Villa... Who?

Villanova beat Duke? What is basketball coming to?

My picks for the remainder of the tournament:

Pittsburgh vs. Villanova = Pittsburgh
Louisville vs. Arizona = Louisville
Kansas vs. Michigan State = Kansas
Connecticut vs. Missouri = Connecticut
North Carolina vs. Gonzaga = North Carolina (though I do hope Gonzaga wins)
Syracuse vs. Oklahoma = Oklahoma

And what team will win the tournament now that Duke is out? It's hard to say. But I'm liking Kansas and Louisville. And of those two, I like Kansas. However, so far, each of the #1 seeds have proven themselves to be the best in their region consistently. Kansas would definitely be an upset, but what's a tournament without a little surprise? My final four picks are:

Kansas, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and North Carolina

Of those four, Connecticut and North Carolina will go to the big dance, and UConn will win the championship. Convention say UNC will win, and my aunt loves the Tarheels. Upsets make the game interesting, though, so UConn it is.

Beyond the Ball

In an interview with CBS Sports, the SEC conference chairman noted that NCAA basketball selections were founded on a big picture approach to evaluating teams. They look beyond what the media announcers dubb the "power teams" (UNC, UCLA, Perdue, etc.) and instead consider a number of other factors that go into determining what makes a great team. He mentioned not only the skill of each team's players but also their willingness to compete against higher ranked teams. For some schools that means enduring strenuous travel schedules. The opposing teams they're out to meet often aren't the ones who anything to lose and so will often refuse to travel to the campuses of lower ranked teams because they don't have to. There is fairness in the team selection process that wasn't clear before, and I find it refreshing to know the process is based on a logical, weighted system. It isn't just about the number of games a team happens to win; it's also about the games' level of difficulty.

That said, I give more value to the selection of the final 65 teams that have made it to the NCAA tournament. Just being there validates the practices, plays, and sacrifices each student athlete has made, regardless of whether his team wins in the end. It is a matter of distinction.

Now I must make my picks. Several of my favorite schools have made it to the tournament, and most of these are relative surprises. They're going against highly favored teams, and their wins would be what most announcers would call upsets. I'm going to call the games as I'd like them to go anyhow. Not as the experts say they will, but as I hope the outcomes will be.


Midwest
Ohio vs. Sienna = Ohio
Utah vs. Arizona = Utah
Wake Forest vs. Cleveland = Wake Forest
WVA vs. Dayton = Dayton
Kansas vs. N. Dakota = Kansas
Boston College vs. Southern Cal = Southern Cal
Michigan State vs. Robert Morris = Michigan State

West
UConn vs. Tennessee = UConn
BYU vs. Texas A M = BYU
Purdue vs. N. Iowa = Purdue
Washington vs. Mississippi = Mississippi
Marquette vs. Utah = Marquette
Missouri vs. Cornell = Missouri
California vs. Maryland = Maryland
Memphis vs. CS Northridge = Memphis

East
UPitt vs. E. Tenn = UPitt
OK State vs. TN = TN
FL vs. WI = WI
Xavier vs. Portland = Xavier
UCLA vs. VCU = UCLA
Villinova vs. American = American
TX vs. MN = TX
Duke vs. Binghamton = Duke


South
UNC vs. Radford = UNC
LSU vs. Butler = LSU
Illinois vs. Western KY = Illinois
Gonzaga vs. Akron = Gonzaga
Arizona vs. Temple = Temple
Syracuse vs. S F Austin = Syracuse
Clemson vs. MI = MI
OK vs. Morgan State = Morgan State

Road to Final Four Picks

Image credit: pelotafan.com/2007_04_01_archive.html
Image credit: www.duke.edu/~blp3/dukebball/


Today a reader asked me how I was doing with my basketball challenge. I told her I hadn't had time to keep up with the games as I'd like. I will begin this weekend. Today at 1pm, the Florida Seminoles are playing. Since I don't know if the Seminoles are the same as the Gators, I suppose that will be the first thing I research once I've finished this post. She and her husband are huge Gators fans.

It behooves me as well to announce my picks at least for the Final Four. Unfortunately, no team from Florida will make it even to the Sweet 16. My aunt favors North Carolina. I favor Duke. But identifying the serious contenders -- a feat requiring more than supporting the teams with prettiest colors (as I admit to having done in the past) or the team that happens to be leading at the time I tune into a game -- that takes effort. I will do a bit of research, abd compile four picks.

Coincidently, the Seminoles are playing Duke tomorrow. How confident am I that Duke will win?

A Post From My Film Blog

Here's a post from my film blog Walking Toward Wisdom in Film:

Here's an interesting tidbit of information about a new Jaimee Foxx film coming up in April. The film is called The Soloist and is about a successful musician who ends up homeless because of mental illness. In conjunction with the release of the film orchestras around the country are accepting donations of non-perishable goods.

The League of American Orchestras (“the League”), Feeding America, and Participant Media are three major organizations teaming up to sponsor this event. For more information about these organizations, visit their websites at americanorchestras.org, feedingamerica.org, or participantmedia.com.

Here's a blurb about the food drive and the upcoming Soloist from a press release:

League President and CEO Jesse Rosen commented, “The story of The Soloist reminds us that classical music has the power to sustain spirits and change lives, even under the most difficult circumstances. Our team effort with Feeding America and The Soloist gives America’s orchestras a way to use that power to make an even greater difference in our communities--to feed both body and soul.”

Vicki Escarra, Feeding America President and CEO, said, “Feeding America is thrilled that America’s orchestras are joining us in our fight against hunger in America. This partnership will help the hungry in nearly every community nationwide and the 36million people who are at risk of hunger.”

The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr., directed by Joe Wright, will be released by Paramount Pictures to theaters nationwide on April 24.. A DreamWorks Pictures/Universal Pictures presentation in association with Studio Canal and Participant Media, the film is based on the true story of the relationship between Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a gifted Juilliard-trained string player whose mental illness and unfortunate circumstances landed him among the homeless on the streets of Los Angeles . Featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Soloist is a testament to the redemptive power of music and a reminder of our connections to the most vulnerable among us.

The Price of Basketball Madness

After a good deal of surfing this evening, I've resolved to attend a live basketball game. It is March Madness season after all, and most every team that's made it to the finals is bound to turn out a good game. The tickets are pretty cheap, too. About $12 at one university.

I also checked out the professional teams. One ticket courtside is $2,500! Nose bleed seats are at a much more reasonable rate, $20. Then out of curiosity, I also checked out the NCAA tourney tickets. The less expensive seats are about $150, and the courtside seats are $700. It's a slightly better deal on the high end, but for someone like me who's not really into sports, nose bleed at $20 or college ball $12 is just fine.

Though How March Became Madness is still on my list, I realize, as is usually true for avid readers, that I have more books waiting to be read than I actually have to read. Right now I'm finishing up Get Ahead by Going Abroad. Not all of it is relavant to me, but I find the details about business and personal experiences of women who've traveled and made sucesses of their careers quite inspiring. Then there are two books each on volunteering and foreign cultures. After that, a tome of etiquette. Where will I squeeze in my study about basketball?

Valentines in the Madness of March

It feels like Valentine's Day. All around there are happy, smiling couples, chirping birds, exchanges of knowing glances between long settled pairs. Then there's me. Walking alone. Eating alone. Sitting on the bus alone. Reading a book.

What I need is a basketball game. It's March Madness season. So, that will be it. That will be my next challenge, and I will forget about hearts and kisses and hugs, hand holding, rubbing noses, and all manner of embrace. But first things first: Learning the rules of the game and its history.

Go blue!

I believe I will begin with How March Became Madness. It's a book I've perused before maybe a few years back, but I remember enjoying it a good deal. I knew very little about basketball when I picked the book up. I'd initially gotten it because it had a nice cover. Then I read it, and I was amazed at how interesting the author, Einhorn, made everything. I never finished the book when I read it the first time. Now is a great time to start again.

Confessions...

I'm still working on my personal challenge, but somehow along the way, I met a man who got me sidetracked. Well, I can't really blame him, but lately, he has been the source of much temptation. So, without the nerve or gall to tell him in person, I told him in an e-mail that I no longer wanted to see him again. But who am kidding?! If he called me now, I'd come running.

The odd thing is that just three days prior, I witnessed to him about the very thing that tore us apart. I encouraged him to go to God since it was clear that by looking for he wanted the world's way, he was getting nowhere. What would he have to lose?

Then yesterday, I was tempted by the same longing, but instead of his encouraging me the way I had encouraged him, he encouraged me to do the opposite. In a way, it's a little funny. Men are notorious for not being able to refuse to certain things. Of course, it is a myth, but humourous to consider, nonetheless.

I'm sitting there waiting for him to say something contrary, like maybe we shouldn't jeopardize our friendship. And he says, "You know, I think it would be good for both of us."

"Yeah, I'll bet," I say to myself, and then he goes on to describe certain details.

When I had a few moments to reflect on my decision, that's when I began to feel the weight of it all. I felt guilty, but to save myself and my friend (though I am certain he will find someone else soon enough), I ended it all. Part of me wants to call him back.