About Those Aggies...

WooHooooo!!

Bartender:  Oh God, You’re back….Can’t you find another bar?

2018 NCAA:  OH hell yeah, baby!!!  I’m back and I’m still rockin’ and rollin’!!!!  Like a Ramblin’ Man!!

Bartender:  Are you going to behave tonight? 

2018 NCAA:  Oh, Hell NO!!!  Gonna’ crush me some Aggies, get wild with the wrong kinda’ Wildcats, and I already mentioned the Ramblin’ Men!!!  They’re on a mission from God, you know!

Bartender:  Sheesh.  Let me get Uber arranged to get your drunk ass home tonight…

Highlights!

So many…So, SO MANY!  First, the crowd in LA was TOTALLY MICHIGAN!!! Way to go Fans and Alums!!!!

But the best games have to be when your starters are watching the game from the bench and this happens:

(Wait for the end of the clip for the Last 3-Pointer Made)

And CJ Baird, 3-Point Specialist & former Student Manager in his own words!!!

And when it did, Baird made his move with a crossover, drained a 30-footer with Texas A&M's Isiah Jasey in his face with 31 seconds left and unfurled an emotional celebration as he spun back down the court.

“I mean, every walk-on wants to go in there and shoot it, especially in the Sweet 16 when you touch the ball,” Baird said. “I told Ibi Watson when I got in there, ‘If you give me the ball, I’m going to shoot it.’ He said, ‘OK, do it then.’

“Jaaron (Simmons) called me up and I was kind of nervous when he did. I was like, ‘Oh they actually want me to do this.’ I didn’t think they’d actually let me do it. It was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”

Mr. March Post Game:

The Wolverines made just 21 field goals Saturday against Houston; they had 20 in the first 20 minutes Thursday night, and 10 of them were 3-pointers.

“I mean, we are capable of that,” Beilein said. “That’s the whole theory here behind having five shooters on the floor: Stretch people out and hope that you can get enough open shots and then make ‘em.

And because we’re about equal time on this channel, Texas A&M’s coach Kennedy’s first comment at his presser:

“Felt like we ran into a buzz saw,” Aggies coach Billy Kennedy said, and he wasn’t alone.

And then there was this clown, Starks,

who had the audacity to say this before facing Simpson, the best defensive guard in the B1G, and arguably in the country.  Which has to be part of the reason that Simpson recorded and NCAA Tourney record 6 steals in the game!!!  And Starks, who averages 20, was held to 5 points…

14 Made 3-Pointers is another NCAA record!!!

Michigan the first team to score 99 since 1992.  And in 1992, we all can remember that Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Okie State, Kentucky AND MICHIGAN all scored over 100 points in various games throughout the Tournament!!!

Wow.  All I can say is wow. 

But, I will say that yesterday I was calmer than usual.  Every talking head and every “expert” was taking A&M.  And I was just shaking my head and thinking, “Do you guys REALLY WATCH college hoops?  Do you watch how good teams sometimes have games where shots just don’t go?  Or other teams play over their stat line?  But sooner or later, water finds its own level?

That’s what I was thinking. 

That and the A&M player Starks saying he couldn’t be guarded…That was an omen, for sure.

Oh, and when you’re team’s not playing well, there’s booze!!  Took the beating like a man!!  Actually kind of wanted to see that 100 go up at the end.  Cause, why not?

The Rest of the Mess

Loyola is definitely on a mission from God.  3 Games, won by a TOTAL of 4 points.  That’s not an AVERAGE Win margin…That’s a TOTAL WIN MARGIN.  IF you get extra credit for close wins, Loyola takes the cake.  And they’re doing it for the Penguin, Sister Jean!!

.

FSU took care of business when the Zags came out shooting COLD.  It can happen to anyone, and last night it was the Zag’s turn.  Michigan faces the Noles in the Regional Final on Saturday in what seems like a battle between two Basketball Bluebloods that each have a Football problem. 

K-State dispatched the Kats in Katlanta in front of Big Blue Nation that saw Calipari blaming everyone but his own team.  So, nothing new to see there. 

Just a bizarro world left hand side of the bracket.  We’re all used to it by now.

Predicting Friday’s Sweet 16 Games

People actually picked this?  Either just guys with too much time filling out multiples or secretaries without a clue...

Yesterday I was 2-2. I almost took the K-State Kats, but talked myself out of it at the last minute. 

Seeing as how I was 2-2 and don’t have a clue, I’m actually going to let Drunk 2018 NCAA make the picks today:

2018 NCAA:   How you doin’???

MMPG:  Great!  Just great.  Sober yet?

2018 NCAA:  Oh hell no!  Just getting started!  If you keep drinkin’ round the clock, I figured out that you don’t get hangovers!!!

MMPG:  All right, well, what do you see happening tonight?

2018 NCAA:  You’re gonna’ love this!!  Thursday was just the opening act!

Clemson vs. Kansas:  Clemson is a team that plays great D!  Kansas, not so much.  You know, usually, my more sober predecessors have all let at least 1 and sometimes 2 #1-Seeds get into the FF.  But I’m just a goofy drunk and I’m going to make this season memorable in more ways than “1”.  Bill Self is going to prove again that he’s a Big iiX  genius, and again an NCAA Tourney loser….

Take Clemson over Kansas in a nailbiter!!

Villanova vs. WVU:  WVU’s a sneaky good team that can hang with anyone because, defense.  Nova is a team that needs to hit threes and they played over their stat line in the first 2 games.  Wouldn’t it be funny if WVU and Huggy Bear ruined all the remaining brackets out there making this the most drunk and screwed up Tourney ever?  Hell Yeah!

Take WVU in a close one!!!

Duke vs. Syracuse:  Does the train stop here for Boeheim?  Maybe, if Duke can’t score on these guys.  Duke handily beat the Cuse by 14 earlier this season, and even I’m not drunk enough to think that the Cuse can somehow pull this off…

Take the Dookies over the Cuse in a blowout….

Purdue vs. Texas Tech:  Purdue Engineering is reportedly working on a $6 Million Dollar Arm for Haas, but you know what?  Purdue is doing just fine without Haas as Haarms has filled in nicely.  And that hair!!!  Who knew?  Boiler Up, Baby!!!  In fact, why don’t you get me a Boilermaker while I make this pick.

Take the Boilers walking away from Texas Tech….

There you have it!!! 

Look for Monday’s Final Four Preview!!!