
Cedric Jackson and Renard Fields celebrate their 84-69 win over Wake Forest.
The first round ended with a flurry last night as Cleveland State (had them); Wisconsin and Siena all won exciting games. I finished the first round at 25-7, but only have 12 of 16 Sweet sixteen teams remaining. Eight teams will punch tickets to the Sweet Sixteen today with UCLA and Villanova tipping off at 1:05 EST.
(6)UCLA vs. (3) Villanova
Site: Philadelphia
What will happen: Villanova survived an onslaught by a tough American team and now the Cats can settle in. UCLA’s offense did not impress me in their 65-64 win over VCU, and Nova could cause the Bruins some problems if they press them. I like Scottie Reynolds to get untracked and Villanova to enter the Sweet 16.
(10)Maryland vs. (2) Memphis
Site: Kansas City
What will happen: Maryland surprised me by using a big second half spurt to beat California and Memphis struggled to dispose of a 17-13 CS Northridge team. The ACC went 3-4 in the first round, which makes me believe Memphis will have their way with a suspect Maryland squad. I like Memphis to click on both ends and win about 12.
(1)Connecticut vs. (9) Texas A & M
Site: Philadelphia
What will happen: Connecticut was just absolutely dominant in their first round tune-up over Chattanooga (103-47) but now they face some real competition. Texas A&M is a physical team who has previous March experience. They fell last year to UCLA in a second round thriller and I expect them to play Uconn well today. I just don’t know if A&M will have the horses down the stretch. I like the Huskies to win by 8.
(5) Purdue vs. (4) Washington
Site: Portland
What will happen: Purdue looked like they might cruise past Northern Iowa, but the Panthers responded by going to the wire. Washington (a trendy upset victim) looked very impressive on Thursday by handling Mississippi State with ease. Washington’s defense will be the deciding factor here and Brockman could have a big day. I like my Final Four pick Washington to advance to the Sweet 16 and set up a brilliant game with Connecticut.
(1) North Carolina vs. (9) LSU
Site: Greensboro
What will happen: For anyone who didn’t see LSU play they are very athletic and Marcus Thornton can play a little. Carolina went to work on Radford in a blowout 101-58 win setting up this match-up of speed and athleticism. The Tigers MUST get a big effort out of F Tasmin Mitchell and C Chris Johnson on the boards if they want to have a chance. This one is closer than people think and LSU might have an upset in them. However, talent prevails and UNC wins by 11.
(2) Oklahoma vs. (10) Michigan
Site: Kansas City
What will happen: Michigan got a win over another fluke ACC team. Oklahoma is going to come to play and the Wolverines will have no answer for Blake Griffin; Sooners by 14.
(12) Western Kentucky vs. (4) Gonzaga
Site: Portland
What will happen: Gonzaga struggled for a while against a game Akron squad but used a 19-1 run to win that game. Western Kentucky is better than Akron and has already knocked off one pretended. I have Gonzaga in my Final Four, but this game really scares me. You know Western Kentucky is going to come to play and you know they are going to be there at the end. I’ll stick with Gonzaga, but by less than 5.
(7) Texas vs. (2) Duke
Site: Greensboro
What will happen: Now that the ACC has been exposed and the Big 12 has opened eyes (but not these, had them 6-0) with their great start to the tournament, I have to wonder if Duke has it in them to beat Texas. Texas MUST pound it into Dexter Pittman and hope that A.J. Abrams will be on for them to have a shot. Duke will come at the Longhorns with an assortment of three point shooters, but a lack of interior game. This should be a great measuring stick for Duke and give us an idea of how they will handle a hulking big man (if they meet Pitt).
Other topics:
Wakes downfall: This one should have been more obvious to people, with a Wake team that struggled down the stretch (8-6), lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament, struggled to shoot from outside and a team that was so young. The Vikings are mature, run good offense and play solid defense. My only regret here is that I didn’t take Cleveland State to the Sweet 16.
Utah: The Utes never found a rhythm with Luke Nevill in foul trouble all night. Arizona deserves a lot of credit for going at him and not backing down when Utah finally made a run.
VCU: I love Eric Maynor, but VCU let that game slip away. Their effort is unquestionable, but their shot selection at the end of their loss to UCLA raised some eyebrows. Maynor is your guy, yet they ran nothing for him nor gave him a chance to make a play for someone else.
Siena: The Saints have a flair for the dramatic as evidenced with Ronald Moore’s two huge threes. That game against Ohio State is what March is all about. On the other side you have to feel for the Ohio State kids.
No-Auto Bids: Every year some people raise the topic of eliminating auto-bids so more average major teams can make the tournament. I like how CBS addressed the issue last night, saying that the mid-majors are what make the tournament great. These kids get ONE shot at the big boys and bring their A game. East Tennessee State played a brilliant game and should hold their heads high (shoot their free throws and we might have our first 1-16 upset ever), but you know that loss hurt those kids. It’s great for the kids of these programs to be able to tell their children one day that they had a shot at North Carolina or Pitt. The day that auto-bids are taken away is the day that I lose all faith in the NCAA and stop watching.
Siena’s great win over Ohio State!







