GWJ NCAA Bracket Challenge

I don't think Bill Self loses to a team twice in one season. I think he gets it done and cements his place among all-time great coaches. He is going to will the Jayhawks to his second championship.

Kansas last by 10 earlier this year, but it came from a terrible run they gave up to Kentucky to open the second half. they were tied at half, but then got down by 17 during the second half. I just think that this team is much more ready for the challenge. That was just the second game of the season.

Regardless, it's been a great run.

Wow. So apparently I've come from behind and am now in second on Yahoo.

AnimeJ wrote:

Wow. So apparently I've come from behind and am now in second on Yahoo.

Yeah, but unfortunately, So did The Walt, who also has Kansas. So you are as high as you can get. I can jump from 20th to 4th with a Jayhawk win.

True that. I take what I can get though.

Why is the championship game at 9:23 eastern? That's weird.

Gets later each year I think. Used to be 8-something... been 9-something for a while. 905, 908, 910, 915, 920... they just keep pushing it back for more pregame nonsense, and more commercials.

Saw this response in another forum from a Kansas fan to a Mizzou fan that is rooting for Kentucky tonight.

Rooting for the team that's going to kick your ass for the next 100 years to beat the team that kicked your ass for the last 100 years.

God it must be depressing to be a Missouri fan.

Pretty good article on Larry Brown, who has been following the Jayhawks around quite a bit this season.

This is something Brown will not deny: He loves KU. He has affection for other schools, other coaches, other places. But they do not compare.

“Nothing is like Kansas,” says Brown, who, 24 years after leading the Jayhawks to a national championship, still refers to the Jayhawks as “we” and “us.”

Throughout this season, the 71-year-old coach known both for winning championships and leading a nomadic life rekindled and embraced his relationship with the Jayhawks. He visited often, watched practices and, according to players, occasionally shared pointers from his 40-year coaching career. He watched game film with coach Bill Self and his assistants. When decisions were to be made, often it was Brown who helped make them. He spent most of the past month with the Jayhawks, along for a ride he once knew.

Late that night, the Jayhawks coaches began the task ahead: preparing for tonight’s final against Kentucky and coach John Calipari, who, like Self, got his start in coaching working for Brown in Lawrence.

Brown and Calipari still talk, Brown says, sometimes daily. Brown has attended Kentucky’s practices, too. He knows the Wildcats’ tendencies and some of their secrets. He also likes to talk. Deep allegiance and loose lips can lead to temptations, and if KU assistants were to ask the right questions, well …

“I just thought it best I excuse myself,” Brown says.

So he made a decision: He didn’t just have to leave KU’s locker room; he had to leave New Orleans. He didn’t sleep. When 5 a.m. came, he left his hotel, went to the airport and flew home to Philadelphia.

Anthony Davis was all smiles after winning the Wooden award.
IMAGE(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t22/Gumbie84/burtdavis.jpg)

Wow I'm such a dad. Went out to watch the game for dinner here on the West Coast. Came home and my little boy asked if I could "share" the TV so he could watch Curious George. So I'm DVRing the last half.

Rooting for Kentucky now that my Louisville Cards are out of it. Almost nobody at the sports bar were rooting for Ky - guess they're the evil Yankees empire of basketball. Oh well.

I has sad. But damn Kansas made it close. Best second half team ever.

Unfortunately you can only come from behind so many times. Spotting Kentucky 18 is not smart.

Still a hell of a run by the Jayhawks.

Same problem UL had on Sat... missed dunks and layups. Make just half of those and you win. Some of it is UK's blocking presence, but some of it is just bad bounces.

Taylor finally hit a 3 and I thought you guys had it. But it was just too much of a hole.

Stele wrote:

Same problem UL had on Sat... missed dunks and layups. Make just half of those and you win. Some of it is UK's blocking presence, but some of it is just bad bounces.

Taylor finally hit a 3 and I thought you guys had it. But it was just too much of a hole.

Yeah, I have to give credit to Kentucky' defensive presence. They really created chaos inside. When it got to five, I thought Kansas was going to take it. And if EJ could have avoided that bounce and just hit his three, it would have been a three point game.

So many little things that had been bouncing the the Jayhawks way went the other way tonight. But a lot of that was just flat out aggressiveness on the part of Kentucky. A ton of loose balls under the basket went Kentucky's way, when those were KU balls all season long.

Happy as I am that UK won, it was still a hell of a game. Definitely was scary the last few minutes. Glad to see a great finish to a great tournament.

Did we actually have a tournament with no last-second shots this year?

Seems like there were a few close games where there was a clutch shot in the last 10 or 20 seconds. But nothing at the buzzer for a win or tie.

Hurray, I won the ESPN group that nobody joined!

IMAGE(http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/300W/i/2011/280/d/a/yukari__s_smug_face__by_chioi_tempest-d4c3efu.jpg)

Jayhawker wrote:

Best second half team ever.

Seriously, though, for realz yo. They turned in a phenomenal season.

Wow, I won! I can't believe it

Ego Man wrote:

Wow, I won! I can't believe it

Congrats!

Rise from the ashes... Are we doing this for 2013?

Yeah it's right here

Well my bracket is done for this year (on another site I frequent). I was picking St. Louis to ride the wave of emotion after the death of their head coach. Sadly, it looks like that same emotion is what killed them and my bracket.

Are we doing the Sweet 16 Second Chance at Yahoo?

I mean I know I'm doing it personally just for the chance to win prizes. But it would be fun to have another GWJ competition.

Stele wrote:

Are we doing the Sweet 16 Second Chance at Yahoo?

I mean I know I'm doing it personally just for the chance to win prizes. But it would be fun to have another GWJ competition.

Sure, signed up.

Whoops I posted in the wrong one.

Looked in recent posts, saw posts from March 2013... fail...