Irish Trojan in Tennessee

Poll: Obama increases lead over Clinton

By Brendan Loy

Gallup says Obama leads Hillary by 10% nationally. Maybe the voters are getting caught up in the same wrap-it-up trend as the superdelegates.

Meanwhile, alas, Obama is going to get in trouble for this remark regarding his opposition to abstinence-only education:

Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn't make sense to not give them information.

I boldfaced the part that's being, and will continue to be, gleefully taken out of context by "outraged" conservates. In reality, as the context makes obvious, Obama's not talking about abortion at all, nor is he saying that teenage parents ought not love their babies. He's merely acknowledging an obvious reality that everyone understands (teen pregnancy is a bad thing), and proposing something that he believes would help reduce teen pregnancy ("comprehensive" sex education that includes information about birth control and protection). His comment is entirely defensible, and indeed, 100% correct in my view. But it was also clumsily worded, and will make great fodder for some anti-abortion 527 group. (The linked blogger, Mike Allen, asks whether "this comment opened the door to trouble, or are conservatives twisting an innocent observation?" Um, both?)

GOOO IRISH, BEEEAT LADY VOLS!!!

By Brendan Loy

Notre Dame and Tennessee are about to get underway in a Sweet Sixteen showdown. The #5-seed Fighting Irish are the last chance to prevent an "all chalk" Elite Eight in the women's NCAA Tournament; so far, all the #1 and #2 seeds have won.

Incidentally, the women's pool standings and scenarios are updated through seven Elite Eight games. Ken Stern currently has the lead. The standings are after the jump as well.

8 still alive in Times pool

By Brendan Loy

For the first time ever, the men's Final Four will feature four #1 seeds. And for the first time ever, a Living Room Times NCAA pool will enter the final weekend with a different potential winner for each remaining scenario -- meaning eight people are still mathematically alive to win the contest.

Currently, Alex Whitfield (a.k.a. "CORNHUSKERS 94 95 97") leads the 13th annual Times men's pool presented by the UCLA Bruins with 327 out of a possible 412 points. But Whitfield will only win the pool in one scenario: if Kansas beats Memphis in the title game. In the each of the other seven scenarios, someone different will overtake him.

The other contestants still alive are Joseph Hiegel (currently in 2nd place), Chuck Wessell (3rd), Robert Dokes (4th), Amy Greca (T-9th), Chris Mulvey (T-9th), Shari Long (T-9th) and Keith Evans (T-20th).

Complete standings, possible outcomes, what-if scenarios and other information after the jump.

Finally, a close game?

By Brendan Loy

Will we finally get a close, entertaining regional final game, courtesy of Kansas and Davidson? It looks good so far. After starting the game with good defense and ice-cold shooting -- it was 4-2 Kansas six minutes in, and at one point Davidson was 1-for-10 from the floor while Kansas was 2-for-10 -- the Jayhawks and Wildcats are both making big plays (on both sides of the ball), and it's 28-28 with 2:00 left in the first half.

UPDATE: Kansas 59, Davidson 57 with 36.3 seconds left. GO WILDCATS!!!

UPDATE 2: 16.8 to go, Davidson ball, still Kansas by two. Curry for 3 at the buzzer?? C'mon, I want to hear Gus Johnson so NUTS!!!

UPDATE 3: ARRRRGH. Not a good final possession at all by Curry and Davidson there. Good defense by Kansas, I guess. But, argh.

For the first time ever, all four #1 seeds are going to the Final Four!

Davidson, the last anti-chalk hope?

By Brendan Loy

With Memphis looking nigh unstoppable early -- they're up 39-24 over Texas with 2:00 left in the first half -- it's looking increasingly likely that Stephen Curry and the #10-seed Davidson Wildcats will be the last hope for the non-#1-seeds.

It was #1-seed Kansas that blew the chance for an first-ever "all-chalk" Final Four last year, losing to #2-seed UCLA in the second game of the Elite Eight. (#1-seed North Carolina subsequently lost, too, to #2 Georgetown.) But that was against a Bruins team that effectively had home-court advantage and arguably should have been a #1 seed itself. Losing to tiny Davidson, when a win would put four #1 seeds in the Final Four, would be a much bigger upset -- and a much bigger stain on the already oft-smeared record of Bill Self and the "Rock Choke Jayhawks."

And yet, would anybody really be stunned if Davidson pulled it off? At this point, who dares doubt Stephen Curry?

UPDATE: Memphis wins, 85-67. Davidson is our last hope!

Al Gore for President?

By Brendan Loy

The Goreacle Option picks up steam.

(Hat tip: InstaPundit.)

The idea of rejecting Clinton and Obama, and turning to Gore instead, entered the mainstream conversation with some intriguing comments by a Florida congressman on Monday, and this Joe Klein piece on Wednesday.

Cue some Rovian snark: "You know you got a problem if the answer is Al Gore."

One ballsy tie

By Brendan Loy

Is the key to Davidson's success Kyle Whelliston's tie?

Little did I know I was in the presence of talismanic greatness last year at BracketBusters!

On a more serious note, here's Whelliston's ESPN article on Stephen Curry, who, it bears repeating, is not only a transcendent superstar, but just a really nice and humble guy. Apropos of which, Whelliston's Mid-Majority blog post about the Wildcats' win over Wisconsin concludes:

We haven't had a breakout basketball star like Curry in a generation, and he's helping undo the damage that the past 20 years have done to the idea of basketball stardom. There are kids out there who are now 10, 11 years old, spending this afternoon in driveways copying the fallaway 3-pointer that gave Davidson that early lead at 13 minutes of the first half. Here's hoping that they'll keep emulating him, carrying themselves with perfect humility.

P.S. After Curry, who is a sophomore, led Davidson to their first-round victory over Gonzaga -- that's two upset wins and 63 points ago -- Rush the Court wrote a post titled "Is Stephen Curry becoming a March legend?" which noted:

[Curry] isn’t a big-time NBA prospect (according to scouts) because he isn’t that tall, strong, or athletic. In fact his biggest attributes are his shooting and intelligence, which are two things the NBA scouts don’t seem to care about these days. We are assuming that his family is doing ok financially given the fact that his father (Dell) had a long and distinguished career in the NBA. When you combine all of that, it seems like he might be one college star who remains in college all 4 years. In this day and age, that might be enough to make him a legendary player in March by the time he finishes his college career in 2010.

I'd say Curry is well ahead of schedule on the "legendary player" bit. But it can always get better. Three years of this? Pinch me.

Notre Dame advances to Frozen Four!

By Brendan Loy

One year after rising to the #1 ranking in the country only to be stunned by Michigan State in the NCAA regional final, the #12-ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame got their revenge tonight, beating the Spartans 3-1 (after previously upsetting the top seed, New Hampshire) to advance to their first Frozen Four in school history! WOOHOO!! (Hat tip: NDLauren.)

The Irish will play the hated Skunkbears of Michigan, whose football team lost to Appalachian State last year, in a national semifinal in Denver on April 10. Michigan is ranked #1 in the land.

[UPDATE: Folks in the South Bend area are encouraged to assemble at the Joyce Center around 4:30 AM to greet the team upon its return. (Hat tip: John.)]

Now... can the Fighting Irish women's basketball team pull off an even more monumental upset tomorrow by upsetting #1-seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16? The Irish are 0-15 all-time against the Lady Vols. How does two milestones in 24 hours sound? GO IRISH!!!

P.S. Speaking of women's basketball, the ladies are now halfway to the Elite Eight after another quartet of non-upsets. In my pool, Chuck Wessell continues to have the lead. Complete standings here and after the jump. Information on who's still mathematically alive to win the pool here.