Dave Telep Carolina Challenge

Seeing as I apparently am going to be just awful with picking NCAA tournament games this year I've decided to check out some basketball on a different level.  I had a chance to check out the Dave Telep Carolina Challenge at Cary Academy this morning and had an opportunity to see some really good North Carolina highschoolers play.  The Carolina Challenge is an event that hosts the top 80 highschool players from the state of NC, hand picked by Dave Telep.

The Carolina Challenge is designed to showcase the talents of the top rising sophmores, juniors, and seniors as well as to provide them with an opportunity to learn what it means and takes to become a college basketball player.  This was my first opportunity to check out the event, which is in its 4th year.  I must say I was quite impressed with how well it was put together and with the level of talent in the state this year.

Thanks also to PackPride.com as I was afforded to opportunity to take photos for them.  I've included a couple below, but for more you should check out their site, whether it be for information on football, basketball, recruiting, or basically anything NC State.  In order you see Jacob Lawson, Joseph Uchebo(#90), and Tyler Lewis.

Sweet Sixteen Results and Elite Eight Projections.....

I'm not sure why I continue to even try.  This year's tourney is simply impossible to predict.  I managed an astoundingly bad 3-5 in the Sweet 16 and can honestly say that I should stop now while I still somehow remain ever so slightly above .500 (33-23).  Yet I will press on.  Here are my "best guesses" for the Elite Eight.

Here are my opening round projections with my guess in bold:

Midwest:
5. Michigan St. vs. 6. Tennessee

East:
1. Kentucky vs. 2. West Virginia


West:
5. Butler vs. 2. Kansas St.

South: 
1. Duke vs.3. Baylor

Check back by Wednesday and I'll post how I did along with my picks for the Final Four.....

Sweet 16 Projections.....

Here are my opening round projections with my guess in bold:

Midwest:
9. N. Iowa vs. 5. Michigan St.
6. Tennessee vs. 2. Ohio State

East:
1. Kentucky vs. 12. Cornell
11. Washington vs. 2. West Virginia


West:
1. Syracuse vs. 5. Butler
6. Xavier vs. 2. Kansas St.

South: 
1. Duke vs. 4. Purdue
3. Baylor vs. 10. St. Mary's (Ca.)

Check back by Saturday and I'll post how I did along with my picks for the Elite Eight.....

Round of 32 results.....

Let the confusion continue......what is going on in this tournament?  Can a favorite win a game?  I don't know anymore.  10-6 this round with astounding upsets for Kansas and Villanova.  I heard on ESPN radio that 4.76 million brackets were submitted and only 12 people picked Kansas and Villanova to lose, so I guess I can't feel that bad about what I was expecting.  Anyway you look at though this has been one heck of a tournament so far.  This year is well on its way to being remembered as the year of the upset.  I remember when George Mason went to the Final Four and how I thought it was the type of thing you might see once or twice in a lifetime.  Well it looks like Northern Iowa, Cornell, Washington, and St. Mary's are all out to prove that it could be something we should expect to see a lot more of in the future of college basketball.  Stay tuned for my Sweet 16 picks.....hopefully I can improve on my 30-18 record thus far.

Round of 32 projections.....

Here are my opening round projections with my guess in bold:

Midwest:
1. Kansas vs. 9. N. Iowa
5. Michigan St. vs. 4. Maryland
6. Tennessee vs. 14. Ohio
Georgia Tech vs. 2. Ohio State

East:
1. Kentucky vs. 9. Wake Forest
12. Cornell vs. 4. Wisconsin
11. Washington vs. 3. New Mexico
10. Missouri vs. 2. West Virginia


West:
1. Syracuse vs. 8. Gonzaga
5. Butler vs. 13. Murray St.
3. Pittsburgh vs. 6. Xavier
2. Kansas St. vs. 7. BYU

South: 
1. Duke vs 8. California
5. Texas A&M vs. 4. Purdue
11. Old Dominion vs. 3. Baylor
10. St. Mary's (Ca.) vs. 2. Villanova

Check back by Wednesday and I'll post how I did along with my picks for the Sweet Sixteen.....

Round of 64 results......

Well I'd have to say that was one of the worst NCAA opening rounds I've ever had.  I think the only thing I was successful in doing was selecting the teams who were going to lose in OT or by less than 3 pts.  With an opening round record of 20-12 I must say I was quite disappointed in myself, but if I could have had one or two baskets go my way in the Florida, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, San Diego St, Marquette, and Texas games than that record could have easily been 26-6.  Sadly "buts, ifs, and coulda, woulda, shouldas" are what makes March Madness just that...maddening.  So for the Round of 64 I was 20-12.  I can only hope the Round of 32 will be a little kinder to me.

Round of 64 projections.....

Here are my opening round projections with my guess in bold:

Midwest:
1. Kansas vs. 16. Lehigh
8. UNLV vs 9. N. Iowa
5. Michigan St. vs. 12. New Mexico St.
4. Maryland vs. 13. Houston
6. Tennessee vs. 11. San Diego St.
3. Georgetown vs. 14. Ohio
7. Oklahoma St. vs. Georgia Tech
2. Ohio State vs 15. UC Santa Barbara

East:
1. Kentucky vs. 16. East Tennessee St.
8. Texas vs. 9. Wake Forest
5. Temple vs. 12. Cornell
4. Wisconsin vs. 13. Wofford
6. Marquette vs 11. Washington
3. New Mexico vs. 14. Montana
7. Clemson vs. 10. Missouri
2. West Virginia vs. 15. Morgan St.

West:
1. Syracuse vs. 16. Vermont
8. Gonzaga vs. 9. Florida State
5. Butler vs. 12. UTEP
4. Vanderbilt vs. 13. Murray St.
6. Xavier vs. 11. Minnesota
3. Pittsburgh vs. 14. Oakland
7. BYU vs. 10. Florida
2. Kansas St. vs. 15. North Texas

South: 
1. Duke vs 16. Play In Winner
8. California vs 9. Louisville
5. Texas A&M vs. 12. Utah St.
4. Purdue vs. 13. Siena
6. Notre Dame vs 11. Old Dominion
3. Baylor vs. 14. Sam Houston
7. Richmond vs. 10. St. Mary's (Ca.)
2. Villanova vs. 15. Robert Morris

Check back on Saturday and I'll post how I did along with my picks for the Round of 32.....

NCAA Tournament - Who's going to win it all?

Now that the NCAA Tournament brackets are out it's one of the best times of the year.  NCAA Bracket Pools are popping up across the world.  Whether you are in an online pool, in a pool with co-workers, or with friends this is that time of year where everyone is talking about the same thing.  I love college basketball and to me this is one of the best events for any sport.  So with each round I will be making my best guesses like everyone else and posting them here.  Unlike everyone else I will not post an entire bracket here since I'm in a couple pools.  Check back before and after each round and see how I do.

Back from the other side of the world....

Well I'm finally back.  Still not quite adjusted to the massive time changes from a trip that literally took me 15 hrs ahead and back.  All things considered the trip went pretty well.  As far as the flight out is concerned it went about as well as a 25.5 hr series of flights can go.  I watched 3 movies and 4 TV shows.  When I finally got to Saipan and gathered all my bags I just wanted to get to the hotel and get to sleep.  I stayed at the Aqua Resort Club which turned out to be quite nice.  The next day I went up and scouted out the jobsite.  It was located at the top of Mt. Topachau, which is the highest peak on the island.  The view from there was amazing.  I could see the entire island.  After staking everything out and realizing I'd have to do all my work by hand because the excavator couldn't access the site I decided to go do some site seeing.  I went to a lookout and the southside of the island that views a place called Forbidden Island.  It's a small island off the coast that juts up of the coast line with all side made of shear rock faces 60-70 ft tall.  It was a really cool place to see.  I found a trail from the lookout that brought me down to the coast adjacent to the island.  I was able to get some really cool pictures and then headed back up.  From there I headed up to the North side of the island to Banzai Cliff.  It is a cliff that drops to the rough ocean approx. 50 ft.  After WWII all of the Japanese males and their children that lived on the island went to the cliffs and jumped off into the ocean, because they felt they were a disgrace for losing the war.  Pretty powerful stuff and a stunning sight to see as well.  After that I headed back to the resort and called it a night.

The next day I got up and got my equipment ready for what I expected was going to be a tough day and I was right.  I met the client and locals at the site and literally cut my way through the jungle with a machete to get to my exact test sites.  I spent the next 5 hours digging and drilling in rock taking samples to analyze for out report.  Needless to say, by the end of that I was beat and I had a wicked farmer's tan from the blazing hot sun.  Working that close to the equator makes an amazing difference that I hadn't really expected since it had been cooler the last time I was in Guam and Rota last year.  Thankfully I brought plenty of water and snacks to keep myself from dehydrating and cramping up.  After finishing up I headed back to the hotel to clean up and grab some dinner.  I called it a night early since I had a 4am flight the next day.  After another 25.5hrs of flying from the other side of the world, stopping in 4 airports, clearing customs, and finding myself amazed that my bags all made it to Raleigh; I headed home.  Finding myself never happier than to climb into my bed to try and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Here's a few pictures from the trip: (Hotel, Forbidden Island, View from the Top, Banzai Cliff, Sunset)

Off to Saipan...

Well I'm off to the island of Saipan for the week.  I'll be out there testing some soil to help design a foundation for a tower being built on the island.  In case you are wondering, Saipan is located in the Northern Mariana Islands (near Guam) about halfway between Japan and Australia.  I've never been to Saipan, but I have been to Guam and Rota (also in the Northern Mariana Islands), so I have an idea of what to expect.  Some nice resorts and golf courses surrounded by an poor local culture.  It's sad to see how the money is allocated, but I suppose it's what happens when you get a lot of tourists.  I'm not exactly looking forward to this trip, because it will take me close to 24 hours to get there and then another 24 hours to get back.  It's a brutally long flight.  I'm trying to look at the bright side.  It is supposed to be 85-90 there this week and when I finish work I should have some time to hit the beach or the golf course.  Whatever I end up doing I'll try to get some pictures up when I get back. 

Tiger and the Masters - Who needs who more?

Now that Tiger Woods has bared his soul and returned from sex, drug, alcohol, and family rehab (depends on what magazine you read) it's time for him to get back in shape and get back to what he does best - golf.  Looking at the current tour schedule Tiger has the possibility to get himself back in tournament shape in time for possibly three tournaments prior to the Masters.

The PGA Tour Schedule shows us that Tiger could possibly play in:

• Tavistock Cup at Islesworth CC in Windmere, Florida - a tournament that Tiger has played in the last 5 years and who's website shows his picture on it's home page.  Tiger has recently been quoted in the AP that he is returning home to focus on "golf and fitness" in what people believe is an attempt to play in the Tavistock Cup.
• Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida - a tournament that Tiger has won 6 times included the last two years in a row, an impressive feet only topped by his own 4 straight from 2000-2003.  Tiger clearly loves playing at Bay Hill and would likely not miss it if he does come back before the Masters.
• Shell Houston Open at Redstone GC Tournament Course in Humble, Texas - a tournament that Tiger has never played in.  If he were to miss one of the previous two or if he felt he needed an additional tune up this would be a potential tournament for Tiger as a final warm up for the Masters

The Masters Tournament is a Major and, for those familiar with golf history and Tiger Woods, you alreadyknow that is a big deal for Tiger as one of his personal goals from the beginning of his career was to eclipse Jack Nicklaus' career record of 18 Major Championships.  Now the question I posed was "Who needs who more?"  Lets take a look.

Tiger needs the Masters:

• His life is in shambles from the affairs that he had.  His personal life is all anyone appears to be focusing on.  A return to golf would remove some of the attention from his personal life and put it back towards his golfing abilities and his run towards history. (See Kobe Bryant's return to glory after sexual assault case as proof that this works)
• Tiger is at his best when he is in control and there is no place in this world where he can regain some sense of control in his life better than the golf course.
• Tiger has shown he can overcome the pressure on the course, injuries, and a surge of very good young talented golfers.  If he can come back and compete, if not win, at the Masters he will be able to get back some of the confidence we have grown accustomed to seeing, as opposed to the shaky Woods on display at his most recent press conference
• And of course Tiger needs the Masters, because he can't afford to miss many opportunities at winner Major Tournaments if he wants to eclipse Nicklaus' incredible 18.

The Masters needs Tiger:

• TV ratings for The Masters at Augusta National from 1977-1996 were quite consistent, averaging 9.5 million viewers for the 2 day CBS weekend broadcasts.  Since 1997, and the start of the “Tiger Woods Era”, The Masters has averaged 11.7 million viewers, with noticeable peaks when Tiger was the winner (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005), or in the case of 2007, in contention on the final day and finished tied for second. (Nielsen TV Ratings)
• The highest rated Masters of all-time for viewership was in 1997 when Tiger won his first Masters Championship.  An astounding 15.8 million viewers were recorded by Nielsen.

Some may argue that I have left off the belief that more people go to the Masters if Tiger is playing so more money can be made, but this is not true.  The Masters has sold out every year since becoming a Major and on multiple occasions has instituted a waiting list for getting tickets to the event.  

According to the Masters website: Tournament or "Series" Badges (Thursday through Sunday) have been sold to those on our patron list which was closed due to demand in 1972. A waiting list began in 1972, and was closed in 1978. It reopened in 2000, and it too is now closed. No applications for "Series" Badges are currently being accepted.

This shows how the addition of Tiger Woods has not grown the popularity of the tournament at the actual tournament.  Certainly the TV ratings show that when Tiger plays and is in contention more people watch, but with all of Tiger's personal problems and the pressure on both him and his family at this time, I think it is actually Tiger who needs the Masters more, than the Masters needs him.