Tag: March Madness 2022

Charles Barkley breaking down his bad NCAA tournament bracket is just the best

Never change, Charles Barkley.

Charles Barkley is very good at his job. You know what he’s not good at? Correctly filling out his men’s NCAA tournament bracket.

Well, I shouldn’t be too hard on Sir Charles because we all stink at filling out our brackets and he does have three Final Four teams still alive but he definitely suffered a ton of losses in the first two rounds.

I know this because last night he went on TV and showed the world his bracket and broke down all the misses he had. The way he did it, too, was so Charles Barkley.

This whole thing is hilarious:

You can watch the full segment below. I love how Ernie Johnson says “What is your definition of not bad?!”

Twitter had reactions:

Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway had such a special moment with his family after historic win

Goosebumps.

St. Peter’s entered the men’s NCAA tournament as a No. 15 seed and nobody really expected them to do much because, well, they are a No. 15 seed and lots of us didn’t even know where their school is even located.

But now the Peacocks are the Cinderellas of tournament after beating Kentucky in the first round and then Murray State in the second round. They’re heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history and now have a bunch of new fans because of what they pulled off in their first two games.

Their head coach, Shaheen Holloway, is easily one of the coolest coaches in the tournament and after last night’s win he was able to share this special moment with his family:

How sweet was that?

Twitter had reactions:

Gonzaga’s Drew Timme hilariously stopped himself from dropping a F-bomb on live TV and fans were in awe

This was too funny.

Gonzaga used a wild second-half rally last night to beat Memphis, 82-78, and advance to the Sweet 16 for an incredible seventh straight season.

Leading the way was Drew Timme, who was an absolute beast in the second half when his team needed him the most. The junior forward, who always has some incredible facial hair, scored 21 of his 25 points after halftime and hit big shot after big shot down the stretch.

Right after the game Timme spoke with Andy Katz on live TV and told him about the speech he gave during to his teammates at halftime. And he did an incredible job of censoring himself.

This was great:

Now that is well done. And hilarious.

Twitter loved it.

CBS showed a graphic of someone who is definitely not Remy Martin during the Kansas-Creighton game and we’re all confused

Graphic design is my passion.

Kansas (-12) is a popular pick to go all the way in the Men’s NCAA tournament. They might not be the best squad on paper Bill Self has ever coached, but they could cut down the nets.

And even if Kansas weren’t a No. 1 seed, you would think that a television network would do its due diligence and put the bare minimum effort into presentation. You know, like when it’s time to highlight some of the top players on one of the top teams in the country.

There are two general rules to follow:

  • First, if you’re going to call people out by name, you pronounce their names correctly. Done. Easy.
  • Second, in what is undeniably just as important, if you’re going to display graphics of said players, you make sure your photos (or Photoshops) resemble the people they’re supposed to represent.

Someone did not pass along the second memo to CBS during Kansas’s game with Creighton. During one of the first commercial breaks, the network showed a graphic with Ochai Agbaji on the left, Christian Braun on the right, and someone who definitely isn’t Remy Martin in the middle.

Former Jayhawk Landen Lucas took issue with the Photoshop fumble on Twitter.

In fairness: I’m sure whoever this young man that isn’t Martin is still nice and kind. But, anyway, graphic design is my passion, too.

The official Kansas Men’s Basketball account then weighed in on the snafu once Lucas blew the graphic up.

At this time, there is no word on whether CBS is aware of who Remy Martin is. But relevant authorities assure us: They will provide updates accordingly as they come. My advice for next time would be to do a more extensive Google search when typing in “Remy Martin.” I’m still confused, but I won’t pry any further.

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Baylor coach Scott Drew is all of us covering his eyes on UNC’s potential game-winner

We sympathize with you, Scott.

On Saturday afternoon, it looked like defending national champion Baylor (-5.5 favorites) would leave the Men’s NCAA tournament with a whimper.

The No. 1 seed in the East Region, the Bears had more than their fair share of struggles with No. 8 North Carolina. At one point, very late in the second half, the Tar Heels held a stratospheric 25-point lead. Hubert Davis and Co. were cruising. Then Brady Manek was ejected on what seemed like a questionable flagrant foul, and this game flipped on its head.

Showing the heart of a champion, Baylor stormed back to tie the game at 80 on the strength of a James Akinjo and-1at the last minute.

But North Carolina wasn’t done. The Bears still had to get one last stop to send this instant classic into overtime. It came down to one R.J. Davis 28-foot three-point shot.

And try as he might to put on a brave face for his players, Scott Drew couldn’t bear to look on as Davis rose to potentially end Baylor’s title defense.

“Please don’t go in, please don’t go in. YES!!!” said Scott Drew, probably. Great coaches wear their emotions on their sleeves during high-stakes tournament games. They’re just like us!

Of course, Baylor lost in overtime anyway, 93-86. But for a moment at the end of regulation, the Bears and Drew had hope. You saw that hope on the coach’s face. Well, you almost saw it behind his fingers.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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March Madness 2022: Underdog picks for Saturday’s Second Round matchups

Breaking down which underdogs have the best chances to pull off upsets.

The 2022 NCAA Tournament is in full swing and the opening couple of days is already presenting the madness that we crave. Some of the higher-seeded teams are dropping like flies (Colorado State, Iowa, UConn, Kentucky, to name a few) or just narrowly holding on (Arkansas, UCLA, Illinois, Michigan State).

Why would such chaos suddenly end now?

Hate it, or love it, an eight-game Saturday slate is sure to produce plenty of opportunities for the underdogs to come out on top. Here are the few teams who will have the likeliest shots to bust up some brackets.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

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Don’t tell us the odds. Tom Izzo, Michigan State, are a great bet against Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

Izzo over Coach K in March is safe.

I’m not going to beat around the bush.

I see no statistical basis or player advantage that says No. 7 Michigan State (+6.5 underdogs with Tipico Sportsbook) should upset Duke on Sunday afternoon.

In his last ride with the Durham faithful, Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils are one of the favorites to win the Men’s NCAA tournament. And aside from talents like Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore–who any squad would be lucky to have–I can give you a laundry list of reasons corroborating that rationale. Duke is the eighth-best scoring team in the country (80.1 points per game). They rebound well (30th in the nation), pass like a well-oiled machine (9th overall in assists), and rarely if ever, give away points by fouling (third-lowest opponent free throw attempts in the country).

Michigan State, by direct contrast, uh, shoots three’s kind of well? (27th overall in three-point percentage.) They have … Gabe Brown? Yeah, I’m not super enthusiastic about this matchup on paper.

But this is Tom Izzo, in March, against Mike Krzyzewski. All bets are off.

Or should I say, on?

I will never count out a Spartan team against anyone, as long as that man roams courtside for Michigan State. And to be candid, if anyone’s going to knock off Duke before they go on a deep tournament run that frustrates everyone outside of Durham County, it’s a Michigan State team led by Izzo that has seemingly no business beating title contenders.

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It’s not as if this version of Duke is invincible and immune to letdowns. If the Blue Devils can lose to North Carolina in Mike Krzyzewski’s final-ever game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, if they “make” their legendary coach apologize for their poor effort, then they can certainly lose to Michigan State when the stakes are win or go home.

Steel your nerves and have some courage. Roll with Izzo and Sparty over Coach K one last time.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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Davidson had a stunning backdoor cover with seconds left against Michigan State

Play to the final whistle. You never know what’s possible.

Better late than never. That’s what I was always say.

While Tom Izzo and Co. have shocked the world before, most don’t expect Michigan State (-1) to make a deep run during this Men’s NCAA tournament. Still, bet against the Spartans at your own risk. Even better, bet against their opponents, clearly pulling out all the stops to cover the spread at your peril.

On Friday, that was Davidson. Izzo’s crew held a 74-70 lead with seconds remaining. Michigan State would advance to the second round for the first time since 2019. But the Wildcats had one remaining, and shocking, burst in them.

One halfcourt heave pass to Lee Hyun-jung and one three to rule them all to cover a tinyΒ spread.

Wow. Shoutout to the Davidson men for playing to the final whistle. They could’ve simply inbounded the ball, run the clock out, and moved on with their lives. Instead, they pushed for the slightest percent chance of an upset and made Michigan State -1 bettors overjoyed everywhere.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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Zero perfect brackets remain after the first round of March Madness 2022

Perfection has to wait until next spring.

You know, usually, it takes a little longer for everyone’s brackets to spontaneously self-combust. This writer, for one, who definitely didn’t pick his bracket on an “eeny, meenie, miny, moe” basis, thought that his selections would last longer than the first weekend.

Oh well, you live, and you don’t learn.

Two fateful and exciting days of the 2022 Men’s NCAA tournament are in the books. The beautiful Peacocks of Saint Peter’s humiliated Kentucky. Consensus national title favorite Gonzaga flirted with disaster. And in Pittsburgh, Illinois became the first extremely fortunate team to advance to the next round despite laying a massive egg.

There will always be shocks and bracket busters. But I can’t say it’s a good look at our collective prognosticating ability that zero perfect brackets remain. Anywhere. Not on ESPN. Not on Yahoo. Not on CBS. And not even on the NCAA website proper.

Again, zero perfect brackets. Nada. Zilch. After only 36 total games (including the First Four).

This March was supposed to be different. One of us, one of the millions of us, was supposed to go all the way. Not one got lucky. Instead, we all indeed look like Nick Young right now. Oh well. To next March, it is.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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Illinois survived Chattanooga’s upset bid and no one is quite sure how

It’s better to be lucky than good sometimes.

Ever so often, you watch a game and you’re not entirely certain how the winner pulled it off. You give them their appropriate credit but are still baffled how they ended up with more points than the other team.

On Friday, that was No. 4 Illinois (-8) against No. 13 Chattanooga in the Men’s NCAA tournament. The Illini scraped by, 54-53, and we’re still wracking our brains at how they pieced the win together. When you’re in line for an upset and show little signs of life the entire game, you’re not supposed to get up off the mat.

The Illini’s chances of avoiding disappointment seemed unlikely when Chattanooga took a 20-6 lead halfway through the first half. It seemed outright impossible when the Mocs held a 51-46 lead with less than five minutes to go. Brad Underwood’s squad looked unprepared and completely overwhelmed throughout the night.

What other conclusion can you reach when you shoot 38 percent from the field as a team while missing nine free throws?

And when Coleman Hawkins missed a free throw with 48 seconds remaining, you might as well have packed it in and left early if you’re Illinois. Missed free throws are the death sentence in the tournament.

That is unless you’re Kofi Cockburn.

Whoa. What a Herculean effort from the young center and a timely fortuitous bounce for Illinois.

Still, they had to hang on. Once the two teams exchanged pairs of free throws, Chattanooga was right there at the end with not one but two shots.

Right there!

If you’re an Illini fan still wiping off the obvious nervous flop sweat from your forehead, I don’t blame you. I think your squad got away with one.

If you’re a Chattanooga fan, I don’t know what to tell you. Everything happens for a reason? Oh well, at least there’s next year. Maybe you’ll enjoy the Illini’s luck then.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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