4 Quarters Radio April 4

The first-quarter curriculum for April 4:
--The fellas talk about Kentucky winning the NCAA tournament, with Brandon still not terribly grateful even with a Wildcat victory winning him an evening of free food and drink. The fellas weigh their issues with John Calipari against the likability of his one-and-done crew. Scott also looks fearfully ahead to the days when Calipari can flash a ring in recruiting. Los Guys also stop and marvel at the evolutionary mutations that caused the Lexington riots.

1st Intermission: "Soul Killing" by The Ting Tings.


The second-quarter curriculum:
--In a 4Q first, most of a segment is devoted to talking professional wrestling. Brandon and special guest Clint Halford cover their impressions of WrestleMania 28. Brock Lesnar's return to Raw the following night gets some discussion as well.
--In Whodaman, Jeremy names a Wildcat who needs to return to school, Brandon big-ups baseball's most valuable agent, and Scott gives love to a guy whose face got totally pucked up (and no, that's not a typo).

Halftime Show: "Let Them Talk" by Spoek Mathambo.


The third-quarter curriculum:
--The fellas play around with ESPN's NBA Playoff Predictor, deciding whether some of the probabilities are way off or very right. Even Laker fan Jeremy can't disagree with some dire chances for LA.
--Scott weighs in on the new Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, some more deserving than others.
--The Knicks' honesty regarding injury reports and the Bulls' wisdom in not extending their coach catch brief mention.

3rd Intermission: "Overbiter" by Say Anything.


The fourth-quarter curriculum:
--MLB talk starts off the fourth, as Joey Votto and Matt Cain get enormous contracts. Scott poses the question of whether Votto's deal is a better idea than those given to Prince and Pujols.
--Hockey Correspondent Miranda Martin hops on a mic to talk some puck, naming off her expected Stanley Cup contenders.
--Mike Milbury's rant on Sidney Crosby gets aired, and Miranda's unsurprisingly in agreement. She does squirm out of an Odds Makers moment regarding the Predators' chances at the Cup finals...and ended up losing on a statement of doubt for the Capitals.
--In the Epic Fails, Jeremy has a couple of guys suffering embarrassing plays on the court, Brandon has a guy stealing a taco, and Scott finds another excuse to sing.

Postgame Show: "You're the Right Kind of Girl" by Lee Fields.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

4 Quarters Radio February 8

The first-quarter curriculum for February 8:
--Scott starts off all alone in his review of Super Bowl XLVI, discussing who really dug the 12-men-on-the-field approach and how Ahmad Bradshaw made the most of an alien circumstance. Once Logan shows up, they make sure to get their shots in on the absent Mack, whose Patriots came up limp. After some studio business complaints, they finally get back on task, noting just how close the Patriots have really come to being the Buffalo Bills.

1st Intermission: "Slight Work" by Wale ft. Big Sean.

The second-quarter curriculum:
--Scott and Logan continue with Super Bowl aftermath, talking about the Hall of Fame credentials of Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin. Coughlin, in particular, merits some scrutiny based on some underplayed similarities between him and another coach who's considered a Canton lock.
--Getting off the game, the fellas discuss all the other Super Bowl pageantry (halftime, commercials, etc.) and the idea of giving a car a pearl necklace figures prominently. (Don't ask, just listen.)
--Scott calls out ex-co-host Bobby for making weak declarations in regards to the career of Ricky Williams.
--In Whodaman, Scott has to give respect for a golfer who remembers his manners after a lecture from Mum.

Halftime Show: "Songs About Your Girlfriend" by Los Campesinos.

The third-quarter curriculum:
--Scott is joined by MTSU basketball coach Kermit Davis, and the coach isn't terribly pleased with Scott's line of questioning after two losses in three games. The Denver game and the forthcoming bout with Western Kentucky are primary topics.
--After the interview, Scott examines the bracketologists' projections, and the matchups aren't quite as promising as what they would have been the prior week.

3rd Intermission: "In the Middle of the Game (Don't Change the Play)" by Betty Wright and the Roots.

The fourth-quarter curriculum:
--Completely freestyling the fourth quarter, Scott starts off with a little morality discussion regarding M.I.A.'s middle finger heard round the world.
--The topic turns to Vegas's latest football bet, the future home of Peyton Manning. Scott's pet dark horse isn't getting serious money, but is being discussed in its local media.
--In the Epic Fails, Scott points and laughs at a "pro" basketball league whose "players" are so "talented," they allow their opponents to break two hundy in a regulation game.

Postgame Show: "Just Like Tiger Woods" by Steel Panther.

4 Quarters Radio: January 25

The first-quarter curriculum for January 25:
--Scott talks some hockey with 4QR's official Puck Authority, Jimi Russell. The Predators' hot streak and upcoming dilemma with the Ryan Suter and Shea Weber contracts are surely the lead discussion. Also covered: Brendan Shanahan's performance as NHL discipline czar, some trade deadline speculation, and whether Tim Thomas should have sucked it up and gone to the White House.

1st Intermission: "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" by Etta James.

The second-quarter curriculum:
--Scott lays out his take on the life and times of Joe Paterno, reminding anyone listening that they need to take a life in totality rather than ignore everything else in favor of the final three months.
--In Whodaman, Scott gives love to an American in England and two NFL players rubbing a TV goof's face in his stupidity.

Halftime Show: "If You Want To" by Lalah Hathaway.

The third-quarter curriculum:
--The NFL conference championship games are the Q3 focus, and Scott starts off with yet another reminder of why mouth-breathing sociopaths make Twitter such an unpredictable place. Beyond that, the heroes and goats of Championship Sunday get their moment of discussion, including a few that you might not have noticed.
--In other stories, the Colts' new head coach and the future NFL prospects of college coaches with spread offenses are discussed before the break.

3rd Intermission: "Underground" by Jane's Addiction.

The fourth-quarter curriculum:
--Scott shares the projections for Prince Fielder's future production as a member of the Detroit Tigers and whether or not he'll end up being worth the $214M that Mike Illich is shelling out.
--The various NCAA bracket projections are examined, and Scott handicaps the matchups that could be awaiting MTSU's sizzling basketball team.
--Speaking of Blue Raider hoops, the weekend meeting with Vanderbilt also gets previewed.
--In the Epic Fails, Scott singles out yet another yobbo who can't figure out what should and shouldn't go on Twitter, lest one's career risk a trip down the crapper.

Postgame Show: "Limousine" by Class Actress.

4 Quarters Radio: April 8 1st Quarter

Click to Play

The first-quarter curriculum for April 8:
--Scott's happy to be back on air after taking a week off for illness, and also happy to discuss his plans for the summer.
--With that out of the way, Scott and Logan get into the NCAA Tournament's ending, having mercifully little to say about the fugly title game. But there were a lot of great things to enjoy, and they're happy to throw those around.
--When they get to the worst game of the tournament, the guys hash out a difficult memory for Logan, but Scott mans up and admits that there was a topic on which he was wrong and Logan was right.
--With UConn winning the title, the question of whether or not the Big East got validated gets discussed.
--Logan is somewhat ambivalent over Cuonzo Martin getting hired to coach his Vols, and Scott offers facts to help cheer him up.

Excised music: "All You Need is Now" by Duran Duran.

4 Quarters Radio: March 25 1st Quarter

Click to Play

The first-quarter curriculum for March 25:
--If it's March, college basketball leads off the show. Logan pretends that he's a real man, while everyone else wonders how theirs went so drastically wrong.
--Kemba Walker gets some respect for beautifully camoflaging his flop against San Diego State, while the fellas wonder exactly why the West Coast can't compete in basketball anymore.
--The Ohio State/Kentucky game gets an examination from the angle of what eventually came to look like a mismatch.
--Finally, the main event: Logan Propst tears into Mike Hamilton for the Bruce Pearl and Lame Kiffin fiascos. Seriously, you must hear this. Logan wishes no harm to people or animals, but envisions a painful, fiery death for Mike Hamilton's Shake Weight.
--Meanwhile, Scott wonders where all the good, juicy recruiting violations went.
--The fellas measure some potential candidates for the Tennessee opening, and oddly, the one who actually did get hired doesn't come up.

Excised music: "Tennessee Plates" by Joe Bonamassa w/ John Hiatt. Stick around at the end for a brief snippet of the track, and help the show out by purchasing the full download if you like it.

4 Quarters Radio: March 18 1st Quarter

Click to Play

The first-quarter curriculum for March 18:
--Scott and Bobby are the only ones in at the start, and they start off with discussion of the NCAA Tournament and the relative health of their brackets.
--Logan ponders testing the limits of the FCC's Profanity Alarm when discussing the epic collapse of his Tennessee Volunteers.
--Scott springs a surprise Wonderlic test on the staff, and in Logan's state of mind, he's very not happy.
--Charlie Sheen makes a brief guest appearance, the studio gets momentarily invaded, and Bobby and Logan let the period of mourning destroy their motivation.

Excised music: "Another Like You" by Hayes Carll. Stick around at the end for a brief snippet of the track, and help the show out by purchasing the full download if you like it.

The 2011 4 Quarters Bracket Entry: The Final Four

(For how we got here, check yesterday's posts.)

It comes down to Ohio State, San Diego State, Pitt, and Purdue. I'll bet a bunch of you already think you know how this movie ends. Well, you probably don't. Read on.

Semifinals:
#1 Ohio State v. #2 San Diego State: The most critical player in this game isn't Sully or Diebler or Leonard or Gay...it's David Lighty. Lighty can guard anyone from point guards to power forwards, and he may get a shot at anyone in this game who has the hot hand. I have it here that he contains Kawhi Leonard, and the Aztecs' front line gets the kind of kick in the teeth that it didn't get anywhere else in this tournament. OSU by 11.

#1 Pitt v. #3 Purdue: There are no words to describe how reluctant I am to put Purdue anywhere past the Sweet 16. Over my 32 years, I've seen much better Boiler teams than this one stumble somewhere along the way. It just seems that the matchups sit up well...until we get here. There have been several games this season where guys like Ryne Smith, D.J. Byrd, John Hart, or some combination thereof have attempted to shoot the Boilers right out of contention. Even against bad three-point defending teams like Michigan State, Purdue's been bitten by these high-risk shots, and it seems like the kind of game where even JaJuan might try to step out to escape McGhee and Taylor's bulk. This time, the shots don't fall. Pitt by 12.

National Championship:
#1 Ohio State v. #1 Pitt: So, here you go, Big East fans. You can hang your hat on Pitt and say, "See? Our conference isn't overrated." This could be a great title game if neither side stops to say, "Whoa. We're here." OSU has three freshmen dragging them here and Pitt's been a perennial tease, so for both teams, being starstruck is a distinct possibility. Both these teams can hit threes, but they don't overly rely on them. Both are rugged on the boards. For me, the big difference is the Pitt defense. A 17.9% turnover rate places their defense 295th in the country, going against an offense whose 15.6% rate ranks sixth. If the Panthers were to harass Aaron Craft into some mistakes, this game would be a thriller, and Pitt would become a solid favorite. But, if Craft does start having problems, Thad Matta won't hesitate to let Lighty run the point to staunch the bleeding. Lighty wins Final Four MOP and... Ohio State by 5.

There it is. Yeah, I gave it to a conference rival. Sue me. The sweet consolation is that Sully won't be there next year. Sadly, neither will JaJuan and E'Twaun.

Well, time to fill 'em in. Gotta go.

The 2011 4 Quarters Bracket Entry, Southeast Region

(See previous posts for the other three regions.)

This region could get massively wild, at least based on the seedings. Of course, there are a couple of matchups here where the seeds should likely be reversed.

First Round:
#1 Pittsburgh v. #16 UNC Asheville: Asheville commits a lot of turnovers (21.3%) and allows a lot of offensive rebounds (35.9%). Pitt could salt this one away before halftime. Pitt by 30.

#8 Butler v. #9 Old Dominion: ODU is the top offensive rebounding team in the nation. That's fortunate for them, because they're mediocre shooters. Matt Howard and Andrew Smith aren't chopped liver on the glass themselves. Butler by 6.

#5 Kansas State v. #12 Utah State: Utah State didn't have too many big-name wins this season en route to a 30-3 record. That may have also contributed to their #6 ranking in defensive eFG%. All that said, Kansas State has certainly proved they're inconsistent, losing by 14 to Oklahoma State and dropping three games by increasing margins to Colorado. K-State can fumble and shoot themselves out of this one pretty easily. Utah State by 7.

#4 Wisconsin v. #13 Belmont: Belmont's the sexy upset pick this year, and a 30-4 record is usually hard to bet against. However, it seems like their strengths play into Wisconsin's. The Bruins put a lot of people on the line (45.9% opponent FT rate), and the Badgers are the best FT% team in the country. Belmont's strong on the offensive glass, but Wisconsin's 12th in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage. The only times the Bruins have faced big-time competition this year have been the times they've come up short. And Bo Ryan's teams are always tough outs in March. It all adds up to... Wisconsin by 6.

#6 St. John's v. #11 Gonzaga: Gonzaga's been wildly up and down this season, but when they're on, they can score with anyone. St. John's, for all their inspirational moments this year, can't shoot from outside and have a hard time stopping others from shooting. They can force turnovers, but D.J. Kennedy's ACL tear took out their prime ballhawk. In addition, Gonzaga's been here, done this. Gonzaga by 10.

#3 BYU v. #14 Wofford: When Noah Dahlman gets the ball near the basket, he scores. When Jimmer Fredette gets the ball anywhere in a five-mile radius, he scores. Advantage Jimmer. BYU by 16.

#7 UCLA v. #10 Michigan State: One of my pet peeves is people who call a game like this an "upset." You've got UCLA, which hit three Final Fours last decade, but has struggled to find its way past the second round the last couple of seasons (or even into the tournament last season). Then, there's Michigan State, which can always find a way to slip into any opening that can get them to a Final Four. Kalin Lucas has one more big win left in him, especially if Durrell Summers is hitting his shots. If you call this an upset, you know very little about college basketball. Michigan State by 4.

#2 Florida v. #15 UC-Santa Barbara: It's not going to be a high-scoring game, but Florida's just got better players. UCSB has a hard time defending the perimeter, and between Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker, and Chandler Parsons, they will have too many people to keep eyes on. Florida by 12.

Second Round:
#1 Pittsburgh v. #8 Butler: Neither team forces many turnovers, but the difference will be getting better shots. Butler's opponents get better shots than Pitt's (#152 in eFG defense v. #20), and the Panthers have some pretty good scorers. Pitt by 14.

#12 Utah State v. #4 Wisconsin: One thing we could always count on from Wisconsin was their rugged defense. This season, however, the Badgers are giving up 37.5% shooting from long range, 315th in the country. Utah State does a much better job of getting to the line than Wisconsin does (43.4% to 28% FT rate), and Tai Wesley is much more prepared to hammer away on the glass than Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil, both of whom are essentially stretch fours. Utah State by 4.

#11 Gonzaga v. #3 BYU: Gonzaga's biggest defensive weakness is defending the three-pointer (36.1%, 261st in the nation). Facing the Fighting Jimmers, that's dangerous. They do have the tremendous size advantage, though, and Robert Sacre and Elias Harris should be able to carry them through. Gonzaga by 7.

#10 Michigan State v. #2 Florida: Kalin Lucas had one more big win in him. UCLA was it. Florida's another team able to ride a size advantage over a dangerous opponent. Florida by 12.

Sweet 16:
#1 Pittsburgh v. #12 Utah State: The #6 offense v. the #8 defense. #2 in offensive rebounding v. #2 in defensive rebounding. #20 eFG defense v. #6. This has the recipe for a phenomenal game, and because there's a 12-seed involved, it will be called a monumental upset if Utah State wins. Pitt still has the size advantage of guys like Gary McGhee and Dante Taylor, though, and that's the only factor that has me taking them in this matchup. Pitt by 1.

#11 Gonzaga v. #2 Florida: Gonzaga will need to be aggressive on defense and rattle Walker and Boynton into some turnovers. Allowing Florida to run its offense (#15 in efficiency) is a difficult way to win. What the Zags do have in their favor is the fact that they can get to the free throw line (41.6%) and make the shots when they get there (75.9%, 14th nationally). I still have a hard time, though, trusting Gonzaga's perimeter defense against a team with multiple threats. Florida by 2.

Final:
#1 Pittsburgh v. #2 Florida: One thing is for certain: there will be a lot of points left at the free throw line in this game. Both teams are in the mid-200's nationally from the stripe, hovering around 67%. Brad Wanamaker is a steadier presence at the point than Erving Walker, and Ashton Gibbs can blow up any night. Much as I hate to put three top seeds in the Final Four... Pitt by 8.

So, that leaves me with a Final Four of:
Ohio State v. San Diego State
Purdue v. Pitt

Later on this morning, I'll go into those matchups and officially submit brackets.

 

The 2011 4 Quarters Bracket Entry, Southwest Region

(See previous posts for first two regions.)

My favorite team is in this region. So is a team that's burned me so many times that I'd almost be tempted to pick them to bomb in the first round, top seed be damned.

Luckily, I'm not that vindictive. Not quite, anyway.

First Round:
#1 Kansas v. #16 Boston University: Kansas has athletes. BU has mad bombers John Holland and Darryl Partin. Almost 40% of the Terriers' shots come from outside, and they're going to need to hit a lot of them to hang with KU. Of the four 1-16 games, this could be the closest one, and not merely because I'm dogging Kansas. Kansas by 6.

#8 UNLV v. #9 Illinois: Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale can own the paint if they're adequately motivated. UNLV can harass Demetri McCamey and Brandon Paul into turnovers and bad shots if they're motivated. Lon Kruger couldn't motivate his team against Northern Iowa last year, now can he do it against his old employer? I don't think so. Illinois by 9.

#5 Vanderbilt v. #12 Richmond: Vanderbilt's got the horses to make a very deep run in this tournament. Unfortunately, their offense has a disturbing tendency toward the boneheaded plays. They have shots blocked on 9.6% of their possessions and have the ball stolen on 10.1%, figures that both rank in the 200's nationally. The Spiders can defend the three, and if they slow down John Jenkins, Vandy will once again have a short stay in the dance. Purdue grad Kevin Stallings may start feeling some heat on his seat if he drops another one to a low seed. Richmond by 6.

#4 Louisville v. #13 Morehead State: Louisville has no one who can keep Kenneth Faried off the boards, so they'd be well-served to take him out of the game via foul trouble. That's easier said than done, though, when you're a team that jacks up 40.5% of its shots from beyond the arc. Preston Knowles and Kyle Kuric will have to be locked in early, and it helps the Cards that MSU can't defend the perimeter (opponents shoot about 37% from long range). Peyton Siva has to harass Demonte Harper into some turnovers, as well. When in doubt, though, who's the best player on the court? That would be Kenny Faried. Morehead by 3.

#6 Georgetown v. #11 VCU: Tempo doesn't seem to be as big a factor as we might think, as VCU's middle of the pack in pace. What they do well is force turnovers, and if it's someone other than Chris Wright running the point for the Hoyas, or if he's still feeling effects from his hand injury, that could make the game the kind of barn-burner the analysts are expecting. It does seem, though, that VCU's an all-or-nothing team on defense, ranking in the 230's against both the two-point shot and the three. Plus, they're 320th in America in opponents' offensive rebounding rate, which will make Julian Vaughn salivate. Georgetown by 13.

#3 Purdue v. #14 St. Peter's: St. Peter's is a weak shooting team (45.9% eFG, #297) that commits a lot of turnovers (23.4%, #321). Even without the suspended Kelsey Barlow's defensive harassment, the Peacocks will struggle to produce points. Purdue by 24.

#7 Texas A&M v. #10 Florida State: If Chris Singleton was healthy, I'd be marking this one down as academic. The 'Noles are top-15 in two-point defense, three-point defense, steal rate, and block rate. A&M's not the kind of dominant scoring team that can overcome that kind of efficiency. If Singleton can't go or is limited, though, FSU loses their dominant presence on both ends of the court. The Aggies have a good front line and have won in the first round five straight years. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and make it six. A&M by 5.

#2 Notre Dame v. #15 Akron: If Akron was a better scoring team, this might be interesting. Notre Dame has a solid defense, but it's not a disruptive defense (15.9% defensive turnover rate, 337th in America). Akron's decent at defending the three, but can they slow down Ben Hansbrough, Tim Abromaitis, Carleton Scott, AND Scott Martin? Doubt it. Notre Dame by 18.

Second Round:
#1 Kansas v. #9 Illinois: The Mikes or the Morrises? Tisdale and Davis have to be in the mood to play a great game. The Morrises are always in the mood. Kansas by 14.

#12 Richmond v. #13 Morehead State: Richmond's not a great rebounding team under the best of circumstances. Facing the NCAA's all-time rebounding leader is not the best of circumstances. Morehead by 6.

#6 Georgetown v. #3 Purdue: At times, it seems like Purdue gets waaaaaaaay too in love with the three-point shot. Ryne Smith, D.J. Byrd, E'Twaun Moore, even JaJuan Johnson will step out and try the long ball. But Georgetown fires away from distance on 36.6% of their shots, compared to Purdue's 33%. Georgetown's not great at forcing turnovers, and that may be enough to make Moore and Johnson's lives easier. Purdue by 8.

#7 Texas A&M v. #2 Notre Dame: A&M can defend the long shot and Notre Dame gets heavily reliant on it. The Irish don't force a lot of turnovers, and even if the Aggies miss the shots, they're still 13th in the country in offensive rebounding. It all adds up to... A&M by 8.

Sweet 16: 
#1 Kansas v. #13 Morehead State: You know, I was intent on Kansas bombing out about here, but I don't think I can, no matter how much I love me some Faried. Kansas by 17.

#3 Purdue v. #7 Texas A&M: The Aggies are prone to getting stuffed (shots blocked on 12% of their possessions), which will give JaJuan Johnson something to do all day. Purdue has to make sure to keep feeding Johnson inside and not struggling to jack up unnecessary threes, or else this game will look much like the Iowa and Michigan State games, which were both defeats. Hopefully, Matt Painter and the team learned something. Purdue by 4.

Final: 
#1 Kansas v. #3 Purdue: My lifelong team against the team that's burned me on too many brackets. Screw the numbers. Purdue by 1.

I so know I'm going to regret this region, but here goes.

The 2011 4 Quarters Bracket Entry, West Region

(See previous post for East Region picks.)

So, in this region, we have the defending champs, a 2-seed who most casual/uninformed college hoop observers think is overrated and has been all season, a 3-seed that ran the New York City Marathon known as the Big East Tournament, and a 4 who's everyone's pick to get poleaxed in the first round.

Some of those things may actually be true. Here's my take:

First Round:
#1 Duke v. #16 Hampton: Only way Duke gets dropped is if they stay at a Hampton Inn and some chicanery ensues, like a mysterious bedbug outbreak confined to only the Duke rooms. Duke by (# of times "bitch" was said in the Fab 5 documentary times 10).

#8 Michigan v. #9 Tennessee: Bruce Pearl knew that he had the support of his university, no matter what else was swirling around him. Now he doesn't even seem to have that. Luckily, he got a perfect draw, against a Michigan team that lacks size or experience. Brian Williams and Tobias Harris can have decent games here, and if Scotty Hopson's hot, this one might run away from the maize and blue quite early. UT by 10.

#5 Arizona v. #12 Memphis: Memphis hasn't yet learned something that Tennessee has: "We're not a good three-point shooting team, so maybe we should cut down on shooting threes." Their biggest hope is to hit the defensive glass and get out in transition, but their opponents' offensive rebounding percentage ranks in the 260's nationally. Add to that the fact that Arizona does hit their shots, and this one's got blowout potential. Arizona by 14.

#4 Texas v. #13 Oakland: Oakland would be good if they could just find a quarterback. Wait, what? Oh, sorry, not the Raiders. This Oakland does have a pretty decent QB in guard Reggie Hamilton and a stud center in Keith Benson. Texas is the #1 eFG defense team in the nation, according to Pomeroy. Oakland is #3 in eFG offense. That's impressive, because it seems like the Oakland playbook either has "drop it in to Benson" or "shoot threes" on every page. Texas isn't so much a perimeter team, but here, they may have to be. Otherwise, Benson may rack a triple-double off of swatting Tristan Thompson and Gary Johnson's inside attempts. Many want to write off Texas because of some nebulous "Rick Barnes factor," but the guy's been to a Final Four, two Elite Eights, and two Sweet 16's, so let's stop pretending he fell off some turnip truck. This one will be a war, but... Texas by 3.

#6 Cincinnati v. #11 Missouri: This one comes down to Missouri's offensive execution (#27 in efficiency) against Cincy's defensive execution (#16). Mizzou's not coming in on a high note, losing four of their last five and averaging only 66 points in those losses. Of course, the last time we saw the Bearcats, they were dropping a 38-point loss to Notre Dame. This game promises to be tight, and could come down to free throws. Missouri hits 73.6% of theirs, Cincy only 66.6%. So... Missouri by 2.

#3 Connecticut v. #14 Bucknell: Early in the season, UConn looked like a one-man team. But, to survive in the Big East, Kemba Walker's sidekicks had to grow up fast. Now, an overmatched Bucknell team has to sit back and observe what guys like Alex Oriakhi, Shabazz Napier, and Jeremy Lamb have learned, especially through the kiln that was the five-game Bataan Death March in MSG last week. UConn by 25.

#7 Temple v. #10 Penn State: I love Talor Battle, but he can only do so much. He's brought it against some solid competition, but it seems that the stronger the opponent, the less support Battle gets. Temple's seemingly been a strong defensive team since Jesus was a sophomore, and this season, they're in the top 25 in two-point FG defense. So, they have quite enough horses to contain the Lions. Temple by 12.

#2 San Diego State v. #15 Northern Colorado: Devon Beitzel can score in bunches (21.4 ppg this season, with percentages of .583-.904-.384 on twos, FT's, and threes), and of the other seven players in NCU's rotation, five of them stand 6'7" or 6'8". Unfortunately for them, they're running into a great defensive team with one of the most athletic front lines in the country. Kawhi Leonard, Malcolm Thomas, and Billy White are hard to contain, especially with a steady point guard like D.J. Gay. Beitzel could keep this thing interesting, but the Aztecs are legit, whether you want to believe it or not. SDSU by 15.

Second Round:
#1 Duke v. #9 Tennessee: UT is a team that occasionally doesn't seem like it has its head on straight. Duke is a team that almost always seems in control. Tennessee may be able to control the glass, but can they make Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, and Seth Curry all miss? Not sure I like those odds. Duke by 9.

#5 Arizona v. #4 Texas: It seems like this might be a fun game, but here's the thing: these are two of the top 50 teams in America in free throw rate. They like to draw contact and get to the line. Unfortunately for Texas, the Cats are 10% better. Unlike Tristan Thompson, a 48.6% FT shooter, Derrick Williams can live on and-ones all night long (74.4% FT). Arizona by 6.

#11 Missouri v. #3 UConn: Kemba's crew is just streaky enough to make this a very high-scoring game against the running Tigers. What we have to wonder is: how much is left in their legs after that conference tournament slog? If Missouri can keep out of foul trouble (they're 240th in opponents' FT rate), I think they've got a chance to pull this one. Mizzou by 7.

#7 Temple v. #2 San Diego State: This game, however, is very unlikely to be high-scoring. These are strong defensive teams who don't get to the line, don't put opponents on the line, and aren't tremendous when they do. Temple has a surprising array of scorers, with five guys averaging over 10 points per game. They may even have the best player on the court in Lavoy Allen. But, I like Leonard and Thomas to be able to keep Allen from putting his team on his shoulders. Either way, this one can be a great game. SDSU by 3.

Sweet 16:
#1 Duke v. #5 Arizona: Derrick Williams has to contend with both Plumlee brothers and Ryan Kelly in his grill all night. Between that size and the efficiency of Nolan Smith, the Cats would have to play a perfect game and someone else would have to pick up Williams' slack. Could happen, but it's pretty unlikely. Duke by 8.

#11 Missouri v. #2 San Diego State: Who can dictate tempo? In this one, it's easy to see Missouri getting overanxious and putting themselves in foul trouble. Just like against UConn, if they don't, it could be a great game. If not... SDSU by 6.

Final:
#1 Duke v. #2 San Diego State: Duke's biggest issue is that they can get three-happy. If SD State can keep hands in the faces of Curry, Smith, and Andre Dawkins, this will be an ugly game, but that's the kind of game the Aztecs need. I see SDSU as legit, so... SDSU by 5.

That's two down. San Diego State v. Ohio State in one semifinal. Who's next?

The 2011 4 Quarters Bracket Entry, East Region (or: This Year, Mike DeCourcy is My Homeboy)

If you're wondering about the titular shout-out, I direct you here. (BTW, Kansas can still burn. Just the basketball team, not the whole state.)

For the 2011 NCAA Tournament, I'll once again be filling out several brackets, some for cash and prizes, and some not so much. (The 4QR group is here, and prizes may be offered if we get enough entries. Move fast, time is short.)

The difference this season will be that, instead of using different brackets to go either way on games I'm unsure about, in 2011, I'm going to be "Sheet of Integrity" guy.

One set of picks repeated on every bracket.

If one crashes and burns, they all crash and burn. Er go, I'll not be putting much stock in Kansas. This will be a recurring theme.

Now, some picks for the East Region and why I make them:

(Screw the Play-In Games, this is still the) First Round:
#1 Ohio State v. #16 It Doesn't Really Matter: Ohio State has got the best top-seven rotation in the country. By the end of this one, we'll be seeing some of the other guys who pretend they're part of that team. Ohio State easy.

#8 George Mason v. #9 Villanova: Mason's a chic upset pick, and I'm sick of the Big East getting rammed down our throats like Grandma's rancid Christmas fruitcake, but I have to go with Nova on this one. Neither team is tremendously deep, and the Wildcats know how to get to the line. The last 10 minutes of this one, GMU fans will be nervous as they watch a starter or two dance on the razor's edge of a fifth foul. Villanova in a close one.

#5 West Virginia v. #12 Clemson: Clemson can do two things really well, and they showed them both against UAB last night. They can force turnovers (#33 in the nation according to Pomeroy, 19 last night) and make it hard to get good shots (#23 in 2-point FG defense, held UAB to 6-24 last night). WVU is a team that can struggle with its collective shot, as they hover around the 200's nationally on both two- and three-point field goals. Mountaineers fans may not want to get the hopes too high regarding a return Final Four trip. Clemson by about 8 or 9.

#4 Kentucky v. #13 Princeton: The surprising thing about Kentucky is that, for a freshman-laden team, they don't turn the ball over nearly as much as you might expect (#9 nationally). Neither one of these teams are known for forcing a ton of turnovers, so it comes down more to who's got the horses to execute their system and stop the other team from doing so. Appropriately for the home state of Churchill Downs, Kentucky's got thoroughbreds. As long as the kids don't come in overconfident... Kentucky by 15.

#6 Xavier v. #11 Marquette: ESPN's version of an "upset": pick all higher seeds unless the lower team's from the Big East. Xavier's been getting hammered by that method. Marquette's got an interesting factor going for them in that they don't put opponents on the line too much (#28 in FT Rate). However, is that because they'd rather give up the close baskets than commit fouls that will force them to go down their shaky bench? An eFG% defense of 50.0 (#216 in America) seems to suggest just that. Xavier's star guard Tu Holloway might not be the most important guy in this game. My money's on the seven-foot center Kenny Frease. Xavier by 10.

#3 Syracuse v. #14 Indiana State: Much as I might like to see Larry Legend's alma mater make a triumphant NCAA return, the only way it happens here is if Syracuse comes in with a birthright attitude. Syracuse by large.


#7 Washington v. #10 Georgia: If you're a Bulldogs fan, pray that this game doesn't degenerate into a three-point shooting contest. Dustin Ware is the only guy who drains threes at more than 32%, but it doesn't stop Trey Thompkins, Travis Leslie, and Gerald Robinson (combined 63-211, 29.9%) from jackin' 'em up. Luckily for the Dawgs, they can defend the three pretty well, and Washington takes more than a third of their shots from outside. If Thompkins can keep Matthew Bryan-Amaning from cleaning up others' messes, I think UGA gets out of this one... but barely. Georgia by 2.

#2 North Carolina v. #15 LIU: More intriguing than most 2-15 games. LIU likes to get up and down (#4 in the nation in tempo) and is a great offensive rebounding team (#8), but they can be dragged down by weak free throw shooting. Their defense is strong, and if they can stay in the game and even take a lead late, UNC might struggle to shoot their way back in front. It seems like every year lately, there's a #2 that has to sweat bullets to survive, and this year, it might be the Heels. LIU still has no answer for Harrison "Who Are the Idiots Who Voted Me Preseason All-American and Put a Bullseye On My Head?" Barnes. UNC by 5.

Second Round:
#1 Ohio State v. #9 Villanova: Sully and the boys finally get a test. And yes, I actually do think it might be a test. Jay Wright would be well-served to send his guards on kamikaze runs directly into the chests of Jared Sullinger and Dallas Lauderdale for the entire first half. If those two get into foul trouble, the Buckeyes are a perimeter shooting team all the way. However, when it's Jon Diebler and William Buford raining the threes, that's not much comfort. OSU by 7.


#12 Clemson v. #4 Kentucky: Clemson can certainly force the misses, but do they have anyone to keep Josh Harrellson from cleaning up the mistakes? If the Tigers can keep Harrellson off the boards, they stand a decent chance in this game. If not, then not so much. Kentucky by 8.

#6 Xavier v. #3 Syracuse: Rick Jackson is always a pivotal figure for Syracuse, especially if he can hit the offensive glass. If Kenny Frease can keep him off, then a lot more heat falls on C.J. Fair, Fab Melo and Baye Moussa Keita to pull rebounds. On Xavier's end, they'll need to shoot a little better than their 33.3% from outside to spread the Orange zone out. But I think they'll do just that, and go 2-0 against the Big East in the process. Xavier by 6.

#10 Georgia v. #2 North Carolina: Travis Leslie is an amazing rebounder for standing only 6-4. However, here he has to contend with the 6-10 John Henson, the 7-0 Tyler Zeller, 6-9 Justin Knox, and 6-8 Harrison Barnes. There's just too much Tar Heel length for Georgia to contend with. UNC by 15.

Sweet 16:
#1 Ohio State v. #4 Kentucky: This game promises to be bombs away from the start. Sully's going to represent the big difference here, as UK hasn't run many offensive plays designed for Harrellson. OSU has much more of an option to work inside out, as opposed to the Cats' plans, which may have to involve much more dribble penetration. The most promising matchup in this one may be Dallas Lauderdale on Terrence Jones. Either way, this game should be fun, but I've still got the Buckeyes moving on. OSU by 6.

#6 Xavier v. #2 North Carolina: Sorry, X-fans, but the Musketeer Mystery Tour might be stopping here. Tu Holloway will get his, but like Georgia, Xavier's solid inside duo of Frease and Jamel McLean may struggle against all the big bodies and long arms in Carolina blue. By this point, I think John Henson will be putting in a strong candidacy for East Region MVP. UNC by 12.

East Final:
#1 Ohio State v. #2 North Carolina: Ohio State is like Georgia and Xavier, teams with a solid inside duo surrounded by a bigger number of big players. Problem is, there's a big difference between Frease/McLean and Sullinger/Lauderdale. Sully has the ability to go one-on-one with Tyler Zeller, and he's a dangerous man to double, as well. If UNC wins this, it'll be through John Henson coming from nowhere to swat a lot of shots and frustrate Sullinger. If Sully first looks to draw the double and kick out to his gunners, however, Carolina's got a long day on their hands. OSU by 7.

The other three regions will come later tonight. But for now, Ohio State's a dangerous contender for the title. Stay tuned.

NCAA Tournament Expansion: Should the Four Play-In Games Switch Lines?

The NCAA allowed all of its fans to breathe a sigh of relief this week, making plans to expand the men's basketball tournament to 68 teams, and featuring four play-in games, rather than a whole extra round of 32.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that these games will still be used to determine which small-conference team (think Patriot League, SWAC, or Big South) gets to have their tournament champion spit-roasted by the top-seeded likes of Duke and Kentucky. A fine reward for teams that know they have no particular chance to win the national championship anyway?

No, not really.

The NCAA is selling itself and its television partners short by clinging to this notion that the small conferences are the teams that need to jump through the additional hoop to say they got to play in the NCAA Tournament. Only the hardest of the hardcore set their DVRs to record the Winthrop v. Arkansas-Pine Bluff play-in game this season, since the winner was earning themselves nothing but a throttling by Duke.

I don't think we're venturing out on a very thin limb here to say that there are better matchups that could be had on the Tuesday before March Madness officially opens. Matchups like...North Carolina v. Florida?

Say what?

You read that right. NCAA Selection Committee chairman Dan Guerrero has indicated that the committee may decide to get a little "creative" with these four games. Placing the last four at-large teams in the play-in games and having them battle for 12 seeds is mentioned as an option.

Not just that, it looks like it's the best option for all concerned.

First, for the fans, there are better matchups to watch. Looking at Joe Lunardi's early Bracketology for next season, examine the Last Four In and First Four Out:

LFI: New Mexico, Richmond, Ole Miss, North Carolina
FFO: Arizona State, Mississippi State, Illinois, Florida

Wouldn't an evening of Ole Miss v. Illinois and North Carolina v. Florida make for much bigger ratings than the spectacle of APB and Winthrop being forced to duel to the death for the right to get hammered by a top seed?

These play-in games gain more intrigue on Selection Sunday, as the camera crews watching the bubble teams can capture an interesting blend of nervousness and relief when a team finds out that they have to play on Tuesday. The intrigue continues into the first round, when any one of these play-in teams could easily make life miserable for a fifth seed like Texas A&M or Maryland.

For CBS and the Turner networks, the financial benefit should be obvious. More fans will tune in, ratings are better, ad revenues increase.

For the NCAA, a public relations boon. The 96-team tournament was seen as little more than pandering to the six BCS conferences, allowing them to see if they could all get 10 teams into the Tournament. Making the play-in games for 12 seeds instead of 16 seeds allows the NCAA to temporarily earn some points from fans who are firmly convinced that the system exists to screw the little guys.

The coaches and players get a smaller dose of what they wanted in a 96-team Tournament: more opportunity. This opportunity will come without all of the extra pressure that would greet an extra 32 spots, however. Administrators who were concerned about their coach not being able to make the field of 65 would fire coaches left, right, and center if they could not make a 96-team field. Less radical expansion leads to less radical firings, which is exactly how the coaches need to look at this.

Players from small conference schools who put in the work to win their league's tournament get rewarded for that work by being completely able to say they were part of the Big Dance. Winthrop coach Randy Peele went on record as saying that the play-in game's loser never really feels like part of the Tournament. Why make four teams who secured automatic bids feel like their automatic bid is worth less than some SEC or Pac-10 team that squeaked in under the wire, merely because of the name on the jersey or the name of the league?

The NCAA has a chance to make the entire March Madness experience, from the first three days on, even more compelling, and soften its evil, make-the-rich-even-richer image in the same move. We just have to sit back and see if they make that move.

96 Tears: The NCAA Wants to Make the Rich Richer

Some sources will tell you that the NCAA Tournament's expansion to 96 teams is as guaranteed as death and taxes. Others, including the NCAA itself, want to tell us to pump the brakes, nothing's set in stone yet.

And if you buy that, you're obviously shopping for some Arizona swampland.

I'm not here to cry fire and brimstone and claim that a 96-team tournament means that the apocalypse is nigh or the terrorists will win or whatever. What I am here to claim is that there is a fair, equitable way to do it without this basically becoming a care package for the BCS conferences.

The worst thing that can happen for the tournament is some 16-16 team from the ACC getting into the Big Dance ahead of, say, a 23-9 regular-season champion from the MAC who got poleaxed in the conference tournament.

If the regular season means something, then dominating your conference should mean something. Something more than making excuses like, "Oh, well, their record was terrible because they played dominant competition."

The one way the NCAA can make Greg Shaheen not sound like a total liar when he spouts off about "increased opportunities" in between bouts of ignoring John Feinstein's questions is in actually granting opportunities to those who truly need them: namely, the other 25 conferences (not including the Great West).

Offer automatic bids to the regular-season AND tournament champions of each conference, following the recommendation of that noted mid-major advocate Mike Krzyzewski, and the whole thing becomes much more palatable. Expand the tournament just so the Big East and ACC can challenge themselves to see if EVERY member can reach the Big Dance, and what are we left with?

Well, we're left with college football, in all honesty: a Mafioso system with 20 percent of the leagues drawing 70 percent of the party invitations.

Offering two bids for each non-BCS league gives us 50 spots filled, allowing 46 more for the BCS leagues and other assorted at-larges (which, let's face it, will be the endangered species in the Fat Bracket arrangement). Even if there are no other mid-major at-larges, the Cartel will still be fighting over seven bids per conference, or 14 more than they managed this season.

Also consider: only 41 of the 73 BCS schools managed winning records this season. Dan Guerrero, or whoever takes over the committee chair, will tie themselves in knots trying to defend the inclusion of a 15-17 Pac-10 team over a 22-6 team from the Big Sky.

Or, perhaps, the NCAA will continue with its current method of "we'll tell you what you want and you'll like it."

======================================================================

Funny enough, the people who are all about more NCAA spots are the power-conference coaches, who all like the idea of being rewarded for landing between the 20th and 30th percentiles, the schools who get left out now.

What does this do to alumni, administration, and trustee expectations, however? If a coach gets a three-year leash to reach the 20th percentile, does he get the same latitude to get into the 30th? If tournament places are given out like candy, is the window reduced to two years to reach one?

Coaches like the idea of an easier coat of resume polish, but diluting the pool cuts both ways. If a goal is easier to reach, but still not reached, a lot of coaches will find themselves with even less time to do so, losing their job security in the quest to gain more job security.

Not sure if that's irony, but it's gotta be close.

======================================================================

Finally, there's the argument that there will be no more "Cinderellas," depriving the tournament of its charm and drama.

What, like there are so many now?

Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News, linked above, couldn't even give any coherent reasons why the upsets would never happen. If Ohio University, for example, could beat Georgetown, why in the world could they not beat North Carolina (to continue beating this dead horse)? And did anyone honestly think that the Bobcats were launching a run to the Final Four after beating the Hoyas, anyway?

Not many outside of Athens, Ohio, I'm sure.

Butler qualified as a "Cinderella story," despite the fact that they ended the regular season ranked eighth in the nation. New Mexico was a three seed, ranked in the top 10, but would have also stunned everyone if they'd gotten to Indy. Why? Simply because the four semifinalists are only supposed to come from the same six leagues that can win the football championship, too. Outsiders are treated as interlopers and curiosities, sort of like a five-legged unicorn.

Let's not OVER-romanticize the tournament. The Bryce Drews and the Courtney Lees and the Mouse McFaddens and the Steve Nashes are great stories...for the first weekend.

The second weekend is all about the hoops factories. So it has always been, so it shall (probably) always be. Butler's path this season would have been no different in a 96-team bracket than it was in a 65.

The Tournament is still The Tournament. It's still a vastly superior system to the BCS football cartel. Most of us will adapt and survive, even Betty the receptionist, who'll have to pull out her reading glasses to read the smaller team names on the bracket sheet...most of which she knows nothing about anyway, but that still won't stop her from taking all of your money in the office pool.

4 Quarters Radio Episode 11: 1st Half

Click to Play

March 30's first half starts off with a repeat appearance from Adam Biggers of the Flint (Mich.) Journal discussing Michigan State's Final Four prospects...and also being vaguely aware that there are three other teams there, too. From there, Scott steers the rapidly careening 4Q train from sporting philosophy (do you BIRG and CORF?) to tangentially sports-related pornography. Tall Russians and women get shouts out in Whodaman, as well. Excised music: "Yes" by LMFAO.

4 Quarters Radio Episode 10: 1st Half

Click to Play

On the first half of the March 23 edition of 4QR, Scott, Joseph and Bobby talk the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, lamenting their battered brackets (thanks, Kansas) and all feeling pretty good about their supported teams making it to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, we have no visual of Joseph modeling his pimp new NBA sleeve. Bobby makes new picks for the UFC PPV, Scott wonders why his co-hosts can't bring themselves to dig hockey, and a guy who's probably never done an athletic thing in his life gets a shout out in Whodaman. Excised music: "Song for Old People" by Let's Wrestle and "So On and So On" by PM Dawn.

Buried Zombie Boilers Rise From Dead, Eat Analysts' Brains

The Purdue Boilermakers have been like that girl we all knew in high school who was slightly pretty, but concentrated on her grades and dressed in dowdy clothes, so was largely ignored. 

Picture if that girl got into a disfiguring car accident that gave all the popular kids full excuse to abuse and ostracize her for the rest of her days.  Robbie Hummel's ACL tear = car accident in this metaphor.

Suddenly, Purdue's 27-5 record didn't happen. The share of the Big Ten title didn't happen.  That was some other team doing all that work, and this team that was left was worthless.

Now, the sexy upset pick, the Siena Saints, have been sent home 72-64 by the team who was supposed to be incapable of scoring against a group of over-40 church leaguers.

Like the undead in a George Romero movie, the Boilers were buried a little prematurely, and now they're hungry.  And angry.

E'Twaun Moore had a rough 5-15 shooting game, but the usually worthless Keaton Grant propped him up with three second-half bombs, helping the Boilers get an early-second-half 15-point lead and force Siena to dig their way out of a big hole.

Lewis Jackson put up some nice crooked numbers, recording eight points, six rebounds (impressive for a 5'7" waterbug), and seven assists, plus hitting two huge free throws in the last minute.

Of course, there's also JaJuan Johnson.  23 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks.  My 4 Quarters Radio guest this past week, Jameson Fleming, spent a good deal of time telling us how Ryan Rossiter could handle JJ.  Um...yeah, not so much.  Rossiter wasn't bad himself, recording 10 and 12, but JJ made himself at home.

Chris Kramer was doing all the grunt work that he's made his name on, from taking steals to the house for massive dunks to forcing jump balls to forcing terrible shots, and he added 10 points to boot.

Now, all the analysts have to backpedal and try to invent ways to spin this result as Purdue coming into some luck or catching Siena on an off day or some other garbage to avoid admitting one incontrovertible truth: They were wrong.

My last post actually generated an e-mail response from the titular Mike DeCourcy himself, which I enjoyed tremendously.  I have faith that he'll actually man up and let us know that he underestimated the Boilers, and possibly learned something that he didn't know before.

Not expecting similar candor from anyone affiliated with the Worldwide Leader, though.  Ted Miller may have just gotten himself canned with a halfway positive post.

Purdue lost an important body part when Hummel went down, but the heart is still beating a mile a minute.  The team's not dead, much as most might want them to be.  They may still just eat your brains on general principle, though.

The Official 4 Quarters Radio Bracket Entry (or: Mike DeCourcy Can Suck It)

Like many other hardcore college hoop fans, I've filled out a great many brackets (all of them last night, and after I work until 1 AM tonight, I'll really be feeling it tomorrow).

Only one bracket competition bears the name of my radio show, however, and that's the one I have to stand by and make official.

And I'm confident enough in those picks to go ahead and put them out there for public consumption for all...um...15 or so of my readers.  So, for the people, here are the 63 winners:

Midwest Round 1: Kansas, UNLV, Michigan State, Houston, Tennessee, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, Ohio State

UNLV/Northern Iowa is one of those serious fence games, and I'm keenly interested to see if UNI can impose their will defensively as they do to so many other opponents. If they do, I'll be wrong here, but Lon Kruger's the difference right now.

Houston's Aubrey Coleman led the nation in scoring, and he's up against a Maryland team that has consistency issues. If Coleman outplays Grievis Vasquez, the Terps have serious problems to deal with.

Tennessee's game with San Diego State will be one to watch, but again, it's down to experience.  Bruce Pearl should be able to find more ways to win than Steve Fisher, who's still living off residuals from inheriting Bill Frieder's sloppy seconds back in 1989.

Finally...dear God, do I want to see that James Anderson/Evan Turner matchup in Round 2.

Midwest Round 2: Kansas, Houston, Georgetown, Oklahoma State

Houston over Sparty? With apologies to my past radio guest Adam Biggers, yeah.  Houston has a couple of guys who are willing and able to take over the game.  MSU?  They have guys who are able, but not always willing.  Raymar Morgan, Durrell Summers, and Kalin Lucas have not always answered the bell this season, and I won't be surprised if they fail to do so here.

And, the Big Ten love train is not stopping at S*R Station this season.  I like Oklahoma State's inside muscle of Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim to overwhelm Dallas Lauderdale and make Thad Matta go a little too deep into his (extremely shallow) bench.

Midwest Semifinals: Kansas and Georgetown

Just the two most talented teams in the region.  I won't be surprised if someone springs one on the Hoyas, but I think JT3's reached the point where he can have these guys focused on the task at hand.

Midwest Final: Kansas over Georgetown

I will be shocked, however, if anyone pulls one on the Jayhawks.  The Big 12 was deceptively tough this year, and Kansas toyed with all of them.  Many times, you have teams with talent and teams with experience, but it's teams with both that are hard to bet against.  Kansas has a lot of both, so I'm sending them to Indy.

West Round 1: Syracuse, Gonzaga, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Pittsburgh, BYU, Kansas State

Compared to Duke, Syracuse drew the Bataan Death March in their regional, and they'll be tested by an eighth seed unlike any other.

I see a big game out of Derrick Caracter carrying the Miners past Butler...and seriously, all the 5-12 games this season are hot, except Michigan State's.

Vandy will have a war on their hands with Murray State...unless A.J. Ogilvy comes heavily ready to play, in which case they can win by 15.

I called it on one bracket as a hunch, but I'll refrain here...just barely.  If a 14 is going to beat a 3, I like Oakland over Pitt.  Oakland has size inside that Pitt can't quite answer, and the Panthers have occasional scoring issues.  Like I said, I'm not quite confident enough to put it here, but if Oakland wins, remember that you DID read it here.

BYU-Florida is the only 7-10 game that I'm not making a concerted effort to try and see.  If Florida's within 15 points at the final horn, I'll be surprised.

West Round 2: Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Kansas State

If Syracuse survives the second round and gets Arinze Onuaku back at full health, their load gets much, much easier to carry.

Vandy-UTEP will be worth the price of admission. I just see a lot more weapons for Vanderbilt than for UTEP. Caracter and Randy Culpepper will have the Miners in the game until the end, but John Jenkins should be good for at least one mega-game in the Tournament.

The fact that I pondered Oakland over Pitt should be a good sign of how sold I am on Pitt. Xavier wins, and in surprisingly easy fashion.

K-State/BYU should be very close and very high-scoring, but I expect both Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen to show out more than I expect both Jimmer Fredette and Jonathan Tavernari.

West Semifinals: Syracuse and Kansas State

This region has some good scoring guards, but it's the big men who might be the X-factor.  I like Onuaku (provided he's returned and healthy) and Rick Jackson to do well against Ogilvy.

Again, K-State will be facing a stud guard in Jordan Crawford, but once again, are there the supplemental weapons for Xavier?  I won't be surprised if Xavier threatens to go to Indy, but I still like the Cats.

West Finals: Syracuse

Clemente and Pullen will have to hit shots over the Orange zone.  Meanwhile, Wes Johnson, Andy Rautins, and Kris Joseph can come at Kansas State's iffy D from all sides.  Honestly, a blowout would not be a total stunner here.

East Round 1: Kentucky, Texas, Temple, Wisconsin, Washington, New Mexico, Missouri, West Virginia

Texas/Wake Forest has been called "the best opportunity for a two-hour nap" outside of the one-seed games.  Can't say I disagree, as both these teams seem to have been trying to shoot themselves in the foot all season (or all second half of the season, in Texas' case).  Texas just has too many guys who CAN go off, it's a matter of WILL they go off.

Temple/Cornell, I want to have my popcorn ready for.  Thankfully, it's on Friday, so I can.  Almost a coin flip here, as on a lot of brackets, I've gone for Cornell.  But, again, when in doubt, I like coaching experience.  Fran Dunphy has more of it than Steve Donahue, so I go Temple.  But damn, Jeff Foote's going to make a difference one way or the other.

Washington might start proving that they had more talent than their results showed.  Buzz Williams is one of the best coaches in the country, but if U-Dub's backcourt shows up to play, the Huskies might stun some people.  Like, a lot of them.  Read on.

New Mexico's Darington Hobson will stuff a stat sheet like a madman...(continued below)

Oliver Purnell of Clemson might finally have a shot to win a Tourney game, if he was playing any team other than Mike "40 Minutes of Hell Jr." Anderson and Mizzou.

West Round 2: Kentucky, Wisconsin, Washington, Missouri

Wisconsin/Temple or Wisconsin/Cornell, either game would be bowling-shoe ugly, but that's how the Badgers like it.

(continued from above)...but will anyone else?  If Hobson has to go one-man-gang on Montana, that's one thing, but I like Washington a little bit better if they can hit their shots and make other people produce.

And, yeah, Missouri over WVU.  Against a high-pressure team, not having a truly reliable point guard can get you taken out fast.  I'm agreeing with anyone who said WVU should have had Duke's No. 1 seed, and that would have given them an easy ride.  Here, not so much.  Da'Sean Butler has a tendency to shoot the 'Neers out of some games, and I'm calling it here.

West Semifinals: Wisconsin and Washington

I've been saying it for a month now: Kentucky will get done in by a freshman doing something stupid.  Whether it's Eric Bledsoe trying to show off for the NBA scouts or DeMarcus Cousins trying to bodyslam Keaton Nankivil, if its going to happen, it'll happen against the Badgers.

West Virginia didn't have the point guard to survive Missouri's heat.  Washington really doesn't, either, but they also don't have a criminally unchecked loose cannon like Butler to go 4-20, either.  This regional is whacked.

West Finals: Wisconsin

Optimistic? No, not really, since it's all based on cynicism about Kentucky's maturity and WVU's shooting.  The Badgers are always that team that stays cool and simply plays their game, and this year, they may get a road that allows them to ride that formula all the way to the Final Four.

South Round 1: Duke, California, Utah State, Purdue, Notre Dame, Baylor, Richmond, Villanova

Some people are convinced that Duke got the Yellow Brick Road to Indy here, and I think I'm among them.  Unless it's Baylor, I don't see too many other teams who can get the upset done in this region.

Utah State sort of seems like Wisconsin-lite to me.  They only allowed five opponents to break 70 all season.  Then, they have enough scoring balance to keep the other team guessing.  If they put a clamp on Donald Sloan, the Southern Aggies will regret their date with the Northern Aggies.

Now, we get to the meat of the situation.  Am I concerned about Purdue's matchup?  Sure.  Siena's a veteran team with a tourney resume.  But, so's Purdue, Robbie Hummel or no Robbie Hummel.  I have picked Purdue on every single bracket, and I do so with a defiant middle finger to Tim Keown (see No. 9 on his list), Andy Katz, Pat Forde, and especially Mike DeCourcy.  Oh, and you too, POTUS.  At least Joe Lunardi has some balls, though.

The Richmond/St.Mary's game, I'll only get to see the first half before I have to head to work today...but I expect to enjoy what I see quite a bit.  If the Spiders can get Omar Samhan into foul trouble, they might be able to pull away.  Otherwise, we're looking at a slugfest.  I've gone the other way on a few brackets.

South Round 2: Duke, Utah State, Baylor, Richmond

Cal's guards were good enough to get them past Louisville, but Duke's got that trio of guys who can all close a game out.  Scheyer, Singler, and Smith are hard to stop all at once.

Hedging my Boiler bets a bit?  Yeah, maybe.  But as I said, Wisconsin-lite.  And the Badgers showed they could handle Purdue once this season, maybe the Aggies do the same.  But I'll never be happier to miss a pick than I will be here.

Baylor/ND looks like another fun matchup.  Again, I'm a stickler for three-headed monsters, and I've been saying all season that I like Tweety Carter, LaceDarius Dunn, and Ekpe Udoh more than any threesome outside of Durham (well, and West Lafayette pre-ACL).  Baylor gets to Houston.

I'm not keen on Nova.  They can score, but can they stop anyone?  Richmond's not exactly a run-and-gun team, but Nova might be capable of making them look that way.  And I just realized I've been extremely harsh on the No. 2 seeds this year.  Huh.

South Semifinals: Duke and Baylor

Utah State might make it interesting, but Duke's got that talent-experience combo that comes in handy here.

I like the looks of every matchup featuring Richmond, but I think they get rattled a bit by the pro-Baylor crowd in Houston.

South Final: Duke

Maybe the best game of any in this regional.  But, Baylor's frustrated me all season.  They get a little streak going over the Colorados and Nebraskas of the world, then get a ranked opponent in front of them and leak like a paper rowboat.  Duke's too good.

Final Four: Kansas over Syracuse and Duke over Wisconsin

Kansas and the Cuse should be teeing it up for the championship, far as I'm concerned.  This one can easily come down to a last-second thriller shot, but I still like the Hawks.

Duke handled Wisconsin-lite in my Sweet 16, now they draw the full diesel version.  Probably a tougher game than any other outside of Baylor, but still, three heads are hard to kill all at once.  Duke advances.

National Champion: Kansas

Should be a great game, and the burning question centers on whether Brian Zoubek and the Plumlees can keep Cole Aldrich off the block.  Says here that they can't.

Do I expect to be burning this bracket by this Sunday?  Yeah, probably.  But, it's what I got, and it's what I'm rolling with.  When it says 4 Quarters, you know it's official.

4 Quarters Radio Episode 9: 1st Half

Click to Play

On the first half of the March 16 edition of 4QR, the returning Joseph and Bobby join Scott in some dissection of the NCAA Tourney brackets before being joined by Bleacher Report College Basketball Community Leader Jameson Fleming, who provides a ton of handy tips for those looking for upsets in their office pools. Most of the hour is college hoop-driven, except for a brief stopover on Tiger Woods Watch, Whodaman, and a very late rendition of the Concert Calendar, with special emphasis on Car Wash. Listen and find out. Excised music: "Rumors" by Timex Social Club and "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals. (It's "One-Hit Wonder Tuesday," in honor of everyone picking Scott's Boilers and Joseph's Vols to be one-hit wonders in the Tournament.)

Official 4 Quarters Radio Bracket Challenge

Over at CBS Sports, you can join the official 4QR Bracket Challenge by clicking this link.

Group Password is 4qr.

Winner is eligible to receive a $25 Best Buy Gift Card.  So come match wits with the Chef of 4QR.

One Last Run For No. 1: Can Purdue Sneak Back Onto the Top Line?

While writers, bloggers, and ESPN analysts sprinted to grab the shovels and throw dirt on the instantly rotting corpse that is a Robbie Hummel-less Purdue Boilermaker basketball team, they were already handing over the Boilers' expected No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed to anyone they could find.

Duke, Kansas State, Ohio State, and now even Purdue's New Year's Day pimp-smack victims, West Virginia, are getting love as potential No. 1 seeds.  However, each of those teams is not without their flaws in their own right, and are their bodies of work that much superior to Purdue's?  Let's examine, starting with the Boilers as a point of comparison.

Purdue: 26-4, RPI No. 11, 51st-ranked Strength of Schedule, 6-3 v. RPI Top 50
The Boilers' three Top 50 losses were to Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, all of which they had either already beaten or proceeded to avenge later.  Just saying.

Duke: 26-5, RPI No. 2, 7th-ranked SoS, 8-4 v. RPI Top 50
Duke just dropped a game last Wednesday to a Maryland team that was merely .500 (7-7) against the RPI's Top 100. The Terps are playing like their shoes are on fire right now, and that probably works in Duke's favor. Barring a huge collapse in the ACC Tournament, Duke's probably got the No. 1 locked up.

On examining their losses, though, all things are pretty equal between the Devils and the Boilers. They both have a weak loss, Purdue to Northwestern and Duke to N.C. State.  Duke's five losses came to teams that were a combined 41-41 against the RPI's Top 100.  Purdue's four losses came to teams who were 28-27 against the Top 100.  Duke's own RPI and SoS are large advantages, but if it's boiled down to who each team played, there's very little difference.

If Wake Forest or Virginia Tech can pull a shocker in the ACC semifinal on Saturday, Duke could very well get knocked out of the top seed discussion for good.  Except for when Dickie (Dookie?) V's involved.  Coach K's boys could lose to St. Catherine's School for the Blind, Crippled, and Crazy, and Vitale would still spend the day talking about how big a disadvantage the Devils were at with seeing-eye dogs allowed on the court.

Kansas State: 24-6, No. 6 RPI, 5th-ranked SoS, 6-4 v. RPI Top 50
A phoned-in loss like the one to Iowa State on Saturday is exactly the type that sends a team's hopes of a No. 1 seed swirling immediately. As well it should. Iowa State was 3-16 against the RPI's Top 150 coming into that game. Compare that to Northwestern's 8-8 mark and tell me which is the worse loss.

In total, KSU's losses were a combined 35-38 against the Top 100.  And before anyone jumps on how much Iowa State's 3-13 brought that record down, Kansas's 13-3 evens that right out.

If Purdue was to lose the top line to any of these teams, I think K-State would be the one with which I would have had the least problem, at least before last Saturday.  The Wildcats are a great team, period.  I'll have to see a hellish regional in front of them before I remove them from Final Four consideration.

They had back-to-back 15-point wins in December over Xavier and UNLV, and took Kansas to overtime in their first meeting.  I'm not disputing their talent.

However, for all the talk about resumes and body of work that dominates February and March in college basketball, there's not a ton that differentiates K-State from Purdue, at least not to the point that the 'Cats are still getting top-seed buzz and Purdue is said to be fighting for No. 2-seed table scraps.

K-State's already lost once to Oklahoma State (a chic tourney sleeper, by the way), and that appears to be the matchup we can expect in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament this Thursday.  OSU's going to come in motivated.  Will KSU?

Ohio State: 24-7, No. 29 RPI, 66th-ranked SoS, 8-6 v. RPI Top 100
This is where the RPI junkies run and hide.  If you subscribe to the RPI as the end-all-be-all of college basketball power rankings, and you're seriously trying to advocate the Buckeyes as a No. 1 seed, you're a hypocrite.

The Buckeyes have a No. 1-seed player in Evan Turner, who should be the favorite for National Player of the Year. (Sorry, John Wall apologists, but Turner does both Wall's job AND Patrick Patterson's.  Deal with it.)

However, if you did the blind taste test that ESPN's so fond of during their games, and put up Purdue's resume next to Ohio State's with no names or injuries attached, I doubt many would claim OSU's as superior.

The Buckeyes' losses were solid, with opponents going 55-49 against the RPI Top 100...but that's buoyed heavily by the last two, West Virginia's 15-6 and Purdue's 12-3.  Leave out those two losses, and the Bucks' ledger drops to 28-40.

Okay, in fairness, two of the losses came without Evan Turner.  The opponents who beat a full-strength Buckeye team went 43-33 against the Top 100.  Still good.  But there's still that loss to a very iffy Minnesota team (4-7 against the Top 100, if you're wondering...worse than Northwestern).

By the time the Buckeyes get started in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, it will have been 10 days since they last played a game.  Luckily for them, it'll be either Michigan or Iowa across the court from them to provide a nice tuneup.  Either Wisconsin or Illinois awaits in the semis, and we could even see a possible head-to-head showdown with the Boilers in the final.

If Ohio State dominates the tournament, fine.  Hand them a No. 1.  But don't insult everyone's intelligence by crying RPI all season and then ignoring that very large discrepancy just to cut a depleted team's resume down to size.

West Virginia: 24-6, No. 5 RPI, 2nd-ranked SoS, 15-6 v. RPI Top 100
I'd love to just say that 77-62 doesn't lie.  Except, in this case, it does.

I'm not nearly Homer Fanboy enough to claim that that game goes down exactly the same without Robbie Hummel in the lineup.

WVU has a great resume, and they don't have a bad loss.  At this point, their worst loss was to UConn.  Their six losses came to teams that were a combined 74-37 against the RPI Top 100.

Really, it's hard to object to their claim on a No. 1 except on aesthetic grounds.  The Mountaineers can out-athlete anyone, but a tournament run often comes down to size and/or shooting, and WVU doesn't have a ton of either.  It's always possible that DaSean Butler can shoot them right out of a game (see combined 8-for-42 against Notre Dame, Villanova, and UConn).

It's hard to see them having a huge problem with Louisville, Cincinnati, or Rutgers in the Big East quarters, but the semis may hold Pitt or Notre Dame, with their combined 2-1 record against the 'Neers.  A loss there should end the talk about WVU on the top line.  A win over either of those two, however, would probably lock up the top line for Bob Huggins' team, and deservedly so.

Purdue still owned them on New Year's Day, though.

I understand that all of this is totally moot if Purdue doesn't win the Big Ten Tournament.  And, to be honest, they'll have to rack major style points in doing so.  If they beat, say, Indiana, Minnesota, and Illinois to win the thing, they'll get no credit for proving themselves against Ohio State or Michigan State or Wisconsin sans Hummel.

The sad part is, that's probably a fair judgment.  To be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, a team has to prove they can go out and beat anyone at any time on anyone's court.  As presently constituted, Purdue hasn't done that.  Wins over Indiana and Penn State just won't cut it.

Every Purdue fan has to need Purdue to prove themselves against the big boys all over again.  If they do, however, and all these other stars fall into alignment, a No. 1 seed shouldn't be out of reach...even if it probably already is.