Blake Show NCAA Tournament Bracket Picking Podcast Competition!

The first annual BSNTBPPC is now underway! Over the past few days, I have brought together the best and brightest in college basketball fandom, and recorded podcasts outlining their tournament selections. They have all entered into a closed group on ESPN, and the entrant with the highest scoring bracket will take home the prestigious prize.

Quick Note: My bracket will also be found in the group, but I am not eligible for the championship or prize. It is there for two reasons. First, I'm pretty sure I have to enter a bracket because I created the group. And second, my finalized bracket (as of 8:57 am this morning) was greatly influenced by my conversations with these people.  It will be interesting to see how their combined knowledge fairs against each individual's.

We were supposed to have six competitors in this contest, but unfortunately I encountered technical difficulties while I attempted to conduct the sixth and final podcast with Kenny. He still has a bracket entered in the competition and we will be sure to record a podcast with him at some point before the tourney's close.

Without further ado, let the madness begin.

1. Cousin Noah

2. Spencer

3. Ryan

4.  Edward

5. Joe

Golden Bears End Regular Season On a Disappointing Note

It was just one of those nights, you know?

You come in so fired up. You're flying high on a win streak, and you feel unbeatable. You think that there's nothing your opponent can do that you can't handle. 

And then you get smacked in the mouth. 

California's men's basketball team had won seven games in a row (and nine of their last ten) heading into their matchup last week with hated cross-town rival, Stanford. These were all Pac-12 Conference wins; a conference that is projected to have five or six teams in the Big Dance this year. Since the start of February, Cal has beaten Arizona, UCLA, Colorado and Oregon twice—that's five wins against four projected tournament teams in the span of four weeks. Needless to say, the Bears were hot. 

But they hadn't beaten Stanford.

On January 19, Cal went to Palo Alto and lost 69-59 in a game that wasn't even that close. The Golden Bears were at the tail end of a 4-7 midseason slide. They were moving in the wrong direction. They were on the road in a hostile environment. That loss was certainly disappointing, but definitely not shocking. 

This loss was both.

It's hard to be mad at the team because they didn't play a terrible game. They shot 50 percent from the field, made 15-of-18 foul shots, and out-rebounded Stanford 26-21. They scored 70 points (above their season average) and their two big offensive weapons, Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs, had great shooting nights (24 points each). This wasn't one of those drubbings where a team just has an uncharacteristically bad shooting night.

But it was a drubbing.

It was just Stanford's night. They jumped ahead of Cal early in the first half and threatened to pull away several times throughout the first 20 minutes. Cal was able to stay within striking distance and cut the lead to three at halftime.

But the Cardinal came flying out the gate in the second half, opening up a 16-point lead within the first six minutes. As a Cal fan, I would say that during that run, Stanford was the beneficiary of several questionable foul calls. But as a sports fan, that's not an excuse for losing by double digits. You can't rely on the referees. All refs suck. 

Crabbe and Cobbs kept coming though. Finding themselves down by 19 at multiple points in the half, they fought back. But as soon as the lead dipped below 15, Stanford would answer with a devastating three. I swear to you, it happened three or four times. Cal would string together a couple scoring possessions, the crowd would start to get back into it, Stanford's offense would move the ball around for 30 seconds, and someone would drain a three as the shot clock expired. 

The box score says Stanford shot 9-of-17 from behind the arc. I was there, and I'll tell you, it felt like 15-of-17. There is not a more frustrating feeling. They won't miss, what can you do?

Honestly, Cal is probably lucky the score only shows a 13-point margin of defeat. Stanford was never able to extend the lead into the 20's, but the game easily could have gotten out of hand. With the way Stanford was shooting, it could have been a 30-point blowout. That probably doesn't look great on a tournament resume. 

So where do we go from here? Cal heads into the Pac-12 tournament with a lot less momentum than if it had started a week ago. They are lamenting the missed opportunity to win a portion of the regular-season conference championship, and perhaps have had their confidence shaken a little by the Stanford shellacking. We can only hope that the loss lights a fire under them and gives them a boost through tournament action. 

They did secure the number two seed and a first round bye, which means they will play the winner of Utah and USC (two teams they swept this season) this coming Thursday. They should be able to find their way to the semifinals, likely facing Oregon (another team they swept). There is no doubt they have the ability to make a run to the finals, and it would certainly help their seeding in the Big Dance.

They are a virtual lock for March Madness after their impressive conference play, but an early round loss in the Pac-12 tournament could mean a No. 10 or No. 11 seed, and a first round date with a UNC, Memphis or Notre Dame. While a tournament championship could propel them into the 6-7 range, drawing a much more manageable Colorado, Wichita State or La Salle. 

When Cal gets going, they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the Pac-12. They proved that. Now, they just have to figure out how to get it going again.