Our picks for March Madness

Here are Casey and I's picks for the NCAA Tournament and as you can tell they're legit because I posted them at 1:22 a.m. Pacific Time. That's well before any of the games got started so no tricks or mirrors!!!

Here is Casey's Bracket...

And here is my bracket...

I will keep everyone posted as to how each of us does. Keep in mind though, we picked two of the same teams in the Final Four without copying one another (also, I can't spell Miami). Hence it seems our fates will be tied very closely to how those two teams do.

They aren't rooting for Montana in Montana

Deadspin did a map county-by-county of who is rooting for who in the NCAA Tournament via Facebook. As you can see there are a lot of homers and raging front-runners in this country. The first thing I looked at was how Gonzaga did and as you can see they had a clean sweep of the state of Washington and did a number on Oregon and Idaho.

Also have you noticed how many people are UNC fans in this country? I thought Duke fans were all over but apparently I was wrong. Look at UNC... they're in the entire south and northeast, the midwest and parts of California, Utah, Oregon and Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii. Wow.

And last... look at Montana. The Griz are a 13 seed in the tournament and you'd think the state would be whipped up in a frenzy. Instead there are a whopping two counties in the entire state that are rooting for Montana. One is Missoula county the other is some eastern part of the state, I actually think that might be where Bozeman is located. The rest is UNC, Gonzaga, Syracuse (??? the team the Griz will be playing) and then a few counties where I'm assuming Facebook doesn't exist.

What's the deal Montana, shouldn't you have better fans?

(Get your Griz gear here.)

Montana dancing again

Much to the chagrin of the rest of the Big Sky and Bozeman, MT ... the Grizzlies are once again dancing in the NCAA Tournament. After winning the conference tournament by downing Weber State 67-64 in the championship game.

The Grizzlies got a 13 seed from the NCAA Selection Committee and they'll face off against No. 4 seed of Syracuse. The Orange are ranked 19th in the nation after falling to No. 4 ranked Louisville in the Big East Championship Game.

This is Montana's third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years (Way to give them a challenge, Big Sky) and you might remember that in 2006 they upset Nevada in the Big Dance, 87-79.

That being said, you might remember the Big East being absolutely ridiculous this year. I mean, I know the conference is dissolving with their football/basketball schools, but that didn't stop them from getting 8 teams invited to the tournament. Syracuse reached the championship game in the Big East Tournament before losing to an NCAA No. 1 seed, and have six wins over ranked opponents.

The Griz obviously play in the Big Sky which neither have ranked opponents nor NCAA No. 1 seeds. While I'm sure Montana can play one another, I'm not exactly sure you want to take the Grizzlies for the upset special. You just can't beat Syracuse's NCAA Tournament pedigree.

(To get on the Griz bandwagon, click here.)

Ranking the 16 teams left in the NCAA Tournament (based on mascot)

I'm sure you've seen plenty of sites ranking the 16 teams that remain in the NCAA Tournament. And we're gonna do the same.

Only instead of basing it on boring facts such as player comparisons, strength of team, etc, etc. I'm basing it on mascots.

And who has the most awesome mascot.

16. Butler Bulldogs - An overused mascot. The only way this mascot is cool is when their is a real bulldog at the game.

15 and 14. Arizona Wildcats and Kentucky Wildcats - If there is another school with your same mascot with only 16 teams left, then your mascot is lame. Plus, not very creative. Wildcat? How about Lamecat.

13. Virginia Commonwealth University Rams - Now if VCU's mascot had been the Mountain Goats that would be awesome. I once saw Brandon chased down a trail by a mountain goat, but not a ram.

12. and 11. BYU Cougars and Connecticut Huskies - The Cougars and Huskies are also the mascots of Washington State and Washington. So I hear about these all the time. Next.

10. Kansas Jayhawks - The name of this mascot is alright. But have you ever seen the picture of this thing?!? It surely gives children nightmares!

9. Marquette Golden Eagles - Now the Eagle is probably the most overused mascot, right up there with Bulldog and Wildcat. But the reason Marquette made it to number nine is the fact they aren't just the Eagles. Oh no, they are the Golden Eagles.

8. Florida Gators - A creative mascot, but it also is used for purses and boots. Sorry Florida.

7. North Carolina Tar Heels - I always hear Tar Heels and can't help but think of people with dirty feet. Seriously, wash those feet before you come inside!

6. Ohio State Buckeyes - Your mascot is a nut. Enough said.

5. Duke Blue Devils - Is this a Devil that is really cold? Perhaps hell froze over. Which is what will happen if Duke wins the title again.

4. Wisconsin Badgers - I wouldn't want to fight a badger. I'd rather try my luck against a Buckeye.

3. Florida State Seminoles - A great way to connect to the heritage of the state. Oh, and the guy who dresses up at the games is awesome and he even has a horse.

2. San Diego State Aztecs - Another example of a unique mascot. People say the Aztecs and you think of San Diego State.

1. Richmond Spiders - Seriously the best mascot in the tournament. You never hear of other schools called the Spiders.

St. John's University in top 25

In the world of college basketball there are the perinial powerhouses and then there are the other schools.

Today found one of those powerhouses back at the number one seed. That's right, Duke is back to number one after spending about a month out of that position.

But the big news is that St. John's University is in the top 25 for the first time since November 2000. Now many might not know much about St. John's. For those who don't know St. John's is a private university located in New York City. And the truth is that they used to have a very historic basketball program. They actually used to be really good. Like up there with Duke good.

St. John's Red Storm men's basketball has the 7th-most NCAA tournament appearances (27), two Wooden National Player of the Year Award Winners, 11 consensus All-Americans, 6 members of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and has sent 59 players to the NBA. However, of the top 5 teams, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, and St. John's, St. John's is the only team not to win an NCAA championship for basketball, and currently holds the NCAA Division I record for most NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship appearances without a championship.

And I sure hope that they make the tournament this year. I love rooting for those strange and not often heard about teams. The big question is, who's going to be this year's Butler?

Well this pretty much sums it up about Gonzaga...

Was trolling the Spokesman's blog for fan reactions to the 98-77 drubbing Gonzaga took last night against UNC and somebody pretty much nailed it on the head.

Zags got a great seed in the tourney….beat a 13 and a 12 seed. When all is said an done…the best win was probably their win at Tennessee.

I think this team has become the team that the pre morrison teams loved to play.
-RobH

Couldn't agree more. Last nights loss showed that Gonzaga isn't quite the national powerhouse we thought - despite all the star recruits - and they still haven't matched the level of the 1999 Zag Elite Eight team. My friend Colin told me last night after the game (Colin, by the way is a ravid Maryland fan, you know, a program that has won a national championship) "They're a Top 20 program but not a Top 10 program."

They've become a much-hyped squad that the 1999 team would have loved to face in the Tournament.

Epic Video: Xavier's coach was apparently a child phenom

Apparently Xavier head basketball coach Sean Miller went from this...

to this...

Getting older rocks, doesn't it?

Epic Photo: We love being right here at Just South of North

It may not happen very often, but when it does, we like to gloat a little. Villanova 77, Duke 54.

Epic Photo: Duke sucks, well we hope Duke sucks tonight

Duke tips off tonight again Villanova in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament and we hope they lose (Well just me, I don't know about Casey, his fiancee is a Denver Broncos fan... you never know). Just look at the photo up there? How can you root for a team that looks like a collection of players that should be matching up in chess matches.

By the way, if you watch this game on CBS - look in the stands for Villanova fans because apparently they all look like Paulie from the "Rocky" movies. No joke. Even the women.

And don't forget Gonzaga tomorrow. I certainly won't pass up the opportunity to bash them any way I can. They already proved me wrong like three times this year. Will they continue to make me look like a complete idiot?

Things I'd rather see than Duke winning in the NCAA Tournament

Duke is in the sweet sixteen and now we've got some serious issues. They win three more games and their national champs. That cannot happen, in fact, I would rather watch these things than another Duke championship:

(1) Rosanne Barr. Naked.
(2) The women's NCAA Tournament.
(3) A sequel to Battlefield Earth
(4) Howie Long berate another truck owner for using his man step.
(5) Any Simpson's episode involving Lisa as the main focus.
(6) A Seattle Mariners spring training game and the commentary that follows it talking about how their AA prospect looked so good in two and a third innings.
(7) A documentary on what Christian Laettner is doing these days.
(8) Adam Morrison crying at mid-court again.
(9) Jessica Simpson drink beers and eat ribs.
(10) Dickie V rattle on and on about the ACC.

Epic Photo: My NCAA Tournament Bracket

Well, at least I didn't pick Morehead State to win it all.

The Slipper still fits!

No, Gonzaga didn't fix any of it's defensive weaknesses towards the three point shot but they gutted out a 83-81 victory over Western Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. You can thank Demetri Goodson for that, who made the go ahead basket with .9 seconds to go.

But now the Zags are in their first Sweet Sixteen since 2006, and will face up against UNC. A couple of thoughts come to mind.

- I hate to beat a dead horse but when is Mark Few going to learn how to rotate his defense to defend the three?
- Are we going to see Josh Heytvelt shine against Tyler Hansbrough like he did two years ago?
- Pargo has been playing better, is this raising his NBA stock?
- Matt Bouldin is a good player on the stat sheet but it seems as if he disappears in big games against tough competition. His points against WKU were pull up threes, can Bouldin score against the Tarheels?

The Zags are proving me wrong. They're making a run in the tournament.

Gonzaga needs to do something in this tournament

Spokane collectively held its breath yesterday as Akron gave a valiant fight against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They certainly had upset in their eyes, but the Zags proved to be too much for them - pulling away at the end for the 77-64 victory.

What should be promising to Spokanites is the fact that the Zips put up a battle (hard fouls and tough defense) and Gonzaga responded. Sure they came out flat for the game, something that wasn't lost by the announcers, but at least they turned it up when it mattered.

Now that being said, the Zags need to do something in this tournament because their reputation is at stake here. Long have they been the media darlings and frankly, some people are starting to grumble about when the Bulldogs are going to "get over the hump." One Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last seven years is really "all" Gonzaga has to show.

That may seem a little harsh but if you think about the label that is put on the program as "elite" - you've got to show more than getting knocked out in the first round the past two years. 

It seems like they have a good shot to make the Sweet Sixteen this year since they're in Portland which basically means they're playing in front of a home crowd and they'll have to beat low-seeded Western Kentucky to go there. Beating a 13-seed and a 12-seed to go to the Sweet Sixteen? These are games that the Zags should win.

And please, don't give me the whole "they're Spokane's team, we should support them anyways" because Gonzaga carries themselves like an Elite program and they need to show they can produce like an elite program. No incarnation of the Zags since 1999  has gotten back to the Elite Eight despite all the prized recruits, the shiny new arena and the media attention. 

Spokane still supports their teams no matter what, but the local media sure tends to butter them up regardless of whether they get shown the door early or not. 

I'm convinced that if this were a bigger market - people would be calling for Mark Few's head (which by the way, did you see the Zags inability to rotate on defense against the three? Just saying). Not that it's warrented, but he'd certianly have more pressure on him as opposed to the campfire song treatment he gets in this town everytime they beat a crummy WCC team.

You don't make a splash in this year's tournament - you have to look at this season as a disappointment. Many people had this team going to the FINAL FOUR in the preseason.

I'm sorry but if you have a program that's so big that the head coach wont even show up to his own coaches show - you better do a hell of a lot more than lose to Western Kentucky in the second round. That's all I'm saying.

Epic Video: The slipper still fits!

Since it's NCAA Tournament time, I thought I'd give all you Gonzaga fans a treat from that magical 1999 run. Those were the days...

Headlines: I'm on a Boat! And it's near a Volcano! Crap!

How can you live in the Northwest and not love to talk about Volcanoes. I dunno, in fact, I wanted to study volcanoes before I learned how much school that would require and that I do suck at science experiments. Ask Casey, I burnt his eyebrows off once.

Anyways, a cool volcanic event is happening at the moment, as an undersea volcanoes erupting near the island of Tonga in the South Pacific. That's right, the Earth is baby-making right now and we can all watch it.

And while the volcano is blowing up, so is March Madness! I don't have a link but I will let you know that I did very well in my bracket yesterday with the exception of Western Kentucky upsetting Illinois. Other than that I was pretty darn happy but dreading the horrible day that awaits today because luck in the NCAA Tournament usually doesn't last two days in a row when it comes to brackets.

There is a tent city in Sacramento ... say hello to familiar images of the Great Depression. Now all that's missing is a pet monkey that can play the cymbals for spare change.

A judge ruled that you can't carry a loaded gun in national parks, meaning that Smokey the Bear will not be packing heat anymore.

We be havin' lots of babies out of wedlock. Well who can afford condom's these days?

A Dallas High School principal was having his kids cagefight... for the enjoyment of the school staff. REALLY? This is why I don't go to Texas, it's messed up down there.

And the Spokane Shock won their exhibition game this last Wednesday, meaning that they'll probably already do better than the Seahawks this year.

Scouting the Akron Zips

It's tournament time again for Gonzaga, and due to their relatively high seeding (4) they'll be playing a team some of you may not of heard of, the Akron Zips.

RECORD: 23-12
SEED: 13
LOCATION: 207, 934 (which is very Spokane-ish)

INTERESTING FACTS:
- The university's mascot is "Zippy", a kangaroo. Zippy is one of only a few female college mascots in the United States.
- Their main rival in football is Kent State University.
- This is the Zips first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1986.
- Their soccer team was once ranked No. 1 in the nation.
- Casey likes Kangaroos.
- Jeremy Pargo eats Kangaroos.
- Their football stadium is called the Rubber Bowl. Not sure if they'll change it to the Trojan Bowl.
- The Zips have competed in the NCAA Division III, II and became a Division I member in 1980.
- Head coach Keith Dambrot coached Lebron James when he was the head coach at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School.

So with those facts and tidbits, we're sure we've now convinced you to pick the Zips in your NCAA bracket. Okay that may be a lie. Does Patty Mills play for them?

Reasons why you're single: You consider this exercise

(1) Halo 2
(2) Getting winded while walking up two flights of stairs
(3) A three hour game of Magic: The Gathering
(4) Coffee run
(5) Eating Corned Beef at 1 a.m.
(6) Filling out an NCAA bracket
(7) Making out with someone who is not your girlfriend (because you are single)
(8) Helping you mom bring the groceries in
(9) Going on a World of Warcraft quest
(10) Scooping some ice cream out of the box

The field of 65 - the play-in game

So you've made the Big Dance! Congrats, now you have to win a game to even get into the brackets. Good luck! Maybe move to a better conference.

There's nothing more special about the NCAA Tournament than the play-in game where two mid-major teams play their puts off for the privilege of getting their butts kicked by a No. 1 seed in the first round of the tournament.

Whoever thought up this wonderful thing probably also came up with the new three-point line, the BCS and letting FOX broadcast college football games with their Super 8 home video cameras.

But without further delay, here are the two schools that will be facing one another in the infamous play-in game.

The 22-9 Alabama State Hornets, who have as many NCAA appearances - two - as players who average points in the double digits. Although I feel kind of sorry that they were relegated to the play-in game. Sure their conference had only three teams with winning records and five teams with over 20 losses but if you win the SWAC shouldn't you get some respect?

Stop laughing.

They'll be facing the Morehead State Eagles, who were just third in their conference with a 19-15 record but won their conference postseason tournament - which is the only thing that matters in these mid-major conferences unless you're Gonzaga. Their conference, the OVC has more directional schools than a community college league. Wow.

They'll face of March 17, Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m.

Say hellllooo to March Madness. And schools you'll never here from ever again.

UConn is pretty good

So No. 2 UConn put the hurt on No. 8 Gonzaga today 88-83 in overtime, Eastern Washington lost by 30 points to Washington and WSU plays Idaho tomorrow.

Can't hardly wait.

The Zags had a full crowd at Key Arena behind them but it wasn't enough as the Huskies turned up the defense in the waning seconds of regulation and overtime. Pargo couldn't seem to be able to hold onto the ball either. All Gonzaga's three point shooters fouled out when they really needed them.

All in all, it wasn't the greatest outings for the Zags and they only lost by five points to second-best team in the country. You can't be too discouraged, this is a talented team, they're just going to need to play better under pressure.

With the game on the line, they fell apart. Does that sound familiar? Anyone remember Adam Morrison crying at center court, because I do. However, I think this team is considerably better than that Sweet Sixteen Squad.

Once they get rolling in the WCC schedule, they'll get into the perfect attitude for the NCAA Tournament.

... and I really don't want to talk about the Eagles right now.

God, I love March Madness

I'm headed to Yakima very soon to go watch the Spokane Shock play an exhibition game against the Tri-City Fever at the SunDome. While I'd love just to sit and watch NCAA games all day, people are buying me wine down in Yakima. I can't turn that down.

However, check out Fish Bear Sports running diary. That Joel Willits is a funny bastard.

And I'll try to drop in on his comment board and insult his mother every I get wireless on my laptop.

Which in Yakima, could be very iffy.