Time to get the sads for the cornucopia coming to a close.  Real life beckons soon, unless you have a six-shootin’ pistol and are ready to leave (h/t, Strumbellas):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpWpD8axxzA

#9(S) Kansas State (+1, -105) v. #8(S)Creighton (6:50, TNT)

Hey, you want anonymous?  This match will give you some anonymous.  I think Creigh-Creigh is better coached, and has showed some flashes of upside, so I gives ’em the slightest of edge.

#14(MW) Bucknell (+13.5, +750) v. #3(MW) Michigan State (7:10, CBS)

Ninja, please!

#16(W) Texas Southern (+19, N/A) v. #1(W) Xavier (7:20, TBS)

Mike Davis will find these Jesuits more like his first 13 foes than Wednesday night’s easygoing Central folk.  It will be a good tourney for the Queen City (garbage chili varietal).

#13(MW) College of Charleston (+10, +435) v. #4(MW) Auburn (7:27, truTV)

FUCK YOU, who said you can drop “College of” from your name?  NAWT Hippo.  Auburn is one of those nice “out of nowhere” stories that seems to be coming apart at the end.  Methinks they will sputter through one game, but Clemson will smack them good.  Over-popular upset pick here.

#16(S) Maryland-Baltimore County (+20, N/A) v. #1(S) Virginia (9:20, TNT)

DO NOT BET the dog here.  Wahoowa will be out to make a statement, and we shall see how Retrievers are at fetching they own jocks.

#11(MW) Syracuse (+5, +180) v. #6(MW) TCU (9:40, CBS)

Offer thine blood FOAR the Bloodeyes’ god, because with the Bonnies shitting the bed, it is up to L’Orange to carry on the tradition of at least one play-in piece of flotsam doing some damage.  And ain’t nobody (but Scotchy) got time for that.

#9(W) Florida State v. #8(W) Missouri (+2, +115) (9:50, TBS)

The Seminoles are the only favoured 9-seed, and I agree.  Much is made of Mizzou’s uber-hyped freshman coming back from injury for the tourney…but he still played in the SEC tournament loss to UGA, didn’t he?  Full health and chemistry remain open questions, plus FSU is just better and deeper.  Unless they are having one of their off nights – the reason they fell to such a low seed to begin with.

#12(MW) New Mexico State (+4.5, +170) v. #5(MW) Clemson (9:57, truTV)

Speaking of over-hyped upsets – everybody is aboard the “Clemson flops” train but me.  I see a legitimate Final Four contender.  Not that the Aggies aren’t a dangerous 12 seed – they most definitely are, but rather Clemson is a focused and dogged opponent, who gave UVA a real scare in the ACCT semis.