Staubs' Bracket

Keep in mind, the bracket I am posting here relies on bonus points in the first round (that is, for a 9 beating an 8, it's one bonus point; for an 11 beating a 6 it's 5 bonus points, etc.). By rounds, you get 2-4-6-8-10-12 points.

Sweet 16
(1) North Carolina over (9) Arkansas - Obviously the tough pick here is the Indiana/Arkansas game. I think whoever wins that game is capable of giving UNC a decent game. I went with Arkansas because of the bonus point and because I think Pelphrey is a great young coach while Dakich is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
(4) Washington State over (5) Notre Dame - I just don't see the dogs getting it done here. Wazzou is too disciplined and too well coached to fall to a Winthrop team that is a step down from last year. George Mason is a quality team, but Notre Dame will have too much offensively. Wazzou should advance to Sweet 16.
(3) Louisville over (11) Saint Joe's - I really want to go to Birmingham to watch OU play, but I'm really afraid it's one and done. Getting five bonus points with St. Joe's seems too good to ignore. I've been high on Boise State all year, but I just don't see any of these other three teams keeping Pitino's boys from making the second weekend.
(2) Tennessee over (10) South Alabama - Tennessee could be struggle with this pseudo-road game at USA. The Jaguars are a really good team that I expect to beat Butler relatively easily. Of course, the way Butler can shoot the three and play defense, it's hard to count them out. Still, Tennessee too much for whoever wins the first game.

(1) Kansas over (9) Kent State - I really was looking to advance Kent State to at least the Sweet 16. I love their team and I think Akron's win at FSU tonight proved how strong the top of the MAC was this season. But for me, Kansas is the most talented team in the nation, and should coast to the Elite 8.
(12) Villanova over (4) Vanderbilt - Every year there's that team that people think shouldn't even be in the tournament, and so often that team proves itself by making it to the second weekend. I think that's the case with this Villanova team. I'm not crazy about Clemson - they were a 7 or 8 seed most of the season and beat a mediocre Duke team and played a highly overrated UNC team close and everyone thinks the Tigers are great. I love Stallings and Foster, but Nova really strikes me as a sleeper here.
(6) USC over (14) Cal-State Fullerton - Wisky/CSF is another game where I never pick Fullerton to win without bonus points, but the 11 bonus points are too tempting to ignore here. Wisky was nearly beaten by a Texas A&M Corpus-Christi team in the first round last year. That team wasn't close to this year's CSF team. And, I think SC is primed for a run.
(2) Georgetown over (10) Davidson - I'm afraid Davidson is the en vogue pick that gets crushed in the first round, as seems to happen every year. But this team is very good and is playing very close to home against a team from 3,000 miles away. The Hoyas should get them, but I can make a pretty easy case for Davidson making it to week two.

(1) Memphis over (9) Oregon - Ernie Kent is a horrible in-game coach, but I really believe his Ducks (or Mississippi State, that first-round game is between two teams I wanted to use as sleepers) will give Memphis a great game in the second round. I think the Pac-10 is going to show exceptionally well, they are far and away the best conference in college basketball in my eyes, and an Oregon run to the second weekend would not surprise me a bit.
(5) Michigan State over (13) Oral Roberts - There's just no doubt for me that Michigan State comes out of these four teams. So good news for those of you picking Temple in the first round. I think Pitt is in a precarious situation after the four wins in four days last week, and anything less than 100% against my hometown ORU will result in an upset.
(3) Stanford over (6) Marquette - I think the bottom half of this bracket plays out according to Hoyle. Stanford's big guys are too much to handle, and the team is one of the top five in the nation defensively. I love Gillespie and think UK will be a beast soon, but the Cats are at least a year away. Marquette's guards beat them.
(2) Texas over (7) Miami - Miami's only real problem has been giving up offensive rebounds, I don't envision that being an issue against St. Mary's, and Captain Jack will carry them to enough points. Texas isn't losing to any of these teams.

(1) UCLA over (8) BYU - It's been a while since BYU won a tournament game, but A&M is so bad away from home that I think the Cougs get one this year. I just don't see either team beating UCLA in Anaheim.
(4) UCONN over (12) Western Kentucky - Drake's really good and really well coached, and I won't be surprised to see them in the Sweet 16. But, for me, WKU is one of the best #12 seeds I've ever seen, and - as evidenced by the fact that they are only a four-point dog - it's hard to pass up 7 potential bonus points. UCONN is too strong for them inside though.
(3) Xavier over (11) Baylor - Xavier is really, really good. Somehow, Saint Joe's beat the Musketeers twice in the past couple weeks, but this team is so good at shooting the ball, and they catch Georgia at the perfect time. I think Baylor is another disrespected team that has as much as or more talent than its opponent, and I expect the minor upset here.
(10) Arizona over (2) Duke - So, I really like this WVU team, but I can't pick them to beat the best #10 seed in the history of the tournament. Zona dealt with so much turmoil and so many injuries this season, but the Wildcats are ready to make a run. If they can get by WVU, and I'm gambling that they can, I am quite confident they will beat Duke, who is by far the weakest #2 seed.

ELITE EIGHT
(2) Tennessee over (1) North Carolina - Kind of bland, I know, picking the 1 and 2, but this game wouldn't be bland at all. I think the Vols are the much better defensive team, and their pressure would be enough to bother the hobbled Lawson into enough mistakes for a close Vols win.
(1) Kansas over (6) USC - I hate picking a team that can very well lose in the first round to make it all the way to the Regional Final, but that's the potential I see with SC. Kansas is just too much IMO. Whereas everyone else in the Midwest relies on one or two players, the Jayhawks have five or six guys who can lead the team to victory.
(5) Michigan State over (2) Texas - I really think everyone is counting Izzo's team out, and I just don't see why. I know they weren't consistent this season, but Sparty defends as well as anybody and has one of the best shooters/leaders in the tournament in Neitzel and plenty of capable bodies underneath. Morgan will become nationally known in this tournament. I don't know how Texas can deal with the Lopez Twins, but I see them advancing before losing to Sparty largely because of a horrible coaching mismatch.
(1) UCLA over (10) Arizona - Kind of rash I know, to have a #10 seed in the Elite 8, but when you consider all the underlying factors, the ridiculous strength of schedule, and the fact that the games are in Phoenix, I really think Zona has a shot at the Final Four. However, I just can't go against a team that has the best coach, big man, and point guard in the entire tournament.

Final Four
(1) UCLA over (1) Kansas - I haven't had two #1 seeds in my final game in about a decade, but I think that could be the case this year. I really love UCLA's chances of getting there, and IMO Kansas has been the most impressive team all year. But in the end, I'll almost always go with coaching, and no one is on Howland's level. The Bruins cut down the nets in San Antonio.

New and improved

Upon finding out that our former editor hadn't written his blog in over a month, all the while insisting that ours be up every Monday, Gravette and I were furious. Well, he gone, but the blog marches on under new management.

Should LaPlante be brought back?
Gravette: I honestly think that LaPlante should be offered another contract. In his seven years at JSU, he has definitely proved that he can recruit. If he brings in another Nick Murphy, the Gamecocks could be very dangerous next season.
Yes, JSU was pretty bad this year, but the team was very young. The loss of Dorian Brown also hurt. Without Brown, the Gamecocks lost a lot of experience and senior leadership. I think JSU proved that they can compete late in the season, winning three of their last five games. LaPlante deserves one more season to turn this ship around.

Staubs: That sounds pretty familiar. As I've said all along, I would have had no problem at all with LaPlante being fired after last year. If the team doesn't make the conference tournament next year, whoever is coach should be fired. But this year, the team was never going to win 10 games.
If MLP comes back next season, I expect a 15-20 win season. We'll find out shortly whether he is staying or not (I'm afraid the answer will be not), but I feel that letting him go after this season would be comically bad timing.

Who has been the biggest NFL free agent signee?
Staubs: I really haven't been keeping up with it that much. I really like the Bills acquisition of Marcus Stroud and the Saints' acquisition of Jonathan Vilma, but those came via trade.
I guess, I would have to say the Bucs getting Jeff Faine to be their new center. That was a position that just killed them last year, and it was the major reason the Giants were able to upset them in the first round.
I think the Asante Samuel deal was the latest in a long line of mistakes by Philly. Samuel became overrated because of the system in which he played (remember, Troy Brown looked good as a DB in New England). The biggest signing will be Nnamdi Asomugha. No one knows him because he played in football purgatory in Oakland, but that guy is incredible.

Gravette: In my opinion, it’s the Falcons signing of Michael Turner. He hasn’t got a lot of playing time over the last four years behind LT but proved he could be very dangerous with the ball in his hands. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry last year. Warrick Dunn is old and Jerious Norwood is not an every down back. It’s Turner’s job now.
If the Falcons can draft a good quarterback, things could be looking bright in Atlanta.

What is your favorite sports movie?
Gravette: I love Varsity Blues. I’ve watched it at least 10 times and it never gets old. It’s not your typical underdog story, but who cares. It’s great.

Staubs: You know the saying, "There are no wrong answers"? That doesn't apply here. Good Lord man, Varsity Blues?
For me, it depends on what you consider a sport. Rounders is my favorite movie, and some people consider it a sports movie, but poker isn't a sport. The Color of Money would be my second choice in the category, and most everyone considers it a sports movie, but still ...
Among movies dealing with true sports, I'd have to say it's either Caddyshack or Hoosiers. Both deliver on multiple levels.