March Madness Early Games Open Thread
12:15- 12 Princeton vs. 5 Notre Dame CBS
12:40- 12 UNCW vs. 5 Virginia TruTV
1:30- 13 Winthrop vs. 4 Butler TNT
2- 16 SDSU vs. 1 Gonzaga TBS
2:45- 13 Bucknell vs. 4 WVU CBS
3:10- 13 E Tennessee State vs. 4 Florida TruTV
4- 12 Middle Tennessee State vs. 5 Minnesota TNT
4:30- 9 Vanderbilt vs. 8 Northwestern TBS
Who ya got on upset alert?
I went to some of the games to show support, and my god, it's more wrestling than basketball. Every time a kid picks up the dribble, it's a tie up.
SLOW start to the tourney. Hope the later games pick up.
Did you miss out on VA-UNC-Wilmington?!
Not "thrilling." Virginia figured their crap out and pretty much just hung out the rest of the way. There wasn't a ton of intrigue at the end.
Bucknell has an incredible player. Super raw, but serious athleticism.
This is my super-duper upset special of the day. I only wish I had picked the winner of this game over VA now. Ha.
We'll see if this holds up into the second half as a good game.
I had UNCW over ETSU in the second round...
Golden Gophers are my pick to be upset.
Everyone's pick to be upset. They are the vegas favorite as a 12 seed!
Also got Miami beating MSU if that's an upset.
They're proving why they were the favorite. This game screamed 5/12 "upset" so loudly I wondered if Minny didn't get so overseeded on purpose by the Committee, just to keep that narrative alive.
So many bricks in the Minnesota game.
Minnesota is a roster of football players pretending to play basketball.
Minny gon lose.
Tired of the "experts" saying how bad the BIG is this year. Would love to see BIG go 6-1 in the first round, with the RCMB pissing and moaning about their loss...
Helps that they drew a crappy SEC team that shouldn't be in the tournament but managed to beat a slumping Florida team twice so they got in as a friggin 9.
and tell us what you really think of Vandy...
Honestly don't think NW is that good along with many of the BIG teams (Minny, MSU)
We just play more physical so shit gets really wonky in league play.
Vandy can win.
Lynch might be the only player better at getting stupid fouls than Moe Wagner LOL
is all of 1-7 with 2 points early in 2nd Half.
Really intelligent votes cast on that one...
Down 15 with 12 to go........
Minny going to have to play much better to pull this one out.
Minnesota sure deserved that 5 seed, didn't it? I'm sure most of the bracket entry public will look at this as a classic March Madness upset, but in reality this is a 9 seed beating an 8 seed.
By Vegas it was more like a 7 beating a 10, no?
had Minny at 33 and MTSU at 45, so it's like a 12 beating a 9.
If MTSU blows this, I'm done.
I love/hate this tournament before my bracket is in tatters.
I can't wait til its ruined so I can just enjoy the games.
Trying to throw this game away.
So much for that big Northwestern lead.
2-10 from the field, 1-7 from 3, 4 TO against 2 assists. Woof.
Big 10 needs to get a grip on its Conference officiating. Wow they just T' eed Pitino up.
Same lack of composure his team has.
I was wrong. Minnesota had no reason being a five seed. It's blatantly obvious that the tourney loves those 12-5 upsets so they can sell the cinderella story. It's all about marketing. They set Minny up to be the sacrificial 5 seed cow in the neverending quest to satiate the country's lust for the 12-5 upset.
(Yes, I'm bummed that I didn't pick MTSU in my bracket. So effing obvious. At least I have Butler over Minny in round 2.)
They'll beat Butler too.
Wouldn't at all be surprising. I don't care what level you play at or the level,of competition. 30 wins in the regular season is damn impressive.
7-0 on my bracket.
Also, fuck Minnesota
Me too, but other than Middle Tenn it's been all chalk so far.
7-1 for me. I was really thinking ETSU could pull one out. Lots of chalk so far, though.
Good thing Minnesota had such a strong RPI!
This happens every year, it seems, where some overseeded team just gets beaten because they were a middling squad with some shiny wins.
Vanderbilt book smart, street stupid.
ROFL
the fuck was Vandy doing? Brain fart
That dude is about to become the Chris Webber of Vanderbilt basketball. I mean, you know, for as much as you can for Vanderbilt basketball. One of the dumbest things I've seen at this level.
NW wins! A little bit of luck on a boneheaded foul
That was actually one of the dumbest things I've ever seen in NCAA tourney history.
now that's the Vanderbilt basketball I know and love!
Good for Northwestern. They deserve it. While I don't think it will happen, they can beat Gonzaga.
Dammit. Why did Vandy take a super long 3 at the end down 1 with time?! Boooooo. 7-1
Good officiating! (I picked Xavier)
Enjoy this now, Mt. St. Mary's. For soon comes the onslaught.
Surprisingly 'Nova looks like the more nervous team early on.
They seem to go through periods where they just cannot score. Happened in the Big East tournament too.