Mike Hlas

Hi, I'm Gazette/TheGazette.com sports columnist Mike Hlas. This is the Hlog. We will meet here, discuss things, and then go [...]
Updated: 16 April 2012 | 12:18 pm in Basketball, College and University, Hawkeye Basketball, Iowa Hawkeyes, Men's Basketball, Sports, The Hlog by Mike Hlas

Bad news, Iowa men’s basketball fans: You’re not going to the 2013 NCAA tourney

But Iowa State is headed back to the big tournament ... so says ESPN's bracketologist

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Hey, don’t shoot me. I’m only the messenger.

Joe Lunardi, who somehow created a profession called bracketologist, has his first 2013 NCAA tournament bracket posted for ESPN.com.

No Iowa.

Brackets. Get it?

But seven Big Ten teams are in the field of 68 according to Lunardi. They are: No. 1 seed Indiana, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 8 Minnesota and No. 11 Purdue.

Iowa State will make a second-straight trip to the Big Dance according Lunardi, as a No. 9 seed.

And get this: If the Cyclones beat Miami in the first round, they would play Louisville in the second round in … Lexington. Which would be a reversal of playing Kentucky in Louisville in the second round last month.

Remember, this stuff isn’t to be taken too seriously, seeing that every team in the nation has played zero games of their 2012-2013 schedules.

All I ask is that if I cover a team in the NCAAs next March, please let it be at the Kansas City first-round site. Trying to get to San Jose or Salt Lake City on short notice is not fun.

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Bad news, Iowa men’s basketball fans: You’re not going to the 2013 NCAA tourney
  1. Avatar Image
    Mike Miller said: On April 16, 2012

    Well if that’s the case then why is everyone so excited about McCaffery’s progress? I mean, here we are all excited about being mentioned going to the NCAA’s and now ESPN’s guy says we can’t – and we all know that sports begin and end with ESPN.

    Oh well, what did they say about the Iowa women?

    • Avatar Image
      Mike Hlas said: On April 16, 2012

      It’s all silliness at this point, but I guess if it gets people talking I guess it’s a good use of bandwidth for their site. Maybe I should try that …

      Purdue isn’t an NCAA-caliber team next year, IMO. I don’t see Michigan State as a higher seed than Michigan, either, but we could spend all day picking this stuff apart.

  2. Avatar Image
    Paul Davis said: On April 17, 2012

    Mike, did you notice that the root word for Joe Lunardi’s name is the same as the root word for “lunatic”? Who is this jabroni? We have an incoming class that is better than any we have had in years, some talented returnees, and the whole program is up in the air. The Hawks could go 23-7, 20-10, 18-12 or 12-18, depending on injuries or academics or sheer luck in the actual games. Yeah. Those. We still have to play them. Radical idea, huh?

    So why is Joe Lunaticardi making predictions anyway, especially this early. Bandwidth, indeed!

  3. Avatar Image
    Mike Hlas said: On April 17, 2012

    I’m going into bracketology myself next season. In my preseason brackets, I have everyone tied for a No. 1 seed. It’s up to the teams to sort it out after that.

    • Avatar Image
      Mike Miller said: On April 17, 2012

      Mike:

      Is that a work-at-home job that I read about in my email? The one where I can make $7,361 or more per month and quit my “regular” job? If so, maybe we should form a partnership, set up “satellite” offices, and really take this Lunardi guy OUT!

      What say you?


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