Scoreboard Watching: April 8, 2013

With the Dodgers idle and SoSG readers terrorized by the first PCS of the year, here's something to run in the background:

• The Pirates lick their wounds after being swept by the Dodgers, and travel on to Arizona, tied for first in the NL West with a 5-1 record. Wandy Rodriguez (1-0, 0.00), who earned the Pirates' only win this year, goes up against Trevor Cahill (0-1, 4.76). The Pirates, led by Russell Martin, are batting .119, worst in the majors (also led by Russell Martin). First pitch, 6.40p.
• The other NL West-leading team, the Rockies, play at San Francisco today, following the Cardinals' 13-4 beatdown of the Giants that included a nine-run inning off of Matt Cain. Jorge De La Rosa (0-0, 8.31 ERA) faces Madison Bumgarner (1-0, 0.00). First pitch, 7.15p.
• Oh, and there's that other game that tips off at 6.20p. Kinda important, from what I've heard on the internets.

photo: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images

NCAA Tourney GameThread: UCLA vs. Minnesota, 6.45p

What could be Shabazz Muhammad's last collegiate game tips off tonight, with Ben Howland's team undermanned due to departures (including one obese player who never lived up to potential--listen up, Juan Urine!) and a late-season broken foot of Jordan Adams, the Bruins' second-leading scorer. Only six deep (not including freshman Tony Parker), we'll see if the Bruins can successfully play Whac-A-Mole against the Golden Gophers.

All three other Pac-25 teams won, by the way; two of them were twelve seeds upsetting five seeds. No pressure, Bruins!

Oh, What A BCS Upset Night

With one more top-ten team still in play, the top-ten loss scoreboard looks like this:

Iowa State 37, #2 Oklahoma State 31 (2 OT) (Friday)

USC 38, #4 Oregon 35

Baylor 45, #5 Oklahoma 38

N Carolina State 37, #7 Clemson 13

Pretty magnificent day for those of you rooting for chaos. Like, for example, this guy:

USC/Oregon photo: AP/Don Ryan

Tressel's Punishment Definitely Unusual, If Not Cruel

Yeah, I know that Ohio State Football coach Jim Tressel was also suspended two whole games and fined $250K for withholding compliance issues from the NCAA until after the season. And the NCAA Ohio State added forcing Tressel to make a public apology, which I'm sure stings.

But it can't sting as much as this last part of his "punishment":

Meanwhile, as part of his punishment for not revealing his knowledge of his players' NCAA violations, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel will attend a five-day compliance seminar in June in Tampa, Fla. Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch confirmed Saturday that Tressel would take part in the NCAA-sponsored event June 6-10 at a resort hotel on the waterfront.

Please, at least tell me he doesn't get to deep-sea fish or paraglide over those five days in Tampa. Or does the resort hotel have a good golf course?

Zero Shining Moments

UCONN 53, BUTLER 41

Congrats to the UConn Huskies...I think.

NCAA Tourney Open Thread: Championship Game

It's an all-canine matchup! Who's a widdle bulldog! You are! That's right, you're just a widdle puppy! And who's the cutest widdle husky who wants to win the game tonight? Good puppy! Are you two gonna work your widdle tails off to try to win the championship? Even when the basketball is bigger than you are? Now who wants a tummy rub?

NCAA Tourney Open Thread: Final Four

VCU (11) vs. Butler (8), 3 p.m. PT
Kentucky (4) vs. UConn (3), 5:45 p.m. PT

One of these babe-in-the-woods coaches will be taking his team to the championship game Monday night. There he will face a much more experienced coach from a larger university with a rich athletic history. Do you believe in underdogs? Do you believe in youth? Do you believe I was just about to make a lame Cher joke?

NCAA Tourney Open Thread: Elite Eight Day 2

The Jayhawks and their favorably-falling bracket face 11-seed VCU, dispatchers of USC an eternity ago, and vanquishers of Florida State in overtime last round. In the final game of the weekend, 4-seed Kentucky takes on 2-seed North Carolina. What's more, no more looking for truTV or TBS--it's all on CBS. Fire away.

NCAA Tourney Open Thread: Elite Eight Day 1

2010 Tournament runner-up and 8-seed Butler, who wiped Wisconsin off the map in the last round, takes on a formidable Florida squad that vanquished the Bruins in the round of 32. In the late game, Arizona looks to continue its roll after dominating Duke in the Sweet 16, now facing Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies. Can UConn coach Jim Calhoun get a couple more games in before his suspension?

SoSG NCAA Tournament Challenge: Sweet 16 Results

Josh Schippe is still in the lead with 580 points, with Jason second with 560 points and Quadsevens in third with 530. With three players (Dusty Baker, Fred's Brim, and Mr. Customer) at 520 points, though, anything can happen going into the Elite Eight weekend.

In other news, Sax's bracket is hanging tough at 560 points, good enough for what would be a tie for second place (had I joined the SoSG group in time):

For the hyper-competitive, President Barack Obama is at 650 points (99.7th percentile). However, Obama predicted all the 1-seeds to make the final four (only Kansas is left standing as of the Elite Eight). So there's a chance to catch up to Obama, too. And I believe those who catch up get a chance to set foreign policy for a day, right? Because I can't wait to address the situation in Vanuatu and how there are no direct flights there from LAX.

NCAA Tourney Open Thread: Sweet 16 Day 2

More NCAA Sweet 16 goodness today, as the UNC Tars face the Marquette Goldens, while the Jayhawks try to avoid Spider bites, in the set of early games. Later on, Kentucky and Ohio State have the elite battle, and 10-seed Florida State takes on 11-seed VCU in the Cinderella ball. Comment away, kiddies.

By the way, with half of the Sweet 16 complete, Josh S., Mr. Customer, and Jason are all in the lead of the SoSG NCAA Tournament Challenge--but only Josh S. has a bracket with a viable national champion...pending today's games, of course. The intrigue!

NCAA Tourney Open Thread: Sweet 16 Day 1

Eight teams, four games today, starting with SDSUconn and BYU/FLA, and then continuing on 'Zona/Duke and ButtWhizz. In case you guys are getting tired of the Dodgers' spring training game, feel free to fire away. Jimmer Fredette sure will be.

Sax's Bracket Part 2: I'm Still Standing

From my 99.8th percentile start (after 8 games*), I was rolling along. And now, after 48 games, I'm still holding on to an A- grade in the class (91.0th percentile):

440 points is good enough for third place among this motley crew, with Josh "Chocolate" Schippe and Gabriel Bustos "Move" in the lead (and tied with "Young" MC). Unlike Mr. Customer, however, my champion is still alive...

Earlier: Sax's Bracket: It's All Downhill From Here

(*) I am not counting those silly four play-in games, despite the NCAA's attempt to brand the first weekend as the "second and third round". Please.

NCAA BB GT: UCLA vs. Florida, 11:45a

Recent UCLA-Florida matches have not gone well for the Bruins. After almost crumbling against Michigan State Thursday, do the UCLA Bruins even stand a chance? (Accuscore says the Bruins have around a 40% chance of winning, but the score difference is only two points (link insider only).)

photo of Darren Collison by Andy Lyons/Getty Images (Mar 31, 2007)

Sax's Bracket: It's All Downhill From Here

Like a time-lapse photograph movie, here's my bracket as it decays:

After 8 games, 99.8th percentile:

After 16 games, 99.7th percentile:

After 32 games, 97.7th percentile:

I'd picked 7 of 8, and 14 of 16, on the first day. But only 12 of 16 on the second day. Let's see how the weekend goes.

And for those of you are using ESPN to monitor your Tourney, how are you doing?

Post-Game Thread: UCLA 78, Michigan State 76

Holy smokes, that was close. If you've got a 23-point lead in the second half, you should be able to close that out. But Tom Izzo's team kept fouling, and UCLA kept clanking free throws at the line...this was down to a one-point game in the final minute. Sheesh.

But at least this SoCal team advances...along with San Diego State, which won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game tonight, beating Northern Colorado 68-50. Well done, guys!

Go Bruins!

photo: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times (March 17, 2011)

NCAA BB GT: UCLA vs. Michigan State, 6.20p

Oh, if only Kevin Love was still playing for the Bruins.

So here comes UCLA, fresh off of a first-round exit in the Pac-10 Tournament, playing against another storied team with recent Final Four appearances. I'm hoping the game ends up the way that the 2007 matchup went, but with Malcolm Lee, the team's best defender, nursing a bad knee, UCLA will need a gutty performance to advance. And gutty performances aren't what this team has been about of late, unfortunately. Cross your fingers.

Let's go, Bruins!

photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images, November 20, 2007

NCAA BB GT: USC vs. VCU, 6p

Former Trojan, former Ram.

I don't know what this "First Four" thing is all about. Nor do I know where the Commonwealth of Virginia is. Nor do I know what the hell channel truTV occupies.

However, I do know that this game gets the recently-reinstated coach of USC back on the court and away from violence-inciting boosters from other Pac-10 schools. Will it be as much of a blowout as this game? For the "weak" Pac-10's case, I hope so.

Go to it, Trojans!

More Vintage Gus Johnson

And when I say "vintage," I mean "from today's Pac-10 Tournament final," featuring Isaiah Thomas' buzzer beater to dispatch Arizona and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Via Deadspin (can't find the raw video just yet, so you'll have to link through for now):

Congratulations, Washington!

Still not as good as this Gus Johnson highlight, UCLA vs. Gonzaga from the 2006 NCAA Tournament:

(which if you don't have time for the full six minutes, you can hear one of the "inhuman" highlights here:

The Bigger The Bowl, The Weaker The Wrist-Slap

From ESPN.com: ESPN denies playing favorites in its shielding of Auburn and Ohio State from serious punishment, despite the seriousness of the transgressions. But the NCAA denied that it's playing favorites.

Well, that's settled, then.