Oklahoma State will be here so there is some excitement. The 4/13 and 5/12 matchups have historically been ripe for an upset or two. Much better than getting the 1/16 or 2/15 draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 What do folks think about the potential UNC/Kansas matchup on Sunday? I know I shouldn't look past Villanova -- they have some great wins this year -- but the Heels seem to be a team that would create all kinds of matchup problems for them and Nova is not big. Heels have nobody to stack up against Withey, but they're playing some confident ball these days and their four guard lineup is giving teams fits. If not for Miami absolutely playing their asses off yesterday, Carolina would have won the ACC tourney. Their road to the finals was Fla St & Maryland. Meh. One close game out of three vs Miami when two of them were home isn't impressive to me, particularly on the heels of getting smoked by Duke at home. Doesn't seem like their ceiling is really high enough to beat Kansas in KC. They should be able to handle Nova, who really doesn't do much well other than get to the FT line. The 4/13 and 5/12 matchups have historically been ripe for an upset or two. Much better than getting the 1/16 or 2/15 draw. Yah those are the best 1st (and 2nd) rd games you can have imo. Even the 8/9's can be a bit boring w/ no real underdog or contender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Their road to the finals was Fla St & Maryland. Meh. One close game out of three vs Miami when two of them were home isn't impressive to me, particularly on the heels of getting smoked by Duke at home. Doesn't seem like their ceiling is really high enough to beat Kansas in KC. They should be able to handle Nova, who really doesn't do much well other than get to the FT line. Don't want to turn this into a UNC thread exclusively, but over the 2nd half of the season the Heels had only one bad loss -- the home finale vs. Duke when they went down 14-0 out of the gate and shot horribly. As Duke found out Friday night vs. Maryland, if the shots aren't going down anybody can look real bad. Since Roy went to the four-guard starting lineup they've not only won, they've won comfortably in most games. Even the ACC semi vs. Maryland was double digits most of the way. They played very well on the road and have gotten a lot tougher. Just saying, I expect Kansas to have their hands full if these teams meet again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordio Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Nice, I've never been for a big sporting event. We are thinking about doing The PUB @ Monte Carlo on Thursday and Friday. $60 open bar, all you can eat wings/sliders, and they have a betting window setup in the restaurant. Saturday we're going to the Cosmopolitan. For $125 they have an all day open bar, betting window, and seating in their ball room. Not sure on what we're doing Sunday yet. May go check out the Harrah's sportsbook! Good call on the Monte Carlo/Cosmopolitan. I don't like paying for drinks in Vegas so I look for the books that are most lenient with the drink tickets but that weekend I heard some of the books you need reservations & the drink service is horrible due to the crowds inside the sports books. @ $6 a beer you guys will have no trouble getting your money's worth those days. Don't want to turn this into a UNC thread exclusively, but over the 2nd half of the season the Heels had only one bad loss -- the home finale vs. Duke when they went down 14-0 out of the gate and shot horribly. As Duke found out Friday night vs. Maryland, if the shots aren't going down anybody can look real bad. Since Roy went to the four-guard starting lineup they've not only won, they've won comfortably in most games. Even the ACC semi vs. Maryland was double digits most of the way. They played very well on the road and have gotten a lot tougher. Just saying, I expect Kansas to have their hands full if these teams meet again. Agreed, since they went to the 4 guard lineup & bumped up Hairston's PT they are a different team. If their shots are falling this weekend watchout. Although beating Kansas in what amounts to a home game for them will be extremely difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I'm not the biggest NCAA fan but I do follow Cuse. I usually don't do anything exciting for March Madness besides filling out an office bracket but last year I was in Vegas for it and it was pretty awesome(except for seeing Cuse lose to Ohio State in the Elite 8 ) Good call on the Monte Carlo/Cosmopolitan. I don't like paying for drinks in Vegas so I look for the books that are most lenient with the drink tickets but that weekend I heard some of the books you need reservations & the drink service is horrible due to the crowds inside the sports books. @ $6 a beer you guys will have no trouble getting your money's worth those days. A great sports book that is very lenient with drink tickets(aka if your betting the games you wont have to pay for a single drink) is the Red Rock Casino. It's alittle bit off the Strip but its a Great atmosphere for Sports. I spent some time there back this past October for a football sunday and also played some basketball games that week, highly recommend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordio Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 I'm not the biggest NCAA fan but I do follow Cuse. I usually don't do anything exciting for March Madness besides filling out an office bracket but last year I was in Vegas for it and it was pretty awesome(except for seeing Cuse lose to Ohio State in the Elite 8 ) A great sports book that is very lenient with drink tickets(aka if your betting the games you wont have to pay for a single drink) is the Red Rock Casino. It's alittle bit off the Strip but its a Great atmosphere for Sports. I spent some time there back this past October for a football sunday and also played some basketball games that week, highly recommend I have heard all good things about the Red Rock. Never tried it because we don't get a car & always stay on the strip. Maybe next year we will cab it over there for the Saturday games. When I go I rarely play in the Casino & I usually just stay in the sports book. @ Harrah's on that Sat/Sun we did not pay for a drink. I probably bet about $1,500 in games that Saturday. Like I said, Harrah's not the best sports book for watching the games(not even close) but you could go right up to their bar inside the book & use the drink tickets. Mirage made us go thru a cocktail waitress which got frustrating at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I love the NCAAs but only the first round or two. I watch for the upsets. I love seeing power schools go down. Anyone see Robert Morris take out Kentucky? One of the greatest games ever played was Princeton over UCLA. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Hammersticks Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 St. Mary's looked really good last night. Very fundamentally sound, good shooting team. Watch out Memphis! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Miami Florida New Mexico Wisconsin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Duke L'ville New Mexico Indiana Mark it down. And if I'm wrong, Free Hat for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 FREE HAT!!! I've got L'Ville, Gonzaga, Florida, Indiana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM57 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Lville Indiana championship game. Florida and Ohio State the other two Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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