End Round 1 Update
Good People of the Madness that is March:
Round 1 is in the books, and after another exciting day of hoops, we have a leader in Jabin’s March Madness Charity Pool. Oma Barbara is all alone in first place at 26 points (that’s 26 correct and 6 wrong in the first round – not too shabby). Then, things get, well, crowded.
Nine players - Quinn, HopinMags, The Reverend, Kiki White, Laughing Jay, Miz Elizabeth, Chuck, Jayhawk ’81, and Taterdog – are tied for second place at 25 points, followed by 12 people just two back at 24 points. Head to the site for complete standings after Round 1 of our pool. As a reminder, second round games this weekend are worth 2 points each, so nothing is won or lost yet.
Buckets Galore!
Is it just me, or are teams scoring at a ridiculous clip this year? On Thursday, two teams scored in the 90s, and a whopping nine teams scored in the 80s (1 in a losing cause). But Friday was even more extreme, as four teams scored in the 80s, four more in the 90s, and three teams cracked the century mark! Pour one out for the Florida Gators, who scored 100 points, but lost to Colorado, which scored 102 with a shot at the buzzer that took its sweet time rattling around the rim before falling in. Bad defense? Good offense? Smarter folks than me will have to judge, but “back in my day” we played in the 60s, and gosh darnit we liked it!
Boola Boola
For the second year in a row, the Ivy League automatic bid team shocked a power conference school in Round 1. Last year it was Princeton over Arizona, and this year it was Yale’s turn, shocking the Auburn Tigers and Sir Charles (he took it with class, because that’s who he is). It was an entertaining game, and the Bulldogs get a date with San Diego State (a Final Four team last year) for their efforts.
“It was the Dukes, it was the Dukes”
12-seed James Madison upset 5-seed Wisconsin on Friday night, setting up a Sunday matchup against the Duke Blue Devils in Round 2. That’s right, it’s Duke vs. the Dukes, or how it will be known in my house, the “Trading Places” game. 1. I just hope there is plenty of frozen concentrated orange juice on hand for this matchup. 2. I sure hope they don’t “Step on the ball.” I could go all night, folks. “Looking good, James Madison!” – “Feeling good, weird guy with a charity pool.”
You Rang?
Nice bit of trivia from the UConn-Stetson early game on (it was a 1-16 matchup, so I’m sure they came prepared with some “filler” in case of a blowout). In a list of famous Stetson graduates, they offered up Ted Cassidy, who played Lurch on the Addams Family tv show (kids, a tv show is a program that used to be on at a certain time on a specific channel, and if you missed it … oh nevermind. Cassidy actually played on the Hatters’ basketball team, and the rumor is he ran a wicked pick n’ roll with Uncle Fester. Kids, Uncle Fester was a character … oh nevermind.
Commercials
I just love great athletes/bad actors in commercials (so much fun to mock). But I’ve got to give it up for Eli Manning in the Corona commercial in which our hero feigns surprise at ordering a Corona bucket while sitting courtside with Carmelo Anthony (“You think you’re slick but you’re not slick.”) Can we re-do the Oscars, because this is Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer” level stuff. His nuanced performance is equal parts jejune and sublime…and I just can’t look away. And yes, I’ll say it, his performance makes me want to be a better man. Of course, there’s always the possibility that I’m watching too much basketball. Nah! The silver medal goes to the Lopez Brothers (Brook and Robin) in the State Farm commercial. Sing it with me folks, “Like a good neighbor, you guys can’t act.”
And while these aren’t specific to March Madness, I have to give some love to the Progressive “Turning into your parents” campaign. Just consistently great. I’ve seen the one with LL Cool J like 1,700 times, and it still makes me laugh. “That’s not the way you take a selfie.”
OK, so we are through Round 1, with some great games, but much more on tap for this weekend. I’ll be back to you late Saturday night at the halfway point of Round 2.
Yours in hoops,
Jabin