We're on the cusp of the tournament now with the opening play-in game in the East region going tonight between Coppin St and The Mount. The game will be on the Score at 8pm EST...can't wait...let it begin.
I still have to get through two more regions before Thursday so I'm lookin at posting my thoughts on the Midwest Region today and then finishing off with the South Region tomorrow. Then I have to finalize my bracket selections in my various pools, buy a huge amount of snack food and beverages, work in my couch spot a little more and take care of all miscellaneous distraction ahead of time so the tournament goes uninterrupted from the outside world.
Here we go with a round up of the Midwest bracket...
#1 UCLA (31-3) vs. #16 Mississippi Valley St. (17-15)Here's another blowout game in waiting. Miss Valley St is really fortunate to have won the SWAC tournament with a 59-58 win over Jackson State (14-20). They have won 9 in a row entering the tournament but they were absolutely crushed by Pittsburgh early in the year and they only managed 26 points in a 71-26 loss to Washington State. They don't have a chance in this one...it will likely be the most lopsided game in the first round in my opinion.
UCLA has won their last 10 games including an impressive but not unexpected run to the PAC-10 regular season title and tournament title. Many "experts" are hinting toward the Bruins being the national champs at the end of the tournament. They are experienced, powerful, composed, and all around a great team. Kevin Love leads the way averaging 17 and 10 but they've also got 3 others averaging more than 12 pts a game in Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and
Russell Westbrook. They have played high quality opponents and have beaten nearly all of them. They will storm through this one winning by a whopping 96-43.
#8 Brigham Young (27-7) vs. #9 Texas A&M (24-10)I think the Aggies are the better team in this one and I can't really call it a real upset since often the 8 v 9 games are more of a coin flip than anything else. Brigham Young has had a great season indeed including a win over Louisville early in the year. They challenge shots well and have two solid 15+ pt guys in guard Lee Cummard and center Trent Plaisted. Unfortunately they did not look that great against UNLV in the Mountain West tourney.
Despite the Aggies 8-8 conference record, they have played pretty solid basketball lately and when they're on...they're a real tough team. Their guards are a little spastic at times in their decision making but I think they've got themselves in a good spot mentally right now and are playing with more confidence. Also something to note that they started the season 15-1 and not against really weak opposition. They were ranked I think even in the top 10 at one point in the season before going through a tough spell. I'm predicting the Aggies in a mild upset 61-60.
#5 Drake University (28-4) vs. #12 Western Kentucky (27-6)Both of these teams have very impressive records coming into the tournament but like many small/weak conferences, it is really tough for them to prove themselves nationally unless they have a really tough non-conference schedule. Neither really did.
No one really had Drake on the radar until halfway through the season which was when I saw them televised for the first time. I was really impressed and love the old school basketball they are executing with great success. After starting 1-1, the Bulldogs when on a tear winning 21 straight games. They are solid all over the court...can drive to the hoop..can shoot from outside...make terrific cuts on the court...and are now one of my favourite teams to watch. 4 guys in double figures at multiple positions makes them able to punish you from any spot that you happen not to defend well.
The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky are no slouch from the Sub Belt conference with a 16-2 conference record, both losses coming at the hands of South Alabama (reg season champs), but they successfully navigated the conference tournament. They have been on a roll winning 17 of their last 18 games. It should be a really good game and despite the closeness of their records, there is a reason Drake is the 5-seed. This is potentially upset material for those searching for the opportunity but I'm not giving in to the temptation...I like the Bulldogs too much. Drake moves on 76-71.
#4 UConn (24-8) vs. #13 San Diego (21-13)Again..some pundits are predicting a potential upset in this one. Are you kidding me? The Huskies didn't start off great with losses to ranked teams like Memphis, Notre Dame, and G-town but since then...they've beaten the following ranked teams.... Marquette, Indiana, Louisville, Pitt, and some revenge on Notre Dame. They have developed greatly over the year and look really scary with Hasheem Thabeet in the middle. I remember a game against Syracuse where Thabeet had Arinze Onuaku so scared inside he just simply passed the ball back out to the perimeter rather than risk being swatted. That's what a 7'3" sophomore who keeps improving can do to you.
San Diego comes in on a roll after beating Gonzaga in their conference final and they have one 13 of their last 15 but the Tereros are going to have monster games from Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare in order to pull off a shocker. I am interested to see what all the fuss is about Brandon Johnson in this game but I know how strong the Huskies are. I don't think this will be a real close game but I don;t think a blowout is here either. Connecticut moves on 77-68.
#6 Purdue (24-8) vs. #11 Baylor (21-10)The Boilermakers finished 2nd in the Big Ten regular season and have two freshman in the starting lineup leading the way. They are defensively tough and have come out on the positive side of many risk-reward situations this year. They've beaten Wisconsin twice!!! What?? They've beaten Louisville and Michigan State. They lost to Wofford!! Who? What? You never know what game you'll get with them...they have the potential to suck out and the potential to make a real run.
The Baylor Bears in the tough Big 12 conference have had a solid season a are in the tourney for the first time since 1988...that's 20 years folks! they did beat Notre Dame earlier this year but since then had some key losses against Washington State, Kansas, and Texas twice. I'm happy they made the tournament but this is as far as they go in my bracket.... Purdue wins 66-60.
#3 Xavier (27-6) vs. #14 Georgia (17-16)No one was more impressed than I watching Georgia make the NCAA tournament after the drama in Atlanta last weekend where they pulled off 2 wins in one day and then beat the Razorbacks to win the championship. I'd love to see them make a run in the tournament because they're already playing beyond expectations but this is a team that lost 10 of their last 12 games going into the SEC tournament.
Xavier on the other hand has had a great season and despite a loss to St. Joe's in their tournament...they are a quality team and although I don't know if they should be a 3-seed...they are so much better than their opposition. They are so solid and their bench is deep. They have 6 guys averaging double figures in scoring...something remarkable and that is a huge part of their success. Xavier shouldn't have too much trouble unless Georgia plays out of their minds again. I see Xavier going through 84-66.
#7 West Virginia (24-10) vs. #10 Arizona (19-14)Here's an upset I'm going to call. Granted West Virginia can shoot the three and they can score pretty evenly, I'm just not impressed by them throughout the season and they also were crushed by Georgetown in the Big East tournament 72-55. They have beaten Marquette, Pitt, ad UConn...but they've also lost to those teams as well. I also don't really like the way they play from the games I've seen.
The Wildcats have had a really rough season with numerous injuries that affected the team but now that they're healthy...they've been playing really well. Having Jerryd Bayless back makes a huge difference and Chase Budinger is an awfully nice guy to have on your roster. They are small and will have difficulty matching up against big teams...not a problem against West Virginia. They can run and score....their defense is suspect but I think they've got enough to upset in this one. Arizona wins 81-72.
#2 Duke (27-5) vs. #15 Belmont (25-8)Poor Belmont!! They come rolling into the tournament on a 13 game winning streak, and Atlantic Sun title, a tournament title and they are about to hit the spike strips when they meet the Blue Devils. They are used to being the underdogs...they're fine with that...but they are a young team. They are facing Duke...a high scoring team that can score from all over the court against a small team and are incredible at swinging the ball for a 3 point dagger. No need to go into details..this game is over. Duke wins 90-53.
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