The Adventures of SixBit

SixBits Six Picks - WEEK 5 PLUS Special Guest Picks

2006-10-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

The pressure has been ratcheted up this week. This week we have our first person with the guts enough to be a guest picker. As I stated before, any Guest picker beating me will win a prize. Pinky is the first to step up - I guess she has a lot of time these days while she is hanging out on the couch. Or she thinks the prize is a new kitchen.

So without further ado, here are the picks!

SixBits Six Picks
texas a&m @ Kansas (1.5): For Dan Wachdorf and my a&m buddies at work (who brought me donuts last week), I will go with a&m.

Baylor @ Colorado (-5): You'd think that Colorado would have to win a game before being the favorite. Baylor is the choice.

LSU @ Florida (-1): Haven't seen either play but I sense Florida is overrated. LSU is the pick.

Oregon @ California (-5): California has been hot, hot, hot. Oregon has been hot, hot, lucky, hot. I'll take Cal at home.

Miami @ NewEngland (-9.5): NE stepped up big last week. I think this week they are on the down portion of their roller coaster. I'll take Miami.

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-6.5): I think NO will win big. TB has a rookie QB and all sorts of line problems. NO is the choice and this week's SixBit SURETHING.

Pinkys Picks
Dallas @ Philadelphia (-2): DALLAS
Baltimore @ Denver (-4): DENVER
Missouri @ Texas Tech (-5): TEXAS TECH
Tennesse @ Indianapolis (-18.5): INDIANAPOLIS
Washington @ NY Giants (-4.5): NY GIANTS
Michigan St. @ Michigan (-15): MICHIGAN

Week4 Recap

2006-10-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Once again, I hit 3-3. Not exactly going to get myself a Cervelo P3 Carbon that way. I may have to be more aggressive with the picks this week.

To recap,
I won with Dallas, TEXAS TECH, and California. I lost with ASU (shouldn't have changed my mind), Cincinnati, and Kansas State. A major development for the week, however, was winning my SURETHING (Dallas).

So for the week: 3-3 overall; 1-0 SURETHING
And for the Season: 14-10 overall; 1-3 SURETHING

Be ready to experience big things in Week 5.

SixBits Six Picks - WEEK 4

2006-09-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

On to week 4 and better things. I am feeling very confident. This promises to be a very good week so let's get right to it.

Dallas at Tennessee (+9.5)
I know the Cowboys have been enitrely focused on football for the past two weeks. That coupled with Tennessee's mediocre team can only spell one thing: Cowboys dominate, cover the spread, and are this week's SURETHING. You can always take my SURETHING to the bank!

New England at Cincinnati (-6)
New England is getting too much respect based on past success. This team looks a little lost. Unfortunately for them, the Bengals are quite good. I don't see any way the Bengals don't cover this one.

Texas Tech at texas a&m (-2)
I can't pass this one up even if it goes against the mantra of not picking games with your alma mater. The last two games in College Station have gone to OT. I don't think anyone knows how good or bad these teams are. a&m has been playing a 'guarantee a bowl game' non-conference schedule. Tech scored 3 points against TCU. I can't pick against my Red Raiders. I am taking them based on the fact they now have Jarret Hicks back in the lineup.

California at Oregon St (9.5)
Cal is still trying to regain faith from the public based on losing their first game to Tennessee. They have gotten the ship righted since then. They cover the spread on this one and go back to Berkeley with a W.

Oregon at Arizona St. (1.5)
I came into this one picking Oregon. Just now I changed my mind and am going with ASU. Don't ask why but I just feel it. Never question my picks, just use them to get rich.

Kansas St at Baylor (-1.5)
This line baffles me. The oddsmakers must know something that I don't know because I would figure KSt to be a huge favorite. The oddsmakers probably just screwed this one up. Take KSt while you still can. Hurry before they realize their mistake. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

Week3 Recap

2006-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

Went 3-3 in Week 3. Not bad if you can mix those weeks in with weeks like I had in Weed 2.

To recap,
I won with Louisville, Washington, and Cincinnati but lost with Minnesota, ND, and Purdue. As you will surely note, I once again lost my SixBit SURETHING.

So for the week: 3-3 overall; 0-1 SURETHING
And for the Season: 11-7 overall; 0-3 SURETHING

On to Week4 and better things.

SixBits Six Picks - WEEK 3

2006-09-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

After last week's performance, I have set the bar pretty high. But as I said after Week 1, I was just getting warmed up. So let's get into this week's picks.

Louisville at Kansas St (+14)
Let's be honest. No team from Kentucky or Kansas should be very good at football. Those are basketball states. Louisville, however, has managed to put quite a squad together. I don't like Big 12 foe Kansas St so I am going with Louisville.

Minnesota at Purdue (+3)
Purdue may be 3-0 but it is a pretty lame 3-0. Sort of like texas a&m's. Play somebody before declaring yourself good. This is my SixBit SURE THING. Minnesota easily covers the spread.

UTEP at New Mexico (+9.5)
UTEP has Carson Palmer's little brother. That is good enough for me. Coupled with the fact that UNM has no running game and a backup QB, I am definitely taking UTEP.

Notre Dame at Michigan State (+3)
ND let me down last week. And I don't like ND. And MSU pummeled ND last year. Of course, all of this means that I am going with ... ND! They will be looking to right the ship after last week.

Washington at Houston (+4)
I wonder if Houston still is happy with their non-selection of Reggie Bush. I haven't seen much improvement in their Defense. This is a no-brainer - Washington covers the spread.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-2)
This is one of the huge games of the NFL weekend. I got to see an awful lot of Pittsburgh on Monday night while at the hospital and can't say I was impressed. It is going to take a few more weeks for Big Ben to get back in sync. I like the Bengals in this one.

Strangely enough, I ended up with picks for 6 road teams. We'll see how that works out; if I think about it too long, it will make me uneasy.

Week2 Recap

2006-09-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

SixBit posted an impressive 5-1 record for the week. I won with BC (7 point winner over BYU), ASU (18 point winner over Colorado), USC (18 point winner over Nebraska), Seattle (11 point winner over Arizona) and SF (who actually won even though they weren't favored). I lost my SURETHING when Michigan hammered ND.

So for the week, I was 5-1 and lost my SixBit SURETHING.

On the year: 8-4 (overall against the spread); 0-2 (SURETHING).

Stay tuned for this week's picks on Friday.

SixBits Six Picks - WEEK 2

2006-09-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

Last week was just a warm-up week and I still was .500. I am fully expecting a strong week. You can take these to the bank.

BYU at Boston College (-7)
BC has been impressive early in the season. I have no idea how well BYU has done. That does not matter, however, since it is always fun to go against BYU. I am taking BC.

Michigan at Notre Dame (-6)
Does anyone else feel sorry for Brady Quinn of Notre Dame? I bet that guy couldn't buy a date. I love it when ND loses - but Michigan isn't the Michigan of old. This is my SixBit SURE THING. Take ND.

ASU at Colorado (+11)
Apparently Colorado forgot that football was major D1 sport since they have been excruciantingly bad. They even made New Mexico's loss to Div I-AA Portland State look good. I am taking ASU in this one.

Nebraska at USC (-18)
Rarely should you ever bet on a team to win by more than 18 points, but this is a good exception. Nebraska has forgotten what the elite teams in college football are really like. That tends to happen when you have a few horrendous seasons and then win a few games. My belief is that the Nebraska players will be shellshocked at what they are missing by living in Nebraska after seeing LA and wont be able to focus.

Arizona at Seattle (-7)
Arizona has been the hot pick for up and coming team. Last week Alex Smith looked good against their defense. The Seahawks roll to an easy victory and cover.

StLouis at SF (+3)
Again SF looked much better than they probably are. But the same goes for the Rams. I came into this column leaning towards StL but not am going with SF and the red hot Alex Smith who was so impressive against a tough Arizona D last week. Go Frank Gore and Vernon Davis. SF is the upset special!

Week1 Recap

2006-09-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

I managed to break even on my Week 1 picks. You'll note that I broke a cardinal room by taking my favorite college team (Texas Tech) - and made them my sure thing. So for the week, I ended up 3-3 (winners: Philadelphia, Indianapolis, New Mexico St; losers - Denver, Seattle, Texas Tech).

One funny note from Week 1 has to do with Florida St. If you've ever been around an FSU fan (e.g. yo_mama), you certainly know how "great" they are. Well, apparently their AD fell asleep for so long that every other college team was booked for last weekend except FSU. Naturally they needed a game to support their other sports - so the AD took the next best thing to a college team. He scheduled FSU to play some guy named Troy. And boy did that Troy guy put up a good fight. Imagine having to play both ways one against eleven. As you can imagine Troy got tired near the end of the game and FSU was able to score two late TD's to win 24-17. But playing offense and defense all by yourself against a "great" team like FSU and almost winning is incredible. I say the AD deserves a promotion for knowing when to stop - i.e. scheduling a game against Troy instead against Troy and Steve.

Week 2 picks will be posted Thursday or Friday. If you want to try your hand, send me six picks against the spread (you can find them on sites like USA Today).

SixBits Six Picks - WEEK 1

2006-09-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week1 of SixBit Six Picks. Every week right here you will find the information you need to become rich (or at least be entertained). If you would like to be a guest picker for next week, let me know and I'll send you the games for Week2.

Denver at St. Louis (+3.5)
Not sure why anyone would think that the Rams could stay within 4 points of the Broncos. This is way too easy - I am taking Denver.

Philadelphia at Houston (+4)
The Texans are like the worst expansion team ever. They'll regret not drafting Reggie Bush before this one is over. I am taking the Eagles.

Seattle at Detroit (+6)
Are we to believe that the little bear cubs are now Lions under their new head coach? I think not. The Seahawks easily cover the spread.

Indianapolis at New York Giants (+3.5)
Tired of the hype of this game yet? I kind of like the commercial with the Manning brothers so I am not tired yet. This will be a case where big brother beats up on little brother just like old times. I take the Colts the best regular season team in a long time. Too bad there have to be playoffs.

New Mexico at New Mexico State (+9)
Going for some regional flair here. Normally I would never, ever, ever go with NMSU. This year, however, I am going to have to put my hat in with the Aggies. If they don't win, they should be able to stay within 9 points. Of couse this all assumes that the Lobos embarrassing loss to Div I-AA Portland St crushes them instead of motivating them.

Texas Tech at Texas El Paso (+7)
This is SixBit's SURE THING. Who can stop the mighty force that is the Red Raiders? Certainly not UTEP. Why this spread is so low, I have no idea. So sell all your possessions and double your net worth by taking the Red Raiders who should comfortably cover the spread.

SixBit's Six Picks - New Weekly Feature

2006-08-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

A few people have lamented about me taking the summer off from blogging. I had a busy summer of training and "racing". I don't really "race" since I don't have any chance of winning any of the major events like the Buffalo Springs Half-Ironman. But I usually end up racing against a time goal I have set for myself.

So anyway I am now semi-retired and getting fat on the couch. All that is good news for you since I will be starting a weekly column titled SixBit's Six Picks. For this column, I will be picking at least six games (from college and the NFL) against the spread. I would also like to have a guest pick games for the same week. We'll go head-to-head and if you win, I'll send you a prize. So if you would like to be a guest prognosticator one of the weeks, let me know. The first set of games will be the weekend of Sept. 9th.

Disclaimer: These selections will be for fun only - Any irresponsible use of your hard earned money is your problem.

SixBit

Mission Accomplished

2006-04-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took part in my first (and probably last) marathon. I finished in about 3:54:00 which was right about what I was hoping for. I knew that if I didn't make it under 4hrs that I would feel the need to do another one. I don't in any sense consider myself a runner so this was a major accomplishment. Even more so, considering my condition in early January. Many of you already know how I was out early on a Saturday morning riding my bike when I tried to help the police run down some thug who had commited a couple of felonies. To make a long story short, I ended up need staples in two spots in my lower right leg that kept me from training for a few weeks.

Some observations from Saturday's run:
* The first few miles were great as we were heading down to the river and there were hot air balloons overhead.
* It was nice to have an event where I got to stick to my plan (ie ~9min miles throughout)
* 2.5mi between aid stations is way too much over the last 10 miles; especially when they run out of cups
* I can't remember my stomach feeling worse than when I headed up Central at mile 25 and had to run past big trucks that had been sitting there in the lane over spewing exhaust; and then going past McDonalds. That coupled with slight dehydration almost did me in
* I've had plenty of "runners" tell me a marathon is harder than a Half-Ironman. My opinion is that it certainly isn't. I felt much better at mile 13.1 in the marathon than I ever have at the start of the run on a HIM. Plus, doing a HIM requires competence and training dedication in 3 different event.

Special thanks go out to Matt for keeping on top of me and making me do this; Summer for allowing me to hang out with her at the back of the pack at the start keeping me from going out to fast; my family for their support in all areas ( too many to account for here).

G, Where art thou?

2006-04-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

T-Ball has been a little disappointing since I last wrote. G has only been at one of the three or four games since then. Unfortunately, I was not in a good position to hear much of his conversation. He did pull one classic play that will live in my memory for a long time. G was playing in right field and another boy was in left field. Most of the kids can't hit very far so they weren't playing very deep. A ball was hit to the left fielder and he chased it down. Just as he was getting ready to throw it in, he was blindsided. G had gotten a head of steam going and just waylaid the kid. I am not sure he was even trying to get the ball. This hit rivaled anything you might see on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon watching football. It was the first time I've ever seen a coach eject his own team member to the dugout in the middle of an inning.

T-Ball Comedy

2006-04-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Boo is playing T-Ball this spring. He expressed an interest in playing this winter so we jumped on it. You can understand why we were all for him playing if you have ever seen him play soccer. He can be quite entertaining.

This, however, is not a blog about Boo. Alas, it is a blog about a boy on his team named Georgie. Now I could describe Georgie's appearance to you, but you probably already have an accurate vision of him in your minds. I spent Monday night hanging out with Georgie's dad while watching the game. He is an extremely nice guy and a good, supportive parent. By standing next to Georgie's dad on Monday, I got a front row seat to the comedy that is Georgie. I'll try to keep it brief but a summary of his comedy is detailed below.

* In the bottom of the 2nd inning, G was the catcher. The catcher gear essentially swallows up most of the kids. G walked past us on the way to homeplate and told his dad, "Dad, the coach just told me to put all this gear and and they threw it all on me - but don't worry I still have my uniform on underneath it all."

* The catcher is supposed to hand the ball to the opposing coach to put on the tee for his batter. There was a delay between the 1st and 2nd batters. I was trying to figure out what was going on as one of our coaches was called out to homeplate. Turns out G wanted to know from our coach whether the other coach was a "stranger" because the "stranger" was asking for the ball and G's parents had taught him not to talk to strangers.

* While running between any base, G always throws his helmet off. He did this on the way to 1st base right in front of dad and me. His dad told G to leave the helmet on. G replied, "Dad it just keeps flying off."

* While playing catcher, G had to be told a number of times not to yell "Swing batter swing!".

* After scoring a run, the player is supposed to pick up the bat and return it to the dugout. G picked up the bat, got halfway there, and dropped both his helmet and the bat and kept going. Dad said G was treating it just like home. I decided it was a habit when I saw he had left his cap and glove on the field later when coming in to bat.

* Later G sat on every base while his team was batting then would get up and try to kick up as much dust as possible.

* In the last inning, G was up to his old smack talk telling the batters to "swing already" while playing the pitcher position. He then proceeded to sit on the ground and when the coaches told him to stand up and get ready he said "ah he'll hit it on the ground"

Next game is Saturday morning at 7:30AM. I'll update with anything good. By the way, Boo had three nice hits and three very good fielding plays. Now to work on his throwing.

Friday's NCAA Matchups - SixBit Style

2006-03-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON DC REGIONAL
(1)UConn vs. (16)Albany
This pits the Huskies against the Great Danes. While I'm sure both are great dogs, only one is a good team. UConn sends Albany to the kennel in a cakewalk.

(8)Kentucky vs. (9)Alabama-Birmingham
Intriguing matchup. You know UAB will want to win so they can stay out their jaguar infested state for a while. But Kentucky is Kentucky and it is hard to go against them even if they are having a down year. Then again, UAB has a really cool dragon mascot and call themselves the Blazers. But Kentucky has Naomi Judd as their #1 fan. I flipped a coin on this one and it came up Kentucky.

(6)Michigan St. vs. (11)George Mason
While pondering this matchup, I was wishing I could meet the "George" who was such a fantastic mason that he got a university named after him. Somehow that quickly turned into wishing I had a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Michigan St. is the easy choice here as I seen them making a run to the regional final.

(3) North Carolina vs. (14)Murray St.
Ahhh. Another team claiming to be a state when they actually aren't. And this isn't even the most egregious example (see below). You know my policy, no non-state teams claiming to be states will win an NCAA game. The longer they are in the tourney, the more they mis-educate the youngsters who follow the tournament. They must be abolished and soon. NC in a yawner.

ATLANTA REGIONAL
(6)West Virginia vs. (11)Southern Illinois
WV is one of my new favorite teams after they rocked the Pit here in Albuquerque at last year's regional. Their fans are passionate and travel in packs consuming large amounts of high-energy carbs. They beat Texas Tech in last year's regional semi-final so that is good enough for me. No reason to even mention SI. WV wins in a 3-point barrage.

(3)Iowa vs. (14)Northwestern State
And finally we have come to our most egregious example. Northwestern State? Imagine my shock when research led me to the discovery that this school is actually from LOUISIANA! So now it is no shock that Louisiana usually ranks 50th out of 50 states in educational scores. Iowa wins this one by forfeit as the geographically challenged NS can't find its way out of the state and never makes it to the arena.

(7)California vs. (10)North Carolina St.
I like California and they have a solid team. But they matchup against a university that knows what a state is. NC St. takes this nail-biter.

(2)Texas vs. (15)Penn
Texas beat Texas Tech 3(!) times this year. No brainer on this game. They send Penn back home so they can get down to doing all that Ivy League stuff they do.

MINNEAPOLIS REGIONAL
(1)Villanova vs. (16)Monmouth
Uh not much to say here. I have a hunch Villanova will win.

(8)Arizona vs. (9)Wisconsin
This one is a dead-even matchup between disappointing teams. Neither one beat Texas Tech so I am not sure how to differentiate between the two. I do like cheese, however, so gotta go with Wisconsin.

(7)Georgetown vs. (10)Northern Iowa
When I think of Georgetown, I think of Freddie Brown's last second pass to a wide open North Carolina player in the championship game and that bald guy with the funny shaped head they used to have back in the 80's. Then I start to feel bad that those are my shallow memories of Georgetown. To pay pennance, I predict them to win.

(2)Ohio St. vs. (15)Davidson
Since Davidson will be out of of the tournament before Saturday rolls around, you show know that they are called the Wildcats. A scintillating choice but that won't help them in this one.

OAKLAND REGIONAL
(1)Memphis vs. (16)Oral Roberts
ORU will lose and lose for one big reason: they don't have enough faith. If they had enough, they would most certainly win. How much they would need I don't know but however much they have is not enough.

(8)Arkansas vs. (9)Bucknell
I bet you didn't know that Bucknell was actually ranked in the Top 25 near the end of the season. This is a good team who had success in last year's tourney. I love the underdog and see Bucknell pulling it out.

(5)Pittsburgh vs. (12)Kent State
You don't even need to read this one to know that I am going with Pittsburgh. The only hope Kent "not a" State has in this one is if the Kent is short for Clark Kent.

(4)Kansas vs. (13)Bradley
It is never fair when it is 5 against 1. Poor Bradley, he doesn't stand a chance trying to guard all the athletic Jayhawks. Kansas has really turned it up the past 6 weeks and will have no problem putting away Mr. Bradley.

As always, my advice is free but am willing to accept snacks and meals.

Thursday's 1st Round Matchups - SixBit Style

2006-03-14T18:37:00.000-08:00

Making sure to give you enough time to hit Vegas with my advice, I am previewing Thursday's matchups early.

Washington DC Regional
(5) UWashington vs (12) Utah St
As an alum of UW, you know I am going to be a little biased. Who can resist the Purple? UW is very athletic and can score. On the flip side, they tend to become disinterested in defense. Utah St. will keep it close but will not be able to overcome Brandon Roy and Jamaal Williams.

(4) Illinois vs (13) Air Force
Where to begin? This could be Illinois vs. Cincinnati, Michigan, Florida St, etc... and the result would be the same. Illinois is making it to the second round. At least this game has the chance to be entertaining - how long will AF and its Princeton offense be able to keep it close.

(7) Wichita St. vs. (10) Seton Hall
To start with, I did check on my state quarter map and nowhere did I find Wichita. I guess it really isn't a state. Maybe that is why they are known as the "Shockers" - because it is a shock to everyone from Alabama and Louisiana that Wichita isn't a state. Based on their name alone, Seton Hall is the choice here. Plus SH has the added incentive of playing for Coach Orr's job.

(2) Tennessee vs. (15) Winthrop
OK, this is really like a #4 seed vs a #15 but apparently Tennesse coach Bruce Pearl was sending the committee Nashville BBQ during their deliberations. Winthrop definitely has the experience and ability to pull off the upset. I think Tennessee, however, will pull out a close one.

Atlanta Regional
(1) Puke vs. (16) Southern U.
If somehow, someway Southern could pull off this colossal upset, I would never complain about Puke ever again. Unfortunately, I will be complaining about Puke on Friday. This one won't be worth watching.

(8) George Washington vs. (9) UNC-Wilmington
Apparently someone on the committee got rejected from a job at GW at some time in the past. A #8 seed for GW was stunning. They had a fantastic year and end up with a very tough draw in the Seahawks from UNCW. Remember UNCW took Maryland to the buzzer in 2003. I think the unexpected low seed and return of Pops Mensah-Bonsu propel GW to victory.

(5) Syracuse vs. (12) Texas A&M
Based on a&m's play the last few months and the propensity for #12's to beat #5's, this game is ripe for an upset. Syracuse went from NIT to a #5 seed by storming through the Big East tournament which means they likely are out of emotion and energy. That being said, this is a&m and a Red Raider would never pick a&m. a&m can't even play football anymore. I see the a&m team taking a page from the football team and not even showing up for the game (re. a&m vs. Tennessee in the 2005 Cotton Bowl). Syracuse takes this in a blowout.

(4) LSU vs. (13) Iona
I didn't have one iota of an idea where Iona is so I looked it up - NY. There are lots of good bball players from NY but I'm not sure that any would go to Iona. By default, LSU is the choice here.

MINNEAPOLIS REGIONAL
(5) Nevada vs. (12) Montana
I have seen Nevada play a few times and they are impressive. They are experienced and have had good success in the last few years. Nevada can shoot the 3 and have a strong inside presence in Fazekas. Montana, on the other hand, likes to run-and-gun and substitutes freely. I see Montana running-and-gunning themselves right out of the building as they take too many quick shots, get behind, and start to press.

(4) Boston College vs. (13) Pacific
OK, I've seen enough of BC the past 2 weeks to be sold on them. I forsee a huge sweet 16 matchup against Villanova for them. This one is over early. So early that I don't even need to say anything about Pacific.

(6) Oklahoma vs. (11) Wisconsin-Milwaukee
OU has struggled as of late. WM starts 4 players who played on the team that made the sweet 16 last year. It certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see WM pull off the minor upset. However, OU did beat Texas Tech twice this year which is good enough for me. OU heads to the 2nd round.

(3) Florida vs. (14) South Alabama
Hmm - what is more 'south' than Alabama? And why is "Jaguars" their nickname? Maybe "Book Burners" was already taken. I suppose I should watch more of the National Geographic channel so I could know the natural habitat of jaguars. The pressure/trapping D employed by SA wont rile Florida. They'll keep it close for a while but Florida will prevail.

(6) Indiana vs. (11) San Diego St.
Ah another matchup that brings my pet peeve to the forefront. San Diego is definitely not a state. However, I've been there and I think it should be so they get the benefit of the doubt. Indiana blows this game off in order to send Mike Davis out the door as early as possible and get one step closer to bringing Steve Alford back to Bloomington. San Diego St (the 51st state) takes this one.

(3) Gonzaga vs. (14) Xavier
This game worries me because I am a big Gonzaga fan. Unfortunately Gonzaga has spent the past few months beating all their inferior conference foes. Beating them, but not beating them by the margins you would expect. I sense boredom in the Zags after they played a killer non-conference schedule. This lack of focus has hurt them the past few tournaments but I am remain hopeful they find the instinct once again and make a serious run in this region that has the appearance of being the easiest. Zags move on.

(7) Marquette vs. (10) Alabama
Marquette has a fantastic team and played well in their inagural Big East season. They have a good inside-outside presence and are experienced. Unfortunately, they are playing Alabama - and Alabama's players are in ironman shape since they get chased daily by jaguars. The fear of returning to the state and those ferocious jaguars inspire Alabama to victory.

(2) UCLA vs. (15) Belmont
Admit it, you didn't know there was a Belmont college. You don't even know where it is. Well it is in Nashville, TN and Belmont has been tearing up the Nashville church leagues for the past few years. It is a nice story but the other Bruins take this one.

These are free of charge - but I will take free lunches.

SixBit's Quick Hits - March Madness

2006-03-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

There's plenty of time before Thursday's action so SixBit will start off the Madness by providing some Quick Hits before I start addressing individual matchups tomorrow.

* I've heard plenty of shock and consternation in the last 24hrs about the selections by the committee - this is a clear indication that the committee has shifted away from sheer RPI numbers in making the selections. Maybe they have been unhappy that the so-called experts were getting the entire field correctly predicted before the selections were announced. I think also they are trying to force the power conferences to schedule more non-conference games against mid-majors.

* So you are a Fla St. or Michigain or Cincinnati fan and are feeling screwed by the committee - Spare me! Let's take a look at these teams individually. Michigan finished 7th out of 11 teams and lost in the first round of their conference tournament. Cincinnati finished 8th in the Big East and also lost in the first round of their conference tournament. Fla St. finished 5th in the ACC (at 9-7) and also lost in the first round of their conference tournament (to the worst conference team no less). Notice a trend - if you finished with a mediocre record in one of the power conferences, you'd better approach your conference tournament with some desperation. You'd better approach it like it was the NCAA tournament.

* Of these teams, FSU would seem to have the biggest gripe but let's dig a little deeper. Normally, finishing 5th in the ACC would be something. This year, however, the league was top-heavy for the top 4 teams and the rest of the teams were mediocre to bad. FSU finished at 9-7 in the conference. They only beat one team ahead of them in the standings - Duke. Sure that is impressive but must be tempered by: 1)the fact that Duke really didn't have a whole lot to play for at the time and 2)FSU also lost to VaTech who finished 4-12 in conference. Looking at their non-conference schedule, I almost thought I was looking at the Texas Tech non-conference football schedule. How pathetic. The committee is telling teams like Fla St to step up and play at least 3 or 4 decent non-conference teams.

* The tournament has never been about getting the absolute best 65 teams. If I wanted to see the whole Big East or ACC or Big 10 in the tournament, I'd just watch ESPN's Big Monday or the conference tournaments. Big deal that you come from power conference. If you come from a power conference, you almost certainly will have some good victories. But if you can't finish with better than a .500 record, there is no reason to expect to be in the Big Dance. When you align yourself in a power conference, you are the recipient of all the advantages: easier recruiting, high strength of schedule rating, TV exposure, $$$. But you also are subject to the expectation that you do better than just being average in conference.

* Enough of that - if Al Gore hadn't convinced you that Global Warming was real, then you need look no further than seeing Texas A&M in the tournament. Let's get this straight - the Aggie football team is pathetic but their basketball team is good.

* Tennesse as a #2 is ridiculous. That was Gonzaga's #2 seed - here's hoping the Zags romp through the easiest regional

* Don't believe the UCLA hype - the Pac-10 is severely diluted.

* This has got to be the most under-achieving Arizona team that Lute Olson has had.

* If you can't get behind Air Force getting the last at-large bid, you are downright traitor-ous. I'd much rather see one of the service academies play (especially when they run the Princeton offense), than another team that was on TV for half their games.

* What makes men's NCAA basketball so special - when the season starts, all 334 Division I teams can honestly say they can win the National Championship. It may take a special alignment of all the stars and planets, but every team has a chance.

Sunday Madness

2006-03-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

The best time of the year is finally upon us. March Madness has officially begun. I persuaded my youngest daughter to feign having to throw up two songs into our Sunday morning church service in order to get home and start preparations. I had to kick the family out of the family room while the brackets were being announced as they were not showing the celebration the proper respect.

SixBit will pull no punches in analyzing key matchups in the field. For starters, it was nice to see that the selection committee wasn't impressed with the overall resume of Free Shoes University and left them out of the 65-team field. As a teaser, I'll leave you with this fact about the tourney - Duke will not win the championship (mainly because they are absolutely unbearable even though they are the only top team that starts a few white players).

You'll want to plan your Vegas bets around my analysis - where else can you find a prognosticator with such sage advice who can also humor you with the many adventures of SixBit.