Jason Haskins's Blog, page 20

Summer box office of 2002 tournament: sweet or sour on final 16?

 

The "Best Films of the Summer Box Office, 2002" tournament is down to the final 16 films, with very little surprises as top-seeded teams move on.

The upstarts and Cinderella stories have been left behind in this summer box office tournament. That is likely due to the quality (and quantity) of movies released that summer; for once the box office domestic numbers corelating to seedings as this tournament proceeds.

Eleven of the top-16 seeds have advanced, with many doing so in convincing fashion. Number one seeds in May and June did struggle to some extent but the top seeds in the other two regions advanced in style.

One double-digit seed, no. 11 in the May region Undercover Brother, lingers. Eddie Griffin is the headliner of this film, which also features Denise Richards, Neil Patrick Harris, and Dave Chappelle, among others.

Star power in front of the camera was pretty prevalent in the summer of 2002 but behind the camera  lacked the plethora of big names one is accustomed to seeing in the summer box office. was early in his career, with Insomnia as a follow-up to his critical darling Memento. 

We were treated to George Lucas (Attack of the Clones) and Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black II), plus M. Night Shyamalan (Signs) and Sam Raimi (Spider-Man). So, the big names weren't completely lacking just not the usual on par with what was seen in the five previous summers to 2002.

The final 16 films in the tournament still have plenty of star power to go around. Mike Myers, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Joaquin Phoenix, and Ben Affleck among the names receiving top billing on these films.

One noticeable item is the lack of female-led films that remain in this tournament. Blue Crush, with stars Kate Bosworth and Michelle Rodriguez, is the only live-action film with a female in the top spot on the call sheet. (Lilo & Stitch can be included, too, with the voice of Lilo, Daveigh Chase.

This is not to say females were completely absent from these films.  Kirsten Dunst, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini, Julia Stiles, Rosario Dawson, and Beyoncé were but a few stars rocking the films they were in. 

Onto the matchups for the round of 16:

May region

The closest match-up from the round of 32 in this region belonged to Insomnia vs Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Episode II advanced with 60 percent, holding off a late charge from the Al Pacino film (which was fairly star heavy, with Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, and Nicky Katt also appearing).

The Sum of All Fears had the easiest time, winning with 95 percent.

1) Spider-Man5) The Sum of All Fears11) Undercover Brother2) Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

June region

The top two seeds in the June region had the most difficult battles. The kids from the Scooby Doo gang scared up a win with 58.8 percent and 2nd-seed Lilo & Stitch squeezed by with 60.9 percent.

Minority Report has been the class of this region so far, winning its first two matches with over 90 percent of the vote.

1) Scooby Doo5) The Bourne Identity3) Minority Report2) Lilo & Stitch

July region

The match-up between the 4th and 5th-seeds came down to the wire, with 5-seed Like Mike getting a vote in the last minutes to secure a victory with 52 percent.

Seeds one, two, and three all advanced with relative ease. Top-seed Austin Powers in Goldmember won with the highest percentage of this region, at 86.6.

1) Austin Powers in Goldmember5) Like Mike3) Road to Perdition2) Men in Black II

August region

A region in complete disarray! Why? Because a 6-seed ruined this from being a 1-4 sweep.

Okay, so it's not disarray as for the second straight match-up Signs walked away with 96 percent of the vote. One Hour Photo, the sixth-seed, continued to impress, with 89.3.

The film winning by the smallest margin was Blue Crush, which advanced with 60.7 percent.

1) Signs4) Blue Crush6) One Hour Photo2) XXX

The film with the smallest 

Voting takes place on Twitter (@jasonrh_78) and will continue until a winner is crowned. Thanks for voting and playing along!

photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Summer Box Office of 2002: The bracket

Summer Box Office of 2002: Round of 32

Summer box office of 2002: Looking back

 

The round of 32 for the "Best Films of the Summer Box Office, 2002" tournament has arrived. Plus, a look at a few favorites from that summer.

Normally, when embarking on one of these "Best Films of the Summer Box Office" tournaments, there is a recall of when and where I first saw the movie.  Or, at the very least, I can say I've heard of 80-85 percent of the 64 films in any given tournament.

That's not quite the case for the films from the summer box office of 2002.

As a person who tends to watch movies more than once (though that has fallen by the wayside in recent years, as I've relied less on cable television), I can safely say I've only seen a handful of these summer films from 2002 more than once.

Attack of the Clones is on that list, mostly because no matter the quality of a Star Wars film, I will usually always watch it if it's on and I happen upon it. The same can be said with most Adam Sandler comedies, including the zany Mr. Deeds.

About a Boy with Hugh Grant and Minority Report are two others from that summer that I've seen multiple times. Both are quality films, and About a Boy is one of my favorite films released in the last 20 years, if not of all-time.

The Good Girl with Jennifer Aniston was also a favorite from that summer. As much as an impact it had on me upon that first viewing, I don't believe I've watched it in the nearly 20 years since its release.

First-round voting on the top films from the 2002 summer box office also held something new, with hardly any lower seeds advancing. (Save for the May region, where special circumstances changed the course of this region. Read more below.) Not only that, match-ups were rarely close, with even a few films snagging the elusive victory with 100 percent of the vote.

See the round of 32 match-ups here:

May region

Regretfully, I made an error that was so kindly pointed out to me by a Twitter user. Two films, Catch Me If You Can and Die Another Day, were actually both holiday releases that year. When putting together and finding the films, for some reason, I saw these listed for May. Even as I doubted this was true, I believed my memory had failed me and so I went ahead with their inclusion. More proof that I could use an editor.

That being said, I went ahead and moved their first-round opponents, seeds 13 and 14, ahead in the bracket.

There were two other lower seeds advancing in this region, with 11th-seed Undercover Brother and 9th-seed About a Boy both moving on.

1) Spider-Man9) About a Boy5) The Sum of All Fears13) The Importance of Being Earnest11) Undercover Brother14) Deuces Wild7) Insomnia2) Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

June region

The June region was much more traditional, with the top seeds all advancing. Four of the films moved on with 90 percent of the vote or higher, including a 96 percent tally for Minority Report.

Bad Company, the 8-seed and pairing of Chris Rock with Anthony Hopkins, was in the closest match of the region, winning 56.7 - 43.3 over Hey Arnold! The Movie.

1) Scooby Doo8) Bad Company5) The Bourne Identity4) Mr. Deeds6) Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood3) Minority Report7) Windtalkers2) Lilo & Stitch

July region

Voting went mostly for the top seeds in the July region, too. That is, until love for (or spiders) showed up, propelling 10-seed Eight-Legged Freaks into the round of 32.

Seeds 2 and 3, Men in Black II and Road to Perdition, each snagged victories with 100 percent of the vote. And it was another close one in the 8 vs 9 match-up, with the 8-seed Halloween: Resurrection eking one out over Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, 51.5 - 48.5. 

1) Austin Powers in Goldmember

8) Halloween: Resurrection

5) Like Mike

4) Stuart Little 2

6) Reign of Fire

3) Road to Perdition

10) Eight-Legged Freaks

2) Men in Black II

August region

A couple of lower seeds found their way to the round of 32. Serving Sara, the 9-seed, slid by with 57 percent of the vote. 10-seed The Good Girl had a much easier time, advancing with 81 percent.

Three films in this region crossed the 90 percent mark, with Signs notching 96 percent, Blue Crush at 95, and One Hour Photo securing 93.

1) Signs9) Serving Sara5) The Master of Disguise4) Blue Crush6) One Hour Photo3) Spy Kids 210) The Good Girl2) XXX

Voting takes place on Twitter (@jasonrh_78) and will continue a winner is crowned. Thanks for voting and playing along!

Summer box office of 2002: The bracket

Photo credit: rawpixel

Summer films of 2002: A box office tournament

 

Back with another film tournament, this time hopping into the time machine to journey back to the top films from the summer box office of 2002.Going on close to 50 years now, the summer blockbuster (or two) has been a cornerstone and basis for a movie studio's yearly success. A stellar return at the box office solidifies a studio's status in the game, while a bust could sink a studio for years and years.
June and July were often the focus months of the summer blockbuster, with the occasional May movie slipped in. The summer season soon expanded from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with earlier and earlier release dates in May for the summer movie popping up. This even extended back to the month of April as the films of Marvel grew their stranglehold at the box office.
For the first time since the pre-Pandemic times of 2019, the battle of the summer box office in 2022 could be a true heater. A Jurassic World, the next Thor, and Elvis are all films expected to make box office noise this summer. Action has already begun with the Dr. Strange sequel and kicked into high gear over Memorial Day weekend with the release of Top Gun: Maverick.

Twenty years ago, the summer of 2002 was gearing up to belong to one film. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was the much-anticipated sequel to The Phantom Menace. The rise of Anakin Skywalker was taking its next step and, despite the release being in May, many thought by the end of the summer this film would rule the box office.
It was, however, another May release that took home the top spot of the summer.
Superhero movies had slowly begun to make a comeback, thanks to the X-Men. Tobey Maguire and Spider-Man took the throne to another level, and was the first film in the trilogy starring Maguire.
In fact, it was the first of three different origin stories surrounding Peter Parker, spanning eight films (plus at least four more where Spider-Man makes an appearance) in the last 20 years.
Spider-Man won the summer box office in 2002 but was it the best film?
It's that time again to let the Twitter experts decide as we embark on another film tournament. Started with the 1998 summer box office back in 2018, and a tournament has been done the summers since (except in 2020. Late spring of that year had the Best of the Box Office in the past 40 years tournament).
In the tournament for the summer box office of 2002, the top-16 domestic grossing films in each month for May thru August were ranked. Due to a lack of enough movies released in a couple of these months, some films were moved around, with a handful taken from Labor Day weekend of 2002.
Check out the matchups below. 

May region

The two highest grossing films of 2002 land in this region. Spider-Man and Attack of the Clones are two of the five films in this tournament that were top-10 at the box office for the year.

Two real questions remain in this region. One, does About a Boy have enough recognition to make a run in this tournament? And two, will either Undercover Brother or The New Guy find a way to pull off a first-round upset?

1) Spider-Man16) Ultimate X: The Movie8) Unfaithful9) About a Boy5) The Sum of All Fears12) The New Guy4) Die Another Day13) Importance of Being Earnest6) Spirit: Stallion of  the Cimarron11) Undercover Brother3) Catch Me if you Can14) Deuces Wild7) Insomnia10) Enough2) Star Wars: Attack of the Clones15) Hollywood Ending

June region

In 2002, the bromance of Freddie Prinze Jr., and Matthew Lillard was close to a coming to an end. Their star-power was waning but definitely above a flicker, as evidenced by Scooby Doo being the top grossing summer film from the month.

Also at the top of their game was Adam Sandler, though he had a hiccup with his previous star vehicle in the year 2000 with Little Nicky. And while Mr. Deeds was a better film than the aforementioned, it was still not considered by many to be up to the usual Sandler fare.

This region is a bit wide-open, with animated films, spy movies, and Tom Cruise all vying to move on in this tournament.

1) Scooby Doo16) 8 Women8) Bad Company9) Hey Arnold! The Movie5) The Bourne Identity12) Sunshine State4) Mr. Deeds13) Rivers & Tides6) Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood11) Lovely & Amazing3) Minority Report14) 13 Conversations About One Thing7) Windtalkers10) Juwanna Mann2) Lilo & Stitch15) City by the Sea

July region

The top-ranked film in this region belongs to the final entry of the Austin Powers trilogy. Mike Myers is one of many stars in this region, standing alongside the likes of Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Hanks, to name a few. 

July was also a busy month for films geared towards the children/teens crowd. This includes Disney's foray into building a movie out of a theme ride and/or adventure. Long before The Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Haunted Mansion, there was The Country Bears. And this film is...well, it's something to that can only be seen to be believed.

1) Austin Powers In Goldmember16) Swimfan8) Halloween: Resurrection9) Crocodile Hunter: Collison Course5) Like Mike12) The Powerpuff Girls Movie4) Stuart Little 213) Tadpole6) Reign of Fire11) The Country Bears3) Road to Perdition14) Devdas7) K-19: The Widowmaker10) Eight-Legged Freaks2) Men in Black II15) Full Frontal

August region

"Swing away."

At the time, it was a swing and two hits for with August releases. The Sixth Sense took care of business in 1999 and, in 2002, it was Signs that did box office damage and took home the top seed in August. (Shyamalan's 2nd film, Unbreakable, was a November release but was still a major hit.)

This region also includes some of the first dramatic recognition for Jennifer Aniston with her performance in The Good Girl. And there is also a strong representation from comedians, including in dramatic roles. Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Martin Lawrence, and Eddie Murphy are among those who were up on the big screen in August.

1) Signs16) Mostly Martha8) Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat9) Serving Sara5) The Master of Disguise12) Undisputed4) Blue Crush13) Possession6) One Hour Photo11) Feardotcom3) Spy Kids 214) S1mOne7) Blood Work10) The Good Girl2) XXX15) The Adventures of Pluto Nash

Voting takes place on Twitter (@jasonrh_78) and will continue on until a winner is crowned. Have fun and thanks for playing along! 

photo: Wikimedia Commons

Dipping into Dick Wolf's expanding television multiverse universe

 

A growing list of performers, thanks in part to an expanding slate of shows, playing multiple characters across the years means the Dick Wolf universe is leaning into a multiverse.

The exploration and ideas of multiverses is nothing new. It just seems to be all the rage these days, notably in television and film.

Currently leading the charge is the new phase of Marvel, with movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home (with three... Spider-Men? Spiders-Man? Spider-Mans?) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the animated series What if?

Taking the film world by storm, Everything Everywhere All At Once also explores multiple universes, and lives led in each variant.

Even Michael Keaton is returning as Batman, though who knows what is in store regarding all the different actors playing Batman currently occupying the DC Universe.

All these multiverses being thrown against the wall, it's time to once again journey in the universe of Dick Wolf produced shows. 

Two performers have recently cemented their status in what I will henceforth call the Law & Order multiverse. This is bound to happen more often as the same performers are used, considering Wolf produces roughly *100 shows that are currently airing on various networks. (* Number not exact. Wink, wink.)

The difference with these two is that they've each played pretty prominent characters, then appeared as prominent characters in other shows in the universe, thus creating a multiverse of sorts. 

Top-notch performers, times two

The focus here begins from the latest from the Law & Order universe, Organized Crime. This show is closing in on the end of its second season (and recently picked up for a third) and is powered by the magnificent Christopher Meloni as Detective Stabler. Stabler, of course, spent 12 seasons as a detective with SVU.

In its first two seasons, Organized Crime has had its fair share of crossovers with SVU. One of the things I l like about Organized Crime is that the seasons are built around one or two main storylines, rather than different cases each week. The main antagonist in the first 1.5 seasons was played by Dylan McDermott. McDermott, as Richard Wheatley, was delightfully evil before meeting his demise.

McDermott, less than six months later, popped up on FBI: Most Wanted. Better yet, he is not playing the same character and is on the different side of the law than his character on Organized Crime was.

No problem, since the show is on the another network and is part of the FBI world. Except this universe is part of the Law & Order universe, thanks to a connection via Chicago P.D. when Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) landed on FBI for a story arc.

Chicago P.D. and SVU have had crossover events, connecting the worlds. And maybe, just maybe, giving fans a multiverse where the central characters of various shows stay the same but different scenarios are played out with familiar faces.

(Imagine, later on down the line, its revealed to the FBI: Most Wanted characters that the man IS indeed Richard Wheatley. Then the multiverse angle would simply be brought down to universe level again).

The second performer, too, is well-known. Mykelti Williamson hit the scene with his performance in Forrest Gump and has been a mainstay in cinema and television since.

Williamson played Denny Woods on Chicago P.D. back in 2017-18. Woods was a nemesis to Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and the intelligence unit for 14 episodes and was a central character in the arc that led to the exit of Elias Koteas from the show.

Then, in the second season of Organized Crime, Williamson sauntered into New York City and onto the radar of Stabler and the unit he works for. Not as Woods, of course, but as Preston Webb, a powerful figure and main antagonist off-and-on through season two.

Once decorated police officer, with an epic downfall, now turned crime lord. A perfect leap as two different characters within the same universe. A multiverse, if you will.

Sure, that takes some stretch of the imagination and playing with a suspension of disbelief. And it's not exactly as special as three Stablers or three Bensons gracing our screens. Or episodes asking "What if Ice T was never a detective in the Law & Order universe?".

Come to think of it, however, wouldn't that be something, to take a look at "What if Richard Wheatley were an FBI agent?" Dick Wolf really should hop on the multiverse train. 

Coming next fall. Law & Order: Multiverse Mondays

photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

NCAA men's tournament 2022 Final Four: A powerhouse smackdown

 

Four teams remain in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament, with four legendary schools looking to add to already impressive legacies.

The last hurrah and farewell tour for Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski has reached the 2022 Final Four. Already one of the best college coaches of all-time, Coach K is two wins away from retiring on top.

Standing in his way? A familiar foe to start things out and two other powerhouse schools on the other side of the bracket vying for their own glory. 

No matter what happens, Coach K's illustrious career will be forever remembered. His name will be mentioned with the likes of John Wooden, Dean Smith, John Thompson, Roy Williams, Bobby Knight, Jim Calhoun, and Jim Boeheim as coaches who helped grow the game and establish winning traditions for certain schools. (The last of the breed will be Boeheim, still coaching at Syracuse). 

The next stepping stone for Duke on this path is the North Carolina Tar Heels. This will be the 98th meeting between a Duke-led Coach K squad and the Tar Heels. Coach K holds the edge, 50-47. A victory will on Saturday will move Duke one step closer to tying the Tar Heels for the third-most National Championships, with six.

The Final Four is represented by four schools that have 17 men's National Championships between them. UNC (6) and Duke (5) are tops among these fours, with Villanova and Kansas with three each.  It's been rare in recent years to see this much power and hardware represented in the Final Four. Kansas is the only 1-seed remaining, with two-seeds (Duke, Villanova) and an 8-seed (UNC) rounding things out.

For all the fantastic action we've seen in the first two weekends, this third weekend promises to be something else. Four powerhouse programs vying for the top spot of the 2021-22 season. Let's hope it lives up to the hype.

Duke vs UNC

The (32-6) took care of business in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 with victories over the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Arkansas Razorbacks. Both teams, with strong defense and experience players, posed a threat to Duke. And the Blue Devils rose to the occasion. They shot 51.9 percent (including 71 percent in the second-half) in a five-point victory over Texas Tech and 54.7 percent in a nine-point victory over Arkansas.

The Blue Devils have been efficient all tournament, shooting over 50 percent in all four of their games. There were some nerves in the Sweet 16, falling behind 10-2 against Texas Tech but they overcame that and were much more relaxed against Arkansas.

This is Duke's first appearance in the Final Four since 2015 and Coach K's 13th-time reaching this far in the tournament. They are averaging 79.7 points per game in this year's event, with a +16 advantage on the boards, while holding opponents to 69.7 points.

One of the things often talked about when making a deep tournament run is solid bench play. This year is definitely an anomaly, with each team relying on their talented starters plus one or two key players off the bench.

Duke is no different, with the starters gaining the majority of the minutes. Paolo Banchero is averaging 18.5 points per game this tournament. Mark Williams has been the best all-around player in the tournament for the Blue Devils, totaling 58 points, 35 rebounds, and 16 blocks. He's also shooting 80.6 percent (25-31).

Wendell Moore Jr. has been steady with 54 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists and AJ Griffin had his best game of the tournament in the Elite 8 with 18 points on 7-9 shooting against Arkansas. Prior, Griffin was 10-25 from the field. 

Jeremy Roach hasn't consistently been in double figures but he delivered against Texas Tech. On 7-11 shooting, with clutch shots down the stretch, Roach scored 15 points. He also had 4 rebounds and 5 assists that game.

This talented group will take the court against a Tar Heels (28-9) team with plenty of talent of their own. This will be the third meeting between the teams this season, with Duke taking the first and UNC winning the latter. And, despite their storied rivalry, the two teams have never met in the Final Four.

A high-flying UNC offense was grounded slightly in the last two games. 1st-year head coach Hubert Davis had the Tar Heels offense rolling in the first two games, averaging 94 points per game. That number dipped to 71 over the last two North Carolina was able to get stingy on defense.

UCLA scored 66 against the Tar Heels, while 15-seed finally saw their magical tourney run come to an end by scoring only 49 points in the Elite 8 contest. 

UNC has been dominating on the boards, holding a +49 advantage in that department. Cleaning in the glass in style is Armando Bacot, who had 22 (to go along with 20 points) against Saint Peters. Bacot has a double-double in each tournament game, averaging nearly 17 points and 16 rebounds per game.

Bacot also has seven blocked shots.

Brady Manek is the leading scorer for the Tar Heels in the tournament, averaging 21.5 points. Manek is 16-34 from three-point range. Though he struggled against UCLA, shooting only 38.5 percent from the field, Manek knocked down over 60 percent in the other three games.

Caleb Love had one off game, too, this one against Baylor. Love was in foul trouble and had only 5 points while committing six turnovers. Love has been stellar in the other three games, totaling 67 points. He had 30 points in the victory over UCLA, scoring 27 in the second-half.

RJ Davis has the ability to catch fire, scoring 30 points in the victory over Baylor. However, Davis has scored only 25 points in the other three games, shooting 6-32 from the field.

Prediction: Duke 78 UNC 74

Villanova vs Kansas

A rematch of the carries with it just as much weight as the battle of ACC schools on the other side of the bracket. It will be each school's first appearance in the Final Four since that fateful meeting.

This time around, it will be the Kansas Jayhawks who aim to be on the winning side of things.

Villanova won that contest, later defeating the Michigan Wolverines in the title game.

The Wildcats (30-7) will be somewhat limping into this semifinal match-up. Starter Justin Moore went down late in Villanova's Elite 8 victory over Houston, an injury later determined to be a torn Achilles. 

Moore was averaging 13 points per game in the tournament, with a high of 21 against Delaware, but was struggling to shoot well (17-45). The same shooting struggles can be said about Villanova altogether.

The Wildcats began the tournament decent enough, hitting 50.9 percent of their shots. As the tournament has progressed, that number has gone down, with the most recent a 28.8 percent performance against the Houston Cougars. Threes haven't been much better, with Villanova only 14-51 the last two games.

Free throw shooting has been a saving grace for the Wildcats, who have won nine straight and 14 of their last 15. They hit 15-15 from the charity stripe against Houston and have only missed six (53-59) in four tournament games.

Jermaine Samuels is leading Villanova in tournament play with 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Samuels had a double-double against Houston (16/10) and had 22 points in the Wildcats victory over Michigan.

Collin Gillespie is putting in 13 points per game, two points below his season average. Gillespie has struggled with his shot, going 15-45 (8-32 from deep), and has 16 rebounds and 11 assists in this year's tournament.

Off the bench, Caleb Daniels has scored 44 points and collected 25 rebounds. Daniels, too, is struggling with his shot, connecting on 14-43 (6-21 from three).

The Wildcats are locked in on defense, with Delaware's 44 percent the highest field goal percentage allowed in the tournament by Villanova while holding opponents to 17-80 from three-point range. 

They've allowed only 55 points per game, which will be tested by the Kansas Jayhawks (32-6), who have averaged 76 points in four tournament games. The defense of Kansas has been steady as well, holding opponents to a shade under 60 points per game.

This will be the first Final Four appearance for Kansas since the 2018 loss to Villanova. They arrived here in style with a 26-point victory over the Miami Hurricanes, outscoring the Hurricanes 47-15 in the second half of that Elite 8 game.

Four players have been powering the Jayhawks, led by sixth-man Remy Martin. Martin has scored 67 points, shooting better than 50 percent the first three games. He also has 21 rebounds and had a stellar game against Providence with 23 points and 7 rebounds.

Ochai Agbaji has been consistent with 49 points and 23 rebounds. Agbaji has eight steals and, while he doesn't shoot many threes, has struggled a bit by going 4-15.

Jalen Wilson is a huge reason the Jayhawks hold a +47 advantage in rebounds during the tournament. Wilson has collected 10 or more in three straight games and has 42 for the tournament. He's also contributed 46 points but has struggled, going 16-47 (2-14 from beyond the arc).

David McCormack has chipped in 39 points, with a high of 15 against Miami.

Prediction: Kansas 68 Villanova 62

Final Four action takes place on Saturday (4/2) with the National Title game taking place on Monday (4/4). 

photo credit: rawpixel

NCAA men's tournament: Saintly siren song of the Sweet 16

 

The 2022 NCAA men's tournament marches on, with sixteen teams one step closer to making it to the final weekend of college basketball's grandest stage.

Chaos was the name of the game in men's college basketball during the 2021-22 season. And while the first weekend of the wasn't as upset-minded as the 2020-21 edition, there were plenty of teams wearing glass slippers.

The belle of this year's ball belongs to none other than 15-seed out of the East region, the Saint Peter's Peacocks. 

Saint Peters (21-11), out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, got the party started in the first round with its 85-79 OT victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. Not only did the Peacocks ruin many a bracket, it was the second consecutive year a 15-seed notched an upset. (And only third all time, joining FGCU in 2013 and Oral Roberts last year.)

Oral Roberts, too, had advanced to the Sweet 16. Saint Peter's has joined the ranks of darlings and it's a safe bet many fans will be rooting for the underdog next weekend.

Underdogs didn't quite make as much noise as they did last season. However, the same number of double-digit seeds are remaining as last year at this point. Joining the Peacocks as double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16 are 11-seed Iowa State (Midwest), 10-seed Miami (Midwest), and 11-seed Michigan (South).

The Wolverines (19-14) might be the biggest surprise of them all. Considered to even be lucky to be in the tournament, Michigan has ridden the back of Hunter Dickinson to reach the Sweet 16 for the fifth-straight time.

For all the talk of how good the Big Ten was, however, only one other school from the conference made it this far. The 3-seed in the East, Purdue, joins the Wolverines, making it only two Big Ten schools to make it this far after nine made the tournament.

Close games were also a staple of the First Four games and first weekend of play, with six games going into overtime. Though it didn't quite equal the played in one day back in 2014, this year's edition is only 1 game away from tying the record for most in a single tournament.

Match-ups are set for weekend two, with plenty of intrigue on the agenda.

West region

The West region was the only region to survive with its top four seeds intact. It was, however, not without drama.

Special nod to the Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-3), who had a flair for the dramatic in both of their games. A first-round victory over Georgia State looked easy on paper, with Gonzaga winning 93-72. But it took a 21-0 run in the second-half to separate from the Panthers.

In the round of 32, Gonzaga found themselves down 10 at the half to 9-seed Memphis. A renewed effort to get Drew Timme involved, however, carried the Bulldogs to victory a four-point victory.

Timme is averaging 28.5 and 13.5 rebounds while fellow big man Chet Holgrem is also making his presence felt. Holgrem had 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots in the opening game. Despite battling foul trouble in the first-half against Memphis, Holgrem delivered seven points, nine rebounds, and four more blocked shots.

Andrew Nembhard is also playing well, dishing out 11 assists in game one and scoring 23 points in game two.

The Bulldogs are averaging 87.5 per game in the tournament and shot better than 50 percent in each game. Free throws (29-54) and three-point attempts (12-45, however, have been a struggle. 

Gonzaga's opponent will be the Arkansas Razorbacks (27-8). Numbers for Arkansas have looked quite different than Gonzaga's. The Razorbacks are averaging 64 points per game in the tourney, while holding opponents to 59.5. 

Arkansas has struggled to shoot the ball well in the first two games. They were at a respectable 42 percent in an opening-round victory over Vermont but a chilly 27.5 percent against New Mexico State almost did the Razorbacks in. 

Rebounding is even through two tournament games and have committed 17 turnovers.

JD Notae has scored 35 points in the tournament and had eight steals against New Mexico State. Jaylin Williams had 10 points and 15 rebounds against the Aggies while Stanley Umude is another player to keep an eye on. Umude had 21 points and 9 rebounds in the victory over Vermont.

A lot of eyes will be on the other game in this region, with every game holding the possibility it will be Coach K's last. 

His (30-6) took care of business last weekend, averaging 81.5 points while holding opponents to 68.5. The Blue Devils have been in a flow on offense, shooting better than 50 percent in both games and carry a +12 rebounding advantage into the Sweet 16.

Duke has had a balanced attack, with five players scoring in double figures in each game. Paolo Banchero has 36 points, 17 rebounds, and 8 assists in two games and Mark Williams is averaging 15 points per game. In Sunday's victory over Michigan State, three players scored 15 points behind team leader Banchero's 19.

Their opponent is the 3-seed Texas Tech Red Raiders (27-9). The Red Raiders had to hold off a pesky Notre Dame squad in the round of 32, winning 59-53 despite scoring only one field goal after a made 3-pointer at the 7:17 mark.

Texas Tech connected on 10-10 free throws down the stretch and played stingy defense to advance. Their 35.6 percent from the field was a far cry from an opening round rout of Montana State.

That opening game saw the Red Raiders shoot 66.7 percent from the field and made 12 of 20 from three-point range. While I don't expect that sort of effort against Duke, the Red Raiders should be a bit better on offense than they were against the Fighting Irish.

Players to watch include Kevin Obanor, who has 25 points and 26 rebounds in the tournament, and Bryson Williams. Williams is averaging 17 points per game in the tourney.

Texas Tech has 33 assists and 20 turnovers so far in two games.

East region

The East region not only lost 2-seed Kentucky but 1-seed Baylor fell as well. The Bears were knocked off by the North Carolina Tar Heels (26-9) in OT in the second round.

The 8-seed Tar Heels nearly let that game slip away from them. Leading by 25 with 10:08 left, Baylor mounted a furious comeback, tying the game with 15 seconds left.

Not a deep team, UNC was able to prevail in overtime. Brady Manek is averaging 27 points per game in the tournament, despite not playing the last 10:08 plus overtime due to an ejection thanks to a Flagrant 2 foul.

RJ Davis had 30 points against Baylor and is averaging nine assists per game in the tournament while Armando Bacot is averaging 16 points and 13 rebounds in two games.

The Tar Heels are putting up 94 points per game and have knocked down 24 threes.

Their opponents in the Sweet 16 are scoring at a lower clip in the tournament (64.5 ppg) but the UCLA Bruins (27-7) are back in familiar territory after last season's magical run.

The four key players from last season's run are all back and holding opponents to 54.5 points in two tournament games. In doing this, UCLA improved to 22-0 this season when holding opponents to under 66 points.

Tyger Campbell has been locked in so far, scoring 32 points and dishing out nine assists. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 30 points in the first game and had 15 in the second before leaving late with an ankle injury. The status for Jaquez playing this weekend is currently day-to-day.

In the region's other game, the Peacocks will have their hands full but that hasn't stopped them so far.

Dating back to the regular season, Saint Peter's has won nine straight games. They led wire-to-wire in their second-round victory over Murray State.

Doug Edert has scored 33 points off the bench to pace Saint Peters. Daryl Barnes III had 27 points against Kentucky and KC Ndefo had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Murray State.

To get the furthest a 15-seed has ever advanced, the Peacocks will need to get past the 3-seed Purdue Boilermakers (29-7). 

Purdue is averaging 79.5 points per game in their two tournament victories. Ranked no. 1 at various times in the 2021-22 season, Purdue entered this tournament going 3-3 in their last six games.

The Boilermakers regained their confidence, holding opponents to under 40 percent from the field in the first two rounds. They also hold a plus 22 rebound advantage in those games.

Jaden Ivey has scored 40 points in two games to lead Purdue. Zach Edey had 16 points and 9 rebounds against Yale while Trevian Williams had 22 and 7, respectively, in the second-round victory over Texas.

South region

The major surprise of the South region is clearly the Wolverines. And they have won despite not having starting point guard DeVante' Jones for most of the first two games.

Jones took a hit to the head during practice last week and was placed in concussion protocol. Jones missed the victory over Colorado State and played only the first-half in the upset-victory over Tennessee.

Replacing Jones hasn't been easy. While freshman Frankie Collins has been in steady in two games, it is the play of Dickinson carrying the Wolverines. Dickinson has 48 points and 17 rebounds in two games, also blocking four shots in the first round and collecting four assists in game two.

Eli Brooks has stepped up, scoring 39 points, collecting 10 rebounds, and dishing out 11 assists. 

To get one step closer to returning to the Final Four, Michigan will first have to get past the 2-seed Villanova Wildcats (28-7).

Villanova has been pretty locked in the first two tournament games, winning by an average margin of 15 points. The Wildcats like to shoot the three (21-51) and while the players aren't the same, these two programs are similar to the ones they were when they met for the National title in 2018.

Only Brooks for Michigan and Villanova's Connor Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels played in that contest.

Gillespie has 34 points in this year's tournament and Samuels has 32 points (on 12-18 shooting) and 17 rebound. Justin Moore is also a threat to disrupt a game, scoring 21 points and dishing out six assists in Villanova's opening-round victory over Delaware.

A 5-seed, the Houston Cougars (31-5) are on a mission to get back to the Final Four a year after doing so. The Cougars are again in the Sweet 16 despite having a completely new starting five.

It wasn't that way earlier in the season but after losing Tramon Mark and leading-scorer Marcus Sasser to season-ending injuries, the Cougars needed to refocus. 

They've done so, and won 11 of their last 12 games. They are averaging 75 points per game in the tournament but are only 16-43 from three-point range. A mix of players can lead this team on any given night. Kyler Edwards had 25 points (6-8 from 3-pt) in the victory over UAB and Taze Moore had 21 points and seven rebounds against Illinois.

Their opponents in the Sweet 16 will be the 1-seed Arizona Wildcats (33-3). The Pac-12 champions are coming off a classic in the second-round, getting taken to the limit by TCU. Arizona prevailed in overtime as they advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017. 

Arizona is averaging 86 points in the tournament but had performances that were in many ways night-and-day. 

The Wildcats were 11-20 from deep in the first round but were only 5-27 against TCU. The Horned Frogs also outrebounded Arizona by four.

Arizona is paced by two stars in Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko. Mathurn had 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists against TCU while Koloko had 28.

On the tournament, Mathurin is averaging 24 points per game and Koloko averages 22.5 points and 12.5 rebounds.

Midwest region

One half of the Midwest region played out along seed lines, with top-seed Kansas Jayhawks (30-6) still standing. 

It wasn't without trouble, though, as the Jayhawks had their hands full in the second round with and undermanned Creighton squad. In the end, they used a combination of rebounding and taking care of the ball to outlast the Bluejays and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

Kansas is averaging 81 points per game in the tournament and allowing 64. The Jayhawks hold a plus 29 rebounding advantage and have 34 assists. Kansas also only committed seven turnovers against Creighton.

Remy Martin has scored 35 points in the tournament and first-team All-American Ochai Agbaji as 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists. (Agbaji, by the way, is the only first-team selection whose team is still in the tournament.)

Kansas will play 4-seed Providence. The Friars (27-5) are coming off a second-round victory over 12-seed Richmond, 79-51. Providence held both of their opponents under 60 points while averaging 72.5 themselves. Their three-point shooting has been consistent (20-44) and they have 31 assists and 20 turnovers.

The Friars are paced by Noah Horchler (averaging 14.5 and 11 rebounds in the tourney) and Al Durham, who has scored 26 points, collected 12 rebounds, and dished out nine assists.

The other contest in the Midwest region features a contest between two double-digit seeds, guaranteeing the Elite 8 will be represented by at least one low seed.

After securing only two wins in the 2020-21 season, the 11-seed Iowa State Cyclones (22-11) are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.

The Cyclones have used defense to carry them this far, allowing only 51.5 points per game. Opponents have struggled to hit threes (6-39) and Iowa State has 24 steals in the two games.

Tyrese Hunter had an outstanding opening game against LSU, connecting on 7-11 from deep in route to 23 points. Hunter, however, struggled against Wisconsin, shooting only 1-10 overall (0-3 three-point). Izaiah Brockington had 19 in the opening-round win while Gabe Kalscheur had 22 against the Badgers. 

Iowa State's opponents will be the 10-seed Miami Hurricanes (25-10). Miami knocked off 7-seed USC and 2-seed Auburn to reach this point despite a minus 20 deficit on the boards and hitting only 4-29 from three-point range. 

The Hurricanes are efficient and do not turn the ball over, committing only seven in the tournament. They are also a stout defensive team, with 22 steals in two games, meaning we could see a low-scoring affair between them and the Cyclones. 

Isaiah Wong has scored 43 points in the tournament while Kameron McGusty had 20 points, six rebounds, and four steals against Auburn.

Action in the Sweet 16 takes place on Thursday (3/24) and Friday (3/25), with berths in the Final Four on the line with game on Saturday (3/26) and Sunday (3/27).

2021-22 NCAA men's tournament full bracket

photo credit: rawpixel

Academy Awards Best Picture winners: 8 final films

 

The final eight films in the Academy Awards Best Picture tournament have arrived. Plus, a look at some other Best Picture nominees from the years of the final eight.

Judging by the results of this tournament so far, and the films represented in the final eight, the 1970s were the best decade of films.

It's hard to argue against this heyday and run of excellent and quality films beginning in the mid-1960s and stretching into the late '70s as part of a Hollywood film revolution. (And summed up perfectly in the book Five Movies and the Birth of a New Hollywood by Mark Harris.)

Five of the final eight films in this tournament were made in that era, including the Best Picture winners from 1973-1976.

Admittedly, many of these films are among my all-time favorites from that era, even it was slightly before my time. Many are universally loved and appreciated, and it's not too often I've witnessed much debate that 'X' film should not have won Best Picture from the Academy Awards in that year.

The same cannot be said from the late 1980s into the present-day. It's not like that every year, of course, but it certainly seems more prevalent beginning in that time. Perhaps it could just be my own bias, since I really began to get into films in the '90s but I haven't heard too much argument from the those in the '70s and prior.

This had me taking a look at what other films were nominated for Best Picture in the year(s) the final eight films of this tournament represent. Take a look below, and also see the matchups in each region.

Red Carpet region

Silence of the Lambs, winner over No Country for Old Men in the round of 16 with 69 percent, faced some stiff competition back in 1992 in the race for Best Picture. JFK, Bugsy, The Princes of Tides, and the animated version of Beauty and the Beast were the competition for Hannibal Lecter and company.

While some of these films are known and discussed to this day, it's not-too-often one hears about how they recently re-watched Bugsy or settled in for a night watching The Prince of Tides. That is to take nothing from either of these films but when Silence of the Lambs (and the books it was based on) provide material to this day, that's going to be hard to beat.

In 1966, Ship of Fools, Doctor Zhivago, Darling, and A Thousand Clowns were all up against The Sound of Music for Best Picture. I can't speak a whole lot on these, as I've only seen one of the other four nominees aside from the winner (though I plan to).

The Sound of Music defeated Dances with Wolves in the round of 16 with 60 percent of the vote.

(5) The Silence of the Lambs (1992)(3) The Sound of Music (1966)

Glamour region

One would imagine it was a safe bet that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was going to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 1976. Except the competition, as seen now, was likely very stiff, considering Jaws and Dog Day Afternoon were among the other contenders.

Of course, Nashville and Barry Lyndon were no slouches, either. Collectively, these five films are some of the best and if you haven't seen them all, definitely check them out. 

With 66 percent, Cuckoo's Nest defeated 1-seed Gladiator.

The Bridge on the River Kwai had an easy victory to get here, defeating Chicago with a 79 percent to 21 percent margin.

In 1958, Sayonara, Witness for the Prosecution, Peyton Place, and 12 Angry Men were up for Best Picture. This was another year in which I've only seen two of the five nominees, so it's definitely something to remedy on my behalf. 

(5) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1976)

(3) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1958)

Gold Statue region

The Godfather II knocked off top-seed Lord of the Rings: Return of the King by a score of 73 percent to 27.

The film had some opponents in the Best Picture race back in 1975 that are considered classics to this day. Those other four nominees were: The Towering Inferno, Lenny, The Conversation, and Chinatown.

The Godfather II faces in the final eight an opponent that won Best Picture the year prior, The Sting, which defeated Rain Man with 62 percent to advance. In 1974, The Sting outlasted The Exorcist, A Touch of Class, American Graffiti, and Cries and Whispers to pick up the Oscar for Best Picture.

(12) The Godfather II (1975)

(3) The Sting (1974)

Glitz region

In 1973, The Godfather won Best Picture against the likes of Deliverance, The Emigrants, Sounder, and Cabaret. The first and last of these four still are mentioned among the greats (or at least remembered in the pantheon of pop culture), though it's hard to speak about The Emigrants and Sounder because I have not seen them.

The Godfather again took care of business with ease, winning with 76.3 percent of the vote to advance, where it will face Schindler's List with a spot in the final four on the line.

Schindler's List finally put an end to the run of 11-seed Amadeus by winning 76 to 24 percent.

In 1994, Best Picture nominees the film was up against were: The Piano (whose director Jane Campion is back this year in the race with The Power of the Dog), The Fugitive, In the Name of the Father, and The Remains of the Day.

(4) The Godfather (1973)

(7) Schindler's List (1994)

Voting will finish up on Twitter (@jasonrh_78) this week, with the final eight (3/21), final four (3/23), and final (3/25). This year's Academy Awards ceremony takes place on March 27. 

Come hang out on Letterboxd and thanks for following along in this tournament!

Best Picture tourney: The final 16

photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Academy Awards Best Picture winners: Rolling into the round of 16

 

The Best Picture tournament of the Academy Award winners from the last 64 years rolls on, now down to the final 16 films.

A film tournament with seedings based off of domestic box office totals can often lead to a mixed bag of results. While previous film tournaments have focused on summer months of a specific year, this Academy Award Best Picture tournament spans 64 years of winners.

Discrepancies between money taken in was going to happen, considering the cost of a ticket and number of screenings increasing over the years.

Upsets were bound to happen in this non-scientific way to determine a winner but after two rounds, 11 of the top-16 seeds remain.

And there is pretty close to equal representation across the decades, though the most recent Best Picture winner is the winner from 2008, No Country for Old Men. This film is joined by three other films from the 2000s in the round of 16.

The victory by No Country for Old Men was against the top overall seed Titanic. This "upset" also means Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and its 11 Oscars stands alone as the most decorated winner in the field.

Winners from the 1990s and 1970s are represented by four films each among the final 16. The 1980s have two films left, as does the period from 1969 back to 1958, the year first looked at for purposes of this bracket.

Three 1-seeds remain but there's a possibility that number drops to zero based off of a matchups in the round of 16.

Red Carpet region

No Country for Old Men wasn't in much of a contest, winning with 61 percent of the vote. The bigger winner was Silence of the Lambs with 74 percent while Dances with Wolves barely eked out a victory over Million Dollar Baby (50.9 - 49.1)

9) No Country for Old Men (2008)5) Silence of the Lambs (1992)3) The Sound of Music (1966)2) Dances with Wolves (1991)

Glamour region

Two of the four films from the 2000s are in this region with Gladiator and Chicago. Both won in somewhat close matchups, winning by 15 percent and 8 percent, respectively. The Bridge on the River Kwai held off The French Connection by 1.4 percent while One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest had the easiest time of the bunch, winning handily by 36.

1) Gladiator (2001)5) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1976)3) The Bridge on the River Kwai (1958)2) Chicago (2003)

Gold Statue region

A 12-seed still hanging around at this point might be a little surprising, if that film weren't The Godfather II. Not only did this sequel advance, it defeated Argo with ease, winning with 87 percent of the vote. The round of 32 in this region was generally a cakewalk for films, though 1-seed Return of the King had a battle with My Fair Lady before winning by 10 percent. 

1) Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2004)12) The Godfather II (1975)3) The Sting (1974)2) Rain Man (1989)

Glitz region

The Godfather has a lot more respect than I could have ever imagined. And I already imagined it had a lot. As a 4-seed, the film has been simply dominant in the 1st two rounds. There were expectations it would defeat Rocky in the round of 32 but not by the 82 percent to 18 percent margin it ended on.

The region's four matchups weren't really close at all, with top-seed Forrest Gump and Schindler's List winning with ease. One double-digit seed remains in Amadeus, which defeated Moonlight with 63 percent of the vote.

1) Forrest Gump (1995)4) The Godfather (1973)11) Amadeus (1985)7) Schindler's List (1994)

Voting will take place on Twitter (@jasonrh_78) until we decide a winner shortly before this year's Oscars ceremony on March 27.

photo credit: Flickr

NCAA college basketball: Field wide-open in men's tournament

 

Sixty-eight teams are set to begin their final pursuit towards a national championship, with a season of chaos promising a wide-open field as the 2022 men's tournament tips-off Tuesday night.

The trick, and ultimately the disappointment, of selecting a 68-team field for the is that there will always be deserving teams left out.

The Texas A&M Aggies (23-12) are feeling that sting at the moment. 

A remarkable SEC tournament that saw the Aggies reach the final was not enough to lift them into the Big Dance. Despite going 8-2 to close the season, an eight-game losing streak just prior likely sealed their fate. (Instead, the Aggies will be a top-seed in the , where they face Alcorn State on 3/15).

Grumblings about seedings can also be heard, especially for a Boise State Broncos (27-7) squad. Mountain West regular season and tournament champions, the Broncos went 24-3 since beginning the season 3-4 and were rewarded with an 8-seed. 

Not only that but the Broncos have a tough first-round contest with the Memphis Tigers (21-10), who closed the season with a 12-2 stretch. Plus, the two teams met in a very close quarterfinal game in last season's NIT.

Bracketology, of course, is not a perfect system. And the same gripes happen every season and there will perhaps never be one perfect metric to settle debates. That's part of the fun and heartbreak this time of year for college basketball. And while it certainly wasn't perfect, there seems to be more disparity among conferences this season, at least as far as entrants go.

Boise State was one of four teams from the Mountain West to make the field as was spread out. The Big Ten did send nine teams to the Big Dance but other power conferences, like the PAC-12 and ACC, were underrepresented compared to normal.

Plus, there is really no clear-cut favorite this year. Most of the top-three seeds in each region have a legitimate shot to win it all, in addition to those surprise teams that make a run along the way.

With no team standing head-and-shoulders above the rest, the next three weeks promise to be a lot of fun.

NCAA men's tourney: The top seeds

A season of chaos led to a lot of indecision heading into the final week regarding which teams would be on the 1-seed line. The top spot was a game of hot potato throughout much of the 2021-22 season, with teams bouncing in and out of the spot until the final weeks.

In the end, only one team (defending champion Baylor Bears) secured a top spot without winning their conference tourney. The Bears (26-6) lost in the Big 12 quarterfinals to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Baylor began the season hot, winning their first 15 games but an 11-6 finish after that isn't exactly comforting for a team looking to be the first program to win back-to-back titles since the Florida Gators won in 2006 and 2007.

The Arizona Wildcats (PAC-12), Kansas Jayhawks (BIG 12), and Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCC) all won their conference tourneys in route to earning top-seeds. 

Number one overall goes to the Bulldogs (26-3). Last season's runner-up put together another outstanding season, including non-conference victories over Texas, Texas Tech, and UCLA. And all three losses occurred against teams in the NCAA tournament, losing non-conference contests to Duke and Alabama while falling to Saint Mary's in conference play.

Gonzaga is again formidable but, in all honesty, last year seemed like their best chance to win it all. Of course, this season has shown to be anything than normal and when the Bulldogs get going, they really get going. Gonzaga averages 87.8 pts per game and are led by Drew Timme, who returned to school for a chance to win that championship.

Timme averages 17.5 points, one of five Bulldogs to average in double figures.

Quietly, the Wildcats (31-3) put together one of their best seasons in recent years. The PAC-12 was down somewhat this season, getting only three teams in the NCAA tournament, but that hasn't stopped Arizona from excelling. 

Arizona began the season 11-0 until losing to Tennessee by four. And while they played well in conference, each of their losses (UCLA, Colorado) were on the road by 16 points. The Wildcats are one team that can run up and down the court to rival Gonzaga, averaging 84.6 points per game. Arizona shares the ball (19.9 assists) and is also a top-15 rebounding team.

They are equally adept at shooting the three, with Bennedict Mathurin and Kerr Kriisa combing to make 152 three-pointers this season. And on the inside, Azuolas Tubelis and Christian Koloko each shoot better than 55 percent.

Rounding out the top line is Kansas (28-6). The Jayhawks had a fairly steady season and have a star in Ochai Agbaji. Agbaji averages 19.7 points per game and knocks down 40.5 percent of his three-point attempts.

The First Four

Tuesday night (3/15) action begins with two 16-seeds squaring off, both of which happen to play in the state of Texas. 

Southland Conference champions Texas A&M-CC Islanders (23-11) responded nicely after a five-game losing streak towards the latter part of the season. They went onto win seven of their last eight games and have a 10-point loss to Notre Dame among their losses this season.

Texas Southern (18-12) did the same in going 7-1 down the stretch and we will see two contrasting styles in this contest. The Islanders average 76.9 points and 38.4 rebounds per game while the Tigers score a shade over 69 points per game (though they averaged 74.3 in the last eight games). The Tigers also grab 39.5 rebounds per game, good for 36th best in the nation.

Isaac Mushila leads the Islanders in scoring (13.5) and rebounds (9.5) while Texas Southern has ten players averaging between 4.6 and 9.9 points per game.

The late game on Tuesday night has 12-seeds Wyoming and Indiana facing off. Both teams had their struggles down the stretch, with the Cowboys (25-8) going 3-4 while the Hoosiers (20-13) went 4-8, including a five-game losing streak.

Three of those four losses for Wyoming came against teams in the NCAA tourney and the Hoosiers used a run to the Big Ten Conference quarterfinals to earn this spot. This First Four game will feature two talented big men going against one another. Graham Ike leads the Cowboys in points (19.6) and rebounds (9.6) while Trayce Jackson-Davis does the same for Indiana with 18.1 and 8.2, respectively.

The difference maker could be Wyoming's Hunter Maldonado, who averages 18.4 points. Both Ike and Maldonado can shoot the three-ball but both shoot less than 30 percent.

Wednesday night has two more 16-seeds with the Wright State Raiders (21-13) playing the Bryant Bulldogs (22-9) in the South region. Each team features two high-level scorers and the game should be an up-tempo affair. 

Wright State has Tanner Holden, who drops 19.8 points per game. Grant Basile provides the Raiders with 18.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

On the Bulldog side, the nation's leading scorer Peter Kiss (25.1) resides and has a tendency to get under opponent's skin. He is joined by Charles Pride, who scores (18.6 ppg) and rebounds (8.6).

Closing out the First Four is a game between 11-seeds in the West region. Both teams have been inconsistent but also whoever wins has the ability to play Cinderella moving forward.

Rutgers (18-13) looked poised to finish strong after picking up four straight wins over ranked opponents in February. The Scarlett Knights, however, lost three straight and were firmly entrenched on the bubble until Selection Sunday.

Their opponent Notre Dame (22-10) went 3-3 to close the season. They had a solid season up until that point and even own a win over Kentucky. 

Look for two matchups to decide this game. On the perimeter, Ron Harper Jr. (15.6 ppg) for Rutgers matches up against Notre Dame's Blake Wesley (14.6 ppg). And on the inside, Clifford Omoruyi (11.8 points, 7.9 rebounds) will go to work against Notre Dame's Paul Atkinson Jr. (12.3 points, 7 rebounds)

All First Four games can be seen on TruTv

Teams to keep an eye on

The Virginia Tech Hokies (23-12) might be one of the more feared 11th-seeds in recent years. That has a lot more to do with their recent run, and ACC tourney title, than it does with their complete resume.

The ACC was not as strong this season, as compared to recent years. Only five teams from the conference will be going to the Big Dance, down from seven in the 2021 NCAA men's tournament. 

After a loss to the Miami Hurricanes on January 26, the Hokies dropped to 10-10 overall and 2-7 in conference. Things looked bleak but all Virginia Tech did after that was go 13-2 to close the season and hoist their first ACC tournament title after defeating Duke. 

The Hokies will open play on Friday (3/18) against 6-seed in the East region, the Texas Longhorns. Virginia Tech has a tough road ahead of them but they are playing outstanding basketball and a Sweet 16 appearance is a very good possibility. 

Another team playing well is the Tennessee Volunteers (26-7). Tennessee won the SEC tournament, defeating Texas A&M by 15. That victory gave the Volunteers seven straight victories and they have won 12 of their last 13, defeating Kentucky (twice), Auburn, and Arkansas in that span.

The Volunteers love to share the ball, averaging 16.1 assists per game, and are led by two outstanding guards. Kennedy Chandler (13.8 ppg) and Santiago Vescovi (13.4 ppg) lead the team in scoring and combine to average 7.7 assists and 3.7 steals per game.

Tennessee is the third-seed out of the South region and open with Longwood on 3/17.

The San Diego State Aztecs (23-8) also open on 3/17, with the eighth-seed Aztecs taking on the no. 9 Creighton Blue Jays in the Midwest region. San Diego State, too, has been playing well in the back half of the season, winning 11 of their last 13 games.

Part of the early conference season was paused due to COVID-19 delays but once the Aztecs got into rhythm they played well. They lost by one to Boise State in the conference title game and, in all three conference tournament games, held opponents to under 60 points.

All told, the Aztecs allow only 57.7 points per game, and they have a star on offense. Matt Bradley averages 17 points per game and is shooting 41.6 percent from three-point range.

It's the defense that could propel the Aztecs to multiple wins in this tourney. Their offense can go into silent mode from time-to-time but their defense can be suffocating enough to potentially upset Kansas in a possible second-round match-up.

One team that wasn't consistent down the stretch but has the talent and depth to make a deep tourney run is the Texas Tech Red Raiders (25-9). Texas Tech carries with them a 3-seed in the West region and open play 3/18 against Montana State.

The Red Raiders lost in the Big 12 title game to Kansas but did pick up one win over the Jayhawks earlier in the season. A 3-3 record down the stretch is a little disheartening but also a bit deceiving, as those three losses were a combined 13 points.

Six guys average 8.4 points or more per game and ten players average at least ten minutes per contest. Bryson Williams leads Texas Tech the team with 13.7 points and shoots 40.5 percent from three-point range.

Interesting opening-round games

There are a lot of intriguing match-ups on Thursday and Friday. Here are a few games on my radar that I'm looking forward to.

West region: (8) Boise State vs (9) Memphis. 3/17 @ 1:45 p.m. (ET) on TNTEast region: (7) Murray State (30-2) vs (10) USF Dons (24-9). 3/17 @ 9:40 p.m. (ET) on CBSSouth region: (5) Houston (29-5) vs (12) UAB (27-7). 3/18 @ 9:20 p.m. (ET) on TNTMidwest region: (6) LSU (22-11) vs (11) Iowa State (20-12). 3/18 @ 7:20 p.m. (ET) on TBS

Follow along with the action, updates, results and more via this blog as we move towards crowning a champion the first part of April.

Men's tournament bracket

Women's tournament bracket

photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Academy Awards Best Picture tournament: Rise of the no. 11 seeds

 

The tournament for the Academy Awards Best Picture winners from the past 64 years continues, moving on to the round of 32 with a few surprise films still standing.

The first round of voting in the Academy Award Best Picture tournament is complete. While a majority of the higher-seeded film advanced, the four films seeded number 11 in each region turned out to be quite the powerhouse in voting.

Parasite, The French Connection, Gandhi, and Amadeus took home victories last week in the first round. Parasite, the 2020 winner at the Academy Awards and box office hit, had the easiest first round victory, while the other three films were involved in tight matchups that came down to the final minutes.

Of course, when seedings are based solely on domestic box office totals, there was bound to be a few upsets.

Quite frankly, I expected there to be a few more upsets and was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of older films advance. Conversely, I was somewhat surprised to see 12 of the 22 Best Picture winners since the year 2000 find their way forward. Even more might have had advanced, too, if not for first-round matchups that pitted them against other films from the 2000s.

Still, it was the four 11-seeds that hold the focus for now. Parasite won Best Picture at the 2020 ceremony and won three other Oscars that year. The French Connection, the 1972 winner, took home a grand total of five Oscars while Gandhi (1983) and Amadeus (1985) each won eight Oscars.

It's entirely possibly each of these films finds a way to keep advancing, with more upsets likely on the horizon as we move into round of 32 voting....now. 

Red Carpet region

Top-seed Titanic had a closer-than-expected first-round matchup but pulled through in the end. However, it could meet their match against No Country for Old Men. The region's 9-seed won with 100 percent of the votes. Much like the 11-seeds, all four 9-seeds advanced to the round of 32.

1) Titanic (1998)9) No Country for Old Men (2008)5) Silence of the Lambs (1992)4) Platoon (1987)11) Parasite (2020)3) The Sound of Music (1966)7) Million Dollar Baby (2005)2) Dances with Wolves (1991)

Glamour region

The top seed in this region, Gladiator, had a much easier time than Titanic, winning with 80 percent of the votes. Another notable in this region was the 9-seed Patton, which needed extra time in defeating the eighth-seed Ben Hur. 

1) Gladiator (2001)9) Patton (1971)5) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1976)4) The Departed (2007)11) The French Connection (1972)3) Bridge on the River Kwai (1958)7) Out of Africa (1986)2) Chicago (2003)

Gold region

The ninth-seed My Fair Lady said good-bye to The English Patient in first-round voting. Along with Gandhi, two other double-digit seeded film advancing, giving this region more upsets than the other three.

1) Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2004)9) My Fair Lady (1965)12) Godfather II (1975)4) Argo (2013)11) Gandhi (1983)3) The Sting (1974)10) 12 Years a Slave (2014)2) Rain Man (1989)

Glitz region

It appears this region could very well belong to The Godfather, though they have a very interesting matchup in the round of 32 against Rocky. If Francis Ford Coppola, Marlon Brando, and Al Pacino can get past Sly Stallone and company, it may very well be their bracket to win. And it was also a region that saw Moonlight join Amadeus from the double-digit seed department.

1) Forrest Gump (1995)9) The Shape of Water (2018)5) Rocky (1977)4) The Godfather (1973)11) Amadeus (1985)14) Moonlight (2017)7) Schindler's List (1994)2) A Beautiful Mind (2002)

Voting will take place on Twitter (@jasonrh_78) as we move to determine a winner prior to this year's Oscars ceremony on March 27. 

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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