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.