Butler's No Cinderella

Just another registered complaint against the stupid seeding this year. Everyone's astonishment at Butler's run to the Final Four is based, I believe, on its 5 seed. This is the time of year, where the NCAA Tournament Committee's entire re-ranking of the nation's teams completey skews our perspective of the field. Butler is a case in point. Theoretically, the top three seeds in each region should encompass the top 12 teams in the national rankings. Butler began and ended the season ranked #11. The following teams, ranked behind Butler in the final poll, were seeded higher than the Bulldogs: Georgetown (#14, 3 seed), Tennessee (#15, 4 seed), Wisconsin (#16, 4 seed), Pittsburgh (#18, 3 seed(WTF!)), Baylor (#19, 3 seed), Maryland (#19, 4 seed), Vanderbilt (#20, 4 seed) (Texas A&M, Michigan State, and Temple - all ranked below Butler, received 5 seeds as well).

Now I understand that strength of schedule is certainly a factor, but Butler played a number of ranked opponents throughout the season, and dominated the Horizon conference. Okay, okay their advancement to the Final Four can be called unexpected, but Butler's success should not be a surprise and should not be equated to the Cinderella runs of George Mason or Villanova. After all, you take down the top two seeds in your region, you deserve some props.

OTP Awards, 2010

10:25 PM Eastern Time, and I finally have the chance to sit down and get to the OTP Awards. This year's OTP Awards will feature both our competitors and those actually participating in the tourney. Seth Davis of SI.com already issued his own awards for the first two rounds. Good stuff, I managed to watch about 85% of the first two rounds, so I'm basing my awards on what I got to see (and a little youtube clip of a moment I didn't get to see). Without further ado...

Best First Round Performance Award
For the second year in a row (!) goes to Trudy McPhail who beat her own 27 of 32 performance last year with an impressive 28 of 32!

As for our on-court performers, the award goes to the wonderfully named Jimmer Fredette of BYU who smacked 37 points on Florida in a behind-the-back-scoop-layup-and-crazy-25-foot-three-pointer performance. Had this occurred in last year's tourney, I guarantee one of my 10 month old sons would be named Jimmer right now. In fact, since I'm home with the lot by myself tomorrow, a trip to the courthouse may be in order.

Best Second Round Performance:
Is captured by Pat Lynch. In spite of his choice of Richmond as a Sweet 16 participant (he does live in Virginia after all - state motto: "Virginia is for lovers."), Pat managed to navigate the troubled waters that plagued most of our participants in the second round. Well done Mr. Lynch.

On the court, there's two choices: First, the obvious: Mr. Farokhmanesh of Northern Iowa. The dude's on fire and why the hell not take a three with lots of time on the clock when you know it's money! His diminutive size just cemented the David v Goliath result even if historically this was just a biblical fallacy (yeah, that means it never happened).
#2, would be #4. The jersey worn by one Chris Kramer of Purdue (featured in the first rendition of this blog) who just decided, screw it, time to win the game. The result is feature here. I can't stop watching it...

Worst First Round Performance:
...in the OTP goes to ....Alex Mitchell. He's 5 and his parents forced him to do this so that I would still be their friend. Hopefully this does not scar the young lad too much (then again he's lived in LA, New Jersey, and Columbus, OH). Dallas Martin, on the other hand, is an adult, who should be able to handle ridicule, therefore he wins the prize with 17 of 32 correct picks.

In my opinion, worst first round performance in the Tourney goes to the refs of the Villanova-Robert Morris game. Good lord! At one point Scottie Reynolds dribbled the ball off his foot and they called a foul! Not on his foot, but on the Robert Morris player who was 2 feet away!!!!!! Hideous. Thankfully the Gaels of St. Mary's righted the karmic world with a smack down of the 'Cats.

Worst Second Round Performance:


Belongs to well Alex again, but we'll blame his parents for this, and frankly Kevin Harkin (a former OTP champion) only had one pick better than young Alex, so you Kev, our the biggest loser. 5 of 16 correct picks does not do you proud my friend. We still love our past champs though.

The Tourney award goes to the entire Kansas team, who managed to blow the best chance of any team (including Purdue with Hummel) to take the title. I'd say wait 'til next year boys, but I think your ship has sailed.

Well, I'm going to head to bed in the hopes that my boys will sleep through the night. That, unfortunately, has the same likelihood of happening as Gene Keady forgoing the comeover . Therfore, my friends, I bid you good night. Stay tuned, however, as I will encapsulate the picks of the OTP competitors in tomorrow's edition of the OTP Update. 'Nite.

Perhaps seeding is overrated?

Welcome all, again, to the 2010 OTP. Thanks for joining us for the best three weeks of the year. I apologize for the delay in launching this year's OTP Update, I encountered some technical errors (read: I forgot my blogger password). I currently write to you from the comforts of Damon's in Manalapan, NJ, accompanied by my customary March Madness buds, Paul and Jim. This year we were going to put our annual gathering on hiatus courtesy of the bushel of infants I had acquired over the past year. Fortunately, my stalwart compatriots chose to trek all the way across Middle America, chance the dangers of Jersey, and deal with a house of screaming kids, to make this annual hoops tradition a reality. Prost Freunde!

As for this year's NCAA Tourney, what fun, eh? The amount of "upsets" that the chatterboxes on the various networks continue to bloviate about, really just reflects the poor seeding job the Tournament Committee did. Gonzaga and BYU both spent nearly the entire season in the top 15 and yet were given 8 and 7 seeds respectively. Overseeded? Gee, how about Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Villanova? Oh well... great to see the overseeded get their due. On a personal note, my Boilers shocked the world by prevailing over Siena, the national, presidential, and media pick to win. My favorite part of the game, Chris Kramer bounces the ball off the face of the Siena guy, and then ... smiles at him. Loved it. The Boilers face a high task against A&M but we shall keep the faith.

The OTP is chugging along nicely too. We've got 48 total participants this year, up from 46 last year. That means this year's winner will receive all but $5 of the pot. And in the early going there's quite the battle for first. Jen Boulton started us off on Thursday with an OTP record 7 of 8 first round picks correct. Alas, her hot streak did not last into Friday's round of action. Nonetheless, "Chicks with Picks" continues to be our tournament motto (I would apologize for being un-PC but I'm pretty sure our top four female competitors don't mind.). Curtis Tronick currently holds down spot #4 but the remainder of the top 5 are of the fairer (and smarter) sex. Congrats to Trudy, Edie, and the Buono sisters (Danielle and Christina).

Enjoy the remaining second round action today and tomorrow. I'll be back Monday with the annual OTP 1st and 2nd Round awards.

best,
-gr