Elite

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My failed attempt at learning to back it in, low speed, inability to accelerate effectively, too much braking, too little leaning, dirt tires instead of supermoto tires

Elite.  That's what Michigan is today.  They join Florida as the only teams from last year's 8 that are in this year's 8.  Everybody else is at home.  The path to this point, the sloppy moments, and the fact that we nearly shit the bed (in what would have been in the hall of fame of Michigan epic collapses) against the 11th seeded Vols last night means absolutely nothing.  NOTHING.  I don't care how they played, I don't care how they looked, I don't care about any past tense verb you can throw at me.   I also don't care about what an amazing performance Jordan Morgan has put in in this tournament or that he has effectively become 2013 McGary.  

I care about the current game.  The 3rd seeded Wolverines beat the 14th seeded Xavier Minutemen by 5 in the opening round of the 1989 NCAA tournament.  And Glen Rice and I could care less.

And I will continue to care about the current game until there isn't one.  Then we can reminisce and evaluate and pat each other on the back.

Also, today marks the one-year anniversary of Trey being Trey:

Trey Burke makes an awesome 30 foot shot which puts them into overtime with Kansas.

Remember that?  That's when we backed in to the Elite 8 last year.  Until the last 4-minutes, it was arguably a worse performance than the one we had last night.

So here we are, moving on to play Calipari's band of illegally recruited, underachieving one-and-dones.  I'm guessing people will wonder how we plan to handle their size.  Just a guess.  If Jordan Morgan pulls another one out, I'll see you on Delta.com on your iPhone in the lobby of Lucas Oil at around 7:15pm tomorrow.

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15 brackets can still take first place cash in the UMTailgate.com tournament challenge, and 6 of those have a better than 5% chance:

bracket.png

That top one...the one that belongs to baby gorilla, is very dependent on Michigan State winning it all, and Michigan losing on Sunday.  Think about that before you root for him.

Good luck everyone!  And as always, Go Blue!

12 Teams Remain, 38 Brackets Still with a Chance

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We beat this version of the Vols by 30

We beat this version of the Vols by 30

Big game tonight?  Big game tonight.  Between Ken Pomeroy, BPI, RPI, and all the talking heads, I have no idea whether I should be confident,  but I guess I am for today.  I think the reason I'm confident is my trust in Beilein and what he can do with this team in 6 days.  Couple that with the fact that I don't think there is all that much difference between Tennessee and Texas, and that helps me to lean the scales towards us playing on Sunday.  I had Tennessee in this game against us in my bracket, and the funny thing about that is that I had them because of the dual team selection method...in short, I thought it would be Iowa, not Tennessee, making their way past Duke (not Mercer).  Well, it seems two wrongs occasionally make a right.

Anyway, Michigan is effectively two wins away from adding John Beilein to Michigan's Mount Rushmore of coaches.  Bo level shit people.  Exciting times.

And somewhat exciting times remain for 38 brackets in the UMTailgate.com tournament challenge.  The percentages vary, and change rapidly from game to game, but a little more than a third of the brackets still have a chance to take the first place cash.  Below are those with a better than 5% chance at just that:

Not sure what kind of posting frequency you can expect in the next 72-hours...could be too sad...could be celebrating too hard....could be too lazy.  But either way, Go Blue, Go Cavs, and good luck with your brackets.

Gutter Ball

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Out-matched Wolverines Embarassed in Citrus Bowl

First, for those that have never made the journey, let me tell you all a little bit about the Citrus Bowl. It is similar to going to a baseball game at old Tiger Stadium. The parking areas are a mix of gravel and grass. Local shops include a 'drug' store, a liquor store, and a pawn shop, and all have bars on the windows. The pagentry of BCS bowl games is missing here. The only thing 'Citrus' available at the Citrus Bowl were small bottles of Tangerine juice, obviously left over from the newly resurrected Tangerine Bowl played a week earlier. The food inside included cheese steak sandwiches, smoked turkey legs, popcorn, and hot dogs. All of the food was of the quality of, in the words of Stephen W., 'a food stand in a 3rd world country'. After we all completed a cheese steak sandwich, a churning buring sensation arose in our stomachs. Luckily, Bubba and I chased our cheese steak sandwich with with the turkey legs, which were obviously leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner at a local soup kitchen. The bacteria in the Turkey legs killed the fungus in the steak (which was not beef by any stretch of the imagination) and we survived. Thank goodness they served beer at the game, as the alcohol further dampened the effects of the food poisoning that we all endured.

Why am I going on an on about the conditions of the Citrus Bowl, and the food there? Because despite all of it's shortcomings, the stadium outshined the Wolverines, as the untalented John Navarre left our outmatched defense on the field the whole game, and Tennessee rolled over the Wolverines 45-17. Perhaps this is the wake-up call we needed, perhaps this will lead to bigger and better things down the road, perhaps John Navarre has started his last game. All of our questions will be answered in a little less than eight months when the Huskies come to town on August 31st.

I hope everyone enjoyed the tailgating season and I thank you all for visiting the site so often. There will be alot of changes on the site before the next season starts. Until then, I hope you all continue to check back to see the winter reunions, spring game, and summer exploits of the upcoming return to Cumberland Lake. Use the message board to keep in touch. I hope to hear from and see you all soon.