Yeah, this is late.  Very late.  I flipped on the TV and saw the LSU game starting, though, and figured there might be some SEC interest yet.  So if you have thoughts on the LSU game, any games already finished, or any others, feel free to leave them here.

(And yes, bracket gloating is permissible.)

Yeah, so Tennessee's one and done, but that's why fans pick brackets, right? So you can still enjoy the Tournament even after your team loses?

This here's your open thread for day two of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Watch the games LIVE right here without leaving RTT!

Here are the current standings in the RTT March Madness Bracket Pool after Day 1. The complete standings are here. Congratulations to kykid03, who was perfect for the day. Me? I missed two 8-9s, two 7-10s, and a 5-12 (Illinois-Western Kentucky).

My stint subbing for a vacationing Dr. Saturday is over, and I'm spending a vacation day, so I'll be around today. Expect a game thread for Tennessee-Oklahoma State, and an open thread after that for the other games.

Yeah, Tennessee doesn't start the Tournament until tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you won't be watching your brackets, right?

This here's your open thread for opening day of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Watch the games LIVE right here without leaving RTT!

It's 9:08 EST, and you have less than two hours to get your picks in for Rocky Top Talk's March Madness Bracket Pool. Today's games start at 12:20.

Also, if this thing works the way it's supposed to, it will pop the CBS video player up right here so you can both watch and take part in the open thread that will go live at about 11:00. Enjoy, but don't let Rick Neuheisel's wife see that bracket!

Watch the game LIVE right here, courtesy of CBS Sports.

Okay, that doesn't work yet, but I'll leave it here for now. Our tech guys are working on it.

[Note by Joel, 03/19/09 11:12 AM EDT ] Fixed now. Our tech guys are good.

For those of you who have Windows Media Center (anyone with Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate), there's a whole new cool way to watch the NCAA Tournament that tips off tomorrow: the new Interactive Bracket on Media Center's new Sports Channel.

Continue reading this post »

Breaking down the madness in the East Region...there are a thousand different ways to compare these teams beyond their seeding, and this morning we take a look at each team's record against the other 64 teams in the field.

We know Pittsburgh is the favorite here, and there are some other name teams in this region...and we know the Vols have a long road in front of them as a nine seed.  But part of what helped Tennessee's seeding was their non-conference schedule (...or at least that was the way it was supposed to work), as the Vols are very familiar with the competition in the field.

Who are the other teams in this part of the bracket who've matched up well against other teams in the field thus far?  We take a quick look at each team against the rest of the tournament teams...

#1 Pittsburgh

• 9-3 against the field
• Wins:  UConn (twice - 1), Syracuse (3), Florida State (5), Marquette (6), West Virginia (twice - 6), Siena (9), Akron (13)
• Losses:  Louisville (1), Villanova (3), West Virginia (6)

#2 Duke

• 11-6 against the field
• Wins:  Wake Forest (4), Xavier (4), Florida State (thrice - 5), Purdue (5), Boston College (7), Maryland (thrice - 10), Michigan (10)
• Losses:  North Carolina (twice - 1), Wake Forest (4), Boston College (7), Clemson (7), Michigan (10)

Continue reading this post »

A quick rundown of what's at stake today across the college basketball landscape:

The SEC could still send 2-4 teams to the field.  We know Tennessee and LSU are in.  We know if neither of them win the SEC Tournament, at least one more team will get in.  If you read the bracket projections this morning, right now it looks like the only way the SEC gets 4 in is if Auburn beats Tennessee, and then Mississippi State beats Auburn to win the tournament. 

Joe Lunardi doesn't have a new bracket up for today (EDIT:  he does now - Vols are a 7, LSU at 6.  Complete bracketology can still be found at the same link to the right), but did update his Last Four In/Out.  Auburn is currently listed third in the Last Four Out group, and Florida is third in the Next Four Out group...but you have to think that the Next Four Out group are all pretty much done, because they're run out of chances to move up, having all been bounced from their conference tournaments.  South Carolina and Kentucky are both off Lunardi's board entirely.

Jerry Palm of collegerpi.com has been updating his projections at CBS Sports.  He has Auburn as the first team out (meaning both Lunardi and Palm have only two SEC teams in the field right now), and lists the Vols as a 7 seed.

Methinks we're gonna see some SEC rematches in the NIT.

Several teams can still cause big trouble for the bubble teams today.  Memphis is taking care of Tulsa in the second half of the C-USA finals, keeping one at-large spot safe.  Maryland has probably already played their way in at the ACC Tournament.  But two big opportunities for disaster on the bubble come tonight:  Baylor and Southern Cal are both in the finals of their respective tournaments, and both are currently on the outside looking in.  If one or both win, that's one more bubble that bursts.  If you're an Auburn fan (or a more hopeful South Carolina or Florida fan), you're pulling hard for Missouri and Arizona State tonight at 6:00 EDT (Big 12 final on ESPN, Pac-10 final on CBS).

Looking ahead...the Vols almost certainly would like to see LSU in Sunday's final, if they're able to beat Auburn later today.  The first semifinal is unfolding right now, and here's a reminder - if you're in the Raycom regional area, you'll still get the game there (and can bid farewell to their coverage as the Vols play in Raycom's final SEC telecast).  If you're outside Raycom's coverage, the game can be seen on ESPN2 (with Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes).  This is the happiest I've ever been to live outside of Tennessee.

Right now State leads LSU 13-11.  The Vols should tip sometime around 3:15.