I haven’t filled out a bracket yet. I know most of you haven’t either because you’ve all been waiting to see what the Maestro thinks. I’ve just been taking all of the info in, and will spend most of my work day today filling them out. Now everyone spends time talking about the sexy upset picks like Belmont (hmmm, where have I heard that before?) and the tough 8/9 matchups like Old Dominion/Butler, but lets be honest, a 1 or a 2 seed is going to take this thing down…and whether I like it or not (I don’t), picking the champ or finalists is usually what decides most pools. Sure all four #1 seeds probably aren’t going to make the Final Four, but I don’t see the harm in picking a lot of chalk to go deep. Anyways, those are my general thoughts on brackets, so here’s a region by region breakdown:
East: Ohio State is the tournament’s overall #1 seed, so naturally they get stuck with the toughest region…wait, what? Yep, that’s the way the committee operated. There are a lot of dangerous teams here, including in the 8/9 matchup, which I think George Mason will prevail in. Kentucky is also dangerous, obviously, and Washington may be peaking at the right time. In my pre-preview I had labeled Syracuse as a team not to trust, and of course that backfired on me, which is the danger of writing a pre-preview. They were placed in a bracket with some young teams who aren’t familiar with their zone and don’t have great outside shooters…plus, the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games will be played in their backyard in Newark. Fortunately, Ohio State has arguably the best 3 Point shooter in the country in Jon Diebler, so if these two matchup, I like the Buckeyes’ chances against the zone. Pick: tOSU. Sleeper: Washington Bust: North Carolina
West: The big question in the West is obviously the health of Kyrie Irving for Duke. Irving is arguably the best player in the country, but he has only played in 8 games this year due to a Fred Taylor-like toe. I like Duke but was all set to have them go down to Texas or Arizona (or even Tennessee) based on matchups, but Irving gives me pause there. I was all set to pick against UConn, but I don’t see Missouri getting their act together in time to knock them off. San Diego State is being overlooked, in my opinion, and I think they could end up as the only 2 seed in the Elite 8 and a definite Final Four threat. Lets remember that just a couple weeks ago Texas was being talked about as the #1 overall seed for the tournament, and I think they can regain that form to advance to Houston (hey, gotta pick against one of the 1 seeds, right). Pick: Texas Sleeper: Arizona Bust: UConn
Southwest: Kind of an interesting region here. I think Kansas is the best team, but Purdue, Louisville, Georgetown, and Notre Dame are all lurking. It’s no secret that Georgetown has struggled as of late, but PG Chris Wright will be back for the tournament and the Hoyas could be a dangerous 6 seed. Notre Dame can shoot the lights out, but if their shots aren’t falling, it’ll be tough against bigtime competition. Richmond is a sneaky veteran-laden team, which could give Vanderbilt some trouble in the first round, after Vandy has gone down to mid-majors over the past few years. When its all said and done, I think Kansas’ talent carries them through to Houston. Pick: Kansas Sleeper: Georgetown Bust: Louisville
Southeast: This region is a disaster. I’m not exaggerating when I say I don’t see much of a difference between the 2 and 13 seeds, and this is going to wreak havoc on people’s brackets. I think Pitt is the class of the region, but I could see any of the 4-13 seeds knocking them off before the Elite 8. Belmont and Utah State are 2 juicy mid-majors and could be headed towards a 12/13 second round matchup. At the same time, Kansas State and Wisconsin aren’t exactly weak…however, one will be going down. I love Gonzaga over St. John’s playing in Denver while St. John’s adjusts to losing DJ Kennedy to a torn ACL. Florida is obviously overseeded as a 2, but they get to play their first 2 games in Tampa. See what I mean? Really anything can happen here. Pick: Pitt (aim small, miss small) Sleeper: Belmont (duh), Utah State, Gonzaga…pick one. Bust: BYU, Wisky, K-State, St. John’s…pick one (or three).
Champ: Jayhawks over Buckeyes. Real original, I know. Fine, pick UConn or UNC…let me know how that works out for you.
