Jump Ball

The Incredible Roy

Animated cartoon: You won't like Roy Williams when he's angry.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

I'm yelled so much. Cheered so much. Read so much. Sang and danced so much. ... that I really don't know what to say about the big Kansas victory.

I will say that after he let us beat his team, AND wore a Jayhawk sticker to the championship game, all is forgiven with Roy Williams. I'll actually cheer a little for North Carolina next year. Especially against Duke.

Now Jayhawk Nation just has to worry about keeping Bill Self.

Not surprisingly, the Kansas victory meant I won the Jump Ball bracket challenge. Here at the office, I game in fourth and my daughter Mia came in fifth. Mia, 5, actually had three of the final four teams, and Kansas beating Memphis in the championship.

The pride of Conference USA

So, I'm wondering what all the UTEP Miner fans out there think about Memphis winning it all.

Because I know as a long-time Kansas fan, I'm often torn about rooting for Big 12 teams.

On the one hand, I want them to do well to make the conference look good. But on the other hand, I don't want them going as far as winning the National Championship. That, in my mind, would help them so much in recruiting and such that it would hurt my team.

So, what do you think? Do you want Memphis to keep winning for the greater glory of Conference USA? Or will them winning the championship push them too far ahead of the rest of the conference?

They are already pretty far ahead, so maybe winning it all would be OK.

CBI fun

Our old favorite, the College Basketball Invitational, sent out a news release today with some fun numbers.

Tulsa and Bradley on Friday will play the deciding game of their three-game championship series. If nothing else, I do think having a championship series, instead of one game, is kind of cool. But here are some of those numbers:

79,000: Fans who have attended CBI games through Game #2 of the Championship Series.

9,014: Bradley fans in attendance for Game #2 of the CBI Championship Series, the CBI's largest crowd to date.

7,337: Tulsa fans in attendance for Game #1 of the CBI Championship Series, the second largest crowd of the season for the Golden Hurricane (Memphis was first).

98: Total points scored in the CBI by Bradley's Jeremy Crouch, the tournament's active scoring leader and second among all NCAA post-season players behind only Davidson's Stephen Curry.

14.1: Average margin of victory in the NCAA Tournament.

12.7: Average margin of victory in the NIT.

7.1: Average margin of victory in the CBI.

2: Conference USA teams remaining in post-season play (Tulsa and Memphis)- the only conference with more than one.

Speaking of Memphis, though Kansas knocked off Davidson and ended talk of a Cinderella story in this year's NCAA tourney, the Memphis Tigers say they are in fact the "Rumpelstiltzkin" of this year's NCAA basketball tournament.

And for even more fun, click here to hear a good March Madness jam, sent to me by another Kansas fan in El Paso.

The audio comes from the Kansas City Star, which also offers this remix on an old-school game. Plus a Make a Roy Williams game. Fun times.

Stanford rolling on

Though the UTEP women's basketball team never had anything to be ashamed of — they had a record-setting, fun-to-watch year — Stanford is proving that they are one of the elite teams. UTEP staying as close as they did was actually a feat.

Stanford's star Wiggins put up 44 on UTEP, but last night she put up 41 on #1-seeded Maryland. And the Stanford team scored 98 points against Maryland on their way to the Final Four. Heck, Stanford only put of 88 points on UTEP.

UTEP very well may have lost to the next women's National Champion.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

As my hands still shake from that Kansas scare, the final four is set: Kansas will play North Carolina, and Memphis will take on UCLA.

With all four #1 seeds in, this is going to be one big Battle Royal Final Four.

Today's games: I really thought Texas would be too strong for Memphis. I figured Memphis hadn't been tested much in C-USA. But they really took it to Texas. That's going to be a great matchup with UCLA.

Kansas played tight, but that's the good thing about having a strong defense to go with a strong offensive. That defense kept them in it on a night when the shots weren't falling for them.

Kansas vs. North Carolina: Well, I now have a week to stress and analyze every angle of this one. Most importantly the Roy Williams angle. I'll wait until later in the week to write about that. I have to let it sink in a bit.

Davidson

So, who predicted the Davidson victory in the post below? That's right, you know it.

But because I'm a believer in Davidson, I now have a lot to worry about in the next couple days. Kansas will have its hands full.

Davidson vs. Goliath

#10 seed Davidson versus #3 seed Wisconsin is going to be an interesting game to keep an eye on during Friday's tournament action.

Davidson's overall record is 28-6. I read earlier this week that they had won 24 straight games. I thought that was pretty impressive, BUT, that means they started 4-6. So it made me wonder.

But checking their schedule and seeing who those losses were to ... Wisconsin has to be worried about these guys.

Davidson's first loss was AT North Carolina by only four points. Not too many teams can stay that close to Carolina, especially at their place.

Another of those losses was AT Duke, this time by only six points. And another loss was AT UCLA, by 12 points.

Most teams in the country would probably lose those three games. Their other three losses were at W. Michigan, at Charlotte and at N.C. State. They kept all those games closer than the 12 they lost by to UCLA.

Do they have any big wins on their resume? Not really ... unless you count beating Gonzaga and Georgetown last week. I'm predicting a Davidson upset of Wisconsin.

Stanford versus Texas should be an amazing game, as well. Along with both games in the East bracket. It's the only bracket with the 1,2,3,4 seeds still remaining and should be a dog fight.

Conference USA in the CBI

Of the four teams left in the College Basketball Invitational, two are from Conference USA. Strangely, the tournament has set them up to play each other.

Bradley will play at Virgina at 5 p.m. Wednesday, followed by Houston playing at Tulsa at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Both games will be televised on Fox College Sports, as well as on DirecTV (Ch. 669).  Who will watch? I don't know.

After the UTEP men lost to Utah in the CBI, there was a lot of talk about how the loss showed how weak Conference USA is. But considering Tulsa then beat Utah, and Houston also is still playing ... maybe it's just UTEP that's weak.

Talking basketball

The final UTEP basketball podcast of the year is now available. Fred Albers, Joe Muench, Ruben Ramirez and Jay Koester talk about the UTEP women bowing out of the NCAA tournament with a second-round loss to Stanford and the men bowing out of the CBI with a first-round loss to Utah.

To listen to the wrap up of a historic year for the women and a building year for the men, click here.

Big game tonight

UTEP women

Let's start where the action is locally. Here's a guide to some pre-game reading as you gear up for the UTEP women playing Stanford tonight, about 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

First off, here's the El Paso Times' look at the battle down low.

Next, here's the San Jose Mercury News' look at the guard battle.

The Associated Press also talks about Lacy and Wiggins.

The San Francisco Chronicle also focuses on Stanford's star guard.

The San Diego Union-Tribune focuses on Wiggins so much they forget to mention UTEP.

The Mercury News does a breakdown of the game, and gives nearly every advantage to Stanford.

Going political

Barack Obama has made his Final Four picks.  So has McCain, but because you have to sign in to see his, I'll just tell you they are North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis and Connecticut.

And here's a story that purports to tell you what all those political picks mean.

My bracket ...

Is falling apart. I'm tied for second in the Jump Ball blog contest, and I've already lost two Elite Eight teams in UCONN and Georgetown. But, my Final Four teams are still alive: Kansas, Louisville, Texas and Xavier.

Other perspectives

Want to read some other takes on the UTEP women's basketball team's big victory over Western Kentucky?

I linked to the Times' story below, but to read W. Kentucky's take on the game from the Bowling Green Daily news, click here.

And to read the Associated Press version of the story, click here.

UTEP women prove they belong

The UTEP women showed up big time for their first ever postseason game, taking out W. Kentucky, 92-60.

It was an exciting game to watch ... at least until ESPN2 fustrated all of El Paso by switching to another game. The victory may have been in hand, but it would have been nice to see the whole thing anyway.

Now the UTEP women will have to take on #2 Stanford on Stanford's home floor. That's a pretty high mountain to climb.

But even if they can't pull off the big upset Monday night, they proved tonight they belong among the elite teams this year. A great showing.

Thoughts on day one

Boring

The first day was pretty boring, at least until Belmont put a scare into Duke.

But not only did all the top seeds win, they usually won by quite a bit. Made for a rather lackluster day.

And that offered further proof that the tournament should not be expanded beyond 65 teams. There are plenty enough teams already, and the lower seeds are usually outmatched. Can you imagine how boring another weekend of these blowouts would be?

Let the NIT and CBI take up the slack.

I hate Bob Knight

Man, what a lame, boring analyst Bobby Knight is. He can't answer a simple question. He is a typical bully. Because he never wants to be proved wrong at anything, any question they ask him, he talks his way around answering it.

I was already getting annoyed by it when someone asked him which team he would most like to coach in this tournament. "Oh, that's easy," he said. "I'd like to coach the team that wins the championship."

Har, har, fool. Get that bully off my TV, ESPN. He adds nothing.

History

Kansas State, in beating USC on Thursday night, won its first NCAA tourney game since 1988.

Mmmm, that's the same year Kansas last won the national championship. And during that run in 1988, Kansas beat Kansas State in the Elite Eight round to make it to the Final Four. This year, they are again in the same bracket, and could face in the Sweet 16 round if they both win their next games.

I'm feeling some deja vu of the best kind.

Last note

I'm doing pretty well on my two brackets. In the Times office pool (I mean the one that doesn't actually exist, if any authorities are reading this), I only missed one game yesterday when I picked Baylor.

And I'm in the lead in the online Jump Ball group.

Georgia-Xavier

For a while there this morning, it looked like Georgia was going to blow up my bracket and make my daughter look like a genius.

But Xavier came back. Good thing: I have them in the Elite Eight.

And, boy, did the UTEP men stink it up last night or what? The venting and recriminations are going on over at Joe on Utepia.

Back to the NCAA tourney

Where were they?

Did anybody else notice that the UTEP men's basketball team, coaches and players, were not there to support the women's team during their NCAA selection show celebration?

Word on the street is that coach Tony Barbee scheduled practice at the same time to make sure the players couldn't go. That's bush league. They should have been there.

Making picks

I again this year let my 5-year-old daughter make her bracket picks based on mascots and names. Her picks didn't turn out so well last year, but you never know.

Of note:

Drake made it to the Sweet 16 because "Drake and Josh" is her favorite Nickelodeon show.

Marquette also made it to the Sweet 16 because their name sounds like "more cats."

Because she likes cats, the Arizona Wildcats made it to the Elite 8, just beating out the Georgia Bulldogs in a Sweet 16 showdown of her favorite mascots.

She thought Oral Roberts' name was hilarious. They made it to the Sweet 16 before being ousted by the Memphis Tigers.

She likes horses a lot, so the WAC does well in her bracket, with the Boise St. Broncos making it all the way to the Elite 8.

She really liked the name Indiana (she has a friend at preschool with a name that sounds similar), and so Indiana beats Boise St. to make it all the way to the Final Four.

Siena was also a very popular name. They made it to the Sweet 16 before being ousted by Kansas.

Kansas is her champion because otherwise she would have been sent to bed without any supper.

College Basketball Invitational

Pity the UTEP men and the College Basketball Invitational. Joe on Utepia has been beating up on them, and now Times' cartoonist Nacho Garcia has joined the fun.

But a glance over at the CBI's Web site showed it's not just UTEP coach Tony Barbee who has been drinking the water. Houston coach Tom Penders claims on the site that he'd rather be in the CBI than the NIT:

“I’m excited,” said University of Houston head coach Tom Penders. "This tournament is something a little different. It’s cutting edge. Our program has come a long way during the last four years, and this is a great opportunity to be a part of a prestigious new tournament. Given the choice between the two (the CBI and the NIT), I would much prefer the CBI. They are trying to get the best field they can possibly get."

Now that's what I call March Madness.

Staying on the CBI, in a Times news meeting yesterday, someone asked how the tournament decides who gets another home game after winning. For instance, would UTEP play at home again on Monday if they beat Utah tonight?

Three different editors spoke up with three different answers. And, being editors, they were all 100 percent sure they were correct.

The newspaper this morning prints the theory that it will be based on which team gets the highest attendance in the first round. But what if the two visiting teams win?

Well, I called an official with the CBI, and it didn't get a whole lot clearer. The official said they try to base it on the seedings, but that can be overruled when there are issues with a stadium, like another event and such. AND the tournament re-seeds before the semifinals, anyway.

I asked him if UTEP would likely play at home on Monday if they won, and he said he thought so, but that UTEP officials would be the ones to ask because it is up to them. So I asked if the issue could be UTEP or another home team wouldn't want to pay to play another home game, but he said his boss would have to answer any financial questions.

So, in the end, all the editors were right. The tourney says it's based on seeding, but they leave themselves enough wiggle room that I'm sure attendance is an important factor. And probably most important, who is willing to pay the CBI to host another game.

Stay tuned.

Talking hoops

To listen to or download the latest UTEP basketball podcast, click here.

Fred Albers, Joe Muench, Ruben Ramirez and Jay Koester talk about the men's invitation to the CBI tournament and the women's invitation to the Big Dance.

Contest time

OK, it's time to get the Jump Ball bracket contest started. The winner of this contest will get fame beyond your wildest dreams ... or at least a mention on this blog that you're the king or queen of March Madness.

To join up click here, make your picks in the "pick-all-at-once" contest (picking by round is for sissies), and then go to join a group, and join the "Jump Ball blog contest" group.

There are actual prizes associated with this contest, including an I-Pod shuffle. To learn about the prizes, click here. Just not that those prizes are for the overall contest, not the Jump Ball group.

I'll make my picks soon, and we'll see if you can do better. Good luck!

UTEP women celebrate bid

I should have noted earlier: Video, audio by Jay Koester. Photos by Ruben R. Ramirez.

Go West

The UTEP women are heading to Palo Alto, California, for a Saturday game against W. Kentucky. With the selection show over, the rally is now wrapping up with some final speeches from Natalicio, Stull and others.

Too bad they're playing so far away; will make it hard for many to travel.

A #7 seed!

UTEP is finally announced and the crowd goes wild. UTEP gets the #7 seed, and will be playing #10 seed W. Kentucky. Exactly when and where ... well, I lost that videotaping the excitement, but I'll let you know soon.

still waiting

Well, word on the street was wrong. Looks like UTEP will be announced during the fourth and final segment. Which, if I've been following this correctly, means they are heading to Albuquerque. Gas up the cars, Miner fans.

Waiting

ESPN is in their first segment, talking about UCONN. Word on the street is that UTEP will be in the second segment, after the first commercial break, so it's quiet again for a bit right now.

TV event

The event had its first orchestrated cheers of the day. The ESPN crew held up signs for quiet as the five-piece mariachi band out here took a break.

Then, as the cameras rolled, they asked for noise and team and crowd went crazy, cheering and yelling UTEP. Then, the cameras stop, and it goes back to mariachi music. Then a little pep band music as well.

TV events are kind of strange sometimes.

Getting warmed up

Out here at the Haskins Center, and the crowd is enjoying their free T-shirts and ice cream. It's about 4:30, selection show begins at 5 p.m., and it appears there are about 400 people here.

The UTEP women's team was just announced, as the pep band played and the cheerleaders cheered their arrival.

Go Miners!

Well, the UTEP men have some excitement left for us after all. They'll be playing Utah at the Haskins Center on Wednesday. I'm actually pretty excited about that. Should be a good game, and it's better than being done.

Which makes extra disappointing that the NMSU Aggies turned down a bid to the CBI. They polled the players and they didn't want to play? That's just sad.

And in the Big Dance, a lot of the ESPN analysts are picking Kansas to win it all. But I don't get too excited by that because I know that's just the flavor of the month. For a few years after Syracuse won the championship with Carmelo Anthony, the trend was to look for the team with one outstanding young star. Now, with Florida winning back-to-back, the trend is to look for more of a complete team.

But, first things first: Go Miners! First the women's selection show and party is tonight, and I'll blog live from there. Then, Wednesday, go cheer on the men as they take on Utah.

The fun and madness has begun!

Final Four

My "at first glance" Final Four picks. I may change these later in the week. But I have:

Louisville, Kansas, Texas and UCLA.

Let the debate begin.

West

Baylor and Texas A&M sneak into the West bracket to make six Big 12 teams in. I was surprised to see Arizona slipped into the tournament, as well.

West looks like a fairly easy path for UCLA.

Kentucky?

In the South, Kentucky gets in? They're in with a #11 seed, but doesn't seem like they should be in there.

Texas is the #2 seed in the South, which takes them through Houston. Probably what they would want instead of a #1 seed, anyway.