NCAA Tournament First Round Open Thread

by BSD on Mar 18, 2011 12:00 PM EDT in Open Threads

So how is your bracket holding up so far? I don't even want to talk about mine. Stupid Michigan State. What was I thinking when I picked a team that lost to Penn State twice to go to the Elite Eight? Doh!

This is your official thread for discussing the games today. If it looks like this thread is filling up we'll post another one. These are your games on tap for today.

12:15 PM - (4) Texas vs. (13) Oakland - CBS

12:40 PM - (8) Michigan vs. (9) Tennessee - truTV

1:40 PM - (2) Notre Dame vs. (15) Akron - TBS

2:10 PM - (8) George Mason vs. (9) Villanova - TNT

2:45 PM - (5) Arizona vs. (12) Memphis - CBS

3:10 PM - (1) Duke vs. (16) Hampton - truTV

4:10 PM - (7) Texas A&M vs. (10) Florida State - TBS

4:40 PM - (1) Ohio State vs. (16) UT-San Antonio - TNT

6:50 PM - (1) Kansas vs. (16) Boston University - TBS

7:15 PM - (2) North Carolina vs. (15) Long Island - CBS

7:20 PM - (3) Purdue vs. (14) St. Peter's - TNT

7:27 PM - (6) Xavier vs. Marquette (11) - truTV

9:20 PM - (9) Illinois vs. (8) UNLV - TBS

9:45 PM - (7) Washington vs. (10) Georgia - CBS

9:50 PM - (6) Georgetown vs. (11) Virginia Commonwealth - TNT

9:57 PM - (3) Syracuse vs. (14) Indiana State - truTV

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Comments

I'm almost in the same boat about MSU

Had them losing in the Sweet 16 against St John’s…so that part of my bracket has been destroyed. I might have to win every game the rest of the way to have a respectable bracket.

by mundyscorner99 on Mar 18, 2011 12:08 PM EDT reply actions

Meh

by dawsonPSU10 on Mar 18, 2011 12:08 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

No Penn State?

No Penn State.

Zzzzzz.

by MainLion on Mar 18, 2011 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

I'll be looking in from work.

Tell your friends to stop calling about the iPad 2! Please, for my sake!

Dark Knight feeling, die and be a hero-or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.-Jay-Z

by OMEGAMAN on Mar 18, 2011 12:33 PM EDT reply actions

You work for Apple? Tell me about the iPad 2....

"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."

by Adam Collyer on Mar 18, 2011 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Would you be able to get me a free one?

by dawsonPSU10 on Mar 18, 2011 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

im doing ok in my bracket.

even though i had us going to the sweet sixteen

by tlrpsu on Mar 18, 2011 12:48 PM EDT reply actions

Watch out for Michigan

They are going to be tough out for whoever they play.

by mundyscorner99 on Mar 18, 2011 2:09 PM EDT reply actions

Well...

I had PSU in the Sweet Sixteen and St Johns in the Final Four. So there’s that.

Funny, usually I watch lots of games in the tourney when PSU isn’t in it. But now I feel like I do after a football loss, where I don’t watch any other games and no ESPN. Just not interested in the rest of the tourney.

by PSU Mudder on Mar 18, 2011 2:16 PM EDT reply actions

Ditto. Had Sparty making a run too.

My bracket’s toast.

I also feel similar about the Dance right now given our loss, but the games last night were still mostly very good and got me excited about the prospects of the rest of the month. Should still be fun.

"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."

by Adam Collyer on Mar 18, 2011 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I had MSU in the Final Four

But St. Johns, I have to say, was a bad pick – they only beat elite teams, and they wouldn’t play one for several rounds.

"Every player we have, someone-maybe a parent, a grandparent, someone-poured their soul into that young man. They are handing that young man off to us. They are giving us their treasure, and it's our job to make sure we give them back that young man intact and ready to face the world."

-J.V.Pa.

by psume06 on Mar 18, 2011 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Right, if St. Johns got to play a bunch of games at MSG they would be a tough out.

Of course, they don’t so…

Racism, cannibalism, I leave those things to the suits in Washington. I’m just here to eat a dude.

by jesse. on Mar 18, 2011 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Can't spell Saint Johns with N-I-T

"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."

by Adam Collyer on Mar 18, 2011 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions

It was a stupid pick. I knew it was a stupid pick when I made it.

I even said out loud to my roommate, “This team loses stupid games and will probably get knocked off before they get to play giant killer.” And I picked them anyway.

The New York hype machine that I live in really warped my sensibilities on that one.

"I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative. I believe that having a good, peaceful mind is the basic premise for a good life."

by Adam Collyer on Mar 18, 2011 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Had Sparty to win 3, so that hurts.

Also Utah State to the Sweet 16.

In situations like that you just have to hope that unexpected teams end up winning those games so NO ONE gets those points. Like if UCLA makes the run I predicted for MSU, then I don’t really lose any points to other people in the pool. The problem is situations like KSU/Wisconsin, where most people had one or the other of those two through to the 16.

The other key is hitting on a high percentage of 8-9 and 7-10 matchups. Unfortunately I went 0-3 yesterday. Hopefully Michigan is a sign of thing to come (need Wash, FSU, GMU, UNLV), or I’m pretty much done for the tournament after today.

by OctaShields on Mar 18, 2011 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions