Congrats to Michele! I have this feeling after watching KU Davidson that I may continue to fall in the rankings. I'll cheer them on anyway - but I spent a good deal of time yesterday afternoon cleaning the fridge they were making me so nervous! Talk about the heart attack kids! No way they can beat Roy and his boys playing like that.

Thanks, guys. Congrats to Jim B and Gary, too! Dena & Sue, it surely was hard to watch KU defend against Davidson. Time to def wash the car or clean the house!
I have to laugh - I'll enjoy this for a few short days, then get rewarded with the Bruins getting slammed hard this weekend by a very tough tough Memphis team :ohmy: Don has declared me def "MAD" since I tried out a "chest slam" on him (or whatever you call those bumping chest/high five gestures..) :eek:

Gosh :eek:
Boy am I shocked to see where I am.
Congrats to Gary and Michele.

Voice of absolute years of experience, here. Unless the coach can keep them focused, Memphis teams tend to get cocky when they get ahead and lose that focus. I've seen them WAY ahead at half-time, and then manage to lose the game, more times than I can count.

Taking a deep, deep breath after three days of no TV or internet. We were wandering around the ski lift searching for basketball scores. None to be had. Now I know what a cold turkey quit must be like.

Dena, it's been great moving in tandem with you to the heights and depths our brackets can reach.

Here's our LCT Take Two pool results through the weekend - go grizzlies!:

Bracket Points Possible Pts
1 Jim B 14 30
2 Anne * 11 27
2 Gary 11 27
2 Gil#2 11 27
2 Luke 11 23
6 Arlene 10 26
7 Kristen 8 8


At least I can watch the women tonight, tomorrow then the NIT on Wednesday.

Thanks for keeping things up, folks! I'm back for the duration.

Cheers, Anne

Anne, you shock me being at a ski place rather than some city for the basketball games! You must be at that place in NJ or PA where I stayed in the 70's for skiing and there was no TV, let alone internet that wasn't born yet, in the present sense.

I was shocked, too, Olivia! We saw very good friends and enjoyed fantastic spring skiing. Nonetheless, I was relieved to get back to my electronic world this afternoon!

Cheers, Anne

I was so proud of myself in NYC never fed my addiction - didn't have the time - returned home to 426 emails - LCT such a chatty bunch of wonderful friends - great trip but missed my daily LCT chats - :lct: :woh: :woh:

Joanna - that's willpower! LCT is a wonderful group, indeed.

Glad you enjoyed your weekend break in NYC. Tomorrow .. it's Gators in the MSG spotlight at either 7 or 9 pm. Wear your best blue and orange while you watch on TV.

UNC and LSU is a dogfight for the women's round in New Orleans. LSU has been leading for a while...can they maintain it?

Cheers, Anne

WILL DO ANNE - have blue and orange footies and perfect "sweats" for chilling and yelling - :hello1: :hello1:

GO GATORS! Joanna, I'm loving the virtual visual on your fan gear. I'll send you the Gator blue nail polish (same as Demon Blue). It's quite a look.

No risk the women are sporting all four #1 in the final four. Yesterday was "Two are better than one"

LSU knocked UNC out off the road to Tampa. It was a slugfest .. lots of players out with 5 fouls. They meet the winner of Tennessee and Texas A&M. If it's Tennessee, it's a replay of the SEC conference finals. Methinks LSU has a score to settle .. and Tennessee is having none of it.

Candace Wiggins led the Stanford team and played out of her mind, racking up 41 points on the way to beating Maryland. They play the winner of UConn-Rutgers.

Tonight's games should be interesting. Rutgers hasn't been playing as well as last year, but the rivalry with UConn runs deep. It should be another slugfest, Big East style. Texas A&M has played well up to this point; I'm still taking Tennessee for this one.

Cheers, Anne

Last night was another barnburner. Tennessee's star, Candace Parker, dislocated her shoulder not once but twice late in the first half. Texas A&M did not execute while she was out for part of the game. She came back in braced up and Tennessee once again caught fire. They go on to play LSU in the semifinals. With Candace Parker's injury, this game got a whole lot closer. Edge to LSU.

Rutgers had UConn's number, but only for the first half of the game. Renee Montgomery stepped up the pressure, driving a wedge into Rutgers' fearsome defense. Maya Moore was then able to wiggle loose and score some points - she was held to 2 points, I think, in the first half. UConn goes on to play the other Candace (Wiggins) and Stanford in the semi finals. Semi finals are Sunday and next Tuesday. Edge to UConn, but Candace Wiggins and Jane, the Stanford Center, are not going home without a fearsome opponent playing at the top of their game.

Now for the sad news. There will be no rematch between Ohio State and Florida for the NIT championships. Florida fell to UMass last night. UMass and Ohio State will play for the championship tomorrow night, 7 pm EDT. Thanks for the memories, Gators and Ole Miss, and we'll see you next year.

NIT results through 4-1-08

Cheers, Anne

WAAAAA! GATORS!

We have a breaking news trailer going right now, that Andre Allen has been suspended from the team. A big article in today's paper names him as a "point guard", I don't have a clue what this is going to do to the team.

Ohio State brought home the NIT trophy last night.

Bradley and Tulsa play tonight for the College Basketball Invitational champtionship.

Only one more day to wait for our final basketball fix until November!

Cheers, Anne

I'll miss your posts Anne!!! XXOO

Joanna, Anne always disappears for March Madness, but she surely makes up for it when on a ship with a small group, giving the BEST on-board missives! Can't wait to see Anne and Gary, Suzanne and my other buddies on CAMEL, coming up! This is a nice size group, somewhere around 20, like on ICE, so spending lots of time with our friends!

O...I know I know - I want to be on Camel, too - :mecry: :mecry: :mecry: :mecry: :mecry: :mecry:

We will miss you! But see you in May with the PV gang!

Really looking forward to that trip - and seeing you & your Joanna and many others - you know me I don't like to miss a "party" wish I could be with Tom and Marcie on Voyager too!! :hug: :hug:

Ah ... our last weekend

Memphis = IN. UCLA, thanks for the great times.

NC and Kansas - what is with the square of fuzz on the lower right side of the screen????? Kansas off to an early start ...

Cheers, Anne

Yay team!

There was a whole special section in today's paper, of course. One article noted that all three of the other teams' coaches elected to stay in hotels near the airport (and away from downtown's temptations). Memphis was on the river, Coach C told them that if they could manage not to get upset if opposing fans heckled them, they should enjoy the city; he trusted them to know their limits.

Congratulations, Pam! Memphis played exceptionally well and stands a great chance at winning it all.

Now if the REAL North Carolina team would kindly report to the Alamodome ... Kansas is playing out of their minds.

Cheers, Anne

Mercy! Pam, Congratulations - Memphis came to play the Bruins and play they did! I spent the 2nd half trimming the hedge...(I had that planned just in case &, yep, to the hedge I had to go!) At the rate KU is slaughtering NC, my hedge will be done in record time!

Wow. Pam, congratulations. We're in Memphis visiting my daughter and the whole town is painted blue! What an exciting game. But, what has happened to UNC? They need to join the game.

We're here until Tuesday morning so it will be fun to watch the big game while in Memphis. Then we continue eating our way across the South! Good old barbecue ribs last night. Now, back to the games.

Congratulations Pam and Sue!

And now there are two! Memphis and Kansas played exceedingly well last night. What's left in the tank for Monday? We'll know soon enough.

In the meantime, I'm posting a poll if you care to take one more shot at picking the winner.

Tonight it's UConn vs. Stanford and LSU vs. Tennessee for the women's final four.

The LCT bracket standings on our pools are in. Jim's our winner if Memphis comes through; our favorite Jayhawk, Sue, wins if Kansas comes through.

Marc, you and I can go back to playing with our HP-12 calculators, until the Pac10 and Big East rise again next year!

Place Player Points Possible Pts
1 Jim B Memphis 125 157
2 sue Kansas 111 143
3 gary Kansas 108 140
4 Betty & Larry K North Carolina 102 102
5 mellen Memphis 101 133
6 Arlene Tennessee 98 98
7 Michele UCLA 96 96
8 DenaH Kansas 94 126
9 Donna North Carolina 88 88
10 Gil's Picks * North Carolina 83 83
11 Luke North Carolina 82 82
12 grant Memphis 80 112
12 Betty W UCLA 80 80
14 Anne North Carolina 78 78
15 Marc UCLA 56 56

The LCT Take Two bracket is also in. Jim B and Arlene will need the tie-break on halftime and final score to determine the bracket winner if Memphis wins; Gary wins if Kansas is champion.

Place Player Championship Points Possible Pts
1 Jim B Memphis 18 26
1 Arlene Memphis 18 26
3 Gary Kansas 15 23
4 Gil#2 North Carolina 11 11
4 Luke - North Carolina 11 11
4 Anne * North Carolina 11 11
7 azgkrudi Wisconsin 8 8

Cheers, Anne

Aw, Donna! I would love to have been able to meet you somewhere for coffee or something! Maybe the next time you are here?

Candace and the Rebel Cardinals are staying in Tampa for Tuesday ... 82-73 over the Husky Nation

on to the SEC championship rematch between Candace the Volunteer and Sylvia the Tigress.

Editing to add:

Volunteers have another last-second victory. IMHO, LSU had difficulty capitalizing on Candace's warm-up during the first half. UConn and LSU, thanks for another wonderful season.

Finals are Tuesday.

We are counting down to the end of basketball season, 2008.

Cheers, Anne

I'm so nervous! Which Jayhawks will show up tonight?

Sue, that's the key question for both teams!!!

Best of luck to all our Jayhawk and Tiger backers!

Cheers, Anne

Good golly if this keeps up I'm going to have to mop the kitchen floor!

Hang in there, Sue. Mopping the floor is good... Your team is awesome :)

I've had to turn the television off. My nerves can't take it.

Okay - ready for the 2nd half. Wine in hand just in case-well - wine in hand in any case!

I might have to join you Pam. This is bonkers!

:lct: :lct: :D :D rooting for you Sue!!!!

All's well that ends well.


Sorry Pam, but excited none the less.....

Go Hawks!

Sorry for all the racket -- Gary has now gone to bed and is very hoarse from all the screaming.

WHAT A GAME! Congratulations, Sue - the Jayhawks truly beak'ed em. Pam, you can sure be proud of Memphis. Not a perfect game, which is what made it so interesting. Both teams got cold and then had to come back.

Sue - wins the LCT bracket!

Rank Player Points
1 Sue 143
2 gary 140
3 DenaH 126
4 Jim B 125
5 Betty & Larry K 102
6 mellen 101
7 Arlene
8 Michele 96
9 Donna 88
10 Gil * 83
11 Luke 82
12 grant 80
13 Betty 80
14 Anne 78
15 Marc 56


Gary - wins the LCT Take Two bracket!

Rank Player Points
1 Gary 23
2 Jim B 18
3 Arlene 18
4 Gil 11
5 Luke 11
6 Anne * 11
7 Kristin 8

Thanks to Gil for getting the bracket set up for all of us.

Ah .. one more final and then it's cold turkey to recover from March Madness.

Cheers, Anne

Just glad they won. It took them long enough. Dad's b-day is thirteenth so he is doubly happy@!!! (Sorry Pam!)

Selfish I know, bur congrats Hawks - you came back and did it!!!!!

Exhausted and going to bed.....................................................................................

Congratulations Gary!!!!!