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About twenty years ago, my Mother-in-Law briefly moved to a small town in south-central Texas called Brackettville.
Located two hours west of San Antonio on US Highway 90, the Brackettville region was home to a US military fort which was operational from 1852 until the end of World War II. I also discovered the native jackrabbits of the region to be Texas-sized, too!
Men’s March MadnessTournament – opening weekend update
Speaking of a different kind of Bracket-ville, my CBSSports.com men’s NCAA basketball picks were a big stinker during Week #1 of March Madness. My entry (SwampSwamiSports) is ranked in 1,310,822nd place after the first two rounds concluded Sunday night.
Though I played a lot of basketball growing up, I am still “O-for-March Madness” in creating a winning bracket.
My zeal to pick 30-win McNeese State to advance in the first two games (they lost in Round 1) contributed to my lousy current ranking. The same goes for putting an unintentional hex on the SEC’s Mississippi State and South Carolina to win their first two games as well (they also lost in Round 1).
The good news on the men’s side of “Bracket-ville” is that my pick to win it all (the University of Houston) survived Texas A&M’s frantic “Hack attack foul fest” to beat the Aggies in overtime late Sunday night. The Cougars had four of its players foul-out against Texas A&M. They must regroup quickly as they now face the #4 seed, Duke, on Friday night (8:30PM CDT on CBS).
Things could be worse…I could be a Kentucky basketball fan!
Though I picked #3 seed (and perennially overrated) Kentucky to lose in Round 2, they exceeded expectations once again this year. The SEC Wildcats found a way to lose in the opening round to a surprisingly good #14 seeded Oakland University (Michigan) Grizzlies team from the Horizon League.
Much to the chagrin of Big Blue fans, Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced Tuesday that Coach John Calipari will return next season after the Cats lost in the first round for the third consecutive year.
“As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach,” said Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart.
Here is SwampSwami’s truth serum translation: “If we wanted to fire Coach Calipari right now, it would cost the University of Kentucky almost $35 million to buy-out his contract and send him home.”
Kentucky’s long-time basketball coach continues to successfully recruit blue chip players. The problem is that he has become ineffective in recent years in converting former high school prima donnas into a championship college basketball unit.
NC State’s D.J. Burns for President!
At least the #11 seeded North Carolina State Wolfpack came through for ol’ SwampSwami last weekend!
The “Double DJ Duo” (guard D.J. Horne and center D.J. Burns) score nearly thirty points per game for the surprising 24-14 Wolfpack team. Winners of five games in five days to capture the ACC tournament title, the Wolfpack dispatched #6 Texas Tech in the NCAA’s Round 1 and #14 Oakland University during Round 2 to reach the Sweet 16 this week.
A fifth-year senior, NC State’s D.J. Burns is 6’9” and is listed at a svelte 275 pounds. For a big man, Burns has displayed a very soft shooting touch and exceptional passing skills to some wide-open teammates. D.J. Burns’ joyful post-season play has created a growing legion of fans across the country. Burns plays basketball with a twinkle in his eyes even while he is being hacked by opposing defenders who have been unable to stop his cat-quick moves in the low post.
It is possible that NC State’s D.J. Burns may be having more fun than anyone else on the basketball court right now.
The Wolfpack will continue riding its “Double DJ Duo” this week as it faces #2 seed Marquette on Friday night (6:30 CDT on TBS).
Women’s March Madness week #1 recap
When I checked CBSSports.com to see how well SwampSwamiSports was doing in the NCAA Women’s March Madness rankings, I was hopeful that my sterling 28-4 record in Round 1 would have me in a competitive position. Alas, yours truly is mired in 208,659th place for the women’s tournament after the opening week of play.
True to form, the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament usually has very few upsets in the opening rounds. It appears that most of the other entrants stuck with the favorites!
LSU coach Kim Mulkey is slyly deflecting pressure away from her 2023 defending champions
LSU’s women’s basketball coach has done it again.
After learning about an upcoming “hit piece” expected soon from a national sportswriter, Coach Kim Mulkey went on the offensive last weekend to call “BS” to the article – even before it has been published. As expected, the majority of the national media will now focus their attention on the comments of LSU’s fiery coach instead of writing about #3 seed LSU’s chances of defending its 2023 national title.
Last Sunday in Round #2, the LSU women’s basketball team finally came to life in the second half of their encounter with a tough #4 seed Middle Tennessee State team.
Coach Kim Mulkey enjoys taking the heat. Her basketball team has now escaped the scrutiny of the media microscope and, perhaps, might start playing up to its potential.
Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark is hurting the Hawkeyes
If you watched one or more of the opening round games for the Iowa women’s basketball team last week, you observed the same thing that I did.
The leading scorer in women’s NCAA college basketball history has transformed into a world-class whiner on the basketball court during the opening rounds of March Madness. Taking a cue from the NBA’s LeBron James, Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark started complaining to the referees on nearly every foul being called on her and her teammates last weekend.
The Hawkeyes were quite fortunate to escape in the final minute against a spunky #8 seed West Virginia team Sunday night in Round 2.
As Iowa’s senior leader, Caitlyn Clark should expect to face box-and-one defenses for the remainder of the NCAA tournament. Iowa’s other four players must begin to score more points as their team’s leading scorer will have two players in her face for the remainder of this tournament.
If Caitlyn Clark’s overzealous complaining to the referees should continue, expect to see a few technical fouls coming her way soon.
Get your popcorn ready for the Sweet 16 games beginning Thursday!
Men’s March Madness Round of 16 – Thursday, March 28 (Tip-off times are CDT):
Game #1 – 6:00PM on CBS – West #6 seed Clemson (23-11) vs. #2 Arizona (27-8)
Game #2 – 6:30PM on TBS – East #5 seed San Diego State (26-10) vs. #1 UConn (33-3)
Game #3 – 8:30PM on CBS – West #4 seed Alabama (23-11) vs. #1 North Carolina (29-7)
Game #4 – 9:00 PM on TBS – East #3 seed Illinois (28-8) vs. #2 Iowa State (29-7)
Men’s Games – Friday, March 29 (Tip-off times are CDT):
Game #1 – 6:00PM on CBS – South #11 seed NC State (24-14) vs. #2 Marquette (27-9)
Game #2 – 6:30PM on TBS – Midwest #5 seed Gonzaga (27-7) vs. #1 Purdue (31-4)
Game #3 – 8:30PM on CBS – South #4 seed Duke (26-8) vs. #1 Houston (32-4)
Game #4 – 9:00PM on TBS – Midwest #3 seed Creighton (25-9) vs. #2 Tennessee (26-8)
Women’s NCAA Round of 16 – Friday, March 29 (Friday games on ESPN and CDT):
Game #1 – 1:30PM – Region 1 #3 seed Oregon State (26-7) vs. #2 Notre Dame (28-6)
Game #2 – 4:00PM – Region 1 #4 seed Indiana (26-5) vs. #1 South Carolina (34-0)
Game #3 – 6:30PM – Region 4 #3 seed NC State (29-6) vs. #2 Stanford (30-5)
Game #4 – 9:30PM – Region 4 #4 seed Gonzaga (32-3) vs. #1 Texas (32-4)
Women’s Games – Saturday, March 30 (Channels vary – Tip-off times are CDT):
Game #1 – 12Noon on ABC – Region 2 #3 seed LSU (30-5) vs. #2 UCLA (27-6)
Game #2 – 2:30PM on ABC – Region 2 #4 seed Colorado (24-9) vs. #1 Iowa (31-4)
Game #3 – 4:30PM on ESPN – Region 3 #5 seed Baylor (26-7) vs. #1 USC (28-5)
Game #4 – 7:30PM on ESPN – Region 3 #7 seed Duke (22-11) vs. #3 UConn (31-5)
Enjoy the games this entire weekend!