The NCAA Tournament is here. Alabama State and Morehead State battle tonight for the right to get blown out by Louisville (is tonight the opening round or play-in game?). By now, you've read all the breakdowns, you've watched sixteen analysts break it down on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and yes, even CBS College Sports. Well, here's one more for you to read.
How will Marquette and Wisconsin do? Who is in my Final Four? What do I like best and worst about the college basketball orgy that is Thursday through Sunday? You are about to find out!
The Local Teams: I actually think the selection committee got it right by seeding Marquette sixth. They deserved to be knocked off the five line thanks to the injury to Dominic James. They didn't deserve to be underseeded though, because let's face it, they lost to some pretty good teams in UCONN (a #1 seed), Pitt (a #1 seed), Louisville (the #1 overall seed) and Syracuse (Big East runners up).
MU, despite the losses, is still talented enough to give anyone in the country a run for their money. Utah State on Friday presents a problem because they are more of a mystery than anything else. Their biggest win of the year was beating Utah (a five seed), yet their RPI was a surprising 27 as of last week. The Aggies have older players who have spent time on Mormon missions, the WAC Player of the Year in Gary Wilkinson, and have found their offensive rhythm since installing Jared Quayle as the starting point guard. But, MU will benefit from playing someone other than a Big East team, and the Aggies lack of schedule strength would lead you to believe that they haven't seen anything like MU. Utah State might throw a bit of a scare into the Golden Eagles, but I'd expect MU to move on.
The Golden Eagles might get Missouri in the second round (okay, should get, but I didn't want to assume). MU matches up well against Mike Anderson's club. The Tigers are undersized, just like the Golden Eagles are, and my gut tells me that MU's seniors are going to go out with a bang, not a whimper. So, I have MU into the Sweet Sixteen (where they would run into Memphis).
As far as the Badgers go, I was stunned that they were a twelve seed. I was shocked that Bo Ryan's kids were one of the last teams into the dance. I thought they had done enough to take themselves off the bubble. The committee obviously thought otherwise, and they put them in as a twelve against Florida State.
As much as I'd like to see the Badgers be one of those twelve seeds that pulls off an upset, I just don't think it's going to happen. Wisconsin isn't nearly as athletic as Florida State is. The Seminoles just beat UNC (without Ty Lawson), and Toney Douglas can light it up. The selection committee wasn't kind to the Badgers, and I think their run in the tournament will be very short.
My Final Four: I admit I have a lot of chalk on my bracket sheet. I like UCONN out of the West, though Memphis will give them a battle in the Elite Eight. I am picking North Carolina (with Ty Lawson back from his toe injury) to win the South. Pittsbugh is my choice to win the East over Villanova. And despite Louisville being the overall number one seed, I have Wake Forest winning the Midwest.
What I Like Best About The Tournament's First Week: Thursday and Friday are the best two days of the entire sports year. Better than Opening Day. The sheer number of games gets me going (and my preference is to sit on my couch with a beer going from game to game to game). And, there are always two or three teams that come out of nowhere to surprise everyone (and make me rip up my bracket sheet).
What I Hate Most About The Tournament's First Week: I'm probably in the minority here, but I just don't get the whole Gus Johnson thing. He's not as good of an announcer as some make him out to be. The excitement he displays used to be refreshing, but now it just comes off as being contrived.
How will Marquette and Wisconsin do? Who is in my Final Four? What do I like best and worst about the college basketball orgy that is Thursday through Sunday? You are about to find out!
The Local Teams: I actually think the selection committee got it right by seeding Marquette sixth. They deserved to be knocked off the five line thanks to the injury to Dominic James. They didn't deserve to be underseeded though, because let's face it, they lost to some pretty good teams in UCONN (a #1 seed), Pitt (a #1 seed), Louisville (the #1 overall seed) and Syracuse (Big East runners up).
MU, despite the losses, is still talented enough to give anyone in the country a run for their money. Utah State on Friday presents a problem because they are more of a mystery than anything else. Their biggest win of the year was beating Utah (a five seed), yet their RPI was a surprising 27 as of last week. The Aggies have older players who have spent time on Mormon missions, the WAC Player of the Year in Gary Wilkinson, and have found their offensive rhythm since installing Jared Quayle as the starting point guard. But, MU will benefit from playing someone other than a Big East team, and the Aggies lack of schedule strength would lead you to believe that they haven't seen anything like MU. Utah State might throw a bit of a scare into the Golden Eagles, but I'd expect MU to move on.
The Golden Eagles might get Missouri in the second round (okay, should get, but I didn't want to assume). MU matches up well against Mike Anderson's club. The Tigers are undersized, just like the Golden Eagles are, and my gut tells me that MU's seniors are going to go out with a bang, not a whimper. So, I have MU into the Sweet Sixteen (where they would run into Memphis).
As far as the Badgers go, I was stunned that they were a twelve seed. I was shocked that Bo Ryan's kids were one of the last teams into the dance. I thought they had done enough to take themselves off the bubble. The committee obviously thought otherwise, and they put them in as a twelve against Florida State.
As much as I'd like to see the Badgers be one of those twelve seeds that pulls off an upset, I just don't think it's going to happen. Wisconsin isn't nearly as athletic as Florida State is. The Seminoles just beat UNC (without Ty Lawson), and Toney Douglas can light it up. The selection committee wasn't kind to the Badgers, and I think their run in the tournament will be very short.
My Final Four: I admit I have a lot of chalk on my bracket sheet. I like UCONN out of the West, though Memphis will give them a battle in the Elite Eight. I am picking North Carolina (with Ty Lawson back from his toe injury) to win the South. Pittsbugh is my choice to win the East over Villanova. And despite Louisville being the overall number one seed, I have Wake Forest winning the Midwest.
What I Like Best About The Tournament's First Week: Thursday and Friday are the best two days of the entire sports year. Better than Opening Day. The sheer number of games gets me going (and my preference is to sit on my couch with a beer going from game to game to game). And, there are always two or three teams that come out of nowhere to surprise everyone (and make me rip up my bracket sheet).
What I Hate Most About The Tournament's First Week: I'm probably in the minority here, but I just don't get the whole Gus Johnson thing. He's not as good of an announcer as some make him out to be. The excitement he displays used to be refreshing, but now it just comes off as being contrived.
Check out my podast today for my thoughts on Jay Cutler!
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