Selection Sunday - Running Diary

8:30 - A bit of a late start, thanks to UC Irvine vs. Cal Poly and the 18-8 drubbing. I'm so happy ESPNU is showing this instead of the Selection Show on time.

8:37 - Yup, still 18-8 in the 9th inning...is it just me? Or do the Ant Eaters have the WORST nickname in all of sports?

8:39 - Make that 18-10 with Cal Poly after 2 runs...put those rally caps on!

8:40 - Go Red Sox! Hermida doubles to deep left as J.D. Drew scores the first run. 1-0 Red Sox against the Yankees.

8:47 - 18-13 win by UC Irvine! Comeback just short. Worst 9th inning ever.

8:48 - Time for Selection Sunday to really begin! One 'Cuse and Blue Jay to analyze the picks. And no surprise, a bit of a tribute to Yeardley Love. It was a shock to everyone and my heart and prayers go out to Love's family and friends. Bob Holtzman says that the majority of the work on the case is done.

8:52 - Virginia gets the #1 overall seed. They open up on Saturday @ 7:30pm against Mount Saint Mary's (MAC Automatic Qualifier). The MAC Champion will try and get the first win in the NCAA Tournament for their conference which 0-8 all-time in the Big Dance.

8:57 - Stony Brook (America East Champion) is the #8 seed and will open @ 5pm on Saturday against Denver (ECAC Champion). Denver already beat Stony Brook by one goal earlier in the season. 71 points for Midfielder Kevin Crowley, leads the nation in goals per game.

8:59 - Duke is the #5 seed and will host Johns Hopkins @ Noon this Saturday. I can't believe they actually made the tournament. 7-7! I know they had a tough schedule but if they didn't make the previous 38 tournaments in a row, would they have made it? That's like giving Coach K the easiest path to the Final Four....oh wait. Duke has beaten UVA this year, the only team to do so, and should win this game.

9:01 - Alright! UNC gets the #4 seed and will host the CAA Champion, Delaware @ 5pm on Sunday. The Tar Heels get screwed over and get the dreaded #4 spot. They will have to play the Blue Devils if both take care of business in the first round. Great news for Maryland.

Billy Bitter was just described as unguardable. I recall a certain ACC Semi-final when Brett Schmidt held Bitter scoreless.

The top half of the bracket is set. I see a UVA-Duke final in that portion. Duke seems to be rolling right now. They hit a speed bump in the conference tourney against the Cavaliers. I just think they have the weapons to get past North Carolina's dominating defense.

9:06 - YOUR MARYLAND TERRAPINS!!!! #3 seed and Cottle's Crew will open up against Hofstra @ 12pm on Saturday. Quint is giving Young, Catalino, Yeatman, and Farrell some good props. Hard workers in some ugly wins. Hofstra is 3rd nationally in scoring margin although they appear to give up lots of goals.

9:08 - Princeton in at #6 and will host Notre Dame @ 2:30pm on Sunday. The Tigers have 6 national titles, yet haven't won since 2001. They are coming off a last-second win in the Ivy League tournament final over Cornell (down 7-3 in the game at one point). If the Irish advance, it could be an interesting game for Will Yeatman and his old school. Go Terps!

9:09 - Cornell in at #7 and will host Loyola (MD) up in Ithica, NY at 2:30 on Saturday. A little bit of a shock to see Loyola in the NCAA Tournament after blowing their championship game to Hopkins.

9:11 - Syracuse gets to play Army (Patriot League Champions) as they are the #2 overall seed and tops in the lower half of the bracket. The Orange is going after its 3rd straight NCAA Title. Quint thinks that their goalie deserves goalie of the year. A defense-oriented team will try to upend the Patriot League Champs.

That was awfully quick. Not terribly pleased with the show. But really happy that Maryland got the #3 seed. I never truly thought the Terps were going to jump over Syracuse for that #2 spot just because of the toughest schedule in the nation and such a high RPI. An 11-3 season is nothing to shake a stick at. Time to get ready for Hofstra. Be sure to tune in to wmucsports.com! Go Terps!