Hoops and Stuff

We made it through the first full weekend of the 2025 NCAA Men's Tournament! The second round provided some all time games and memorable performances. Please comment your takeaways from this weekend and what storylines you are looking forward to going ahead in the tournament! SOUTH REGION Best Team Performance Ole Miss:  The Rebels shot at an elite clip against the Cyclones and pretty much dominated Iowa State from start to finish. Best Individual Performance Roddy Gayle Jr, G, Michigan:  26pts, 4reb Best Game Michigan (91) vs Texas A&M (79) Most Disappointing Performance Iowa State:  For a team that showed so much potential early in the season, a second round exit sure is a disappointment. Yes injuries hurt their season but they simply were second best in every aspect against Ole Miss. R64 All South Team Chad Baker-Mazara, G, Auburn Sean Pedulla, G, Ole Miss Roddy Gayle Jr, G, Michigan Pharrel Payne, F, Texas A&M Vladislav Goldin, C, Michigan WEST REGION Best Tea...

The First Round of the 2025 NCAAM Tournament has officially come to a close. We did not see a ton of upsets or drama but it was still an entertaining first two days! Here are some of my picks for the best performances of Thursday and Friday. Comment which teams and players impressed you and what you look forward to for the Round of 32! SOUTH REGION Best Team Performance Iowa State: The Cyclones suffocated the Lipscomb Bisons in their first round matchup, looking like the dominant team we saw early in the season. If Milan Momcilivic continues to play like this throughout the tournament, Iowa State is without a doubt a championship contender. Best Individual Performance Jamiya Neal , G, Creighton: 29pts, 12reb, 6ast, 68% FG Best Game Michigan (68) vs UC San Diego (65) Most Disappointing Performance Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, G, UCSD:   The Big West Player of the Year simply could not figure out how to handle to size and physicality of the Wolverines. The 6'6" senior fouled out in 24...

 It's the best time of the year! We are hours removed from Selection Sunday and now have had some time to sit and think about the bracket and what some of the things that the committee revealed they valued are. In this post I am going to do a breakdown of each region and some of my initial thoughts and predictions about the bracket. Comment your thoughts, matchups you are looking forward to, and what players you are excited to watch!  It's March! SOUTH REGION OVERALL THOUGHTS The path to the Final Four seems to be relatively easy for the top two seeds, Auburn and Michigan State. I do not see many teams being a true threat to either of those teams right now. Some people worry about Auburn dropping 3 of their last 4, but those are all losses to other Sweet 16 type teams and it is never a good idea to bet against Izzo in March. North Carolina does not deserve to be in the tournament. Simply put their resume was not good enough with a 1-12 Q1 record. However, I do actually see a p...