Tomorrow (Thursday 3/6) we have the #10 Pacific Tigers (4-14, 9-23) vs. the #11 USD Toreros (2-16, 5-26).
I propose a game that will sidestep any Bronco bias. Let’s all make a prediction of winners in the first three rounds of the tourney. 20 points for each game you get correctly. 10 points for picking the correct score differential (dock 1 point for each point difference). 10 points for getting the correct combined total score (dock 1 point for each point difference).
For example: you pick USD to win by 10 with a total game score of 150 (ergo 80-70 final score). USD beats Pacific by 5 with a final combined score of 147 (76-71). You’d earn 20 for picking the correct winner; you’d earn 5 points on the margin of victory; and you’d earn 7 points on the final combined score. If you pick the wrong team, you get zero for the pick and zero for the margin of victory, but you still earn points on the total combined score.
I’ll start:
First Round: Pacific beats USD 80-70
Second Round Game 1: Portland beats Pepperdine 78-69
Second Round Game 2: LMU beats Pacific 72-59
Third Round Game 1: OSU beats Portland 81-73
Third Round Game 2: LMU beats WSU 71-67
The winner earns the unqualified admiration of the members on this board.
EDIT TO ADD: the lowest points earned is ZERO (no negative points). All picks must be posted to this board by 2:25PM Pacific Standard Time today. (five minutes before Round 1 game tipoff).
Round 1: UOP over USD 78-71
The USD AD says that Lavin will be returning next year and that they have invested more into NIL and a practice facility. We will see if results follow. But I don’t see the Toreros getting another win.
Round 2: Pepperdine over Portland 84-80 and LMU over UOP 68-57
The Pilots seemed kind of hapless against USD, and Shantay may be looking for a spot on the bench of a power conference squad. I’m not sure there’s much motivation left in them. Meanwhile, Todorovic can go for like 40 pts some nights if he gets a mind to. And LMU is too good to drop a game to UOP, but I think LMU’s defense will keep it messy and low-scoring.
Round 3: Pepperdine over OSU 74-67 and LMU over WSU 69-66
Two upsets over the once and future Pac-12 members?! The Beavers are awwwwwful in true away games and merely much worse in neutral site games. Gil Coliseum apparently has some voodoo that washes away when the Beavs step outside the city limits of Corvallis. So I think a hot Pepperdine team may just get the better of them. Similarly, LMU’s trick is to muck it up against a Wazzu squad that wants to get lots of offense. I think the Lions get the upset and leave these Cougars longing to get out of a league that they’re “too good for” much like the last set of Cougars on loan to the WCC.
@G-man I promised myself that if SCU beat GU two weeks ago, I would go to Vegas this year for the first time. Alas, it was not to be. Though I may get tempted to do something foolish if they make the championship game…
To clarify: the lowest points earned in any point category is ZERO (no negative points).
All picks must be posted to this board by 2:25PM Pacific Standard Time today. (five minutes before Round 1 game tipoff). Picks are locked after this time, no changes can be made to future rounds/games.
This message board is the plan of record. You can edit your picks up until 2:25PM PST (according to the board’s time, not your watch ). If you submit an edit, your previous slate of picks are null and void. (obviously)
92bronc was the only person to pick USD, he hurtles out to a commanding lead with 29 points.
The rest of the field is tightly packed:
Dooger and I are tied for second with 2 points
PattyMac scored 1 point
Midwestbronco14 and G-man with 0
Patty and Midwest can get back into it with a Pepp win tomorrow. We all went chalk in the 2nd game with LMU, so very little movement in the standings can happen with that game.
I think ESPN owes me some cheddar for getting 6 extra people to actually care about this first game.
I picked the total opposite in the WCC “betting” pool that @bettingman puts on. Took Portland and the under there. That fake bet is looking much better than my bet on this board.
Shantay is a good motivator. I should have remembered and accounted for that.
I still kinda think that OSU gets upset. But not looking like the Waves who are gonna do it.
). If you submit an edit, your previous slate of picks are null and void. (obviously)
