New Scaratings

Kentucky (32-2) is the overall No. 1 seed in the 2012 NCAA tournament bracket announced Sunday

evening.

The No. 1 seeds in order are Kentucky (South), Syracuse (East), North Carolina (Midwest) and Michigan

State (West). The South will play the West and the East with play the Midwest in the national

semifinals.

NCAA Tournament - First Four (First Round)
Held University of Dayton Arena Dayton, OH
Session 1 Tue 03/13/2012
Mississippi Valley State vs Western Kentucky
BYU vs Iona
6:30 p.m. EDT
Session 2 Wed 03/14/2012
Lamar vs Vermont
California vs South Florida
6:30 p.m. EDT

NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET


SOUTH (Atlanta)
Louisville
Thursday, March 15
No.1 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Mississippi Valley State/Western Kentucky winner
No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Connecticut


Portland
Thursday, March 15
No. 5 Wichita State vs. No. 12 Virginia Commonwealth
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 13 New Mexico State

Albuquerque
Thursday, March 15
No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 11 Colorado
No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 South Dakota State

Greensboro
Friday, March 16
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Xavier
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh

WEST (Phoenix)
Columbus
Friday, March 16
No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 16 Long Island University
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 St. Louis


Portland
Thursday, March 15
No. 5 New Mexico vs. No. 12 Long Beach State
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 Davidson

Louisville
Thursday, March 15
No. 6 Murray State vs. No. 11 Colorado State
No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 14 BYU/Iona winner

Omaha
Friday, March 16
No. 7 Florida vs. No. 10 Virginia
No. 2 Missouri vs. No. 15 Norfolk State

EAST (Boston)
Pittsburgh
Thursday, March 15
No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 16 UNC-Asheville
No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 Southern Miss


Albuquerque
Thursday, March 15
No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 Harvard
No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Montana

Nashville
Friday, March 16
No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 Texas
No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 14 St. Bonaventure

Pittsburgh
Thursday, March 15
No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 West Virginia
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Loyola (MD)

MIDWEST (St. Louis)
Greensboro
Friday, March 16
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Lamar/Vermont winner
No. 8 Creighton vs. No. 9 Alabama


Nashville
Friday, March 16
No. 5 Temple vs. No. 12 California/USF winner
No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 13 Ohio

Columbus
Friday, March 16
No. 6 San Diego State vs. No. 11 NC State
No. 3 Georgetown vs. No. 14 Belmont

Omaha
Friday, March 16
No. 7 Saint Mary's vs. No. 10 Purdue
No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 15 Detroit

_________________
Mitch (MTCHWF/WLFFLY)

Co-Home Bar: Buffalo Wild Wings Edwardsville, IL and Time Out in St Louis, MO

I'm a Kentucky graduate, and while we are saddened by the loss of the SEC title, at least it went to a team that fought hard and hadn't won it since 1951. Congrats Vandy team/fans/grads

Kentucky fans are saying "well, last time Vandy beat us, we won the championship" and "In 1996 we lost the SEC title but won the NCAA title". The Wildcats fans are a rather interesting bunch. Still, looking forward to our opening game, because it could be UK against Western Kentucky in Louisville....a very interseting combination for the Bluegrass state.

WVU snuck in, play Thursday at 7:20...same time as Pens vs. Rangers. Could be an interesting first night of Speigsopalooza.

PSA... if your boys advance to Saturday and you decide to venture north to participate in Occupy Pitt , don't go anywhere near the Getaway that day. It's a $5 cover charge all day long for St. Patrick's Day and there's a long line outside the door all day long. It's the one day a year that they can't cater to trivia.

FWIW, I'm running a tourny pool with a few peeps, if you're interested in joining, PM me. Entry isn't cheap, but not blockbuster expensive either.

Western Kentucky and BYU goes to the field of 64 with wins in Round One games

Session 2 of Round 1 Wednesday 03/14/2012
Lamar vs Vermont (Winner faces No. 1 North Carolina)
California vs South Florida (Winner faces No. 5 Temple)
6:30 p.m. EDT

_________________
Mitch (MTCHWF/WLFFLY)

Co-Home Bar: Buffalo Wild Wings Edwardsville, IL and Time Out in St Louis, MO

Will be funny if Lamar wins, would like to see BK cry again over his son's motivational under-the-bus throwing.

Toss Up: (In Case Lamar wins) which #1 seed you wanna make history of first team to lose to a #16 seed?

North Carolina (who faces Lamar) or Syracuse (who faces UNC-Asheville without Fab Melo)?

_________________
Mitch (MTCHWF/WLFFLY)

Co-Home Bar: Buffalo Wild Wings Edwardsville, IL and Time Out in St Louis, MO

Syracuse wasnt going to FF even with Melo. 2003 was a fluke. Boeheim chokes it away every year. Without Melo they will be win one and done.

Out of the choices given, North Carolina, just because I picked Syracuse in my pool. (How can you tell I'm a March Madness expert? )
I feel bad for that, though, because I know HEELAX would be inconsolable until sometime after Easter

Although it would be funny as hell to see Kentucky fall to West Kentucky. People would talk about that into the 22nd century at least

_________________
/°v°\ • Every time Linux boots, a penguin gets its wings
I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I won't stop until I find out what
Why not downgrade Plutonium to a dwarf element?

And I would never be able to be around my wife's family, who are die hard U of L fans, and pick on me because I'm a UK graduate

And my 64-team bracket is already shot to hell, courtesy of those now-eternally damnable FAUBRS. Shoulda stayed Bullish . . .

But I suppose since I picked Syracuse to win the whole thing, my prognostications already graded below academic eligibility requirements

Go Missouri/Kansas State/South Florida (ironically)/Lehigh Go. You're each worth $160 to me in our blind draw

_________________
/°v°\ • Every time Linux boots, a penguin gets its wings
I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I won't stop until I find out what
Why not downgrade Plutonium to a dwarf element?

I don't get it.. F Auburn Really Sucks and point shaves?

_________________
Buzztime is a company full of dumbshits.

*sigh* It's element-ary, my dear Bobby

_________________
/°v°\ • Every time Linux boots, a penguin gets its wings
I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I won't stop until I find out what
Why not downgrade Plutonium to a dwarf element?

Dammit, I got the Gold part. Just didn't get the F Golden Bears..

_________________
Buzztime is a company full of dumbshits.

F*$) the Syracuse refs with a rhino's $#$^.

No, not our rhino. A generalized rhino.

That is all.

Kansas State will win due to Syracuse Frosh Phenom Fab Melo don't wanna study. I guess he's stuck there til his JR year. He has talent but he just needs to do well in his exams or he will be the next ESPN films subject.

_________________
Mitch (MTCHWF/WLFFLY)

Co-Home Bar: Buffalo Wild Wings Edwardsville, IL and Time Out in St Louis, MO

Duke n Mizzou both #2 seeds and they both lost today.

#7 Notre Dame from the South bracket and #5 Temple, #6 San Diego St and #7 St Mary's from the Midwest bracket also lost...since a 9 seed winnning isn't an upset but #9 Saint Louis did win in the West bracket.

_________________
Mitch (MTCHWF/WLFFLY)

Co-Home Bar: Buffalo Wild Wings Edwardsville, IL and Time Out in St Louis, MO

The University of Louisville eliminated Michigan State (The number 1 seed in the West bracket.) quite easily tonight. If the Cards falter, I've still got the University of Kentucky to root for. It's too bad that if both teams continue to win, that only one of them can make it to the NCAA championship game. I would guess that is because the know-it-alls at the NCAA never dreamt that Louisville had a chance to make it as far as they have.

..............

Though there are some, who don't understand this, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville are really family. Yeah, there is the rivalry between us, but most of us love it when a team from the Blue Grass wins the national championship. I will grant you that there are some idiots, who can't get on board, but most Kentukians want that trophy in our state, no matter which team wins it.

Come on Sister Sledge, sing it baby...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfY6NXsAu_Y&feature=fvst

GO CATS AND GO CARDS...! ONE OF YOU IS GOING TO DO OUR STATE PROUD...!

_________________
"The game is afoot."

While I'm not overly familiar with the players on either team, both coaches are a couple of the biggest pricks ever to lead a college hoops team.

BO

BO, you kinda missed the spirit of camaraderie, that I was attempting to put forth. It really doesn't matter how you personally feel about the coaches. It's the spirit, hustle, and achievements of the kids out there on the floor that really counts. Put your dislike of their coaches behind you, and root for the players that represent Kentucky in the NCAA basketball championship. Perhaps they won't win, but it is fun rooting for them, while they try.

Give me a "C"... Give me an "A"... (Get up close to the TV and scream out the rest of the letters...)

Forget about the coaches. Think about the state you live in, and the kids, who are playing their hearts out, who just might make you proud.

No other state has a song that comes close to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqGuVQsl-7U

_________________
"The game is afoot."

You do realize I don't and have never lived in Kentucky don't you?

I wish no ill will towards any players left in the tournament, but I will not be rooting for any school that has a douchebag for a coach. There are plenty of other equally deserving kids and teams with classy coaches to root for.

That being said, I fully understand why you would be rooting for those schools regardless of coach. But just wait a few years when UK is being investigated for violations and Calipari jumps ship just before the hammer comes down.

BO

I hear ya Cloudy. Just wish Murray State was still alive.

Well, I certainly can respect that statement.

As a life long Cardinal fan, I was totally disgusted when Louisville hired Pitino. Your school should stand for something, and I didn't want ours to stand for arrogance.

I quit going to all the games unless I had a business commitment, as a personal protest to the win at all cost mentality and erosion of the sportsmanship culture I felt Louisville had generally exhibited to visiting teams and fans.

I must give him some credit, though. At least his public persona has mellowed some over time and it is no longer all about him.

In a year he lost a close family member, then a best friend Billy Minardi died at the World Trade Centers on 9/1/1.

It seemed to affect him, and it looked to me like it changed him.

So I will give credit where credit is due, even though I have been patiently waiting 11 years for him to retire so I could start going to games again.

After listening to Calipari for a few years, I think he may be the biggest a-hole I have ever heard, and am very proud he is not the coach of my school.