A Short Rundown of the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament Post-Vegas

Watching the opening rounds of the 2009 NCAA basketball tournament in Vegas is a lot like eating at Casa Bonita – the food tastes like crap but everyone’s drunk and having a good time.

Of course the main difference about watching the tourney in Vegas as opposed to anywhere else is the betting. Sure, all those office pools where you fill out your nice little bracket are kind of like betting, but when you get to Vegas you throw those little bastards right out the window. Suddenly, you’re not rooting for Western Kentucky to get the upset, you’re simply rooting for them to lose by less than 8. There’s an argument in here somewhere about how betting ruins the enjoyment of sports, ala the way fantasy football ruins sports, but I’ll save that for another time. Or never.

Putting that aside, betting is fun, and betting on the tournament was a lot of fun. But even more fun was watching the games with hundreds of fans cheering on their teams and always cheering for a good game.

Recapping the Games:

Let’s say this upfront: I was drunk the majority of the time the games were being played, not to mention all the other distractions (damn you Deal or No Deal slot machine!!!!). Not only that, but I’m lazy, so here’s a quick rundown.

Kansas is for real: For all the doubters, Cole Aldrich and KU proved in the second round why they are legit contenders this year. If he plays to his potential he can drown any big men from any conference – including the hyped Big East.

Duke is good…enough: They are barely good enough to be in the sweet 16, and I mean barely.

What up with Wake?: I tried to bet on Cleveland State to win, even though I had Wake in my Elite Eight. There was no money line on the game (meaning the payout was for even money, and I was trying to bet low money for a big payout), so I didn’t do it. Oooops! Lucky for Arizona, they’ve had a fairly mild road to the Sweet 16. We’ll find out what they’re really made of this weekend.

Villanova is playing great: Not to mention I bet on them to beat the spread against UCLA – boo ya! Wow, they looked really, really good after that game. And Jay Wright is one well dressed coach.

Pitt has nothing to worry about: Having trouble with a 16 seed ain’t nothin’. It happens. If you can’t handle surprises and grind out a tough win, then you don’t have what it takes.

Missouri doesn’t suck: Touche, Mizzou. I still hate you.

UNC has it in them: Ty Lawson had a monster game against LSU, and UNC is cruising right now.

My final four is still in: My bracket is not looking good, but I’m feeling more and more confident about my final four picks.

Non-NCAA Tourney Related

Yes, there are maybe one or two sports stories outside of the NCAA tourney that are of note.

John Madden says Cutler-McDaniels feud is fixable: Gee, thanks John Madden. I value your opinion almost as much as your color commentary. Meaning, you guessed it, I hate you.

Mickelson wins: or maybe he didn’t. I don’t care, I hate GOLF!!!

That’s all for now, glad to be back.