Watching Out For The Horizon

Watching the Tip-Off Marathon today on ESPN, the unofficial kickoff to the college basketball season, I have a different take: Try and identify March's upstarts in November. And I already see a handful from the Horizon League, even with perennial power Butler now in the A-10.

Valparaiso went at 8 AM, they're the preseason favorite. The Crusaders torched Northern Illinois. Valpo is coached by former NBAer and March Madness legend Bryce Drew.

Detroit had St. John's on the ropes in the 2nd half in Queens behind Ray McCallum (the coach) and Ray McCallum (the point guard). The Titans made the NCAA last year as a #15, and returning a senior all-league coach-on-the-floor, they should be even better this year.

And of course last night, Youngstown State left Georgia in the dust in Athens.

Youngstown State went to D1 in hoops 30 years ago, but had never beaten a major-conference team. Until Monday when Kendrick Perry and the Penguins knocked off an SEC team on the road, by 12.

So that's three teams to watch for in a league that can play with anyone. File away for your brackets.

Backtime Official Bracket: 2010 Edition

We refer back to Backtime's Bracket rules, established last year in this forum:

1) Print it the day it's released.
2) Free your mind of any personal prejudice.
3) Grab a pen, not a pencil.
4) Fill it out in 5 minutes or less, relying solely on your instincts.

In this day and age, 3 out of 4 are easy. Item #2 is what gets everyone. How do you free your mind of personal prejudice?

Well, it's simple. Just make your alma mater (Syracuse) and the team you regularly cover (Kansas) #1 seeds. Then they'll face off in the National Semifinals and party like it's 2003 (and in the Elite Eight in '96 as well), only with the Blue team prevailing.

There, that's done. I wish this was one of those wide-open tournaments free of top-heavy super conferences, but unfortunately it isn't. I got two #1 seeds, a #2 (West Virginia), and a #3 (Baylor). Two from the Big East, two from the Big 12. And those two conferences own 6 of my Final 8.

I've got only two dark horses in the Sweet 16, #12 UTEP and #11 Minnesota, both on Syracuse's magic carpet out west.

And only one major 1st Round upset, #14 Oakland over #3 Pitt. Ironic, since Pitt's campus is located in a neighborhood called Oakland. Pitt overachieved this year, after being picked 10th in the Big East before the season, and now they get the early exit.

Kansas over West Virginia in the final for their second title in three years. Nothing exciting, sexy, or outside the box. It's where my instincts led me through the stroke of a pen on Selection Sunday. And it's official.

Backtime's Bracket Bounces Back

Backtime remembers March 14 in Oklahoma City. Missouri handled Baylor easily (as I had correctly predicted) for the Big 12 Championship. Over a few postgame pints, I was feeling my oats and I threw out a few prognostications to several somewhat lucid colleagues:

>UConn (not Memphis) would get the 4th #1 seed.
>Syracuse would vault to a #3 based on their Big East performance.
>Tiger Woods would rally from the middle of the pack to a tie for 9th at Doral.

By 7 PM Sunday, all three were on the money. Tiger actually finished with a T-9 even though my point was he’d rally to crack the top 10.

At 8 PM Sunday, I filled out my bracket and posted it.

By 8 PM the following Sunday, Backtime’s bracket was #308 out of #308 in the network pool. Now that’s embarrassing.

I picked a few early upsets and missed on practically all of them, so the points deficit is likely insurmountable. But with 8 teams remaining, we’ve got 7 of them, along with only 7% of the entries.

The one I missed is Sparty. You’d think the years I lived in Michigan and all the trips to the Breslin Center would have tipped me off.

Michigan State looks better right now than my pick, Pitt. Are the Panthers now battle-tested or just lucky? Anytime you've got high-quality guys like Blair and Fields, and you've got a great shot.

My other finalists, the Missouri Tigers, clearly are not just lucky and have a great chance against Connecticut. Their defense focuses first on “shutting off the water…” which translates to the opponents’ lifeline. Once they have successfully flustered AJ Price, everything else will fall like dominoes.

Oh yeah…Tiger Woods will rally to take Bay Hill this weekend.

Backtime Bracket Check: How You Doin?

The first half of the tournament was technically over on Friday night, after 32 games were completed. The early standings came out from the "network" pool and Backtime's entry was 307th out of 308.

My only solace was that the boss was in last, the guy who sees more college basketball than anyone.

Now, after two rounds and 48 games Backtime is dead last. But we've still got 7 of our Final 8 left (minus the Mountaineers). There's still hope for the Backtime bunch to close respectably.

But where's the madness? Through two rounds, every #1, #2, and #3 seed is alive as well as two of the #4s. That is not a bracket I would ever pick because that's not what this time of year is about for me.

Fortunately, Syracuse and Kansas have advanced despite my dire projections.

Jon Scheyer's acrobatic behind-the-back-save-while-falling-out-of-bounds is the best image so far. It's even hard to hate Duke after a play like that.

Also, kudos to Missouri Frosh Kim English, who came off the bench to shoot free throws for the injured J.T. Tiller, and calmly swished both with 5.5 seconds left to lead the gutty win over Marquette.

A Pitt-Oklahoma-Louisville-Missouri Final Four is still in reach.

Backtime Official Bracket

With all due respect to Mike & Mike who refer to their true bracket as their "sheet of integrity," one that is analyzed, sweated over time and time again, and then presented to the masses, there's only one real way to do this.

1) Print it the day it's released.
2) Free your mind of any personal prejudice.
3) Grab a pen, not a pencil.
4) Fill it out in 5 minutes or less, relying solely on your instincts.

Now that's an official bracket. I look over the damage I've done and have come up with the following observations:

I have definitely cleared my mind of personal prejudice (somewhat)

I have Syracuse and Kansas losing in the 2nd Round. Although I did witness Missouri methodically dismantle the Big 12 field for three days without fanfare or a spotlight. It was all business and defense and I have them reaching the final game before losing to Pitt, who has been my championship choice all season.

What about the teams touted earlier in the week?

VCU as an #11 drew a terrible 1st round matchup against UCLA. Then if they get by the Bruins, tell them what they've won: How about a 2nd Round date with Villanova in Philadelphia. Ouch.

North Dakota State - What do they have going for them against Kansas? Their nickname: The Bison. The same as Bucknell, who took them out in 2005. This Fargo story won't have a Hollywood ending.

I do not have Connecticut in the Final Four, just because they would face machine-like Missouri in the Regional Final.

Any real upsets?

Sure. Portland State in the Sweet 16. But mostly going with the power. My Final Eight has 5 Big East teams, 2 Big 12 teams, and North Carolina.

I like Oklahoma in a straight-up matchup with the Tar Heels. Blake Griffin dominates Hansbrough. There's plenty of live talent with the Sooners, and they have a Head Coach who isn't intimidated by Carolina Blue because...Jeff Capel is a Dukie.

Speaking of Duke, they'll say goodbye at the hands of Texas. USC over Michigan State. I don't have a single Big Ten team in the Sweet 16.

Final Thoughts

There it is. Official. Part of the public record. Though I may analyze, sweat, and deliver something different when there are actual chips on the table. But the Pitt Panthers will still join the Steelers bringing the hardware to the Iron City.

Backtime Bracket Alert: Meet Your Maynor

In 2007, VCU's Eric Maynor burst on the scene as a sophomore when he closed out George Mason the year after the magical Final Four run to get to the dance. Then he took the show to the next level closing out Duke, before losing to Pitt in OT.

The Senior point guard led the CAA in scoring and assists en route to his second league MVP award. And he is the ultimate closer, averaging roughly 14 of his 22 points per game in the 2nd Half. In this year's title game vs Mason, he did the closing early, assisting on the first 3 VCU hoops before sizzling for 14 points in the first 17 minutes.

I've seen Sherron Collins play all year and lead Kansas to the Big 12 Championship. The senior Maynor may be different in body type, taller and not as likely to get to the rim, but the effect is the same. Get everyone involved early. Take over late.

And he has help. A 6'9" Sophomore owned the game inside with 18 points, 20 rebounds and 7 blocks in the clincher. Word is out on The Larry Sanders Show, hey now. He is a certain NBA pick, maybe even in the Top 15, whenever he decides to leave.

You got a 1-2 combo like that and you have some March Madness history, with the McMayn Man, and you're going to be on everyone's radar. I see VCU playing in the 8-9 game, but Len Elmore called the game, and he thinks they're more of a 12. Either way, this is a dangerous team to think about in your pool. For entertainment purposes only, of course.