March and Monday

Picks from the weekend came with an astounding 7-1 record, the only loss coming with Marquette turning the ball over in the final minute of regulation with a 1 point lead surrendering the lead and eventually losing the game in overtime. I was wrong about Marquette, they are struggling and will have difficulty winning another game this year.

Final Regular Season Record: 33-18

One thing that bothered me while catching up with the weekend scores and analysis was that one SI.com writer actually thought the Kansas victory was an upset of sorts. The writer (who mostly covers MMA, so I don't have any idea why she was talking basketball) gave props to Seth Davis for correctly picking that game. How can a higher ranked team with only 2 conferences losses and home court advantage (not to mention a 41 game home winning streak) be an underdog to a team with 6 conference losses on the road and not even ranked in the top 25? I know there is a bunch of East Coast bias in the sports world, but that was just ridiculous. The post is here, and of course is way down the page from after the East Coast results.

So to continue. I promised some conference tourney picks today so here goes.

Tonight features one Top 25 team: Gonzaga.

They take on St. Mary's with the return of Patrick Mills, and Australian national player, and a good one at that. He had been hurt for quite a while, but is back and St. Mary's is winning again. I think that St. Mary's will be a low seed in the tourney that no one wants to play, but loses this game to a very good Gonzaga team.

The Colonial Athletic Association, Southern Conference and Metro Atlantic Athletic conference all have finals tonight. VCU will take the CAA over George Mason (even though I am rooting for GM). The Southern conference is having a Davidson-less final (who won't make the dance), but feature the home team in the final (Chattanooga) who takes the home court advantage, doubles down on 11 and rides it to the big dance. In the MAAC, there is a very good game featuring the last two representatives in the field of 65. Siena (a bubble team because of a tough schedule and a good RPI), the 2008 champ faces off against Niagra, the 2007 champ. A game that I would watch if I was home. I think that Siena has done enough this year to learn how to win big games like this.

How about that MVC over the weekend? Overtime thrillers, last second shots, complete elation with victory (for UNI) and utter sadness (Illinois State and Creighton, who I think is out).


Something that I have to comment on now is the Chiefs draft needs now. The original thought was that the they were in need of a quarterback and might draft one with the third pick in the draft. That is no longer the case with the acquisition of Cassel. I think the biggest need for this team is defense and the safest pick that I have heard about is Aaron Curry, a linebacker out of Wake Forest. I think that he is the surest pick (he finished his senoir season in a draft full of underclassmen) and the Chiefs can not afford to miss with this pick. The Chiefs do need a wide reciever, but I think they have a good one in Dwayne Bowe and need someone else who is a dynamic down field threat, not a possesion reciever like Michael Crabtree. Bowe is a better possesion type reciever and the Chiefs need a burner (i.e. the Steelers this year with Hines Ward and Nate Washington).

More tomorrow and hooray for basketball. Keep the comments coming.

DDSF!!!