We hesitate to call this a “liveblog”, since that seems to be all the rage and we’re tragically unhip. But we’re all watching these games, we’re all eatin’ some snacks and drinkin’ some drank, and we all have opinions. So let this post (and those that follow) be your virtual coach, and let the comment board be your virtual way to tell us that we’re idiots. We wouldn’t want it any other way. Oh, and don’t forget your old friend March Madness on Demand - we’re relying on it to get us through the one class we’re thinking about going to today.

Just Alt-Tab through, and you’ll be fine.

12:15 - Let’s get this started - today’s early games:

MIDWEST: (1) Kansas vs. (16) Portland State
SOUTH: (5) Michigan State vs. (12) Temple
WEST: (3) Xavier vs. (14) Geogia

12:25 - C.J. Anderson took an elbow to the head on a rebound, and looks dinged up. Ugh. Also, I’m really not sure why, but a hot dog stand was just mentioned. Come to think of it, I would like a hot dog.

12:30 - We tried to find a nice way to say this, but this game is ugly as crap right now. Xavier looks like a talented but overexcited team that will be fine when it calms down. Georgia looks like a team that needed to win its major conference tournament to get a #14 seed.

12:35 - Our coverage switched over to the MSU-Temple game, and we just saw the single worst travel in we’ve ever witnessed. Raymar Morgan walked from outside the three point arc for a layup. He didn’t even bother with the typical “Whhhhaaatt?” look after the whistle blew. Wow.

12:55 - Just got back online after switching locations (we’re not sure why we went to class either) - and Georgia is winning? What? We timed our departure specifically for when you were supposed to go on a late first half run to seal your victory, Xavier. Way to let us down.

1:00 - We’re already regretting coming to class. We’re hungry, our head hurts from last night, the professor just looked at us with a stare that said that our asses are getting called on, and worst of all, MMOD is jamming up to give us nothing more than a slideshow of stills from the XU-UGA game. Goddammit.

1:05 - UGA is now up by seven, and XU can’t make as hot to save their lives. Meanwhile, a wrestling match just broke out when Stanley Burrell of the Musketeers tried to go all Xenia Onatopp in an attempt to strip Sundaita Gaines of the Bulldogs. (That sentence had more layers than we imagined when we typed it, but … sure, why not?)

1:10 - Checking in on the other games - Kansas takes a 23 point lead into the half against Portland State. Yawn. (But if you aren’t cheering for the #16 seeds, please sit on something sharp. I don’t care if you went to KU, UM, UCLA or UNC. A #16 beating a #1 is awesome. We’ve watched maybe two women’s basketball games on TV in our life, and one of them was the #16 Harvard upset of #1 Stanford, and even THAT was awesome. If a #16 over #1 upset can make women’s basketball interesting, what can you imagine it would do today or tomorrow?)

1:20 - As the first half of the Michigan State-Temple game slides towards halftime, we’re just bored enough to click the Boss Button. For the uninitiated, the Boss Button made its first appearance two years ago as the lamest feature of MMOD. This year’s is no different - a spreadsheet charting junk food consumption. If you know anyone who actually uses this feature instead of switching windows, please punch them as hard as you can.

1:25 - Halftime for all three games, and none are terribly close. Georgia holds a nine (!!) point lead over Xavier; same for MSU over Temple. Not a good start to the tournament for the A-10.

1:30 - XU-UGA comes back from the half. We’re looking at the first half stats, and UGA’s luck continues to run. 55% shooting in the first half? 50% from behind the arc? Xavier can’t hit the broad side of a barn? We’re not feeling very good about our tournament pool already.

1:40 - And now the lead is 11. We’re BOLTING home to watch the end of this, because MMOD is driving us bonkers.

1:50 - Update from the other games - MSU is pulling away from Temple (lead is now 16); Kansas is letting Portland keep it respectable - their lead holds steady at 25, even though their starters are still on the floor.

1:55 - [beep]. [BEEP]. [BEEEEEEEEEEP]. That was Xavier’s alarm going off, only six hours late. Georgia’s lead is down to four points, just in time for me to head home to watch the last of the game.

2:15 - Xavier 56, Georgia 51 - that’s more like it. I wouldn’t mind if the Bulldogs hung around though - one of these games should be interesting, and right now the other two games are blowouts.

2:25 - Dammit. Just realized I left my power cord at school. And that I have a softball game at 3:30. That’s going to make doing the next set of games more difficult than expected. (Sorry for the stream of conscious - this is what happens when we go to bed at 4am.)

2:30 - “They think this is a fight!” Georgia won’t go away - Gaines and Bliss, their two seniors, are putting up a hell of a fight to keep this close. Down 5 with a little over 70 ticks to go, a 3-pointer rattled out for the Dawgs … but XU fouled under the hoop. Stay tuned.

2:35 - And a missed free throw, a blown rebound, and a foul at the other end later, and this game is effectively over.

2:40 - And now it’s official - Xavier 73, Georgia 61. The other two earl games also just went final - MSU by 13 over Temple, and Kansas by 24 over Portland State. That’s it for this time slot … see our next post for the late afternoon games.