Hi, may name is Dave and I am a March Madness-aholic.
Hello Dave.
For the next three weeks I will be consumed by the closest thing we have to the perfect sporting event, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. There are no playoffs that drag on forever (see NBA, NHL), greater chances for upsets because it is one-and-done and not best-of-seven, and compelling drama.
With the recent losses by the Stamford and Trinity Catholic boys basketball, and Trinity hockey teams, I will be taking the next four days off….to sit in my living room and watch college basketball. Almost literally. I might make a run to the gym since there are TVs on the ellipticals, but the chances of someone getting me to go out one night — possibly one night, if it is to a sports bar — during the opening weekend is about the same odds as, say, a No. 14 seed beating a 3.
The NCAA Tournament has cost me one girlfriend, caused my family to rearrange plans and angered many friends.
What can I say….I’m hooked.
While this blog has been almost entirely dedicated to high school sports, we are going to be taking a break for a couple of days, though if there is enough interest I would be more than happy to type away from my couch with some March Madness thoughts.
Until then, here are a few predictions:
East Region
Final Four bound: Pittsburgh. The Panthers have all the ingredients to win the national title and will be well-rested after their early exit from the Big East Tournament. The key factor may end up being the officials: if the Panthers get involved in a game called tightly, foul trouble could derail them.
Keep an eye on: UCLA. VCU is a pool favorite after upsetting Duke two years ago, but besides point guard Eric Maynor it is not as strong. The Bruins are erratic but more talented.
Upset special: Portland State. The lowest seeded team I like in the first round, though that is really an anti-Xavier vote.
South Region
Final Four bound: North Carolina. This is assuming that the Tar Heels get a healthy Ty Lawson back. He is more valuable to the team than Tyler Hansbrough and keys their up-tempo game. If Lawson is not 100 percent, this region is wide open.
Keep an eye on: Arizona State. The Sun Devils fell apart in the Pac 10 final but have the talent to win a couple of games.
Upset special: Western Kentucky. This is not the same team as a year ago but Illinois is seeded too high and will be missing a key starter.
Midwest Region
Final Four bound: Wake Forest. I was going too much with the chalk and had to pick a non-No. 1 seed. Wake has the talent to beat Louisville and anyone else in the field.
Keep an eye on: West Virginia. I like the Mountaineers to get by Kansas in the second round, USC in the regionals and make it to the Elite Eight.
Upset special: USC. If I really had the daring, I am so tempted to take North Dakota State to knock off Kansas. I’ll have to settle for the No. 10 Trojans.
West Region
Final Four bound: UConn. I’m not in love with the Huskies, but the tournament committee gave them a yellow brick road to Detroit. I really want to be different here and pick Missouri because with Mike Anderson as coach this is a different team, but the Tigers have a tradition of early exits.
Keep an eye on: Washington. The Huskies were a surprise team in the Pac 10 and, though they are counting on a freshman point guard, could give UConn a tough game in the regionals.
Upset special: Maryland. I have an affinity for No. 10 seeds this year, though the Terps are mercurial.
Final Four: Look for North Carolina to outlast Pitt in a war, while Wake Forest will be too much for UConn as the ACC sweeps the Big East.
National champion: North Carolina. When healthy the Tar Heels are the best team in the country. Their defense is a little suspect, but they have too many pieces to compensate.
Let the games begin!
I spoke to Dave last night for a story I’m writing for Thursday and it further convinced me he made the right choice. Too many people are focused on his point total. He is playing a valuable role for one of the country’s top teams. And if you don’t think so go to Duke’s web site and listen to Coach K’s press conference yesterday and what he had to say about Dave.
Dave was a great and poised person when he left Trinity and after the interview last night I came away even more impressed with him. There’s a lot to be said for a Duke education and getting the chance to play for such an elite program.
So perhaps in assessing Dave it would be best to use a different scale than just looking at whether he made the right choice based on his point total.
Seeing the kind of person he has become, I think he did pretty darn well for himself.
Dave, I stand corrected. Duke is a great school but because of my dislike for the basketball program I ranted about Dave Mc. making the wrong decision. Here’s hoping that Duke loses to Villanova this week.
Pierre has pretty strong words about Coach K the Hall of Fame Coach. As for David McClure, he is doing just fine at Duke and I am sure wouldn’t trade his experience of being in the Duke program with an Ivy League school. This notion that these kids have to play large minutes because they are studs in a High School League is nonsense. McClure is at Duke University getting a top notch education and learning the game from a great coach. I am NOT a Duke or ACC fan as you can see from my above blog but cmon’ to second guess the McClure thing is NUTS Pierre!
Mr. Ruden Uconn 85 Purdue 68
I just hope that Duke does not win this years Ncaa Tournament. Coach K, has everyone buffaloed into thinking he is a great guy when in fact he is a sneak and a big BS er . Dave McClure is getting a great education at Duke but if Coach K was more upfront with him McClure could have gone to and Ivy League school with a better education and a chance to make an impact on the court. He is averaging almost as many fouls a game as he does points. He recruited Paulas and McClure out of loyalty to his friend Howie Garfinkel, the founder of the FIVE STAR BASKETBALL CAMP. One of Daves high school teamates Mike TRimboli has had a much better career . He chose a school where he would play and contribute. One would think with four years of High School and five years of college some coach would have taught
Dave the correct way of shooting a basketball
I plead no contest. I drank too much from the ACC punch, highly overestimating Wake Forest and Florida State, especially Wake, which has one of the most talented teams in the country but is poorly coached and mailed it in against Cleveland State.
I still think UConn was given a smoothly paved path but it has done a great job compensating for the loss to Dyson.
LOL The ACC is a laughingstock of this Tournament. You should retract. The Big East has played like the Conference that got 3 1 seeds. There are no yellow brick roads but if CT beats Memphis they are cutting the nets down in Detroit in what will be coach calhoun’s best job ever after losing a future pro in Jerome Dyson.