Bracketology 102: Upsets and Favorites
Now that you have all filled out your brackets, crossed out, and then filled them out again, it;s time to announce the Top 10 favorites and upset picks for the upcomming tournament.
Again, I am no expert at this, I’m just saying who I like to win it all, and which upsets I think will happen. Take my advice with a grain of salt, because my opinion is worth about as much Britney Spears’ opinions on good parenting.
OK, onto the list. First the upsets:
1. No. 11 Saint Joseph’s over No. 6 Oklahoma (East): Not the prototypical 12-5 upset, but an upset none the less. Saint Joes is a scrappy bunch that scores more and turns the ball over less then Oklahoma. Plus Oklahoma is only good for football, corn and musicals, so you have to go with the team from Philly.
2. No. 9 Kent State over No. 8 UNLV (Midwest): Really it’s a 9-seed over an 8-seed so it’s not that big of an upset. But if your pool gives you points for chosing higher seeds, this one will get you an added point, which could factor into the end result.
3. No. 10 Davidson over No. 7 Gonzaga (Midwest): Mark it down, this Davidson will be what Gonzaga was 10 years ago. Davidson’s Stephen Curry could lead his team to a few wins by himself.
4. No. 12 Temple over No. 5 Michigan State (South): Best 12-over-5 option there is. It’s going to happen, so why not pick against the team from the horrible Big 10. Michigan State is soft, and although he’s not there anymore, a Temple player was sent into a game a few years ago just to knock someone out. Now that’s a team I’m getting behind.
5. No. 10 St. Mary’s over No. 7 Miami (South): Since when did Miami start playing basketball? I’m not sure where St. Mary’s is, or how is on the team, but Miami is full of future criminals and St. Mary’s sounds like a religious school. I’m gonna have to go with God on this one.
6. No. 9 Texas A&M over No. 8 BYU (West): Another 9-over-8 pick, but this one is easy. BYU is a mormon school in Utah, Texas A&M is not. That’s all I have to say.
7. No. 11 Baylor over No. 6 Purdue (West): A few years ago, the program at Baylor was rocked when one player killed another one. Everyone left the school and the basketball program was in shambles. Now, they are playing in the NCAA Tournament against another team from the sorry Big 10. Just for sentimental purposes you have to like Baylor.
8. No. 14 Georgia over No. 3 Xavier (West): I’m just kidding, no way does that happen. I just wanted to see if you were still paying attention.
Real 8. No. 10 Arizona over No. 7 West Virginia (West): Arizona played a harder schedule and is a much nicer place to go to school than West Virginia. Think about it. If you were an 18-year-old high school basketball phenom, would you chose West Virginia or sunny Arizona? It’s a no-brainer, just like this pick.
9. (Round Two) No. 6 USC over No. 3 Wisconsin (East): I’ll say it again, the Big 10 is awful and all of its teams will be out of the tournament after the first weekend. Plus USC has a guy named O.J. on the team and last time O.J. was at USC he was killin folks. (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)
10. (Round Two) No. 7 Butler over No. 2 Tennessee (East): I don’t have the guts to pick this, but if it happens, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. Butler beast Tennessee last year and are a much better team this year. They could win by two or lose by 20. My guess is they win, and everyone in Tennessee is left confused because they didn’t even know Butler was a college.
THE FAVORITES
I’ll start from least probable to most probable champion.
10. Pittsburgh: They are sound defensively and at times can be potent on offense. They had a remarkable run through the Big East Tournament and now that they are healthy can pose a threat to any team out there, especially top-seeded Memphis.
9. Memphis: Do you know how many times Memphis has made it to the Final Four under John Calipari? Zero. Do you know how many future NBA stars are on that team? At least three. Derrick Rose is a special player, but with all the “athletes” and run-and-gun style of play the Tigers use, they could be out of gas after Pittsburgh takes them to task in the Sweet 16. Memphis will be the first No. 1 seed to lose.
8. Georgetown: Yeah they have that Hibbert character that clogs the lane like a Varsity chili burger clogs your arteries. And yeah they made it to the Final Four last year. But if you’ve watched Georgetown this year (like I have) you probably haven’t been impressed.
7. Louisville: Never doubt Rick Petino in an NCAA Tournament. Then again, never trust him either. If the Cardinals get by Tennessee then they could give Carolina a run for their money.
6. Duke: If they get by Xavier the Dukies will more then likely have to face Kevin Love and UCLA. Love is too big for Duke, who have zero inside presence. If UCLA isn’t there, Duke will reach the finals and could win the whole thing.
5. Tennessee: Yeah I know I picked them to lose to Butler earlier, but if they do get by Butler then they have a solid chance to win a title. North Carolina vs. Tennessee will be a must-watch game, and if the Vols are clicking on all cylinders, Lofton and the crew could be cutting down the nets. Plus you have to like the idea of an orange-clad Bruce Pearl drapped in sweat during the championship game. Now that would be must-see TV.
4. Texas: If Kevin Durant still attended classes in Austin, the Longhorns would be the overwhelming favorites to win it all. But while he’s not, D.J. Augustin and the rest of the Longhorns are. I had Texas winning it all last year based on Durant’s abilities. I think I was a year too early.
3. North Carolina: The Tarheels are probably the most picked team to win the championship, but let me be the first to tell you why they won’t. Ty Lawson. Lawson is a fast break away from tweaking his ankle and being out for the entire tourney. With him out, Carolina is not the same. Hansbrough may be the (most overated player ever in college basketball), ummm….leader of the team, but Lawson is the catalyst and without him, Carolina is just not as good.
2. Kansas: The Jayhawks always seem to disappoint in the tournament, but this year is different. They got blessed with a weak road to the Final Four and have are by far the deepest and most talented team in the field.
1. UCLA: I know I said never to trust a freshman, but Kevin Love is the T-R-U-T-H. He’ll be the difference maker in the entire tournament and with him, and the guard play of Collison, Shipp and Westbrook, the Bruins will be very very tough to beat. UCLA has been to the Final Four the past two years and have gone home with nothing to show for it, this year they will make up for that.