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Tag: March Madness

  • March Madness: If UK Plays Duke, Lexington Will Burn, No Matter How It Ends

    March Madness is a bigger deal in Kentucky than Christmas. Many outside the Bluegrass State may think that the running of the Kentucky Derby is a bigger event, but they would be wring. Sure, the Derby is a huge deal. But it’s one day and done. March Madness is more like a holiday season, without the annoying too-early end-cap displays and music.

    March Madness comes around just when it should. And with it, the fevered dreams of how it might all go down. Brackets get filled out, then busted. Bets are lost, hearts are broken, and friendships are made and lost.

    But this year, March Madness has put a smell in the air that Wildcat and Blue Devil fans have not sensed in years.

    The upcoming Final Four games pair Duke against Michigan State and Kentucky against Wisconsin. Seeing those teams listed so close to each other on one page is exciting enough. But every citizen of Big Blue Nation knows what that could mean. With all respect to Wisconsin and Michigan State, the lure of a UK-Duke showdown is too exciting to dismiss.

    But what if it happened? What if this March Madness season sees a battle royale of these two teams?

    If you don’t live in Kentucky, you may not understand the depth of this. While many think that the rivalry between the Wildcats of UK and the Cardinals of U of L is the biggest thing going, that pales in comparison to the animosity that UK fans hold for the Duke Blue Devils.

    We won’t review here the sordid tale of the Laettner Stomp. But the passions the mere mention of Duke elicit run deep. The old cliché of having two favorite teams — UK and whoever plays Duke — is true in Wildcat country.

    This is a genuine concern for Lexington residents. When the Cats win, there is much revelry and partying. Couch-burning has become the go-to activity when celebrating wins. The Lexington authorities have already taken the preemptive step of banning all “indoor furniture” from being outside in certain areas of Lexington during the entirety of the NCAA tournament.

    If UK plays Duke for the championship, one of two things could happen:

    UK could win. In which case, there will be fires and mayhem.

    UK could lose to Duke. In which case, there could be days of fires and mayhem.

    While the thought of a UK-Duke matchup is tempting, for the safety of everyone in the Lexington area, I gotta hope Michigan State meets us on April 6.

  • March Madness Drinking Games: UK Fan Edition

    March Madness is upon us. Games mean friends; friends mean snacks; snacks mean drinks. What better time to bring a drinking game into the proceedings?

    There have been March Madness drinking games before. Usually the events that incur drinks are pretty normal for any basketball game. Some might include drinking when:

    – the team you bet against hits a 3-pointer

    – a player from your team fouls someone

    – a player from your team fouls out

    – a slam dunk is made

    – a deep three-pointer is made

    – an air ball is shot

    But for UK Wildcat fans, there are certain events that can be counted on to occur in nearly every game, especially during March Madness. Pairing with these familiar and unique-to-Big-Blue-Nation moments with the usuals can really spice up a game.

    So, either drain your beer — or take a shot — whenever:

    – an announcer mentions that Willie Cauley-Stein used to play football

    – Tyler Ulis stares down/up some player 2 feet taller than him

    – either Harrison twin or Devon Booker hits a three

    – Willie Cauley-Stein blocks a shot and follows it with a death stare

    – an opposing team player is shown sitting on the bench with head in hands

    – an opponent flops like a beach towel

    – Dick Vitale or any other announcer observes that Kentucky can be beaten, if the only opponent can “hit threes”

    – Ashley Judd is shown on screen

    – Karl-Anthony Towns puts back his own missed shot

    – a fan from an opposing team enthuses to the camera that their team is actually “Number One”

    – an opposing team fan is shown with a sign promising to end the UK streak

  • Final Four Match-Ups Have Been Set, Who Will Win It All?

    After an incredibly exciting NCAA tournament leading up to Final Four, the four remaining teams, and their match-ups, have finally been set. It features the No.1 overall seed Florida, and a few familiar foes for the Gators.

    The Florida Gators are the No.1 overall seed in the tournament, and were one of the hottest teams heading into March Madness, having all sorts of talent that could easily win it all. However, the three remaining teams all pose an interesting challenge for Florida, and ironically, they have played each of them already over the course of the season.

    Joining Florida in the Final Four are the UConn Huskies, who they will meet first, along with the Wisconsin Badgers, and the Kentucky Wildcats. It may come as a shock to a number of people, but the last time that the Florida Gators lost was in a game against the UConn Huskies, which took place on December 2, before conference play started.

    Another interesting thing to note is that their only other loss this year is to Wisconsin, while Kentucky of course has experience playing against the Gators in SEC conference play, where they have lost to the Gators three times already.

    The Florida Gators have seemed almost unstoppable this year, and after going undefeated in the SEC, they have an overall record of 36-2 including the NCAA tournament.

    The Wildcats almost beat the Gators in the SEC Conference Championship Game, which was when the Wildcats finally started to get their groove back. Their young freshmen have matured over the season, and may be able to prove everyone wrong by making it to the championship.

    Florida has looked quite impressive throughout the NCAA tournament on their road to the Final Four, while each of the other teams have had their fair share of struggles. The Gators have seen a handful of great performances from their star Scottie Wilbekin, who was named the SEC Player Of The Year.

    The Wildcats just escaped a close game with the favored Michigan Wolverines earlier, while the UConn Huskies defeated the heavily favored Michigan State Spartans, who many people thought might be able to win the championship.

    Florida defeated the Dayton Flyers in order to make it to the Final Four, and while it was not as much of an upset as the games today, Wisconsin beat Arizona in overtime last night in order to give coach Bo Ryan his first trip to the Final Four.

    The Florida Gators were the No.1 seed coming into the tournament, and as the teams are set for the Final Four, they are the only No.1 seed that is still remaining. Will they end up winning it all, or does one of the other three teams have what it takes to defeat the seemingly unstoppable Gators?

    Image via Facebook

  • Kentucky Upsets Michigan, Earns A Trip To The Final Four

    Kentucky came into the NCAA tournament as a No.8 seed, and many people did not have high expectations from the young team after mid-season struggles, but they have made quite a run to earn a spot in the Final Four.

    The Kentucky Wildcats and the Michigan Wolverines played a hard-fought battle, and it was an incredibly close game throughout. The game was tied at halftime, and the Wildcats would go on to win 75-72, following a late 3-point shot from Aaron Harrison.

    The stars of Kentucky, as well as some of their lesser-known players, were forced to step up with Willie Cauley-Stein out due to an ankle injury that he suffered in their previous game against Louisville. Marcus Lee, who barely played in the regular season, came up big with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

    Kentucky and Michigan matched up well, and while Michigan is one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, the Wildcats kept up with them well in that category. Aaron Harrison delivered some huge shots from long range after being shutout for much of the game, and hit the game-winner with 2.6 seconds left on the clock.

    The young Kentucky Wildcats were forced to endure some tough losses throughout the season, including teams such as Arkansas and South Carolina, but they have matured over the season, and when it truly matters, the young team has shown up to play.

    Standout freshman Julius Randle came up big in their win today, and had his fourth double-double of the tournament, in addition to his 24th of the season, delivering a total 16 points and 11 rebounds.

    Kentucky was able to defeat the No.2 seed Michigan, while the UConn Huskies also had a big performance at Madison Square Garden in the first game of the day when they beat the Michigan State Spartans. Shabazz Napier led all scorers in the game with 25, and the Huskies will meet Florida next.

    After being one of the worst conferences throughout the season, the SEC now has two teams in the Final Four. The Kentucky Wildcats could get another shot at playing the Florida Gators if they are able to beat Wisconsin next Saturday.

    The last time that the two SEC teams played was in the SEC Conference Championship, and just when Kentucky started showing how tough they can be, and they almost came away with a victory then. Could they do it this time, and win the NCAA championship?

    After defeating the Michigan Wolverines, the Kentucky Wildcats are heading to their third Final Four in the past four years. As a team with a ton of freshman, many people think that their lack of experience could catch up with them eventually.

    Image via Facebook

  • UConn Upsets Michigan State, Advances To The Final Four

    In one of the worst offensive performances in the NCAA tournament, the UConn Huskies defeated the Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans were highly favored coming into the Elite Eight match-up, and many people thought that they had what it takes to win the championship.

    The Spartans struggled to score throughout the game, and ended the game with only 54 points, and 3 of those points came from a desperation three-pointer as the clock expired. The Huskies won the game 60-54, and the Spartans struggled throughout the game, only scoring 25 points in the first half.

    While the first half was incredibly to watch for Spartan fans, the second half did not prove to be much different, and they clearly did not have the desire to win. UConn, on the other hand, continued to fight, and saw big performances from each of their top players.

    UConn had troubles of its own, but also had help from an impressive performance from their veteran guard Shabazz Napier. The location also helped the Huskies, as they were almost playing a home game at Madison Square Garden.

    Napier helped UConn to a Final Four through his physical play, and an impressive offensive performance, which included 25 points. 17 of Napier’s points came in the second half, and like Kemba Walker did 4 years ago, he came up with some clutch shots in a big game.

    It is always hard to admit after a tough loss, but as a legendary coach, Tom Izzo spoke about the game and said “We got what we deserved today. I tried to tell these guys that, when you get to the tournament, you got to bring it every second. And today Connecticut did, and we just kind of weren’t as good as we have been.”

    Michigan State was picked by a number of fans and experts, and even President Obama, to win the championship, but they ended up falling short of the Final Four. Perhaps all of the hype simply caught up to them, but the Huskies simply outplayed the Spartans today, and MSU turned it over many times, while continually missing their shots.

    Tom Izzo has had a lot of incredible runs in the NCAA tournament, and continues to take his teams to the Final Four, as this now makes the current seniors the first four-year players recruited by Tom Izzo to fail to make a Final Four.

    Keith Appling and Adreian Payne were the two seniors who had worked four years for this moment, and while Payne still had a decent game, Appling only scored 2 points, and fouled out. Everyone struggled from the field, and while Dawson had just five points, Trice was unable to score.

    UConn truly fought harder as a team today, and while both teams struggled in the first half, the Huskies came away with the win at the end. The Huskies will play against Florida in their Final Four match-up, and an important thing to note going into the game is that the last time Florida lost was when they played against UConn.

    The UConn Huskies will be seeking their fourth national championship next Saturday. Can they beat the Florida Gators again, and break their 30-game win streak?

    Image via Facebook

  • Natalie Achonwa Dominates in NCAA Game

    Natalie Achonwa Dominates in NCAA Game

    Natalie Achonwa led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a victory against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in an NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal game on Saturday in South Bend. This 89-72 win brings the team’s record this year to 35-0.

    The Fighting Irish dominated the game right from the start, scoring the first 14 points of the match and preventing the Cowgirls from getting any closer than within 10 points of their lead.

    The 21-year-old Achonwa scored an impressive 23 points, along with a career-high five blocked shots, six assists, and two steals. Her efforts, along with the rest of the squad’s, has put them in the position of only three wins away from an NCAA national title, and one from a Final Four spot.

    Achonwa wasn’t the only player with an outstanding performance – Jewel Lloyd had 20 points, while Kayla McBride added 18 to the score.

    Watch some of Achonwa’s skills, here:

    The Fighting Irish team has made it to three consecutive Final Fours without a championship, which has made Achonwa and her team even more determined to win this year.

    “We’ve always been the bridesmaids, but we want the big ring this year,” said Achonwa in an interview. “You have some great programs in Tennessee and UConn [Connecticut] who keep winning, but we want one now.”

    The Fighting Irish co-captain was the youngest member of the 2012 Canadian Olympic team. She is the first international player to ever play for Notre Dame. She chose the Fighting Irish over many other prestigious programs, including Louisville, Michigan State, and Kentucky.

    These final games of the 2014 season will be Achonwa’s last playing for Notre Dame, as she is expected to be chosen high in April’s WNBA draft.

    Achonwa plans to continue to play internationally, but is now focused on helping her team win a championship.

    Image via YouTube

  • Willie Cauley-Stein’s Status For Elite Eight Game Is Doubtful

    Kentucky won a hard fought battle against their in-state rivals last night, and were forced to play throughout part of the game without Willie Cauley-Stein. The Kentucky forward suffered an injury in the first half of the Louisville game, and was unable to return.

    The Sweet 16 match-up between rivals Kentucky and Louisville was certainly one of the biggest, and would mean the most for each of them, as they fight to become the best team in the state. The Wildcats won the game 74-69, despite not having their star Willie Cauley-Stein available in the second half.

    The Kentucky Wildcats were top-ranked team to start the season, and high hopes entering the season, although they lost 10 games, and have not lived up to the hype. After beating formerly defeated Wichita State, and now Louisville, Kentucky will play in the Elite Eight, and is only one win away from an appearance in the Final Four.

    Speaking on the availability of Willie Cauley-Stein in the game against Michigan, Kentucky coach John Calipari said “He’s still in a boot. He’s doubtful. He’s acting like he thinks he could do something, and I would be stunned if he plays in this game.”

    Many people had picked Wichita State or Louisville to advance from the Midwest region, but Kentucky continues to surprise people and may even have what it takes to upset Michigan. Michigan is the No.2 seed, and barely beat Tennessee last night, but can Kentucky do it without Willie Cauley-Stein?

    After Cauley-Stein left the game last night, Dakari Johnson came in to replace him, and gave an impressive performance with 15 points and 6 rebounds. He could give a similar performance against Michigan, but Kentucky was hoping to have Cauley-Stein’s smaller physique, and athletic skills, when matching up against the smaller lineup of the Wolverines.

    Kentucky struggled throughout the season, but they are on a hot streak right now. If the Wildcats can win just two more games, then they could get a rematch against Florida, if they also win their next two games.

    Over the course of the 2013-2014 season, the 7-foot Willie Cauley-Stein averaged 6.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. He receives help from other star players such as Julius Randle, James Young, Aaron Harrison, and Andrew Harrison.

    The Kentucky Wildcats were able to reach the SEC Conference Championship where they almost beat the No.1 overall seed Florida, but their streak could come to an end tomorrow against Michigan. The Wildcats and Wolverines will tip off at 5:05 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    Image via Facebook

  • NCAA Tournament 2014: Sweet 16 Match-Ups Are Set

    After what could be called one of the most exciting first weekends in the history of the NCAA tournament, the Sweet 16 match-ups have been set. The first weekend was filled with upsets, and overtimes, and a No.1 seed even lost.

    Virginia, Florida, and Arizona all made it to the Sweet 16 fairly easily, but the Kentucky Wildcats were simply too much for the Wichita State Shockers, and the Shockers received their first loss of the season, keeping a No.1 seed from entering the round of 16.

    Several top seeded, and reputable teams such as Duke, Kansas and Syracuse all lost in the first weekend, and after Warren Buffet’s $1 billion bracket challenge started, no entry was perfect after the first round. Click here for a full look at the updated bracket, featuring all of the match-ups that will be seen on Thursday and Friday.

    Many people have had their brackets completely busted after the losses by the 2 and 3 seeds, but perhaps President Obama made some good picks, since his Final Four of Florida, Arizona, Michigan State, and Louisville, is still intact. He has Michigan State beating Louisville in the final, but Louisville has struggled in their first two games.

    A handful of incredibly exciting match-ups exist in the the round of 16, including in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville, who both have something to play for. Louisville is the defending champion, and looks to do it again, while Kentucky was ranked No.1 to start the season, and has struggled since then.

    Three No.1 seeds will be playing the No.4 seed in the planned out scenarios, but there are a few wild match-ups as well, such as the No.10/No.11 game between Dayton and Stanford. One of the big No.1 vs. No.4 games to watch for is the Michigan State/Virginia game, following Michigan State’s Big Ten tournament victory, and Virginia’s ACC tournament win.

    One of the biggest surprises of the Sweet 16 could be the fact that all three SEC teams are still alive, which includes Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida, the only team that most people had predicted to get this far.

    The SEC had been perhaps the worst of the powerhouse conferences this season, and Tennessee barely made it in the tournament, but the Volunteers have made a huge statement with their past two games, and will face No.2 seed Michigan next.

    Post by NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness.

    The Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament begins on Thursday, and will tip-off with Dayton and Stanford at 7:15. Louisville and MSU, the two teams that President Obama, and many others have in their Final Four, will each be seen in action on Friday, in two of the best match-ups of the round of 16.

    Image via Facebook

  • Kentucky Fans Still the Most Basketball Obsessed, Twitter Data Shows

    When it comes to loyal and devoted college basketball fandom, there’s simply no place like my old Kentucky home.

    The University of Kentucky Wildcats have the most wins in the history of college basketball, and they also have the highest winning percentage. They’ve appeared in the NCAA tournament more times than any other team, and have won more games in said tournament than every other school in existence. Add all of this to the eight national titles under their belt and it’s undebatable that the Wildcats are the most storied team in history.

    These stats are impressive, but they don’t quite get to the number one reason why Kentucky basketball is basketball.

    What really makes Kentucky Basketball what it is are the fans. Not only do UK fans love Kentucky-they just love basketball on the whole. This year, Twitter data proves that when it comes to March Madness, nobody’s watching as closely as the Bluegrass State.

    According to Twitter, Kentucky is the #1 state in per capita mentions of “March Madness” or “#marchmadness.” Kentucky is followed by Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin–in that order.

    UK, an 8 seed, will face Kansas State, a 9 seed, tonight in the NCAA second (first) round. Tip off is set for 9:40 pm EST.

    Image via University of Kentucky, Facebook

  • March Madness 2014: The Games Start On Thursday, Are Your Brackets Ready?

    The madness will soon be upon us, as all of the top teams, and their fans, prepare for the big NCAA tournament that will ignite March Madness 2014. It has been a wild year that has seen several top teams go up and down, and no team has much of an edge heading into the tournament.

    The seeds and first-round match-ups have been selected, and as people hurry up to finish up their brackets, they continue to debate about the right picks. Of course, it is impossible to tell who will win, and some people might even pick them at random.

    A perfect bracket has never been done before, but fans continue to do them every year in the hopes that they could be the first. This year, Warren Buffet is even offering $1 billion to anyone who is finally able to complete the near-impossible task.

    Some people could make rough drafts, and continue to edit them starting on Sunday night, and others may wait until the last minute. However, everyone must remember that in order for a bracket to be counted, they must be submitted before the tip-off of the first game on Thursday, March 20th.

    President Obama took time out of his busy presidential schedule to fill out a bracket as he has done every year, and while his Final Four was unveiled initially, every pick that he made was revealed to viewers on a special edition of Sportscenter this morning.

    If someone wants to copy Obama’s picks, then go with Louisville, Michigan State, Florida, and Arizona. He correctly picked Lousiville in the championship last year, and has them going again this year, but feels that Michigan State has the power to overcome the defending champions.

    The four No.1 seeds this year are Florida, who obtained the No.1 overall seed after going undefeated in the SEC, Wichita State, who is undefeated on the season, Arizona, and Virginia. Any of them has the ability to go to the Final Four, but then again, many others do as well.

    Post by ESPN College Basketball.

    Two teams from Obama’s Final Four are No.4 seeds, Louisiville and MIchigan State, and both teams have a great chance of making the championship. There are several teams that have peaked at different points during the season, and if recent years have taught fans anything, it would be that any team is capable of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

    Michigan State may not be a No.1 seed, but they have plenty of experience playing in the tournament, and were picked to win by all five ESPN analysts, which includes Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg, Jay Williams and Dick Vitale.

    March Madness 2014 will be underway on Thursday, and while plenty of people seem to be picking Michigan State to win it all, there are always surprises in the tournament. The Spartans did just win the Big Ten tournament, and when healthy, they are certainly one of the teams to beat.

    Image via Facebook

  • President Obama Reveals His Picks For The Final Four

    It’s March Madness time again, and like no president before him had done, President Obama has taken the time to publicly fill out an NCAA March Madness bracket, letting everyone know what his final four picks will be.

    He has proven over the years that he is a big fan of college basketball, and has even shown a bit of favoritism toward certain teams in a way. From 2009 until 2013, President Obama has picked three different teams to win the championship, and he as been correct once.

    In the era that has become known as “Barack-etology,” Obama has picked Indiana (over Louisville in 2013), Kansas (over Ohio State in 2011 and Kentucky in 2010) and North Carolina (over Kentucky in 2012 and Louisville in 2009).

    However, he did also correctly pick that Louisville would go to the championship in 2013, a game that they won. He predicted that they would lose to Indiana, and Louisville ended up winning when they beat another Big Ten school, Michigan.

    Speaking on last year’s championship game, President Obama said that it was “one of the best championship games that any of us have seen in a very, very long time.”

    This year could be the most exciting one that basketball fans have seen in a while since no team seems to be a real front-runner heading into the tournament, except possibly Florida, who went undefeated in conference play, and earned the No.1 overall seed.

    As a result, President Obama only has two No.1 seeds in his final four, but as most people know, a Final Four that consists of four No.1 seeds almost never happens. The president’s final four picks are Florida, Arizona, Michigan State, and Louisville.

    Do you agree with Obama’s picks? Who will be making the Final Four this year?

    Last year Obama’s men’s bracket ranked 2,080,996 out of 8.15 million entries in ESPN.com’s free ESPN Men’s Tournament Challenge, placing him in the 74.4th percentile. Every year is different though, and this could be his year again.

    Michigan State and Louisville are the No.4 seeds in the East, and Midwest, respectively. However, both teams are on a role after winning their conference championships, and are likely contenders to win it all. They are led by Michigan State’s Gary Harris, and Louisville’s Russ Smith, both contenders for the Wooden Award.

    President Obama correctly placed Louisville in the championship last year, but do they have the potential to get back? They lost Peyton Siva, but still have a load of talent on their team, and are seeking another championship.

    Image via Youtube

  • Warren Buffett Backs Billion Dollar March Madness Contest

    In a move apt to bring a smile to the face of every statistics geek on Earth, Warren Buffett is backing a one billion dollar payout for anyone who can perfectly pick the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Quicken Loans is running the contest, and the payout, in the extremely unlikely event that there is a payout, will be backed by Buffett’s multinational holding company Berkshire Hathaway.

    How unlikely is it that someone will pick the perfect bracket? Pretty darn unlikely. The odds of a perfect bracket randomly coming together (that is, without paying any attention to who’s playing whom) is one in nine quintillion. That’s nine quintillion as in nine million-trillion, or, if you prefer 9,000,000,000,000,000,000.

    Of course, given that no one picks a bracket entirely at random, it’s impossible to calculate the actual odds of someone winning. It’s a long shot, though, to say the least. Buffett and a fellow executive crunched the numbers to see what the odds of someone making informed decisions winning the prize would be. He said that they came up with a rough estimate, noting that the two of them “were in the same ballpark, but it’s a big ballpark.”

    John Diver, who runs ESPN’s bracket contest, said that not one person in the 13-year history of their bracket contest has come close to picking perfectly. In fact, only one person has picked the first round correctly in the past seven years.

    “I will invite [any potential winners] to be my guest at the final game and be there with a check in my pocket,” joked Buffett, “but I will not be cheering for him or her to win. I may even give them a little investment advice.”

    If there is a winner, he or she will opt between receiving annual payments of $25 million for forty years or a lump sum of $500 million. In the vastly less likely event that there are multiple winners, the pot will be split evenly. Contestants can sign up beginning on March 3 and can fill out their brackets once the field is finalized on March 16. Entry in the contest is free.

    And, just to put it all in context, here’s a list of other unlikely things:

    the odds of winning Powerball are 1-in-175 million;
    the odds of winning MegaMillions are 1-in-259 million;
    the odds of having a specific license plate number (assuming three letters and three numbers on the plate) are 1-in-17 million; and
    the odds of shuffling a deck of cards into any particular sequence are 1-in- 80,658,175,170,943,878,571,660,636,856,403,766,975,289,505,440,883,277,824,000,000,000,000

    Bonne chance!

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Warren Buffet Backs $1B Perfect Bracket Challenge

    With the financial insuring of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, Quicken Loans is running a contest that nobody will win.

    Buy holy moly, wouldn’t it be a hell of a thing to win.

    It’s called the Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge, and it will deliver a billion dollars to anyone who can pick a 100% perfect NCAA March Madness bracket. If you’re the grand prize winner, you can either take the full billion in $25 million installments over the next 40 years, or you can take a lump sum of $500 million.

    Registration opens on March 3rd, and there’s a limit – 10,000,000 participants (or more, if they decide to expand it).

    “Millions of people play brackets every March, so why not take a shot at becoming $1 billion richer for doing so,” said Buffett. “While there is no simple path to success, it sure doesn’t get much easier than filling out a bracket online. To quote a commercial from one of my companies, I’d dare say it’s so easy to enter that even a caveman can do it.”

    Post by Quicken Loans.

    It’s a great thought – winning a cool billion just for picking some basketball games. It’s too bad that it’s never going to happen:

    Having said all of that, the contest is still worth your time. Quicken is going to hand out $100,000 to the top 20 most-accurate brackets. I mean, you’re going to fill out a bracket anyway – might as well register it for a bigger prize than your office pool.

    Image via YouTube

  • ‘NCAA Bracket’ Google Search Returns Bracket On Results Page

    Google has a new March Madness feature for basketball fans. When you search “NCAA Bracket” in Google, the search engine will return a bracket on the actual page, so you can see where all the teams are at in the tournament.

    Google’s Dan Vanderkam announced the feature in a tweet (via Search Engine Land):

    Here’s what it looks like:

    NCAA Bracket

    Google has offered March Madness tools in the past. Here’s what they did last year. And the year before that.

  • The Cast of Mad Men Talk College Basketball in ‘March Mad Men’

    All it takes is a little bit of editing and the cast of Mad Men come alive to discuss…

    March Madness of course! Check on Don, Betty, Pete, Peggy, Roger, and Bert discuss their pool, brackets, and all the upsets. Both March Madness and Mad Men are going to be gracing your TV screens soon, so why not celebrate the two together?

    [via OfficialComedy]

  • UK President Implores Fans To Behave Responsibly

    In light of Saturday night’s disorder, the University of Kentucky’s President, Dr. Eli Capilouto, has written an email, asking his student body to behave in a responsible manner if the basketball team beats Kansas later tonight. Considering how UK fans acted after beating Louisville, Dr Capilouto’s words will likely fall on deaf ears, but he did go on record concerning any potential punishments.

    The content of the email is as follows. The added emphasis is ours:

    The excitement over Saturday’s victory against the Cardinals was quickly dampened by the irresponsible and destructive behavior of some UK students and community members. The illegal and dangerous actions of a small minority detracted from honoring the student-athletes who have worked tirelessly to represent UK at a national level.

    Celebration of our team’s achievement is important. But when our actions endanger the lives of students, neighbors, law enforcement, and safety officials, we’ve crossed a critical line. Illegal behavior that jeopardizes the safety and well-being of others will not be tolerated, and those who cross that line will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law and, where applicable, The Code of Student Conduct.

    We have the opportunity to make history by winning our eighth national championship. Moreover, we have the chance to change the poor perception created by the civil unrest Saturday night and show the world that we are a leading Flagship and Land Grant Research University.

    I implore you to be safe, be respectful, and don’t be stupid.

    Go Cats!

    Eli Capilouto
    President
    University of Kentucky

    From this student’s perspective, while the “don’t be stupid” stands out, the idea of punishing those who “cross the line” not only with legal action, but with the student’s code of conduct should provide a clear enough warning. That is, if you act a fool and get caught, aside from legal punishment, there’s a good chance you won’t be attending the university, either.

    Dr Capilouto’s words were essentially echoed by the Lexington Police Department, which offered a statement about any upcoming celebration shenanigans:

    “The most difficult challenges came from those in the State Street area,” [Chief Ronnie] Bastin said. “The behavior of many of those people … was dangerous, criminal and unacceptable. This behavior cannot be tolerated and will not be tolerated.”

    There’s a not-so-fine line between celebrating a highly-anticipated win and trying to burn a neighborhood down because your team won. Hopefully, if the situation warrants, most of the UK students will be on the sensible side, but if Saturday night serves as any indication, it may be another long night for the Lexington Police Department.

  • Final Four Tickets: Only for the Rich and Famous

    Plan on going to the Final Four this Saturday? Plan on spending an arm and a leg.

    In 1964 the cost of a single ticket was $7. Fast forward to today and you’ll be spending $235 for the nosebleed section. And that’s at face value. Buy them from a scalper and there is no telling what you’ll spend. Club level seats are going in excess of $1,300 face value.

    Then there is airfare; last minute tickets from Lexington will cost you $1,500 a pop to see the Cats play. Oh, and don’t forget last minute lodgings. A premium hotel will cost you $1,000 a night. Don’t forget food and perks…

    That’ll bring your total to $5,775 a person. Will that be cash or credit?

    (image)

  • NCAA March Madness Money [Infographic]

    NCAA March Madness Money [Infographic]

    If you thought March Madness was only about college hoops, you were dead wrong. It’s all about the Benjamins. From TV networks to the NCAA itself, everyone is trying to get a piece of the pie this time of year.

    Some interesting stats to consider while watching the final four this weekend:

    A 30-second spot during the first round of the tournament can go for $100,000. That same ad in the finals goes for over $1 million.

    The NCAA makes 96 of it’s annual revenue in March.

    $3 billion is bet in office pools across the country, over 50 million Americans participating.

    96 percent of Americans will watch some part of the tournament.

    (image)

    (image)@GeethatsNice
    Grant Nice    cbs/turner sports paid the NCAA 11 billion dollars for coverage of march madness over the course of 13 years…where is that money going?(image) 6 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@BarbaraTitus
    Barbara Titus    @momomoses7 I CAN’T STAND THE NCAA. UGHHH. Stop acting like you care about the students. You care about exploiting their talents for money.(image) 1 day ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@LeavittDC
    David I. Leavitt    A school gets paid $1.5M for each game it plays in the NCAA tournament: http://t.co/k5wg1GxD The money goes to its conference.(image) 4 days ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@nathanworks
    Nathan Roberts    NCAA coaches stand to make a TON of money for tournament success: http://t.co/2Rjvx9TP | Let’s fight world hunger, instead.(image) 6 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@GhettoCondo
    James H. Nave    NCAA makes billions..and some of the athletes probably have to borrow money for a soft drink!(image) 6 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • GetGlue Integrates March Madness, Television Check-Ins

    If you’re not in tune with the social media aspect of the Internet, you must be an Internet noob, or someone who consciously ignores the omnipresent set of activities, including things like tweeting, sharing and checking in. While the third activity is not on the adoption level as Facebook and Twitter, it’s impossible to ignore the popularity of utilities like FourSquare and GetGlue.

    People like to broadcast their activities. Whether they are at their local watering hole or watching a popular movie everybody’s dying to see, the vanity aspect of “hey, look at me, I’m watching Hunger Games” is clearly too enticing to deny. As indicated, GetGlue is one of these check-in services, and they are currently featuring an integration of their service with the NCAA Tournament, giving users another targeted platform to share their March Madness viewing experiences with.

    To offer a more robust service, GetGlue is partnering with CBS Sports and Turner Sports, and they feature achievement stickers which are unlocked when successful check-ins are completed.

    According to Maya Harris of GetGlue, the integrated service for live sporting events is only natural when you consider the amount of social media activity related to these kinds of tent-pole activities. Naturally, sports facilitates this activity because most sports fans like to interact with other fans, be it via trash-talking or sharing joy from an unexpected victory.

    Harris reveals the popularity of GetGlue and their March Madness integration has been 15 times their normal amount, which only supports the popularity of check-in activities. When you consider the popularity of sports, and the passion with which fans embrace their teams, coupled with the social networking aspect of the Internet, the pairing of check-ins with sporting events only makes sense. This also extends to the television viewers, who would be more apt to respond to interaction as it is. It’s a little harder to carry on a social media discussion while you’re attending a highly-contested sporting event in person.

    Plus, as the Xbox nation as so completely demonstrated, we do like it when we unlock achievements, be it check-in stickers or video game trophies.

  • NCAA Tournament’s 1st Round Sent 20% Of Web Traffic To Mobile Devices

    The math of the NCAA Tournament isn’t really on the side of the basketball fans, especially in the first round of the tournament: 32 games, several of which are played simultaneously, for 1 pair of frenzied, starving eyes. Unless you have constructed some media-hungry war room with different televisions capable of broadcasting the numerous games, you’re likely to miss more than a few. Short of this hypothetical defcon sports den, many basketball fans resorted to following the first round on their handheld devices – so much so that they drove 20% of all web traffic through smartphones and tablets during the first round of the tournament.

    comScore, the venerable watchtower of web activities, released a new report today that examined web usage related to the first two days of the NCAA tournament and found that browser-based page views in the Sports category increased significantly.
    The report shows that consumers dramatically increased their access to sports across all three web-related screens – computer, tablet, and smartphone – as they tried to shovel into their eyeballs as much basketball footage as possible.

    Comparing computer and non-computer (i.e., tablets and smartphones) web traffic, the first two days – Thursday, of the tournament funneled a huge increase of traffic to mobile devices. The data revealed that the amount of sports-related content consumed on mobile devices was nearly twice any other content category.

    In a statement released with the report, Debbie Bradley, Senior Director at comScore, said that the NCAA tournament is one of those unique events that where sports fans try everything they can to take in as much of the coverage as possible.

    “Over the past several years we’ve seen fans become more reliant on the web for NCAA tournament coverage, especially while they’re tied to their desks at work during the first round match-ups,” she said. “As media formats continue to evolve, we’re rapidly seeing America’s national college basketball obsession increasingly bleed over to other screens like smartphones and tablets. Given the emphasis large advertisers place on these events, it’s important to consider how other media channels can be leveraged to maximize a brand’s awareness and its communication with the consumer.”

    The increase of traffic through smartphones and tablets is suggestive of the fact that more people who are on-the-go are trying to keep up on the games, whether due to post-work traffic gridlocks or because they’re posted up in bars watching one game on a giant flatscreen while following a different game on their mobile device. Increase of traffic on computers was high, as well, but it was outpaced by the amount of web traffic that was consumed via smartphone or tablet.

  • Duke, Lehigh Drive Top March Madness Social Buzz

    The first weekend of the 2012 NCAA tournament lived up to sports fans’ expectations. There were close games, blowouts, and everything in between. We also saw big name favorites live up to the hype and deliver commanding performances.

    But of course, what does everybody want to see?

    Yes, there were a few notable upsets – the two most shocking happening when a couple of #15 seeds knocked off a couple of powerhouse #2 seeds. It was the first time in history that two #15s were victorious in one tournament. And as you would expect, those two games sent social media sites like Twitter and Facebook on fire with comments – especially when Lehigh defeated the mighty Dukies.

    Social TV analytics company Bluefin Labs tracked social media comments across all the games over the weekend (Thursday – Sunday). According to their research, 2.46 million comments were made, making an average of 49,000 comments per game. And the winner, the most buzzed-about game of the 48, was Lehigh and Duke:

    As you can see, it wasn’t even that close. By the word cloud provided, you can kind of figure out why that game drew such a huge response: bracket busting. Plus, the game did involve Duke losing, which tends to please about 95% of the country.

    The other big upset, Norfolk State topping Missouri was also popular, drawing 158,000 comments. Purdue vs. Kansas probably grabbed the #2 spot because it was just a spectacular game. The games the came in 4th and 5th according to social media buzz, UK vs. Iowa State and Creighton vs. UNC both had dominating performances from the top seeds.

    @Dan_Rubenstein
    Dan Rubenstein    I still feel bad for Duke fans, collars will be popped at half mast all weekend. 2 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto