SCOTT JACOBS

What was that?

No upsets (sorry, 10. Maryland over 7. Cal doesn’t count). No number on

e was ever even threatened.  They said this tournament was top heavy going in, and so far it’s holding form.  With the exception of the Terps, and 9. Texas A&M knocking out BYU (again!) there have been no monumental takeouts, not even a blip on the underpants of society.

Everyone left work for this?

They say today is one of the most unproductive days of the work year, but the only people cheering today are the predictables, the ones afraid to go for a jaw dropping upset, and instead keeping their cards close to their chest.  The ones who put in four one seeds in the Final Four, not because they’re brilliant, but because they’re gutless.

Well, I’ve got news for them, and the rest of the country: the NCAA Tournament is so big not because of high seeds constantly prevailing, but because the little guys sometimes get their chance to crash the party.  It’s about Bryce Drew and Valparaiso.  It’s about Stephen Curry and Davidson.  Sure, the higher seeded teams prevailing means that the matchups will be arguably better, but what separates the NCAA Tourney from most other sporting events, is that anything can happen.  That anything includes the likes of George Mason in 2006 and Villanova in 1985.

We remember the great title games, and its inevitable that the highest ranked teams will end up competing for a championship,  but its that rare time when a 13 seed, or a 14 breaks through and does some damage that ultimately makes the NCAA Tourney must see-tv each March.

Don’t get me wrong.  Watching all number one seeds compete in the Final Four was exciting, and they played some great games, but wouldn’t it have been more interesting to see a team like Davidson and Curry take their act to the Final Four to compete with the big dogs?

So tonight, can we at least get a scare.  Memphis didn’t get scared by Cal State Northridge today.  They just got woken up.  Duke was scared last year against 15. Belmont in a wild 71-70 Dukies escape.  That’s what I want to see.  These little schools get so few opportunities to compete on the same level as the NCAA’s elite, and it’d be nice to see a few dazzling upsets, at least a few buzzer beaters somebody!

So even though Northern Iowa put up a nice fight (I had them in the Sweet 16, whoops!) it never felt like they were going to beat Purdue. Butler-LSU was entertaining, but c’mon!  Where’s the overtimes, the crazy improbable bench player stepping up and becoming a house hold name over night?  Am I jumping the gun just a 1/4 of the games through?  Yes!  But I say it in quiet desperation that this tourney will heat up.

Tampa anyone?

Okay, so that probably won’t happen again, where a 12 and a 13 face off, but that’s what makes the tourney glorious.  I remember picking San Diego to beat UConn last year, on just sheer gut, and hope that the little team from the WAC could make some magic happen.  And they did!  They beat UConn.  And it was great theater, such an entertaining game.

Yes, North Carolina, Louisville, Pitt, Memphis, pick a name out of the top 10 and one of those teams will likely be crowned champs.  But it’s so much more fun, when the little guy has their day.  So here’s to Cinderella.  You left your right slipper at my place.  Pick it up before midnight.  There’s still lots of dancing left to do!

By the way: what’s up with the generic court designs for every site?  Let each site stick out, and let them do what they want.  The courts are starting to be as predictable as the teams.

Photo: Feature from Getty Image
Photo: Getty Images

SCOTT JACOBS

Alright, it’s here. Championship game Sunday. Are you ready? Okay, so it’s not quite the dreamy matchups we had conjured up throughout the year, but with titles on the line in both the AFC and NFC its safe to say we should get at least one very good game today. And it may not be the one you might think.

No one is giving the Chargers a flippin chance, and if I were them boy would I be psyched for today’s game. You don’t get a whole lot of chances as an 11-5 team to be completely buried before you even play a game, but the Chargers have all been put 6 feet under throughout the week by our so called experts. Philip Rivers hopes to play, LT will give it a go, and Antonio Gates will be ready to go. Now about that team New England. They’re pretty good, and though its sort of escaped through the pipelines, they’re going for an NFL record of 18-0 tonight. Windchill is expected to hover around 10 degrees for this one, so it should be a little cold.

Tom Brady is eying history at this point. He can get his fourth AFC championship under his belt en route to an unprecedented perfect season in Glendale, AZ.

It is really cold in Green Bay, expected to have a windchill of below 15. It’s good that the Pack and Giants are hot, cause they’re going to need all that heat to keep themselves warm. Brett Favre’s re-emergence as a top quarterback has solidified Green Bay as a top notch contender. Ryan Grant gives them a chance to win it all.

The Giants are a good team, but at 10-6 it feels like they’re a little lucky to be here. Inconsistent all year which Giants team will we get today? Eli Manning is the key, but keep an eye on Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Those two need to give New York the power running game for the G-Men to be able to brave the elements.

So what’s the picks?

NEW ENGLAND 27 SAN DIEGO 21
Disrespect can go a long way in motivating an inferior team, even as one as talented as the Chargers. They’re going to give it their best and their best will be just short, as Brady and Co. drive down the field late in a come from behind win.

GREEN BAY 31 NEW YORK GIANTS 20
Brett Favre is on a magical carpet ride right now, and its not ending at home. I think Eli has a slip up game today, and then Giants make some mistakes, as Grant goes for big numbers in this frigid showdown at the frozen Lambeau Field.