Some expansion notes.

The motion to expand the NCAA Tournament from 64 to 96, is "probable", according to Jim Delany, the Big Ten Commissioner. Personally, I wouldn't expand at all, but if we had to, at least lower the number. 96 is way too many teams for one bracket. Imagine how difficult THAT bracket would be to fill out. I think it's funny that Delany has no problem expanding by 32 teams, but he won't add 1 for football. Questions are flying from all directions, and no one has an answer yet. No one really knows if this will happen for sure yet, but the hope is there, and that's great news for teams that are regularly on the bubble. I don't like the expansion rule at all, because everyone already likes the tournament as is, so why change now, after so many years of great success?

"The NCAA is weighing expansion of the tournament in conjunction with talks with networks about a new television contract. It can opt out of the final three years of a current 11-year, $6 billion agreement with CBS, and must decide by this summer."

I think this is interesting because once again, it's all about the money. You would think they would learn by now that money is important, but it's easy to lose pretty quick, if fans are upset. Take the BCS for example. The NCAA chose that because they would make more money, and have more expensive bowl games. The funny thing is, is that making a play-off for the college football world would also be giving them more money, so I'm not sure why they haven't even tried to make it happen.

We here at Inside The Shoe would like to congratulate Kyle Madsen for his outstanding effort in the classroom, even if his play on the court was atrocious. Grades are indeed important, and he obviously realizes he will most likely need a "fallback" in case the NBA totally rejects him. Seriously, though. Congrats!
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Inside The Shoe is still looking for two writers. One basketball, and one football writer. If your interested, please leave a comment, or email us at insidetheshoe2009@hotmail.com. The requirements can be found here. We hope to be talking to you soon!

Ohio State toppled by Vols.

Well, I know that's not how we all planned for the game to go, and we didn't really want to lose. When the media chooses an ultimate favorite in the NCAA Tournament, they usually end up losing it all. Most likely, Kentucky will take over as the favored team to win the tournament now. Althouth the loss is upsetting, no pun intended, we can always look ahead. We have the Super 6 coming into C-town next year, and it should be a championship run season.

A key player tonight for Tennesse was, without a doubt, Wayne Chism. He finished with 22 points onlyfour in the second half, and 11 rebounds for the sixth-seeded Volunteers (28-8), who pulled out a back-and-forth tussle in the Midwest Regional semifinals. Evan Turner played fairly well, but it wasn't enough for the Player of the Year, even though he finished with 31 points, leading all scorers. Turner single-handedly carried the Buckeyes in the second half, much to the frustration of Thad Matta and the rest of Buckeye Nation. The first half belonged to the rest of the Buckeye players, while Turner was down. In the second, though, the rest of the team was slow, and Turner turned hot. Many spectualte that Turner could come back next season due to the extra early exit by the Buckeyes.

"I can't give a percentage right now," Turner said, his eyes red and his voice catching, when asked if he'll return to Ohio State for his senior year. "I really don't want to go out like this."

That has to give some people hope, as everyone knows that Jared Sullinger and company would almost certainly make a Final Four apperance next year. If Turner comes back, though, I could see a National Championship in the mix. For the rest of the team, they had to feel pretty bad, as the path to the Final Four became much easier when Georgetown and Kansas got upset by Ohio and Northern Iowa. William Buford (15) was the only other scorer in double figures. Jon Diebler, so big for Ohio State in the first two rounds, shot 1 of 7 from 3-point range. Ohio State thought they could get lucky again by giving the ball to Turner at the end, but unlike Michigan, Tennessee plays defense, and are not stupid.

The ball represents the Elite Eight. The fight was on.

The rest of the tournament will sure be interesting, and I'm going to be rooting for Nortern Iowa all the way, but then Kentucky to win it all. Northern Iowa has to face Michigan State, and then Tennessee just to make it to the Final Four. Some peoples brackets are totally shot now..gladly, but sadly at the same time, I had Ohio State losing here anyway, but to G-Town instead. We will keep you posted on what Turner has to say about returning for his Senior year or not.

Live Blog: Ohio State vs. Tennessee.

The Live Blog starts at 7 PM, and we hope to see you here as the Buckeyes take on the Vols of UT for the Sweet 16, and whoever wins, gets an Elite Eight appearance.

GPC and Bracket Challenge update

First, let me just say that tBBC and Mali, beat me to the punch today. I was planning on doing a post giving you updates on the Bracket Challenge and the GPC. So, Kudos to them

Anyway, on to business. As you all know, the Game Picking Center takes the picks you chose on the brackets, and adds it to your winning and losing records. The losing records don't even really mean anything, I just put it up there in case your curious what your record is through the tournament. J. Pham and B. Ludwiczak are tied for first place, but there is still plenty of tournament to get some wins in. Here's a picture for you to feast your eyes on.

Still hard to see..Oh well, I'm about to break it down for you.

Here are the standings for the brackets:

1st. J. Pham and B. Ludwiczak

3rd. Todd Reigle

4th. Me (hells yes) and Mali

6th. Ken, Ben Patrick, L. Alicea

9th. Sebastian and Bill Weaver

11th. SBB, Chris, Daniel Denton

15. Todd Hiltibran

16. Eric

17. J. Heck

18. S. Crummie.

Well, I know a couple of those guys started at the top and fell, but I won't point fingers. As for the rest, If your doing bad, don't get discouraged, you might still be in the running for the GPC. Here are the rankings for you guys to look over.

Writer - Ian: 42-23 - 1st

Writer - Chris: 29-22 - 9th - tied

Reader - Ken: 41-21 - 2nd

Reader - Doug: 1-0 - 13th

Reader - Sebastian: 38-23 - 3rd

Reader - Eric: 33-30 - 5th - tied

Reader - Todd: 34-23 - 4th

Reader - T. Reigle: 33-16 - 5th

Reader - SBB: 29-19 - 9th - tied

Reader - J. Heck: 27-26 - 12th - tied

Reader - B. Patrick: 31-18 7th - tied

Reader - Bill Weaver: 32-28 6th - tied

Reader - Daniel Denton: 30-24 8th - tied

Reader - L. Alicea: 32-26 6th - tied

Reader - Jakob Thais: 30-26 8th - tied

Reader - B. Ludwiczak: 31-20 7th - tied

Reader - Steve Crummie: 28-25 10th - tied

Reader - J. Pham: 34-20 4th - tied

Reader - Mali: 32-19 - 6th - tied

If you must know, I have to put in all those records myself, which means I go through every single one of your brackets and count the wins, and the losses. Yes, I am a nice guy, thanks. If you aren't doing so hot in the GPC or the Bracket Challenge....well...then good luck next year! No, really, you still have all of football season to catch up, so good luck there. Ken and I are neck and neck for first, with Todd and Sebastian giving chase, following closely. Well, it's going to be an interesting rest of the tournament I'm sure, so good luck to everyone, and leave your comments below for some good ole' trash talking!

 

Recap: Ohio State vs. Georgia Tech

The Buckeyes got it done 75-66. Evan Turner played pretty well, with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists The Bucks were slow out of the gate as they often are, but so was Georgia Tech. Both combined for a crazy amount of turnovers in the first half alone. With Georgia Tech taking a 14-6 lead, and double teaming the Villian every time he touched the ball, with his childhood friend Iman Shumpert and Glen Rice Jr. Favors and Lawal got into foul trouble early and the Buckeyes were in attack mode from then on, being led by Turner.

  In the second half the Bucks bust it open with Diebler getting hot and Lighty playing out of his mind once again. This was a big game for the Buckeyes and I like their chances against the Vols next week. With everything happening, I could see myself putting money on an all Big Ten Regional Final. Jon Diebler, who became hot from beyond the arc about half way through the game, added 20 points and David Lighty had 18 for the Buckeyes. Evan Turner led his team in all statistical groups, really willing this team to victory. It made it even sweeter when the Buckeye team came together to follow suit behind Turner, and rally for the win. This just goes to show that the Buckeyes can compete with the big boys, and with mammoth power Kansas already taken care of, things are looking up for the Bucks. With No. 1 Kansas, No. 3 Georgetown, and No. 4 Maryland all eliminated, Ohio State has its best chance of returning to the Final Four since Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. took the Buckeyes there in 2007. Ohio State faces sixth-seeded Tennessee on Friday night in St. Louis in a Midwest Regional semifinal, which should be a great game. It's going to be tough, as Tennessee plays very consistent ball, and they know that past Ohio State, the road is much smoother.

The battle for the Sweet 16.

Making the road more smooth.

The NCAA tournament just got a lot more exciting. As you all know, Kansas got upset by Northern Iowa, who our friend over at tBBC, Eric, is covering for Last Fan Standing, so a real nice surprise for him. With Kansas going down, Ohio State's path to a a Final Four appearance just got a lot easier. The teams remaining are Georgia Tech, MSU, Maryland, Tennessee, and Northern Iowa. Ohio State can most certainly beat these teams, if they continue to play well as a team. This means big things for the Ohio State team, but many are wondering if they can take on the NIU squad, as they upset the Mammoth. Things will be even more clear after the Georgia Tech game, and hopefully it's a good outcome.

Miracles CAN happen.

 Also, Villanova got upset by Saint Mary's, sending my bracket to into a huge pile of crap. The ITS bracket challenge just got a whole lot interesting for the people that picked Ohio State into the Final Four, or National Championship. I have them going to the Elite Eight personally, and it's not looking good for me now. Tennessee was able to get rid of the Bobcats, ending any miracle run, for what they had. So, with the Buckeyes having a day off to enjoy the madness, here's to hoping they don't become a part of it. Oh, and then theres this.

Your March Madness Live Blog: Day 2

Alright, so Day 1 didn't go as planned for some of you guys, especially bracket wise. Well, since no one posted a comment on the Open Thread, I figured, ah, let's do a Live Blog.

All you have to do is type your name in, and then start commenting! Have fun, and we hope to see here at 12 PM EST!