Kevin S. Goff: Life in Detail w/Microsoft Database Tools

12/23/2009 - College Hoops and who cares about #1?

I haven't written about sports for quite a long time.  Not because I don't follow sports anymore, I certainly still do - just haven't had much time.  But I heard a college basketball debate last night that definitely caught my interest.

We are not even to the point of the regular conference schedule, and there is suddenly a major debate about who is #1.  As it stands today, my beloved KU Jayhawks are #1 and Texas is #2.  I could also care less about pre-season polls and debates about #1 at this stage.  Yes, Texas is a powerhouse, and has resume wins already over UNC and Michigan State.  Had Texas been the pre-season #1 team and KU #2, I wouldn't have argued.

Here's the deal - #1 in the regular season is nothing but fodder for talk show programs.  In 2007-2008, the year KU won the national title, does anyone remember the # of weeks they spent at the #1 position?  ZERO.  That's right, ZERO.  KU was 20-0 at one point in that season, but always trailed either Memphis or UNC. 

But in the end, KU won the tournament (by smoking UNC in the Final Four and then beating Memphis in OT in the NCS) and got to cut down the nets at the end.

Bottom line, a team only needs to finish in the top 4 to pick up a #1 regional seed in the NCAA tournament.  And the overall #1 seed doesn't always get the most favorable travel schedule. 

So these people who feel Texas is getting jobbed, really need to lighten up.  Texas has a great team this year, and will surely challenge KU for the Big 12 Title.    I'll say this - as much as I'm a big fan of the Big East, there NO QUESTION that the most powerful conference this year is the Big 12.

3/29/2008 – Elite 8 Picks

Wow, what a great bunch of games in the Sweet 16!

I like UCLA and UNC tonight, and Memphis and KU tomorrow. So yes, I believe the Final 4 will be all #1 seeds.

KG

3/27/2008 – Sweet 16 Picks

Wow, this week has been flying by….almost forgot that the Sweet 16 starts tonight! I struggled last weekend in the 2^nd round, only going 8-8. So I'm 30-18 for the tournament.

Well, very quickly, here are my picks for tonight and tomorrow night:     

West Virginia over Xaxier (update, that was a heartbreaker!!!)
UCLA over Western Kentucky
UNC over Washington State
Tennessee over Louisville (update, I'm gonna have to take the Cardinals seriously!!!)

Wisconsin over Davidson
Texas over Stanford
KU over Villanova
Memphis over Michigan State

KG

3/22/2008 – My NCAA Roundball picks for the Second Round

Wow! What an exciting first round! My beloved Jayhawks had a nice tune-up against Portland State.

They face UNLV next, a team that looked very strong in the MWC tournament.

I'm 22-10 so far, I guess that's not "too" bad, though I'm kicking myself for a few picks that I wanted to make, but didn't.

For instance, I watched San Diego beat both Gonzaga and Saint Mary's to win their conference tournament, and wanted to pick them, but figured Jim Calhoun's coaching would be enough for UConn to win. I also wanted to pick Villanova, but thought they were a little too young. But then again, I don't think too many people saw Western KY beating Drake.

And I would have GLADLY accepted a 21-11 record in exchange for a Duke loss. God, I wanted Belmont to win, just to see another loss for that foulness that is the ACC. J

So, here are my picks for the 2^nd round, which starts in about 8 hours. Except for that great tournament in 2005, I honestly cannot recall any tournament with this many good match-ups in the 2^nd round.

On Saturday:
    Duke over W VA (Mountaineers are my 2^nd favorite team, so this is painful)
    Wisconsin over K-State (I'm still not sold on K-State)
    Purdue over Xavier (I picked Baylor over Purdue in the first round, so they better not make a liar out of me twice!)
    Notre Dame over Washington State (this is a tough pick, but the Irish are shooting very well)
    Marquette over Stanford (another tough one, I almost picked Stanford, but Marquette is just a bit deeper)
    KU over UNLV (of course!)
    Pittsburgh over Michigan State (the inconsistent Spartans looked good in round 1, but they're bound to lose here!)
    UCLA over Texas A&M (don't be surprised if this one is a nail-biter)

On Sunday:
    Siena over Villanova (great comeback that 'Nova pulled against Clemson…my heart says 'Nova, my head says Siena)
    Texas over Miami (this will be a blow-out)
    Tennessee over Butler (but I won't be shocked if we have an upset here)
    San Diego over Western Kentucky (two Cinderellas, but only one slipper…gotta go with the Toreros)
    Georgetown over Davidson (this will be a great game, but Hoyas are just too tough)
    Memphis over Mississippi State (I can't wait until the Sweet-16, for Memphis to get some real competition)
    Louisville over Oklahoma (Cardinals could quietly slip into the Elite-8…Rick P rocks as a coach)
    North Carolina over Arkansas (I hate the Tar Heels, but only because I respect them)

God, just please let KU get to San Antonio!!!

KG

3/16/2008 – My NCAA Roundball picks for the First Round

I just spent much of the last few days watching the conference tournaments – and (for a change) picked a few winners, such as my beloved Jayhawks, Wisconsin, and yes, that myth of a team known as the Tar Heels (ducking as TCH throws a mean right-hook). And hey, I even picked UNLV, Kent State, and San Diego, so I'm feelin' pretty good right now about my roundball prognostication skills, haha.

(And someone in the country, some lucky guy is counting his millions, having picked Georgia and Arkansas to reach the SEC finals!)

So, here are my picks for the first round. If you want to play along, just post a comment/response and I'll keep tally of the picks. I'll do this round-by-round. But before we begin, remember one thing – there can only be one national champion, and it will be these guys:

So, in the East:
    Carolina over winner of the play-in game (please god, please let UNC survive until April 5, so that KU can beat them)
    Indiana over Arkansas (according to Dick Vitale, Bobby Knight should come back and coach the Hoosiers)
    Notre Dame over George Mason
    Washington State over Winthrop
    St Joseph's over Oklahoma (would be a bit of revenge from the 2004 Elite Eight)
    Louisville over Boise State
    Butler over South Alabama
    Tennessee over American (you could combine American, Swiss, and Provolone, and the 'Vols would still win)

In the Midwest:
    KU over Portland St (as KU begins their quest to cut down the nets in San Antonio)
    Kent State over UNLV (these were my Cinderella teams, it sucks they have to play in the first round)
    Clemson over 'Nova (god, I hate picking ACC teams almost as much as I hate picking Big 10 teams)
    Vanderbilt over Siena
    USC over K-State
    Wisconsin over CSF (eeeghads, another Big-10 team, somebody hand me some Listerine)
    Davidson over 'Zags (Gonzaga usually does better when they're seeded lower)
    G-town over UMBC

In the South:
    Memphis over UT-Arlington (uh, oh, I used the letters 'U' and 'T' together!!! Can I get banned from my own blog?)
    Miss State over Oregon (hate to go against my beloved Ducks, but the Bulldogs are too good)
    Mich State over Temple (Something tells me that Drew "Oh What a" Neitzel is about to lead a run)
    Pittsburgh over Oral Roberts (I refuse to pick a team named "Oral Roberts" – "Oral Robertas" is a different story)
    Marquette over Kentucky
    Stanford over Cornell (well, that oughta be a quick way to eliminate the Ivy League school)
    St Mary's over Miami (I saw a half-dozen Gaels games this year – they can be really good)
    Texas over Austin Peay (Even though KU beat Texas today, I still don't want to see them again)

Out West:
    UCLA over Miss Valley St (one of these days, UCLA's luck will run out)
    Texas A&M over BYU (tough call, but I gotta go with the Big 12)
    Drake over Western KY (Drake is the only team I've seen with a better 3-pt FG % than a 2-pt FG%)
    UConn over San Diego (tough call, I'd love to pick the Toreros, but UConn is too strong)
    Baylor over Purdue (sorry, Ninja MC, but a Big 12 is better than a Big 10, haha)
    Xavier over Georgia (wow, a college that sounds like a porn star, vs. a team that got blown away in the regular season)
    W VA over Arizona (letting my heart pick this one)
    Duke over Belmont

KG