Can you feel the excitement? We’re a mere two weeks away from the end of the NHL regular season. Things are starting to heat up and for some teams; the playoffs have pretty much started already.

The Sharks took another step towards the President’s Trophy taking a four point lead over Detroit in the West with an equal amount of games remaining, and a five point lead over Boston with the B’s having one game in hand.

Florida and Buffalo are turning the heat up in the Eastern conference as well. Florida has won two games in a row and Buffalo was won three games in a row, benefiting from the return of Ryan Miller. The Rangers shut out New Jersey last night to regain a four point lead over Florida and seven point lead over Buffalo. Right now it looks like it will be Montreal, Florida and Buffalo fighting it out for the final playoff spot.

Out West, the Blues have taken over the 8th spot winning their last five games and seven of their last ten. Vancouver is holding down the fifth spot in the West and after that, all bets are off. I have a personal interest in seeing the Blues make the playoffs since two of their players won a championship for the Erie Otters of the OHL in 2002.

Just a little note since we're only two weeks away, both myself and Scott will be making playoff predictions round by round. We've done this before in the past and it has been a huge success each time (except for the fact that Scott always wins). I'm mentioning this now because we'd love to invite any and all readers to participate as well and we'll post the results on the site. The details will be ironed out as time goes on, but if anybody is interested, a simple e-mail letting us know is all we need right now.

1. San Jose Sharks (2) – Like I previously stated; the Sharks are hot right now and in the driver’s seat for the best record in the league. They picked up three of a possible six points last week and have some crucial games this week. San Jose has two games against Edmonton coming up this week that will help shape out the West. They defeated Calgary last night and are clearly in control of the West.

2. Boston Bruins (4) – I’ve been down on Boston lately and for good reason. However, they came to play last week and have temporarily shut me up. They had a light week but made use of it picking up all four points to stay on top in the East. They have a relatively easy week coming up with games against Tampa Bay and Ottawa, before facing the Rangers on Saturday.

3. Detroit Red Wings (1) – The Red Wings struggled a bit last week going 1-2-0 to drop two spots in the rankings. Normally I wouldn’t put much stock into the race for the President’s Trophy, but home ice might be pivotal if San Jose and Detroit face off for a trip to the Finals.

4. Vancouver Canucks (5) – We’ve seen it in the NFL playoffs and we might see it this season in the NHL. It’s not necessarily the team that has played well all season, but the team that catches fire right before the playoffs that ends up winning it all. The Canucks went 3-1-0 last week and continue their hot play heading down the stretch. They have four more games before the next set of rankings come out so there is a good chance they will be even higher if they keep things up.

5. New Jersey Devils (3) – The Devils have only gotten one point in their last five games and have dropped to the 3rd spot in the Eastern Conference. I’m not ready to completely drop them yet because I have plenty of confidence that they will turn it around before the season ends. If they don’t, they are looking at an early April exit from the playoffs.

6. Carolina Hurricanes (12) – The Hurricanes have been a team possessed recently. They have won six games in a row and have surged up the conference standings. If this keeps up, they could still catch Washington for the division, although that seems unlikely. Regardless of that, Carolina was a team on the edge of the playoffs to a team that will most definitely be in them now.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins (6) – The Penguins picked up all four possible points last week, including a win against the Rangers, to continue their hot play. I know what you’re all saying, they are playing well and they still drop in the rankings? Well, yes, but only because of how well Carolina has been playing lately. The Penguins play them this Saturday so that will help settle this little debate. They then play Florida the following night which should be a very interesting game.

8. Philadelphia Flyers (7) – The Flyers went 1-2-0 last week with their only win coming against the lowly Islanders. With two games against Toronto and one against Ottawa this week, this is their chance to get back on track before they lost home ice in the first round to Carolina.

9. Washington Capitals (8) – I feel somewhat bad putting the number two team in the East this low in the rankings, but I honestly feel this is where they should be. If they were to lace up the skates against any of the teams listed above them, I’d say those teams beat them 8 out of 10 times. They have three winnable games this week so this is their chance to go on a little winning streak before the season winds down.

10. Calgary Flames (9) – Getting shutout twice last week really isn’t a good way to play during the stretch run. They have a tough week coming up with games against Dallas and Minnesota, after dropping one to San Jose last night.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets (11) – If the Blue Jackets want to make the playoffs, the two games this week against Nashville are going to be huge games. Columbus makes that very small list of expansion teams that I don’t want to see removed from the league, so more power to them if they end up in the playoffs this year.

12. New York Rangers (10) – I think it’s safe to say with only two weeks remaining, along with the Sabres making a run to qualify for the playoffs, the next best thing would be the Rangers missing out on the playoffs. The Rangers are on the cusp of missing out right now but got a big win against New Jersey last night. Still, with games against Carolina and Boston this week, they definitely not a sure thing just yet.

13. Chicago Blackhawks (14) – The ‘Hawks got two big wins against the Sharks and Devils last week, before running into the brick wall known as the Vancouver Canucks. They have four more games this week with three of them going against St Louis, Nashville and Columbus. Those games will be pivotal towards the race in the West.

14. Nashville Predators (13) – Remember that list I spoke of when mentioning Columbus? Yeah, the Predators are on that list. Regardless, they have been pretty good this year and if they keep on winning, they can punch their ticket to another first round playoff exit. They did pick up seven of a possible eight points last week so they are doing their part in at least getting that far.

15. St Louis Blues (NR) – I already mentioned what I thought of the Blues before the rankings, so there isn’t a whole lot to say right now. At the risk of sounding like a typical Erie journalist, I’ll refrain from talking about former Erie Otters from this point going forward. The Blues have games against Chicago, Detroit and Dallas this week. They will be pushing their winning streak almost to double digits if they continue their winning ways.

I'm not sure that I can recall a set of Sweet 16 games with so many blowouts, but that's what we've seen so far this year. With the exception of one game last night, there was little drama to be found. The trend of top seeds continued on as well as both the 1's and 2's advanced on Friday. With those things in mind, let's take a look at Sunday's Elite 8 matchups to determine the remaining Final Four participants.

(1) Louisville vs. (2) Michigan St.: CBS - 2:20pm
Speaking of lack of drama, it was most apparent when Louisville faced off with Arizona in Indianapolis. Rick Pitino moved to 9-0 all time as a coach in the Sweet 16 round as the Cardinals simply dismantled the Wildcats, winning the game 104-64. The Cardinals never trailed in the game and continually expanded their lead throughout, never letting off the gas pedal. Louisville put 5 players in double figures while shooting nearly 58% from the field. Earl Clark's 19 points and 9 rebounds lead the way, but this was a full team effort without a doubt. All 13 Louisville players found their way to the score sheet and the celebrating came early in this one. The Cards are leaving little doubt in anybody's mind as to why they were named the top overall seed in the tournament.

Michigan St. did not have quite as easy of a night on Friday, battling Kansas until the very end. Down by as much as 13 late in the first half, the Spartans battled their way back and edged ahead for good in the final minute, winning the game 67-62. Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas struggled for most of the game, but in crunch time, his star shined brightest. He scored 7 points in the last 49 seconds to advance Tom Izzo's squad to the Elite 8. Lucas finished with 18 points and 7 assists, while center Goran Suton was the only other player in double figures with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Suton was battling head to head with Cole Aldrich and effectively counter balanced him. The Spartans didn't shoot particularly well as a team, but their defense made up for it, forcing 19 Kansas turnovers, including 13 steals for Michigan St.. The Spartans remained undefeated in the NCAA tournament as a 2 seed.

I've been reluctant to give Michigan St. much credit up until this point, but they proved they belong by holding off Kansas last night. However, they know face a buzzsaw in the Louisville Cardinals. Pitino is a master at having his teams ready for March, and this year has proved no exception. A brief moment of doubt against Siena is about the only adversity the Cardinals have faced thus far, but the Spartans will certainly be the highest quality opponent Louisville has seen in this tournament. Still, the Cardinals are battle tested after winning the Big East which has proved how good it is by placing 4 teams in the Elite 8. The Spartans will surely keep it closer than Arizona could manage, but in the end, I think Louisville's full court pressure and endless bench is going to prove more than Izzo's bunch can handle.

(1) UNC vs. (2) Oklahoma: CBS - 5:05pm
North Carolina has had a very similar tournament to Louisville thus far, with only a momentary concern in the 2nd round slowing them down up to this point. Friday night was more of the same for the Tar Heels as they faced Gonzaga in Memphis. Ty Lawson again proved he was healthy enough to contribute as he scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and propelled Carolina to an 11 point lead at the break. The game never got any closer than that margin in the 2nd half as UNC pulled away to the 98-77 win. Lawson also had 9 assists and just on turnover in his 27 minutes of action. Tyler Hansbrough was solid as usual, contributing 24 points and 10 boards to the effort. The Tar Heels out rebounded Gonzaga 40-28 and has 23 assists compared to the Bulldogs 10. North Carolina will be looking for it's 100th tournament win on Sunday when they face off with Oklahoma.

Blake Griffin continues to be a tour de force in his effort to get Oklahoma a National Championship. Friday night was more of the same as Syracuse, like so many before them, had no answer for the soon to be Naismith Award winner. On this night, it was 30 points and 15 rebounds on 12/15 shooting. Jim Boeheim was denied his 800th career victory and will have to wait until next season to join that club now, as the Sooners knocked off the Orange, 84-71. Griffin didn't do it all by himself however, junior guard Tony Crocker chipped in 28 points including 6 baskets from beyond the arc. Syracuse on the other hand was stone cold from 3 point land, missing it's first 10 attempts and finishing 7/24. The Orange never lead in this one and the Sooners enjoyed a margin as large as 27 points in the 2nd half before sealing the deal and moving to the Elite 8.

Oklahoma vs. North Carolina was one of the first potential matchups of the tournament that I noticed and anticipated. A classic "irresistible force meets immovable object" matchup, although perhaps both qualify as irresistible forces in this instance. Last year's Player of the Year, Tyler Hansbrough will do battle with this year's soon to be award winner Blake Griffin, and it should be an entertaining matchup. Carolina is averaging over 94 points per game so far in the tournament, just about their average for the year at 90.5. Griffin on the other hand is yet to have a game under 25 points and 15 rebounds. Blake Griffin is likely going to get his numbers yet again, despite Carolina's ability to throw multiple, talented big men at him, but the question falls on the supporting cast. Oklahoma will need Tony Crocker to keep up his hot shooting if they want to hang with the likes of Ty Lawson's dynamic point guard play and talented swingman Wayne Ellington's ability to get to the basket and score. This will likely be a very offensive based game and I think in the end, the Tar Heels simply have more weapons to rely on. This should be a fun one to watch, but I think in the end, Carolina advances to the Final 4 next weekend.

So the first half of the Sweet 16 has concluded, and while the winners may not necessarily be so surprising, the methods in which they won could be. The Big East continued to show it's dominance and Memphis became the "Paper Tigers" many thought they might be. This weekend will get us down to the illustrious Final Four, so let's take a look at the matchups for Saturday's Elite 8 games.

(1) UConn vs. (3) Missouri: CBS - 4:40pm
Connecticut lead Purdue wire to wire, and while the Boilermakers kept it close for awhile, UConn pulled away in the second half. The Huskies took the game 72-60, in large part thanks to their 7'3" star Hasheem Thabeet. Thabeet had been mostly quiet through the first two games, but he was clearly the difference on Thursday night. His 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 block shots were great, but it was his pure physical presence in the pain that keyed Jim Calhoun's team. Connecticut was able to force Purdue to be a jump shooting team, which didn't fare well for them on this night, connecting on less than 30% of their jumpers. Both the rebounding (48-33) and the foul margin (12-26) were heavily in Connecticut's favor as well, as the Huskies moved on to the West Regional Final.

Missouri is known for their "Fastest 40 Minutes" in basketball and it was fully on display in Glendale on Thursday night. The game started out as a back and forth battle as Memphis kept paced offensively, while neither team's defense looked too great. However, Mizzou started to stretch the lead heading towards the half and a 3/4 court shot Marcus Denmon at the buzzer might have been the nail in the Memphis coffin. Missouri's offense made the vaunted Memphis defense look silly as they continually got the basket for what seemed like layup after layup, pushing the lead to as many as 24 in the second half. Memphis point guard Tyreke Evans had a fantastic game, scoring 33 and helping to close the gap to just 6 points with a little over 2 minutes left, but Mizzou was able to close out the game at the foul line and get the win, 102-91. All 5 Tigers from Missouri scored in double figures and T.J. Tiller lead them with 23.

Many peopled clamored to see UConn/Memphis in the final for this regional, but as I've mentioned before, Memphis' lack of competition in conference play was destined to bite them come tourney time, and that showed up last night. The Missouri Tigers fast paced play and ability to get the basket (and the free throw line as a result) are a tough matchup for anybody. UConn's main weakness this year has been Thabeet getting into foul trouble, and if Missouri keeps pressuring the lane, that might be the result on Saturday. It's going to be difficult for Thabeet to aggressively deny Missouri inside while keeping himself on the court at the same time. Lucky for UConn though, they have some pretty good talent surrounding him. A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien helped them get this far, and they'll need to step it up for the Huskies to make the Final Four. Adrien in particular had a rough night against Purdue, so look for him to bounce back on Saturday. I picked the Huskies to come out of this region in most of my brackets, and I'm not going to change my mind now.

(1) Pittsburgh vs. (3) Villanova: CBS - 7:05pm
Pitt hasn't made it look easy any step of the way so far, and Thursday night's matchup with Xavier was no exception. Pittsburgh's largest lead in a very back and forth game was also the final margin, 60-55 in their favor. It was a gritty game where neither team shot well, but the Panthers were able to rely on their star point guard, Levance Fields down the stretch, who scored two buckets in the final minute to help propel Pitt to the Elite 8. A place they haven't been for the past 35 years. Sam Young chipped in 19 points and DeJuan Blair was a beast as usual, scoring 10, but grabbing 17 rebounds. Jamie Dixon's squad has looked less than impressive so far, but they are also still to play the type of basketball they are capable of.

Villanova flat out embarrassed Duke en route to a 77-54 win in Boston. Their defense keyed them through the first half as Duke remained close, but had a very difficult time getting into the flow of their offense. The 2nd half was all in the favor of the Wildcats as they continued to force poor attempts by the Blue Devils while getting relatively easy baskets of their own. Duke went a paltry 16-60 from the field for the game, including 5-27 beyond the arc. Nova also managed to out rebound the Blue Devils by a 46-32 margin and kept Duke stars Gerald Henderson (1/14) and John Scheyer (3/18) completely in check. For the Wildcats, Scottie Reynolds had 16 points while Dante Cunningham added 14 along with 11 rebounds. The game was marred by a combined 47 fouls, but it was Jay Wright's squad that seemed to be able to stay in rhythm, advancing on to the East Regional Final.

This game is a rematch from late January when Villanova beat Pitt by 10 at home. The Big East rivals should provide a great contest to see who moves on to the Final 4. That first matchup saw Nova come from behind in the 2nd half and pull ahead when Pitt went ice cold down the stretch. DeJuan Blair was rendered mostly ineffective in that matchup due to foul trouble throughout. Junior guard Reggie Redding had his best game as a Wildcat, scoring a career high 18 points, including 10/10 from the foul line. As I mentioned before, Pitt is yet to play the type of basketball it's capable of in this tournament, and they didn't show it in the first matchup in Philly either. If they play to their potential, their size and strength could be too much for a Villanova team built on finesse to handle. That's a big "if" of course. The Wildcats come into this game looking extremely impressive so far through 3 rounds, and this is a team known for upsets. It ultimately boils down to can Nova stay hot or can Pittsburgh finally play to their capabilities. I picked Pittsburgh in my bracket and I can't bail on them now. Jamie Dixon finds a way to get his team to play their best, and the Panthers win a close one.

We've already taken a look at Thursday's games, so now we'll move ahead to the lineup for Friday's Sweet 16 matchups. Like the East and West regions, the Midwest and South regions only have one oddity in terms of seeding. 12 seed Arizona, one of the last teams to make the field of 65, has advanced through the first 2 rounds. Will they continue their improbable run, or will the higher seeds continue to move on? Here's the schedule for the 3rd round.

Thursday's West Region (Glendale) Games:
(1) Connecticut vs. (5) Purdue, 7:07pm
(2) Memphis vs. (3) Missouri, 9:37pm

Thursday's East Region (Boston) Games:
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Xavier, 7:27pm
(2) Duke vs. (3) Villanova, 9:57pm

Friday's Midwest Region (Indianapolis) Games:
(1) Louisville vs. (12) Arizona, 7:07pm
(2) Michigan St. vs. (3) Kansas, 9:37pm

Friday's South Region (Memphis) Games:
(2) Oklahoma vs. (3) Syracuse, 7:27pm
(1) UNC vs. (4) Gonzaga, 9:57pm

(1) Louisville vs. (12) Arizona:
Rick Pitino's Louisville squad finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning the Big East tournament and grabbing the #1 overall seed for the NCAA Tourney. So far they haven't disappointed, first beating (16) Morehead St. by 20, 74-54 in the first round. While only able to manage a 2 point lead at the half, the Cardinals flew past the Eagles in the 2nd without much trouble. Louisville shot 58% from the field in that game and used a balanced scoring attack to advance on. The next round presented a bit more of a challenge in (9) Siena. The Cards trailed briefly in the 2nd half, but regained the lead with about 5:00 left and held on for the 79-72 victory. Turnovers were a problem for Louisville in this one, but Terrence Williams' 24 point, 15 rebound effort helped them get by the Saints. A 49% shooting night and a large advantage in the rebound category didn't hurt matters either.

Much has been made about Arizona barely getting into the tournament, but regardless of that fact, they've played well through 2 rounds. The Wildcats had little trouble in dispatching (5) Utah in their first game, knocking off the Utes, 84-71. Virtually all their scoring came from their starters, including 20 from Chase Budinger and 29 from Nic Wise. Arizona was amongst the many teams who put on fantastic shooting performances the first weekend, knocking down 54.5% in the first game. The second round was more of the same as the Wildcats handled upset minded (13) Cleveland St. with relative ease as well, 71-57. Another 50% shooting effort along with an efficient 24/28 night at the free throw line were key components of this win. Nic Wise again lead the scoring effort, putting in 21.

Two key items feed into each other to help me shape my opinion of this game. The Cardinals use a full court pressure defense frequently that makes the other team work very hard and forces many turnovers. Arizona on the other hand, barely uses their bench at all. Their 5 starters have been averaging in the 36+ minute range in two games that weren't even that close. That tells me that interim coach Russ Pennell doesn't have much confidence after his starting 5. Look for Pitino to run them ragged and the Cardinals to pull away late in the game.

(2) Michigan St. vs. (3) Kansas:
Michigan St. used a 21-0 run to move past a 30-30 tie against (15) Robert Morris in the first round. The Spartans eventually walked away with a 77-62 win, and moved on to the round of 32. 5 players scored in double figures including 16 each from Draymond Green and Raymar Morgan, along with 11 points and 17 boards from Goran Suton. Tom Izzo's group had to contend with a very good 10 seed in USC in the 2nd round. In a game that never saw a lead of more than 6 points for either team, the Spartans beat the Trojans 74-69 in a battle that would have done Ancient Greece proud. Michigan St. relied heavily on it's bench and got well distributed scoring, including 18 points from Travis Walton. The win marked the Spartans 8th trip to the Sweet 16 in the past 12 years.

It's hard to remember that Kansas is the defending national champion, since most of that team is no longer around, but Sherron Collins is still around and proving his importance. The Jayhawks withheld a (14) North Dakota State second half rally to pull out the 84-74 win in the opening round. Collins was a very large part of that, dropping a season high 32 points. Sophomore big man Cole Aldrich helped out with 23 points and 13 rebounds to help Kansas advance. (10) Dayton hoped to pulled off the upset in the 2nd round, but the Jayhawks would have none of that. Cole Aldrich again came through, this time putting up a triple double as Kansas cruised to a 60-43 win. 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks add up to one of the more impressive tournament performances in recent memory. The Flyers were held to a woeful 22% shooting, which meant that even though Kansas couldn't hit a 3 to save their lives (3/16), the Jayhawks were heading to the Sweet 16. Collins added another 25 point effort for Kansas as well.

I didn't really have much confidence in Michigan St. heading into the tournament and they haven't done much to improve my perception at this point. I don't think the Spartans have what it takes to stop both Aldrich and Collins. One or the other at least will have another big game and the Jayhawks should be heading to the Elite 8.

(2) Oklahoma vs. (3) Syracuse:
Much like Duke/Villanova, this game would seem to be the other premiere matchup of the weekend to most. Oklahoma has essentially ridden one man's back to get where they are, and don't expect that to change. The Sooners crushed (15) Morgan St. to start off the tournament, winning 82-54. Despite being slammed judo style to the court by the opposition, Blake Griffin was dominant as always, scoring 28 points and adding 13 rebounds. The team shot a ridiculous 60.4% and never trailed in the game. (10) Michigan came into their 2nd round matchup playing very well, and hung with OU for a half, but just like many before them, had no answer for Griffin. Oklahoma won 73-63, powered by Blake's 33 points and 17 rebounds. The win marked Oklahoma's first trip to the Sweet 16 in 6 years.

Syracuse seemingly came out of nowhere with their Big East run and by virtue of beating UConn in their 6OT thriller, seemingly became a favorite for many heading into the NCAA tourney. Their first round game against (14) Stephen F. Austin saw the Orange run out to a huge lead and then coast home for the 59-44 win. Outstanding point guard Johnny Flynn lead the way with 16 points and 7 assists while the team as a whole held the Lumberjacks to just under 25% from the field. While the margin was much tighter, the layout was generally the same in Syracuse's second round win over Arizona St. They took control early and kind of coasted on home for the win. This time by only 11, 78-67. 5 players put up double figure scoring efforts, lead by Eric Devendorf's 21. 'Cuse managed a 55% shooting night, including 45% from 3 point land.

Let me say right up front that Syracuse will not stop Blake Griffin. Nobody has done it all year and I don't expect it to start now. The guy is the obvious Naismith Player of the Year Award winner and #1 pick in the NBA Draft and he has steamrolled all opposition. The question instead will be can the Syracuse guards due enough to overcome him? Oklahoma has had spotty guard play during the year, and will need to find a way to try and keep Johnny Flynn and Eric Devendorf in check. I think the Orange finally lose the magic and run out of steam in this one. The Sooners advance, but barely.

(1) UNC vs. (4) Gonzaga:
After UConn, North Carolina has probably been the most impressive team thus far in the tournament. That comes as little to surprise many, as UNC seemed to be the odds on favorite to win going into the tournament amongst public opinion. (16) Radford didn't have a prayer really, as the Tar Heels just thrashed them from start to finish, 101-58. Tyler Hansbrough set the all time ACC scoring record en route to his 22 points, and Wayne Ellington cashed in for 25 more. Nobody had to play more than 30 minutes in this one and every bit of rest helps as UNC moved on to the next round. (8) LSU battled back in the 2nd half to make the game interesting, but the Tar Heels closed on a 21-7 run to put away the Tigers, 84-70. Ty Lawson made his return from a toe injury and started off shaky, but scored 21 of his game high 23 in the second half to help North Carolina advance. Ellington matched the 23 of Lawson and UNC shot over 54% in moving to the Sweet 16.

Gonzaga has officially shed their "Cinderella" tag now. They entered the tournament as the 10th ranked team in the nation and grabbed a 4 seed in the process. The Bulldogs faced (13) Akron in their first game and actually trailed well into the 2nd half before burying the Zips with a 31-6 run, eventually winning 77-64. Josh Heytvelt had an efficient shooting night on his way to a game high 22 points. The Zags would go on to face a tough and experienced 12 seed in Western Kentucky in the 2nd round and had their hands full throughout. The back and forth game would result in the most exciting finish of the tournament thus far when freshman Demitri Goodson went the length of the court and put in a layup with .9 left on the clock, giving the Bulldogs the win, 83-81. 5 Bulldogs scored in double figures, lead by Matt Bouldin's 20. He also added 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a solid all around game. Gonzaga returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006 after consecutive 1st round losses the past 2 years.

Gonzaga is experienced and athletic, two good combinations for the NCAA tournament. The only problem... UNC is more experienced and more athletic. The Bulldogs are probably one of the few teams that could keep pace with the Tar Heels, but with Ty Lawson back in the lineup, Carolina just has too many weapons. Between Hansbrough, Ellington, and Lawson, there is almost always an option for the Heels. Look for Roy William's team to move on to the Elite 8 for a potential matchup of the reigning and soon to be crowned Players of the Year.

The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are in the books and 16 teams are left standing. In a rather unusual occurrence, almost all of the top seeds have made it through. #12 Arizona snuck in along with #5 Purdue, but the remaining teams are all the top seeds from their respective brackets. Some have complained that the lack of "Cinderella" teams has made for a disappointing tournament, while others seem happy that the best teams are still playing basketball at this point. Whichever side of the fence you happen to be on, it's hard to disagree with the fact that we should be seeing some good quality matchups with these next two rounds. Let's break down Thursday's matchups now and we'll take a look at the Friday games later in the week.

Thursday's West Region (Glendale) Games:
(1) Connecticut vs. (5) Purdue, 7:07pm
(2) Memphis vs. (3) Missouri, 9:37pm

Thursday's East Region (Boston) Games:
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Xavier, 7:27pm
(2) Duke vs. (3) Villanova, 9:57pm

Friday's Midwest Region (Indianapolis) Games:
(1) Louisville vs. (12) Arizona, 7:07pm
(2) Michigan St. vs. (3) Kansas, 9:37pm

Friday's South Region (Memphis) Games:
(2) Oklahoma vs. (3) Syracuse, 7:27pm
(1) UNC vs. (4) Gonzaga, 9:57pm

(1) Connecticut vs. (5) Purdue:
It was heavily debated going into selection Sunday as to whether Memphis or UConn deserved the 4th #1 seed, but I think Connecticut has managed to convince everybody they were deserving at this point. They have certainly been the most impressive team of the tournament thus far, winning their 2 games by an average of 41 points. Senior guard A.J. Price has caught fire in the tournament and has scored 47 points in the 2 games so far. Hasheem Thabeet had an extremely quiet outing against Texas A&M in the 2nd round, but his production wasn't needed, so it wasn't a detriment to the Huskies in the least. Don't expect him to stay quiet however.

Purdue's games have been just a bit closer in the tournament so far. They first knocked off Northern Iowa, 61-56, in a game where they had a comfortable lead, but let the Panthers storm back into it late. The Boilermakers shot poorly from 3 pt. land in that game and couldn't seem to ever put the nail in their opponent. They faced 4 seed Washington in the 2nd round and managed to hold off the Huskies, 76-74. Again, Washington surged in the 2nd half to make the game a close one. Purdue's inability to close out leads is not likely going to benefit them too much against UConn. Sophomore forward JaJuan Johnson has been their best player so far, but look for Thabeet to completely neutralize him in this matchup. I think UConn takes this one fairly easily, in the 8-12 point range.

(2) Memphis vs. (3) Missouri:
Memphis has now won 27 games in a row, but still, they weren't overly convincing against Cal State Northridge in the 1st round. It took a career game from a bench player to get the job done and get the Tigers the 81-70 win. However, the 2nd round was a different story as they took care of Maryland with relative ease, 89-70. The Tigers have been shooting the lights out in there 2 games so far, well above 50%. Of particular interest is their 3 point shooting as well, having made almost 47% of their 47 attempts through the first two rounds. The question is, can they keep it up against more talented opposition?

Missouri let Cornell hang around for awhile in the opening round before putting the hammer down and cruising to the 78-59 win. The 2nd round offered a little more of a challenge however, as they beat Marquette in a game that came down to the final seconds. Mizzou lead 81-79 with seconds to go, when Marquette's Lazar Hayward stepped on the baseline while trying to inbound the ball for what would have been the last possession of the game. The Tigers got the ball back and 2 free throws later, had sewn up a trip to the Sweet 16. Missouri is surely going to be the stiffest test that Memphis has faced in quite some time, but in this battle of Tigers, Memphis should come out on top. That is of course, assuming they play like they're capable of and like they played against Maryland. The Memphis/UConn battle that everybody has been hoping for seems like it's destined to happen to me.

(1) Pittsburgh vs. (4) Xavier:
The East Region has come out "chalk" so far. (For the record, I'm SO sick of hearing that phrase this year. I don't recall every hearing it in the past, but you can't go 5 minutes of coverage during this tournament without hearing it.) Pittsburgh hasn't looked particularly dominant in their first two matchups, but have advanced on just the same. Eastern Tennessee St. hung with the Panthers for far longer than anybody could have or should have expected, but Pitt walked away with the 72-62 victory. Turnovers were a big part of the problem in that game, as Pitt with 18, had twice as many as their opposition. DeJuan Blair was a beast as usual though, going for 27 pts and 16 boards. The second round offered up a very talented Oklahoma St. and Pitt was again put to the test. The Panthers got the 84-76 win, but it was a back and forth battle for much of the game. This time around it was Sam Young leading the way for Pittsburgh, dropping 32 points on the Cowboys.

Xavier has been a ranked team for much of the year, but isn't as well known as some of the other remaining teams because they come out of the Atlantic 10 Conference. As an alum of an A-10 school, I know first hand how dominant Xavier has been in that league for the last decade or so. The Musketeers had no real problem with Portland St. in the first round, taking that game 77-59. Xavier dominated the rebounding battle and shot the ball at 54%, with a very balanced scoring attack, on their way to the win. In the second round, Wisconsin put up a little more of a challenge, but Xavier was still up to the task, getting the 11 point victory, 60-49. With the Badgers slow paced offense, this game looked like more of a defensive battle, with neither team shooting above 40%. Most people probably aren't going to figure Xavier has much of a chance against Pitt, but I think they'll keep it fairly close. In the end, the Musketeers won't be able to contain Blair and Young for the whole game, and Pitt should advance on.

(2) Duke vs. (3) Villanova:
I have little doubt that this should be the best matchup of the 3rd round, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Duke fan. These teams are very similar in terms of style and talent and I think this has all the makings of a classic tournament game. Duke breezed by Binghamton to start off the tournament, taking out the Bearcats, 86-62. 6 players scored in double figures for the Blue Devils and they shot 49% from the field. Duke also made a living at the free throw line, going 21/25 for the game. Texas was a little tougher task for Duke in the 2nd round, as the Blue Devils lead almost the entire game, but it was quite close throughout. The Blue Devils made their foul shots down the stretch and took home the 74-69 win. Gerald Henderson lead the charge, scoring 24, while the team shot 50% from behind the arc.

Villanova had some serious difficulties against American University in their first game, trailing throughout the 2nd half until there were under 8 minutes remaining. The Wildcats never looked back once they got ahead though and went on to the 80-67 victory. Dwayne Anderson and Daunte Cunningham each scored 25 to help propel Villanova past the Eagles. The foul line was also good to 'Nova, as they outscored their opponent, 26-3 from the stripe. When the second round rolled around however, UCLA never really had a chance against Jay Wright's team. The Wildcats took the lead about 5 minutes into the game and never came close to letting it slip, beating the Bruins, 89-69. 6 players got into double figures and Cunningham again lead the way with 18.

Duke and Villanova are both athletic teams that lack a real presence in terms of a big man. The Blue Devil's Kyle Singler and the Wildcats' Cunningham should effectively neutralize each other as they are very similar players who get the job done in a variety of ways. It'll likely come down to whose surrounding cast fairs better and whether or not one team has a poor shooting night. My heart says Duke and my head says Nova, but I like Gerald Henderson to be the difference maker in this one and give Duke the slight advantage.

Another week is in the books in the NHL season and I’ve officially hit “Buffalo Bills mode” on the season. To explain better for the people who don’t understand, that is the point in the season where I start trying to figure out some crazy mathematical scenario where my team can still make the playoffs because they are all but eliminated from the post-season.

I thought the Sabres season would be in grave danger when Scott Gomez “accidentally” injured Ryan Miller a month ago, but I still held out hope that Patrick Lalime could get the job done. After this past weekend, I have no doubt that if Miller isn’t back on the ice for Wednesday night’s game, or worst case scenario, Friday night against Toronto, the Sabres will be mathematically eliminated. Simply put, Lalime just isn’t good enough to play in goal for the long haul. If he plays the second half of a back to back stretch and that works out to about 15 games a season, that is fine, but not for an extended period of time.

I’ve been a pretty big defender of Lindy Ruff over the years, but even I have to question his judgment this past weekend. I have no doubt in my mind that the Sabres would’ve beaten Philadelphia this past Friday if Lalime even slightly resembled an NHL goalie. Considering the way Mikael Tellqvist played against Ottawa the previous game, I thought for sure he would start Saturday night against New York. But no, Lalime was back at it and the Sabres lost out on two more points.

The Sabres do have something working to their advantage though. Normally when a team would struggle as bad as Buffalo, they would already be cooked; however that isn’t quite the case. Montreal and Florida have been doing their part in losing almost every night which is keeping open that glimmer of hope. Montreal, Florida and Buffalo all have 10 games remaining in the season. Buffalo trails Florida by four points and Montreal by five for the eighth and final playoff spot. Montreal has Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Buffalo this week. Florida has Carolina, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Dallas. If, and this is a big one, Montreal and Florida continue their slide and lost those games while Buffalo wins, there you go. Considering the fact that Buffalo plays them both this week with a game against Toronto in the middle, their season is on the line this week. They must win all three or they are finished.

Anyways, that is my rant for the week and now we can get back to the NHL in general. The Bruins got a big win against New Jersey to clinch the Northeast Division; however it’s not enough to jump any spots in my rankings. The middle of the pack stayed somewhat the same while one team dropped off and one team makes their return after a brief hiatus. And with that, here are my rankings for the final full week in March.

1. Detroit Red Wings (2) – Detroit has won their last four games in a row but their grip on the number one seed has loosened a bit thanks to San Jose. This should be a pretty tight race down the stretch which will be pretty important if these two teams face each other in the Western Conference Finals.

2. San Jose Sharks (3) – The Sharks have come back around recently and control their own destiny. Both they and Detroit have an equal number of games remaining, so they are in the driver’s seat. They also have a game in hand on Boston so they look to be on course for the President’s Trophy as well.

3. New Jersey Devils (1) – The Devils split their games last week going 2-2, although one game was against Carolina and featured Kevin Weekes in net. Martin Brodeur finally passed Patrick Roy for the all time wins mark so now we can officially have the debate about whether or not he is the greatest goaltender in NHL history. Do I smell another debate with Scott?

4. Boston Bruins (4) – Boston got a big win against New Jersey yesterday, but that is their first regulation win since March 14th against the lowly Islanders. I had to fight myself in putting Boston at the four spot with two teams playing so well below them, so this is most likely their last week in this spot unless something dramatic happens this week.

5. Vancouver Canucks (5) – Vancouver got blown out at Phoenix (how does that happen?) but won their other two games last week for a 2-1 record since the last rankings. Looking at the big picture they are still 7-2-1 in their last 10 which is mighty impressive.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins (6) – Similar to Vancouver, Pittsburgh lost this weekend but finished the week with a 2-1 record to continue their impressive play. Just thinking if Pittsburgh made the Cup Finals against this year, wouldn’t it be funny to see Hossa win it for Detroit just to rub a little more salt in the wound?

7. Philadelphia Flyers (9) – Philadelphia also went 2-1 last week with their only loss coming to the mighty Red Wings. After the game last Friday, I’m fully convinced that they will need much better play from Martin Biron if they want to make another playoff run. Sometimes he is on his game, but most of the time he is just average. Hopefully in the case of my fantasy team, he plays even better this week.

8. Washington Capitals (7) – Instead of just discussing how Washington did in the previous week, I’d like to give my two cents on the A.O. goal celebration that came against Tampa Bay. Honestly, what is the big deal? We’re okay with players scoring the goal, jumping against the glass, and doing all kinds of other things to show up the other team, but we have a problem with what Ovechkin did? Really? It was all in fun. If more players consistently put up 50 goal seasons like him, maybe they would want to join in on the fun. And the nerve of Rick Tochett, who said “I think he’s a terrific player. He went down a notch in my books after that.” Oh I’m sorry Mr. Tochett, maybe if Ovechkin was involved in conspiracy and a nationwide gambling ring he would’ve gone up in your books. What…a…joke.

9. Calgary Flames (8) – The Flames split their games last week going 1-1 and have struggled somewhat recently. As a whole they are 4-6-0 in their last 10 and haven’t looked very impressive. I’m pretty confident they will turn it around sooner rather than later, but I have been wrong about these things more than once.

10. New York Rangers (12) – The Rangers went 2-1 last week and look to be in fairly good shape for the playoffs. I wouldn’t say they are a sure thing, even though their fans seem to think so. Sean Avery has fully come back into his own form with plenty of after the whistle cheap shots which made him famous in New York. It’s funny that he gets away with all those things on the ice and gets the hefty suspension for talking to the media. You got to love the consistency of the NHL sometimes.

11. Columbus Blue Jackets (13) – Columbus went 2-0 last week to continue their impressive play. As of right now, they are sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference and are only five points out of the fourth spot.

12. Carolina Hurricanes (NR) – Carolina has taken off recently going from a team on the cusp of missing the playoffs, to a team that is pushing Montreal right out. They went 3-0 last week and pushed themselves right up the conference standings. It still probably isn’t enough to catch Washington for the division, but stranger things have happened.

13. Nashville Predators (14) – Nashville lost both games last week but still gained a point in each game. They play Anaheim tomorrow night and that will be extremely important to their playoff chances. They also have San Jose, Los Angeles and Detroit this week so this could be a make or break week for the Preds.

14. Chicago Blackhawks (11) – The ‘Hawks are slipping as each week passes. They did get four out of a possible six points last week, but it still might not be enough. Columbus is nipping at their heels and they will have to play their best hockey this week to hold on. They have San Jose, New Jersey and Vancouver this week. That wouldn’t exactly fill me with confidence if I were a Chicago fan.

15. Edmonton Oilers (NR) – Edmonton is coming on strong at just the right time. They went 3-1 last week including an 8-1 shellacking of Colorado. They also have four more games this week so we’ll have a much better idea at their playoff chances come next Monday.

We are one step closer to the Sweet 16 after some exciting finishes last night, and we will have the rest of the field set when this evening rolls around. Here's a look at yesterday's results, along with today's schedule of games.

East Region:
(2) Duke over (7) Texas, 74-69
(3) Villanova over (6) UCLA, 89-69

South Region:
(1) North Carolina over (8) LSU, 84-70
(2) Oklahoma over (10) Michigan, 73-63
(4) Gonzaga over (12) Western Kentucky, 83-81

West Region:
(1) UConn over (9) Texas A&M, 92-66
(2) Memphis over (10) Maryland, 89-70
(5) Purdue over (4) Washington, 76-74

Bracket Challenge Standings:
Devin - 360 points, Scott - 360 points, Amanda - 350 points; Both hold a healthy advantage over me in possible points remaining however.

Sunday's schedule is a bit earlier than yesterday, with more action going on at the same time as well. Here's how it looks.

12:10pm Start:
(3) Syracuse vs. (6) Arizona St.

2:20pm-2:50pm Starts:
(4) Xavier vs. (12) Wisconsin
(3) Kansas vs. (11) Dayton
(12) Arizona vs. (13) Cleveland St.
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (8) Oklahoma St.

4:50pm-5:20pm Starts:
(3) Missouri vs. (6) Marquette
(2) Michigan St. vs. (10) USC
(1) Louisville vs. (9) Siena

Now that blogspot is finally working properly, I can run through all of Day 2's results and look at the 2nd round matchups, which begin this afternoon. It took until the last games of the first round, but we finally got our first Tournament classics, along with our first real big upset.

Midwest Region:
(1) Louisville over (16) Morehead St., 74-54
(2) Michigan St. over (15) Robert Morris, 77-62
(3) Kansas over (14) North Dakota St., 84-74
(9) Siena over (8) Ohio St., 74-72 in 2OT
(10) USC over (7) Boston College, 72-55
(11) Dayton over (6) West Virginia, 68-60
(12) Arizona over (5) Utah, 84-71
(13) Cleveland St. over (4) Wake Forest, 84-69

West Region:
(3) Missouri over (14) Cornell, 78-59
(6) Marquette over (11) Utah St., 58-57

East Region:
(1) Pittsburgh over (16) E. Tennessee St., 72-62
(4) Xavier over (13) Portland St., 77-59
(8) Oklahoma St. over (9) Tennessee, 77-75
(12) Wisconsin over (5) Florida St., 61-59 in OT

South Region:
(3) Syracuse over (14) Stephen F. Austin, 59-44
(6) Arizona St. over (11) Temple, 66-57

1st Round Trends:
- The 12/5 matchup continues to be the upset to pick each year as this is the 7th time in the past 8 years that at least one of the 12's has advanced. 3 of the 4 won their first round games this year.
- #1 seeds are now 100-0 all time vs. #16 seeds, but the average margin of victory for #1's in the 2nd round is only 7 points.
- Power Conference Records in the 1st Round: ACC (3-4), Big 10 (4-3), Big 12 (6-0), Big East (6-1), Pac 10 (5-1)

Bracket Challenge Standings:
Amanda - 23/32, Devin - 22/32, Scott - 22/32

8 games on tap today as the 2nd round gets under way and if all goes to plan I should have coverage throughout the day again. Here's the list of who is playing and the scheduled start times.

1:05pm Start:
(6) UCLA vs. (3) Villanova

3:20pm-3:35pm Starts:
(10) Maryland vs. (2) Memphis
(9) Texas A&M vs. (1) UConn

5:40pm-5:50pm Starts:
(5) Purdue vs. (4) Washington
(8) LSU vs. (1) UNC
(10) Michigan vs. (2) Oklahoma

8:10pm-8:15pm Starts:
(12) Western Kentucky vs. (4) Gonzaga
(7) Texas vs. (2) Duke

2:08pm
- Villanova leads UCLA 44-31 at the half. The Wildcats have pretty much been scoring at will so far and the Bruins just began to show some signs of life late in the half. Villanova has dominated on the glass with 18 rebounds to UCLA's 9, including 8 on the offensive head. That, combined with some physical defense have lead to the healthy lead.

3:24pm
- Villanova ended up finishing off UCLA by the score of 89-69 and looked extremely impressive in the process. 6 players ended up in double figures and the Wildcats had 15 offensive rebounds to help them coast to the Sweet 16. They will face the winner of tonight's Duke/Texas matchup in the next round.
- (2) Memphis vs. (10) Maryland has just gotten under way, and (1) UConn will be taking on (9) Texas A&M in about 15 minutes or so.

6:12pm
- Blogspot is being miserable to me today, so some quick hits on today's action. So far blowouts by the top seeds have been the order of the day as both Memphis and UConn matched Villanova's early performance, winning by 19 and 26 respectively.
- UNC and Oklahoma look to continue the trend, as they both lead their games in the middle of the first half. Ty Lawson is back in action for the Tar Heels.
- (5) Purdue is trying to build on an early lead against (4) Washington, as they are up 29-21, with 5:28 to go in the first.

8:00pm
- Purdue let Washington sneak back into the game and made it close down the stretch, but the Boilermakers held on to win 76-74. The Huskies had 3 players with 20+ points, including a 20 point, 17 rebound performance from Jon Brockman, but it wasn't enough. Next up for Purdue is the red hot UConn Huskies.
- (1) UNC got a scare from (8) LSU for a bit, but Ty Lawson returned to form quickly and propelled the Tar Heels to the 84-70 win. Lawson and Wayne Ellington each finished with 23 to counter LSU's Marcus Thornton who scored 25. They'll face the winner of tonight's Gonzaga/W. Kentucky matchup.
- (2) Oklahoma had their hands full with (10) Michigan for much of the game, but went on to the 10 point win, 73-63. As usual Blake Griffin was a force for the Sooners with 33 points and 17 rebounds. The Sooners will have to wait until tomorrow to find out if they get Syracuse or Arizona St. in the Sweet 16.

9:14pm
- (2) Duke has played well, but Texas keeps battling, as the Blue Devils lead at the half, 36-29. Gerald Henderson hasn't shot the ball well as of yet, but still leads Duke with 11 points, while A.J. Abrams has 9 for the Longhorns. Duke has been taking more shots off the dribble than usual and has relatively few 3 point attempts compared to their normal style, it will be interesting to see if they continue with this in the 2nd half.
- (12) Western Kentucky is proving my selection of them to move to the Sweet 16 wise so far, as they lead (4) Gonzaga 37-35 at the half. Orlando Mendez-Valdez has 5 threes already, and 17 points on the game. Both teams are shooting the ball at over 50% so far and this one looks like it will be a battle right down to the wire.

11:46pm
- A couple more fantastic finishes ended the night, as Western Kentucky had a complete mental lapse and let Gonzaga's Demetri Goodson go the length of the floor and get an almost uncontested layup with .9 seconds left, moments after tying the game up. Gonzaga moves on to the Sweet 16 after the 83-81 win. Gonzaga's next opponent will be the top seeded UNC Tar Heels.
- Duke lead by as many as 10 at various times in the second half against Texas, but the Longhorns tied it up with 1:44 left. Duke was able to seal the game at the foul line however and secured the 74-69 win to move to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 3 years. The free throws truly made the difference in this one as Texas struggled, shooting just 64% from the charity stripe, while Duke was solid at 78%. The Blue Devils also shot 50% from 3 point land, going 7-14 compared to Texas' 3-12 effort. Duke faces a rejuvenated Villanova team in the next round in what should be a great battle of similar styled teams.

The first day of the tournament is over and some great games were played along with some typical first round blowouts. No real big surprises so far though with only a handful of upsets taking place, perhaps that will change on day 2. Here's a quick recap of yesterday's matchups.

East Region:
(2) Duke over (15) Binghamton, 86-62
(3) Villanova over (14) American, 80-67
(6) UCLA over (11) Virginia Commonwealth, 65-64
(7) Texas over (10) Minnesota, 76-62

South Region:
(1) UNC over (16) Radford, 101-58
(2) Oklahoma over (15) Morgan St., 82-54
(4) Gonzaga over (13) Akron, 77-64
(8) LSU over (9) Butler, 75-71
(10) Michigan over (7) Clemson, 62-59
(12) Western Kentucky over (5) Illinois, 76-72

West Region:
(1) UConn over (16) Chattanooga, 103-47
(2) Memphis over (15) Cal State Northridge, 81-70
(4) Washington over (13) Mississippi St., 71-58
(5) Purdue over (12) Northern Iowa, 61-56
(9) Texas A&M over (8) BYU, 79-66
(10) Maryland over (7) California, 84-71

Current Bracket Standings:
Scott - 13-3, Devin - 11-4, Amanda - 11-4

Today's schedule includes 16 more games, and I'll do my best to bring updates throughout the day again. Here's the list of games and scheduled start times.

12:15pm-12:30pm Starts:
(3) Syracuse vs. (14) Stephen F. Austin
(8) Oklahoma St. vs. (9) Tennessee
(6) Marquette vs. (11) Utah St.
(3) Kansas vs. (14) North Dakota St.

2:45pm-3:00pm Starts:
(6) Arizona St. vs. (11) Temple
(1) Pittsburgh vs. (16) East Tennessee St.
(3) Missouri vs. (14) Cornell
(6) West Virginia vs. (11) Dayton

7:10pm-7:25pm Starts:
(1) Louisville vs. (16) Morehead St.
(5) Utah vs. (12) Arizona
(7) Boston College vs. (10) USC
(4) Xavier vs. (13) Portland St.

9:40pm-9:55pm Starts:
(8) Ohio St. vs. (9) Siena
(4) Wake Forest vs. (13) Cleveland St.
(2) Michigan St. vs (15) Robert Morris
(5) Florida St. vs. (12) Wisconsin

2:40pm
- A couple of great early finishes so far, as (8) Oklahoma St. and (9) Tennessee battled back and forth right to the buzzer. The Cowboys ended up grabbing the victory 77-75. OSU shot nearly 57% and needed every bit of Byron Eaton's 20 points. This was my main TV game and I'm hoping I don't get any more from Dayton today simply for the fact that Bill Raftery is horribly annoying to listen to. People complain about Dick Vitale, but I'd take him over Raftery any day.
- (6) Marquette had their hands absolutely full with (11) Utah St. as well, holding them off at the end for the 58-57 win. Lazar Haywood poured in 26 points to go along with 8 rebounds for the Golden Eagles as All Big East 1st Teamer Jerel McNeal struggled to find his shot. The Aggies had 3 men leading the way for them with 15+ each and finally grabbed the lead for the first time with about 5 minutes left, but couldn't hang on.
- (3) Syracuse never trailed (14) Stephen F. Austin, nor was it really ever close. The Orange ran out to a 20-4 lead to start the game and were able to put into cruise control from there. Star point guard Johnny Flynn lead the way with 16 points for Syracuse, while Paul Harris dominated the glass with 16 boards. The Lumberjacks shot under 25% and never had a chance in this one. I do love these small schools though because you always find some interesting stories along the way. SFA had both a 27 year old on the court at one point as well as a 5'3 guard, who quite honestly looked like he got lost on his way to Saturday Morning Basketball. Actually, I think a lot of kids I knew at 12 years old were already taller than that.
- (3) Kansas was thought by many to possibly have a struggle on their hands with first year D-1 team (14) North Dakota St., and that seemed to be the case for most of the game. The defending national champion Jayhawks began to pull away a bit late in the first half, but had trouble shutting the door before finally hanging on to the 84-74 win. This game featured quite the scoring duel as the Bison were lead by Ben Woodside's 37 point effort. On the other side, Kansas' star guard Sherron Collins dropped 32, along with 8 assists. The Jayhawks also had the benefit of getting 23 points and 11 rebounds from big man Cole Aldrich.

2:57pm
- (6) Arizona St. is out to an early lead on (11) Temple, 20-14, just about mid way through the first half.
- My pick to win it all, (1) Pittsburgh will be taking the court in a few minutes and shouldn't have much trouble against (16) E. Tennessee St.
- (6)West Virginia is another of my teams to watch for, as I think they can be one of the lower seeds to make a run beyond what their expected. They take on (11) Dayton in Minneapolis, Minnesota starting at 3:05pm.
- All 3 of us are now at 15-5 in opening round games, while somehow my dad continues his march to perfection, as one of his brackets is currently 20/20, while two of his others are also 19/20.

3:55pm
- Arizona St. still leads Temple, 40-34 with 14:24 to go in the game. The Owls are lead by Dionte Christmas as usual, who has 19, while the Sun Devils' Derek Glasser and Jeff Pendergraph have combined for 30 of the team's 40.
- Elsewhere, my pick of Pittsburgh is looking a little more scary as they have struggled with E. Tennessee St. so far, leading 26-23 at halftime. DeJuan Blair has 11 points and 11 boards so far, and the Panthers have held the Buccaneers to just 24% shooting. Since I haven't seen a second of this game on TV so far, I'm not really sure what Pitt's problem is so far, but hopefully they turn it around in the 2nd half.
- Lower seeds seem upset minded in this set of games as (14) Cornell is giving (3) Missouri a run for their money so far. The Tigers lead by 4, 29-25 at the half in Boise. Neither team is shooting the ball particularly well so far, and the Mizzou seems mired down, not unleashing their infamous "fastest 40 minutes" in basketball so far.
- Dayton keeps the trend going as they lead West Virginia 33-28 at the half. The Mountaineers are shooting the ball poorly, particulary from 3 pt land (2/10) and have been playing from behind throughout in this one. The Flyers have gotten 11 points and 6 rebounds from sophomore Chris Wright in the first and look to maintain their lead and earn the right to face Kansas on Sunday.

4:45pm
- Arizona St. was able to hold off Temple, 66-57 despite Dionte Christmas finishing up with 29 points for the Owls. Pendergraph and Glasser each ended up with 22 for the Sun Devils, who shot over 51% for the game. Up next for ASU is Syracuse on Sunday.
- Elsewhere, West Virginia is hanging tough against Dayton, down 51-47 with 9:36 to go. Missouri has ran away from Cornell in the second half, up 58-43 with 9:01 remaining, and Pittsburgh continues to struggle against E. Tennessee St., leading 46-44 with 9:41 left. No 16 seed has ever beaten a 1 and this game is far closer than it should be. History could be in the making here, and my bracket is supremely screwed if that happens.

5:20pm
- In a game that was closer than the final score would indicate, Pittsburgh held off E. Tennessee St. 72-62 to avoid becoming the first ever 1 seed to lose in the opening round. DeJuan Blair deserves much of the credit with his 27 point, 16 rebound performance, as nobody else really showed up for the Panthers. Pitt played uninspired for the most part and will definitely need to be more motivated when they take on Oklahoma St. on Sunday if they want to see the Sweet 16.
- Missouri used a 49-34 second half to propel themselves past Ivy League Champ Cornell, by the final score of 78-59. Leo Lyons had 23 points and 10 boards, including 5 on the offensive end to lead the way for the Tigers. The Big Red shot just 36.5% for the game and simply couldn't hang with Mizzou after the break. The Tigers will take on Marquette in the 2nd round.
- Dayton became the first lower seed to win a game today as they held off West Virginia late to win 68-60. Sophomore forward Chris Wright lead the way for the Flyers, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Dayton's tough defense proved too much for the Mountaineers to handle as they became the first of the 7 Big East teams to lose a game. Dayton advances to face Kansas next.

5:30pm
- Devin and Amanda have moved out in front after a lousy day of picks for me. They are each 18/24 so far, while I'm at 17/24. West Virginia's loss also signifies my first Sweet 16 team being knocked out so far. Some how my dad still has a bracket at 23/24!

7:51pm
- Earlier today I said I hoped I didn't have to listen to Bill Raftery all day, well, instead I've had mostly games from Minnesota, which Gus Johnson is calling. Gus along with Steve Tasker is my least favorite combination for NFL games by far. Johnson is probably as annoying as Raftery, but for some reason I can't help but crack up when he spazzes out and starts yelling about everything. I think it's because I envision him as about 12 years old, having drank 3 Red Bulls and eating like an entire bag of candy. I bet he sits there bouncing up and down in his chair for the entire game and tries not to start spinning in his chair.

9:30pm
- (1) Louisville knocked off (16) Morehead St. 74-54 after letting them hanging around for the first half.
- (12) Arizona was favored by many to take down (5) Utah despite being one of the last teams to make the field, and they did just that, picking up the 84-71 victory.
- (10) USC had a tight battle going on with (7) Boston College for awhile, but pulled away in the 2nd half and cruised to a 72-55 win.
- (4) Xavier beat (13) Portland St. 77-59, shooting nearly 54% along the way and dominating the rebound battle.

9:35pm
- USC has a forward by the name of Leonard Washington, probably best known for getting ejected against Oklahoma for hitting Blake Griffin in the groinal region. Every time I hear his name however, I can only think of Chappelle's Show.

The goal today is to bring you a sort of live running blog that will be updated throughout the day with random comments and observations as I watch the tournament. Hopefully, I can do this throughout the weekend, as I have intentions of watching as much of the tournament as possible. The first games on the schedule today include LSU (8) vs. Butler (9) at 12:20pm, Cal State Northridge (15) vs. Memphis (2) at 12:25pm, and Texas A&M (9) vs. BYU (8) at 12:30pm.

The opening day sees 2 of the #1 seeds (UConn and UNC) and 2 of the #2 seeds (Duke and Memphis) start of their attempts to make it to Detroit, but perhaps the most intriguing matchups of the day are the 7-10 games, which include Clemson and Michigan at 7:10pm, Texas and Minnesota, also at 7:10pm, and Cal vs. Maryland, which tips at 2:55pm. At any rate, it looks to be an exciting first day, so be sure to check in through out the day for updated coverage.

1:13pm
- So far I've had the Butler/LSU game on and Butler has kept it close despite themselves. Losing your star player for most of the half to foul trouble, turning the ball over double digit times, and shooting 35% are usually not the preferred methods for success, but LSU is only up by 6 at the half. Interesting to see if the Bulldogs can turn it up in the 2nd.
- Cal St. Northridge has done an admirable job of staying with Memphis so far, down just 3, 34-31 at halftime. Roburt Sallie has 17 so far for the Tigers, but certainly some other players will need to step up in the 2nd. I predicted an early exit for the Tigers because I don't think they've proven themselves this year, but I certainly wasn't expecting them to have this much trouble right off the bat.
- Texas A&M started off lights out and ran away from BYU early. They shot nearly 57% in the first half on their way to a 12 point lead, 42-30. BYU has had a hot hand from 3, going 6-9 so far, but they are only 11-31 for the game... maybe they should stick to the 3 ball in the 2nd half if they want to make a comeback.

4:00pm
- Butler put in a valiant effort in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough as LSU took home the win, 75-71. Butler's sophomore standout Matt Howard is a name to remember, as he finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds in just 25 minutes. Foul trouble hampered him early but he came out on fire after the half. A very solid player, this kid will likely have Butler dancing again next spring. For LSU, Marcus Thornton proved unstoppable, dropping 30 points for the Tigers and helping them advance.
- Cal State Northridge went toe to toe with Memphis for the first 33 minutes of their game, but unfortunately, they couldn't handle all 40 as Memphis pulled away late, getting the win, 81-70. Roburt Sallie finished with 35 points, mostly by way of a 10-15 shooting effort behind the 3 point line. The soph. guard came off the bench only averaging 4.5 points per game heading into today. The Tigers showed however that perhaps it will be a struggle for them to make a deep run this year.
- Texas A&M used a 10-10 shooting start to jump out to an early lead over BYU and never really looked back, coasting to a 79-66 win. 5 players hit double figures and as a team, the Aggies shot 57.7% for the game. On the other hand, the Cougars were ice cold throughout the game, shooting just 39%, and going 1-7 from 3 point land in the second half, despite a 6/9 effort in the first.
- I've officially started out 1/3 in my main bracket, which isn't a good sign. Conversely my wife was 3/3... I don't like where this is headed. Devin has split the difference at 2/3 so far.
- Jim Calhoun went to the hospital with an illness earlier in the day and wasn't available to be on the Huskies bench as (1) UConn took on (16) Chattanooga this afternoon, but so far it hasn't made a difference. They currently enjoy a 48-20 lead at the half and look to have things well in control. A.J. Price had 17 in the first half, and the Huskies defense has locked down The Mocs, who shot just 20.6% in the first.
- (5) Purdue is taking on (12) Northern Iowa in Portland, Oregon, and is having a fairly easy go of things, up 54-46 with just 2:28 remaining. The Boilermakers look to be moving on and will face the winner of Washington and Mississippi St.
- (10) Maryland leads (7) California 39-36 with 17:11 left in a close battle in Kansas City, MO. This one figured to be a good game from the start and it hasn't disappointed. Greivis Vasquez leads the way for the Terps with 13 and Cal's Jerome Randle has 11 for the Golden Bears. Defense seems to be the order of business in this one as both teams have shot the ball poorly. Maryland sits at just under 38% for the game, while Cal is only making 1/3 of it's shot at 33.3%
- (1) UNC is handling it's business without Ty Lawson, as they lead (16) Radford 81-44 with 12:36 to go. The Tar Heels are a high scoring team normally, but Radford proves no match, as they are on pace to eclipse 100 this afternoon. Both Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough have over 20 already. North Carolina looks well on their way to meeting up with LSU on Saturday.

4:30pm
- So much for my saying Purdue was coasting to a win, Northern Iowa has come back with fury, down 58-54 with :16 left on the clock. The Panthers seemed a fairly popular pick as an underdog in the always classic 12-5 matchup. I didn't pick them however, which probably means they're going to find a way to pull this off. Or not... Purdue manages to hang on and advance with the 61-56 victory.

4:42pm
- I realize I live 30 minutes away from UNC and all, but why on Earth would I rather be watching this 90-52 game, when there is a much closer battle between Maryland and Cal going on? Oh well, I guess I'll at least be able to watch all of the Duke game later tonight, regardless of how much they kill Binghamton by.

5:10pm
- Just about the time I posted the above, Maryland began to pull away from Cal and ended up with a comfortable 84-71 victory. The Terrapins advance to face Memphis on Saturday, where Vasquez will look to continue his very solid play after putting up 27 points this afternoon.
- UNC went on to finish off Radford with ease, 101-58. The Tar Heels will face LSU on Saturday and would benefit greatly if some how Ty Lawson were available to play.
- UConn finished off Chattanooga, 103-47 and will surely face a tougher challenge in Texas A&M on Saturday. The Huskies were lead by Stanley Robinson's 24 points and also got 20 each from A.J. Price and Hasheem Thabeet.
- (13) Mississippi St. and (4) Washington are tied up at 10 with 11:50 to go in the first half, though my TV coverage is taking a break until the 7:00pm games so I won't get to watch this one. The Bulldogs are amongst my upset specials though (not in my main bracket for some reason, but most of my others) and big man Jarvis Varnado is a block machine at 4.7 per game, good enough for tops in the nation, just edging out UConn's Thabeet.
- I'm officially 5-2 so far with my picks, rebounding nicely from the early games. Amanda chimes in at 6-1, and Devin is right there with me at 5-2 so far.

8:20pm
- Well, so much for that upset pick, but I guess it's a good thing now that I didn't pick it on my main bracket. Washington ended up beating Mississippi St. by the score of 71-58 to advance and setup a meeting with Purdue on Saturday. Quincy Pondexter lead the way for the Huskies with 23 points.
- In perhaps the biggest shocker of the day thus far, (14) American is leading (3) Villanova, 41-31 at the half. Not only does Villanova come from the vaunted Big East, but they are essentially playing at home in Philadelphia. The team uses the court for home games 3 times a year and should have a large fan base there, yet they've come out flat as can be, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half. Both teams are shooting at 50%+, so the turnovers are obviously making the difference so far. Definitely a game to keep your eye on as it has bracket busting potential galore.
- Out in Portland, another underdog is leading the way as (13) Akron currently holds a 33-28 lead over (4) Gonzaga with just under 3 minutes left in the first half. Akron is looking to make the most of just their 2nd trip to the dance and their 1st tournament appearance since 1986. Meanwhile, Gonazga is in their 11th consecutive. but is hoping to avoid losing in the 1st round for the 3rd straight year.
- (10) Minnesota and (7) Texas are doing battle in Greensboro, NC in what should be one of the better first day matchups. Currently, the Longhorns lead the Gophers 47-39, with about 16 minutes left in the game. Texas has gotten most all their scoring from 3 players who are already in double figures, lead by star guard A.J. Abrams with 14. Texas has the big advantage on the boards so far, but expect this one to get tight again before it's all over.
- My game to watch for day one features (7) Clemson battling (10) Michigan, who is making their first tourney appearance in over a decade after a myriad of problems damage the program from their former glory days. Currently, the Wolverines lead the Tigers 43-30 with just over 15 minutes left to play. This game was back and forth early, but Michigan has started to pull away lead by sophomore guard Manny Harris who has 16 thus far. Clemson has shot the ball very poorly at just under 29%, while Michigan has been drilling the threes, going 8-18 up to this point.

9:30pm
- Well, the Clemson - Michigan game delivered as promised. The Wolverines managed to hang on for the win 62-59, thanks in large part to Manny Harris, who finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Michigan awaits the winner of tonight's Oklahoma/Morgan St. matchup.
- Texas pulled away from Minnesota and never looked back, powered by A.J. Abrams 26 points, including 8-15 shooting from 3 point land. Texas will play the winner of the upcoming Duke/Binghamton game on Saturday.
- Villanova came out and cranked up the defense in the 2nd half, forcing American's shooting percentage to drop considerably, especially from beyond the arc. 'Nova outscored the Eagles 49-26 in the second half en route to a 80-67 victory. American should be proud though as they played a very good game and definitely put a scare in the heavily biased crowd in Philly. Villanova will face the winner of tonight's UCLA/Virginia Commonwealth game.
- Gonzaga has begun pounding Akron in the second half of their game, currently leading 67-53 with just over 5 minutes remaining. Gonzaga is shooting over 50% for the game and dominating the battle on the glass, as they look to be on their way to the 2nd round and a game against either Illinois or Western Kentucky.
- Current Bracket Standings Update: I am about to move to 10-2 with a Gonzaga win, not bad considering I missed 2/3 in the day's first games. Devin would move to 9-3, and Amanda would match him at 9-3. Somehow my father has managed to go 12/12 on one of his brackets so far, but he also did 5 of them.

9:42pm
- Holy Crap! 6'2" Jeremy Pargo of Gonzaga just threw down a nasty dunk over some dude for Akron. Play of the day so far from what I've seen.
- Moments away from my team taking to the court... Let's Go Duke!

7:00am
- I was working on updating this during the late games last night, but my internet connection dropped and I lost everything, making me rather unhappy, so I'll go over the late games this morning instead.
- (4) Gonzaga ran past the (13) Akron Zips in the second half, outscoring them 42-26. This gave the Bulldogs enough for a 77-64 victory. Another decisive shooting difference told the story in this game, as Gonzaga held the 16% advantage from the field.
- (2) Duke outscored (15) Binghamton by 20 from the free throw line and it easily helped Duke maintain a lead on the Bearcats throughout most of the game. 6 Blue Devils scored in double figures, and a rare size advantage also made itself obvious for Duke. Binghamton got beat on the boards 35-18. Duke will face Texas on Saturday.
- (2) Oklahoma didn't have much trouble with (15) Morgan St., winning by a final score of 82-54. As usual, Blake Griffin lead the way with 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Sooners. The Bears were held under 29% from the field, while OU on the other hand finished over 60%. Oklahoma will face (10) Michigan in the 2nd round.
- (6) UCLA was picked by many to be upset by (11) Virginia Commonwealth in the first round and it nearly happened. The Bruins are tournament tested however after 4 straight Final Four appearances and held on for the 65-64 win. All 5 starts for UCLA finished in double figures and VCU was lead by a solid all around performance from senior guard Eric Maynor, who had 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Villanova/UCLA will be a matchup of classic tournament teams on Saturday, as both schools have a storied past.
- (12) Western Kentucky was my personal upset special, as I have them advancing to the Sweet 16. They took the first step last night by holding on to knock off (5) Illinois, 76-72. The Hilltoppers lead throughout but had to weather a late surge by the Illini to hang on and advance. All 5 WKU starters had double figure scoring efforts, while Illinois was lead by Trent Meacham's 24 points.

So tourney time is finally upon us and I've rearranged my work schedule to accomodate watching all of the first round games possible... I told you guys this is my favorite sports event of the year! Below you'll find the brackets I filled out a mere 15 minutes after they were revealed on Sunday night, so these are purely gut instinct picks. This would probably explain why I have mostly higher seeds moving on and all the #1 seeds in the Final Four, which I highly doubt will actually occur again this year.

Just to prove that people that view themselves as experts really aren't all that far ahead of the rest of the world, I've asked my wife to fill out a bracket as well, keep in mind she could care less about sports in general and the only thing she knows about college basketball is that I love Duke and I hate UNC, so therefore she's supposed to feel the same. You'll find her bracket included below as well for entertainment purposes. I've already warned her that I will not talk to her for several days if she happens to do better than me.

Check back frequently throughout the tournament as I give my thoughts after each round.

Scott's Picks:
Amanda's Picks:
Devin's Picks:

The brackets have only been out for an hour and a half now, but I've had a chance to look them over pretty well and have some quick thoughts to share. Make sure you check back in the coming days as both Devin and I present our full selections for the entire tournament.

Let's start with the #1 seeds. Looking back quickly at my last AP Top Ten article, my picks for top seeds proved prophetic as Louisville, Pitt, UNC, and UConn grabbed the top spots. This proves the power of the Big East this season as it's the first time that I can remember 3 teams from the same conference have managed to all grab #1 seeds. Additionally, I pegged Memphis, Michigan St., and Oklahoma as 2 seeds, only missing out on Duke, whose strong performance in winning the ACC tournament grabbed them the 2 slot in the East regional. There really isn't much in the way of surprises in terms of the top seeds, but this biggest debate seemed to come in whether Memphis or UConn would get the last 1 seed. Memphis playing in Conference USA obviously bit them here, dropping them to the 2 spot in the West, but putting them in the same bracket as UConn tells me that the selection committee couldn't make up it's mind and decided to let them play it out.

The most intriguing first round matchups in my opinion include Oklahoma St. playing Tennessee, Texas vs. Minnesota, Butler vs. LSU, and Michigan taking on Clemson. I would consider all these games as toss ups and should make for some entertaining basketball early on. As far as upsets go, I see quite a few possibilities early on, but I think most of the top seeds will progress deep into the tournament. Amongst my first round notable upsets are Arizona over Utah and Western Kentucky over Illinois in the dreaded 12/5 matchup. At least one if not two upsets come from the 12/5 games every year, and I don't see that changing now. I also picked 3 out of 4 of the 11 seeds to move on in the first round, with Utah St. defeating Marquette, Temple over Arizona St., and Virginia Commonwealth knocking off UCLA.

I'll save the later round stuff for another time, but suffice it to say I'm finding it hard to pick against the 1 and 2 seeds for the most part. Once again, be sure to check back and see how Devin and I break down the whole tournament in the coming days. It's March Madness and it's my favorite sporting event of the year, so I'll be bringing you loads of coverage throughout!