Oh What a Weekend!

Greetings Sports Enthusiasts!
  Well the first weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament did not disappoint! Buzzer beaters, nailbiters and upsets galore royally screwed many a bracketologist (def. those who study the tournament bracket and project who will win each game). Luckily, I was able to predict a few of the upsets and am sitting pretty in third place in my tournament pool...well above my fiance, the Xavier fan :)

For me and my hometown peeps, this weekend was a mix of emotions:

-Vanderbilt, as we've come to expect from them, blew a significant lead at the half to lose once again by a
last minute shot to the Richmond Spiders, the A-10 champs, who are also continuing on this weekend to
the Sweet Sixteen. I know I shouldn't be shocked, since this is the THIRD, count it, THIRD time the
'Dores have made an early exit from the tourney, at the hands of a higher seeded team: 13 seeds Siena in
2008, and Murray State last year. Will Vandy fans ever be able to go into the tournament with any
semblance of confidence that their team won't get trounced by a significantly higher seeded team? The world may never know....

-Much to my fiance's chagrin, the Xavier Musketeers also made a first round exit, as they were trounced by 11th seeded Marquette. That's what will happen when your leading scorer, Tu Holloway, is held to only 5 POINTS in the game. Marquette was on him like white on rice. This is the first time in 4 years that the Muskies will not play in the Sweet Sixteen. Fun Fact: According to ESPN.com, Michigan State and Xavier are the only two teams that have made it to the Sweet Sixteen in each of the past three years...both were bounced in the first round this year. Funny how things change! Marquette made it past Syracuse in another close game in the 3rd Round and will face #1 seeded UNC Tarheels on Friday. I wish the Golden Eagles the best of luck, and Muskies, I know you'll be back strong next year.

-The most surprising performance of a team from the tri-state area were my local faves - the UC Bearcats.
Mick Cronin, the leprechaun-esque head coach of the Bearcats was on the chopping block if his team did not have a good season. But he was able to pull his team together and with the heart of the team being Yancey Gates, local boy Cashmere Wright, Ibrahima Thomas and Dion Dixon, the Bearcats excelled through their Big East schedule and scored a 6 seed in the tournament, the first NCAA tournament appearance since good old Huggy Bear (Bob Huggins) coached the Bearcats.The Bearcats schooled the Mizzou Tigers in the second round and put up quite a fight in the third round against fellow Big East team UConn Huskies. The Huskies Kemba Walker just could not be stopped. Bearcat Yancey Gates has been questioned by the media and Bearcat Nation about his dedication to the team. If you were watching as the final seconds ran down on Saturday night's game, and saw an inconsolable Gates on the bench, tears streaming down his face, you knew how dedicated he is to this team and that he plays with heart. I look forward to seeing the Bearcats play with the same power and heart next year.

OK! Now for teams to watch this weekend:
-Fun Fact! The City of Richmond, VA has as many teams in the Sweet Sixteen as the Big East and the SEC! The Rams of Virginia Commonwealth and the Spiders of the University of Richmond have both made it to the Sweet 16. This is the first time since 1980 that one city has had two teams in the Sweet 16 (LA was the last city to do this). VCU had quite the journey to the round of 16 - they had to 'play in' to the tournament in the first round, then upset Georgetown AND Purdue to get to the Sweet Sixteen. All those VCU haters out there - they're for real! Take that Jay Bilas! Richmond had a bit smoother trip to the Sweet Sixteen. They beat my 'Dores in the second round and then blew out Morehead St. (who upset #4seed Louisville) in the third round. VCU plays #10 seed Florida State and Richmond plays #1 seed Kansas, both on Friday. These should both be interesting games, if the these two teams continue to play at the level they've been playing in the tournament thus far. And if VCU and Richmond win, they will play each other in the Elite Eight, which is very rare that two teams from the same city would play each other in the tournament. I'm rooting for this!

-#1 Overall seed Ohio State Buckeyes play my SEC brethren #4 seed Kentucky Wildcats. This should be a great game, two very talented teams with diehard fanbases - I have a feeling you'll see a ton of Scarlet&Grey and Blue&White in the crowd. My money is on The Buckeyes, as I have them winning the national title, but I know many of my southern pals will be rooting for the 'Cayets', as my dear friend Hillie says. I will be with one of my diehard UK pals during the game, and I have a feeling we will need to sit far far away from each other during this games. Should be a great one - they play at 9:45pm on Friday night!

-My favorite Cinderella team from last year, the 8th seeded Butler Bulldogs knocked off Pitt in the third
round, the first #1 seed ousted from the tournament. They face a formidable opponent in the #4 seed
Wisconsin Badgers. Check this game out tomorrow, it's a late one with tipoff at 9:57!

Here's the schedule for the rest of the games for Thursday/Friday:
-#1 Duke (Coach K says the Kyrie Irving will get 'significant minutes' in this game) v. #5 Arizona (coached by former Xavier coach Sean Miller) Thursday at 9:45
-#3 UConn (lead by my man Kemba Walker - he's unstoppable!) v. #2 San Diego State Thursday at 7:15
-#3 BYU (Jimmer Fredette is an animal!) v. #2 Florida Gators (who I hate on principle) Thursday at 7:27

Now for my favorite name of the tournament: Shabazz Napier - guard for UConn. I mean come on, Shabazz could be the coolest name EVER. Love it. Thought I would bring it to the public's attention :)

For all your men, my dear friend Shari has made me aware of a promotion that the company she works for, Molton Brown, is doing through April 4th! The winner receives an “elite 8” pack of Molton Brown body washes! Sounds good to me! Below is the link to all the fun sweepstakes information: http://on.fb.me/iizjLu. Check it out and get some goodies for your guy or for yourself!

Lastly, this weekend I will be taking my talents to the Dirty South, aka Atlanta, to see my lovely friend Amanda get hitched. I can't wait to see my amazing friends (including my love Jacq, who is graciously housing me this evening and will be my roomie for the weekend) as well as watch basketball with my buddy Josh, the diehard UK fan. I forgive him for that, because like me, he loves the Reds :)

ONLY 1 WEEK TIL OPENING DAY!!!

Peace, Love, and College Basketball (and Baseball too)!!

Cass