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

First Round Games Predictions for March 20, 2009

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 20, 2009) Today is the second day of round one games in the 2009 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament.

Sixteen games were completed yesterday and the remaining sixteen games will be played today.

I will wait until all of today's games are over and complete to post the results and my percentage correct.

At that point, I will post my predictions for the next round.

My predictions for the games are as follows:

West Regional
Marquette over Utah State

Missouri over Cornell

East Regional
Pittsburgh over East Tennessee State
Tennessee over Oklahoma State

Florida State over Wisconsin

Xavier over Portland State

South Regional
Arizona State over Temple

Sycracuse over Stephen F. Austin

Midwest Regional

Louisville over Alabama State

Ohio State over Siena

Utah over Arizona

Wake Forest over Cleveland State

West Virgina over Dayton

Kansas over North Dakota State

Boston College over Southern California

Michigan State over Robert Morris

First Round Games Predicitions for March 19, 2009

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 19, 2009) The opening round (play-in) game has been completed and the 1st round for the remaining 64 teams begins today. The will be 16 games played today in the first round. The other 16 games in this round will be played tomorrow. I will wait until all of today's games are over and complete to post the results and by percentage correct. When both days’ games are completed for this round, I will post my predictions for the next round.

My predictions for the games are as follows:



West Regional
Connecticut over Chattanooga
Texas A&M over BYU
Purdue over UNI
Washington over Mississippi State
Maryland over California
Memphis over Cal St. Northridge

East Regional
UCLA over VCU
Villanova over American
Texas over Minnesota
Duke over Binghamton

South Regional
North Carolina over Radford
LSU over Butler
Illinois over Western Kentucky
Gonzaga over Akron
Michigan over Clemson
Oklahoma over Morgan State

2009 Opening Round Game

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2009 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 14, 2009) The 2009 Opening Round Game (or Play In Games, as it was previously known) will be played on today (March 17) between Alabama State and Morehouse State. The winner will advance to the 64-team bracket against Number 1 seed Louisville.

My prediction for the Opening Round Game is:

Alabama State over Morehouse State

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.

One Game Left to a NCAA Championship

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

Two teams remain. Tomorrow, one of them will be the NCAA Division 1 Champion. The two semifinal games were an eye-opener for me. I missed both my predictions.

I had North Carolina over Kansas, and Kansas destroyed North Carolina 84-66. I also had UCLA over Memphis, and Memphis cruised to an easy 78-63 win over UCLA.

I was 0-2 (.000) for the semifinals. My overall prediction rate is now 45-16 (.738)

Tomorrow night at 9:21 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, one team will emerge as the champion.

My prediction is:

Memphis over Kansas

By midnight tomorrow night, we will know.

Final Four Predictions

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

The Final Four is here. Sixty-five teams started out and only four remain.

Below is my predictions for the Final Four.

North Carolina over Kansas
UCLA over Memphis

Elite Eight Results

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

Here are the results of the Elite 8. I went 3-1 in the Elite 8 (.750).

Four to go.

Here are my correct predictions:

North Carolina 83 Louisville 73
Kansas 59 Davidson 57
UCLA 76 Xavier 54

Now the one I missed:
Memphis 85 Texas 67

Final Four predictions will be up before Friday.

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.

Sweet 16 Predictions

By Robert H. kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

The Sweet 16 starts today. Here are my predictions:

East Regional in Charlotte, South Carolina
North Carolina (1) over Washington State (4)
Tennessee (2) over Louisville (3)

Midwest Regional in Detroit, Miichigan
Kansas (1) over Villanova (4)
Wisconsin (2) over Davidson (10)

South Regional in Houston, Texas
Memphis (1) over Michigan State (5)
Texas (2) over Stanford (3)

West Regional in Phoenix, Arizona
UCLA (1) over Western Kentucky (12)
West Virginia (7) over Xavier (3)

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 4 Predicitions (Sunday, March 23, 2008)

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications


My predictions for the second round (day 4) of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament. The contests will be listed in their respective regions.



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



East Regional
North Carolina over Arkansas
Louisville over Oklahoma
Tennessee over Butler



Midwest Regional
Villanova over Siena
Georgetown over Davidson



South Regional
Memphis over Mississippi State
Texas over Miami





West Regional
Western Kentucky University over San Diego

Second Round Results for Saturday, March 22, 2008

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

A couple of upsets today probably messed up some people's brakcets. I went 6 for 8 (.750) today and am now 30-10 (.750) for the tournament.

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

West Virginia 73 Duke 67: I wonder how many people picked this upset. Well, I DID. The three-point shot was not falling for Duke, as they get upset by the #7 seed West Virginia Mountaineers. West Virginia had almost as many offensive rebounds, (18) as Duke had total rebounds (20). Joe Alexander had a double double with 22 points and 11boards and Ruoff had a big second half ending the game with 16 points.

Xavier 85 Purdue 78: Xavier is able to hold on late, taking out #6 seed Purdue. A solid effort all around for Xavier, led mostly by the play of Drew Lavender, 16 points and 9 assists, and C.J. Anderson, 18 points and 7 boards.

Stanford 82 Marquette 81: Stanford wins the game and advances to the sweet sixteen. B. Lopez scores 31-points tonight and leads his team to victory. It is a tough loss for the Golden Eagles and a great effort by McNeal who finishes the game with 30 points and 6 boards.

Wisconsin 72 Kansas State 55: Wisconsin improved to 31-4 with their decisive 72-55 win over Kansas State and the Badgers are headed into the Sweet 16.

Kansas 75 UNLV 56: Kansas is moving on to the Sweet 16 after a 75-56 win over UNLV. The Running Rebels fought hard in the first half, but simply didn't have enough offensive weapons to hang with Kansas in the second half.

UCLA 51 Texas A&M 49: The Aggies, after dominating for most of the game just didn't have it in them when it mattered most. The Bruins go on to Phoenix to face the winner of two upstart seeds that upset their opponents in the first round, Western Kentucky and San Diego.

The following two games I missed.

Washington State 61 Notre Dame 41: I thought this one would be close. Instead, Wash State absolutely pulverized the Irish who had their lowest-scoring game ever under Mike Brey. Low, Weaver and Cowgill all end up in double digits but the defense led the way. They held the Irish to 24% shooting. After the 20-point win, the Cougars move to the next round.

Michigan State 65 Pittsburgh 54: The Spartans knock off one of the hottest teams in the land and are headed to the Sweet 16 in Houston.. They do it with solid play, free throw shooting down the stretch, and great performances by Nietzel, Lucas and Suton. Limiting the Panthers to 33% shooting didn't hurt either. Solid free throw shooting by the Spartans down the stretch all but put this one away.

First Round Games Results for Friday, March 21, 2008

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

Day two games in the first round of the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament are completed. I went 10-6 (.625) on my predictions today. Overall through the first round, I am 24-8 (.750).

Below is the scores and a brief recap of each game I predicted correctly. The six games I incorrectly predicted are listed at the bottom.

Games that I correctly predicted the outcome:

Tennessee 72 American 57: American University made a good go at it, tying the game at 40 with 11:15 remaining and trailing by only one with 6:00 left. It didn't have enough at the end, though, losing to Tennessee by a final score of 72-57. Carr scored a game-high 26 for the Eagles, but he didn't have enough help from the rest of the team.

Butler 91 South Alabama 61 South Alabama had a 23-22 lead 14 minutes deep into the first half, but that was when Campbell turned it on for Butler. From that point until halftime, Campbell scored 14 points, at one point making four 3-point attempts in a row. The Bulldogs never looked back from that moment, now able to look ahead to Tennessee in the second round. Despite putting in their bench players in the final minutes of the blowout, the Bulldogs still finished with 49 percent shooting from the field and a 15-for-30 line from 3-point range. They were led by Campbell's 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting, eight of those from outside of the arc.

Texas 74 Austin Peay 54: The Texas Longhorns exploded from the start of the game and the Governors never really had a chance as a result. The Longhorns will be met with a tough test in the second round, they will take on the Miami Hurricanes. Although the Hurricanes had a great game earlier, the Longhorns look untouchable. AJ Abrams is going to be the guy to look out for in the tournament. He is our player of the game and finishes with 26 points and one rebound. I can't wait for the second round to see how Abrams matches with McClinton

Georgetown 66 Maryland-Baltimore County 47: Georgetown came out and put up big numbers. This was just bascially a practice game for them and no one expected UMBC to be more than a quick laugh. The Hoyas, though, face the longest current win streak in the nation when they play Davidson and its star, Curry, who has the second highest scoring average in the nation. They will put the likes of Rivers, Crawford, and Sapp on him and hope that he has an off night. The Hoyas should be a tougher challenge than Davidson's first round matchup, mostly because of Hibbert and Wallace.

North Carolina 113 Mount St. Mary’s 74: This one was over before it started and the Heels left no doubt in their performance. Hansbrough dominated from the start and finished with 21 and 6 in only 26 minutes. A dominating performance all around, with four of five starters in double figures. Mount St. Mary's enjoyed the opportunity just to be at the dance and will have to wait till next year for a chance at a second song. Carolina freshman getting an extended stay on the floor and making the most of it. Wooten and Tanner pocket three balls and the lead remains to hover around the 40 point mark. Carolina just surpassed it's season high of 110 and the rich keep getting richer as Surry Wood breaks free for a hangaround slam. And it finally comes to a close. 113-72 Carolina moving on.

Arkansas 86 Indiana 72: Excellent coaching job by the Razorbacks John Pelfrey, particular in his handling of offense-defense substitutions in the second half. Every dead ball situation, Pelfrey had Steven Hill coming in to play defense, or leaving the court briefly in favor of offense, and it helped wear down D.J. White late in the game. Also, outstanding night on the offensive end for Sonny Weems, the game's high scorer with 31 points.

Louisville 79 Bosie State 61: The Cardinals advance to take on the Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday in the round of 32. They'll have to take better care of the basketball. They turned it over 16 times to a much weaker opponent. That is unacceptable. What they'd like to continue is the good 3-point shooting. They were 12-24 from deep and shot 55% from the field. Clark, Smith and Palacios each reached double digits in scoring. The Broncos were led by Nelson who had 17 points. Tiedeman failed to score in the second half after tallying 12 in the first. The Broncos are now 0-5 in the tournament all-time. That's all from Birmingham for now.

Oklahoma 72 St. Joseph’s 64: St. Joe's put on a great run in the second half, but it was too little too late as they fall to the Sooners. David Godbold was huge for Oklahoma, scoring 25 and hitting big baskets when it seemed to matter down the stretch. Oklahoma moves on to face the winner of the Louisville-Boise St. Match-up.

Villanova 75 Clemson 69: This Villanova team can be very dangerous down the road. I always say the teams with the better guard play will have a really good chance of winning games in this tournament and the Wildcats have a pair of excellent guards. The game against Siena should be very fun to watch this upcoming weekend.

Memphis 87 UT-Arlington 63: The Tigers have advanced to the 2nd round and will now face Mississippi State on Sunday in Little Rock. The Tigers shot 62 percent from the free- throw line tonight. Better than usual but they will need to do better than that if games get close

The six games I missed are below.

Davidson 82 Gonzaga 76: What a game. Stephen Curry is even better than his father Dell, who was one of the great pure shooters in the game. It is not often that the offspring is better, but this guy has already out-done his father in many people's eyes.

Miami (Fla) 78 St. Mary’s 64: The Miami Hurricanes looked like they were going to be upset by the St. Mary's Gaels today. However, this team really turned the corner in the second half. They were led by Jack McClinton. He had a point total that the NBA's elite would be very happy with. It's no surprise who the player of the game is. Jack McClinton finishes the game with 38 points, three assists and two rebounds. He only scored six points in the first half, so his 32-point second half effort went a long way. Actually, his second half effort matched the entire St. Mary's team.

Siena 83 Vanderbilt 75: The #13 Siena Saints made many media members look as smart as they always claim to be, upsetting the #4 Vanderbilt Commodores with ease. The Saints put the clamps down in the final minutes of the game and cruised to a 21-point victory. Kenny Hasbrouck (30 points, four rebounds, four assists) was incredible all night before coming off the floor with what looked like a minor foot injury. The Vanderbilt Commodores fell behind to start the game and never were able to catch the sharp-shooting Saints. Vanderbilt made a short 9-2 run late in the second half to climb to within nine, but the Saints answered with a 12-0 run of their own to finish things off. The Siena Saints will now face the winner of the #6 Clemson and #12 Villanova game.

Mississippi State 76 Oregon 69: Mississippi State overcame a 13 point deficit in the first half to run away from Oregon with a 76-69 win. Charles Rhodes had a career-high 34 points as he controlled the low post all game long. Jarvis Varnado had 4 blocks on the game and made Oregon think twice about driving the lane all game long. Oregon lived and died from their 3-point shot as they went ice cold in the second half. The Ducks make only 2-20 3-point shots as they kept on going to the well too often and not able to adjust. They gave their all in the first half, but just could not find a rhythm for the last stanza in their season.

San Diego 70 UCONN 69: Connecticut just could not get any offensive rhythm going today. Their defensive star, Hasheem Thabeet was a non-factor as numerous times San Diego was able to get around on the baseline for easy buckets. This marks the first time under coach Jim Calhoun that UConn will not be advancing to the 2nd round.

WKU 101 Drake 99: Drake got off to a very cold start through all of the first half and 5 minutes of the 2nd. Once they got going though and their defense tightened up they were able to tie the game up and send it to overtime. Despite very bad shot selection at times and some bad decisions on defense, the Bulldogs hung around. The three-ball put Western Kentucky in the lead, caused their collapse, and eventually won them the game. Western Kentucky shot 51% from the three-point line and it was the shot by Ty Rogers that sends them into the second round. Tyrone Brazelton led four players in double digits with 33 points. It was the Hilltopper bench that essentially won the game for them as they outscored Drake's bench 26-3.

See you tomorrow for more results.

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)

First Round Games Results for Thursday, March 20, 2008

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

Day one games in the first round of the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament are completed. I went 14-2 (.875) on my predictions.

Below is the scores and a brief recap of each game I predicted correctly. The two games I incorrectly predicted are listed at the bottom.

Games that I correctly predicted the outcome:

Kansas 85 Portland State 61: Kansas will live to see another day as they dominate the Portland State Vikings. They shot will from the outside to take the win.

Xavier 73 Georgia 61: Georgia's Cinderella story has ended at the big ball. It is always exciting watching a team come out of nowhere. America loves the underdog. They really looked like they were going to win this game and upset the No. 3 seed, up until Xavier showed why they won 24 games this season. Duncan has to be the player of the game for Xavier, but they can thank their defensive intensity for this win.

Michigan State 72 Temple 61: The Spartans shot nearly 50% from the field and Raymar Morgan leads the charge with 17 points.

Marquette 74 Kentucky 66: Great start to this always exciting tournament. Kentucky should hold their heads high in the loss, especially Joe Crawford and his career high 35 points in defeat. Both squads were lights out from downtown, with Marquette holding the edge at 50% to 40. Hayward and McNeal combined for 38 and 15, but it was Dominic James with some timely shooting down the stretch that iced it for the Golden Eagles. Kentucky will say goodbye to Bradley and Crawford and look for the future of the program to be a bright one.

Pittsburgh 82 Oral Roberts 63: Pittsburgh built a big lead at halftime and had it on cruise control from there. Five Panthers reached double-figures, led by Levance Fields' 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting (4 three-pointers).

Washington State 71 Winthrop 40: Winthrop had a valiant first half behind the efforts of McCullough and Gaynor. The defensive adjustments made by the Cougars completely confused the Eagles in the second half and held them to just around ten points for the whole half. Once Derek low figured out how to defend Gaynor, Gaynor did not score not one more point. After a dominating first by Weaver and Baynes, Robbie Cowgill came out in the second for the Cougars and just filled in immediately.

Kansas State 80 USC 67: Mayo misses a long desperation three and Sutton takes it the length for the door slamming jam. OJ comes right back with the nifty layup, but the Wildcats stopped playing defense a while ago. Kansas State will go to 13-1 when they score at least 80. Mayo continues to pad his stats, but it's a team game, isn't it. The first upset of the day as the Trojans fall.

Stanford 77 Cornell 53: Stanford led this game wire to wire taking out #14 seed Cornell Big Red. Cornell shot poorly in the first half and never recovered, trailing by 20 at the half and never getting any closer.

Texas A&M 67 BYU 62: Thrilling game this evening as the Cougars and Aggies battled back and forth throughout. But in the end, timely shooting and athleticism got the job done for the lower seeded Aggies. This game marks the first time that a lower seed has won thus far in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke 71 Belmont 70: The way the game ended, with Belmont taking a late run to outscore Duke 35-29 in the second half, it seemed like the Blue Devils were the ones to pull off the upset by holding on for a one-point win. Belmont suffers a heart-breaker, although Henderson's final driving layup was in itself worthy of a Duke victory.

Notre Dame 68 George Mason 50: Notre Dame has a complete team with Harangody in the box and Ayers and McAlarney on the perimeter. The only George Mason player to even show up was Will Thomas, who had over 25 points and half his team's points.

Wisconsin 71 Cal State Fullerton 56: CS Fullerton's 15 minutes of fame is over. The Badgers just playing keep away at the end of the game.

UCLA 70 Miss. Valley St. 29: This one was over before it started and #1 seeds are now 93-0 against #16 seeds all-time. The Bruins earn the right to face the Texas A&M Aggies in their next game on Saturday. I have UCLA going all the way in my bracket. They haven't disappointed me yet. Texas A & M should be a much tougher task.

West Virginia 75 Arizona 65: Budinger answered the call for his Arizona team and Hill stood out with 16 and 10, but the shooting of West Virginia was too much for anyone to handle. Even with superstar in the making Joe Alexander, having a sub-par outing, the combo of Alex Ruoff, Darris Butler and of course De'Sean Butler put together 54 points on 22-31 shooting.

Games that I incorrectly predicted:

Purdue 90 Baylor 79: Purdue was able to get significant contributions from all of their starters both defensively and offensively. Dunn was the only bench contributor for the Bears, while the Boilermakers had several bench players leave their mark on the game.

UNLV 71 Kent State 58: UNLV advances to the second round of the Midwest Regional Saturday to face top-seeded Kansas. The Jayhawks defeated Portland State earlier today 85-61 after scoring 49 points in the first half.

Check back tomorrow for the results and game recaps of day two of the first round.

First Round Games Predicitions (Friday, March 21, 2008)

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

Below are my first round predictions for all the games on Friday, March 21, 2008 in the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament. As in my previous post, they will be listed by their respective regions. I have listed four upsets of lower seeds defeating higher seeds. Well, here I go. As always, feel free to leave your comments and your our predictions.

East Regional
North Carolina (1) over Mount St. Mary's (16)
Arkansas (9) over Indiana (8)
Louisville (3) over Boise State (14)
Oklahoma (6) over St. Joseph's (11)
Butler (7) over South Alabama (10)
Tennessee (2) over American (15)

Midwest Regional
Villanova (12) over Clemson (5)
Vanderbilt (4) over Siena (13)
Gonzaga (7) over Davidson (10)
Georgetown (2) over UMBC (15)

South Regional
Memphis (1) over UT-Arlington (16)
Oregon (9) over Mississippi State (8)
Saint Mary's (10) over Miami (7)
Texas (2) over Austin Peay (15)

West Regional
Drake (5) over UKU (12)
UCONN (4) over San Diego (13)

First Round Games Predicitions (Thursday, March 20, 2008)

By Robert H. Kelly

Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

My first round predictions for all the games on Thursday, March 20, 2008 in the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Tournament. They will be listed by their respective regions. I have listed four upsets of lower seeds defeating higher seeds. Well, here I go. Please feel free to leave your comments and your our predictions.

East Regional

Notre Dame (5) over George Mason (12)

Washington State (4) over Winthrop (13)

Midwest Regional

Kansas (1) over Portland State (16)

Kent State (9) over UNLV (8)

Wisconsin (3) over Fullerton (14)

Kansas State (11) over USC (6)

South Regional

Michigan State (5) over Temple (12)

Pittsburgh (4) over Oral Roberts (13)

Stanford (3) over Cornell (14)

Marquette (6) over Kentucky (11)

West Regional

UCLA (1) over Mississippi Valley State (16)

Texas A&M (9) over BYU (8)

Xavier (3) over Georgia (14)

Baylor (11) over Purdue (6)

West Virginia (7) over Arizona (10)

Duke (2) over Belmont (15)

I will post my predictions for the second day of the first round games by Thursday.

2008 Men's NCAA Division 1 Basketball Tournament

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

TexSport Publications returns in 2008 for its predictions and commentary on the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament.

This year, we will maintain two separate blogs for the men's and women's tournament.

Please click here for our blog on the 2008 Women's Division 1 Basketball Tournament.

Check back soon for our first round picks in the men's tournament.

2008 Play In Game: Mt. St. Mary's-Coppin State

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

Tonight Mount St. Mary faced off against Coppin State in the "Play In" game of the 2008 NCAA Mens Division 1 Basketball Tournament. The winner earned the right to face number one seed North Carolina State and the chance to advance to the second round of the tournament.

After 48 minutes of play, Mount St Mary (19-14) held on to defeat Coppin State (16-21) by the score of 69-60. The Mountaineers Jeremy Goode scored 21 points to lead Mount St. Mary to its first NCAA tournament victory.

In its two other NCAA appearances, Mount St. Mary's lost to Kentucky by 46 points in 1995 and to Michigan State by 23 in 1999. Coppin State (16-21) was the first team to qualify for the NCAA tournament with 20 losses

Now with this "Play In" game out of the way....ON WITH THE TOURNAMENT.

NCAA Women's Division 1: Championship Game

By Robert H. Kelly

Two teams left, one will be the National Champion.

Here I go:

Tennessee over Rutgers

NCAA Women's Division 1: Final Four Results

By Robert H. Kelly

The results for the Final Four are in.

Here are the results.

Correct picks:
Tennessee wins over North Carolina 56-50

Incorrect picks:
LSU loses 59-35 to Rutgers

Today: 1-1
Total: 42-20 for

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 Women's Division 1: Final Four Picks

By Robert H. Kelly

No fanfare..no hoopla. Just my picks. Take them for what they are, my picks.

Tennessee over North Carolina

LSU over Rutgers

NCAA Men's Division 1: Final Four Predictions

By Robert H. Kelly

Four teams are left. 60 teams, or 61 if you count the play-in

game, have been sent home. They will meet in Atlanta to play three

more games. Here are my picks. Please feel free to make comments.

After all, that is what makes it fun.

As I have said before...Here we go:

Ohio State over Georgetown

Florida over UCLA

NCAA Women’s Division 1: Elite Eight Results

By Robert H. Kelly

I went two for two on the Women's Elite Eight. No comments and no

excuses for the picks. They were picks, no more and no less. The Final

Four is this weekend. I will post my predictions before the games begin.

Here are the results:

Connecticut loses 73-50 to LSU

Arizona State loses 64-45 to Rutgers

Tennessee wins 98-62 over Mississippi

North Carolina wins 84-72 over Purdue

Today: 2-2
Total 41-19 for 68%

NCAA Women’s Division 1: Elite Eight Predictions

By Robert H. Kelly

The women's tournament is down to the Elite Eight. Four will advance and four will go home.

T

he picks are getting more difficult. The women's games have so many surprises that the tools I use to make predictions seem not to work as they do with the men.

Here are my picks:

Connecticut over LSU

Arizona State over Rutgers

Tennessee over Mississippi

North Carolina over Purdue

NCAA Women’s Division 1: Sweet Sixteen Results

By Robert H. Kelly

The women's tournament is down to eight teams. I went five for three on this round. The women's tournament is becoming more perplexing as is progresses.

I will not be giving comments on these games, because I don't really know what to say about them.

Here we go with the results.

Correct picks:

Arizona State wins 67-49 over Bowling Green

Connecticut wins 78-71 over North Carolina State

LSU wins 55-43 over Florida State

Tennessee wins 65-49 over Marist

North Carolina wins 70-56 over George Washington

Incorrect picks:

Duke loses 53-52 to Rutgers

Oklahoma loses 90-82 to Mississippi

Georgia loses 78-65 to Purdue

Today: 5-3
Total: 39-17 for 69.64%

I will make my picks for the Elite Eight on the next post.

NCAA Men's Division 1: Elite 8 Results

By Robert H. Kelly

The Elite Eight games are complete. Four teams are left. The FINAL FOUR. Four team have made it to the show. Now the fun begins. Four teams will mean in two games to determine who plays in the BIG GAME.

I went two for two in the Elite Eight. My prediction of all four number one seed getting to the Final Four was flawed. However, predictions are predictions. If anyone could predict the outcome of all the games, the bookmakers would never stay in business.

Here are my results.

Correct picks:

Ohio State wins 92-76 over Memphis

Florida wins 85-77 over Oregon

Incorrect picks:

Kansas loses 68-55 to UCLA

North Carolina loses 96-84 to Georgetown

Today: 2-2
Total: 43-17 for 71.67%

The Final Four will see Ohio State versus Georgetown and UCLA versus Florida.

I will post my predictions and rational for them by midweek.

NCAA Women's Division 1: Sweet Sixteen Picks

By Robert H. Kelly

Without any fanfare, below are my predictions for the NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Sweet Sixteen. I will not go into much detail as I really don't have too much to say about my predictions other than they are my picks.

Here I go:

Arizona State over Bowling Green

Duke over Rutgers

Connecticut over North Carolina State

LSU over Florida State

North Carolina over George Washington

Georgia over Purdue

Tennessee over Marist

Oklahoma over Mississippi

On to the Elite Eight.

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 Women's Division 1: Round 2, Day 2

By Robert H. Kelly

Today's results were not much better than yesterday's. I went 4-4, again.

The womem's teams were not playing as I though they would. Predicting the Sweet 16 results will be a bit tough. I am planning on studying the teams before making my selections.

Now, on to my results.

Correct picks:

Tennessee wins 68-54 over Pittsburgh

Duke wins 62-52 over Temple

Connecticut wins 94-70 over Wisconsin-Green Bay

North Carolina wins 60-51 over Notre Dame

Incorrect picks:

Michigan State loses 70-57 over Rutgers
(I thought this game would be closer than it was.)

Baylor loses 78-72 to North Carolina State
(Baylor couldn't hold on to the ball. They fell apart in the final minutes.}

Maryland loses 89-78 over Mississippi
(I have nothing to say. I just missed this one.}

Vanderbilt loses 59-56 to Bowling Green
(Vanderbilt had been playing well into the tournament. They couldn't keep it together at the end.)

Today: 4-4
Total: 34-14 for 70.83%

Look for my Sweet 16 picks later in the week.

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

By Robert H. Kelly

Well, I didn't do as well as I had hoped on the first day of the second round. Having only four correct picks is a low for this basketball playoff season.

Perhaps I will raise it a bit on the second day of round two.

Here are my prediction results.

Correct picks:

Georgia wins 76-56 over Iowa State

Oklahoma wins 78-47 over Marquette

Purdue wins 76-63 over Georgia Tech

LSU wins 49-43 over West Virginia

Incorrect picks:

Texas A&M loses 59-47 to George Washington
(The Aggies ran out of steam. It was a nice run for the ladies from College Station.)

Middle Tennessee loses 73-59 to Marist
(Perhaps I will take another look at Marist. I had no idea they are this good.)

Stanford loses 68-61 to Florida State
(Stanford left behind and couldn't catch up at the end of the game. They will be back next year.)

Louisville loses 67-58 to Arizona State
(Arizona State is looking better as they go further in the tournament. I will take another look at them.)


Today: 4-4
Total: 30-10 for 75%

NCAA Women's Divsion 1: 2nd Round Predictions

By Robert H. Kelly

Here are my second round predictions. Let's hope I can keep up my prediction percentage. I am not seeing many posts on other blogs about the women's tournament.

I hoped more people would take and interest and post about it. That is half the fun of making the the predictions and discussing them with others

Please feel free to make any comments and express your views about my picks.

Here I go with my predictions for the second round:

Dallas Region
North Carolina over Notre Dame
Texas A&M over George Washington
Georgia over Iowa State
Purdue over Georgia Tech

Dayton Region
Tennessee over Pittsburgh
Middle Tennessee over Marist
Oklahoma over Marquette
Maryland over Mississippi

Fresno Region
Connecticut over Wisconsin-Green Bay
Baylor over North Carolina State
LSU over West Virginia
Stanford over Florida State

Greensboro Region
Duke over Temple
Michigan State over Rutgers
Louisville over Arizona State
Vanderbilt over Bowling Green

NCAA Women's Division 1: Round 1, Day 2 Results

By Robert H. Kelly

The first round of the women's tournament is complete. I did do a bit better on the women's side than I did on the men's side.

Round two begins tomorrow. I will have my predictions up in my next post.

Please feel free to read, comments, and participate in the blog.

Correct picks:

Notre Dame wins 62-59 over California

North Carolina State wins 84-52 over Robert Harris

Vanderbilt wins 62-47 over Delaware State

Maryland wins 89-65 over Harvard

Baylor wins 68-55 over Chattanooga

North Carolina wins 95-28 over Prairie View

Tennessee wins 76-37 over Drake

Duke wins 81-44 over Holy Cross

Michigan State wins 69-58 over Delaware

Pittsburgh wins 71-61 over James Madison

Connecticut wins 83-33 over University of Maryland-BC

Temple wins 64-61 over Nebraska

Rutgers wins 77-34 over East Carolina

Oklahoma State loses 70-66 to Bowling Green
(Another close game of close seeds.)

TCU loses 86-72 to Mississippi
(I felt TCU would do wee after their conference tournament.)

New Mexico loses 59-52 to Wisconsin-Green Bay
(Another upset I didn't see coming.)

Today: 13-3
Total: 26-6 for 81.25%

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.