Andy

The Bulls are playing so well right now - and they have a long stretch of home games coming up. Their only road games remaining this month are at Memphis and at Indiana, both very winnable. Things are looking bright.

Georgia Tech will beat Wisconsin on Sunday. UCLA 74 Georgetown 67 This is the most excited I've been for the tourney in years - even more than the last time ND was in it.

UNC? They're in Winston-Salem. And I agree with you about Miami Ohio. I've seen plenty of MAC basketball this year and it was pretty pathetic, to say the last. What's real funny is how some people are saying Miami is actually going to upset Oregon. This must not be the Miami team that nearly lost to NIU at home earlier this year. UNC, however, also has Eastern Kentucky there, who doesn't have to travel all the way across the country. Well, I wouldn't be complaining if the Ducks went down. ND might score 150 on Miami. :D

Oregon and Wazzou are the only two teams in the entire NCAA tournament who get to play near home in the first two rounds while everyone else in their pod has to travel all the way across the country to play. No point to that, but I thought it was interesting. Miami (OH) had no business a 14 seed. I've seen them play and they should have been in the play-in game. The MAC was a joke this year and the RedHawks weren't even one of the best teams.

I always like to see people in my pools picking with their heart I have yet to incorrectly predict any bracket game that ND's been involved in, so I've got that going for me. Really, I'm just so excited. Finally, the Irish are back in the tourney, and for the first time since I've followed the hoops team they're playing their best ball at the end of the season. I think that Gtown Big East semifinal opened a lot of eyes.

I love this - with a ton of experts picking Winthrop (except apparently Hubert Davis, who agreed with me and put ND in his Elite 8), there's no way we'll come even close to taking the Eagles lightly. :D BTW, schedules are now up on Sportsline if you want to see when your favorite team (or biggest upset pick) is playing in the 1st round.

My major 1st-round upsets are Long Beach over Tennessee and GW over Vandy, with my 2nd round upsets being L'ville over A&M, ND over Oregon, Duke over Pitt, Villanova over Kansas and Ga Tech over Wisconsin. I ended up with a UCLA over Georgetown final, with Florida and Ohio State as the other Final Four teams.

:wink:

The answer is Beyonce, but I wouldn't kick Shakira out of bed

I've been gone, so here's my take on the brackets. - Way too much love for the ACC (VT a 5, Virginia a 4) and a complete screw job on the Big East (every single team got underseeded except Pitt and Gtown, and Cuse should've been in over Arkansas). ND should've been a 5, Marquette I thought was a solid 7, Nova in my mind was an 8 or a 7, and Louisville was definitely not as low as a 6. - However, I'm not complaining at ND's draw. I love that we got matched up with the "sexy pick" for an upset - i.e. the ones that never pan out. Winthrop is 1-4 against tourney teams this year - the only W was over ODU. A possible 2nd-round matchup with Oregon, who is really good but no one I don't think ND can beat, and a Sweet 16 with in my mind a very beatable Wisco team lines up for me to take ND to the Elite 8, which is what I'm doing. - My 1 seed I have going out previous to the Elite 8 is KU (because I had to), my 12 over 5 is Long Beach over UT (not impressed with Tenn this year), and my Final Four is Florida, UCLA, Georgetown and Ohio State, with UCLA edging Georgetown for the title. - UNC got the screw in their draw - they get a possible road to the F4 of Marquette, Texas, then Georgetown. That's rough. - South is criminally easy. In any other bracket I wouldn't have had OSU advancing to Atlanta. - Go Irish.

After watching ND-Gtown on tape (I was at the top-ranked ND hockey team's game tonight) I've decided I'm supremely confident in the Irish. They can beat anyone, and for the first time in the whole time I've been following the hoops team, they're playing their best ball in March.

Steel trap, I tell ya.

I'm guessing this is a joke

I almost want the committee to screw ND over and give them a 6 - avoid the dreaded 5/12 game and keep the 1 seed on the opposite side of the bracket. I really wanted the Big East title :( but at least we're in the tourney

My eyes can't be averted from the stupid dancers they have in the Big East tournament intros to each game. Morbid curiosity.

Damn, WVU's loss may mean that the Big East only gets 7 teams in the tourney.

Illini slated to meet ND in the new Bracketology, which has also jacked the Irish to a 5. I wonder how high ND could climb seed-wise with a Big East tourney win (I'd consider an outside shot at a 3 as the ceiling, but the committee does love those conf. tourneys, so who knows).

Alright, good job making the late FTs by ND. Next: some revenge on Georgetown.

It isn't? Washington's shooting guard got a T for doing that last night. Eric Devendorf did not. ND's up 9 with 90 seconds though.

Wow, I didn't realize a post-play shove wasn't a T-able offense. Tim Higgins and crew are the only reason Cuse is even in this game.

I'd like to point out that I love orange and still hate Syracuse's stupid jerseys ND is up 3 with 11:30 to go

Just as I say that ND rips off a 13-2 run to take the lead

The "ND in the BE tourney" jinx strikes again - Irish playing like crap. All-ugly team nominee: Luke Harangody http://images.sportsline.com/images/collegebasketball/players/60x80/1139265.jpg

Good to see we've jumped straight into "pop treys and give up offensive boards" mode

Big East should have 8 teams in now with WV winning last night - it's a lock if the Mountaineers can topple Louisville tonight. ND/Cuse coming up after GTown held off Nova.