2009 Round Two Predictions

By Robert H. Kelly

Copyright 2009 TexSport Publications

DEER PARK, TEXAS (March 21, 2009) Later today, the second round of the 2009 NCAA Division 1 Men's basketball Tournament will commence. There will be 16 games with the winning teams advancing to thee Sweet Sixteen which begin next weekend.

Here are my predictions:

Midwest Regional

Louisville over Sienna

Arizona over Cleveland State

Kansas over Dayton

Michigan State over USC

West Regional

Connecticut over Texas A&M

Washington over Purdue

Marquette over Missouri

Memphis over Maryland

East Regional

Pittsburgh over Oklahoma State

Xavier over Wisconsin

Villanova over UCLA

Texas over Duke

South Regional

North Carolina over LSU

Gonzaga over Western Kentucky

Syracuse over Arizona State

Oklahoma over Michigan

First Round Games Results for March 19-20, 2009

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2009 TexSport Publications

DEER PARK, TEXAS (March 20. 2009) The first round of the NCAA men's Division 1 Basketball Championships is completed. 33 games are done and 33 teams are heading home. Yes, I did include the play-in gamer and I think it should be considered part of the tournament.

I correctly predicted 24 of the 33 games for a 72.72% rate. My predictions were 100% for the West Regional but was a dismal 3 for 8 in the Midwest Regional.

I will have my predictions up for the second round shortly.

Here are the games I predicted correctly

West Regional
Connecticut-103 Chattanooga-47
Texas A&M-79 BYU-66
Purdue-61 UNI-56
Washington-71 Mississippi State-58
Maryland-84 California-71
Memphis-81 California State Northridge-70
Marquette-58 Utah State-57
Missouri-78 Cornell-59

East Regional
Pittsburgh-72 East Tennessee State-62
Xavier-77 Portland State-59
UCLA-65 VCU-64
Villanova-80 American-67
Texas-76 Minnesota-62
Duke-86 Binghamton-62

Midwest Regional
Louisville-74 Alabama State-54
Kansas-84 North Dakota State-74
Michigan State-77 Robert Morris-62

South Regional
North Carolina-101 Radford-58
LSU-75 Butler-72
Gonzaga-77 Akron-64
Michigan-62 Clemson-59
Oklahoma-82 Morgan State-54
Arizona State-66 Temple-57
Sycracuse-59 Stephen F. Austin-44

The games that I incorrectly predicted.
East Regional
Oklahoma State-77 Tennessee-75
Wisconsin-61 Florida State-59

Midwest Regional
Sienna-74 Ohio State-72
Arizona-84 Utah-71
Cleveland State-84 Wake Forest-69
Dayton-68 West Virgina-60
Southern California-72 Boston College-55

South Regional
Western Kentucky-76 Illinois-72

Play-in Game
Morehead State-58 Alabama State-43

2009 NCAA Division 1 Mens Basketball Tournament

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2009 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 15, 2009) March Madness 2009 is here. The time has come for all college basketball fans to make their predictions from the first round to the championships final.

TexSport Publications will be here to make their predictions and give their unique outlook on all the games from the play-in game in March 15 to the final game in early April.

So, all basketball fans, get that supply of soft drinks, munchies, and put new batteries in the remote. It is going to be an exciting ride.

National Champion: Kansas Jayhawks

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

The University of Kansas Jayhawks are the NCAA Division 1 Basketball National Champions. They defeated Memphis75-68.

The victory came in overtime on a strong comeback by Kansas. Memphis fell apart in the last minutes of the 4th quarter and in overtime.

See you next year.

Elite Eight Predictions

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

There are eight teams left. Only four will advance to The Show in San Antonio. The Final Four is where all eight of these teams want to be.

Here are my predictions. Please leave your comments and views.

North Carolina over Louisville
Kansas over Davidson
Texas over Memphis
UCLA over Xavier

Sweet 16 Results

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

The men's Sweet 16 is has come. I went 5-3 (.625) for this round. Here are the results:

Here are the five I predicted correctly:
North Carolina 68 Washington 47
Kansas 72 Villanova 57
Memphis 92 Michigan State 74
Texas 82 Stanford 62
UCLA 88 Western Kentucky 78

Here are the three that I (and probably along with many others) missed:
Louisville 79 Tennessee 60
Davidson 73 Wisconsin 56
Xavier 79 West Virginia 75

The Elite 8 start tomorrow. Predictions will be up soon.

The Sweet 16 Matchups

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

The first two rounds are completed in the 2008 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament. There have been a few upsets, but most of the higher seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.

It has been a great tournament so far. Basketball fans have had numerous games to choose from, in addition to being able to watch any game they choose on CBSSports.com.

I will have my predictions up for the Sweet Sixteen before the end of the week.
All games will be played on March 27, 2008.

Now for the matchups in the Sweet 16!


East Regional in Charlotte, North Carolina

North Carolina (1) vs. Washington State (4)

Louisville (3) vs. Tennessee (2)


Midwest Regional in Detroit, Michigan

Kansas (1) vs. Villanova (4)

Wisconsin (2) vs. Davidson (10)


South Regional in Houston, Texas

Memphis (1) vs. Michigan State (5)

Stanford (3) vs. Texas (2)


West Regional in Phoenix, Arizona

UCLA (1) vs. Western Kentucky (12)

West Virginia (7) vs. Xavier (3)

I hope to bring some action from the Houston regional next weekend. I do not have press credentials for the games, but I should be able to get some coverage from Reliant Stadium.

Second Round Results for Sunday, March 23, 2008

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

One upset today took everyone by surprise. I went 7 for 8 (.875) today and am now 37-11 (.771) for the tournament.

Here are the results. The following seven games I predicted correctly.

Villanova 84 Siena 72: Villanova becomes the first double-digit seed this year to make it into the sweet 16. Davidson, San Diego and Western Kentucky will all have their opportunity later to join the Wildcats as double-digit seeds in the sweet 16. A huge effort from Scottie Reynolds, 25 points and 8 boards, had the Wildcats rolling all game long, holding a double digit lead for most of the game. There reward for winning is a game against #1 seed Kansas.

Tennessee 76 Butler 71: Butler gave it a good go after trailing by 13 early and by as many as 10 points in the second half. They rallied to tie the game to force overtime and even took a brief lead in the extra period on the strength of A.J. Graves' 21 points. A number of those points by Graves came down the stretch even while he was nursing four fouls. The Bulldogs didn't have enough at the end though, with the Vols going on for the win to advance to the Sweet 16.

Western Kentucky 72 San Diego 63: The Hilltoppers win, becoming the second #12 seed to move on to the Sweet 16 today. the game was close down the stretch, but Courtney Lee took over the game with his 27 points leading the Hilltoppers to a victory. Western Kentucky moves on to face #1 seed UCLA.

Louisville 78 Oklahoma 48: Louisville earns at least one more game, next weekend in Charlotte against Tennessee. The Cardinals earn that opportunity thanks to 11 players getting on the board and all 13 players getting in the game in the blowout. Terrence Williams led the way with seven points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block.

Texas 75 Miami (Fla.) 72: AJ Abrams was a dominant offensive force and had his way with 26 points on the afternoon. Augustin had a low key game, but hit his final free throw to give them the lead for good. They couldn;t have done it wothout Damion James and his 16 and 16. The Hurricane nation should be proud to call UM a basketball school, as Frank Haith has turned around this program before our very eyes. McClinton almost pulled off some more late game heroics, but Texas had an extra man on the floor, with the clock playing such a huge part in the ballgame. Ray Hicks came in to drop in a pair of big threes in the closing minunte, but the better team came out on top and the Longhorns are still have a serious shot at the elusive National Championship.


Memphis 77 Mississippi State 74: The Tigers tried to shoot themselves in the foot with poor free throw shooting, but still came out with the win when Jamont Gordon's desperation three to tie the game rimmed out to give the Tigers a 77-74 win. With three seconds left and down by three, the Bulldogs inbounded the ball to Gordon who dribbled from end-line to three-point line. His final dribble, however, betrayed him and he lost his rhythm as he went up to shoot. His shot was flat and hit off the glass and off the rim at the buzzer. It was close.

North Carolina 108 Arkansas 77: This was over before it started. The Heels eclipse the century mark for the second time in the tournament and advange to the Sweet 16 by defeating the Hogs 108-77. 5 Heels reached double digits. The Heels never trailed and the end result was never in doubt. Not a great way for the Razorbacks to end their season, but it was a good run for Coach Pelphrey's team. The Heels will take on Wash State in the Sweet 16.

Here is the one game I missed:

Davidson 74 Georgetown 70: This is an incredible upset. Most fans predicted Georgetown to make the final four (including me)…not anymore.

Now on the the Sweet Sixteen!!!!!

Second Round-Day 3 Predicitions (Saturday, March 22, 2008)

By Robert H. Kelly

Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

My predictions for the second round (day 3) of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament. I will post the results from Friday's games as soon as possible. Yes, it will be before the Saturday games start.

There will be eight games on Saturday. The contests will be listed in their respective regions.

Here I go. Please feel free to post all comments and your own picks.

East Regional

Notre Dame (5) over Washington State (4)

Midwest Regional

Kansas (1) over UNLV (8)

Wisconsin (3) over Kansas State (11)

South Regional

Pittsburgh (4) over Michigan State (5)

Stanford (3) over Marquette (6)

West Regional

UCLA (1) over Texas A&M (9)

Xavier (3) over Purdue (6)

West Virginia (7) over Duke (2)

NCAA Men's Division 1: Championship Game

By Robert H. Kelly

Two teams left. One will be the National Champion on Monday night.

Here we go:

Florida over Ohio State

NCAA Men's Division 1: Elite Eight Picks

By Robert H. Kelly

The time has come for the Elite Eight. The eight teams that will battle to go to the Final Four hit the floor today and tomorrow. Four move on, Four join the other 61 teams that will be viewing the final two games from the cheap seats.

So without any further ado, here are my picks and the rational for them.

Here we go!

Ohio State over Memphis

Kansas over UCLA

Florida over Oregon

North Carolina over Georgetown

If you have been keeping up with this year's tournament and look at the picks I have made, one thing should come to mind.

It is not that hard to see, but one must be observaint.

My picks are all the number one seeds. The number one seeds will advance to the Final Four. This will be the first time that has happened in quite a while, if ever.

So there you have it. My picks for the Final Four. Everyone will know on Sunday evening who they will be.

I will be back later to give the scores of day one of the Elite Eight and my views about the games.

NCAA Men's Division 1: Sweet 16-Day 2

By Robert H. Kelly

Four more teams are eliminated. Eight remain. I did better this round, going 3 for 4 today and 5 for 8 overall in the Sweet Sixteen. UNLV gets me again. Oh well, what can I say about Las Vegas that hasn't alerady been said by myself and so many others. Here are my results.


Correct predictions:

North Carolina wins 74-64 over USC
(North Carolina dug in and pulled it out at the end.)

Georgetown wins 66-65 over Vanderbilt
(The Hoyas gave everyone who picked them a bit of a scare, but did wheat they were supposeto do. Another close game in the Sweet 16)

Georgetown wins 66-65 over Vanderbilt
The Hoyas gave everyone who picked them a bit of a scare, but pulled it out. Another close game in the Sweet 16)

Incorrect Predictions:

UNLV loses 76-72 to Oregon
(UNLV did come back to bite me in the butt. I didn’t pick them in the tournament until this round and they lose. Just like the casions in Las Vegas, I can never predict what UNLV will do.)

The Elite Eight starts on Sunday. I will have my ppicks posted by tonight.

Today: 3-1

Total: 41-15 for 73.21%

NCAA Men's Division 1: Sweet 16-Day 1

By Robert H. Kelly

The predictions get harder with some and easier with others. Here are my results. The tournament is progressing along nicely. Some have described this tournament as "boring" and "uneventable." I find it to be the complete opposite. The games have been exciting. What more could a fan want.

Correct picks:
Ohio State wins 85-84 over Tennessee
(The phase “comeback kids” is used too often in sports and journalism. But when you rally from 20 points down win, I cannot think of any other words to use. The phase just fits. )

Kansas wins 61-58 over Southern Illinois
(The Salukis tried to slow the game down, Kansas got down in the dirt for the victory.)

Incorrect picks:
Pittsburgh loses 64-55 to UCLA
(Pittsburgh was a sentimental pick. Sometimes you have to go with your heart and not with your head. This one I missed. Next time, I may not.)

Texas A&M loses 65-64 Memphis (line: TAMU -3)
(The Aggies had too many mistakes in the second half to win. They shot 45% from the floor and 50% from the free throw line. If a team cannot score from the line, they cannot win. The Aggies proved that fact. Memphis shot 66% from line and that proved to be the difference.)

Four team advance to the Elite 8. Four more will get their tickets punched. I will be back tomorrow for more coverage.

Today: 2-2
Total: 38-14 for 73.08%

NCAA Men's Division 1: Sweet Sixteen Picks

By Robert H. Kelly

We have finally arrived at the Sweet 16. 48 teams, or 49 if you count the play in game, have been sent home. In a couple of day, 8 more will be sent packing. I struggled for a while and as usual, I resorted to "feelings" for soem of my selections. As I post the picks, I will attempt to give you my reasons for their selection.

As usual, here I go:

Florida over Butler (Butler's luck will run out. They cannot stay with Florida.)

UNLV over Oregon (I am finally giving in UNLV. I hope this choice doesn't come back to haunt me.)

Kansas over USC (Kansas is on fire. They will run away with this game.)

Pittsburgh over UCLA (I was born in Pittsburgh and must go with my birthplace.)

North Carolina over USC (NC's shooting is HOT. USC will not be able to keep up.)

Georgetown over Vanderbilt (I have a gut feeling. It might be my dinner, but it might be about this game.)

Ohio State over Tennessee (The Buckeyes will keep it close at the beginning of the game. The Volunteers will fall in the final minutes.)

Texas A&M over Memphis (The Aggies have been getting better all season. Memphis will put forth their best effort of the season, but will fall short.)

By Friday evening, we will know the Elite Eight. As they say in the movies, "The plot thickens."

NCAA Men's Division 1: Round 2, Day 2

By Robert H. Kelly

The first two rounds are over. Sixteen teams have made it this far. For the other 48, it is a long flight home, with thoughts of what have could have been and what will come in the future.

The Sweet Sixteen will start on Thursday. I will have my picks up by that time. In bewteen, I will try to post some thoughts on each of the eight games.

Here is the outcome of my day 2, round 2 picks, along with my overall record.

Correct picks
Oregon wins 75-61 over Winthrop

Tennessee wins 77-74 over Virginia

Florida wins 74-67 over Purdue

Southern Illinois wins 63-48 over Virginia Tech

Memphis wins 78-62 over Nevada

Kansas wins 88-76 over Kentucky

Incorrect picks.
Wisconsin loses 74-68 to UNLV
(I again went against UNLV. When will I learn.

Texas loses 87-68 to USC
(Being an alumni of Texas, I picked them our of ssetamantality. I must learn to pick teams using my head instaed of my heart)

Today: 6-2
Overall: 36-12 for 75 percent.

CBS Posting NCAA Basketball Tournament Clips on YouTube

By Robert H. Kelly

CBS Sports has joined with YouTube to provide selected clips from the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament to viewers.

The service is free and most of the clips at 10-20 seconds showing an outstanding play or some other highlight that fans may want to view.

The good thing is that it is free, but the bad thing is that you cannot download the clip to post on your own site.

It is obvious to me that CBS figured they better get into the game on YouTube, because fans were going to just upload their own files and post them anyway.

It is nice to be able to see clips of some of the plays.

Click here to go to YouTube to view the clips.

NCAA Men's Division 1: Round 2, Day 1

By Robert H. Kelly

I went 7-1 today, only missing one pick. I am pleased with the outcome. It would have been nice to get them all correct, but I would be very surprised if my luck (or skill) holds out with tomorrow's games.

Here we go with the results.

Correct selections:
Butler wins 62-59 over Maryland
Texas A&M wins 72-69 over Louisville
Ohio State wins 78-71 over Xavier
Vanderbilt wins 78-74 over Washington State 2OT
Pittsburgh wins 84-79 over VCU
North Carolina wins 81-67 over Michigan State
UCLA wins 54-49 over Indiana

Incorrect selctions:
Boston College loses 62-55 to Georgetown
(I was hoping for an upset in this game. BC coundn't find a bucket if they had been paid to.)

Today: 7-1
Total: 30-10 for 75%

NCAA Men's Division 1: 2nd Round Predictions-March 17-18.

By Robert H. Kelly

The second round of the 2007 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament starts today. Yes, that will be Saturday, as I am writing this at 12:12am on Saturday morning.

I have divided the 2nd round into both days and will post the results at the conclusion of each day's games.

So "HERE WE GO;" my second round predictions:

March 17-Saturday
Midwest
Butler over Maryland

West
Pittsburgh over VCU
UCLA over Indiana

East
North Carolina over Michigan State
Vanderbilt over Washington State
Boston College over Georgetown

South
Texas A&M over Louisville
Ohio State over Xavier

March 18-Sunday
Midwest
Florida over Purdue
Oregon over Winthrop
Wisconsin over UNLV

West
Kansas over Kentucky
Southern Illinois over Virginia Tech

East
Texas over USC

South
Tennessee over Virginia
Memphis over Nevada

NCAA Men's Division 1: Round 1, Day 2

By Robert H. Kelly

Day 2 of the first round was a bit better for my predictions. I picked 12 correct while only missing four. That gives me a 23-9 record with a winning percentage of 71.875.

Here are my picks and how they went. First the correct selections.

Florida wins 112-69 over Jackson State

Purdue wins 72-63 over Arizona

Oregon wins 58-56 over Miami (Ohio)

Wisconsin wins 76-63 over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Kansas wins 107-67 over Niagara

Kentucky wins 67-58 over Villanova

Texas wins 79-67 over New Mexico State

Southern California wins 77-60 over Arkansas

Tennessee wins 121-86 Long Beach State

Virginia wins 84-57 over Albany

Nevada wins 77-71 over Creighton

Memphis wins 73-58 over North Texas

My incorrect predictions were:

Illinois loses 54-52 to Virginia Tech
(A two point loss. It could happen to everyone.)

Holy Cross loses 61-51 to Southern Illinois
(What can I say. I just missed this one.)

Georgia Tech loses to UNLV 67-63
(I was in Las Vegas when the tournament seeds were announced and UNLV was upset over their seed. I figured they would not regain their composure and lose. I was wrong.)

Notre Dame loses to Winthrop 74-64
(Possibly the biggest upset of the first round.)

Day 2: 12-4
Overall: 23-9

My picks for the second round will be up soon.

NCAA Men's Division 1: Round 1, Day 1 Games

By Robert H. Kelly

With day 1 complete of the 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Championships, 16 games have been concluded and I finished with an 11-5 record. That is a 68.75 percent average.

Not as good as I had hoped, but some of the losses were upsets, at least as far as I am concerned. I will see if I can improve at percentage on day 2.

My correct winning prediction are as follows:

Maryland wins 82-70 over Davidson

Pittsburgh wins 79-58 over Wright State

UCLA wins 70-42 over Weber State

North Carolina wins 86-65 over Eastern Carolina

Vanderbilt wins 77-44 over George Washington

Washington State wins 70-54 over Oral Roberts

Boston College wins 84-75 over Texas Tech

Georgetown wins 80-55 over Belmont

Ohio State wins 78-57 over Central Connecticut

Louisville wins 78-58 over Stanford

Texas A&M wins 68-52 over Pennsylvania

My incorrect predictions are as follows:

Old Dominion loses to Butler 57-46 (Pete Campbell hitting three 3-pointers to spark a 17-0 run was the turning point. Old Dominion just couldn't make up the difference.)

Duke loses to Virginia Commonwealth University 79-77 (Eric Maynor hit a 15-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds left to give VCU the win.)

Gonzaga loses to Indiana 70-57 (I always pick Gonzaga as a sentimental favorite. Some day they will make it to the Final Four.)

Marquette loss to Michigan State 61-49 (I thought Marquette would pull the upset in the first round game.)

Brigham Young loss to Xavier 79-77 (BYU had not made it out of first round of the NCAA tournament since 1993. I felt 2007 was going to be their year. They came close, but no cigar.)

16 games down, 47 to go.