Nevada Dawg

I hadn't watched Houston very closely and for very long before today. That team is longer, more athletic, and a LOT BETTER than I thought it was. I actually picked Tennessee to beat them but knew coming in that their shooters had to be "on" for that to happen. They weren't however and the Cougars defense had something to do with that, although the Vols missed a boatload of 3's even when they had open looks. I have a feeling that next week's semi between Duke and Houston will be an absolute war well worth the price of admission. And kudos to Sparty for hanging in today against Auburn. Auburn is another team famous this year for going for the jugular in the last five minutes of games. With their best player (Broome) largely ineffective due to an injury, they were unable to do that today. If this injury is anything other than minor, the Tigers have little chance of advancing further in his extremely talented field of participants.

My bracket has been so good this year that I can hardly believe it. With three minutes left it the Florida-Texas Tech game I considered wadding it up and discarding it as my pick to win the ball of wax was 9 points down and taking (and missing) hurried shots. But I held on because I had seen many times this year Florida clamping down hard at the end of games on defense and repeatedly feeding their All-American guard who is a lethal shot at the end of games. The formula worked once again and my bracket was saved. Having said this, those Gators had better play the kind of intense defense that they are capable of throughout the game should they beat their semi-final opponent (probably but not assuredly Auburn) and face Duke in the finals. They will pose a much steeper challenge for the Devils than a cold shooting Alabama did today--and yes Cooper Flagg is a very fine basketball player.

I am not really a hockey fan (until the Olympics) but still fondly remember the gritty play of Johnson on the Miracle on Ice team of 1980. And just think guys, here is an NCAA sport in which the SEC poses absolutely no threat. If I remember correctly, there may be a school or two that have competitive Club hockey teams, although I have no idea who they compete with.

I had to chuckle at this. I do like the spunk with which Tom Izzo's teams play and they were the last of the B1G squads to kiss the trophy, but success in this field by what is probably the least talented team is probably a bit much to ask. Nevertheless, the toughness of Izzo's past (and current) squad is a factor to be dealt with.

If only. He was a great player, has a solid case as one of the best defensive players in NFL history, on 3 teams, good baseball player too. But if the media needs to shower attention on a B12 coach, how about Kenny D, or this guy Yeah I still remember the day that Deion played an afternoon game for the Atlanta Falcons and was back playing a night playoff game with the Atlanta Braves. Deion was THE MAN in those days in the ATL. Georgians needed someone like Deion after Hank Aaron retired.

Purdue, playing with a huge home court advantage, played a gutty game against Houston. My hat is off to them in a losing cause. But then again, based only on what my eyes saw of B1G basketball late this year, the Boilers seemed to me to be the best basketball team in the league.

Semper Fi. USMC 1970-1972.

Ah inbounding. The Ducks are good a defending when they need a TO, but as for their own prowess!! What were some of those lazy lobs to nowhere (except perhaps to waiting Arizona Wildcats)? Just askin.

Boy the competition and this fan's viewing interest ramped up significantly today, maybe because this was the winners bracket. I found the first round of this tournament one of the most boring first rounds I have ever witnessed. By contrast, there were several riveting games in the Saturday slate and I hope that it will continue to be riveting tomorrow.

I like your analysis and hope it is right as I was (am) expecting a close game that could go either way while admittedly knowing nothing about Arizona. Go Ducks!!

This is the best performance this century for this historically underperforming conference, and by a long shot. Now the price of poker goes up this weekend. But congrats to the B1G thus far. As I detest the B1G, I hope every one of those suckers, except OBD and maybe UCLA, lose before the Final Four. As for the SEC, I thought that only the top 4 teams (and possibly a lucky Kentucky) had much chance of exiting the first round of the Sweet 16 this year. one thing I have noticed is that classical Centers are making a comeback in the college game--get a couple of those 6' 10"+ monsters that can move and you have a team that is hard to beat. Most SEC teams are not built that way and it is beginning to show on the court.

I have always been an admirer of Gonzaga's Mark Few, the one guy in contemporary college basketball that reminds me of UCLA's John Wooden, not in his overall level of success, but in the discipline and comportment with which his teams play. That showed big time in the Zags absolute first-half stomping of my young Dawgs in the game today. An earlier interview with a Zag guard indicated that Georgia would be hyped up and that Gonzaga would come out with all guns blazing to try to put Georgia in a deep hole. They executed that plan to perfection and it worked so well because they shot the lights out in the first 10 minutes of the first half. This same guard said in the interview that he and his teammates felt poised entering this game because they go to the tournament every year and are not overwhelmed by the stage that they are on. He intimated that Georgia, which had only one player who had ever played in a NCAA tournament game, might not display the came poise early on. I have a feeling that this guy, when his playing days are done, might well make a good coach himself. I wonder how much of this "vision" might not have come from Mark Few himself during the past few days of game preparation.

All other things being equal, Kirby prefers the in-state to the out-of-state guy for several reasons, not the least of which is that the in-state guy has often grown up as a Dawg fan and will likely be much less of a portal risk if it takes a while for them to get on the field. And it is worth noting that there is an abundance of well-coached high school talent in the state of Georgia. The thing that many casual observers don't understand sometimes is that the greater metro Atlanta, which contains half or more of Georgia's population, is far from exclusively a Dawg recruiting Mecca. Many residents have moved to the area from other regions for employment opportunities and hence, many metro football players have little if any connection and/or attachment to UGA. Not only that but the entire SEC heavily recruits the greater Atlanta area. So the Dawgs lose many kids playing high school ball in Georgia that Kirby would really like to have. Having said this, I heartily concur that Dan Lanning has done a stupendous job of recruiting in what many unknowledgeable folks would consider the backwoods hinterland of Eugene Oregon. It is mostly Lanning but Oregon does have the advantage of being know as a beautiful state and has attracted many, many Georgia prospects who may have never been West and will take a paid recruiting trip to check Oregon out. If you can get them on campus you always have a shot, and some kids find it nice to be so far away from Mom and Dad for for a couple or three years. But my hat is off to Dan for the job he has done putting together a top caliber roster.

Thanks to Charles and Jon for the information they have provided here. I was never concerned that Lanning would not have talent at his disposal and there is much to be optimistic about. I guess I need to read more articles and less comments. Hopefully this will be another great season for OBD. Given his past, I have some real concerns about Bear Alexander. I don't question his talent as much as his maturity and ability to be coached, and I won't get into specifics here. He is now at his third school and this is his last shot, so he better not blow it. By now he has hopefully learned that he is not God's gift to football. He can be a very good player if he digs in and works, but he has a high potential of becoming a distraction as well. Hopefully the coaches have this kid on a short leash. I suspect CDL has consulted closely on Bear with Kirby Smart who is probably telling Dan some of the same things I am telling you. He is definitely worth a trial at a new home and I am hoping Bear has grown up.

It is hard for this Duck fan to make any solid predictions about the 25 Ducks other than they are likely to be a very good team. I'd like you guys in the know to tell me how many offensive and defensive starters have moved on. I'm most interested in the status of the trench monsters on both sides of the ball as that is where titles are won or lost. Skill players are important, of course, but not nearly as important as the big uglies up front. Most of what I have been able to glean from posts here is about skill players and very little is said about the skills of the linemen, who is making moves and what the strengths and weaknesses are for those units. Interestingly, except for musings about QBs, most discussions of players center heavily on the offensive and defensive linemen when I read the Talk'n Dawgs blog, and the coaches on that outlet get down and dirty when evaluating these dudes. Thus, I feel like I have a handle on the trenches, (good or not so good) that I don't get OBD, and this information is what informs my opinion on the Dawgs' prognosis for the upcoming season. I don't mean my comments as a criticism. This is a great forum, but not one with the specific information that allow me to speak with confidence about the team's likely prognosis against the top talents of the B1G or other conferences.