At the end of the season, I run a free contest for picking the results of the NCAA Tournament.
The contest is mainly a way for me to keep in touch with friends,
but I will open it to a limited number of entries from the Internet.
THE 2011 HOOPS CONTEST IS NOW OVER. (Thanks, everybody! -- Ron)
MAKE YOUR PICKS FOR THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT (ALL 67 GAMES).
SEND IN YOUR PICKS TO ME BEFORE THE FIRST ROUND STARTS ON 6:30PM(ET) TUESDAY, 15 MARCH.
I'll do the rest.
I'll keep y'all up to date on everybody's picks and how you're doing after each round.
As always, there's NO ENTRY FEE and NO PRIZE (EXCEPT A YEAR'S WORTH OF BRAGGING RIGHTS
knowing you've bested hoops fans from around the country).
The idea is to make the tourney more fun to watch by giving you a stake in each game.
Mostly, the point is for us to STAY IN TOUCH.
Here's the scoring system:
Prelim 1st 2nd Regnl Regnl Final Natnl
PlayIn Round Round Semi Final Four Champ
Number of Games 4 32 16 8 4 2 1
Point Value per Game .5 1 2 4 8 16 32
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Points per Round 2 32 32 32 32 32 32
Maximum Total Points: 194
The tiebreaker will be fewest "negative points".Last year, Andy Kaufman of New Hope, PA won his second title beating a record field of 168 national entries with 123 points.
As always, FRIENDS OF FRIENDS ARE WELCOME TO SEND IN THEIR PICKS.
Remember to SEND YOUR COMPLETE PICKS FOR THE FULL DRAW BY 6:30PM(ET) TUESDAY, 15 MARCH.
You can send your picks via my WEBSITE (below) or by e-mail.
Be sure to PICK ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FINAL GAME. DON'T STOP AT THE FINAL FOUR.
DON'T WAIT UNTIL THURSDAY..
Be sure to add your insights on key games, players and teams.
| -- Love, Ron |
Ron McBay ron@ronmcbay.us
Commercial blog: hooplineandsinker.blogspot.com
|
Oh, Ozilline, The moon is almost full and you don't need a torchlight to see into these woods. Sister, get the medicine to keep you from decline. It's the waxin' and the wanin' that's always on your mind
I said, "Oh, Ozilline, I feel for you."
I had to put the dog down
Ozilline, she don't let you cry
"OZILLINE" |
I am just a worthless liar. I am just an imbecile. I will only complicate you. Trust in me and fall as well. I will find a center in you. I will chew it up and leave. I will work to elevate you just enough to bring you down. Trust me.
Why can't we not be sober?
I want what I want.
"SOBER" |
Almost all of this past year has been spent handling the affairs of my aunt, Willie Earlene McBay Benton, who passed away at 97 back last September. She was the last one to go from my father's generation, so I've lost an entire link to the my family's past history, not just the one person. We worked on a lot of genealogy together and, even though I'm not the oldest, I'm now the one in the family who is the family historian. A strange feeling.
Back last summer, a friend with whom I played many a tennis match, Gary Eissner, also passed. Until then, I had always felt like a 20-year-old trapped in a 50-year-old body. This is the first real contemporary who has died of "old age" (heart problems, apparently). That's quite sobering. He was a friend to many in the local tennis scene and his absence has really been felt. It's hard to replace a personality that gets along with lots of different types; everyone is a little less connected to each other without that "tie that binds them together".
Dealing with an estate is a major task under any circumstances, but this case was even more complicated with heirs
in four different places and my aunt herself was the last person in our family in the small town where my dad grew up
(Mexia, TX). I went back and forth (driving two days one way, stopping over in Jackson, MS) five times in six months
for two weeks at a time. What had been such a magical place to visit all my life was now just the middle of nowhere
where my ties were now just to things, not people, on the other end. It was way stressful at the beginning,
trying to figure out how I was going to handle the logistics of all this long-distance responsibility; but by the end of it,
it hurt knowing I wouldn't even being going back to that physical place any more. My family has had a house
on that spot of land for nearly 100 years; it feels like a failure to let go of it. (At least my cousins still have
some ties left there still.)
If you can say that anything positive has come from the experience, it's certainly that it has drawn me closer
to my cousins (most of whom I had only kept up with indirectly through my aunt before now). Those ties are much stronger
now than they ever were before and I'm grateful for that.
Hopefully, things are now back to a more normal pace and I can settle back into a routine. It's been quite an emotional and psychological ride this past 12 months, though.
| -- Love, Ron |
|
Hey, I thought you'd know who to kiss under the mistletoe, who to walk out through the snow. Angel, can't you see the stars like lights through the trees are beckoning us to go? . . . Old Mr. Bear's tucked in tight somewhere. Wouldn't it be sweet to sleep for a while, and to see this as a reason to bow to the seasons and just give them time? Everyone has gone to sleep. (Please, baby, please.) Please be with me. Please, baby, please. Just for now, just for love, while the Yule fire burns on, just let this love be.
"MISTLETOE" |
Pressure pushing down on me, pressing down on you -- no man ask for.
Under pressure --
"UNDER PRESSURE" |
This season began with Duke entertaining thoughts of a repeat national title and the possibility of an undefeated season --
it returned two of its three stars (MOP tKyle Singler, gNolan Smith) and stood ready to replace its point guard
[pJon Scheyer] with a Golden Child (pKyrie Irving) and a proven transfer gSeth Curry. A toe injury kept
pIrving out most of the regular season, leaving bSmith to take over as lead guard; (pIrving's return at season's end
leaves the Blue Devils with chemistry issues and little time to fix them).
Michigan State started the season with a Final Four team essentially intact, but a lackluster preseason
led to a steady slump and a midconference dismissal (pKorie Lucious). Purdue lost its best player [tRobbie Hummel]
before the season even got started, but managed to turn in a Top-10 season anyway (behind fJuJuan Johnson
and gE'Twaun Moore).
Ohio State replaced the Player of the Year [tEvan Turner] with All-America GC cJared Sullinger and flirted
with an undefeated season, entering the tournament as the #1 overall seed.
Kansas rolled to its seventh straight Big 12 title behind twins fMarcus and fMarkieff Morris;
Gonzaga was in fourth place at midseason, but rallied to claim a share of its eleventh straight WCC title;
Butler backed its way into a share of its fifth straight Horizon title.
The Big East had one its strongest seasons ever, winning 7 major preseason tournaments and fielding
a record 11 NCAA bids.
Pittsburgh's no-name overachievers turned in an elite regular season (taking the conference title); likewise Notre Dame,
Syracuse and Louisville made their national reps on the power of league wins.
Villanova continued its recent dominance of the Big 5 under Jay Wright, taking the City Series for the 6th time in 7 years.
The Big 10 beat the ACC in their head-to-head CHALLENGE (for the second straight year). The Big 12 routed the Pac-10
in their final HARDWOOD SERIES.
The Mountain West played on par with BCS conferences (including hammering the floundering Missouri Valley head-to-head),
thanks to banner seasons from Brigham Young and a best-ever campaign by San Diego State.
BYU's pJimmer Fredette fulfilled all expectations with a Player of the Year-calibre regular season as the Cougars were an elite squad throughout the year, tripped up at the end by the dismissal of a key role player. Connecticut's gKemba Walker transformed himself in the offseason into a Player of the Year performer of his own, with an impressive December. Call them co-Players of the Year.
Texas' young talent (tJordan Hamilton, gJ'Covan Brown) led them to the highest highs in the regular season. Veteran Florida had a strong finish to a so-so season. Kentucky replaced its most talented freshman class ever with one almost as good (led by gBrandon Knight). Kansas State (pJacob Pullen), Baylor (bLaceDarius Dunn) and Washington (gIsaiah Thomas) all had bigger expectations than their season turned out to be.
Mid-Majors had more than their share of the preseason bounty, taking 11 tournament crowns to 16 by BCS schools.
Belmont had its best team in school history, dominating the Atlantic Sun (TiTo).
The Ivy title was decided in one of the most memorable games in league history with Princeton beating Harvard at Yale
at the buzzer.
(Stanford never made anyone take notice all year.
Georgia had the individual talent, but fell just short of making a splash as a team.
Georgia Tech's lousy season led to the end of the Paul Hewitt era.
Georgia State was an early Unwelcome Guest.
Kennesaw State started with a bang [over the Yellow Jackets], but it was all downhill after that.)
Rick Pitino made 5 new starters at Louisville into national contenders;
Steve Lavin returned to the sidelines at St. John's and turned last year's also-rans into a splashworthy squad;
Steve Fisher guided San Diego State (and cKawhi Leonard) to the best season in school history (tying for the MWC title,
winning the tournament);
Roy Williams' midseason switch to a freshman point guard (pKendall Marshall) transformed North Carolina's year.
On the downside, Tennessee struggled through an up and down season with the fate of coach Bruce Pearl.
Only 13 (out of 32) teams were able to be TiTo champions of their leagues, with more than half of the 1BCs (11/21) sending Jack Dawson ticketholders to the Big Dance (in place of the deserving regular season champs) -- both are signs that this is a down year in overall quality of the NCAA field.
The NCAA tournament has expanded to 68 teams, starting with a "First Four" Play-In round of games on Tuesday and Wednesday, featuring a pair of 16 seeds as well as a pair of bubble teams. Frankly, it only shifts the argument of who did/didn't get in down a few notches.
| GS-A Feature: #4 Ohio St 93 @ #5 Florida 75 | early TIP-OFF showcase confirmed Buckeye might |
| CVC Final: #18 Pitt 68 # Texas 66 | no-name Panther team edges talented individual Longhorns |
| CBE Final: #1 Duke 82 @ #4 Kansas St 68 | overhyped Wildcats overwhelmed by Blue Devils |
| MAUI Final: UConn 84 #12 Kentucky 67 | gKemba Walker announces his POY credentials:(30+ppg) |
| CHICAGO Final: # Richmond 65 #6 Purdue 54 | Spiders strike a blow for the A-10 |
| OS/ORLANDO Final: # Notre Dame 58 # Wisconsin 51 | Year After Irish show some grit and muscle |
| ACC/BIG 10: @ #1 Duke 84 #8 Michigan St 79 | Spartan slump continues |
| CQAP @ East Rutherford,NJ: #1 Duke 82 Butler 70 | national championship rematch is a mismatch |
| @ # N Carolina 79 #9 Kentucky 75 | young Tar Heels beat young Wildcats at home |
| BIG EAST/SEC: #9 Tennessee 83 @ #4 Pittsburgh 76 | despite distractions, Vols appear elite with big road win |
| @ Salt Lake City,UT: @ #11 BYU 87 #23 Arizona 65 | Cougars show their stuff |
| @ #5 Pittsburgh 78 #3 Connecticut 63 | Panthers show their stuff in conference |
| @ #19 Villanova 78 #20 Temple 74 (Philadelphia,PA) (BIG 5) | Wildcats clinch 6th City Series title in 7 years |
| @ #7 Notre Dame 73 #9 Connecticut 70 | road life is rough on Huskies in tough Big East |
| @ #5 Connecticut 61 #7 Villanova 59 | bKWalker(24p5a6r;GWFG) ; gCFisher(28p6a) |
| @ #4 Pitt 74 #1 Syracuse 66 | Pitt led 19-0 to start the game; gKJoseph(DNP/concussion) |
| #7 Villanova 83 @ #1 Syracuse 72 | gMWayns(21p) shot over vaunted Orange zone; tKJoseph(23p) |
| #11 Texas 74 @ #3 Kansas 63 | gJBrown(23p) turned game around to snap KU's 69-game home win streak |
| #12 Notre Dame 56 @ #2 Pitt 51 | one of the best road wins of the season |
| @ #1 Ohio St 87 #13 Purdue 64 | Option #5 (gAaron Craft) broke down the Boilermakers off the dribble |
| @ #9 BYU 71 #10 San Diego St 58 | gJFredette's 43p is POY-worthy; 1st Aztec loss/cKLeonard:22p15r |
| @ #14 Wisconsin 71 #1 Ohio St 67 | Badgers, pJTaylor(27p7a), end Buckeyes' bid to go undefeated |
| @ # Cleveland St 86 Youngstown St 76 (OH) | 6-2 guard xNCole(41p20r9a) posts one of the best performances ever |
| @ #15 Arizona 87 # Washington 86 | fDerrick Williams' last-second block saved the day |
| # Gonzaga 89 @ # St Mary's 85(OT) | 4th at midyear, GU wins out to tie for 11TH STRAIGHT WCC TITLE |
| @ #21 N Carolina 81 #7 Duke 67 | Tar Heels complete their turnaround by clinching ACC title |
| IVY Playoff @ Yale: # Princeton 63 # Harvard 62 | gDDavis' buzzer-beater capped the most-hyped Ivy game in decades |
|
And sometimes even now, when I'm feeling lonely and beat, I drift back in time and I find my feet down on Mainstreet.
"MAINSTREET" |
Oh, tell him how my heart just breaks in two since he journeyed far. And even though his dreams of fame fell through, to me he will always be a star.
Spread your wings for New Orleans,
And take a message to Michael, message to Michael.
"MESSAGE TO MICHAEL" |
|
Back in the long stretch of loneliness that I have come to call a living, I'm getting something for this Love's Labour even when I am forgetting.
And oh-we-oh, little perennials,
Daughter of my father's second cousin --
"LITTLE PERENNIALS" |
I don't want to wake you but I'd like to tell you that I love you, that the candlelight fell like a crescent upon your feather pillow.
For there's more ways than one,
Pinky's as perfect as the Fourth of July --
"PINKY" |
co-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:
bKEMBA WALKER(CONNECTICUT)
- spectacular preseason and postseason; shoots, scores, handles, passes, defends -- and made his young teammates better
gJIMMER FREDETTE(BRIGHAM YOUNG)
- one-man show has insane range, great handle, finishes in the lane, creates openings for his teammates
1ST TEAM ALL-AMERICA
bNolan Smith(Duke) - took control when SuperFrosh pKyrie Irving went down; scoring guard led by example
cJared Sullinger(Ohio State) - effortless post player in the mold of Notre Dame legend fAdrian Dantley
fDerrick Williams(Arizona) - athletic power forward who won big games on offense and defense
HONORABLE MENTION:
bNorris Cole(Cleveland State), gAndre Goudelock(College of Charleston), tKyle Singler(Duke), bCam Long(George Mason),
gAustin Freeman(Georgetown), fMarcus Morris(Kansas), pJacob Pullen(Kansas State), cKenneth Faried(Morehead State),
gBen Hansbrough(Notre Dame), fJuJuan Johnson,gE'Twaun Moore(Purdue), gAshton Gibbs(Pittsburgh), gDwight Hardy(St. John's),
fKawhi Leonard(San Diego State), gJohn Jenkins(Vanderbilt), gCorey Fisher(Villanova), pIsaiah Thomas(Washington),
pJordan Taylor(Wisconsin), gTu Holloway(Xavier).
GOLDEN CHILD (FRESHMAN) OF THE YEAR:
cJARED SULLINGER(OHIO STATE) - (see All-America above)
ALL-GC (FROSH):
fTerrence Jones,pBrandon Knight,gDoron Lamb(Kentucky), pKendall Marshall,bHarrison Barnes(North Carolina),
gAaron Craft(Ohio State), fTobias Harris(Tennessee).
COACH OF THE YEAR:
RICK PITINO(LOUISVILLE) - turned five new starters into a dangerous Top-10 squad.
Steve Fisher(San Diego State), Steve Lavin(St. John's), Roy Williams(North Carolina).
CONFERENCE RATINGS
The Big East dominated the preseason with 7 tournament titles, the Top 25 rankings (with as many as 10 teams ranked
the same week) and the postseason with 11 NCAA bids -- certain to dominate the Sweet 16, but unclear about the Final Four.
The Big 12 elite were strong but the middle fluctuated. The Big 10 elite was great while the middle plummeted.
The Mountain West had a great battle at the top and a solid middle. The SEC East dominated the West with good-but-not-great
teams. The ACC was so weak underneath that young UNC was able to regroup and steal the title from Duke. The Pac-10 was
competitive within but disappointing without. The Colonial and Atlantic 10 lead the Mid-Majors; the Horizon, West Coast
and WAC were OK at the top; Conference USA was a mess of mediocrity; the vaunted Missouri Valley flopped out of conference.
Don’t forget to pick all 67 games this year.
DEADLINE: 6:30P(ET) TUESDAY NIGHT.
YOU CAN NO LONGER WAIT UNTIL THURSDAY TO MAKE YOUR PICKS ! ! !
You can submit your picks via the contest entry form on the website: (www.RonMcBay.us/HLS/)
| -- Love, Ron |
|
Showboat coming up the river. See her lanterns flicker in the gentle breeze. I can hear the crickets singing in the evening. Old Dixie Lily moving past the cypress trees.
Dixie Lily, chugging like a grand old lady,
"DIXIE LILY" |
Try and enjoy the here and now --
I tried to live my life in one day.
I bit off more than I can chew.
"LIFE IN ONE DAY" |
(c) 2011 Ron McBay
www.ronmcbay.us/HLS
ron@ronmcbay.us