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.

2:40 - And now, for the late afternoon games:

SOUTH: (6) Marquette vs. (11) Kentucky
SOUTH: (4) Pittsburgh vs. (13) Oral Roberts
WEST: (6) Purdue vs. (11) Baylor
MIDWEST: (8) UNLV vs. (9) Kent State

As a warning, there will be a gap in this blog - I forgot two things: my computer is dying, and I have a softball game at 3:30. So we’ll all float on anyway …

2:45 - Odd fact Connor Carter Blackwood just mentioned - Kentucky and Marquette have played more tournament games against each other (10) than any other pair of teams. Huh.

3:05 - I want to write more about what’s happening in the UK-MU game, but neither team seems to want to score. Literally. Kentucky hasn’t scored a field goal in ten minutes, but Marquette only has a five point lead because they can’t score either. The announcers seem to believe that this is because Kentucky is unlucky on offense but solid on defense - watching it, I think it’s that neither team can execute on offense.

4:45 - OK, we’re back with a power cord in hand and a 11-4 loss of our own under the belt. (Your humble scribe enjoys softball, but he and his friends aren’t any good at it.) Let’s do quick catchup on where we stand:

SOUTH: (6) Marquette 74, (11) Kentucky 66 - The first half of this game was some of the least inspiring offense we’ve seen - which doesn’t surprise us with Marquette (we’ve watched a number of their games, and they can’t score). We can’t see them winning another game - they lack the extra level you need in the tournament.

As for UK, I don’t undervalue their injuries - missing Patrick Patterson clearly hurts them - but that’s why, in part, I thought they shouldn’t be dancing. And now, they aren’t. That’s the best thing about the tournament - we can debate for four days who should be in and who shouldn’t, but ultimately things get decided on the court. And the court decided I was right. QEDMF.

The other games are still in play, but in letter and not in spirit. Purdue has an big lead on Baylor, and UNLV and Pitt are mere minutes away from polishing off Kent and Oral.

5:10 - Reported blow outs ended as such - big wins for the Boilermakers, the Runnin’ Rebels, and the Panthers. Also, if anyone else was watching the game - were the fans at the Verizon Center really doing a “Let’s Go Hoyas” chant? I mean, that’s admirable - but they do know that Georgetown’s playing in Raleigh, right?

5:20 - And now comes the part of Day 1 that we abso-fucking-lutely hate - when CBS takes a break in its coverage for local news. It would be one thing if there were no games on, but Nerd Fight 2008 (aka Cornell v. Stanford) tipped off ten minutes ago. Hey, CBS - if I could have rescheduled my game to this time block, I would have. But really? More people want to watch shitty local news than a basketball game? Really? Show me numbers.

5:35 - Jesus, a guy can’t take a piss around here. I went to the bathroom with Stanford up 15-12. Now it’s 22-12, and the Lopez brothers are making jokes with one another on the court. Something tells me this isn’t going to be close.

6:45 - Well, that prediction was correct. It’s 68-39 with six minutes to go, and I can’t bother to pay attention to the updates. Absolute beat down. We’re done for the day - look for the evening post.