Scott Brown's SportsBytes on WKDZ

Bracket update

That crash you heard was my NCAA bracket.

I was in position to get all four Final Four teams right, but UCLA is the only team I got right.  I picked the Bruins to win it all.

It looks like my 20-year drought of not winning an NCAA Pool will continue.  Thanks a lot Wisconsin, Texas, and Louisville.

Ty Rogers in the national spotlight

As Western Kentucky gets ready to face top seed UCLA tonight in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, a lot of the spotlight has been focused on Hilltopper guard Ty Rogers who hit the game-winning shot to beat Drake in the first round of the tourney.

Here is what the national media is saying about the former Lyon County standout:

• The Los Angeles Times says Rogers has had to upgrade his cell phone plan because of the text messages received after the Drake win
• Yahoo! Sports talks about who all saw the winning shot in Eddyville
• USA Today talks about how Rogers has put the team before himself while at Western Kentucky

Corky Stiger named All-American honorable mention

Former Christian County girls' basketball player Corky Stiger has been named Division II Women's Basketball Coaches Association/State Farm All-American honorable mention for the second straight year.

Stiger plays for Washburn University in Kansas, and came off the bench to average 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals.  The senior guard came to Washburn after transferring from Trinity Valley Community College.

Murray State loses basketball coach to Wichita State

After one season and an NCAA Tournament appearance, Murray State women's basketball coach Jody Adams has accepted the head coaching job at Wichita State.

CLICK HERE for the story

Saturday's NCAA games on local TV

Here are the games WTVF-Ch. 5 out of Nashville are carrying Saturday.  Try to contain your excitement.

1:10pm - (#7) West Virginia vs. (#2) Duke

3:20pm - (#11) Kansas State vs. (#3) Wisconsin

5:40pm - (#5) Notre Dame vs. (#4) Washington State

9:15pm - (#9) Texas A&M vs. (#1) UCLA

NCAA Tourney blog: Day Two (Night games)

Final night of the NCAA Tournament first round is just about ready to tip off.  I'll be blogging for a few more hours and hoping my bracket can stay intact, having lost just one Sweet 16 team (Drake) so far.

Feel free to send your comments via a post on here or e-mail at sbrown@wkdzradio.com

Tonight's early games:

(#11) St. Josephs vs. (#6) Oklahoma

(#1) North Carolina vs. (#16) Mt. St. Marys

(#4) Vanderbilt vs. (#13) Siena

(#8) Mississippi State vs. (#9) Oregon

• CBS' Seth Davis is just throwing darts at a bracket right now hoping it helps him pick an upset.  Last night, his wisdom gave us Arizona over West Virginia.  Tonight?  Siena over Vanderbilt.  He also picked St. Joes over Oklahoma but so did I.  At least he doesn't come away with an East Coast bias.
• Settle down Jim Nantz.  It's just the first basket of the game.
• Under sudden death rules, Siena would have advanced past Vanderbilt.  Ugh.  I have to sit through another game with Tim "the Iron is unkind" Brando.
• Mike Deane was the head coach of Siena when they upset Stanford in the NCAA Tournament first round in 1989.  He also led Marquette and Lamar to the Big Dance.  He now coaches at Wagner.
• Vanderbilt looks a little mortal away from Memorial Coliseum as they trail the Fighting Seths of Sienna 23-13.
• North Carolina may score 200 points tonight if the margin stays between 12-15 points.
• The SEC is playing like a conference that wasn't strong this year, doesn't play a lot of defense, and shouldn't have gotten six teams in the tourney.  Yep.  That about sums it up.
• Celebrity voice over alert- That was Tom Selleck doing the NCAA PSA.
• UNC rolling right along now.  They may hit 100 before the 8:00 TV TO.
• Oklahoma is another team rolling in the second half.
• Kevin Stallings would be one of the highest paid coaches in America if he were paid by the cuss word.  Almost in Coach K-ski territory.
• Stallings still looks like the actor John Carroll Lynch (right), from Fargo and was Drew Carey's brother on the sitcom The Drew Carey Show
• The "No Cinderella" commercial was neat the first 77 times I saw it.  Now, I'm hearing the church bell in my sleep.  Make it stop.
• What sucks about Siena beating Vanderbilt?  Seth Davis picked it in the pregame and we'll have to hear about it all weekend.
• If Vandy does tank the game, no biggie here because I had them falling in the second round.  The SEC was waaaay down this year folks.
• Does anyone else think bringing back Dennis Leary to do the 2K sports game a decade after the EA Sports campaign was like seeing Karl Malone in a Lakers uniform?
• Vanderbilt simply doesn't play defense.  They haven't for most of the year.
• You think Tim Brando has told us enough times that Vandy's Jamie Graham also plays football?  There's a drinking game for you.
• Ollie and Strap have checked in for North Carolina.
• Sidney Greene ready to check in for Sienna.
• Mississippi State/Oregon game is shaping up to be a dandy.
• Verne and Raferty sound asleep for the final minute of St. Joes/Oklahoma.  I guess that's why they let Grandpa Enberg sleep in yesterday at Anaheim and only do the night games.
• Oklahoma 72 St. Josephs 64 - Scott's Bracket 19-6
• Billy Hoyle checked into the game for Vanderbilt
• Tim Brando has called wins for two #13 seeds and a #12 today.  Next up? #12 Villanova over #5 Clemson??
• Siena 83 Vanderbilt 62 - Scott's Bracket 19-7 and sliding fast
• North Carolina 113 Mt. St. Marys 74 - Scott's Bracket 20-7
• Does Oregon not realize that they don't get points for just dribbling the basketball?
• Henderson County's Billy Begley in the game for Mississippi State for some mop up duty.
• The SEC will go to 2-3 in the tournament.
• Mississippi State 76 Oregon 69 - Scott's Bracket 21-7
• So I go from watching the close game between Indiana and Arkansas to watching Memphis just blow out Texas-Arlington.
• What's with all that extra space in the end zones at Little Rock?
• Beep Beep!  There goes Memphis!
• TODD GRIFFIN: The only way Vandy is ever going to win the NCAA Tournament is if they
  petition the NCAA to play every game at Memorial Gym.  Either that, or they need to move their benches to the end zone wherever they play.
• They are mortal away from Nashville, that's for sure.  Vandy is now 9-11 all time in the NCAA tourney and two of those came last year.
• Louisville is looking pretty good.  I still think they will meet Butler in the Sweet 16.
• I wish someone from the nerdery was keeping track on what CBS show they were promoing the most during March Madness.  I'd say the CSIs and How I Met Your Mother with Britney Spears would be at the top of the list.  Two and a Half Men would be close behind.  I think they also carry a fairly important golf tournament also.
• Arkansas is trying to salvage a .500 first round for the SEC.  Tennessee and Mississippi State also won today.
• If the scores hold up, the Big East will be 6-2 and the Big 10 will go 3-1 and the ACC will go 4-0.
• Is Kelvin Sampson that good of a coach?  I know he can text like the dickens but this doesn't look like the same team I saw play twice in December.
• Tim Brando may call another #12 upset win as Villanova has roared back to within a bucket of Clemson.
• You can advance Louisville in your bracket.  They looked good tonight.
• We have a Rollie Massimino sighting in Tampa.  Rollie was 20-10 all-time in the tourney.
• People must not be happy with the game CBS is showing them.  My MMOD feed has slowed down quite a bit and is buffering more.
• Louisville 79 Boise State 61 - Scott's Bracket 22-7
• You can advance Arkansas in your bracket.  The collapse of Indiana is complete.
• Arkansas 86 Indiana 72 - Scott's Bracket - 22-8
• The Runnin' Stiffs of Texas-Arlington just won't go away.  Memphis leads 69-51, which was closer than any game in the C-USA Tournament.
• Villanova 75 Clemson 69 - Scott's Bracket - 22-9
• Memphis 87 Texas-Arlington 63 - Scott's Bracket 23-9
• After a 14-2 first day, I slipped to 9-7 the second day.  I have lost two Sweet 16 teams -- Clemson and Drake.  I still have my Elite Eight intact and feel good about my Louisville pick into the Final Four based on what I saw tonight.
• I had fun blogging the first round.  I'll check in with a few posts from time to time as the tournament continues.  Thanks for checking in.

NCAA Tourney Blog: Day Two (Day games)

ithDespite the late start, I'm back blogging the second day of the NCAA Tournament from home.  Hopefully, the second day will be a little more exciting than the first day.  No buzzer beaters and only two upsets by seed.

Here are the early games:

(2) Tennessee vs. (15) American

(7) Gonzaga vs. (10) Davidson

(7) Miami vs. (10) St. Marys

(12) Western Kentucky vs. (5) Drake

• If you picked Tennessee to go far, I'm sorry for your bracket.  They are in the 2000s what Kansas was in the 1990s.
• Feel free to drop me an e-mail at sbrown@wkdzradio.com or click on the comment link at the end of this post.
• American coach Jeff Jones is from Owensboro, played at Apollo.  Played at Virginia with Ralph Sampson and later coached Virginia.
• A lot of Western Kentucky fans are upset because they can't watch the Hilltoppers on TV.  Their nearest CBS affiliate is in Nashville and carrying the Tennessee/American game.  The Bowling Green TV station is an ABC affiliate and showing Judge Alex right now.  Ouch.
• Today's drinking games: 1.) Drink for everytime Tim Brando says "the iron is unkind"  2.) CBS Masters promo  3.) Everytime Billy Packer wails about the ACC only getting four teams in the tournament  4.) Every player misidentified by Verne Lundquist.
• There's a Catch-22 going on in Bowling Green.  There are some WKU fans that want to see the 'Toppers go far in the tourney and others hoping for a first round exit in order to keep their coach, Darrin Horn, who will be a hot commodity if they knock off Drake.
• Someone needs to order a Code Red on Cuba Gooding Jr. for doing those dumb Haines commercials with MJ.
• They are having facility issues at St. Pete where WKU and Drake are playing.  First, there were some issues with the clock (Duke's clock keeper must have made the red eye from DC to St. Pete) and now one of the floor logos is peeling up and causing a problem.
• They are testing our city's new storm siren, which is about 200 yards from my house.  I was having SEC Tournament flashbacks for a second there...
• Does anyone outside of southern Florida and California care about the Miami/St. Marys game?
• If you are watching the March Madness on Demand (MMOD) on your computer, you gotta love the 'Boss Button".  Click it and the sound goes off and a spreadsheet pops up on the screen.  When the boss leaves the area, you click the spreadsheet and the game reappears.  LOL.
• MATT: At least you will know when a tornado is coming. Heard one commentator talking about if Horn left WKU, if they would want Felton back. Of course, that was before he won the SEC tournament and put Georgia's AD in a position where he could not fire him.
• That would be an interesting search to watch.  Of course, Horn has to leave first.  What open jobs would he be interested in?
• WKU goes on a late run to lead Drake 47-38 at the half.  The Toppers got hot on some threes late. 
• TODD: I care about the Gaels....not sure what a Gael is though....Western KY is making Drake look very ordinary and they don't seem to mind playing the 3 point game that Drake is known for....If Horn starts getting looks for a new job, how about Belmont's Rick Byrd? How can you not like the sweater vest look on the sidelines.....
• If Bruce Pearl takes the Indiana job, I wonder if Horn or Byrd would be considered for the Tennessee job?
• MATT: I doubt Pearl will go to Indiana, they will be digging out from NCAA sanctions for a couple of years. Although I would not mind seeing Rick Byrd in orange, but I don't know if he will ever leave Belmont.
• A couple of coaches from Tennessee could be in the running for the Indiana job.  Pearl and Vandy's Kevin Stallings, who was interested in the job before they gave it to Kelvin Sampson.  John Calipari's name has been mentioned in Bloomington also.
• Duke last night and now Tennessee today.  The #2 seeds have looked shaky so far.
•   "There are no Cinderellas"
• The Birmingham crowd is pro-American right now as the Eagles have a chance to tie Tennessee in the second half.
• TODD: Why would Pearl go to Indiana? Isn't he solidifying legendary status in Knoxville?
• Why would Bill Self leave Illinois for Kansas?  You're talking one of the seven best college coaching jobs in America.  Plus, Pearl began in the Big 10 as an assistant to Tom Davis at Iowa.  Can Tennessee afford to pay both Fulmer and Pearl top money?  Especially with most of the money going toward bail money for the football team
• "Dude"
• MATT: I could see Stallings go before Pearl would. Calipari will not go, that would mean he might have to play against some good teams..lol Another question would be..would Indiana look at Horn, if WKU can win today
• I think Indiana's boosters are clamoring for a big name because of recruiting.  South Carolina may make a push for Horn.  If Xavier's Sean Miller goes to Indiana, Xavier may look at Horn
• Steven Gray has six 3-pointers and 18 points for Gonzaga.  Gray's father Bobby played at Trigg County in the late 70s and early 80s.
• I have Butler advancing to the Sweet 16, so an American upset of Tennessee would further that prediction.
• I also have Drake in the Sweet 16 so that would cancel each other out.
• Getting back to yesterday, I was impressed with the job Carter Blackburn did in the Anaheim games.  I guess he did the day games while Grandpa Enberg was napping, and then gramps did the night games.  It's a tough gig to do play-by-play with an analyst that talks as much as Jay Bilas does, but he seemed to pull it off.
• TODD: Very excellent point well taken.....I do, however, believe the point was sealed long before the "Dude" reference.....Western is imposing their will on Drake, who can't even make a layup.....
• Would any call that goes Tennessee's way down the stretch be considered "unAmerican"?
• Gotta love the Drake.  WKU is exposing them as a #5 seed. 
• Davidson and Gonzaga could be our first buzzer beater of the tournament.
• You can advance Tennessee in your bracket.
• Tennessee 72 American 57 - Scott's Bracket 15-2
• If Davidson hangs on, give the NCAA an assist for putting the #10 seed in their own backyard.  The same thing can be said if #10 South Alabama beats #7 Butler in Birmingham
• JASON: Scott! I'm enjoying the blog. Keep up the good work. My day has been enriched since Verne let me know American's #21 is a son of a Spinal Tap member. Glad I got to found that out!
• I caught that as well.  If you're going to do the work of researching your filler material, you got to make sure you use it.  I always hated to look stuff up and never use it.  It is kind of scary that Verne Lunquist is the CBS beacon for pop culture.
• Davidson 82 Gonzaga 76 - Scott's Bracket 15-3
• I didn't have Gonzaga going to the Sweet 16 so I'm still OK with my bracket
• Lefty Dreisell was the coach of Davidson the last time they won an NCAA tourney game back in 1969.
• Western Kentucky is doing everything they can to give this one away.  Maybe it's their way of keeping their coach.
• Miami 78 Saint Marys 64 - Scott's Bracket 16-3
• The whole nation is now watching the Toppers suffer from acid reflux
• Lyon County's Ty Rogers and Shelby County's A.J. Slaughter, who single-handedly beat Christian County in the Sweet 16 last year, have seen a lot of court time for WKU today.
• COUGH!! HACK!! COUGH!! It was 74-59 WKU just a few minutes ago
• Gotta love the Drake
• JASON: Are the wheels coming of Western? Did you catch Brando's "cinderalla" comment? Does a 5 seed qualify as a cinderalla?
• Not really as far as a seed goes.  I don't think 75% of the people watching knows what state Drake is in.  As far as recognition goes, they would qualify I guess.  They asked Digger Phelps on ESPN this week for his upset of the first round and he said Arkansas over Indiana.  A #9 over a #8 is an upset?  Way to go out on a limb there Digger.
• CBS loves the Drake because they can fill their in-between-game down time with the overtime.  That means less Seth Davis.
• WKU running the vomit offense right now.  Run across half court and throw it up.
• The hot bar commercials from Holiday Inn Express are really funny.  They are the sleeper commercial pick right now.
• Ty Rogers couldn't miss a free throw when he played against Trigg County and he's 9 of 15 this year for Western?
• Has anyone named Boris ever been named to an Academic All-American team?  I didn't think so either.
• Lyon County's Ty Rogers just broke the hearts of Iowans everywhere.  WOW.  That's what people around here are accumstomed to seeing.
• Western Kentucky 101 Drake 99 - Scott's Bracket 16-4
• I just lost my first Sweet 16 team.  Gotta hate the Drake
• JASON: There's your buzzer beater...Western took the collar off just in time!
• TODD: What a finish! WHAT A FINISH!
• Darrin Horn.  It's South Carolina calling, line one.
• Austin Peay is giving us a Mississippi Valley State performance against Texas.
• MOM: Forget Ferrells as the afternoon snack choice. After watching Western Ky (who I didn't pick) that deserves a big juicy steak sandwich from Charlie's Steak House as the afternoon choice. WOW!! 
• You're buying!
• Someone should market the combination of Austin Peay's offense and the announcing of Ian Eagle as a cure for insommnia.
• TODD GRIFFIN: Did Ty Rogers just upstage Michael Fraliex for biggest 3-pointer ever hit
  by a former 5th District player in the NCAA Tournament?  WOW!!!  I think I hurt myself when I saw that shot go down.  Thank you MMOD!
• At least the people in Bowling Green got to see the overtime after the Tennessee game ended.
• JASON: I wish I could pick which game I want to watch on TV like I can pick which game to watch online.
• That's a Mediacom issue.  Once upon a time for about a year, Cadiz got the CBS affiliate out of Cape Girardeau (sp), Missouri.  It's odd because if you go to their website, they have western Kentucky news on their station.  We just don't ever get to see it.  Evansville also has a CBS affiliate.  You would think with digital cable being the new technology, they could pump in an extra network station instead of giving us seven home shopping networks and the Murray State campus TV channel.  I have asked about it and sent e-mails but as you can see, it hasn't changed a thing.
• Butler should have been the #5 seed and Drake the #7 seed.
• San Diego and UConn have tipped off.  That's the same San Diego that beat Kentucky earlier in the season.  I'm wondering if they will reference San Diego freshman Rob Jones, who is the grandson of Jim Jones.  Yes, THAT Jim Jones of the Jonestown mass suicide over 30 years ago.
• KEVIN: Oh c'mon San Diego! Keep exposing UCONN for the fraud they are!
• I has UConn picked to win one game and lose to Drake in the second round, so that would help my bracket some and possibly help WKU get to the Sweet 16.
• You Tube already has video of Ty Rogers' winning shot

• You can advance Texas and Butler in your brackets if you choose to.
• Here are some postgame comments from the Hilltoppers, including Ty Rogers

• Ty is the all-time leading scorer in the Fifth District history and Todd Griffin made a good point about another former Fifth District player, Caldwell County's Michael Fraelix, and his 3-pointer for WKU in their first round win over Michigan in 1995.
• So much for South Alabama having an advantage playing in Birmingham.  72-46 Butler in the second half.
• TODD: Any word on the injury to Price for UCONN?
• Tim Brando just said something to the effect of a sprained knee.   It didn't look good when he went down
• Texas 84 Austin Peay 64 - Scott's Bracket 17-4
• Georgetown 66 UMBC 47 - Scott's Bracket 18-4
• Butler 81 South Alabama 61 - Scott's Bracket 19-4
• By my count, Davidson (#10) and Western Kentucky (#12) are the only two higher seeds to win today.  That's four total in a day and a half.  Without WKU's buzzer-beater, it's been an extemely boring tournament so far.
• Connecticut is in trouble.  I only have them picked to win one game so a Husky loss doesn't hurt.
• After Rob Jones hit that last shot, I could make a joke about the Tampa fans really drinking the San Diego Kool-Aid but I think I'll pass.  Good to see him getting credit for his game and not his name.
• How do you miss that shot in the paint if you're San Diego?  Good lord.
• TODD: It took you this long to make a Kool-Aid reference? I'm shocked..... Why didn't Johnson for SD get to touch the ball on the last possession of regulation?
• I think UConn did a good job locking him down on defense.
• To answer the other question, they were saving Johnson for overtime.
• San Diego 70 Connecticut 69 - Scott's Bracket 19-5.
• Tim Brando is so corny.  Almost as painful to listen to as Bob Wenzel last night.  Yuk.
• That loss to San Diego doesn't appear to be so bad to Kentucky fans right now.
• TODD: Comes down to free throws......as it should.
• Which is why Memphis, Tennessee, and Louisville could struggle in close games
• We'll take a break and resume blogging in an hour.

NCAA Tourney Live Blog: Day #1 (Night games)

I'm back blogging the second wave of games on the first day of the NCAA Tournament.  So far, no upsets to report.  Seth Davis is still annoying.

Feel free to send comments in this thread or send an e-mail to sbrown@wkdzradio.com.

Here is the lineup of early games tonight:

• #2 Duke vs. #15 Belmont
• #11 Kansas State vs. #6 USC
• #13 Winthrop vs. #4 Washington State
• #8 Brigham Young vs. #9 Texas A&M

Hopefully we can repeat our 7-1 bracket performance in the early games. 

• Stanford 77 Cornell 53 - Scott's Bracket 7-1
• The only upset I can see in tonight's game would be #11 Kansas State over #6 USC.  Mayo vs. Beasley should be a heck of a matchup.
• O.J. Mayo was a high school teammate of Kentucky freshman Patrick Patterson at Huntington High School and a teammate of Kansas State's Bill Walker when he was a freshman at Rose Hill Christian in Kentucky.
• We're getting the Duke/Belmont game here in Kentucky.
• Belmont beating Duke would be the most celebrated upset outside of North Carolina, most likely in history.
• Beasley picks up a cheap foul, his second, with KSU up three points.
• Kansas State hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game in 20 years.  Lon Kruger, who led UNLV to an opening round win today, led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight where they lost to eventual champion Kansas.
• Mike K-ski of Duke has a 68-20 coaching record in the NCAA tourney
• Bill Walker has left the floor for K-State with a small injury.  Beasley still playing with two fouls and KSU up eight points.
• That Washington State/Winthrop game has been a snooze-fest.  I watched about four minutes on MMOD and had to switch games.  Yuk.
• USC is in trouble.  Down 10 with Beasley (fouls) on the bench.  I had USC losing to Wisconsin in the second round so I'm not in too bad of shape if K-State wins.
• MATT: I hope Belmont can handle Dukes' runs. If they can keep it under 10 till the last 3 minutes I like their chances. It is cool to be watching games in TV and my computer.
• Belmont just had some bad luck in that first half.  How many shots rimmed in and out?  I'd like to see Belmont get hot from the outside.
• TODD: Looks like the Kansas State/USC game is as advertised....too bad O.J. Mayo hasn't shown up yet and Michael Beasley has a great view from the bench with 2 early fouls. Hats off to Frank Martin (a.k.a. the guy that played DiMaggio in 61) for rotating Beasley in and out on the offensive end with the risk of him picking up a third foul.
• If I'm not mistaken, Martin was either going to take or was the associate head coach at Charlotte, where Beasley initially committed to.  When Martin took the job at K-State when Bob Huggins bolted for WVU, Beasley followed.  I simply love watching Mayo play.  I wonder if the K-State game plan was called "Hold the Mayo"
• MATT: Not a good way to end the half for Belmont. If anyone can get them refocused it will be Coach Byrd.
• What I liked about watching Belmont in the first half was, they weren't intimidated by Duke unlike their past two appearances.  They took Duke's best shot and stayed with them.  The first 6:00 of the second half will determine Belmont's fate.
• Tonight's Drinking Games: 1.) References to Jerry Rice when Mississippi Valley State plays UCLA.  2.) Whenever CBS promos Britney Spears on "How I Met Your Mother"  3.) How many times Dick Enberg says "Luck of the Irish" during the Notre Dame game 
• Washington State is tied with Winthrop right now.  Again, not a major blow to my bracket if Winthrop wins.  I had Washed-out State losing to Notre Dame in the second round.
• The last seven times Duke has not played a first round game in the state of North Carolina, they have advanced past the Sweet 16 just twice.  Tonight's game with Belmont is in Washington D.C.
• The Duke fans have to hate the Belmont-loving CBS announcers....hehehehe
• Would love to have Gus Johnson calling this one, although Craig Bolerjack isn't bad.
• MATT: I think Belmont is a little ticked off that they did not get higher than a 15 seed, and they are taking it out on Duke
• It reminds me of 1990 when Murray State was a #16 seed, although they were really worthy of a #15 or even #13.  The Racers, led by Paul King, Popeye Jones, and Greg Coble took Michigan State to overtime in Knoxville before falling by four points.
• Interesting that Duke is having shots rim out at the same end of the floor that Belmont did in the first half.
• Good to see the clock keeper from Durham is running the clock for Belmont.
• Duke is a mortal first round team away from North Carolina
• Duke 71 Belmont 70 - Scott's Bracket 8-1
• Kansas State 80 USC 67 - Scott's Bracket 8-2 - Tim Floyd goes to 6-7 in NCAA Tourney games
• The next time we see Beasley go head-to-head with Mayo will be in the NBA
• Texas A&M 67 BYU 62 - Scott's Bracket 9-2
• Washington State 71 Wintrop 40 - Scott's Bracket 10-2
• The quality of the MMOD games from Washington D.C. has been terrible.  I'm watching West Virginia/Arizona now.  The commercials sound good though.
• It's time to play the Celebrity Commercial Voice-over contest.  Gene Hackman does Lowes.  George Clooney does Budweiser.  And I think that's Bryan Brown voicing Outback Steakhouse.
• The Nashville station was scheduled to carry the ND/George Mason game.  Didn't stay there long.  Watching the alma mater of Chris Farley play the alma mater of Kevin Costner right now.
• Celebrity Voice Over Alert - Gary Sinise doing the U.S. Army commercials
• Cal State Fullerton is making only their second tournament appearance.  They beat New Mexico and San Francisco to advance to the 1978 Elite Eight where they lost to Eddie Sutton's Arkansas team led by Sidney Moncrief.  That Razorback team lost to eventual national champion Kentucky in the national semifinals.
• TODD: Don't forget Matt Dillon doing the Pontiac adds (which used to be big this time of year).....James Earl Jones "This is CNN".....Sam Elliott is always looking for work and I hear him on ads for beer or bathroom supplies.....
• Sam Elliott's claim to fame is "Beef.  It's what for dinner."  However, he's been replaced by Matthew McConaughey and it's like when they replaced Tina Louise with Judith Baldwin as Ginger when the Harlem Globetrotters went to Gilligan's Island.
• And it's not Bryan Brown doing the Outback commercials
• Go ahead and move UCLA to the next round on your bracket.  Wow.
• Vince Vaughn will be on Letterman tonight.  I didn't realize until I watched Rudy the other day for the 74th time that Vince Vaughn played Jamie O'Hara, the high school shot shot that got dropped to the scout team because Rudy treated practice like it was the Super Bowl.
• TODD: Mississippi Valley State should have played in the play-in game....or the NIT play-in game....
• Seth Greenberg is somewhere seething over this game too.
• Which network is carrying the Masters again?
• What's with those gaudy NCAA patches that Aunt Susie sewed on the uniforms this year? 
• TODD: Back to Vince Vaughn, a very under-rated twisted thriller of his is "Clay Pigeons"....also starring the great Joaquin Phoenix.
• Haven't seen the movie, but I'll take your word for it.
• Every year I have to sweat out one of my Final Four picks in the first round.  Sometimes, they even lose in the first round (Coppin State over South Carolina hurt the most).  Wisconsin is up by just four in the second half.
• Say what you want about Bob Huggins, but he's on his way to a 21-15 career record in the NCAA Tournament
• KEVIN: Badgers! Badgers! Badgers! Brian Butch! I've seen better hands on a clock! Nothing like exciting 50 point games!
• True, but there isn't a team in the tournament that wants to play their style of basketball.
• It's safe to say Kent State and Mississippi Valley State win the "Not Ready For Primetime" Awards after their embarassing showings today.  Seth Greenberg is still somewhere fuming.
• Notre Dame 68 George Mason 50 - Scott's Bracket 11-2
• No George Mason magic this year.
• The SEC is 0-2 today.  Not a good way to silence the critics who thought six teams from a soft conference was too many.
• Florida is the first national champion to miss the tourney the next year since the Danny Manning-led Kansas team won the title in 1988 and missed the next year due to NCAA probation. 
• The last time two teams played for the national title and both missed the tourney the next year (like Florida and Ohio State this year) was 1981 when Michigan State and Indiana State showed how much they missed Magic and Bird
• Ollie and Strap just checked in for Wisconsin as they have things under control
• West Virginia 75 Arizona 65 - Scott's Bracket 12-2
• Wisconsin 71 Cal State Fullerton 56 - Scott's Bracket 13-2
• UCLA 70 Mississippi Valley State 29 - Scott's Bracket 14-2 on the first day.
• Joe Crawford outscored Mississippi Valley State by six today.  Jerry Rice is grimmacing somewhere while practicing the Samba.
• KEVIN: Can't we just start the Friday games right now? Tomorrow afternoon we can start the second round games!
• Sorry Kevin, this isn't the SEC Tournament
• Bryant Gumbel asked Clark and Seth who looked the best on the first day.  Have to agree with Clark on the assessment of Kansas State.  I thought Pitt and Washington State's second half were impressive too.
• Nice first day.  Kansas State (#11) and Texas A&M (#9) were the only "upsets" of the day.  When I looked at the brackets when they came out, I thought Friday's slate looked more appealing that today.  We will see, and we'll be back blogging Friday at 11am.
• Thanks for the comments.

NCAA Live Blog: Day #1 (day games)

Well, here we go.  National Workplace Reduction Day gets underway in a few minutes, and I'll be here to blog along and provide updates throughout the first two days of the tournament.  And before you ask, yes, these are my normal two days off from work and I did not call in sick. 

I'm going to follow the games on the tube and through the CBS March Madness on Demand package.

At any time, you can join in and post questions or comments, either through the 'comments' link at the end of this post or by sending me an e-mail at sbrown@wkdzradio.com.

HERE is your CBS announcing schedule for the first two days.  Kentucky fans are already crying conspiracy because they sent an ex-Duke player (jay Bilas) to Anaheim to cover their game.

I just got off doing my first pre-tournament interview with Drew Wilson on WKDZ.  Of course, the important question was the menu of pregame and in-game snacks.  For the first part of today, it's Doritos, salsa, and Mountain Dew.

Before we get rolling, my Final Four bracket consists of Louisville, Wisconsin, UCLA, and Texas.  I have UCLA beating Wisconsin for the championship, further infuriating Kentucky fans who like to count the number of national championships for each school.

• Georgia and Xavier have tipped off.  Craig Bolerjack is one of the more underrated announcers in college basketball I think.  I picked Xavier to win this one.
• I was rather surprised at the minimal pregame coverage by CBS in the studio.  But then again, less Seth Davis is actually more in my book.
• Sundiata Gaines - "I'm not just the president, I'm also a client"
• At our first TV timeout, I'm curious to see what commercial we'll just be sick of watching by this time Sunday.  Last year, it was John Mellencamp's 'This is ouuur counnnntreeeeee" Chevrolet spots.
• Georgia last won a first-round game in 1996 when Tubby Smith led them to the Sweet 16, which pretty much led Kentucky to hire him away two years later.
• If you are a Tennessee fan, you can't be happy with this:    
• I'm watching Temple play Michigan State in the Denver pod for one reason only: Gus Johnson.  Good to see CBS moving him up their announcing list.  I'll take Gus any day over Grandpa Enberg and Great-Grandpa Lundquist.
• Pete Gillen, the late Skip Prosser, and Thad Motta all turned success at Xavier into bigger jobs elsewhere.  I wonder who Sean Miller will be coaching in the Big Dance in five years.
• Temple hanging close with Michigan State early -- 11-9 at the 12:00 TVTO.  I picked Michigan State.
• The announcers keep harping on Georgia playing four games in four days.  It was last week.  It's not like they won the SEC title Tuesday and then have to play again today.  The Bulldogs have had plenty of time to recover.  Move on to something else guys.
• Listening to Gus Johnson and Len Elmore call the Temple/Michigan State game is like calling a game with your boring father-in-law.  It just sounds uncomfortable despite the occasional instance when Elmore can get his point across.  At one end of the excitement spectrum, you have Gus Johnson.  At the other end, there's Len Elmore.
• I don't advocate drinking alcohol in the middle of the day, so feel free to substitute a Mountain Dew here.  But a neat drinking game would be to take one every time the announcers plug a CBS show during the broadcast "Don't miss the excitement of CSI - Miami....."  You have to chug if they plug Survivor or Big Brother.
• Georgia's Albert Jackson played high school basketball for three years at nearby Hopkins County Central before playing at Mouth of Wilson U. his senior year.  Nice dunk Albert.
• Wasn't Drew Neitzel a teammate of Mateen Cleeves at Michigan State a few years back?  Sure seems like it.
• CBS' worst nightmare is coming true on the very first day.  All three games are at halftime at the same time. 
• Boy, Clark Kellogg is breaking out the five dollar metaphors early on the first day.  "Seran Wrap defense"?  Hadn't heard that one before.  As long as he keeps "Spurtability" in the vault, we'll be OK.
• FROM MATT: "Well my Vols are probably doomed. Why would Pearl agree to let him be on the cover...he should know better. Tennessee is playing with a chip on their shoulder. I am hoping they will make a deep run. I thought Georgia won 4 games in 3 days, not 4 days, I have heard it both ways since the tournament ended. I hope they make a nice little run too."
• Tennessee's inabilty to make a clutch defensive stop will keep them from going far, but the SI cover sure can't help.
• FROM DAVID: "Is the Kentucky/Marquette game on the internet anywhere?"
• Yes it is if you sign up for March Madness on Demand from CBSsportsline.com.  Register and you can watch the game for free.
• Looking ahead, the next four games are Kentucky/Marquette; Kent State/UNLV; Baylor/Purdue; and Oral Roberts/Pitt.  We blogged here a couple of weeks ago that Chris Crutchfield, a member of Hopkinsville's 1985 state championship team, is the top assistant coach at Oral Roberts.  While I picked Pitt to win, an upset by ORU would not shock me.
• Xavier losing to Georgia does not bother me much because I picked Purdue to beat them in the second round. 
• Here we go...."This is ouuuurrr counntreeeeeee"
• Portland State has a kid with a mohawk.  Has there ever been an NCAA national champion with a mohawk in the team picture?  Has a mohawk ever advanced to the Elite Eight?
• Does anyone else break into some Grand Master Melly Mel whenever the announcers talk about Kansas forward Sasha Kaun?  Sasha Kaun.  Sasha Kaun, Sasha Kaun.  Yes, that was Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica on that 1980s classic "I Feel For You."
• Realistically, Georgia is the only #14 seed with a legitimate shot to win on the tournament's first day.
• FROM (Little Bro) TODD: I'm a fan of Lowe's Home Improvement stores, but the color/black & white commercial with husband and wife in the garden center takes a few years off of the end of my life every time I see it. I am particularly fond of the Bud Light caveman commercial - if you haven't seen it, it's "Superbowl Halftime" worthy.
• Dikembe Mutombo was the script writer and dialect teacher for the Bud Light Caveman commercials.  I actually like the Bud Light "Dude" commercial, but remember seeing David Spade do the same thing in his stand-up act a long time ago.
• Speaking of commercials, I do like the Jaguar commercial that uses the Deep Purple song 'Hush'.  Nicely done and it doesn't wear on you like "This is ouurrrr counnnttrreeeeee"
• You can go ahead and advance Kansas in your bracket, as if anyone outside of the Metro Portland area thought that one was in doubt.
• Temple coach Fran Dunphy is getting ready to go to 1-10 in the NCAA Tourney.  He was 1-9 at Penn.  Other coaches who have a losing tournament record with double digit losses?  Ladell Anderson (Utah State, BYU) 6-10; the criminal Dave Bliss (8-11); Lou Carnesecca (St. Johns) 17-20; Pete Carill (Princeton) 4-11; Gale Catlett 7-11; Don DeVoe 5-10; Lou Henson (Illinois, New Mexico State) 19-20; Ray Meyer (DePaul ) 14-16; Ralph Miller (Oregon State) 5-11; Jack Ramsey (St. Joes) 8-11; Kelvin Sampson (12-13); Everett Shelton (Wyoming) 4-12; Norm Stewart (Missouri) 12-16; Stan Watts (BYU) 4-10; and Ned Wulk (Arizona State) 8-10.
• FROM (Little Bro) TODD: I'll take one good game out of three to open the greatest sporting event EVER (in my opinion), that would be Georgia/Xavier.....Looks like Georgia's legs are finally wearing down like all the so-called experts said they would after their first game last Saturday in the SEC Tourney.....Does Dave Bliss, for Georgia, have the most unfortunate name in College Basketball history now thanks to one man? (See Baylor Basketball circa 2002-2003)
• Kansas 85 Portland State 61 - Bracket Record 1-0
• Xavier 73 Georgia 61 - Bracket Record 2-0 - Xavier ends the game on a 34-9 run
• Michigan State 72 Temple 61 - Bracket Record 3-0
• MOM weighs in.  Yes, my mom.  Good to see the family reading the blog: What kind of nutritious snack is Doritos, salsa, and Mountain Dew? Where are the Ferrell hamburgers ?????
• Ferrell's comes on day two
• Lack of an inside game (Patrick Patterson) is going to kill Kentucky today.  That, and if "SEC Tournament" Ramel Bradley shows up instead of "February" Ramel Bradley, the 'Cats are doomed.
• I don't care if he is from Duke, Jay Bilas is the best college basketball analyst on TV.
• It's just occurred to me that the internet feed of games from CBS runs about a minute behind of real time.
• I just witnessed a non-trap, man-to-man 10-second call against Kent State.  Honestly, I did.  Thought I was watching a middle school game for a minute.
• I wonder of that is Aussie Bryan Brown (F/X, Cocktail) who does the voiceovers for the Outback Steakhouse commercials? 
• Still a great run by Georgia and it's good to see Dennis Felton's job saved.  Felton is the coach who kicked off his leading scorer from last year off the team for not getting the job done in the classroom.
• TODD: Watching the KY/Marquette game - the play-by-play announcer sounds too much like Mike Adamle (the original "American Gladiators" announcer) for my liking......and yes, Jay Bilas is harsh, but he's honest and he is wavelengths above the next best basketball analyst.
• I can see it now.  Joe Crawford dribbles through Ice, then Diamond, and ooohhh the hard foul on Turbo and that's his third.
• My first sign of bracket trouble is in Omaha where UNLV leads Kent State 11-4.  I picked Kent State to win one game only.  It won't kill my bracket, but I am thriving for perfection this year.
• For those of you reading from Scott Air Force Base, welcome!  My numbers show six people from there have read the blog today.  Maybe it's because I share the same first name as the base.
• FROM VIJAY in Texas, commenting on the SI Jinx: If it makes you feel any better, SI had 6 covers this week spread out geographically (Georgetown, UCLA, UCONN, Tenn, Xavier, and Kansas) all exactly the same a kid holding the basketball on the right side, We were blessed with Kansas here in Texas. Great Blog Scott!
• Kent State is assuming the "We probably don't belong here" role early on the first day, down 18-6 to UNLV.  It's like watching the varsity scrimmage the JV.
• Went to the kitchen, outside to check the mail, and put the clothes into the dryer.  Still 18-6 UNLV.  They may go to a sudden death format in the second half.
• Kent State has had 33 possessions and scored three times against UNLV.  (Insert bad National Guard joke here).
• UNLV ahead 25-6 right now.  Lon Kruger looking to go to 14-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• I have Purdue picked to advance to the Elite Eight.  I like the way their young players attack the basket.  Baylor was the next-to-last team in the tourney behind Villanova.
• Pitt starting to pull away from Oral Roberts.  Looking ahead, how awesome would a Pitt/Memphis game be to watch? 
• TODD: On the commercial watch......Officially getting tired of the Howie Long Chevy trucks commercial....haven't been this sick of Howie since that "Firestorm" marathon on Cinemax six years ago....Looks like the Subway commercial congratulating Jared on shedding the lbs. away is the only action Brady Quinn will see for a year or two....The referee and the mascots one is pretty good for Anheuser Busch....I'll rank the AT&T ones behind Howie for now....there's Howie again!
• Call me a softie, but I like the AT&T commercial with the dad taking the daughter's stuffed monkey to work and sending her pictures in true Flat Stanley style.
• With Pitt and UNLV enjoying blowouts, most of the country will likely see the second half of Marquette and Kentucky.
• I don't know who Carter Balckburn is, but he's not that bad calling the game on CBS.  When I saw him in the announcing lineup, I figured he was Dick Enberg's nephew who helps the elder announcer to his seat and serves as hit spotter.  I would assume we'll see Enberg tonight.
• Kent State has 10 points.  At halftime.  They are a conference champion and a #9 seed.  10 points.  Seth Greenberg is fuming silently somewhere.
• Stacey Augmon just hit a bucket for UNLV.  37-15 Runnin' Rebs.
• There may not be a player in the nation that has improved more from Game #1 to now than Kentucky's Joe Crawford.  His development has silenced a bunch of Billy Gillispie critics in Kentucky.
• Chug everytime CBS promos Britney Spears' appearance on "How I Met Your Mother"
• Freddie Banks just scored for UNLV.  They are up 45-20.
• Kentucky won't quit but I just don't think they hve enough in the tank to catch Marquette.
• Tom and Joani Crean look more like brother-sister than husband-wife.
• "SEC Tournament" Ramel Bradley has resurfaced again...
• Reggie Theus a bucket for UNLV.  The Rebs still lead by 20.
• You can advance Marquette, Purdue, Pitt, and UNLV in your brackets
• Marquette 74 Kentucky 66 - Scott's Bracket 4-0
• Nice careers for Bradley and Crawford for UK.
• Ohio State, led by the gangly Dennis Hopson, was the last team to beat Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1987. 
• Kent State had a guy shoot a three from the corner that hit BEHIND the backboard.  Not the side.  Behind it.  Can we just go to a running clock the rest of the game?
• UNLV 71 Kent State 58 - Scott's Bracket 4-1 - First miss of the day
• Pittsburgh 82 Oral Roberts 63 - Scott's Bracket 5-1
• Shouldn't be too hard to log into NCAA.com and watch that riveting Stanford/Cornell game.  I'm sure there will be no online wait for that one.
• Purdue 90 Baylor 79 - Scott's Bracket 6-1
• With only the epic Stanford/Cornell Battle of the Eggheads left until the night session, we're going to take a break and resume blogging around 6pm tonight.  Thanks to those who took the time to check in and send comments. 

Blogging the NCAA Tournament

I'll assume the role of couch potato the next two days as I do a live blog on the first two days of the NCAA Tournament.

I'll be watching on TV and on the internet and provide live updates and random thoughts throughout the first two days.  I'll even take your questions and comments as well.

Be sure to refresh the sports blog often and keep track as we celebrate National Workplace Reduction Day.