Who has a better chance at winning thier next Championship, Tiger Woods or VCU?

Well, the Final Four is set and are no #1 or #2 seeds have made it. Two Cinderellas, VCU and Butler, are there along with two other heavy tradional programs in Kentucky and Uconn. VCU has to be the most surprising team of the four. This team was on the outside looking in on selection sunday and when thier name was announced, Jay Bilas, Dick Vital and company were first in line to critize the committee for putting VCU into the field of 68. They argued that VCU had lost to teams like Georgia State, Northeastern, James Madison and Drexel in the regular season. But here we are, 2 weeks later, and VCU has gone on a remarkable and historic run by beating powerhouse teams such as USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas. How did this happen?

VCU, as a team, did not watch the selection show because they didnt think they were getting into the tournment but when thier name was announced, word spread quickly and the team was excited. They quickly turned on the TV and listened to so-called experts like Vital and Bilas rip thier team and calling them garbage! Hearing these experts say all of these things was plenty of motivation to go on this run. I even predicted that VCU would come out in thier first game with something to prove but I didn't think they would go on this furious run.

While VCU was pulling off this run, Tiger Woods was teeing off at Bay Hill. He was looking to win his first event in a year and a half. He started off well after shooting a 68 in the second round but tailed off in rounds 3 and 4, shooting a 74 and 72. He hasn't won an event since the '09 BMW Championship. Who would have thought that Tiger Woods would have not recovered from a scandal like this? Afterall, we hear scandals similiar to this all the time in sports and most athletes overcome the adversity, but I think Tiger Woods has fallen so far from grace that the greatest golfer in the game will never recover emotionally and mentally from the greatest mistake of his life.

So, when its all said and done, I think you will see VCU winning a Championship before Tiger Woods wins another event of any kind!

Bo Ryan lacks tournament success at Wisconsin

Bo Ryan has taken what Dick Bennett started at UW, turning the Badgers into a yearly contender for the Big Ten title and March Madness participant but now it is time to take the next step.

In 10 seasons the school has made 10 NCAA tournaments under Bo Ryan, advancing to four Sweet 16s and one Elite 8. Since the regional finals appearance in 2005 however, the tournament runs have been marred by hollow endings.

In 2007 the 2 seed UNLV bounced Bucky in the second round. Then came that stunning loss to Davidson in the Sweet 16 in 2008 and the 2010 loss to 12 seed Cornell after barely surviving 13 seed Wofford to open the tournament.

Now, here in 2011, the 8 seed Butler, who lost twice during the season to UW-Milwaukee, out-performed Big Red in the Sweet 16, leading to another premature exit.

The fact is that college basketball has changed. It is not the pure game that it used to be. As much as I love to see them play like a team, the problem this season was no star to turn to when times got rough. In the game today you need at least a couple of playmakers to go along with all the unselfish role players.

You could argue that Butler is much like Wisconsin and played in the championship last season and is in the Final 4 again this season. I think that is the exception,not the rule. Quite frankly their team has more heart than Wisconsin. The style of play used by these two teams is perfect for Butler but Wisconsin is a big-time program and needs to start acting like it.

Four of Wisconsin's last five losses in the big dance have been to teams seeded lower than it. As a fan I am sick of seeing my team ousted by inferior teams. To take Wisconsin to the next level, Bo Ryan needs to scrap his "system" offense and recruit some playmakers: watching this team throw up bricks on basketballs biggest stage is as frustrating as it gets

March Madness

It is that time of year. A week ago everyone was excited about filling out their brackets and now a week later everyone talks about how bad their brackets look. It is the same thing every year but fans like me still love it!

What makes the college basketball tournament so great is all the upsets. Picking the wrong upsets is what ruins everyones brackets. I had Pittsburgh and Notre Dame in my final 4 and they did not survive the first weekend. So yes, my bracket is a mess but so what?

Assuming that the top 4 seeds from each region are expected to reach the Sweet 16, lets take a look at who is left and who might win each region and qualify for the Final 4.

WEST REGION: This region has gone pretty much as planned. (5) Arizona is a small surprise but I picked them to take out (5) Texas and now (1) Duke. (2) San Diego State should beat (3) Connecticut and go on to win the region. The Connecticut Huskies have played 7 games over a 12 day period and now face a more talented opponent.

EAST REGION: (11) Marquette has played great and made it here along with powerhouse programs like (4) Kentucky, (2) North Carolina, and (1) Ohio State. I will continue to root hard for the Golden Eagles but the Buckeyes appear to be the best team in college basketball and should win this region and possibly the championship.

SOUTHWEST REGION: This is the crazy one with (12) Richmond, (11) VCU, and (10) Florida State taking 3 of the 4 Sweet 16 slots. Should be a cakewalk for (1) Kansas to get to the Final 4 now right? NOT, this is March Madness where anything can happen. The Spiders are looking real good and make a great Cinderella story.

SOUTHEAST REGION: Last years runner up (8) Butler is not nearly as good as they were last season but they did knock off top seeded Pittsburgh to get here. (4) Wisconsin should end the season for the Bulldogs on Thursday night but the (3) BYU/(2) Florida winner should win the region. The Gators have been this far often but the Cougars have JIMMER.

Obviously I am as excited as can be that two Wisconsin schools have made it to the Sweet 16 this season and if they would keep winning, could meet in the NCAA Championship game. Anything is possible in March Madness and in sports in general. The Badgers football team was in the Rose Bowl on the first day of 2011. The Green Bay Packers won the Superbowl. The Milwaukee Bucks have come to life and could qualify for the NBA Playoffs. The Milwaukee Brewers have a promising outlook with a solid pitching staff now to go along with a decent lineup. With all of that and the Golden Eagles and the Badgers doing as well as they are, what a great year in Wisconsin sports!

To recap here is my Final 4: San Diego State, Ohio State, Richmond, and BYU.

My dream Final 4 would be: Arizona, Marquette, Wisconsin, and Kansas (Why Kansas you ask? because I want the Badgers to win a Final 4 game as a big underdog to make it even better)