16 Teams & 16 Oddities: March Madness

From the Sporting Desk of Ribbie’s Weblog

1. There could be an all TX Final – Texas Tech v. Texas A&M.
2. There could be an all KS and All Big 12 Final – Kansas State v. Kansas.
3. There could be another All Big 12 Final – Kansas State v. West Virgina or Texas Tech.
4. There could be an All ACC Final – Florida State v. Clemson, Syracuse, or Duke.
5. There could be an All Big Ten Final – Purdue v. Michigan.
6. There could be an All 11 seed Final – Syracuse v. Loyola-Chicago.
7. The two teams with State in their names are 9 seeds: Kansas State and Florida State.
8. Texas and Kansas are the only states with more than 1 team represented, both w/ 2.
9. Half of the teams in the Sweet 16 are from the ACC and the SEC, each with 4.
10. The East is the most competitive region left – seeds total 11.
11. The South is the least competitive region left – seeds total 32.
12. Nevada has no players from Nevada on its roster.
13. Duke has no players from North Carolina on its roster.
14. Texas A&M has 13 players from Texas on its roster; Texas Tech has 8.
15. Syracuse has 1 Senior on its roster.
16. Duke has 1 Senior and 8 Freshmen on its roster.

2015 NCAA Selection Committee Suffering From March Madness

Well the field of 68 has been whittled down to 66, with two games left in the first round, also called the First Four.  As I look at the brackets, I see something a bit odd.  Some of the second round games, which will be the first games for 60 of the teams, will be played in cities that are not located in the region they represent.  For example, some second round games for the West Region are held in Jacksonville, Florida, which, to my thinking is more South or East than West.  About the only place near the U.S. where one would have to travel West to get to Jacksonville would be the island nation of Bermuda.

Another example is Omaha, NE, which hosts a second round Sub Regional game in the West.  Ok, Nebraska is more Westerly than Jacksonville, but it feels more middle western to me.  Oddly, Omaha also hosts a Midwest Sub Regional game.  How is that fair?  When did Nebraska become a basketball mecca?  It doesn’t even have a team in the tournament.  No, Creighton (Barrel) did not make the cut this year.  Somebody in NE knows someone with powerful NCAA connections.

Looking at the South Regional, we have more of this March Madness shenanigans in play.  Seattle, WA and Portland, OR play host to South Sub Regional games.  I was not a Geography major in college, but from what I can remember, the only place that can call Seattle South is Canada.  I suppose Portland was approved because it is South of Seattle.

And because of these geographic fails on the part of the NCAA tournament logistics committee, some teams have a clear home court advantage in Sub Regionals that were not earned.  Let’s look at the “West” games being played in Jacksonville, Florida.   Wofford, out of Spartanburg, SC, the 12th seed, practically has a home game against 5th seeded Arkansas, and were they to win, would have a slight home court advantage over 3rd seeded UNC.  Wisconsin sent to the West Region got the least respect having to play in Omaha, a good 7 hour drive from Madison.  All the other 1 seeds get second round games in their home state and Villanova, plays just 30 minutes from campus in Philly.

A couple of Texas teams – Stephen F. Austin (12) and SMU (6) have smooth sailing back to Texas if they advance to Houston for virtual home court advantage – both Dallas and Nacogdoches are only a few hours from Houston.  And of course all of the Indiana teams (how did they get 5 in?) could advance to Indianapolis.  There must be some big wigs on the NCAA committee from the Hoosier state.  I mean really, how did Indiana even get an invitation with 13 losses?  And Valparaiso, isn’t that a city in Chile? Come on, and they didn’t play a single ranked team all year.  And if you think Butler has a chance of advancing very far, well I think you are delusional or put another way, suffering from an acute case of March madness.  And to demonstrate that I too may not be quite right in the head, here’s my prediction:  Cat v. Dog – Villanova Wildcats (1) v. Wofford Terriers (12) with the Wildcats winning it on a buzzer beater, 45-44.  You watch.

2015 March Madness – 68 of the not so great

Are you mad for March?  Are you ready for March Madness?  I am and so are 68 NCAA basketball teams.  Let’s have a look at who is in and see what we can see.  One quick note:  there are quite a few no and new shows.

• First timers:  North Florida, UC Irvine, Buffalo.  No offense North Florida, but I didn’t even know you had a school, much less a team, but, nonetheless, welcome….and good luck!  Hey, Buffalo.  We don’t hear much about your college hoops team.  I don’t suppose you folks are the Buffalo Buffalos?  No?  Oh, the Buffalo Bulls, not to be confused with the bad news Buffalo Bills.  Interestingly, the team is coached by Bobby Hurley, of Duke fame, and has a roster of only one kid from the State of New York (Buffalo) who went to prep school in Virginia.
• Thirty-three states and DC sent teams to the tournament.
• Texas and Indiana have the most teams in the big dance with (5) – TX: TX Southern, UT, Baylor, SMU and SF Austin; IN: Purdue, Butler, Notre Dame, Valparaiso, Indiana.
• The Big State of California where basketball does not reign supreme this year has only 3 teams representing: UCLA, UC Irvine and San Diego State.
• Florida produced one team:  North Florida, the home of the Ospreys – not sure if the mascot is a bird or a helicopter.
• Tennessee produced one team:  the Belmont Bruins from Nashville.
• There could be an all Texas and or former SWC conference final: SMU vs. Texas or Ark vs. SMU – but it won’t happen.
• Wofford has a fitting mascot:  the Terriers!

Let the madness begin!

Final Four Mascot Upgrades

I usually don’t write about sports, but I could write exclusively about sports and have virtually written nothing but posts about college hoops during March Madness.  But now it’s April, and time for the Final Four and a new name for the event.  Let’s christen it April Hoopla or something. And now that that is out of the way, I have to say something about the mascots of the Final Four teams.  If you’ve been following any of my posts, you will know that I have proposed some new names for the team mascots:

I like the Shockers of Wichita and the fact that it refers to a grain, but I prefer the Wichita State Linemen after almost native son Glen Campbell’s classic tune “Wichita Lineman”.  It’s odd, but I can’t say the name of the team without first saying As Falls Wichita, so Falls Wichita Falls after the great Pat Metheny Group album.  Therefore, I’ve renamed the entire team who will be referred to henceforth as As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls Linemen. And the linemen may very well fall to Louisville.

Louisville.  Which Louis anyway?  King Louis?  Louis Armstrong? It’s all so confusing.  And the Cardinal.  Is it a color, a bird, the member of the Catholic clergy? Also confusing.  So let’s get rid of the bird, or whatever it is and replace with a more concrete cultural reference.  Now Kentucky has a lot of horses, booze and caves, right?  I was thinking to call them either the jockeys, the bourbons, the bootleggers or the spelunkers.  For me, Spelunkers has the best ring.  Louisville Spelunkers.

Michigan is a fishing state.  No one even knows what a wolverine is.  I had to look it up and no it’s not a baby wolf – it’s in fact a weasel.  Michigan, you are better than that.  You could be a sturgeon or a muskie.  I like the sound of muskie better.  Michigan Muskies.

Syracuse.  The Orange is lame as is mascot Otto the Orange, great grandson of the Mr. Kool-Aid man. I’m just going to give the mascot an upgrade from Orange to Blood Orange.  The Syracuse Blood Orange.  A Muskie vs. a Blood Orange – now that should be one fierce battle!

The Artificially Sweet Elite 8 Brought To You By Coke Zero

So it’s down to the Elite 8.  Last year I wrote that the Elite 8 ain’t all that greight, but this year, that ain’t still true.  The Elite 8 could be called the Great 8.  And because the tournament is sponsored by Coke Zero, they technically could be called the artificially Sweet 8.

• So who’s left?  Louisville, Duke, (As Falls Wichita, so Falls) Wichita State, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Syracuse and Marquette.  So we have a Cardinal, a Blue Devil, a Shocker, a Buckeye, a Wolverine, a Gator, an Orange and a Golden Eagle.  That would be two birds, a fruit, a nut, a grain, a cartoon character, a weasel and a reptile.  If I were a betting man, my “money” would be on the Alligator.  And they may just have the best team in the tournament, the Florida Gators, that is.

• Florida would have the home court advantage in Atlanta and would be the only team left in the field that has played and won a game in Georgia this season – v. Georgia 64-47.  And Florida has held opponents to exactly 47 points five times all in wins.  Florida has held opponents to under 47 points 7 times.

• We could have an all bordering states final four:  Louisville (Kentucky), Ohio State, Michigan, and Marquette (Wisconsin).

• There are some interesting rematches in the Elite 8. Syracuse lost @Marquette earlier in the year 74-71.  In November, Duke beat Louisville @Louisville, 76-71.

• The 3 and 4 seeds emerged from the South and the East Regions.  Florida (3) v. Michigan (4) and Marquette (3) v. Syracuse (4).

• All of the teams have been to the Final Four at least once and all except Wichita State have won at least one National Championship.

Elite 8 and other Fun 2013 NCAA March Madness facts

• Syracuse has home court advantage in DC over Marquette in their Elite 8 match up on Saturday.  The driving distance between Syracuse and DC is only 375 miles;  from Milwaukee, the distance is 789 miles.  Plus, Syracuse has two players on its roster from nearby MD.

• One of Syracuse’s 6 losses was to Marquette in February.

• Versus the common opponent Louisville, Syracuse  is 1-2; Marquette 0-1.

• As far as mascots go, Otto the Syracuse Orange may be the silliest least imposing mascot in the history of sports.  He’s a youthful orange who sports a Syracuse hat and looks more like a tangelo than an orange. Rumor has it, Otto is the great grandson of the Kool-Aid man.

• There are five birds including two eagles left in the tournament – the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. If they win out, they could face off in the final four.

• The nuts, fruits and grains all made it to the Elite 8.  Ohio State Buckeyes, Syracuse Orange and the Wichita State Shockers (stalk of wheat).

• 9 teams have scored under 50 points in tournament games.  The lowest score was 34 by Montana in a second round loss to Syracuse.  Syracuse held a number 1 seed Indiana to 50 points. 5th seeded Wisconsin scored only 46 points in a loss to Ole Miss in the 2nd round.  And 6th seeded Memphis scored only 48 points in a third round loss to Michigan State.

• Two birds will meet in a Sweet 16 match up:  a Cardinal from Louisville and a Duck from Oregon.

• Two Florida teams will meet in the Sweet 16 – Florida and Florida Gulf Coast.

• Three states still have two teams left in the tournament:  Michigan:  Michigan State and Michigan; Florida – Florida and Florida Gulf Coast; Kansas – Kansas and Wichita State.

• It is possible that we could have a two state Final:  Michigan State and Michigan or Kansas and Wichita State.

• The 1, 2, 3 and 4 seeds made it to the Regional Semis in the East – the 3 and 4 seeds, Marquette and Syracuse made it to the Regional Finals.

• We could have a final four with a 12 seed – Oregon, a 9 seed – Wichita State, a 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast and a 4 seed – Syracuse.  Two Eagles, an Orange and a Duck. That would be a shocker – not likely, but possible.

NCAA Conference Oddities

How about a little conference weirdness:

• The Big 12 has 10 teams – 4 made it to the tournament – 2 lost in the 2nd round.
• The Big 10 has 12 teams – half of them made it to the round of 32.
• The Atlantic 10 has 16 teams.  5 made it to the round of 32.
• The Great West has only 5 teams; one from New Jersey, none to the tournament.
• The Big East has 15 teams – 3 made it to the round of 32.
• Two Big East teams are 1,267 miles apart:  Syracuse and University of South Florida.
• Two ACC teams are 1,491 miles apart: Boston College and Miami University.
• The Big South has a North divisiotrn.
• The SEC has 16 teams.  Only three, Missouri, Ole Miss and Florida made it to the tournament; only two remain; the Rebels and Gators.

Round of 32 NCAA Team Mascot Facts & other Oddities

For NCAA March Madness basketball enthusiasts, here are some odd facts about the 32 teams that remain in the tournament:

• State with the Most Teams: Florida (3): Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Miami

• Teams with Golden in the nicknames: (3) Cal Golden Bears, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Marquette Golden Eagles

• Teams with a color as a mascot: (2) Syracuse Orange, Harvard Crimson

• Teams from the same city: (2) Philadelphia – Temple, La Salle

• Teams with the same mascot: (4) Bulldogs: Butler, Gonzaga; Rams: VCU, Colorado State

• Teams with bird mascots: (7) Marquette Golden Eagles, Creighton Bluejays, Kansas Jayhawks, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, Louisville Cardinals, Oregon Ducks, Temple Owls

• Teams named after state residents: Indiana Hoosiers, Illinois Fighting Illini

• Teams that are natural disasters: (2) Miami Hurricanes, Iowa State Cyclones

• Weirdest Mascots: Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, Wichita State Shockers, Syracuse Orange, Harvard Crimson, Saint Louis Billikens

• Strange Animal Mascots: (2) Minnesota Golden Gophers, Michigan Wolverines

• Nuts, Grains and Fruits: Ohio State Buckeyes, Wichita State Shockers, Syracuse Orange

Weird 2nd Round March Madness Facts

Finally some upsets.  Two number 2 seeds downed by 2 number 15 seeds.  Unbelievable, and probably unprecedented.  Duke taken down by the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.  Lehigh, that’s right, no, not the Nehi Grape Sodas.  And Norfolk State, yes they have a team, ousted Missouri.

Some other interesting games on this second night of round 2 included several  in which two teams with states for names matched up:

Ohio – Michigan, with Ohio upsetting the favored Wolverines and North Carolina – Vermont, a game closer than the outcome with NC advancing.

In a fairly rare match up between two major cities, St. Louis toppled Memphis.  If both Louisville and St. Louis win their next game, they would meet in the Sweet 16.

North Carolina teams are 2-3.  Kentucky teams 3-1.  Wildcats 3-1: Kentucky (W), Kansas State (W), Davidson (L).  Tigers 0-2: Memphis and Missouri. Bulldogs are 3-1: Georgetown (W), Gonazaga (W), UNC-Asheville (L).

All 4 California teams are out:  St. Mary’s, California, Long Beach State and San Diego State.  All 4 Ohio teams are still in: Ohio, Ohio State, Xavier and Cincinnati.

All the Irish teams are out: Iona Gaels, St. Mary’s Gaels and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Fruit and the Nut advanced: Syracuse Orange and Ohio State Buckeyes; the Grain, the Wichita State Shockers lost out to an Iowa State Cyclone.

Sweet 16 2011 NCAA Climate Change

Last year, at this time I wrote about climate change in the NCAA.  Teams like St. Mary’s and Cornell were still in the hunt.  This year, there are a number of sleepers who I predict will prevail.  Climate change is here to stay I’m afraid.

VCU over Florida State.  Florida State should stick to football.

Marquette over UNC.  This is my big upset.  Marquette gets the edge because of their designer uniforms.

Butler over Wisconsin.  Gotta go with the underdog here, over the badgers, but Butler is a mean underdog and they’ll need to be foaming at the mouth.

San Diego State over UConn.  Now if it were the Connecticut College Camels, I’d go with Conn.  But it’s not, so I have to go with the football scoring machine of SDS.

Duke v Arizona.  Duke.  I don’t care much for Arizona politics, so I’m going with Duke.  It’ll be a close game no doubt.

Florida over BYU.  I’m not a gator fan, but I’m not much of a fan of what BYU did to its star player either.  I’ll have to go with the SEC here.

OSU and Kentucky.  OSU is a better team.  The SEC has had an off year and this year is not the year of the Wildcat.