Madness!

Ahh, my favorite time of the year: March Madness. A time when Cinderella can have a glimpse of the slipper for one night. All it takes is one odd bounce of the ball in either direction to keep one team's season alive and end another's. Being the College Basketball buff that I am I figured I'd throw my two cents out there now on this year's tournament.

First, let's look at who got in and who was left out. Of course there is Syracuse. Heard about them all day, heard their coach crying about it all day. I have no sympathy for them. Yes, they probably should have been in instead of a few other teams, but how many teams from the Big East should go? Fuck 'em, they should have taken care of business. If they had a similar record and did not play in the Big East you would not hear one person crying for them.

Air Force. They should be there. Good record, decent Mid Major Conference, and they beat Texas Tech, UNLV, and Stanford, who are all in.

Drexel should also be there. Contrary to what the selection committee (and Billy "Fudge" Packer) believes, America wants to see more Mid Majors in there. The biggest charm to the tournament is the David defeats Goliath games. I know: How many teams from the Colonial Athletic Conference should be there? Well, this year the answer is three: Va Commonwealth (they won the automatic bid), Drexel, and Old Dominion, since they beat Drexel twice.

The biggest snub, and they got snubbed for the second year in a row, was Missouri State. #36 RPI. Their conference (Missouri Valley) is #6 RPI. One of only 3 teams to beat Wisconsin. They should be there.

On a side note, Akron got completely fucked. They lost on a last second three pointer in their conference championship game, got snubbed by the selection committee, then was not invited to the NIT. Horrible.


Now, who should not be in: Arkansas. Mediocre team. Biggest win is an overtime last second victory over Southern Illinois.

Illinois. Another mediocre team. More off-court problems than the Cincinnati Bengals.

Stanford. Year after year they get undeserved credit. In years past they have rolled through a weak PAC 10, been the toast of college basketball, then got bounced in the second round. I hate Stanford, but I love when they are in the tourny just because there are always idiots in the pools i'm in that pick them to go far and their brackets get fucked by this highly overrated school. Well, this year the PAC 10 is great and Stanford's true colors have shown. They do not deserve to be here.

I've read arguments that Duke doesn't belong in the tourny either. This is completely false. Look, they had a bad season by DUKE STANDARDS, but by everyone else's standards they had a good year. If this is their down year then they have a pretty good program. I'm not a Duke fan or a coach K fan, but you have to respect the program that's been built there and they deserve to be in the tournament. What they don't deserve is a #6 seed.
They got that on their reputation alone. They should have been in the 8-10 range.

Lets break down the regions now:

MIDWEST

Florida is the defending champs, the SEC champs, and the #1 seed here. They are for real, and I see no reason why they should not go all the way again. Sure, they hit a little skid at the end of the regular season, but they did that last year too before they won it all. They are tough and have plenty of experience. They should have no problem at least making the Final Four.

The most intriguing first round matchup is the oh so famous 5-12 game where Cinderella usually comes from. Here we have Butler vs. Old Dominion. Butler was great in the beginning of the year, but they have faltered toward the end. I don't think they deserve a #5 seed, but I'm not greatly opposed to them getting it. ODU is for real. They are scrappy and tough. I'm taking Old Dominion getting to the second round.

There is also the 6-11 matchup between Notre Dame and Winthrop. The Fighting Irish better be prepared for a battle here. The committee fucked up: Winthrop should be seeded a few slots higher. Another upset here: I'm taking Winthrop. The Midwest also has Oregon as a #3 seed. Oregon is tough, and I look for them to knock off Wisconsin and make it to the Elite Eight, but lose to Florida there.

The 7-10 game is UNLV vs. Georgia Tech. UNLV is another sleeper. They should beat the Yellowjackets, and I wouldn't be surprised if they upset Wisconsin in the second round.
Lon Krueger is a hell of a coach and he has a hell of a team, even though nobody gives them much respect.


WEST

Kansas got their #1 seed, so for once a Bill Self squad should not get bounced in the first round. There's no doubt about it: this team has talent. Talent wise they may be the best team in the tourny. That being said I don't see them getting past the Sweet 16. Hell, I'll be suprised if they get past the second round. Here's the facts: They've had this same team the last 2 years and have not made it out of the first round. A couple of years ago Self left Illinois for greener pastures and his predecessor took the team he built to the final game. Self is a hell of a recruiter, one of the best. But he couldn't coach this team through six rounds of the Special Olympics Tournament. He is not an x's and o's guy. And the committee played a cruel joke on him with the path that they are making this coaching oaf blaze through.

The 8-9 game is between Villanova and Kentucky. Two major schools, one who has a good history in the tournament and the other has the best history in college basketball. Kentucky is like Duke: they are having a bad year by KENTUCKY STANDARDS. They still have a good team. I think they will beat Villanova, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Nova win either. Here's the good part though: The winner of this game takes on Kansas in the second round, and should beat the everloving shit out of the Jayhawks.

The 5-12 game: Illinois vs. Va Tech. Now, I know I said that Illinois should not be there, but I am not really sold on Va Tech. Plus, Bruce Weber is the complete opposite of Bill Self: couldn't recruit bluechippers even if he offered all the free guns and blow they wanted, but he gets the most out of his teams. He's and x's and o's genius. I think we may have another 5-12 upset here, but I wouldn't bet any money on it.

The 4-13 game pits Southern Illinois (my alma mater, but I am trying to be objective here) against Holy Cross. SIU has a blistering defense that will take teams by surprise and I don't think Holy Cross has seen anything like this, so SIU should move on to the first round. Their second round matchup is where I get nervous. The Salukis beat Va Tech early in the year, but I think that just prepares the Hokies more for that defense. And if they play Illinois then they are playing coach Chris Lowery's mentor, which means that Weber could have the upper hand in game planning. I think SIU should make it to the sweet 16, but I am not sold on it yet. All I know is whoever wins here will most likely make it to the Elite Eight.

6-11. Duke vs VCU. The CAA got snubbed, Duke got more love than they deserve. I'm taking VCU in an upset.

Pitt vs. Wright State. Pitt. Thats all I can say. Pitt.

Indiana vs. Gonzaga. The Zags aren't Cinderella anymore. Their big man likes the gonja more than buckets. Indiana will win.

UCLA will win the first round, then dispose of Indiana. They will then play Pitt, and this could be the best game of the Tourny. UCLA is good, Pitt is highly underrated. UCLA has the Final Four experience from last year, and coach Ben Howland will be facing his former team and former assistant coach Jamie Dixon. I think UCLA will squeek this one out, then win in the Elite Eight and return to the Final Four.



Tomorrow we'll look at the other side of the bracket.