I get the pleasure of collaborating with AZ, covering the greatest sporting event in the world. That's right, the Bass Master Tournament.
AZ was gracious enough to give my limited insight into the NCAA basketball tournament. He knows darn well he could have done a better job than I will. That's ok, because I shut him out in Tecmo Bowl.
If the South Region was in high school it would be voted "The Region MSU Most Wished it was in".
It is a rather weak region, with plenty of room for some upsets.
Ohio State has the obvious advantage. If they ever wanted to show that they can be the most dominant team in college basketball, all they would have to do is feed the ball to Greg Oden. In my opinion they do not do that nearly enough. You don't have to lay off of him, Thad. It is not like he is a freshman. He is 32 years old. OSU racks up two easy wins, with little to no effort.
The Elite Eight matchup will be very intriguing. It is going to be The Buckeyes taking on the Aggies. Sorry DJ, but Acie Law IV is going to be too hot to handle. He is ridiculously clutch. TAMU also has enough big guys to foul Oden. They play fast, with quick defense and are efficient on both ends of the floor.
Now before you get upset at my choice, consider this: A&M's last five out of their six losses were by a combined 10 points. These included opponents such as then #1 UCLA, #15 Texas, and pesky Texas Tech and Oklahoma State squads. They also Beat Texas and Kansas. Them are some good apples.
Louisville will beat Stanford. It will be close though. Brook Lopez and Anthony Goods are talented, but will fall short to a crafty set-play that Pitino's boys execute late. If you hate Louisville like me, you will feel better knowing that you will see Rick Pitino cry after they lose in the second round by at least 15.
On the upset watch are 10th seeded Creighton and 12th seeded Long Beach State. Yes, now I may be talking crazy. Whatever. Long Beach has the emotional edge. After a Big West Tournament title and an NCAA berth, it is still rumored that the 49ers coach will be dismissed after season end. Players never like that, and will play on an emotional high.
Virginia is quite possibly my least favorite 4 seed ever. We will have to wait until Ohio State dismantles them to restore order to the bracketological world. Sure, everyone loves solid guard play, but what happens when guard play stagnates and shots don't fall like they would in Charlottesville? That is what we will soon see.
That leaves the most un-intriguing matchup in the region. Xavier / BYU. Just typing that made me bored. If I have to pick, I would go Xavier. Some say they are the most overrated team in the tourney. I might agree. The Buccaneers will beat BYU though, because BYU is simply even more overrated.
In other news......Michigan State plays their first round matchup at 7:20 on Thursday. The scheduling gods love me!
P.S. * 2nd seeded Memphis was purposely left out of this discussion. I don't believe that a dirty and cheating program such as theirs deserves mention in such a classy and highly regarded blog.
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2 comments:
well done. i agree with all points. i like the aggies pick. i like that you don't waste time talking about cheaters. i also like that i'm home before noon and post call. word.
every team should want to be in the south region because it's so darn easy. i agree with you about memphis. i would have rather msu got the 10 seed in that region because we could have knocked off a 7 and the 2. msu has a tough road (i try to share andy's optimism, and i'll bring my positive energy, but to make a sweet 16 run we have very little room for error).
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