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Bracket Entries due by Noon EST Thursday (Today). Information is here.
For those who only follow College Basketball loosely, I present some subplots to follow for the first weekend of the Tournament. None of which should serve as the basis for any cash wagers...
1. Kevin Durant, F Texas
For those who don't remember Ralph Sampson, this is a chance to know what it felt like to watch him play in college. Be thrilled to see such a ridiculous amount of skill in the body of someone so tall. Wonder how long he can play before he breaks down. Fume as his teammates fail to get him the ball in key situations, and as he refuses to use his size advantage in the paint preferring to lurk on the three point arc. Be mystified at how he can score 30 points and look like an afterthought during the most important part of the game his team invariably loses.
2. Virginia Commonwealth University
Every year, there is a sleeper - double digit seed that breaks out upsets and makes the Sweet 16. Will this year's team be VCU. How will overseeded Duke 's much derided Greg Paulus handle the ball-hawking skills of Erik Maynor? Will anybody in your pool not have this upset? Will anyone be surprised if periodically dominant Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh pulls yet another disappearing act in a tournament game?
or will the surprise team be
3. Long Beach State
A senior laden team that plays an uptempo style, shoots lots of threes, scores in bunches, but lacks a credible inside presence -- and shares a pod with Tennessee and Virginia - major conference powers of similar ilk. Hottest shooting team advances. Key is the play of Mamadou Diane - Virginia's occaisional third scoring option.
4. Wisconsin
Every year, there's one high seed that flames out. Last year was the thin Tennessee Squad - this year, it might well be the Offensively challenged, injury depleted Wisconsin. Texas A&M Corpus Christi could scare, but it's the senior-laden, underseeded UNLV that's really scary. Or even the youthful, road-challenged Georgia Tech Yellowjackets.
Unless the disappointment is impressive, but untested, Memphis.
5. Florida
Like Maryland in the Women's bracket, Florida returns it's entire starting lineup (and key reserves) from last year's championship squad. Unlike Maryland, Florida has shown it can play with it's major competitors. (Fla 83 - Ohio St 60). But could they have an early round hiccup against an Arizona team that plays no defense but does have talent.
Ehh. That's Five Bullets, but more than five thoughts. Maybe I'll add more tomorrow.
For those who only follow College Basketball loosely, I present some subplots to follow for the first weekend of the Tournament. None of which should serve as the basis for any cash wagers...
1. Kevin Durant, F Texas
For those who don't remember Ralph Sampson, this is a chance to know what it felt like to watch him play in college. Be thrilled to see such a ridiculous amount of skill in the body of someone so tall. Wonder how long he can play before he breaks down. Fume as his teammates fail to get him the ball in key situations, and as he refuses to use his size advantage in the paint preferring to lurk on the three point arc. Be mystified at how he can score 30 points and look like an afterthought during the most important part of the game his team invariably loses.
2. Virginia Commonwealth University
Every year, there is a sleeper - double digit seed that breaks out upsets and makes the Sweet 16. Will this year's team be VCU. How will overseeded Duke 's much derided Greg Paulus handle the ball-hawking skills of Erik Maynor? Will anybody in your pool not have this upset? Will anyone be surprised if periodically dominant Aaron Gray of Pittsburgh pulls yet another disappearing act in a tournament game?
or will the surprise team be
3. Long Beach State
A senior laden team that plays an uptempo style, shoots lots of threes, scores in bunches, but lacks a credible inside presence -- and shares a pod with Tennessee and Virginia - major conference powers of similar ilk. Hottest shooting team advances. Key is the play of Mamadou Diane - Virginia's occaisional third scoring option.
4. Wisconsin
Every year, there's one high seed that flames out. Last year was the thin Tennessee Squad - this year, it might well be the Offensively challenged, injury depleted Wisconsin. Texas A&M Corpus Christi could scare, but it's the senior-laden, underseeded UNLV that's really scary. Or even the youthful, road-challenged Georgia Tech Yellowjackets.
Unless the disappointment is impressive, but untested, Memphis.
5. Florida
Like Maryland in the Women's bracket, Florida returns it's entire starting lineup (and key reserves) from last year's championship squad. Unlike Maryland, Florida has shown it can play with it's major competitors. (Fla 83 - Ohio St 60). But could they have an early round hiccup against an Arizona team that plays no defense but does have talent.
Ehh. That's Five Bullets, but more than five thoughts. Maybe I'll add more tomorrow.
no subject
Texas is truly a one man team. He's an impressive man, but I've watched a sad lack of offensive movement from the rest of the team, and overreliance on him. He's probably the reason that in the two games against KU, Texas took early and big leads, but once he gets tired or teams figure out the rest of Texas is weak...
Then you have 22 point comebacks. :)
no subject
But it's more than that. Perimeter players have to spend forever running off screens and around guys to get shots. Like Reggie Miller did. But Durant can't do that all game. Jack so many long shots and you wear out. More passing could set up easier baskets, but the team doesn't have that kind of court awareness.
But it's also his style. Like Sampson, Durant's game is a weird fit for any team. At some point, he has to know to go in the post more often for easier baskets. Especially ones that can be set up by team passing, rather than him trying to go one-on-three with some silly array of spins. Great highlights for the scouts, but they leave him with no gas when they really need it.
Hence Texas gagging away that Big XII final game that, by all rights, they really should have won.
no subject
Heh. Sorry. We're an obnoxious bunch right now, the Gators. I know it. Can't so much help it, though.
My friends and I have said that we might have to enter into a university-wide suicide pact if, in the final game, Florida goes up 41-14 over Ohio State and calls a timeout. I mean... it can't really get better than that.