You're so beautiful, you could be a waitress...

OK. Let me just start by saying that I called it. Well, it's not official yet, but it might as well be. See my first post. I mentioned Johnny Cueto, a pitcher in the Reds' organization. He has been tearing up the spring leagues down there in Florida, and looks to be a shoe in for the starting rotation. You don't believe me? Here. The Reds are looking good. Only 13 more days until Opening Day. Oh, and the Cubs suck.

Combined with the start of baseball season, this might be my most favorite time of year. That's right, it's March Mayhem time. I say Mayhem, because apparently, Madness is a copyrighted term. Although, I do know a number of future lawyers, so by the time I get sued for using Madness, they could represent me. And besides, I'm just a lowly blogger. CBS is probably the only one who actually has to use the term Mayhem instead of madness. Losers.

So ok, it's March Madness time, and it's also time for one of the greatest bracket pools this world has ever seen, and that is the Buckley Basketball Bonanza®. If you have not joined the Bonanza® yet, I highly suggest it (Evan Buckley, Bonanza® King, paid for no part for this advertisement; it is merely an endorsement on behalf of "I like sports. You should too.") So to my loyal readers out there, join the Bonanza®, you will not regret it.

I was really hoping UK wouldn't make the tournament, especially when Georgia won. I thought they were done. But, as it seems, a name gets you into the tournament. There are several examples of this throughout the bracket (with RPI and Strength of Schedule numbers).

Teams that got in based on name/basketball tradition/etc...
-Kentucky (RPI: 57/SOS: 20)
-Arizona (RPI: 38/SOS: 2)

Other teams that got in that shouldn't have:
-Oregon (RPI: 58/SOS: 33)
-St. Joseph's (RPI: 45/SOS: 51)

Teams that got left out because of their lack of name/basketball tradition/etc...
-Dayton (RPI: 32/SOS: 27)
-Virginia Tech (RPI: 54/SOS: 36)
-Illinois State (RPI: 33/SOS: 69)

I wanted to include Arizona State (RPI: 82/SOS: 87) in that list, but I just couldn't. A team with those kind of numbers just shouldn't get in, no matter who they beat. The committee says they value the computer rankings and strength of schedule number highly, so based on this, ASU simply has no argument, in my opinion. Even if they did beat Arizona twice.

Which just goes to prove my point that Arizona shouldn't have gotten in. Even thought they had the 2nd toughest schedule. They only went 18-14. I think Dayton got the biggest snub. They are a quality team. And they have road wins over Louisville and Pittsburgh. And they have one of the best players in the country in Brian (Bip) Roberts. If South Alabama (RPI: 37/SOS: 120) gets an at large bid, Dayton should get an at large bid. Likewise, if Miami (RPI: 34/SOS: 40) got in, Dayton should get in.

I also have a problem with the SEC getting 6 teams in. That is partially due to my disdain for the SEC. But also, I just think 6 teams is way too many for a mediocre conference. The SEC is apparently ranked 4th. I think that's bogus. The Big East is ranked 5th. We all know that the Big East is much better top to bottom than the SEC. The ACC was ranked 3rd and only got 4 teams in. Whatever. I can't figure this out.

Louisville got a 3-seed in the toughest region. But I think they got a pretty good draw to the regional finals. Out of all of the 2-seeds, they match up the best with Tennessee. Tennessee plays no defense and has a laughable inside game. Louisville's front line would dominate the Vols if that matchup were to occur. As for North Carolina, that could be a tough game. However, that assumes that UNC makes it that far. They are a good team, very good. But they have looked beatable at times. The refs just need to stop giving "Psycho T" every call in the history of mankind. I think Notre Dame could give them a run for their money. If McAlarney and Harangody have good games, I can see an Irish upset, leaving a rematch with the Cards. I like Louisville to make it to at least to the Elite Eight, if not further (National Title game anyone?).

As for everything else, I like Kansas, Texas and UCLA to make it out of their respective regions. But watch out for Xavier, Stanford, and Pittsburgh (who Bob Knight picked to win it all). I think these are teams capable of making deep runs. Also, I could see a situation where the Big East gets at least 2 teams to the Elite Eight, and maybe even 5 (Louisville, G-town, and maybe UConn, Pitt, and Notre Dame).

I hope this post makes up for last weeks subpar outing. And my week absence. If not, well, maybe you should find a new sports blog.