The Sweet Sixteen kicks off today following an opening weekend light on upsets and heavy on top seeds. Three of my Final Four picks are still intact, which is better than usual.
Things look good here in the South region, as I have a clean bracket heading into this weekend.
A few picked upsets that didn’t happen mar the bottom half of this region, but the top half, including my reginal champion, is clean.
The nation’s attention turns to the college hoops scene for the next few weeks as the NCAA tournament kicks off later today. I found myself joining a free pool at work this year, so while most of these selections have no ultimate bearing on my life, there is some personal pride on the line. Things are not looking good for me to attend any game should a certain school from West Lafayette manage to make another run this year. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s selections.
My selections here are mostly chalk, with a couple early upsets but with the top two seeds heading to the Sweet Sixteen. Michigan State is my pick to advance to the Final Four, though that may be some inherent bias towards the Big Ten.
Old friend Mason Gillis shows up with top seed Duke, who I have heading to San Antonio for the Final Four.
The Sweet Sixteen kicks off today following an opening weekend with upsets galore that played havoc with my bracket, although my entire Final Four is still intact, which is better than some.
Things look pretty decent here. Auburn’s loss to Yale knocked me for a bit of a loop, but, aside from that, things are fairly clean, with three of the four teams heading into this weekend still alive.
Things are slightly worse on this side of the bracket, with just two of the four teams I picked playing this weekend. While Nebraska did me dirty, I correctly picked that Wisconsin had peaked after beating Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament two weeks ago.
The nation’s attention turns to the college hoops scene for the next few weeks as the NCAA tournament kicks off later today. I’m not in any pools this year, so most of these selections have no ultimate bearing on my life, aside from personal pride. I do have the potential to purchase tickets for future rounds should a certain school from West Lafayette manage to get out of their own way and not embarrass themselves this weekend. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s selections.
My selections here are mostly chalk, with a couple early upsets but with the top four seeds heading to the Sweet Sixteen. Iowa State is my pick to advance to the Final Four.
Fun fact: the first men’s college basketball game I ever attended was Purdue versus Houston at Market Square Arena back in 1993. Both teams are once again top seeds in this tournament. I’m hoping Nebraska continues to pull off upsets against teams they have no business beating. In the end, though, I have Marquette going on to Phoenix.
For the third season in a row, and the third season in program history, Purdue is the #1 ranked men’s college basketball team in the country. Following their victories over #11 Gonzaga, # 7 Tennessee, and #4 Marquette while winning the Maui Invitational last week, the team moved up from #2 to take the top spot, becoming the first Big Ten program to do so in three consecutive seasons.
Their next big test will come in three weeks, when they battle Arizona, the current #2 ranked team, on a neutral court in the Indy Classic. Hopefully they will retain their #1 ranking when I head to Mackey on December 21st to see them battle Jacksonville.
Not even two months since the Big Ten announced their “Flex Protect Plus” model, which incorporated UCLA and USC into the football schedule for 2024 and beyond, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. The conference grew again yesterday when Oregon and Washington, formerly of the PAC-12, would join the conference starting with the fall 2024 semester. The move further extends the reach of the Big Ten on the West Coast.
On the field, the move gives the Big Ten additional content to sell to their media rights providers and an additional footprint in the west to help cut down on the travel requirements for student athletes. Off the field, the Big Ten Network will get the opportunity to expand into multiple markets in the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, the PAC-12, who also lost Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah to the Big 12 this week, looks to be on the verge of collapse, with only four schools remaining as of now for the 2024-2025 school year.
With the 2023 college football season about to start in about a month, the schedule-makers will need to revamp their approach to account for the new schools. Do they simply add Oregon and Washington into the mix? Split the 18 schools into three divisions of six teams each? Two divisions of nine? I imagine we will find out sooner rather than later while waiting for the next pair of dominos to drop.
The nation’s attention turns to the college hoops scene for the next few weeks as the NCAA tournament kicks off later today. I’m not in any pools this year, so most of these selections have no ultimate bearing on my life, aside from personal pride. I do happen to have a hotel room booked for Houston for Final Four weekend just in case, so fingers crossed. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s selections.
Alabama enters the tournament under a cloud of scandal, as their star player was recently involved in the murder of a young woman. Because of that, I have second seed Arizona going to the Final Four.
Fun fact: the first college basketball game I ever attended was Purdue versus Houston at Market Square Arena back in 1993. Both teams are top seeds in this tournament. It pains me to have Indiana going as far as I do, but they were a formidable opponent this year, so I see them giving the field a run for their money. In the end, though, I have Xavier going on to Houston.
The Sweet 16 kicks off today following an opening weekend with upsets galore, but, thankfully, with my champion pick still alive. Unfortunately, half of my Final Four was wiped out, but, hey, that’s the fun part.
Only a couple of Xs in this region, though one of them I had going to the regional final. Michigan State allowed Coach K’s last go-around to continue and helped contribute to the Big 10’s supposed flameout during the first weekend.
Well, this side of the bracket is where my Final Four picks have flamed out, so nothing here really matters. Continue reading →
The NCAA tournament returns in full force after a year break in 2020 and a bubble tournament centered in Indianapolis in 2021 due to the pandemic. I’m not in any pools this year, so these selections have no ultimate bearing on my life, aside from personal pride. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s selections.
Gonzaga is the overall #1 and my pick to come out of this region and moving on to the Final Four. I did throw the occasional upset in the earlier rounds, so we’ll see how those pay off.
A bit of an upset here, as I have #3 Tennessee advancing. Continue reading →
272 different people starred in the 154 movies I saw last year (starring in being the first two named stars, a tradition dating back to the old Chicago Tribune TV guide which populated the early days of my database), and 28 of them starred in more than 1 film. Those 28 thespians are:
| Actor Name | Films |
|---|---|
| Charles Bronson | 4 |
| Harrison Ford | 4 |
| Katie Holmes | 3 |
| Keanu Reeves | 3 |
| Bruce Willis | 3 |
| Renee Zellwegger | 3 |
| Chadwick Boseman | 2 |
| Alison Brie | 2 |
| Jessica Chastain | 2 |
| Adam Driver | 2 |
| Jesse Eisenberg | 2 |
| Karen Gillan | 2 |
| Carla Gugino | 2 |
| Tom Hanks | 2 |
| Anna Hutchison | 2 |
| Samuel L. Jackson | 2 |
| Gillian Jacobs | 2 |
| Felicity Jones | 2 |
| Ewan McGregor | 2 |
| Kumail Nanjiani | 2 |
| Al Pacino | 2 |
| Brad Pitt | 2 |
| Issa Rae | 2 |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | 2 |
| Will Smith | 2 |
| Kristen Stewart | 2 |
| Charlize Theron | 2 |
| Jessie T. Usher | 2 |
Now let’s take a look at the next batch of movies that I saw in 2020, following up on last Wednesday’s post.
The Prodigy (2019)
The soul of a serial killer takes over a young boy’s body, much to his mother’s chagrin.
Alex & The List (2017)
A dog trainer is given a list of things to change about himself by his fiancé before she’ll marry him.
Hide (2011)
A Boston detective investigates the mummified remains of six women.
Pretty Little Stalker (2018)
A writer takes in a troubled girl and sees her family disintegrate.
Road To Perdition (2002)
Tom Hanks and Paul Newman star in this adaptation of the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner.
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
The kids head back into the game, this time dragging along Dannys DeVito and Glover.
Are You In The House Alone? (1978)
A supposed horror movie that turned out to be a made-for-tv movie.
My Soul To Take (2010)
A serial killer returns to his hometown to stalk the seven children born on the day he was allegedly put to rest.
Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (2004)
The second installment in the series starring Renee Zellwegger.
Good People (2014)
A couple finds themselves in a pickle after discovering, and keeping, cash in their dead tenants apartment. Continue reading →