March Madness -- March 19, 2015

The AP/Bakken.com is reporting:

WILLISTON, N.D. — An international real estate company is pressing officials in North Dakota’s Williams County make a decision on approving a proposed $500 million development on the outskirts of Williston.

Swiss-based Stropiq has asked the Williams County Commission to force its planning and zoning committee to make a recommendation on Williston Crossing. The project would include 1 million square feet of space for retail, entertainment, office, hotel and housing development.

Developers have billed it as a regional destination with a water park and other attractions that would draw people from southern Canada, eastern Montana and surrounding areas in North Dakota.

“If the Williams County Commission ultimately denies this project, we have nothing further to discuss with retailers for the foreseeable future,” Olin said. “If the Commission approves the project, we will be able to move forward with them in May and invest in finding solutions to the structural issues raised. Therefore time is of the essence for us.”

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Ruined Brackets

And this is why it's called March Madness: at least 96% of all folks submitting brackets to Yahoo!Sports are now "out of it" -- at least as far as a perfect bracket is concerned: third-seeded Iowa State lost to 14-ranked University of Alabama-Birmingham.

For the few who might have had that right, surely they didn't luck out twice in a row: third-seeded Baylor lost to 14-ranked Georgia State.

And if that's not enough, 11th-ranked UCLA beat 6th ranked SMU -- and UCLA, according to the experts, shouldn't have even been in the tournament in the first place.

There are four regions: South, Midwest, East, and West.

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The President' Bracketology

Link here. 

SOUTH: Iowa State's loss ruined President Obama's entire South region.  He also got UCLA-SMU wrong. The South was a wipe-out.

WEST: Baylor, upset by Georgia State, also completely ruined President Obama's entire West region.

MIDWEST: inexplicably, the president went with Texas (#11) which was soundly beat by #6 Butler, screwing up his Midwest bracket.

EAST: most yet to be played; the president looks vulnerable here, also.

And this is just the first round.

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A Texas Bust

I could be wrong, but I think all five Texas teams lost in the first round: S. F. Austin (12), Texas Southern (15), Texas (11); Baylor (#3 - not supposed to have happened); and, SMU (#6 - a loss to UCLA -- definitely not supposed to have happened).