Sunday's monsoon in DC was symbolic of the type of weekend the college basketball teams had (with GW the exception)...: from the Maryland Womens' team's loss to Georgia Tech in the ACC Quarterfinals to American's thriller with Lafayette... local teams had their heads handed to them-- with underwhelming and sometimes maddening results. Not the way you want to go into March. Much like learning your mom bought 5 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies--only to find out they're the experimental flavor "Thank You Berry Much". More on my cookie bracket later... :
Maryland (18-12, 7-9) ended its regular season with a 74-60 thud against Virginia. Lack of intensity hurt the Terps early-- and the inability to contain Sammy Zeglinski (6-7 from three point range, 25 points) helped ruin senior day. Now the Terps tangle with tenth place North Carolina State-- a school that dropped four of its last five games. Maryland won the regular season matchup 87-80 on February 20th. Jordan Williams and Terrell Stoglin need to carry this team like they did that night (combining for 51 points) if the Terps are to advance to the quarterfinals-- where Duke awaits. Maybe Saturday wasn't senior day after all.
Cruising the Commonwealth-- Somewhere there must be a magnet inside Virginia Tech (19-10, 9-7) that magically finds the bubble each year... from every imaginable direction. The Hokies shot just 31% in a 69-60 battle for the bye against Clemson... Jeff Allen having a nightmare of a game: 1 for 5 with 8 turnovers against the Tigers. As the sixth seed the Hokies will face Georgia Tech (VT won 102-77 in Blacksburg February 13th)... needing wins against the Yellowjackets and then against Florida State in the quarterfinals to feel better about their NCAA hopes. Virginia (16-14, 7-9) finished the regular season with a flourish-- the triumph over Maryland was the Cavaliers' fourth win in five games with the last two coming by double digits. As the 8th seed they face Miami (the ACC's most unpredictable team) with the winner playing North Carolina in the quarterfinals.
Georgetown (21-9, 10-8) heads to New York City with a point guard in doubt and a team in a tailspin... averaging 23.6 points per half since Chris Wright went on the shelf the first time they played Cincinnati. The senior simply got hurt at the wrong time-- if he misses DePaul or South Florida-- the Hoyas probably eke out a win--but not so against the rapidly improving Bearcats (5-1 down the stretch) or streaking Syracuse (5-0 finish). Can the 8th seeded Hoyas turn things around in time to tangle with the UConn-DePaul winner? Legally I have to have the Blue Demons as an option although they finished 1-17 in league play.
Alma Mater Update-- I've been reminded that last year Georgetown advanced to the Big East Finals as an 8th seed... and I also remember burning my styrofoam bracket cup after the Orange lost to the Hoyas in that one. Thanks for the memories. This year Syracuse (25-6, 12-6) enters MSG as the #4 seed... meaning they'll meet the survivor of the St. John's-Seton Hall-Rutgers trio in the quarterfinals. They're also the hottest team in the conference which never bodes well... and the false sense of security from a 107-59 thumping of DePaul is never good. A game with the Red Storm would bring back memories of the 1986 finals-- the Johnnies won the title but Pearl Washington won the hearts of the MSG fans. Thanks for the memories.
George Mason (26-6) after cruising through the final month of the regular season fell in the CAA Semifinals to Virginia Commonwealth 79-63 Sunday... a 21-3 first half run by the Rams was the difference-- VCU using the three-pointer to provide the cushion (11-25 from outside the arc). GMU drops to 0-5 against the Rams in the CAA Tournament--ouch-- but still should be in the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. Problem is, where? I could see them slipping from a 6 to an 8 or 9. The Patriots were interviewed last week about being disrespected despite having the nation's longest winning streak at 15. That won't be the interview topic this week, rest assured.
George Washington (17-13, 10-6)-- thanks, Colonials, for being the only area team not to fall this past weekend. Instead, coach Karl Hobbs' crew wins for the fifth time in six games-- Saturday's 60-58 defeat of Dayton delivered GW its first double digit conference win season since 2007. Tony Taylor's 17 points was punctuated by two late free throws to provide the final cushion. With the 5th seed they face St. Joseph's in the first round of the Atlantic Ten Tournament-- GW took the regular season meeting 78-71 January 8th behind 20 points from Taylor and five players in double figures. A win sets up a quarterfinal clash with Duquesne.
American (22-9) dropped a heartbreaking 73-71 double overtime duel to Lafayette (eight days after defeating the Leopards in double-OT) after Jim Mower canned a three pointer with under a second remaining. The Eagles shot 39 percent from the field and 19 percent from three point range; Vlad Moldeveanu scored 25 points while Stephen Lumpkins added 19 points and 11 rebounds. AU now awaits its postseason destination: maybe the NIT or CBI?
Girl Scout Cookie Rankings-- every March the magic comes together: you know full well about the Shamrock Shakes and the NCAA Tournament... Girl Scout Cookies complete the best trio since the rock group Cream. As always, there are those who have personal feelings about which cookie is best-- and even if your opinion is wrong I accept it because somebody has to buy those flavors that suck.
1--Tagalongs...I know, the Thin Mint contingent will be up in arms. But Tagalongs provide versatility only peanut butter immersed in chocolate can. Can be consumed in both uptempo and half-court settings. Thin Mints are great-- but a one trick pony (although that's quite a trick).
2--Thin Mints... the standard-bearer that you can run through a whole sleeve of in one sitting. Nobody fastbreaks like the TM's... although if you're playing slow-down, their weakness can be exploited (nobody liked the adoption of the shot clock more than Thin Mints in 1985).
3--Samoas... although they're called Caramel dee-Lites in some areas... which is just stupid. The motion offense of cookies-- with all the coconut, caramel and chocolate blending in a series of passes and screens... they're tough to keep track of on each tasting possession. Can they run with the Thin Mints? Not exactly, but Samoas rebound better.
4--Do Si Dos... the redundancy department of redundancy. If you like peanut butter, this is for you. It has that power in the post that only massive amounts of peanut butter can provide-- plays the ultimate physical game with your stomach. If you don't like peanut butter-- this might not be the cookie for you.
5--Trefoils... the traditional shortbread cookie is the original and has its moments-- but has trouble keeping up with the newer cookies over a 40-minute game. Fundamentally sound-- but plays completely under the rim.
While any of the "Fab Five" can contend in any given year-- the next six are lucky to get one victory each March from me-- if that.
6--Dulce de Leche... not to be confused with the Haagen Dasz Ice cream flavor I once wrote a song about (to the tune of "Besame Mucho")... its not a bad cookie but the caramel chips give you just enough to wish they were bigger.
7--Lemonades... okay, they're lemon cookies. Not getting it.
8--Lemon Chalet Cremes... why do you have two lemon flavored cookies? You do know you're cutting the lemon-loving market in two.
9--Shout Outs!... Anytime an exclamation point is in the title of anything, beware.
10--Thanks-a-Lot... a cookie so not awesome they actually pre-thank you for buying them.
11--Thank U Berry Much...despite the fact you're making it okay for young girls to spell the word "you" "U"-- berries in a cookie? No, thank you.
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