NCAA Tourney...

Boy, do I question some of the teams that received at large bids over other teams. And I still don’t understand how the committee placed some teams with higher bids over other teams more deserving (i.e. #5 Nevada getting a better seed that #6 Michigan State and #6 WVU). That’s pretty much saying they believe Nevada is one of the top 20 teams in the nation. Well, there’s no reason to complain about it now (although, I do like to complain), but instead, the brackets are finalized, now it’s my time to pick the winners. But I will show my picks Wednesday. But before that, let’s go through this tourney Region by Region.

Atlanta

Overrated: Duke
If J.J. Reddick is off his game, who takes over the game? Who becomes the go-to-guy? Shelden Williams is a beat, but that is only on the boards and defensively. Offensively, there isn’t a consistent 2nd option, and that will pose problems in this difficult bracket.

Underrated: LSU
I would have said George Washington, but with an injured Pops they become just a mediocre teams. But LSU has the right players and big men to get them into next weekend with a potential matchup against Duke. If they can out-rebound Duke (primarily Williams) and keep them from second chance shots, LSU could upset Duke, who many believe is the favorite in this Region.

Spoiler: West Virginia
They’ve been here last year. They surprised everyone a year ago, but now they are getting props, but still are heavy underdogs heading into the 2nd round. If Gansey and Pittsnogle can catch fire consistently, they could beat Iowa and make a run for the Elite 8 and then to the Final 4.

Best Matchup: N.C. State/California
N.C. State had a very tough conference schedule, where Cal had an easier Pac-10 conference schedule. But this should be an interesting matchup. N.C. State will live and die by the 3. But they surprised many by making it the Sweet 16 last season, but that was also with Julius Hodge. It will be interesting to see them up against a very young Cal team.

Double’s Pick: Texas
Yes, I am biased. But I think this Texas team is built for the tournament. They have the pieces to win. 1) Rebounding – Aldridge, Buckman and P.J. Tucker dominate the boards. 2) Scorers – P.J. Tucker, Aldridge and the X factor, Kenton Paulino. 3) Defense – They are a tough and aggressive defensive team.
The keys though for them is Gibson not turning the ball over, Abraham making smart decisions off the bench and Aldridge/Tucker/Buckman staying out of foul trouble. This team can go deep in the tourney if they play smart, fundamental ball.


Oakland

Overrated: Gonzaga
They play in a weak WCC conference and were unable to close out games against some of their weaker opponents. Batista and Morrison have to be on their A game. But their lack of defense could still result in poor results against Xavier. And it could be an interesting matchup against Indiana with Killingsworth and Morrison.

Underrated: Arkansas
Ronnie Brewer is capable of carrying this team on his back as he helped late in the season and through the conference tourney, before bowing out to Florida 74-71. They’ve had impressive wins against at Florida, at Tennessee and at Alabama. If there starters can stay out of foul trouble and remain on the floor, they could become a tough out.

Spoiler: Arkansas
Read the above.

Best Matchup: Indiana/San Diego St
Indiana has been up and down all season. Marco Killingsworth has been a monster and has given Indiana some toughness. But he can’t do it alone. With White out for the season, that puts too much responsibility on Killingsworth. Can he carry them on his shoulders? SD St. has 3 players in double digit scoring (Brandon Heath, Marcus Slaughter and Mohamed Abukar). If Slaughter can battle with Killingsworth and get him in foul trouble, San Diego State has a good change of pulling off the upset.

Double’s Pick: Kansas
Yes they are a very young team, but they spread the ball around and don’t rely on just one player to carry the load. They are coming off an impressive win against Texas in the Big 12 championship and if they can carry that over, they have a very good chance of pulling off some upsets against possible opponents Pittsburgh and Memphis.


Washington D.C.:

Overrated: 3 Way Tie: UCONN, Kentucky, Tennessee
UCONN: They have the talent to win the tourney. But do they have the passion and drive and determination to do so? Josh Boone is one of the most overrated players. The problem with UCONN is they will have to settle for outside shooting throughout the tourney because they can’t count on Boone to be a dominant big man.
Kentucky: In the tourney based on their reputation. Yes, they played much better down the stretch, but still, too many bad losses and only 3 wins against top #25 teams during the season (WVU – beginning of year when WVU was playing horrible, Louisville – I could beat Louisville in a pick up game, Tennessee – end of season when Tennessee starting to show true colors)
Tennessee: They showed lots of promise until the end of the season when they had some really bad losses (Bama, Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina). Won 2 of their last 6 games against Florida – Not a huge win, and Vandy. They aren’t deserving of a #2 seed.

Underrated: Illinois
Yes, it’s questionable to say a #4 seed is underrated, but it seems as though no one is talking about Illinois. I think everyone forgets how good they really are. They have experience from a year ago and Dee Brown is playing exceptionally well. When he is on, they are tough to beat. And James Augustine has been a nice surprise to the front line. Illinois is tougher than most people think. Look for them to be a problem against UCONN.

Spoiler: Seton Hall
This is a tough bracket, but if the Hall can get past Wichita St. they could become a nuisance for Tennessee. If the Hall can find their mid-season form again they could become a dangerous team. They were 9-7 in the toughest conference in the nation and beat some really good teams (at Pitt, WVU, at NC State, at Syracuse). Watch out Tennessee.

Best Matchup: Kentucky/UAB
Kentucky has been very inconsistent throughout the season, but they can put points up on the board. But UAB’s Squeaky Johnson will do what he can to make sure that Rajon Rondo doesn’t allow Kentucky to get into a rhythm. That should be a great matchup to watch which should make it into a very good game.

Double’s Pick: UNC
They’ve impressed me all season. Young team that just continues to play hard and wins. The first matchup against Duke I thought they were going to get blown out due to them being a young team and not understanding the magnitude of that rivalry. But they hung in there the whole game and only lost by 4. Later, they beat Duke at Duke. A very impressive win. Tyler Hansbrough is the real deal and David Noel has provided leadership to this young team and does the little things. Look out D.C., UNC is looking to take it by storm.


Minneapolis:


Overrated: Nevada
The whole season Nick Fazekas was getting love around the country. Nevada was even ranked. But they didn’t impress me. Yes, they are on a 14 game winning streak, but that doesn’t impress me, since the majority of those wins were against weak teams. Too many times they couldn’t put teams away (like Gonzaga) when they should have allowing. If Fazekas is off, they don’t stand a chance.

Underrated: Georgetown
How is Georgetown a #7 seed? Beyond me. Yes, they have some bad losses (South Florida) but they also have impressive wins (Duke, Pitt, at Marquette). This is a team that can do some damage in the tourney, especially being in one of the weaker regions.

Spoiler: Georgetown
Ohio State will pose the biggest threat to Georgetown, but Georgetown can beat anyone in this region. If they can get past Ohio St., they have a great shot at beating what looks like Oklahoma or Florida in the Sweet 16 and advance on and possibly play Big East opponent Villanova or possibly BC. Georgetown has been tested. Playing in the Big East is a big advantage come tournament time. In order to survive the Big East, you have to play the best.

Best Matchup: Arizona/Wisconsin
I don’t know what to make of these two teams. One game they look like good teams, the next they look like they should have been headed to the N.I.T. But either way, this should be a good matchup. What I mean by that though is it should be a close game which makes for a good ending. What happens from the start till about the last 5 minutes could be ugly. But isn’t the fun of the NCAA first round purely based on last second buzzer beaters and upsets?

Double’s Pick: Villanova
Ever since Curtis Sumpter went down I became very skeptical of Nova. I didn’t think they could hang with the big boys without another true very good big man. But their 4 guard lineup has made it work. They are extremely tough to guard and they can rebound. Their bench has been playing well as of late which is a huge benefactor. Their biggest challenge will probably come from B.C., but B.C. is known to fall short in big games. Nova should have beaten UNC a year ago, but lost due to a traveling violation. I think this is their year to advance to the Final 4.