by gradclif | Apr 5, 2015 | Tourament Updates
Brief today. Easter festivities. I’m feeling a little under the weather. Or maybe equivalent to the weather since it’s snowing out here in NY. In the games last night Duke blew out Michigan State setting up a fun Monday night for Heather as her Blue Devils attempt to secure the NCAA crown for themselves and the mystery prize and RI title for her. In the 2nd game Wisconsin was finally able to do what no one else could do this year, beat Kentucky. The Badgers will face off with Duke for the title on Monday night and they will also be attempting to bring home the mystery prize for Marcia Milam. Good luck to Marcia and Heather! Congratulations to the fellas for our amazing winning streak of….one RI title in a row. With the win from Marcia or Heather the ladies take back the crown and push their RI title lead to 9, 11 to 2. Oh fellas, we have to get this figured out otherwise they are going to take their lead to double digits next year. Doh! Thanks to Matt Hollins and Will Hagy for making noble runs for glory, but it wasn’t to be. Once again the ladies get it done. Not a surprise at this point. Their dominance continues after a brief interlude from last year’s champ Chris Mann who must have been too busy enjoying his mystery prize loot to submit a contending bracket this year. Have a great Easter everyone! Tune in on Monday night to see who brings home to title. Sometime later in the week we’ll do a final review. Cheers,...
by gradclif | Apr 2, 2015 | Tourament Updates
Almost there Back on Sunday Duke defeated Gonzaga and Michigan State snuck past Louisville in an overtime thriller to complete the NCAA Final Four. I hear a Michigan State fan had a sign that read, “January, February, Izzo, April”. It’s true, Tom Izzo always seems to get his team to play their best ball in March. If I’m remembering correctly it’s the 4th time he’s led a team seed #5 or higher to the final four. Certainly he’s among the most respected coaches in the game today. Then there’s that other guy. Coach krew-sha-wooski. Whether you root for Duke or not, it’s hard not to respect Coach K. I love the guy. I was watching the end of the Gonzaga game and to see the way he hugged his players when they come off the court. Nothing but love there, for his players and the game. And then as the teams shook hands, watching the way he took extra time speaking to Zags Senior Point Guard Kevin Pangos. Impossible not to respect how he handles himself. And then, there’s this commercial you probably remember. So it’s Duke, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and favorite Kentucky in the Final Four. Who’s it gonna be? The Remaining RI Contenders Finally making it to the top of the RI leader board is mystery prize frontrunner Will Hagy. Can Will really win this thing on his first attempt? Cinderella story. Will can actually lock down the coveted mystery prize on Saturday with wins from Kentucky and Michigan State. Conspiracy Theory So how is Will doing so well on his first attempt? It’s almost as though...
by gradclif | Mar 29, 2015 | Tourament Updates
So close for Notre Dame I’m sure 2012 RI champ and Notre Dame alum Laura Patterson Hoffman could taste the Notre Dame victory last night, they were so close. So close! But a few missed foul shots, a few great plays from Kentucky, and once again the Wildcats slip off the hook and remain perfect. Notre Dame goes home heart broken. My heart breaks a little for Laura and the other Notre Dame faithful, but then again such is the way of March. It’s a death march. In the way of Highlander, there can be only one. And it’s not over until it’s over. But for Notre Dame, the fat lady is singing. And for Kentucky the dream of the perfect season still lives. Good for the Kentucky players, they showed great heart. But I’d be lying if I said I was rooting for them or the outcome. My heart was with the underdog. And against Kentucky Coach John Calipari. He just comes off as a little too smug for my liking. And perhaps a little condescending. But the game is the game. And on court the Wildcats are still dancing and still the favorite to win it all. A valiant effort by the Irish. They played great, but just couldn’t close it out in the end. The Badgers are back For the second straight year the Badgers of Wisconsin have advanced to the Final Four and they will be the next hurdle for the Wildcats of Kentucky. Yesterday, at halftime the showdown between Wisconsin and Arizona looked as though it could go either way, but in the 2nd...
by gradclif | Mar 28, 2015 | Tourament Updates
It matters that you try I haven’t been very funny this year. Usually I’m very funny — in my own mind at least — but, there’s only so much time to go around each day. I hear it’s 24 hours, although it feels like much less as there’s always a multitude of things left on my TO DO list. I’m an optimist and so my daily list usually looks something like this: Things I’m going to do today Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 9 Item 10 That’s pretty ambitious. But I always feel like I’m going to get all the way to item number 10. The reality in 3 kid world is you really have 2 lists that look something like this: Things you will do today Take care of the kid stuff Take care of work One other thing Never gonna happen Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 Item 7 Item 8 Item 9 Item 10 I understand this reality and yet I still make out my TO DO lists with 10 items. I’m an optimist. Sometimes take a shower is the one other thing. Sometimes it’s not! There are days when I get to Item 4, Item 5, sometimes even Item 10! But a lot of days, it’s just that one other thing. So it’s important to prioritize. When it comes to writing these RI updates priority one is “get something done”. Priority 2 is “write something funny”. I try to get #2 done, but during this write up I’ve already had to dress black...
by gradclif | Mar 27, 2015 | Tourament Updates
Kentucky Trounces West Virginia, Sorry Jer Kentucky destroys West Virginia showing why many experts are predicting they will run the table and become the first undefeated men’s NCAA basketball team since the Indiana Hoosiers accomplished the feat 39 years ago back in 1976. And do you know how much Kentucky won by last night? That’s right, 39 points. 78 to 39, actually so the # 39 was represented in that final score in more ways than one. Foreshadowing? Kentucky fans certainly hope so, but if they want the Kentucky undefeated season to come to fruition Kentucky must next get past the Irish of Notre Dame who overwelmed Wichita State with their shooting to advance. Kentucky is not going to beat Notre Dame by 39, they shoot the ball too well. Anyone who beats Kentucky is going to HAVE to shoot the ball REALLY well (not a characteristic West Virginia was known for), they are just too tough by the rim. When the tournament brackets were announced, before West Virginia advanced and became the popular upset pick, Notre Dame was being touted as the first real hurdle for Kentucky. We’ll see if that turns out to be the case. West Virginia did not turn out to be a hurdle. In the other set of Elite 8 match-ups last night, #1 Wisconsin outlasted North Carolina and #2 Arizona outlasted Xavier. Joel holding onto the top spot…barely On the Radcliffe Invitational Leader Board, despite his picking West Virginia over Kentucky, somehow Joel Shilliday holds onto the lead. I know for a fact that Joel is really proud of himself. As he should...
