Sweet Sixteen Challenge

Posted on Friday, March 27th, 2009 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

ncaa_16teams_2008_dAs the NCAA Hoops season winds down, it is time for us to try our hand at prognostication.  Yes, yes, yes here is the spot for you to enter into the Sweet Sixteen Challenge.

The rules are simple: pick the Sweet Sixteen. The task is tricky: you must do this by high noon March 1st.

Yeah it sounds a little kamikazee in nature.  You must try and pick the Sweet Sixteen BEFORE the brackets are released…actually you have to pick before many conference tournaments begin.  Sounds crazy but others have done it before and been able to 10 of the 16.

So get ready – watch some hoops – follow a hunch and make your picks.

Post your answer below.

17 Responses to “Sweet Sixteen Challenge”

  1. crossword peteFebruary 19th, 2009 - 2:34 pm

    When you don’t know much, and have no luck in the pools anyway, might as well post early.
    UConn
    Okla
    UNC
    Pitt
    Mem
    Mich St
    Lou vul
    Duke
    Nova
    ASU
    Xavier
    Gonzaga
    Butler
    Texas
    Utah
    Davidson

  2. ReyFebruary 26th, 2009 - 7:46 pm

    This is easy because we can already eliminate all Big 10 teams. What a miserable conference. Here goes nothing, eyes closed:

    1. UConn
    2. Pitt
    3. UNC
    4. Arizona State
    5. Oklahoma
    6. Duke
    7. Memphis
    8. Utah State
    9. Louisville
    10. Wake Forest
    11. Missouri
    12. LSU
    13. Clemson
    14. Washington
    15. Temple <—– homer alert
    16. Siena <—- my crazy pick

  3. crossword peteFebruary 27th, 2009 - 10:33 am

    Rey, Buffalo having a run in football AND BB! What is the sports world coming to?

  4. WallyFebruary 27th, 2009 - 5:41 pm

    1. UConn 9. Clemson
    2. Pitt 10. Gonzaga
    3. Louisville 11. Oklahoma
    4. No. Carolina 12. Kansas
    5. Duke 13. Memphis
    6. Villanova 14. Butler
    7. Michigan State 15. Arizona State
    8. Wisconsin 16. Mizzou

  5. ReyFebruary 28th, 2009 - 12:53 pm

    Pete – first of all, I think a 10-12 seed will sneak in this year. Just a hunch. A lot of good teams are doing well against other good teams, then dropping games against average teams in their own conference.

    I wanted to go with Siena. They’ve played some tough teams in non-conference and they have a very good Niagra team in their conference. Both these teams beat Buffalo. Now that I’ve thought about it, the MAC is very, very weak this year. UB has played some good teams non conference (lost by 4 to UCONN). But they’ve dropped their last four and based on conventional wisdom, they have little mojo going into the tournament.

    So Casey, can I switch my crazy pick to Siena???

  6. CaseyFebruary 28th, 2009 - 1:15 pm

    Consider it switched.

  7. crossword peteFebruary 28th, 2009 - 7:14 pm

    Gee, Rey, I was excited about a UB double run. Darn.

  8. CaseyMarch 1st, 2009 - 7:26 am

    Pittsburgh
    UConn
    West Virginia
    Louisville
    Oklahoma
    Missouri
    Washington
    Washington St.
    Michigan State
    Butler
    Memphis
    Xavier
    Gonzaga
    UNC
    Wake
    Duke

    By the way – nice job Rey! Your Big10 prediction assures us that we will see at least one those teams in the final four. :)

  9. WallyMarch 1st, 2009 - 1:24 pm

    Rochestie did it again this week for Wazzou. Yep, Casey … both Washington schools could make some noise. I’d like to put UW in my S16, but it’s too late per the rules.

  10. Doug PotterMarch 1st, 2009 - 5:11 pm

    North Carolina
    Oklahoma
    Pitt
    UConn
    Louisville
    Villanova
    Wake Forest
    Duke
    Michigan State
    Gonzaga
    Butler
    Washington
    Memphis
    West Virginia
    UCLA
    Xavier

    I apologize for the tardiness, but it would be greatly appreciated if you found it in your heart to allow me to join in the fun!

  11. CaseyMarch 1st, 2009 - 8:26 pm

    I have found it in my heart to allow you to join the fun. :)

  12. SmittyMarch 2nd, 2009 - 9:45 am

    I was so consumed by the Mount Rushmore and picking my All-American teams ( soon to be sent in) – I forgot to contribute to this thread. So if the good Commish can see it to allow my picks in – I would greatly appreciate it.

    Oklahoma
    Pitt
    UConn
    North Carolina
    Louisville
    Villanova
    Wake Forest
    Duke
    Michigan State
    Gonzaga
    Butler
    Washington
    Memphis
    Siena
    Kansas
    Xavier

    Yes – I agree with the Siena pick and I am also showing some love for Kansas and Coach Self. Coach Self has done an incredible job after losing just about the whole starting team from last year’s championship team. Sunday’s beatdown on Missouri was the deciding factor for me. Plus, Coach Self has taken a beating on this website. Time to show some love..

  13. WallyMarch 3rd, 2009 - 10:50 am

    Well, I suppose I can take the Irish off my Sweet Sixteen picks. jk. Poor shooting and poor defense in a HOME game when they HAD TO WIN just points to the fact that yet again … Mike Brey’s ND squad collectively clutched the esophagii and went down in flames. After 9 years, he has no answer, no solution. What you see right now is what you’re gonna get for as long as you keep Brey.

    Again, ND hoops fans can look across the court at a Villanova team … another small, private school (Catholic too, I think) that consistently does better than the Irish on the hardwood, but with far fewer resources and advantages. It’s got to be the coaching guys!!! So go get Jay Wright immediately … hell … go get anybody who doesn’t wear a mock turtleneck EVERY DAY … and send Mikey B packin’ his bags to go sit next to Coach K again so he can figure out what it was about WINNING that he didn’t get the first time he sat to K for a decade!!!!!!

    Well … at least my main team is out and I can just sit back and enjoy the tourneys. Go Lou’ville! go Huskies!

  14. CaseyMarch 9th, 2009 - 9:02 pm

    None of us picked VCU! What were we thinking. Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders are dynamite. Sanders is three blocks from a triple-double right now.

  15. ReyMarch 9th, 2009 - 9:06 pm

    Eric Maynor can be a little turnover prone when faced with pressure

  16. CaseyMarch 9th, 2009 - 9:07 pm

    Yeah he may – he may also be lights out.

  17. Crossword PeteMarch 22nd, 2009 - 7:44 pm

    Wally and Smitty with 12; Doug, Casey, and Pete with 11, if I calculate correctly.

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