BC 84, Tech 75
A M 68, Penn 52
UNT vs. Memphis
11:30 a.m.
, New Orleans
Nonetheless, this watering hole stayed packed all day.
Hoping Bob Knight wore comfortable shoes Thursday. Wondering if he chose to walk to the hotel from Lawrence Joel Coliseum after Texas Tech's loss to Boston College.
Legend had it he did just that in 1997 after a first-round loss in Winston-Salem, when Colorado creamed Indiana. As a former Piedmont Triad resident, I can guarantee you it's not to see the city's sites.
Thankfully, did not spot any Tech fans playing the Bob Knight Shot Game.
The game which is not being endorsed in this space consists of taking a shot/sip every time Knight is shown screaming on the sidelines. It's a classic in Bloomington, Ind., dorm rooms.
Probably in Lubbock, too.
What!?
Oral Roberts didn't beat Washington State?! But that was my 14-seed upset over a 3 seed.
Can't believe I missed it. The first miss on the bracket is always tough. Many more to come.
Luckily, my pick to win it all, North Carolina (SMU coach and former Tar Heel Matt Doherty had no influence on my decision), is all good.
Bartender Keith sported a great, green George Mason T-shirt that he secured before last season's Final Four. No George Mason this season, but maybe Southern Illinois or Butler can make a run.
Bummed the tournament pairings pitted so many mid-majors against each other in the first round. Do you believe in a vast, major-conference conspiracy?
Mid-morning favorite The Price is Right was still on when I settled in at my favorite Uptown sports bar.
Yes, normally this would be a troubling sign. But I didn't even have to lie to my bosses about being there this year. Not Thursday, the most glorious day of the year for the college basketball-obsessed among us.
For 16 games, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.
m., I sat on the same wooden chair, soaking up the atmosphere and wishing there was rum in my bottomless Diet Coke.
Enjoyed seeing those of you who played hooky and camped out all day.
The rest of you, it's nice to see your bosses don't frown on two-hour lunches.
Wanna do it again today?
Beginning at about 4:30 p.
m., it was easy to fall into a lull. Vanderbilt was creaming George Washington, and another game didn't come on till after 6 p.
m.
At these times, remember: Don't give up. Yes, you can run home and let the dog out, but then come right back for the night session.
The lull is the time real basketball-watching champions are made.
Wasn't it worth sticking around?
People asked all day, Who is VCU?
After beating Duke, everybody knows Virginia Commonwealth, and the latest March Madness hero, Eric Maynor, who hit the game-winning shot.
It took 10 hours of the tournament to get the first huge upset and to-the-wire game.
The Duke haters, in full force because UNC people frequent this place, gave the loudest roar of the day when the Blue Devils went down.
Gentlemen, this is one of the few times of the year when we ladies have the advantage at the bars. The lines to your restroom are longer than ours. In fact, we don't really have lines, since the bar is probably 80 percent male.
Wish it was March Madness all year round.
A young professional, who happens to gamble a bit, was kind enough to take me through his day.
Get to work.
Study the point spreads for an hour. Call a couple of select friends and family members and get their thoughts.
Place bets for early games on an online, offshore Web site.
Said young professional does mention that the government is cracking down on Internet gambling sites. Says it's harder to get money in and out.
Go to a long lunch and watch games, hopefully winning money.
Come back to work, placing more bets. CBS Sportsline and Bloomberg provide real-time score updates. Hopefully lose not too much money.
Place more bets before leaving work and heading directly to the sports bar.
This is all-day long, continuous, he says. It's like our World Cup.
During the afternoon/early evening lull, my curiosity got the best of me.
For those of you who don't know, the point of the game is to rapid-fire a green, plastic gun at the computer screen. You can shoot all kinds of animals, from bucks to horned sheep.
Males tend to get very animated while playing.
Bambi lovers, don't worry, you can't shoot at doe. No horns, no points.
Think I understand the obsession now.
Met a nice, young man, who, like me, camped out at the bar from 10:30 a.m.
on.
He said he came fully prepared, with his phone charger and six packs of smokes.
At about 6:10 p.
m., he demonstrated how he expected to leave the bar a slow, zigzagging walk, as you might expect after the games ended.
Poor Idong Ibok of Michigan State.
His elbow injury was the most gruesome replay of the day. ..
. If Ohio State's Greg Oden (pictured at right) does go pro after this season, he will not look like a rookie. Oldest-looking freshman I've ever seen.
...
Did I miss the shot of Duke's Josh McRoberts crying? ..
. Speaking of The Price is Right, Rod Roddy will always be missed. And Plinko will always be the best game.
Colleague Tim MacMahon, in Winston-Salem, demanded to know Thursday, where is Belmont? What is a Hoya? My crack research skills tell me Belmont is in Nashville, Tenn.
The Web site, www.thehoya.com, has a whole, long explanation.
Biggest thing I took out of it is that Hoya derived from something similar to what rocks. Should've known that.
Someone e-mailed me to ask what I thought of Winthrop's chances.
Stunned, I tried to do my best Seth Davis impression and act like I knew it all. To be honest, hadn't thought about it much. But since it plays Notre Dame today, I'm all for Winthrop.
Perhaps the only better place to spend the first weekend of the tournament than a sports bar is Vegas.
I'm catching a 7:30 a.m.
flight.
Have fun today.
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