Early Thursday Games: Picks and Open Thread

by Peter Bean on Mar 20, 2008 8:11 AM CDT in Basketball Comment 39 comments

It's finally Thursday! The tournament begins today, with our first tip at 11:20 a.m. between Xavier and Georgia. As we do annually, AW and I will be making picks for each game along the way. It's painful, and often embarrassing, but always fun.

For my part, I'm scrambling to get everything done before flying to Las Vegas tomorrow. There's no better place to be for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Thursday Early Picks
Match Up	Line / Over	PB	AW	Time/Result
#3 Xavier vs #14 Georgia	Xavier (-6) / 128	Xavier 69 Georgia 62	Xavier 68 Georgia 64	XAV 73-61 (F)
#1 Kansas vs #16 Portland St	Kansas (-23) / 141	Kansas 88 Portland St 61	Kansas 94 Portland St 60	KU 85-61 (F)
#5 Michigan St vs #12 Temple	Michigan St (-6.5) / 132	Michigan St 74 Temple 65	Michigan State 60 Temple 55	MSU 72-61 (F)
#6 Marquette vs #11 Kentucky	Marquette (-6) / 132	Marquette 71 Kentucky 66	Marquette 65 Kentucky 58	MU 74-66 (F)
#6 Purdue vs #11 Baylor	Purdue (-2.5) / 142	Baylor 79 Purdue 77	Baylor 80 Purdue 75	PUR 90-79 (F)
#8 UNLV vs #9 Kent St	Kent St (-1.5) / 126	UNLV 70 Kent St 64	Kent St 60 UNLV 58	UNLV 71-58 (F)
#4 Pittsburgh vs #13 Oral Roberts	Pittsburgh (-9) / 130	Pittsburgh 65 Oral Roberts 58	Pittsburgh 65 Oral Roberts 57	PIT 82-63 (F)
#3 Stanford vs #14 Cornell	Stanford (-16.5) / 137	Cornell 68 Stanford 67	Stanford 74 Cornell 56	STAN 77-53 (F)

0 recs | Comment 39 comments

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Comments

PB

Going out on a limb with the Cornell pick. Did the twin towers get the flu and you have some inside info?

by Wells on Mar 20, 2008 8:48 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, PB

How about when you guys pick a monster upset like this, you throw a bone to us pigskin fans? Just a few sentences about what makes you call the upset. I would have never seen this one coming.

Go boom, mothers. Please, just go boom.

by Horn Brain on Mar 20, 2008 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Slammed with a brief deadline

But I think Cornell can make this an interesting game. They've got excellent guard play and more size than you'd imagine an Ivy having. Stanford's guards are only average and they're among the slowest teams in Division 1.

I guess we'll see.

--PB--

by Peter Bean on Mar 20, 2008 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting...

... You must have been really unimpressed with them at Pauley.

Go boom, mothers. Please, just go boom.

by Horn Brain on Mar 20, 2008 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oral Roberts and Temple

are on my upset potential watch list.

If the neo-nazi point gaurd from Mich st. doesn't show up they struggle to score points. Temple can also match their bigs.
Never discount the tude of a Philly kid. Temple is about to dispense some street justice today.

Seriously, is there a bigger difference in campus atmosphere/culture than Michigan State (East Lansing) and the streets of Philly at Temple?

Then you have Pitt, in a neighborhood that looks like ground zero of an atomic bomb blast, playing the Fighting Christies of Oral Roberts of Tulsa.

All fours teams may as well be from other planets. That being said, I think if there are any upsets today it comes from those two match-ups. I know Pitt is playing at a high level, but I think Oral Roberts can put a scare in them.

Cats and dogs sleeping together.

by EYESofBEVO on Mar 20, 2008 9:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

ORU and another Not-so-dark horse

I agree with you about ORU. I watched them in their conference tourney and they are a slick team. Watch out for the Musketeers, though. I think Xavier could sneak through this region - I have them on a couple of my bracket entries. I'm not so sure about Temple or any of the other Atlantic 10 teams.

by pchorn on Mar 20, 2008 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Against any other 4 I would agree

But Pitt looks scary good of late.

by Wells on Mar 20, 2008 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Over/under

Is there anything more ridiculous than an over/under bet on a basketball game? You might as well bet on the number of ants that will cross the sidewalk during the game.

Personally, I don't need a financial stake in a game to make it more exciting, but for those who gamble, isn't it more fun to bet on the outcome?

by Caradoc on Mar 20, 2008 9:25 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

over under is at136 ants.

Colt needs to start playing better or Jevan Snead needs to switch to #12 because this jersey i just bought on eBay can't be taken back...

by SpiderHorn on Mar 20, 2008 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

136?

Is that ants that actually cross from one side of the sidewalk to the other? Or do you count ants that walk halfway across and then decide to turn around? I think you should give each ant a point value from 0.01 to 1 depending on what percentage of the sidewalk they cross...

Go boom, mothers. Please, just go boom.

by Horn Brain on Mar 20, 2008 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good luck with your brackets

It's finally time. Here's to hoping for good officiating throughout the tournament. I would hate to see it affect the outcome of a game like it did a few times in the regular/conference season.

by UTAth on Mar 20, 2008 11:09 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Thursday and Friday

I'll be slaving away getting actual work done in front of my computer. I'm relying on you guys for the scores, not ESPN. Good luck in the bracket pool

PS - may hop over to a Sports Bar for lunch both days, though

"Excuse me while I whip this out."

by FreedomDip on Mar 20, 2008 11:21 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i got horribly sick yesterday afternoon

and i've never been happier about feeling this bad. sitting on my couch watching basketball for 2 days is well worth the pain.

by billyzane on Mar 20, 2008 11:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It's definitely going around

I caught it about 30 minutes ago and had to leave. I don't expect it to improve for a couple of days.

A bunch of us H-towners will be at Champps-Uptown (by the Co-op) tomorrow for all the games. Stop by and say hello. I'll be the one in the burnt orange shirt.

Good luck on your brackets everyone.

Longhorns don't litter

by horndude on Mar 20, 2008 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah except i'm ACTUALLY sick

luckily the people i'm working for aren't really basketball fans or else i'm sure this would be quite suspicious.

by billyzane on Mar 20, 2008 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

How recently

must one have fallen off the turnip truck to not realize what half of the nation is doing or wanting to do right now? Unless you're working for ferners or something...

So take that.

by Kahuna on Mar 20, 2008 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

well...

one of them is australian and the other seems so consumed with work that he has no idea what is going on at all outside of the office. not college basketball fans, i don't think.

by billyzane on Mar 20, 2008 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hoo-freekin-ray

for CBS.com and watching the tourney online from "work".

By the way, what the hell got into Georgia? Those guys are going to kill everyones' brackets at this rate.

So take that.

by Kahuna on Mar 20, 2008 12:06 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

My wife had the Dawgs

in her Elite Eight...you know, momentum and all that.

I "had" her change it this morning.

heh heh

Longhorns don't litter

by horndude on Mar 20, 2008 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Playing on emotion

Who knew you could ride emotion and beat a 3 seed that has balanced scoring and plays good defense. I really hope Xavier makes some adjustments and plays much better in the 2nd half or my bracket is going to be hurting.

by UTAth on Mar 20, 2008 12:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re

Apparently MMOD kicks you off if you leave it open for too long but leave it "inactive." Just an FYI...

By the way, two of my distance teams (teams making it past the second round) are sucking it up. Let's go, Xavier and Temple...pick it up!

My adopted kid is pure genius at the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model.

by jc25 on Mar 20, 2008 12:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

xavier

better pull it together..i have them upsetting duke in one of my brackets

OU Sucks

by HornFan124 on Mar 20, 2008 12:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I have them over duke too :(

by ryanlionrah on Mar 20, 2008 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Xavier up by 3, big run

by ryanlionrah on Mar 20, 2008 1:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

uga

doesnt get past the first round. thank god.

OU Sucks

by HornFan124 on Mar 20, 2008 1:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Early results

Based on the final scores of the first 3 games, I think I should join PB in Vegas and just bet whatever he says to.

by Longhorn in Canada on Mar 20, 2008 1:46 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I know

those were some scary close predictions there PB.

by afaeguy on Mar 20, 2008 2:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Baylor/Purdue game back and forth early

This looks like it could be an entertaining game. Both teams have come out shooting over 50%. Good luck Bears. Show the Big 10 what a real conference looks like.

by UTAth on Mar 20, 2008 2:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

This one looking like a blowout by Purdue

Baylor stopped hitting and Purdue stayed hot. Purdue looks solid on the offensive end today.

by UTAth on Mar 20, 2008 2:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

2nd set of game not very competitive

I just got home from work and am a little disappointed.

Did Kent State, my pick, just score a total of 10 points in the first half? They are down 51-30. Game over.

Pitt is rolling like this is the Big East tourney. 56-32. Game over.

Purde holds Baylor to 27 in the first half. Boilers up 54-29. Game probably over.

Only the Kentucky game is in single digits.

I want some upsets.

--AW--

by awiggo on Mar 20, 2008 3:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Only a few enjoyable games so far

The Marquette/UK game is decent, but Marquette has lead for most of the game. Too bad Kentucky lost Patterson.

The Xavier/Georgia game was a lot of fun to watch. If Georgia had played any defense at all in the second half, they would have won. Xavier's adjustments at the half and their intensity on D was impressive.

I really wanted to see Baylor win that game against Purdue.

by UTAth on Mar 20, 2008 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Vegas

Hey Vegas for the 1st/2nd round of NCAA tourney. That sounds like a good time. I might have to try that sometime.

by Jackass04 on Mar 20, 2008 3:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That's scary PB

The Marquette/UK game score was scary close to what he had also.

by UTAth on Mar 20, 2008 3:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

7-0 so far

I know, not saying much.

I do have Stanford beating Cornell. In a tournament atmosphere, I have a general sentiment that if a slow team plays a fast team, the slow team will be able to control tempo. Stanford with those tall trees won't even be tempted to run.

Defense and size matters. I don't see Stanford losing till they play us. We should have enough size to counter them, and our guards are superior.

Right now it's 24-15 Stanford. One of those Stanford guards has 8 points. Lopez twins combine for 10 points.

by goingforthecorner on Mar 20, 2008 4:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That is insane

Just checked our BONer group on the ESPN.com tourney challenge. There are 327 participants, and 43 are perfect so far (1st 7 games)

by goingforthecorner on Mar 20, 2008 4:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That link should be on every basketball diary.

I hate having to go find it.

Damn. I went 6-1, went with Kent St. Didn't see PB's prediction.

by whills on Mar 20, 2008 5:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Johnson doubtful for Peay game

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews....

This really sucks. He should be able to play on Sunday, but there's no way he's close to 100% with the ankle, nose injuries.

by goingforthecorner on Mar 20, 2008 4:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Game readiness

I wonder how many games it will take for him to get his feet under him though. Usually it takes a player a few games to get going again. When he does finally come back, I hope he can adjust to the one-and-done mentality. It will be a tough task for him since it's his first trip.

by UTAth on Mar 20, 2008 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs