30 Degrees of Banking

NASCAR Nuggets: Autoclub 400

By Ryan Frisco

Seriously, I feel bad for people who aren't watching NASCAR these days.  Seriously!!  What was the one thing I said I was looking forward to this past weekend?  How the drama between Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin would play out.  If you somehow missed what happened, please watch the video below of the last lap at Fontana (that's Joey Logano in the 22, Denny Hamlin in the 11).

The Victor: Lost amid all hustle and scuffle that is Logano and Hamlin, people forgot the important thing about Sunday; Kyle Busch won the race!  Sitting there, waiting, watching from a distance as the two knuckleheads battled it out, Kyle picked the opportune moment to squeak past them in the final turn on his way to victory.  A great win for Rowdy, and much deserved.  He has had the fastest car on more than one occasion this year, and hasn't won because of stupid mistakes.  Now, to keep this up till Chase time, and then perform in the Chase!

Photo Cred www.espn.go.com

The First Loser: Oh, well looky here, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ended the race in second position!  NASCAR's former winner of most popular driver a million times in a row now finds himself atop the Championship rankings.  He did that pretty quietly too, as no one's really talked about him too much.  Five races, five top tens. Not too shabby Junior.  The last two runner ups (Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch) ended up winning the next race.  What do you think, will we see Dale in victory lane after the race at Martinsville in two weeks?

Pat on the Back: Two big names here, and both have been here before.  Kurt Busch is the first one, after coming in fifth.  That's his second top 5 of the year, and a really giant step towards his return to relevance.  Getting this sort of drive out of the car is huge for a team like Furniture Row Racing.  Keeping this up, and taking this car into the playoffs would be unthinkable.

Paul Menard is our next standout.  He finished eighth, which makes his third top ten of the year!  I still can't see him keeping up this pace, but I wouldn't be surprised either.

Logano vs. Hamlin (and Stewart) - This ongoing battle is awesome for NASCAR's TV ratings.  After an in-race and post-race altercation last week, these two came into California with questions; could Joey Logano catch Denny Hamlin, and if so, would anything come of it?  Well, ironically, and conveniently,  Joey did catch Denny, on the last lap of the race!  The two bounced off of one another, trading the lead numerous times.  Exiting the final corner, Joey had it and tried to spin Denny, who clipped Joey into the wall on his way around.  You saw it in the video above, not pretty, as neither won the race.  

Photo Cred www.docsportalstalk.com

No fines were given out, but Hamlin's extremely hard impact in the inside wall resulted in a compression fracture in his vertebrae.  He will miss at least five weeks, putting his championship dreams on hold another year.

After the race was over, Tony Stewart parked his car next to Logano's on pit road, and the two crews went at it.  Stewart was unhappy at Logano for running him into the grass on the last restart when Stewart had a run.  His momentum was stunted, and Tony fell through the field no his way to another poor finish.

So, if you didn't watch the race, that's what you missed.  Nothing much.  I'm sure you could see that kind of action anywhere.  No big.  Come on people, you're missing out if you're not tuned in Sunday afternoon!  I feel bad for you!

NASCAR is off for the Easter weekend.  I'll see you next weekend as they head to Martinsville, Virginia for the second short track race of the year.  If you don't remember what happened there last year, let me remind you.

How the West is Won

Don't Upset the Fruit Basket

By Ryan Frisco

When I was in high school, we used to play a game called 'Don't Upset the Fruit Basket.' This game involved a circle of chairs and a person in the middle who is 'it.'  The person in the middle would say something like 'Get up if you're wearing jeans,' or 'Get up if you own a car' or 'Get up if you've ever

Photo Cred www.usatoday.com

peed on a fire.'  If the statement applied to you, you had to get up and find another seat.  The person left out was the new 'it' person.  Right now, the fruit basket that is the Western bracket in the March Madness tournament is definitely UPSET!!!

After three rounds of elimination basketball, the college basketball has been turned upside down.  A #15 seed has made it to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time ever.  We've got a play in team still alive.  In the West alone, over half of the games (7 of 12) have ended in the lower seed winning. What is happening?!

Let's take a look at what's going on in the West round four:

#9 Wichita State Shockers vs. #13 Lasalle Explorers

These two teams.  In rounds 2 and 3, both the Shockers and Explorers pulled out awesome upsets in a game they were supposed to lose.  The Shockers SHOCKED (I know, totally overdone) the Pitt Panthers in round 2, and took down the #1 seed in the West, Gonzaga Bulldogs, in round 3.  No one thought much of this team coming in, and I'm honestly not sure what to think at the moment, but one thing's for sure; they came to play this March.

Photo Cred www.blacksportsonline.com

Lasalle was a play-in team.  'Nuff said.  Play-in teams aren't supposed to make it past round 2.  Play-in teams surely aren't supposed to be anywhere near the Sweet Sixteen.  But here we are, and it's time to start taking the Explorers seriously.  What was the name of that game winning shot in round 3 again, Tyrone Garland?  THE SOUTHWEST PHILLY FLOATER BABY!!!!  GO PHILLY!

I'm not biased.  I have no legit preview for this game because I don't think anyone has any idea what will happen.  Neither of these teams 'belong' here, but at the same time they both belong more than any other except for Florida Gulf Coast #DunkCity.  In a year of no standout teams and tons of upsets, here's to a great game between two teams that deserve all of it.

Prediction: The Shockers run out of electric as Lasalle takes the Southwest Philly Floater viral in a trip to the Elite Eight - Lasalle 67 Whichita State 60

#6 Arizona Wildcats vs. #2 (The) Ohio State Buckeyes

Now that is more like it.  A #6 playing a #2.  These are the teams I'm used to seeing in the Sweet Sixteen.  Thank you Arizona and Ohio State for not being the teams that killed my bracket this year.

The Wildcats comfortably beat Belmont, than handled the Ivy Leaguers of Harvard who were hot off their huge upset of New Mexico State.  That game, by the way, was when I stopped looking at my bracket.  Arizona went into that game unfazed by the hype behind the Crimson.  Arizona is playing some great, solid, consistent basketball at the moment.  I picked them to win it all last year; guess I may have been a year too early.

Photo Cred www.zimbio.com

Ohio State has had an easy go in rounds 2 and 3.  They blew out Iona by 25 points. Their game against Iowa State was a bit closer than it should have been, but they're sitting in the Sweet Sixteen right now.  I've got them going to the Final Four against Louisville, but I'm starting to get nervous with that prediction right now.  Why, you ask?

Ohio State is great right now.  They've been great all season, hence a #2 ranking.  But, what you've done all season doesn't matter too much in the tournament.  Georgetown found that out the hard way.  So did New Mexico and Wisconsin, among a slew of others.  Arizona is on right now.  If I was Ohio State, I'd be scared to face an Arizona team that's won two games by a combined 40 points. 

Prediction: Arizona continues the upset parade in the West - Arizona 76 Ohio State 74

The Center of Attention

Sweet Like Sugar
By Caleb Musselman

Photo Cred: scottyfox.blogspot.com

In a tournament where high seeds are dropping like leaves in September, only the East region still has its top four seeds in tact. Halfway across the country in the Midwest, one surprise 12 seed is the lone blip on the radar. So who is left in the Midwest? Louisville stands tall. Oregon continues to surprise. Michigan St. keeps rolling. Duke stays in cruise control. 

Two big Friday night match-ups to watch:

Louisville )#1) vs. Oregon (#12)

Oregon's run through the PAC-12 tournament and into the Sweet 16 has been a cute story. But can they really handle this Louisville squad? The Cardinals, who seem to have turned from contender into shoe-in favorites, come into this match-up on top of the world. The most complete team in the nation, Louisville almost seems unstoppable at this juncture. Russ Smith scored 27 points as the Cardinals demolished a very good Colorado State team in the Round of 32. While most number one seeds were busy either losing or squeaking out nail-biters, Louisville seemed to be playing the JV squad in preparation for the next round. On the other side of the ball, Oregon comes into the Sweet 16 full of confidence and ready to prove themselves yet again. Winning an underrated PAC-12 conference championship, the Ducks have used that momentum to catapult themselves into a match-up with the nation's number one overall seed. Many people had the St. Louis Billickens easily making the Sweet 16 and giving Louisville a run for their money (I'm raising my hand). The Ducks had a different plan. Up 35-19 at the half, Oregon steamrolled St. Louis from the opening tip and never looked back. Damyean Dotson poured in 23 points to anchor an Oregon squad that shot 52% from the floor. 

photo cred: www.louisville.com

Now what can we expect on Friday at 7:15? First, expect Oregon to cool off. The length and athleticism of Louisville causes every opponent problems. Oregon will have to work very hard to find open looks. Oregon shot 72% from beyond the arc against St. Louis. Quite frankly, they're going to have to shoot lights out again if they want to win this game. Gorgui Dieng provides a very tough mismatch in this contest. Oregon center Tony Woods only played 12 minutes against St. Louis because of foul trouble. The Cardinals are going to feed Dieng early and often and Woods better be ready for a fight. Finally, the Ducks need to slow down Russ Smith from the start. If he makes his first few shots of the game Louisville is going to win by 15 at the least. If Oregon can slow him down they have a small shot. I think the Ducks Cinderella slipper falls off on Friday. Louisville by double digits. 

Michigan St. (#3) vs. Duke (#2)

This is going to be one of the best match-ups of the Sweet 16. Two of the best coaches in college basketball, Coack K and Tom Izzo, both know how to win. Michigan St. has transformed into tournament form as usual while defeating Valparaiso and Memphis handily. Duke, on the other side, has played well in two victories over Albany and Creighton. If it was merely up to coaching, this game could go to three overtimes. Actually that would be pretty hilarious. Coach K in short shorts. Anyways, the outcome of this game relies on two things. First, will Keith

photo cred: www.bleacherreport.com

Appling play? After a shoulder injury against Memphis, Appling says he is confident he will suit up against Duke. Appling is the key to the Spartans success. If he doesn't play they will lose. Second, will Duke continue to shoot well from beyond the arc? It is no secret that the Blue Devils live and die by the jump shot. They got away with a victory against Creighton by using their speed and athleticism to get to the hole. This Michigan St. team won't let that happen. Derrick Nix is an absolute beast under the

photo cred: www.college-basketball.si.com

basket, and expect him and Plumlee to punch each other for 40 minutes straight. 

If Appling plays, I believe Michigan St. has the upper hand. A more complete team with more experience, the Spartans can rely on different facets of their game to find success. Duke will need Curry to go for 25 and Plumlee to stay out of trouble. The Duke freshies bailed them out against Creighton. I don't see that happening again. Duke keeps it close down the wire, but Michigan St. leads most of the way and wins by 8. 

Bake your cookies, buy your Twizzlers and mix your chocolate milk. This round is going to be SWEET. Louisville and Michigan state advance to the Elite 8. Let me know what you think. 

Green - White - Checkers

Stop #5: Fontana

By Ryan Frisco

I know, I know, it's like 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon and the race is about to start.  Sorry guys, I've been wrapped up in the Madness of March, college basketball!  I'm working against the clock now, but that's where I thrive, so here goes; I'll be brief.

Photo Cred www.autoracing1.com

So from Bristol, Tennessee last week, the drivers move cross country to Fontana, California to take part in the circuit's one of a kind track, California Motor Speedway.  This track is 2 miles long, but isn't a superspeedway like Talladega or Daytona that requires restrictor plates.  The cars go fast here.  Without something to keep them all bunched up, I would say California sometimes results in the least amount of action on track.  It's so big, and so spread out.  Cars aren't crashing a ton, people are rarely passing each other.  Unless you blow a motor, your car does as good as it is.  If you were ever going to fall asleep during a NASCAR race, this would be the one.

But please, don't let that pull you away!  These cars are hitting speeds of 200 mph!! Just because there aren't big pileups and lot's of action doesn't make it any less dramatic!  One thing I'm looking forward to; the drama between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano.  Joey was upset with Denny last week.  Denny didn't make it any better when he said he wasn't worried because Joey could never catch up to him on the track (not a direct quote, just an indirect implication Denny made).  I think that statement is true though, and I'm curious to see if Logano can in fact get anywhere near Hamlin on track without pulling a Gordon and stopping and waiting for Hamlin to come back around a lap later.

Photo Cred www.youtube.com

Side Bar: Was anyone like me as a kid playing NASCAR video games, and always turning around and crashing the whole field going backwards?

My predictions: Kevin Harvick will win.  I don't know why.  Rousch has always been good here (Kenseth won three times) and I'm sure Gibbs will be fast.  Hendrick's always fast, and you can never count Keselowski out.  But, I'm going with Happy Harvick, just for the heck of it.  

Bring it on guys, let's make this exciting!

Midwest - The Center of Attention

Four Score and 32 Teams Ago...

By Caleb Musselman

Two days ago I was chomping at the bit to get this tournament started. This morning I just finished shredding my brackets, buying a new box of tissues and flipping a coin on today's games. As was expected, the second round of this year's Big Dance has delivered. Each year for the past thirteen years a 12 seed has beaten a 5 seed. In each of the past six seasons, a #13 has toppled a #4. Fourteen times in the history of the tournament, a #14 has shocked a #3 seed. Only seven times in the history of the NCAA tournament has a #15 seed demoralized a #2. Well, as you might have guessed, all of these happened in the first two days of the 2013 tournament. In fact, three #12's (Oregon, Cal and Ole Miss), one #13 (Lasalle), one #14 (Harvard) and one #15 (Florida Gulf Coast) all won in a year that the word "upset" doesn't quite hold the same weight. According to ESPN.com, as of last night at 12 o'clock, there are now ZERO perfect brackets out of 8.15 million in their tournament challenge. 

With most brackets at least slightly demoralized, bracketeers around the nation still hold strongly to their Midwest picks. In fact, in the Midwest region, Oregon defeating Oklahoma St. was the only upset to speak of. Now, although upsets weren't a plenty during the first two days, the Midwest still produced some stellar competition. Let's break it down.

Round of 64

Photo Cred: www.bleacherreport.com

Louisville 79 North Carolina A & T 48 - Not much to talk about in this game. Louisville, the number one overall seed in this year's tourney showed no reason to doubt. Russ Smith topped the stat sheet with 23 points 5 assists and 8 steals as Louisville sent the Aggies packing. One thing to take note of: No player on the Louisville squad played more than 25 minutes. They will be ready and rested for their matchup today vs. Colorado St. 

Colorado St. 84 Missouri 72 - In a game between two of the top rebounding teams in the nation, Colorado St.'s front court dominance proved to be the difference maker. The Rams out rebounded Missouri 36-18 with Colton Iverson pulling down 13 boards of his own. Dorian Green led all scorers with 26 points as the Rams held a lead in much of this contest. Colorado St. shot 50% from beyond the arc (7-14) and never slowed down enough to led the Tigers catch up. One thing to note: Iverson only scored 4 points in 23 minutes. If the Rams can shoot this well again and get Iverson more involved in the offensive game, they have a shot at giving Louisville a scare. 

Photo Cred: www.oregonlive.com

Oregon 68 Oklahoma St. 55 - In the only upset of the Midwest, Oregon carried the momentum from their PAC-12 conference championship into their matchup against the Cowboys from the south. Up by 11 at the half, Duck Nation never gave Oklahoma St. a chance in this game. Oregon had four players in double-figures led by Arsalan Kazemi's 11 points and 17 rebounds. My guess is that Oregon loses its momentum against St. Louis and stalls out. Time to the Ducks to fly home for the off-season. 

St. Louis 64 New Mexico St. 44 - Another game that went as planned. Dwayne Evans took this game under his wing early on. He went 11-16 from the field for 24 points while being the only starter to hit double digits. The Billickens (what?) shot 46% from the floor for the game and used their size and solid team D to stifle NMSU. 

Memphis 54 St. Mary's 52 - Fresh off a First Four victory, St. Mary's used a second half surge to give the Tigers a serious scare. With solid tournament experience, the Gales had a chance for a last second game-winner from Dellavedova. In fact, Dellavedova, St. Mary's star senior guard, shot very poorly all day going 3-13. The Tigers can thank St. Mary that Dellavedova didn't get hot. If so the Tigers could be couch potatoes today. 

Photo Cred: blog.mlive.com

Michigan St. 65 VALPO 54 - I don't like to call any game laughable but this one was pretty close. Michigan St. came out in the first half with absolutely no discipline. Turning the ball over and attempting ridiculous alley-oops, the Spartans still led by 17 at half time. In a game that looked like men against boys, Derrick Nix (23 points and 15 boards) showed that he is one of the most dominating front court players in the nation. VALPO struggled against the length of Michigan St. and took too many bad 3 point looks. Spartans roll. Izzo is on a mission.

Photo Cred: www.usatoday.com

Creighton 67 Cincinnati 63 - This was far and away the best game in the Midwest round of 64. In the end, Creighton's no-nonsense half-court game won out against the athletic fast break style of CIncinnati. A tight contest from beginning to end, Doug McDermott scored 27 points and brought down 11 rebounds to lead the Blue Jays to victory. One thing to note: Gregory Echenique is a force to be reckoned with. Look for him and Mason Plumlee to have a physical battle on Sunday afternoon. If the Dukies don't shoot well, Creighton can take them down. Watch out. 

Duke 73 Albany 61 - Blue Devil fans across the nation breathed a sigh of relief as Seth Curry led his team to victory over Albany. Scoring 26 points, Curry led all scorers while playing stingy defense against the Albany back court. Albany kept things close throughout and showed a good sense of tenacity and passion. One thing to note: it is always a cause for anxiety when a big name school lets a team like Albany stick around. I don't see Duke making it to the Elite 8. In my bracket, I have Creighton topping them on Sunday. It's March Madness, why not go craaaaazzzyyyyy?

The Midwest didn't offer any buzzer-beaters or unbelievable upsets in the second round. What does that mean? It's safe to say the battles fought in other regions will transfer to the Midwest sooner rather than later. Louisville fights on toward their quest for the championship and that's why the Midwest is......the center of attention. 

Eastern Elites

And It Begins

by Eric Berkenpas

Day 1 is over of the 2013 March Madness tournament and there is already so much to talk about. My focus throughout the remainder of the tournament will be on the group of teams comprising the East Quadrant of the bracket. There was a lot of action already; an upset, a big time upset scare and a 47 point blowout victory. #1 seeded Indiana has yet to play but should be able to take care of business against James Madison today. Miami also tips off today and should also have no trouble in their game against Pacific but don't sleep on the Tigers as they are led by a coach who has some tournament experience and is looking to finish his coaching career strong. Anywho, let's jump into yesterday's action.

UNLV / California

Photo cred yahoo.com

This game was a great rematch game from December 9th that Cal lost in the last second 76-75. They were looking for revenge led by Jr. guards Justin Cobbs and Allen Crabbe. The game was tight the whole time and you really got the feel that it was going to come down to there very last second again. While Cobbs and Crabbe did most of the work, Sr. forward Robert Thurman who averaged only 4.8 PPG during the season erupted for 12 points off the bench and tacked on 5 rebounds. UNLV didn't seem to have an answer for Solomon or Thurman in the paint as they were able to score some easy baskets and combined for 23 points. Thurman in a post game interview had this to say when asked about being the 3rd leading scorer for his team; "Justin and Allen, they are fast guys and are hard to contain and I just made myself available and I just did what I do best; and that's dunk". And that he did as all 12 points were scored off dunks. UNLV also did not have an answer for Cal's zone defense that they switched to part way through the game. Freshman forward Anthony Bennett was about the only one able to get any kind of consistent game going against the zone. In the end, the story of this game was missed free throws. UNLV missed 9 of their 26 free throws and Cal hit an abysmal 43.8% of their free throws, missing 5 of 9 down the stretch when they could have easily closed out the game. In the end though, Cal was victorious and made the record books with Oregon as the first time ever two 12 seeds from the same conference won on the same day. Next up? Syracuse Orange.

Photo cred yahoo.com

Syracuse / Montana

So far, this was the biggest blowout of the tournament as the Syracuse Orange steamrolled the Grizzlies by 47 points, more than doubling their score. In fact, Syracuse could have just stopped playing after the first have because their 38 points would have beaten Montana's end game total of 34! Despite these numbers, I think the result came as little surprise to anyone. Montana had themselves a great season in the Big Sky conference, but were severely outmatched on every single inch of the floor by the beasts from the Big East. Brandon Triche led the Orange with 20 pts 4 assists and only 2 turnovers, nailing both 3's he took and DaJuan Coleman provided some good help off the bench with 12 pts and 6 rebounds. Southerland and Carter-Williams were pretty silent but didn't really need to make any changes offensively because it didn't take more than 2 minutes into the game to know who was going to win this one. Syracuse will face off against the California Golden Bears tomorrow and will definitely be much more tested. Many think Syracuse may be the surprise team to come out of the East and after yesterday's game, you gotta feel at least pretty good about them going forward.

Butler / Bucknell

Photo cred yahoo.com

Unfortunately, I was at work while this game was being played and I missed a pretty good one. It didn't come down the wire but it was hard fought and close the whole time with several lead changes. Butler never really grabbed the reigns in this game until the final 5-10 minutes. There was a point where Bucknell, down 11, went on a big run and took a 6 point lead and it looked like the Bulldogs were not going to recover and would find themselves headed back home come the end of the game. Lucky for them, Sr. guard Rotnei Clarke was not ready to end his collegiate basketball career and scored 11 of his 17 points in the final 8 minutes of the game. Andrew Smith finished the game with a double-double, scoring 14 points and adding a career best 16 rebounds. Despite Bucknell Sr. forward Joe Willman's career high 20 pts, the rest of his team couldn't rally behind him as no other player entered double digit scoring. Bucknell also did not play a very disciplined game as they surrendered 28 free throws to the Bulldogs who hit 25 of them. After this victory, Butler can relax for a day before they take on the Marquette Golden Eagles tomorrow.

Photo cred yahoo.com

Marquette/Davidson
Last time Davidson was in the tournament, Steph Curry lit it up and really emerged as a legitimate talent as he lead the Wildcats to the elite 8, losing by only 2 to the #1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks. Well this year they were back, this time as a #14 seed but with the same grit and attitude. They led Marquette almost the entire game, coming up short as Vander Blue scored a layup with seconds left in the game to give the Golden Eagles the victory. Davidson killed themselves at the free throw line making only 64% of their shots which, in a close game like this one was, makes all the difference. Jake Cohen scored 20 pts in the loss. This would have been the first major upset of the tournament and would have left Marquette speechless. They will now move on to face the Butler Bulldogs tomorrow. Look for another close game in that one.


Drop some comments and let us know how these games effected your bracket!

How the West is Won

Can You Say Upset?!

By Ryan Frisco

Wow, only one day into the NCAA March Madness tournament, and already the big boys are falling.  Now I may not know much about NCAA basketball, but I definitely know enough to realize that a #14 seed beating a #3 seed is quite a feat, and not something that happens every day.  Let's take a look at yesterday's results.

Photo Cred www.wbur.org

#14 Harvard 68 - #3 New Mexico 62: I went to bed last night before this game even started. Looking at my bracket, I was in fair shape going into it.  I had picked a couple of poor choice upsets that didn't happen, but nothing to kill my hopes.  New Mexico would pull this one out, and I'd be smooth sailing into Friday.  Turns out, I picked the wrong upset.  

In my recent memory, I can't remember an Ivy League school ever winning a tournament game.  Harvard had never won one, and I assumed there'd be no shot of them winning against a great #3 seed New Mexico squad.  That was not to be the case.  Harvard came out this year ready to go.  Last year they were just excited to make the tournament, as it was their first appearance since 1946.  This year, they had a different goal in mind; winning.  And they did.  Behind a stellar defense, Harvard held New Mexico's top shooters in check and cruised to their six point victory thanks to the hot hand of Laurent Rivard, who nailed five 3-pointers in the game. 

Photo Cred www.sportsillustrated.com

The question now; is one tournament win enough?  The obvious answer is no, but do the Harvard Crimson have what it takes to knock off another good team in Arizona?  My gut feeling is they don't, but you never know. I've got someone in my work pool who picked Harvard to win the Title!

#1 Gonzaga 64 - #16 Southern University 58: Wow.  That was close.  Gonzaga was sweating some bullets there.  When it comes down to it, I'm pretty sure no #1 seed will ever be able to blow the first round of the tournament. It's just never happened, and I think the pride of being #1 will always prevail when it comes down to it.  But man, there have been some close calls through the years!

It wasn't a crazy comeback to win like we saw with Marquette.  It wasn't that Gonzaga got too comfortable with a lead and let it slip.  It was just a close game, start to finish.  The Zags never pulled away, the Jaguars never slowed down.  If not for a big 17 point second half from the big man Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga may very well be the sole blemish among #1 seeds in first round play all time.  But, nonetheless, the Bulldogs came out on the other end on top, and live to play another day against the Wichita State Shockers, which brings me to my next game...



Photo Cred www.cardiachill.com



#9 Whichita State 73 - #8 Pittsburgh 55: This game was not supposed to go this way.  The seeding is only one spot different, but the Pitt Panthers were supposed to win this game.  Now granted, most people probably thought the game would be close, but the outcome was shocking.  An 18 point blowout?!  What in the world happened?!

Somehow, someway, the Shockers held Pitt's leading scorer, Tray Woodall, to two points.  That's insane.  Without Woodall's leadership on the court, the Panthers had no shot.  I feel for Woodall.  In his final collegiate game, he had arguably his worst performance as a college athlete.  He was obviously emotional after the game.  But, I can't say I'm surprised.

I had a feeling the Shockers would come out on top in this game.  Pittsburgh is a choke artist.  Pitt Basketball, Pitt Football, probably Pitt Shuffleboard teams.  They always have and always will be.  I picked Whichita State to win this game, and was pleasantly unsurprised.  So can they dethrone Gonzaga?  My guess is no.  Gonzaga showed some jitters first round, but that was from being ranked #1 for the first time in school history.  They made it through and are in their zone.  Now that Wisconsin is out of the picture (they just lost!!) Gonzaga will roll over the Shockers (who only have one Shock in them) and into the Elite 8 with ease.

Photo Cred www.wbtv.com

#6 Arizona 81 - #11 Belmont 64: Nothing real special about this game.  Arizona was the lower seed in the matchup, Arizona should have won the game, Arizona won the game no problem.  On to round two against a Harvard Crimson team with a head of steam!  I'm thinking this game will be a better game than it should be, and better than expected.  I'm still calling Arizona in round two (for the sake of my bracket!).

I'm currently watching the scores coming in today, and I can't wait to report these tomorrow.  It's MADNESS out there!  As for my bracket, I'm toast...as is most other people, except for that one person who chose Harvard as the Champ.