Pitt vs. ETSU Running Diary w/ Tangents

(Number 1 seed? It's about damn time!)

Last season, I kept a running diary of Pitt's opening round game against Oral Roberts (Oh Oral! How I miss thee!). The problem was...the game was not that captivating, as Pitt won in a blowout. I figure I'll slightly alter the gimmick this year. I'll keep a running diary of the game...but I'll hardly be focused on the game...allowing for my thoughts on the tournament's first day and a half, commentaries about coaches and commercials, along with updates about who I'm talking to on the phone and how my brackets are doing. Sound like a plan? Sounds like something at least.

(Comments for the Pitt game will be preceded by the time...all other comments will be marked by bullet points. That way...you can easily read either/or, both, or neither if you so choose)

Here we go. #1 Pitt vs. #16 ETSU to open Pitt's run in the East region. Let's make it happen this year! (I'm not sure what I mean by "it")

3:05 pm - Dejuan Blair wins the opening tip back to Levance Fields. Bill Raftery says, "Verne Lundquist...Eastern Tennessee State goes...MANTAMAN"! Everything is right in the world.

3:08 pm - Raftery makes his first "derriere" reference of the day. I think I'll be keeping a running count of this. Tyrell Biggs makes a 3-pointer for Pitt. He's surprisingly good for one of those a game. Pitt 6, ESTU 5.

• Has anyone else noticed how these NCAA Tournament games have been grossly under attended? It's really absurd. The Portland region has been the worst. There were so many empty blue seats during that Gonzaga/Akron game last night. There is NO ONE at the Temple/Arizona St. game right now. This has to have something to do with the weak-ass economy, right? This Pitt game in Dayton is no different. Plenty of good seats available.

3:16 pm - Apparently country music star Kenny Chesney attended ETSU. Don't know how that applies to Pitt's chances. The Panthers have committed 4 turnovers and look lazy. Pitt 11, ETSU 11.

• Pitt is doing what they do all-to-well, playing down to their competition in the first half. I need to divert my attention. As CJS has mentioned, check out Club Trillion, a blog by Ohio State bench player Mark Titus. It's titled Club Trillion because when he gets into a game, his line in the box score is 1 (for minutes played), followed by a BUNCH of zeros.

3:37 pm - After two missed free-throws by Blair, Pitt only leads by two. The fact Bill Raftery is calling this game can't even make me feel better right now. The UConn/Chattanooga game yesterday was close for the first 15 minutes, right? UConn ended up winning by 50 of course. 10 turnovers for Pitt and were not even at the half! Pitt 22, ETSU 20.

3:39 pm - Blair gets called for a technical for "hanging on the rim" after a dunk! Maybe he did a little bit of a chin-up on the play but COME ON! Both Raftery and Lundquist don't agree with the call. Coach Jamie Dixon is furious...either at the officials or at Blair. Dixon's hair, however, remains slicked back and in position. Pitt 24, ETSU 22.

3:41 pm - Bob sends me a text that simply reads, "BULLSHIT!!!" He immediately sends me another text saying, "Let's have a sporting event text chat like (Bill) Simmons and his buddies! I wanna make the blog!" Well Bob...you just did.

3:48 pm - Raftery, "Pitt has not put their imprint on this game." Couldn't have put it better myself sir. Pitt 24, ETSU 22.

• The best games so far have been #11 VCU's one-point loss to #6 UCLA, #11 Utah State's one-point loss to #6 Marquette, and #12 Western Kentucky's smack-down of #5 Illinois. I think the NCAA Tournament selection committee isn't going to make the mistake of giving WKU a #12 seed anymore.

3:55 pm - Pitt makes ANOTHER turnover...giving them 13 in the first half. I'm not panicking yet, but I'm definitely sick in my stomach. ETSU makes a last second layup to end the half that is then taken away after review. This is disgusting. Embarrassing. I need a cigarette Pitt 26, ETSU 23.

4:07 pm - Just talked to Phil during halftime. He's not nearly as confident as I am right now. Pitt's going to win...it's just a matter of if they win by 5-10 points or more than 20. They need to dominate and pull away, not for the fans, but for themselves. This is excruciating.

• Tournament Tattoo Update - The one guy from American U. had some ridiculous ink on his bicep, the explanation of which couldn't be determined. The tattoos of the tournament have to go to the boys from Northern Iowa. Lots of white guys with lots of ink. This prompted my dad to comment, "Tattoos on white guys just don't look good". I don't know if this means he thinks they look good on black guys, or he doesn't think they look good on anyone. Love ya pops!

4:18 pm - The second half gets underway. I really hope Jamie Dixon tore the boys a new one in the locker room during halftime. I'm wondering where my level of frustration will be in 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.

4:20 pm - Jermaine Dixon takes a long bomb outlet pass...misses the layup...gets his own rebound, and misses the put-back. ETSU rebounds. At no point during that entire sequence did any Pitt player enter the screen to come down and help Dixon out. What the hell is going on?!?

4:23 pm - Bob sends me another text, "For cryin' out loud...they (Pitt) look like Bobby Mo (Robert Morris) in the (NEC) title game! Hey-oh!" Bob just got all of his labels taken away.

4:26 pm - I love how they have to break out the whole "no #16 seed has ever defeated a No. 1 seed" thing. The attempt to jinx the Panthers is officially on!

4:29 pm - CJS just texted me - "What the fuck?!?!" Why do I feel this growing momentum against Pitt? The crowd in Dayton is certainly pulling for the upset. Pitt 35, ETSU 33.

4:34 pm - Shot of Coach Dixon sitting down on the Pitt bench with his face buried in his hands. This sums up today's events perfectly. Pitt 39, ETSU 38.

4:37 pm - Lundquist keeps calling Sam Young "Wanamaker"...in reference to Panther guard Brad Wanamaker. Anything is going to piss me off at this point. Pitt 40, ETSU 40.

4:46 pm - When I did the running diary of Pitt's victory over Oral Roberts last year...it was a party...every player was contributing, smiles were all around. This is the complete opposite of that experience. ETSU just threw down a dunk. Blah. Pitt 46, ETSU 44.

4:52 pm - Sam Young misses his billionth layup of the game...Blair gets two offensive rebounds and finally makes the basket, giving Pitt it's first 5 point lead in an eternity. They just need to score 15 more unanswered points to PUSH the spread of 20. Pitt 50, ETSU 45.

4:55 pm - Young makes his second 3-pointer in the last couple of minutes. Things are a little more encouraging than they were before. Also, Fields looks like he's playing at about 60%, maybe I'm looking for excuses.....but he doesn't look like the Levance Fields we Pitt fans know and love. Pitt 58, ETSU 52.

5:01 pm - A bunch of bullshit just happened underneath Pitt's basket. I can't talk or type rationally right now. Pitt 59, ETSU 57.

5:06 pm - CBS holds a gun to Lundquist's head and makes him read the "no #16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1" fact again. I hate CBS right now. Pitt 62, ETSU 57.

5:09 pm - Pitt's going to win, as I said at halftime, but this win isn't going to feel good at all. Ashton Gibbs just hit a 3-pointer...followed by an ETSU layup. It's all but over...but I'm still feeling sick. Pitt 67, ETSU 61.

5:12 pm - College hoops are SO about confidence and momentum. Pitt came out lazy and entitled, once ETSU felt they could hang with the Panthers...the complexion of the game changed completely. Give a team confidence and they'll believe they can do anything. Pitt 70, ETSU 62.

5:16 pm - The "game" is finally over. I'm going to need to drink a lot tonight. This was horrible. I can't wait to hear from everyone busting my balls over this disaster. Hopefully this is what Pitt needs to wake up and realize that a No. 1 seed is earned and not given. They have to go out and PLAY like a No. 1 seed. I pray this scared them shitless. I have nothing more to say right now. Final Score: Pitt 72, ETSU 62.

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Conference Tournaments Starting on March 12th

The final four conference tournaments began yesterday. I'm honestly too exhausted from Robert Morris and 6 overtime games right now to give my usual 75%. Filling out 30 brackets was as daunting and draining this year as it was last year. But I do feel a sense of accomplishment. As I said last season, nobody else in the country is filling out 30 freaking conference tournament brackets. You're truly getting something unique here. There is something endearing about analyzing the potential of schools like Elon, Drake, The Citadel, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Rider. I've loved every second of it. Here are the winners, notable seeds, and props for the last four conference tournaments. As always, my predicted champions are in bold.

• Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) - North Carolina - I'm already regretting this pick, not because I don't like UNC, but because I didn't know Mega-Star Ty Lawson would be sitting out the ACC Tournament. Not to mention that North Carolina has nothing to gain from winning this tournament and may benefit from the Pitt route of laying down and focusing on the Big Dance (I'm still trying to convince myself that the Panther's Big East Tourney loss is inconsequential). A third UNC vs. Duke match-up would be nice, but a meeting in the NCAA Tournament would be much nicer. (The following is for you Matt) Pay attention to Greivis Vazquez of Maryland, he's the player who had a triple-double in Maryland's upset of UNC earlier this season. He's stated his intention to play in the NBA next year as Coach Gary Williams loses yet another star. Georgia Tech is a great first-round sleeper pick against Clemson as their basically playing on their home floor. Notable Seeds: #1 North Carolina (props to Liz), #2 Wake Forest, #3 Duke (props to Brian W.), #4 Florida State, #6 Boston College, #7 Maryland, #12 Georgia Tech

• Big 10 Conference - Michigan State - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Seriously...this conference tournament is disgusting. Need I bring up Penn St. 38, Illinois 33 again? This league used to provide some really good college basketball. Now they bore people to death. I can't believe the Big 10 might seriously get 8 teams in the dance. Don't get me wrong, there are some worthy candidates here...but not 8. Iowa is in year 2 of a 5 year rebuilding plan. Give them time. Notable Seeds: #1 Michigan State, #2 Illinois, #3 Purdue, #4 Wisconsin, #5 Ohio State, #6 Penn State (props to Fleck, A.J., Bob, Ben S., Bradford, & Pat), #7 Michigan, #10 Iowa

• Southeastern Conference (SEC) - South Carolina - Here's another league that was really down this year. Florida fell hard and fast after their back-to-back championships. The Gators get to play on what amounts to their home floor here. I really thought the South Carolina Gamecocks had the best chance of anyone to win this tournament, but they lost earlier today to Mississippi State. So nuts to that. The most intrigue left is whether or not Bruce Pearl will break out the orange creamsicle suit at some point. One can hope. Notable Seeds: #1w LSU, #1e Tennessee, #2w Auburn, #2e South Carolina, #3w Mississippi State, #3e Florida, #4e Kentucky

• Southland Conference - Stephen F. Austin - I chose Stephen F. Austin last year as the #1 seed to win this conference. They failed me. I'm picking them again in the hopes of redemption for both them and me. This is the 30th and FINAL conference tournament bracket that I had to fill out. It feels like graduation. I'm finally done. Let's PLEASE move on. Notable seeds: #1 Stephen F. Austin, #2 Nicholls State, #3 Sam Houston State, #4 Texas A&M Corpus Christi, #6 UT San Antonio, #7 Texas State

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Weekend Wrap-Up - Oscar Edition

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative" ~ Oscar Wilde

"I love trash...I love it because it's trash" ~ Oscar The Grouch

I'm taking a moment here for self evaluation. I'll fully admit that my writing has not been up to snuff and that I've been recycling bits from last year's blog. I'm not necessarily going to CHANGE anything, I just wanted to disclose this in the hope that this blog will be an enjoyable experience for everyone, and that I'll continue to improve all the time. Thank you kindly. Tidings be.

Only 3 weeks left until selection Sunday. We're dangerously close to the beginning of the conference tournaments so it's time for this blog to push things forward. To do this, I'm going to attempt something never done before in the history of writing: create fake, Oscar'esque categories through which I'll describe some component of college basketball that took place over the weekend. Brilliant!

Best upset of the weekend: Take your pick - North Carolina lost to Maryland in overtime, UCLA got bumped by Washington St. at home, Oklahoma got shocked by Texas after Blake Griffin took one in the head, Robert Morris embarrassingly got tripped up by Wagner, Jerry Lewis continues to defeat death, and I actually ended up at the 31st Street Pub for a rock show.

Best performance picking Bracket Busters games: Not me. I went a passable 8-5 with my picks. I'm still not sure what the purpose was with those picks, except that I enjoy making picks. When in doubt (not the movie), go with the Missouri Valley Conference, they went 7-3 in their non-conference games this weekend. Phil does not win this category either as he went 0-1 with his picks, brashly choosing a shaken Davidson team over Butler.

Best team from Iowa this weekend: The Iowa Hawkeyes...narrowly beating out the Drake Bulldogs to win this category. Jake Kelly set career highs with 23 points and 9 rebounds (while playing all 45 minutes) in Iowa's overtime victory over Michigan on Saturday.

Best team in the Patriot League: American University. In a Patriot League battle for the ages, American U. defeated Holy Cross 56-50 on Saturday. The Crusaders had an opportunity to move into a first place tie in the conference with the Eagles, but it was not meant to be. Although these two squads split the season series...American U. is safely in first place and Holy Cross looks good to be the number two seed for the upcoming conference tournament.

Best props given from the stage during a performance: Bob, to me. Much thanks to you Bob for pimping my blog during the show this weekend. I'm not sure how many rock and roll kids are into the college basketball, but I don't care, it's the thought and props that count. I am truly humbled, though not yet famous. You definitely got the Toby Ziegler in you.

Best player in a "supporting" role: I know the Tar Heels lost this weekend, but after watching a couple of their games recently, I'm thinking that Ty Lawson is the real star of that team. Tyler Hansbrough receives most of the press and a lot of the fanfare...but Ty Lawson seems to be the leader of that squad. He's the player I'd want with the ball in his hands down 2 with under a minute remaining. Lawson has more skills and is more versatile than any of his teammates. He shouldn't be overshadowed by Hansbrough anymore. Am I wrong?

Best team to be ranked #1 in the nation tomorrow: Pitt! I'm giddy.

Best teams not bothering to recruit defensive players: Duke and Notre Dame. Both teams scored over 100 points in their wins this weekend. That's great and sexy and what-not, but come next month, those teams are going to play tough games in the tournament (NCAA or NIT) where that kind of shit ain't gonna fly. Athletic and physical teams win in march. Teams made up of twigs that have a knack for hitting three pointers don't go very far.

Best tirade by a coach: Jim Calhoun. The University of Connecticut head coach decides who is stupid and discusses the economic implications of athletic organizations while making me really want iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. Enjoy!

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