Last Minute Bracketology

I should be studying for finals which begin tomorrow. I should be more worried about my grade in actuarial mathematics and not worried about what our basketball team's seed will be. I should be in the library and not on my couch, eyes glued to CBS. But enough about what I should be doing, here is what I have done.

Final Four Matchups
Midwest vs. West
East vs. South

Top 4 Seeds
1. Kentucky
2. Syracuse
3. North Carolina
4. Michigan State

Midwest Region (St. Louis)
Louisville
(1)Kentucky vs. (16)Mississippi Valley St/Western Kentucky
(8)Iowa State vs. (9)Connecticut
Portland
(5)Indiana vs. (12)Southern Miss
(4)Georgetown vs. (13)New Mexico State
Columbus
(6)St. Mary's vs. (11)Xavier
(3)Michigan vs. (14)Colorado
Omaha
(7)San Diego State vs. (10)Virginia
(2)Missouri vs. (15)Lamar

West Region (Phoenix)
Columbus
(1)Michigan State vs. (16)Long Island
(8)St. Louis vs. (9)Long Beach State
Nashville
(5)Memphis vs. (12)Colorado State/BYU
(4)Louisville vs. (13)Belmont
Nashville
(6)New Mexico vs. (11)Harvard
(3)Florida State vs. (14)Davidson
Omaha
(7)Gonzaga vs. (10)Alabama
(2)Kansas vs. (15)Montana

East Region (Boston)
Pittsburgh
(1)Syracuse vs. (16)Norfolk State/Vermont
(8)UNLV vs. (9)VCU
Albuquerque
(5)Creighton vs. (12)Miami/South Florida
(4)Wisconsin vs. (13)Ohio
Albuquerque
(6)Florida vs. (11)California
(3)Baylor vs. (14)Lehigh
Greensboro
(7)Cincinnati vs. (10)Purdue
(2)Duke vs. (15)Loyola Maryland

South Region (Atlanta)
Greensboro
(1)North Carolina vs. (16)UNC-Asheville
(8)Notre Dame vs. (9)Kansas State
Portland
(5)Vanderbilt vs. (12)West Virginia
(4)Wichita State vs. (13)South Dakota State
Louisville
(6)Murray State vs. (11) N.C. State
(3)Marquette vs. (14)St. Bonaventure
Pittsburgh
(2)Ohio State vs. (15)Detroit
(7)Temple vs. (10)Texas

NIT Bound
Drexel
Seton Hall
Iona
Washington
Arizona
Mississippi
Oregon
Northwestern
St. Joseph's
Marshall
Minnesota
Middle Tennessee
Akron

Purdue Wins B1G Women's Tourney

The Big Ten's No. 4 seed outlasted its No. 6 seed in a wild championship game to win the Big Ten tournament championship Sunday, 74-70.

Purdue, led by KK Houser's 19 points, used its unlikely hero (KK) to win an unlikely championship, over an even more unlikely opponent (Nebraska).

Nebraska finally succumbed to defeat after riding a wave of hot shooting and timely defense to the championship game in Indianapolis. Nebraska's 1-2 punch of Lindsey Moore and Jordan Hooper poured in 27 and 25 points respectively, but it wasn't enough to beat the depth of Purdue.

Purdue will earn the Big Ten's automatic NCAA tournament berth.

Brief Thoughts on Men's Basketball

Going into this past Sunday’s game against Michigan State, a lot of Ohio State fans seemed to have come to terms with the idea that this was not a team that was going very deep into the tournament. They had been failing a lot of their tests against big teams, they just escaped with a win against Northwestern, and in general they never seemed like a cohesive basketball teams. Jared Sullinger was not producing consistently, and the jump shots just were not going in. The Buckeyes were a mess, and for much of the early going against the Spartans these fears seemed like they were going to be confirmed. This was a sweet sixteen team at best, with a very real chance of getting knocked out in the second round by a hot opponent. The promise seen against such teams as Duke early in the season seemed to have drifted away.

Then something surprising happened.

The Buckeyes started to hit their shots. Their defense, as it has much of this season, was hitting on all cylinders. Even with Jared Sullinger in foul trouble, the rest of the team started to step up. Specifically, the team’s lone senior William Buford was getting points. For too long, he had been inconsistent, but in the second half against Michigan State he was anything but inconsistent. On Sunday, this was a team that made a statement to the Big Ten, themselves, and Ohio State fans. It reminded us just how much potential they have. While it’s just one game, this was a great comeback that can give this team a sense of confidence that they haven’t had since they blew out Duke early in the season. It doesn’t absolve them of all their sins, but it’s a step in the right direction. And it comes not a moment too soon.

It will be very interesting to see how this team fares in this week’s Big Ten Tournament. This will give Buckeye fans a clearer indication of what they can expect when the real tournament starts next week. From now on, they will not be going into hostile road environments like Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc. However, they also won’t be playing in the friendly confines of the Schottenstein Center. This will be a great indicator of how the Buckeyes can perform at a neutral site against competitive Big Ten teams. Much like the NCAA Tournament, nothing about this is going to be easy. Their first game will likely be against Purdue, who gave them a real battle in Columbus not long ago.

However, this is a team that seems to be in a better mental place than they have been in the last couple weeks. This Michigan State win—and William Buford’s incredible final shot—may be just the fuel they need. This is anything but an untested team. They’ve lost several tough games and they know that every game from here on out is huge. The margin for error is completely gone, and the good news is the Buckeyes seem to recognize this. In a conference full of mentally tough teams, Ohio State now has a chance to prove they are the toughest of them all.

Men's Hockey Season in Review

Last week saw a fitting end to the Ohio State Buckeyes’ regular season, as they were swept in Notre Dame and were sent home disappointed. Not long ago, the Buckeyes were ranked as high as second in the nation. Now the only thing they can do is wonder about the season that could have been. For the Buckeyes, the fall and winter of 2011 was a time of endless promise. At one point they went eleven straight games without a loss. 2012 was far less auspicious, as they only won a single game and picked up points in a few shootout losses. What was once a comfortable lead atop the CCHA quickly evaporated to the point where they were forced to go on the road to play Notre Dame in the first round of the playoffs. They lost the first game 2-0 and the second game 4-2. A third game was not required.

The real trouble for the Buckeyes in the second half of the season was the offense. (The defense wasn’t consistent by any means, but it didn’t have the slumps the offense had.) Coming up with only one goal wasn’t uncommon for the Buckeyes in 2012, and with Cal Heeter putting together some subpar games that wasn’t going to be a recipe for success. For half the season, this was a team that was working tremendously well as a cohesive unit. For the second half of the season, they frequently seemed disorganized and out of sorts. This was a heartbreaking season for Ohio State, and now they have nothing more to do but bid farewell to the seniors and hope their considerable young talent comes back and puts together some impressive seasons in the years to come.

It should also be noted that next year is the final year for the CCHA, with Big Ten hockey beginning in 2013. That’s nothing that matters in the immediate future, but it’s important for the Buckeyes to be ready for this transition and what it will mean for a) scheduling, and b) recruiting. This is a very young team, and ideally they will only get better as the years go on. The real question is: will they be able to put this season behind them?

Final Record: 11-12-5 in the CCHA, 15-15-5 overall.

Prahalis Records Career Milestones in Indy

Despite Ohio State's upset loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament semi-finals, Sammy Prahalis had a career weekend in Indianapolis, furthering her legend as one of the best players in Ohio State history.

The senior point guard from Commack, NY recorded five assists in Friday's 57-48 win over Michigan, bringing her career total to 893, and vaulting her past Northwestern guard Nancy Kennelly for the Big Ten's career mark.

She wasn't finished.

On Saturday, Prahalis scored 23 points in OSU's 77-62 loss to Nebraska, which pushed her past the 2,000 career points mark.

The first-team all-conference, and 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year guard will look to lead her Buckeyes to an NCAA tournament championship in her final season at the helm.