As most of the March Madness games have been this year, this game did not disappoint and congratulations to the Syracuse Orange! As the Syracuse Orange team packs their bags and heads off to the Final Four, let’s take a look at how these teams got here.

In this Regional Final, the Syracuse Orange took on the Marquette Golden Eagles from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC today. Marquette made its seventh trip to the elite Eight after having beaten Miami, 71-61, which Syracuse had made its ninth appearance after beating Indiana, 61-50.

Syracuse started 18-1 this season, then lost 7 of its last 12 regular season games, causing some to be very concerned around Orange Nation. Syracuse then ultimately advanced to the Big East Conference tournament title game, where they lost to Louisville.

The fourth seeded Orange then opened this NCAA tournament by hitting up Montana 81-34, then beat Cal 66-60. Thursday night the Orange knocked off top-seeded Indiana 61-50. Which although exciting for the team, may have destroyed many people brackets.

On the other side of this match-up Marquette won six of its last seven games to finish up the regular season, declaring a share of first place in the Big East Conference standings. Unfortunately, then the Eagles then lost their first game in the Big East Conference tournament to Notre Dame.

Coming off a week off, Marquette needed an immediate comeback to take out Davidson in its first game in the Big Dance 59-58. And then only a few days later the Eagles had to put up a tough 74-72 victory over Butler.

Thursday night Marquette jumped on the second-seeded Miami, having a 13-point lead at the half and coasting to a 71-61 victory that was nowhere near as close as that final score might indicate.

These teams met once earlier this season, back on Feb. 25, the Warriors coming away with a 74-71 victory in Milwaukee as two-point home dogs. Syracuse led for most of the first 30 minutes of that game, but Marquette went on a 19-4 run to take a lead, then iced the victory by going nine-for-12 from the line in the final minute and a half.

It’s time to celebrate as you see off your Syracuse Orange to the Final Four! What’s better than getting some great Syracuse Orange Final Four shirts, Syracuse Final Four hats, Syracuse Orange Final Four merchandise and tons of other March Madness apparel for all men, women and kids alike!

Here we sit, just a week or so away from the start of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and I don’t have a clue how to fill out my bracket. The #1 team in the country is Gonzaga? Sure, they have a solid program and they are the conference champions, but can the West Coast Conference champ make a deep run in the tournament? That’s something I’m wrestling with right now. On St. Patrick’s Day the NCAA selection show will reveal all 68 teams in the tournament, so come Monday you can start filling out your bracket. I’m here to give you some handy tips to help your cause (and chances of winning your bracket). I’m no bracketologist, but I’ve done a little research and come up with the following 5 nuggets to improve your chances:

1. No #16 seed has ever beaten a #1 seed. Don’t get cute and try to pick a #16 seed to beat a #1 seed.
2. 2008 was the only time all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Chances are they all won’t make it this year…
3. Only six times have two #1 seeds faced off for the championship. You can’t pick all “chalk” for your bracket. Upsets will happen.
4. Since the tournament went to the 64 team format, the #8 seeds have a losing record against #9 seeds (54-58). Don’t hesitate to pick at least two #9 seeds to upset #8 seeds.
5. The dangerous #5 vs. #12 matchup produces an upset roughly once every three games. Only twice in the last 23 years have all #5 seeds advanced to the round of 32. Make sure to pick a #12 seed this year.

Once the field is announced, make sure to hit our NCAA Tournament page for fresh tourney gear and everything you need to cheer on your favorite teams this March (and April).

Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide on becoming the 2013 BCS National Champions! This will definitely a game to remember, having Alabama beat the undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Many wouldn’t have predicted this the way the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have played all year long – but as most know in sports, anything can happen!

Some may wonder, what exactly is the BCS National Championship? Why are there so many bowls, and how does this game differentiate from the other countless ones that are played throughout the United States? All great questions!

Per the official website (bcsfootball.org) The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a five-game showcase of college football. It is designed to ensure that the two top-rated teams in the country meet in the national championship game, and to create exciting and competitive match ups among eight other highly regarded teams in four other bowl games.

This scoring process has been undeniably successful in achieving those goals. Thanks to the BCS, the top two teams have played each other 14 times in 14 years by BCS measurements and 11 times in the last 14 according to the AP poll — including the last eight years in a row. Additionally, it has provided more access to the major bowls for all eleven conferences, more television exposure, and more postseason revenue than ever before.

The five bowl games are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Discover Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl presented by VISIO, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Allstate BCS National Championship Game that is played at one of the bowl sites.

Here is what this years standings had looked like:

(click to enlarge)

As you can see, both Notre Dame and Alabama are the top teams with the most points – for this reason, they then competed against each other in the BCS National Championship to determine who is the better overall team.

With a little bit of background on how the whole process works, and after watching an amazing victory by Alabama, hopefully everything has come full circle in regards to the BCS Bowls. Now that you’re an expert on the games, it’s time to spruce up your wardrobe with your teams victory apparel! Check out our large assortment of Alabama Crimson Tide BCS National Champions gear, Bama BCS National Champs t-shirts, and even our collection of Crimson Tide BCS National Champs locker room hats. With the culmination of a great year in college football, only the future will know who will make it to the top again next year!

The 2013 Fiesta Bowl was one of the most anticipated BCS matchups this year due to the relative equality of, as well as, the mutual disappointment shared by the two teams. Both teams were known for scoring a lot of points, so many fans were excited about the potential for a high-scoring shootout. BCS bowl games have often been maligned for mismatches that can occur due to bowl tie-ins and selection shenanigans, but these two teams were once expected to play in the national championship—until a night of college football craziness changed everything.

Disappointment

The unpredictability of college football and the relatively small amount of regular season games are two of college football’s biggest draws, and November 17 provided two upsets of top 5 teams within minutes of each other. Fans of SEC teams still in the conference title hunt rejoiced, and pundits lamented the inevitability of yet another SEC representative in the title game. The two losses were not equal in quality; Kansas State got demolished by a Baylor team that finished the season 8-5, while Oregon lost to eventual Rose Bowl champion Stanford (which finished with a 12-2 season) by a field goal in overtime, costing them the Pac-12 championship.

Scoring Many Points

November 17 may have been a bad night for both teams, but the reason for both teams advancing this far was simple: both put up a ton of points. On average, both teams scored over 40 points a game while allowing other teams to score only about 20. Sometimes, reasons for winning and losing ballgames are complicated, but doubling up points on teams is a simple yet effective method of locking up a BCS bowl berth. Both teams were significantly better at rushing than passing; Oregon’s rushing attack was led by star back Kenjon Barner, who rushed for 1624 yards and 21 touchdowns on 248 attempts. Kansas State’s rushing yards came from junior back John Hubert and senior quarterback Collin Klein, both of whom rushed for nearly 900 yards.

Respectable Defenses

Neither of these teams—nor either of their conferences—was known for stout defense, yet Kansas State and Oregon ranked 24th and 26th nationally in terms of points allowed, respectively. Kansas State’s scoring defense was the best in the Big XII and 24th in the nation, while their rushing defense was 2nd in the Big XII and 17th in the nation. Oregon’s defense was the best in the nation in terms of interceptions, although their passing and rushing defenses were ranked 40th and 47th, respectively. Kansas State as a team has the best turnover margin in the country, although Oregon’s defense has an overall higher number of recorded interceptions.

Both teams were hoping to be spending part of this week in Miami, but the Fiesta Bowl was still an excellent consolation prize that pitted two top five ranked teams against one another. While each team might wonder what might have been, one team can celebrate what was..

That teams is the Oregon Ducks! With a commanding lead from the beginning, it’s no surprise that these Oregon Ducks have made it through to the end, becoming the 2013 Fiesta Bowl Champions. The best part about the Ducks winning, is that you the fan gets to celebrate as well. Time to stock up on your Oregon Ducks Fiesta Bowl Champs Gear, Ducks jerseys, Oregon Fiesta Bowl Champs hats, and even some great Oregon Ducks Fiesta Bowl Championship t-shirts. Once again, congratulations!