North Carolina Comparisons

Tyler Hansbrough - vs. I couldn't really find someone Psycho-T looked like but I can tell you who dances on his level: Elaine Benes from Seinfeld. Tyler's dance vs. Elaine's dance. Close but no Cigar: Mark Madsen.

Ty Lawson - Ty is the College Version of the road runner


Danny Green - looks like his teamate last year Brandan Wright

Deon Thompson - Looks like Lawrence Fishburne

Quentin Thomas- Looks exactly like that plays a coach at the end of the new NCAA student athlete commercials (No picture available at this point).

Wayne Ellington and Alex Stepheson I couldn't think of adequate comparisons for so I won't make an attempt. If you have any post a comment and I'll update it.

Xavier and UNC to Elite 8

UNC - Washington St.
Well, Washington St. didnt show up to fulfill the upset special. In fact outside of Baynes they looked downright awful. It was close for the first 12 minutes and then UNC went on to roll. Wash St. is a poor man's Wisconsin it seemed. UNC has looked dominant throughout the tournament and are in for a bigger test than anything they have seen in the elite 8.

Xavier - West Virginia
The other game was much more exciting. Xavier was up 18 in the first half before West Virginia cut it to 7 by halftime. I still don't know how they did because both Joe Alexander (CDTN favorite) and Darris Nichols had two fouls and sat for the majority of the half. In the second half it seemed that it was West Virginia's game and just a matter of time before they got over the hump (taking the lead). Well, they took the lead with about 5 minutes left in the game and without senior leadership from Josh Duncan I don't think this game gets to overtime. In the final minute Xavier was up 2 but couldn't get a good possession up so West Virginia had a chance to tie or take the lead. They dumped it down to Alexander and he hit a tough bank shot and got fouled in doing so. He missed the free throw and Drew Lavender's last second attempt was off the mark so they went to overtime.

On an aside, it was a pleasure to have Bill Raftery calling this game. It was obvious he has called scores of games this season and knew about every player on both teams. He even made the calls of the players names before Lundquist (the set PxP guy) on many plays.

In overtime it was a game of who can keep their guys in for longer. C.J. Anderson and Derek Brown both fouled out for Xavier and it seemed that West Virginia was winning that battle until down low Josh Duncan got bumped by Alexander which sent Alexander out with his 5th personal. Great job by Duncan playing with fouls and still remaining aggressive. He had picked up his 4th with 12 minutes to go in regulation yet he remained on the floor and a factor for the entirety. West Virginia got up 4 with two minutes left in this one and it seemed that even without their leader Alexander they were getting enough from contributors Alex Ruoff and Joe Mazzula to hold on. Then after Duncan went 1/2 from the line and Xavier got a stop on D, Drew Lavender hit a 3 to tie the game up. It was a big shot for Lavender who was virtually silent for the entire game. West Virginia answered with a 2 and then B.J. Raymond decided he was ready to join the game. He received the ball at the top of the key and despite not scoring yet in the game he let it fly- wet. Xavier was up 1 and got another stop. Xavier had possession and Wellington Smith punched Drew Lavender's shot out of bounds with 2 seconds left on the shot clock. On the inbounds play West Virginia misscomunicated and left Raymond open on the opposite side of the court as the ball. Stanley Burrell bounced it over to him and he cocked back and hit the biggest shot of his life. It was the dagger in West Virginia's spine and it was just a matter of free throws and clock running out before it was final. Xavier had avenged last year's tough loss to Ohio State and are now one win away from the final four.

Upset Special

Tonight the upset special is Washington St over Carolina. This incredibly overhyped Carolina team is going to encounter Defense and a lot of it. Even though the game is in Charlotte I am picking the Cougers. Hey, both of UNC's losses have been at home this year. Kyle Weaver and D-Low need to be hitting shots for the Cougers for this to happen but with both as seniors I expect that to happen. Oh, it would also put me back into contention in all my brackets so lets hope for the Cougers tonight. Cmon Tony Bennett dont fail me now.

Powerade Jamfest Preview

Tonight the best part of the McDonald's All American Game occurs. The game in itself is nice but is just like any other all star game. Hardly anyone remembers who won the all star game but everyone remembers the dunk and three point contests. Like James White (still don't know why he wasn't in the NBA version this year) or B-Easy last year someone new will give us a taste of overathleticism we aren't used too.

The Three Point Contest contestants are:
Luke Babbit
Willie Warren
Samardo Samuels
Ed Davis
Tyreke Evans
Sylven Landesberg
Mike Rosario
Larry Drew

Of this group my favorite to win it is Mike Rosario. I think the championship will be Rosario vs. Luke Babbit and Rosario will win in the end. On a sidenote it is very interesting that Sylven is out in Milwaukee this week because his season is still happening with Holy Cross HS. His team will play this weekend and NYS bended the rules for him because it was such a acheivement to make the McDonald's game. Also about this competition Samardo will surprise me mightily if he doesn't finish in last. Samardo will be a top 5 center in college basketball next year at Louisville.

The Dunk Contest (the more exciting competition) contestants are:
the rest
Scotty Hopson
Brandon Jennings
Elliot Williams
Iman Shumpert
and the real contestants
Demar DeRozan (right)
Al-Farouq Aminu (left)

this competition will come down to just DeRozan v Aminu. These two athletes are two of the most electrifying players to come out of high school in a while. This is a dunk contest I am really looking forward to. Also it may be looked at as a copout for someone athletic like Tyreke Evans to not participate in the dunk contest.

Round 2 Recap

East Region
There were three blowouts and one close overtime thriller in this region.
-UNC ran past Arkansas very quickly, jumping out to a 35-11 lead after only 11 minutes. Wayne Ellington lead the way with 20, followed by Ty Lawson with 19 and 7 assists. Tyler had 17 and 10 rebounds. UNC looked very good in this one, but lets not forget that it was basically a home game for them, since 90% of the fans there were in Carolina Blue. UNC won 108-77.
-Washington St dominated Notre Dame in this regions 5-4 seeds matchup. The story in this one was Tony Bennett’s team’s defense. Notre Dame shot only 24% from the field and 17% from the 3 Point line. Luke Harangody had 10 points and 22 rebounds, but shot only 3-17 from the field. Washington St jumped out to a 13 point halftime lead and never looked back. They won 61-41.
- Louisville killed Oklahoma on Sunday, proving to everyone that Oklahoma’s #6 seed was completely absurd. They were a 9 seed at best. Just one of many mistakes the committee made this year. Louisville dominated this game in every facet, and their 2-2-1 press really got to the Oklahoma guards. They won 78-48. Watch out, Louisville is clicking and is one of the most dangerous teams in the remaining 16.
-Tennessee beat Butler yesterday, but needed overtime to do so. I watched this game and was rooting hard for Butler. They trailed by 6 or 8 for most of the game but came storming back late in the 2nd half. They forced overtime thanks to some clutch free throw shooting by AJ Graves and his tremendous defense on Chris Lofton (9 pts). What made the difference, though, was Butler could not get sharpshooter Pete Campbell any open looks in the last 15 minutes. Tennessee played a very sloppy game (20 turnovers) and did not look great in the 2nd half. One bright spot for them was the play of Wayne Chism, who was unstoppable late in the game (16 pts).


Midwest Region
With two double digit seeds headed into the sweet 16, the Midwest Region has surely busted a few brackets already.
-Kansas handled UNLV pretty easily, winning 75-56. They had very balanced scoring as usual, and shut down everyone on UNLV except Wink Adams, who had 25 pts and was 15-17 from the foul line. UNLV only shot 27% as a team, and was 5-22 on threes. That won’t cut it against a 1 seed.
-Villanova handled Siena pretty easily behind Scottie Reynolds’ 25 point, 8 rebound, 5 assist performance. I said it on Selection Sunday, and I stand by my point now. Villanova should not be in the tournament. They didn’t play anyone out of conference, went 3-6 against the top half of the Big East, and lost to teams like NC St, Rutgers, Depaul, St Johns, and Cincinnati. To me, Arizona St was far more worthy. Anyway, this wasn’t much of a game. Villanova sliced through Siena’s defense and shot 54% from the floor.
-Wisconsin cruised past Kansas St 72-55. Wisconsin is the most underrated team in the country, period. All they do is win. Since December 8th, they’re 25-2. 25-0 against teams not named Purdue. They did a great job frustrating Mike Beasley the entire game and got Bill Walker to foul out. One key stat from this game: Kansas St. was 0-13 on three pointers.
-Davidson has been the best story of the tournament so far. A school of 1,500 students with the son of a former NBA player as its star, the Wildcats have defeated two national powerhouses in three days. Davidson was down 16 with 15 minutes left. Once again, I think Georgetown was a little overrated this year. They had a lot of good players, but no very good players. Jeff Green was their star last year, and without him they had no go to scorer. For all of you that took Stephen Curry in your drafts, nice work. He’s put up 70 in two games.




South Region
This was the region with the best games. All four of them came down to the wire.
-Memphis barely got by Mississippi St, 77-74. In the process many of Memphis’ weaknesses were exposed. They are only 7 deep, and of those 7, three had at least four fouls. They have issues with free throws (47% yesterday). This was a great game because Mississippi St played a remarkably clean game (8 turnovers, 43% shooting). Calipari had to sweat this one out since Dorsey, Dozier, and Taggart each had four fouls with 14 minutes left. Derrick Rose showed great maturity (17 pts, 9 rebs, 7 assts).
-Michigan St outlasted Pittsburgh, 65-54, behind a great game from Drew Neitzel. He had 21, and was 5-8 from behind the arc. Michigan St did a great job of pushing the ball with Kalin Lucas, Neitzel, and Travis Walton. When they get out in transition, they are tough to stop. In the halfcourt, they can be stopped. Outside of Levance Fields, Pitt shot 27%.
-Brook Lopez’s shot from behind the backboard was enough to beat Marquette 82-81. He hit it with 1.3 seconds left to give Stanford the lead. Coach Trent Johnson was ejected right before halftime, but Assistant Doug Oliver came up with a great game plan for the remainder of the game (get Brook the ball every possession). The Lopez brothers combined for 48 and were too much for Marquette’s frontcourt, especially after Lazar Hayward fouled out.
-The score of the Texas-Miami game doesn’t indicate the true story. Texas led by 12-15 for most of the game until the final two minutes. In fact Texas led by ten with two minutes left. Some threes began to drop for the Canes and that is why it seems so close. Some late free throws were needed to put them away. One interesting storyline is that Frank Haith used to be Rick Barnes’ assistant at Texas, and he considers Barnes a father figure.




West Region
This was another region filled with great second round games. All four were pretty tight.
-UCLA trailed Texas A&M for most of the game, until their defense buckled down in the second half. They held A&M to 20 points, 5 in the last ten minutes. Darren Collison and Kevin Love combined for forty, but they needed a driving layup from Collison with 9.5 seconds left to take their first lead of the second half. Josh Shipp and Russell Westbrook only combined for 5 points.
-Western Kentucky defeated San Diego to move on to the Sweet 16. Courtney Lee had 29 (he clearly tried in this game) and Tyrone Brazelton chipped in with 15. The final score was 62-53. Look for Western Kentucky to give UCLA a game, especially if Courtney Lee (an NBA prospect) can play as well as he did against USD.
-Xavier knocked off Purdue behind Drew Lavender’s 18 pts and 9 assts. It was Lavender’s clutch free throw shooting at the end that made the difference (8-8). If you haven’t seen Xavier play, they are an incredibly balanced team that plays suffocating defense. I’m calling it now. Purdue will be in the 2009 final four. They return everyone.
-West Virginia defeated Duke 73-67 on Saturday. Duke’s 8 McDonald’s All Americans couldn’t do much against Joe Alexander and company. Duke’s downfall was not having a single post presence. If you’re only going to shoot 23% on threes, you need someone to get you points in the paint. Joe Alexander dominated in that aspect with 22 pts and 11 rebs. Duke has been awful in the tournament the last three years (since Paulus got there). Once again Greg Paulus chokes by letting the opponent’s average point guard look like Jason Kidd in the tournament. Remember Eric Maynor last year? Well Joe Mazulla had 13 pts 11 rebs 8 assts. And how about Demarcus Nelson’s “senior leadership” in the tournament? He was 3-18 from the field with 8 points.

Credit Bo Ryan

Class of 2002

Jason Chappell- 6’10 PF New Berlin WI

Alando Tucker- 6’5 SG Lockport IL

Ray Nixon- 6’7 PF Whitefish Bay, WI

Maurice Wade- 6’3 SG Milwaukee WI

Class of 2003

Brian Butch- 7’ 215 lbs.C Appleton, WI 5 Stars

Zach Morley- 6’8 PF Maryville MO 3 Stars

Kammron Taylor- 6’2 158 lbs. Minneapolis MN 3 Stars

Class of 2004

Sharif Chambliss- 6’1 PG Racine WI 2 Stars

Michael Flowers- 6’2 SG Madison WI 3 Stars

Greg Stiemsma- 6’11 225 Randolph WI 4 Stars

DeAaron Williams- 6’4 SF Bartonville IL 3 Stars

Class of 2005

Joe Krabbenhoft- 6’7 SF Sioux Falls SD 5 stars

Marcus Landry- 6’7 PF Milwaukee WI 3 Stars

Class of 2006

Jason Bohannon- 6’3 PG Marion IA 4 Stars

Trevon Hughes- 6’2 PG Delafield WI 4 Stars

J.P. Gavinski- 6’10 C Wisconsin Dells WI 3 stars

University of Wisconsin may be the most pure state university basketball team in the country. Nearly all the players in the program are from the state of Wisconsin, a true rarity in college sports today. Many of their stars are from their home state as well. On this year’s team Butch, Stiemsma, Landry, Flowers and Hughes are 5 of the 7 guys that play significant minutes. On North Carolina, not one of the players from the state of North Carolina sees a significant minute in most games (GravesMinnesota, Illinois (x2), South Dakota, Iowa are all real close to Madison and the furthest recruit is Zach Morley who came up from Missouri. To show the complete opposite extreme Duke (a team who has had less success then Wisconsin these past three years) doesn’t have one player from the state of North Carolina and has a greater connection to New Jersey (2 players), Oregon, Arkansas, California, Oregon, Colorado and Lithuania than the state of North Carolina. comes in for like 30 seconds-doesn’t count). Also the guys that come in from out of state aren’t being flown in cross-country they are from neighboring states.

Not only does Coach Ryan recruit unbelievably well in his home state, once he gets his players to Madison he makes them better. If you are asked which state is home to the best basketball in the country, Wisconsin isn’t even in your top 20. Yet using Wisconsin born players Coach Ryan consistently makes them a top 10 team in the country. Brian Butch for example came into campus as the most highly recruited player Wisconsin has had since 1993. He was a McDonald’s All-American yet he redshirted. He agreed with Coach Ryan that he wasn’t ready for the physicality of the Big 10 and gained 20 lbs. of muscle and is now the best player on a sweet sixteen team as a senior. Kam Taylor was said to be too skinny when he was recruited by Coach Ryan. He came to Madison as a 158 lb. scrawny point guard but left as the best point guard in the big 10 (did I mention he was 175 lbs. and physical). The best example is probably the bruiser on this year’s Wisconsin team Greg Stiemsma. Stiemsma was pretty highly viewed coming out of high school and was given 4 star status but was said to be to slow and not big enough to bruise down low in the big 10. Now he is the classification of bruiser. He has gained 35 lbs of muscle since entering Madison and outmuscled Kansas St. on Saturday for the win.

Maybe teams like North Carolina and Duke should stop going cross country looking for the next big star and instead start working on recruiting in their own backyards. They each missed on Stephen Curry (40 pts in the first round) and now he is starring at Davidson. They both missed on K.C. Rivers who was probably the best shooter in the ACC this year (Duke isn’t that what you pride yourselves on). They should learn from coaches like Bo Ryan who develops his talent and uses homegrown talent. People of Wisconsin can be proud of their team. They are a true state university team that represents the whole state. Congrats Bo, you built a winning program the fans can be proud of.

Year of the Big Man

For the last ten years or so it has been quite apparent that college basketball is guard-dominated. It has been about having perimeter players who can extend a defense with their ability to shoot and, just as importantly, about having guards who can drive and get to the rim or dish it to a teammate. This year, though, I have been astonished by the unmistakeable reestablishment of the low post player, better known to casual basketball fans as the "big man."

Today specifically, the third day of the tournament and first day of the second round, the dominance of low post play, as opposed to perimeter play, has been evident. I have just watched Stanford feed the ball into Brook (not to be confused with twin Robin) Lopez virtually every possession for the last five minutes. Brook finished off the game with 30 points, including the game winning basket with 1.3 seconds left. He was unstoppable. The next game in Anaheim, UCLA vs Texas A&M, Kevin Love had a similar impact. In three of the key possessions in the final three minutes, Love (a 6-10 freshman center) got the ball on the block and scored each time to give UCLA the win.

If you look across the country, this has been an enormous year for power forwards and centers everywhere. Michael Beasley at Kansas State averaged 26.5 points and 12.5 rebounds en route to becoming the consensus best player in college basketball. Tyler Hansbrough will win the National POY and willed UNC to the overall number one seed. Luke Harangody had a fantastic season at Notre Dame (22 points 10 rebounds per) and won Big East POY. DJ White came back for his senior season and had quite a year at Indiana.

Ok, the college game is still heavily guard-oriented, but at least this year the big men were shown some "Love" (no pun intended). I have seen more so this year than any other year a team dump it down to their low post presence during an important possession. This was personified in the Stanford-Marquette game today. Marquette plays three guards at all time. Stanford starts two seven foot centers. In the last ten minutes of the game each team did what they do best. Marquettte had their guards handle the ball and create shots, while Stanford dumped it down to Brook every possession and ran their offense through him. Needless to say, Stanford won.

So there is hope for all you young centers out there. Instead of stepping out to the 3 point line and jacking up low percentage shots, get down to the block. Find a move and a counter. Judging by the change in play this year, there will be plenty of chances for you to touch the rock near the basket. Just look at Kevin Love or Brook Lopez.

Round 1 Recap

I will recap each game and team by region

Raleigh- UNC waltzed over Mt. St. Mary’s but I respect what the Mount tried to come in and do. They didn’t try to slow it down and get into a terrible 30 point blowout but they played up and down like they were used to. Only problem is they were playing a team much better than them at it.

Arkansas beat Indiana by 14 in a game that should’ve come down to the end. Note Dan Dakich got a technical foul within the first five minutes of the game (he is just such an idiot). Eric Gordon never showed up and Sonny Weems played one of his better games. Sad way for D.J. White to go out but Arkansas deserved this game.

Georgetown beat UMBC after UMBC played with them for a most of the first half. Georgetown vs Wisconsin in the sweet sixteen would be a great game to watch as its two teams that play similar styles going at it against each other.

One of my biggest gripes with the tourney committee is that if you’re a lower seed you should be able to play at home. Also they should take the local times of the schools into account. Neither happened for Gonzaga who were a 7 seed playing at Davidson and at 9:30 A.M. on their mental clocks. I like Davidson but outside of Stephen Curry shooting and Jason Richards all around game they have no one.

My Picks in Region: 3-1 went with Gonzaga

Next Round Prediction: UNC over Arkansas, and GTown over Davidson on the road.

Denver- In what was supposed to be a great night session game Gus Johnson and the rest of America got jipped as Notre Dame just blew out George Mason. It was never a ball game. Everyone looked on for Notre Dame and they were shooting well which is a good sign for them as they play…

Washington St. who beat Winthrop on defense alone. At halftime they were tied 29 all and I was worried if Winthrop had enough to hold on and win at the end. I was fooled Washington St. decided to start trying on defense and was up 51-33 before I knew. It was never a game after that.

Michigan St. never really relinquished their mid-teens lock on the game and cruised to beat Temple. Setting up a big time meet in the second Round against

Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh beat Oral Roberts in a game which had a playground feel. If Levance and Ramon are playing well this is a tough team.

My Picks: 4-0

Next Round: Wash St. over Notre Dame and Pitt over Mich St.

Birmingham- Butler had the biggest margin of victory in their contest. They also have reason to be mad at the committee first of all they were the #10 ranked team in the country but only got a 7 seed. Secondly they had to go to play South Alabama in where else Alabama. They vented their frustration and beat the team handily. They now play…

Tennessee. Tennessee had plenty of trouble with my Sweet 16 ’09 pick American http://cuttingdownthenets.blogspot.com/2008/03/team-capsules-part-7.html. Garrison Carr lit them up and it took them until 5 minutes left in the second half to pull away. They won that game on shear athleticism if they don’t start to click Butler will pull the upset.

Louisville played another of those teen fests in their victory over Boise St. Louisville, my championship loser, needs to assert their power and step on team’s throats early like they did here.

Oklahoma held on to win against the trendy pick in St. Joe’s. Blake Griffin tried, if I had known he would Oklahoma would’ve been my pick.

My picks: 3-1 lost on St. Joes

Next Round: Tennessee over Butler (real close) and Louisville over Oklahoma

Omaha- And the winner for the easiest road to the final four is…Kansas. Kansas ran over Portland St.(the best 16 seed who should’ve gotten a 14) and has their offense clicking. On their way to the elite 8 they wont play a team seeded better than 9^th. In the second round they play…

UNLV. UNLV kills me every year and next year I am taking them 1 and done no matter what (worked for me so far this year with Marquette). Kent St. a team I had been hyping just shit the bed. It was a bad day for MAC hoops.

Kansas St. and “Crazy Eyez” Frank Martin won the battle of “How did I get this job” over Tim Floyd and USC. It was the only real upset of day 1 of the tournament and that made me worried this year wouldn’t be very exciting. I was wrong.

Wisconsin held on to beat Cal State Fullerton. Fullerton had a high powered offense and were in the game for most of it. Wisconsin doesn’t really blow teams out and needs to play in the half court which can scare you. They also don’t shoot well but play unbelievable defense.

My picks: 3-1 (damn UNLV)

Next Round: Kansas over UNLV and Wisconsin over K. St.

Tampa- The craziest region was Tampa. I’ll put it this way, minus this region I am a very happy bracketeer. I would be near the top of the pack and would think I had a legitimate shot at winning. Then Tampa happened. I went 0-4 in the region and knocked out 2 of my sweet 16 teams and one elite 8 team. OUCH.

In the first game of the region Drake and Western Kentucky played an epic battle that Western Kentucky won on a game winning three as time expired in overtime. It was demoralizing at the time but if I lose on that I’ll take it. It was a pretty evenly matched game and to win 101-99 on a 30 foot three is great.

In the second game I was made happier because since I had Drake in the sweet 16 I was kicking myself for not taking UCONN there instead. Well, luckily UCONN lost to San Diego on another last second shot in overtime. So now its Western Kentucky vs. San Diego 12 vs 13.

In the South Region, Siena (the ultimate trendy pick started by Seth Davis as the brackets were released) put a beatdown on Vanderbilt. Vandy shouldn’t be allowed to play in their home gym. That gym is the ultimate home court advantage and without it they would lose many more games.

The game that makes me the maddest of the entire first round is Clemson vs. Villanova. Clemson was up 39-21 near the end of the first half then couldn’t buy a basket. Villanova won at the end even after Jay Wright had a technical within the final three minutes of a close game. This game makes me mad because Clemson is the better team. They were the right pick in every sense yet the idiots who say “oh, a 12-5 has to happen so I’ll take Villanova” get to show off about their great picking practices for this one. Makes me sick.

My Picks: 0-4 Region of Death

Next Round: San Diego over WKU and Siena over Nova (please)

Little Rock- Give Texas Arlington a lot of credit. Memphis can blow good teams out by 30 yet they stuck around and kept it within 12 for 32 minutes of the game. Each time I’d look up and think Memphis would pull away they didn’t. Memphis won the game by around twenty but they had more of a test than any other 1 seed this year. They move on to face…

My Mississippi St. Bulldogs. I have adopted Mississippi St. as my all or nothing team this year. They must beat Memphis for me to have a chance. They did a nice job coming back and beating a very talented Oregon team last night. Charles Rhodes came up really clutch putting up 34 points while Jamont Gordon wasn’t playing well.

Texas cruised by the Governors of Austin Peay. Good start for Texas who now has Miami and then gets to play in Houston.

Miami beat St. Mary’s putting the icing on the cake for a bad mid-major year. I thought Kent St. was so good because they beat up on St. Mary’s on bracket buster Saturday but what really happened was two decent teams no good teams got overhyped and lost me two games in the tourney.

My Picks: 3-1 Miami isn’t good I thought

Next Round: Mississippi St over Memphis and Texas over Miami

Anaheim- Stanford rolled in the SAT bowl (glad that joke is over now). Cornell will be back next year though and the experience they gained here will be invaluable. I think they have a good shot at an upset next year. Stanford moves on to play…

Marquette. Marquette didn’t kill me this tournament (yet) like they always do. They beat Kentucky like they were supposed to and now have to play Stanford. Contrasting styles against one another. Stanford and their bigs vs. Marquette and their guards…Should be interesting.

UCLA rolled over Mississippi Valley St. to start off their NCAA championship run. The Delta Devils should’ve been in the play-in game.

Texas A&M beat BYU as Josh Carter went off from downtown. These are the games that frustrate me because I really believe that BYU is a better team than the poser A&M yet they don’t win.

My Picks: 3-1 BYU lost

Next Round: UCLA over A&M and Stanford over Marquette.

Washington D.C.- Starting out with the only non-exciting game of this region Purdue put a smack down on Baylor. I thought that Purdue was fading because they were so young and weren’t ready for the rigors of a college schedule…I was fooled.

Xavier beat Georgia on the legs of a great second half. Sundiatta Gaines killed them but once Xavier turned it on Georgia had no answer. I was nervous because I have Xavier in the elite 8 and they were looking rather shaky in the first half.

West Virginia and “Cutting down the Nets Favorite” Joe Alexander got past Arizona to a matchup which they can win against the Dukies. West Va. Can shoot threes too you know Coach K.

Belmont lost by 1 to those Dukies. I had been telling people that Belmont could win this game but I didn’t actually believe they would have an actual shot. They did and Duke barely held on. Great game and Belmont will get much more respect next year starting with a 14 seed maybe?

My picks: 3-1 (damn Baylor)

Next Round: Xavier and Duke

Team Capsules Part 19 (Last One)

Kentucky (18-12, 12-4) Billy Gillespie’s first year has been a rocky one. They got off to a 7-8 start, which is unacceptable in Lexington. Luckily, though, for Gillespie, freshman forward Patrick Patterson has picked up his game and brought this team to an impressive 12-4 conference record. They are matched up with Marquette in the first round, which will really put guards Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford to the test.

The Good: Kentucky could be facing a tougher matchup than Marquette. Marquette plays three outstanding guards at a time and fortunately for Kentucky, the Wildcats biggest strength is their defense in the backcourt. Guards Ramel Bradley and Jodie Meeks are tested. They’ll have to do a great job on ball screens, something coach Tom Crean loves to utilize. Bradley gambles a lot and gets almost 2 steals a game. He’ll need to stay cautious with his assignment on Dominic James.

The Bad: Patrick Patterson is out for the season. He carried them through several games in the SEC this season, but they will have to play without him. He suffered a stress fracture in his foot three weeks ago. Without Patterson, they have no inside presence. Both teams, Marquette and Kentucky, will be guard-oriented. Marquette’s guards are better.

The Verdict: I think Marquette should take this game. Kentucky has underachieved the entire season. Without their best player I don’t see much of a chance against a sound team in Marquette.




UNC (32-2, 14-2) The Tarheels have had one of the best seasons in UNC history. Of course, in Chapel Hill seasons are measured by how well you do in late March and early April. They finished the season ranked number one basically single handedly driven by the play of Tyler Hansbrough. When point guard Ty Lawson went down in the middle of the season, Tyler carried them through a very telling stretch. That is why he will be the National Player of the Year. UNC is one of the favorites entering the tournament, and this position is well warranted, but I am not completely sold on their odds heading into the dance.

The Good: They have the National Player of the Year. Tyler just plays harder than everyone else (how else can you explain 4 offensive rebounds a game?) Along with Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington has been consistent all year, and Danny Green can put up 20 any given night. Not to mention, a healthy Ty Lawson, which they haven’t had for most of the season. If you’re picking UNC to the final 4, you’re hoping Tyler dominates the offensive glass and Ty Lawson weaves in and out of defenses like he usually does. They have only lost two games all season and both were at home. Plus, they will not leave the state of NC until the final 4 if they get that far.

The Bad: This team is good defensively, not great. Tyler only has 11 blocks this season and isn’t a fantastic defensive rebounder. Everyone else is pretty good. They don’t have that one dominant defensive big man. This isn’t a deep team either. They go 8 deep, and basically only play 3 true guards.

The Verdict: It is really easy to pick this team to go to San Antonio. They won’t board a plane for another two weeks. They’ll have more fans at every game than any opponent. But, I’m taking Louisville out of the East. I think UNC’s poor defense during stretches will catch up to them. I have them going out in the elite 8.




Kansas (31-3, 13-3) The Jayhawks have been the most talented team in the country from the start of the season. They’ve got plenty of Mcdonald’s All Americans and are without a doubt the deepest team in the field. If it were based on pure talent alone, they’d be my pick hands down. But, Bill Self is a choker. Bucknell, Bradley, and UCLA have beaten Kansas the last 3 years. He has never been to a final four. He’s going to have to prove to me he can win on the biggest stage before I can take his team all the way.

The Good: If I were to list everything good about this team, it would be 2 pages long. They are so explosive and balanced, it’s scary. They have an amazing resume this year. They have 7 different players who could average 20 anywhere else. But they have each bought into the team philosophy. They shoot 40% from beyond the arc, which is remarkable. They are ranked 1 in Kenpom’s adjusted offense and defense rankings. I also think they have two of the more underrated players in the tournament in Mario Chalmers and Sasha Kaun. Chalmers can take over any game. He is phenomenal.

The Bad: Bill Self. The guy is a great recruiter, he just doesn’t win in the tournament. 3-3 over the last 3 years at Kansas is unacceptable. They have had enough talent to win it all each of the last 3 seasons. Until he proves to me he can out gameplan and outcoach a guy like Roy Williams or Rick Pitino, he still isn’t on their level to me.

The Verdict: This team will make the final 4. They are way too talented to not make it. In fact I have them going to the final, before losing to UCLA. If they make it that far, Self will win some respect in my book. Until then, he’s a great recruiter and not much else.

Team Capsules part 18

Miami (22-10, 8-8) The Canes were picked to finish last in the preseason ACC poll. After all, they only won twelve games last year. It only took them twelve games to win twelve this year. The only real impressive win out of the twelve was a win at Mississippi State. Since December 23rd they are only 10-10. They have taken advantage of a big down year in the ACC (Don’t give me the parity argument, they only got 4 teams in! enough said). In any other year, this team probably wouldn’t get in. But apparently in 2008, having one marquee win over Duke and another solid win over Clemson is enough to get in.

The Good: Jack McClinton is a PTP’er. I mean the guy hits threes left and right. Plus he’s got an attitude which I like (see both games against Duke). The ball will be in his hands at the end of the game and he’s a 91% free throw shooter. As a team they shoot 74% from the line, which is far better than most teams. Big men Anthony King and Dwayne Collins do the job down low, but could be better presences offensively. They’ve got four guys that can launch and that will help extend St. Mary’s defense, opening up the court for McClinton to penetrate. If they’re going to win McClinton’s gotta score 25.

The Bad: Outside of McClinton they don’t have any proven scoring threats. Guard James Dews is capable of giving you 15, but he’s also scored 2 in a loss to NC State this year. As a team they average more turnovers than assists, which is never a good sign. They rely a lot on offensive rebounds, which can plague them if St. Mary’s boxes out well.

The Verdict: I like St. Mary’s in this matchup. It is basically Patty Mills against Jack McClinton, because both teams rely so heavily on each of these two players. I’ll go with Patty because I think he has a better all around game. Also, Miami has struggled recently (they’re 8-9 in their last 17).




Texas A&M (24-10, 8-8) I saw them play at the Preseason NIT. I came away very, very impressed. Dominique Kirk played like a star on both ends, Joseph Jones looked dominant, and Deandre Jordan came off as a project, but a worthy one at that. Over the course of the season my impression of Texas A&M has shifted dramatically. They don’t play well together. Joseph Jones does not play to his potential. And their point guard by committee strategy with Donald Sloan and Kirk isn’t scaring many teams. Here’s an interesting stat for you. First year Coach Mark Turgeon has played 18 guys this season. Talk about finding different combinations for chemistry. It sure makes defensive slides easier in practice.

The Good: They started the season off 15-1 so you know there is potential there. They also have 6 talented, capable scorers. Most teams would like to have 2. This means that if any two of them have an off night, the other four can put up 60 by themselves. They are a pretty deep team and between Deandre Jordan and Joseph Jones they have a pretty formidable frontcourt. This team gets to the line a lot, a sign of an aggressive bunch. Carter can heat up quickly, he was a 50% 3 point shooter last year.

The Bad: They only make 63% of their free throws. They haven’t gelled as a team since December. They are only 9-9 since January 16, which is an issue of concern. In that span they have lost 5 by 15 or more.

The Verdict: I like BYU in the matchup. I don’t think Mark Turgeon has been able to figure out this group of guys all season. Now would be the time for senior Joseph Jones to pick it up (his ppg and rpg are the lowest of his career). I just don’t see A&M winning this game.



Kansas St (20-11, 10-6) Behind Michael “What study hall?” Beasley and Frank “Crazy Eyed” Martin Kansas St has had its best finish in the Big 12 ever. In fact, Beasley has put up more astounding numbers this year than POY Kevin Durant did last year (Beasley is averaging 26.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg). Martin, Beasley’s former AAU coach, was hired probably as a way to land B-Easy as Aaron refers to him. It has certainly paid off for Kansas State this year. They snapped Kansas’ 24 game winning streak over them with an exciting win in Manhattan (no not MSG, but Manhattan, Kansas).

The Good: They have maybe the best player in the tournament. Ok, they have the best player in the tournament, I said it. There aren’t many defenders in the country that can hold him to under 30 and 10. Beasley’s gonna get his. It’s just a matter of how many his teammates, specifically Bill Walker and Jacob Pullen, can put up. As a fan, you have to like Kansas State’s rebounding. They led the Big 12 in rebounds and offensive rebounds. And it’s not only Beasley that can hit the glass. Bill Walker brings down over 6 a game of his own. Beasley is great at getting opposing centers in foul trouble, which is bad news for USC’s Taj Gibson, who seemingly picks up two fouls on illegal screens a game. If you’re picking Kansas State, you’d better hope Bill Walker or Pullen has a nice game of their own. Chances are Bill Walker will, considering he’s playing against his old high school teammate OJ Mayo. Walker will definitely be giving Dominique Sutton, the team’s best perimeter defender some insight into how to guard Mayo all week during practice.

The Bad: The Wildcats are last in the Big 12 in both three point percentage (a measly 32%) and defensive three point percentage (over 36%). This does not bode well for Crazy Eyes since USC can make a living out there. If Mayo gets hot, look out. Also, they are 5-7 in their last 12. That is not good news for Wildcats believers.

The Verdict: I have gone back and forth in this game all week. I probably won’t have a decision on this until I hand in the bracket. Basically it comes down to who gets in foul trouble. If it’s Gibson, I like Kansas State. If it’s Beasley, I like USC. I think it’ll be Gibson. The pick is Kansas State.

Bracket Look

-The Kansas St.-USC matchup is being booked as a great matchup between Beasley and Mayo but there is a even better matchup going on in this game. It is the battle of "How Did I Get This Job" between "Crazy Eyez" Frank Martin and Tim "Wait is this really O.J. on the phone?" Floyd.

-I really hope Zoubek vs. Smalligan gets to happen. No need to explain this one.

-Battle of Bodymore- Who is the average Baltimore fan rooting for in Georgetown UMBC. Darryl Proctor who looks like he could be a corner boy, or DaJuan Summers who could easily pass for muscle.

-Upset Specials are Western Kentucky, St. Joes, if your feeling real risky Siena or San Diego, and Mississippi St over Memphis in round 2

-I wish the ESPN announcers would go out on more of a limb with picks Bob Knight was the only one to take real risk.

-I have a feeling many of the BYU players went there just because they knew they would have one day off a week.

-Until Bill Self can get his team to a final four I will always bring up Bradley and Bucknell. I would have loved to see the committee pair them with BYU in the second round or Belmont or Boise in the first.
-Name of the Tourney: Longar Longar probably

-Dunk of the Tourney: Probably Russell Westbrook in the first round.

-My Elite 8: UNC Ville Clemson Wisconsin Pitt Texas UCLA Xavier

Team Capsules Part 17

Pittsburgh-(26-9, 10-8) The Pittsburgh bandwagon has grown and grown over the past week. It has even gone so far that Bob Knight chose Pitt to win it all during ESPN Bracketology. Well I have been a Pitt fan since Brandin Knight and was very happy to see this squad win a Big East championship that has so eluded them for the past 4 years. Jamie Dixon took over for Ben Howland five years ago and this could be his best chance for tourney success yet (3-4) so far.

The Good: This team has leadership. Ronald Ramon, Keith Benjamin, Sam Young and Levance Fields are all leaders. This team has guys that can hit the big shot with the game on the line (Fields did it against Duke and Ramon did it against West Virginia). Up front they only are 6’6 and 6’7 but Sam Young and DeJuan Blair are as physical as anyone and will outbruise and outwill other bigs. Sam Young was their leading scorer this year and scored a quiet 18 ppg to me. He willed them through the Big East tournament almost singlehandedly at some points. Also with Levance Fields healthy they are a much better and different team than with him on the sidelines. With the 10^th best offense in the country they know their points will come. And with their bruising Big East style that they are famous for they will outpower Oral Roberts easily. The key to them advancing far will rest heavily on freshman DeJuan Blair’s shoulders. Blair is the first player on Pitt from Pittsburgh in nearly 20 years and has exceeded any expectations out of him. When Pitt outrebounded their competition in regular season play they were 19-1. When they were outrebounded they were a mere 2-8. If Pitt is to advance they must outrebound their opponents.

The Bad: They are not playing at Madison Square Garden. At MSG this year they are 5-0 with wins over Duke, Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown. You take away those five wins and they are a bubble team with hardly any good wins. Yes you have to give this team credit for clicking at the right time but playing in Denver and Houston is quite different then playing with something to prove in front of their friends from home.

The Verdict: As a fan of this team I think they can make the Elite 8. As a skeptic I see many flaws. They will waltz into their clash with Michigan St. and depending on which State team shows up will determine who wins that game.

Wisconsin-(29-4,16-2) Bo Ryan must’ve thought he missed his chance. He had National POY candidate Alando Tucker and All Big 10 player Kam Taylor as his senior leaders with a great group of role players and yet the squad couldn’t make it far in the tourney. They were upset early on and everyone forgot about their swing offense and the great story of Alando. Well Ryan is back and the faces change but the game remains the same (small tribute to The Wire). Led by Brian Butch, (the only McDonald’s All-American to redshirt his freshman year) a fifth year senior they have a great post presence. Trevon Hughes has replaced Taylor very nicely running the point and hasn’t had many speed bumps along the way. Michael Flowers, Marcus Landry, Joe Krabbenhoft, and Jason Bohannon fill up the guard and forward spots and have combined to replace Tucker and maybe surpass him as a unit.

The Good: Defense. Defense. Defense. This is the best defensive team in the country. They have Michael Flowers who could be the best defender in the country, (Kramer was not more deserving Big 10) Joe Krabbenhoft who would be a defensive stopper on most any squad, and Marcus Landry their defensive stopper from last year’s squad (who now is the third best defender of their starters). Anyone aside from Stiemsma (who is trying to challenge Lorenzo Mata for ugliest backup center in America) and Krabbenhoft is a legitimate three point threat including Brian Butch. Also within the swing offense that Bo Ryan employs everyone is as important as the next guy so the defense can’t cue in on one guy. They also are better than a three seed would indicate. They were by far the best team in the Big 10 and won 29 games this season. They had won their last ten entering big dance but I guess having the name Duke means something in that tourney selection room.

The Bad: Depth. They only go seven deep and no one else outside of those seven can contribute. Also they must dictate pace. If they get into a shootout they will be eliminated.

The Verdict: I am taking this team to the final four. They play the defense that will drive any team insane. What worries me is that in the second round they play either K-St. or USC. If it is K-St. Beasley will be a tough cover for whoever is chosen to guard him (Krabbenhoft or Landry likely). If they make it to the sweet sixteen to play Georgetown I think their style matches perfectly with Georgetown for the upset.

Georgetown-(27-5, 15-3) Georgetown is the other Big East team I am a fan of. I have Hoya hoops club t-shirts and have been on the JT3 bandwagon ever since he left Princeton. This year’s squad is the last hurrah for Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace and latecomer Patrick Ewing Jr. They had their success last year in making it to the Final Four but this year they want to get back there again. It will be much more difficult without superstar Jeff Green. They still have the talent to beat anyone and in their semifinal of the Big East tournament against West Virginia they looked like that final four team.

The Good: Wallace is the senior leader at point and Hibbert knows how to play the center position. They go 8 deep with guys who are all great role players and they can all play defense. Sapp, Freeman and Wallace can all knock down threeballs and in Ewing Jr. they have someone that can awake them with a wakeup call in the form of a electric dunk. They are experienced play great defense and play a very methodical half court game in which they are as good as anyone in the country at. Also they have 5 guys that can take on the challenge of guarding an opponent’s best wing as they all took turns in wreaking havoc on Joe Alexander. With all this going for them why can’t they make it to the final four again?

The Bad: One word: Wisconsin. In the sweet sixteen they would meet up with Wisconsin who plays a very-very similar game only I believe plays better defense and thus a better overall game.

The Verdict: If they get by Wisconsin (which I don’t think they will) they have a tough test in Kansas. But knowing Bill Self’s ability to implode when it comes to a big game I would give JT3 and Georgetown the advantage.

Team Capsules Part 16

Villanova-(20-12, 9-9) I’ll be honest, I am a Jay Wright fan. I liked him at Hofstra with Speedy Claxton and I loved his Kyle Lowry, Allen Ray and Randy Foye led team at Nova. I still really like him but really couldn’t care less about him being young or handsome or having great hair (thank you that’s enough every announcer). But I didn’t think Jay Wright’s team should have been in the tournament this year. They needed one more win in the big east tournament or at least a decent showing and they got blown out by Georgetown. Surprisingly the tourney committee disagreed with me and gave them a 12 seed. Well now they are playing one of the hottest teams in the tournament in Clemson and are likely one and done.

The Good: Scottie Reynolds. Scottie has the ability to take over any game and is a wet shooter (not Ramon wet but still wet enough). They also are really athletic with everyone in their starting lineup being able to run the floor well and push the ball. They have some good shooters in the Corey’s (Fisher and Stokes) and they have had some pretty good wins this year in the Big East.

The Bad: Size and Experience. They don’t play anyone taller than 6’8 in their rotation and against a good big that is going to cost them. Experience wise they are the most untested team in the entire tournament. They have no seniors on their roster. They start two freshman and only have one player who played any time on the Foye team (Dante Cunningham). Because of their inexperience and going against a hungry Clemson team I don’t see this team doing well. But next year is another story.

The Verdict: Thank You see you next year. They will be back next year and will be a higher seed and more deserving that time.

Clemson-(24-9, 10-6) Goddamn Clemson why do you have to go and blow my cover. that’s what I said on March 10^th. Back when you were still hovering around the 7 or 8 line. But now you have to go out and show the rest of the country that you are really legit. Now I am at a loss for a sleeper. Anyway, Oliver Purnell has done a great job in building this formerly awful program into the third best team in the ACC this year (damn Tobacco Road).

The Good: 3 point shooters. Ogelsby fills the white shooter stereotype perfectly and along with K.C. Rivers they are probably the most lethal shooting tandem in the ACC (take that Scheyer and Paulus). Cliff Hammonds not to be outdone makes nearly two a game himself. Anyone of those three can get really hot and if two get going they are nearly impossible to stop. They have the trademark of a great team in 5 guys averaging in double figures and a 6^th whose really close (8.6). They are also great at rebounding. Rivers, James Mays and Trevor Booker all averaged over 6.4 rebounds a game. Hammonds is also a fourth year starter at point guard who rarely makes mistakes and is very trustworthy bringing it up.

The Bad: Free throw shooting. They were last in the ACC shooting under 60% in conference play and it lost them the ACC championship game against Duke (1 for 8 in the last two minutes). Three of their starters shoot under 60% and Hammonds shoots 46%. This could lose them a game.

The Verdict: I am on the bandwagon; they are defiantly in my sweet 16 it just depends if I feel gutsy enough to take them over Kansas.

Gonzaga-(25-7, 13-1) I used to hate Gonzaga (mainly because they beat my favorite St. Johns team with Reggie Jesse and Bootsy Thornton) but over the past couple of years I have flip-flopped on them like my name was John Kerry. Gonzaga is now one of my favorite teams year in year out. I am a huge fan of Mark Few and think he has one of the best jobs in the country where he is. About this team I am really conflicted. They matched the Zags up with Davidson. Before the tourney was selected I had said to my friend that I was going to take both of them far. Now I have to decide which one to let go. So here is my capsule of Gonzaga.

The Good: They are led at point guard by probably my favorite player in the country, Jeremy Pargo. Pargo was the WCC player of the year (8^th time in a row a Zag has won it) this year and I feel confident saying he is the best point guard in the Midwest region. When he is playing well Gonzaga can beat almost anyone in the country even on their home turf just like they did when they played UConn in New England. Off guard they have Matt Bouldin who is a great defensive player (and for those first timers tuning in and seeing his floppy hair he is not Adam Morrison). I feel they have more firepower off the bench than they do in their starting five. Off the bench they bring in Josh Heytvelt, Austin Daye and Micah Downs. Heytvelt (to the casual fan may be known as Shroomboy) but to me is remembered for his Preseason NIT last year, especially in the game where Heytvelt outmanned Tyler Hansbrough in Gonzaga’s win over UNC. Daye is 6’10 and probably the best shooter on Gonzaga. He weighs a buck-o-five but against the likes of Davidson’s bigs that wont matter since he can extend the floor. Downs was a McDonalds All-American who went to Kansas then transferred to Gonzaga, he can really shoot but is very streaky so we will know what to expect from him within his first 5 minutes in.

The Bad: Outside of Pargo they have no other point guards which means Jeremy can’t get into foul trouble. Also they are playing Davidson in Raleigh. Oh did I mention that Gonzaga’s game will be at 12 which will mean that they are playing at 9 am on their mental clocks. This game will truly test their wills.

The Verdict: I have toyed with this game back and forth. I like both teams and the 9 am mental clock is very tempting. But Davidson has become the trendy pick and I hate the trendy pick. I would rather go down rooting for one of my favorite teams than regret it so Gonzaga is my pick here.

Team Capsules Part 15

Washington St (24-8, 11-7) Coming off the best year in a very long time for the Cougars, Tony Bennett has brought his team back to the dance again. This time they are more experienced and are primed for a run to the second weekend or further. They came out the gates this year very strong, winners of their first 14 games. Since then, though, they have looked very average at points. It has been a season of ups and downs. The only constant is their very stingy defense. The only time they allowed 80 points this season was at UCLA. Bennett hopes to ride seniors Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill all the way to the final four in 2008, and it isn’t such a crazy notion to jump on the Cougars bandwagon.

The Good: This team can defend. Weaver is one of the more versatile defenders in the tournament, because he can guard anyone from a 2 to a 4. He is sort of their do everything man, and often comes up with a clutch steal or bucket when the team is on the ropes. Low, from Honolulu, has an unconventional game. For those of you that haven’t seen him, he is not what you’d call a pure point guard, but down the stretch the ball is in his hands a lot. He finds different seams to the bucket and has scored in double figures in his last ten games. If you’re into experience in March, listen to this. The Cougars top seven are all juniors or seniors.

The Bad: This team has been inconsistent all year. They had one stretch where they lost 4 out of 5 including a loss at home to Cal and more recently have lost 3 out of their last 6. They do not rebound particularly well, and also do not force too many turnovers, despite playing solid defense. Also, Forward Daven Harmeling is just recovering from an ankle injury.

The Verdict: To me, they should beat Winthrop. After that, Notre Dame will be a challenge. I think they should find a way of containing Harangody, and they’re the pick to the sweet 16. Against UNC however, I see Tyler having a big game. That’s where the road ends for the Cougars.




USC (21-11, 11-7) The Trojans began the season by losing to the eventual 8th place team in the Atlantic Sun, Mercer. On their homecourt, nonetheless. They have since rebounded and become a very dangerous team in the tournament. They are paired up with Kansas State in a game where the committee clearly wanted to leave a sour taste in the mouth of either OJ Mayo or Mike Beasley. In doing so, they are hoping to entice either one to stay for their sophomore years (not gonna happen). This is intriguing team for a number of reasons.

The Good: They have arguably the best freshman in the country. OJ Mayo can take over any game he chooses with his God Given abilities. He can step back and shoot it (86 made threes)or get to the basket at will. It is not only Mayo though. 6-9 forward Taj Gibson from Brooklyn can and will dunk on anyone. He has great hands and finishes all of OJ’s nice dishes. The other guard, Daniel Hacket will pull from anywhere and can hit usually. Forward Davon Jefferson is vastly underrated. He is another freshman who doesn’t get much publicity because of OJ Mayo. This team’s starting five is about as talented as anyone’s.

The Bad: This is an inexperienced and reckless group. They average about 15 turnovers a game, almost 4 of which come from Mayo (who averages more turnovers than assists). Taj Gibson is very capable of picking up two quick fouls, and if he does USC is in trouble. They do not have many big bodies off the bench that Tim Floyd can rely on.

The Verdict: I still haven’t decided whether I like this team over Kansas St. It is important to note that Kansas State is not an 11 seed. So this game is more accurately a 6 or 7 against an 8 seed. Plus Beasley is good for 30 and 10 every time he laces them up. If Taj Gibson stays out of foul trouble, USC should take it. If not, Kansas State will win.




UT Arlington (21-11, 7-9) The Mavericks finished seventh in the regular season of the Southland Conference. Somehow without Brandon Long, the third leading scorer, they knocked off the two, three, and four seeds in the conference tournament. They lost Long to a season ending wrist injury, which helps explain their 7-9 conference record.

The Good: They are deep. Ten players average nine minutes a game or more. They will need all the bodies they can utilize to keep up with Memphis’ fast pace. They also rebound well, as they have 5 guys averaging 4 or more rebounds a game.

The Bad: They can’t shoot the 3 very well. Only one player, guard Rog’er Guignard has more than 41 threes on the season. They also average almost 18 turnovers a game. Who are we kidding? If you turn the ball over against Memphis it will be a highlight reel for Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier, and Derrick Rose.

The Verdict: This might be the biggest blowout of the tournament. Memphis should run all over UT Arlington and move on to the second round. It should be a moral victory for the Mavericks to come within 25.




UNLV (26-7, 12-4) The Runnin’ Rebels made a sweet 16 run last year, but this year’s team is quite different. The only significant returner is Wink Adams, a 6-0 junior guard from Houston. Coach Lon Kruger is still there, though, and that could spell trouble for UNLV’s opponents. He did a great job gameplanning for Wisconsin and Georgia Tech in last year’s tournament and has probably devised a similar plan for beating Kent St. and Kansas. The question is whether this young, less talented team can execute it.

The Good: This team does not turn the ball over. They only average 10.8 turnovers a game, and will force Kent St. to beat them rather than beating themselves. Everyone on the team rebounds, including Adams, who brings down 4 a game. They play sound defense and will not be intimidated by the pressure of the tournament, since they made it to the sweet 16 last year. They also are a pretty hot team, winners of seven of their last 8.

The Bad: They can’t shoot the 3 (33% as a team). They also do not shoot well from the field (42% as a team). Also, do not take too much from their performance in the Mountain West Conference tournament. It was played on their home court. The team also does not have a real shot blocker and likes to go small. They rarely have more than one player on the court over 6-6. They have gone through some scoring droughts this year and do not prove to me that they’ll avoid a couple in the first round.

The Verdict: I am torn between Kent St. and UNLV. On paper, Kent St. looks like the right pick, but my gut tells me UNLV should pull this one out. I think I’ll have to make Kent St. the pick and hope UNLV can’t find their shooting touch.

Team Capsules Part 14

Oregon-(18-13, 9-9) Before this season I would have predicted this Oregon squad to do very well. Senior big man Maarty Luenan is one of the best rebounders in the country. Guards Malik Hairston and Bryce Taylor both pivotal players last year are also back for their senior season and Tajuan Porter who was sometimes out of control last year has another year of growth under his belt. But this team did not do very well they were only 5 games over 500 and the loss of Aaron Brooks seems to have left this team in shambles. They only have four quality wins on the season (Stanford, K-St., and Arizona twice) and have been inconsistent to say the least. They win three in a row then lose three in a row then win two in a row right after that.

The Good: This team has senior leadership and the fourth best offense in the country. Their offense can score on just about anyone and can keep them within games or catch them up if they fall behind. All four of the guys I mentioned in the preview can score 20 on a given night and all but Porter should not want to go out in the first round of their senior years. Ernie Kent is also a good coach who knows how to win.

The Bad: This team is not the same team it was last year with Aaron Brooks. Losing Brooks has brought a team that was very-very good to a team that is just mediocre. They also aren’t deserving of the 9 seed they were given and now have to play a underseeded Mississippi St. team in the first round. It will be a battle of great offense vs. great defense.

The Verdict: I have made clear my position on Mississippi St. I am going to ride them ‘til I lose my bracket this year. So sorry for Luenan Hairston and Taylor you had your run as juniors have fun in Europe.

Michigan State-(25-8,12-6) No team has been more inconsistent this year then the Spartans (that includes you Savannah St. ranked #341 in consistency on KenPom). They lose to Indiana by 19 then two weeks later drop 103 on em and beat them by 29 (Dukie V: You Kiddin’ Me). They put up 36 points @ Iowa 42 @ Wisconsin and can put up 103 on Indiana that’s just insane. So depending on which of Tom Izzo’s clubs shows will determine how far this team goes.

The Good: Drew Neitzel will come to play regardless. He averages 14 points a game with 3 threes. He also averages 4 assists a game and only 1.4 Turnovers. He is a senior and is steady with the ball in his hands no matter the situation. Aside from Neitzel they have many things going for them. They go 9 deep with guys who can come in and contribute. Also when this team plays well there are few in the country that can beat them. They beat Texas, Indiana, BYU and only lost to UCLA by 5 in a game they should’ve had. It seems that when they play good teams they step it up and have the good team show up. The one where Namick, Suton and Morgan all look real good and the team makes you forget those Iowa games.

The Bad: The inconsistency. Sure, they can have that great Texas beating squad show up, or they can have the 36 point Iowa team show up or the team that lost to Penn St. They will be tested mightily if the second round matchup between them and Pittsburgh comes into fruition. That game will test their toughness and will see how Neitzel really is remembered in East Lansing.

The Verdict: When clicking this team is great. They seem to show up for big games and Tom Izzo is a top notch coach. For this reason I have them easily over Temple and against Pitt I still am torn.

Temple-(21-12, 11-5) Since conference play has started Fran Dunphy has gotten his system to click. Led by Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale this team has beaten Xavier and St. Joes (x2, the second time was to win the A10 conference tourney) to get into the tournament. This is a young team with the only 1 senior starter with Tyndale. Tyndale is their leader in rebounds and assists and plays a somewhat undersized forward position. This team is real big with their smallest starter being 6’3. They only have guards off the bench so their bigs must stay out of trouble or they could be in trouble.

The Good: They are hot. They have won 7 in a row and 10 of their last 12. This team plays very well offensively. Christmas averages 20 points a game and Tyndale averages 16. Both are big time scorers and make it difficult for defenses to game plan this team because they don’t know which one to key in on. Also Tyndale is a very good defender and can guard anyone from 2-4.

The Bad: The team doesn’t play well defensively. They don’t have that trademarked John Chaney gritty defense that Temple was so known for. They also don’t have any marquee wins outside of their conference play. With Tyndale as their main senior they will need him to carry this team early on against a very talented Michigan State team.

The Verdict: They are playing a team that is too athletic for them and that plays too well offensively for their lacking defense to be ignored. That is why Michigan State will win this game.

BYU-(27-7, 14-2) BYU seems to have reached that level that UNLV, Nevada, Southern Illinois, Butler, Winthrop and Davidson rest on. They are a top-tier mid-major. They consistently make the tournament and as a result of their success have earned themselves great recruits. This years squad like the previous years is a great team. They have second round written all over them and then a loss to UCLA.

The Good: Trent Plaisted is one of the best big men in the entire tournament. The 6’11 junior center is a legitimate NBA prospect and played his best against the best teams this season (24 and 17 vs UNC and 21 and 12 in a win against Louisville). Lee Cummard the 6’7 junior was the co MVC player of the year and is a great all around player. They have great shooters which can keep them in any game this season and they have already beaten a top team this season by winning @ Louisville. They have 4 shooters that can all hit two threes in any game which is great to have come the tournament.

The Bad: Depth, this team only goes 7 deep and outside of those seven there is a significant lag. If anyone gets into foul trouble it is likely game over for the Cougars. Also they play through the post which could be tough to do against the likes of Joseph Jones and Deandre Jordan (If he tries).

The Verdict: 1 and done. If they were a 12 seed I’d probably put them into the sweet sixteen. But playing UCLA cuts any hopes of that. Here is a good team that will play a great team.

Team Capsules Part 13

St. Josephs-(21-12, 9-7) Usually 12 losses doesn’t get you into the tournament. 12 losses especially doesn’t get you into the tournament if you are not in a major conference (A10 and Conf. USA are above mid-major but not ACC Big East major). Finishing 6-7 to end the season including making it to the conference tourney final usually smells NIT. So why are Phil Martelli’s Hawks in the tournament? Because they beat Xavier twice in the last two weeks. That is how much credit the tourney committee gives Xavier that they are willing to use an at-large on a team that likely wasn’t worthy if those two wins were Umass and Fordham (two other A10 schools). They start two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore and outside of Garret Williamson they get virtually nothing out of their bench. So what is it about this team that is making me think about picking them for the upset?

The Good: Size. Their starting lineup is 6’1, 6’4, 6’10, 6’8, and 6’9. Along with their size they all can shoot the three outside of center Ahmad Nivens (another guy from Miracle of St. Anthony).They average 7.7 threes a game as a team and their starters get 7 of them. Their leader is Senior Pat Calathes (brother Nick is on Florida). Calathes is a 6’10 wing player who averages 18 ppg and hits 40% from downtown but still manages to grab 7.5 rebounds a game. Tasheed Carr averages 11 points and 5.6 assists a game at guard with an assist to turnover ratio of exactly 2-1. Ahmad Nivens is a big body who can bang down low and averages 14 and 6 a game. They have a very potent offense and can shoot very well and as a team they shoot free throws well. Lastly, I feel they are very well coached. Phil Martelli has been in the tourney before and gone far (Jameer and Delonte helped) if it comes down to a late game situation against Oklahoma I feel Phil has the edge over Jeff Capel based on experience alone.

The Bad: Their defense can lag at times. According to Ken Pom they are one of the unluckiest teams in the country and come the tourney everyone needs luck. Another thing is that they don’t have any margin for error when it comes to foul trouble. If they get into foul trouble they have no depth on their bench and will lose. It will be on their players to stay disciplined and not get into foul trouble or it could be a long ride back to Philly.

The Verdict: Nivens vs. Longar down low will be a great matchup and how they contain Blake Griffen will be the key. If Griffen doesn’t go off and St. Joes can hit their shots look for the upset.

Oklahoma-(22-11, 9-7) what distinguishes a 6 seed from an 11 seed? Usually the six seed has had a very good year and is a mid-major or is a major conference team that has potential to go very far (Marquette and USC). Well this year in the case of Baylor Kansas St. and Oklahoma I am not quite sure what distinguishes these three teams enough to make one a 6 and the other two 11’s. Baylor was 21-10 and 9-7 in the Big 12, Kansas St. was 20-11 but 10-6 in the Big 12 and the only one out of these three with a real marquee win (Kansas) and Oklahoma was 22-11 and 9-7 in the Big 12. Somehow the committee thought that Oklahoma was so much more deserving of this seed than the other two teams(one who finished better in conference and one who had less losses). In any case Jeff Capel has done a good job taking over for Kelvin Sampson after he left for Indiana. They have a stud in Blake Griffin, who has an NBA game but sometimes seems as if he doesn’t try in games which could be their downfall.

The Good: Blake Griffin is a star. He has more talent than anyone on the court every time he steps on and won’t meet a match unless Oklahoma made it past Louisville. Longar Longar aside from having a great name is a proven center who will need to come up big if they are to beat St. Joes. Longar is the senior of note on this team and will need to guide the young team through the tough times. As a team they play pretty good defense which makes up for the times when their offense isn’t good.

The Bad: They just aren’t 6 seed quality. This game will be a battle of a team that debatably should be in against a team that is a real 11 seed or 10 seed in quality. They can beat up on bad teams but when they play the elite teams they get smacked. Against Texas they lost by 28 in the Big 12 tournament and against Kansas earlier this year they lost by 30.

The Verdict: If Griffin really comes to play no one on St. Joes can stop him and Oklahoma will roll on to lose in the second round. Otherwise they could be one of the upsetees of the first round.

South Alabama-(26-6, 16-2) This team is legit. To come out of the Sun Belt and garner a national reputation enough to get an at large bid even when they did not make their own conference tournament final is impressive. They start four juniors and one senior. Demetric Bennett is their lone senior starter and he is their star. He is a 6’4 senior guard who started his career off at SMU but has found his home at South Alabama. On the season he averaged 20 ppg made 3 threes a game (while shooting 41% from 3) grabbed 6 rebounds and never got into foul trouble. They will be playing in Birmingham which is an advantage for them but they are playing a team that should have been a much higher seed in Butler.

The Good: Bennett is a great scorer. The other players all feed off of him and they have seven guys who see significant time. They start two guys under 6’ but being undersized will not hurt them against Butler. This season they proved themselves to the tourney committee by beating Mississippi St., San Diego, Western Kentucky (2x) and they only lost by 3 @ Vanderbilt. Most all of their games this year have been close games but they seem to find a way to win them all which is a great quality to have. As a team they average 7 threes a game so they can shoot from long range. Only one of their losses has been at home this year and they are playing in Birmingham which is like a home game.

The Bad: Their Ken Pom numbers are terrible they are 75^th in the country overall and their defense is ranked 102^nd. If their defense doesn’t show up and get out on Butler’s great shooters it will be over before the home crowed can even get into it in Birmingham. Also Middle Tennessee seems to have their number in winning their last two against them. I am positive Butler has been studying those tapes plentifully this week.

The Verdict: I am not sure about this one honestly. South Alabama is a great team and it’s terrible that the committee feels the need to eliminate all mid-majors early on. Against most other teams I think I would have them winning, especially at home. But Butler can’t lose, not in AJ and Mike’s last run. I’ve got a great game and Butler winning.

Arkansas-(22-11, 9-7) Before I go on to talk about how senior laden this team is and how I don’t know who to pick in their game against Indiana I just thought I should share who the leading rebounder on this Arkansas team is. No its not Darien Townes or Vincent Hunter the two 6’10 players that start up front, nor is it 7’ reserve center Steven Hill who as Scott Van Pelt stated “looks out of the Black Crowes” and no it isn’t 6’6 do everything man Sonny Weems who has had the Nik Caner-Medley effect on the program (seems like he’s been there forever). Their leader in rebounds is Patrick Beverly the 6’1 180 lb sophomore guard with nearly 7 a game. He should teach Eddy Curry a thing or two because Eddy is 7 ft and can’t grab over 5 a game in the NBA. Anyway on to Arkansas. 6 of their top 8 players are seniors and 4 of their starters are seniors. That right there is a recipe for tourney success.

The Good: They match up surprisingly well with Indiana. They can throw all three big men at White and use all of their 15 fouls between them then Weems and Beverly can do their job in bugging Eric Gordon. For Air Gordon they can’t stop him they can only try to hope to contain him. The biggest thing they have going for them is that they enter the tournament hot. They have won 4 of their last 6 games including marquee wins over Vandy (x2) and Tennessee (while winning at Tennessee’s own game). Also any coach is a advantage over the bum Dan Dakich at Indiana. Dakich may be remembered by you loyal Buffalo fans as the idiot coach of Bowling Green last year. Pelphrey gets the nod over Dakich any day. Also they have the senior leadership needed to win a game.

The Bad: Outside of the week leading up to the tournament this team stunk, they were NIT bound and a disappointing team. Now with a few days off since their great week will they fall back into their old habits? They don’t have any prolific scorers and when the game is on the line I don’t think anyone on this team is a feared option with the ball in their hands. Also it says a lot about your big men if your guard is outrebounding you.

The Verdict: Indiana has been in a downward spiral and its been disappointing for D.J. White who in January seemed like was on his way to a elite 8 and vindication for his 4 troubled years. Well now with Dakich they are on the way down, Arkansas is on the way up. I like the matchups for Arkansas and will give them the nod in this 8-9 battle.

Team Capsules Part 12

Texas (28-6, 13-3) Not too often do you see a team lose the National Player of the Year one year and have more success the following season. That is the case with Texas this year. Following the departure of Kevin Durant, the Longhorns have received big contributions from sophomore point guard DJ Augustin, senior shooting guard AJ Abrams, sophomore forward Damion James, and junior center Connor Atchley. They played perhaps the most difficult non conference schedule early in the season, racking up some impressive wins in the process. Texas beat Tennessee, Oral Roberts, and St. Mary’s at home, and UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. They lost at Michigan State and home to Wisconsin.

The Good: The Longhorns possess what I believe to be the best starting five in CBB. They have the best point guard in the country in Augustin (20 ppg 6 assts). Alongside Augustin, AJ Abrams and Atchley are lethal if you leave them open. Forward Damion James might be the best defender in all of college basketball, and he averages an astounding 10.5 rebounds per game, while usually guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player. Rounding out the starting five, Justin Mason brings new meaning to the word underrated. All he does is play outstanding defense and finish every chance he gets at the rim. The team doesn’t rely on him too much for creating his own offense, so any points he gives are an added bonus. Coach Rick Barnes is a mastermind at changing up the pace by switching between man and a 2-3 zone. This will give teams trouble, leaving inexperienced guards baffled on several possessions. Off the bench, big bodies Gary Johnson (6-7) and Dexter Pittman (6-10) are sufficient. At the end of a game Augustin (79 % FT) and Abrams (79 %) excel at the line.

The Bad: This team is not deep at all. Only 6 players average over 10 minutes a game and the first guard off the bench, JD Lewis, hasn’t played more than 13 minutes in any game this season. This lack of depth makes you worry a little bit about a sustained run to San Antonio. They will also most likely be outscored heavily in points in the paint against the better teams, as they rely heavily on the jumpshot.

The Verdict: I have liked this team all season. They’ll be in my final four, partly because at the end of a game I’d rather have the ball in Augustin’s hands than anyone else. Also, I really like their potential matchup against Memphis in the Elite 8, because Damion James can contain CDR and Justin Mason will do a good job on Derrick Rose. More importantly, their zone will give Calipari’s poor 3 pt shooting team fits. They are my pick out of the South, but I don’t think they’ll advance to the final.



Purdue (24-8, 15-3) Purdue has been one of the biggest surprises this season. Picked to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten this year, Coach Matt Painter (Big Ten Coach of the Year) and his team have shocked many by finishing second in what many would call a down year for the conference. What’s more surprising is that 6 of Purdue’s top 7 in minutes played are freshmen or sophomores. They have three of the five best three point shooters in the Big Ten and five players with 30 or more steals (including Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Chris Kramer).

The Good: Painter gives the team free reign to do what they want in his motion offense. They usually end up taking a three. In fact, 36 % of their field goal attempts this year have been threes. They take 20 a game from beyond the arc. Freshman E’Twaun Moore can hit consistently at 44%. Robbie Hummel, a 6-8 forward who would have been Big Ten Freshman of the Year if not for Eric Gordon, shoots it at 47%. Keaton Grant, a sophomore guard is not too far behind at 44%. They play fantastic team defense, and switch on every screen. This works to their advantage since basically anyone on the team can guard most positions on the floor. For such a young team, they show remarkable maturity (they won at the Kohl Center in Wisconsin).

The Bad: this is not exactly a hot team. They have lost 3 of their last 6 (two of them were in OT). Anytime a team is this young, it is also important to remember they could have hit a wall this late in the season. In high school you only play 20-25 games a season. The Boilermakers will play their 33rd Thursday against Baylor.

The Verdict: This is a very talented group of young players. To me, though, they are probably one year away. I like them against Baylor a lot, because I think their switching of every screen will slow down Baylor’s potent offense. I do not like this team against Xavier though. Xavier, to me, seems like a better and older version of Purdue since both are such balanced teams.



St. Mary’s (25-6, 12-2) The Gaels have had their best season in quite some time this year. Behind the impressive play of freshman guard Patty Mills, an import from Australia, St. Mary’s has eclipsed the 25 win mark and beaten a few good teams. Most notably, wins over Oregon and Gonzaga proved to the committee that the Gaels were worth an at large bid, the third from the WCC.

The Good: St. Mary’s goes eight deep and has good size for a mid major. Omar Samhan, a 6-11 center will have a big say in how far the Gaels go. He is a load on the block and has effective post moves going to either shoulder. He pulls down over three offensive rebounds a game. If he can put up 15 and 10, the Gaels will have a good shot against Miami. Patty Mills is one of the more underrated players in the tournament. As Dickie V would say, he is a real PTP’er. He has proven to be a very effective scorer and has the license to launch from wherever on the court. Diamon Simpson has come on in the 2nd half of the year and provided the Gaels with 13.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg.

The Bad: They can be a little bit stagnant on offense, watching Mills when he has the ball. Also they do not fare well against very physical teams. They lost to Kent State, Southern Illinois, and San Diego twice. And for those of you thinking about taking them over Texas in the 2nd round, remember this. Texas already beat them by 19 on January 5th.

The Verdict: I think they’ll beat Miami in the first round. This is partly because I am not a believer in the Hurricanes, but also because I know Patty Mills has the ability to score 35 on any given night. St. Mary’s is the pick in a close one.




Arizona (19-14, 8-10) It has been a very strange season for Arizona. Lute Olsen left for medical reasons and Kevin O’Neill has stepped in and instilled more discipline in the team. They also have had to deal with numerous injuries to guards Jerryd Bayless and Nic Wise. All in all, I don’t know how this team got in. With 14 losses and a losing record in conference, I think it’s a travesty that they made it in over Arizona St, who they lost to twice. But, this is still a dangerous team nonetheless.

The Good: For the first time in the season Arizona is actually healthy. They get sophomore Nic Wise and freshmen Jerryd Bayless in the backcourt together for a difficult duo to defend. They also have one of the more athletic players in the country at forward, Chase Budinger. Forwards Jordan Hill and Jawann McClellan round out the starting five. They are an extremely talented team. They have shown that this season with wins over Washington State, Texas A&M, UNLV, and USC. They are athletic and shoot the three quite well (39 % as a team). They are a rare team in that they have three guys that can score 25 on you, Bayless, Budinger, and Wise. They are certainly not the worst ten seed to every play in the tournament. And with everyone healthy, they are certainly dangerous.


The Bad: Budinger is not known for his defensive prowess and neither is Bayless for that matter. It will be a high scoring affair against West Virginia. Arizona must rebound better than they have been recently if they are to have any shot. They only average 31 rebounds as a team, a number that must improve. Also, this is not a hot team at all. They have lost 8 of their last 12.

The Verdict: I have picked Arizona in the tournament in the past and they’ve burned me. West Virginia is the pick this year. Not enough rebounding or attitude on the defensive end from this ‘Zona squad. It will be close, but I think Joe Alexander should have a very good game in West Virginia’s 6-8 point win.

Team Capsules Part 11

UCLA-(31-3, 16-2) This is the best team in the country. They have made it to the final four consecutively now and yet people still don’t give them credit. Oh, did I mention that they made it to the final fours without a great post presence, well now they have one in All-American Kevin Love. Ben Howland has built a dynasty out in Westwood and this is finally the year they bring home the championship instead of losing in the final four like the previous three seasons. They are extremely solid when one player isn’t playing well another just picks up the slack for them (Darren Collison taking over against Stanford).

The Good: Everything. They have the 5^th most potent offense in the country according to Ken Pom and the 4^th best defense. Their backup center Lorenzo Mata (no, I will not give into the fake Real name that he somehow was given this year) has started on final four teams. Darren Collison is the fastest point guard in the country and has a near 2-1 assist to turnover ratio. He also gets about 2 steals a game and the most impressive thing about Collison is his foul shooting. He averages 88% from the line and has the ball in his hand more than anyone at the end of the game. Josh Shipp is extremely consistent and can hit the big shot (see his horse shot heroics). Russell Westbrook has become a shutdown defender which adds another dimension to his game aside from his insane hops. They have lost one road game all season and that game woke them up and since that loss at Udub they have won 10 straight. They have gone on win streaks of 5 games or longer four times this season including 3 of longer than 6. Oh, did I mention what Kevin Love brings to the table. Love brings consistency in the form of 17 points and 10 rebounds including 4 offensive boards a night. He is the missing piece that will get them over the hump. Previously they were that dominant big away (going back to Jimmy Dyke’s theory) well now they have him.

The Bad: Neither Lorenzo Mata nor Alfred Aboye shoot well from the foul line. But every other player does and Mata and Aboye only average 3 ft attempts combined a game. Also USC and Stanford have each shown within the last week that UCLA can be played closely each coming up 3 points short.

The Verdict: They will be the ones cutting down the nets. They are the best team in America and they find out ways to win every game. This will be the first time Ben Howland wins it all. They also won’t be truly tested until the elite 8.

Baylor-(21-10, 9-7) Scott Drew has done an amazing job in resurrecting this deadbeat program after a coaches firing and a murder. They were the last team called on selection Sunday and none seemed happier than the Bears. This team is led by Curtis Jerrels, a junior who can score and play defense. Their point guard is a senior which is always big come tourney time and Aaron Bruce finally gets to go to the Tourney. LaceDarius Dunn has become the spark they need off the bench and has become the shooter (over two threes a game) and second leading scorer for this team.

The Good: This team can score 92 vs. K-St., 90 vs. Kansas, 92 vs. South Carolina, 100 vs. Missouri and 91 vs. Oklahoma. They also can compete when the game isn’t up at their tempo, like when they only scored 64 and lost by 3 to Washington St. (#6 in the country at the time). Also Kevin Rogers down low is a great rebounder grabbing 8.6 a game in the Big 12. Lastly they have 3 guys that play significant minutes that shoot +40% from 3land. That will be able to keep them in any game or give them a chance to come back.

The Bad: Since entering February this team is only 5-7 and outside of beating Kansas St. at home (K-St. is a top 10 team at home but terrible on the road -- sign of a poser). Also the best win this team has is probably over Notre Dame in the 3^rd game of the season on a neutral floor. They’ve been close but they haven’t pulled off that big signature win when they had the chances against the likes of Kansas and Texas. Now they enter he tournament losers of two of their last three and with a loss to a bad Colorado team.

The Verdict: They play a real young Purdue team in the first round which may be a battle of Purdue beating themselves. Baylor will score but their defense will be nearly nonexistent. If Purdue can just play a structured game and put the ball in the basket they should win.

Georgia-(17-16, 4-12) Heading into the SEC tournament it had seemed like Georgia had given up. They had lost 11 of their last 13 games and 6 of their last 7. They hadn’t won four games in a row all season. Coach Dennis Felton was likely going to lose his job and the SEC tournament was a mere formality for the team to play in. As they say the rest is history. They went on to the most improbable conference tournament championship that I have ever witnessed. They barely pulled out a win against Mississippi on Thursday then Tornados plagued the city of Atlanta and they had to play two games on Saturday. They somehow won against Kentucky even with their do everything man Sundiata Gaines fouling out and then as a prize they had to suit up and play again that night. Coach Felton was livid at the press conference speaking of how his team would be fatigued and it was unfair but they didn’t care they went out and won again this time beating Mississippi St. the second best team in the SEC again with Gaines fouling out. Then on Sunday they had to win their third game in two days and miraculously they did.

The Good: Luck of the Irish? I didn’t know that Georgia had any affiliation with the Irish, but the movement of St. Patrick’s Day to Saturday must’ve given them the spark to win. They played on pure adrenaline and now are in the tournament. Also Gaines is a real player he led their team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes. He is a senior that any team must key in on to beat Georgia.

The Bad: Everything I said in the first part of their intro applies to the bad. Also they don’t really have any great players outside of Gaines. They just had an amazing weekend and must get credit for that.

The Verdict: They are a great story and may become a pick to beat Xavier but don’t be fooled Xavier is way too good for this team. They will likely lose by 15-20 after they have had a couple of days to come down to earth.

Mississippi St.-(22-10, 12-4)This team got burned on Selection Sunday. Straight up, they are a better team than Oklahoma and have a much better resume than Oklahoma. Yet they get a 8 seed and Oklahoma gets a 6 seed. Rick Stansbury has quite a club here that could really give Memphis fits in the second round. Led by Jamont Gordon they have a great guard who leads their team with over 17 points a game and just under 5 assists a game. At the other guards they have Ben Hansbrough (maybe you’ve heard of his brother) and Barry Stewart. Up front they have a very formidable duo. Senior Charles Rhodes averages 17 and 8 a night in the SEC and at center they have one of the biggest x-factors in the entire tournament in Jarvis Varnado (right). Varnado averaged 8 points and 8 boards a game but his biggest impact is made by keeping guys from driving to the rim out of fear. He blocked 4.6 shots a game and had double digit block efforts on 3 different occasions. When he is grabbing boards and blocking shots this team goes from good to elite. When he is a non-factor hey are very average.

The Good: Gordon is a top-tier player and few in the country can contain him. He was a leading candidate for SEC POY and is the leader of this team. Rhodes also will bring out his best for the tournament and this team (a team I said before the year would have a big year) should surprise someone. Rhodes will also inspire Varnado to bring his best effort in the tournament and when they are all clicking they are not a 8 seed they are more like a 3 or 4 seed. They almost became the first team to beat Vandy in Nashville all year when they lost by 1 on March 5^th. My favorite thing about them is that they are one of the best defensive squads in the country and as they say “you can never have an off night on defense.” Their quality defense and their playmakers make them very intriguing.

The Bad: Varnado doesn’t always try and he can’t make free throws for the life of him which may take him out of the game come the end. Also Stansbury is not a great coach and has had difficulty managing the talented team he has been dealt this season. Also they have lost most of their games on the road which is somewhat worrisome.

The Verdict: I am very confident in this team’s abilities. No question will they beat Oregon but the real concern for me is if they will beat Memphis, it may be my bracket-breaking pick but I think I may feel gutsy enough to do it.

Team Capsules part ten

Stanford (26-7, 13-5) This year was finally the year Coach Trent Johnson came through with a top 15 team. Since Mike Montgomery left to coach the Golden State Warriors several years ago the Cardinals have not been the same. Of course it would take Johnson a couple years to bring the players in that he wanted. He finally has the personnel he was looking for, specifically seven foot twins Brook and Robin Lopez.

The Good: The Lopez twins have really come into their own this season, on the way receiving more national publicity. Brook, the more polished offensive player and better NBA prospect, made his case for Pac 10 player of the year, but fell just short to Kevin Love. He averaged 19 ppg along with 8.5 rpg and 2.2 blocks. Robin is the better defender, but isn’t nearly as capable on the block. Not too many teams will be able to match up with these two centers (even UCLA showed trouble at points). The Cardinals do a great job of getting each of them the ball on the block in a position to score. They utilize the high low very well, usually with Robin dumping it down to Brook (the two obviously show great chemistry). Other than the Lopez brothers Anthony Goods and Lawrence Hill are the two main scoring options. Goods is a little bit of a chucker; he took 170 threes this year and only made 60 of them. Hill is a little more versatile but not a great shooter either (41% from the field). PG Mitch Johnson is vastly underrated. I like his game. He controls the tempo of the game, usually at a very slow pace when both Lopez brothers are on the floor. He rebounds very well for a guard and doesn’t turn the ball over too much. He is a crafty lefty.

The Bad: They play a very deliberate, walk it up the court game, which can work to their advantage sometimes, but leaves them helpless if they fall behind. They don’t have one very good three point shooter. What worries me most is that once they fall behind they won’t be able to come back. Of course it won’t be easy for any team to open up a lead against them, but nonetheless, having no real three point threat will hurt them.

The Verdict: In this age of college basketball, a team is only as good as its backcourt. Even though I think Mitch Johnson is a good player, he is not the guy to take them to the final 4. You need a guard that can dominate a game with his penetration or extend the defense with his ability to shoot. Stanford doesn’t have that player. It was evident against UCLA when Darren Collison lit them up for 28, getting to the basket at will. Stanford had no answer for him. I like this team to get to the Sweet 16 but no further.



Duke (27-5, 13-3): This is not your father’s Duke team. It’s not even your older brother’s. Yeah, Coach K is still there, Dawkins is still there, Wojo is still there. But they’re an interesting and different team because they don’t have that one post player who they would go to for a big bucket in the past. I’m talking about guys like Laettner, Cherokee Parks, Danny Ferry, Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, and Shelden. This team gets by with four guards on the court at times, and Coach K has done some of his finest work getting his Dukies back to the top ten where CBB needs them.

The Good: They have the best basketball coach in the world. They cause all sorts of matchup problems when they bring Jon Scheyer in off the bench. They’ll spread you out and make you pay for any poor closeouts by driving right by you. They have four guys that will kill you from beyond the arc, especially Greg Paulus. This team makes a living off of drive and kicks and does like to push the tempo. They will never get blown out because each player gives full effort on the defensive end. 6-8 forward Kyle Singler should have a great tournament because not too many teams have centers that can step all the way out to the 3 point line and stay in a stance.

The Bad: They have no inside presence. No one on the team averages a block a game and Demarcus Nelson, a 6-4 guard, is their leading rebounder. For this reason, the Blue Devils will struggle mightily against any sort of talented big on the block, i.e. Tyler Hansbrough. If I were an opposing coach I wouldn’t let Paulus or Scheyer get an open look, forcing them to put it on the floor. At the same time I’d force Gerald Henderson and Singler to shoot, something neither has proven they can do consistently (32% and 34% respectively from 3).

The Verdict: Pretty much every year you can pencil Duke into the Sweet 16. They’ve done it seven out of the last 8. This year is no different. I have them advancing to the round of 16, before succumbing to Xavier’s balanced attack.



Boise State (25-8, 12-4) Boise State is 2-1 against teams in the field of 65 this year. The two wins came against San Diego and BYU, both at home in the first half of the season. They lost to Washington State by 12 in the second game of the season. The Broncos are one of the most lethal offensive teams in the nation, averaging 81.2 ppg while shooting 51.5 % as a team. They can put points up in a hurry and were awarded the 14th seed in the East Region.

The Good: This team can score. They were one of only four teams to put up 70 on Washington State in regulation. The other three were UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona, all tournament teams. Behind the play of star 6-6 forward Reggie Larry (19.6 ppg 9.3 rpg) the Broncos outscored teams all year. They are equipped with size too and should not be overpowered by Louisville’s front line.

The Bad: They are going to have lots of trouble staying with Louisville guards Jerry Smith, Edgar Sosa, and Andre Mcgee. They turn the ball over too much, almost 16 a game, and will have plenty of trouble with Rick Pitino’s 2-2-1 press if they can’t do a better job valuing the basketball.

The Verdict: I say Louisville beats them by 15. They’ll keep it close in the first half, and Reggie Larry will get his, but Louisville is too talented and does too good a job of pressuring to let this game slip away.




Cal State Fullerton (24-8, 12-4) The Titans have had quite a season out in the Big West conference. They locked down their first NCAA tournament birth since 1978 with a 15 point win over UC Irvine just two days ago. They are one of the more interesting teams because they are very undersized. They do not play anyone over 6-6 but manage to hold their own on the glass. If they are to have any chance at knocking off Wisconsin, they will need stellar play from their 5-11 point guard Josh Akognon, a transfer from Washington St.

The Good: If you are going to get away with such a small team, you need to make up for it in other areas, especially the 3 point arc. Cal St. Fullerton made 278 threes this year. That’s 8.7 a game. Most of them came from Akognon and his backcourt mate Marcus Crenshaw, a junior from Detroit. This team can score a ton of points and has broken 90 on eight occasions this season. Of course it won’t be easy to score against Wisconsin, the number one defensive team in the country according to Kenpom’s adjusted D rankings. Big men (if you can call them that) Frank Robinson (6-4) and Scott Cutley (6-5) each average over 7 rebounds a game and will not be intimidated by Brian Butch and company.

The Bad: They are just too small and too poor defensively. Butch should have a field day since he’ll have seven inches on the man guarding him. Wisconsin’s slowed down pace will give Fullerton fits, and will not allow them to get out on the break, like they wish to do. Also Michael Flowers, possibly the best perimeter defender we have in CBB, will be up in Akognon’s jock the entire game. We’ll see if he can get his twenty points with Flowers all over him.

The Verdict: Wisconsin dictates the tempo of every game they play. They’ll keep this one in the low sixties and limit Fullerton’s open looks. On the boards Wisconsin should dominate enough to take this one by ten to fifteen.

Big Board Top 50 Players

For those of you that take part in an NCAA pool where you draft players and add up the total nuber of points those players score in the tournament, I have made my big board of the 50 best players to draft. Keep in mind, the more games the player's team plays, the more points they will score. That is why I have refrained from selecting any players whose teams are definitely one and done.

1. Tyler Hansbrough F UNC (23.1 ppg)
2. Chris Douglas Roberts G Memphis (17.2)
3. DJ Augustin G Texas (19.8)
4. Kevin Love C UCLA (17.1)
5. Chris Lofton G Tennessee (16.1)
6. Michael Beasley F Kansas St (26.5)
7. Darren Collison G UCLA (15.2)
8. OJ Mayo G USC (20.8)
9. AJ Abrams G Texas (16.1)
10. Wayne Ellington G UNC (16.5)
11. Shan Foster G Vanderbilt (20.5)
12. Brook Lopez F Stanford (19.2)
13. Luke Harangody F Notre Dame (20.8)
14. Derrick Rose G Memphis (13.9)
15. Darrell Arthur F Kansas (13.0)
16. Demarcus Nelson G Duke (15.2)
17. Roy Hibbert C Georgetown (13.6)
18. Stephen Curry G Davidson (25.1)
19. Brandon Rush G Kansas (12.7)
20. Sam Young F Pittsburgh (18.3)
21. Jerryd Bayless G Arizona (20.0)
22. Eric Gordon G Indiana (21.3)
23. Brian Butch F-C Wisconsin (12.5)
24. Josh Shipp G-F UCLA (13.0)
25. Damion James G-F Texas (13.2)
26. Drew Neitzel G Michigan St (14.2)
27. Russell Westbrook G UCLA (12.6)
28. Robert Dozier F Memphis (9.4)
29. Jack McClinton G Miami (17.0)
30. David Padgett F-C Louisville (11.7)
31. Mario Chalmers G Kansas (11.8)
32. Tywon Lawson G UNC (12.4)
33. Jajuan Smith G Tennessee (14.5)
34. Tyler Smith F Tennessee (13.6)
35. Luke Harangody F Notre Dame (20.8)
36. Darnell Jackson F Kansas (11.9)
37. AJ Price G UConn (14.9)
38. Dajuan Summers F Georgetown (11.3)
39. Danny Green G-F UNC (11.6)
40. Kyle Singler F Duke (13.6)
41. KC Rivers G Clemson (14.3)
42. Joe Alexander F West Virginia (16.8)
43. Gerald Henderson G Duke (12.3)
44. Sherron Collins G Kansas (9.5)
45. Kyle Mcalarney G Notre Dame (15.2)
46. AJ Ogilvy C Vanderbilt (17.0)
47. Demetric Bennett G South Alabama (20.1)
48. Jamont Gordon G Mississippi St. (17.3)
49. Brandon Johnson G San Diego (16.9)
50. Greg Paulus G Duke (11.3)

Notable Locations

While Filling out a bracket, it is essential to keep in mind where these games are being played. If a team has to travel across the country to make their first or second round game, they will bring fewer fans with them, tire from the travelling and be less likely to advance. Upon glancing through the bracket here are some notable locations I identified.

-UNC won't leave the state of North Carolina until they make the final 4 if they can get that far. First two rounda are in Raleigh, next to in Charlotte, basically giving them 4 home games.

-Butler plays South Alabama in Birmingham! South Alabama won't even have to board a plane.

-Kansas plays in nearby Omaha for the first two rounds, but then will have to travel to Detroit, which isn't exactly a home game for the Jayhawks.

-Kansas St. also plays in omaha against USC who has to travel quite a bit to get to their first round game.

-Gonzaga as usual flies across the country to meet Davidson in Davidson's home state of NC at Raleigh.

-It is a big advantage for Mississippi St to play in Little Rock (against Oregon).

-Stanford is in Anaheim for the first two rounds.

-Texas is at a big advantage since their regional will be played in Houston.

-UCLA also plays in Anaheim.

-If Arizona were to make it to the Sweet 16, they'd be playing in Phoenix.

Selection Sunday Thoughts

-I hate how every year the Selection Committee tries to eliminate mid-majors as early as possible by pairing them up with each other in the first round. This year Gonzaga has to play Davidson, Butler has to play South Alabama, Kent St. has to play UNLV, and Drake has to play Western Kentucky-ALL in the first round

-Butler got shafted they are the #10 team in the country voted by the coaches but only get a 7 seed? And also they have to play South Alabama in Birmingham. I feel terrible for them. You go 28-3 and get a 7 seed and a road game. Unreal

-Gonzaga also gets burned by being the higher seed and having to travel across country for a road game @ Davidson.

-VCU should have legitimate complaints that Oregon, Nova, and Arizona all made it

-The committee was crazy in the East. Oklahoma ahead of Butler and Indiana what is that?

-They just wanted B-Easy v OJ for ratings

-Duke steals Wisconsin's two seed

Team Capsules Part 10

Kent St.-(28-6, 13-3) I’ll be honest I wanted Kent St. to lose yesterday. Not because I dislike the team, it was actually out of my affinity for the Mid American Conference. The MAC gets beaten up every year on selection Sunday and hasn’t received two bids in way too long. Kent St. was going to change that if they lost yesterday, they were assured a at large bid. It was well warranted with the season they put forward. In a league where the teams beat up on each other more than any other league in the country Kent St. found a way not to fall victim to the MAC (excluding the inexplicable loss to Bowling Green). Jim Christian wasn’t expecting much entering this year, they only had two seniors and they both played up front. But the 6’8 Haminn Quaintance and 6’7 Mike Scott both provided leadership and they got more than they bargained for when they signed Al Fisher from Redlands Community College. Fisher has transformed a good team into a great team and was named the MAC player of the year (an honor I take very seriously Turner Battle won it).

The Good: This team goes 9 deep without losing any loss in quality which is remarkable on a the mid-major level. Christian is a great coach who has guided Kent to at least 20 wins every year he’s been there. Al Fisher has the heart of a champion which was shown when they beat St. Mary’s in perhaps the most meaningful game of BracketBuster Saturday. Quaintance was a dominant force on defense down low in the MAC this year and Jordan Mincy is one of the best on the ball defenders in the country and pesters opposing guards into creating turnovers. This team hasn’t lost two games in a row all season and as Coach Christian claimed they are “a resilient group,” he also said about his team that they are “a tough group of people. We just find ways to win, and this time of year that’s what it’s all about.”

The Bad: They aren’t great at an uptempo game, they prefer to slow the game down and have their defense win it for them. When they have played uptempo teams they have lost. UNC blew them out early in the season by 30 and when they get into shootouts they lose like they did when they had Bowling Green put up 89 on them.

The Verdict: This team is one of the better mid-majors in the country this year. What will hurt them is that as one of the better mid-majors they will likely get a really athletic underachieving major conference team in a 8-9 or 7-10 game. I would take them over a Wisconsin rather than taking them over a athletic team that isn’t as good and that may kill them. If they go up against another methodical offense they have a great shot of winning.

Coppin St.-(16-20, 7-9) Coppin State started the season 4-19. They were 0-8 in the MEAC. They had lost to Howard a team that finished with 26 losses. Now they are heading to Dayton. They are now in the NCAA Tournament. They have won 12 of their last 13 and came into the MEAC tourney with the seventh seed. They went on to play 4 games and win the championship game on Tywain McKee’s driving layup with 2 seconds left. It was a miracle ending to a miracle comeback story for them. Now they go on to Dayton and will have a game to play a number 1 seed.

The Good: They have momentum and had no idea when they were entering February they would be here now. They will just cherish the opportunity and enjoy their ride. They also are the first team ever with 20 losses to make it.

The Bad: 20 losses, getting beat by 47 to Marquette, losing by 49 to Xavier, having 2 of their 16 wins come against D2 schools. They don’t play great defense, don’t play great offense but they were playing on adrenaline last week.

The Verdict: The 1 seed that plays them if they advance past the play in game will win by 30. Great story but the ride must end.

Mississippi Valley St.-(17-15, 12-6) The Delta Devils started 0-8 then beat 2 D2 schools. They didn’t get their first win over a D1 school until January 14^th. Now they are dancing. Don’t get it twisted they are likely a play-in team but they are just happy to be here. They won the SWAC tourney on 2 free throws with .4 seconds left on the clock. What a wild year it has been for them.

The Good: They play good defense and that is how they turned their season around. Their offense thrives off of their defense and they rebound well led by Larry Cox who grabs 8 boards a game. If their defense is clicking they will win the playin game and advance to be beat by 20+.

The Bad: They aren’t that good. They lost 71-26 to Washington St. Lost by 30+ to Pitt, Ole Miss, and Baylor. They wont be able to compete with a 1 seed because they don’t keep games close, they get blown out.

The Verdict: Thank you come again, nice of the Delta Devils to join us but this is not the team that will be the first 16 seed to beat a 1 seed.

Tennessee- (29-4, 14-2) the most unorthodox style of play for a team that will be a 1 or 2 seed in a long, long time. Bruce Pearl’s boys try to use their athleticism as their ultimate advantage. They start All-American candidate Chris Lofton, the 3 Smiths (all unrelated), and Wayne Chism. Because of their style of play they need to be deep on the bench. Jordan Howell, Josh Tabb, Duke Crews, and J.P. Prince all can be in at clutch situations and be reasons for Tennessee wins (as Prince was @ Memphis).

The Good: There is no one you would rather have the ball in their hand at the end of the game than Chris Lofton. That goes for any team any player. Hansbrough needs someone to feed him, Beasley is too young, but Lofton is proven and has made more daggers than anyone in the country. He is as good a shooter as there is in the country. Their offense can light you up. They averaged over 82 ppg as a team on the season and with Lofton and the Smiths (mainly Tyler and Jajuan) they have guys that can break down anyone off the dribble. They are probably the most athletic team in America and are the only ones to beat Memphis on the year. Also they have a smart coach in Bruce Pearl who chose to foul at the end of the Memphis game which won it for them.

The Bad: Ramar Smith is not a true point guard and isn’t really trustworthy with the ball at the end of the game. He missed 8 free throws to lose them the game vs. Vandy. Also this team relies on forcing turnovers which can be a recipe for disaster come tourney time. When another team slows them down they can be beaten, and this weekend was the first time a team played at UT’s style and won when Arkansas beat them in a slugfest.

The Verdict: This Tennessee team is really hard to predict, they could be the first really high seed to be out because if their shots aren’t falling and the other team slows them down they are easily beatable. But on the other hand when their shots are falling and they are getting to the rack off the dribble they are nearly unbeatable. For this I think they are a elite 8 team but I don’t think they could go too much further than that.

Team Capsules Part 9

Xavier-(27-6, 14-2) Most all of Sean Miller’s squad that nearly knocked off the “Thadd 5” last year in the tournament is back. The only key player gone is Justin Doelman. This years squad is led by seniors Drew Lavender, Josh Duncan and Stanley Burrell. Lavender is the lightning fast 5’7 guard who started his career at Oklahoma. Duncan is the 6’9 Power Forward that extends the floor with his range. Burrell has sacrificed his personal game for the team concept and is the true key behind this team’s success. His first three years he was a great scorer and not much else, over the offseason and this season he has become a shut down defender.

The Good: Xavier is the most balanced team in the tournament. All their players buy into the team concept over getting their own. They have an astonishing six guys that average in double figures and no one that averages more than 12 a game. With that stat they are 19-0 when four or more players score in double figures. They have four guys that see significant time that average over a 3 a game. They go 9 deep and don’t have any drop off in production. In fact their first and fifth leading scorers come off the bench. They were first in the A-10 in opponents’ field goal percentage holding opponents to 40%. The most significant thing is their experience. With the three seniors and a plethora of sophomores and juniors contributing they know how to win. Also they have been here before and know how close they were. Stanley Burrell said. “This year, we’re hungry. We’re greedy. We want to keep winning.”

The Bad: They can be shut down as Arizona St. did early in the season and St. Josephs found twice this season. All their losses have been on the road except for a loss at home to Tennessee. Other than having a little trouble on the road (if 5 losses is trouble) they don’t really have any flaws unless they go extremely cold like they were against St. Joes (1 three made).

The Verdict: I love this Xavier team straight up. They have so many weapons that can hurt you and they play team ball so they aren’t reliant on one guy. They have the necessary senior leadership and as Burrell said they are hungry. Last year they got a taste with how close they were before Ron Lewis, this year expect them to overcome that barrier. This team I have going far probably elite 8 and they could be the team I try to ride to the final 4.

University Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)-(24-8, 13-3) UMBC is another first time tourney team. In fact it was the first time they even made the conference championship game in their 22 years on the D1 level. They are led by two seniors who have both transferred from James Madison University to UMBC. Ray Barbosa and Cavell Johnson transferred together and now as seniors are bringing UMBC to the promise land. Barbosa is their leading scorer at 17 ppg and he averages nearly 3 threes a game. Johnson averages 13 and 7 for the Retrievers. Coach Randy Monroe’s squad really gets out and runs and loves to put points up on the board. With four guys averaging over 13 a game they have many weapons that a team can’t focus in on just one.

The Good: Leadership, 3 of their top 4 guys are seniors and the other is a junior. They come in very hot losing only once since January 20^th. Junior point guard Jay Greene is possibly the most reliable mid-major point guard. He averages nine points a game but his impact is felt by making his teammates better and controlling the game. He averages 7.3 assists a game and only 2 turnovers a game. He dominated the America East tournament on his way to the tournament MVP. Also upfront they rebound pretty well, Darryl Procter grabs 8.5 boards a game to go along with his reliable 15 points and Johnson gets his 7 boards. Also they played close at Ohio St. losing only by 9 proving to themselves they can play with the big dogs.

The Bad: The America East was very weak this year making UMBC’s gaudy 24 wins look worse. Their defense also isn’t stellar evidenced giving up 85 to Hartford, 87 to Lafayette and 92 to Ohio State. If they are matched up with any fast paced team that may work to their disadvantage because they try to outscore teams and on the mid-major level that works but against the Memphis’ that’s a recipe for disaster.

The Verdict: If a 15 seed they could stick around and make a game but don’t expect anything more than that. Expect them to lose by 15 or so and if they play a 1 seed it could get ugly. They should be happy though they made the tourney for the first time in school history.

Marquette- (24-9, 11-7) Tom Crean is one of my favorite coaches but come the tourney his teams always kill me. Pick them to lose they’ll make the sweet 16, pick them to the sweet 16 rest assured they get knocked out in the first round. This year’s squad is the team you know, the three guard attack led by Dominic James and his partners in crime Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews. Up front they have sophomore Lazar Haywood who has stepped up and become a reliable scoring option within the offense and senior Ousmane Barro who can be described simply as raw.

The Good: No team in America can guard these three guards when they are clicking. We all know Dominic James can dominate a game offensively but what is lesser known is how Jerel McNeal can dominate a game defensively. He can torment a taller defender by playing physically while still using his quickness and speed to beat his man to the spot. The best example of his work was his performance on Brian Laing of Seton Hall. Laing, one of the most underrated players in the country who normally averages 20 points had to work to even make it to 6. Any one of the guards or Haywood can take over the game so they have plenty of options if someone is being held in check.

The Bad: Their shooters can’t shoot. Dan Fitzgerald (37%) was the guy they thought would fill the Steve Novak shooter role but unfortunately for the squad he has filled the Taylor King “do jumping jacks on the sideline” role. David Cubillan despite what I think (I don’t think I have ever seen him miss) is shooting a measly 34%. Also if Wesley Matthews or Jerel McNeal gets into foul trouble they are screwed like what happened against Pittsburgh last night. Also they are yet another team that plays much better at home evidenced by beating Pitt by 18 at home but losing by 7 on a “neutral” court (it was at MSG so its essentially better than a home court advantage for Pitt).

The Verdict: Are they elite? No they are not. Are they capable of making the second weekend? Will they bust brackets? Definitely. For these reasons I will likely pick them to make the round of 32 then lose just to play it “safe.”

West Virginia-(24-10, 11-7) When John Beilein and West Virginia won the postseason NIT last year I thought they had a good shot at making the tourney this year. Well Beilein went on to Michigan and in came Huggy. Well, from there I thought it would take a few years for WVU to make it back to the tourney now because these kids couldn’t play Huggy’s style of play. I thought no way would Smalligan be running up and down the court trying to play an athletic style of play. I thought it would be disaster. Well the strength and conditioning that Huggy implemented really worked. It turned Joe Alexander into a superstar a first team All Big East player and was right up players like Da’Sean Butler’s alley.

The Good: Alexander may be the best mid-range player in the country right now. He is extremely athletic and has become Huggy’s premier player. I compare him to what Demarr Johnson was on Huggy’s Cincy teams. Alex Ruoff is a lights out shooter and can really extend the floor and Smalligan despite being bald and appearing unathletic does a great job of guarding opposing post players. Darris Nichols is the gutsy senior leader for this team and if he can knock down a open shot he will bring he intensity of this team way up.

The Bad: They are inexperienced. They are overachieving. And if Smalligan gets in foul trouble down low they have no one to guard a post player (see Hibbert going buck wild when he saw 6’8 Joe Alexander on him). If they aren’t knocking down shots they really struggle, and if Alexander can’t get his game going they are in huge trouble.

The Verdict: This is a good team don’t get me wrong and they have the talent to go past the first weekend but I see them either winning the 8-9 or 7-10 game then going out to a 1 seed. This team next year will be much better with Alexander and Ruoff as seniors and Huggy’s first freshman class.

Team Capsules Part 8

Vanderbilt (26-7, 10-6) Coming off of a heartbreaking one point loss to Georgetown last year, the Commodores have had an even better season in 2007-2008. Thanks in large part to the import of Australian Freshman Center AJ Ogilvy, Vandy has been able to move on without last year’s do-everything man Derrick Byars. Ogilvy and Senior Guard Shan Foster combined for 38 points per game this year, proving to be the best duo in the SEC. Foster was recently named SEC Player of the year, an honor bestowed upon Byars one year ago. Vanderbilt went undefeated at home this year and hopes to hop on the backs of Ogilvy and Foster deep into the tournament.

The Good: At home Vanderbilt is as good as any team in the country. In fact they went 21-0 and even beat then top ranked Tennessee at Memorial Gym. They have one of the best inside-outside combinations in the nation. Shan Foster is absolutely wet (48 % 3P) and AJ Ogilvy has a nice touch inside of 15 feet (60% FG). These two shoot the ball extremely well. They average a combined fewer than 24 shots a game, but Coach Kevin Stallings needs them to shoot more to make it past the second round this year. Foster is one of the most underrated players in the tournament. His numbers really jump out at you (21 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg, and 2 spg). He also averages less than two turnovers a game and shoots 52 % from the floor. He is very efficient and I believe he’s an NBA guard. Besides, Ogilvy and Foster, the next weapon is Alex Gordon. He hits about two threes a game. PG Jermaine Beal is pretty steady and PF Ross Neitner, a transfer from LSU is a 6-9 banger in the paint. One plus is that they start three seniors. Also, everyone in the starting 5 shoots over 75 % from the line.

The Bad: Outside of Ogilvy and Foster, this team doesn’t have too many other weapons. Gordon basically lives at the 3 point line (70% of his FGs are 3Pts). Neitner is steady but won’t amaze you with any offensive skill set. The bench is nothing special, and isn’t relied on too much. This team plays outstanding at home, thanks in large part to Memorial Gym, where the benches are on the baseline and the backdrop for shooters is difficult to get accustomed to. For this reason, Vanderbilt has a huge advantage at home, thus their 21-0 home record. They are only 5-7 on the road! The thing I don’t like most about this team is that they don’t force turnovers. They are tied for last in that category in the SEC. If you can’t force turnovers, you will have a hard time getting out on the break and creating easy baskets. On a night where the threes aren’t falling those easy baskets are very valuable.

The Verdict: I think Foster and Ogilvy are both very good. They are just too shy. It is remarkable for a team’s two best players to shoot so well from the floor. And these two are good enough by themselves to win Vandy a couple games. To beat a really good team, though, they need more from the supporting cast. Also, the 5-7 record on the road troubles me. I could see this team making it back to the sweet 16, but it depends so much on the matchups. If I had to guess now, I think this team will make it to the second weekend.




UConn (24-8, 13-5) Rebounding from an awful year last year (by UConn’s standards), Jim Calhoun has done a very good coaching job in 2007-2008. He has taken a team with not that much talent and put them back near the top of the Big East standings. Once again for the 8th year in a row, the Huskies lead the country in shot blocking (basically all 7-3 center Hasheem Thabeet’s work). Calhoun looks to bring this team back to the glorydays of Taliek Brown, Ben Gordon, and Emeka Okafor, but that will not be an easy task.

The Good: Size. Uconn’s got plenty of it. Their starting 5, height-wise, could pass for an NBA team. Thabeet starts at center and swats away everything in sight. Stanley Robinson is an athletic 6-9 forward. Jeff Adrien is 6-7, built, and plays like he’s 6-10. And that’s only their frontcourt. Even their guards are big. Starting point guard AJ Price is 6-2. Shooting guards Craig Austrie and Jerome Dyson (who recently returned from suspension for breaking “team policy”) are 6-3, and 6-4 respectively. Because of this size, UConn rebounds extremely well, usually limiting their opponents to very few second and third shots on a possession. This team has more than just size, however. As a team, they go when AJ Price goes. He is the catalyst, and luckily for UConn fans, AJ has had his breakout season. He is a floor general and one of the best point guards in the Big East. He excels late in the game when it is his job to beat his man off the dribble and get to the basket. This is something UConn relies on very heavily, as not too many other players can create for themselves. Heaven knows Hasheem Thabeet can’t! If this team is to get anywhere in the tourney it will be because of their overpowering size and the point guard play of AJ Price.

The Bad: Shooting. Their guards do not shoot the ball well at all and in March that’s basically all that counts. Price is at 44% from the floor, Austrie 38%, Dyson and Doug Wiggins 41%. In particular, this team does not shoot the three well. Stanley Robinson is the only player above 37%. Too often do you see UConn wind down the shot clock and force up a three or depend on Dyson or Price to create. Offensively, this is not the most fluid team in the tournament. Nor do they run their sets especially well. This will hurt them.

The Verdict: I do not like this team’s chances very much. I’d be very surprised if they get out of the first weekend. They simply do not shoot the ball well enough. Rebounding and shot blocking can only take you so far. Unfortunately for Jim Calhoun, I think he’ll have to wait another couple years to get back to the final 4. For me this is a team that is capable of being upset in the first round, but will more likely fall in the round of 32.




Indiana (25-7, 14-4) The Hoosiers have had an interesting season this year to say the least. Coach Kelvin Sampson suspiciously snagged Eric Gordon away from Illinois last spring and was called out for his illegal recruiting measures. He spoke to high school players like Gordon during “frozen periods” and text messaged non stop. Kelvin resigned a little over halfway through the season and the Hoosiers have not been the same team since his departure.

The Good: It would be unfair to mention Indiana without talking about all of the success they have had this year. It was a very noble decision on forward DJ White’s part to pass up on the NBA draft and stay in school for his senior year. He has proven a lot of nay-sayers wrong this year and become one of the premier big men in the nation. The first three years of his career he couldn’t stay on the court due to injuries, but he has done a great job of staying healthy in 2007-2008. Along with Gordon, interim coach Dan Dakich is equipped with the best inside outside duo in the entire country. CBB analyst Jimmy Dykes is quick to point out that national championship teams must have an NBA guard and an NBA big (18 of the last 20 have). If you subscribe to Dykes’ theory, Indiana is on a short list of championship contenders. They have been a very solid team on both ends and it is great to know that at the end of a game either Eric Gordon or DJ White (probably would be the first options on any team in CBB) will get a touch.

The Bad: This has not been the same team since Dakich took over. Before Sampson left they were 21-4. After he left they are 4-3. They are certainly not a hot team going into the tournament. They have gone from a two seed to a four or five in a span of two weeks. Also I am not a huge believer in having a freshman guard as your number one scoring option. Very rarely does a freshman guard take a team on his back. And yeah, I’ve heard of Carmelo Anthony. The three reasons not to pick this team are Dakich, lack of experience in the backcourt (other two guards Crawford is a freshman, Bassett is a sophomore), and they do not shoot threes well (34% for the season).

The Verdict: This team is on upset alert. If I had to name a high seed to lose in the first round without seeing the matchups this would be the team I chose. Very few teams have the mental strength to endure a coaching change mid-season and still make a sustained tourney run. And given Indiana’s youth, notably in the backcourt, I don’t see this team getting too far. My prediction is they’ll be upset in the first weekend.




Memphis (33-1, 16-0) About one year ago I was asked to give a prediction on who would win the national championship in 2008. My response was Memphis. Knowing they would return everyone from an elite 8 squad, and bring in the most explosive and arguably best freshman in the country, it was an easy choice for me. This has been a special season for Coach Calipari’s team. Aside from a 4 point loss at home to Tennessee they have gone through the season perfect. They locked up a number one seed by humiliating Tulsa today, up 42-13 at halftime.

The Good: Memphis runs an unorthodox offense known as the Attack Attack Skip Attack Attack (AASAA). Calipari got it over the summer from Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg. This offense is perfect for the Tigers. Basically it consists of four athletic slashers along the perimeter and one big in the short corner. The slashers are told to catch and attack the rim. If they don’t have a good look at the basket, they skip the ball to one of the other three or lob it up to the rim for the big (Joey Dorsey). Very few teams have the athleticism or depth to run this. Memphis is one of the few. The four slashers are 6-7 Chris Douglas Roberts, (in the business known as CDR), 6-9 Robert Dozier, 6-3 Derrick Rose (the most explosive freshman in the country), and 6-6 Antonio Anderson. All four of them can attack the rim and finish with the best of them. All four except Dozier are adequate from beyond the arc. Off the bench, Doneal Mack, Shawn Taggart, Andre Allen, and Willie Kemp provide big minutes and don’t give way for much drop-off when the starters are in foul trouble. Dorsey is an absolute monster. He’s one of the better rebounders in the tournament at almost ten a game.

The Bad: Free Throw shooting. They simply can not hit free throws. This is a major concern of mine. They are the worst foul shooting team in the nation (less than 60%). At the end of the game no lead is safe for the Tigers. The worst of the bunch is Dorsey (38%). Given the physical nature of Dorsey’s game, he gets to the line a lot. What is troubling is that he leaves many points on the board since he can not hit anything from the line. Other than free throw shooting, there really aren’t any glaring weaknesses on this team.

The Verdict: They are one of about five teams that could be cutting down the nets in Indianapolis. Not many teams can match up with their sheer athleticism. Tennessee could, and that is why they walked out of the FedEx Forum with a win. Look for them to storm through the first two teams they play. They will receive trouble when they have to play close, slower tempo games in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. I still think this team will make the final 4 because of their depth and athleticism. Do I stand by my prediction that they’ll win the national championship? No, I don’t. But I wouldn’t be shocked if they did win the whole thing.

Team Capsules Part 7

Louisville- (24-8, 14-4) Rick Pitino (a slimeball) has one of the more talented teams he’s ever coached (Not Kentucky ‘96 talent but you get the point). They go 8 deep, with no one else on the team averaging over 9 minutes a game. They have very balanced scoring with 4 guys averaging in double figures. Their leading scorer is David Padgett at 11.7 ppg but the heart and soul of this team is Terrance Williams. The 6’6 junior averages 11 points 7 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. Earl Clark provides a great spark off the bench with 9 double doubles on the year and averages 11 points and 8 rebounds. He is extremely versatile for being 6’9 and can guard any player from 2-4. Any of the eight guys who get time in the rotation could start for any team in the country and buy into the team concept by playing at Louisville.

The Good: I once heard that the three keys to success were Defense! Defense! Defense! Well if this is so, then Louisville is very successful. They are ranked 5^th in adjusted Defense in the country behind only Kansas, Memphis, Wisconsin and UCLA. All of which are teams that could make it to the final four and win it all (exception of Wisconsin). They play great on the ball defense and have wings that can guard any matchup assigned to them. Their guards are lightning fast and their bigs are big boys. Their dominance on defense has been shown by holding Marquette to 51, Georgetown to 51 and Syracuse to 50. They also rebound real well with five guys averaging over 4 boards a game and two over 7. Earl Clark and Derrick Caracter create extra possessions by crashing the offensive boards. Also say what you want about Pitino but he is one of the great basketball minds in college basketball and will out-diagram just about any coach in the country.

The Bad: They lost their last two games and you don’t want to be on a cold stretch entering the tournament which doesn’t bode well for them. Another bad for this team is down the stretch free throw shooting. Last year it came down to two at the line FTW (for the win) and Edgar Sosa missed two free throws while they were down 1 and they lost. This year 7 of their 8 men in the rotation shoot less than 72% from the line including Terrance Williams’ atrocious 56%. Both bigs David Padgett and Derrick Caracter are foul liabilities who could get the ‘Ville into trouble if both of them have to sit because of their lack of depth off the bench. Also according to Ken Pom they are one of the 50 unluckiest teams in all of college basketball this year.

The Verdict: They have one of the most talented teams 1-8 of anyone in the tourney and pose matchup problems for every team. At one point this season they went on a 19-3 run and they have won 4 games in a row on three different occasions on the season. To get to the final four they will have to win 4 in a row again and they have the talent to do so. Past that I don’t think they have a chance. They also aren’t coming in hot and have looked lackluster and apathetic at times. For these reasons a elite 8 pick would be safe but I wouldn’t be shocked if they got knocked out earlier or went on to the final four.

Notre Dame- (24-7, 14-4) Since joining the Big East, Notre Dame was always the 5^th or 6^th team to get into the tournament and was the Chris Thomas and Torin Frances show. Well both are gone now and it’s a new team, its got the Big East POY in sophomore Luke Harangody, ‘Gody is a double double machine and averaged 21 and 10 this season. They also have Kyle McAlarney back this year who adds a whole other dimension to their offense. He has the Ronald Ramon syndrome, leave him open-it’s going in. Interestingly enough he shoots better from three than he does from two.

The Good: Notre Dame had the number one offense in the Big East. They have the most assist per game of any team in the country which means they move the ball extremely well. They now have a superstar in Harangody, something they didn’t have last year and they now have a shooter with McAlarney back who is averaging over 3 threes a game. Another thing they do exceptionally well is rebound. ‘Gody averages over 10 with his wide frame, Rob Kurz grabs 7.5 a game, Zach Hillesland and Tory Jackson both contribute with 5 a game. When ‘Gody is going to work on the inside and McAlarney is knocking down traybombs there are few teams if any that can match that inside outside threat.

The Bad: Tory Jackson, their point guard, can’t shoot free throws. He is shooting 51% on the year. Having a point guard that can’t be trusted with the ball at the end of a game when winning has plagued many teams in the past, like Uconn with Taliek Brown and Pitt with Brandan Knight and has led to both teams downfalls. They only have one senior, Rob Kurz who has been their captain for two years but he’s not a go to playmaker he’s a top notch role player (1 point away from 1000 for the career). Also this team still has the taste of last year’s loss to Winthrop still on the back of their minds. Even though Winthrop was the catchy pick last year they still pulled the upset so until they win that first game in the tourney they will be thinking about it. Also they are a much different team at home and unfortunately their games will not be played at the Joyce center where they have won 37 straight.

The Verdict: This team is better than last years’ team straight up. They should make it to the sweet sixteen with the talent they have, but inexperience may bite them and they could lose to a hungrier team. I see them as a 3 or 4 seed and winning easily in the first round then having a battle in the second.

American- (21-11, 10-4) their starting backcourt is composed of a listed 5’9 (really 5’7) and 5’11. From that standpoint alone they were mismatched before entering every game. They were 7-8 on January 4^th and 11-10 entering February, then they just turned it around. Since then they have gone 10-1 and beat out Colgate in the Patriot League championship for the school’s first ever NCAA tournament bid. Their leading scorer is the 5’11 Garrison Carr who averages 18 ppg and 4 threes a game. Their second best player is Derrick Mercer, (who is on the St. Anthony’s team profiled in book The Miracle of St. Anthony) the 5’7 point guard runs the show for them averaging over 12 points and 4 assists.

The Good: They have played and won in hostile environments this year. They beat Maryland at the Comcast Center back in December and lost a close one at Dayton. Also this team is hot and is playing with house money. No one expected them to come this far so just going to the tourney is enough for them. Doing anything in the tourney would be added gravy. If Carr can get hot early they may be able to prolong the game. If he nails 6 threes it will surely open up his teammates. Also all of their top 9 scorers are upperclassmen which will means they should be poised.

The Bad: Experience. Yes all 9 of their top scorers are upperclassmen, but only one is a senior. That is 8 juniors and no one on the team has been to a tournament. Also if they play against a bigger team they will be exploited like they were against Georgetown when they got blown out. Mercer probably has the most big game experience for all of his state championship games at St. Anthony. That is not a good thing when your most experienced player is going on high school experience heading into the tourney.

The Verdict: Wait ‘til next year. This team will be back again next year, with 9 juniors this trip will be very valuable to give them confidence but don’t expect them to come in and upset anyone. Next year, that’s another story but right now in the 2009 NCAA tournament I’m picking American to the sweet 16 hop on the bandwagon now while there is plenty of room.

Big East Tourney Thoughts

I wouldn't be so quick to buy Pitt's run through the Big East tournament as a team to go far in the NCAA tourney. You must remember they play better at MSG than they do at home. They've beaten the 'Ville, Marquette, a good Cincy team and Duke this year alone there. If their tourney games were at MSG they would be the national champs possibly but unfortunately for them they aren't so don't be surprised if they go out early even after playing so hot.

Sam Young's ballfakes are just silly, he goes up on his tip toes, thats crazy

Georgetown looked like a final four team last night, they were clicking on all cylinders and made a good West Virginia team look real bad, and held Joe Alexander to 8 points (he had 12 but 4 were garbage time points that don't count)

Deonta Vaughn on the first day and Joe Alexander on the first two days made the teams they were playing look silly, both will be stars next year on teams that will be much improved.

Providence digressed this year, they should have made the tournament with the talent they had and now Tim Welsch should be out of work.

Joe Alexander Posterizes UCONN's Stanley Robinson

Send It in Joe! Here is the dunk where Joe Alexander makes UConn remember not to challenge.

Team Capsules Part 6

Portland St.- (23-9, 14-2) This is Portland St.’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance (one more than my Buffalo Bulls and one more than the sorry Big 10 Northwestern but I won’t get into that) and is a team full of transfers. Coach Ken Bone has six transfers on the team including Big Sky POY this year Jeremiah Dominguez. Dominguez may be the smallest player in the entire tournament as a listed 5’6 and 150 lbs. both of which numbers may be a little generous. In his first year with the team since transferring from University of Portland Dominguez averaged over 14 points and had 4 assists a game. He also is good for 2 steals and 3 three’s a game. Deonte Huff, a senior guard and first team all Big Sky selection is their second leading scorer and inside they have a big body in 6’11 Scott Morrison.

The Good: Morrison. Morrison will be able to match up with any big man in the tourney. He was the Big Sky defensive player of the year and holds the Portland St. record for blocked shots. Also their top four scorers all shoot above 45% from the field including 44% from downtown for Dominguez. Another good thing about them is they never get into foul trouble so they won’t be undermanned ever. They also have played top competition this year in games against UCLA and Washington St.

The Bad: They got beat down by UCLA and lost by 10 to Wash St., a team that can’t really blow anyone out. Their marquee win is probably against Akron a team that probably won’t be playing in the postseason. Another thing is if they play a big time point guard Dominguez will have trouble bodying up with him. Lastly they are inexperienced none of them have been to the tournament before and it may seem surreal to most of them.

The Verdict: They will probably end up on the 15 line and face a two seed that could have debatably been a 1. They may start hot but don’t expect any miracles here, this team won’t win and will be happy with keeping it respectable.

Mount St. Mary’s: (18-14, 11-7) The Mountaineers lost their first 4 games to start off the season but rebounded well, winning their next 6. They are a hot team coming into the tourney, fresh off their NEC championship. In fact, they have won 8 out of their last 9. The notable games they have played this year include a win over Winthrop and losses at Oklahoma and Oregon.

The Good: Mount St. Mary’s has two capable guards, Sophomore Jeremy Goode and Senior Chris Vann. Each average 14 points per game. The team relies heavily on the point guard play of Goode. When he’s goode, the team goes. When he isn’t, this is a team that can struggle. Luckily he has played well recently for the Mountaineers and they hope he carries that play into the tournament. The team also plays better when Vann takes fewer shots, deferring to his teammates, notably forwards Sam Atupem and Will Holland. Vann has taken fewer shots in the last 6 games (7.6 per game) and the team has benefited.

The Bad: This team has no size. They don’t start a player over 6-7 and get very little rebounding from their starting unit. Goode averages too many turnovers a game (3.4) and they do not shoot the ball particularly well. They will be out rebounded almost definitely

The Verdict: This is a play-in team. They may win their first game to play UNC or Memphis but will certainly not pose a threat to any number one seed. They had a nice season in the NEC but are way overmatched by most teams in the field.

Team Capsules Part 6

George Mason (23-10, 12-6) Do not be fooled. This is not the same George Mason team that made that historic run to the final 4 in 2006. Jai Lewis is not walking through that door. Tony Skinn is not walking through that door. Lamar Butler is not walking through that door. There are two key contributors that do remain, though, Folarin Campbell and Will Thomas. These two along with seasoned coach Jim Larranaga will have the experience and confidence that so many mid majors lack, but will that be enough?

The Good: Obviously the two experienced players in Campbell and Thomas and an experienced coach. They showed they could win on the road with a big win at Kansas St (impressively holding Beasley to 30 and 10) early in the season which is not an easy place to play. They also rarely get into foul trouble and have a cast of role players who are hustlers, and have proven capable of doing the dirty work including Chris Fleming, Louis Birdsong, and Jon Vaughan. Where the Patriots really get after it is on the defensive end. In fact Larranaga recently said “We came here with a mind-set that it’s really not about the offense, it’s so important that your defense be a consistent part.” They have held their last 7 opponents under 60 and if they can do that in the first round they’ve got a great shot. If you’re picking this team, you’re picking them based on your confidence in Campbell, Thomas, and Larranaga.

The Bad: The fact is George Mason did not really play anyone out of conference. They didn’t really play anyone in conference for that matter either, considering it was a down year for the usually underrated CAA outside of Virginia Commonwealth. Their schedule is littered with losses to average teams at best including Delaware, Northeastern, East Carolina, and Georgia State. Also, outside of the big 2 they do not have any real proven scorers. It makes you wonder what will happen to this team if Thomas and Campbell can be contained.

Verdict: I am not about to jump on this George Mason bandwagon anytime soon. Nothing about this team besides the two experienced players really jumps out at you and the double digit amount of losses scares me a little bit. Also if VCU is denied an at large bid they will not have a win over a tournament team. Still, though I am sure not too many high seeds would like to see themselves paired up with GMU on Sunday night. I have them projected at a 13 seed and I’m convinced many casual fans will pick them for the upset. They don’t get the nod from me, though. I’d stay away from picking them unless the matchup is just right (That’s a call out Indiana).


Butler (29-3, 16-2) Make no mistake about it. This Butler team has final four potential. The Horizon League champions gave Florida their toughest game in last year’s tournament and return everyone but Coach Todd Lickliter from that team. They have beaten a few bubble teams out of conference including wins at Virginia Tech, home to Ohio State, and home to Florida State. New coach Brad Stevens has the team playing great on both ends, prime for a run into April.

The Good: The Bulldogs possess perhaps the best backcourt in the country with seniors Mike Green and AJ Graves. Both handle the ball very well and it is always good to have the ball in the hands of a senior at the end of a game. They are an extremely difficult team to pressure because of Graves and Green, both of whom could be starting point guards on nearly any team in the country. Aside from them, Butler is equipped with an array of forwards who can shoot the lights out. Pete Campbell, Julian Betko, and Drew Streicher make almost a combined 7 threes a game. And this year the addition of Matt Howard, a freshman 6-8 center has given them a legitimate low post threat that can block shots, score, and pass. You will often see them run their offense through Howard because he has the ability to distribute to open shooters, usually Campbell, Betko, or Graves. They run very deliberate sets, and often make several passes and plenty of time on the shot clock before they find the right shot. This is an experienced team loaded with 5 seniors and it especially shows on the defensive end where they play with outstanding cohesion.

The Bad: Butler is not a team that will blow you out. They only had two wins this year by twenty or more points. This is simply because of the very deliberate style they play. They play games with fewer possessions, and therefore usually lower scoring games where they can’t blow it wide open. This scares you a little bit because it makes you wonder if they will let one close game slip away. Also, they do not have a dominant big. Howard is talented and an improvement from last year, but he is young and he is a finesse player. His 5.6 rpg may not be enough to send this team past the round of 32. The other reason not to like Butler is because their coach is 31 and had never been a head coach at the division 1 level before this year. Brad Stevens is not as experienced in game planning or late game situations as the other coaches in the tourney.

Verdict: I like this Butler team a lot. The backcourt is tremendous and every time Campbell launches a 3, you expect it to drop. They are an extremely difficult team to prepare for since they essentially have 2 pgs and everyone else can shoot. They spread you out and make you pay for any cheating or hedging you do on screens. I just have a hunch that Mike Green, AJ Graves, and Pete Campbell won’t go down without a fight in their senior years, and they are too experienced to not make it to the sweet 16. Look for this team to make a strong push for the elite 8. Final 4? They’re capable, but certainly not a safe pick.

Team Capsules Part 5

Oral Roberts- (24-8, 16-2) Caleb Green led Oral Roberts the past three years with his consistent 20 ppg average, Ken Tutt was Green’s right hand man in crime. Neither are here this year. This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Scott Sutton’s (Eddie’s son and Sean’s brother) club fresh off of two straight Mid-Continent (Now Summit) Conference championships and tourney bids. They started shaky too, they were 1-2, then it clicked, they are 23-6 since the loss to A&M Corpus Christi. They beat Oklahoma St. on the road and lost respectably by 10 at Texas. This years squad is led by Robert Jarvis a 5’11 junior point guard who averages 16 ppg and hits 40% from beyond the arc.

The Good: Jarvis is possibly the best sixth man in the tournament; he is a sparkplug off the bench and is the heart and sole of this team. Scott Sutton, one of the best young coaches has been to the tourney before so he’ll make sure his boys are ready. Also the game at Texas and winning in Stillwater showed them that they could play with any team in the country. Shawn King is a long 6’10 or 6’11 so he can match up with most big men.

The Bad: The team can look sluggish at times. They aren’t extremely athletic and can be exploited. They don’t have Caleb Green anymore and that will hurt them because even with the 3 time Mid-Con player of the year they still lost by 14 in the first round of the tournament last year. Now they don’t have that superstar they had last year and a team that isn’t as good as last year’s squad.

The Verdict: I’m not high on this team at all. They should wind up on the 14 or 15 line and I think they will get blown out. They have a decent mid-major team and a solid program but this is not their best squad. I would say there isn’t a chance for an upset for them.

Western Kentucky- (27-6, 16-2) Surprisingly Western Kentucky has the 16^th most wins in NCAA history. That stat wouldn’t have mattered to any player on the team if they didn’t win on Tuesday night. They would have been sitting together on Sunday evening watching the brackets come out and knowing that they were either one of the last four in or last four out. Luckily they overcame their terrible first half and beat Middle Tennessee St. by 10 to win the Sun Belt championship and claim the tourney bid. They are coached by former WKU point guard Darrin Horn and are led by superstar senior Courtney Lee. Lee is a rarity at the mid-major level, a wing with a NBA body and game. He is projected to be a late first round pick in the upcoming draft, and will be one of the best players in the entire tourney.

The Good: Lee. He is incredibly efficient for a guy that averages over 20 ppg in the fact that he shoots 49% from the floor. Along with the superstar in Lee they have the other element necessary to pull the upset – a gritty point guard. Tyrone Brazelton fills that job. He is a senior out of Chicago who really came into his own this year and is the second leading scorer for the team with just over 13 ppg. Their guard play is superb and will be very crucial if they are too pull off the upset.

The Bad: Inexperience and rebounding upfront. They start two 6’9 players upfront, Jeremy Evans and D.J. Magley. The problem is Evans weighs 190 lbs. is a sophomore and is their leading rebounder at 5 a game and Magley is 260 lbs. a freshman and averages a mere 3 boards a game. Lee is their second leading rebounder at just under five and will need all of these guys to play bigger than they have and to grab more boards if they will be able pull an upset.

The Verdict: This team has potential to pull an upset they need a good matchup though. Courtney Lee will come to play because he knows plenty of scouts will be watching him play so he will get his just will it be enough. They need to go against a team that like them lacks size. If not no matter how much their guards do, WKU will be exploited inside and won’t be able to pull off the upset.

Team Capsules Part 4

Drake- (28-4, 15-3) Drake was predicted to finish ninth in the preseason MVC coaches poll. Their own coach picked them to finish 6^th in that same poll. They hadn’t made a postseason tournament since 1986 and that was only the NIT and the last time they made the NCAA tournament was all the way back in 1971. Oh did I mention they have a coach that had never coached a game before on the college level as a head coach, two starters who are former walk-ons and a starting point guard (former walk-on) who has never made a 3 pointer in a game and had 55 career points entering this season. Yes, this is the same Drake that has gone 28-4. Already they have had the most successful year in school history. They have played incredibly consistent all year and beat Butler in the bracket buster game to prove themselves as the top mid-major this year.

The Good: They have a very balanced attack with four guys in double figures not including the MVC MVP in Adam Emmenecker who runs the point. They never get in foul trouble, a foe of most tournament teams. Also all five guys can play on the perimeter for them which creates lanes for Emmenecker to drive and kick to any of the shooters including Josh Young, Leonard Houston and Klayton Korver (Kyle’s brother). Their center Jonathan Cox is extremely versatile and will create matchup problems for anyone they play against. Lastly they have remained poised throughout all of the newfound hoopla around their program.

The Bad: Josh Young has been plagued by an ankle injury that may hamper him for the tournament or leave him at less than 100%. Also no one on the team has ever been to the NCAA tournament, including the coach. It will be a test for a very inexperienced team to see how they play when the lights come on them.

The Verdict: If they match up with a team that plays zone, they will win no question. They shoot too well not to. They have made it this far and will likely get a high seed and will be out to prove that they are worthy of the praise. They have senior leadership so look for them to at least get one win if not make it to the second week.

Davidson- (26-6, 20-0) Bob McKillop’s squad was here last year. They put Maryland to the test, they led most of the game only to let it slip away in the first great game of the tourney last year. They are back this year and ready to win this time. They come in winning their last 22 in a row including a Southern Conference dominant 20-0. Led by Stephen Curry and his 25 ppg they have a bonafide superstar who will get his no matter what. Jason Richards averaged 8 assists a game this year and can really dish the ball while playing solidly at the point and Boris Meno can come off the bench and give them energy and very quality minutes.

The Good: Stephen Curry will show up. Maryland saw last year that he, himself could almost win a game by himself. Also McKillop went out and scheduled the best in the country for his team to play so they would be tourney tested. They went out and lost close games to UNC (by 4) Duke (by 7) and at UCLA (by 12). They also played NC St. and lost a heartbreaker to them. In bracketbusters they won at Winthrop convincingly. They are as hot as anyone and that is something no team wants to run into.

The Bad: Well, they didn’t beat any of the good teams they played. They played competitively but a loss is a loss. They know they can play with anyone, now they have to prove that they can beat anyone which there is a great distinction between the two.

The Verdict: Let me put it this way, there is no major conference team seeded 5-8 that would want to run into this team, in fact there is no team that wants to see Davidson in the first round. Whoever they play will need their defensive stopper to come up huge for them to win. Look for Davidson to get over the hump and win a game in the tourney this year.

Team Capsules Part 3

Siena: (22-10, 13-5) Siena took the automatic bid from the MAAC last night after handily defeating Rider by 21. The game was at the Times-Union Center (formerly Pepsi Center) in Albany right on Siena’s home floor. Although the MAAC has not had too much success in the tourney in the recent past, Siena is an intriguing team for a few reasons.

The Good: Despite playing in a pretty weak MAAC this year, Siena still played a pretty difficult schedule. They lost at Syracuse, at Memphis, and home to St Joe’s, but pulled off one of the bigger upsets of the season in defeating Stanford at home (Kind of makes you wonder what Trent Johnson was thinking scheduling a game in Albany). They have been tested this year and that could help them this late in March. Another huge plus is their ability to knock down the 3. As a team they knocked down seven 3’s a game and have 5 guys that can consistently hit them. You also have to like the two leading scorers Kenny Hasbrouck (6-3 jr) and Edwin Ubiles (6-6 So), both well-rounded players who seem to do a little bit of everything. If Tay Fisher gets hot like he did against Rider, he is capable of hitting 6 3s by himself (which he did on two occasions).

The Bad: Size, Size, and Size. Or should I say lack there of? The Saints don’t start a player over 6-7 which could pose problems if they play a talented frontcourt. They rely heavily on Alex Franklin a 6-5 sophomore forward to carry the load of rebounding, and he usually comes through, averaging 8 a game. But I question whether a 6-5 forward will be able to pull down big rebounds down the stretch against, say, DJ White or Luke Harangody. They also do not have great depth, as only 6 guys average more than 11 mins a game. Not to mention a pythag rating of 115.

Verdict: Siena is a very dangerous team simply because they are so guard-oriented. They shoot the 3 well as expected and are well coached by 3^rd year man Fran McCaffery. I also like them because they have 3 proven scorers with Franklin, Hasbrouck, and Ubiles. Each averages +15 ppg. They will probably wind up with a 14 seed however, and don’t have much of a shot at beating a good 3 seed. I’d put their odds somewhere around 20% of pulling off an upset. That is unless the committee matches them up against the Lopez brothers and Stanford.

San Diego: (21-13, 11-3) San Diego pulled off two big time wins the last two nights in beating St. Mary’s and the Zags. The win against St. Mary’s came in double OT after coming back from a 17 point deficit. And against Gonzaga, the Toreros pretty much dominated and were in control the entire 2^nd half. The game was not as close as the score indicates. They started the season off 8-11, but have won 13 of their last 15 en route to their first tourney appearance since 2003 when they beat the Zags to take the WCC title.

The Good: USD is a very hot team and has beaten two tournament teams in two nights (albeit on their home floor). They have played a number of other tournament teams this season, which gives them confidence coming into the first round. They beat Kentucky at Rupp at a time when both teams were struggling, but lost to South Alabama, New Mexico, and USC. It is important to remember, however, that that was a different team playing in November and December. Since January 9^th they have really turned it around, based largely on the play of 6-0 Junior guard Brandon Johnson and big man Gyno Pomare (6-8 Junior Center). If you’re looking for reasons to pick this team the two major reasons that stand out are the 13-2 record in the last 15 (No one wants to play a hot team) and Brandon Johnson, who can take over any game (See: 28 pts, 8 reb against St Mary’s, 27 pts 8 reb at Kentucky).

The Bad: There are several reasons not to like this team. For one thing, how could a serious upset threat get off to an 8-11 start? They also do not shoot the 3 particularly well, averaging fewer than 5 3’s a game as a team and only 34 %. Another reason is that their two biggest wins of the season came right on their home floor, and besides a win at Kentucky they do not have any big road wins. Another reason is their 15 turnovers a game. And if all that’s not enough, try a 119 pythag rating.

Verdict: For some reason I like this team. Maybe it’s because they’re extremely hot at the moment. Maybe it’s because unlike other mid majors they have been tested in a difficult conference. Maybe it’s because they have a go to scorer on the perimeter (Johnson) and on the block (Pomare), and a versatile glue guy that can do everything (Rob Jones). They will probably receive a 12-13 seed and, depending on the matchup, have a pretty good shot at an upset. It heavily depends on both the team they’re playing and where they are playing though. I think they’ll be a trendy pick and it might be warranted given their 13-2 record since January 21.

Team Capsules Part 2

Continuing on in our series of Team Capsules for all the teams in the bracket here are more capsules.
Winthrop- (22-11, 10-4) Winthrop is back in the tournament again this year after knocking off Notre Dame last year. They are led by Seniors Michael Jenkins and Taj McCullough both of whom played critical roles on last years team. This is Winthrop's fourth straight Big South championship so they aren't going to be overwhelmed by the experience and come out flat.

The Good: They have played quality teams this year. They won @ Miami when Miami was ranked 19th. They have beaten Georgia Tech, Akron, and UNC Asheville too, all NIT caliber teams. Also Michael Jenkins and McCullough have been their before and provide the senior leadership that is so critical come this time of year. Also they have turned it up as of late. On March 1st in their last regular season game they lost to UNC Asheville by 13 at home. That may have been the wakeup call they needed because they cruised through the Big South tournament including revenge against Asheville where they won by 18 in the championship.

The Bad: Terrel Martin ain't walking through that door, Greg Bradshaw ain't walking through that door, and worst of all for Winthrop Greg Marshall ain't walking through that door to coach them. Randy Peele and co. will have to deal with less talent and that means less likely a chance of upset as last year.

The Verdict: A solid team but probably not capable of performing the upset this year. If they put forward the effort they showed at Miami in December they could scare a team badly but they could also come out flat like they did against Coastal Carolina. Buyer Beware.

Austin Peay- (24-10, 16-4) The Governors have two wins over Belmont as the strongest wins on their resume. They start 3 seniors and former Ohio Valley Player of the Year in junior Drake Reed. They have unbelievably balanced scoring with five guys averaging in double figures and no one averaging more than 14.6 in Reed. Senior Todd Babington is the key to their success. He was named OVC tourney MVP and has solidified their guard play.

The Good: They are extremely athletic and cause matchup problems at most positions because all five guys can create for themselves. Also they are well coached by Dave Loos, who has spent 18 years as their coach and is making his third tourney trip. Also with Reed they know who they want with the ball at the end of the game.

The Bad: While they create matchup problems for the opponents on defense they are extremely undersized. If they play against a team with strong powerful bigs they will be overpowered. Also their guard play has been inconsistent this year. When the guards don't show up they have a lot of trouble.

The Verdict: If they play against a team that is perimeter oriented they have a great shot. If the guards start playing well then they can create a very pretty inside outside game for themselves. If this happens they should be able to pull the upset. If they play a team with good bigs then they are done.

Team Capsules Part 1

This is the beginning of our NCAA tournament coverage. We will capsule each team in the tournament starting with the teams that have already clinched through automatic bids.

Cornell- (22-5, 14-0) Cornell snapped the streak of the Killer P's this year by becoming the first Ivy league school not named Princeton or Penn to make the tournament since the 1980's. As for the team five of their best seven players are sophomores with the others being one senior and one junior. They are led by Louis Dale, a 5'11 pg who averaged 14 pts and 5 assits along with 4 rebounds this year. Their leading scorer is Ryan Wittman, a sophomore SF who is averaging 15 ppg but shooting an impressive 47% from the field. Also in December they added Jeff Foote a seven footer that gives them size to match up with most any team in the field.

The Good: With essentially four guys in double figures (one is averaging 9.9ppg) and Seven guys averaging over 7.5 ppg they have very balanced scoring and won't rely on just one guy to score the ball like many other lower seeds. Also they have not lost since January 6th @ Duke which means they know hostile environments and are coming in to the Tourney on a roll.

The Bad: Outside of Siena they haven't beaten any teams in the field of 65. Also they are inexperienced and will face adversity at some point during their game they may not be experienced enough to handle.

Verdict: A strong team that will provide a scare into anyone they play but need another year before they can pull off the upset. Look for them to play tight for 30-35 minutes before fading away.

Belmont- (25-8, 14-2) Belmont won its 3rd Straight Atlantic Sun title by tromping Jacksonville by 18. They are led by Senior Guard Justin Hare who has played significant minutes on each of the Tourney teams. Wing Shane Dansby, a junior, came into his own this year and is the teams second leading scorer and leading rebounder. Outside of Hare, they are a junior led team with their next four leading scorers after Hare being juniors.

The Good: Hare. He averaged 15 ppg as a Sophomore then took the hit and came off the bench his Junior year because it was best for his team. Now he is back starting again and the team knows he is the one they want the ball with at the end of a game for a last shot. He has 14 career game winning or tying baskets as the clock expires. Also they shoot the 3 real well, they hit the most threes in the country and if they can get hot, they could really scare a team.

The Bad: They haven't shown up the last two tournaments and have gotten blown out each time. Both teams went on to reach the final four after playing them in the first round with UCLA two years ago and Georgetown last year. Also when you live by the three you die by the three as they did earlier this year when they lost by 41 to Xavier.

Verdict: If they can hit their early threes, it will be a close game and Hare has the heart to pull it out at the end. If the threes don't fall this could get real ugly. Look for them to be a 15 seed and provide a scare early on by nailing a few threes but then getting cold and not being able to keep up.

Look Ahead

Starting tomorrow we will begin our NCAA tourney coverage. We will start capsuling every team in the tourney beginning with all the teams that have already clinched. Also tomorrow we will talk bubble. But for now I will just say I am jumping on Oliver Pernell and Clemson's bandwagon.

UNC-Duke

And the first real March Madness game (outside of Thursday's terrible call against Stanford) takes place tonight and it is college basketball's greatest rivalry.

Well I have finished Will Blythe's To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever at the best possible time. I finished it in the week of the second UNC-Duke game of this season. Like Blythe I am anti-Duke maybe it was too many Melchioni chest poundings that put me over the edge but I despise them.

This year is no different in the rivalry, both teams have long March runs on their minds and will play this game off as just another one. They know it isn't, the fans know it isn't, and Dukie V sure knows it isn't. Psycho T and Carolina are out for revenge for their loss in Chapel Hill and a win in Cameron Indoor would sure be a nice way to lock up the East #1 seed.

As for my prediction on this game I am going with Carolina in this one. Ty Lawson coming back changes the whole makeup of the game. Instead of Paulus exploiting Quentin Thomas in the first half like last time and needing Carolina to crawl back Lawson will exploit Paulus's suspect Defense. Psycho T also could use a win over Duke and any Duke or Carolina fan knows that winning twice in the same year against either one of these teams is damn near impossible. That is why I am picking Prediction: Carolina 79 Duke 76

Tonights Thoughts

How does Bowling Green beat Kent St. over the weekend basically ending Kent's at large discussion then the next game against Buffalo (my team but absolutely stinks this year...like terrible) lose by 44. Yes it was at Alumni Hall meaning Buffalo can actually compete in the game but this is the Buffalo team that can't beat D2 squads by more than 10. Yet here in this last home game of the regular season they beat another MAC squad by 46 to quote the Princess Bride "Inconceivable."

Going over the box score tells a little bit of it, BG went 32% from the field which is hard to win with.
It was 52-26 at half time meaning Buffalo was beating down on them the whole game. Greg Gamble played as if it were the Empire State games in scoring 23 and Andy Robinson scored 18 off the bench.

To prove how bad Buffalo is this year look no further than the starting lineup they produced tonight:
Greg Gamble has the potential to be a solid MAC player but has underachieved his whole career but he is likely the best player they started.
Christian Schmidt is a waste of a scholarship, Coach Spoon was looking for luck after getting Idbihi from overseas but Schmidt was a huge bust.
Byron Mulkey was a freshman walkon midway through the season last year who is now the PG of a MAC team. No offense to Mulkey but he shouldn't be the one you entrust to run the point especially as a frosh or sophomore and as a walk on. Also Spoon gave him a scholly over the summer nice to reward hard work but it kills recruiting that hes taking one up.
Jawaan Alston was supposed to be a great recruit out of PA for Buffalo and is still only a freshman but hasn't produced like thought he would. Still has potential so the jurys out but hes the second best of these starters.
Brian Addison the last starter is a JUCO recruit this year who is 6'8 but from all accounts is really slow and has no business playing in the MAC.

Now I'm not trying to rip Buffalo because they are my team but Bowling Green should be ashamed to lose by 46 to this team. Buffalo's biggest win was by 21 against Evansville early in the year. They more than doubled that.

In other news Jamar Butler is a PTP'r and has free rein to do whatever he wants in the OSU offense. They keep there bubble chances alive with a big win over Purdue tonight

Down Year For College Basketball

Yes, I'm saying that this year of college basketball just isn't as compelling as previous years. The top stories of this college basketball season so far have been Bob Knight resigning, Kelvin Sampson's booting, and Michael Beasley's double double frenzy.

We have a very strong freshman core this year with Beasley, Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon, and D. Rose leading and secondary players like Harden, Green, and Singler. But are they better than Durant, Oden, Conley, Brandon Wright, Thadd Young, Crittenton, and Hawes who all came out last year? Even if you say yes to that question Rose and Beasley (The two best) are not more exciting and amiable as Durant and Oden who were publicized to all extremes. Beasley has been compared to Durant but because he plays somewhat in the post and isn't as versatile he isn't as exciting.


Also our leading upperclassmen this year don't provide the same intrigue as years past. We don't have a Florida team with 3 lottery picks, we don't have J.J. and Adam going against each other for the scoring title and lighting up every defender in sight. And we don't have an undefeated team like Illinois or a team with four first rounders like the '05 Carolina team. Our upperclassmen of note this year are Chris Lofton, Tyler Hansbrough, CDR, and Demarcus Nelson none of them are media darlings nor headcases and don't warrent extra publicity.

This year we have Duke and UNC as top 10 teams but we always seem to have that. Bruce Pearl and Tennesee are a top 5 team and I guess that is noise but anyone not named Smith doesn't want to root for them. We also have mid majors doing well but they don't garner national attention. And UCLA, Kansas are also up there.

So when looking at this year it just doesn't seem as compelling as years past. Maybe its just because we have been spoiled the last few years and hopefully this years tourney makes up for it with some great memories but for now its a down year.

Choke

I was watching the NC St.-Duke game all afternoon but wanted to see the ending of a game. I turn on ESPN and i thought the game was over. Cuse was up 75-64 over Pitt with just over 3 minutes left. Luckily for myself i kept the game on and witnessed an amazing comeback. Pitt pulled it out 82-77 they finished the last three minutes on a 18-2 run to win the game. Cuse choked terribly. They just blew their bubble and now are most likely in the NIT for the second year in a row. I thought it was over when Brown made a terrible move with 12 seconds left trying to be a hero and chucked it out of bounds, but alas on the next inbounds they steal it from Paul Harris and get a wide open lay up with Keith Benjamin. Then they hold on Boeheim gets a T and freethrows end it. Slowing down the game with this Cuse team didnt work and now they will have to think long and hard about it in the offseason about this one that got away.