NCAA Championship pick...

For the title...

Michigan vs. Louisville

The Championship Game of the 2013 NCAA Men's basketball tourney is set to tip off in a couple of hours with Michigan going in as slight underdogs to Louisville.

The Wolverines have had some last second heroics along the way and will hope their shooting touch holds up against the Cardinals. Louisville has used a stifling defense and clutch offense to advance through the rounds.

Overall, Michigan is a relatively young team and though they beat the tough Syracuse zone in the Final Four, they may be due for an off night. Louisville will need consistency on the offensive end to pull it off. 

Ultimately I think I will go with the old adage of good defense beats good offense.

Louisville to win title by 8

Final Four predictions...

Down to Four

There are four teams left in the 2013 NCAA Men's Tournament and by the end of the night...we will have our Championship game set. Both matchups should be entertaining so I suppose I'll make my predictions.

Wichita State vs. Louisville

At the start of the tourney, I picked a Louisville-Miami final...well Miami fell by the wayside but the Cardinals are in the hunt. Wichita State has had a great run and will be looking to pull off the upset. Overall I think Rick Pitino will get the Cards to the title match.

Louisville by 7

Michigan vs Syracuse

Syracuse has been brutal on defense through the tournament but were prone to lapses during the regular season. Michigan may have the answers to the Orange zone with their shooting from the outside, a decent inside game and a premier point guard. I think the Orangemen may fall just short...

Michigan by 4

Back with Championship pick in a day or so... 

Sunday's Regional Finals

Last two Final Four spots available

Sunday's games could easily be mistaken for the Final Four instead of the battle to get there...let's pick 'em...

Michigan vs Florida

Both teams have strengths but both have been inconsistent at times....Florida by 9

Duke vs Louisville

Duke won early in the season but they have had big shooting games recently and if they hold to form...they are due for a let-down...Louisville by 6

Back with Final Four picks later in the week...

Two tickets to Final Four up for grabs...

Regional title predictions

Two regional finals are set for Saturday....

My picks for the day...

Syracuse vs Marquette

Marquette returns to Final Four after winning by 3

Wichita State vs Ohio State

Ohio State by 6

We are at 16!!

NCAA Sweet 16 picks

The 2013 NCAA tournament has reached the Sweet 16 and we will have a final four by the end of the weekend. I survived relatively well last Sunday going 6-2 on the day with North Carolina and Minnesota being the losses.

Ok...here we go for the first four games of the weekend that still has a couple of Cinderella's alive.

Marquette vs Miami Fla.

The Hurricanes seem destined.....Miami by 8

Arizona vs Ohio State

Ohio St. by 10

Syracuse vs Indiana

Could be a tough one for the Hoosiers....Indiana by 3

LaSalle vs Wichita State

LaSalle by 2

Short but sweet ...back tomorrow with the other four games....

Meanwhile in Australia......

The Semi Finals of the 2012-2013 NBL season got under way yesterday with both Perth and New Zealand picking up easy wins. Expect both the two to meet in the Final as they have been the dominate forces throughout the season.

Picks for Sunday games

Eight more tickets for Sweet 16

Saturday proved to be another day of wild ones in the 2013 NCAA tourney with Marquette escaping again and Gonzaga not surviving.

Ok, straight into the picks for Sunday...

Iowa St. vs Ohio St.

Ohio St. by 7

Temple vs Indiana

Indiana by 11

North Carolina vs Kansas

What the heck...going on a limb...UNC by 9

Minnesota vs Florida

Upset!! Minnesota by 3

Florida - Gulf Coast vs San Diego St.

Gulf Coast does it again by 5

LaSalle vs Ole Miss

LaSalle by 1

Illinois vs Miami Fla.

Miami by 10

Creighton vs Duke

Duke by 7

See you later in the week....

Current Record: 31-13

And now there are 32

Predictions for Round of 32 Saturday

Compared to some, I had a reasonable Friday in NCAA Tourney Predictions going 11-5 for the day. Though there were a couple of "who'd have thunk it" results for the day...particularly Georgetown getting beaten and to a lesser extent Kansas State getting upset.

Anyhoo...here we go with Saturday's picks.

VCU vs Kansas

Here we go...could be a Rams run again this year...not really classed as a big upset anymore...

VCU by 4

Memphis vs Michigan State

Mich St. by 8

Colorado St. vs Louisville

Louisville by 14

Harvard vs Arizona

Harvard rolls on by 3

Oregon vs St. Louis

St. Louis by 8

Butler vs Marquette

Marquette by 2

Wichita State vs Gonzaga

Gonzaga by 5

Cal vs Syracuse

Syracuse by 10

Current Record: 27-9

Day 2 NCAA ...

Back for Day 2 predictions

I kicked off my 2013 Tourney picks with a 12-4 day so going into day 2...looking for more of the same..my pick of New Mexico for the Final Four in one bracket is truly dead but I'll soldier on.

Albany vs Duke

Do not think I'll be up at 2am for this one....Duke by 14

Ole Miss vs Wisconsin

Wisconsin by 7

Temple vs NC State

NC State by 8

Pacific vs Miami

And now in basketball...it's all about The U!! Miami by 15

Cincy vs Creighton

Will be a gritty one!! Creighton by 7

LaSalle vs Kansas St.

K-State by 5

James Madison vs Indiana

Indiana by 21

Colorado vs Illinois

Colorado by 4

Florida-Gulf Coast vs Georgetown

G'town by 17

Iona vs Ohio State

Ohio State by 22

Villanova vs North Carolina

UNC by 9

Northwestern St. vs Florida

Florida by 16

Oklahoma vs San Diego St.

San Diego St. by 4

Iowa State vs Notre Dame

Iowa State by 2

Western Kentucky vs Kansas

Kansas by 18

Minnesota vs UCLA

Minnesota by 7

Current Record: 16-4

Back with more tomorrow...enjoy the games..

Bracket kicks off today!!

The Madness begins

The 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball tournament kicks into full swing overnight (2am) here in Australia with sixteen games on tap for the first day. Before I crash with the alarm set...I'll throw in my picks for the day. They may actually contradict some of my bracket picks but winging it!!

Valparaiso vs Michigan State

Michigan State by 14

Bucknell vs Butler

Butler by 3

Wichita State vs Pitt

Pitt by 7

New Mexico St. vs St Louis

St. Louis by 8....go Cody Ellis...Perth in da House!!

St. Mary's vs Memphis

Upset...St. Mary's by 2

Davidson vs Marquette

Marquette by only 5

Southern vs Gonzaga

Gonzaga by 17

Oregon vs Oklahoma St.

Oregon by 4

NC A&T vs Louisville

Loisville by 22

South Dakota State vs Michigan

Michigan by 8

Belmont vs Arizona

Arizona by 12

Cal vs UNLV

Cal by 6

Missouri vs Colorado St.

Missouri by 7

Akron vs VCU

VCU by 13

Harvard vs New Mexico

New Mexico by 24

Montana vs Syracuse

Syracuse by 20

Back with more tomorrow....

Let the Madness Begin...for 2013!!

Predicting Louisville-Miami Final

After a night of exhaustive research, soothsaying, head against wall banging and various other activities of frustration....I present my 2013 NCAA Mens basketball bracket. 

So...this year....I am predicting a Louisville-Miami final in Atlanta.

First Four games

North Carolina A&T (19-16) vs Liberty (15-20)

Liberty pulled a major surprise to get into the dance from the Big South conference and A&T benefited from upsets to win the MEAC tourney title.

NC A&T by 14

Boise State (21-10) vs LaSalle (21-9)

The winner of this one gets a date with Kansas State. Both teams have shown flashes but LaSalle may be a bit more polished at the moment.

LaSalle by 6

Middle Tennessee (28-5) vs St. Mary's (Ca) (27-6)

This one would fit as a normal bracket game and could be the best of the First Four games. The winner has a solid chance against Memphis in the main draw.

St. Mary's by 3

LIU-Brooklyn (20-13) vs James Madison (20-14)

Indiana looms on the horizon for the winner of this one.

JMU by 8

Midwest Region

I'm going with Louisville to get by Michigan State in this one.

West Region

Picking a Big 10 rematch with Wisconsin losing again to Ohio State.

South Region

Calling an upset in this region...picking VCU to do it again  over Georgetown.

East Region

Giving Miami the edge over Indiana in the regional final.

Once the Final Four starts... I'll take Louisville over Ohio State and Miami over VCU.

Champion

Most will do a double take when they see the Miami Hurricanes as NCAA Champions ... in basketball.

Back with more picks through the rounds....

Title Time!!

NCAA Title Tilts are on!!

The 2011-2012 NCAA mens and womens championship games are set with Kansas facing Kentucky later today in New Orleans for  the mens title and Notre Dame meeting Baylor for the womens crown in Denver on Tuesday.

Kansas vs. Kentucky

Not many predicted Kansas to be here in the pre-season. Most looked at it as a rebuilding year for the Jayhawks after losing the Morris twins and others. They have hit a hot streak at the right time of year after losing to Baylor in the Big 12 tournament. 

Kentucky has lived up to the hype but several experts are saying there could still be a loss of focus by the young team. The Wilcats have been shaken not too long ago when losing the SEC championship game to Vanderbilt.

Kentucky beat Kansas on a neutral court back in November but the Jayhawks would like to think they have improved since then. This game is also a championship rematch coaching wise with Bill Self facing off against John Calipari just as they did in 2008 when Kansas topped Calapari's Memphis squad. 

There is temptation to pick the upset here. Instead I''ll go with Kentucky surviving a major scare to grab the crown.

Kentucky by 7

Notre Dame vs. Baylor

Notre Dame returns to the Women's NCAA championship game to face another Big 12 opponent this season. After losing to Texas A&M in the title game last season, the Irish face an even tougher foe in undefeated Baylor.

In November, Baylor was too strong down the stretch for Notre Dame in their win over the Irish. This time they will have to keep their composure if they want to end the season a perfect 40-0. Expect them to do it.

Baylor by 8.

NCAA dill bracket tips off!!!

NCAA 2012 Regional Games begin!!!

The 2012 NCAA tournament kicks off with regional action from the East, South and West regionals on Thursday (Friday morning Aussie time).

So far I am glad I don’t get paid per correct pick as I went 0fer in the First Four play in games!! Hopefully my luck will change now that the main bracket is set….you can see my picks for my Yahoo bracket here or my ESPN one here. They vary slightly due to the current situation with the Syracuse team. In one I have Vanderbilt joining Baylor, North Carolina and Marquette in the Final Four with Carolina beating Baylor for the title. In the other I have Florida State instead of Vandy but the same result for the final.

Ok…let’s jump in and pick ‘em!!

Thursday’s Games

West Region:

Weirdly the early games are from the West regional in Louisville Kentucky.

Colorado State (11) vs. Murray State (6)

Murray State by 12

Davidson (13) vs. Louisville (4)

First upset!! Davidson by 7

BYU (14) vs. Marquette (3)

BYU played in to get bounced out by 14

Long Beach State (12) vs. New Mexico (5)

New Mexico by 4

East Region:

Southern Miss (9) vs. Kansas State (8)

Kansas State by 3

Montana (13) vs. Wisconsin (4)

Wisconsin by 16

UNC-Asheville (16) vs. Syracuse (1)

Syracuse by 17

Harvard (12) vs. Vanderbilt (5)

Vandy by 11

West Virginia (10) vs. Gonzaga (7)

Gonzaga by 3

Loyola, MD (15) vs. Ohio State (2)

Ohio State by 22

South Region:

W. Kentucky (16) vs. Kentucky (1)

Kentucky by 30

VCU (12) vs. Wichita State (5)

VCU pulls the their firs upset this year by 6

South Dakota State (14) vs. Baylor (3)

Baylor by 22

UConn (9) vs. Iowa State (8)

UConn by 9

New Mexico State (13) vs. Indiana (4)

New Mexico State by 3 in a minor upset

Colorado (11) vs. UNLV (6)

UNLV by 10

Ok…I’m 0-4 so far….back with more tomorrow….

Day Two NCAA 2012...

First Four…Day 2

I did not start off my predictions for the 2012 NCAA Tourney with the best form, going 0-2 in the first days games. So I am looking for a better result in Wednesday’s games (Thursday AM Aussie time).

Vermont (23-11) vs. Lamar (23-11)

These two are pretty evenly matched but Lamar played a slightly tougher schedule and has a Knight at the helm….Pat Knight, son of Bobby coaches the Cardinals.

In the end I’ll tip the Cardinals for the win.

South Florida (20-13) vs. California (24-9)

Cal limps into this one after losing three of the last four while South Florida has dropped two of their last three.

I do not expect either of these teams to go far in the main bracket and as for this game….I’ll say Cal by 10-15...

Tomorrow I’ll be back with picks for the full first days of action in the main bracket….til then…get ready for some long days!!!

NCAA play in games....

Let’s Play(In) NCAA Style

The time is upon us…the 2012 NCAA tournament gets underway Tuesday (Wed AM Aussie time) when Western Kentucky tangles with Mississippi Valley State and Brigham Young faces off against Iona.

Western Kentucky (15-18) vs. Mississippi Valley State (21-12)

Western Kentucky pulled a surprise in the Sun Belt conference tourney winning it with a losing record while Miss. Valley State has won 20 of their last 21 games and swept through the SWAC regular season and tournament.

Look for the delta Devils to get a first up tourney win.

BYU (25-8) vs. Iona (25-7)

BYU’s record is deceiving, though without “Jimmer” and after downgrading to the West Coast Conference, the Cougars did not have things go their way as easily as first thought.

Iona gained an at-large bid in spite of losing the MAAC final against Fairfield and will be a tough foe for BYU.

No run for the Cougars this year, Iona in a close one.

I will be back with me first round picks tomorrow…enjoy the games….

NCAA Final

NCAA Men’s Final

Well, the denouement is neigh for the 2010-2011 NCAA basketball season. Of course my bracket is shattered, of course my picks in the semi final games were wrong, of course I’ll attempt to pick the winner of the championship game and this will be my last prediction of this year’s college season.

The Final:

Butler vs. UConn

Well one UConn team has bitten the dust in the Final Four after the Husky ladies suffered a shock loss to Notre Dame in the semi finals. As for the men’s team, they come in a slight favourite over Butler although the Bulldogs are in the championship game for the second year in a row.

Prediction wise I will go with Butler due to their nucleus of players left over from last season. UConn will not get away with another bad performance like the one they put forward against Kentucky

So….

Butler wins 66-62.

My tourney picking record for 2011: 40 right-24 wrong

NCAA Final Four

Final Four 2011

Well none of my Final Four picks from my personal bracket are playing this weekend but I am by no means on an island….several brackets were shattered during the course of this years tournament.

Ok, right to the picks.

VCU vs. Butler

In an oddity of sorts, the team that made it to last season’s championship game—Butler is still a Cinderella story this year. That being said one of these two underdogs will advance to the final. Both have been on amazing runs but for this one, I’ll take VCU to advance by 5.

Kentucky vs. UConn

Both schools are making headlines for the wrong reasons over the last day or so unfortunately. UConn has been on an unreal run through the Big East tournament and the NCAA’s but will need solid inside play to pull this one off. Hmmm….Kentucky by 3.

NCAA Regional Finals

Regional Finals Day Two

We are now two games away from knowing the final four teams in the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. After two exciting games on Saturday where I was wrong on both counts, UConn and Butler booked tickets for Houston next weekend.

In today’s games…..

EAST REGIONAL Final:

Kentucky (4) vs. North Carolina (2)

Back in December, North Carolina escaped with a two point (75-73) win over Kentucky and will be looking for another tough game this time around. Both teams have improved but look for Carolina to use its front line advantage to pull this one out by 6.

SOUTHWEST REGIONAL Final:

VCU (11) vs. Kansas (1)

Kansas is heavily favoured and on a roll but may be a bit too cocky when facing giant killers VCU. There was a lot of trash talking from the Jayhawks in the Richmond game … is that wise when you have to face another team from the same city?? Though the Rams had a loss to Richmond during the regular season, it does not equate an automatic Kansas win. Gut tells me VCU by 4.

Tourney Record: 40 right – 22 wrong

NCAA Hoops...

Two Final Four tickets up for grabs

Saturday sees two of the four Regional finals on tap for the weekend. In yesterdays games I went a perfect 4-0 tipping both Kentucky and VCU for big wins.

For Saturday’s action…

SOUTHEAST Regional Final:

Butler (8) vs. Florida (2)

Butler has made another surprise run in this years tournament but this year I don’t think it will continue. Florida is a solid squad and Chandler Parsons will prove to be the difference in this one. Gators by 10.

WEST Regional Final:

Arizona (5) vs. Connecticut (3)

This one will be a barn burner, UConn have been on a hot streak lately while Arizona have been a surprise to many outside of the Western USA. I think UConn’s run will finally end. ‘Zona by 7.

Current Record: 40 right-20 wrong…….

NCAASweet 16, Day 2.

Sweet 16 part deux

The Sweet 16 Round of the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament concludes on Friday with games in San Antonio, Texas and Newark, New Jersey. My Thursday picks fell by the wayside with only Florida advancing. Similarly my Final Four picks are gone with the exception of North Carolina. For Thursday’s games I went 1-3 pick wise.

Fridays picks…

SOUTHWEST REGION:

Richmond (12) vs. Kansas (1)

The city of Richmond will have a strong fan base in San Antonio with the hometown Spiders and VCU both playing there. First up, Richmond clashes with Kansas. This one could catch Kansas looking ahead but the Jayhawks will hold on and pull away late by 11.

Virginia Commonwealth (11) vs. Florida State (10)

VCU may be able to hang on against the tough Seminole “D”. Rams by 5.

EAST REGION:

North Carolina (2) vs. Marquette (11)

Former title game opponents square off in regional semis in this one. Carolina has had some close calls but this one may be easier. UNC by 12.

Kentucky (4) vs. Ohio State (1)

Kentucky has a solid run going but Ohio State is out to live up to the hype. Hmm….I’ll call and upset …Kentucky by 3.

Ok, back in a day or so with Regional final picks….

Current Record: 36 right – 20 wrong…

NCAA Sweet 16

Sweet 16 …Here we go!!!

The 2011 edition of the Men’s NCAA basketball tourney is here. Well I did not get my six correct last Sunday but went 5-3 on the day. One of my Final Four picks…Notre Dame fell by the wayside thanks to Florida State so I’m down to North Carolina, Wisconsin and San Diego State with my title game picks of Wisconsin and UNC still alive.

Here we go for Thursday’s games.

WEST REGION:

Connecticut (3) vs. San Diego State (2)

UConn has had a good run thus far but San Diego State also has a chip on their shoulders and is out to prove they are an elite outfit. Look for the Aztecs to stifle Kemba Walker and pull out a 3 point win.

Arizona (5) vs. Duke (1)

My “Duke Beaters”…the Texas Longhorns were upset by ‘Zona so I will go with ACC loyalty for this game at least and put “the curse” on Duke by picking them to win by 7.

SOUTHEAST REGION:

Brigham Young (3) vs. Florida (2)

BYU have been the “darlings” of the tourney so far but the Gators are out to avenge last years early round loss to the Cougars…..could come down to a Jimmer miss. Florida by 2.

Butler (8) vs. Wisconsin (4)

Butler is as dangerous as ever but the Badgers are looking solid so I am sticking by them. Wisconsin by 8.

Current Record: 35-17

Back tomorrow for the second day of Sweet 16 pick